༺ Queen of the Night (1) ༻
It was late.
The room Viscount Mario had prepared for us housed incredibly soft beds.
“I suppose Naru will sleep with Cecily.”
I took note of my surroundings, hoping to find the figures of both Naru and Cecily.
At that moment, Cariote questioned me.
“Judas, if I’m not mistaken, you seem to have a lot of interest in that brat, Cecily.”
“……!”
Cariote’s instincts were quite sharp.
To think that she had already noticed my interest in Cecily.
“Judas, are you trying to….”
Did Cariote notice something?
I felt a brief sensation of terror wondering what she would say.
What should I do if she asked me something like “Did you want to kidnap Cecily?”
Just as I was getting nervous, Cariote spoke.
“Are you also suspecting that Cecily is an imp?”
It was a completely unexpected question.
Come to think of it, Cariote was a hunter that chased after imps hiding in plain sight within the Fressia Continent.
“Cecily, an imp?”
I questioned her, trying to keep my composure.
As I did, Cariote glanced at her surroundings before nodding slightly.
“There are many suspicious things about her. Firstly, she appeared out of nowhere a few months ago. Additionally, she strongly resembles Duchess Leone.”
“Is that so?”
“The most gifted imps are capable of disguising themselves. Some have even pretended to be the grandchildren of elderly humans, eventually stealing away their inheritance and fortunes.”
It was a deduction befitting of an imp hunter.
If I knew nothing about the situation, I too may have been convinced.
However, I believed there was no possibility that Cecily was an imp.
Truthfully, there was over a 70% chance that she was my daughter.
“…….”
Wait a second.
What were the odds that she was both, my daughter and an imp?
Is that even possible?
No way.
That made even less sense than Cariote’s explanation.
If I gave birth to a daughter that was an imp, that meant that I had married a demon.
“…….”
“Judas, your expression is dark.”
Flinch—
I was knocked out of my stupor.
Hastily adjusting my expression, I nodded to Cariote.
“I don’t believe there’s a chance that Cecily is the daughter of Duchess Leone either. We should observe her more carefully.”
“As expected, your instincts are sharp. I think it’s extremely unlikely that the two of them are related. That child Cecily is a little suspicious.”
Had her instincts as a hunter given her insight into Cecily?
What should we do if she was really an ‘imp’?
Would Cariote hunt her?
I knew very well how Demon Hunters dealt with those they captured.
That was why I was scared.
What if Cecily was both an imp and my daughter?
The offspring of mine and a ‘female demon’?
My worries deepened.
I was fearful because I had no idea what the future me could have done!
Clack—
Just then, the door to my bedroom opened.
Brigitte, who had changed into her pajamas, peeked her head through the door.
“Cariote, what are you doing over here? Let’s hurry and head to our rooms.”
Even as she said that Brigitte ventured deeper into the room.
While the room was large in size, it felt a little cramped now that three adults were together.
Still, the pleasant scent wafting from our bodies seemed to put everyone at ease.
Cariote spoke.
“I was just talking to Judas about imps. There’s a chance that Cecily is one of them. The fact that a girl appeared out of nowhere resembling the missing duchess… There are many aspects of her that are suspicious.”
Brigitte nodded upon hearing her response.
“Now that you mention it, it is strange. I’ll have Naru place Yalluballugrass under Cecily’s pillow tonight.”
“I’m thinking of taking a walk around the mansion tonight instead of sleeping. If Cecily really is an imp, I’ll definitely be able to find traces of it.”
Rustle—
Cariote left the bedroom.
Her determined demeanor was well suited for a hunter of her caliber, fortified to protect others from evil.
However, her determination only made me more nervous.
“What’s wrong, Judas? You don’t look so good.”
Brigitte cocked her head upon seeing my expression.
What should I do?
Do I have to reveal that Cecily might be my daughter?
Even amongst everyone I knew, Brigitte was one of the wisest.
She was someone I could trust.
“Brigitte, don’t misunderstand what I’m going to say and listen. I have something to confess to you. Something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time.”
“C-Confess…!?”
Brigitte was shocked.
She scanned her surroundings nervously before swallowing hard.
“Why are you confessing as soon as Cariote left? In a place like this? All of a sudden? What is it? You said it was something you’ve been meaning to tell me for a long time. What on earth are you trying to tell me?”
“…….”
Thump— Thump—
My heart began to race.
If I were to reveal to her that Cecily might be my daughter, what would happen?
I could picture Brigitte even now, her face pale as a sheet, shouting out “Who on earth is her mother?!”
Then, I would be forced to respond, saying something like “I don’t even know who Naru’s mother is, so how would I know who Cecily’s mother is!?” She would then gaze at me with an expression of disdain as if examining the remains of chewed gum on the sidewalk.
What if I told her that Cecily might be my daughter and an imp at the same time?
Brigitte would likely condemn me, and scream something along the lines of “If your daughter is an imp, that means you married a demon! Don’t you know that marrying something like that is a betrayal of your entire species?!” before attempting to kill me.
Now that I have thought about it, there was not a single reason for me to tell the truth to Brigitte.
Especially not now.
“You said you were going to confess. Hurry. What was it that you wanted to tell me for so long?”
Brigitte continued to question me.
I quickly erased any plan of telling Brigitte the truth about Cecily.
Now, I had to change the subject.
Since she’s asking, should I give it a shot?
“Brigitte, how do you feel about demons?”
“…Demons? All of a sudden?”
“I’m not asking you for no reason. I’ve always wondered about this. What on earth are demons? I thought you, the magician of our party, would know better than me.”
“…Demons.”
Brigitte carefully observed my facial expressions.
Whether it was because my serious expression convinced her, or perhaps because the topic was strange enough, Brigitte opted to exhale before explaining.
“We call them demons, but they’re actually the same kind of existence as humans. They’ve just been heavily affected by Nocturne, the Lord of Darkness, and consequently had their karma distort beyond their control.
“I see.”
“Maybe not during the war. Still, it wasn’t just humans who found peace following the demise of the Demon King. Humans and demons are now all but the same. I even heard that merchants trade with some of them.”
“Do they marry?”
“Well, there were some people who got married to demons even during the war. Although people said they were betrayers or had been tempted, in a peaceful world like now…”
Squeeze—
Whilst explaining, Brigitte’s expression turned sour.
“But why are you asking me about marriage with demons?”
“Oh, that’s because I was wondering if there was a chance that Duchess Leone had been sold to a demon. Maybe she became a demon’s bride in the process—- I just thought it might be possible. It’s been over 25 years now.”
“Well… I suppose it wouldn’t be impossible.”
I managed to get myself out of that situation!
Thank goodness that Brigitte is so gullible.
***
The following morning.
Naru left her room dressed in pajamas and yawned.
“Did you sleep well, Naru?”
“Naru slept really well! Even though there were two kittens that kept meowing! Naru showed them the difference in power and they became quiet!”
It seemed Naru really had slept well.
More than that, what was she talking about when she said she showed them ‘the difference in power’?
“…….”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
I blatantly stared at Cecily.
I was checking to see if her pupils were vertical.
Plus, I wanted to see if her teeth were pointy like that of a shark, so I opened her mouth to check.
“…W-What do you think you’re doing? How insolent…!”
Oh dear.
I should also check if she has a tail growing on her butt.
Just by glancing at her though, I could tell she didn’t share any of the characteristics of an imp.
I quietly questioned Naru.
“Naru, did you place Yalluballu grass under the pillow?”
“Naru did…! It doesn’t seem like Cecily is an imp..! I’m glad…!”
It seemed Naru had been worrying.
Additionally, Cariote had vouched that she had searched the estate during the night but no traces of demons had been found. She even commented on how pristine it was.
In short.
It meant that Cecily was not an imp.
I was truly relieved.
It almost felt as though my heart, which had been filled with frost, began to melt.
I was right not to tell Brigitte the truth.
As expected.
I had not married a demon.
I had not betrayed my species.
Still, many questions remained.
Who on earth was Cecily?
How could she resemble Duchess Leone so much while having the clover-shaped birthmark?
If I wanted to understand this phenomenon, I should head toward 61st Street today.
Then.
While I was eating breakfast, Brigitte spoke to me.
“If possible, Judas, you shouldn’t take part in this investigation.”
“I shouldn’t?”
“This time, Cariote and I will take care of it.”
It seemed Brigitte was planning on excluding me from the investigation.
This was despite 61st Street being layered with hidden passageways and alleys.
Nobody would know more about them, than me.
As I protested, Brigitte attempted to calm me down.
“It’s because of the curse on your body. You were greatly weakened after fighting against the Alubaba thieves. It could get even worse. 61st Street is filled with villains.”
“I guess you’re right.”
I nodded.
I too didn’t wish for the curse to worsen.
Additionally, Cariote and Brigitte were more than sufficient for this task.
They wouldn’t require my assistance.
Following the conversation, we left the estate.
The Ragdoll family had allowed us to borrow a carriage for our journey back.
Therefore, I was responsible for dropping off both Naru and Cecily at school.
“Naru, is this your class?”
“Yeah!! Today’s lunch is a strawberry jam sandwich stuffed with cheese and ham…! Naru wants it to be lunch now…!”
It seemed Naru really liked Graham Academy’s lunches.
What kind of luxury foods were they serving that Naru was praying for it to be lunchtime already?
Ring—
The bells began to toll.
It meant that her first class had begun.
“Now then, Naru and Cecily. Don’t fight with your friends. Make sure to listen to your teacher.”
“Okay!”
“You don’t have to tell me something like that. I’m a good girl.”
I guided the children to their class.
I was considering meeting with her homeroom before I left.
That was why I spent a long time standing in the middle of the hallway.
However, even though the first period had technically already begun, she was nowhere to be found.
“Is she boycotting the class?”
This school was quite strange.
I had truly wanted to find the identity of the teacher who had called a chicken, a dinosaur.
“What a shame.”
I forgot about my disappointment and left the classroom.
As I reached the school gates, I met a familiar baldie.
“Judas, I was looking for you.”
“For me?”
“Won’t you come to the red-light district with this monk?”
“What are you talking about at this hour…? Did you finally decide to break your principles? You’ve finally revealed your true nature, you creepy baldy…!”
I thought this baldy had finally snapped.
As I gazed at him more closely, however, both his expression and body language were serious.
“Tell me what’s going on first.”
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