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 20

My mother returned to my father and me with a sullen expression.

I worried that her discussion with the king hadn’t gone well, but when my father saw her face, he brightened.

“That’s just her way of hiding her embarrassment.”

My father whispered to me.

Next to him, my mother blushed with embarrassment, and seeing her adorable expression, I couldn’t help but smile.

Noticing my reaction, both my father and mother softened their expressions even further.

“Lilietta, thank you.”

“You did really well.”

“You were amazing, Lilietta.”

Being praised so much, I felt my magic power increase once again.

Everything had come to a perfect conclusion…

Or so I thought.

That evening, all the concerned parties were gathered for dinner.

The dinner was held in one of the inner wings of the royal palace—an area reserved for the royal family’s private use.

Even a duke would rarely have the opportunity to enter such a place.

I had imagined it to be lavish, but compared to the grand hall where balls were held and the audience chamber in the main building, it was quite plain.

In the cozy dining room where we were led, the king, the queen, and the four princes were already seated. The presence of Al and the Forsten ducal couple confirmed that this was indeed a gathering of importance.

“Lily!”

As soon as he spotted me, Leo immediately stood up to escort me to my seat.

He placed me between himself and Al, looking utterly pleased with himself. Seeing his excitement, the king, queen, and the other princes all seemed somewhat amused.

“Well then, let’s begin our meal.”

With a clap of the king’s hands, the maids and attendants who had been serving us promptly left the room.

From appetizers to dessert, all the dishes were already set on the table, and the glasses were filled to the brim with drinks. There would be no servants attending to us during the meal.

Such an arrangement was unheard of in royal and noble dining.

Which meant—

(A secret discussion, then.)

The king had ensured that no outsiders were present so he could discuss something of great importance.

The atmosphere around the table was not entirely relaxed; there was an undercurrent of tension.

“Lily, this meat is really good.”

“This bread, too.”

Al and Leo, however, paid no mind to the tense atmosphere and continued speaking in their usual manner.

“Al, you should eat your vegetables too.”

“Peppers are bitter.”

“You won’t grow big if you don’t eat them.”

“Shut up.”

Al grumbled in a whisper only Leo and I could hear, but his face remained that of a perfect gentleman.

“You really are good at that.”

“If you’re trying to flatter me, I’m not giving you my dessert.”

“Then I’ll give you mine.”

“…I suppose I could share some of my strawberries with you.”

“No, I don’t really need them.”

Before I knew it, everyone had finished their meal, including dessert.

The king poured wine into his own glass and those of the two dukes before exhaling a deep breath.

“I believe you all have some idea of what I am about to say.”

The only ones tilting their heads in confusion were the three of us.

“There is a spy for the monsters within this castle.”

I gasped in realization.

Of course. That explained everything.

After all, the princes, protected by strict security, had still been possessed by monsters.

“There was one in the Rosenford household as well, wasn’t there?”

“Yes. After the attack, one of our maids disappeared.”

This was news to me.

But it made sense.

If a spy had been present, it explained how Graulus had known exactly where to strike.

“There could also be infiltrators among the nobility, using disguise or possession magic.”

“That would be the lesser concern.”

The Duke of Forsten wore a grim expression.

“There might be traitors who have willingly sided with the Demon King.”

It was a possibility that could not be ignored—humans who had been promised rewards by the Demon King and had chosen to aid the monsters instead of their own kind.

“As it stands, we have no idea where they are hiding. We also lost track of Barzemir after last night’s battle.

With his mastery of dark magic, finding him is proving extremely difficult.”

That was why the king had cleared the room of all but the most trusted individuals tonight—because they couldn’t know who else might be an enemy.

“But that won’t last forever.”

The king placed his glass down with a heavy thud.

“The royal family will do everything in its power to root out these infiltrators.

Lady Rosenford, we will need your cooperation.”

To find monsters disguised as humans, light magic would be most effective.

And the ones most adept at light magic were the royal family. If they put all their efforts into the search, they could expose every hidden enemy.

“I understand.”

My mother nodded without hesitation, as did my father.

“The real problem is identifying the human traitors.”

“Yes. Unlike monsters, they cannot be uncovered with magic alone.”

“We must assume there are traitors among us and prepare accordingly.”

This was no longer just a battle of magic.

It was also a battle of information.

“The first priority is protecting Lilietta.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You inadvertently revealed your exceptional magic abilities to the monsters during the two attacks.”

Ah.

That was indeed a mistake on my part.

“Originally, we had intended to keep your abilities a secret for as long as possible.”

I shrank under the king’s sharp gaze.

“But given the situation, there is no choice.

We will publicly declare you as our trump card in the battle against the Demon King.

That way, the enemy will think twice before making a move.”

It was a sound strategy.

The more famous I became, the harder it would be for traitors to act against me.

“However, this also puts her in clear danger.”

My father’s concern was valid.

But the king simply smiled.

“Then she will just have to be strong enough to defeat any enemy who comes after her.”

How reckless.

“Train relentlessly and learn to protect yourself.”

How unreasonable.

“The three of you—Lilietta, Alverio, and Leonard—can no longer be treated as mere children in this battle.”

His words were strict, but his tone was kind.

“We expect much from you.

Prepare yourselves.”

The three of us exchanged glances, feeling a shared sense of pride.

We had been acknowledged.

And that made us happy.

“I understand.”

I replied, and the king nodded in satisfaction.

That night, the royal family, the Forsten Duke, and the Rosenford Duke swore a magical oath:

To cooperate without secrecy until the Demon King was defeated.

And to protect the children with everything they had.