DKVM Ch 10

Chapter 10

To start with…

“Why?”

Also known as the “Why?” attack.

As expected, they were baffled by my attack.

They’re used to being ordered around, and “why?” isn’t in their vocabulary.

“Um…? What do you mean why?”

“If it’s something you want to know, why do you have to ask me? You can ask the princess herself.”

As I continued to cut to the chase, a look of confusion crossed their faces.

Hmph, of course.

‘Actually, the emperor is afraid that the princess and the duke might rebel, so we’re here to spy on them!’

…Because they can’t just say that.

When the leader frowned, speechless, the man behind him answered.

“Well, His Majesty is not on good terms with the princess. It’s a bit difficult to ask her directly, so we are asking you.”

“Gasp! The princess doesn’t get along with the emperor? Why?”

“Uh, um… So, if you want to know why they don’t get along, it’s because….”

One of the guys, caught by my words, was about to answer.

At that moment, one of the others pushed the foolish man aside and interrupted him.

“No, forget what we talked about earlier. The emperor is a benevolent man who cares for all his subjects, and he wanted to know how the lady was doing after traveling so far.”

Oh, that’s plausible.

In the days before I recovered my memories, I might have let it go.

Then I moved on to my second attack.

“Aha. Then why aren’t you curious about me?”

Be persistent and do not let go of what the other person says!

“…Hmm?”

“Well, me and my dad are His Majesty’s subjects, too, and you don’t want to know how we’re doing in this town?”

The man was puzzled for a moment, then answered.

“Of-Of course we want to know. How are you doing here, and are you getting along with the princess?”

Oh my. Sneaking Rahel into the conversation?

This guy won’t be easy to fool.

Then one last attack…

“I’m doing well, I’ve been fighting with the kids in town, I’m the alley captain, and the other day I went to an abandoned house in the woods to try my hand at daring….”

I’ll brag about something you’re not even curious about!

As I rambled on and on, I could see the souls drain out of their eyes in real-time.

I thought I had succeeded in trapping them in feedback limbo, but…

The leader of the men came to his senses.

“Did the princess come with you at that time?”

“No? She wasn’t in our village at the time?”

“….”

The men’s faces widened, and I could see that their patience had reached its limit.

“No, then why are you talking about it now!”

“Well, you guys asked me how I was doing first, but… I won’t talk then.”

I pouted my lips and jerked my head, and I could feel their embarrassment.

“Cough! No, I’m just wondering how you’re getting along with the princess.”

“Have you ever seen her use magic?”

One of the men soothed me, while the other asked me a question in a sly way.

I narrowed my eyes.

‘You’re finally getting to the point, aren’t you?’

The first emperor of the Hildeon Empire was an archmage.

As a result, most of his descendants were born with immense amounts of mana.

Barring an unforeseen circumstance, the most powerful offspring of the time would be crowned Emperor.

Occasionally, however, there were descendants who rebelled against the system.

One of those was the second prince, Rahel’s father.

A wizard as powerful as his brother, the emperor, he coveted the throne and plotted treason until he was discovered and executed.

… was Rahel’s family history in the original story.

As such, the emperor kept a close eye on Rahel.

He was afraid that Rahel, who had inherited the power of the imperial family, would rebel like her father.

‘But what does Rahel have to do with her father’s treason?’

Stigmatizing a child who was just born being associated with a traitor!

I answered as nonchalantly as I could, though I felt even more resentful.

“Hmm, well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that….”

“Think about it a little more seriously and answer…!”

Their patience had reached its limit and they were about to scold me.

“That’s enough.”

My dad, who had been watching, stopped them.

“You’re not going to get the answers you want from a nine-year-old.”

The men’s eyes narrowed as they looked at him.

‘Ugh, the mood has turned sour again!’

My feedback purgatory seemed to be compounded by a spitefulness that was unbearable.

“Ah! Do you guys know how to use magic? I’ve never met a wizard before and I’m curious, can you show me?”

I quickly interjected, breaking up the tense exchange between Dad and the men.

The men backed away in annoyance. They seemed to have lost the will to probe for more information.

“What’s with this kid… wasting our time.”

“Hey, you better behave yourself today.”

The men left the store with one last warning for Dad.

‘Successful extermination!’

I said, sticking my tongue out at the back of their heads.

“By the way.”

The last man out the door looked back at my dad as if he suddenly remembered something.

I hid my tongue in surprise.

“You look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”

There was a moment of searching air between Dad and the man, and then Dad spoke first.

“Well, I don’t think we’ve met.”

I scratched my head.

‘Dad doesn’t exactly blend into the crowd.’

The man stared at my dad for a moment, but eventually turned and left the store.

Finally, the store was quiet.

“ Vivi, let’s not go to the duke’s for a while.”

Dad finally let go of me. He looked worried.

But it didn’t matter.

“Anyway, the butler said it would be best if I didn’t come back for a while. They’ll need to welcome their visitors.”

The duke had left first.

The butler spoke to me after the meal had finished.

He said they would be busy welcoming guests from the imperial palace for a while, so it was best that I didn’t come over.

He told me they were busy with the guests, but…

‘Maybe they’re doubting me.’

Well, that’s the way it is, isn’t it?

Visitors from the imperial palace came not long after I became Rahel’s playmate.

‘But it’s unfair!’

I worked so hard to make that friend!

What if I’m fired as a playmate?

‘Hm. Isn’t there any way to dispel the duke’s suspicions?’

An idea popped into my head.

“Vivi, you’re home early, have you had dinner… Vivian?”

“I’ve eaten, so don’t worry. Dad, you just eat!”

I scurried upstairs to my room on the second floor, leaving my dad behind.

I opened my notebook.

“Okay, this should clear up the duke’s suspicions.”

My hand sped up as I scrawled across the page.

* * *

It had been a week since the inspectors came from the imperial palace.

Vivian had not been to the manor in that time.

Owen had told her not to come while they had guests, but Rahel was used to it.

When she lived in a townhouse in the center of the empire, she had a few aristocratic children as playmates, but they soon stopped coming.

The superficial reasons were varied.

They weren’t feeling well, they had new siblings, relatives were visiting from far away, etc…..

At first, Rahel believed them.

She even wrote to them out of concern.

Then one day,her nanny, who felt sorry for her as she waited impatiently for a reply, told her the truth.

“Actually, everyone thinks you’re the child of a traitor, and they don’t want to come because they’re afraid the emperor will punish those who are close to you.”

“…….”

“Poor little miss… But don’t worry. Sally and I will always be by your side.”

After that day, Rahel learned not to expect anything from anyone.

She thought her grandfather had given up.

But then…

“I like you, Princess!”

A strange child appeared out of nowhere one day.

She wasn’t like the other children who shivered at the table, but Rahel wasn’t expecting anything different this time.

Yeah, I knew you’d leave me soon enough.

So it won’t hurt.

I was fine.

I should have been…

‘Why am I so annoyed?’

Rahel, who had been absentmindedly glancing out the window while reading, returned her gaze to the book with a huff of irritation.

But she couldn’t read anything.

That’s when she closed the book and picked up another.

*knock, knock*

There was an unexpected knock on the door.