Being the Demon Lord’s Daughter Is Boring, So I Escape to Become an Adventurer!

Me… Damien’s daughter? How could that be?! I barely resisted springing out of my seat.

“W-why would you think that?”

“Yes—! Um, because you both share silver hair… and the Duke seems to be very fond of you…”

I somewhat understood the hair color part, but fond? How in the world was he fond of me? Ever since coming here, I’ve only seen him twice a day, and rather than speaking with me, he teases me instead. Was that the way humans showed affection to each other?

“I don’t think the Duke is fond of me.”

“Ah… err..” Laura was at a loss for words.

“It is true, Little Miss. The Duke has been acting differently as of late. All of the servants are in an uproar due to this, and it can only be explained by your arrival,” said Farel.

“That’s right! The Duke normally never visits the kitchen or garden, but in the last couple of days he has visited both. The chefs and gardeners who the Duke spoke with were shaking their legs!”

I still had trouble understanding what they were getting at. “Umm, but what does that have to do with me?”

“To be honest, we’re not sure either. What we do know is that the Duke requested changes to the meal courses and the types of flowers grown in the garden. As for why… no one has been able to figure that out.”

Wait.

My eyes widened from speculation. There was just no way that what I was thinking could’ve been true. But… has Damien been secretly tending to me this entire time? The meals, the desserts, the flowers in the bath—were those all arranged by him?

No no no. That didn’t make any sense. How could he have known about my preferences? I belonged to the deepest part of the Nether. I was a demon while he was a human. We were different in every way, and that meant it should’ve been impossible to even guess what I liked.

I couldn’t help but feel that he knew too much about me. Chills went down my spine as I was unable to process the origin of his knowledge.

Worst case scenario: he was actually my father.

I immediately shook away that thought.

“—Little Miss… Little Miss? Are you okay?” Laura spoke softly near my ear.

“Ah… yes, I’m fine.”

“There’s only half an hour remaining. If we don’t hurry, the Little Miss will be late,” Farel said.

Laura’s eyes narrowed from increased concentration. While she was curling my hair, Farel was picking out accessories from a small jewel chest.

“What do you think of these, Little Miss?”

Resting on her two palms were a necklace and a bracelet, both of which were polished and intricately designed. At this point, I had already given up on questioning the point of wearing such finery.

“I like them.”

“Okay. Laura, how long for the curls?”

“Done!”

“Great. Help me put on her bracelet. I’ll handle the necklace.”

“Okay.”

The two of them deftly cooperated to have me ready in time. As I wasn’t used to this over-the-top preparation, I tried to minimize my movements. Back in the castle, I would wear casual dresses and at most a hair tie or two. I would be ready in minutes compared to the hours spent here.

“Little Miss, we have finished,” Farel said. “Please let us know if we have made any mistakes during the preparations.”

When I stood up to face them, Farel and Laura were bowing towards me. Their excessive formalities made me feel uncomfortable.

“I have no complaints, and there’s no need to bow.”

“I apologize, Little Miss. As an honored guest, we must treat you with the utmost respect,” said Farel.

“Yes. We are happy to be of service!” Laura was smiling brightly.

“Thank you both again.”

The two of them gave me one last look.

“Oh, my goodness. The Duke will certainly be enchanted.”

“Yes yes!”

I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t answered their earlier question. The problem was that I didn’t have an answer anymore. I couldn’t strike away the possibility that Damien had ties with my father.

As I was being escorted to the dining hall, my heart started beating faster.

✦✧

Upon reaching the dining hall, I was still ten minutes early. Abel had been waiting at the entrance, and he opened the large doors for me. Stepping inside, I saw that Damien was already seated at the table. Recalling the courtesy training I had received from Miss Tarotte, I curtsied before giving him my greeting.

“Good evening, Duke Hazel. Thank you for the invitation.”

Full of silence, his sapphire eyes gazed at me as he rested a cheek on his fist.

Abel led me to my seat which was positioned in front of Damien. After being seated, I started feeling wary of him and could no longer look up. All of my earlier thoughts had assailed me at once and I began to shiver. My hands were tightly held together under the table as I repeatedly gulped.

“Are you feeling ill?”

Hearing his voice made me wince. I wanted to reply but my lips wouldn’t budge. My eyes were fixed onto the table and my appetite had disappeared.

“Abel.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Summon the doctor. Now.”

“Understood.”

Damien stood up from his seat and made his way over to me. He kneeled down at my side.

“Camay, tell me what’s wrong.”

I realized that this was the first time he had called me by my name. His tone was sharp and cold. The questions I wanted to ask him were simple, but I was unable to open my mouth. All I could do was turn to look at him.

“…”

…Why did he save me? Why was he going out of his way for me? How did he know so much about me? And why did I feel such sorrow from looking at him?

“It’ll be fine,” he said.

Damien slid an arm under my legs and carried me. My head rested against his chest as he started leaving the dining hall.

Along the hallway, a small group of maids noticed us and goggled while covering their mouths. I struggled in an attempt to make him put me down, but instead he tightened his embrace. As he was much stronger than me, there was no way I could’ve broken free. I buried my face into his warm chest to avoid making eye contact with anyone else we passed by.

“Master, the doctor will be arriving momentarily.”

Damien carried me to my bedroom. After laying me flat on the bed, he covered me with a blanket. I stared at his back as he was leaving the room.

After having caught up with what had happened, I tugged the blanket over my head before rolling around in shame.