However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Leo, who was speaking with sparkling eyes, that it wasn’t a name worth cherishing so much.

‘But I can’t force a new name on a child who likes their own name…’

Unable to do either, I fiddled with the item I had kept in the drawer.

[Item]  Adoption document imbued with special power.

This document is imbued with special power.

If you write the name of the ‘Star of Heroes’ on this adoption document, the temporary guardian can become the official guardian.

*The name of the ‘Star of Heroes’ written cannot be changed and will remain fixed.

*However, the intimacy with the ‘Star of Heroes’ must reach 100.

*Intimacy: 98/100

The ‘adoption document imbued with special power’ was received as a reward for obtaining a fragment of Belinda’s memory.

Although it didn’t look special on the outside, judging from the item description, it seemed that by deciding to adopt the Star of Heroes through this document, I could become the official guardian instead of Ophelia, the player of <Hirome>.

Moreover, the fact that the written name couldn’t be changed meant that the name could be changed as much as desired until it was written.

I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I didn’t show Leo the adoption document.

Although I cherished Leo and considered him family in my heart, adoption was a different matter.

‘Of course, I’d be willing to sponsor him as much as possible, but adoption…’

It’s not that I’m worried about the game or the original story at this point, but it didn’t seem like a decision to be made lightly.

Besides, it said the intimacy had to reach 100, and it was still lacking.

‘For now, let’s focus on dealing with Sybel.’

In the end, instead of calling Leo by name, I had to be content with giving the child a tight hug.

***

Although I had inherited all of Belinda’s memories, there were still a few things that weren’t clear.

Who had put me into Belinda’s body?

How much my uncle knew about Sybel.

‘Lastly, why Sybel had to kill my uncle.’

As Cheshire said, Belinda had never touched any suspicious objects, nor was she a dark magician.

She was just desperate enough to wish for her own death.

The same goes for my uncle.

Now I needed to know more than what Belinda knew.

I had a feeling that if I investigated about my uncle, I would come to understand why Sybel had to kill him.

So while I was looking into my uncle through Terry, I also thoroughly prepared to reclaim the position of family head that Sybel had taken.

I spoke to Terry, who was looking at me with a slightly frightened expression while wearing the gentle smile I had practiced in the mirror.

“Terry.”

“Y-yes?”

“Report.”

“Y-yes… Well, Jerry willingly promised to cooperate, and all the craftsmen completed the production of items on time. Your new dresses are also finished, Master.”

I couldn’t hide my smile at her subsequent report.

Although it took quite a lot of time and money to prepare, everything was going according to my plan.

Terry, who had heard my plan that I had carefully devised since before acquiring the last fragment of memory, had asked with a troubled face.

“Why don’t you just use the free assassination voucher I gave you? It wouldn’t cost anything, it would be faster, and I would enjoy it more.”

Terry wasn’t wrong.

But that was too easy.

It was the same with revealing that I had awakened my ability and asserting that I had the highest priority for succession under the Ability Inheritance Law.

What I want is to take away everything Sybel has ‘with my own hands’.

In the process, I want Sybel to feel powerless, and ultimately be crushed by the weight of his crimes.

‘I need to finish everything before the succession ceremony in March.’

While fiddling with the cards that I had kept close by to familiarize myself with for days, I commended Terry for her hard work in helping prepare my plan for this week.

“Good job. I’ve wanted to say this for a while, but thank you for carrying out my unreasonable demands without complaint every time.”

Ah, now that I’ve said it, I feel a bit shy.

It’s not a big deal, but after living as Belinda for so long, harsh words have completely stuck to my…

“Master, did I do something wrong…?”

“What?”

“Please don’t speak so kindly. It’s really scary because it’s not like you, Master.”

Terry’s words sounded quite sincere, so I spoke coldly like an employer who usually mistreats people.

“Stop talking nonsense and find me a stupid notary who thinks disappearing is their job and bring them to me.”

“That’s it, that’s exactly it! I’ll be right back!”

Finally feeling at ease, Terry left the office with a much more peaceful expression.

I had barely managed to deactivate the translator, but by then Belinda’s way of speaking had naturally become second nature to me, and it seemed the same for others.

After checking the plan one last time, I finally took the first step to devour the Blanche family.

***

If you were to name the most famous figures in the Kingdom of Genos, the first would be the founding king, and surprisingly, the second would be Adelia Blanche.

It’s not strange that the founding king who established the country and brought peace to the continent is famous, but it was surprising that a mere head of a count’s family was so renowned.

The reason was quite simple: she built the massive Red House, also known as the casino, which led the Kingdom of Genos to be called a country of luxury and pleasure.

People who came from far away to visit the Red House would lose themselves in its splendor and overwhelming scale.

The Red House had everything from a casino to a hotel, high-end restaurants, luxury shopping malls, and even a racetrack, where famous opera singers performed every day of the year without a single day off.

Baron Holio Rechel, the head of the Rechel family, a vassal house of the Blanche family, was in charge of the business that managed all kinds of performances and shows at the casino.

Calling himself a hedonist, he had an eye for discovering many opera singers and was well-versed in music and art, but unfortunately, he was also a terrible gambling addict.

That day, too, Holio, who had clocked in at the casino, looked up at Adelia Blanche’s portrait hanging in the center of the casino hall and prayed desperately.

‘Lady Adelia, please take pity on me and grant me the luck to score big this time.’

After earnestly praying to Adelia, known as the goddess of luck, Holio planted a deep kiss on a 100-gold chip and plunged into the gambling table.

Somehow, he felt particularly lucky today.

He even felt as if Lady Adelia was watching over him from behind.

He poured all of his day’s entertainment money and said boisterously.

“I call!”

And he lost all his money.

A collective sigh of sympathy for his situation burst out at once.

As it was a game with a huge amount of money at stake, many spectators had gathered, and they cast pitying glances at the middle-aged man who had become penniless in a single round.

Holio lowered his head dejectedly.

However, contrary to everyone’s thoughts, he wasn’t hanging his head because he had lost money.

‘If only the previous Marquis Blanche were here, he would have laughed heartily at a time like this.’

Holio sipped champagne and watched the deck of cards being shuffled skillfully in the dealer’s hands.

He knew that all the money here eventually flowed into the casino company anyway.

Nevertheless, the reason he enjoyed gambling was to test his luck and enjoy the pleasure.

His best companion for this was Danis Blanche, the previous head of the Blanche family and Belinda’s biological father.

He too was a severe gambling addict, but he was so wealthy that losing money had no impact on him, so there was nothing more enjoyable than hopping from one game table to another with him.

Today, he particularly missed the hearty laughter of that man, Danis.

Just as Holio, having lost interest in the game, was about to get up from his seat.

“Viscount, are you leaving the table already?”

Someone placed a 1000-gold chip in front of him and gently pressed his shoulder, making him sit back down in the chair.

“Instead of that, why don’t you enjoy yourself with me this time, just as you did with my father?”

Holio’s eyes widened as he turned towards the owner of the voice.

There stood Adelia Blanche, who couldn’t possibly exist in reality.