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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Please Take Care of Me, Daughter?
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Sunlight tickling my eyelids woke me.
Slowly lifting my heavy eyelids, I sat up. I shook my head a few times to clear my foggy mind.
"Are you awake?"
The soft voice sharpened my senses.
I straightened up and looked toward the source of the sound.
Roselia was gazing at me with an enigmatic smile.
I blinked vacantly for a moment before flinching at the sight before me.
Perhaps because she'd just woken up, Roselia looked disarmingly vulnerable.
Her bare shoulder peeked out from a slipped thin strap, soft curves flowing naturally into view.
But what truly caught my eye was the generous swell beneath her neckline.
'Whoa, the size...'
I'd thought it rare to find a figure better than Senior Isabel's, but Roselia shattered that notion in an instant.
My eyes darted about, unsure where to settle.
"Did you sleep well?"
Her gentle voice drew my gaze back.
I nodded cautiously toward Roselia, who watched me with an odd glint in her eyes.
"Yes, did you... sleep well?"
"Thanks to you."
Her unusually tender demeanor left my heart in disarray.
She'd always been cordial, but never quite this warm.
"Well then, shall we go draw up the contract?"
Roselia rose from her seat with a refreshed expression and suddenly grabbed my nape, lifting me effortlessly.
Soon, she stepped out of the bedroom and headed to another room.
The office contrasted starkly with the cozy bedroom.
Bookshelves lined neatly along the walls, a softly glowing candelabrum, and crisply pressed curtains lent the space a sense of order.
The faint scent of paper and ink was just right for soothing my tangled thoughts.
"You said you didn't want to be indebted to me, right? That's why you proposed this contract."
Now dressed in an elegant gown, Roselia radiated even greater noble poise.
"Yes."
I nodded, quietly taking in her words.
"Good. Then let's make it official."
Roselia settled gracefully onto the sofa in one corner of the office and crossed her legs with refined poise.
"...I'm still too young to sign a contract, as far as I know."
"It's fine. I've prepared one suitable for your age."
A contract I could sign myself.
From what I'd heard, even children as young as me could enter certain types of agreements.
One such was the personal protection document the Director had forced on me.
Perhaps something like that.
"If anything from our talk today seems suspicious, we'll have the Grand Temple as witness. Surely you can trust them?"
A temple stood at the heart of the imperial capital.
Its title of Grand Temple came simply from its overwhelming scale, dwarfing all others.
The saint who appeared in the main story later belonged to this very Grand Temple.
Anywhere else might be questionable, but the Grand Temple's word carried weight. In the game, it symbolized unassailable benevolence.
"...Okay. I'll trust you."
At my response, Roselia offered a faint smile and quietly placed a single sheet of paper face down on the table.
"We'll review this contract after we've covered everything. First, let's clarify the details."
"The details..."
"To start, I've handled all your conditions. The Grand Temple has dispatched a new director to your old orphanage."
Just one day had passed, and she'd already wrapped it up. Her efficiency left me awestruck once more.
"Then... now I just need to uphold my end."
In exchange for granting my requests, I'd provide her with herbs every day.
"No, the contract needs a small adjustment."
"...Pardon?"
An adjustment?
Had she thought of more conditions to add?
"You asked to transfer your status to the temple, didn't you? I haven't done that yet."
"Ah, that... Didn't you say it wasn't possible?"
"Yes. But I've come up with something even better."
I tilted my head at the unexpected reply.
Roselia, wearing an inscrutable smile, pressed her fingertip firmly on the inverted contract.
"This contract will protect you fully. Enough to shield you even if you insulted a noble outright."
My eyes widened at the staggering claim.
A commoner insulting a noble was grave indeed.
For an orphan like me with no backing, execution on the spot would leave no room for protest.
Yet this contract could safeguard me even then?
Did it bear an imperial guarantee?
"Sign this, and you'll be free from the chains of status."
"May I take a look?"
"But promise me just one thing."
I swallowed hard and nodded carefully.
"If it holds no harm for you, promise you'll sign."
"...Is that all?"
"Yes."
Roselia smiled softly.
It was a statement riddled with loopholes.
If it felt even slightly unfavorable, I could simply refuse.
I could even fabricate a reason if needed.
Yet she spoke with such confidence in the contract.
"I promise."
"You'll sign, provided it does you no harm?"
"Yes."
"Then we're good."
There was no downside for me.
Above all, personal protection was my most pressing need.
A safe haven until adulthood, where no one like the Director could dictate my life.
Securing that alone would suffice for now.
Even if it meant contracting with the world's black curtain.
'Just maintain the contract properly.'
Black curtain or not, a proper distance would prevent issues.
A formal tie I could sever without regret anytime.
As long as I toed that line, what could go wrong?
My herbs might even change her.
She'd suffered chronic insomnia for years, by the sound of it.
Good sleep alone might reduce her risk of rampaging like in the game.
"Take a look at the contract."
I carefully flipped the document Roselia handed me.
The pristine white side vanished, revealing elegant strokes of fine ink.
And at the top, in bold letters: "Adoption Confirmation."
I read the phrase aloud without a second thought.
Three seconds of silence followed.
The realization that something was off crept in slowly.
I rubbed my eyes and peered again.
Adoption Confirmation.
No matter how many times I blinked, it remained unchanged.
With trembling eyes, I scanned the clauses below.
Dense terms filled the page, but the essence was singular.
Incorporation into the Rahel Tani Count Family.
No mistake.
It was truly an adoption confirmation.
Adoption?
Me, into the Rahel Tani Count Family?
Absurd. This wasn't a contract at all.
Assuming Roselia had handed me the wrong paper, I returned it casually.
"You gave me the wrong contract."
"I did?"
Roselia extended the document again as if it were nothing.
Her casual demeanor left me blinking in stupefaction.
"Pardon...?"
"The Rahel Tani Count Family will protect your status completely. We'll play the model parents to a tee, as stated."
"Ah, no, this is..."
Her words rang true, yet belief eluded me.
Really? Seriously?
She wanted to adopt me?
Why?
Daily herbs could be arranged without fanfare. No rationale justified this extreme.
Logically, no process was even necessary.
If the Rahel Tani Count Family willed it, I'd be forced to produce herbs regardless.
Adopting me just for herbs?
This defied efficiency—it was incomprehensible.
I stared at Roselia in bewilderment.
Unlike my turmoil, she offered a cool smile and held out the pen.
"No harm to you, no matter how you slice it. Go on, sign."
"Pardon? Ah, no... this..."
"You wouldn't lie to my face, would you?"
Roselia's red eyes gleamed coldly.
It was the first time she'd fixed me with such an icy stare.
"I absolutely despise liars."
A chill killing intent pierced my skin, cold sweat beading. An indescribable pressure throttled my throat.
"Or convince me how this harms you."
I could have answered in a heartbeat. How ruinous this was.
This house would become the empire's darkest shadow, devouring countless lives.
You, its architect, would fall to the protagonist someday. Years later, your daughter would drag the empire into ruin anew.
I wanted to declare I could never join such a family.
But I couldn't voice that.
She wouldn't believe me. Worse, if she did, knowing I'd uncovered the Rahel Tani secrets could send me to the gallows.
In the end, I concealed the truth with a feeble excuse.
"Wh-what if... you abuse me like the Director...?"
Roselia's brow furrowed subtly.
Displeasure flickered in her eyes; I swallowed dryly on instinct.
"The contract pledges proper parenting. Report any abuse to the Grand Temple."
"Y-you might... lock me away."
"If you're that wary, we'll add a holy knight at your side. Satisfied?"
My jaw dropped.
Not some ordinary knight—a holy knight.
God-sworn warriors, monstrous in might beyond regular knights.
Their renown equated to daily heaps of gold.
She'd go that far to adopt me?
"No objections? Sign, then."
Roselia pressed the papers closer, urging me on.
My mind blanked. I scrambled for an out, but excuses failed me.
As she'd said, the contract held zero detriment.
An orphan's adoption into nobility was fairy-tale stuff.
Any other child would kneel in gratitude.
Without knowing the house's secrets, even I'd have signed eagerly.
"B-but... um, you see..."
Still, my quivering hand refused the pen.
Irked by my hesitation, perhaps?
"...You're making this harder than it needs to be."
Roselia sighed deeply and slammed her palm on the table.
"Refuse to sign, and the Rahel Tani family will have no choice but to be utterly uncooperative."
It bordered on outright threat.
I mustered a placating smile and attempted persuasion.
"H-how about another way? For instance—"
"Ugh, enough."
Roselia leaned in close.
Her red eyes blazed with murderous intent, freezing me solid.
"Sign, or vanish into secret confinement—no one the wiser."
"Hic... eek...!"
An uncontrollable hiccup escaped.
Her eyes narrowed further; raw survival instinct jerked my body into motion.
Tears streaming, I hastily scrawled my name and pressed my thumbprint on the adoption paper.
The instant my print sealed it, Roselia beamed and snatched the document.
"Perfect. Let's get some food."
With that, the menace evaporated. She gazed at me with what seemed genuine warmth.
"Please take good care of me from now on, daughter?"
I clutched my shivering frame, staring at her smile.
'Wh-what do I do now...?'
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