Chapter 31
Of course, no matter how clearly I spoke, I was still a little flustered, and my pronunciation faltered at times, which probably reduced some of my authority…
Still, the adults seemed surprised that a child could speak so fluently and maturely, and their mouths stayed shut as their eyes widened.
“I gave you a chance to admit your wrongdoing yourself, yet you still shamelessly deny it to the end. Do you not fear the wrath of Goddess Demetea or Emperor La Bellica?”
“I-I…”
The man trembled violently under the weight of the baby divine beasts pressing on his backside.
It seemed he had finally realized in front of whom he had spoken recklessly.
His unfocused, wavering eyes made him look utterly irrational, consumed by fear.
In that unstable state, the man shouted:
“I’m innocent!”
No—he still couldn’t admit his wrongdoing, even now!
But the next words he cried out were so heartfelt that even I couldn’t help but recognize the sorrow in them:
“I’m not an old man… I’m nineteen years old!”
Shockingly, the corrupt senior wasn’t an old man at all.
He was eventually dragged to the imperial palace prison.
Though my testimony helped, it turned out that the timid man, terrified late, confessed his crimes.
Ah, but he tried to justify himself, claiming he had no intention of harming Joshua.
Whether he was sincere or not, he said his plan had been to simply tie Joshua up for a day in a sealed room to frighten him into keeping the secret.
“Thank you very much for helping me today, Your Highness.”
“No… I didn’t really do anything.”
I looked at Joshua somewhat gloomily.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had needlessly interfered and prevented him from bonding with the divine beasts.
Besides, if I had helped Joshua earlier, it might have been fine, but instead, by intervening halfway, I’d ended up doing neither good nor harm.
Feeling a little discouraged, I was lifted by Joshua, who hastily waved both hands to reassure me.
“Not at all! Your testimony was a huge help. Without you, I might have been expelled from here.”
That probably wasn’t true.
After all, Joshua was destined to become the future divine beast master and hold a high position in the palace.
Still, he was right that without my testimony as the princess, proving his innocence could have been more cumbersome and time-consuming.
“Really? Well, I’m glad you think so.”
I carefully studied Joshua’s face again.
‘He does look better than in the previous iteration.’
Yes, I had intervened and helped, but this time the situation was different from my past life.
Joshua had managed to contribute to subduing the culprit himself, in his own chaotic, flailing style…
If one could even call that flamboyant balloon-like dance an act of heroism…
Anyway, in the end, he had a hand in catching the criminal, so that was something.
‘Yes, as long as Joshua is healthy and happy…’
I gazed at him wistfully and smiled faintly.
Ignorance is bliss—in the normal timeline, Joshua would have imprinted with the divine beasts tonight, but he didn’t know, and that was a relief.
Had he known, he might have been frustrated and flustered.
The future top tamer was safe… for now.
Even without Joshua, I had managed to achieve the great success of my past life, so I was fine.
Of course, it would still involve some hardship.
But seeing Joshua’s brighter personality compared to the previous iteration was worth it.
Looking at his future, it was better this way, and if he grew more confident and trusting in himself, he might eventually imprint with the divine beasts anyway.
“Adel!”
Then I heard a familiar voice calling me.
Ah, it’s my father.
“May the sun of Rosantina bless you!”
Everyone except me immediately knelt.
I felt oddly embarrassed—like a child caught misbehaving at school, and the parent had come to pick her up.
“Adel, are you hurt anywhere?”
My father rushed over, paying no attention to anyone else, checking on me first.
He looked pale as a sheet, clearly shaken.
“I don’t understand what happened. Why were you at the divine beast nest at this hour…? Well, I’ve heard some of the details, but I still cannot fathom why you would be in such a dangerous place.”
His rambling worry felt strange even to me.
“Ah, well…”
I could have repeated the half-baked, shameless lie I told others to cover the situation, but it felt too inadequate compared to the genuine concern he was showing.
So, unsure if he would even believe me, I spoke honestly:
“The baby divine beasts came looking for help.”
“What? The divine beasts?”
“They weren’t sneaking out on purpose—they were actually sleeping quietly… but then they heard noise and woke up…”
I fidgeted, explaining timidly.
My father listened quietly without interrupting.
“I see. That must have been frightening for you, too, Adel.”
When I finished, he held me and gently stroked my head.
“The divine beasts must have trusted you. They likely thought you were someone they could rely on more than others.”
He didn’t treat my words as a child’s fantasy.
“Even so, it must have been scary and difficult. You didn’t ignore those in need, and you went to help them yourself. That’s very brave.”
His soft, warm voice whispered in my ear.
“But next time, tell me before acting. If I’m not around, inform another adult. Otherwise, if danger comes to you, no one will be able to help.”
“Yes, Father. I’ll do that. I’m sorry.”
I confessed obediently, feeling a tender warmth.
“If anything painful or sad happens to my daughter, it would hurt me deeply too.”
After a while, my father released me from his embrace and looked at my face.
“So no matter what happens, always value yourself the most, Adel.”
His eyes were filled with pure love for me.
“Yes.”
Had I been slightly younger, I probably would have been crying uncontrollably.
In this cursed life, having him as my father was one blessing I could not doubt.
Yet… I sometimes felt guilty.
‘In truth, I’m not your real daughter.’
I don’t deserve this love.
But once again, it was a truth I could not speak today.
I buried my face in his chest, hiding my guilt.
He hugged me even tighter.
“May the eternal light of Demetea rest upon the sun of Rosantina!”
At that moment, my mother appeared.
Ah? I was a little surprised.
I hadn’t expected her to come personally; normally, she paid little attention to her children.
“Why all this commotion in the middle of the night? Fortunately, the princess seems unharmed.”
As usual, she exuded the calm authority of a predator, yet something about her expression was strange.
“Roxanne.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Aspodel must be very tired. Take her away and let her rest.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She turned and left, her black robes and golden hair fluttering lightly.
Huh? That’s it? Why did she come at all?
“Your Majesty must have worried about our Adel as well.”
Probably not…
Still, I smiled faintly and followed my father quietly, not wanting to break his illusion.
The path back to the palace was bright under the shining full moon that night.
Side: Joshua and His Young Divine Beasts
‘What a chaotic day.’
Joshua collapsed onto his bed, exhausted.
His body ached, and his head felt heavy.
The events of the night felt unreal, almost dreamlike.
But the scratches on his wrists from the ropes reminded him it had actually happened.
Though others urged him to see a doctor, he was too tired and returned to his room.
Tomorrow, he would have to recount the night’s events in detail.
For now, he needed rest…
“Kuuang!”
“Eh?!”
From behind him came a familiar cry, one he had heard many times before.
