“Eeeek… What’s so impressive about that!”
“Count Florette! I knew you’d return safely!” Giselle greeted him with a bright, confident smile.
Abisan jutted his lips forward and grumbled like someone breaking a silence. “…Tch, you’re just showing off. Uncle! I can do better than that!”
Count Florette looked at the sulking Abisan with a stoic expression and stated firmly. “Abisan, Giselle. Light magic isn’t something just anyone can use. Even though it’s basic magic, only those with high mana purity can produce such beautiful light.”
Giselle crossed her arms in front of her chest and nodded her head arrogantly. “Ah, is that so? Then Abisan, what are you doing? Why aren’t you kneeling?”
“…W-What?”
“You promised, didn’t you? That you’d kneel if you lost to me.”
Abisan looked flustered, then chuckled nervously. “What? When did I? I don’t even remember making any bet.”
“Oh, then let me help you remember.”
Giselle flicked her fingers a few times halfheartedly, and suddenly, a fierce wind blew toward Abisan. Attacked in the knees by the wind, Abisan tumbled down messily.
“Uuaah!”
“I helped you kneel instead of doing it yourself! Do you remember now?”
“Ugh, ahhh! M-My knees!” Abisan looked at his knees and trembled all over. He seemed quite shocked by the fact that his precious knees were scraped and blood was dripping down.
“What have you done to my precious son’s knees, Giselle Florette! Did you use wind magic?”
“Mother, hic.”
“You!” Mariposa ground her teeth and spoke. “Even if Abisan isn’t your blood relative, how could you do something so barbaric!”
“Yep~ Giselle is sooo barbaric~!” It was an ‘Oh yeah, go ahead and kill me’ attitude you’d never see from high society ladies!
Strangely feeling heat rush to the back of Mariposa’s neck, she exploded in anger. “That child is acting like that…! Hah, Brother. I’m sorry. Giselle, do you remember?”
“Yeah? What about?”
“About the commotion you caused on the day your engagement was announced.”
Count Florette’s gaze turned icy. “Her engagement was announced?”
“Ah, yes.”
“When? Without my consent, announcing Giselle’s engagement? Does that even make sense?”
Giselle grinned broadly at his words. She had expected Mariposa to lose her temper and say something rash. At least Count Florette didn’t hold any prejudice against Giselle yet, which was a relief.
“Yes! Madam Mariposa told me to marry a man thirty years older than me!”
“…Well, aside from age, he’s a good man. Giselle, you wanted him!”
“Huh? When did I ever say that?”
Count Florette turned to Mariposa with an unreadable expression and spoke sharply. “Mariposa. Do you really think it’s appropriate to consider a man thirty years older as a match for the child?”
Mariposa stammered, trying to change the subject. “S-Sorry, Brother. I just thought Giselle was having a hard time lately and wasn’t t-thinking straight, and I e-ended up thinking the same way… Of course, it’s not right!”
He looked at his sister with a cold gaze before speaking. “Don’t ever do something like that again.”
“I’m sorry. But Brother! Giselle’s actions were splashed across the newspapers, and I’ve been working hard to restore the family’s honor. Please understand that.”
It was when Mariposa, looking aggrieved, confessed everything that had happened.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, with considerable actions—”
As she detailed Giselle’s actions, Count Florette’s expression changed moment by moment. By the time Mariposa finished her report with a satisfied look, Count Florette had an expression of wonder.
“Giselle, you truly are the daughter of Count Sehera.”
“…Huh? Brother?”
Count Florette didn’t even look directly at his sister. “It brings back memories.”
The moment Giselle heard those words, she was genuinely convinced. As expected, my biological father must be a lunatic.
In a past side story that aimed to amplify Giselle’s misfortune, there was a scene like this:
[“This little XXX. XX b*stard. XXXX. XXXX.”
Count Florette watched Count Sehera’s outrageous behavior with a very pleased expression.
“C-Count Florette, are you alright?”
“Yes. I find my dear friend’s antics quite beautiful.”
“… You’re being sarcastic, right?”
Meanwhile, the items in the Magic Tower, gripped by Count Sehera, continued to break.
“Ah, XX. Those XXXX. XXXX.”
“I sometimes wish I could curse and live recklessly like that too.”]
In summary… Both my father and Count Florette are lunatics.
Typically, protagonists in romantic fantasy novels attempt to draw closer to their allies by being charming or flattering and by enhancing their reputation. That’s how they survive. But Giselle was different. If I act like a troublemaker, he’ll say I resemble my father, and I’ll get closer to my allies and improve my reputation.
Compared to other characters in romance fantasy transmigration, reincarnation, or regression stories, this was too easy. But she loved it. Living this easily is so much fun.
At that moment, Count Florette stepped forward toward Giselle. She momentarily forgot to act cheerful and just blinked.
“You really take after your father.” The count’s eyes seemed to wander through distant memories. He gently placed a necklace around Giselle’s neck and whispered. “You are the rightful owner of this heirloom, no, this necklace. Take it.”
A faint smile appeared on the count’s lips. It was a smile that neither Mariposa, Abisan, nor even the Giselle in the original story had seen before, leaving everyone speechless.
“Would you like to take a walk with me for a moment?”
Giselle, the first to regain her composure, beamed brightly and nodded. “Yes! I’d love to!”
* * *
“Wow, I can’t believe Giselle can use magic like that! Mother, did you see when I knelt down? It felt like a hurricane was blowing!”
“Don’t make such a fuss, Abisan. Do you have no guts?”
“What? Mother, what does ‘guts’ mean?”
She tried to suppress her anger, but it was impossible to quell the rising fury.
Mariposa, with bloodshot eyes, glared at Giselle from afar. Her goal was for Abisan to become the head of the Florette family. And the most bothersome obstacle was his brother’s adopted daughter, Giselle. So, she had been harassing Giselle to prevent her from showcasing her abilities and gaining a foothold within the family.
How did she get such power? I was planning to marry her off to some insignificant family! Unable to contain her anger, she trembled, and next to her, her foolish son exclaimed in awe.
“Mother, my tutor said that only those with incredibly pure mana have the potential to become an archmage! What if Giselle becomes an archmage? What if she seeks revenge on us?”
An archmage is a remarkable being, esteemed as a valuable asset to the empire.
Mariposa muttered to herself as she watched Giselle laughing gleefully in the distance. “That can’t be, right? Giselle is just Giselle. Stupid Giselle, that’s all.”
* * *
It was while walking alone with Count Florette.
“Giselle, have you been well?”
I tried to remain calm, but my heart skipped a beat. Count Florette asking about my well-being was something that had never happened before. So naturally…
“Yes, except for the fact that Madam Mariposa tried to marry me off to Viscount Milpianne.”
Isn’t it only right to start with a little tattling?
