I Summoned the Demon King and Got a Dad - Chapter 17
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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17. The House of Helios Does Not Seek a Grand Duchess (2)
The first thing Theodor did after obtaining the right to return to the Demon Realm was to summon all the servants of the manor.
In less than ten minutes after his call, all the servants had assembled.
After confirming that everyone had gathered, Theodor opened his mouth.
“In a few days, it will be my wife’s death anniversary. I’ll be going to visit her grave.”
No matter how quickly he resolved the backlogged work, it would certainly take more than three days.
Theodor was simply making good use of his nonexistent wife, but in the eyes of the other servants, he only appeared as a handsome man with a sad story who still couldn’t forget his deceased wife.
“The day after tomorrow, young ladies aspiring to be the princess’s tutor will come. I’ve finished the document screening, so prioritize Shuria’s choice above all.”
Honestly, he was a bit anxious, but since he had selected young ladies considering their character, ability, and family background, there probably wouldn’t be any problems.
“While I’m away, please take good care of Shuri.”
He thought that with this much preparation, there wouldn’t be any problems at the duchy even without him.
Yes, the reason he called them was simply to warn them not to touch Shuria while he was away.
But the servants, unaware of this fact, only heightened their respect and awe toward Theodor.
When Theodor, having finished his preparations, went out to the garden, Shuria was waiting for him.
Seeing her looking like she was about to cry at any moment, his heart somehow softened.
“I’ll be back soon, Shuri.”
At Theodor’s words, Shuria tearfully grabbed his arm.
Seeing Shuria’s appearance as if telling him not to go, Theodor stroked her head soothingly.
“I’ll be back soon, so don’t cry. Okay?”
I spent three whole hours comforting her, so please don’t cry again.
Deliberately ignoring his heart that began to throb, Theodor lifted Shuria into his arms.
He wasn’t even going out to have fun, yet he felt like a criminal.
Sighing inwardly, Theodor held Shuria and whispered in her ear.
“If you wait like a good girl, I’ll get an interesting story from the Dragon.”
He was planning to check if she was adapting well anyway.
He would have time to hear at least one story then.
Fortunately, whether his persuasion worked, the pain in his heart disappeared and Shuria let go of his arm.
“How many nights do I sleep before you come back?”
Shuria, who couldn’t count numbers yet, spread all ten fingers and asked him.
Theodor, who burst into laughter at Shuria’s appearance without realizing it, took one of her hands and opened his mouth.
“Five nights.”
Saying so, Theodor gently tapped her remaining five fingers.
“You can’t be late, it’s a promise, okay?”
Having said that, Shuria held out her pinky finger to Theodor.
The moment he tilted his head at this unfamiliar action, Shuria made an expression as if asking how he didn’t know this and opened her mouth.
“Hurry, copy me.”
When Theodor obediently extended his pinky finger at her words, Shuria struggled to hook her finger onto his thick finger.
The sight of her trying her best to hook fingers when hers wasn’t even half the size of his was quite adorable.
“Hook fingers and promise tight tight.”
Saying so, Shuria looked up at Theodor.
“Copy me, hurry.”
…Ah.
He really thought she made him do all sorts of things.
He had never uttered such childish words in his life.
The words “If I lie to you anyway, the contract will try to kill me” rose to the tip of his tongue, but Theodor deliberately ignored his embarrassment and repeated her words.
“Hook fingers and promise tight tight.”
“…Hook fingers and promise tight tight.”
Only after those words came from his mouth did Shuria smile satisfactorily and let go of his hand.
“If you don’t keep the promise, horns will grow from your butt.”
It was a lie and superstition meant to educate children who didn’t keep promises.
It was certainly content that Shuria had read in a fairy tale book a few days ago.
But the problem was that Theodor and Shuria had a contractual relationship.
Thinking anxiously that if he didn’t keep that promise, the Magical Diagram would really make horns grow from his butt, Theodor mounted his horse alone.
Thinking he would return as quickly as possible.
“I’ll be back.”
With those final words, he rode off without looking back.
“He left.”
Watching Theodor’s retreating figure, Shuria muttered.
“Papa left.”
Seeing Shuria tearfully saying this, her personal maid Lora quietly opened her mouth.
“He’ll be back soon.”
Nevertheless, perhaps sad about the fact that she was separated from Papa, the tears that had formed in Shuria’s eyes began to fall to the ground one by one.
At this sight, Lora hugged Shuria and patted her back.
“What should I do? I already miss Papa…”
Eventually, tears poured from Shuria’s eyes, and all the servants, including Lora, began making every effort to comfort her.
Bringing desserts that Shuria liked.
Fairy tale books.
There were even servants making funny faces.
But what stopped Shuria’s crying was none other than her stamina.
Shuria, who had been crying for a long time, became exhausted and fell asleep.
“Pa…pa…”
Lora, who had been looking pitifully at Shuria who fell asleep calling Theodor’s name, laid her down in her room and sang a lullaby.
Then, fortunately, Shuria’s expression became somewhat more comfortable.
And relieved by Shuria’s appearance, Lora gently patted her and opened her mouth.
“Sleep well, Princess.”
Click.
As soon as the sound of the door closing was heard, Lora’s expression hardened stiffly.
With her usual smiling appearance toward Shuria completely gone, the place she headed to was none other than the kitchen.
“Is she asleep?”
At the question from the head butler Antonio, Lora nodded.
“Did she seem to be in good condition?”
Then Philip, who was both chef and head cook, asked, and at his question, Lora shook her head.
“Tomorrow, you really must prepare delicious desserts without fail.”
Now that His Grace the Grand Duke was away, sweet desserts were the only thing that could cheer up Shuria, so Philip’s role was truly important.
At her words, Philip nodded with a serious expression.
“Understood.”
The next day.
As soon as she woke up from sleep, Shuria ran to Theodor’s room.
Naturally, his room was empty.
“…He really left.”
It wasn’t a dream.
Papa had left her behind.
He had left her alone in this duchy.
These were thoughts that would make Theodor gasp and ask who he was planning to have killed by the Magical Diagram if he heard them, since not a single one was correct.
Shuria slowly walked over and lay down on Theodor’s bed.
It had a calm and cool fragrance.
It was the familiar scent of Theodor.
“Papa’s smell.”
Thinking that being like this felt like being in Papa’s arms, Shuria closed her eyes.
And so Shuria began to fall into a deep sleep.
Unaware that Shuria had gone to Theodor’s room, Lora entered her room to wake her up and screamed.
“The princess, the princess has disappeared!!!”
Startled by her cry, all the servants working nearby rushed over and stared at Shuria’s empty bed with bewildered expressions.
The news quickly reached the ears of head butler Antonio.
“What are you all doing, hurry and find the princess!”
At his shout, the Mansion of the Duke was turned upside down.
“The princess?”
“She’s not here!”
“Where on earth did she go.”
They mobilized even the stable keeper to begin searching for Shuria, but the sleeping Shuria had no way of knowing this fact.
However, the servants’ ordeal didn’t end there.
Young ladies volunteering to be tutors for the House of Helios began visiting the Mansion of the Duke.
Guests could come.
The problem was that they weren’t in a position to receive guests.
With Theodor away, the master of the manor was Shuria.
Without her permission, they couldn’t receive any guests, and the guests had to wait endlessly outside without even being able to enter the manor.
Moreover, since the Mansion of the Duke was quite far from the bustling district, a spectacle unfolded with numerous noble young ladies parking their carriages in front of the mansion, waiting for the princess.
How much time had passed like this, when noon came and the sunlight pierced her eyes enough to wake her, the first thought Shuria had was.
“…I’m hungry.”
was.
Click, opening the door and carefully stepping outside, Shuria headed to the kitchen.
Since the kitchen staff had also scattered to search for Shuria, only head chef Philip remained there.
“Is there cake?”
At the sudden question in the midst of chaos, Antonio shouted with irritation.
“In the middle of all this, asking for cake, are you in your right mind?!”
He had mistaken Shuria for a young maid.
But unaware of this fact, Shuria only felt hurt by Philip shouting at her.
“If there isn’t any, just say so, why are you angry!!”
At her words, Philip turned around in disbelief and saw Shuria on the verge of tears.
Only then realizing his mistake, Philip tried to soothe her, but.
It was already too late.
As Shuria began crying loud enough to shake the manor, servants started gathering in the kitchen one by one, and even when Lora arrived late and hugged Shuria, her tears wouldn’t stop.
What stopped Shuria’s tears was none other than Antonio’s cake and cookies.
Having successfully calmed Shuria, Lora carefully opened her mouth while watching Shuria’s mood.
“Young ladies are waiting to become the princess’s tutor.”
The problem was that Shuria was too busy eating crispy cookies to properly hear her words.
Chewing and swallowing the cookie, Shuria looked at Lora and spoke.
“…The ladies are waiting?”
No matter how much she thought about it, there was only one reason for young ladies to come to the Mansion of the Duke in this situation.
To become the duchess!
Shuria made the huge mistake of thinking the young ladies had come targeting Theodor, not to be her tutor.
Unaware that she had misunderstood, Shuria began pondering with a serious expression.
If the lady who married was a bad person, she might torment her like the stepmothers in fairy tales.
She might have come only looking at the duchy’s wealth and her father’s handsome appearance.
What if she didn’t even know how to handle ducal duties and only increased her father’s workload??
Just imagining it was terrible.
What should I really do.
The idea of turning away guests didn’t occur to the still young and innocent Shuria.
After pondering for a long time, a good idea came to Shuria’s mind.
“Alright, prepare a tea party. I’ll meet all the ladies at once!”
Since it had come to this, she decided to choose her father’s bride herself.
In (fairy tale) books, family (parents) chose marriage partners too.
I’m also father’s family, so I’m fully qualified!
That’s right.
When a five-year-old thinks things through, there’s no way she’d reach a good conclusion.
Unaware that she had misunderstood, Shuria’s stepmother audition began like this.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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