CH 64

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Her voice was so firm I couldn’t even think of refusing and hesitantly stood up from my place. 

“Why did he suddenly call for me?”

“You will know once you get there.”

I looked around to see if anyone would be able to save me from this difficult situation, but I couldn’t find Lancel or Marilyn anywhere.

“Well, all right.” 

In fact, even if they were around, it was impossible to refuse to see Derek who called for me -- he was my father and the head of the family -- without any valid reason. 

I had no choice but to follow her. 

‘Why is Derek Lagrange calling for me?’

As I passed the corridor where faded leaves piled up one by one by the window, I fell in deep thoughts. 

‘I’m sure he’s up to something.’

It was definitely suspicious. 

My heart dropped thinking that something had happened to Dietrich, but thinking about it, Derek wasn’t someone who would tell his children the news that any of their siblings had died. 

“Please go inside.” 

I nodded towards the chilly maid. She raised her eyebrow as if wondering if I would also bend my waist and be polite. 

“You can go now.”

I raised my chin arrogantly and told the maid to step back. Just because I was a princess from Dahlia who was far from the seat of power, there was no need for me to be subservient even towards Derek’s servants. 

“Will you not need a guide inside?” 

“It’s all right since I’ve been here a few times.” 

“Then, I will now take my leave.”

With my attitude, it was then that the maid realized that I was a ‘princess’, thus her attitude towards me became a little more docile. 

I glanced at her, who started showing a favorable aura compared to my frosty attitude, and the main palace which stood tall like a background. 

‘I can’t appear weak.’

Lagrange’s Nature was shining dark red under the autumn’s sunlight. White light leaked from the magic spheres installed along its walls. 

‘I heard that it’s because of those magic spheres that the night in Nature was more splendid than the night at Valliere Palace.’ 

I’ve been here a few times following Dietrich, but I’ve never been here at night.

The main palace, which still felt unfamiliar, had a different feeling of dignity compared to when I was looking at it from afar in Dahlia. 

“I heard he was looking for me.”

As I entered the front door, an unfamiliar servant greeted me. Even though the subject was omitted because the word ‘father’ got stuck in my throat, he still understood what I meant. 

“His Grace is in his office.” 

Following the servant, I stood outside the office door and cleared my throat in place. 

“Your Grace, Princess Anissa is visiting.”

I didn’t know what Josef and Camille were plotting but Derek received a false report from Camille’s knight escort that ‘Euclid’s child’ was dead. 

At first, I doubted that I was really the maid’s child, but I have vivid memories of when I was a newborn baby. 

‘My birth mother definitely tried to kill me, calling me Euclid’s shame.’ 

I tried to find out who the knight was and why he made a false report, but there was only that one letter. 

And Josef didn’t deliver the letter to Derek. 

So Derek, not even in his dreams, would know that I wasn’t Camille’s daughter. 

However, even though he knew me as his real daughter, for the ten years that I have spent in Lagrange, he’d never even once looked for me. 

‘Even the times I’ve encountered him…were only five times.’

This could be seen as a relationship that was almost inferior compared to others. 

‘Well, thinking about Dietrich and Yuric who are his biological children, nothing good comes out of such a relationship.’ 

Although the rose war was a long war that lasted for more than three years, they never once returned to Lagrange. 

However, the lame excuse of a general commander of Lagrange frequently returned to rest under the pretext of being sick. 

“Come in.”

As soon as the servant opened the door, the aura that hit me gave me goosebumps. I secretly frowned. 

‘It’s a smell I can’t get used to no matter how many times I’m exposed to it.’ 

He had an aura that was darker than the demons themselves. Derek was buried in a dark and dry red fog like coagulated blood and smiled at me. 

“That’s right. It’s been a while, daughter.” 

“..........Yes.” 

“What was your name?” 

I didn’t know how many times I had to tell him for him to be able to remember his daughter’s name. I took a half step back, lowering my head to avoid Derek’s gaze. 

“I am Anissa.”

“Do you know that the children of Lagrange can never leave the North until their sibling is able to complete the succession?” 

Why was he asking about the rules that we already know? I narrowed my eyes at his useless show of kindness. 

“I heard you also have an ability.”

Derek suddenly changed the subject and stood up from his seat. He gestured at the armchair across the desk with his chin. 

“Sit down. I don’t have the hobby of looking up at my children.” 

I settled on the chair obediently, following his instructions. He looked at me with a strange gaze as my feet flapped in the air, not reaching the ground because it was a high chair. 

“I am familiar with the news that you have gone around destroying  sculpture fragments of the previous heads.” 

Instead of looking startled at Derek’s words, I calmly checked his aura. 

Of course, I was freaking out inside. I hid my trembling fingers in my sleeves. 

‘How did he know?’

It was difficult to read Derek’s emotions because his natural aura was engulfed in dark rage. 

‘Did he also notice the sacred trees?’

“Did you call me here to punish me?” 

“The ability that your brother claims you have.” 

Derek licked his lips. 

“I don’t think it’s an ability that belongs to the North.” 

‘I’m doomed.’

I wanted to get out of my seat right away and crawl under my bed, but I painfully bit my lip and smiled broadly. 

“....I’m not sure about what you mean.”

“I have never heard of a member of the family of shadows who has the ability to destroy the curse. But you probably don’t know what I’m talking about.” 

Derek placed his hand on the liquor on top of the table as if to moisten his lips. Pieces of ice fell one by one over the clear whiskey. 

“Well, the fact that among my numerous wives there was a woman with a light skirt is of little importance. What’s important is that you aren’t a child of Lagrange.”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice that I was a child of the Euclids. 

I let out a sigh of relief inside and waited for him to continue his words. 

“Since you have not inherited the Lagrange blood, you do not have to wait for your brother’s succession.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying I will let you leave Lagrange. You don’t need to worry about your travel expenses as well.” 

My mouth dropped open at Derek’s sudden proposal. As if my expression was funny, he raised his upper lip and smiled.

“Isn’t it a good proposal? All you have to do is leave.”

It was sudden but it was such an enticing proposal that I was suspicious. I couldn’t answer him right away and he muttered. 

“I know kids like you really well. Because I’ve killed dozens of you.” 

“......” 

“I’m sure your brother told you that if he became the head, he will save you, and that you just have to serve Lagrange.”

Dietrich had never said such things, but Derek continued with his wild guesses. 

“This is a family with no history of saving one’s sibling after completing the succession.”

I stared at Derek’s face that no longer held a smile, and bowed my head. I had to figure out his intentions. 

There must be a reason he’s not telling me. 

“Why do you want me to leave Lagrange?”

“It seems you’re curious about the reason. Children like you die early.” 

I shuddered at what Derek said while smiling widely. Fortunately, he couldn’t hold me for a long time. 

“Damn it. There’s already a disturbance. What are you going to do?”

“If you don’t tell me the reason then I have no intention of answering you.” 

“How impertinent.” 

Derek grumbled as if holding back his anger, irritated that I didn’t listen to him right away. 

Soon, blue sparks started flying from where he was sitting. 

I narrowed my eyes and stared at Derek’s demon emerging from the spark. 

“The Warden of the North cannot be involved in the affairs of the next successor.” 

The demon Agares, who lost an arm, began to circle around Derek. Derek grabbed my arm roughly and opened the door. 

“Think about it if you want to live. Don’t trust your brother.”

Blood was thicker and the history of the north ran deep. There was nothing that I could change, my father whispered. 

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First, Derek was currently being threatened by his own demon, Agares. 

Second, if I’m not in Lagrange, the probability of Alphonse becoming the head increases.

Third...it would have been better if I found out more information; there were only two of the numerous puzzle pieces that I obtained from my conversation with Derek. 

Derek said the proposal was only valid for a week. It meant there was not enough time to think about it deeply. 

‘In fact, if it was in the past, there would be no need to think about it.’

From the moment I realized I was born as Anissa, I only had one goal in mind.

‘To stay inconspicuous then leave Lagrange and start a new life.’ 

Because if I hover around Dietrich and Hermann, I wouldn’t be able to escape the novel’s development. 

‘But…’

To say that my absence in Lagrange was advantageous for Alphonse to succeed as the head would be synonymous to saying that Dietrich would not be able to become the grand duke without me. 

‘Why does Dietrich need me?’

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T/N: Derek is mistaking that Anissa is a daughter of Camille and an unknown man that’s why he still thinks she’s Dietrich’s biological sister.

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