6862-chapter-2
Chapter 2
A cake with generous layers of honey and cream shimmered brilliantly. Though there were only three people at the long dining table, the arrangement felt far from lacking.
“Happy birthday, Vel.”
“Happy birthday, Sister.”
“Thank you, everyone!”
The two angels of the Delaphion family, with their eyes twinkling, glanced over the dishes set on the table.
“I put a lot of effort into your birthday like your mother.”
“Dad, are you coming home late again today?”
“No, I informed the knights in advance. I can spend the evening with you all.”
“Really?”
The plump cheeks of the young girl brightened up. It was an exceedingly harmonious scene.
“Dad, my birthday present!”
“Oh, Vel. Shouldn’t you blow out the candles first?”
“Oops!”
The birthday girl, Avel Delaphion, approached the cake and nearly stick her nose into it, ready to blow air onto the candles on the cake.
‘What should I ask for? Should I ask for a new dress? Or maybe a small donkey?’
The cheeks of the ten-year-old birthday girl were as plump as her anticipation. The gathered breath seemed ready to burst, extinguishing the candles. And in that moment…
“Dad, you know, my birthday present—”
She knew the secret of the world.
“…We need to go to the palace.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Avel’s father, who had been removing the candles from the cake, questioned with a fixed gaze.
The succulent meat, snow-white cream, and colorful jams shimmered temptingly.
‘Our family is bound to get ruined someday.’
Just 30 seconds ago, Avel had completed all her mental development stages, and now she leisurely took in the peaceful scene before her.
“Dad, I have to go to the palace.”
“But Vel, you’re… only ten.”
“That’s right! Coincidentally, I am ten! Let’s go to the palace!”
“No.”
“Ahh, why?”
“If it’s not allowed, then it’s not allowed.”
For anyone else, that would have been a stern enough voice to bring forth tears, but she couldn’t give in to something so trivial. Not when her family’s future were at stake! To change the future, she had to meet that guy, and to do that, she had to go to the palace.
“From today on, I can go to the palace too!”
The official age for entering the palace was ten. Given that she had recalled her past life and the original story like a bolt from the blue, there was no way to back down.
“Oh, Dad! I want to go to the palace too!”
Even if she had to cling to her father’s left leg, she’ll do it!
“Sana, have fun with your sister.”
“Yes, Father. Come on, Sister. Let’s play with the dolls.”
“No, Sana. This is all for our family!”
“Who likes going to the palace more than playing with dolls?”
“It’s better than dolls, well, there’s a reason to it! Dad! Hey! Let’s go together! Dad! Father! Please! Or if you can’t go, at least take me! Or just step on me and let me go, please!”
Her stamina was quite something; Avel clung to her father’s leg all the way to the front door.
She’s certainly extraordinary. Dane Delaphion wiped a hint of a smile from his face and spoke sternly.
“Stop it, Avel Delaphion. Your brother is watching, and you’re acting like a child…”
“No, Vel needs to do this. Dad, let’s go together!”
“If you want to enter the palace, you won’t receive your allowance.”
At that single sentence, Avel straightened herself up, placed her two feet firmly on the ground, and bowed her head.
“Please go faithfully about your duties as the head of the family, Father.”
“Yes.”
Baron Delaphion shook hands with his two children and left the mansion with a somewhat strained expression.
‘A sudden request for a palace visit as a birthday gift… maybe she has been reading fairy tales.’
Though it was an unimaginable request, it was a whim of the children, so it probably wouldn’t last long. Dane Delaphion guessed his daughter’s determination.
Unfortunately, Avel’s determination wasn’t the type to end so easily.
‘Darn it, I never expected that my cuteness wouldn’t work.’
Sitting on the mansion’s doorstep, Avel was already formulating the next plan.
* * *
Me, the adorable firstborn of the Delaphion family, had gained a new secret that I couldn’t reveal from today onwards. One, I knew the essence of the world. Two, I remembered the fate of the Delaphion family.
<You say it was a contract marriage, Your Highness!>
The reason why this novel remained in the forefront of my mind out of all the countless novels I read as a web novel reader was one: Because the male lead has blond hair.
Until then, I thought that when black hair and blond hair clashed, the black hair would always win. But this novel’s male lead was blond, and moreover, the black-haired character wasn’t even a sub-male lead—just a simple villain!
‘Yes, that villain.’
As the heroine and hero faced various trials and tribulations, the biggest challenge among them was the first prince, the male lead’s stepbrother.
‘I don’t exactly remember what he did, but…’
One thing I could be sure of was this: there was a scene where the villain thoroughly dismantled the connections behind his stepbrother and eliminated all nobles involved.
‘Darn it.’
It was just a single passage of description. With that description, Delaphion would cleanly disappear.
‘It can’t be.’
Reincarnation or not, Avel Delapion liked this life.
And it would be a great loss to lose such a good life.
“Sigh… Do you really want to go to the palace that badly?”
Sananeth glanced at his sister with narrowed gray eyes, setting aside the book he had been reading.
“Of course!”
“Why?”
A look of skepticism crossed Sananeth’s mature face as he listened to his older sister.
Avel, who was running her fingers through her short hair, pulled the corner of her mouth down in an adorable manner before answering.
“Do you know where to go if you want to catch a dragon?”
“Dragons’ habitats aren’t well-known. They tend to live at the top of icebergs or inside volcanoes. There are records of them being spotted in nearby waters a few hundred years ago…”
“…You’re quite smart, Sana.”
It was an unexpected specialized knowledge.
But what was more important wasn’t the dragon.
“To catch a dragon, you need to go to where the dragons live.”
“Right.”
“So, Sana. Where do we need to go to catch the villain?”
“Huh?”
She needed to go to where the villain lives.
His sister’s strange words caused Sananeth to blink his eyes.
“Anyway, there must be a reason you have to go to the palace, right?”
“As expected of our smartie pants.”
Filled with affirmation, Sananeth’s eyes brightened with pride at the praise from his older sister.
“To go to the palace, I definitely need Dad’s permission.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“What could be done about it? I know you’re much smarter than me, your sister.”
Encouraged by his older sister’s praise, Sananeth subtly opened his mouth.
“Then, how about this idea?”
His small lips came close to her sister’s ear.
The pouting lips and squinted eyes made for an irresistibly cute combination.
* * *
‘I wonder if the kids are behaving at home.’
The father, returning to the mansion, had a colorful gift box tucked under his arm.
Inside the box were clothes and toys that fit his daughter’s size.
‘How could she think about the palace?’
If he brought various gifts, she would forget about the palace in no time.
The father of the two children believed this without a doubt and quickly changed the subject.
‘It’s not a big problem, right?’
Perhaps due to resembling their mother, who was a bit reckless, he was worried. But overall, they were well-behaved and cute children.
Having tied up the horses in the stable, Dane walked to see his beloved children.
“Here… like this…”
“A bit more… right there…”
Surprisingly, the voices were coming from a close distance.
‘They must be playing in the garden again.’
The children often played in the garden, waiting for their father to return after work.
Usually, the bold older sister would lead the obedient younger brother.
Hearing the mingled voices, Dane’s weary shoulders straightened.
Pushing the large gift box on his side, he quickened his pace.
“Vel! Sana! Daddy’s heeeere…”
“Father, have you returned safely?”
His children smiled like angels, without a hint of fatigue. His children’s faces, so much like their mother’s, blossomed brightly. And now, remembering the person who had died, Dane’s gray eyes grew a bit moist.
“This tree… Mom said it was her favorite tree, right?”
“Yes. She loved it when peaches would bloom all over during summer…”
Having turned ten today, his daughter followed her mother’s past example and gently caressed the tree. But her actions were different from what Dane remembered.
“Hey, Vel.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s in your hand?”
It was because of the object in her plump hand.
“Dad, make your choice.”
The glinting axe gleamed in the sunlit day.
“Whether you’ll send me to the palace or send all the memories with Mom away.”
Read up to [2] advanced chapters on my ko-fi page. 1-2 release per week, either on fri-sun at once. Thank you for reading! If you enjoy it, consider supporting the author by buying the raws or opening up the chapters, also rate it well on NU. (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ
