The Saintess Became the Northern Grand Duke’s Daughter - Chapter 11

Liriette was very surprised when she first saw the Duke in her previous life. Because he was the biggest she had ever seen.

 

And now, back as a 10-year-old, he looked much taller than he did then.

 

Even though he was at the far end of the table, it felt like he was right in front of her.

 

“Is it good to have a big body?”

 

The Duke’s eyes widened slightly at the question he had never heard before. He said, swallowing a piece of steak.

 

“It’s good. Especially when dealing with monsters. It takes a lot of strength to stop them from moving any further.”

 

In response to Liriette staring at him, the Duke added a word uncharacteristically.

 

“Above all, I like being able to look down at whoever is in front of me. I feel terrible when I look up at someone.”

 

Simon, who was standing on one side, was stunned at the words, which were harsh enough for a 10-year-old girl to hear.

 

‘Your Grace. If you say that, Miss Liriette will get scared!’

 

However, contrary to Simon’s concerns, Liriette’s light blue eyes shone brightly.

 

“If I eat a lot of meat, will I be able to grow as big as the Duke?”

 

There seemed to be no choice. Because when the Duke was 10 years old, he was twice as tall as Liriette now.

 

But instead of ruthlessly destroying the child’s hopes, the Duke nodded.

 

“Northern children are much bigger than children in other parts of the country. It’s because we eat meat every day. So, if you want to grow too, eat meat diligently.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Liriette nodded with a serious face.

 

Actually, Liriette’s stomach was full a long time ago. Before, she would have put the fork down right away.

 

Yet with a determined face, she forked a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.

 

After filling both cheeks, the Duke, who was looking at the mumbling Liriette, also popped a piece of meat (much bigger than the one Liriette had eaten) into his mouth.

 

There was a hint of satisfaction in his cold eyes.

 

 

All of the food piled up like a mountain on the table was gone before she knew it.

 

Although more than 90% was eaten by the Duke, Liriette did her best as well.

 

‘Hehe, I didn’t leave any food.’

 

Liriette smiled proudly, yet that smile disappeared at Simon’s words.

 

“I will bring in the dessert.”

 

Liriette was taken aback.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so full I can’t eat any more…”

 

However, soon, Liriette stopped talking.

 

It was because of the strange food placed in front of her.

 

Pure white and immaculate cream in a clear glass. A lot of colorful star-shaped sugar was sprinkled on top of it.

 

Simon smiled and said.

 

“It’s called ice cream. It’s a special dessert that exists only in the North.”

 

Ice cream. What a cute name.

 

Liriette’s cheeks lightly flushed.

 

Simon said with his eyes widened like a tempting fox.

 

“Even if you’re full, have a bite. There’s always a separate stomach to digest sweet desserts.”

 

She stared at the ice cream and bowed her head.

 

“I’ll enjoy this.”

 

Then she took a bite of ice cream with a small spoon and put it in her mouth.

 

“…!”

 

She ate a lot of cake the past few days. Thus she thought she had gotten used to the sweet and mellow taste to some degree.

 

But ice cream is completely different from cake.

 

Something incredibly cold, sweet and soft melted as soon as it entered her mouth.

 

‘Yummy!’

 

Liriette started eating ice cream with a slightly teary face.

 

The Duke, who was sitting across from her, stared at Liriette.

 

It was the face he had been curious about the whole time his eyes couldn’t see.

 

Liriette looked very happy.

 

Though it’s just ice cream.

 

It was a funny scene.

 

But that looks strangely…

 

‘Cute.’

 

Maybe it’s because the child was eating white, fluffy ice cream that looked exactly like her.

 

Or is it because of the way the child carefully and sparingly ate the small-sized ice cream?

 

The Duke tilted his head and looked at the ice cream in front of him, then scooped out a spoon and put it in his mouth.

 

Seeing that, Liriette widened her eyes.

 

‘Every time I eat cake, the Duke only drinks tea, so I thought he didn’t like sweet things…’

 

It was as Liriette thought.

 

The Duke would eat just about anything, but he didn’t like anything overly sweet, like cake or chocolate.

 

Yet when he saw that Liriette was eating so deliciously, he wanted to eat it all over again.

 

‘As expected, it’s nothing special. Just an obvious lump of sugar.’

 

A small voice came towards the Duke who had lost interest.

 

“Do you like ice cream?”

 

The moment he saw Liriette’s sparkling eyes, the Duke noticed.

 

If he answers no, he doesn’t know why, but he thinks she’ll be disappointed.

 

So the Duke involuntarily nodded.

 

“Kind of.”

 

At those words, Liriette clasped her hands together and smiled broadly.

 

As if she found a common ground between someone with whom she was awkward with.

 

“I like ice cream too. I tried it for the first time today. It became my favorite food after cake, no, as much as cake.”

 

Looking at Liriette talking with a flushed face, strangely, this damned sweet taste felt quite pleasant.

 

So the Duke ate an entire bowl of ice cream and added three more.

 

Looking at the giant man holding a small spoon with a cold expression and eating ice cream, Liriette thought.

 

‘I don’t think the Duke is as scary as I heard.’

 

Liriette lowered her head with a more relaxed face than when she started eating.

 

“Thank you for the meal, Duke. Thank you for allowing me to have such a delicious meal.”

 

“Enough. The one to greet is me, not you.”

 

The Duke immediately got to the point.

 

“You healed my eyes. In return, I’ll give you anything you want. What do you want?”

 

“…”

 

At that moment, Liriette’s face changed.

 

The naive look of being happy with one ice cream disappeared, and it became a serious look at negotiations.

 

It occurred to the Duke that the little girl might not simply want money or power.

 

She said, with a determined face.

 

“Please let me stay in this castle.”

 

The Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly at the unexpected content.

 

Looking desperate, she continued.

 

“I’m not asking you to treat me as politely as you have done. You just need to move me to a smaller room and feed me just enough to not be hungry. I will work hard too.”

 

Liriette didn’t grow up like a lofty princess in a temple. She had to do a lot of labor amidst the violence of the High Priest and the scolding of the priests, so there was nothing she couldn’t do.

 

“I’m good at washing and cleaning. I can also read and write. It will definitely come in handy.”

 

“…”

 

However, the blue eyes of the Duke looking down at her were infinitely calm.

 

Liriette bit her lip, a hopeless look on her face.

 

‘I’m no ordinary child.’

 

She was a child whom the High Priest cherished and praised as the child of the goddess all over the world.

 

Even the Duke of Windsorais, the most powerful person in the Empire, had to pay a huge amount of money to summon Liriette to this castle for a while.

 

To have such a child stay in the castle meant that he had to negotiate with the High Priest.

 

Even as a duke, it was never an easy task.

 

‘Anyway, I’ve healed the Duke’s eyes. He can refuse my tricky request and pay the price moderately to end the deal. but…’

 

After a moment, the Duke nodded with a blunt face.

 

“I get it.”

 

It was the same answer as in her previous life.

 

Liriette’s face, which had been hardened in fear, relaxed.

 

She smiled brightly, looking like she would cry at any moment.

 

“Thank you, Duke, thank you very much!”

 

“…”

 

“I will work really hard. So that the Duke won’t regret having me by your side.”

 

The reason the Duke listened to Liriette wasn’t for goodwill, but only to pay the price he had promised.

 

Even so, the Duke felt a strange feeling when he saw Liriette bowing as if she had received a great favor.

 

‘My heart feels strange.’

 

It feels ticklish and itchy…

 

The duke slapped his firm chest with an expressionless face.

 

***

 

Words like thunder from the blue sky were delivered to the High Priest who was handling the gold coins he received in return for sending Liriette to Windsorais Castle for a while.

 

The High Priest opened his eyes and asked.

 

“What, what did you say?”

 

Villaim, a subordinate of the Duke of Windsorais, replied with a blunt face.

 

“It seems that you didn’t hear me, so I’ll say it again. Miss Liriette requested to stay at Windsorice Castle, and His Grace granted it. From now on, Miss Liriette will be taken care of by His Grace the Duke of Windsorais.”

 

The High Priest screamed loudly.

 

“Nonsense!”