How to Be a Dark Hero’s Daughter

“Lavigne, remember what you said to me last time? Why you study so hard?”

“And?”

“You might not be able to learn later.”

Lavigne’s tears stopped.

“What does it mean?”

“My dad sending me to school and paying for it is a big favor, you know? And if things change, I might not have the chance to learn like you guys. Plus, I won’t inherit anything, so I might have to work for a living later on. That’s why I want to learn as much as possible.”

“…They’ll probably marry you off to a nobleman when you’re older. With someone like you, you could marry a handsome man and become a real aristocrat.”

What is this kid muttering about?

Well, people in this world get married early, so I decided to pretend I didn’t hear that.

“…I know about that. Being a daughter of a concubine means you don’t know what the future holds.”

And I don’t want to marry the man they pick for me at home.

“…You, marry someone? Really?”

“No, that’s not it. I used to worry about being kicked out, but I know that won’t happen now. My dad is a responsible person.”

“…”

“Being a princess is probably tough, but for now, look at me and cheer up. And I’m not saying that to make fun of you. I’m just here to help for a moment.”

Lavigne’s mouth hung open.

” You said you were a gifted child? You seem really smart.”

“Really?”

Fortunately, Lavigne started to calm down.

“Did you see the tall, older sister with the same hair color as me in the audience? She was sitting right next to the king’s seat.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded my head.

“That’s my older sister, Anna. Unlike me, she’s got all our parents’ love. And she’s good at so many things. You’re like Anna.”

Lavigne blushed as she said that.

“To be honest, the reason why I wanted to do this play was to show that I’m better than Anna. The play she did before was a failure. I thought if I did well, my parents will pay attention to me again…”

I felt like I understood her heart.

“The theater festival hasn’t been held for four years. It used to be an annual event.”

Lavigne looked around and grabbed my arm with a serious expression.

“I’m telling you this because we’re friends. It’s a secret.”

Friends? I was taken aback.

“We did the same play four years ago. The Seven Princesses Going to War. Anna played the role of the first princess back then.”

I perked up my ears and listened.

“But the play was canceled. Someone died during rehearsal.”

“What?”

I raised my voice, then quickly covered my mouth.

“Shh. If the kids find out about it, there will be chaos.”

“Did the person die on this stage?”

“That’s what they say.”

Performing a play on a stage where someone died… That’s disturbing. The kids would cry and it would cause a commotion.

“What happened?”

“The person wasn’t of high status, but she was a lady-in-waiting. She was lucky to be chosen to perform at a royal event, but she fell off the stage and died during rehearsal. After that, this theater was locked up for a long time. Nobody could enter… Some say they’ve seen a weeping ghost girl here every night since then.”

I felt uneasy.

“So, if we do this well, we’ll get a lot of praise.”

“So if tonight’s event is successful, we will have revived the royal event.”

“By the way, thank you for being honest with me. Well, I have to admit that I fell victim to the invasion of the commoners.”

Lavigne looked at me as if revealing a big secret.

“I’ll recognize you as my friend.”

“Th-thank you?”

“Anyway, why did you eat so well at lunch? Was it because you didn’t know when you could eat again? What a pity. I didn’t even know.”

Lavigne’s expression was sincere.

I wanted to hit someone.

I said in a trembling voice.

“Are you asking for a beating?”

Oops, I said that out loud.

“What? How dare you say that to me?”

“What’s the point of being afraid now? Anyway, I just ate a lot because it was delicious.”

My cheeks turned slightly red. Lavigne let out a soft laugh.

“Yes. You eat like a rabbit even though you’re smaller than me.”

Lavigne belatedly pretended to be haughty. Didn’t you just almost cry?

“You only know that when you’re grown up.”

I had nothing to answer. I just shook my head.

“Anyway, let’s play and play well.”

“Sure. Okay.”

Lavigne looked at me and blushed.

“N-next time come and have tea with me.”

“Okay. I will come with the Angel.”

“You can come alone,” Lavigne said in a small voice. This time I almost laughed.

People really have to wait and see. Who knew my cheekbones would go up like this because of Lavigne?

“What are you guys talking about?”

Angel approached. Lavigne and I looked at her at the same time.

“Princess, ladies. Come on, it’s almost time for the play to start,” chief maid Claire called us..

“Let’s go now.”

We exchanged glances and went out.