The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Isn’t it said that as children grow, so does their appetite?

I’ve already set the table four times over.

“Yum yum.”

It seems her appetite has doubled along with her height.

Should I call it a ‘growth spurt’?

It’s not a slow growth over a long period, but a phenomenon where they grow rapidly once they reach a certain stage.

I’m not sure if pure-blooded dragons do this too, since I haven’t seen it myself, but it seems right to interpret it that way for now.

Well, since I don’t own any women’s clothing, I had to dress her in my uniform for now, but looking at her now, she does seem quite noble.

Enrolling them here would be perfect in that state.

“Brian?”

“Yes, young master.”

“We might leave for the imperial city as early as tomorrow. Please prepare for our departure.”

“So, you’re going after all? Understood!”

Brian went outside to prepare for the journey.

There would be a lot to do, including carriage maintenance.

[What about that little one, no, the young lady?]

Kaeram asked me, looking puzzled.

“Would you believe me if I said she’s the new youngest member of the Vert family?”

[Why? Just say she’s your real daughter.]

When I can’t think of a good plan, only trivial words come out.

It’s impossible to carry her in my arms now that she’s grown so much.

“Given her appearance, disguising her as a maid might work…”

Of course, that was a joke.

With those horns, wings, and tail, who would mistake her for an ordinary human maid?

If only we could hide those somehow…

“Phew! I’m full!”

Nana, having finished her meal, happily rubbed her stomach.

-Swish

Suddenly, like a bird folding its wings, Nana’s horns and wings disappeared as if by magic.

“…?”

Kaeram and I doubted our eyes.

[What’s the matter, kid? Where did your horns and wings go?]

“Oh, really?”

As she stretched, the hidden horns and wings reappeared.

“Can you hide them like that?”

“Huh? Seems like it? It just happened all of a sudden?”

Nana moved her horns and wings freely as if to show off.

Is this also an effect of the rapid growth?

It might be somewhat absurd, but this was an undeniably favorable situation for us.

“What about your tail? Can you hide that too?”

“My tail? Wait, let me try.”

Clasping her hands cutely, she gathered strength and then,

-Zoop

Just like a snake quickly hiding in its hole, her tail naturally disappeared.

Seeing this, I immediately grabbed Nana’s shoulder and said,

“Nana?”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go out for a bit.”

* * *

-Crash!

With a loud noise, the mansion’s door was violently opened.

Rather than opened, it seemed more accurate to say it was broken.

Although the high-ranking knights gathered around, none of them could move.

A lonely, cold wind blew through strands of dark blue hair.

It was menacing enough to trigger an instinctive fear in humans, yet in another sense, it appeared eerily beautiful.

The knights looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

“Where is mother, no, the Duchess?”

Some of the knights shrank back at the chilling tone, filled with murderous intent.

“She, she is on the second floor.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, she strode into the mansion.

Upon reaching the second floor, she barged into the Duchess Margaret Erzeth’s room without knocking, revealing a flustered Margaret.

“Alice?”

It was Alice Vert, the second child of the family, who had been missing without a trace for three years.

Her eyes were filled with an unexplainable venom.

“How long has it been? Where have you been without sending any word?”

Margaret greeted her with an awkward smile, but Alice just stared at her without saying a word.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room where only the two of them were present.

“Have you been well during this time, mother?”

Soon, Alice opened her mouth with a bright smile.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about you on my way here. So much that I couldn’t bear it. So, I prepared a small gift for you.”

“Did you? You should have just come, no need for a gift…”

Though they were mother and daughter by relation, they weren’t exactly close.

Margaret found Alice’s unexpectedly warm approach strange, yet she was inwardly looking forward to the mentioned gift.

-Slap!

A crisp slapping sound echoed.

A gift Margaret could never have imagined.

One side of her face turned red, feeling a numb pain.

Her pupils shook wildly in panic, but Alice’s eyes, consumed with anger, were sharply contrasting.

“You, you wretch! Have you finally lost your mind!?”

Margaret screamed, covering her cheek, glaring at Alice.

“Crazy? Me? The crazy one is you, Duchess Margaret.”

“What?”

Respect for her had already vanished from Alice’s tone.

“I can’t say I don’t understand you. To you, a pure noble, Cyan and I were nothing but thorns in your side. Yet, I tried to treat you as my mother! I tried to maintain at least some decency and respect! And yet, you do something so absurd?”

“What have I done to deserve this? The absurd one here is you…”

“You tried to kill Cyan!!”

Alice shouted, her voice filled with the emotions she had been holding back.

At this, Margaret was instantly at a loss for words.

“What sin did that child commit! Just leave him be, and he would grow up well on his own! What about that child did you dislike so much that you wanted to kill them?”

“Br- bring evidence- evidence! Do you have any evidence that I tried to kill Cyan!”

Alice’s eyes were resolute.

“Brian Kendrick!”

“…!”

“He’s the knight of Vellias who, two years ago, received your orders to arrange for Cyan’s assassination, right? Now, he’s acting as Cyan’s guardian knight.”

Margaret’s hands trembled uncontrollably.

“Did you think it would just pass because Cyan didn’t say anything? How could you live so shamelessly up till now? Do you think father would just sit by if he knew?”

For a moment, as she shook with nervousness,

Margaret, grinding her teeth, finally glared with fury and said,

“This is all because of lowborns like you causing trouble! If you’ve received the bloodline of a noble house, you should live straight and narrow, not overstep your bounds without knowing your place! Cyan was an unnecessary existence in this house from the start!”

-Crack!

With a sound of something twisting, Alice’s hand reached towards her chest.

“Cough!”

Margaret, whose collar was grabbed, was suddenly pulled close, face-to-face with Alice.

“An unnecessary existence, you say? How amusing! Shall we see about that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If we were to fight to the death right here, right now, I wonder how father would react? Between his wife and his daughter, who do you think he would side with more? Are you so confident that he would take your words over mine, Duchess?”

“Of- of course! I am the legitimate wife of this household…!”

Alice’s grip tightened even more.

“Don’t be deluded, Duchess! You know better than anyone what kind of place this house is! As long as the family’s legacy is continued, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a daughter, a wife, or even a lowborn son! Because that’s the kind of person our father is!”

“Ah!”

Let go from the grip, Margaret lost her balance and collapsed.

Alice’s eyes were still filled with a deadly aura.

“Consider this a warning, don’t touch Cyan again! If anything happens to that child again, it won’t just be a slap next time, but a far worse gift!”

With a sincere warning, Alice left the room.

Margaret, left alone, couldn’t easily stand up.

“Ha! The audacity of such lowly beings…”

She wasn’t expressing frustration, but was repeating some indecipherable murmur to herself.

“An unnecessary existence? In front of that child, everything is worthless anyway! No matter how much you struggle, to that child, you are…”

An incomprehensible laugh filled the room.

Her figure was truly bizarre, as if witnessing the lament of a demon.

* * *

After finishing her confrontation with the Duchess, Alice was approached by a female knight as she stepped outside the mansion.

“Welcome back, Lady Alice.”

It was a somewhat awkward situation to use the word “welcome.”

Alice, unfazed, responded.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? How have you been, Cecilia?”

“Always the same, as usual.”

Cecilia Lien, a high-ranking knight of the Order of Light and a former personal maid who had taken care of Alice, had a special relationship with her, more than that of a mere maid.

“I’m not sure if you anticipated this situation, but Lord Duke is currently looking for you, Lady Alice.”

“My father?”

It was a somewhat premature summons for her, having just arrived in the domain.

Though slightly surprised, she saw no reason to be troubled.

“Alright, I understand. Let’s go, Cecilia.”

Cecilia immediately led Alice, along with the knights who were on standby, towards the boundary gate.

Despite crossing the boundary point of the human realm, she showed not a hint of hesitation.

Eventually, arriving at the rear camp tent where Duke Vert was, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“Sigh…”

Without hesitation, Alice entered.

The Duke was busy with his duties, but a seat for her had been prepared.

“Come in, Alice.”

“It’s been a long time, Lord Duke.”

The atmosphere was somewhat stiff for a father and daughter meeting after several years.

The grim air of the frontline only added to the tension.

“Did you complete your journey well?”

“Yes, it went well.”

The journey itself was not the problem.

It was what followed that was problematic.

“It seems, however, that your face is full of anger.”

“Do you already know what I did at the mansion?”

The Duke responded with silence.

“Since it has come to this, I’ll ask you directly. Lord Duke, no, father!”

Even in the midst of the frontline, calling him not as the Duke but as father indicated the extent of Alice’s anger.

“Did you know that the Duchess tried to have Cyan assassinated?”

“…”

The Duke maintained his silence.

Alice knew all too well that this silence was an affirmation.

“How could you? How could you! No matter how important the peace of the continent is, how could you let your own child go through such a thing…!”

“I have no excuses, Alice.”

The Duke’s tone was cold and heavy.

“From the moment I took this position, I have always prioritized protecting the continent from the demons. You know this, don’t you? That maintaining the Vert family entails such responsibilities…”

Knowing all too well, it felt as if she couldn’t speak.

The Duke continued.

“The reason I overlooked what happened to Cyan? Nothing significant. Because I knew that child wouldn’t die from such trivial matters.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What do you think allowed that young child to kill six knights and make it to the academy alone? Do you really think it was all thanks to a guardian knight changing his heart?”

Even Alice, who was accustomed to being called a prodigy, seemed to need a moment to grasp the Duke’s words.

“Are you saying that Cyan killed all the assassins who tried to kill him with his own hands?”

The Duke’s eyes were calm yet firm.

“Your brother might be far more remarkable than you think.”

“But, that child is still…”

The Duke, without stuttering like her, silently handed her an envelope.

“It’s an invitation to a royal banquet. As always, I can’t attend, so I would like you to go in my place. Go and clear your head a bit.”

Having finished his business, the Duke stood up from his seat.

“I’ll be returning to the camp now. Take care on your way back, Alice.”

It took less than three seconds for him to leave his daughter behind and disappear.

Cecilia approached Alice, who was left alone in the tent.

“Unintentionally, I received a leave from the Duke. He asked me to stay by your side for the time being.”

Alice looked at the invitation left by the Duke with a hardened gaze.

“Cecilia.”

“Yes, Lady Alice.”

“Besides me, do we have another sibling attending this banquet?”

“In addition to Lord Aschel participating, I’ve heard that Princess Airen Sevellus has personally sent an invitation to the youngest lord.”

“Princess Airen?”

She turned her head as if surprised but then clenched her lips tightly as if she had made a decision.

“Let’s go to the imperial city, Cecilia.”

(To be continued)