ISTV 06

One afternoon, in De Felto’s office.
It was there that Sayla and De Felto met.

“Father. I heard you called for me.”

De Felto was seated behind a desk stacked high with paperwork, signing something with a quill pen.

He put down his pen and spoke with a voice laced with subtle anger, as if scolding her.

“Sayla. Why have you been causing such a stir?”

Seeing his face stirred up a complicated mix of emotions in me.

“I wasn’t expecting kind words.”

Maybe the real Sayla, the one who originally owned this body, had different feelings, but I didn’t have any affection for De Felto.

To me, De Felto was practically a stranger.

…Or so I thought.

But seeing his face in person made it harder to maintain that distance.

‘Sayla’s memories are real too—and now, they’re mine as well.’

I couldn’t deny it. I was a little confused.

Deep down, I guess I was hoping to hear a single kind word from him.

“What?”

“If your usually sweet and gentle daughter suddenly caused a scene, couldn’t you at least ask her why she did it?”

“I simply asked why you stirred up trouble in the family.”

It was like he was saying he didn’t care about the troubles of a child who couldn’t even fulfill her role.

There wasn’t a single trace of affection in the way he looked at me.

God, this is so annoying. Why do I keep wanting love from this guy?

I guess it couldn’t be helped—since I now lived in this body.

“You called me a cursed child who devoured her own mother. You forced a paternity test, hoping I wasn’t your real daughter.”

“Answer the question I asked you.”

I swallowed hard without realizing it.

In this world, mages had a thing called mana, and I could feel his was swirling violently now.

An invisible force pressed down on me like a weight. It felt like I should drop to my knees and beg.

‘Hah. You think I’m going to back down?’

“On the day Mother passed away—on my birthday—you were having a delightful time drinking wine with Count Hampton.”

“Sayla! Watch your mouth!”

Bang!

De Felto slammed his fist onto the desk. Part of the surface shattered into dust, and I couldn’t help but flinch again.

Okay, yeah. That was scary.

“They say even as she was dying, my mother begged you to look after me, her newborn baby. She asked you not to hate me, to love me dearly. I’m sure you heard that much?”

De Felto pressed his fingers hard against his temple.

It was obvious he was forcing himself to suppress his anger toward me.

“Seems like you ate something bad last night. I’ll call for a physician. Reflect on your actions quietly in the meantime.”

“What is there to reflect on when I’ve done nothing wrong?”

“Look in the mirror. That disrespectful face and tone—is that how a daughter should speak to her father?”

Father, he says.

“Have you ever truly acknowledged me as your daughter?”

“What are you all doing? Take this rude girl and get her out of my office immediately.”

At his words, Mary flinched.

Looking pale, Mary cautiously stepped forward and whispered,

“M-my lady. I think it’s time to go.”

“I tried hard to be recognized as your daughter. Maybe I just wanted to be loved.”

“M-my lady…”

“But I won’t hope for that anymore.”

Mary began nervously pacing in place.

I continued.

“Instead, I will become an asset to this family. Lord De Felto.”

I called him “lord,” not “father.”

Sayla, the minor villainess in All the Beauty in the World, could never be a beloved daughter.

But she could become a valuable asset.

“…What?”

“I have a proposal.”

If this De Felto was the same character I remembered, he’d feel both angry and intrigued by me.

Because De Felto preferred someone who was useful to the family over someone who was kind but weak.

“Allow me to learn swordsmanship.”

I had a developer-granted trait: [Genius Swordswoman].

Later in the story, Sayla becomes a powerful villain—and her exceptional sword skills play a huge part in that.

Prince Leon, one of the top-tier crazy male leads in All the Beauty in the World, even had this iconic line:

“Had you picked up a sword just three years earlier, the world may have changed.”

Stronger mana than before crushed down on me.

I could barely breathe.

Am I… actually going to die here?

“A daughter of Devernon blood wishes to wield that barbaric blade?”

I summoned all the strength I had left to answer.

“I will graduate at the top of the swordsmanship class at Somarfi Academy. If I fail, I will leave the family on my own and give up the Devernon name. I’ll live quietly somewhere beyond the Black Sea, where no one knows me.”

The world of All the Beauty in the World is generally based on medieval Europe.

There are empires, kingdoms, and the usual lineup of dukes, marquesses, counts, and viscounts.

The central continent—the main stage of the story—is structured this way.

But there were also some unique powerhouses in this world, referred to as the “Three Great Powers.”

• The Queibek family, rulers of the eastern continent and cradle of swordsmanship.

• The Devernon family, rulers of the northern continent and sovereigns of magic.

• The Mystic Palace (Bigung), rulers of the west and guardians of the world’s mysteries.

They were viewed as prestigious houses equal to or above a marquess, but technically operated outside the usual noble hierarchy.

For thousands of years, these three powers dominated their respective regions.

Currently, the Queibek family was the strongest, followed by the Mystic Palace, then the Devernon family.

“Think about it. A noble lady born and raised in Devernon, with no real sword training, managing to defeat the bloodline warriors of Queibek, the very cradle of swordsmanship.”

What should I say next?

The mana pressing down on me was so strong, I felt dizzy.

I couldn’t think of any clever words, so I decided to go with pure style.

—Wouldn’t that be epic?

“Could there be anything more bold?”

At those words, the pressure vanished instantly, and De Felto burst into laughter.

He laughed mockingly for a long while, then erased his smile and said with disdain,

“What utter nonsense.”

“But it’s not a loss for you either, Lord De Felto.”

From his perspective, there was nothing to lose.

I wasn’t good at magic, and I was offering to walk away from the family on my own if I failed—why would he stop me?

“If you sign a written oath, I’ll consider it.”

He snapped his fingers, and paper and a quill floated into the air.

Golden dust shimmered from the tip of the pen, which began writing of its own accord.

“Top graduation from the swordsmanship class at Somarfi Academy. If you fail, you relinquish the Devernon name, forfeit everything you’ve received, and leave for an unknown land beyond the Black Sea.”

“Fine. On one condition.”

This was the most important part.

“You’ll cover all expenses related to swordsmanship training.”

“Very well.”

‘Oh, thank the gods. Tuition is covered.’

Somarfi Academy was the most prestigious school in the Romados Empire, and the annual tuition was a jaw-dropping 300 million dia.

Unless you were admitted through a special program, commoners couldn’t even dream of it.

(For reference: 1 dia was worth about 1 Korean won.)

I smiled and said,

“Thank you for smiling at me for the first time, Father.”

The moment I said I’d leave the family on my own, De Felto smiled at me for the first time.

I gathered my dress and bowed respectfully.

‘I’m totally fine.’

At least, I was supposed to be.

But my chest ached terribly.

I was not fine.

One afternoon.

The head of House Devernon, De Felto, and I—his “useless” third daughter—had struck a deal.

Outside the office…

Mary stepped out of De Felto’s office and finally let out a breath.

“Phew—!”

She thought she was going to suffocate.

Her head was still spinning. It felt like she had just come out of a tiger’s den.

Her palms and back were drenched with cold sweat.

‘W-was that really the lady I knew?’

Sayla’s attitude toward De Felto was completely unfamiliar.

Mary knew Sayla had changed, but she never imagined she would act like that in front of the family head.

As she hurried along, Mary finally spoke.

“My lady. Can I ask you for one small favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

“Would it be alright if I pinched your cheek, just once?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking if you can not pinch it?”

Sayla couldn’t help but laugh.

Who asks a noble lady for permission to pinch her cheek?

‘Huh?’

Now that she thought about it, there was someone who had already done that before.