I Became the Abandoned Daughter of an Underworld Boss

“Make sure to tell me how it goes when you go to subdue the doppelganger. I think I might have upset Asil.”

At least Heidel seemed to still have some positive feelings toward Alice.

Alice realized it only after some time had passed.

During the autumn gathering, Harun only said things that were pleasing to the ear without giving her anything substantial.

As evidence, even after the year had passed, the envoy from the empire had not arrived.

Heidel was dumbfounded by Alice’s weak words.

“You?”

“Yes.”

“Ridiculous. Why would you need to lower yourself? Asil should be the one groveling before you. There’s no need to be so cautious.”

That was right, Heidel. He was speaking her thoughts exactly.

Alice was secretly pleased but kept her expression indifferent.

She didn’t want to lose his love anymore. She would do anything for that!

Her sparkling emerald eyes were still enough to shake Heidel.

Was it because elves were a race that didn’t change much?

She definitely wanted to use that.

If he were her last chance.

Heidel, save me.

Let her regain what she had lost.

* * *

A few days later.

Tomorrow was already the day Karas and Al had to return to the empire.

The ten-day stay seemed incredibly long.

Yuriana was disappointed, her face showing a pout.

“Ugh.”

“Miss, that’s not appropriate. Don’t make such a face in front of those who must leave.”

“Yuriana, I’ll definitely come again if I get the chance.”

Karas spoke up, trying to muster courage.

Even if it wasn’t what Al had mentioned, he would have said it to comfort Yuriana.

Al had stepped out, saying he had some important matters to discuss with Asil.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Creak, creak… crash—!!

As Yuriana and Karas were deep in conversation, a loud crash came from the shelf.

Startled, everyone looked over to see Lulu.

Lulu was desperately holding onto the slanted shelf with both paws, the left peg having come loose.

Lulu was so shocked that he couldn’t even make a sound.

“Lulu!”

“Oh dear. Miss, please stay still. Let’s get these things down quickly! Mr. Lupedos, I’ll move them.”

“Yes.”

As Levina held the now heavier Lulu and set him down on the floor, she muttered.

“He’s gotten too fat. I hammered three thick nails into this shelf, and it still fell. There’s no doubt about the cause.”

Though she didn’t say it outright, the sharp remark was directed at Lulu!

“Meow…”

The plump Lulu didn’t even get angry, which was unusual for him. What could he say about a disaster he caused himself?

His tail drooped, his ears sagged, and even his magnificent black fur hung limp as he slowly walked out through the open door.

His waddling gait was pitiful.

Neither Yuriana nor Levina could bring themselves to stop him.

Even though his chubby belly jiggled cutely as he moved.

Hmm, it was tough for both animals and people when they got too fat.

Wasn’t there something that could be done? His weight probably caused the shelf to collapse, and his pride must have been hurt.

Yuriana whispered to Karas.

“You know, Lulu is a feline beastman, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you have beastman too? Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

Karas didn’t know much about beastman, but he was willing to ask Al if Yuriana wanted to know.

Yuriana spoke with innocent curiosity.

“I think Lulu might be feeling down because he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Do you think you could introduce him to a nice female cat?”

“… a female cat?”

“Yes!”

Karas asked in a flustered tone.

“Did you… did you say that in front of the beastman too? The same thing?”

“Of course. But he got angry.”

“Well, you shouldn’t do that. Beastman may resemble animals, but they consider themselves completely different beings. Uh… it’s like how humans are similar to gorillas, but you’d get mad if someone told you to date a gorilla.”

Gorilla!

The thought of a silverback male thumping his chest and winking at her while saying, ‘Yuriana, be my girlfriend,’ made her lose her appetite.

Would the house prepared by a male gorilla be in the jungle or the savanna…? And the food he offered her would be tender leaves?

They said people only understood when they experienced things from the other’s perspective.

She was wrong.

“I see.”

“Beastmen often have a lot of pride. If Lulu stayed by your side even after hearing that, it means he really likes you.”

“Do you have any idea why Lulu might be so down? He eats really well and never skips a meal.”

After a moment, Karas spoke.

“According to your father, that feline beastman can’t return to his human form. Could that be the reason? His intelligence is on par with a human, but he’s forced to live as a cat. Permanently.”

“Hmm…”

“Liking being in a cat’s form is different from being forced to live as a cat forever. He might be in despair over that.”

“That makes sense. Even though I’ve never raised a cat, I knew Lulu was different from other cats. He understands speech and is incredibly smart.”

Lulu rarely caused trouble.

Typically, cats destroyed anything within reach of their front paws, knocked over everything placed on top of something, and felt no shame about it, remaining proud!

But look at Lulu.

When the shelf collapsed because of his weight, he left the scene, looking deflated.

Thinking that he might be ashamed made Yuriana feel sorry for him.

On top of that, Lulu had always been there for Yuriana.

Looking back, he was always in a place where her eyes could easily reach him.

Even when he hid in his little house, he would leave at least the tip of his tail sticking out, or he would meow as soon as she called him.

He even let her freely pet that magnificent black fur of his.

Feeling a sudden wave of guilt, Yuriana murmured.

“Lulu has always been so good to me…”

“If it’s something that the adults couldn’t solve, then it would be difficult for either you or me to help that beastman. But I’ll ask when I return to the empire. The beastman I have is quite knowledgeable and might know something about the limitations of beastman.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and…”

“Ta-da! I’m back. Lord Karas, Lady Yuriana? Lady Levina, I have some news for you too.”

Al interrupted Karas, twirling once as he entered the room.

From his gloved hand, a white dove fluttered into the air, transforming into paper flowers with a loud pop.

Yuriana, her eyes wide as saucers, asked in awe.

“Whoa, is that magic or a trick?”

“I, I didn’t need any, but…!”

“Please, take them, my ladies.”

Al handed a paper flower to each of them, Levina and Yuriana, and spoke up.

“It’s magical trickery, so to speak. Anyway, first things first. We’ve decided to stay at Dark House for a few more days, and I’ve received the emperor’s approval.”

“How exciting! Whoa! But Karas, are you okay with that? You’ll be away from home for a long time.”

“Me? Of course, I’m happy about it…!”

“Hehe!”

“Yuriana, what shall we do for fun?”

Yuriana, who was openly thrilled, and Karas, who couldn’t hide his joy.

Seeing the two, Al kept a bright smile on his face, struggling to maintain it.

Though it wasn’t a matter to smile about, if he wanted to keep these two around without any worries for the next few days, he had to.

Asil had explained the situation to him.

-… so, I intend to move to the border of Elodia with Nea’s King and the leader of the Ichelle Alliance, Heidel, to deal with that monster.

-I will accompany you.

-Could you please keep an eye on Dark House… hah, on Dark Town for me? The king is leaving the capital, and so am I. Heidel is also someone who must not be harmed. I’m worried that someone might take advantage of this place being left too empty.

If Heidel hadn’t mentioned that the monster might be a doppelganger…

It would have been natural for Al, a wizard of the empire, to help with this matter.

More than that, what Asil had said was truly astonishing.

He had turned from being wary of the empire’s people, saying they couldn’t be trusted, to suddenly flipping his stance like turning over his hand!

Leaving all of Dark Town in the hands of a total stranger!

-Understood. You won’t be telling those two lovely people, will you?

-Of course not. If I did… hah. It would be worse than a doppelganger; a nightmare would descend upon us.

-I completely agree.

And so, Al was to guard Dark House as a stand-in until Asil returned after secretly leaving Dark Town.

King Aidan was well aware that Karas and Al were in Dark Town.

In fact, the autumn gathering had only been arranged after the king spoke with his closest advisors without the queen or Asil knowing.

The queen, who thought she was clever, would be upset if she found out later, but…

‘Hmm. He said he’d be back in two days, or at most four, but who knows. Besides, Ba… ine, hmm. Without a doubt, he’ll be strutting around arrogantly in front of the king’s knights, which is troublesome. It would have been nice if Charon had gone with them.’

Charon, with his sturdy build, could have smeared some mud on his face and disguised himself as a mercenary.

He was a guy who was fun to tease.

Playful Al chuckled to himself as he tried to distract the two children.

“Now, now. We’re going to have a few more days of fun, so what should we do?”

“Um, actually, I have something to say.”

“Yes, Al. Yuriana and I are both curious about something.”

“What is it? Let’s hear it.”

“It’s about Lulu!”

As the two children bombarded Al with questions, their eyes were shining brightly.

Lulu, who had hidden himself somewhere after the humiliation of his chubby body causing the shelf to collapse, sneezed repeatedly.

“Chyachoo! Puchoo!”

The sound of his sneezing was loud and chaotic.

Who was talking about him? He wouldn’t let them get away with it. The only person who was allowed to mess with him was Yuriana.

The feline beastman known as Lulu, Lupedos, grumbled as he finally finished his sneezing fit.

It had been two days since Asil secretly left Dark House.

Having coordinated with Levina, Al was doing his best to keep the two children’s attention away from the main house.