The Adored Daughter of the Disliked Duke's House: My Magic Power Increases Every Time I'm Praised, So I've Been Perfecting Cuteness Since Infancy! - Episode 15

“Hey, Lilietta. Good morning.”

The first time I noticed something was off was during the morning greeting.

I felt a slight sense of discomfort when Leo greeted me with the same face and gestures as when we met a few days ago.

I immediately focused on the jewel on his chest.

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine.

In the center of his chest, there was no cute, round, pink gem.

What appeared instead was something that looked like a pitch-black, gooey mass of sludge.

“！？”

You must not let anyone notice what you have realized.

I involuntarily looked away.

“What’s wrong, Lilietta?”

Leo gives me a gentle smile.

That expression is just like him.

However, the contents are different.

Absolutely wrong.

That much is certain.

However, no one has noticed.

It is evident just by looking at Al walking next to me.

“A bug was flying around!”

I smiled cheerfully and pointed ahead, so they wouldn’t notice my anxiety.

Just then, a butterfly passes by.

Since it’s spring, there were signs of life here and there on the road to the North Tower, which was a relief.

“That’s a Fairium. Apparently, it was a fairy back in the mythological era. It only resides within the palace grounds.”

“Wow”

“There are also flowers that only bloom in the rooftop garden. I’ll show you during break time.”

“That’s lovely, thank you.”

“How about Al joining us too?”

“Yeah. I’ll go with you.”

“Well then, how about you prepare lunch over there?”

And so, the three of us head towards the white tower while engaging in casual chit-chat.

During the journey, my back was drenched with cold sweat.

(What on earth is happening!?)

I immediately thought about informing an adult, but I quickly decided against it.

(They must never know that I have the “Gift of Sight.”)

This is something that Mr. Caleb has repeatedly warned us about.

“In the battle against the Demon King, the ‘Talent of Foresight’ can become our greatest trump card. It would be best to keep it a secret from your parents for now.”

If I don’t tell anyone, the information won’t leak out, so I’ve decided to keep it a secret from my parents for a while.

I’m the only one who notices.

In other words, if the enemy finds out that I noticed Leo’s abnormality, it would be the same as revealing that I possess the “Talent of Foresight.”

On this day, I had to sharpen my senses not only for the unfamiliar light magic training but also for the unnoticed acting.

I didn’t have the presence of mind to notice that Al was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

Thanks to the acting, the special training ended without incident.

In the morning, I practiced refining light attribute magic. During the lunch break, I had lunch in the aerial garden and then took a stroll.

After that, I took a short nap. In the afternoon, I repeated the special training to refine magic, and Al and I succeeded in enveloping ourselves in the “Blessing of Light.”

However, only Leo was struggling to properly control the light magic.

Of course.

Because the inside is a different person.

During the special training, I closely observed Leo.

There are three things I understood.

The first thing is that it seems to be the work of a monster after all. The magic power slightly leaking from the sludge-like mass is very similar to that of Graulus, whom we faced that night.

The second point is that Leo is not completely swapped with someone else, but rather in a state as if he is possessed by something.

When I squinted harder at his chest area, I realized that the pink gem was deep inside.

The third thing is that if we don’t quickly expel that thing from Leo’s body, he will be in danger.

When comparing the morning and afternoon, it was found that the presence of the pink gem had weakened.

If left alone, his small body and soul might be completely taken over.

(Yoshi)

By the evening, when the special training ended, I had made my decision.

(I’ll settle this by tonight…!)

In order to do that, we must prepare properly.

I took a deep breath, hugged my stomach, and crouched down on the spot.

“It hurts, it hurts! It hurts!!”

At the loud voice, the surrounding adults all turned around at once. Of course, my mother too.

“W-What happened, Lilietta?”

“Mom, my stomach hurts!”

“Wow!”

My mother’s face turns pale.

I’m sorry for causing unnecessary worry, but there’s nothing we can do about this.

“Get the court physician immediately!”

Even though they disliked her, the sudden illness of the duke’s daughter was a major crisis. The wizards were in an uproar.

My mother, carrying me, immediately left the tower and headed towards the main palace of the royal residence.

Before I knew it, I was shown to the guest room of the main palace, and there I immediately received an examination from the court physician.

The result, of course, is normal.

However, I continued to complain about the pain.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”

With tears in my eyes, I complained about the pain, and my mother was half-crying too.

By that time, my father had also rushed to the palace.

The exhausted samurai doctor made this suggestion.

“If you go to sleep, it might settle down.”

If they fall asleep, they will recover completely. Children’s illnesses are often like that.

“Understood. Then, may I stay here for the night?”

At his mother’s request, the chamberlain nodded without hesitation.

It would be cruel to move a child who is complaining of pain. Since there are many rooms available, it was only natural to decide to stay here and monitor the situation.

And if the child is staying over, it’s only natural for the parents to stay too.

Thus, in a completely natural flow, I succeeded in having my father and mother accompany me to stay at the palace.

(After that, I have to expel that monster from Leo’s body without anyone knowing.)

To keep my secret safe, I must accomplish it without even the monster knowing.

However, if I can just do that, there won’t be any other problems.

Tonight, both my father and mother are here, and in the palace, there are also the wizards of the White Tower.

Past midnight.

I quietly slipped out of bed.

Be extremely careful not to wake my mother who is sleeping next to me.

I might be noticed right away, but that’s not a problem. In fact, it would be more convenient if there was a big commotion about me disappearing from the bed.

However, you must not be found and brought back.

I used the “Fabric Color Change Spell” to turn the color of my nightgown pitch black, and by concentrating my magical power on the soles of my feet to silence my footsteps, I stepped out into the palace corridor.

The location of Leo’s room can be determined by following his presence. I stepped onto the stairs heading in that direction.

It was at that moment.

“Where are you going?”

From behind, I heard a familiar voice.

Of course, the owner of this cheeky voice.

“Al!?”

I was so surprised that I couldn’t help but let out a voice.

At the same time, there was a presence of someone moving down the hallway. It must be the guards.

I hurriedly grabbed his hand and hid behind the flower stand.

The guard soldier, holding a lamp, passes right by us.

“I thought I heard a voice, but…”

The soldier looked around for a while and then disappeared down the hallway.

When I could no longer hear those footsteps, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry”

Since Al apologized in a sort of half-hearted way, I couldn’t help but grimace.

“Why are you here?”

“I stayed over too.”

“Why?”

“Are you worried about Lily?”

Looking at Al’s smirking face, it’s clear that this isn’t the reason.

“You’re planning to do something dangerous again, aren’t you?”

This made me flinch.

“……Are you going to Leo’s place?”

“What do you mean?”

No way, Al shouldn’t have noticed that Leo was possessed by a demon.

“That guy was acting strange since this morning, right?”

I was calling you Lilietta.

I was startled.

That’s right. He definitely called me “Lilietta” this morning.

I didn’t particularly care, but Al was the only one who was particular about how I was addressed, so he probably noticed.

“What’s happening?”

How should I answer this question?

Of course, it is clear that the best solution is to appropriately cover it up to avoid getting him involved in danger.

However.

(Well then, you probably won’t be convinced.)

I already know his personality well.

They’ve caught on to everything up to this point. There’s no way they’ll be fooled.

Besides, there’s no time.

“Ah!”

I heard a scream coming from the room where I was staying.

“Where did you go, Lilietta!”

My mother noticed that I had disappeared.

Soon, my father will be called, and lights will be lit throughout the castle, and the search will begin.

It was a planned development, but Al’s appearance was unexpected.

At this point, choosing not to involve him is out of the question.

I took a deep breath and then touched Al’s shoulder. In that instant, his clothes turned as black as mine.

“Help Leo. Will you come with me?”

“Ah”

Just like that night.

We ran off hand in hand.