The Precious Sister of The Villainous Grand Duke

\'It\'s a blessing that Catherine Fermat was at her parent\'s house.\'

Otherwise, there would have been casualties.

As soon as Catherine, the mother of the triplets, heard that Derek had died, she sensed that Lagrange was doomed and took off on her own without taking her children.

\'How come there\'s not a single proper parent among them.\'

I glanced sideways at Baal who, even when the children brought from Saint-Dena -- three pieces of ice statues -- were moved to the deepest corner of the bedroom, was still kneeling at one corner of the room reflecting on himself.

"How long does Dietrich want you to stay like that?"

"I don\'t know. It\'s difficult, so please don\'t talk to me."

I let out a dumfounded laugh at Baal\'s brusque attitude.

"Dietrich was the one who punished you. Why are you taking out your temper on me?"

"It\'s because it\'s the Princess who called Vassago and went into the gate on your own."

Baal grumbled and looked at the brooch quietly placed next to me.

Vassago, who had helped Dietrich deal with Asmodeus, went back into the jewel, disappearing without a trace. I picked up the brooch and carefully dusted it off.

\'But still, thanks to this guy we were able to survive.\'

"Don\'t glare at Vassago, Baal."

"Are you taking Vassago\'s side whom you have only seen recently over me?"

This was why they shouldn\'t take in black-haired, no, pink-haired humans in the house. [1]

When Baal muttered as if lamenting, I approached him and pulled his nose.

"Ouch!"

"I know that Baal tried to coax Dietrich to sacrifice me."

"............"

"You said you were my nanny, but I\'m very disappointed."

To be honest, I didn\'t expect the demon to truly care about me in the first place.

But when I let out a big sigh as if I had been really disappointed, Baal waved his arms with a flustered face.

"Then, what should I have done? If it\'s not the Princess, His Majesty would have died."

"So you\'re saying it\'s all right for me to die?"

"That\'s not -- "

I bit my lips because the demon\'s innocent face was funny. Realizing that I was teasing him, Baal raised his crooked eyebrows.

"Stop teasing me. I am already sorry enough."

"What are you sorry for? You\'re only fulfilling your contract with Dietrich anyway, Baal."

Bewildered by Baal\'s words, I squatted in front of him. The demon, which was gradually changing into a human as the contract period with Dietrich got longer, now even had lips.

Baal\'s lips, which had just been formed recently, muttered heartily.

"What promise did you make with Vassago?"

"I asked him to take care of Asmodeus. It\'s all right to take everything."

"Princess, you can\'t just carelessly make a promise with demons."

"Why?"

"We will take the price at all costs."

"What\'s that?"

He hit his chest as if he was frustrated at my question. I added with a nonchalant face.

"If there is something to gain, there must be something to lose, Baal. The demons don\'t force humans to make promises. It was my choice to make a promise to Vassago."

"Do you know what he wants to take? You look down on the demons too much, Princess."

I grinned at the innocent Baal\'s words.

"Back at you. You look down on humans too much."

What\'s really scary were actually people.

────── 〔✿〕──────

It was my first time riding in a carriage as I had never been out of Lagrange ever since I was born.

\'So there was a carriage in the Grand Duchy.\'

Maybe it was because its color was dark, the carriage with the wolf finely crafted, the symbol of Lagrange, looked very expensive.

While I was snooping, looking around the four-wheeled carriage decorated with black stained glass up to the window, I hurried into the carriage at Dietrich\'s urging.

As soon as I leaned on the soft cushion, I heard the sound of the black horse neighing at the forefront.

"Where did you get such a cool carriage?"

Did we have some kind of money now? In case he got offended again, I tried to omit my last words, but Dietrich who managed to figure out what I meant raised one eyebrow and searched his arms.

"Are you going to talk about money again?"

"No, I\'m just curious."

In response to my hesitant answer, he tossed a bank pocket on my lap.

"I\'ve told you many times that money is not a problem in Lagrange."

As if to support his claims, the heavy pocket was full of gold coins. I tilted my head while holding a gold coin that exuded a beautiful thick fragrance in my hand.

"I thought you didn\'t have the authority to handle the property of the Grand Duchy yet?"

"It\'s my money."

Did he not go to the battlefield as Lagrange\'s knight but go somewhere to work as a mercenary instead? I didn\'t know where on earth he got all this money from.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Keep it. You said you wanted to look around the capital."

Dietrich said it as if it was a trivial matter, but I couldn\'t immediately take the money he earned from working hard  -- though I didn\'t know what work he did.

"You use it. You must have something you wanted to buy, too."

I tied the pocket which I hurriedly opened and returned it to him. However, the pocket just went back on my lap.

"Take it. And don\'t drool like a beggar just looking at the window of a store."

"I also have money!"

"You?"

This kid had been slighting me since earlier.

I, who was slightly offended, furrowed my eyebrows and took out a precious but smaller pocket than Dietrich\'s.

"Look. I also have a lot of money, hmph."

"Is that a lot?"

The yellow pouch that Marilyn had made by hand was embroidered with a cute parrot, and in it were not yellow, but the silver coins shining like the moon were heavy and boasted of their presence.

"E-even if they\'re not a lot! I earned them from working! Hard!"

It was unearned income because they were lottery prizes but I worked hard in scratching the lottery ticker until my hands hurt.

When I raised my nose high, arrogantly boasting, a corner of Dietrich\'s lips raised up at an angle.

"Why are you laughing?!"

I thought he was laughing at me so I was going to scream in anger, but my harsh words disappeared into the deep indention on Dietrich\'s cheek. [HE HAS A DIMPLE?!]

\'I hope you know I\'m letting it slide because you\'re handsome.\'

Be thankful for your face. Understand?

I grumbled, forgetting about the days where I tiptoed around him, being scared of Dietrich.

────── 〔✿〕──────

The journey toward the capital was very comfortable thanks to the luxury carriage that was even enchanted to increase comfort.

Arriving at the Imperial Palace without the usual motion sickness, I  was excited at the thought that the tedious journey was over and jumped out of the carriage before Dietrich even got off.

"Heavens! Did you just jump off the carriage?"

"Huh? I can\'t?"

"You can\'t, Princess. This is the capital city."

Marilyn, who had gotten off from another carriage and was waiting for me, scolded me with a pale and scared face.

Come to think of it, it was something an ordinary noble girl would never do, but since I had never been educated by a private tutor, there was no way I could suddenly exhibit an elegant manner when I arrive at the capital.

When I opened my eyes wide and looked around myself, Marilyn mumbled that \'this won\'t do\' and muttered that she would have to hire an etiquette teacher in the capital\'s mansion.

"I\'ll be careful from now on, Marilyn."

"I have to go to the capital mansion first. Will you be all right?"

"Huh? You\'re leaving me?"

"The young master, no, His Grace is with you."

\'I don\'t think he knows about manners more than I do.\'

I raised the corners of my lips awkwardly, fearing that Marilyn would bring a really meticulous madam. Suddenly, a man who looked like a servant approached Dietrich, who at some point had gotten off the carriage.

"Are you Dietrich Benoit-Louis Honoré de Langrange?"

"That\'s right."

\'Beneu -- what?\'

I couldn\'t believe Dietrich\'s full name was that long. We spent twelve years together but this was the first time I knew of it.

\'I didn\'t even receive a baptism so I don\'t have a middle name.\'

The man who identified Dietrich with a strange, difficult-to-pronounce name immediately turned to look at me.

"Then, this must be Lady Anissa."

"He-Hello."

"I am Peter, Her Majesty\'s immediate secretary. Please make yourself comfortable."

\'You don\'t look like someone I could feel comfortable with at all.\'

I looked at the man who introduced himself as Peter as he was touching his starch mustache. The fierce-looking secretary, who made eye contact with me, grinned and spread his arms wide.

"Welcome to the Imperial Palace. Please follow me."

I grabbed Dietrich\'s arm as I trotted behind the secretary who was walking ahead.

The size of the palace was not different from the Nature of Lagrange, but I felt frightened because of the intense pressure of the Imperial Palace which flashed golden no matter where I turn to look.

"What\'s wrong?"

"Let\'s go together. What if I get lost?"

I began to look around my surroundings while clinging to Dietrich\'s arm. I heard him chuckle in front of me but I couldn\'t help it.

"Hm? It seems it\'s the Lady\'s first time in the capital."

"Pardon? Yes."

"Please don\'t worry. Her Majesty likes girls."

Finding out about the Emperor\'s true colors wasn\'t very pleasant but I smiled at Peter with a timid smile. [2]