And the same went for me.
Even though I’d just introduced Marianne with that bright, angelic act, I clammed up like I’d swallowed honey.
[Master’s mom, the atmosphere is intense right now!]
[Mommy’s scary!]
‘……’
Desmond and Vivi were in a fuss as well.
Now that I thought about it, in the original story, Veronica was Desmond’s master. I quietly looked down at Desmond, the red teddy bear.
The Veronica you’re so scared of was originally supposed to be your master.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, so I kept it in and looked up at the sound of Veronica’s calm voice.
“I heard the temple received a revelation for the first time in a while. Were you on your way after being summoned?”
“Y-yes. That’s right.”
“I see. Thank you for saving Dia.”
“N-no, I only did what I had to.”
Surprisingly, the conversation between the two flowed smoothly.
Though Marianne was clearly trembling from tension, Veronica treated her so nonchalantly that, on the surface, they both seemed perfectly fine.
“Dia, let’s go inside first.”
“O-okay.”
Her voice was as gentle as usual, but I could sense her mood was weighed down. I couldn’t bring myself to refuse this time and took the hand she offered.
“……”
I couldn’t help glancing back at Marianne as we walked toward the mansion.
Thankfully, since she had to investigate traces of the ancient demon with the holy knights, it seemed she wouldn’t be returning to the temple right away.
Which meant—I still had a chance.
Cradled in Veronica’s arms, I entered the cozy sitting room, burning with renewed determination.
“Our little Dia, what in the world happened?!”
“Father.”
Before sunset, Duke Winston returned home.
Vincent, who came with him, also had a grim expression.
“Berry, are you alright? Nothing happened to you?”
“Yes, Brother. I’m safe.”
Worried after meeting Cedric, Vincent checked on me, then asked about Veronica as well.
He sighed and shook his head.
“I just don’t understand. A demon infiltrated our estate…”
“Are there still traces in the garden?”
“Yes. So the holy knights—and that girl, the so-called saint—will be staying here for a while.”
“So it came to that…”
Veronica murmured, biting her lip. Vincent, watching her carefully, added,
“Berry, don’t let that girl bother you. We’ll take care of everything.”
“I’m alright.”
“You can’t be alright. She looks exactly like that woman.”
“……”
Judging from Vincent’s reaction, the Winston family’s information network had already uncovered everything about Cedric and Gloria.
He frowned, clearly recalling Marianne.
Veronica replied calmly,
“I don’t resent that child.”
“Sure, the child isn’t to blame. But that doesn’t mean you have to push yourself to see her either.”
“……”
For once, I agreed with Vincent.
Though I had to find a way to approach Marianne again, Veronica didn’t need to involve herself at all.
“My sweet Dia, were you scared?”
“I’m okay~”
“Didn’t you miss your grandpa?”
“I’m… okay~”
Tears welled up in Duke Winston’s eyes as he looked at me.
At his increasingly over-the-top behavior, I was at a loss for how to respond.
I just rolled my eyes, but then he pulled me into a tight hug and shouted,
“That’s it! I’ll stay by Dia’s side and protect her!”
“…?”
What?
Everyone in the sitting room blinked at the duke’s sudden declaration.
Veronica was the first to regain composure and asked in a flustered tone,
“Father, what are you saying?”
“Some bastard used a demon to harm our Dia! I can’t rest easy until he’s caught!”
“…There’s something I need to tell you.”
Duke Winston, who had been fuming, suddenly went still at Veronica’s serious tone.
He looked at her, then down at me again.
“My little Dia, why don’t you have some cocoa while Grandpa’s gone?”
“Okaaay.”
“I’ll be right back, sweetie.”
Placing a sweet cup of cocoa in my hands, the duke took Veronica and Vincent out of the room.
Before leaving, he sternly ordered Raven and the knights to guard me closely.
The knights were clearly on edge, surrounding me tightly.
[Tch, even with all these weaklings, they’re nothing compared to me!]
[What are you talking about? If it were just you, you’d have lost to that ancient demon.]
[You tiny rabbit, how dare you talk to me like that!]
Desmond and Vivi began bickering again, and I half-listened as I sipped my cocoa.
Abel wasn’t nearby either—he was probably off reporting to the duke.
I glanced around at the tense knights and realized I wouldn’t be able to move freely now.
‘Looks like I won’t get a chance to meet Marianne alone…’
Veronica must have suspected who sent the ancient demon that attacked me.
I already knew from the demons that the Empress Dowager was behind it, but there was no way for Veronica to know that yet.
Puzzled, I looked quietly at Desmond, who was still fighting with Vivi.
Desmond.
[You oversized-eared… huh?]
Do some work, Desmond.
[Why do you only give me these minor errands!]
You’re better at it than Vivi, right?
[Hmph. Well, that is true.]
Flattered, Desmond couldn’t hide his delight.
Vivi, having seen through my tactics, just looked on with a bored expression.
Fired up, Desmond left his teddy bear body to eavesdrop on the direct family’s conversation.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, I heard it clearly with my own ears.”
Veronica told Duke Winston everything about her meeting with Cedric that afternoon.
When she revealed that Cedric was responsible for harming Claudia, the duke erupted in rage.
“That bastard!”
Bang! The duke slammed his armrest, and the chair’s handle shattered, falling to the floor.
Veronica, watching quietly, spoke in a composed voice.
“Calm down, Father.”
“Calm down? You expect me to stay calm?! I’ll make that bastard—”
“There’s no proof yet.”
“…Hmm.”
Duke Winston finally settled down at her cool-headed words.
Still, his fury simmered just beneath the surface.
“For now, we should work with the holy knights outside to track the demon’s traces.”
“You think they’ll cooperate with us?”
“We’ll make them.”
Vincent’s eyes sparkled as he spoke. The duke looked proudly at his heir, who took after him so well.
“Then I’ll leave that matter to you.”
“Yes, Father.”
“We’ll proceed with Cedric’s trial soon, so try not to worry too much.”
“Yes.”
Vincent left to speak with the holy knights. Watching the dark expression on Veronica’s face, the duke spoke again.
“As Vincent said, don’t let that saint girl get to you.”
“But…”
“There’s nothing to worry about. Just focus on divorcing that Cedric bastard as soon as possible.”
“…Yes.”
An uneasy thought had been stuck in her head all day. Cedric’s twisted laughter, eyes gleaming as he threatened Dia, lingered in her mind.
And now, even his illegitimate daughter had appeared, throwing everything into chaos. She couldn’t shake the ominous feeling.
Veronica let out a long sigh.
‘So Marianne will be staying at the mansion after all.’
Having eavesdropped on the direct family’s conversation, I let out a sigh of relief.
Though guilt weighed on me whenever I saw Veronica’s troubled face, everything I did was for her and the Winston family’s sake.
So I couldn’t let myself waver.
Resolving myself once more, I turned my head sharply.
“Raven hyung!”
“…Yes, little miss?”
“I needa go to the bathroom!”
“Understood.”
At my words, Raven stepped forward with a solemn expression.
I naturally wrapped my arms around his neck and let him carry me out of the sitting room.
“I-I could’ve carried her too…”
“No, this way it’s easier to guard her.”
“O-okay…”
Now that I thought about it, I’d be going into the bathroom with Sophia anyway.
I glanced suspiciously at Raven. Did he just want to carry me?
“Ah.”
“…!”
While walking down the corridor with those thoughts, I unexpectedly ran into someone.
Marianne—and…
“Dia, where are you going?”
“……”
It was Abel.
I stared silently at the unexpected pairing in front of me.
