Grand Duke Elvadin Descartes.
In the original story, he was nothing more than a minor extra.
He rarely appeared on his own, had almost no lines, and was barely mentioned in the narrative.
After all, the villainess's biological father was never an important character in the original plot.
And yet, Lucillea remembered him perfectly.
Because Elvadin Descartes was her real father.
For a moment, Lucillea and Elvadin simply stared at one another in silence.
Elvadin did not respond to her brief greeting.
Instead, he ordered the knights to drag her out of the baggage wagon.
"W-Wait a second! As civilized people, shouldn't we at least talk first—?!"
Lucillea's proposal to settle things through conversation was completely ignored.
Lifted up like a sack of potatoes, she was soon deposited directly in front of Elvadin.
Whoooooosh—
A bitter winter wind swept past, rustling the tattered hem of her worn clothes.
Lucillea squeezed her eyes shut against the icy gust before slowly opening them again.
The first thing she saw was a pair of crimson eyes staring directly into her face.
Ah...
...So that's what he looks like.
Jet-black hair gleamed beneath the sunlight, and between sharp, elegant eyes burned a pair of striking red irises.
Those crimson eyes didn't remind her of blazing flames that consumed everything in their path.
They reminded her instead of blood freezing atop a sheet of ice.
The pressure he exuded was overwhelming.
Just as I expected.
She felt no special affection toward him simply because he was her biological father.
Whether biological fathers or adoptive fathers, every memory I have of them is terrible.
But that didn't matter.
Restoring her relationship with her father had never been her goal.
I'll get chosen by the Elite Order, enter the Grand Duke's household, and receive support until I come of age.
Then, once the coming-of-age ceremony is over, I'll leave.
That way she could live freely, and the male lead, Serdian, wouldn't be driven out of the Grand Duke's estate.
And if Serdian isn't kicked out, I won't become Target Number One on his revenge list.
Which is even better for me.
So all she had to do was hide her identity and survive as quietly and inconspicuously as possible until then.
At that moment, Elvadin spoke.
"Whose orders are you following?"
Huh...?
Whose orders?
Both Elvadin and Riat, who stood beside him, wore expressions of deadly seriousness.
No—serious wasn't enough.
They looked ready to kill.
Judging by the atmosphere, it felt as though her head might roll before she even set foot inside the Grand Duke's residence.
Instinctively sensing danger, Lucillea hurriedly opened her mouth.
"I think there's been some misunderstanding. Nobody sent me here. I wasn't ordered to—"
Before she could finish, Elvadin's gaze sharpened even further.
Riat had already placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Click.
The knight drew the blade a finger's width from its sheath.
Panicking, Lucillea blurted out everything in one breath.
"MynameisLucillea!Iturnedsevenamonthago!Nobodysentmehere!IcamebecauseIwantedtolive!BecauseIwantedtosurvive!I'llevenworkasamaidifIhaveto,soplease,takemetotheGrandDuke'sestate!Please!"
"Huff... huff..."
Only after unleashing the entire speech without taking a breath did she finally stop, her face bright red.
Riat slowly slid the sword back into its sheath and raised an eyebrow.
"Seven years old?"
"Yes!"
Lucillea deliberately shaved a year off her actual age.
She was eight, but she claimed to be seven.
If I'm hiding my identity, I can't exactly tell them my real age.
Besides, nobody in Mille Village knew her exact age anyway.
Riat studied her and nodded.
Because her small frame looked much younger than her peers, the claim didn't seem suspicious.
Still, he remained cautious.
To him, a little intimidation might be necessary to uncover the truth.
Gripping his sword hilt, he spoke sharply.
"You expect us to believe you sneaked into the Grand Duke's carriage simply because you wanted to live? Did you think we'd pity you and spare your life?"
Shrring—
The blade emerged once more.
"W-Wait!"
Lucillea quickly thrust a thin hand out from beneath her cloak.
"Please look at this!"
The two men lowered their gazes toward her tiny palm.
Lucillea drew in a deep breath and furrowed her brow with all her might.
Then she stared intensely at her own hand.
Okay. Time to show them!
Come on... please.
Appear like you did when I practiced in the cabin!
Gathering every ounce of strength in her body, Lucillea concentrated it into her palm.
Ungh... nnngh... hnnngh!
Her outstretched hand trembled violently.
Come on! If I'm going to survive this, you have to show up!
Her hidden toes curled inside her shoes.
Even her tightly sealed lips trembled from exertion.
It felt as though every bit of heat in her body was rushing toward the crown of her head.
Soon, beads of sweat began forming across her forehead.
Ahhh! At this rate, my head's going to explode before I even show them any magic!
After recovering her memories, Lucillea had realized that magical power existed within her body.
The original novel had mentioned that she possessed a small amount of mana.
The problem was that she had absolutely no idea how to use it.
Feeling the mana and circulating it through my body was easy enough...
But bringing it outside my body? That's a completely different story.
The original novel had never explained how mana was actually used.
A week ago, she had sneaked into a cabin deep in the mountains to practice and succeeded purely by accident.
There was no teacher.
No books.
No guidance whatsoever.
She was stumbling through the dark completely alone.
Other novel protagonists seem to figure these things out effortlessly.
Ah.
Right.
I'm not the protagonist.
Several more agonizing moments passed.
Riat finally muttered under his breath.
"I knew it."
And then—
Fwoooom!
A faint pale-green glow appeared above Lucillea's palm.
Small.
Fragile.
Yet undeniably real.
Like a tiny sprout pushing its way through drought-cracked earth.
"......"
Elvadin tilted his head slightly.
"......?!"
Riat's eyes widened in shock.
"I-I did it!"
Lucillea cried out in triumph.
The little green light flickered like a newborn seedling.
Elvadin's expression remained as unreadable as ever.
Riat, meanwhile, stared in disbelief.
Only then did Lucillea finally release a relieved breath and thrust her palm toward Elvadin.
Sweat rolled down her flushed cheeks.
"This! This right here! This is what I wanted to show you!"
"......"
"......"
Looking at him with hopeful eyes, she asked,
"If I have this... can I be chosen by the Elite Order?"
Elvadin gazed silently at the tiny sprout-shaped mana resting above her palm.
It was smaller than her little fingernail.
A brief silence followed.
Then he spoke.
"Pathetic."
"......"
Huh?
Lucillea blinked.
Pathetic...?
Her heart instantly dropped.
Don't tell me this isn't enough.
Am I below the selection standards?
Then... I can't enter the Grand Duke's household?!
Panic flooded her eyes.
Then Elvadin continued.
"Pathetic... yet remarkable."
"...What?"
Lucillea tilted her head in confusion.
This time, Riat spoke.
"Your Highness, that's mana."
"Yes. I can see that."
Elvadin nodded calmly.
Lucillea looked between them.
"So? Does that mean I can be selected or not?"
What does 'pathetic yet remarkable' even mean?!
Finally, Elvadin answered.
"You shall be chosen."
"......"
Chosen?
Did he just say he'd choose me?
Goosebumps erupted along her arms.
Then—
"Waaah!"
Lucillea threw both arms into the air.
Pure joy exploded across her face.
I did it!
I actually did it!
She clenched her fists triumphantly.
Meanwhile, Riat discreetly glanced toward Elvadin.
The Grand Duke's expression remained unchanged.
His Highness made the decision himself... without consulting the captain of the Elite Order.
Ordinarily, when a child with supernatural abilities was discovered, the captain would be involved before any decisions were made.
Yet Elvadin had chosen her immediately.
Without hesitation.
And surprisingly, Riat had no objection.
His gaze returned to Lucillea.
Just what is this little brat...?
The sprout-like aura had already disappeared.
But there was no mistaking it.
It had been mana.
Real mana.
Already awakened.
Riat didn't know why Elvadin had called it pathetic, but he couldn't agree.
After all, it was extraordinarily rare for someone to awaken mana entirely on their own.
An seven-year-old awakening mana without any guidance...
Isn't this kid...
...a genius?!