"You came because of Laura, didn't you? You were curious about how my efforts to persuade Byron were going."
"That's right. We tailed that kid, but all we found out was that she'd received a small package from an antique shop."
"Oh, that's right. I think I received this. It's a magical tool that allows long-distance communication. I'm planning to use it to talk to him tonight."
In response to Ophelia's question, Aila took out a small hand mirror she had been hiding and handed it to her mother.
“Hmm...”
Ophelia, who had received the communication device from her daughter, looked over it with a serious expression.
And as Aila watched the scene, it suddenly occurred to her that her mother, who was from the Republic of Tamora, a country with highly developed magic, might know about such magical tools.
“...I have something exactly like this.”
It was the moment when Aila's prediction came true.
Ophelia, her face scrunched up, pulled the communication device from her bosom. It was something she had received from her friend Candice.
"I don't know how this ended up in his hands. It's a rare item, having only recently emerged from Tamora."
Feeling she should probably tell Candice about this, she handed the hand mirror-shaped communication device back to her daughter.
“...Can you do it well?”
Ophelia asked with a worried expression.
She'd barely escaped the clutches of that demonic man, reached safety, only to face that horrific face again. No matter how purposeful it was, she felt she couldn't bear it.
“I have to try.”
"I'll somehow persuade Byron to stop." Aila clenched her fists with a determined expression.
How many thoughts had she pondered as she waited for this day? She constantly recalled reasons why Noah should not be killed yet, anticipated Byron's counterarguments to those reasons, and prepared a response to those counterarguments.
It was clear that Byron would be angry that she was contradicting his opinion, but she couldn't give up because of that.
Her goal was simple: to get Byron to declare, "Then let's postpone killing Noah for now."
Ophelia stared at Aila's desperate face for a moment, then stroked her hair and opened her mouth.
“You don’t have to worry too much, Aila.”
"Yes?"
"It's okay if you can't convince him. Then we can find another way."
At her mother's affectionate words, Aila smiled bashfully and nodded.
“Yes, Mother. Thank you.”
Ophelia, who had been holding Aila tightly in her arms for a while in silence, looked out the window, which was now completely dark, and then got up in a hurry.
"Oh my, time flies so fast. I'm so happy just being with my daughter that I lose track of time. I should probably go now. It's almost time for Laura to come home."
Aila saw her mother off with a somewhat regretful expression. She wanted to spend a little more time with her.
But as Ophelia had said, Laura would be back soon, and there was important work to be done after that, so she had to send her mother off with a heavy heart.
And a little while later, Laura came back into the room.
“Why am I calling a busy person for something so trivial...”
She started grumbling as soon as she entered, as if she was unhappy about being called by Roderick.
“What did you call for?”
When Aila asked what excuse her father had given to call Laura, Laura laughed and answered.
“When I was on vacation, I made an excuse that my mother was sick, and he started asking me useless things like, ‘Is she okay?’ and ‘I’ll help you if you need anything.’”
Laura continued to criticize Roderick, saying she couldn't understand how people could be so hypocritical.
“So, can I contact my father now?”
Aila asked, trying to ignore Laura's insults to her father in front of her. The most important thing now was to convince Byron.
“Hmm... I guess it’ll be okay. It’s pretty dark now.”
Laura nodded and sat down next to Aila, seemingly eager to be with her.
‘...I think it would be easier to persuade him without Laura.’
It was clear that she would try to silence Aila from speaking against Byron's wishes.
Wouldn't it be better to get rid of any elements that might get in the way of achieving your goal in advance?
“Well, but... just in case someone suddenly comes in, how about you keep watch outside? The butler came earlier and startled us.”
She offered her opinion with an innocent expression, as if she had no other intentions. Perhaps it was a plausible statement, but Laura nodded and left the bedroom.
“Then I’ll stay in the living room and tell you when someone comes.”
As Laura left the room, Aila looked into the hand mirror with a satisfied expression.
"Whew," she said, her expression softening as she looked at her face before pressing the button. She was a girl excited to see her beloved father.
'Yes, I think this is enough.'
She pressed the button on the communication device with a nervous heart and activated it.
A moment later, as if some kind of signal had been sent, Byron's face appeared where hers had once been.
“What, is this how it should be done?”
Byron also seemed confused, as if he was using this device for the first time and was not familiar with how to operate it.
He seemed to be wandering around for a while, but when he saw Aila's face, he pretended to be happy.
“Oh, my daughter. It’s been a while. Can you hear me?”
“...Yes, Father. I can hear you well.”
“Yeah. Laura said you couldn’t follow my orders.”
Byron said with a scowl on his face, as if he was very displeased with the situation itself.
"Now that you've seen my face, I hope you're feeling better. Now, follow my orders. I'm saying, wipe out the Weishaffen bloodline."
His attitude seemed to say, 'I did you a favor by talking to you directly, so don't bother me any longer and just get on with your business.'
Aila felt like she was facing a huge wall from the start. She couldn't just end it like this without being able to say everything she'd prepared.
“But, but Father...! What if I, I get caught assassinating that child?”
She made a terrified sound. It would feel unnatural for a child who normally never rebelled against him to suddenly express her opinion so bluntly.
“...Do you think I raised you with all my heart and soul just so you could say such weak things?”
Byron cut her off in an angry voice, as if he had no intention of listening to Aila.
'With all my heart... Yes, you raised me with all your heart to be a tool to assassinate my biological father.'
Aila, resisting the urge to tear Byron's mouth open, opened her mouth again with patience.
“But, but... even if I manage to break through the tight security and kill that child, my father’s revenge will be delayed or become impossible...”
When Aila spoke with eyes that looked as if they were about to burst into tears, Byron finally perked up his ears and looked at her, as if he had the heart to listen to her story.
“...What does that mean?”
“So... that’s...”
Aila pretended to be flustered by his question and looked away. Then Byron, frustrated by her, sighed deeply and said,
"Speak slowly, my daughter, without fear. I, your father, will listen. What do you mean, my revenge will be impossible?"
At Byron's words, Aila lowered her head and smiled faintly, unseen by him. The conversation was finally beginning to flow as she intended.
"Even if I kill Noah Weishaffen without anyone finding out, the Duke and Duchess won't think anything of the sudden death of a healthy child. Then, they'll probably strengthen security..."
Although Noah was said to be frail, he suffered from only occasional minor ailments and had no major health problems. If such a child had died suddenly, anyone would have suspected assassination.
“...”
At Aila's words, Byron's gaze beyond the mirror began to waver. He seemed to think her words made sense.
Aila felt like her story was sinking in. If she pushed ahead now, she might be able to convince Byron.
"And also, if Father were to come here secretly... wouldn't the only opportunity be when there's a major event and so many people are coming and going that it's chaotic? But if my beloved son dies, there won't be any time for such a grand event."
Aila continued to voice her opinion, logically and with solid evidence, but with a frightened, wary expression.
She knew of the plan to 'take over the mansion while there were a lot of people coming and going for the banquet' because she had already experienced it once before returning.
But Byron, who had no way of knowing such a thing, felt goosebumps all over his body at the fact that she knew about a plan he had never told her about.
No one ever told her, but that little girl came up with it herself.
'... I can't believe it. Blood is thicker than water, I guess.'
No matter how much you call him a fool, Roderick was the Duke of Weishaffen, who commanded the empire. Aila, too, seemed to have taken after Roderick, developing such a keen insight at such a young age.
'Even if you take a wolf cub and raise it with its sharp claws and teeth pulled out, can't it still become a gentle dog?'
"That's right. We tailed that kid, but all we found out was that she'd received a small package from an antique shop."
"Oh, that's right. I think I received this. It's a magical tool that allows long-distance communication. I'm planning to use it to talk to him tonight."
In response to Ophelia's question, Aila took out a small hand mirror she had been hiding and handed it to her mother.
“Hmm...”
Ophelia, who had received the communication device from her daughter, looked over it with a serious expression.
And as Aila watched the scene, it suddenly occurred to her that her mother, who was from the Republic of Tamora, a country with highly developed magic, might know about such magical tools.
“...I have something exactly like this.”
It was the moment when Aila's prediction came true.
Ophelia, her face scrunched up, pulled the communication device from her bosom. It was something she had received from her friend Candice.
"I don't know how this ended up in his hands. It's a rare item, having only recently emerged from Tamora."
Feeling she should probably tell Candice about this, she handed the hand mirror-shaped communication device back to her daughter.
“...Can you do it well?”
Ophelia asked with a worried expression.
She'd barely escaped the clutches of that demonic man, reached safety, only to face that horrific face again. No matter how purposeful it was, she felt she couldn't bear it.
“I have to try.”
"I'll somehow persuade Byron to stop." Aila clenched her fists with a determined expression.
How many thoughts had she pondered as she waited for this day? She constantly recalled reasons why Noah should not be killed yet, anticipated Byron's counterarguments to those reasons, and prepared a response to those counterarguments.
It was clear that Byron would be angry that she was contradicting his opinion, but she couldn't give up because of that.
Her goal was simple: to get Byron to declare, "Then let's postpone killing Noah for now."
Ophelia stared at Aila's desperate face for a moment, then stroked her hair and opened her mouth.
“You don’t have to worry too much, Aila.”
"Yes?"
"It's okay if you can't convince him. Then we can find another way."
At her mother's affectionate words, Aila smiled bashfully and nodded.
“Yes, Mother. Thank you.”
Ophelia, who had been holding Aila tightly in her arms for a while in silence, looked out the window, which was now completely dark, and then got up in a hurry.
"Oh my, time flies so fast. I'm so happy just being with my daughter that I lose track of time. I should probably go now. It's almost time for Laura to come home."
Aila saw her mother off with a somewhat regretful expression. She wanted to spend a little more time with her.
But as Ophelia had said, Laura would be back soon, and there was important work to be done after that, so she had to send her mother off with a heavy heart.
And a little while later, Laura came back into the room.
“Why am I calling a busy person for something so trivial...”
She started grumbling as soon as she entered, as if she was unhappy about being called by Roderick.
“What did you call for?”
When Aila asked what excuse her father had given to call Laura, Laura laughed and answered.
“When I was on vacation, I made an excuse that my mother was sick, and he started asking me useless things like, ‘Is she okay?’ and ‘I’ll help you if you need anything.’”
Laura continued to criticize Roderick, saying she couldn't understand how people could be so hypocritical.
“So, can I contact my father now?”
Aila asked, trying to ignore Laura's insults to her father in front of her. The most important thing now was to convince Byron.
“Hmm... I guess it’ll be okay. It’s pretty dark now.”
Laura nodded and sat down next to Aila, seemingly eager to be with her.
‘...I think it would be easier to persuade him without Laura.’
It was clear that she would try to silence Aila from speaking against Byron's wishes.
Wouldn't it be better to get rid of any elements that might get in the way of achieving your goal in advance?
“Well, but... just in case someone suddenly comes in, how about you keep watch outside? The butler came earlier and startled us.”
She offered her opinion with an innocent expression, as if she had no other intentions. Perhaps it was a plausible statement, but Laura nodded and left the bedroom.
“Then I’ll stay in the living room and tell you when someone comes.”
As Laura left the room, Aila looked into the hand mirror with a satisfied expression.
"Whew," she said, her expression softening as she looked at her face before pressing the button. She was a girl excited to see her beloved father.
'Yes, I think this is enough.'
She pressed the button on the communication device with a nervous heart and activated it.
A moment later, as if some kind of signal had been sent, Byron's face appeared where hers had once been.
“What, is this how it should be done?”
Byron also seemed confused, as if he was using this device for the first time and was not familiar with how to operate it.
He seemed to be wandering around for a while, but when he saw Aila's face, he pretended to be happy.
“Oh, my daughter. It’s been a while. Can you hear me?”
“...Yes, Father. I can hear you well.”
“Yeah. Laura said you couldn’t follow my orders.”
Byron said with a scowl on his face, as if he was very displeased with the situation itself.
"Now that you've seen my face, I hope you're feeling better. Now, follow my orders. I'm saying, wipe out the Weishaffen bloodline."
His attitude seemed to say, 'I did you a favor by talking to you directly, so don't bother me any longer and just get on with your business.'
Aila felt like she was facing a huge wall from the start. She couldn't just end it like this without being able to say everything she'd prepared.
“But, but Father...! What if I, I get caught assassinating that child?”
She made a terrified sound. It would feel unnatural for a child who normally never rebelled against him to suddenly express her opinion so bluntly.
“...Do you think I raised you with all my heart and soul just so you could say such weak things?”
Byron cut her off in an angry voice, as if he had no intention of listening to Aila.
'With all my heart... Yes, you raised me with all your heart to be a tool to assassinate my biological father.'
Aila, resisting the urge to tear Byron's mouth open, opened her mouth again with patience.
“But, but... even if I manage to break through the tight security and kill that child, my father’s revenge will be delayed or become impossible...”
When Aila spoke with eyes that looked as if they were about to burst into tears, Byron finally perked up his ears and looked at her, as if he had the heart to listen to her story.
“...What does that mean?”
“So... that’s...”
Aila pretended to be flustered by his question and looked away. Then Byron, frustrated by her, sighed deeply and said,
"Speak slowly, my daughter, without fear. I, your father, will listen. What do you mean, my revenge will be impossible?"
At Byron's words, Aila lowered her head and smiled faintly, unseen by him. The conversation was finally beginning to flow as she intended.
"Even if I kill Noah Weishaffen without anyone finding out, the Duke and Duchess won't think anything of the sudden death of a healthy child. Then, they'll probably strengthen security..."
Although Noah was said to be frail, he suffered from only occasional minor ailments and had no major health problems. If such a child had died suddenly, anyone would have suspected assassination.
“...”
At Aila's words, Byron's gaze beyond the mirror began to waver. He seemed to think her words made sense.
Aila felt like her story was sinking in. If she pushed ahead now, she might be able to convince Byron.
"And also, if Father were to come here secretly... wouldn't the only opportunity be when there's a major event and so many people are coming and going that it's chaotic? But if my beloved son dies, there won't be any time for such a grand event."
Aila continued to voice her opinion, logically and with solid evidence, but with a frightened, wary expression.
She knew of the plan to 'take over the mansion while there were a lot of people coming and going for the banquet' because she had already experienced it once before returning.
But Byron, who had no way of knowing such a thing, felt goosebumps all over his body at the fact that she knew about a plan he had never told her about.
No one ever told her, but that little girl came up with it herself.
'... I can't believe it. Blood is thicker than water, I guess.'
No matter how much you call him a fool, Roderick was the Duke of Weishaffen, who commanded the empire. Aila, too, seemed to have taken after Roderick, developing such a keen insight at such a young age.
'Even if you take a wolf cub and raise it with its sharp claws and teeth pulled out, can't it still become a gentle dog?'
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