'What the hell are these ridiculous quests?'
The moment I realized the duke who would adopt me was actually Mom, a flood of quests started popping up.
'Even if I can stomach calling her Mom, hugging her, sitting on her lap, letting her pet me...'
Watching them, I began trembling, desperate to crawl into a hole and hide.
At least she's a woman, so that's something, right?
The problem is I have to actively make all these things happen myself.
And whether in my past life or this one, I've had zero luck with women.
Even if my memories are fuzzy, as a full-grown adult, these quests are as impossible as a level 1 hero slaying the demon king.
"Judging by your clothes, you're one of Opstein's brats."
Thanks to that, I was standing there dazed, drenched in cold sweat, when the woman who'd been staring me down finally spoke.
"You offend my eyes. Get out of my sight."
At the same time, a terrifying aura that could only be described as pure killing intent began to blanket the room.
'S-scary.'
I'd been locked away at home my whole life, so I'd never faced anything like it before, but it must feel like standing toe-to-toe with a monster.
Those crimson eyes symbolizing monsters glared at me with piercing intensity—it sent chills down my spine.
"Kairen!"
Right then, as I froze solid under the duke's killing intent—
"What are you doing here?"
Marquis Opstein burst through the door to the guest reception room, glaring at me with furious eyes.
"I told you explicitly to stay in your room and not come out."
"...Ah!"
"Come with me. This isn't a place for you."
Before I could even respond, he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and started dragging me toward the door.
"W-wait a second."
"...Or do I need to fetch the whip again?"
I flailed my legs trying to resist, but my long-abused body couldn't withstand an adult man's strength.
'This won't do.'
But if I got dragged off like this, I might really end up beaten to death.
Better to grit my teeth and tackle a quest instead.
- Swish...
With that in mind, I slipped my hand into my pocket, grabbed the spice powder I'd swiped earlier, and frantically rubbed it into my eyes to force out some tears.
'My acting sucks...'
Even so, I had no confidence. I'd never acted spoiled in my life, and I sure as hell wasn't a good actor.
"Uh, uh..."
All I could do was pray the duke would see me as pitiful somehow.
"Mom."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'In the end, I always come back here.'
Five minutes earlier. Astridje Nox Belverk sat at the reception room table, sipping tea with her signature blank expression, lost in thought.
'I didn't want to come, but I had no choice.'
To her, the Opstein Marquisate was one of the few political enemies threatening the Belverk Ducal House.
Yet there were reasons she couldn't touch them recklessly—and why she had to visit every year.
- Click...
The duke, deep in thought, took the pendant from around her neck and carefully opened its locket.
"..."
Reflected in her crimson eyes was a photo of herself from her younger days, cradling a newborn infant.
The child, with eyes just like hers, beamed innocently in the faded picture.
"Haa..."
Her face darkened as she gazed at it, then she shook her head and hung the pendant back around her neck.
"Maybe it's time to let go."
Her eyes drifted to the garden outside the window.
More precisely, to a single grave at the garden's edge.
"...You left me far too young."
Muttering bitterly in that moment, the duke was about to rise from her seat.
"Hic, hic..."
"...?"
Suddenly, the reception room door flew open, and a pitiful-looking child stumbled in, panting heavily.
"Who are you?"
She'd clearly ordered no one to enter. Irritation flickered in the duke's eyes.
And standing before her was a child—one of the things she found most uncomfortable to deal with.
"Uh, uh..."
"..."
"Uhhh..."
Sure enough, the child before her broke out in cold sweat and started stammering.
Even grown adults struggled to stand properly in her presence. For a child not to burst into tears immediately was impressive enough.
'...If that child had grown up, they'd be about this size.'
The thought flashed through the duke's mind as she watched.
'No, pointless thinking.'
Her softened gaze hardened once more before she knew it.
'That child is dead.'
And even if alive, it wouldn't be this child with Opstein's white eyes instead of crimson.
"Why aren't you answering?"
"..."
"What a strange brat."
Her voice turned icy again, and the child's face paled further.
"Judging by your clothes, you're one of Opstein's brats."
"..."
"You offend my eyes. Get out of my sight."
Growing more displeased, Astridje released her killing intent as she spoke.
Truthfully, she had no need to unleash it on a child.
But the reason she did so deliberately—
"Kairen!"
"Ack."
"What are you doing here?"
—was to draw Marquis Opstein, sensing her presence, to come tidy up the situation himself.
"..."
As the child was dragged away by the marquis's hand, Astridje rose to prepare for what might be her final grave visit.
"Uh, uh..."
But before she could take a single step, a crawling voice came from ahead.
"Mom."
Astridje's expression froze solid in an instant.
"...What did you say?"
The child who'd been trembling and silent moments ago—
"...I missed you, hic."
—was now clinging desperately to the doorframe to avoid being dragged off by the marquis, pleading up at her.
"I missed you so much."
Astridje's heart began to race at the sight.
"...Ah."
The child's tear-streaked face was so pure and innocent, she couldn't tear her eyes away.
It perfectly overlapped with the living 'child' from her dreams—the face she could never forget, one she only saw there.
"...Who are you?"
Composing herself, she asked in a low voice.
"Who calls me 'mother'?"
'That child' was dead. And assuming identity based on a slight resemblance to her dream vision was foolish enough for anyone to point fingers.
Yet even fully aware of that, her voice trembled unlike usual.
"Th-that's..."
"You little—!"
"...Ouch!"
Before the child could answer, Marquis Opstein's hand slapped his cheek.
"Insolent brat."
In that instant, Astridje's eyes darkened ominously.
"Indeed, manners are lacking."
"My apologies for the disgrace, Duke. This child is simply—"
She rose and approached the marquis, speaking coldly to him as a loathsome smile played on his lips.
"I'm referring to you, Marquis Opstein."
"...What did you say?"
"We're in the middle of a conversation."
Her gaze fixed on the boy crumpled on the floor, clutching his stinging cheek.
"With the child you're trying to drag away."
"This is a family matter. No need for the duke to—"
Sensing her unusual reaction, the marquis forced a smile and tightened his grip again.
"I hate repeating myself."
"...!"
"Let go of him, Marquis."
But in that moment, Astridje seized his hand, twisting it viciously.
"Urk!"
The marquis groaned, trying to shake her off, but her grip was so ironclad he couldn't twitch a finger.
"Duke, even you can't— this is Opstein territory."
"..."
"Such baseless violence is unacceptable—"
He tried to persuade her verbally instead, his voice strained, but his words didn't last.
- Rumble...
Black energy seeped from Astridje's crimson-eyed form, soon filling the room.
It was less human, more monster. Even a battle-hardened marquis couldn't withstand it.
"Ugh, urk..."
Just as the situation grew uglier—
"Aaagh...!"
The boy on the floor clutched his eyes and groaned the instant the black aura touched him.
"K-Kairen, are you hurt?"
The marquis's eyes wavered at the sight, his usual cold tone suddenly turning affectionate.
"The child doesn't look well... Perhaps we should move him—"
As if forgetting he'd just struck the boy's cheek, he cooed softly.
"Hold on."
"...Guh!"
Astridje silenced him by tightening her twist, then cautiously reached toward the bowed child.
"You—that aura."
She gently brushed aside the child's unkempt hair.
- Swish...
Revealing once more the child's innocent eyes, which had been white moments before.
"Crimson eyes."
The child's teary, upturned gaze at the duke was now dyed that telltale red—the very hue that branded the Belverk Ducal House as monsters.
"You're... a Belverk."
Astridje stared blankly for a moment, then murmured lowly.
"Which means..."
Her eyes flooded with feral killing intent.
"D-Duke, this is a misunderstanding... Gack!"
The marquis tried to stammer excuses, but Astridje's hand shot to his throat first, slamming him against the wall.
"You were alive."
Hoisting him up like that, she whispered chillingly, slowly twisting his neck.
"My child."
At the same time, black smoke began seeping from the reception room, gradually enveloping the marquisate.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'What is this?'
The moment Astridje confirmed our blood ties, she pinned the marquis to the wall and began slowly twisting his neck.
My reaction to watching her?
'Mom's scary.'
And the even scarier part.
⚠️ EMERGENCY QUEST ⚠️Calm Duke Astridje's Rage (0/1)
Now I had to calm down a person like this.
💡 Recommended Solution 💡Hug her from behind and act spoiled.
'...For real?'
I seriously have to do this right now?