The big blue wolves stared at me with bright yellow pupils, as if searching for me.
Then, all at once, they rushed in.
“Ack…!”
I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes, but then I immediately squealed at the wetness on my face.
“It tickles!”
“Awroo! Awroo!”
The wolves that were licking my face jumped around in place while making pleasant noises.
There you go, my cuties.
I patted the wolves that were running around me because I liked them so much.
Perhaps because of the holy power beyond the level of a normal human, this body had long been popular with animals.
[T/L: She’s a Disney princess!]
No matter how fierce the wild animal was, they would follow me around while wagging their tail like a puppy.
‘It might just be a feeling, but I think we can communicate.’
According to my memories, the original Aisha also seemed to like hanging out with animals more than humans.
However, she wasn’t able to leave the temple often because William kept a close eye on her.
“Woof!”
Just then, the biggest wolf with the darkest fur came walking through the pack.
The charismatic presence I felt was apparently from the alpha wolf, the general of the pack.
“Good morning.”
When I said hello, the alpha wolf put his forehead against mine.
The warm and soft feeling of his fur felt nice, so I rubbed my forehead against his, and leaned into him.
“Baby. Do you know the Duke of Bastion?”
I asked without any expectations, but the ‘alpha wolf’ nodded. My eyes opened wide in shock, and questioned him more.
“Really? Do you know where he lives?”
“Whine.”
“Yeah, I know it’s scary as well…”
I patted the distressed alpha wolf’s rump.
It’s okay, that’s more than enough.
“I don’t expect much from a wolf. It’s the Duke of Bastion, of all people!”
A descendant of the Demon God! The Fiend of the North! The scary Demon Duke!
As I listed each of the various nicknames, the wolves nodded their heads in agreement.
At the same time, their tails curled towards their bellies.
Oh, you must be really scared. What shall we do?
I clasped my hands in front of me, and begged the alpha.
“Baby, I’m really sorry to ask this, but can you take me to his house?”
“AWROO!”
It was a yelp. Or a swear word.
***
Duke Bastion’s home was on the outskirts of the capital.
It was very surprising, considering the general rule was that the more powerful you were, the closer you lived to the center of the capital, and the castle.
A duke, who was considered the best in both name and reality. Even the Imperial family couldn’t ignore him, probably because his family contributed to the founding of the empire…
‘It really looks like a dungeon.’
There was even a mountain behind the mansion.
Riding on the back of the alpha wolf, I looked down at the dark mansion roof below, and clicked my tongue.
Here in the Amanta Empire, the history of the Dukes of Bastion was obvious at a glance.
‘Where do you think that blessed family’s self-important temperament originated?’
Their ‘my way’ temperament could even be felt in ‘salty’ amounts in the original story.
Since I was born I’d never made friends with anyone, or received letters from anyone.
Well, whatever. Thanks to that, it was easy to hide here with the wolves.
“Thank you for bringing me here, guys. I think I can go alone now.”
When I jumped from the alpha wolf’s back, the other wolves began to protest. They bit and pulled on the blanket I’d wrapped around myself like a robe.
It seemed they wanted me to go back with them.
I stroked the admirable guys’ heads, and said.
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I’ve already made my decision after a lot of thought.”
“Awoo…”
“This is the only way. I just want to live and see the future.”
In the meantime, the holy power in my body will continue to grow.
‘The stronger your holy power, the less likely you are to get sick. My case was an exception though.’
Everything was in vain because of this world.
No matter how sacred the water was, if the volume was like the sea, the bowl would eventually break.
‘In other words, I’m going to die because I’m a munchkin!’
Well, I was just tired of it.
Anyway, here’s my prescription.
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
‘Munchkin for a munchkin.’
And this was a munchkin from a house of munchkins.
It was time to take one last deep breath before going in with a bang.
“GRRR!”
Suddenly, the wolves bristled and bared their teeth. Their reaction was a mixture of extreme caution and fear.
“Why are you doing that…”
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing, beasts and children are flocking to me.”
The moment I heard the unfamiliar voice, I felt suffocated.
This energy.
It was the first time I’ve felt it, but I was sure.
I came to find this.
‘This is magic.’
It was also so pure that the tips of my fingers felt numb and my skin was prickling.
I slowly turned in the direction in which the devilish energy came from.
“I didn’t know my yard was this popular.”
It wasn’t like a cave, but a mana from deep within the ocean. He had black hair and eyes, and a cold, sharp atmosphere like the north wind.
And he called this mountain his yard…
‘Does he really think that?’
I winced as I looked at this man from head to toe.
Was this man really the demon Duke of Bastion?
‘But… you never said how handsome he was, writer!’
This is negligence. How could you not describe this beauty?
There were two types of handsome men in this world.
A warm-hearted man, who’s spring-like beauty melts away everything, and a cold-hearted man, like the winter that freezes everything.
Either way, handsome men are unconditionally the best, and my personal taste was clearly the latter.
What was I saying all of a sudden?
I wanted to say that my tastes were unexpectedly and completely ignored.
‘It’s crazy. Why didn’t you get to act as a supporting role, or main character, with that face?’
In the original works, Duke Bastion was endlessly on the cusp of being an extra.
Of course, he had a strong presence in the story, and delivered some important information in the prolog, and in the middle of the story before I threw the book…
‘Even that is a little vague to be considered a direct appearance.’
In addition, it contained a tremendous tragedy for the Duke of Bastion.
‘I know that, and I can prevent it with sufficient effort.’
Yeah, it could be a mutually beneficial relationship.
After taking a deep breath, I gathered my hands in front of my belly.
“Hello!”
My firm full-bellied greeting lulled the oppressive energies between Duke Bastion and the wolves.
Standing there between the two groups, who were slightly bewildered, I spoke up crisply.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Aisha.”
“…Yes, a suspicious little girl.”
He had no intention of calling me by my name.
Duke Bastian observed my behavior with a frown.
To him I was a strange and small uninvited guest, who invaded his yard with a pack of beasts.
“Did you come here knowing where you were?”
“It’s a magical restaurant.”
“Huh?”
Oh, my. I should stop teasing him.
I shook my head, and spoke again.
“No, you’re the Duke of Bastion.”
“To come knowing that means that you have some business with me.”
“That’s right.”
“Is it asassination? Using wolves?”
“Oh, you’re making quite the leap.”
Thinking it was a joke, I laughed and waved my hand, but Duke Bastion just continued to look at me suspiciously.
Oh, you weren’t kidding. This undeveloped mind of mine was unable to keep up with the demon duke’s thoughts, and this was why I felt so uncomfortable…
I went straight back to polite speech, and erased my laughter.
“Ahem, I’m sorry I came in without permission. However, there was something I wanted to ask the duke for.”
“What?”
That’s right. I don’t know where to start. What about events in the future?
No, that’s so ridiculous.
However, if I dragged out my explanation, he might slit my throat while saying ‘The wolves were a decoy, and you were planning to kill me with boredom.’
I needed to think about it.
An impactful first statement that would get straight to the point of why I came, and at the same time caught the interest of the duke.
That’s it! With sparkling eyes, I pointed my finger at the Duke of Bastion.
“Give me your son!”
“….”
“Ouch.”
The demon duke thought that he could hit people with his eyes.
My stomach hurts. Uh huh, I think he managed to hit a bone.
After I was beaten for such a long time, and I checked whether my ribs were broken or not, Duke Bastion crossed his arms and asked.
“Young lady, how old are you?”
“I’m… nine years old.”
I almost said I was twenty two years old without realizing it. I have to watch my mouth if I don’t want to get hit again.
“Nine years old? The same age as Franz?”
The Duke of Bastion murmured and tilted his head. He even stared at me as if he was trying to estimate my physical condition.
The pitch-black gaze that seemed to penetrate all the way through the futon bedding’s safety that surrounded me and looked lower and lower.
Maybe he even found my bare feet.
When I fidgeted with the tips of my toes, the man, who was towering over me, lowered his body.
I exclaimed at the sight of his eyes, which were now at a similar height.
As expected, it seemed appealing no matter what posture you take when you have a face like his.
Duke Bastion crouched down in front of me on his long legs, and put his elbows on his hard thighs.
Even his slouched posture, which would have looked good in some dirty alley, looked like a sculpted statue when he did it.
[Like this.]
The duke chuckled when I tried to subtly move away from him.
“Let’s get rid of this rag for a moment.”
“Wh, why…?”
I hesitated and backed away, while I pulled the futon over my head.
I want to remember your face and kill you. If this is your idea of consideration, I’d really like to refuse.
“Shouldn’t I at least know the face of the young lady who’s going to be my daughter-in-law?”
That’s what I was talking about. Something understandable.
I squirmed and quickly took off my duvet cover, which had become soggy while the wolves were running along the remote mountain path.
The Duke of Bastion, who I faced without any protection, was even more handsome and even scarier than before.
Now I knew why there was a rumor going around that if you were weak, you would wet yourself in front of him.
Even if it wasn’t because of his mana, he had a powerful aura.
I suddenly thought of the names for him that I had listed off while taunting the wolves.
A descendant of the Demon God! The Fiend of the North! The scary Demon Duke…
‘Those names were a perfect fit.’
This was the moment when such a man and I officially met for the first time.
I tried to tuck my head instinctively, but I stopped myself and straightened my posture.
I had a hunch that I shouldn’t show any weakness here.
Duke Bastion stared at my face, especially my amber colored eyes and curly silver hair.
Then he suddenly asked.
“Which temple did you run away from?”
“Oh, how…”
Was he a psychic, and not a demon?
When I stared at him in surprise, the Duke tapped my chest with his finger.
“The young lady’s mana is overflowing from here. At the rate that it’s coming out, you would have been taken to the temple as soon as you were born.”
“Oh.”
As I could feel his mana, he could feel mine.
It seemed easy to recognize each other’s mana as we were opposite elements.
‘I can’t believe he’s already noticed that I ran away from the temple.’
This is awkward.
I was going to reveal my mana on purpose. However, I’d planned to hide my connection to the temple as much as possible.
What should I do? Is he going to send me back?
It made sense if I thought about it from his point of view. It would be troublesome if he took me in, and got into a quarrel with the temple.
Right when I was about to tell him that it was okay because I’d pretended to be dead on purpose.
“Does the temple starve the children these days?”
The big blue wolves stared at me with bright yellow pupils, as if searching for me.
Then, all at once, they rushed in.
“Ack…!”
I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes, but then I immediately squealed at the wetness on my face.
“It tickles!”
“Awroo! Awroo!”
The wolves that were licking my face jumped around in place while making pleasant noises.
There you go, my cuties.
I patted the wolves that were running around me because I liked them so much.
Perhaps because of the holy power beyond the level of a normal human, this body had long been popular with animals.
[T/L: She’s a Disney princess!]
No matter how fierce the wild animal was, they would follow me around while wagging their tail like a puppy.
‘It might just be a feeling, but I think we can communicate.’
According to my memories, the original Aisha also seemed to like hanging out with animals more than humans.
However, she wasn’t able to leave the temple often because William kept a close eye on her.
“Woof!”
Just then, the biggest wolf with the darkest fur came walking through the pack.
The charismatic presence I felt was apparently from the alpha wolf, the general of the pack.
“Good morning.”
When I said hello, the alpha wolf put his forehead against mine.
The warm and soft feeling of his fur felt nice, so I rubbed my forehead against his, and leaned into him.
“Baby. Do you know the Duke of Bastion?”
I asked without any expectations, but the ‘alpha wolf’ nodded. My eyes opened wide in shock, and questioned him more.
“Really? Do you know where he lives?”
“Whine.”
“Yeah, I know it’s scary as well…”
I patted the distressed alpha wolf’s rump.
It’s okay, that’s more than enough.
“I don’t expect much from a wolf. It’s the Duke of Bastion, of all people!”
A descendant of the Demon God! The Fiend of the North! The scary Demon Duke!
As I listed each of the various nicknames, the wolves nodded their heads in agreement.
At the same time, their tails curled towards their bellies.
Oh, you must be really scared. What shall we do?
I clasped my hands in front of me, and begged the alpha.
“Baby, I’m really sorry to ask this, but can you take me to his house?”
“AWROO!”
It was a yelp. Or a swear word.
***
Duke Bastion’s home was on the outskirts of the capital.
It was very surprising, considering the general rule was that the more powerful you were, the closer you lived to the center of the capital, and the castle.
A duke, who was considered the best in both name and reality. Even the Imperial family couldn’t ignore him, probably because his family contributed to the founding of the empire…
‘It really looks like a dungeon.’
There was even a mountain behind the mansion.
Riding on the back of the alpha wolf, I looked down at the dark mansion roof below, and clicked my tongue.
Here in the Amanta Empire, the history of the Dukes of Bastion was obvious at a glance.
‘Where do you think that blessed family’s self-important temperament originated?’
Their ‘my way’ temperament could even be felt in ‘salty’ amounts in the original story.
Since I was born I’d never made friends with anyone, or received letters from anyone.
Well, whatever. Thanks to that, it was easy to hide here with the wolves.
“Thank you for bringing me here, guys. I think I can go alone now.”
When I jumped from the alpha wolf’s back, the other wolves began to protest. They bit and pulled on the blanket I’d wrapped around myself like a robe.
It seemed they wanted me to go back with them.
I stroked the admirable guys’ heads, and said.
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I’ve already made my decision after a lot of thought.”
“Awoo…”
“This is the only way. I just want to live and see the future.”
In the meantime, the holy power in my body will continue to grow.
‘The stronger your holy power, the less likely you are to get sick. My case was an exception though.’
Everything was in vain because of this world.
No matter how sacred the water was, if the volume was like the sea, the bowl would eventually break.
‘In other words, I’m going to die because I’m a munchkin!’
Well, I was just tired of it.
Anyway, here’s my prescription.
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
‘Munchkin for a munchkin.’
And this was a munchkin from a house of munchkins.
It was time to take one last deep breath before going in with a bang.
“GRRR!”
Suddenly, the wolves bristled and bared their teeth. Their reaction was a mixture of extreme caution and fear.
“Why are you doing that…”
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing, beasts and children are flocking to me.”
The moment I heard the unfamiliar voice, I felt suffocated.
This energy.
It was the first time I’ve felt it, but I was sure.
I came to find this.
‘This is magic.’
It was also so pure that the tips of my fingers felt numb and my skin was prickling.
I slowly turned in the direction in which the devilish energy came from.
“I didn’t know my yard was this popular.”
It wasn’t like a cave, but a mana from deep within the ocean. He had black hair and eyes, and a cold, sharp atmosphere like the north wind.
And he called this mountain his yard…
‘Does he really think that?’
I winced as I looked at this man from head to toe.
Was this man really the demon Duke of Bastion?
‘But… you never said how handsome he was, writer!’
This is negligence. How could you not describe this beauty?
There were two types of handsome men in this world.
A warm-hearted man, who’s spring-like beauty melts away everything, and a cold-hearted man, like the winter that freezes everything.
Either way, handsome men are unconditionally the best, and my personal taste was clearly the latter.
What was I saying all of a sudden?
I wanted to say that my tastes were unexpectedly and completely ignored.
‘It’s crazy. Why didn’t you get to act as a supporting role, or main character, with that face?’
In the original works, Duke Bastion was endlessly on the cusp of being an extra.
Of course, he had a strong presence in the story, and delivered some important information in the prolog, and in the middle of the story before I threw the book…
‘Even that is a little vague to be considered a direct appearance.’
In addition, it contained a tremendous tragedy for the Duke of Bastion.
‘I know that, and I can prevent it with sufficient effort.’
Yeah, it could be a mutually beneficial relationship.
After taking a deep breath, I gathered my hands in front of my belly.
“Hello!”
My firm full-bellied greeting lulled the oppressive energies between Duke Bastion and the wolves.
Standing there between the two groups, who were slightly bewildered, I spoke up crisply.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Aisha.”
“…Yes, a suspicious little girl.”
He had no intention of calling me by my name.
Duke Bastian observed my behavior with a frown.
To him I was a strange and small uninvited guest, who invaded his yard with a pack of beasts.
“Did you come here knowing where you were?”
“It’s a magical restaurant.”
“Huh?”
Oh, my. I should stop teasing him.
I shook my head, and spoke again.
“No, you’re the Duke of Bastion.”
“To come knowing that means that you have some business with me.”
“That’s right.”
“Is it asassination? Using wolves?”
“Oh, you’re making quite the leap.”
Thinking it was a joke, I laughed and waved my hand, but Duke Bastion just continued to look at me suspiciously.
Oh, you weren’t kidding. This undeveloped mind of mine was unable to keep up with the demon duke’s thoughts, and this was why I felt so uncomfortable…
I went straight back to polite speech, and erased my laughter.
“Ahem, I’m sorry I came in without permission. However, there was something I wanted to ask the duke for.”
“What?”
That’s right. I don’t know where to start. What about events in the future?
No, that’s so ridiculous.
However, if I dragged out my explanation, he might slit my throat while saying ‘The wolves were a decoy, and you were planning to kill me with boredom.’
I needed to think about it.
An impactful first statement that would get straight to the point of why I came, and at the same time caught the interest of the duke.
That’s it! With sparkling eyes, I pointed my finger at the Duke of Bastion.
“Give me your son!”
“….”
“Ouch.”
The demon duke thought that he could hit people with his eyes.
My stomach hurts. Uh huh, I think he managed to hit a bone.
After I was beaten for such a long time, and I checked whether my ribs were broken or not, Duke Bastion crossed his arms and asked.
“Young lady, how old are you?”
“I’m… nine years old.”
I almost said I was twenty two years old without realizing it. I have to watch my mouth if I don’t want to get hit again.
“Nine years old? The same age as Franz?”
The Duke of Bastion murmured and tilted his head. He even stared at me as if he was trying to estimate my physical condition.
The pitch-black gaze that seemed to penetrate all the way through the futon bedding’s safety that surrounded me and looked lower and lower.
Maybe he even found my bare feet.
When I fidgeted with the tips of my toes, the man, who was towering over me, lowered his body.
I exclaimed at the sight of his eyes, which were now at a similar height.
As expected, it seemed appealing no matter what posture you take when you have a face like his.
Duke Bastion crouched down in front of me on his long legs, and put his elbows on his hard thighs.
Even his slouched posture, which would have looked good in some dirty alley, looked like a sculpted statue when he did it.
[Like this.]
The duke chuckled when I tried to subtly move away from him.
“Let’s get rid of this rag for a moment.”
“Wh, why…?”
I hesitated and backed away, while I pulled the futon over my head.
I want to remember your face and kill you. If this is your idea of consideration, I’d really like to refuse.
“Shouldn’t I at least know the face of the young lady who’s going to be my daughter-in-law?”
That’s what I was talking about. Something understandable.
I squirmed and quickly took off my duvet cover, which had become soggy while the wolves were running along the remote mountain path.
The Duke of Bastion, who I faced without any protection, was even more handsome and even scarier than before.
Now I knew why there was a rumor going around that if you were weak, you would wet yourself in front of him.
Even if it wasn’t because of his mana, he had a powerful aura.
I suddenly thought of the names for him that I had listed off while taunting the wolves.
A descendant of the Demon God! The Fiend of the North! The scary Demon Duke…
‘Those names were a perfect fit.’
This was the moment when such a man and I officially met for the first time.
I tried to tuck my head instinctively, but I stopped myself and straightened my posture.
I had a hunch that I shouldn’t show any weakness here.
Duke Bastion stared at my face, especially my amber colored eyes and curly silver hair.
Then he suddenly asked.
“Which temple did you run away from?”
“Oh, how…”
Was he a psychic, and not a demon?
When I stared at him in surprise, the Duke tapped my chest with his finger.
“The young lady’s mana is overflowing from here. At the rate that it’s coming out, you would have been taken to the temple as soon as you were born.”
“Oh.”
As I could feel his mana, he could feel mine.
It seemed easy to recognize each other’s mana as we were opposite elements.
‘I can’t believe he’s already noticed that I ran away from the temple.’
This is awkward.
I was going to reveal my mana on purpose. However, I’d planned to hide my connection to the temple as much as possible.
What should I do? Is he going to send me back?
It made sense if I thought about it from his point of view. It would be troublesome if he took me in, and got into a quarrel with the temple.
Right when I was about to tell him that it was okay because I’d pretended to be dead on purpose.
“Does the temple starve the children these days?”
