I’m The Only Granddaughter Of The Strongest Duke [Novel] Chapter 50

Chapter 50

[Good grief, this kid is losing it. Hey! You! Human Emperor! Put Eve down! Can’t
you see she’s going off the rails?!]

Every time X shouted, the blade trembled, and the blue jewel embedded in the
pommel flashed frantically.

“Hmm? Is the sword speaking?”

The Emperor looked at the fuming Excalibur with interest.

“Pardon? Oh, yes… he’s talking right now, but…”

“Is that so? Hahaha! What is he saying? I am quite curious to hear what the only
Ego Sword in the Empire has to say in my presence!”

Right now, he’s hurling all sorts of insults at you, Your Majesty, telling you
to put me down this instant…

However, as much as I valued my father’s life, I was a clever girl who valued
her own life just as much. I put on a shameless poker face and spoke up.

“He says he’s overjoyed to meet the Sun of the Empire. He’s also saying how
honored he feels that you’ve allowed me the privilege of sitting on your lap.
Oh, and he mentioned he’s looking forward to getting home soon.”

As I rattled off these lies without batting an eye, the blue jewel on Excalibur
flashed even more sporadically.

[Hey! Hey! You brat! When did I ever say that?! Your mouth might be crooked, but
you should still speak straight!]

I ignored Excalibur’s protests. After all, as long as Lemartes wasn’t here, the
only one who could understand Excalibur was—

“Ah! Come to think of it, I heard you and Lem are already acquainted. This must
be a pleasant reunion then.”

Still holding me, the Emperor stood up from the throne and turned around. My
eyes fell upon a silver-haired boy standing expressionless behind the throne.

“Yes, we have met, Father.”

Why didn't I see him when I first walked in? The throne was so massive and grand
that it had completely commanded my attention, preventing me from noticing
Lemartes standing in its shadow.

However, Lemartes seemed indifferent. He gave me a brief “Hello” and said
nothing more. It appeared he had no intention of snitching to the Emperor about
the sacrilegious things Excalibur had been shouting.

The Emperor spent a while longer asking me, “What is the sword saying now?”
until he finally set me down upon receiving news that the Heroes had arrived.

The moment I was free from the Emperor’s hold, I scurried over to my grandfather
and stood by his side. Shortly after…

The heavy doors of the Audience Chamber swung open. Seven Heroes marched inside
with an air of absolute confidence. Standing next to Grandfather, I watched them
closely as they approached.

The protagonist Heroes.

The main characters of this book, the saviors of this world.
And the very people who drive my father to his death from overwork.

I had only ever imagined them as my father's vague enemies, so meeting these
living, breathing "villains" face-to-face felt strange. The Heroes marched in,
formed a line, and knelt simultaneously before the Emperor.

“We greet the Sun of the Empire!”

“We greet the Sun of the Empire!”

The Hero at the front led the chant, and the others followed in unison. The
Emperor accepted their greeting with a satisfied expression.

“Welcome. You have all worked hard to get here.”

“Not at all. We are simply moved by the grace of Your Majesty’s summons,”
replied the brown-haired Hero, still kneeling.

“Rise.”

At the Emperor’s command, the Heroes stood up at once.

Maybe it’s because they’re Heroes? Many were taller than my father, and some
were twice his size. The most striking among them was definitely the
brown-haired man at the front; judging by the aura he projected, he was likely
the ‘Captain’ who had demanded my Excalibur.

“Now, allow me to introduce you. This young lady is the master of the Ego Sword,
Eve Royce. She is the only granddaughter of Duke Ferdinand.”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, seven pairs of eyes, fourteen in
total, pierced through me.

“…Ha, haha.”

I gave an awkward laugh and bowed my head to the Heroes.

“H-hello. I’m Eve Royce, and I’m eight years old…”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, My Lady. And thank you for graciously granting us
this opportunity.”

The brown-haired man bowed his head to me. I laughed awkwardly and gripped
Grandfather’s hand. Thinking I was intimidated by the situation, Grandfather
looked at the Emperor and spoke up.

“The child is quite shy around strangers, so it would be best to skip the
formalities and proceed, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm, yes. Let’s do as the Duke says. Eve, do you think you can lead the way?”

“Me? Oh, right. Me?”

When I pointed to myself with a dazed expression, the Emperor nodded with a
bright smile.

“Yes, you.”

“Yes… alright. I’ll try.”

I slowly dragged the long, heavy Excalibur forward and stood before the Heroes.
All fourteen eyes remained fixed on me. They watched my every move, clearly
trying to figure out what I was doing.

“I heard from my grandfather that the Heroes wanted the Ego Sword.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“But the Ego Sword chooses its own master, so I can’t just give him to you.”

At my words, the expressions of two of the men turned grim. Did they think I had
summoned them here just to mock them? Well, technically, that was exactly what I
was doing.

I huffed as I positioned Excalibur vertically on the red carpet of the Audience
Chamber. Then, I turned back to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty! Is it okay if I make a tiny hole in the floor here?”

“Hahaha! Do as you wish.”

I gripped Excalibur, lifted him high, and slammed him down into the floor with
all my might. The long blade of Excalibur sank more than halfway into the stone
floor of the Audience Chamber.

“…”

“…”

“…?”

Silence fell over the room. Did they not expect a girl half their size to drive
Excalibur halfway into a stone floor? Of course, I didn't actually drive him in;
Excalibur just slid into the floor on his own.

Regardless, I dusted off my hands as if I had done all the hard work and looked
at the brown-haired Hero, the protagonist of this world.

“Excalibur is a sword that chooses its master. No one but its master can pull it
out. If the Ego Sword chooses you as its master, it will come out of this floor
very easily.”

“My Lady, this is…”

“But if you can’t pull it out, you have to promise to never covet the Ego Sword
again. In exchange, I’ll give you all a chance to try and pull him out.”

The brown-haired Hero slowly nodded.

I stepped aside with a cool air. My role was done. All that was left was up to
Excalibur.

‘Do a good job.’

[…]

‘Hold your ground with everything you’ve got while I’m being nice.’

As I stepped back, the brown-haired Hero immediately stepped forward. He bowed
to me, then to Grandfather, and then to the Emperor.

He seized the hilt of the sword. He gritted his teeth and began to pull.

“Hnnnnngh!”