DTBTHS Chapter 38

She hurriedly checked the Duke's remarriage partner.

Leda Picaro.

'Who's that?'

An unfamiliar name. She'd never seen it in the original either.

She unfolded the enclosed letter.

The first page was full of nonsense about lonely years spent grieving after losing his wife and having his daughter taken away.

The second page was filled with a story written like a romance novel about meeting a woman named Leda Picaro and falling in love.

In summary: the Duke was remarrying, so she, his daughter and heir, must attend the wedding.

The reports from the people she'd planted contained no mention of the Duke appearing to have fallen in love with anyone.

'Is this a scheme to change the heir?'

That was her first thought.

In the original, Ariadne had been in his clutches until age sixteen, so the Duke had no need to worry about an heir.

But now she'd left the Duke's hands and was with her maternal family.

She'd even taken Elixir with her, and no matter if the Duke threatened or begged, she showed no reaction whatsoever.

It was plausible he'd conceived the idea of bearing another child to make heir in place of her who had fled.

'It's possible.'

In the original, he brought in an adopted daughter from a branch family to make heir instead, but that was only possible when there were no direct descendants.

Even if he bore a legitimate child, as the eldest daughter, Ariadne would have higher succession rights.

'Then he'll try to kill me.'

Her biological father seemed to have given up on kidnapping or persuasion and decided to kill her instead.

While Ariadne reached that conclusion, Erich, who'd finished reading the letter, grimaced.

"This is really not good."

"Indeed. Not good news."

"Will you go to the wedding?"

"No."

Ariadne shrugged and set down the letter.

"It's obvious he's calling me to the wedding as an excuse to pull something, so why would I go?"

Erich grinned and thoroughly messed up her hair.

"Our skeleton is smart and sharp too."

"Don't touch my hair. You're making it all messy."

"I'll brush it for you again."

"Isn't there an option where you just don't touch it in the first place?"

"If I mess it up and then brush it, I get to stroke your hair twice. Why would I make such a stupid choice?"

"So why do you want to stroke my hair so badly in the first place?"

"You really don't know?"

"I do, but if I'm so cute, express it with allowance instead of messing up my hair."

When Ariadne held out her hand nonchalantly, Erich burst into boisterous laughter.

"Ah, really, you get more adorable every day."

Giggling, he pulled out a gold coin and placed it on her palm with a thunk.

"Here, cuteness appreciation."

"Thank you, brother."

"Only 'brother' at times like this."

"If you stop calling me skeleton, I'll call you brother all the time every day."

"I don't want that though. Let me brush your hair."

Erich pulled out a brush and sat her in a chair. He skillfully brushed her hair while asking:

"But skeleton, why do you ask for allowance when you have so much money? You're rich."

"Money and allowance are different. And I'm not just rich. Please say I'm a suuuper duuuuper enormously rich person."

Erich looked at his sister's rosy earlobes as she answered primly, and her legs swinging happily beneath the chair.

This child, while pretending otherwise, was tremendously pleased by even trivial displays of affection.

It wasn't the money that mattered—she was happy to receive a gift from family.

'She really is adorable.'

He wanted to give her allowance every single day.

He asked innocently:

"Money is money, what's the difference?"

"What I earned myself versus what I received from others obviously feels different."

"Aha, so you're overjoyed and beside yourself because this is money given by the future great mage you respect and the brother you love?"

"...Want to take this back?"

"No thanks."

Erich laughed cheerfully.

Ariadne entered the Phantom Library carrying a basket of cookies.

Pie, who'd been reading a book while leaning against a pile of cushions, exclaimed and jumped up.

"Wow, big welcome! Hooray!"

"For me, or for the cookies?"

"Both! Wholesale welcome! Pie doesn't play favorites!"

Pie smiled brightly and accepted the cookie basket.

The small child was exactly the same as when they first met. While Ariadne grew rapidly, Pie hadn't grown at all.

The differences were that Pie now tied the flowing silver hair with a yellow ribbon, and wore various clothes Ariadne brought, changing them at whim.

'Now Pie constructs sentences well when speaking, and can use polite language too. The speech patterns are still a bit awkward though...'

She watched the small child nibble cookies contentedly, then approached the bookshelf.

When she familiarly pulled out the ten-volume novel, Pie tilted her head curiously.

"Question, what is Ariadne curious about?"

"Mm, I'm trying to find if a mage named Leda Picaro appears."

"Leda Picaro, no results, absent. The name Leda Picaro does not appear in 'the original.'"

"Really? I thought so."

Ariadne set down the books without regret.

She'd nearly memorized the original herself by now, but not to Pie's degree.

At some point, Pie had begun memorizing books perfectly, not missing a single word.

Pie could immediately answer which sentence was on which page and line, or how many times a specific word appeared in a book.

She sat down beside Pie and asked:

"What about in other rooms? Have you seen it?"

"Past, present, never seen. Future, unknown. Books not yet seen, lots, full, mountains. I suspect there may be no end."

Pie lowered the hand holding a cookie and added glumly:

"Information about Gloria Weaver's death also, continuous failure. Undiscovered. I am sorry to Ariadne. Retrying repeatedly. Continuing research."

Ariadne felt slightly disappointed, then quickly composed her expression.

"It's fine. The information might not exist in the first place. Even if you can't find it, don't worry too much."

"...Okay."

She put a cookie in dejected Pie's mouth and showed a smile. Only then did Pie's expression brighten.

She'd requested information about her mother four years ago.

Since Veronica's information had been found easily, she'd thought her mother's would be found easily too.

But this was the result.

Though Pie had been reading through the Phantom Library's books for four years searching for things about Gloria Weaver, there were still no clues.

The Phantom Library wasn't omnipotent, it seemed.

'But it's still a cheat code.'

The more books Pie read, the more information could be answered immediately.

Monster characteristics, geography, labyrinth subjugation records, item usage methods, explanations about families and organizations, and so on.

For Ariadne's sake, Pie was prioritizing reading books written in El script first, so information was accumulating rapidly.

'I received a lot of help from Pie about the Chess Association too.'

Based on information from the original and information Pie searched, Ariadne was smoothly advancing the protagonist's growth.

'Though I don't know what Axel himself thinks about it.'

After Axel Valentine became Aeon Flare's master at twelve, all sorts of requests for him poured in from the Association.

As his master, Ariadne had rejected many of them.

Cruel missions that required killing other pieces, murdering innocent people, or learning and executing human torture methods.

She'd also removed all meaningless and humiliating missions related to gambling.

Among what she excluded were missions that appeared in the original.

Making him join mercenary companies to sabotage from within, or enter subjugation forces to betray them, and so on.

Missions that built grudges, ruined reputation, and negatively affected his personality.

She'd cleverly substituted such things with different missions.

Instead of betraying, cooperating then making deals, for example.

'Persuading members to change request contents would have been difficult in various ways without the Phantom Library's information. I might have had to refuse unconditionally.'

Despite her efforts, the missions she gave Axel were always harsh.

Testing limits, driving into extreme situations, making him fight overwhelming opponents.

She made him obtain everything the original protagonist had obtained.

'Youngest Knight rank in the Chess Association at sixteen. Even though I removed many missions, it's similar to the original.'

If she had him take the Rook promotion examination next year as planned, then extracted him from the Chess Association when he's betrayed later, "Adrian Black's" role would end.

After that, the adult protagonist would manage on his own.

'Let's be careful and do well until then.'

Ariadne examined the protagonist growth plan she'd made herself, checking the next mission.

She kept it stored in the Phantom Library since it would be disastrous if anyone else saw it.

While she gauged the timing for the next mission, Pie finished the cookie basket cleanly and stood up.

"Additional search, Leda Picaro. I'll be back."

"Don't overdo it, and thank you."

"Ariadne also take it easy, relaxed, leisurely. Health is important!"

Pie smiled broadly, hugged Ariadne, then stood.

She waved as she watched the white child disappear beyond countless glass walls.

Duke Eldier held a modest wedding ceremony.

Ariadne did not attend.

People who knew the Duke had lost custody considered the young duchess's absence natural.

The Duke also only sent a couple letters of protest with no other movements.

Anticlimactically for how Weaver House and Ariadne had been on guard, there were no assassination attempts or anything.

Several months passed that way, then subjugation season arrived.

The period when large-scale subjugation was conducted in advance before winter made hunting or marching difficult.

In the midst of busy subjugation preparations at Snowstorm Castle, a sudden visitor arrived.