Chapter 12: Another Demon of the Gem (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: Another Demon of the Gem (2)
The thought of a five-year-old who hadn't even made her debutante yet wearing a tiara more extravagant than the Empress Dowager’s made my head spin. Even for the Winstons, there had to be a line.
Though I was internally reeling, I maintained my facade and replied with a bright, innocent smile.
“Nuh-uh, I don’t like tiaras. I like the necklace Mommy gave me better!”
“Ho ho! More than the one your grandfather would make for you?”
“Yes!”
“Hahahaha!”
I nodded without a hint of hesitation at the Duke’s question. Far from being offended, the Duke let out a boisterous laugh, seemingly finding my response delightful.
To the Duke, his daughter Veronica was just as precious as I was. Seeing me love and follow Veronica only made him more pleased.
Having realized this early on, I made sure to display my affection for Veronica openly whenever I was in front of him. And the more I did, the happier and more amused the Duke became.
‘Powerful men who are fools for their daughters are all the same.’
They treat others—and their own dull sons—like stones, but they turn into mush for a pretty, radiant daughter or granddaughter who takes after her mother. It was common knowledge in the world of romance fantasy.
‘I thought Duke Winston was an outlier because our first meeting was so bad, but…’
I still remembered the first time I saw Duke Winston in the snow.
Back then, his face was so icy that I thought it would be a struggle just to follow Veronica into the mansion.
But lo and behold, the moment Duke Winston laid eyes on his granddaughter, he started acting like a complete fool.
For me, who had to find a way to wrap the Duke around my finger, it was an unexpected stroke of luck.
“Grandpa, but you know what?”
“Hmm?”
“Are there more of these pretty gems in the mansion? Mommy said there were.”
“Ah, that is true.”
Today, I needed to find the locations of the other gems where demons were sealed, besides Desmond’s.
There were five Demon’s Gems in total. Three of them were red. If I pretended to be interested and mapped out the locations of the red ones, it would be easier to form contracts with them later.
“Besides the garnet, there is a ruby and a pink diamond.”
“Wow! Are they as pwetty as this one?”
“Of course. The pink diamond would look quite lovely on our Dia.”
“I wanna see!”
“Do you now?”
“Yes!”
I opened my eyes wide and twinkled them, smiling as harmlessly as possible.
However, the Duke, who I thought would hand over a gem sealed with a demon in a heartbeat, let out a small groan and furrowed his brow.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Those gems are beautiful, but…”
The Duke’s gaze shifted to the gem containing Desmond.
Judging by his dissatisfied look, he seemed uneasy about the fact that demons were sealed inside the jewels.
“Well, you see, about those gems…”
“I know!”
“What?”
“I know! I know what’s inside the gems! Mommy told me!”
“She did?”
“Yes!”
I spoke with deliberate sparkle in my eyes, acting like a child who had just heard an exciting fairy tale from her mother.
“She said there’s a cool Mr. Demon inside!”
“A cool Mr. Demon?”
“Yes!”
As I shouted excitedly, the Duke’s expression shifted subtly.
In truth, the reputation of demons wasn't exactly stellar in this world either.
It was only natural. While demons weren't necessarily as wicked as people thought, those born in the dark Demon Realm were inherently coarse and violent by nature.
The rumors that demons demand the contractor’s soul or the lives of others when making a deal were actually spread by angels. It was their way of interfering so humans wouldn't be tempted to contract with demons.
However, that didn't mean demons only did good things when they contracted with humans. In the first place, humans who turned to demons instead of angels rarely did so with pure intentions.
Compared to them, the First Duke of Winston had contracted with an Archdemon to gain the power to save his starving people in a barren land, making his resolve far more noble than that of other demon contractors.
That was why the story of House Winston was exceptionally well-packaged and spread far and wide, no matter how much the Temple tried to interfere out of spite.
“I see, so Berry told you everything.”
“Yes! I want to meet Mr. Demon!”
“Ho ho.”
Duke Winston let out a hollow laugh at my words. He seemed to find his granddaughter, who was spouting such innocent words without knowing the reality, simply adorable.
Angels and demons were now nothing more than old legends.
I only knew about the past power struggles between them because I had read the novel; to the people of this continent, such things were merely ancient tales.
In fact, in the original story, Veronica summoning Desmond had been closer to an accident. It had been a very long time since a demon sealed in a gem had contracted with a direct descendant.
So, the Duke, who had been feeling a bit uneasy, eventually burst into laughter at my innocent reaction—never dreaming that I had already pulled Desmond out of the garnet and formed a contract with him.
“Very well. Then I shall give you one more special gem.”
“Wow!”
“In exchange, you must tell your grandfather immediately if a demon appears.”
“Yes!”
Having already contracted with Desmond, I nodded nonchalantly at the Duke.
By the way, demon contracts must be truly seamless. Even the Duke, a Sword Master, hadn't noticed that I was already contracted to Desmond.
[Hmph! A Sword Master is but a mere human. How could he possibly perceive the covenant of a Great Archdemon!]
‘Hmm.’
Desmond boasted triumphantly, as if the Archdemon’s power were his own.
While his attitude was a bit absurd, his words made sense.
If I could wake the other demons in the gems and contract with more of them as planned, they would surely become a great source of strength later on.
‘I’m not even aiming for a big shot like an Archdemon; I just need to recruit as many of the gems' demons as possible.’
For now, my targets were the demons trapped in red-colored gems like Desmond’s.
Since they were trapped in the same color, I figured I could easily contract with them if I coaxed them as well as I did Desmond. I muttered to myself, already making assumptions about demons I hadn't even met yet.
“Rupert, fetch the Pink Diamond.”
“Pardon? But…”
Rupert, the head butler of House Winston, looked at the Duke with a troubled face.
These weren't just any jewels; gems sealed with demons were heirlooms that had been kept in the Ducal House for generations.
Of course, it wasn't unusual for a head of the family to give an heirloom or two to a cherished direct descendant. Veronica, after all, had inherited the garnet and turned it into a bracelet.
However, the reason the butler reacted that way was likely because of me.
I was still too young to receive an heirloom, and since Veronica hadn't divorced the male lead yet, I still bore the name Lionel instead of Winston.
“Do my words sound like a joke to you?”
“…No, I understand.”
But the butler had no choice but to obey the Duke’s chilling tone. A butler could not refuse his master’s command.
Soon, the butler returned with a small jewelry box. He handed it to the Duke with trembling hands.
“Here it is.”
“Good.”
The Duke took the box casually. He opened the lid and pulled out a brilliantly colored gem.
“Whoa.”
My jaw dropped in genuine admiration the moment I saw it. Even though I knew I probably looked silly, I couldn't stop marvelling.
Unlike Desmond’s garnet, which had been set into a bracelet, the Pink Diamond was a single, large gemstone. Perhaps because of that, it had a much greater impact.
“A pink gem! It’s so pwetty!”
“Ho ho, is it now?”
I had exaggerated my reaction on purpose, but my admiration wasn't faked.
Only a short while ago, I had scoffed at the idea of a pink gem being classified as a red-type stone, but seeing the clear, luminous pink jewel, I couldn't bring myself to be cynical.
[Eek! Look at that flashy bastard! Don't be fooled, Master! That guy is a total sociopath!]
‘…You’re one to talk.’
[What’s wrong with me, Master!]
Desmond whined indignantly. I ignored him and reached out toward the Pink Diamond.
“Do you want it?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm, ahem.”
“…?”
However, the Duke, who I thought would hand the gem over immediately, hesitated for some reason.
Confused, I tilted my head and looked up at him. The Duke let out an awkward cough.
Could it be…?
I watched him with suspicious eyes before realizing something. The Duke had slightly turned his head, subtly offering one of his cheeks toward me.
‘Is he… asking for a kiss?’
The moment I realized the Duke’s intention, my face stiffened slightly. I stared at the Duke’s face with a look of sheer reluctance.