The first eting on the bed was behind us, and now it was dinnerti.
The resplendent dining hall was filled with lavish dishes and elegantly dressed individuals.
teor, however, refused to even glance in my direction, clearly displeased with my comnt about his heart-shaped lips.
I had managed to ruin my first impression with the male lead right off the bat.
When I stole a glance at him, teor noticed my gaze and pressed his lips together tightly, as if to hide them.
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
‘Ugh. Of all things, I had to ntion how his lips looked like a heart because I thought it was interesting.’
But teor acted as if I had said sothing unforgivable.
Despite being only nine years old, it seed his male pride had already been wounded.
"Hoho, how delightful that our tty and Crescent have already t," Lady Rearwin said cheerfully, causing teor to frown slightly.
“Yes. I nearly lost my new bedroom to her,” he replied dryly.
“Oh, it must have slipped my mind. But she’s practically like a little sister now, so be nice to her.”
“A little sister…?”
teor repeated the words as if they were absurd and shook his head in disbelief.
At that mont, Duke Reuben Pluto’s sharp voice cut through the conversation.
“She is rely your ward, Rearwin. Do not overstep.”
All eyes turned to the Duke. I alternated glances between him and his son, Marquis Miles Pluto.
Seeing them again, their appearances felt almost unreal.
‘They’re like the embodint of Divine Power….’
teor’s divine and radiant appearance had left speechless earlier, but his father and grandfather were just as extraordinary.
Perhaps it was the overflowing Divine Power in their bloodline.
Both n, like teor, had dazzling silver hair and serene blue eyes, yet each carried a unique aura.
Duke Reuben Pluto radiated a solemn, unapproachable dignity, while Marquis Miles Pluto exuded a saintly reverence, as if he were an apostle of the gods.
The Duke spoke again, his tone cold.
“She is rely your ward. She has no ties to the Pluto family.”
Lady Rearwin frowned slightly, glancing at before responding with an air of indignation.
“Father-in-law, there’s no need to say such things in front of the child.”
“This will be her last ti dining with us.”
‘…Ahem.’
This was what one might call walking on eggshells.
However, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Families like the Pluto Ducal House, blessed with Divine Power, tended to place great importance on bloodline. It was unlikely they would accept an orphan like as one of their own.
Even being taken in as a ward and referred to as “like a little sister” must have been grating on the Duke’s nerves.
I understood this well enough.
At that mont, Marquis Miles Pluto’s gaze landed on , and he spoke in a asured tone.
“Still, it is curious. I never thought it possible for a child resembling Rearwin to exist.”
Lady Rearwin’s face imdiately lit up.
“Right? She could easily pass for my daughter! How heartbreaking it must have been for Crescent’s parents to leave such a beautiful child behind….”
Her joy, however, was short-lived, as her eyes welled with tears, and she dabbed at them with a napkin.
Adults often reacted this way upon learning I was an orphan.
But why focus only on the parents’ heartbreak?
What about the child who lost such wonderful parents?
‘…Exactly. This poor daughter, who had to say goodbye to her amazing, kind, and incredible father, feels her heart breaking too….’
Just as I had beco an orphan, my father was practically one as well.
A somber expression naturally settled on my face.
Lady Rearwin quickly turned to with a gentle smile.
“Still, don’t worry about a thing. Your parents in heaven will rest easy knowing you’ll be well cared for here. Besides, my husband and father-in-law are usually at the Holy Palace, so you won’t have to see them often.”
She winked playfully, her words clearly intended to reassure .
It was her way of saying, Don’t worry about your disapproving grandfather—you won’t have to deal with him much.
Hearing this, Duke Reuben Pluto sternly called her na.
“Rearwin.”
But Lady Rearwin continued eating with a bright smile, unfazed.
The Duke let it slide and resud his al as well.
Judging by this exchange, it seed they had a good relationship, even if they didn’t always agree.
Taking advantage of the ntion of the Holy Palace, I cautiously brought up a question.
“By the way, do the Holy Knights… reside at the Holy Palace?”
My eyes sparkled with curiosity.
For a mont, Duke Reuben Pluto glanced at , seemingly surprised by my sudden interest in Holy Knights.
Lady Rearwin, on the other hand, lit up as if sothing had just occurred to her.
“Oh, I did promise to show you the Holy Knights training, didn’t I? Of course, we’ll go soon. It’s quite the sight to behold.”
“Thank you. Hehe….”
I bead, and Lady Rearwin’s laughter grew even brighter.
***
Dinner concluded before long.
Duke Reuben Pluto left without so much as a farewell, taking his son and daughter-in-law with him. His indifference and curt words didn’t bother in the slightest.
In fact, I felt a bit guilty.
‘I’m sorry. I am, technically, the Demon King’s daughter, but I’m here to secretly work toward his downfall. One day, I’ll make up for it by ensuring the Demon King is truly vanquished.’
Still, deceiving them left feeling uneasy.
Just as I stood to leave the table, a voice called out.
“Crescent, was it?”
“?”
I turned to see teor, who had stayed behind in the dining hall. Determined not to let my eyes wander toward his lips, I looked at him carefully.
As if sensing my unspoken question, teor continued.
“By now, you must have realized after eting my grandfather and father.”
“Realized what?”
“Don’t get your hopes up about being recognized as a mber of this family.”
I hadn’t even considered such a thing!
Was this family exceptionally good at jumping to conclusions?
I glanced around awkwardly and replied.
“I don’t have any expectations of becoming part of the family….”
“What?”
“But there’s sothing I really want. I want to beco a Holy Knight.”
As I spoke, my eyes sparkled faintly.
teor looked completely taken aback.
“What? A Holy Knight?”
Understandably, he was probably bewildered by the idea of an eight-year-old girl aspiring to beco sothing typically reserved for n.
“Do you think anyone can just beco a Holy Knight? What’s your surna, anyway?”
“Huh?”
“Your full na.”
“Oh, my full na?”
I had a fake surna prepared for occasions like this.
Using my real surna, Delight, wasn’t an option.
After all, there was a chance the truth about my father’s ti as a human could one day co to light.
Thanks to the Patron Wish Ticket, everyone in the human realm had forgotten about and my father, but rumors could still spread from the Demon Realm.
On top of that, the surna Delight was virtually unheard of in the human realm.
I gave him the fake na I had prepared.
“Crescent Dallas.”
“Dallas?”
teor furrowed his brow slightly, as if deep in thought, before speaking again.
“That’s the first ti I’ve heard that surna… It sounds like cotton candy.”
“Huh?”
I was montarily stunned into silence.
teor’s words were identical to sothing he had said when we first t during the tutorial.
‘…What’s your na?’
‘I-I’m Dallas.’
‘…Dallas. I see. It sounds like cotton candy.’
How could he say the exact sa thing?
Was it because, despite the age difference, the teor from the tutorial and the teor from this second life were ultimately the sa person?
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