Chapter 9 – “Wasn’t the Daughter-Fool Just a Concept, Duke!”
Benen was slightly taken aback.
‘Father should be better at judging people. Does he just want to know if she’s cute or something?’
He had merely relayed a passing comment from the servants. So why was his father reacting like he’d heard something bizarre?
Still, there was no real reason to refuse seriously.
“Understood. I’ll tell you later.”
Being cute is still part of a person’s value. Maybe his father, who has no interest in aesthetics, just wanted to hear someone else’s opinion.
‘She’s a little girl. Around ten, maybe?’
Interacting with young girls was something that made Benen uncomfortable.
‘No. It’s not about her being a girl—kids in general are annoying.’
Fragile and noisy things.
What if she turned out to be one of those clingy, chatterbox types who’d go “Oppa, oppa!” all the time? Just the thought was disgusting.
‘She’ll probably act cute to make a good first impression, right? Go ahead and try. I’ll crush that arrogance of yours.’
Benen chuckled with twisted thoughts and even felt a little pity for the girl who’d have to deal with someone like him as a big brother.
But more important than meeting the girl today was the condition of his younger brother.
“How is Elver?”
“He’s fine. I’ve retrieved Elver. I also took care of the bastard who sent this.”
Rattiger flicked a letter from a file. It was a classic ransom note made from cutout newspaper letters.
“Withdraw from the development industry immediately. Otherwise, we can’t guarantee your youngest son’s safety.”
“Oh? The blackmailer actually found the orphanage Elver was in? He’s more competent than I thought.”
“Exactly. If he had that much skill, he should’ve put it to better use instead of trying to take it out on me.”
Clearly still irritated, Rattiger frowned.
That letter had arrived last month. Most people would’ve immediately locked their child at home, sent them to distant relatives, or hidden them away in a monastery.
But Rattiger avoided such predictable choices. Instead, he intentionally made his son disappear into a remote parish.
After all, the fate of missing children in such areas was fairly set: they’d end up in orphanages subsidized by the local temple.
Yes, Elver would’ve suffered there. But if he had hidden him using his personal connections, the boy would’ve been tracked and kidnapped within three days.
Better to let his son suffer than be kidnapped.
“I thought I handled it well. Though Elver seemed pretty dissatisfied with me.”
“Father. Did you not explain to Elver about the threatening letter?”
“Was I supposed to?”
“…Never mind.”
“If he wants to be a successor to the Schlaeger family, he should be able to figure out something like this on his own.”
Successor. That word made Benen clench his jaw.
Children of the Schlaeger line are born with ordinary blue eyes. But when they hit puberty and inherit the power of the Silver Dragon, their eyes shimmer like the waves of a shallow sea.
Even Elver, at twelve, occasionally showed signs of this shimmer.
But Benen, already in puberty, only had beautiful eyes that looked like polished glass. …And the chances of the icy power awakening in him were slim.
“Benen.”
“…Yes, Father.”
“Don’t harbor futile thoughts. Everyone has their own value.”
Rattiger didn’t know how to console people. His words stabbed Benen in the chest like a knife.
Benen forced himself to think of something else—like the girl who, despite being a commoner, would dare to sit at the same table as him today.
‘The servants said she looked like a sewer rat caught in the stables…’
He couldn’t report that bluntly to his father, so he just said, “She’s not very cute.”
Then he belatedly realized the flaw in that testimony. Of course she looked filthy—she was just brought from the orphanage.
‘Wouldn’t she look different after a bath?’
A bath after so long felt like heaven.
The discomfort of having a maid bathe her faded quickly. Once immersed in the warm water, all worries melted away. Ever since leaving the orphanage, she had only been able to take quick showers!
She started humming without realizing.
Linda, the maid assigned to her, smiled.
“Hehe, I never thought I’d be looking after a young lady in this house! I thought it’d be all men forever. It’s so bright now.”
“All men?”
“Yes. The Duchess passed away a long time ago.”
Ah, right. She died shortly after giving birth to the third son.
I pretended not to know.
“Oh my, what happened?”
“She fell ill. It was over ten years ago, so I don’t know the details either.”
“The Duke must’ve had a hard time.”
Even as I said that, I felt weird. Do villains in novels even have those kinds of emotions? That’s when the maid’s eyes widened.
“My lady. Are you really ten years old?”
“…Huh?”
“It’s like talking to an adult. You seem five or six years older than me!”
“…”
Bullseye. How do ten-year-olds usually talk? I can’t afford to raise suspicion!
“Uh, I—I was the oldest at the orphanage! That’s why!”
“Oh, I see.”
Linda smiled brightly.
“Here, you’ll be the youngest.”
Her rough fingers gently cleaned under my nails, washing away the dirt that had gathered there.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“…”
“The Duke may seem scary… but I don’t think he brought you here with bad intentions. Smile and enjoy your time here.”
…He did bring me here with bad intentions, though.
But still—
“All done! Let’s get you dried off with a fluffy towel!”
As Linda handed me a thick towel with a cheerful grin, I started to think maybe life in this mansion wouldn’t be so bad.
When I looked in the mirror earlier, I wasn’t very cute. But after a good wash and some nice clothes, I’d probably look at least average cute.
Then maybe that villainous Duke would turn into a doting father. Same for the older brothers!
…It may seem like a silly dream, but I’m serious. I mean, I got isekai’d into a romance fantasy novel—so I’m allowed to have at least some unrealistic hopes, right?
After getting out of the bath, drying off, brushing my hair, and dressing in the clothes Linda prepared—
“Oh my, how adorable!”
The girl in the mirror, freshly bathed and dressed, was indeed pretty cute compared to earlier.
“I braided your hair to the side. Now, shall we go eat?”
“Um… Is this really the only outfit I have?”
A dumb question.
“Yes. It can’t be helped.”
“…”
So I held Linda’s hand and headed down to the dining room on the first floor, where I would meet my “family” for the first time.
“Young Lady Sol has arrived.”
At the end of a long table—
The Duke of Schlaeger looked up from his aperitif—
“You’ve… cough!”
He choked.
The youngest brother, Elver, stared at me with sparkling eyes.
And the boy who seemed to be the middle of the original three brothers…
Looked completely bewildered and said,
“…Wait. ‘New sibling’ meant a brother?!”
No! That’s not it!
There had never been a young girl in this house. So obviously, the only clothes they had were for boys.
Which meant! Right now, I looked! Like an adorably cute little boy!
Face flushed red, I sat down in the prepared seat.
Elver was still looking at me like I was the cutest thing ever. And the second brother? He started clutching his stomach and laughing.
Finally, the Duke wiped his chin with a napkin and solemnly declared,
“…After dinner, we’ll go buy clothes.”
A nearby servant chimed in.
“I’ll order the servants to purchase children’s wear immediately. Though we may only find off-the-rack items.”
“No. It was my oversight not to prepare proper clothes, so I’ll go personally.”
…Okay, that’s kind of overwhelming.
But then came something even more over-the-top.
“Among the ready-to-wear shops in the city, ensure that no shop with three or more employees closes before I arrive.”
“Understood.”
Hey! Let the workers go home! This isn’t a villain—this is just a menace! Is this how VVIPs rent out department stores for private shopping?
After the servants left, the Duke turned to me.
“Eat.”
“Yes, sir.”
I’d been waiting for this moment.
But the moment I sat down, I was overwhelmed. The white stuff were dishes, and the shiny ones were for eating.
Uhh… you usually start from the outside in, right?
I used the outermost spoon to eat the soup. One taste, and my eyes lit up.
This is delicious!
I tried to eat gracefully at first, but soon I was clutching the soup bowl and practically inhaling it.
“Ahhh…”
My stomach filled with warm, rich broth—pure bliss. I finally set the bowl down.
Then I noticed three men staring at me in silence. Yikes. I must’ve eaten like a total pig.
Flushing, I lowered my spoon and tried to read the room. The second son had his hand over his mouth. His shoulders were shaking—he was trying not to laugh.
Before the Duke could scold me, I confessed on my own.
“…I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For not eating properly… I’ll use the utensils correctly next time!”
I grabbed the spoon again. But the Duke shook his head and pointed at it.
“No. That’s a teaspoon.”
“…Huh?”
No wonder it fit so perfectly in my mouth!
Embarrassed, I put the teaspoon down. Why even set it there if it’s not for the meal!?
“Well, it just… fit so well…”
“I’m not blaming you. I’ll make sure things are set up properly next time.”
As my face turned red again, the Duke glanced at the second son and said,
“Benen. Just as I said, right?”
“…She really is tiny.”
Benen pouted. He looked like a moody teen refusing to agree with his parent. What were they talking about?
Noticing my curious gaze, Benen spoke up.
“Ah, we haven’t introduced ourselves, have we? The other two met you at the orphanage, but I haven’t. I don’t want to be left out.”
He smiled brightly. That fox-like grin with eyes closed—it finally clicked who he was.
Benen Schlaeger.
The second son of the Duke, who inherited his black hair, blue eyes, and cruel personality—but not the power of frost.
In the original story, he was the jealous villain who tormented his younger brother.
The second most dangerous person in this household.
“Hello. I’m Sol, and I’m ten years old.”
“Hi, I’m Benen Schlaeger. I’m your second brother, and I’m fifteen. Ask me anything you need, okay?”
“Thank you.”
I bowed politely and ended the conversation.
Benen. He’s smiling nicely now, but I’m sure he’s already judging my worth inside.
