K-Eldest Daughter Possessed a Childcare Novel

The first thought I had as I watched my father raging was this.

‘Why is he acting like that?’

The mother who discriminated against me the most, Meldor who belittled me the most, and the father who was the most indifferent to me.

And now, he was reacting like this?

All of a sudden?

As I pondered briefly, his menacing voice continued.

[You must be out of your mind, desperate to die. How dare you mock the empire’s only princess? Do you want me to tear your mouth apart since you seem to enjoy laughing so much?]

“Ugh… uuuu…”

The oppressive aura and fury he exuded felt as though it could break through the screen.

The second son of the Dermi family, overwhelmed by the intensity, began to cry without even daring to make a sound. Baron Ricken and Garedil were visibly tense, while Rover and the soldiers looked pale.

In the suffocating atmosphere of the office, I was the only one unbothered, casually tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear as I tilted my head slightly.

‘Even if he didn’t care before, I guess seeing his own blood slapped would still make him angry.’

There was no other explanation, was there? No reason for him to suddenly lashed out like this.

‘Oh, wait, there’s one more.’

I had always thought my father felt guilty only toward Meldor while doting on Nesia.

But perhaps… he also harbored some guilt toward me.

‘Which is why he’s suddenly paying attention to me.’

With that realization, I suppressed the sneer threatening to surface.

What was my father seeing in Nesia?

The daughter who used to be purely delighted by his slightest attention was no longer here.

‘Why didn’t you bother looking at me sooner, Father? Why only now…’

No, such words held no meaning anymore.

I was no longer the child craving my father’s recognition. I was now someone who moved solely for myself.

Though his belated change felt ridiculous and laughable, my mind was quickly calculating.

‘With him this enraged, there’s no need to bring up Mother’s pearls.’

It was more advantageous now for his focus to remain on me.

Just as I concluded my calculations, my father, who had been glaring fiercely at the second son, spoke.

[I’ve decided his punishment. Drag him to the dungeon immediately and —]

“Wait a moment.”

I interrupted my father mid-sentence.

Everyone in the office widened their eyes at me in shock. Interrupting the head of the family was an unforgivable act of disrespect in any household.

But I was confident.

‘Father can no longer blame me.’

If he truly reflected on the past and felt sorry for me, he would likely refrain from interfering with whatever I did moving forward.

‘Well, what can he do? He’s the one who’s burdened himself with guilt, so I might as well use it to my advantage.’

Even my father seemed slightly taken aback by my bold attitude.

I met his gaze and said.

“The punishment for Lord Dermi should not come from you, Father, but from me. He insulted me, not you.”

[You want to decide his punishment yourself?]

“Yes, Father. And not just for him. I want to take charge of managing everyone in the mansion personally from now on.”

My words left my father silent for a moment.

He stared at me intently before asking.

[Do you know what you’re asking for?]

“Of course, Father. I’m asking you to delegate a portion of your authority as the head of the family to me.”

Delegating part of his authority.

In other words, I was essentially asking to be named as the acting head of the family.

“L-Lady Belladi…”

My direct request seemed to fluster Baron Ricken.

Glancing at him sideways, I said.

“Baron Ricken and Lord Brooks failed to detect the embezzlement. Would you agree?”

Both the baron and Garedil reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“… yes, it was a significant oversight on my part.”

“I, too, placed too much trust in Lord Dermi.”

“There needs to be someone in the mansion who can manage and punish people with a colder, more discerning eye than either of you. I believe I am that person.”

[Hmm…]

My father fell silent, contemplating.

To break the chains of his hesitation, I played another card.

“In fact, there’s another criminal besides Lord Dermi that I can’t punish myself.”

[Another one?]

At his question, Baron Ricken and Garedil exchanged uneasy glances. Soon, Garedil spoke up.

“Are you referring to the rumors within the estate, Lady Belladi?”

“So, Lord Brooks has heard as well. Yes, I started those rumors.”

[What are you talking about? Start from the beginning.]

My father furrowed his brow and ordered me to explain.

I bowed my head slightly and said.

“There was a traitor within the mansion. Someone who became a spy for the crown prince and attempted to leak information.”

[A spy?]

“Do you know who it was, Father?”

I smirked slightly as I locked my eyes with him. My father raised an eyebrow, meeting my gaze.

“It was one of the guards. A guard who harbored unrequited love for Mother and, driven mad by despair, betrayed the Alton family.”

The moment I finished speaking, a crashing sound echoed through the screen.

Bang!

And the connection abruptly cut off.

“No, the communication device!”

Baron Ricken hastily examined the amethyst on his desk. A large crack ran through it.

Seeing this, the baron clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“It seems the duke has severed the connection on his end.”

“My words did have quite an impact.”

Judging from the sound earlier, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d destroyed his own desk. My father and I had the same way of cooling off when angered.

At that moment, the baron retrieved a new amethyst from his desk drawer. It glowed faintly.

“The duke is reaching out again.”

“Connect immediately.”

At my command, the baron placed the new amethyst next to the broken one. Once infused with magic, the same screen appeared in the air as before.

On the screen, my father’s expression was thunderous.

[Where is that insolent bastard right now?]

This time, my father’s fury seemed directed at something else. The mahogany desk visible on the screen was split in two.

‘So, my father realized that guard was suspicious too.’

I thought to myself, replying calmly.

“He’s likely training diligently with the knights.”

[You knew he was a spy and did nothing?]

“I lack the authority to punish high-ranking personnel like knights or retainers.”

At my words, my father, who had been grinding his teeth, momentarily faltered.

I straightened my posture and met his gaze.

“Appoint me as acting head of the household, Father. Then I’ll deal with that guard and any other pests gnawing at House Alton.”

My father looked at me with an inscrutable expression. I met his gaze steadily.

After a brief silence, he finally spoke.

[… do as you wish.]

I responded with a deep smile.

Baron Ricken, who had been listening to our exchange, whispered quietly.

“Congratulations, Lady Belladi… or rather, I should now address you as Mistress Belladi.”

Geradil, standing beside the baron, also bowed his head respectfully.

“We look forward to serving you, Mistress Belladi.”

‘Perfect.’

Receiving their congratulations, I clenched my fist in triumph.

Heads of great estates like Duke Alton’s often found even two bodies insufficient to manage their responsibilities. It was common practice to appoint an acting head to handle affairs in their stead, whether in the capital or the estate.

These positions were typically given to the successors.

‘In the original story, the eldest son, the successor, became the acting head and headed north.’

But I was not the successor. Thus, I had to seize the acting head position through this unconventional route.

‘Now the entire capital estate of House Alton is under my control.’

Knights, retainers, and aides — all of them were now in my grasp. On top of that, an acting head could exercise numerous other authorities.

I intended to exploit all of them to the fullest.

‘Thankfully, Father has been more cooperative than expected.’

It was likely due to guilt.

If I leveraged that guilt, I could manipulate him as I please.

‘I hope he carries that guilt for the rest of his life.’

Of course, I had no intention of mending our relationship, not even slightly.

“Let’s summon the retainers in the capital and announce my appointment as acting head.”

[Very well. I’ll send the letter of appointment shortly.]

“Thank you for trusting me, Father. I won’t disappoint you.”

I beamed brightly at my father.

At my smile, his expression turned oddly complicated.

[Belladi…]

Then, suddenly—

[Whoa!]

A young girl’s voice rang out from beyond the screen.

Startled, my father whipped his head to the side.

[Ne… Nesia…!]

My father stammered, looking between us and the voice off-screen, before hurriedly cutting the connection.

Pewng!

The floating screen disappeared, leaving Baron Ricken and Geradil exchanging bewildered glances.

“Did you hear that, Baron?”

“Yes, I did. It was the voice of a child.”

‘That must have been Nesia.’

Easily identifying the voice, I turned to the two men. They tilted their heads in confusion.

‘Nesia isn’t the issue right now.’

“Then.”

I purposefully added authority to my tone.

“Summon the retainers at once. You’ll both serve as witnesses to my appointment as acting head.”

Despite my changed demeanor, the seasoned Baron Ricken and Geradil didn’t show signs of alarm.

Of course. Before their eyes, I had risen to a higher station.

Such was the nature of this hierarchical society.

“Yes, Lord Belladi.”

“As you command.”

Watching them bow respectfully, I felt an unshakeable sense of comfort, like finally donning the right attire.

‘This is it.’

After all, I thrived on dominance.

***

Nesia stared at the vanished screen, unable to tear her gaze away. Theodore gently picked her up.

“Nesia, entering someone’s room uninvited is against etiquette. Especially my office.”

“I’m sorry, Duke. The loud noise startled me, and I couldn’t help myself…”

Theodore’s face turned slightly sheepish at her words. The loud noise was the result of his earlier fit of rage, where he’d struck his desk over the report about the traitorous guard.

Positioning himself to block her view, Theodore shielded the splintered remains of his desk from sight.

“It’s late. Why are you still awake?”

“I insisted on sleeping alone tonight. Everyone else is busy working.”

Theodore sighed deeply.

Nesia’s existence was still a secret. Thus, only the butler, head maid, and he himself cared for her.

Unfortunately, both the butler and head maid were as busy as he was.

Carefully holding Nesia, Theodore rose from his chair.

“I’ll put you to bed tonight. Let’s go.”

“Duke.”

“Yes?”

“Who was that just now?”

Nesia’s eyes sparkled brightly as she asked.