TPPE 09

Chapter 09

Soon, the horse began moving forward powerfully.

I watched as the carriage grew smaller in the distance, then turned back toward the open main gate of Stykia’s ducal castle.

Perhaps the darkness had been caused by the demonic beast. Now that we were inside, I could properly see the scenery beyond the gate.

As I stared quietly ahead, the beast wagged its tail as if inviting me to come in with it.

A place where anything may be discarded. A living underworld….

Repeating those dreadful nicknames to myself, I tightly gripped the gloves Lisa had given me.

Sss—

I inhaled until my lungs felt full of freezing air, then stepped boldly inside.

Alright.

Let’s go, underworld!

It seemed the owner of the shadows truly was this little beast. The inside of the gate was no longer as dark as when it had first opened.

Thanks to that, I could see the interior of the castle more clearly. I had expected it, given all the talk of hell and graves, but…

“Mm. This really doesn’t look like a place where people can live.”

Icicles whose origins were unknown.

Castle walls covered in dried vines and moss, as if no one had maintained them for years.

Half-broken crates collecting falling snow, and shards of glass crunching beneath my feet with every step.

It looked eerie—like a ghost might appear at any moment.

Well, ghosts don’t scare me. I’ve seen one a long time ago, after all.

If it weren’t me but another child my age, they would probably be wailing in fear by now.

Still, judging by its size, it’s no smaller than Agnito’s castle.

Who would have guessed?

That dark Stykia would, after ‘that incident,’ instantly become nothing more than a “garbage heap.”

Just then—

Ssshhk.

A strange sound echoed from somewhere.

I flinched and looked up, but there was nothing there—only a bare branch swaying as if beckoning me closer.

“……”

I swallowed and quietly picked up the puppy—no, the demonic beast.

“I-It’s not that I’m scared. It’s just cold. Cold, okay? Not scared.”

“Kkiung….”

It looked at me as if unconvinced, but I tightened my hold on it anyway.

Then it happened again.

Ssshhk.

Ssshhk.

It sounded like something being dragged across the ground.

The moment I realized it was getting closer—

Figures in black masks appeared.

“Hurry up. We need to get out before we’re caught.”

“W-Wait. This thing’s too heavy…!”

“You weak bastard. That’s why you’re still useless!”

The one being called weak was dragging a large sack. That must have been the source of the sound.

“Damn it, that startled me. What’s this now?”

The man at the front cursed loudly when he spotted me.

Ah. Thieves hiding in Stykia.

After ‘that incident,’ Stykia became a place where anything could be thrown away.

Dead things. Living things. Even things that weren’t alive.

Some people used this rumor in reverse—hiding things in Stykia that needed to disappear.

And others took advantage of that to steal those hidden items.

These men seemed to be among them.

“What the hell is that brat doing here?”

The man dragging the sack frowned when he noticed me.

“Get rid of her quickly! What if word gets out?”

“Wait.”

The leader raised his hand.

“You’ve heard the rumor, right? That the Duke of Stykia was so promiscuous he has countless children?”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“The thing she’s holding is the gatekeeper beast of this castle. She must be closely related to the Duke of Stykia. And…”

He grinned.

“No one’s ever ‘stolen’ something alive from Stykia before, right?”

A chill crept up my spine, and I stepped back.

“D-Don’t be scared. You’ll go somewhere much better than this.”

With a sickening smile, he slowly approached me.

What should I do? Run?

But if I ran now… I wouldn’t be able to meet the Duke of Stykia.

I was still hesitating when—

“I… I will taaaake yooou—”

His speech suddenly stretched unnaturally, like a tape being forcibly slowed down.

Then—

Thud.

He collapsed into the snow.

“W-What?”

“Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?!”

His companions stammered in shock.

But I had seen it.

The black aura flickering before him.

“Ah. My apologies.”

A voice echoed.

“I’m a bit rusty. It’s been a while.”

No—this voice was familiar. I had heard it once before.

A man wrapped in shadows like armor stood before us.

Instinctively, I knew.

The master of the living grave.

The Duke of Stykia—Pater Stykia.

But unlike before, his eyes were covered with black cloth.

“H-How is this possible? W-We were told the Duke never comes out…!”

One of the thieves shouted in disbelief.

As if waiting for that cue, black shadows clamped over their mouths.

Only after they fell silent did the Duke approach me.

He nudged the unconscious man with his foot.

“Hmm. I was certain I secured the gate well. Yet vermin like this keep slipping in.”

His low voice stretched lazily, sounding both bored and mildly irritated.

Then—

He pressed his foot down firmly on the thief’s back.

“Little one.”

He slowly leaned forward.

“I was told the one assigned to guard the gate suddenly disappeared.”

His face turned precisely toward me.

“Would you happen to know anything about that?”

“……”

“As you can see, my eyes are like this. I’ll need an explanation.”

He tapped the cloth covering his eyes with his finger.

Though his tone was languid and almost gentle, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly threatening.

I swallowed.

Even with his eyes covered, it felt as though he was staring directly at me.

There was no sword. No visible weapon.

Yet the unseen pressure weighed down on my entire body.

I spoke as calmly as I could.

“…If the one assigned to guard the gate was the demonic beast, then I have it with me.”

“Why?”

“Because I opened the gate. I wanted to enter this castle.”

“Ah… And why is that?”

His tone remained casual as he continued questioning my intent.

What should I say?

All the thoughts I had considered on my way to Stykia rushed through my mind.

But now that I stood before the Duke, I understood.

Half-hearted words won’t work on him.

Then—

“Your Grace’s…”

“Mmm, mine?”

I slowly, but firmly, declared—

“I want to become your daughter!”

Silence fell instantly.

Even the thieves, their mouths covered, widened their eyes in shock.

“That is… not an answer I expected.”

Only the Duke of Stykia curled his lips upward with interest.

“And why do you wish to become my daughter?”

“The adults said so. That since I’m unlucky and gloomy, I must surely be the Duke of Stykia’s daughter.”

It was true they had called me unlucky and gloomy.

The last part had a bit of embellishment.

Despite the insult directed at him, the Duke didn’t seem offended.

“What about your mother?”

“She passed away.”

“How tragic. And your father?”

“They said no one knows! Not even my mother did!”

That, too, was true.

Mother had died without ever revealing who my father was.

“Hm…”

The Duke let out a slow breath.

He must find me suspicious.

But it’s not an offer he can easily refuse.

Around this time before my regression, the Temple and the Imperial Palace had pressured Stykia about succession.

They had threatened to strip him of his title if he failed to fulfill his noble duties.

Naturally, people believed the Duke would never obey an imperial command.

But he opened the gates.

And he truly adopted a noble child as his heir.

Everyone wondered whether Stykia would regain its former glory.

But that child left the castle not long after.

Broken beyond the point of using their body.