I Became the Sea Guardian’s Adopted Daughter

Unable to hide my embarrassment, my fingers continued to fidget around the edge of the candy.

“Then, after I finish preparing everything, we’ll conduct a more thorough examination. Young Miss, please don’t overdo it in the meantime, and I recommend you stay in bed as much as possible…”

As he pleaded with me, he seemed to come to the realisation that I was a child filled with a lot of curiosity.

“When you have a hard time breathing, you should just sit down and rest here, and get Azelta to do the moving for you.”

I nodded at his words.

“Okay.”

He finally left after nagging for quite a long time.

Phew, as expected, a doctors’ nagging is too scary.

—Click.

When the door finally closed, I climbed off the shield… no, the candy I was sitting on. Azelta smiled brightly.

“Would you like some?”

“Yep!”

I’m so curious about whether this can be eaten or not!

Happy with the fact that the doctor had finally left, I nodded furiously as Azelta pulled something out of the drawer.

“A-Azelta…?”

With a big smile on her face, what she was holding in her hands was nothing but a hammer.

***

“Urk!”

Even whilst Azelta wiped the vomiting Nassia’s lips, she still couldn’t believe the situation happening in front of her eyes right now.

It was just a piece of candy. 

However, that piece of candy had caused too big a shock to the smally body of Young Miss Nassia.

Her pink hair shook weakly. She completely emptied her already empty stomach..

“…Then I won’t eat any candy for now.”

She said weakly. She looked visibly disappointed. 

A sick child.

Furthermore, that child, who did not complain one bit, kept squeezing Azelta’s heart.

“It would be a good idea for you to eat porridge for now in order to take care of your health.”

Azelta held Nassia’s hand tightly. Even her tiny hands were affected by it.

Her hand kept wrapping around Nassia’s hand, again and again. Nassia’s shoulders drooped forlornly. Upon seeing this, Azelta’s heart seemed to drop too.

“Only porridge…?”

“Yes.”

As soon as she replied like that, even Nassia’s gaze dropped down. Azelta then opened her mouth unconsciously.

“I will try my best not to only serve you porridge.”

“Huh?”

Nassia’s eyes widened in surprise, her gaze turning to Azelta.

“I’ll tell them to send you something yummy too.”

Azelta unwittingly said it without realising it herself. Even though she wasn’t a doctor, she also knew that Nassia’s ability to digest food was very weak.

She would only be able to eat meals that had been specifically chosen.

However, she couldn’t just let her eat nothing but porridge. If that was the case, then what exactly was the difference between this place and the Lebouire Barony?! 

Azelta, who had yet to realise the fact that the food she had been given during her time at the Lebouire Barony was worse than she had imagined, was set ablaze with motivation without even realising it.

“I’ll go inform the chefs and be right back!”

She even rolled up her sleeves on her way out. As Azelta was on her way out of the room, a maid in the hallway, Marie, widened her eyes in surprise.

“Miss Azelta?”

“Take good care of the Young Miss. I’m just popping over to the kitchen for a bit.”

Her expression was as determined as the one she had just before stepping into battle. 

— Click. 

It wasn’t long after Azelta had closed the door and left the room.

—Bang! Crack!

A brutal sound was heard from within the room.

 “…!”

Surprised, Azelta burst into the room, breathless.

“Young Miss!”

Then her gaze landed on Nassia, who was holding the hammer which had made the sound.

“Just what…”

The hammer was a dangerous object, so she had put it in a drawer which was high up, but she didn’t know how it had been taken out.

No, more than that, rather… 

“Are you alright?”

It was when Azelta asked. Nassia smiled brightly. 

Was it because of the light, or the blush? Those small white cheeks seemed to be full of vitality.

“It’s a present!”

What she had suddenly brought out was a piece of candy, split into portions that looked like pizza slices.

“…!”

Sparkling brown eyes, and even a tiny hand that held out a piece of candy. 

Azelta couldn’t breathe for a moment. 

The hammer was still held in the other cute and tender hand. Though it was at best, only used to straighten herself and keep her from falling off her bed.

A rough hammer in that tiny, fragile hand. 

Even the appearance of her trying to support it seemed to be painful for her arms. It seemed as if she would be swept off her feet if she kept struggling with it like that.

The moment she thought so, Azelta suddenly grabbed both of Nassia’s hands.

“This is how you hold it.”

The candy was set aside for a moment. Nassia, who was now able to grip the handle of the hammer properly thanks to Azelta, blinked.

“If you don’t hold it like this, you’ll end up dropping it on your foot.”

At Azelta’s words, Nassia blinked a few more times before smiling at her.

“Thanks!”

Azelta came to her senses after being dazed at the sight of her. 

Just what did I just teach the Young Miss? It was as if she was possessed by something.

“…Thank you for the candy.”

Azelta quickly picked up the piece of her candy. Nassia smiled prettily.

“Yep! Enjoy!”

Not only was she not disappointed at not being able to eat it, rather, she even used a hammer to share it.

Wasn’t this clearly showing how she was too mature for her age?

Azelta grabbed the candy and bowed her head.

“…?”

Meanwhile, Nassia cocked her head in confusion. 

What a kind maid.

She seemed to have known all about how to hold a hammer too.

It was a rewarding gift for all the hard work she had put into stacking the pillows. As expected, you should give presents to pretty adults!

She smiled wickedly(?) as she watched Azelta slip the candy into the front pocket of her maids’ uniform.

Anyhow, it seemed like the gift was working properly.

*** 

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.wordpress.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Acily de Lebouire. 

The eldest daughter of Baron Lebouire. She was a young lady who just turned 20 this year. 

The Duke of Ether was lost in thought as he looked through the investigation report Azelta had compiled of Acily’s personal information.

“…”

It was a mistake. It was a mistake he normally wouldn’t have made.

He had obviously thought that Baron Lebouire would be in possession of common sense.

He didn’t think it would’ve mattered whether the young lady had come from the Baron’s household, or any other household, even when the marriage offer had come in.

After all, there would be no bride who would be willing to come closer to the Sea of Fog anyway.

No matter what their status was, as long as they could come and endure the conditions here, he thought it would’ve been fine.

That’s why he had so readily accepted this marriage proposal which had come to him so easily.

In accordance with imperial law, only documents with the emblems of each family were exchanged between the two families, not the marriage vows, which would be sent after the wedding.

He had thought that the reason the bride’s name hadn’t been written there was merely to abide by the custom of writing marriage vows together after the wedding.

“Five years old.”

A five year old bride? According to common sense, he had of course thought that the one coming to be a bride would be the twenty year old Acily.

However, Baron Lebouire had very clearly deceived him. Perhaps it had been pre-arranged with the imperial family in advance.

He had to admit that he had been careless. He brought the edge of the marriage proposal to the candle.

Looking at the burning paper, he recalled the girl who had now become his daughter.

She, who had been Nassia de Lebouire, had now taken on the name of Nassia von Ether.

“An adopted daughter…”

He hadn’t had any intention of adopting a daughter, even a few days ago.

However, he couldn’t send the girl back to her family as she was.

The black staining her wrists was a clear sign of abuse. It was obvious what would happen to her if the young lady returned to the Lebouire family.

In addition, she had quickly pulled out her hand from his when he had attempted to inspect the wound.

The child’s clearly very defensive appearance seemed as if it was stabbing him deeply with an awl.

Of course, if he had ignored it, then that would’ve been the end of it.

“…”

Instead, it could’ve just ended with him accusing the Lebouire family of deceiving the Ethers and waging a territorial battle on Lebouire.

That way, House Ether’s honour would be restored, and he would once again, board a boat to the Sea of Fog.

To go and prevent the monsters from breaching the Sea of Fog.

However, strangely enough, he wasn’t satisfied with that. It was something that really wasn’t like him.

“…”

He couldn’t take his eyes off the trembling child’s eyes. Even the hand he had held for a moment had a tremor that couldn’t be hidden. A young child who came with a body that found even standing on its own two feet too tiring.

Her tiny hands and tottering steps didn’t suit this dangerous place at all. 

To him, who had grown up in the Ether Duchy’s lands, and was brought up and lived as a guardian of the barrier separating the Sea of Fog and the mainland, the appearance of Nassia was seemingly foreign to him.

The fragile appearance of a young child. However, those eyes of hers were different. Ain clearly remembered those brown eyes that looked up at him.

Sparkling eyes… As if he was holding a jewel that didn’t suit him within the palm of his hand.

So he couldn’t touch it, nor could he let it go. 

He couldn’t understand the feeling that tickled his heart the moment he met Nassia’s gaze.

“…”

It resembled the anger he was familiar with, but at the same time, it was an infinitely unfamiliar feeling.

He had wanted to try shoving his hand into that fluffy looking pink hair and ruffle it up.

Had it not been for her wary eyes, he might’ve even done that.

Those eyes were too sharp for a five year old child to have. It was the eyes of those who knew too early, the path they’d have ahead of them.

Those were not the eyes a child could have. 

Only then did he vaguely understand why he had made such an impulsive offer.

Ain von Ether. 

As the illegitimate son of the former Duke, he was someone who had gradually developed his own strength and defeated his older brother, who had constantly disregarded him, and become the heir to the Ether Duchy.

His father, the former Duke, had ultimately chosen him over his older brother for the prosperity of the family and the protection of the southern coast. 

As a result, the Ether Duchy had grown in power to the extent where they were put in check by the imperial family. However, his older brother, who had left the family, was still aiming for the Duchy.

“My older brother was too strong to be weak, but too weak to be strong.”

Duke Ether narrowed his eyes.

If the Lebouire Barony had done that to Nassia, then… 

They also seemed to be cruel to the weak, just like his older brother. The traces left on Nassia’s body were proof of that.

If that was the case, then shouldn’t Nassia be given a chance as well?

A chance for revenge. 

The power to pay back that terrible time.

“…”

He wanted to give that child the chance that he never had.

Duke Ether understood too well the young desire that yearned desperately for someone to extend a hand in help. It was a desire that had been trampled upon and buried deep within his heart.

An older brother who bore the expectations of everyone and he, who was a bastard disrespected by everyone.

He had buried the feeling of wanting someone to help him with his own two hands while drowning in his own tears one young day.

It was the day he had abruptly come to the realisation that no one would be coming to help him.

“She said she’d even be fine being a maid.”

He reflected on what Nassia had said when asked to be his adopted daughter. Even so, she must have desperately wanted to get out of the Lebouire family.

A child who already had the eyes of an adult. 

A child who was constantly on guard, with thorns surrounding her like a hedgehog.

That child had unexpectedly drawn in him, who didn’t know how to treat a child.

“…”

Although he had given her a present in order to convey his feelings of wanting to get to know her better, he wondered if she liked it. Had he conveyed his message of being her ally well?

It was when he was thinking so.

“Your Grace, it’s Doctor Delphiro.”

There was someone knocking on the door of his office. Ain pulled on the call rope silently.

Click, the sound of the door opening came along with Delphiro, who quietly entered the room and bowed his head.

“I’ve come after seeing Young Miss Nassia.”

At Delphiro’s words, Ain raised his head and looked at him.

“How’s the condition of her body?”

Delphiro bowed his head deeply.

“It is as Your Grace expected. The heart is atrophied to such a degree that performing proper functions is difficult. As if it’s been clamped down by something. We will conduct a more thorough examination later in order to see whether it’s due to psychological abuse, or if it is because of other reasons.”

Ain nodded his head slowly. There certainly seemed to be a heart problem. Delphiro continued while gauging his reaction.

“However…”

Ain raised his head again. Seeing as he was speaking cautiously, he seemed to have discovered something even more serious than the heart problem.

“It seems as if her time at the Barony was even more painful than we thought.”

Did something else happen? Ain narrowed his eyes. 

Delphiro lowered his head and said.

“She seemed to have a lot of experiences with having things taken away. She was holding a shield when I entered the room.”

“A shield?”

What shield? Ain frowned.

“Yes, it was a shield glittering with a variety of bright colours. I thought it was a toy when I saw it.”

“…”

DADDY sorry DADDY sorry DADDY sorry hALKSDFJDSF

He got a sense of what it was once he heard him say it was brightly coloured.

“Was it perhaps also covered in a paper wrapping?”

“Yes, whoever has such a strange hobby of wrapping that in paper, I don’t… know… who… it is… but…”

Delphiro’s words slowly faded away. It was after seeing Ain’s expression.

“…Is this something Your Grace knows about?”

“No, keep going.”

It was a gift he had given after receiving news that young children liked big and sweet things.

He had come to the conclusion that it would be rather burdensome if he were to personally hand it to his adopted daughter, whose eyes would tremble whenever their eyes met, so he had decided against it.

However, for some reason, the conclusion had seemed odd.

“…Anyway, she was desperately trying to cover that thing.”

“Cover?”

Ain’s frown grew deeper. Delphiro nodded his head.

“Yes. Children who have been abused or have experienced having a lot of their things stolen or taken away often display such attributes.”

“A lot of their things were stolen you say…”

Ain nodded slowly. Delphiro spoke with a serious face.

“Yes. She also seemed to be extremely wary of her surroundings as well.”

“That’s what happened.”

Ain nodded slowly. He seemed to understand. 

Nassia’s childhood  closely resembled his own. That’s why he couldn’t turn his eyes away from her.

From him to Nassia, he knew what she would need the most in her childhood.

“Call Azelta.”

He ordered. For a child who desperately wanted to protect the few things that he or she had, you just had to let them know that there would be a lot of things for them to enjoy.