I Became the Abandoned Daughter of an Underworld Boss

“Your Majesty!”

Harun boldly placed something on the table.

It was an object that would astonish even Baine Dasser.

It was a large sapphire pendant of an incredibly deep and somber color.

If you looked closely inside the pendant, you would see a black mark darker than the deep sea.

This jewel, named the , was so grand that only a very few of the imperial family of the Reef Empire had ever touched it.

The black mark was said to have been engraved by the first emperor with magic, marking it with the imperial symbol.

‘Huh?’

Yuriana was also taken aback at that moment.

It was because the collection album window suddenly appeared.

[Life of the Sea (★★★★★): A precious sapphire pendant that proves direct lineage to the imperial family of the Leaf Empire. Only the emperor, the crown prince, and the first empress possess it. Rare Collectible 3/12]

‘Life of the Sea? That’s the one Harun gives Alice at the end of their marriage ending! Harun hands it over to confirm their marriage.’

“Your Majesty.”

Al seemed about to intervene like Baine, but Harun didn’t back down.

“When this young lady comes to the empire soon, she can return it then, can’t she?”

“Such a precious item, I must decline.”

Asil, the leader of Dark Town, recognized the national treasure of the empire with just a sidelong glance.

Anyone could tell from the unusual hue of the sapphire.

More than anything… it was suspicious that Harun intended to give it to Yuriana specifically!

“You are sincere. I’m assured that you will keep it safe and sound, so whether it’s ten years later or twenty years later, you can come to retrieve it. There is a legend that the Life of the Sea always returns to the imperial family.”

“Is it a necklace?”

“Indeed, young lady. Come, take a look. There’s no harm in looking, is there? Hahaha.”

“Hehe.”

Yuriana smiled and got down from her seat to approach Harun.

Not because she really wanted the pendant… but she was looking for a lucky moment to copy it!

If she couldn’t, so be it. Even just seeing it with her own eyes was a great feat.

Harun quickly picked her up onto his knee.

His long, black hair mingled with the short, twin-tailed silver hair of the girl. Al, watching intently, spoke up.

“Indeed, it is marvelous. While His Majesty’s hair is splendid, this young lady’s hair is akin to a treasure. Though silver is said to resemble mercury, her hair is much more beautiful.”

“See, you and I get along well. Baine is always stern, trying to lecture me.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Wearing a splendid ornament like this once in a while does no harm. Young lady, here… take this jewel.”

‘Whoa, it’s heavy.’

The moment Harun placed the large sapphire pendant around her neck, the album registration was complete.

Being a rare collectible, it didn’t even require the effort of putting it in and taking it out again.

“Show me how you look with the pendant. Oh! It suits you well. The color matches your eyes perfectly. People might mistake it for having three jewels.”

“Indeed, it does.”

“If you’re done, return it now, Yuriana. The pendant is too heavy for your neck.”

Despite Asil’s concern and the forced compliments from the empire’s people, there was one person who remained silent.

“……”

It was Karas.

‘The Life of the Sea…’

The empire’s capital was inland, but the first emperor was born near the sea, living as a fisherman’s son.

When he rose up and established the empire, the spirit of the sea aided him, and as it returned to its origin, it handed over the jewel.

“As long as the jewel of this pendant remains unbroken, the empire will prosper forever.”

The sapphire pendant, named the Life of the Sea, was the only one in the world.

Very few among the imperial family could possess it.

His maternal relatives said his mother had never seen it, nor had Karas’ father, the previous emperor.

The senate had not given it to them.

‘Did they give it to my uncle…?’

“Thank you for letting me wear the pendant.”

Yuriana spoke firmly as she stepped away from Harun.

“Anyway, did you promise to come to the empire to visit, young lady?”

“Uh… well…”

Asil, clenching his teeth, helped his troubled daughter.

“We’ll think about it later.”

As expected, Dad was the best!

Yuriana scurried over to Asil after descending from Harun’s lap.

‘Whew… nine more to go. I’ve already collected three of the twelve mystical items.’

Strictly speaking, two of them were replicas, not the real thing.

As she sat there feeling proud, Harun clapped his hands.

“It’s about time to bring it out.”

“Yes.”

Sniff… sniff… the fragrant smell.

Burly men began to bring in trays of desserts.

At that moment, an unexpected choice window popped up.

‘Again?!’

The options seemed to indicate picking something she wanted to eat.

Mango Juice
Lokum
Dates

‘Oh… it’s the exact list Harun mentioned earlier.’

Earlier, her mouth had watered, but now that it was dessert time, she didn’t really feel like choosing.

First of all, Lokum was too sweet for Yuriana’s small mouth. Mango juice would be very sweet too, and dates didn’t appeal to her either.

‘Wow, I’m full… huh?’

A hidden window suddenly appeared!

Mango Juice
Lokum
Dates

[Hidden] Milk Tea

Mi, Milk Tea?

The kingdom’s desserts were mostly made with flour, sugar, and fruit.

Tea existed, but the empire was the origin of tea, so the flavor must be fundamentally different.

Yuriana clenched her small fist and firmly pressed the milk tea option. Then, she acted nonchalant.

Thud.

“Whoa…!”

The sound of a servant arriving late and placing a milk jar caught everyone’s attention.

The jar, with its exotic patterns, drew eyes.

“Hmm? Does our young lady also like milk tea?”

“You seem overly interested in my daughter. If she gets hooked on something like milk tea, she’ll stay up late, so stop it.”

Asil, unable to hold back, finally spoke up, and Harun laughed.

“Haha, you’re very strict. If this keeps up, when she grows up and gets married, you’ll be visiting her in-laws every ten days to check on her well-being.”

Asil growled.

“Why talk of marriage? When the time comes, I’ll choose a son-in-law who suits my taste and bring him in. So please take your eyes off Yuriana.”

Attempting to hand over the imperial pendant and even talking about marriage…

Perhaps…

Harun might be eyeing Yuliana for his nephew Karas or even his unborn son.

Asil quickly sensed this, but Harun was genuinely impressed.

“Remarkable.”

“… what do you mean?”

“To be honest, Asil, I never thought I’d hear that from you. Even when we met before, I thought you were the same as ever.”

“…?”

“You’ve changed.”

People valued unchanging qualities.

But Harun didn’t necessarily think so.

Change could be good. It allowed the world to evolve and gave meaning to the lives of future generations.

He signaled to the servant at the back.

“Bring it here.”

“Yes.”

Harun had a cup and brewed tea poured before him and explained.

“These tea leaves are of a special variety, so if consumed moderately, they won’t affect sleep. Asil, how about giving your precious daughter half a cup?”

“… alright.”

“Whoa! Thank you.”

Hehe, it was worth waiting without touching the other desserts.

Instead of overly sweet Lokum, a cup of milk tea was much better.

As Yuriana quickly expressed her gratitude, Asil kept an eye on the milk jar and gave instructions.

“Pour more milk.”

“Yes.”

Milk tea, milk tea. The authentic taste! Or maybe even better.

Suddenly, Karas, who had been quiet, spoke up.

“I’d like some too… please.”

Harun gave a meaningful glance.

“Half a cup for the young lady, and the other half for my nephew.”

The milk tea was predictably delicious.

Thanks to Asil’s concern, the milk flavor was stronger, but it was still delightful.

‘This is… great. But I have no intention of living in the Reef Empire.’

Even if it was a wealthy place with plenty of delicious food, she wouldn’t want to go somewhere with concerns about harems.

After finishing the desserts and drinks, night had fallen completely.

As expected, the guests Harun and Karas were to stay in the main house for the night.

While Levina, who had come to pick up Yuriana, was fussing over her shoulders, Asil spoke.

“Yuriana, say goodbye to our guests. They will leave tomorrow.”

“Yes. It was nice to meet you today.”

“Hurry, take her, Levina.”

“Yes, Master.”

Levina knew exactly who these exotic-looking guests were but didn’t say a word.

To her, the most important thing was to quickly and safely take Yuriana back to the annex.

Karas felt a bit regretful.

It looked like Yuriana, and her cat Lulu were about to leave.

… the milk tea was digesting gently in his stomach, but he felt lonely.

Karas’ eyes couldn’t stop gazing at Yuriana’s hair as she was carried away by her nanny. Harun, full of mischief, thought to himself.

‘My nephew is only eight years old but has fallen completely for a foreign girl.’

Not that he found it disapproving. On the contrary…

‘As expected of a passionate man of the empire, haha. He has grown up well.’

“……”

Harun subtly encouraged him.

“If you part ways tonight, there’s no guarantee you’ll get to say goodbye tomorrow, nephew. Will you not say a night farewell?”