I Became the Abandoned Daughter of an Underworld Boss

“Since my magic skills are hopeless, tsk.”

Asil had great magic resistance, but his magic abilities were only at a basic level.

Though he did have one specialty. There was a spell he could use in emergencies.

He once used it to put his precious daughter to sleep.

But it was useless unless Lupedos played his part…

‘Damn fool. He’s not satisfied being able to return to human form for just three hours a day, is he?’

Though he had entrusted Lupedos with protecting Yuriana.

Things were getting urgent, and even that was beginning to feel inadequate.

He needed to stop relying on the empire for help.

Who knew when this might all end up going Harun’s way?

‘Damn. I have to try not to curse in front of Yuriana.’

Lately, when he was alone, he often muttered curses like , , and so on.

Asil decided to deal with the doppelganger himself but thought it might be better to cooperate with Aidan instead.

Cooperation.

Suddenly, old memories resurfaced.

They were bitter and painful recollections from his past.

Perhaps, even back then, he had sensed that Alice would never truly be his.

‘Was that why I lose my mind?’

Alice, whom he thought only met with him.

But then came the day he discovered she was also acquainted with Crown Prince Aidan and Heidel, the leader of the Ichelle Allied Forces.

It had been a huge shock.

It occurred to him now that Harun hadn’t spent much time in the kingdom, and there had been mentions of them meeting back then too.

Alice was truly something, wasn’t she?

He laughed softly, recalling the past.

-Asil, over here!

-Alice!

Somewhere in the capital city of Trisha, on a quiet, breezy hill.

There was a picnic blanket, baskets, fruit, and homemade sandwiches spread out, all with a great view.

Alice waved for him to come over, but she wasn’t alone.

Not one, but two men were with her.

Asil, who had been rushing over, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Who were they?

-…

-…

The two men didn’t look particularly happy either.

Alice smiled brightly and introduced them.

-You’re finally here? Well, Asil, let me introduce you. This is Asil from Dark Town! He’s an amazing person. And this is our kingdom’s Crown Prince Aidan, and this is…

Of course, Alice later explained the sudden meeting.

She had arranged it because, with so much happening, it seemed like a good idea for everyone to know each other and share information.

He understood, but…

Who would have thought Alice and Crown Prince Aidan were so close!

For Asil, who had no intention of hanging around the palace anymore.

It was heartbreaking to realize the vast distance between him and the prince.

And that wasn’t all.

An elf—forever the object of human admiration!

To think that Heidel, the leader of the Ichelle Allied Forces, was closer to her than even Asil was.

He… he was nothing but a wretched being stuck forever in Dark Town.

The crushing inferiority started to creep in.

Even as he casually placed his foot on the picnic blanket and sat down, Asil was suffering inside.

In the end, he hid the gift he had brought for Alice that day.

One desperate thought kept surfacing.

Was it… a relief he didn’t buy flowers? Or should he have given them to her, even today?

The red roses the florist recommended didn’t feel right. Nor could he bring himself to buy the pure white hyacinths.

How could he offer her flowers with these bloodstained hands?

Instead, he had prepared a ring.

An emerald ring, carefully chosen to match Alice’s beautiful eyes.

He had put so much effort into picking out that color.

“Haha.”

Asil laughed bitterly.

In the end, he didn’t even give her the ring. After that meeting, he left it in a drawer, still wrapped up.

He couldn’t bring himself to take it to the third floor of the annex, afraid that he might drown in drink while thinking of Alice.

However, the changed Asil took out the gift with a straight face before destroying Dark House.

-Ah. I can’t demolish this without taking it. A gem is a gem, and money is money.

So, what did he do next?

True to form, he kept the valuable gem but buried the ring in the garden.

That ring was now buried deep beneath the castle and would probably only be unearthed in hundreds of years.

‘I wonder if the emerald was sold? If it didn’t fetch a good price, it might take a while. Once it’s auctioned off, I’ll set aside the money for Yuriana’s allowance.’

His cold, practical nature had returned completely!

“Boss, a message has come from Levina.”

“Come in.”

Just in time, Levina’s message arrived.

‘A spring outing; sounds nice. This time, let’s enjoy a peaceful time without anyone’s interference.’

He wondered if Yuriana would prefer sandwiches or pickled fruits for snacks.

She would enjoy a pie made with the sweet fruits he’d been saving all winter.

His precious daughter, his only family.

Asil’s smile had comfortably returned to how it had been before the Dark House’s attack.

* * *

Spring was a welcome and busy season no matter where you were.

The former usually applied to younger people, while the latter tended to be for older folks.

And someone who belonged to the latter!

Al was counting the growing pile of wool with hollow eyes.

Everyone was coming to the imperial palace for spring, laughing and smiling, but he couldn’t escape from his grim expression.

Save him, sheep! Please keep shedding wool like crazy!

“One hundred and twenty-one… one hundred and twenty-two…”

“Sir Al…”

The shepherd looked at Al with a pitiful gaze.

He shouldn’t be doing something like this here.

A little later.

Al rolled around on the dirt floor, wailing miserably.

“No… no! How could I still thirty sheep’s worth short?!”

“Please, Sir Al, calm down! The sheep will grow again, and lambs will be born! You’ll reach your goal eventually!”

“But won’t it take forever for the wool to grow again? I can’t take it anymore! Why can’t wool be created by magic?!”

The shepherd groaned, struggling to hold down the frantic Al.

A few days later.

The shepherd, under orders, cautiously spoke up.

“Sir Al, His Majesty has summoned you.”

“Alright.”

Al, having lost all motivation, absentmindedly fed hay to the freshly sheared sheep.

If he raised this one well and grew its wool, he would be freed sooner.

The shepherd spoke up once more.

“……? His Majesty has summoned you, sir. Aren’t you going? This old man is too afraid to disobey His Majesty the Emperor’s orders.”

“Hm, after I finish feeding them… what? His Majesty is finally calling for me?!”

Al, suddenly brightened, leaped to his feet.

Karas had been coming to the imperial palace twice a month for a while now.

He thought it was just an excuse to bring him in as Karas’ assistant, but that hadn’t been the case.

Ugh. He’d ended up staying a full month and a few weeks here.

How could he, of all people, waste his time here in the pasturelands? Ridiculous!

Al suddenly assumed a dignified air, shaking the hay off his hands.

“I shall go!”

“Congratulations on being released from probation.”

“Yes, shepherd, I’ll be sure to tell His Majesty of your service.”

“What did I do?”

The shepherd looked bewildered, but Al had already disappeared.

“Baa, baa!”

“Baa!”

“Oh, alright. I’ll feed you.”

With the sheep butting him for more hay, the shepherd returned to his task.

No matter what happened to the imperial palace of the Reef Empire, the shepherd would continue tending his sheep. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The imperial palace of the empire and another place, the Nea Royal Palace, were set to become busier.

‘Hmph!’

Though spring had arrived at the palace, the capital streets, and the countryside.

The queen’s sulky expression seemed to bring a cold winter all to herself.

Alice’s resentment had grown steadily over the winter.

Ever since she had rushed off to deal with the sudden appearance of a doppelganger, she had remained in a cold war, or rather a silent standoff, with her husband, the king.

As a result, not a single banquet was held throughout the winter.

Even the brief encounter with Heidel had ended with him returning to Elodia.

‘Why does everyone ignore me and do as they please? Asil brought back the Mirror of Origin, so they must have dealt with the doppelganger successfully. But no one even suggests holding a celebration banquet. Fine! I won’t say anything either!’

Aidan forbade even the slightest mention of the doppelganger. Not even near the pillow on their bed!

Lately, he didn’t even share matters of state with her as much as he used to.

‘What am I? Who am I, even?’

Alice’s frustration had reached its peak.

It was said that a queen couldn’t even sigh freely, right?

Like a rich apple tree losing its leaves.

See what happened!

“Your Majesty, His Majesty the King has invited you to dinner.”

“Alright.”

Though Alice replied indifferently, her sulky expression didn’t ease even when she sat down at the table with Aidan.

“Welcome, Queen.”

“…”

Aidan surely understood the silent protest in his wife’s refusal to offer him a single warm greeting.

But there were reasons beyond his control.

While they were eating; and all the attendants had left.

Aidan, seizing the opportunity, spoke quietly.

“Queen, I have something important to tell you.”

“Yes.”

Alice’s face was as indifferent as ever.

“The old Ichelle Allied Forces has finally agreed to rebuild their nation. The first king is said to be Heidel.”

What?

‘Heidel… is becoming a king? You mean the king of the elves? Him?!’

Alice was stunned by the unexpected news.

The people of this world and the people of the world she came from were similar in personality and appearance.

There were only small differences, like the ability to wield mana and extend their lifespan.

But elves were a completely different race.

Elves, who lived so long and had such immense pride.

They loved the forest and nature and rarely changed their decisions once made.

So how could the red-haired Heidel, who didn’t even have the typical blonde hair of the elves, be chosen as king…?!