The outcome is settled by pie.

Stepping into the open hallway, I felt a presence above—on the stairs leading up to the second floor.

"Is it really true that Lord Lovell has returned!?"

Lovell frowned at the high-pitched, unpleasant voice.

The woman wore a dress as red as fire, piled high with jewels lacking any sense of taste. Her accessories scraped against one another, jingling with every movement.

It was chaotic—no cohesion at all. No matter how expensive the pieces, they just looked vulgar. Wearing so many metals that they clattered together? One could only question her decency.

Her golden hair was piled high, even pierced with a rose. Was she off to a ball or something?

If I were to compare her past self ten years ago with this present version, the only thing that would come to mind is a headache—sharp, grating, unbearable.

Agiel, who was fifteen back then, had once been plump—but now she was so swollen there was barely a trace of her former self.

Frilly ruffles were piled on top of her corset, desperately trying to hide the rolls of flesh spilling out from beneath.

Even if warm colors naturally make things look bigger, the frills only made her seem like she was wrapped in flickering flames.

The jiggling of her fat and the heavy thud of her footsteps with every step down the stairs were unbearable.

She’d barely made it halfway down when she spotted Lovell.

“Mmm, you there… you…?”

Her round face barely showed eyes that bulged wide open.

“Mmm, mmm, Lovell-sama!? What’s this, your appearance…!?”

“Who the hell are you?”

Lovell spat it out, his sneer unhidden, making the woman flinch.

“I am Lady Agiel, the wife of Lord Sauvel.”

“…Agiel?”

She eyes him from toe to crown, frowning, but nothing matches the memory.

"You’ve changed completely."

"Lord Lovell."

The butler’s tone is strained, but there’s agreement in it.

"Oh, oh, you haven’t changed at all, Lord Lovell! Still so cold, just like always! Honestly, it’s *adorable*."

Her usual pathetic head just doesn’t register any sarcasm—she’s clearly projecting her memories onto him.

I mutter a sharp click of the tongue, but even that goes straight through her.

"I’m so happy you came to fetch me!"

"...What are you talking about?"

"Even if it was my father’s command, you couldn’t forget your poor little bride—your brother’s wife, the one you were forced to marry? You came to rescue me, didn’t you? Oh, how *sweet*."

She sighs dreamily, and the butler and the maids standing nearby all blink in shock.

Lovell stood expressionless, staring straight at Agiel. Albert, standing beside him, grew paler by the second. The room chilled to the bone.

"Right, I’m introducing my daughter!! She’s just like me—adorably cute. Amiel, come down here!!"

While everyone else stared in disbelief at Agiel calling out from upstairs, Agiel remained utterly oblivious.

Me and Mother, watching the scene unfold through the water mirror, were speechless.

The moment Agiel declared her father had come to pick her up, a flame appeared in Mother’s hand.

"Mommy, mommy!! Stop it, stop it! The castle’ll burn down!!"

I lunged into Mother’s arms, clutching her tight. She snapped back to herself, extinguished the flame, and hugged me close.

"This pig is Agiel… a woman like this…"

I felt like a black aura was radiating from behind my mother, and I panicked even more.

"W-w-wait...! Your Majesty, you're being rude to the pig! Calm down!!"

"You're saying she's your daughter...? There's no other daughter Lovell loves besides Elen!!"

Ah, so that's where she got mad—oddly, I felt a little pleased.

Looking at my father's expression in the water mirror, and seeing Agiel's form for the first time—really, there was nothing to worry about. I sighed in relief.

I'd imagined Agiel, hearing she was a princess, would be some kind of breathtaking beauty, rivaling my mother.

Just a moment ago, I'd been stressing about what if my father had fallen for a honey trap. Now that seemed laughable.

I’m the one saying this, I know, but Mother’s the most stunning beauty in the world. I mean, she’s got *massive* assets. Especially Father—he’s obsessed with them. Agiel figured it out, just like I did back in the day. Agiel’s got no chance at all. Don’t worry about it.

Back then, I thought if I just got bigger, my assets would grow too. Simple math, right?

But now that I’ve seen Agiel… well, even if her assets are made of fat, I can tell the top’s not growing faster than the bottom. They’re matching. Exactly.

That mountainous bust? That’s just back fat. A fake. My eyes don’t lie!!

Lovell’s daughter, watching the scene through her water mirror, had no idea she was thinking about victory over such a trivial thing. The girl summoned by Agiel descended from the second floor.

She looked just like the old Agiel. Lovell’s face twitched slightly.

"Wow! Such a lovely gentleman!! Mother, who is this man?"

"Your real father. A hero. He’s finally come to meet us. Say hello."

"So you’re really my real father!! How wonderful!! I’m Amiel Vanclift, your daughter!"

Lovell stared at Amiel, her cheeks flushed, with an unreadable expression.

"Who is this?"

"Miss Amiel, daughter of Lord Agiel."

"Not Sauvel’s child, then?"

"...I cannot answer that."

What’s going on? Lovell turned to the butler.

This girl claimed he was her real father. And the butler couldn’t answer.

So maybe she isn’t Sauvel’s daughter after all.

"Quite the nuisance."

Everyone silently agreed with Lovell’s dismissive remark.

I stood frozen, staring into the water mirror.

"Kyaaah, Elen-chan! Stop!! The castle’s gonna collapse!!"

I snapped back to myself at my mother’s scream.

Apparently, the elements in the air were vibrating at high frequency, sparking erratically in patches from friction.

"Sorry, Papa…"

"It’s alright, Papa—your feelings are the same as mine!"

"That’s right! Only Elen can call Papa 'Papa'!!"

"Exactly! Only Elen-chan!!"

Mother and I clung to each other tightly.

"Ugh, how frustrating… not being able to be there right now…"

"What a promise we made to Papa… can’t even summon a natural disaster to help…"

"Truly!"

It eased my heart to have my mother agree.

But the other spirits waiting in the castle were shouting at us to stop.

There was no one else who could stop these two—good or ill—except Lovell.