The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 62

‘If you leave, you will no longer be my son!’

And Siegfried was very disappointed in his father.

‘Not once have you respected what I wanted to do, Father.’

‘What? What are you talking about?’

‘Never mind. I don’t need your permission.’

Siegfried turned his back on his father and walked away.

That was the last time they spoke in the original work. Unable to work out their differences, Siegfried died.

Meanwhile, the former duke despaired at the news of his son’s death.

‘Siegfried is…… dead?’

The duke clutched Siegfried’s coffin, hot tears streaming down his face.

‘To my son…… I’ve never even said a warm word……’

After losing his beloved wife, the only person the duke ever loved was Siegfried.

However, believing that the future Duke of Orleans could only be Siegfried, the duke raised him strictly.

It was the duke’s dream that Siegfried would grow up safe and sound and take over the family name.

But his son, who had never made the duke’s heart ache, sacrificed his own life for the sake of humanity.

He defended humanity to the very end, only to return as a cold corpse himself.

And so, the old duke fell ill and died early.

The title of Duke of Orleans was passed to Siegfried’s cousin, Count Ghiberti.

It was heartbreaking to read that story…….

‘I can’t leave Siegfried and the former Duke like this.’

I gathered my resolve once again, then I looked up at Siegfried with sparkling eyes.

“Will my first dad come with me, too?”

“Tatiana, I’m…….” Siegfried hesitated with an uneasy expression.

“Well, I’m a little scared to go to Ghiberti by myself,” I murmured, crossing my arms sheepishly. “You know the Countess of Ghiberti doesn’t like me, but I’d really like to meet the former Duke.”

“…….”

“The former Duke is also my grandfather.” I pressed my hands against my chest and pleaded earnestly, “Are you sure you can’t? Really?”

At my persistence, Siegfried finally raised his hands.

“…… Okay.”

“Yay! I’m so excited!” I exclaimed, deliberately pretending to be more excited, as I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Siegfried forced a smile for me. But it wasn’t a very bright smile.

* * *

Afterwards.

Lakius went to wash off the sweat, and Tatiana went back to her room.

“Hey, Siegfried.”

Kirios subtly approached Siegfried and started talking to him.

“Have you still not reconciled with the old duke?”

“…….”

Siegfried clenched his jaw in frustration.

“Seriously, how long are you going to keep arguing? It’s not like you’re children.” Cesar shook his head in frustration. “Both of you are stubborn beyond belief. Do you really have to show your father-son discord like this?”

“No, I’m…….”

“Never mind. More than that, Miss Tati doesn’t seem to realize that the former Duke and Siegfried are on bad terms.” Cesar narrowed his eyes at Siegfried. “You will behave yourself so that Miss Tati doesn’t feel uncomfortable, do you understand?”

“……Ugh, I’ll do that,”Siegfried sighed and buried his face in his hands.

In truth, he knew it well himself.

The fact that he and his father had spent a long time without even seeing each other’s faces was just their circumstances.

A child should not be burdened by the uncomfortable relationship between adults.

Just then, Cesar changed the subject.

“More to the point, did you say that this time the young lady from Count Ghiberti invited other ladies of her age?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Well, I thought it might be a good time for Miss Tati to make an appearance in the social scene.”

While saying “it might be a good time,” Cesar’s expression was somewhat strange.

“Though I don’t like the fact that the invitee is actually the young lady of Count Ghiberti.”

In recent years, Countess Ghiberti had been running back and forth trying to repair her relationship with Siegfried. However, since Siegfried was quite stubborn, there hadn’t been much progress.

“Has Countess Ghiberti ever come forward to personally apologize?”

“Do you think she would?”

“Of course not,” Cesar chuckled coldly.

If they truly wanted to resume their interaction, a polite apology would have been the first step.

But instead of an apology, Countess Ghiberti sent an invitation, using her granddaughter as a shield.

It would be somewhat awkward to refuse when a completely unrelated granddaughter sent the invitation.

Such shallow calculations were evident.

Was that all?

The mention of the old Duke of Orleans made it almost impossible for Siegfried to refuse.

“Well, that’s how nobles are,” Cesar muttered sarcastically. “They think the world will collapse if their dignity is even slightly diminished. It’s pathetic.”

For a moment, Siegfried’s expression became somewhat perplexed.

“Well, Cesar, I am a noble too…..”

“Who doesn’t know that? That’s why you’re having this absurd fight with the former duke.”

“…….”

At Cesar’s pointed remark, Siegfried remained silent.

“Besides that,” Kirios interrupted the conversation, “I hear it’s trending for noble girls to host their own little social gatherings these days.”

Since becoming Tatiana’s dads, the three warriors had developed a great interest in the growth process of a young girl.

From what they learned, the noble daughters in the aristocratic circles began interacting with each other from the age of eighteen. 

They would have small teatime visits, familiarize themselves with each other’s faces, and occasionally make like-minded friends. This helped them naturally adapt to the unique atmosphere of the social circles. The experiences and connections they built during this process would greatly assist them when they officially make their formal social debut.

“To be honest, the little kid… seems a bit late,” Kirios muttered to himself.

“She seems to have gotten healthier compared to before, but there’s still the problem of her demonic energy possibly going out of control inside her.” 

“…….”

“…….”

Cesar and Siegfried fell silent, side by side.

Demonic energy outbursts. 

Every time they heard that phrase, their hearts would turn cold as if they had swallowed a huge chunk of ice.

It was inevitable.

In the body of their daughter who didn’t even flinch at anything, there was a hidden bomb that could explode at any moment.

“Well, I mean,” Kirios said, forcing himself to look cheerful, “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start preparing for her debut in the social scene from now on.”

Debut in the social scene.

The three warriors mulled over the words in their mouths.

Along with the coming-of-age ceremony, the event that proved a noble lady had reached the age of majority.

Tatiana debuting in the social scene meant that at least until then, she had not lost her life due to her demonic energy outbursts. It also meant that she had safely become an adult.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Cesar nodded vigorously.

“Our Tatiana will be the most striking lady at the debutante ball,” Siegfried chimed in as well.

They fervently wished for Tatiana to overcome her demonic energy regulation problems and become an adult safely.

And so, they hoped she would finally find happiness…

The three warriors wished for it earnestly. 

* * *

At that moment, in Count Ghiberti’s townhouse.

“Listen, brother.”

Countess Ghiberti looked at the former Duke of Orleans with a heavily displeased expression.

“A lowly girl picked up from the demonic realm is the Princess of Orleans. Does this make sense?”

“…….”

The former duke sipped his tea without answering.

Whether he responded or not, the countess continued with her complaints, growing increasingly heated.

“Besides, how could the Duke of Orleans do that to me? I’m his aunt!”

Suddenly, a deep frown creased the old Duke’s brow.

Clack.

He placed his teacup down with an audible sound and looked at the countess with a chilling gaze.

“If that’s the case, how could you do such a thing to your nephew?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I have eyes and ears, too.”

In response to the former duke’s cold reply, the countess stiffened her shoulders in surprise.

“I already know everything about what you did at the Orleans townhouse.”

“T-That’s…..!”

“You treated the servants poorly and embezzled the budget allocated to them, didn’t you?”

A dark emotion grew in the old man’s wrinkled eyes.

Her behavior was pathetic.

“I didn’t reprimand you separately because I believed Siegfried had already made sure you knew the error of your ways.”

“Brother!”

“But seeing you like this, I’m beginning to wonder if I made a mistake in judgment.”

The Countess of Ghiberti closed her mouth with an angry expression.

Narrowing his eyes, the former Duke asked again.

“If you were going to do such a thing in the first place, why did you invite that child, Tatiana?”