ORPDRL Chapter 20

 Episode 20

'Was it just a coincidence that Letty broke Brunhardt's curse?'

Tinker glanced at Letty, who was darting around the mansion holding the miracle tonic that could even revive the dead, a gift from it.

Every time Letty met someone, she greeted them with a bright smile. No matter how you looked at her, she seemed innocent, harmless, and just an ordinary extra with no special abilities.

'To think she already broke one of the seven curses. If this continues and she ends up lifting the curse of Grisys, won't Tierra's position be at risk?'

Even in Panda Daughter-in-Law, Brunhardt's arrogance was the last curse to be broken.

It implied that even with Tierra's abilities, it was incredibly difficult to purify.

'How did she even manage to activate the relic of the Water God?'

The Water God was an ancient deity who no longer existed in this world.

Among the relics of the Water God that allowed one to borrow its vanished power, only Tierra could use the hidden relics that were not kept by the five great families in [Panda Daughter-in-Law].

'Tierra was loved by everyone, and so, she was even loved by the Water God.'

But how could Letty also use the relic of the Water God?

'Could this kid secretly have powers she's hiding from me?'

Tinker narrowed its eyes as it continuously glanced at Letty, eventually fluttering toward her.

"Hey, are you secretly strong?"

"What does 'secretly strong' mean?"

"It means someone who hides their strength."

Letty frowned at Tinker's response.

She didn't know what 'secretly strong' meant, but she remembered that 'loser' was often used as an insult toward her.

"I'm not a loser. You're the loser for saying that!"

"No, 'secretly strong' doesn't mean just a loser! It's a good thing!"

When Letty snapped in anger, Tinker fluttered its wings, feeling wronged, and launched into a long explanation about what 'secretly strong' meant.

"It means someone who is strong but hides it. It's a cool thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Do you by any chance have some hidden strength you're keeping from me?"

Startled by Tinker's sharp question, Letty hugged herself.

Gasp.

How did Fairy know that?

"Letty's ultimate move is a secret!"

"N-No! I don't!"

Shaking her head vigorously, Letty left Tinker behind and dashed down the corridor, saying she needed to find Grisys.

"I'm busy. I'm going to see Father-in-law!"

While part of it was avoiding Tinker's tricky question, Letty also knew it was time to become closer to Grisys and Mireil, just like Tierra in [Panda Daughter-in-Law].

Even at the age of four, Letty was aware of the situation.

She knew she was just a guest at Grizzly’s mansion, having wasted ten days mesmerized by bamboo shoots.

'I'm temporary.'

That’s what people had said when they hesitated to judge her race.

She was merely allowed to stay temporarily in this household.

'Father-in-law hasn't even given me his son yet.'

Most importantly, Grisys hadn't introduced his son to Letty.

Or rather, he didn't seem to have any intention of showing his own face.

Whenever Letty visited his office, she was always greeted by Lorik, who awkwardly said, "His Grace hasn't come to work today either."

Upon arriving at the office, Letty checked the empty corridor and pressed her body against the large oak door.

"Ugh."

She pushed with all her might, but the wooden door didn’t budge an inch.

Letty stared blankly at the door, which showed no signs of movement.

"Miss Letty, are you trying to enter the office? Fortunately, His Grace has come to work today."

"Yes. But the door won’t open. I think it’s locked."

Lorik, who had spotted Letty, tilted his head curiously and grabbed the door handle.

"Hmm, that shouldn’t be the case."

He mumbled quietly and pushed the door. The smooth, polished oak door, coated with olive oil to maintain its shine, creaked as it began to move.

Lorik frowned at the unusual weight of the door, which felt twice as heavy as usual.

"Your Grace, please don't lie in front of the door."

Through the gap, Lorik saw a large figure blocking the entrance. He nudged it with his foot as if shoving aside a cumbersome bundle.

Thud.

The body, wrapped entirely in black fabric, rolled into the center of the office.

Standing on the carpet, Letty alternated glances between Grisys and the chaotic office, letting out a surprised gasp.

"Mr. Lorik."

"Yes, Miss Letty?"

"I-I think a thief broke into the office."

Clutching Lorik’s pant leg, Letty glanced nervously around the office with a pale face.

Grisys' office looked as if it had been hit by a storm. The shelves seemed oblivious to their purpose, with everything scattered across the floor.

The desk, unable to bear the weight of piled documents, stood at an awkward tilt with one leg partially collapsed. Despite it being midday, the room was dim from the lack of proper lighting.

Letty carefully examined her surroundings by the flickering yellow lamp that looked as if it could go out at any moment. She slowly moved her feet towards the large figure sprawled on the floor.

"Father-in-law?"

"…....…."

She called out, but as usual, no response came.

Poke. Poke.

Letty prodded Grisys' cheek with her finger, but his fair, delicate face didn’t stir.

'So handsome.'

The head of the Grizzly family was not just handsome—he was stunning to the point that simply calling him good-looking felt inadequate.

Although he was sprawled across the carpet, his sharp jawline and prominent nose, as if carved, clearly marked him as a predator.

'Mom said handsome men are rare.'

She had told her that the death of a handsome man was a national loss, and that she should always save them if they were in danger.

Letty found herself staring at the dazzling profile of the man, forgetting the messy background. But then she noticed—Grisys wasn't breathing.

'Is Father-in-law… dead?'

"A... a corpse?!"

Letty placed her hands on her cheeks and hiccupped.

A thief must have broken into the office, trashed the place, and killed her father.

"A bad thief killed Father-in-law…!"

Lorik, as if used to this, patted the fluffy hair of the little girl tied in two high pigtails and shook his head.

"No, he’s not a corpse. His Grace is just lying there like one."

Letty carefully placed her finger under Grisys' nose to check for signs of life and tilted her head.

"Father-in-law, why are you lying on the floor?"

If he was sleepy, he could go to his bedroom. There was even a large velvet sofa in the center of his office that was big enough for Letty to roll around on without falling off.

"It seems he used up all his energy just coming to work today."

Lorik answered in place of Grisys, sighing as he looked down at his master as if exhausted.

He picked the most recent document from the mountain of papers surrounding Grisys.

"Ugh. Looks like Lord Moriel and I will have to handle all this paperwork again."

"Moriel?"

Letty narrowed her eyes at the name, which sounded familiar.

"Ah, Lord Moriel is His Grace’s brother-in-law. He’s a white bear beast, so he’s not part of the Grizzly family, but…"

Lorik lifted his long chin and pointed toward Grisys.

"As you can see, His Grace is in this state, so Lord Moriel is currently acting as the head of the family."

'Moriel, Moriel…'

Letty repeated the name in her head and then suddenly clapped her left palm with her right fist.

'Moriel is the villain from [Panda Daughter-in-Law]!'

Moriel initially pretended to be kind but later schemed to expel the protagonist, Tierra, from the Grizzly family. He was one of the main masterminds behind the scenes.

"Moriel, bad person?"

Letty asked subtly—at least she thought it was subtle—recalling [Panda Daughter-in-Law].

Lorik immediately waved his hands, startled.

"What? No! Lord Moriel works loyally for His Grace without asking for anything in return."

While Lorik denied it outright, Grisys' ear twitched slightly.

'Maybe Father-in-law knows Moriel is a bad person.'

Letty wrinkled her nose, noticing the unusual reaction from Grisys, who had been quietly breathing until now, no matter what Lorik said.

'Letty, something's changed.'

Since coming to the Grisys territory, Letty’s senses had become sharper, and ever since Alicia, they had developed almost explosively.

But no one knew how much Letty's senses had heightened.

'I really am secretly strong!'

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