Annie's Shameless Father
In the midst of searching for Annie's siblings, I received an unexpected visitor. It was none other than Annie's father, Norman Serus, who had personally requested an audience with me. Perfect timing, I thought, so I had him brought in. Betty was struggling to track down where he'd stashed the kids away. As their father, he had to know something.
But I never expected him to spout such nonsense.
"You want Annie back?"
"Yes, that's right."
Norman Serus replied to me with a brazen face. I draped one arm over the armrest of my chair and tapped the end with my fingers. Then I fixed him with an indifferent stare.
"Annie is my personal maid. It'd be hard to let her go without her own consent."
"Didn't I tell you there was a family emergency? It's urgent."
"What kind of emergency?"
I tilted my head and shot him a skeptical look. He frowned, clearly annoyed that I was prying into his family affairs. But I had every right to know about my maid's situation.
Norman sighed and finally spoke.
"Sigh... I've been a lousy father, so I'm trying to make it right. There's a good marriage prospect, and I want to send my daughter there. She's getting too old..."
"Yeah, Annie's missed her prime marriageable years. But really, now?"
I eyed him with amusement. Annie was nearing thirty. With this world's medieval views on marriage, she was at an age where having a daughter Abigail's size wouldn't be surprising. If he was worried about her missing out, he should've acted years ago. It made no sense to try marrying off a thriving Annie now.
"Where's this marriage prospect? Is it a proper match?"
"There's no reason to tell you, Lady—"
"There is. I'm her employer."
I spoke to Norman like I was laying down the law, crossing my legs and leaning back with exaggerated nonchalance as I glared at him. The only reason this commoner—who'd sold his noble title and fallen low—could even request an audience was because he was Annie's father. And yet here he was, demanding her back with such gall. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
"I'm her father! Why are you interfering when a father wants to take his daughter? Not even you, as a lady, can do that!"
"Hah, really."
I was dumbfounded as he started raising his voice. I could feel Ian, standing behind me, glaring at him murderously. But we couldn't rough him up yet—not until we'd squeezed out every last bit of info. I gestured for Ian to calm down.
"Norman Serus, Annie's a grown woman living her own life now. Isn't your claim just pure nonsense?"
Norman's face flushed beet red. What? I wasn't wrong. As I stared him down sternly, his fists trembled at his sides. His beard was unkempt, his clothes ragged and threadbare, but his eyes burned with intensity. I had no idea what gave him the nerve. Or maybe he's lost so much he's got nothing left to lose.
"Then let me see my daughter. I'll tell her myself!"
"Can't do that. She doesn't want to see you."
"Lady!"
Norman shot to his feet in a rage. But Ian was there in an instant, slamming his face into the table.
"Guhk!"
"You need to watch your address."
I rose leisurely from my seat. The audience chamber should normally have guards and scribes present. But right now, it was just Ian, me, and Norman. I'd dismissed the others because I figured things might get messy if they saw what was coming.
"Lady isn't wrong, but I've officially been recognized as heir and acting head of the house now."
I approached Norman with a smile.
"So when you request an audience, you should call me Acting Duke or Lord Betula."
With his head pinned to the table, Norman could only look up at me with his eyes. No matter how hard he struggled, Ian didn't budge.
Norman barely managed to speak.
"Th-this outrage...!"
"One thing I want to ask, Norman Serus."
He shuddered slightly, sensing the pressure.
"Wh-what is it?"
When I asked, his trembling intensified.
"Where are Annie's siblings?"
"S-siblings...?"
"I heard she has young twin siblings, but no matter how hard we look, they're nowhere. Where'd you hide them?"
Norman fidgeted as my questions continued. He wanted to thrash around, but Ian's grip was ironclad.
I leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"Just like you're trying to sell Annie off to some creep for marriage money, did you already sell the twins for cash?"
"...!"
Staring down at his wide-eyed, speechless face, I was certain. The twins are already sold. What a beast worse than an animal.
"I-I would never...!"
"Shut up, you bastard."
I seized his jaw with my gloved hand, crushing it hard enough to break bone. He wanted to speak, but all that came out were choked gurgles as his lips twitched uselessly. I fixed him with a cold gaze.
Something felt off. Betty had found Annie's mother living in a rural village outside the city—her family's hometown. But there were no signs of children there. Neighbors said the daughter, who'd married and left, had recently returned to live with her parents, but no kids were mentioned.
I eased my grip on his jaw slightly.
"Where are the twins?"
"W-with my wife... at her family's..."
"They're not there. You think I'm an idiot?"
"Ugh... guk."
I released his jaw completely and nodded to Ian. He let go as well. Norman writhed on the table, groaning.
"Ugh... uuergh..."
But I hadn't freed him out of mercy.
"Give him a moderate beating. Don't kill him."
"L-Lady—no, Acting Duke!"
Ignoring his scream, I sat back down and tossed my spit-stained glove to the floor. For a while, the audience chamber echoed with the man's shrill cries.
* * *
"Where are you going?"
The duke, reviewing official business, looked at me in surprise. Dominic beside him widened his eyes too.
I smiled and repeated myself.
"I want to inspect the Volta region."
"Why there?"
"Something to investigate."
I explained Annie's family situation to the duke. Norman had spilled everything after Ian landed two punches to the gut and four to the face. He'd sold the twin boy and girl to the northernmost region, Volta. He claimed the price was too good to pass up—didn't know why they wanted kids, but he'd buy them back once he had the money. I didn't care a whit if he actually would; the problem was the kids were in Volta now.
"There's no need for you to go personally, is there? Since it's about your valued maid, I'll dispatch an investigation team."
"I want to go with them, Father."
My desire to join wasn't just fondness for Annie. Nor was it some noble mission to rescue the kids myself.
The northernmost edge. Volta.
Volta was where the monster surge would erupt soon. In just a few years, the monsters there would multiply explosively and flood south indiscriminately. I planned to inspect and reinforce it in preparation.
Seeing it with my own eyes and doing what I could would make things easier later. But as expected, the duke opposed vehemently.
"No. I can't send you to such a dangerous place."
He no longer hid his paternal affection. As he shook his head firmly, I felt strangely moved by his overprotectiveness—something I'd never experienced before. And a bit annoyed too. Having to ask permission for every little thing.
"Father, you hunted monsters at my age, didn't you? I heard Volta's crawling with them, and you used to inspect it often from a young age."
"The situation's different now."
"Is that your view? Or the territory's?"
He fell silent at my question, realizing his judgment was clouded by parental bias.
"You're still not well, Father, so I'll go as the investigation leader in your stead. The people will be thrilled to hear about it later."
"Abigail..."
"I can't stay cooped up in the mansion forever, right?"
He sighed at my spirited words. After persistent convincing, he finally nodded.
"Fine. But take a knight order to guard you."
"The Spina Knights?"
"The Bellio Knights returned recently too. But you'll be more comfortable with Spina, so do as you wish."
Come to think of it, the 3rd Knight Order, Bellio, had returned around the end of the Magic Festival. The 1st and 2nd had trained together and grown close, but things were still awkward with the 3rd.
I smiled and replied.
"I'll take the Bellio Knights."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
The duke looked worried. Understandably—the Bellio Knights were a headache even for their lord. But to fight monsters with only the ducal house's strength, without the crown prince's interference, I needed to unite all our knight orders. Taking Bellio was deliberate for that reason.
"Don't worry. Volta's terrain is rough, so Bellio will actually be more advantageous."
"Hm, true enough."
Once decided, things moved quickly.
* * *
Soon after, I joined the investigation team under the pretext of an inspection tour. In front of the ducal residence, countless carriages and people stood lined up, awaiting me.