Reincarnated as a Villainous Duke (37) Who Gets Condemned by His Daughter ～I Stopped Acting Like a Villain, Yet My Daughter Keeps Becoming the 'Ice Lady'～ - Chapter 05: Winning Trust

Chapter 05: Winning Trust

After returning from the “Forest of No Return” and finishing up the usual paperwork, Mildart, the steward, entered the office with a respectful bow.

“My lord, here is the summary of the orders you requested yesterday.”

“Thank you. Mildart, your efficiency and accuracy always help me a great deal.”

“I am honored by your praise.”

His eyebrows twitched slightly before he left the room.

It was obvious that Mildart still had doubts about me.

He was a capable man who had served since my father’s time, and the duchy’s management depended heavily on his skills. I needed to rebuild the trust between us somehow.

“Now then…”

I looked through the documents Mildart had delivered.

It was a summary of the direct orders Mark Stewart Blaumont had given to the three major departments: Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Military Affairs. The orders were still in my memory, but I wanted to double-check them.

As in my previous world, money was the key to everything. By following the flow of funds, you could easily figure out what an organization was up to.

The most noticeable thing was how much of the budget was allocated to the military. In a world plagued by monsters, maintaining an army to protect the citizens was a lord’s most critical duty. However, over the past few years, I had been pouring far more money into it than necessary.

Of course, most of the funds were used to improve personnel and equipment. However, some of it was spent on things like magic catapults—siege weapons. Officially, these were for dealing with monster nests, but anyone paying attention would definitely be suspicious.

“And the missing funds were covered by raising taxes, huh…”

Naturally, to support these budgets, taxes had been increased. Thanks to Mildart’s diligent advice, though, the increases weren’t severe enough to cause widespread unrest. Mildart’s competence really shone through here, and despite being a mid-level boss, it seemed I had at least some sense of balance when it came to governance.

Aside from military spending, another noticeable expense was on intelligence gathering related to the royal family and neighboring territories. Over the past few years, the number of agents dispatched had tripled. Significant amounts of money were spent on this, suggesting it wasn’t just for gathering information, but also for bribing merchants and noble families in other territories to strengthen connections. I clearly remembered giving those orders.

“In other words, it’s exactly like the game’s storyline…”

All these orders were meant to prepare for Mark Stewart Blaumont’s eventual attack on the royal capital.

“Even if I cancel the orders that haven’t been executed yet, stopping everything at once could cause more problems. Some of it is unavoidable, but as a ruler, I’d rather avoid the reputation of constantly changing my mind.”

For now, as long as I no longer have any ambitions to usurp the throne, these preparations can be left as they are without causing any problems. In fact, if the game’s storyline holds true, the invasion of the demons is about to begin, so strengthening the military is practically essential.

“Still, being a duke comes with way too many responsibilities. And all these extra problems are because of my villainous moves… I’ll just have to change things gradually.”

I sighed, thinking carefully about what I should do next.

The world I’m in now is based on the role-playing game “Orlea Old Stories.”

Since it was a multi-scenario game, there were several heroines. The most popular of them all was the cool-type heroine known as the “Ice Lady”—my daughter, Forsina.

Due to her backstory, she started off with a cold, icy demeanor. But as she journeyed with the protagonist, Prince Roax, her frozen heart gradually thawed. By the ending, she would even show a radiant smile.

The key turning point in her character development was the confrontation with her own father—Mark Stewart Blaumont—who also happened to be a mid-level boss. By condemning her oppressive father, she was able to break free from her past and start a new life.

Recalling all of this, I pushed down the urge to turn back and continued toward my daughter Forsina’s room. After much thought, I realized the priority was handling the person at the center of my condemnation problem.

The ducal mansion was enormous—from my previous world’s perspective, it was basically a castle.

I walked for about five minutes through hallways adorned with detailed craftsmanship, finally stopping in front of a room on the second floor.

I knocked on the door and said, “It’s me.” The door opened immediately.

Standing there was a young maid with bob-cut red hair. Her name was Miar, and the head maid had mentioned she was 16 years old.

Miar bowed, avoiding eye contact with me, and didn’t move from the doorway. Her attitude was a silent protest against me, apparently.

I ignored it and stepped into the room.

It was a spacious room. Even with a canopy bed, a sofa, a table, and a desk with chairs, there was still plenty of space left.

In the center of the room stood Forsina, her long, beautiful silver hair cascading down to her waist.

This was the third time I’d seen her since yesterday’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast, but her beauty was still striking. Her porcelain-white skin was flawless, and her ruby-red eyes were sharp and slightly upturned, already reflecting the intelligence of a noble. She truly seemed like a character beloved by her creator (the game developers).

As expected of the “Ice Lady,” Forsina bowed with a perfectly composed, expressionless face.

“Good day, Father. I’m surprised by your sudden visit.”

“Ah, forgive me. I just felt like seeing you.”

When I said that, her eyebrows twitched slightly.

“I don’t recall you ever saying something like that before. Has something happened?”

“With the Crown Prince’s Inauguration a month away, there are some things I wanted to confirm.”

“…!”

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift slightly.

Even Miar, who had been preparing tea, reacted to my words and shot me a glare.

“I’ll take a seat. This isn’t going to be a short conversation.”

I sat down in a chair without waiting for permission. Forsina quietly sat across from me, her movements refined and graceful. It was clear that she had been strictly trained to become a queen.

“Now, Forsina, yesterday you mentioned that you understood what your duty was and why you were raised this way, didn’t you?”

“…Yes. You raised me to marry Prince Roax. As the daughter of House Blaumont, my mission is to become the future queen and bring benefits to our family. I always keep that in mind.”

Forsina answered calmly, while the maid, Miar, silently set the tea on the table, her eyes fixed on Forsina.

“Hm. That’s true. I’ve told you that many times and raised you accordingly.”

There was no way to deny it. I couldn’t exactly say, “Actually, I only did it because the game’s storyline forced me to.”

But this situation was really bad for me. If Forsina caught Prince Roax’s attention during the Crown Prince’s Inauguration a month from now, it would send me straight down the condemnation route.

Clearly, this was something that needed to be corrected immediately.

“Forsina, I’ve been reconsidering. I no longer think you should marry into the royal family.”

“…Eh?”

My words were so unexpected that not only Forsina but even Miar froze in place.

“…May I ask for the reason?”

“There are two reasons. The first is that our ducal house has no male heir. Admittedly, that’s partly my fault for not remarrying.”

“Isn’t that because you loved Mother?”

“That’s no excuse. Regardless, because of this, you’ll need to have a successor for House Blaumont. You understand what that means, don’t you?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“The second reason is simple—I don’t want to send you away. You’ve grown up to be far more beautiful and intelligent than I ever imagined. It feels like a waste to give you to the royal family.”

“…!”

For the first time, Forsina’s usually expressionless face showed a flicker of surprise, even if it was subtle.

According to my memories, I had never shown Forsina even a hint of fatherly affection before. Hearing something so ordinary and father-like now was bound to shake even the “Ice Lady” a little.

The question was whether this would actually improve her opinion of me or not.

“…Do you really feel that I’m too precious to give away?”

“Emotionally, yes, I don’t want to let you go. I guess I am a parent after all. It’s foolish of me to only realize this now.”

“No… I’m happy to hear you feel that way, Father.”

“You’re happy? Even though I’ve never done anything fatherly for you? I know I’ve neglected you.”

“That’s not true… I’ve always lived comfortably, and you’ve been busy. I knew it would be selfish to expect more from you.”

“Forsina, that’s a very mature thing to say. But I regret not spending more time with you. I want you to understand that.”

“Father… Yes, your words and feelings make me truly happy. Happier than I’ve ever felt in my life…”

At that moment, Forsina’s expression softened, and her face lit up with a smile—like a tightly closed bud suddenly blooming into a flower.

Her smile reminded me of her ending scene in the game, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

“Fufu… Sorry, Father. I’m just so happy… I’ll keep doing my best for you. I want to be someone you need, someone you want to keep by your side forever.”

“You’re my only daughter. No matter what happens, there will never be a time when I don’t need you.”

“Yes, Father. Yes…”

Hmm, now she was smiling and starting to cry… What was she feeling right now?

Was she confused because her previously cold father was suddenly being affectionate? I hoped she was taking this positively.

“In the future, I may ask for your help with my work. So make sure you don’t neglect your studies.”

“Yes, Father. I’ll work even harder…”

Forsina began crying in earnest, and Miar hugged her gently, trying to calm her down. Miar, who was also a stunningly beautiful girl, made the scene feel like an emotional moment straight out of an anime. Was this what people meant by “precious”? I suppose so.

In any case, it felt awkward to keep watching, so I said, “Well then,” and left the room.

I closed the door and sighed. I hadn’t expected her to cry, but considering her reaction, the chance of Forsina following the game’s storyline seemed to have dropped significantly.

Still, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down just yet.