The Fraud Heir to The Strongest Clan

Zarria's eyelids gently parted, revealing to her golden eyes the caramel ceiling of her room. Warm rays of sunshine spilled from her open window, flickering as the soft curtains danced to the gentle blow of the wind.

Rubbing her eyes, the dark-haired girl sat up. She lingered for a moment, letting her mind fully adjust before getting off of her bed.

After an hour of preparing herself for the day, the only daughter of the clan head exited her room. Her lustrous, dark hair was casually tied to a high ponytail with some silky locks falling behind her ears. She didn't change her perfectly cut bangs, but her overall look appeared more homely and inviting from the simple adjustment.

Today, Zarria wore a simple yet elegant dress. The top was a crisp white blouse with puffed shoulders, long sleeves and black buttons running down the front. The corset-like band fitted tightly around her slim waist, making the flowing, black skirt look even fuller. The black fabric elegantly spread out, shaped like a bell.

Zarria took the stairs, her dark brown sandals clacking rhythmically against the wooden surface. She descended to the grand hall where her servants awaited her.

"Good morning, Lady Zarria," they greeted formally and politely.

She nodded and greeted them back before sitting at the long table where the rest of their family members sat.

Neral, as well as Zarria's uncles, aunts and their children were already here. Edvic Theocheirós, the former clan head and Zarria's grandfather, was sitting at the other end of the table.

After thanking the gods for their food, the clan officials began to eat the extravagant meal.

Amidst the quiet sounds of knives and fork hitting the ceramic wares, Neral turned to Zarria and then spoke.

"How is the new village coming along?"

Cutting one fruit, Zarria answered.

"The housing is finished, mother. Now, we are building the water system and irrigations."

The acting clan head nodded.

"Good."

Other than that, they had no more urgent things to discuss. The meal went on with trivial chatters among the family.

When they were done, Zarria proceeded to go outside to do her daily task.

There, she was met by the messengers who said:

"Master Dheinyrus arrived at the capital last night, my lady."

She looked at them with a blank stare.

"He has successfully brought the princess home. He also defeated multiple demons in Selense after discovering their presence in the empire."

Zarria nodded before asking:

"When can he come home?"

"It is unclear, my lady, since a battle is currently taking place in the Callex Region due to the discovery of a demon base."

Exhaling sharply, Zarria gazed beyond the giant opened gates of the Theocheirós Manor, to the path leading to the main road of the town. Just like she did everyday for the past few days.

'A battle. It would be far more suitable if I was by his side.'

Alas, she had a job to do.

Stepping out into the sun, she witnessed their servants, hard at work. The gardeners were as skilled as ever, trimming the leaves with accuracy honorable for a member of the Divinity Clan. The spotless stone pathway, clean canals, and pure grass fields were a testament to the cleaners' diligence.

Going further, Zarria finally arrived at the new area in their manor.

Several houses, simple but sturdy, were recently built. A straight path in the middle of the lined houses gave the new residents a wide space to travel out of the new village.

With the help of divine powers, the clan had managed to build an entire village within a week.

Before Zarria could enter the residence, she came across two girls. One was red haired and focused, and the other was blonde and timid.

They stopped in front of Zarria and then lowered their heads.

"Good morning, lady Zarria," Eunice muttered.

She nodded at them and then weakly said:

"Do your best today, once again."

Eunice and her friend, Rose, gave her a faint smile. From the day they left the slums, they had undergone obvious changes.

The two girls no longer had malnourished builds but instead, the nutrients they had managed to absorb in the past week had helped their bodies develop into a more mature shape, fitting a woman their age. Their skin, once deathly pale, now radiated with health.

Slung around their backs were bags, containing pens and paper. They were also provided with educational books.

The people that came from the slums were receiving formal education funded by the Divinity Clan itself. The slums were formed when a human war broke out nearly a century and a half ago, so this generation of children that were born in the slums didn't even get to learn how to read and write.

Even though they were already fifteen years old, Zarria believed it was never too late to pursue knowledge.

After that, the two went to school and she proceeded to inspect the progress with the new village.

Everything was going well. The community grew and prospered despite their dark past, leaving behind the bad memories to start again. And Zarria swore to see that through.

Currently, the village only consisted of housing, but she envisioned that years from now, they would thrive and grow even more to be an independent cultural group. They would have their own hospitals, shops, schools and different establishments. They would be able to stand on their own two feet and defend themselves from injustice. No one will have to suffer again.

And to ensure that, she needed to pick out all the moles in their family.

After making sure that everything was proceeding properly, Zarria walked back to the front door of the mansion.

Speaking of moles...

Blocking her path in the entrance, two figures stood. Both had blonde hair, but one was old and broad and the other tall and young. They were Raymond Theocheirós, her uncle, and his eldest son, Julius Theocheirós.

In the last few days, Zarria wasn't able to gather concrete evidence for their wrongdoings, but she was certain they weren't innocent about the treason in the empire.

Why? Because these two men, upon the arrival of the people of the slums, had immediately tried to take them under their control.

"Zarria, good work as always," her older cousin remarked with a pretentious smile.

Julius had always been tied to bullying back when they were students. The servants were also uncomfortable around him. Only when Dhein was present did this scoundrel ever behave.

"Are you done making a decision? Please consider our offer," he added.

"I made my decision from the very beginning and that will never change," she firmly answered.

They desperately wanted to be in charge of the new village project for some reason. But Zarria knew they couldn't be trusted. Dhein also specifically told her to not trust Raymond.

"That's a shame," Julius mumbled.

Zarria also used this project as an alibi to stay in the manor and investigate Reymond Theocheirós. Just by living with him, and based on the knowledge Zarria already had, she could tell something wasn't right.

Raymond put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"See, son. This is why I always tell you: Do not bite more than you can chew, or you'll end up..."

He looked at Zarria.

"...in trouble."