That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Goblin Girl Chapter 25 (Patreon)

SLAM!

“I knew it!” Damien yelled, storming into grandfather’s office several days later after the arch-priest came to check on me. “I knew that thing couldn’t be the heir!” His malice was directed straight at me, with no intention of hiding.

“Damien, you truly do not know the value of proper etiquette, do you?” grandfather asked, not even bothering to look up from his paperwork to look at him. “I don’t believe that I invited you here today. Care to explain why you’re storming into my office?”

“You still refuse to look me in the eyes after everything you've done to me!” Hmm, now that I think about it, he did look a bit skinnier and less sophisticated than he did three years ago. Did something happen to him?

“I don’t believe that I understand. You refuse to answer my question and act like a fool in front of your great-niece. As an adult, you should think about how your attitude affects those around you. Try to act like a proper adult and speak to me with respect. Despite you being my nephew, I am still a Duke.”

“My attitude? Look at her, she doesn’t even care that I’m here!” he yelled ignoring what he was just told. He pointed at me while I was busy snacking on some macarons while practicing my drawing skills. It was probably best that I stayed out of this, besides, I think I was getting pretty good at drawing, and I wanted to concentrate. I could finally draw a straight line. It was still a bit clumsy looking, but it was still a straight line.

“She’s a child. Damien, you are an adult, act like one if you wish to be taken seriously,” Grandfather said, putting his pen down. “She has the right not to pay attention to this. Do you expect her to be acting like those women that you spend your nights with? Now, do you care to act like an adult, or will you continue to act like a child?”

“You dare!?” Damien was furious, yelling so loud that I lost concentration and almost messed up my entire drawing. Hmmph! I knew how to get back at him for this. “You have no right to get into my private affairs!”

“…” Grandfather stayed silent, showing that he didn’t need to say anything from what he had just heard. How could this guy openly yell about him cheating on his wife in front of a child?

“Uncle, after everything I’ve done for this family, you still chose that thing over me. When I had the title of the heir, I created multiple businesses under the Vst family name, gathered nobles who supported my claim, and I had even proved myself to the King and Queen. But despite this, you don’t seem to care. I’ve never been good enough for you!”

“After you took the title from me everything changed. Several of my business is now going bankrupt. Barely any other nobles will talk to me, and the royal family won’t even grant me an audience. Why do you insist on ruining everything I’ve accomplished!?”

“… Is that how you see it?” Grandfather didn’t seem worried about Damien's words. In fact, he looked calm. And to be honest, it was like listening to a spoiled child that got his toy taken away from him. I was a child, yet you would never see me act like this.

“I assume that you didn’t know the truth of these so-called accomplishments of yours. First, those businesses were started using the Vst family name, allowing you to gain customers that trusted our family. Second, most nobles are greedy fools. They would have easily changed their attitude towards you even if Sara had been chosen as the heir. Your accomplishments mean little to them so long as they can have the house of Vst at their beck and call.  And third, when considering the royal family, it is not my right to speak for them. They will decide who they see as worthy. Whether it be you, me, or some random kid from the slums, they are the ones that decide.”

“The reason why things have changed for you during these past several years was not because you lost the title of heir. It’s because of your character. I may have taken away the title from you, but I never did anything to hinder your business or your status in high society. That happened because of your own incompetence. You’ve had three years to show me and everyone else what you could do without the support of the Vst family name, but I have yet to see any results. In fact, as you have said yourself, you’re starting to lose support. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

“What!? Don’t you dare look down on me!” Damien yelled, still unable to stay calm when grandfather spoke the truth to him. “I have done everything for this family! The seat of the heir belongs to me, not some girl that can’t even use magic!”

“That’s right, everyone in high society knows about her weakness now, and no one will support her. Soon they’ll see the truth that I am the only worthy heir! So stop wasting my time and give me the title back!”

How could he be so obsessed with a title? Did he really desire power that much? Couldn’t he just be happy with what he had already?

“Sigh~. And here I thought you knew better. One’s value is not measured by their magical ability but rather by their character. I could have sworn that your father taught you that before he died. It would seem that I was wrong. To be honest, I had hoped I wasn’t.

Grandfather looked stressed as he spoke. He must have thought about this much more than I had thought.

“My father was weak, and that’s why he died. Having a moral character means nothing when it comes to power. And that’s why your son died as well because he was a weakling! But I’m still alive because I am strong! I am the only one that is fit to inherit your title!”

CRINKLE!

I saw my grandfather crumble the piece of paper underneath his hand as a pained expression was etched across his face. He never talked about our family members that died. It must have hurt him to him this. How dare Damien talk about them as if they were nothing. What kind of monster was he?

If this continued, grandfather would do something he wouldn’t be able to go back from.

“You little-“

“Grandpa! I drew a picture of you!” I yelled, jumping to my feet, running around Damien, and straight over to grandfather's lap. Damien’s words were too cruel. How could he say that about his own father?

Both he and grandfather lost so much, but only grandfather seemed to learn from it. Grandfather made mistakes, but he didn’t deserve to listen to this. He deserved to be happy.

“…Hmm? What is it?” grandfather asked me, taking a second to realize that I had moved, taking his attention away from Damien and giving it to me. I was lucky; any second later, Damien might have been on the receiving end of grandfather’s fist or, worse, his sword.

“It’s us~!” I happily said as he lifted me up onto his lap so I could display the picture on his desk. “That’s you because you’re bwig and strong. Auntie Sara is pretty but strong as well, so I gave her a dress and sword. Then dere’s Sola and Tully. Lena is behind them like a mommy bear~! And I’m in the middle because you all love me so much~!”

“Of course, we do, sweetie. This drawing is wonderful,” he said, patting my head, claiming himself down. “We should have this framed. I’m sure that everyone else will agree.”

“Are you serious!? We're in the middle of a discussion, and you let yourself get distracted by that! That drawing is crap! I can’t even tell what I’m looking at!” Damien yelled, insulting the drawing that I spent a lot of time and effort to create. “I’m trying to have a conversation here, not pay attention to some snot-nosed brat! Tell her to leave. I don’t want to see her ugly face any longer!”

“…It’s…. it’s not good?” I asked, frustrated that he would call it crap. I wanted to scream at him, but in the end, I couldn’t hold myself back from crying. “Wahhhh~!!!”

“No, it’s a great picture. Damien here just doesn’t understand good taste,” grandfather said, rubbing my head to calm me down, though the tears still remained.

“Uncle, this is ridiculous! Just look at her. She can’t even take criticism! There is no way that she can be the heir! She’ll never be able to handle herself in high society!”

“Damien, she is a child. All she needs to do is grow up in a safe environment. She can learn everything else at her own leisure. The fact that you continue bringing up her age worries me for your own sanity. Competing with a child, such things should be beneath you.”

“Uncle! The vassals agree that I should be the heir! Not her! She’ll die with her amount of mana anyway! Return the position of heir over to me!” Damien yelled, not even bothering to weigh his words before speaking.

“Damien, I don’t care what you heard about her levels of mana because that does not matter. Her health is of no importance to you. And even if she does end up not being able to be my heir, that position will never belong to you after this. You have proven that you don’t have the capability nor the mental fortitude to handle being the heir.”

“What!? You can’t do that! If not me, then who!? Sara!? She won’t be able to inherit the title! You have no other choice but to give it to me!

“I will give it back to the king. It is my right, as Duke, to release my title back to the royal family. As for my properties, business, and land, those will be distributed to Sar and Illya if need be,” he said, not willing to even humor Damien’s demands to take what wasn’t his.

“Damien, you have done this to yourself. Use this as a lesson and better yourself from it. Think about what you still have and rebuild from here.” His words were stern, but I could hear the sadness in his voice as he talked. Damien might be a rude jerk, but he was family. It must have pained him that Damien turned out this way.

“This won’t stand! I won’t let this happen! I won’t give up what’s rightfully mine for that thing!” he yelled, still refusing to accept the last bit of kindness given to him. “Mark my words, uncle, you will pay for refusing my claim. I will not rest until I have what is mine!

Without even saying goodbye, he stormed out of the room without another word, making me worried about what he would do.

“… Grandpa, did I do something bad?” I asked him. I didn’t really care about the right of succession. As long as I could live peacefully like this, then there was nothing else I could ever desire.

“No sweetie, you did nothing wrong. Damien is just acting out because he didn’t get what he wanted,” grandfather said to me. “You just need to make sure not to grow up like him.”

“Hehehe~! I won’t!” I happily said, jumping down from his lap. “Grandpa, can we go show Auntie Sara and the others my picture?”

It was better to leave things as they were. I didn’t have to worry, for the same reason that I didn’t have to worry for the last three years. Grandfather would protect me no matter what. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be safe.

“Of course, we can. I’m sure that they’ll love it,” he said taking my hand and leading me towards everyone else.

Over the next several days, I was able to forget about the events that happened with Damien. He could cry all you want, but in the end, he never had the power to do anything. I was actually beginning to enjoy myself until another nuisance entered my life or rather, two nuisances.

“Miss Illya, you have to remain still. We are very important guests coming in today,” Lena said as she tried holding me still while Sola and Tully placed a very heavy dress on me. I never really liked wearing over-the-top dresses, but as she said today there are important visitors coming. The royal family had all the sides come down to my grandfather's estate to visit me for the first time in three years to get a look at Duke Vst’s precious granddaughter.

It would seem among the nobles I was something of a hot topic. Or at least that's what Auntie Sara tells me. Nobles have wanted to get close to me in order to get near my grandfather, but he is stopped every attempt to do so. Only family members or the royal family we're allowed to see without permission.

I had wished that I didn't have to wear such clothes just to meet some stuck-up nobles but I don't wanna make grandfather or let him down. I would have to bear through this for the time being.

“There, absolutely perfect,” Lena said straightening out my messy hair. “Now, come on here. We can't keep them waiting.”

I took Lena’s hand as she led me out of my room towards the main hall and where my grandfather and the rest of the servants were already waiting.

“Beautiful,” he said the moment that he laid his eyes on me. “And just in time.”

The doors of the manor began to open and I knew that it was time to make a good impression.