How to Be a Dark Hero’s Daughter

“Are you going to meet prince Cedric? Well, now that the capital’s situation has stabilized a bit, you can date your boyfriend.”

“Pfft.”

I almost spat out.

“How did Zion know about Cedric and I dating?”

“…Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

Why are you saying the same thing as Marianne from before?

“Does my Dad know?”

“I think he has noticed but is pretending not to know. Please warn prince Cedric to be cautious. If he greets carelessly, it might blow up.”

As expected, Collen’s a human tamer.

“Indeed, we should keep it a secret for a while. Oh, please stop the carriage here.”

I signaled. Zion looked out the window.

“Are you having a date here?”

“Yes.”

I smiled and got out of the carriage.

We meet in our own way.

Today’s date location is the Mage Tower. The date activity is… just the usual.

‘The Mage Tower needs a scolding too.’

Using this excuse, they’ve completely evaded responsibility for this incident.

* * *

“Phew, thankfully everything’s been resolved.”

“If it was revealed that we were hiding the blood of the vampire for research, it would’ve been a disaster.”

“Thanks to the princess. Hehe. The Duke, being from the Mage Tower, can’t ignore us.”

The elders were in a good mood, returning from a delightful feast.

The afternoon meeting aimed to find someone to bear the maximum responsibility for this incident.

“Just find one person to blame and cut them off. Say, ‘They hid the vampire blood on their own.'”

“Ahem. Who would dare to punish our Mage Tower?”

The kingdom’s foundation was based on magical tools. Only the Mage Tower had the authority to manage them.

The Mage Tower took advantage of this, wielding power as they pleased.

“Using the princess was a brilliant idea. Everyone’s quite fond of her.”

Most of them were indeed fans of the princess. But they weren’t children.

Their admiration for the princess was fleeting.

Initially, no matter how clever a young girl was, they never saw her as an equal.

“Hehe, indeed. They’re too busy praising the princess to watch us. The Duke must’ve adopted her because she’s so useful.”

“If there were three girls like her, I’d adopt all of them. She’s so clever she’d probably overshadow a man. It seems hard to marry her off… But the naive prince seems smitten. Hehe.”

Thud.

Suddenly, the lights in the meeting room turned on.

“Pr… princess?”

Leticia was sitting in the central chair, legs crossed. Behind her stood the platinum-haired Cedric.

“Even if you weren’t invited, what brings you here?”

“I came to hear the answer about accessing the secret archives I had requested.”

“Ahem, ahem. No matter how important you are, that’s…”

“We also have confidential matters.”

At that, Leticia chuckled. Their attitudes had noticeably shifted.

“Confidential? Are you hiding a second secret weapon? You almost poisoned the entire capital. Maybe next time, you’ll show a twist by revealing a weapon that burns?”

“What, what are you talking about?”

“Such twists are quite rude. Right? So please warn us. So we’re not caught off guard.”

“No, princess. Such a young lady shouldn’t speak so harshly!”

“While we appreciate your efforts in solving the case, the Mage Tower has its own rules. A naive young lady with her lover and father’s halo on her back might not understand such matters.”

The Mage Tower members began to turn red with anger.

“Is that so?”

“Hmm. A young lady of your age, after solving a single case, shouldn’t be arrogant. You should be a modest girl fitting for your boyfriend, especially if you’re to be the prince’s consort.”

“You sure talk a lot. Thank you for your concern, but if you wag your tongue like that, you might earn the prince’s disdain.”

This time, Cedric chuckled.

“My, thank you for enlightening me with such invaluable knowledge.”

Leticia responded humbly, and the elders seemed a bit relieved.

“As a token of gratitude, I’ll give you a gift.”

“…Yes?”

“I’ll offer you an experience the Mage Tower has never had before. Cedric, please.”

Cedric nodded and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, the doors opened, and inquisitors began pouring in from all sides.

“Unannounced inspection, surprise audit, tax investigation. A 3-in-1 set. Quite refreshing, right? Experiences the Mage Tower missed out on while wielding its independent power.”

Having said that, Leticia looked at Cedric as if she had realized something.