The Duke's Daughter Is A Villainess (6)

Dinner that night was a strange affair, to say the least. Stella was nervous in front of her new family, the duke was unsure of how to handle a new child, and Dahlia just acted as if everything was normal.

Though the duke was usually a heartless man, it seemed in the face of children he was still quite soft. Halfway through the dinner, when Stella was struggling to cut the pieces of her steak, the duke leaned over and cut the meat into bite sized pieces for her in a few quick seconds.

Stella blinked her big doe eyes up at him in surprise, and then muttered a small, "Thank you." before turning her face away so that he couldn't see her red cheeks.

At that moment both Dahlia and the duke shared the exact same thought: ...Cute.

[What are you planning now, Host?]

~Now that Stella's here, as an official Baudelaire she has to have a debutante ball, don't you think?

[Yes?]

~And, of course, the royal family will be invited.

[...Yes?]

~...Come on, Buddy, do I really have to explain it all to you?

[Host!!! I can't read your mind, you know???]

~....Aren't you reading my mind right now?

[....This is different! I can only hear the thoughts you want me to hear!]

~Alright, alright. Well, with the first prince here, don't you think he might recognise Stella? After all, green eyes and blonde hair isn't a common combination. And once Noah realises who she is... and he knows how well I've been treating her...

[...Then he won't hate you anymore!]

~Correct! I don't know if I can compete with Alice head on, but with Stella on my side I might be able to make some progress, don't you think?

[Yes, of course! Host is a genius!]

Being complimented by the system so boldly, Dahlia couldn't help the smug little smile that surfaced on her face.

"What are you making that face for?" The duke asked, noticing Dahlia's strange expression.

Dahlia stilled for a moment. Oops. "Uh... I was just thinking about how everyone's going to be jealous of us when we introduce Stella. I mean, she's so cute, right? Everyone will be so envious!"

The duke nodded, seemingly agreeing wholeheartedly. "Yes, of course. Stella is still a little young for a debutante ball, but it would be good to introduce her to everyone early so that they know she's a Baudelaire now."

As Dahlia began discussing plans to announce Stella's presence to the public with the duke, Stella was listening with a flush on her cheeks and a warmth in her chest. After years of staying in the orphanage and being left behind while she watched other children get adopted, she had almost lost all hope of finding a family herself. Then suddenly one day Dahlia walked in, looking beautiful and intimidating, and then picked her up and took her home. In that moment Dahlia had already become Stella's saviour.

[Host... you've got your entire family wrapped around your finger...]

~What do you mean?

[And you think that I'm oblivious....]

~....Just you wait, Buddy. I'll have you wrapped around my finger eventually too!

[!!!!]

"Um... Duke?" Stella spoke up suddenly, her voice small and trembling slightly.

"Yes?" The duke replied, with a patience that most people would be surprised to see.

"What's a ball? And why am I getting one?"

Dahlia jumped in before the duke could reply. "It's like a party, but for grown ups. There'll be dancing and drinking and you'll meet a lot of new people. Most importantly, we'll be introducing you to them as an official Baudelaire so they'll know you're part of the family."

"Oh... will I make new friends there?" Stella asked, her excitement beginning to show.

The duke nodded. "Of course. They would be foolish to ignore a Baudelaire."

Stella's eyes lit up, and she seemed to get more comfortable the more they spoke about the ball and her future plans as a Baudelaire.