The Duke’s Daughter Trained a Wild Beast

Chapter 3: The Ugly Duckling is a Swan?!

Translated by Perishae
Edited by Perishae

03

The Ugly Duckling is a Swan?!

It was difficult to understand Nick’s words at first.

‘What do you mean? In the original novel, wasn’t Lena’s spirit a chick? Wait, I don’t think it was exactly mentioned that it was a chick?’

I recalled the first passage in which the spirit of Lena was described. Luckily, it was a novel I enjoyed reading so I remember it clearly.

[Lena blushed shyly as she summons the spirit. Then a small ball of cotton studded with two black beans appeared. It looked like a chick.]

I finally get it, and exclaimed reflexively.

“Ah!”

‘Come to think of it. It didn’t say it was a chick! It just says it resembles a chick!’

There was scene where the chick appeared and Lena was ashamed of it, then that was already the end of it. So, no one knew if the spirit is really a chick or not.

But it was a bit strange to think of it as a bird other than a chick, so I suggestively asked Nick.

“You mean it might not be a chick? But no matter how you look at it…”

“Chicks don’t have big eyes. Besides, the beak is more pointed. It looks like a chick but if you look at it closely, it’s a little different.”

I took a closer look at my spirit again.

“Ah yes. If you look closely, it’s not a chick. It’s more like a yellow crow. I think it looks like that?”
“We should call a bird expert. I don’t think it’s the kind of bird you can easily see around.”

The color of the spirit was different, but its shape wasn’t. Perhaps, it’s just taking the form of an animal that exist in this world.

If there’s an ornithologist, we will know what kind of bird my spirit is.

Nick handed the chick to me and said,

“I’ll call a scholar tomorrow so we can check it out.”

“Yes, please.”

We decided to call a specialist, so Nick already left my room.

‘If it wasn’t a chick… Did the original Lena know about this?’

The answer came after a little thought.

‘No, she didn’t know. So she left the spirit as it is without even trying to nurture it.’

The spirit grows more and more depending on how the master strives.

However, in the novel, the spirit was only known as a ‘little cotton ball’. Lena didn’t raise her spirit at all.

She thought raising a chick would only result to a chicken so she left it alone.

‘The original Lena is unlucky in many ways. If you just shown Nick your spirit, like I did, you would know right away that your spirit isn’t just a chick… Well, I guess she’s hiding it because she was embarrassed.’

I felt sorry for her, who had only known her spirit as a chick all her life.

‘I’m glad I found out the identity of the spirit. I have to take good care of it in behalf of Lena.’

I will never leave this chick stuck in the spirit realm.

With that in mind, I closed my eyes for a moment, then it popped up again.

“But is this alright? Won’t this make things worse?”

I thought of a case where if my spirit is an eagle chick.

If it was an eagle, it’s a fairly strong spirit. Atleast, it wasn’t a spirit that I would be ashamed of.

‘The Duke’s attempt to get rid of Lena is largely due to her spirit. Because he felt ashamed that it was weak and useless. But what if he found out that it wasn’t actually a useless spirit?’

Without realizing it, the fist that was placed on my knee tightened.

‘Won’t they try to use me actively that before? Because there will be no way he will throw away a useful tool. Perhaps… they might even interfere with the selection of my marriage partner!’

It’s a natural human knowledge to sell useful things at high prices. If the Duke has such a mind, he would have preferred to engage me to the Crown Prince, than the illegitimate son, Ed.

“No way!”

I have to look like a stupid and useless daughter, so I can move freely without the Duke’s interference.

As soon as I realize this, I opened the door and shouted.

“Brother!!”

Fortunately, Nick was still a few steps away.

As I was going down the stairs at the end of the hallway, he looked back at me.

“Huh? Lena?”

“I’ve been thinking about it, but I don’t think we need to call a scholar tomorrow.”

“……? Didn’t you asked me earlier to call one for you?”

“I’m still not good at summoning my spirit. If we ever call a scholar, and I was unable to summon it, I think it would be very embarrassing.”

I hastily added the reason because I feel like he was also worried about something like that.

“And when we found out, whether if it is just a sparrow or a pigeon? Father would surely be more disappointed to hear that.”

“Ah……”

“I’ll figure it out, so please don’t call a scholar anymore, okay?”

“If you don’t like it that much, then I won’t”

Nick said he won’t call a scholar as I wished, and then he returned his castle located in the West.

Whether it is a pigeon or a peacock, I will do my best not to let the Duke find out about it.

“Phew……”

Finally, I was able to breathe the sigh of relief that I had been holding back.

***

Matheus, as always, was doing his duties as a Duke in his office. He thought it was a rather peaceful afternoon.

But,

“Oh my god!”

Along with the sound of the breaking windows in the office, the scream of the cleaning maid could be heard.

Matheus took a deep breath and looked at the window. Again, a green hawk was sitting by the window with a letter.

‘It’s like this every time.’

The green hawk was the Emperor’s spirit, called the ‘Spring Emerald’.

The Emperor’s spirit would always smash the windows every time it brings a letter.

Grrrrrrr.

Matheus’s wolf spirit growled as soon as it saw the hawk. His reaction was horrendous, as if it wants to swallow the cheeky hawk in one bite.

Matheus calmed the wolf, then order the cleaning maid, who still looked startled.

“You, go out. If there are any injuries, see a doctor.”
“Yes? Yes…… Thank you, sir!!”

The maid, trembling in front of the sudden broken window, followed his orders and left the place.

After that, Matheus summoned his faithful old butler, Ludwig, and opened the letter together.

“Whoo……”

As soon as he checked the contents of the letter, a sigh escaped Matheus’s mouth.

‘I expected it, but it’s nonsense again……”

The Emperor’s response to the request regarding Adrian’s and Lena’s wedding is good, atleast ‘for now’.

However, there were still conditions attached.

‘You’ll permit the marriage, in return, you want me to purify a soulstone mine? Besides, you won’t accept rejection?’

A soulstone, to put it simply, is a mineral with vitality.

It was also a mineral that was traded at a very high price because it is possible to increase the power of your spirit using its vitality.

However, these days, there have been incidents where someone pollutes the mine where the soulstones is mined with the use of magic.

The Emperor had entrusted him the purification of the polluted mine as a condition of allowing the marriage. But there was a problem, Ludwig, who had just checked the letter with him, pointed out the matter.

“With all due respect, the Westil Mine, which His Majesty ordered to purify, is the largest soulstone mine in the empire. It’s basically a mountain.”

“Right. I know.”

“Then Your Excellency must also know that there’s no priest in the empire is good enough to purify such a vast area of pollution.”

As he said, the Emperor’s order is too difficult that it would be impossible to fulfill it with Matheus’s power alone.

The Holy Kingdom of Yerta, the country of priests…

Will the pollution be resolved by bringing a priest from there?

Ludwig added,

“If the mine is cleared up, the ownership of the mine will be passed on to Your Excellency, and the marriage between the Young Lady and the Prince will be permitted. The Emperor must’ve promised this, while actually expecting you to fail.”

That, of course, was a known fact. Unable to bear it, Matheus gritted his teeth.

‘If you don’t like the marriage, then just say no.’

To raise such unbelievable conditions also meant that the marriage was not allowed in the end. This way of Emperor’s refusal is way beyond displeasing and humiliating.

Then Ludwig opened his mouth in a calmer manner.

“Your Excellency, this old butler dares to infer that His Majesty will continue to demand such impossible tasks. And the reason is…”

“Yes. Its purpose is to cause trouble for me.”

“Yes. So I think, we should just strongly inform them that we can’t accept these kinds of conditions.”

Ludwig is usually quiet, but this time, he had the courage to give such bold advice.

“Your Excellency is able to avoid the unreasonable oppression of the Imperial family. Still, being swayed by His Majesty’s orders every time… Isn’t that actually self-sacrifice?”

There was nothing wrong with the old butler’s words.

However, Matheus did not answer and just wet his lips with fragrant herbal tea. Only when the teacup was about half empty did he break the silence that had been piled up.

“But you know, I… I have to atone even in a way like this.”

“Your Excellency… the accident at that time is not something for your atonement.”

“No. It’s all my sin, and it’s something I have to atone for.”

Matheus dismissed Ludwig’s argument with a firm voice. Then he stroked the back of his spirit wolf, which silently standing behind him.

“The contractors and the spirits are connected by souls…… Therefore, the sins of my spirit are also mine.”

The ice wolf felt the touch of Matheus and quietly closed its eyes.

The bloodstains of innocent people buried in his fangs during the war with the demons has been long erased. But the guilt towards them still remained, and it weighed on Matheus’s shoulder.

“I have to call a priest somehow. However, the situation is a bit difficult.”

“Should I tell Lady Lena?”

“Okay. Tell her that it wouldn’t be easy to meet the guy she wanted……”

That was it, when the door of the Duke’s office suddenly opened and Lena rushed in.

“Father, I saw His Majesty’s spirit entering the window earlier. Have you already received an answer regarding my marriage?”

The Duke couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘How many years has it been? She came directly to me in person.’

Up until now, Lena has been avoiding him, and he too did not try to look for Lena.

It was the first in almost a month since hearing that Lena summoned a spirit for the first time.

‘As expected, she must have eaten something wrong these days.’

The reason why she’s suddenly getting married even though she didn’t want to and even came to see me today…

It’s difficult to pinpoint where it is, but something has changed to his daughter.

He swallowed his hard breath and opened his mouth.

“… Yes, I just got it. But……”

“Did it say that you have to purify the soulstone mine first before the marriage will be allowed?”

“……?!”

This time, The Duke couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“How do you……?”

Lena hesitated as if thinking about something, and immediately answered his question.

“I heard a rumor that His Majesty is troubled with that matter.”

“Rumor? Where?”

“It’s not important. Anyway, if that’s the case, I think I can solve it.”