Lagon’s focus shifted repeatedly between clarity and blur as he stared at me. “Lagon, I believe in you. You’ll keep the promise we made.” I continued speaking patiently and calmly. Eventually, Lagon’s eyes fully reflected my figure. The madness that had stained them slowly, little by little, began to calm back to his usual gentleness. “Good boy. Very good.” Feeling his calmness, I reached out toward Lagon. Kak... Kyak... “Yes, very good. Lagon is—” Just as Lagon lowered himself, dropping his attack stance, “Kyaaak─!” A piercing scream shattered the moment from behind me. A palace maid was screaming so loudly her forehead veins bulged. ‘No, I just calmed him down, and now this—what the hell?’ It’s understandable to panic upon seeing a monster, but this was a palace maid. Of course, she’d had some training for emergencies, but this kind of interference annoyed me. But the real problem wasn’t the maid. The screams drew palace knights rushing toward us. By their insignias, these were knights assigned to guard the royal family. “Monster!” The palace knights spotted Lagon and immediately went on alert. They began to surround Lagon as if to encircle him. Sssrrk—! The sound of swords being drawn made me swallow hard. ‘That is...!’ The sword hilts were inlaid with stones emitting a peculiar light. I recognized the stones instantly. Holy Stones. They were stones used for exterminating monsters. The moment Lagon was struck by those swords, he would be reduced to dust. ‘No!’ I charged at the knight raising his sword to attack Lagon. “No! Lagon’s mind has returned! He recognized me!” I clung to the knight’s arm, begging. “What—?” “It’s true! Even now, Lagon only cries and isn’t attacking.” “He looks very threatening to me.” “Kyaaa! Monster! Kyaa! Ah! Ah! The monster’s trying to kill me!” The maid wailed and screamed, causing a commotion. Lagon was now keeping distance from the maid and wasn’t even looking her way. “Sir Knight, look now. Lagon—” “Enough! Stop bothering us and step back!” The knight roughly pushed me away. “Ugh!” Not just any man, but a palace knight. Being shoved by him, I fell hard to the ground. Seeing this, Lagon’s eyes sharpened. Kyaaak! Lagon roared furiously and suddenly flew upward. As he dropped, he charged at the knight. Bang─! With a tremendous crash, Lagon was thrown to the ground. Though nothing pressed his body, Lagon flapped his wings as if crushed by something. ‘Is this... Grandpa?’ Grandpa’s blessing works exactly like this. I turned my head sharply. Grandpa was approaching with retainers, relatives, and Anatoly the former princess. Marquis Debussy frowned as he looked around. “What on earth...” Anatoly the former princess rushed to the maid collapsed on the floor, crying. “What happened?!” “I saw a strange shadow near the former princess’s bedroom, so I went to check and, sniff, there was that monster...!” “What did you say?” “It attacked me the moment it saw me... I ran frantically to this forest!” “In your bedroom? And it attacked because it was discovered?” Anatoly frowned and turned away. Everyone who frequented the factory knew Lagon was my monster. All eyes suddenly turned to me. The factory was thrown into chaos. The imperial officials managing the ritual caused a particular uproar, veins bulging. “How on earth is the Astra estate managing safety?!” “How dare they host royalty in a place where monsters freely roam? Are they out of their minds?” “What if it had been the former ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ princess attacked instead of the maid?!” “Why was there a monster near the former princess’s bedroom to begin with?!” “This doesn’t look like an accident but a deliberate act!” “Answer us! Are you going to stay silent in this situation?!” They acted like they’d caught something big. Though the situation was serious, their joy at cornering Duke Astra was greater. Balderic trembled in anger under their pressure. He glared sharply at me in the center. “What did you do?!” Other uncles gave me displeased looks. “How did you manage the monsters?” “What if someone had been hurt?” “I never trusted the idea of controlling monsters from the start. I knew this would happen.” The peak of their whispering came from Aunt Bastina. “Oh dear! Acting all high and mighty without knowing your place—this is what happens when you get your nose broken!” She scoffed and spoke sweetly to Grandpa. “Father, look at our Selene. Compared to that wild one, she’s so thoughtful and clever.” Then Aunt Basile, Dioneira’s mother, defended me. “Before blaming Erilot, shouldn’t we fully understand the circumstances? These monsters were calm for a long time. Isn’t it strange they suddenly became violent?” Uncle Gustaf added quietly, “Exactly. My youngest son said the monsters were calm even when approached. He proudly remembers it clearly.” His son Armand liked Lagon and had played with him. But the imperial officials raised their voices more. “Exactly! That’s what we want to know!” “Why does a monster that’s usually calm become violent when royalty visit? Especially near the rooms where royalty stay!” “This seems suspicious!” ‘...They’re dead set on this.’ The officials wanted to use this opportunity to blame Duke Astra. ‘And I’m the scapegoat.’ In fact, I stood at the center of the hall, treated like a criminal and slammed with accusations. Then, Urgent footsteps rushed into the hall. ‘Dad!’ Dad looked at me, tightly holding my skirt. He turned to the crowd. “I have received the details.” His low voice showed no wavering. Not liking that, the officials raised their voices to pressure Dad. Using me as leverage. “This is no accident! It was a near-incident involving royalty!” “We must follow imperial law!” “Of course the monster’s owner, Miss Erilot, must be escorted to the capital!” Dad’s face hardened at the order to escort me. Grandpa’s gaze sharpened, Basile and Gustaf looked grim. Queen Ocellia, who had been silent so far, raised her eyebrows. Her eyes shone with interest as she looked at me. Seems this situation amused her. ‘...If this goes on, the royal family will label me a dangerous element.’ Being the Duke Astra’s granddaughter, they won’t kill me. But I might be forced to wear a restraint collar for life. If I wear a collar, I can’t use my blessings freely. Not using blessings means no longer being noble. ‘Plus, I have to use my true blessing to check the comments.’ Only then can I confirm who inside Astra is targeting me. Queen Ocellia tilted her head, pretending to think, then wore a regretful expression. “Though she is a child and it pains me, the law is the law. Following and upholding imperial law is the duty of royalty...” She spoke at length, looking at me. Then declared firmly, “Erilot Astra—” “It’s all my fault.” Dad stepped forward as if to shield me. “I requested permission to keep Erilot’s monsters at the factory to protect my daughter.” “What?” “Because this happened due to my greed, I will take responsibility.” “...!” That was unbelievable. I was the one who asked Dad to get permission. “This child is only ten years old. Responsibility lies with the guardian, so if escorted, I should go.” “But...” Queen Ocellia covered her cheek, feigning discomfort. Though she looked troubled, her eyes gleamed with excitement. Daymond Astra, Astra’s greatest power, was about to be escorted. Neither the queen nor the court would want to miss this opportunity. ‘And if the escort really happens...’ No telling what they’d do to Dad in the underground prison. “Dad!” I grabbed Dad’s sleeve urgently, but he pushed me back. Then bowed toward Queen Ocellia. “Please show mercy.” “...!!” Dad bowed. Dad, who had never bowed before, not even to Grandpa Astra. ‘And now he bows because of me...’ Frustration, anger, and resentment almost burst my chest. Then, “Enough!” Anatoly the former princess pushed through the crowd to the center. She embraced me protectively and glared at the palace officials. “This was a child’s mistake! A completely unforeseen accident!” “But Anatoly—!” The officials tried to frame it as a deliberate crime to corner Astra. They were stunned and looked at Anatoly. But they couldn’t openly speak. Because the hall was full of not only royals but Astra’s people too. Noticing the officials’ silence, Anatoly spoke confidently. “Who was the one almost harmed?” “No, Anatoly, at least verify the facts—” “Were you the one nearly harmed?” “...” “I am the one who was nearly harmed.” Anatoly put her hand on her chest. “So if I’m fine, then it’s all fine. The victim says she’s fine.” The palace officials’ faces darkened. What a chance to lose like this? What idiots! But Anatoly stood firm. Despite the officials looking at her like a crazy fangirl obsessed with Daymond Astra, she seemed oblivious. ‘Anatoly’s statement has holes, but no one can point them out.’ If you asked who was really the victim, it wasn’t Anatoly but the palace maid. But based on the maid’s testimony that there was a monster near Anatoly’s room, the victim was switched from maid to princess. It was the palace officials who blew it up. ‘To pressure Astra.’ So now they couldn’t say the maid was the victim. ‘And Anatoly is favored by the emperor.’ No official would want to fall out of favor by confronting Anatoly. Queen Ocellia frowned at the turn of events. Anatoly ignored her glare and spoke boldly. “I will talk to my brother directly and resolve this.” She was telling the queen to stay out. Queen Ocellia huffed in disbelief, but Anatoly didn’t care. She kneeled, met my gaze, and smiled kindly. “Surprised, Erilot? It’s okay now. I trust you.” “...” “I told you. I love our Erilot dearly.” Anatoly stroked my head. “What a great love.” “Indeed. This is true devotion!” “A pure love that protects the child of the man she loves even against death!” The crowd marveled as Anatoly smugly brushed my cheek. Lagon’s matter ended quietly like that. Anatoly, who was nearly the victim, promised to resolve it with the emperor, so what could anyone do? Though the palace officials and Queen Ocellia were a bit upset, they had no choice but to back down. As for Lagon... “Deconz, please handle this.” Uncle Deconz was tasked with dealing with it. Here, ‘deal with it’ meant death. “Though it’s a simple accident, we can’t leave a monster that tried to harm me be...” At Anatoly’s words, the atmosphere immediately shifted. The retainers were very favorable toward Anatoly, who helped Astra, so no one opposed. Even now, Anatoly laughed surrounded by Astra’s retainers. Then, our eyes met. “Erilot.” Anatoly smiled and approached me. “Don’t worry too much. All misunderstandings will be cleared. I’ll talk to my brother.” She looked up at Dad. “General Daymond, if you’re well, would you like to have a meal together?” Her cheeks blushed shyly. Dad gazed at her quietly. “Yes.” He nodded slowly. Normally he would have refused with disgust. “Oh my, how glad I am.” But Dad listened to Anatoly without a hint of displeasure. ‘...This isn’t even a reward for helping me.’ More like a threat. The emperor and Anatoly hadn’t talked yet. And Anatoly purposely spoke in front of Dad about that very thing. Just before offering the meal. ‘...If this isn’t a threat, then what is?’