How to Be a Dark Hero’s Daughter

* * *

I hummed a tune and headed to Siebel’s room.

It’s been three months since I met a guy named Nigel. Nothing happened after the incident with the blade hidden in the lipstick.

Siebel just smiled and said, ‘I see.’

But oddly enough, after that, I was given a lot more freedom. Maybe he liked that I disciplined the maids?

I opened Siebel’s door.

“Doctor!”

“Come in, Leticia. I was just playing chess.”

I sat opposite Siebel.

Siebel liked chess, and peculiarly enjoyed moving the chess pieces in front of me.

“How is it? Can you read the moves?”

Siebel showed me the chessboard. I saw the pieces spread chaotically on the board.

“Hmm… the moves are a mess. Neither the white nor the black pieces have any solid strategy.”

“Is that all?”

“No, it’s not. I’ll figure it out. I’ll find the solution in this game.”

After a while, I found a pattern.

“Oh my, this is intriguing.”

“Doctor Siebel, how did you come up with this idea? There’s a map within this chessboard.”

“Yes, that’s right. The next puzzle is this: apply this chessboard to the map and guess the strategy I devised.”

“Okay!”

I clapped in delight. The secret I discovered wasn’t the only one.

“Today is the day we receive goods.”

My only friend in the castle, Nigel, said. Ah, after the day with the maids, we truly became friends.

“Like food or clothing?”

“What?”

Nigel chuckled.

“You can put it that way.”

This castle is magnificent. Every room is filled with luxury.

One day, I touched a painting hanging in the corridor and realized it was a priceless piece by the famous painter Eternal that had been stolen decades ago.

‘Just like the paintings in the corridors, are precious items being brought in?’

I asked Nigel.

“Can I see the items being brought in?”

Nigel looked at me with narrowed eyes for a while and then nodded in agreement.

“What are these boxes?”

In the basement, Siebel’s subordinates were bustling about.

Two or three of them carried large rectangular boxes. There were already dozens of boxes stacked up.

“Why don’t you open one and see?”

Nigel suggested mischievously.

“What’s inside? A horde of rats?”

“It’d be fortunate if it were only rat corpses.”

I opened one of the closest boxes.

“Ah.”

Damn. I involuntarily exclaimed. Inside was a body, battered and bruised.

With a pale face and hands placed on its chest. It seemed like it had been dead for about two weeks. Preserved somehow, the hands were blue. Cold air rose from the box.

“One, two, three… there are about 100 boxes?”

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

Nigel laughed at my shocked expression. Truly despicable.

“Are these the people taken care of by the Doctor?”

“No, these are just props.”

“Props?”

Like props used in plays?

“These bodies were collected from all over the country. Nameless bodies that no one knows.”

Ah, I get it now.

“So, you use these bodies to disguise identities or switch them with others when needed?”

So they’re props.

“Well, there are many needs for corpses. Clients have different purposes. Some are aficionados of bodies, while others use them for more sinister reasons.”

Nigel roughly explained how the body trade works. So they’re just traded on the black market?

“What’s demanded is what’s priced.”

Nigel said proudly.

“So, you’re mediating the sale of bodies?” I frowned.

“Why so pale? Surely you’re not about to throw up over this?”

Nigel taunted me.

“I can’t stand it.”

I clenched my fists.

“Why don’t you go running to the Doctor crying?”

“I can’t stand this disorder.”

“Huh?”

“No, does it make sense to not keep a single ledger while working in such a specialized business? Moreover, there’s no household book on how and which body was sold. Look, if you change the way you trade bodies, it’s much more efficient…”

What a fascinating job! As I became more impassioned, Nigel just stared blankly at me.

“Ha, hahahaha! You’re insane! You’re really mad!”

Then he burst into laughter. Regardless of whether Nigel laughed or not, I confidently prepared an oral report on the corpse trade business and went to seek Siebel.

“If we organize it this way, we can double the efficiency.”

I explained, hoping for praise.

“Doctor, this kid’s truly crazy! Amazing. I love it. Hahaha.”

Nigel followed me, laughing and holding his belly.

“Quiet down! Instead of laughing, you should do something productive.”

When I said this to Nigel, he was taken aback. This time, Siebel chuckled.

“Nigel’s met his match, hasn’t he?”

Then Siebel looked at me and my report, narrowed his eyes, and said:

“Ah, Leticia is taking charge. Good. Let’s get involved in this.”

He looked ecstatic. Needless to say, I was also pleased with the praise.