Become My Daughter
The moment she heard those words from the man who had suddenly come looking for her, Beatrice let out a dumbfounded sound without realizing it.
“What?”
The voice that slipped out, its very tone off-kilter, revealed just how shaken she was.
“...You want me to become your daughter? Is that what you just said to me?”
From Beatrice’s perspective, it would have been far stranger not to be stunned. On the very day she had resolved to wipe out the back-alley organization that kept interfering with her, right when she was most defenseless after finishing the job and sustaining wounds, a man holding a black umbrella had appeared.
The noble attire visible beneath that umbrella, elegance dripping from every thread, made it clear he was an aristocrat no matter how one looked at it. That was precisely why Beatrice could not stop the next words from leaving her mouth.
“...You’re crazy.”
Only a madman would say such a thing. A nobleman who had timed his arrival for the exact moment she was weakest, then demanded she become his daughter—anyone would reach the same conclusion. Whether it was underworld slang or a genuine, revolting desire, neither was something a sane person would utter.
Normally she would have driven him away on the spot, but her current condition was poor and the man before her appeared to be a rather high-ranking noble. Taking both facts into account, Beatrice slowly opened her mouth again.
“Did you drink too much? Or maybe you took something? Either way you don’t seem right in the head, so why don’t you just—”
“A life of beating people down and drinking their blood eventually reaches its limit.”
“...What?”
The same question as before, yet the meaning behind it was entirely different.
“For now you blend into your surroundings, so no one thinks twice about it. But a long tail is eventually caught. Rumors about a vampire who survives by drinking human blood will spread sooner or later.”
Beatrice, who had been staring at the man as if he were a troublesome drunk, felt her eyes snap wide open. The information he had spoken so casually carried exactly that much weight.
“How could you possibly know that…”
No one knew she was a vampire who drank human blood. Anyone who had learned the truth by having their blood taken was no longer part of this world. She had believed it to be a perfect secret.
Yet the man before her was calmly exposing that secret, as if openly mocking her conviction.
“There shouldn’t have been any witnesses…”
“What a pathetic thing to say.”
The man blocking the rain with his black umbrella spoke while meeting Beatrice’s trembling gaze.
“Once the information is already known, your own beliefs are meaningless. From this point on, what you should be considering is not the source of the leak, but how to handle what comes next.”
“......”
Even at the man’s lecturing tone, Beatrice stayed silent. Every single word he spoke was correct. It went beyond mere truth—she herself agreed that she should have moved exactly as he described, leaving her no room to argue.
“Even so, you’re lucky.”
Addressing Beatrice, who still kept her mouth tightly shut, the man continued.
“Because I am here to take care of that response for you.”
Beatrice’s eyes rounded. For an instant she couldn’t grasp his meaning. The person who had discovered she was a vampire was saying he was here to handle the consequences—what exactly did that imply?
“What do you—”
“Didn’t I say it a moment ago? Become my daughter.”
Beatrice’s face twisted. She could not see how that absurd proposal could possibly help her deal with the aftermath.
As if he had already seen through her confusion, the man spoke.
“Under imperial law, one may accept up to three non-blood-related individuals as kin and serve as their guardian. Naturally the child’s consent is required, and the relevant agencies must verify the biological parents’ status, their approval, and whether the guardian has the means to raise them…”
“...Wait. Just wait a second…”
“...I have already handled all those minor details. Only one thing remains.”
From the edge of the black umbrella that blocked the rain, the man drew a sheet of paper from his coat and held it out. Even in the dark back alley the words were clearly visible.
This document confirms the child’s consent—your expressed intention.
In accordance with imperial law, Yulian von Elias hereby assumes legal guardianship of Beatrice as a contractual ward.
All required verifications have been completed by the guardian. The ward’s signature is the final requirement.
Guardian
Ward
“All that is needed now is the child’s consent—your decision.”
It was a contract stating that if Beatrice signed, she would enter as the adopted daughter of the man before her—Yulian von Elias—and receive his sponsorship.
Below the concise text were signature lines for guardian and child. The guardian’s signature was already present; just as he had said, the only thing truly required was Beatrice’s own signature.
“...This is.”
“The moment you sign here, I become your godfather and you become my ward. Of course, since this is a contractual relationship rather than true blood kinship, you will not enjoy every privilege of nobility.”
The man’s gaze flicked between Beatrice and the contract. Then, as though it were nothing of importance, he added,
“At the very least, the matter of handling the aftermath will be taken care of cleanly.”
“......”
“And while we’re at it, you will no longer need to live this kind of life.”
His eyes traced the countless wounds covering her body. Sensing him taking in each injury, Beatrice quietly sank into thought.
It was not the absurd proposal she had first believed it to be. No—if one examined it rationally, there was no reason at all to refuse. That remained true even setting aside the most critical fact that it would conceal her identity as a blood-drinking vampire.
Yulian von Elias.
She had never heard the first name, but she knew the Elias family well enough. One of the most prestigious and powerful noble houses in the empire. The chance that a noble bearing that illustrious surname would offer to become guardian to a powerless back-alley child was as rare as being struck by lightning on a clear day.
Simply having him as her guardian would change her life in visible ways, and just as he promised, Beatrice would become safer than she had ever been. Though she would not live the life of a true noble, as the man had noted, such concerns meant nothing to a child who had been scraping by in the alleys day after day.
He had come at her most desperate moment, carrying the most dangerous information, and offered the best possible terms. Nothing about it was less than optimal.
It meant the man before her—Yulian von Elias—had calculated their meeting down to the last detail.
“For what purpose?”
Precisely because of that, Beatrice felt doubt.
“I understand what I gain if you become my guardian. It’s an offer only an idiot would refuse. There’s no reason for me to say no.”
“......”
“Then what about you?”
Having calculated everything so perfectly, laid every piece of the plan, and even prepared an offer she could not possibly reject.
“What do you get from this contract? What do you expect me to do for you once I become your adopted daughter?”
By making her his ward, what exactly did he hope to gain? Every noble she had ever seen calculated as precisely as any merchant. No, they were even more vicious, because they always placed themselves in the superior position. Having known only such nobles, Beatrice assumed the man before her was the same.
What exactly is he planning to make me do?
A trap designed so flawlessly. An offer she could not refuse. If he had invested this much effort, he would certainly have prepared a way to collect his due. And that method was unlikely to be anything wholesome.
Therefore Beatrice had decided to refuse the proposal the moment she learned what the man wanted from her. No matter what the noble might do to her afterward, it would still be better than crossing the line she had drawn for herself.
Because the path beyond that line led only to the Fall.
There was no future worse than the Fall.
So Beatrice steeled her heart.
However.
“Nothing.”
“...Huh?”
“I expect nothing from you, Beatrice.”
At the man’s matter-of-fact answer, Beatrice once again let out a dumbfounded sound.
Paying her reaction no mind, he continued.
“Once you are my ward, you may do whatever you wish. Play like any other child your age. Build on what you have already learned and study swordsmanship. If you want to learn magic, that is fine as well. You may even discover some refined hobbies along the way.”
“Ah, no…”
“I will not force anything on you. You may do whatever you want.”
To Beatrice, whose tongue had been utterly silenced by the unimaginable reply, the man spoke as if placing a final period.
“For me, simply having you with me is enough.”
After he finished, the man looked down at the dazed Beatrice, thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“You appear to have much to consider. I will give you time. Two days. I will be staying at Rose Hall just ahead. If you decide to sign the contract, come find me anytime.”
“......”
“I will be waiting.”
With those words, the man vanished into the darkness without the slightest hesitation.
Beatrice watched him go in silence. At some point she realized no more raindrops were falling and lifted her head.
Above her, a black umbrella had been placed at some point, shielding her from the rain.
Staring at that umbrella, Beatrice quietly opened her mouth.
“There was only… one umbrella.”