How to Be a Dark Hero’s Daughter

Two Beads and the White Wizard’s Tomb

The wind whispers gently.

Cheeks are soft.

‘Hmm. I feel good.’

Leticia slowly opened her eyes.

Before her eyes was a table reflecting the gentle sunlight, piled high with letters and parcels.

‘Ah, I must have dozed off for a moment.’

Leticia rubbed her eyes.

She was in a pure white gazebo placed in the middle of the garden.

Inside the gazebo was a long chair with a soft cushion, and Leticia was reclining on it.

“Yawn.”

Leticia stretched and sat up.

‘I’ve been having strange dreams lately, but I slept well for a change.’

Leticia thought.

‘Coming back home must have relaxed my mind.’

Leticia had just returned to the capital after a long journey of two years.

Two years of traveling. Many things had happened during that time.

‘Either catching murderers with Collen, helping wrongly accused people with Jade, or even getting involved in power struggles while visiting the temple of Marianne…’

There were several incidents that she managed to resolve.

Of course, it wasn’t only family who accompanied her on the trip. Naturally, Cedric was with her too.

‘Come to think of it, the purpose of the journey was originally to spend quality time with Cedric, away from the world.’

But as expected, that wish didn’t come true.

‘My family, always following us on our trips to keep an eye on us, saying that Cedric and I should never travel alone.’

Thanks to the cases solved during the trip, Leticia’s fame grew even more.

The eccentric Duke’s family became even more legendary.

‘But Cedric, he was always sweet throughout the trip, never showing any anger, even under my family’s watchful eyes.’

Rustle.

Someone approached, stepping on the dry branches and fallen leaves in the garden, dampened by last night’s rain.

“Cedric?”

Cedric approached Leticia in his inquisitor uniform, which she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Leticia.”

Leticia’s face lit up.

She gestured toward Cedric.

“How did you know I was in the garden?”

“I thought you might be outside since the weather’s nice.”

And Cedric smiled.

‘Ah, he’s dazzling.’

Even seeing his face daily, she couldn’t get used to his handsomeness.

Young Cedric in his twenties.

Broad shoulders, a solid body, and angelic beauty. Calling him handsome now felt like an understatement.

Cedric walked lightly into the gazebo. Leticia offered him a seat.

“How are His Majesty the King and the Queen?”

“Yes, they seem a little upset but also happy that I’m back after such a long time.”

“You should spend more time with your family. You came straight to our house again.”

“Moments when we can be alone are rare,” Cedric replied.

“Oh, right. Today both my Dad and Jade went out.”

“Didn’t they say they went out for territory business?”

“That’s their excuse.”

“Excuse?”

Picking up one of the many letters stacked on the desk, Leticia spoke.

“They said they went to the local territory, but they lied and went somewhere else.”

“Evidence?”

Speaking as if she was casually mentioning the breakfast menu, Leticia said.

“The absence of both men and the absence of our butler Zion.”

“That’s interesting. Go on.”

“Usually, when Collen goes to the local territory, he takes the carriage about 5 minutes late. But today, the coachman wasn’t lingering around the main gate. He took the carriage precisely on time. Ah, he usually finds the southern countryside boring, so subconsciously, he always changes the carriage schedule.”

“And what does the butler Zion have to do with this?” Cedric asked.

“Today, neither Jade, Collen, nor Zion is in the mansion. It’s obvious you’d come. But my Dad doesn’t like leaving us alone.”

“…So there’s a high probability that he left Zion behind to chaperone and watch over us. But that’s not the case?”

“Yes.”

Leticia nodded.

“If that’s the case, there’s only one answer. Zion went down instead of Collen to look into the territory matter. And Collen went with Jade for ‘another important task’. A task so important that he had to travel with Jade.”

Cedric nodded with interest.

“What kind of task would be so important that the two of them would have to go themselves?”

Leticia picked up the newspaper.

[The Tomb of the white wizard: The tomb of the ancient evil wizard Kondan discovered.]

The article was the headline.