THE BABY RAISING A DEVIL

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- VOLUME 1 -

-AUTHOR-
리샤
-ILLUSTRATOR-
Moran

[ ZIMMINGS | WOOPREAD
TRANSLATIONS ]
 – STORY –
Three regressions, 4th life.
Although she was prophesied and raised as the child of
fate, she was sacrificed when the real child of fate appears.
‘This country is no good, let’s defect!’
Leblaine chooses to be adopted to earn money until
defecting. There was nothing wrong this far, but the place
she chose was a family full of villains. She tried to trick
those bad guys in order to live comfortably before
defecting…
“My daughter is the cutest in the world.”
“Give her the building. She can use it as her bathroom.”
“It’s okay, Leblaine told me not hit you, but she didn’t say
not to kill you?”
“Who made my sister cry!”
‘…they’re spiralling out of control, what should I do?’
***
“You can’t hit or kill people just because you don’t like
them.”
My family was quiet even though I purposely looked sad.
‘Then there’s nothing I can do!’
I looked back at my family with a sharp gaze and said
solemnly.
“I’m going to sleep without a blanket.”
“I’m wrong, kid!”
“I’m sorry!”
“I won’t kill anyone!”
Good.
– GENRE –
Adventure Comedy Fantasy Psychological Romance
Shoujo
Chapter 1
She blinked her eyes several times to clear her hazy vision as she rubbed
the remainders of sleep from her eyes. After she roused from her slumber,
she stood up and dragged her feet off the bed.

She found a mirror on the wall, and the shiny mirror reflected an image,
Thick chubby hands, sausage-like plump arms, fluffy cheeks and a body
that does not move at will.

No matter how she looks at it, this tiny body belongs to a four-year-old. She
stared at herself in the mirror and thought, 'Again. I'm back again. I can't
believe I'm going to live again in this crappy world.'

My name is Leblaine. In the beginning, my life wasn't a mess. I was the

only orphan born on 29th February also have divine power, for that reason,
I am called 'the child of fate'. I surely am lucky.

Just by sitting on the Empress Dowager’s lap and choosing one of her
portraits, I became the child of my chosen family.

There were three options.

1. The Duke of Amity, a warrior of justice that protects the Empire.

2. The Duke of Vallua, a well-known family that produced a thousand

scholars.

3. The Duke of Dubblede, who possessed great military power and

businesses, but was called the worst of a villain’s family.

The family chosen in my first life was Amity. He was quite a good father.
As a prudent, just and rational person, I followed him with respect as a new
father.
It was a peaceful life until she showed up, the real child of fate. In fact, I
was a child of false destiny. Unlike me, who trained for three or four hours
a day, but failed to develop my divine power properly, Mina was the perfect
‘child of fate.’

Mina was dazzling like the sun. She was loved by everyone even the Duke
of Amity. Father and Mina were attracted to each other like fate, eventually
with the Pope’s help, Mina became father's second daughter.

During the drought, she called the spirit and prevented the war through her
foresight.

And I…

I was sacrificed for Mina in a ritual to seal the evil spirit.

I was happy when I first returned. I thought it was an opportunity given by

God.

For the second life, I chose 'The Duke of Vallua.' I was badly abused by the
duke of Vallua everyday.

He was the real bad guy. He used to hit me with his hands, saying it was for
education. He only dressed me extravagantly when I went to the palace.

So was the last day in my second life. I was abused by him and hit my head
on the edge of the desk, but when I opened my eyes, I regressed again.

In the third life, I ran away. But what can a child do? While going through
hardship I died of starvation.

After three reincarnations, I realized something.

'Yes, this is wrong. So let’s defect.'

As soon as I thought so, the door burst open, as an old woman dressed in
splendor came in. She put me on her lap and gestured. Soon the maids
brought in three portraits.

"It's time to choose your father"

She smiled very kindly. But I know the truth. The moment I turned out to be
a fake, these eyes which gazed at me warmly turned to be so cold. The
Empress stroked my hair and gave me the portraits.

"Here child of fate, choose one."

When I saw the three portraits, I was very nervous. I closed my eyes with
my chubby fist.

'Let's calm down. I need a place to stay anyway.’

'I can't just die being a beggar like I did in the past. I need a family that can
let me live quietly and then defect without worrying about starvation or
death until exile. That's the kind of family I’ll choose.'

'Then this time--'

"Oh my god."

The maid and Empress who saw the portrait I chose, opened their eyes
wide.

When I arrived at the family’s mansion along with the Empress’ letter, I saw
a man who would be my father and gulped.

'He's really handsome.'

He had a sharp jawline, mesmerizing cyan blue eyes, a high nose bridge,
well sculpted lips, a wonderful figure concealed by a shirt, tall height, and
broad shoulders. What was strange is that such a beautiful man's eyes was
that of a killer.

In conclusion, who I chose was the Duke of Dubbled, the so-called villain.
The man's lieutenant stood beside me and said in a very awkward tone.

"The Empress asked you to raise the child."

The Duke of Dubbled, touched his chin with his long fingers and replied,
"She become senile."

Then he made a declaration without hesitation,

"Send her back."

"But Your Excellency, it's a chance to fix your relationship with the church.
Rejecting the Empress’ request at once will complicate matters afterwards."

This is the only place to run away after growing up to a certain extent.
Amity, who is a responsible person and Vallua, who values honour, will not
even give me a chance to run away. A man who was not interested in me is
perfect to be my stepfather.

'Of course it is the only way.'

I patted the lieutenant's trousers with both hands.

"Thews's an unnounaunced tyax awdit on decyember sebent.” (There is an

unnanounced tax audit on December 7th.) "Huh?" Asked the lieutenant,

He didn't seem to understand me. He looks surprised by my sudden babble.

‘It hasn't been long since my return, so my tongue isn't working properly.'

I saw it clearly in my previous lives. This winter, the tax evasion master
Dubbled, paid a huge fine. The Duke has three sons, so I think he can
understand me well. People who had dealt with children would understand
my babbling quite well.

I had this kind of hope but quickly gave up. That cold-blooded bastard
wouldn’t have grown his son with his own hands.

'I wish I could write, but I'm not good at it, so It can't make a difference.'

The Duke carried me in a blink of an eye. His eyes were so sharp as if he

was suspicious of me.

"There's a tax audit on December 7th?"

How did he get that? I was confused. I pretended to be as innocent as

possible, just in case he thought I was not a child.

"Uh-huh. Shh, It's a secret."

"Nos."

The Duke looked at the lieutenant.

"To what extent are the account book organized?"

“…A four-year-old child. Do you really believe her?"

"You can't believe a four-year-old child who knows the word unannounced
tax audit?"

"I'll check right away."

After answering so, the lieutenant ran out of the room quickly. The Duke
and I looked at each other.

‘He’s really scary… ’

Even though he has an excellent appearance, wealth, power, he still doesn’t
have a wife. It must be because of that…

It must have been difficult for woman to approach him. Soon, the maids
entered the room.

"May I help her to take a bath?"

"Yes."

The woman bent over with me in her arms, and I left the room being carried
by her.
Chapter 2
The woman who took me into the bathroom smiled and carefully stripped
me out of the uncomfortable clothes.

“Call me Lea, little miss.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, we will have fun playing in warm water. Are you looking
forward to it?”

“Yes.”

“That’s great!”

Lea patted me on the back. Soon after the maids came in, they started to
wash me. It was very comfortable because I only need to sit in the warm
water.

It was a little hard for me to hold back from touching the soft foam.

‘I have to behave myself.’

The naughty child will be hated. I knew that the help of the servants was
essential for a child who was not cared for by their parents to live.

The maid’s hands movements were very quick and skillful. So I finished
bathing quickly, ‘The Duke of Dubblede is a bad guy, but he's not trash like
the Duke of Vallua.’

He didn't hit me immediately like the Duke of Vallua, and he assigned

maids for me. The Duke of Dubblede was quite favorable in my eyes now.
After the bath, Lea dressed me in comfortable clothes. The clothes that the
Empress Dowager's maid put on me were very uncomfortable because they
were fancy and big.

While Lea buttoned my clothes, other maids were talking.

“Did our master really decided to adopt her?”

“Even if it's the Empress Dowager’s order, he's the type to do whatever he
wanted.”

“But she's a child of fate.”

“About that…”

The maid glanced at the door and whispered.

“There are many opinions that this is a misinterpretation. The amount of

divine power inherent in the baby's body is so low”

This was the reason why Duke of Vallua treated me carelessly. There were a
lot of people who didn’t think of me as the child of fate.

“It's not something to say in front of the baby.”

Lea glared at the maids, and gave me a mug.

“Come on, drink it.”

Her sweet voice made me a little relieved. It's hard to live if I was ignored
by my servants, like in Vallua’s mansion back then.

I could taste something sweet in my mouth. Lea looked at me gently and

wiped the chocolate around my mouth.

“Now shall we go to the master?”

It was a pity that I couldn’t scrape the chocolate off the bottom with a
spoon, but I followed Lea.

‘I have to be a nice child. Compared to my previous life, this is heaven, and

I loved it. The Duke doesn’t care about me, he didn’t raise his hand to me
and he give me a cup of chocolate. It's best for me to stay here before
defecting!’

‘But I didn’t think that the Duke will easily adopt me. He's a man rumored
to be cold-blooded. And it didn't seem to me that the rumors were wrong.
But I can’t just give up. I didn't want to die after being beaten again by the
Duke of Vallua. It is also no good to be sacrificed and die due to starvation.’

Lea took me to the Duke’s office. When we entered, I saw the Duke talking
to a man who seems to be an officer. I got out of Lea’s hands, I ran and hug
the Duke’s legs. Lea was startled, but the officer noticed and tried to take
me away from him.

‘But I don't want to die miserably again. I don't want to go back. I'll be an
obedient child. I'm not going to do anything troublesome.So please--‘

Then he grabbed the collar on my clothes and muttered, “Don't distract me,"

I quickly grabbed his neck and rubbed my face on his cheek.

“Dyuke I lwike you!” (Duke I like you!)

The Duke was frozen in his spot.

***

The Empire of Wigentra was famous for its vast land. There are many
people in power, and there are three most powerful powers.

<The Nelliard church.>

<The Imperial Household.>

<5 Dukes>.

The three formed an equilateral triangle, which keep each other in check to
achieve the prosperity of the Empore. This triangle has undergone
significant changes. The Duke of Dubblede, the only family that pushed out
the 5 dukes, took the last place. The Dubblede’s manor boasted great feats
indeed.

They own a stone floor without a single scratch and hexagonal columns
with delicate patterns. Luxurious chandeliers were showing off their
presence on the ceiling. Many tresures were placed in decorative cabinet on
the wall. There was also a huge forest that surrounds the North tower. But
the Duke of Dubblede, the owner of the enormous mansion, was not an easy
man.

‘He wouldn’t adopt me for my cuteness. Fortunately, it wasn't a total

failure. Even if he didn't want to adopt me, he still gave me a room to stay
for a while’.

If I had been kicked out right away, I will be in Vallua’s mansion right now.
I covered my mouth with my fist and laughed.

I really liked the room the Duke of Dubblede gave me. There was no time
to be bored because there were many toys and playmates, he also gave me a
warm and cozy bed.

It's been ten days since I stayed in this mansion. I was also paying my rent
steadily.

“What else did the ‘hat lady’ said?”

“Orihalkwon is in di old plawtew.” (Oriharkon* is in the old plateau.)

“Oriharkon!“
The vassals were shocked by the news. I sat on the Duke’s lap, while
staring at them.

“It's amazing. How can you be so smart?”

“That's why she’s the child of fate.”

The vassals laughed. My conscience pricked me.

‘In fact, I am the child of fake destiny. It wasn't like I could remember pre-
regression memories at will’

It's hard for me to do ‘adult thinking’ with my current immature brain.

If I tried to do adult thinking with this body, I would either sleep for days,
or I would feel extremely hungry. When I was hungry or sleepy, I lost
control and acted completely like a baby.

One vassal was about to touch my head, I was so surprised and hung my
hands around the Duke’s neck.

“She’s a very shy child."

As the old vassal laughed and said that, the vassal that tried to touch me
retract his hands.

“It's amazing that she’s able to stay close to you.”

“Other children will be overwhelmed by your atmosphere and cry”

“Can you tell us the story of the altar and Imperial family?”

The reason why I only talk in the Duke’s lap was because of my trauma. I
was abused in my second life and I became scared of adult men ‘It's weird
if i put it that way, because I felt comfortable with the Duke of Dubblede.’
Chapter 3
“She’s very obedient too”

More vassals soon entered the meeting room. In the meantime, I sat still on
the Duke’s lap. And when they had questions about the church and the
Imperial family, I answered them.

After a while, the meeting ended. The vassals left one by one, and a
grandfather had remained and approached me.

“Thank you for telling me this story.”

‘No, it’s okay. It benefits me in a way.’

I had a lot of resentment about the church. When the child of real destiny
appeared they sacrificed me. Besides, they can't dig up the oriharcon from
the plateau.

“Here's a present."

The grandfather offered me a candy. I slipped my hand out the Duke of

Dubblede’s arms and pulled out the candy. The grandfather left the room
with a big smile, saying, “Oh my, this child is very cute.”

There's only two person left in the room, me and the Duke. He suddenly
glanced at me, and took away the candy.

I was shocked and looked at the Duke and the candy several times. And
soon I felt very sad.

‘Candy, my candy. You son of a bitch, you're taking away a child’s candy!’
The Duke of Dubblede gruesomely peeled the candy wrapping at once.
And…

“Open your mouth.”

‘For me? Did I misunderstand him?’

As soon as I thought so, the Duke pressed my cheek with both hands.
Because of the pressure, my mouth opens up, so he put candy in my mouth.

‘How rude.’

Still, the candy was delicious. He pressed my cheeks again, which was full
because of the candy.

“Do you want to go back to the capital city?”

“No.”

“Why?”

‘Why should I be back to the capital city? There are the Imperial family, the
church, and the bad Duke. All of them are people who have troubled me.’

However, I couldn't tell him the reason, so I told him, “Becwase I’m like
thye dyuke. (Because I'm like the Duke.)”

So far, the Dubblede was the only family that had not left me with sad
memories. They left me with very good memories insteae. The candies he
gave me was so delicious. The blanket he gave me was warm. Lea’s lullaby
was good to listen to.

The Duke of Dubblede wasn't as evil as I’ve heard. Thinking so, I saw the
duke. Did he just smile?

Then, Lea came to pick me up.

"Little miss, master.”

Lea said while lowering her head. The Duke raised me for Lea to pick me
up.

“Don't let them wander noisily.”

‘Yes. Such a cold-blooded man would never have smiled.‘

Back in the room, I stood in front of the table and play with the blocks.

'Okay, one more and it's the 12th floor. One more. Just one more!’.

The maids, who watched me play alone, were chatting.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

When Lea nodded, the maids covered their mouth with their hands.

“Oh my god.”

“No way."

“Did the sun rise from the west? The master is worried about the baby."

Who cares about me? I was surprised and my the blocks fell.

“Gasp!”

Lea ran to me quickly.

“It's alright, little miss. You can put it back up.”

Lea said as she gathered the fallen blocks and put them up slowly.
“Please tell us more Lea.”

“That's right. What did the master said?"

Yes, tell us. Lea opened her mouth while building the blocks for me.

"It's dangerous at night, so take a good care of the baby."

‘Why did she think like that?’

I was amazed and impressed by her positive thinking.

“Then wouldn’t he adopt the baby?"

“I hope so, and she’ll be happy to have brothers."

Ah, three children of Dubblede. They were famous since I was young. They
all showed off their good looks, martial arts skills, intellect, and cool
personality. I've never seen them before, but I've heard enough of their
reputation. They were also known for another thing, ‘Mina's brothers.’

They were as cold and indifferent to others like the Duke, but they were as
sweet as honey to Mina.

It was a famous story that when Mina was kidnapped by another Empire,
they rushed and crush that place. The eldest son was also famous for being
entangled in the Crown Prince and Mina’s love story.

“But would it be a bad thing for the baby to be adopted?”

“What?”

“You know.The master is a man who has even stabbed his late predecessor,
and it's emotionally good for her to be adopted by another Duke—"

"Linda!"
Lea shouted and glared at the maid, sent the other employees away with a
nod. Then she held my hand gently and said, "He’s not that bad."

“………”

“It's a big misunderstanding, he’s really nice!"

“……”

“The master is not that cold-blooded, like what the people say. He loved
and cared for his late wife. When the Duchess was in labour, he rushed back
here but it was too late.”

Lea’s eyes was full of grief. The Duchess was pregnant with her fourth
child? I didn't hear that before in my past lives. I suddenly felt sorry for the
Duke.

‘Then I understand the how the Duke is like this. How can he live properly
after losing two people he love at the same time?’

“I hope you are not afraid of him. “

“Yes.”

Lea, who held me carefully, stroked my back gently.

“You're really nice. "

She said to me as I closed my eyes slowly, leaning my head against Lea’s

shoulder.

It wasn't until the middle of the night that I put my head in the pillow and
struggled to contain my hunger.

‘I'm hungry!’
I rolled my head a lot to remember what had happened before, turns out I
didn't eat my dinner. Lea and the maids seemed to have put me to sleep
without waking me up.

I thought I'd wait until the morning, but I couldn't bear my hunger.

'All I had in the afternoon was candy and a glass of juice.’

The only things that occupied my mind right now was hunger.

In my second life, I remembered being trapped in a room every few days

and then was left in hunger. In my third life, I remember dying because of
starvation.

‘I have to find any food and eat it.'

In the end, I lost control, and I got out of bed. I struggled and pushed the
huge door as I went out into the hallway. I endured my fear of the darkness
and came to the kitchen, but the door was locked.

'Oh my god.'

I roamed the mansion again. I walked for a long time before I could find a
bread in a room. It was cut in half as if someone had eaten them before, but
I was satisfied with this. Holding the bread in my arms, I ran out to the hall
excitedly.

'I need to return to the room and eat-'

"Gasp!"

I hurriedly hid the bread behind my back. The Duke of Dubblede was
looking down at me with cold eyes. I was so scared that my hands and feet
were shaking. At that moment, I remembered the something Mina had said
in my past life.
“So Jean is guilty of stealing bread, uh, what was it— Jean Valjean. Yeah, I
think it was his name. How did Jean Valjean punished for stealing the
bread?— yes, he was executed!”

As Mina's bright voice came to mind, I became pale.

“What are you doing here? Did Empress Dowager sent you to spy on my
family?”

I gulped. The Duke of Dubblede was not someone I could deal with. Unable
to answer due to fear, the Duke of Dubblede murmured.

“Child of fate.”

“Yes…!"

“I hate people who lied, also the naive ones, especially those who pretended
to be on my side. All of them are executed.”

I shuddered at the thought. The duke bent his knees slightly.

“What should I do with this little mouse?"

I fell down because of my nervousness.

“Wo,wo,wro,… wong!” (Wro,wro,wro… wrong!) "What?"

“I styole it…” (I stole it…)

“Is it money? Is it a holy thing?"

"………”

“Military secrets?"

"…………………”
The Duke’s eyes were really scary so I let out the words with a whimper.

"Byead…” (Bread…)
Chapter 4
Whimper.

Whimper.

I ate a cookie with tears and a runny nose. My mind was blank at that time.
The Duke of Dubblede is a petty guy. I can eat the leftover bread. Why is he
so angry about it? I looked at the Duke sitting opposite of me with a
resentful look.

Lea, who brought me the cookie, said with a guilty look, “She went to bed
early and she couldn't eat. So…”

“So she picked up the bread thrown away by the servants.”

“……”

Lea's face went pale. She kept looking guilty but Lea was not at fault.

After feeling somewhat full, I reached my hand out to Lea.

“I'll go…”

I wanted to finish the cookies. But I don’t want to see the good Lea get
scolded by a bad guy!

At that time, the Duke stretched out his hand to me as well. The Duke’s
hand, which was about to pass the rest of the cookies to me, stopped in the
air…

The atmosphere suddenly become colder.

“…………”
“…………”

“…………”

is by zimmings.blogspot.com

“What's wrong with her?”

“I think she’s scared of getting scolded a little while ago.”

Lea is right. I was just awfully frightened being threatened by the Duke. His
gaze alone makes me nervous. So I said, “I’m gwoing back.” (I'm going
back.) Lea soothed me with a troubled look, and at one point, she bit her
lips as if she had made up her mind.

“Ma… master!”

“………”

“Little miss must finish her meal, so you must go back!”

She looked like a knight attacking a group of army alone. The Duke stared
at me, and I hide behind Lea's arm. Soon he nodded.

As soon as he went away, Lea carried me as we go to my room.

Then, she left my room quickly.

Her face is pale and her lips are shaking. Lea, as a servant in his mansion,
may have watched how cold-hearted he is.

So imagine how scary is it for her to act like that.

‘A person like her is a little rare.'

I was thrilled. Lea took me to the room and brought me something to eat. It
was a milk porridge with chestnuts in it.

I patted my stomach after emptying two bowls of milk porridge.

“I'm sowwy that i kweep gettwing hungrwy.” (I'm sorry that I keep getting
hungry.) Lea hugged me with a tearful face.

“Don't say that. Little miss needs to eat sleep a lot."

She laughed as she put me to bed.

"Have a good dream, little miss."

After eating, I woke up after being asleep peacefully. I felt bad for Lea last
night, so I decided to show her my cuteness.

”Nea, like!” (Lea, I like you!)

The maids were excited when they saw me hugging her legs with my
chubby arms.

Lea’s mouth corners went up.

Suddenly, a maid who looked at the door became stiff and soon all of the
other maids have the same expression.

‘Gasp, that’s the bad guy!’

The Duke of Dubbled and his lieutenant were staring at me. I hurriedly hid
behind Lea.

“Li… little miss…”

Both the lieutenant and Lea called me at the same time.

But I shook my head

‘He’s really scary…… ’

I was still scared because of the events last night.

The lieutenant, who was sweating in nervousness, said awkwardly.

“Try to call her name nicely. So that the baby can come out."

“………”

The Duke was silent. He stared at me and frowned for a moment.

I shook my head inwardly.

‘Uncle, that bad guy doesn't even know my name.'

I was here for ten days yet he has never called me by my name. He only
called me by weird nicknames. He must have never red my biodata sent by
Empress Dowager.

“Leblaine.”

the Duke called my name.

‘He knows my name?’

I was so puzzled that I just blinked. The Duke had a famous story that he
didn't even remember Mina’s name even though she been in the palace for
more than three months. It was amazing that the Duke remembered my
name.

‘But it's not like he's interested in me at all.'

The Duke spoke to me again

“What's wrong? come here.”

Everyone’s eyes were on me. I hesitated and looked out slowly.

“Are you gwoing two hit me?”

(Are you going to hit me?)

"I won’t."

‘You did, you’re hitting me with your words. With words.’

When I looked at him with a look full of distrust, he took something out of
his pocket. It was a lollipop.

“There's a lot of this over here.”

“………”

I lost all reasons and ran to him.

Somehow, there seemed to be a arrogant smirk hanging around his mouth.

Yes, he would have been a surprise that a child sent by the Empress
Dowager sneaked around the night. I also told him stories of the Imperial
Palace and the church.

'How many candies does he have? he’s rich, maybe there’s ten.’

He carried me as he walked in the hallway. Every time they saw us, they
were shocked as they stopped doing their job.

It was a natural reaction.

The Duke, who had already stopped walking, dropped me off in front of a
door.
‘There must be candies here!’

I opened the door with high expectations and went in.

I was shocked, I gulped when I saw candies filled in the room. I glanced at
the Duke.

‘Can I really eat all of this?’

I ask for a permission through my eyes, the Duke said monotonously.

“Eat as much as you want.”

‘Oh my god!’

I rushed to the pile of candies. There were many candies that I could even
swin in kt.

There were things like a packaged chocolate or marshmallow. I tore off the
shiny golden wrapper and ate it.

‘…It's so good.’

The Duke frowned after being shocked for a while. I had no time to care
about such a thing. Do rich people eat this delicious thing every day?

The sweet lumps quickly melt into my mouth, and the fruit syrup quickly
engulfed my mouth.

I ate many of them quickly.

Every time I chewed, my cheeks became chubby and shook.

I quickly finished one and ate another candy.

This time it was a stick candy.

I was trying to put the candy in my mouth when I felt a someone glancing
at me, so I hesitated.

I looked at the Duke.

‘If I ate alone, I’ll be loathsome.’

Didn't I realize when I was a beggar? Even with a single food, I could build
affection when the food was shared. So I gave a candy to him.

“I’ll gwive it two you.” (I'll give it to you.) He glanced at me and narrowed
his eyes in confusion.

“Why?”

I didn’t say anything as he slowly opened his mouth again.

“You’re strange.”

“………”

He’s a bit annoying.

‘I will hit you with a candy while pretending it was a mistake.’

I thought about it, but I remember about my goals and calmed down.

'I really need the help of this bad guy if I don't want to die miserably.’

I need to build up a good relationship with him.

In my past lives, I was not experienced so the result was not good, this time
I have an advantage.

I thought to myself as I jumped into his arms.

“Dyuke, twank you fow thwe candwies.” (Duke, thank you for the candies.)
The Duke was shocked but then he started to smile.
Chapter 5
After the bread incident, it was peaceful.

The only thing that happened was when Lea found out that she had
forgotten to give seven candies that the Duke had given to me.

But today was different. I was dolled up with the hands of the maids since
morning. It was a huge children dress.

On top of that, I wore lace socks that came up to my calf, shiny shoes and
they also tied a ribbon on my hair.

"Come on, let's see how comfortable it is.Try walking, little miss."

As I was struggling to walk, the maids shouted, "Whoa!"

Dubblede’s servant was not as bad as Vallua’s servants, but they kept
making me nervous. However, in order for me to live comfortably the
servant’s hospitality is essential. As soon as I got here, I sucked up to the
maids.

“Lwinda’s hwere!” (Linda’s here!)

“Oho, you saw me last night. are you that happy to see me?"

“It’s a secwet…… lingda is my fawvorite.” (It's a secret……… Linda is my

favorite.) First of all, I'll conquer the heart of a maid.

“Hwere, I’ll gwive you a cwandy.” (Here. I'll give you a candy.) "Why do
you only give me this candy?"

“It’s a swcwet…… becwase i like Dawlia the most.” (It's a secret………

because I like Dalia the most.) I've got the person in charge of the snack’s
heart.

“If Ywuni is swick, I’m sad…” (If Yuni is sick, I'm sad…) "Oh my…”

“It’s a swecret… Yuni is my fawvorite.” (It's a secret… Yuni is my favorite.)

I've captured the person in charge of my daily records.

‘Now, even if I'm hated by my family like Vallua’s time, the maids would
secretly pamper me.'

When I saw the maids who were adoring me, I was proud to think of all the
hardships I suffered from.

'But why did I dress up like this today?'

I asked Lea , who was smiling affectionately at me.

"Me gwoing where?” (Where am I going?)

“You will attend today's meeting. Master said he would introduce you to the
vassals.”

'Introduction?’

I saw some of them, but they were not formally introduced to me. I thought
he didn’t have to introduce me if I was going back to the capital city soon.

So…

'He must be keeping me here for quite a while!'

I followed the maids with a shout of joy in my heart.

But there were people in the hallway who I never saw before. Lea answered
me when I looked at her.
“They're children to be sponsored.”

Aha, there must be a sponsored child selection on the agenda for today's
meeting.

There was a support system in the aristocracy.

It is to cultivate gifted children from an early age and then develop them
into the talent that the family wants.

‘Who's going to be sponsored this time?’

If they’re sponsored by a noble family like Dubblede, they must be a

famous child prodigy.

When I entered the meeting room, I could see the vassals surrounding
someone. He’s pretty big to be called a child. At first glance, he looked like
an adolescent boy.

The boy was buried among the adults and could not be seen in detail, but I
could hear his voice clearly.

"Hello Mr. Dubos, Mr. Martin, Baron Lux, and…”

The vassals grinned as if they were pleased with the polite little boy who
had memorized so many people's name.

"Little Jude is becoming more intelligent day by day."

"My father told me that I have to study hard to become like Mr. Dubos!"

Dubos laughed and patted his shoulder. Then, one of the vassals notices me.

Back then, I told them about the story of the Imperial Palace and the
church, there were some vassals here who were also there at that time.
'I'm going to show it to them.’

“Hello”

As I greeted them mimicking how an adult acted, they laughed.

"Oh my, you learned how to say hello.”

When some vassals approached me, I began to see the face of the child who
had been hidden.

I stiffened when I checked the child's face.

‘Marco Jude.’

I know that kid, very, very well.

Because he was one of the worst people I've ever met! When I lived as the
child of Duke Vallua, I attended an academy for a while. Back then, Marco
was my professor.

He was a young and ambitious man and a good professor.

But to me……

‘There was a lot of flirting.’

He was aiming for the position as the son-in-law of Duke Vallua. He

touched me inappropriately. He also hugged me without my consent, I
couldn't stand it when he tried to kiss me, so I filed a complaint with the
academy.

But they drove me away as an assailant.

"If this guy seduced you and offended you, why didn't you file a complain
from the beginning?"
"If you didn't like it, why didn't you scream?.”

‘I was scared, so I couldn't even scream.’

"Then why now… I guess you didn't like it when you thought about it again.
Are you a gold-digger?”

My protest didn't work.

He was stopped for only six months because he touched a student, and I
was forced to leave the academy under criticism for being promiscuous.
After that, I was deemed as a disgrace to my family.

Just thinking about that time, I wanted to get revenge.

He's still a kid right now. But he’ll be a scumbag in the future!

'Let's calm down. If I acted like that for no reason, adoption's out of the
question.’

Then, the Duke of Dubblede came into the room. As all of the people
bowed down.

The first order of the meeting was to review the sponsor candidates. Sitting
at the back, Marco went to the podium.

"Oh my, you're already solving that level of math problems?"

"Yes! You have to be familiar with numbers to enter the board of audit and
inspection. But math itself is fun. I made some formulas with my
teacher…”

‘Liar… ’

It was ridiculous for me to know his future.

Far from joining the Board of Audit and Inspection, Marco Jude joined the
faculty of the marginal academy. So he was a fool who boasted to me that
he had such a great network. His father Baron Jude laughed proudly.

Judging from the friendly atmosphere, the selection of the sponsored child
seemed to be carried out according to the wishes of Baron Jude and his
wife.

After the Q&A session, Marco returned to the seat next to me. He looked
down at me and whispered.

"You see that, kid? You'll never beat me.”

What?

I looked at him because I was dumbfounded.

He's keeping a four-year-old in check……

Marco Jude seemed to think that I came to the meeting because of the
sponsorship screening.

His face is full of excitement because he wants to crush his rival. He looked
reminiscent of when he was a professor at an academic institute.

'Well, maybe you think the Duke of Dubbled has left me alone so far, so I'm
going to end up with what he wants after not adopting.’

He continued with a grin.

"You, they said you were a poor kid?"

“…………”

"I heard the Empress dumped you in the the trash can called Dubbled. It's
the same as being a trash.”
Marco, who said so, went laughing, and I clenched my fist. I was dumb in
my previous life. I didn't know anything, and being thrown away alone was
scary.

There have been many times when I bowed down without being able to say
a word like this. But I'm not the one who's dying three times, now i’m
living my fourth life.

And I really bit Marco's arm.

"Argh!"

While he was lying on his stomach with his arms clenched, I quickly
clenched my fist and punched him! Puck!

"Aah! Aah!”

As the scream rang out, more people or employees guarding the hall rushed
in amazement.

People immediately tried to tear me away from Marco, but I pulled out a
bunch of his hair before I fell off.

“What are you doing!”

the vassals frowned at me and Marco.

"That little thing that made me……… me, all of a sudden…!”

On the other hand, I calmly straightened my index finger at Marco.

"Cwome on, Bwad boy! (Come on, bad boy!)"

“What……”

"He swaid duke dubbweld is a twash!. (He said duke dubbled is a trash!.)”
When I was a beggar, i learned something. The one who throws the first
punch wins. The calm one wins the argument.

Of course, it was gruesome to make a fuss before the duke’s eyes, but it was
better than looking like a fool who was just being beaten.

But it was strange.

Why it's so quiet around here ?

Chapter 6
I sneakily turned my head and glanced around. The eyes of the people are
shaking.

“Did you come forward for me?"

……I'm embarrassed, a cheesy word just popped from the mouth of the
unemotional guy.

‘actually I just wanted to hit Marco.’

is by

Marco, who rubbed his chapped eyelids, grunted.

“No way! Why would I say that? That's a lie………!!"

“That’s enough.”

His low voice got tangled in my earlobe. It was duke Dubblede.

When the Duke's gaze turned to Marco, Marco shrugged and the duke
opened his mouth again.

“She’s the child under my protection,"

The muttering voice was chilling. Marco, was flinching without realizing it,
forgot to make excuses and swallowed dry saliva. Baron Jude then
approached, saying, "Wait, sir."

"It's unfair. Don't you think so? My son wouldn't have called you that
way……!"
The duke of Dubbled approached Marco. A hand clasped Marco's chin.

"Your father claims so, I'll give you a chance."

“…What?”

“Prove what you say is true, even if you're tongue-tied and your eyes are
dug out.”

“………”

"Of course, when you can't prove it, it won't end with just you.”

There's no way he can prove it.

‘You're just telling him to die.'

Marco became blue and hardened, and the gaze of the Duke sank deep.

"I’ll ask again. Is my child's words false or true?"

thistranslation is by zimmings.blogspot.com

“………”

The duke’s pressure was not something an ordinary child could handle.

Marco's hand trembled like an aspen tree. His trousers got wet, and traces of
yellow flowed down along the ankles.

“Tru,… truth.”

In the end, Marco complied.

Baron Jude's face turned blue. His son admitted so, he could no longer even
make excuses.
The baron falls down and turn his head down.

"Sa,…… Save me, your excellency. I have sinned to death."

When the duke let go of his hand, Marco, who had lost all his strength,
rolled on the floor.

“Get rid of them”

The soldiers ordered by the Duke swarmed in.

In the meantime, Baron Jude and Marco shouted, "Forgive me……… Your
Excellency!". But the duke’s expression was not very good.

The duke has remembered them properly, so it was probably hard for them
to live in the empire.

As I was watching them dragging Marco and his father, the vassals gathered
around me with a new look on their faces.

"How admirable. "

“It was spectacular to see the child stand up to the big boy.”

"Calmly explaining the situation,It was great.”

The vassals poured their compliments on me.

It seems that the misunderstanding that ‘I jumped at Marco, who dared to

call Dubbled a trash’ has not been resolved.

My conscience pricked me, but I decided to think positively.

The gatherers here are the closest allies of the Duke.

and the Duke sided with me.

I glanced at the duke.

He’s looking at me a little nicer than usual.

I was relieved and sighed unconsciously,then one of the vassals reached out.

“Are you tired?…… Of course you are. Now, come here. I'll take you to
your room.”

The vassal, who said that, had a very kind look on his face, but I crept on
the back.

‘It's my first time seeing you…… ’

I stepped back with a wary eye and the other vassals burst out laughing.

"This guy. Didn't you hear? she is very shy to adult men.She must be afraid
because you’re big."

“But isn’t she being held by the duke?”

"Well, it’s okay if the child likes you.”

"She always smile at the duke."

The duke’s eyes were on me. I laughed casually because our eyes met.

It's like walking backwards without showing your back when you meet a
beast.

I won't provoke you… Don't attack me.

-I mean……

The vassals gave a big grin.

“The baby like him so much,Don't you think so?”

“I see…”

"The last time I heard about the Church, she was always sitting on his lap."

‘What…… ’

“You must be happy to be loved by the child.”

"It's nothing.”

The duke’s mouth, which said those words, seemed somehow arrogant.

'I said, Let's get along, but you're so cheap.'

I was depressed because of my poor evaluation.

***

Did they say that after a hard time, there will always be a good thing?

When I met Marco, I had a bad memory, but good things happen
afterwards.

'Because they've come to like me.'

They seemed to be very proud of me who ran to a big boy with a small
body for Dubblede.

And when it caught the eye of the powerful, there was a remarkable change.
Even administrators and managerial employees have begun to pay attention
to me.

Originally, I used all the things that the employees picked up in moderation.
I was going back to the capital soon anyway, so there was no reason to buy
"goods for me."

But when I got the attention of the management staff and administrative
officers, I could buy some household goods for myself.

I was very excited to come out to the shop with Lea and other maids.

The shopping district of Dubbled was a paradise.

It is beyond comparison with the one Vallua had.

There are even specialized stores that can only be found in the main streets,
so it is fun to see.

‘There's a toy store.'

This is a lot more luxurious than the toys of the other store that the
aristocratic children are looking for.

The children hugged their toys one by one and left the store.

A five or six-year-old little lady wearing a large bonnet was hugging a doll
that looked very soft.

'That's right. They’re releasing that doll by now.’

It's a doll in various animal forms, and when you hug it tightly, it says, "I
like you."

Suddenly the first life came to mind. That doll was the first and last thing I
had ever ask to the Duke of Amity "Fwather, I want twhat doll. (Father, I
want that doll.)"

The Duke of Amity, who clasped his trouser, said sternly.

"Leblaine, if you donate money and didn’t buy that doll, you can save a lot
of starvation.Do you still want it?”

“No……”

“That's great. You‘ll earn compassion and consideration instead of dolls.”

The Duke smiled as he said so. I loved his smile so much that I never
pressed him for it again.

'But i really wanted it…… ’

Eighteen-year-old Mina received the doll as a gift from him.

The duke, seeing Mina hugging the doll and being as fond as a child, was
smiling more brightly than then.

'No, let's not think about then,'

“Little miss”

“Yes.”

“Shall we go get a toy?”

I guess they thought I wanted a toy.

'Lea’s so sweet…… ’

“Pick anything.”

‘Anything?’

When I my eyes get brightened, the maids recommended toys.

"How's the puzzle?"

"Don't you think Block would be fun too?"

‘Toys…… ’

It seemed like my child's brain was shouting, "Buy me!" But I closed my
eyes tightly.

I tried hard to look away and pointed to another product. It was a red
carnation corsage.

"But that's not a toy."

When Leah looked at me with a curious look, I answered with my fingers

wriggling.

“Twe kwids at twe nuwsert twold me to gwive it two someone they like.
(The kids at the nursery told me to give it to someone they like.)”

"Oh,that’s right. Soon it's thanksgiving day.”

In Wigentra, it was customary for children to present carnations to their

parents on Thanksgiving Day.

‘And I will also give this to an adult as a present… ’

‘To Lea.’

Originally, I was going to give it to the Duke, but I thought of what he

could say, "It's not worth it," and decided to quit.

'You can't be more annoying and hateful.'

Instead, it will be given to Lea, the nicest girl in the world.

Lea, who knew nothing, smiled innocently.

 ***

<Dubblede’s Castle.>

The duke and the vassals moved together to the conference room to discuss
the matter of jurisdiction.

While walking down the hall, the vassals had a light chat.

"Oh, it's a carnations corsage. Did you get one from your daughter?"

The vassal, who was wearing a red corsage, pulled out his chest
triumphantly.

"Yes. Tommorow is a day of thanksgiving.”

"I'm proud of you.”

The vassal, who was looking for a chance to show off, bragged about it.

"When my daughter give me this corsage, I thought this was the happiness
of living.”

He laughed as the other vassals shook their heads.

“There's nothing happier than having a child."

"Yes. In fact, what's the use of honor and wealth?.”

"That's right. What do you get when you stack up wealth in a warehouse? If
you don't feel that happiness.”

"You're right.Carnations are the ultimate happiness.”

Then another vassal asked the Duke.

"Your Excellency will also receive carnations. I'm sure you felt that
happiness then.”

“I don't know.”

“What?”

"None. Never got carnations.”

In an instant, the office became cold as if it had been poured cold water on
it.

The vassals swallowed dry saliva as they watched the Dubbled, who said, “I
had three sons, but I haven't even seen carnations."

The Duke and the three Confucius were beautiful and talented enough to be
mentioned countless times, but they were cruelly cold-hearted and
indifferent.

It is not a relationship that wants affection from each other in the first place.

"No, that……… boys aren't usually meticulous. There are a lot of things
that go beyond just saying thank you for raising me.”

“I've never heard such a thing.”

“………”

Then another vassal came out and tried hard to patch up this talk.

"What's important about words or carnations? On Thanksgiving Day, just

hugging each other is enough.”

“………”

The Duke had no answer.

The vassal swallowed dry saliva.

The more we opened our mouth, the more we felt like falling into a mine.

The duke wriggled his eyebrows at the sight of the helpless vassals.

The gatherers desperately rolled their eyes in search of a way out with white
faces.

Then I found Leblaine and the maids coming from the opposite side. She
may have just returned home as she’s wearing an out-to-town dress.

And I saw. Carnation in Leblaine's hand!

Chapter 7
Who could Leblaine, an orphan, give Carnation as a gift to?The only person
left was the Duke of Dubbled.

‘Oooooh!’

The vassals shouted as if they had found a rope.

“Look, Your Excellency!'”

“Carnation!”

"She’s the only one who will give you a carnations corsage!"

The vassals welcomed Leblaine's carnations, ready to jump if they could.

The Duke paused in front and glanced gently at Leblaine. The child
wriggled her hands with a shy face.

***

thistranslation is by zimmings.blogspot.com I thought the word "carnation"

was an excuse for being left behind in the power struggle.

I was offended by what they said because I had no experience with the
thing.

It's just a piece of thing that's useless to receive.

But, It didn't feel too bad to get it.

***
'What did I do wrong?'

The duke’s eyes at me were so intense.

Are you mad that i spent a lot of money in the shop?

Or when i draw you in the sketchbook, did you notice that i always drew a
horn with it?

'Why are you looking at me like that?…… '

My insides were burning black, and the vassals were smiling.

"Did you buy your own corsage?"

“Yes.”

The vassals were overjoyed when I answered.

Then the duke’s mouth curled up.

'Wow, it's even scarier today.'

I grabbed Lea’s leg, But the vassals smiled and pushed me lightly on the
back.

"How about handing it over to him now?”

"Yes, that would be good.”

Shall we? I know i bought the corsage anyway, but it's weird to
procrastinate.

‘It's my first time giving a carnation, so I'm a little embarrassed.'

I wriggled my hands.
Then the vassals became more tired and urged me, "Go ahead!"

The people surrounding me were divided like the Red Sea, and the duke
was seen in front of a straight line.

And I was shyly sticking out a corsage.

To Lea.

“……………!”

“……………!”

“……………!”

“Oh my.”

Lea shut her mouth with a look as if she didn't think she would receive it.

'Since I gave you this, you'll give me more snacks, right?'

Lea bent her knees before me in tears.

"Are you trying to give it to me?"

"Nea lwike. Thwank you. (Lea i like you,Thank you.)”

"Thank you, little miss. I'll keep it in my chest”

Lea hugged me, and I rubbed my face against her neck.

But it was strange.

‘Why is the back of my head so cold?'

I looked back, wondering what was going on.

Except for the maids and Lea, the men were alternately looking at the
corsage and the duke with a bluish face.

Then, the Duke called me.

“Leblaine.”

“Yes?”

“Mine.”

“……?”

"You don’t have mine."

“Yes!”

I didn't buy it because you will be annoyed with me. I did a good job, right?

The Duke wriggled his eyebrows as I laughed in Lea’s arms.

And for some reason, I stared at the vassals with their terrified faces, and
they were all pale, swallowing dry saliva.

That evening, the Order of the Abolition of the Thanksgiving day was
issued throughout by the Duke of Dubbled.

***

Lea had a red corsage on her chest all day long. And then every time I
looked in the mirror, I was thrilled.

Of course, I also feel good because Lea is happy.

'Lea gave me a bunch of snacks.'

I was so happy that I ate snacks until my stomach is full, then, Nos came to
see me.

"Shall we go?"

Today was the day I was supposed to tell the Empress Dowager how I was
doing.

“Yes!”

Nos laughed as i answered loudly.

"You're very brave too, this time.”

I nodded and my cheeks were bouncing.

When Nos saw it, he stretched out his hand. He seemed to want to touch my
cheek.

But all of a sudden,the maids! they jumped out and blocked Nos.

“Oh no… i’m in trouble”

Nos lowered his hand in a jagged manner to the maids. The maids shouted
with disapproving looks, even though he had withdrawn his hands.

"We have a waiting list!"

At the words of Linda, the maid, the other maids, with a look of
disapproval, also condescended.

“You have a chance once a week and take off within two seconds.”

“If you touch it for a long time, her delicate skin can't stand it.”

………when did you set that rule?

I looked at the maids with a puzzled look.

Unlike me, however, Nos nodded his head.

"I see. I almost made a big mistake.”

They soon discussed it with a cautious face.

“You have to wait three weeks!”

Nos, who saw the list, shouted.

“You have to wait three weeks?!"

"I’m giving you a fast pass. If it's in order, you’ll have wait for a month.”

"Are there so many people waiting?"

The maids snorted at Nos’s words with a look "Our baby's cheeks are
lovely, cute, and the softest in the world. They all want to touch it.”

“Of course you want to touch it.”

"If you're human, you can't help but want to feel it."

Nos shook his head hard again, but I was dumbfounded “Lwet’s Go. (Let’s
Go.)”

It wasn't until he heard me that he came to his senses that he opened the
door, saying, "Oh, yes.”

I walked down the hall to the Duke's office.

There's a pile of stuff in the hall, and the employees are frantically
organizing them.
When I looked at him with a curious look, Nos said "We're arranging gifts
for the Emperor's birthday party."

Come to think of it, the nobles were busy preparing gifts at this time of
year.

The Duke of Amity, the father of my first life who was not interested in it,
was polite with a small amount of gift.

But the Duke of Vallua even borrowed money to prepare the gift.

At times like that, he splashes his money on it, but he is so stingy to others.

Especially to me.

When I was the child of Duke Vallua, I bought a fountain pen which is a bit
expensive.

At that time, the Duke of Vallua was furious and locked me in the attic for
three days.

Trapped in a dark old attic, I shuddered and cried for my wrong.

I remember hearing Vallua’s second son ask the oldest son.

“Brother, are you not allowed to buy fountain pens?”

“Why not? My father and mother will be happy if you ask me to buy them.
Where's the parent who doesn't like children asking for school supplies?”

“But why did Leblaine get scolded?”

“She’s not his own child.”

That’s when i knew

I'm not their own child, so I'm hated for trivial things, I have to try
desperately.

'Now I have to do something that will appeal to the Duke of Dubbled.'

If you didn’t act good, the adoption will fly away.

Thinking so, I entered the duke's office. The Duke, who was sitting at his
desk, felt my presence and raised his head.

The silver-rimmed glasses, which were worn to look at the documents,

matched the blue eyes perfectly, and my tongue was tied.

But is it because of the glasses? Somehow he looks more fierce than usual
today.

When I clung to Nos's leg, Nos smiled awkwardly.

He sat me on the duke’s couch and whispered, so that the duke wouldn't
hear.

"He’s not mad at you."

"I think he's angry at himself who's looking forward to it……”

Nos said, with a tearful look.

‘What the hell’

"Please prepare two carnations next time.”

Ah……… Only then did I realize it and I was stunned.

All the money bought at the store belongs to Dubbled. It must be quite
expensive since I’ve picked a lot of things.
‘He must have been upset because i didn't buy any for the duke even though
i spent a lot of money.'

I should have just bought two corsages. He seem to really like carnations.

But that was already past.

‘Let’s do something to please him instead.’

'Which of the things I know can help the Duke?'

I was struggling, and I saw something on the sofa table.

Inside the luxurious jewelry box was a stone.

'Why is the stone kept in such a luxurious jewelry box?'

It was as soon as I tilted my head.

My lungs tightened with vibrations.

Nos’s voice crumbled and the speed around me felt remarkably slow.

As if time in the world and i are passing differently.

A swarm of light flowed over the black stone and soon scattered quickly to
form a line. Soon it became a six-star star in which two triangles crossed.
The spine gave me goose bumps in an instant.

Beep-!

Something crossed my mind.

[ My……]

[Wa…… it…]
A voice that feels like it's seeping right into your head without piercing your
ears.

It's too small to hear, but at some point, it's very strong.

[My child.]

Only then did the voice of Nos, which had been crushed, and the slow
gesture return to its original state.

Nos muttered in a stiff voice.

"Is it an earthquake?”

But the vibrations fade away in an instant.

the Duke drew the curtains and checked out the window.

"Send an expedition to Mount Rubbs. It could be a sign of a volcanic

eruption."

“Yes.”

While the Duke and Nos were talking, I pressed my chest with a pale face.

My heart was beating so fast that I couldn't breathe.

What the hell is that?

the lustrous light that came upon me

And that voice that keeps going through my head.

The voice that came out of the stone called me anxiously. My hands moved
toward the stone as if I had a will I didn't know. As if magnetic.
And when the stone came in my hand.

“………”

It crumbled in an instant.

Only then did I come to my senses, and I puffed my lips in utter surprise.

'Wha, wha, what!'

Unwillingly, I looked at the Duke and the Nos.

’Wha,wha, what to do!, what to do!’

Nos was greatly surprised to see the remnants of a rock that was fluttering
through a crack in my hand. The duke’s eyes were also infrequently
enlarged.
Chapter 8
Nos mumbled, swallowing his dry saliva.

"Newt is…”

I was appalled by what Nos said about the stone in the jewelry box.

'This is Newt?'

When I turned blue, Nos said with an embarrassed look.

“Sorry, sir. This was not her fault, but the storage condition was not good.
Otherwise, the Newt won’t suddenly become a powder.”

thistranslation is by zimmings.blogspot.co Nos tried hard to find excuses,

but the face of the duke was not resolved.

Holding on to the hem of the skirt, I grabbed the duke’s sleeve, shivering.

“Wo,wong…… i dwidnt mean to… (Wro,wrong…… i didn’t mean

to……)”

However, the duke shook my hand and frowned.

A sigh flowed from his lips

“You're bothering me.”

My whole body trembled like an aspen tree.

Instead of being favored, I had an accident.

I think I was too scared to say that my life expectancy was getting worse.
In addition, my eyes began to turn round and round, and my view narrowed.

"Don't bother me any more and go back to your room”

“Ugh……”

As soon as I groaned, my body tilted and fell under the chair.

“Little miss!”

In my narrowing field of view, the duke had hardened with his eyes wide
open.

Then came the silence.

***

<Sakhaman space>

In the dark I was looking at the back of Duke of Amity.

My father, who is benevolent, careful and just.

I respected and loved him dearly.

I had to give up many things to live as his daughter, but it was fine.

If only he would laugh with me while calling my name.

But I knew. That there is a wall between us.

The Duke of Amity gave me a room to stay in, taught me the mission of the
nobility, and dined together, but only to that extent.

He didn't regard me as his child.

Still, I did my best because I liked him.

I hesitated for a long time and then reached out to him “Fath-“

“Dad!”

Mina run past me to the Duke of Amity

Somehow Mina embraced his arm without qualms.

When Mina smiled with her eyes folded, the Duke of Amity stroked her
head and smiled.

It's okay. It could happen. Mina is really a child of fate.

She's a good girl who brings rain to the drought, and gives hope to the poor
and the sick.

If I work harder, my father will look after me, too.

Then the darkness around me shook.

“Stupid!”

A thunderous roar came from the air.

I was appalled at the sight of the hand sticking out of the distorted darkness.

A hand with a ring engraved with Vallua’s name soon caught my eye.

"If you're hiding, I'm afraid I can't find you. You're a small rat."

Duke of Vallua kicked me. Without hesitation, Duchess of Vallua, soon

appeared.

"This useless girl.”

They came up to me little by little. I shuddered with my palms backward.

Don't hit me.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry……!!

“Heuk!”

I woke up while kicking the duvet.

My back is full of cold sweat, and my hands tremble.

After seeing the familiar clock in front of me, I came back to my senses.

‘It's a dream.’

Only the sound of rain hitting the window awakens the stillness.

There was a basin and a towel at the bedside. The chair is still warm as if
someone was here for a while.

'That's right, I fell down.'

I couldn't breathe when I remembered what had happened in the afternoon.

'That Newt, what to do.’

After three deaths, I found a place worth.

The employees of Dubbled were really friendly, and the Duke of Dubbled
was all right But when these people hate me,

The duke’s eyes will be as cold as they were at first. Lea and Nos would not
laugh at me either.
Suddenly thunder pounded, revealing something that had been in the dark.

***

Lea brought some new clothes for Leblaine, who sweated a lot in her sleep.

The maids followed her and wept.

“Is the baby all right?”

“I heard the doctor doesn't know why. What is going on?”

Lea sighed.

"Because she gets sick for no reason. Once you've given her a fever
reducer--"

As soon as she opened the door saying so, some clothes fell from Lea's
hand.

Leblaine, who was supposed to lie in bed, was nowhere to be seen.

“What……”

As the maids panicked and muttered, Lea cried as if screaming.

"Find the baby!”

Surprised maids searched the bathroom, searched the hallway, but no

Leblaine was seen.

The pale faced Lea delivered the news to the Duke.

At midnight, a light came on in the area of Dubbled Castle.

Everyone was busy searching for Leblaine.

Nos ran towards the Duke in the hallway.

“She’s not in the annex.”

“The kitchen. She might be wandering around looking for bread.”

“I've already looked for it.”

The duke’s face hardened. Many of these people were mobilized, but they
couldn't find a single child.

Did she get hit by an assassin who came here for Dubbled?

Or the Senate, which disapproves of the child of fate, might have used his
hand.

"Mobilize the troops. Wide range of search—“

"Your Excellency!"

Then came an urgent voice from outside the window.

The butlers and gardeners were surrounding someone.

In it, Lea, who found her, ran as fast as she could.

“Little miss!”

Leblaine wriggled her hand when she saw Lea holding her.

The Duke took a step toward the child.

The guards who were stationed around the area ran out for water, and
finally Leblaine was seen properly.
Her pajamas were covered with dust, and bare feet without shoes were
messed up with scratches and dirt.

The young body, which was heavily rained on, trembled, and its lips were
blue. Leblaine has staggered behind Lea and walks to the Duke.

“You……”

When the Duke narrowed the middle of his forehead, Leblaine popped out
something.

It was the red flower in the trembling hands.

“Ywo like cawnartion (you like carnation.)”

“………”

“I’m sowwy (i’m sorry)”

When the Newt broke, Leblaine ,who had no idea what to do and held his
sleeve, came to mind.

"Fowgive me. (Forgive me)……”

The Duke could not give any answer. She rubbed her hands desperately to
ask for forgiveness with a pale face.

The moment I coldly struck her hand, I regretted it.

***

Thanks to the thunder, I knew there was a carnation in the garden outside
the window. So I hurried to find the flowers at once.

It rained cats and dogs, but it didn't matter. I had to do something not to be
hated.
I looked up at the duke with a frightened face. After a long silence, he
hugged me.

‘Euagh!’

Then embarrassed Lea and Nos came running quickly.

"Ah, sir. The baby may not have made a fuss on purpose.She’s still a child,
so she don't know anything”

But the Duke carried me into the castle without hearing anything.

‘What are you going to do with me?’

I prayed my best, but it can't be solved by a bunch of flowers that broke

Newt.

However, the place where the duke entered was the bathroom.

‘Is it a water torture?’

I was so scared that I got so stiff.

The Duke stretched out his hand after he put me in the bathtub.

'Falling in!'

I closed my eyes reflexively. That's strange. It wasn't painful.

When I opened my eyes carefully, I saw the duke with one knee bent.

Soon after, he took my foot. I was amazed at what he was trying to do.

He started wiping my feet. When the water touched my feet, i flinched.

“Painful?”
“No…”

“……”

He looked at me without a word, so I mumbled.

“A bit……”

His touch has softened.

Every time the mud and dust on my feet melted into the water and fell to
the floor, the wound became clearer. I didn't feel pain because I was in such
a hurry.

The duke’s gaze at my feet sank deeply.

“Don't wander around the castle late at night."

I thought I'd be in trouble now, but his mouth didn’t open any more.

'That's it?'It's even more disturbing because the Duke doesn't get angry. ‘

I wriggled my hands and murmured.

“Dyuke, youw’re not angwy? (Duke, you’re not angry?)”

A strange silence sank into the bathroom.

He stared at me for a long time and opened his lips.

"I'm not angry.”

Really?

Are you sure?

I looked at him with a look of distrust, and he narrowed his forehead and
tapped me on the forehead. It didn't hurt at all.
Chapter 9
“………”

“………”

There was silence in the bathroom, but I was no longer afraid of the Duke.
Is it because this great man is sitting with his knees bent in front of a child
and washing her feet?

Soon we left the bathroom. When the door opened, Lea, who was anxiously
waiting in front of the bathroom, ran quickly.The Duke handed me over to
Lea and said, “Go and apply some medicine.”

“Yes?”

“Medicine.”

“Oh, yes, medicine!”

Lea and her maids, who were in a state of panic, walked down the hall. It
was almost as fast as running. The maids who came into the room collapsed
panting. Lea whispered little by little, while drying my wet hair. translation
by zimmings dot blogspot dot com "It's all right, child."

“………”

“Nobody's mad at you”

“………”

“It's all right, it's all right.”

Her voice was so sweet that I could only tear up.

translation by zimmings dot blogspot dot com * * *

I spent a few days in suspense after that. But the Duke really didn't scold
me.He didn't tell the empress about the Newt, nor did he send me back to
the capital. There was not even an expression of anger. In addition. 'He
didn't throw away the flower I picked.'

It was not a carefully grown flower, but a single wild flower bloomed
accidentally, laying on the grass in the garden. But the wild flowers were in
the vase of Duke Dubbled’s office. When I saw a wild flower with a bunch
of fluffy flowers in a super luxurious vase, I was touched. ‘What are you
thinking?'

translation by zimmings dot blogspot dot com If it were someone else, not
the Duke, you must have thought about not throwing away the flower that a
child plucked in the middle of the night. ‘But you’re the duke of Dubbled,
aren’t you?’ The Theodore Dubbled, who slaughtered innocent people.He’s
been a little soft on me since that day.

translation by zimmings dot blogspot dot com 'This is so delicious!' The

chicken dish cooked with sweet sauce after mixing the chicken with various
spices was really delicious. The meat is soft and the sauce is sweet and
salty.

“………”

What's wrong with him? ‘Do you want to eat it?’. I slipped my arm over the
plate for fear that i might lose my precious chicken leg. Then the duke’s
eyebrows wriggled.

'That's so mean, so mean.' You're eating all those big lamb steaks by
yourself, but you're even going after children's food. I was really grateful
that he let the Newt case slide. Newt was a precious treasure. When it was
in the hands of the emperor, the pope visited the Imperial Palace and asked
for it to be kept in the church. Not only precious for its historical values, but
also its use was endless.
For a long time I decided to alternate chicken legs and duke. I bit my lips
tightly and I broke the chicken leg I stretch out my hand “I’ll gwive it to
you (i’ll give it to you.)”

He narrowed his eyebrows as he watched me waggling chicken legs with a

sad face.

“What……”

A short laugh came from his teeth.

"I want to open to see what's in your head."

Are you really going to open my head? I clenched my head with both hands
in fright.

“Owpen it and ywo die! (Open it and you die!)”

Then came the sound of laughing by the door. It was Nos that was carrying
papers. He coughed in vain as the duke’s gaze turned to me.

"It's a list of the possible emperor’s present”

"What will replace Newt?”

"We've got a pretty good deal from the traders.“

“I've been informed that it’ll be arriving here as early as this afternoon."

It's a replacement for the Newt. I don't know, but it's probably too expensive
to imagine. ‘I’m glad you guys found the replacement though.’

If Dubbled is insane enough to give Newt to the emperor, it must mean that
there is something to be received from the emperor. If the deal is broken
because of me, adoption is no good. The goods found by the trading
partners must be really good.
‘But i haven’t heard at this time that traders brought in something that was
worth the Newt.’ I casually muttered “Twade… (Trade…)”

And Nos grinned

“Are you curious what the trade is?”

“Ung?”

“A trader is someone who sell goods between countries.”

Come to think of it, I thought it was a difficult word for a child, so I said,
"Wow!" and pretended to be surprised.

“You want to see the trade?”

“Yes…… that’s wight. (Yes, that’s right.)”

I'm not really curious about the trade. But what kind of goods did you bring
from the trade?

"You can take a look at the items. There's a lot of unique stuff, so it'll be fun
to look around."

Of course I'd love to, but… I glanced at the duke. I was wondering what to
do if you asked me if I was going to ruin the stuffs,but I didn't say much.
‘I'm glad I gave you chicken legs.' Soon, The Duke and Nos left the
restaurant to talk about the Emperor's Birthday. I decided to go to the
library with Lea and other servants to kill time until the trading partner
came. translation by zimmings dot blogspot dot com "You haven't seen
library in the Dubblede’s castle, have you?"

“Yes.”

"It's full of books. Of course, there are a lot of them."

My eyes almost popped out when I entered the door that Lea opened.

‘Oh my god.’What a great library!. Even the ceiling of the room, which is
the size of a horseback riding field, was far too high. The staircase
continued in the form of a vortex through the center, and countless
bookshelves were placed on each floor. You can't find an empty space on a
long bookcase that seems to be easily over three meters. I turned to the fairy
tale section, looking around the library, which boasts of its immense
prestige.

“Now, pick one!"

said the maids, with a glistening eyes. It was the eyes of parents who looked
at what kind of books their child would like. I was pushed to the front of the
bookshelf by the burdensome gaze. I have to pretend I can't read yet, so I'll
just pick a book with a pretty cover. While looking around which book was
the most colorful, I found something unusual and blinked. ‘Why isn't there
a title for this?' Besides, it was only half the book left, and the other half
was cut off. I tilted my head and opened the book. 'It's not a fairy tale.'

The most holy achievement of the Founding Emperor Frid 1 was to defeat
this class, the power of evil spirits. According to Ivan's records, there are
two conditions for the manifestation of the evil spirit. The first is contact
with the new material, which is the key to awakening potential forces, and
the acquisition of a medium that enables the exertion of power.

That was the end. The rest were cut off, so I couldn't read more. 'What is it,
so short.' Then Lea asked.

“Little miss, did you choose?"

I quickly let go the book that I was holding, and pulled out any book next to
it.

“Let’s go back and read it in a fun way.”

I took Lea’s hand and left the library. The maids had great storytelling talent
and performed brilliant acts, yet my mind were occupied by something. I
kept thinking of the untitled book I read in the library. 'Why is the content
related to evil spirits?'. The evil spirit was also related to me. translation by
zimmings dot blogspot dot com The righteous god, the mother of the
Empire, sealed the evil spirit, the source of evil for humans. But the seal
became loose over time, and needed the power of Mina, the child of fate, to
re-seal the evil spirit.

'And I was the sacrifice of the ceremony.' The ceremony was so painful that
I wanted to kill them as soon as possible. When I recalled it, my face
darkened, and Lea looked at me with a worried look.

“Why do you have such a sad face?"

I couldn't say I remembered my past memories, so I rolled my eyes and

said.

“Bewcause I’m scawed of lions ( because I’m scared of lions.)”

Then the maids shouted, "Kyaa!" and shook their fists.

"Is that so~~ our baby is scared of lions~~”

The maids, then rubbed my cheeks on both sides of my face. I endured the
maids with blurred eyes.There was a commotion outside. Lea opened the
door a little and looked through the hallway.

“It looks like the trader has arrived.”

Then she reached out to me

“Shall we go see?"

I took Lea’s hand and left the room.

When I arrived the duke sat on an ivory chair. Behind his chair, i saw the
emperor's tapestry. That tapestry with ancient language was a symbol of the
military power of Dubblede.In front of him was a man who seemed to be a
trading partner.I recognized the man at once.

‘Why is that crook here!'

The merchant Turva.

Later, he will be the scum wanted for selling forged paintings to the
imperial family.
Chapter 10
Turva was a well-established trade partner who began as a slave and sought
the respect of the common people.However, it turned out that he had
cheated several times before after being caught selling counterfeit goods.

‘I'm nervous.'

This may be real, but I couldn't be relieved to know Turva. Turva opened a
box that was lying on the floor.There was a white headstone in the box.

‘It's an ancient language’

Turva spoke in a confident tone.

“It’s an ancient headstone.”

Then the vassals and Nos, who were standing beside the Duke, rejoiced
greatly.

“An ancient headstone is worth as much as Newt.”

That's right. If the ancient headstone became known, it would now be

classified as a tresure by the castle.

“But ancient language is an incomprehensible language, how can you be

sure that this is a headstone from ancient times?”

Turva opened his mouth with a triumphant look.

“A similar object was recorded in the history book, and it was verified that
it contained strong divine power.”

“Hmm……”
As the vassals shook their heads, Turva raised the corners of their mouths.

"It's a difficult thing to excavate in the old plateau. The horde of horrible
monsters attacked me and the top, but I never retreated."

Then he struck out his hands at the Duke.

“There will certainly be a day when it will help someone. So you can't give
up the tombstone!“

But the duke only pressed his temple with a dry face.Turva wasn't mad at
all. Rather, he raised his mouth as if waiting for the word.

"If you'd like to buy it, I'll deal with you for 100 million."

‘What?’

‘100 million?!’

The unit used only for the national budget was hundreds of millions. Even
the vassals and the Nos nearly screamed and looked at the duke.

As soon as the Duke looked over the stone plate with a sharp look, I raised
my hand up.

“Closely! That!”

Turva, who was staring at me with thin eyes, soon smiled.

"You're a child of fate. It's an honor to meet you."

“Want to see”

Lea was embarrassed and called me, "Ah, little miss."

Nos also looked troubled. It seemed like he was worried that if I broke the
stone plate like I did at Newt, I wouldn't really be able to fix it. But I had a
reason to look closely at that stone plate. Turva grinned and nodded. "You
must be interested in this because you're a child of fate. Yes, let's take a
closer look. But don't touch it."

As the vassals shouted, "Wait!" but i quickly approached Turva. I squatted

on the carpet and looked into the stone plate with a curious face.

"Do you feel the divine power?”

The people of Dubbled and the people of Turva’s table have all dissuaded
him.

"Stop it. What if the child breaks it?"

"She’s the child of fate, and she might be able to read some ancient words."

"How can anyone who can't speak imperial language yet interpret ancient
languages?”

"Of course I'm joking. Someone who can interpret the ancient language, the
language that has disappeared--"

“Nowto, who stwuggle for his famiwy for a lifetime, sweeps here. (Noto,
who struggled for his family for a lifetime, sleep here.)”

“Yes?”

Turva and other people blinked at the sudden remark.I smiled brightly and
pointed to the stone tablet. ‘Uncle, are you an idiot, it’s written here.’

This was just a tombstone. Moreover, no divine power can be felt at all.
‘This swindler.’
Thankfully, i can read ancient language. No one can read it now, but it was
because the ancient language of the ancient language appeared a decade
later. Mina was able to read the ancient language as soon as she saw it.
Thanks to her, the lines of the ancient language were interpreted, and others
could learn the ancient language.

Of course, the number of people who learned was very small because it was
very difficult. 'There were only three people who can understand the ancient
language until I was about to die.' The Crown Prince and the eldest son of
Duke Dubbled, and me.

I shook my head inside and looked at Turva. It's a lie to say that they
excavated it from the old plateau in the first place. The only ancient country
that built a monument for the dead was Calisis.

Calisis is a country directly opposite the old plateau and does not believe in
the this country’s God. It is an area where the divine thing can never come
down.

'How simple is that man?'

You must have thought that you would never get caught. That man didn't
know that i can read ancient language.The vassals rushed to me.

“Can you read ancient languages?

“Exactly, as it it written?”

They surround me from both sides.

Then, i nodded. Turva’s face was filled with embarrassment.

“What, what nonsense--!"

He quickly gave his hand to the duke and made excuses.

"No, It's a holy thing! How can a child read such an ancient language?"

Turva, who glared at me sharply, pressed, "A child who says such lie will be
punished by heaven!"

Before I knew it, Nos, who came near me, bent one knee and asked me to
look at him.

“Do you really know how to read ancient languages?”

“'Yes.”

“How? Did you learn?"

I thought you'd ask me this question, so I prepared this!

I tilted my head and said,

“I can see it."

When Mina was asked how she read ancient languages, she said so.

That's when I learned that the title "The Child of Destiny" is used.

As i was giggling inside, Turva shouted, "Lie!"

Then he hurriedly made excuses for the people.

"I have a way to prove that this is the real thing.But you're different. How
do you make it clear that you can read ancient languages?"

One of the vassals, Dubos, sighed.

'I'm sure it was fabricated.’

People didn’t easily believe.

Turva laughed and smiled.

"The only person who could speak ancient language was the founding
emperor." That was then. I stretched out my index finger and pointed to the
tapestry embroidered in ancient languages at the back of the duke.
translation by zimmings dot blogspot dot com “Bwessed the man who
rejuvnated his mission (Blessed be the man who rejuvenated his mission.)"

“………!”

“………!”

All eyes are on me.

Nos breathed in, and the vassals silently screamed. Even the duke looked at
me with my eyes wide open.

And I hit the last shot.

“Fwed Enys Shawman Cawwie (Fred Enys Shayman Callie)”

When i said the name embroidered at the end of the tapestry, the Duke
rolled up the armrests of the chair. "The true name of the Founding
Emperor"

People stared at me in amazement at his murmur. “True?”

“that’s the true name of Fred I!”

The middle name 'Shayman' was evidence of some tribe's blood. The tribe
was called the creation of evil spirits, are now forbidden to mention. The
Imperial Household removed his true name from the record to hide the
wrong blood of the Founding Emperor.

For now, it was only the Five Dynasties and very few people who knew his
true name. And the very few would of course include the Duke of Dubbled.
‘It's different in the future.’

Mina's inscription on the tapestry once spoke of the emperor's real name in
public. So reading the truth of the founding emperor embroidered on
tapestry now proved that I could really read the ancient language.Nos burst
out laughing.

“I can't help but believe this."

The vassals swallowed dry saliva and grabbed their foreheads.

"That's ridiculous. How could you…………”

All the people were troubled. I grinned inwardly and looked at Turva.

'How are you going to make excuses now?' As expected, Turva couldn't
open his mouth easily.

His hands were shaking with a blue face.

‘Fool’

I shook my head, and shed a small laugh.

The Duke may have been suspicious, given that he was not interested in it
in the first place. He rose slowly.

"I guess I've been pretty nice lately."

“………What?”

“Nos.”

At the duke’s call, Nos bowed his head and answered, “Yes.”

“Bring him in to prison.”

Surprised, Turva shouted, "Wait, sir!" with a bluish face. The Duke looked
at him and said dryly.

"Get me a definite answer about that headstone, even if you chop him up.”

"Yes," said Nos, grimly. Turva’s face faded.

Chapter 11
Turva talked about everything even before the vassals began. There was a
sacred thing that had to be taken in order to deal with the Pope, which
required money somehow.

‘What nonsense is this?’

'What kind of a creature would have allowed Turva to commit this reckless
fraud?’I wondered what the hell it was, but Nos brought back the rims of
the holy things that were kept at the top. When I saw it, I opened my eyes in
surprise.

‘Etwal!’

It was the very holy thing that made Mina exert powerful power. The six-
pointed star, the colored gem embedded at the end of the star, and the circle
surrounding the star and the gem. It looks just like Etwal, the sacred object
that Mina used to perform all kinds of miracles. Mina's was definitely
platinum with strings and pendants, but this is gold. Each end also had a
different species of jewel.

'It's not Mina's Etwal, which is being kept in the temple.'

Was there a paired sacred thing?

‘But why wasn't it made public in my previous life?’

Etwal was a symbol of the country’s religion. 'If a second Etwal exists,
there is no reason why the church should not reveal it.’

'It would have been advantageous for the public to secure. The owner would
have given it to the temple for public reasons.'Then, the Duke mumbled,
closing his eyes.
"Second Etwal”

"Then it makes sense for Turva to do crazy things. Etwal is the decisive
factor that made Neliad the religion of the empire."

"So where is this Etwal?"

"It’s asleep in the sea. The only way to get it is to salvage it. The problem
with that is……”

Nos gave the map with a troubled face.

"It's not the territorial waters of the Empire. It's just 10 meters away from
the territorial waters of another continent."

The duke snorted.

“So the church couldn’t come forward.”

"Yes, because if they come forward, war will be inevitable."

The reason why Turva need huge funds is probably because his counterpart
is the king of other continent. They won't just get by with small amount and
invade the territorial waters.

"What should I do?"

"If it's really etwal, we have to secure it on our side."

"Are you going to make a deal with the king?"

“What are you talking about”

“So………”

The Duke, tapping the papers back at Nos, said “We’ll go to war.”
He looked as if he needed to have a headache pill.

‘Wow’

I was struck with astonishment at his amazing answer.

"That's good. I don't have to look for another gift for emperor’s birthday.”

Nos looked at me with a smile.

"This is all thanks to you. Would we have known the existence of the
second Etwal had the Newt been broken? Also, you were able to prevent
fraudulent transactions in advance by reading the ancient language.”

Indeed, Dubbled‘s liteunant, deserves to be called a villain. You look happy

that things are going to be easy even though there will be a war. I was a
little shocked to see the hidden side of Nos, who usually seemed friendly.
But it wasn't a bad thing for me.

'Etwal did a good job, I'm safe.'

It’s the irony of fate, Newt broke down but it gave me a chance to get
Etwal. When I destroyed Newt, I even gave up on being adopted, but it was
all good in the end. Maybe…… i don't have to give up.

I glanced at the duke. His facial expression doesn’t look bad.

Shall we test it out?'

Then, Nos said, "Come on, shall we go?"and tried to hug me.

I shouted, "No!" and ran to the Duke, hugging his legs.

“I’ll be with thwe dyuke (i’ll be with the duke.)”

Then Nos look at me with a wounded face.

I didn't want to go with him, so Nos was forced to give up on me and leave
the room.Being alone with the Duke, I raised my arms up.

“Gwive me a hug pwease! (Give me a hug please!)”

The Duke stared at me and soon reached out.

'Okay, we've become close enough for him to say nothing about asking for a
hug.'

Then wouldn't it be okay to bring up the word now?

Come to think of it, it's been a month since I came to Dubbled’s residence.
It is time for the empress dowager to ask about the adoption.

'Now is the time to feel better.'

I was afraid, but I pull out my courage and opened my mouth a little
“Weblaine will bwe a good gwil (Leblaine will be a good girl)”

I can grow up well by myself without bothering you.

So, Duke--

“Pwese be my fatwer (please be my father)”

***

A week later

I gathered all my concentration on my fingertips and clenched my teeth.

If you give up on such a thing, you won't be able to achieve anything.

Let's not be disappointed in ourselves anymore. You shouldn't blame

yourself.
I'm sure there's a lot of will and experience in this spirit since I've
experienced death three times.

I quickly lifted 'it'.

'Success, socks on!'

A thunderous round of applause came from around and Lea kissed me on

the cheek several times as if she was proud.

"I'm proud of you. Good work, little miss!"

"I've only taught you a few times, but you're already wearing your own
socks."

"As expected, you’re a genius!”

I bent down my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand, wiped it off and
sighed.

It was a success after six times.

'Good. I grew up.'

Then we're ready now.

I grabbed the remaining pair of socks and pull Lea’s sleeve.

“I want to go to the dyuke”

“Yes, show it to him."

Lea smiled gladly and took me to the Duke's office.

The duke, who was watching the documentary with the officers and the
vassals, took off his glasses and looked at me.
I glanced at the tiny white lace socks.

“ Weblaine can wear syocks now!(Leblaine can wear socks now!)”

He held his chin and said, "Let’s see…” and I swallowed my dry saliva.

On the day I asked to be adopted, the duke was silent.But it wasn't seen as
negative.The fact that he didn't answer would mean that i could be adopted
if I did well.

'So this is sort of an interview room for me.'

I flung down on the floor and grabbed the socks with both hands. The
vassals and the officers looked at me with a pleased look.

'Expand the hole with your fingers.

I've done a good job expanding.

'Okay, the next thing you do is gather your toes together and put them in a
wider hole.'

I'll raise and gather my toes as sharply as possible.

'Now you just have to push it in at once.'

heung?

The socks are stuck on my heel and won't go up.

Again.

Again.

No, again!
Although i struggled to raise my socks by rolling them up, the socks on my
heels kept moving up.

One of the vassals sitting around the table shook his shoulders.

I looked at the duke with an uneasy look. The tip of his lips slowly went
down.

It was an obvious sneer.

I felt like I wanted to go into a rat hole.

'It's pathetic, me, me,……… '

As I became sullen, Lea said in a laughing voice. "She just succeeded. I've
only taught her twice."

“As expected, she’s different.”

“Is that so”

As the duke mumbled, leaning deeply against the back. Meanwhile I was
staring bitterly at the long, dangling socks on my toes.

‘Failed’

Then the interview failed too………

What I felt during my stay in this castle for more than a month was that the
duke was as strong as an iron fortress.

I tried to get along somehow, but the development was very little. I don't
think it’s getting any better.

“Blaine”
The only development was the nickname he gave me.

“Yes……”

He looked at me as I picked up the fallen socks and trudged them.

"I can't overlook you being in my castle without any improvement."

'Yes, I know.'

He was also extremely cold-hearted to his three sons.

As soon as they were born, they was taken away by his predecessor and
could not raise him himself. Even now, the whole authority of education
belongs to the elders.

They’re already being educated at the capital. Even the eldest son, Johan,
was at a boarding academy far from the empire.

"Practice before I return from my inspection of the territory."

“Yes………”

“Can you do it?”

“ Yes, Bwaine will be dyuke’s dawther (Yes, Blaine will be duke’s

daughter)”

For some reason, the duke’s lips seemed to be slightly raised.

Chapter 12
The Duke left the city for inspection as he said. Lea said it would take about
20 days for him to be back. Those 20 days were days of training for me.
'You have to succeed and be adopted.’

So I was putting up my socks today as well. 'Oh, it's a success if you cross
your heel, but it's hard.It was because I couldn't control my delicate
muscles.’

It's already noon since I've been busy training. It was time for lunch. I left
the room looking for Lea. I used to be with her all the time, but she was
away for some reason today. The maids have been out since dawn.

“You can enter and stay in one of the guest rooms.”

“The baby……… will be leaving right away”

Butlers and maids were busy discussing something. The faces of the vassals
who walked in and out of the hall were also stiff.

‘What?’

When I heard a rumbling sound, I tilted my head to the butler, and soon he
understands it.

“Yes, little miss.”

“I’m hungwy”

“Okay, i’ll look for Lea.”

“Wet’s go wight now (let’s go right now.)”

The butler smiled kindly and held my hand. It was when I was walking
along the hall with him.

"What nonsense is that!"

'Ak!’ There's a loud shout out there in the distance. I held the butler's hand
tight. My heart was pounding. There are people who are so angry.
Something really must be going on.

'What could it be?’

I was thinking about it, but I heard another shout.

"How can a priest of the Church cross the gate without permission!"

"It's to take the baby home, take her home after his return."

That's also a job. It could be an excuse to spy the inside of dubbled’s castle.

" For now, isn't the Pope the legal guardian of the baby? How can you
refuse when her guardian is coming?"

"The guardian doesn't need the owner's permission to take the child.”

You're coming from the church? Picking me up?

Linda, your shoulders are shaking. Then the butler called out, "Little miss?"
but I couldn't answer.

what was going on?

If they take me to the capital city, I'll be headed for re-adoption

immediately. Besides, the fact that the church, not the empress, is coming to
take me to their chosen place of adoption is bad.I know it because I've heard
it in my previous life. The place the church has recommended is……
‘Vallua.’

When I remembered the Duke of Vallua, my eyes were red with anger.

***

<Dubbled>

Everyone in Dubbled is a cold-blooded person. It was due to the Dubbled’s

special teaching method, which had a short history of their own. The only
path as a dubbled is to be slaughtered or slaughter.

Theodore Dubbled, the current Duke of Dubbled was one of the most
completely molded in the history of the Dubbleds.

Unrivaled power, sense and intelligence that doubled the family's fortune
after only a few years on the throne. A man who thoroughly excluded
emotions with such talent has aroused appalling fears of anyone.

The same thing happened to the vassals and officers who went on an
inspection tour with Theodore. The restaurant remained quiet throughout
the lunch.

At that time, they felt a slight wave of mana. Theodore and other elite
soldiers turned their eyes to the source of the mana. The lieutenant sweated
in his pocket.

"Oh, no, this is…”

The knight sitting on his right held the lieutenant’s wrist.

“I’ll check”

The knight roughly put the Lieutenant's hands on the table What came out
of his hand was a magical tool, and the lieutenant sweated a cold sweat.
"It's the latest trend……”

"It is forbidden to possess non-related equipment."

"Well, i was asked to buy soft cloths.”

There was a very soft cloth made of special crops that only come from the
area. Then the knight asked full of excitement.

“Do you have children?"

“No, it’s for the little miss.”

"The child of fate that the empress sent?"

"Yes. She’s practicing wearing socks, but it seems difficult, so the maid is
trying to make a more comfortable socks."

“But why do you need that?”

Suddenly, the knight reached out to confiscate the magic tool.

At that time, a small noise was made from the magical tool, and a screen
was rising in the air.

[Come on, little miss. Try saying “Duke."]

[Dyuke!]

[D.u.k.e!]

[Dy.u.k.e!]

[Once again. ‘Duke’]

[Dyuke……]
The baby's sullenness made him wiggle his hands.

“Oh, she’s the one…”

"What is this?"

Recently, it was a trend to exchange cute images or videos of Leblaine

among employees of Dubbled.

This was a short video taken by Lea, which was used to pay the lieutenant
for the transaction. She sent him a video instead for buying the cloth.

The knights, who had been angling closely, relaxed their expressions.

“That’s cute.”

The video continues

[Why are you so sullen?]

[What if the dyuke dowsen’t wike that i can’t pwonounce dyuke? (What if
the duke doesn’t like that i can’t pronounce duke?)”]

The whole place burst to laughter. A middle-aged knight spoke to Theodore.

"You must be happy being loved by such a cute child.”

“Nonsense.”

"The baby is a very unusual. Even the three masters think their father can't
be easily approached.”

"She’s a unique girl.”

A boisterous knight asked with a sly look. "Honestly, isn't she cute?”
Theodore's eyes chilled. Then there was silence in the restaurant again, and
others were in a hurry to eat. She’s not cute.

I never thought anyone was cute in the first place.

But i can't help but notice the little thing standing in my castle all day long.
I thought the mole on her neck was funny. It was a heart pattern, but when
she looked up at my shoes, her skin stretched and the mole grew bigger.

Theodore then reached out to the Lieutenant. The lieutenant who was
putting a meat in his mouth.

“Come here”

“Yes?”

“Do not carry non- related equipment."

‘It's not even for attacking’ thought the lieutenant. For a moment the
lieutenant had a look of injustice, but he could not overcome the cold gaze
and put the magical tool on his palm.

Theodore carefully put a magic tool into his bag.

'There is a myth that if you damage a magic tool, you will be cursed.'

That was all.

Since then, only the sound of rustling dishes filled the silence in the
restaurant. At the end of the meal, the captain of the Magistrate's mouth
opened.

“By the way, Duke , I’ve recently heard that the surrounding area is
strange.”

“Why are you saying that? "

"It's beyond the territory, but firearms are raging."

A gunner never comes into the territory.

"Why should I care about other people's affairs?"

“Well, that’s true but i was just wondering I was just wondering if there
were many cases of kidnapping children.”

Then Nos nodded and said

“They sell children to the slave market."

"A child with magical or divine powers is also used as an ingredient in gold.
It's a terrible thing."

In that moment, Leblaine popped out in Theodore’s mind. “Dyuke!”. While

walking Leblaine was kidnapped by some bandit. In the slave market,
Leblaine was calling the duke and ended up bursting out in tears.

“If anyone dares to enter my estate, i can’t let them go.”

“If it happens……?”

“Kill them.”

“Which area should we clean first…”

“Let’s go to the Roxiel boundary.”

Theodore's hand stopped suddenly.

'When she grows up, would she want to go flower viewing?'

There's a fine garden in the Roxiel boundary, so nobles often goes out there
“Take care of Roxiel’s garden. It would be a good idea to show favors
around.”

Come to think of it, she might want to ride a horse when she grows older.

There's a good place to ride horses past the Roxiel border.

“Wait, plains…”

There is a good river to play in the water behind the plain. It's good to float
a boat.

"Clean up the Nogis River.”

After a slip of someone’s tongue, the faces of the knights turned pale as
they went on a gunfight with hundreds of killings.
Chapter 13
I dug into the drawer where Lea put my luggage and struggled.

“Oh my!"

Surprised, Lea quickly pulled me out of the drawer.

“What are you doing?”

“Whele is the bag twhat gwandfather gave me? (Where is the bag that
grandfather gave me?)”

“You’re looking for a bag?”

The grandfather, who had left with the duke,once brought me a children
bag. It was a peach-colored elephant-shaped bag.

“The bag is here.”

Lea looked at me with a curious look on her face when she found the bag
and put it on her shoulder.

However, I take it and ran out.

Lea, sorry. This is something I have to do alone.

'Cause I'm getting ready to run away.'

Probably no, the church’s priests will take me. The empress gave me a
choice, but if the church insists strongly, she’ll side with them as if I can't
have another choice.
For now, there was no reason to let me stay here and even if the duke was
here, he protested against the empress. ‘If i’m adopted by Val Lua, it's
impossible to run away.'

So escape while you're on your way to the capital, you're escaping.

'It's dangerous in this body, but if you go to Val Lua, you'll be abused and
killed.’

I'd rather choose the one with hope. I entered the kitchen and poked my face
over the cooking table. The cook, who was serving the meal, smiled and
asked.

"What's the matter, little miss?"

“Water, pwese.”

“Yes.”

“A lot.”

She pours water into a bottle with a cap saying that I will spill if I carry a
lot of water.

“Pwese put it hwere. (Please put it here)”

When I put my back out, the cook laughed and put the water bottle in my
bag.

‘Water secured.’

Now the food.

The food was prepared by skipping the snacks. But in case of emergency, I
still can’t let go of sweets. The most direct thing to the brain is sweets. I
used to act like a child when I was tired, sleepy, or hungry until my brain
had finished growing. So sweets is a must have.

I headed to the candy room that the Duke gave me. I put a candy in my bag.

‘One is too little, right?’

‘Two are still too little… ’

One more.

'Ay, I'm not going to say anything with this.'

The elephant became plump when I put it in. The zipper can’t be zipped.
The bag is too small. I only put thirty candies in it.translation by zimmings
dot blogspot dot com I need to pack a map and clothes. And then shoes.
Light children shoes will soon wear out and are not suitable for long trips.
I'm afraid I'll just have to only put in ten candies. I took out candy from my
bag and came back to my room.

Looking at Lea’s eyes, i sneaked behind the curtain as she cleaned up the
room. Then i took out some silver coins hidden in the window.

‘1,2,3,4………… 11’

I collected what the vassals gave me. When i came out of preparation, Lea
squinted at me.

“What are you going to play with?”

“No!”

“Hmm.”

“I don’t pack my bags!”

Lea giggled as i waved my hand wildly to make excuses. But the smile
quickly faded. Lea gently hugged me.

“I guess i should let you go…”

“………”

"It's an opportunity to grow up in a better environment and be loved by your

parents. It would be good for you.”

I bite my lips and curl up my hair.

"You'll be happy. You're such a lovely person, and I'm sure everyone will
love you."

However, Lea smiled as if she had brushed it off quickly. The murmuring
voice kept me from crying.

No,Lea.

They don't like me at all. I'd rather swim in a poo than go!

I thought so, but there was nothing she could do for me, who was just an
employee. Any help would only jeopardize Lea’s life.

"Come on, let's go for a read.”

“Eung…………”

I nodded and went with Leah to the place where the maids waited. The
maids sat me on the sofa.

‘What is it?’

Other employees were standing by the wall and holding something at the
bottom of their hands.
'There's a lot of that going on these days.'

These people were holding snacks. It was a really delicious snack.

Today’s snack is custard cream. I was looking forward to the cream I had
last week because it was so delicious. The horse-riding game we played was
fun.

I was saddened by the memory of the Duke of Dubbled. Compared to past

life, this place was heaven. When I think about falling into hell while living
in heaven, my eyes are watering. When I cried, the employees came
running in amazement.

“Little miss, why are you crying?”

“Who made my baby cry? Who did?”

“I’m going to kick their ass!”

Even Lea touched my cheek with a worried look.

‘If I go, I'll never see Lea again.'

I'm getting sadder and sadder! I cried out. Maybe it's because i keep
thinking. Nothing could suppress the sorrow. If only the Duke of Dubbled
was here. Then there must have been a faint hope that i might not have to
go.

He might not let me go because he hate the church.

"Why is my baby crying?”

“………”

“Yes? What’s the matter?”

“I miss the dyuke!”

I didn’t know i’d miss that cold blooded man. Even that made me cry with
red nose.

***

The priests of the church have arrived at the castle of dubbled. For the past
few days, I've been crying all the time. I cried while taking a bath in warm
water, cried while eating snacks, and cried while sleeping.

If you are dragged in this way, you will surely die again. The return was
terrible, my death was unjust, and I was sad because it was unfair. I couldn't
stop crying because it wasn't clear what to blame.

The employees seemed very worried. They looked at me, not knowing what
to do after seeing me off. There is a lot of stuff that the Dubbled’s people
took for me.

There are blankets, handkerchiefs, and snacks.

‘They’re really warm people’

When I remember the smiling priest, the wonderful points of the Dubbled’s
people became clearer. The man who had come to pick me up had a sharp
ring and chain-like bracelets all over his neck.

“Little miss, have you been well?”

“Yes.”

“How hard it must’ve been for you all alone here.”

“It wasn’t hawd (it wadn’t hard)”

"Don't worry now. We found someone who will raise you with love. The
Duke of Val Lua is a renowned scholar.”

What do you mean by love. That bad guy take care of me with a rod.
Besides, it wasn't entirely for me that the Church chose Val Lua. Back then,
I just picked a friendly family that was good to use.

“I’m not cwoming (i’m not coming)”

“Come on let’s go”

“Aah!!”

His hands were very rough with me.

"Come on, let's go!" he said, while pulling my arm. "It hurts!"

When I shouted loudly, the employees who came out to see me off were
startled. As Lea tried to intervene, the butler grabbed her shoulder and
shook his head.

"If you do this, you will be cursed by God."

That's not what you can say to a child. And I've already been cursed, You
know. I shook my head to shake off his hand.

“No.”

“Oho! Bad girl will be beaten by a whip!”

I really thought I was losing my arm this time. He drags me with stronger
force. It was so painful.

"If you're lucky being adopted by a prestigious family that has produced a
few great scholars, you should at least show gratefulness.”
Smell of alcohol. The appearance of a leather belt dragging on the floor.
The sound of leather cutting through the air.

“Jak!”

I felt like I was back in my second life. The priest narrowed his eyes while
looking at me panting.

“Wha-,what. What’s wrong with you?”

Then

"Get your hands off my daughter. "

A very low and chilling voice came from the front of the gate.

'I feel overwhelmed… 一

It was a voice that brought me back to reality when I was engulfed with the
memory. The Duke of Dubbled interrupted me and the priest.

The bewildered priest soon regained consciousness and confronted the

Duke.

"The baby will be entrusted to the Duke of Vallua."

“Then we’ll discuss it again”

“That’s ridiculous!-“

Sring!-

When the priest protested, the swords of the Dubbled’s knight quickly
pointed at the priest's neck. In the blink of an eye, the face of a priest
surrounded by dozens of swords became blue. But the Duke spoke in a
leery way.

"I never allowed you to open your mouth."

“Yo,… your excellency,………”

Before long, the duke’s gaze slowly descended and reached me.

“Aghh!”

The priest, whose arms were twisted in a grotesque shape, screamed.

After he pushed the priest away, he gently lifted me up. I sucked my snot
which go down to my philtrum.

“Dyuke………”

He, who lightly rubbed my sobbing cheeks, narrowed his brows and said,
“You’re ugly.”

Even if you say it. My tears keep falling "I'll have to wash your face.”

He patted me on the back, holding me close to his arms. Then he turned to

the castle without hesitation.
Chapter 14
In the meantime, the knight of Dubbled dragged the priest’s neck and threw
him into a wagon. After entering the castle, the employees of Dubbled
couldn’t hide their joy.

“Oho, Little miss. Good job.”

The butler reached for me and I quickly embraced the duke’s neck…

“Li, little miss…”

The old butler’s eyes are troubled. I was surprised by the rough touch of the
priest, and I remembered the painful memories before returning. Now, even
a familiar adult feels scary. My refusal shocked the butler and he staggered
away, Lea and other maids huddled around me. The maids began to appease
me gently.

“Little miss, let’s go home and change your clothes.”

“No.”

“Is it comfortable?”

“No.”

“Okay, little miss. Come this way.”

“No!”

Leave me alone! My heart is still pounding because of that fearful situation.

The employees proceed to take me away from the Duke, but I struggled and
clung to his neck. Lea looked at me with a worried look and looked at the
Duke of Dubbled.
“Well, master. The baby is still greatly surprised… she wanted to see you all
along. She’s really obedient on a regular basis… Today, no, half a day, no,
even a few hours before……”

Leah, made a long speech. The Duke then looked down at me.

“Okay. I’m bringing her in.“

As soon as he said that, Lea’s face brightened and she raised the corners of
her mouth.

“It’s really annoying.”

“Yes?”

“She likes me so much.”

Said the duke while pointing at me.

“Isn’t that right?“

Lea answered with a dry look.

“Ah,yeah…”

I looked at the duke with a dumb face. While i was thinking about it, the
employees are all gone. I was then alone with the duke.

With a sigh, I clung to his arms like a flying squirrel. My plump cheeks are
all shriveled up, but I’m relieved.

‘Thank you for today.’

If it weren’t for the Duke of Dubbled, I would have been adopted to Vallua
and repeated my misfortune. At that moment, I remembered what I had just
heard.
“Get your hands off my daughter. “

My daughter.

He said i was his daughter.

‘If so…… ’

I glanced at him.

“Can i stway hewe? (Can I stay here?)”

But the Duke gave no answer. Did he just say all of that just because of his
antipathy toward the church? I became nervous and began to mutter.

“I can wear syocks a wittle bit (i can wear socks a little bit)”

“……”

“I’ll eat wesser meal (I’ll eat lesser meal.)”

“……”

“I’ll be nwice. And, and… (I’ll be nice. And, and……)”

I blinked my eyes, as he fixed his wet hair.

“I will adopt you.”

It’s strange. He’s always expressionless with a dry voice, but why does he
suddenly seems so soft? The sound of firewood burning inside the fireplace
rang low in my ear. A big hand patting my back moved with a gentle
motion. The frost in the window gradually melted into the heat in the room.

“……”
I was so sleepy that I missed a news from the butler to the Duke. He is
saying that the three brothers are heading here soon.

***

A few days later.

I lay down with my stomach on a rug and shake my legs.

“Wite it down. Hewe, hewe! (Write it down. Here, here!)”

“Yes~ I’ll write it for you.”

Lea laughed and grabbed the crayons.

<Leblaine Dubbled>

I took up my sketchbook and looked at my name with a happy look.

Leblaine Dubbled

Dubbled

‘Success!’

I sang a joyous song in my heart.

When the priest arrived, I thought I was mistaken, but they wrote down my
name on the Dubbled family register.

‘The duke is nice… ’

I can’t believe I was adopted safely even though I bite the arms of the
priest. It was the emperor who calmed down the priests, they have been
saying that they couldn’t leave me to such a violent duke.
‘You must have taken the bribe.’

Ah, the sweet taste of money. I was worried about being taken to the other
two dukes.

‘I’m only growing here for 5 years.’

Mina, the real child of fate will appear after that. By the time i am about ten
years old, i’ll be able to control my “adult thinking” and leave.

‘Let’s stay calm so that we don’t stand out. And save a little money for the
trip.’As I tried to put the sketchbook down on the floor, a flash of light
came into view. The maid’s uniform button was hanging.

“It’s gwoing to fall. (It’s going to fall.)”

“Oh, yeah. I need to put it back on.”

“Gwive it to me, pwease (Give it to me please)”

I gathered my hands politely.

‘It’s worth a lot of money to collect and sell the buttons.’

“The button that fell off? Okay…”

Lea shook her head with a grim look as the other maid answered “No. What
if she puts it in her mouth?“

The maid laughed troubledly at Lea’s words.

“Ah… what to do, little miss. Buttons won’t do.”

If you collect thirty high-end buttons on a Dubbled uniform. That was

enough to buy two potatoes.
Urgently, I entered the lethal mode of attack. I stretched out my hands with
my eyes twinkling.

“Pwese… (Please…)”

The grim-faced maids ripped their buttons off and pushed it out.

One, two, three, four, five. I’ve already collected five.

Lea is trying to take the buttons from me. I quickly pressed my hands
together.

“I’m not gwoing to give it. (I’m not going to give it.)”

That’s what i said, but Lea still looked anxious. I’ll put it in an elephant bag
when the maids aren’t looking. Lea smiled helplessly.

At that time, several pairs of shoes were moving quickly through a slightly
open door gap.

“That’s lord Teramore and his people. We’re going to be busy.”

“In a way, they’re more demanding than the duke.”

When the maids grumbled, as Lea’s gaze sank.

“Take a good care of the baby. There’s nothing good about her being seen.”

***

After that the maids left doing their own work.

“I’ll bring you lunch. Can you be a good girl while you wait?”

“Yes.”
When Lea left, I got a moment to be alone.

‘One, two, three,…… five buttons.’

I’m counting the buttons I collected today, and I turned my head towards
the sudden glance.

‘Oh my god!’

Outside the window was an old man with white hair and white beard staring
at me with strange eyes.

‘I thought you were a ghost.’

I stared at the window, gently pressing down my beating chest.

‘Huh?’

But it’s weird. I’ve seen him before.

‘Have i seen him before my return?’

The corners of the old man’s mouth, who was staring at me, moved
slowly.When his rotten canine was revealed, I unconciously tightened my
fist.

Where did I see him?

A voice came from outside the window while i was trying to recall the old
man.

“Lord Teramore”

Lord teramore is who Lea and the maids are talking about earlier “Yes.”
“Your Excellency has told me it’s hard to make time because of heavy
work.”

“When this old man visits, how can he be overloaded?”

“You always come without a call, so it’s hard to make time.”

It was Nos who spoke to Lord Teramore. Nos’s expression was more rigid
than usual.

“I can’t help it. Then can I see the baby? “

When Nos saw myself in the window, he covered the window with his body
and said, “She’s very shy, so let’s set up a separate seat later. “

He smiled and said, “That’s too bad.”Then he murmured and left.

Nos shook his head and sighed deeply. When i showed my face, Nos’ eyes
grew bigger.

“Hi!”

“Little miss……”

he grinned.

Good, good, good. A child who is good at greeting is popular with adults.

‘Nos is a high ranking man here, so should I be a little more hospitable?’

I shouted with my arms stretched out.

“Hug mwe (Hug me)”

“Sh, shall i?”

He opened the window and hugged me, as I clung to his arms.

“Isn’t it a nice day for a walk?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have fun with the maids again today?”

“Yes-!”

When I answered loudly, he said excitedly.

“You’re good at answering. All right, good girl. I’ll do something fun for
you.!”

Nos throw me up in the sky while holding me.

‘Oh, this is fun.’

I was laughing with excitement.

Then

“Are you having fun?”

A harsh voice came from behind Nos.

“Gasp!”

Nos clenched as he holds me

“You look very happy. With my daughter.”

Chapter 15
Nos gulped down his dry saliva.

“ I thought she was bored, so just for a moment,………”

What a pitiful face…

‘The duke is really scary.’ He looked at the duke with pitiful eyes, but the
duke looked at him back with cold eyes.

“She’s a shy child, but for some reason she looks very friendly with you.”

“Well, it’s not like–“

“You’ve got a great talent. “

The Duke spoke in a very sarcastic tone. The Duke of Dubbled must be a
petty superior. I can’t believe you’re threatening an assistant just because he
played a little bit during work hours.

‘Poor Nos.’

Nos put me down.

“Come here blaine”

I don’t want to go.

With my hesitation, Nos’s face became white, and the Duke became even
more tense.

“Come here”
I had no choice but to approach him. As soon as the Duke held me in his
arms, Nos bowed down.

“Well,… I’ll finish my job.“

After Nos fled, only me and the duke remained. Today, the duke looked at
me with somehow a sharper gaze. You’re not gonna punish me for playing
with your assistant , are you?

The duke’s eyebrow wriggled as i looked at him with an anxious look.

‘You seemed so happy with Nos, didn’t you say -?’

I tilted my head and looked at him.

He stared at me, lifted me up and do the exact same thing like Nos a few
times.

“………”

‘What is it?’

Is it a high-level of scolding?

***

What the hell was that yesterday? I squinted my eyes and thought of
yesterday’s incident.

When I didn’t show any reaction, he took me into my room and left.
‘Maybe he was trying to play with me.’ Are you trying to be a father just
because you adopted me?

At the end of the day, he throw me into the air, asking, “Should it be
higher?”
I almost laughed and pretended to be happy because I was afraid of him.
Then Lea said something while she buttons up my clothes.

“Let’s go to the dining room now.”

Why should we eat there?

The Duke was always busy, so he preferred to eat meals in the office. When
I gaze at Lea with a curious eye, she laughed and took my hand.

‘Let’s go eat first’. It’s harder to think like an adult if you are hungry. I
grabbed Lea’s hand and walked along the corridor. When I opened the
restaurant door and entered, I saw the duke.

‘Huh?’

And on the left side of the duke, the boys sit side by side.

“Blaine.”

At that time, the Duke called me. I walked up to him and reached out my
hand.

The Duke lifted me up and put me on his lap.

“This is Henry, the second child.”

The child pointed out by the Duke smiled. The child had dazzling silver hair
and blue eyes like the sea, looking incredibly beautiful. If the duke was a
handsome man, this child was like a delicately crafted doll. He’s pretty
enough to be seen as a girl at first glance.

“This is Isaac, the third child.”

The child pointed out this time looks the opposite of Henry. Even though he
has the same silver hair, his whole aura felt so different, but both of them
were really beautiful. Besides– ‘They are miniature of the duke!’

Their eyes, nose, face, lips, resemble him.

The first child is at an overseas academy, so he didn’t come. Lastly, the

duke introduces me.

“She’s Leblaine.”

Henry, who looks nice, smiled and grabbed my hands.

“Hello, Leblaine! Nice to meet you.”

He then poked Isaac who is having a staring contest with the carrots on his
plate, when the duke noticed, he called his name and gave me a short
introduction.

‘He’s huge for his age.’

He looks about ten years old. His features are also extremely clear. I was
envious of him. My body is growing so slowly. In addition, there was a
bright future ahead of them.

All of the children born in the Dubbled were extraordinary, but the three is
special among them.

‘Those who have climbed the top of the pyramid without help from their
families.’

Henry, will be at the top of the list every year at the Gifted Academy in the
capital. He succeeds after his brother and enters an academic institute
overseas.

Graduated with a perfect report card, He grows into a talent who controls
the money supply of the empire at an early age. He was a genius who
became the leader of a Dubbled branch in his early 20s.
‘The Duke of Amity hated him as he is a cunning fox who always escape
the law.’

Isaac has a special talent for martial arts. He had beaten down the knights of
the imperial family at the age of twenty.

‘He’s a violent rascal like the duke of Vallua’

I was a little nervous when I actually saw the rumored Confucius. They
were like Mina’s brothers. When I was charged with attempted murder of
Mina, people said I was lucky i didn’t get caught by the Dubbleds.

‘It’s okay, they’re not Mina’s knight right now.’ If they don’t scare me, I
won’t have to tremble just by hearing your name like before.

I grinned at them.

“Hewlo. (Hello.)”

Anyway, they’re the masters of the family, so i have to look good.

***

An hour later.

I glanced at Henry and Isaac.

‘Scary…… ’

After the meal, I was pretty content until the adults pushed us into one room
to get closer to each other.It’s hard to get close to them because they’re
kids.

As Isaac entered the room, he stares at me fiercely. Henry didn’t give any
attention at all.
“You.”

“Yes……”

“Do you know how to eat carrots?“

I’m not picky about anything.

“Yes.”

Then Isaac wriggled his eyebrows

“What are you?, a rabbit?”

He growled out. It seemed like a threat, but strangely enough this time it
wasn’t scary. Then Henry, who looked at the bookshelf, murmured.

‘I think he just called Isaac an idiot.’

Henry didn’t seem to care much about me. As soon as he came into the
room, he took out a thick book and now wrote a lot on the parchment.

I glanced at the parchment. Numbers, numbers, numbers. And sometimes

difficult symbols. My curiousity perked,so i put my head over the desk.
Henry glanced at me.

“Do you want to say something?”

“Leblaine,” he added, in a gentle tone.

“I wantwed to see what it is (i wanted to see what it is)”

Then Isaac, who picked up the wooden sword lying on the floor, snorted.

“He’s trying to count the money thing again.”

“It’s called the formation of a slush fund. Stupid.”

I opened my eyes in amazement. Do kids understand slush funds?

Then Henry mumbled , taking out the newspaper.

“The situation is getting out of hand at home and abroad. In times like
this–“

“I know. I learned it last time. You’re buying iron, aren’t you? When war
breaks out, the price of iron that makes weapons first goes up.”

As Isaac spoke triumphantly, the corners of Henry’s mouth rose.

“You’re right, in some parts.”

“That’s what merchants think. A nobleman should dedicate his irons to the
state in the event of war.”

When Isaac clucked his tongue, Henry shrugged.

“In times of war, it’s gold. As the value of money decreases.”

I could see why people here weren’t so surprised to see a four-year-old who
knew the words ‘unannounced tax’. There is another child who speaks such
difficult words.

‘I feel like I’m in a strange world.’

“You! pretend you didn’t hear that or you’ll die.”

I quickly opened my eyes wide and shook my hands.

“Don’t try to flatter yourself because you’re a child of fate. I’m a very
strong kid. So-“
Henry, with his face half covered by the newspaper, looked at Isaac with a
pathetic look. Then he bent his eyes sweetly and told me.

“We need to conceal our feelings. That’s what the Dubbleds does.
Dubbled’s own flesh and blood. The thing between parents and child does
not matter.”

“……”

“So please don’t be over ambitious.”

Henry’s eyes glowed with a blue hue.

‘Oh, it was uncomfortable to eat on the duke’s lap, so I ate too little.’

I’m so hungry I can’t think straight. Yeah, i have no idea what you’re
talking about.

‘But i need to answer first.’

A child who is good at answering is loved. I answered loudly, “Yes!”

…Henry looked somewhat embarrassed.

Chapter 16
Leblaine left the room with the maid, as Henry’s eyes narrowed.

‘What is up with that guy… ’

Henry is a genius who learned how to write when he was only three years
old, and his younger brother, who is somewhat stupid by his standards, still
has more brains than others.

His surrounding is full of sly adults. Henry, who lived in such a world,
could not understand a naive child.

In addition

He thinks there’s no way a child who is connected to the church and the
imperial family knows nothing.

I need to be cautious.

Henry folded the parchment carefully, put it in the book, and turned around
to Isaac.

“You, if you stay stupid, there won’t be any room left.”

Then Isaac punched the wall with his fist. Henry looked as if he had seen a
strewn earthworm by the side of the road. Then the startled Isaac hardened
his face.

“Not a single thing about him is cute.”

That afternoon, Isaac approached Leblaine.

“……”
The girl, who was playing with buttons alone, raised her head.

Isaac approached her carefully, it is very awkward.

Leblaine mumbled, showing her buttons slightly.

“Thewe awe twelve. (There are twelve)”

“You…”

“What are you talking about. If you’re making trouble—“

When Leblaine blinked her eyes, Isaac touch his waist.

‘Are you trying to get your sword out?’

Isaac, who took something out of his waist, was about to declare something
to Leblaine. So, Leblaine hurrily said, “I’m very scared–!”

“……”

“— I’m going to eat bread alone in front of you.”

Then Leblaine said hastily, “It hurts!”, he withdrew with a frightened face.

Henry muttered with a look.

“Are you both stupid?”

***

‘That’s…!’

Children are also poisonous. I can’t believe you’re eating bread alone!
When you are fully childlike, you will fight Isaac and try to steal the bread.
‘But, if I yank Isaac’s precious hair, I’ll be kicked out right away.’

“I won’t lwook at it (I won’t look at it.)”

“Yes, that’s a good girl.”

Isaac smiled with a triumphant face. When he tried to stand up, I grabbed
him by the collar.

“Why,why,…”

He asked perplexed.

“Byead… (Bread…)”

“This?”

As I nodded, Isaac cut the bread in half.

I quickly take the bread and bit it.

‘Oh, sugar, of course.’

This stimulating taste.

Isaac stared at me when I am eating hurriedly and glanced at the bread I

was holding. He looked pitiful.

So I cut the bread and give it to him

“……It’s okay. I’ve got more at home.”

Before we knew it, we squatted down by the wall and ate the bread. The
servants passing through the corridor laughed at us, and Henry, who was
walking with a book, left, looking at Isaac with a weird look.
Lea found me when i was almost done with the bread.

“Oh my, little miss.”

Gasp! I got caught. Today Lea told me not to eat first, she’s giving me
strawberries for a snack. Lea’s concern these days is that I would get
cavities because I eat too many sweets.

Lea sees me, so I quickly made an excuse.

“Isyak gave it to me! (Isaac gave it to me!)”

Isaac saw me in panic, so he said

“I give it to her.”

“I see…”

Lea smiled helplessly and wipe the crumbs off my mouth.

“You’ve had a good meal, so let’s skip snacks today.”

“Yes.”

“Then master. I’ll take her. It’s time for a nap.”

“Sure.”

Lea hugged me and turned around. I waved at Isaac. Lea stroked my head
as she walked towards my room.

“I heard you are very lovely at the dining room before.”

“……”
“Little miss is so lovable that everyone will fall in love with you. I knew
they will like you!”

No, Lea. Henry and Isaac don’t like me. A deep sigh came out. After barely
sucking up to the Duke of Dubbled,Henry and Isaac, suddenly appeared.

I have to live here for years before i defect. I’d better keep a nice image. To
do that, I’ll have to chase them dilligently. I need to see them often to get
attached. With that determination, I clenched my fist.

***

I got up early in the morning and came down to the dining room to have
breakfast with the duke. Recently, me and the duke often eat together, but
breakfast was an exception. His breakfast was awfully early for me, a child,
who had to sleep all day like a koala to be energized.

The reason why I woke up so early today is because the vassals told me that
Henry and Isaac are back! In other words, two children will also attend the
breakfast today. Henry and Isaac is always too busy. If we didn’t meet at
this time, i had no choice but to chase after them. But that would be
counterproductive because they would be annoyed.

‘So after this, naturally, i’ll ask them to hang out with me.’

I poked my face through the door of the dining room. The duke sits at the
middle of the long table. To his right sat Henry and Isaac.

“Is it the little miss?”

It was Nos who had seen me first.

Then all attention is focused on me. The Duke looked at me, too.

‘It’s too hard. How can I go in?’

While agonizing, Nos said with a smile.

“You must be here because you miss the duke!”

It‘s not like that, but I had nothing to say, so I just blinked.

When i glanced at the Duke, he seemed to be in high spirits for some

reason.

“Come here.”

I walked to him slowly

He held me in his lap as i approached him.

After several meals on his lap, this has become quite familiar.

“The rumors,…… were true.”

The first time i become familiar with the vassals, Dubos was always the one
full of laughter “The baby sat well on the duke’s lap from the start. She’s
still eating on his lap.”

“……”

“The baby is so gentle, so cute…”

“She’s not picky. Isn’t it amazing that such a young child eats bell peppers
and carrots very well?”

Isaac flinched at the mention of carrots. But the vassals didn’t notice and
continued. The ones who talk are all close aides of the duke who went
through many accidents including “the Marco incident,” and “the fraudster
incident.”

They raised their jaws and talk confidently.

“She also has a good memory and is very good at greeting!”

Their eyes is on me again.

The vassals eyes are like ‘Show us!’ They seemed to be bragging. I opened
my mouth, though I had an unwilling look.

“……Hi”

Dubos and the vassals laughed proudly. I tried hard to look back at the
situation where they boasted and somehow the shame caught up to me.
Today, Henry and Isaac, see the vassals as if they were madmen.

Mr. Dubos was just a kind old man to me, but he was a man who was in
charge of the intelligence department of Dubbled.

I once confirmed with my own eyes that the three person that Vallua had
sent had been caught in the hands of Viscount Dubos and returned as a dead
body.

Their tongue and several fingers disappeared, it was so inhumane Even

after barely surviving, the word “Dubos” was enough to incite fear. So this
favor is a proof of my long life in this place.

I started talking about various things. Suddenly, the door of the dining room
is once again opened when the tedious political debate was going on and
off.

“I’m sorry for being too late.”

It was an old man with white hair who came inside.

‘Teramore’

It was the very person that Nos used to find gruesome the other day.
Chapter 17
‘He’s a familiar guy, by the appearance.’

As soon as I tilted my head, I suddenly remembered my first life.

“Please send me out of the country. How long do I have to wait?”

‘No way, was that him?’

The old man who came to visit late at night. He was the one who shouted so
desperately in the middle of the night, asking for Duke Amity.

When I remembered who Teramore was, the scene of the day I saw him
passed through my head. The urgent face of the old man, was seen through
a small door gap.

The butler’s voice rang out

“It’s your fault that life is in danger. You’ve been so cruel to the child and
avoid his caregiver’s eyes, so it’s understandable that he’s growing up and
targeting you.”

They’re all going to grow up eventually, abuser.

‘Teramore had no child. Just who… ’

At that time, Isaac had another intense staring contest with carrots, i
suddenly remember them.

‘The only children Teramore can reach are Isaac and Henry… ’

And only the three confucius, children who has power, enough to get
Teramore begging to be sent out to another country.
Thinking so, I shook my head inside.

‘No way. He wouldn’t be out of his mind to abuse the Duke’s children? is
he?’

There are often stories of crazy tutors who slap their hands on their children
in the absence of their parents. They all went so far as to claim that it was a
rod for their child’s education. And it wasn’t just a story. The butler went
out when he was stopping the Duke of Amity, who was trying to help
Teramore escape.

“It happened where I lived. The maid abused the child, and the teacher
slapped the child in front of the other children. Parents always find out the
truth late. It’s a terrible thing.”

The thought of it made me angrier.

If Teramore is really abusing a child, which of the two?

According to the butler, there seemed to be one abused child.

Henry is smart, so I don’t think he can touch him easily.

A child who makes slush funds and invests in domestic and international
situations can’t be easily abused.

Then Isaac?

Isaac seems to be a lot more impulsive than Henry, but he endured abuse
until he was all grown up?

‘Or maybe the butler didn’t know. It could be both.’

Then, on the side, Nos called me.

“Little miss?”
I turned my head with an anxious face and he smiled.

“Does the meal suit your taste? Should I ask them to give you another
one?”

I replied, “No… tasty”

‘It’s likely that it’s a wild guess, but let’s just check it out.’

***

That afternoon.

I glanced close to the corner and found someone coming out of the door and
ran off.

“Nyos (Nos.)”

I clung to his legs and looked up

Nos was surprised to see me for a moment, but soon sat down laughing and
squatting.

“What’s the matter, little miss?

“That, I wyant to go. Twaining gwound (I want to go to the training

ground)”

Henry and Isaac were confined to the training ground after the breakfast.

I have to go there to see the children, but I don’t know where the training
ground is.

Nos asked with his eyes wide open.

“The training ground right now?”

“Tw—ai—ning—gr—ound! (Training ground!)”

“It’s TRaining ground~”

“Twaining—“

I took hold of my waist, and then sighed. This son of a bitch pronunciation.
My growth rate is slow by nature, so even if i practice much, i won’t get
any better.

“The maids told me not to take you to the training ground.”

I closed my eyes tightly because he said it regretfully. I gathered my hands

together with an earnest look. And looked at Nos with sparkling eyes.

“Pwese… (Please…)”

Then Nos groaned.

Soon he reached for me

“Let’s go, go”

Nos, who carry me, moved his steps.

When I arrived at the training ground, I saw Henry and Isaac holding a
wooden sword. I jumped out of Nos’ arms, and the children who sees me on
such a day opened their eyes.

Isaac asked,

“Why are you here?”

“I’m gwoing to pway with Henly and Isyac! (I’m going to play with Henry
and Isaac!)”
“Oh me. Did you come here because you miss me? to pester me?”

Isaac said so, it seemed to mean “follow me” and “be a good girl.”

I walked along with Henry and Isaac, while looking under the sleeves and
at his neck. No bruises or wounds on the neck. Not even on the ankle.

Under the sleeves…

‘I don’t know if it was a training wound or a beating wound.’

Besides, both of them had a scratch.

I couldn’t find any big bruises. while I was focusing on looking at the two,
my body was tilted as my eyes staggered.

‘I’m falling—‘

Someone gave me a hand.

“Twanks, Henly. (Thanks, Henry.)”

“You’re welcome.”

Henry smiled with courtesy. He’s building a wall…

‘But I don’t think he’s a bad guy.’

Even if they seem cold, they always answer back.

Isaac glanced at me, saying “You can’t even walk, idiot.”

I trampled on the rock that I had caught and let it sink into the dirt.

What the hell is up with Teramore? How scary it must have been.
Then, someone came to us. “Are you three playing together?”

It was Teramore.

He bent over and made eye contact with me.

“You’re more adorable, up close.”

“……”

“My name is Austin Teramore. I’ve been with Dubbleds for a long time.”

“Let’s shake hands”

He held my hand and laughed.

“Children’s hands are really soft, too. “

I can feel the sharp glare in his eyes. He looked down at my hand and
whispered.

“You’re gentle.”

“……”

“I don’t think you need to be punished if you keep being this gentle. Isn’t
it?”

He looked at me and the corners of his mouth rose.

“In the future, I will assist Master Henry in his studies. I’m here to say
hello. Together in the study–“

To take the kids?

‘You can’t do that.

I shouted loudly.

“Nwos! Nyos!! (Nos!Nos!!)”

When he heard my shout, Nos, which was far away, came running at once.

Why would I bring Nos without bringing another servant to the training
ground?

Because there was Lord Teramore in the castle, i needed a close ally of the
Duke who could protect the children.

Nos hardened when he saw Lord Teramore.

“What’s going on here?”

“I came to say hello to my cute students.”

“Are you in charge of education again?”

“I don’t think there’s anyone else who can help them with their talents.”

Teramore slowly stroked his beards and looked at the two children.

“I’d rather say hello next time.”

When he said so, he bowed his head lightly and disappeared.

Nos looked at Teramore, which was moving away with a glare.

There was no need to find a child who was abused separately.

There was a child who will meet Teramore.

It was Henry.
 ***

Henry and Isaac’s training has resumed.

As Nos left, I sat in a chair that he had arranged for me at the training
ground and played with my skirt.

‘What should i do now… ’

Should i tell the duke?

But there is no evidence

What if he say that they got bruises or wounds while training?

In this case, the abused child had to tell him himself, but Henry seemed to
be hiding the abuse.

Otherwise, the kid can’t get rid of Teramore.

‘But why is Henry hiding Teramore’s atrocities?’

I was thinking so, but at that moment, someone suddenly jumped.I was
greatly surprised while turning my head to the source.

When Isaac grab his sword,

Kugugugugu -!

The ground vibrated, little stones and dust floated around the child.

At that time, Isaac stepped on the ground and quickly leaped to his feet, his
sword instantly turned red.

‘Oh my god… what?’

I knew Isaac was using aura, but I didn’t know it was manifested at such an
early age.

Does it make sense for a child that young, to be using an aura?

I can’t believe it even though I saw it with my eyes.

Isaac narrowed the distance at once, and the opponent quickly turned
himself in a hurry.

Isaac quickly hit his opponent’s legs with his left foot, and soon his
opponent has been knocked down.

“I’ve got him.”

He laughed and threw the sword with his aura as flipped his wrist over to
receive it again. With a grin on his face, he lightly handle the sword loaded
with aura It would have weighed heavily but he handles it with ease Then,
he go into the other side at once, and finally catch the opponent.

“I surrender!”

“There’s no surrender. If you face each other and lose, you lose.”

‘Kling!’

The opponent managed to avoid it, but the armor pierced by the sword
containing the aura is broken.

Isaac really had no intention of letting him go. He raised the sword once
again.

I murmured casually at the dreadful scene.

“Scawy… (Scary……)”
Isaac flinched.

When he looked at me in surprise, he coughed in vain.

“That’s not scary”

Then he threw away the sword and withdrew from the opponent.

‘That opponent was lucky.’

I’m glad Isaac stopped.

Chapter 18
Next is Henry’s turn.

It isn’t as fierce as Isaac, but he is certainly an outstanding talent.

Henry also sprout out an aura

On the contrary, he dealt with the aura more delicately than Isaac.

However, when his training partner is replaced, he failed to show his

strength. Henry’s new opponent is an old man with gray hair. Despite being
much weaker than his former opponent, who was a young man, Henry fell
to the floor several times.

“Are you treating me like an old man?”

The opponent shouted at Henry, making an impression that he thought so,

too.

“Don’t ignore me!”

Henry quickly got up and avoided the old soldier, but soon saw something
as his pupils dilated. Soon the child dropped his head, and at the same time
the sword fell from his hand. The old soldier raised his neck with the
ground firmly set.

‘You’re gonna get hurt!’

“No”

I shouted and rushed between the old soldier while spreading my arms
before Henry.
“Down’t hit Henwy! (Don’t hit Henry!)”

“Child, this is a fair game.”

The old soldier smiled awkwardly and said, but I frowned.

“Henwy didn’t gwab the sword, it is on the gwound (Henry didn’t grab the
sword, it is on the ground.)”

“……”

“It’s nwot a game for gwandpa to get angwy. (It’s not a game for grandpa to
get angry.)”

The old soldier groaned and looked at the sword that Henry had dropped.

“Oh, no,…… I guess I was too into the fight.”

The old soldier reached out to raise Henry. But Henry stood up on his own,
not holding his hand.

Henry went out of the training ground, I hurried along and pulled his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“Henwy is huwt. Appwy medicine. (Henry is hurt, apply medicine.)”

“No thanks.”

“Awe you afwaid of doctors? Oh the owld doctor is nice (Are you afraid of
doctors? Oh the old doctor is nice.)”

He treated me kindly when I was sick. I’m not afraid of him.

“I’m not afraid of doctors! I just hate old men–!”

The child, who was shouting like that, suddenly shut his mouth. Standing
by the side of the road, I stared at him.

‘Don’t tell me you don’t like old people’

I am aware of the hidden circumstances of the Dubbled because I had been

a duke’s child many time.

Dubbled is a rich family with both wealth, power and fame on the surface,
but inside it was a terrible battle. From generation to generation, the
children of Dubbled had to give up their parents warm care instead for
enjoying the abundant wealth that their predecessors had achieved. The
immediate lineage of Dubbled is raised in the hands of their predecessor
and his close associates upon birth. Only a few anniversaries at best they
can meet their parents.

Since childhood, the system has been designed to give absolute loyalty to
the family and to designate the most outstanding successor. And the
children of the current Duke, are all raised in their hands until the
predecessor died.

‘The scary old man’

The Duke of Amity, the father of my first life, shuddered at every mention
of the Dubbled’s tradition.

“Cain Dubbled is a terrible man. Isn’t that the devil who murdered his
second son, Chris, in front of his grandson? Do you know why the murder
happened? Because he’s not up to Dubbleds standard. He killed him
because he didn’t need such a child.”

What if Henry was the grandson that was with him when he killed the
second son?

‘Then you’ll be traumatized by the old man.’

I clenched my fist. Yeah, no matter how smart you are, you are a child. This
is a child who considers trauma to an elderly person as a flaw. And Henry
must have been hiding the abuse because he thought of it as a flaw.

‘People didn’t know about this abuse because Henry had been hiding it
thoroughly.’

Teramore must have known of Henry’s obsession with perfection. So he

dare to abuse the Duke’s child. What a terrible old man ‘So what do we do
now?’

The smart way is just to keep your mouth shut. Would people believe me
when I’m this young? Unlike previous incidents in Dubbled, this case
involved the vassals. People here have seen Teramore for much longer than
I have. Of course, the credibility is higher for him.

‘What i’ve been building up so far could fall apart.’

But—

Henry’s hands were shaking. I could not turn away from the child. I stroke
Henry’s head. Then the startled child pull away my hand.

“What are you doing?”

I breathed out a sigh

“What the hell……”

“I’ll pwotect you, Henly. (I’ll protect you, Henry.)”

Henry narrowed his forehead with a look on his face I can’t help it, I’ll
protect you. So repay me later.

***
Two days later, i headed with Lea to the office. As I poked my face through
the crack in the door, Nos, who was with the Duke, approached me, calling
out, “Little miss.”

Nos bent his knees and made eye contact with me, while asking.

“What’s going on here?”

I’m going to dig up Teramore’s information.

Knowing your enemies will lead to a plan to defeat them. But I couldn’t get
any deep information from my position. ‘In that case, you need to find
someone who has a lot of information.’

The Duke of Dubbled, who owned one of the greatest intelligence units in
the Empire.

“I miss the dyuke”

Nos who looked at me says,

“As expected, little miss is the cutest…”

Then he hugged me and headed for the Duke.

“Leblaine is here.”

The Duke quickly took me away and put me on his lap. I put my hand on
the table, and peeped at the Duke’s papers.

“What are you looking at so closely?”

I was so surprised and quickly made an excuse.

“Youw writing is pwetty. Wow! (Your writing is pretty. Wow!)”

“You admire me for nothing”

And then Nos laughed.

“You don’t know how to write yet, right?.”

The duke picked up an empty piece of paper from one side of the desk, put
a pen in my hand, and covered the back of my hand with his big warm
hand. I am wondering what you are going to do, but you seemed to hold my
hand on the blank paper and write for me instead. My hands are not moving
well, so it is a little crooked, but I could read the letters at a glance.

<Leblaine>

One more time.

<Leblaine Dubbled>

“Can you read it?”

“Weblaine’s my name. (Leblaine’s my name.)”

“She remembered that since the maids wrote it often.”

At Nos’s words the Duke laughed and stroked my head. Indeed the Duke
did things with me beside him in the Office. I overheard this and that,
staying calm so I wouldn’t get in the way.

“How is the new advisory body going?”

“I’m going to let the vassals know about today.”

“Is that so?”

Most of them were stories of politics. But there were also helpful stories.
There will be a vacancy in the senior position, so the council will select new
members of the committee. The candidate is Teramore. Other than him,
there is Myshank.

***

That afternoon. I pretended to be playing, killing time in the garden in front

of the crowded entrance. Sitting on Lea’s lap, picking flowers, peeped at her
watch.

‘It’s four o’clock… ’

Viscount Myshack is said to have an appointment with the Duke at 4:30

p.m., so he will pass the gate by this time. I am wondering when you’d
come, so I pulled my neck out, and someone came in through the gate.

A brown curly hair, drooping eyes, there’s also a cut under his chin. He
looks about mid-thirties. It’s exactly the same as the picture.

I hugged her shoulders and said to Leah,

“It’s cwold (it’s cold,)”

“Then shall we go inside?”

“No, i’m gwoing to make twese and gwive it to Nea. (I’m going to make
these and give it to Lea.)”

When I showed her the flower crown I am making, Lea wrapped her cheeks
and said, “You want to give it to me?”

Lea, who looked around and confirmed that there are far-off guards, rose
up.

“I’ll get the coat and blanket.”

“Yes.”
As Lea hurried inside, I saw Myshank coming over the gate. As he is about
to enter, he found me and turned to me.

“I see the famous child of fate here. My name is Carl Myshank.”

“It’s Bwaine. Hi.”

Let me greet you as childish as possible. He looked me up and down. He

seemed to be curious as to why i attract the Duke’s interest.

“What were you doing here? It’s chilly.”

That’s right, I waited for that question. I laughed and said, “Waiting fow
gwandpa Tera. (Waiting for Granpa Tera)”

“Teramore?”

As expected, as soon as he is mentioned, his face doesn’t look good.

“Lebwaine will also take cwasses with Henly and Isyac (Leblaine will also
take classes with Henry and Isaac.)”

Myshank’s mouth twisted when i said that i was waiting to ask for a class
together.

“You misunderstand something. Teramore is an old man who is not

qualified to teach Dubbleds. His knowledge are not so wide and…”

When I blinked on purpose, Myshank told me easily.

“That means you can’t learn anything from Teramore”

“No, gwandpa is smart. (No, grandpa is smart.)”

“What did he say to you?”

“He said that he is weawing a vewy cool wobe now. (He said that he is
wearing a very cool robe now.)”

It meant the dark red robe worn by the Senate, who represent Dubbled.

‘Myshank, the robe that you want.’

As I spoke with my arms raised, his face changed at once.

“Did he say that?”

“Yes, tawking to another guy. Bwaine heard it.”

“That’s nonsense. The position is……!”

“You don’t mean to be the chairman,…”

The chairman…… Myshank face has hardened.

Chapter 19
Without a word, I pretended to be naive again to him, who is gritting his
teeth.

“Uncwel, do you want to sightsee with weblaine? (Uncle, do you want to go

sightseeing with Leblaine?)”

Viscount Myshank hurriedly went back as i waved my hand behind him.

‘Uncle, stay strong. Go and have a big fight with Teramore instead of me!’

***

The meeting was in full swing at the Tower of Wisdom, the base of the
Senate.

“The creation of an advisory body!

the Duke must be out of his mind!”

An elder shouted angrily.

“For generations, the advisor has been the role of the senate! If an advisory
body is established, we will be doomed.”

“The duke won’t be affected but our tax income is not as good as it used to
be. He even took away our freedom to enter the castle.”

“Are you going to leave it as it is, sir?”

The elders glanced at the chairman sitting on the top.

The chairman picked up a glass of wine and said in a leisurely manner.

“You’re so stubborn. We servants have no choice but to obey their masters.”

“What are you talking about……!”

“So,” the chairman said, cutting off the elder.

“Teramore.”

The chairman turned his head to Teramore, who was standing by the wall,
unable to sit in the chair.

“Yes.”

“You lads are the future of this Dubbled. I have to teach you with all my
heart. Of course. “

The chairman smiled and lowered his voice.

“We need to be in sync with each other.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve done a lot of preparation.”

After the meeting, Vassals from the Senate followed Teramore, who left the
Tower of Wisdom.

“I think he is finally about to wear the elder’s robe.”

Teramore smiled modestly, but inside, his desire wriggled like a bug.

‘This is the right time.’

How much have you looked forward to this moment, being loyal to the
Senate for the past 30 years? The family has repeatedly deprived young
people of the opportunity to become elders, but this time it is different.
He was confident that he would educate Henry and Isaac in the direction the
senate wanted.No matter how stupid a child may be, he can learn any
difficult sentence if he teach them with a rod. It was not difficult to instill
the ideas of the Senate into the young child if he were to succumb to
violence.

In addition, Henry had a deep trauma. Last time I tested it, He didn’t tell
anyone what happened.

‘Henry is brainwashed with my fists, and Isaac is simple.’

Vassals rubbed his palm with flattery.

“If you wear a robe of elders, please remember me.”

“Sure, how could I forget you?”

It was then.

Myshank, who was walking in the hallway, laughed when he heard their
conversation.

“Sir Myshank.”

“You’re telling a funny story.”

“Yes?”

“You are telling something you haven’t even obtained. “

“Based on my observation, it is Teramore’s turn.”

“Have you forgot who gives you your career? My father gave you the seat
because i begged him!”

As Teramore’s eyes hardened, the vassals dawdled at him.

“What are you saying……! That’s rude.“

“I can’t help it, the past will always remain. “

Teramore’s face flamed with shame.

“You, who used to wait on me and barely make ends meet, are now teachers
of the masters. Just wait and see.”

Myshank whispered in his ears

“Don’t cross the line. How much do you think I know about your
weaknesses?”

Then he tapped Teramore shoulders as he walked past him. Teramore

hardened as if he is rooted to the ground.

“I’m going to tear that jerk’s mouth!”

He muttered fiercely, and swallowed his dry cough.

“Do…, don’t , don’t be too upset.”

“He despises me. It’s been like that ever since the first day!”

“Well,thats…”

“You’ll see. I’ll have him begging someday.”

Teramore clenched his teeth, glaring at the back of Myshank.

***

The relationship between Teramore and Myshank has worsen. Myshank

kept Teramore in check as i planned. I have repeatedly interrupted Henry
and Isaac’s classes to prevent them from abuse.
“You can’t leave their future to an unqualified teacher!”

“Please reconsider the selection!”

“A new teacher worthy of them……”

Those who said that are aristocrats who were swept away by Myshank’s
opinion. I grinned as I watched the demonstration.

‘Good,good,’

As expected, a man nominated for seniority at a young age. There’s no one

who do dirty tricks the best like him.

‘Their attention is focused, so Teramore won’t be able to touch Henry

easily.’

Keep fighting back and forth, replace the teachers of Henry and Isaac.

“What’s wrong with our baby today, you are smiling so happily.”

At that remark, one of the maids who took care of me, Yuni said with a
triumphant look.

“I bought a new toy today!”

“Oh, the baby must have saw me bringing a new toy.”

“She’ll prefer the one I bought.”

The maids growled at each other and looked at me.

“You prefer my toy, don’t you?”

“Puzzle is much more fun, isn’t it?”

I’m suddenly under a lot of pressure.

‘Both of you…… ’.

I tried to stop both of them but the fight is not over.

“Okay, show them yourself and get evaluated by the little miss!”

“Let’s try. I’m confident. If I lose, I’ll at least take out my eyeballs.”

“Then, I’m going to pull out my eyeballs and do juggling. “

“Ohohoho!”

The smiling maids sprang to their feet and opened the door, saying, “Come
on, let’s go, little miss.”

I followed them with a smile on my face

‘I’m gonna have to pretend i’m having fun again today.’

I went down the stairs with the maids to the first floor with the toys. Then, I
saw Isaac coming from the other side.

“Hi!”

“Hi, kid.”

He had books in his hand, as if he had just finished class.

“Gwoing where?”

“Training ground. To be trained.”

“Henwy?”
“My brother didn’t pass the test, so he’s retaking the test.”

Isaac, who said so, added that he was in high spirits.

“I do all of it perfectly.”

Isaac is also an outstanding talent, his physical ability is superior and his
brain is not inferior compared to Henry’s. However, I was surprised that
Henry failed the test that Isaac passed.

Blinking my eyes, I hardened to the sudden thought that suddenly came to

my mind.

‘Don’t tell me…… ’

I hurried down the stairs. I heard the flustered maids calling from behind,
“Little miss! Little miss!”

but I am out of my mind.

I hurried past and headed to the study hall.

‘Gwang!’

As I stormed into the door, a startled Teramore looked at me.I looked at

Henry behind him. When I met Henry’s eyes, he turned his head to cover
his red cheeks. Under the collar of his shirt is full of ugly wounds. Given
that the bruises turned yellow, it is clear that there is an assault from a long
time ago.

‘I underestimated him.’

I thought that Teramore abused Henry to become an elder in the Dubbled.

He was trying to brainwash Henry by assaulting him, raising him as a
successor that suit the taste of the Senate. But if the goal was to become an
elder, he won’t touch Henry.
‘He must have thought of Henry as a plaything.’

He must be thrilled to release his inferiority complex from the noble family
to the noble lord’s children.

Teramore coughed and said,

“You can’t just come in during class.”

“Twis isn’t a cwass, you hit Henwy. (This isn’t a class, you hit Henry.)”

How can hitting a child be a class?Teramore was briefly surprised that he

had been caught at the scene of the assault, but soon smiled.

“You’re making it up. How dare I hit him. His body wound was because of
yesterday’s sword training.”

“I never raised my hand, but even if it happened, it’s not an assault.”

He continued with his mouth raised.

“I raised him with love”

As soon as he said that, I quickly picked up the fountain pen that was on his
desk.

And……

“Aggh!”

With the sharp pen tip, the blood on the back of his hand wrung out. Henry
widened his eyes at what had happened in a flash. Teramore collapsed on
the floor, holding his blood dripping hands.

“What the hell is this!”

cried the old man whose eyes had turned furious.I came close to him and
whispered to him.

“What is it? You’we touched with wove, motherfwucker. (What is it?

You’re touched with love, motherfucker.)”
Chapter 20
“Wha, wha, what…”

Disbelief spread across Teramore’s face.

I whispered to him, “What a fool.”

“……”

“Just wait, old man. The dyuke will soon fwaind out abwout this.” (Just
wait, old man. The duke will soon find out about this.) I walked past
Teramore with a smile. I reached for Henry’s hand and left the room.

“Are you crazy? Aren’t you scared?”

I stared at Henry with a stiff face. Perhaps he was surprised to see me

interfering with Teramore’s endeavor, but it seemed to be a good thing. The
wall between me and him has disappeared a bit.

“You’re going to be in trouble. Teramore is a mean guy.”

“Not scawed.” (Not scared)

“……”

“Bad people hitting Henly. I’m not scawed at all.”

(Bad people hitting Henry. I’m not scared at all.) Henry’s eyes went wide,
as I spoke with a determination. I really am not afraid of Teramore. I have
met countless terrible people before and Teramore is just another one of
them. He is just a sick pervert who feels pleasure from abusing children.
I am more worried about Henry. The cheeks that Teramore hit are now
swollen red and even his crisp collar is wrinkled.

“Let’s go to the dyuke. Henly’s huwt.” (Let’s go to the duke. Henry’s hurt.)
“…That’s enough.”

“Henly…” (Henry…)

“That’s enough!”

Henry shouts, stubbornness paints his eyes.

“Don’t tell anybody about today.”

Henry then walks away.

‘It’s not that I don’t understand that child’s mind. Abused children usually
spend their entire lives avoiding others or growing up aggressively. As such,
trauma was developed. Even I, who’ve been reborned three times can’t
completely trust people because of my past lives.’

I sigh as I watch Henry’s back disappear.

***

Teramore walked back and forth throughout the hall while grinding his
teeth in anger.

‘That crazy girl…!’

“What is it? You’we touched with wove, motherfwucker.” (What is it?

You’re touched with love, motherfucker.) Whenever Teramore remembered
the child’s expression, he would feel his anger rising once more.

‘She’s not a child of fate, she’s a demon! That little demon must have been
sent down by the church to spy on Dubbled. Did she think I’m going to be
scared by her little act?!’

Teramore hurried his steps towards the duke’s office and knocked on the
door.

“This is Teramore, sir. “

Soon he heard the duke’s reply, approving his entrance. Teramore entered
the room with a face full of excitement, he couldn’t wait to report
Leblaine’s action to Dubbled.

He spoke in hurry, “Your Grace, the child of fate–”

“It’s the old man!”

“……!”

Leblaine, who was sitting on the duke’s lap, grinned. Teramore was startled
and ran over to the child.

‘That little girl’s already……!’

Leblaine wasn’t the only one. She was joined by Viscount Myshank, Nos,
the lieutenant and some of the senators. They were looking at Teramore
with an odd expression on their faces.

‘Has she told the duke about how I treated Henry?!’

Viscount Myshank frowned and said, “How could you do such a thing to
the duke’s children?”

Teramore came up with a quick excuse, “Your Excellency, please listen to

me! Why would I do that? It’s all a lie.”

He then showed his injured hand hastily to the duke.

“The baby is not just a child. She poked the back of my hand with a pen.
Isn’t that suspicious?! She is too smart in the first place. She offered you the
story of the church and the imperial fami—“

“What the hell are you talking about?” Viscount Myshank cut off
Teramore’s claims.

“I mean it’s dubious!”

Viscount Myshank looked at Teramore weirdly, “We were talking about

how you intimidated and frightened the duke’s daughter just because of a
slight mistake that she made.”

“What?”

“You were too harsh on the child! She even bursted into tears as soon as she
saw me!”

“It’s, uh……”

“And you said that kind of thing? What else did you do?”

Teramore was taken aback. He looked around the room with trembling
eyes, when his eyes met with Leblaine’s. Leblaine’s mouth rose into a small
smirk.

Her look saying, ‘Did you think the viscount was talking about Henry?’

That little girl also brought in Myshank, who was an enemy to him, and
made it impossible for him to think of another excuse for abusing Henry.

As Teramore’s face turned pale, Myshank interrogated him, “Let me ask

you again, what have you done?”

“It, it’s a slip of the tongue.”

But there was no one in the room who believed in him.

Myshank said to the duke, “It’s suspicious, duke. It’s questionable to act
like that over a small deal. Won’t this kind of conduct influence the
childrens’ characters poorly?”

Even Nos and the senators voiced their concerns.

“We need confirmation.”

“Unless his innocence is proved, we cannot leave the children’s education

to such a man.”

The duke’s sharp gaze penetrated Teramore.

Teramore shouted, “Wait, sir!”, but Duke Dubleed didn’t heed his plea. He
shortly ordered his people to investigate Teramore.

***

After the talk, Myshank and the vassals left the room.

I jump off the duke’s lap and follow Myshank. My face is full of
excitement.

“Sir Myshwank.” (Sir Myshank)

He looks back at me

“Yes, child. What is it?”

I tug Myshank’s shirt with an innocent look.

“Is the old man a bad guy?”

“Teramore?”
He continues with a grin.

“Yes, he is. A really, really bad guy.”

“If the tweacher is bad, what if Henly and Ishac grew up to be bad people?”
(If the teacher is bad, what if Henly and Ishac grew up to be bad people.)
“Don’t worry. I’m going to help them out.”

“Tomorrow I’m going to request the other nobles to come to the castle and
plead to the chairman to withhold the children’s class until the case is
cleared.”

I act innocently and say, “Wow!” as i jump up and down.

‘Unexpectedly, you took my side.’

It’s a good thing for me though, so I give him a big smile.

After Myshank himself leaves with a big smile, Teramore comes out of the
duke’s office.

‘You must’ve had a hard time talking to him.’

Teramore, who sees me, grits his teeth.

“You……!”

Looking around quickly, he pulls my arm and heads to the corner of the
room.

“This little bitch! Do you think I’m going to take this lying down?”

“What are you gwoing to do?” (What are you going to do?) “You must be a
demon sent by the church……!”

“Gwanpa, are you stupid?” Grandpa, are you stupid?

“What?”

“You’we the one who admitted the misdeed.” (You’re the one who admitted
the misdeed.) “You bitch…”

“How did you know? My nwickname was bitch!” (How did you know? My
nickname was bitch.) I look straight at Teramore’s eye straight and speak
with a low tone.

“If ywo evew touch them agwain, I’we bite you.” (If you ever touch them
again, I’ll bite you.) “…!”

I continue to talk with a big smile.

“So let go of me. Now.”

I’ve been a beggar in my past life. Teramore’s threats don’t perturb me even
a bit.

The strength on Teramore’s grip slowly loosen.

I wave his hand off me easily as I turn around and walk away.

***

Two days later, Myshank came to the castle with other nobles and appealed
for the suspension of Teramore.

Teramore became the teacher of Henry and Isaac due to the vote from the
senates, but right now half of the senate voices are on Myshank’s side.
Given how things are progressing, now the senior position will very likely
be given to Myshank, since Teramore’s standing has become unstable due
to the recent event.

“Chai, chairman……”
I hum down the hallways to the music of Teramore’s voice begging the
chairman for leniency.

I am thinking of checking on Henry’s condition.

The life of a noble is quite pitiful. Instead of worrying about food they
worried about studying. Even with the suspended classes, the two sit side
by side in the study and work on their homework.

I peep out my face in front of the study door to look for their shadows.

‘Huh? No one… ’

“Hey, you!”

“Aahh!”, I jump up from shock, surprised by the voice that comes from
behind my shoulder.

I hold my chest tight with both hands as I try to calm down my beating
heart. I turn around and find Isaac and Henry standing behind me.

“Why, why hewe?” (Why, why here?)

When I ask, Isaac lifts the book to his side and shrugs.

“There’s a book here that’s not available in the library. Why are you here?”,
he replies.

Isaac scrunches his nose, picking up on my nervous gesture, “Are you

running away?”

“No, no!”

“So?”

“Just sightsweeing.” (Just sightseeing.)

I flap my hands around the room and make an excuse, Isaac wriggles his
eyebrows.

I glance at Henry’s figure.

‘Will you be pissed off if I said I came to check up on you?’

I was wondering what to do when Isaac says, “No way, you… you must
have heard somewhere that today’s snack is a cake.”

What?
Chapter 21
Isaac strode into the study room with chocolate cake topped with whip
cream in his hand.

‘I’m so excited!’

I’ve had a lot of accidents with adults these days, so I’ve been hungry all
the time.

“Hmph, I didn’t leave it for you. Just… It’s just that I don’t really like
sweets.”

“Isyac, I enjoyed the sugaw byead you gawe me the othew day.” (Isaac, I
enjoyed the sugar bread you gave me the other day.) “I, I won’t like you
even if you compliment me!”

His ear reddened as he rushed into the study room. Henry only glanced at
me before heading for the door without saying much.

I went in tow to the study room where they were sitting. I sat down and
scrutinised Henry from head to toe.

‘I don’t think there’s any aftereffects.’

I took a bite of the cake, and my mouth let out an unintentional gasp.

What is this flavour?

‘It’s so delicious!’

It was different from all the cake I had eaten so far.

The refreshing whip cream that didn’t feel too overpowering or buttery
when put in one’s mouth.

The cake was very moist and fluffy with velvet-like chocolate inside it.

The perfect cake melted gently in my mouth as soon as it touched the

tongue.

‘They say the patissier from the west wing owns the hands of God. It’s not
just a rumor after all.’

I was really impressed by the taste of the cake. This was the first time I’ve
ever tasted the cake from the west wing. I usually frequent the east hall,
where the VIPs usually stayed.

With both of my hands encasing my cheeks, I said, “Wow, wow!”

Isaac smiled when he saw me.

“Is it that delicious?”

‘When I was a beggar, I’ve starved for more than five days. To soothe the
hunger, I would imagine myself eating a delicious chocolate cake.’

The taste was full of warmth that it reminded me of my previous life where
I suffered through countless hard times.

“Thwank you so much…” (Thank you so much…)

“No, you don’t have to thank me that much.”

Isaac was rather embarrassed and rolled his eyes as a reply.

“Would you like to eat the chocolate cake tomorrow morning as well?”

“You’we the best!” (You’re the best!)

“I’ll give it to you in the evening, too.”

“You’we so cool!” (You’re so cool!)

“Oh, I can’t help it. I’ll give it to you the day after tomorrow too.”

“You’we the gweatest!” (You’re the greatest!)

Isaac grinned from my empty praises.

From the sidelines, Henry stared at us as if we’re a pair of clowns.

***

Henry and Isaac continued with their homework, as I painted quietly beside
them.

At dusk the maids came to the study room to look for me, but when they
saw me with the siblings, they simply smiled and went back.

I was just trying to spend some time with my siblings.

Without us realizing, the bright day was replaced by the night sky.

‘Sleepy… ’

Isaac is dozing off too…

I pinched my cheek to wake myself from the drowsiness.

“Go to sleep if you’re sleepy.”

Henry said with his eyes fixed on the book.

I wish I could go, but I couldn’t leave Henry alone in the castle with
Teramore.
“It’s owkay. Not sleepy.” (It’s okay. Not sleepy.) “You’re lying.”

“…I’ll go wash my face.”

I jumped off the chair, then whispered to Isaac, who was dozing off.

I left the study only after I saw Isaac nodding his head with lethargy.

‘I’m so sleepy’

My body seemed to be protesting for a quick rest.

I dragged my body to the washroom with a grumble, but before I could go

in a rough hand dragged me away from the entrance.

‘Ahh!’

‘Teramore!’

Before I could react, Teramore had dragged me into a dim room near the
washroom. He closed the door, then turned slowly towards me. Teramore’s
mouth curled up into a wicked sneer as his eyes set on me.

“Why? You thought I’d only go after Henry?”

“I’m not like Henly, if you touch me, it’ll be weveald.” (I’m not like Henry,
if you touch me, it’ll be revealed.) “You don’t need your hands to make
people suffer.”

Teramore took something out of his pocket.

Blue Spinel!

That’s a special instrument used as a sacred tool to extract divine power.

The clearer the color, the more extraction can be done.
Of course, Blue Spinel is considered a precious treasure in the market, but
none of the divine power’s wielders have the same line of thought.

Extracting divine power would drive the wielder crazy, or in the worst case,
they might die.

A normal child like me would lose my mind even with any Spinel.

‘I rather die and reborn once more, than getting tortured with that Spinel.’

Teramore approached me, muttering in a low voice.

“It’s 30 years. Things that I’ve been working on for 30 years have
collapsed. Just because of a four year old kid!”

Madness began to cloud his eyes.

In the evening, the vassals moved out of the study unexpectedly, and they
seemed to have been kicked out of their teacher’s seat.

“Don’t come or I’ll scweam.” (Don’t come or I’ll scream.) “Try it. Let’s see
if a person will come faster or you will lose your divine power first.”

Out of sudden, the door opened. We turned our heads and saw Henry’s
figure run in.

“Let her go.”

Teramore looked at Henry with a sly smile.

“You know it is rude to interrupt people, right? I guess you are lacking in
education lately.”

Henry clenched his eyes shut and rushed blindly towards Teramore’s
direction.
Teramore, however, was unbothered as if Henry’s arrival was an
insignificant change to his plan.

There was nothing to be afraid of because the genius couldn’t even fight off
his trauma.

But he made a blunder, Henry’s purpose wasn’t to attack him.

The child instead reached out for the Blue Spinel and threw it into one of
the furnitures’ narrow openings.

“You son of a bitch…!”

Out of anger, Teramore tried to hit Henry, but I hung tightly onto
Teramore’s arms with all my weight.

“Don’t twouch Henly!” (Don’t touch Henry!)

He roughly threw me to the floor and raised his hand at Henry once more.

Then–

Boom—!!

The door burst open and a tremendous wave of mana rushed toward
Teramore.

The mana knocked Teramore out to the floor, “Aggghhh!—“

His scream echoed through the room.

When I saw him, his arms were twisted to a horrifying angle.

I quickly turned my head away towards the door.

Dubbled was standing in front of the entrance. Coldness and anger was
radiating off him.

“Si-sir”

The duke’s cold eyes swept over me and Henry, who was lying on the floor.

Teramore tried to get up and looked at the duke. He looked flustered, the
duke coming to the room and putting an end to his plan, wasn’t part of his
calculation.

‘Fool, do you think I would walk around alone after the event?’

I had expected that Teramore would plan some underhand tricks. So to

counter whatever Teremore’s had in his hand, I had asked Isaac to call the
Duke before I left the study!

I stayed in the study room until late at night, but it wasn’t just to protect
Henry.

Turned out I was right, tonight Teramore really did act.

The Duke came in with Isyac, Nos, and the maids, including Leah, in tow.

Before I left, I had asked Isyac to call the Duke, nevertheless considering
the possibility he wouldn’t come, I requested for the maids to come as well.

“What…… what is happening here…!”

Leah’s face darkened as she saw the situation in the room.

‘I’m glad you guys have a good timing.’

With this, no one would dare to lay their hands on Henry anymore.

“Si-sir, this…… so this…! Li-li-listen to me first please.”

Teramore begged, but the duke didn’t heed his plea.

Nos rubbed his brow off, a deep frown was spread across his forehead. The
senate’s member mistreated a duke’s child. It was a major incident, if the
news went out there would be a huge uproar.

‘In the worst case scenario, there would be civil war?’

There’s no way he could just let it pass.

Lea, my maids and Nos, glared at Teramore’s sprawling figure.

The duke walked with heavy steps toward Teramore.

Teramore tried to scoot back, while cradling his deformed, twisted arm.
However, with no support he couldn’t get there and feel down instead,
“Thud…!”

The dark red blood was constantly flowing, bursting out from his open
wounds.

“Your, your excellency…, I, I, I’m not… It’s all part of the education!”

The Duke trampled on his already mangled hand as Teramore looked up

with an imploring face.

“Henry.”

“……”

“Tell me what happened.”

He seemed to have noticed that Teramore’s assault wasn’t only once or

twice. Teramore’s hand that was going to hit Henry, was raised fixedly, out
of habits.
Henry, who was clenching his trousers tightly, gulped.

Heavy silence followed for some time, but he kept his silence.

Only after the Duke once again called out his name, “Henry!”, did he open
his mouth.

“It’s no big deal.”

“That’s for me to judge.”

The duke’s eyes were dark. His cold stare made everyone in the room
shivered in fear.

Even I, the innocent bystander was afraid, the guilty Teramore was
naturally terrified out of his wits.

“Yo-Your Excellency, you are mistaken. It’s a misunderstanding. Let me

explain. So, this one,…!”

The duke twisted Teramore’s hand. Teramore painful screams could be

heard throughout the residence.

Wha…

I stared unblinking with my jaw slacked open.

It’s the first time for me to see divine power’s judgement being used.

When I heard it, I thought it was a little scary, but the reality was far from
what I had imagined.

It’s a lot of pressure, like a tight squeeze to the lungs.

If I hadn’t suffered from the Pope’s divine power in my past life, I would’ve
been knocked out cold.’
Henry, who was getting paler, clenched his teeth. Then he said casually.

“It was just a slap in the face.”

“Little? It’s violence.”

Henry bited his lips and continues.

“It’s an opportunity to take on Teramore’s weaknesses. When I become an

adult, I am going to use this information to my advantage.”

“…”

“So it’s no big deal–“

The Duke strode and grabbed Henry’s wrist.

“Ugh!”

His wide sleeve slid down his slender arm, revealing a purple bruise.
Chapter 22
“Oh my God…!”

Lea covered her mouth in disbelief.

Henry, who received the Duke’s suffocating gaze, turned his head away. He
stubbornly tightened his lips.

“I hate a liar. Even more so if it’s my son.”

“…”

“Tell me.”

“…”

“Henry!”

“Dwon’t!” (Don’t)

The duke’s voice became louder and louder, until I shouted and slipped in
between them. I ran to the duke’s arm, shut my eyes tightly and hung on his
arm.

“Henly is scawed. He is scawed of you.” (Henry is scared. He is scared of

you.) ‘I am scared too.’

‘I must be crazy. Hanging onto the duke, a monster invoking mana, without
thinking.’

It would be less scary to crawl into a lion’s mouth. My whole body was
shaking with fear. The duke’s grips slowly loosened. Henry, who was
released by the Duke, gritted his teeth and ran out of the room. I trailed
behind him.

Although I managed to grab his hand, Henry shook it off as soon as my grip
touched him.

‘Agh!’

I almost fell because of the sudden force. I hurried back up and walked to
Henry’s side.

“Henly it’s ok to be afwaid.” (Henry it’s okay to be afraid) “…”

”I’m afwaid of sharp objects. I’m scawed of fwogs. It’s not bad to have
something you awe afwaid of.” (I’m afraid of sharp objects. I’m scared of
frogs. It’s not bad to have something you are afraid of.) “…”

“I’ll pwotect you. Let’s go to dyuke.” (I’ll protect you. Let’s go to the
duke.) “Who asked you for help!”

Henry’s yell echoed sharply in the dark corridor. I was stunned and my
outstretched hand retracted. Henry gritted his teeth and glared at me.

“…”

“Do you still fantasize us as a happy family?”

“…”

“Do you really think that you’ve become my sibling just because you’re in
the family register? Don’t make me laugh. There’s no one who really
considers an orphan without a drop of blood as a family.”

Henry poured out those hurtful remarks and sneered.

“Don’t mess around and keep your nose out of my business.”

At the end of the warning, he turned his back.

‘Stubborn,’ I thought.

I stood in the same place and looked at his fading figure.

***

When I came back to the duke’s side, I told them the truth without leaving
anything out, except the part where I set a trap for Teramore.

“…When I went to the study woom, I saw Henly and Gwandpa Tewamowe.
Gwandpa was bweating Henly, I was scawed. ” (When I went to the study
room, I saw Henry and Grandpa Teramore. Grandpa was beating him up, I
was scared.) Nos and Viscount Dubos were so upset when they heard my
story, that they uttered unrestrained curses under their breath.

“Die bastard.”

“You son of a bitch!”

Nos, frowned and muttered.

“Why on earth would Henry not tell me that Teramore laid his hand on
him?”

“He’s still a child, so he must be afraid that if he said it, something bigger
would happen.”

Viscount Dubos sighed deeply.

“What shall we do, sir? “

“Let Teramore be locked in an underground prison”

“This wouldn’t have happened if the senate didn’t push Teramore to
become Henry’s teacher. They should also take responsibility for his deed. “

“Keep it a secret that Henry has been assaulted.”

“Alright… What?! I know that today’s incident alone is enough to charge

Teramore for imprisonment or worse death sentence, but why would you
keep Henry’s mistreatment a secret?”

Viscount Dubos was bewildered, but the duke didn’t reply. When the duke
left the room, Dubos and Nos spoke in a low voice.

“I had hoped for the duke to dissolve the senate through Teramore’s crime,
but it seems that I was too whimsical.”

“The consequences are too big. In the worst case scenario, dissolvement of
the senate could lead to war.”

“I know, but as a father of three children, isn’t it too cold-hearted to just

dismiss the incident as if it doesn’t exist?”

Everyone kept chattering, saying that the duke had no affection for their
children, but I thought of the opposite. Before the former duke passed away,
Dubbled carried his order without a fuss, even the most dangerous one. His
obedience might have contributed to the fact that the former duke was in
charge of his three children. Perhaps because his children were taken
hostage, he took all the order at the risk of his life.

‘The duke even hid the fact that Henry was abused, as if to protect Henry.’

Despite the consequence that a war may break out if the Senate disbanded.
In the long run, the war will eventually be cleared up, even if it took a long
time to achieve.

The reason why he gave up the opportunity to deal with the slippery senate
was to keep people off Henry. If he kept the charges, countless people
would use this chance to pry into Henry’s weakness.

‘He noticed that he was traumatized by the former duke’

Children in a powerful household with weaknesses always become the

target, so they had to hide their weaknesses.

“Shall we go, little miss? I have warm milk ready for you.”

I glanced once more at the duke’s direction before I held Lea’s hand and
followed her.

***

<Henry’s room>

Nos came to check on Henry’s condition. When he confirmed that the child
was asleep, he turned his head to Dubbled’s elite knight.

“Make sure the news about today’s incident doesn’t get out, issue an
emergency order, and tighten security in the castle.”

“Shall we put a guard by his side?”

“No. It’s just going to remind him of this nightmarish incident.”

The dark gray-haired knight shrugged.

“Well… Teramore is in the underground prison and the chairman of the

senate was called, so who could possibly harm him?”

“Watch your mouth.”

Nos frowned when he heard the knight’s careless remarks. Soon Nos and
the knight left the room. The sleeping child behind the closed door was
once again buried in suffocating darkness alone. His feeble breath sank into
silence, and only silence rose to the room.

‘Creak-‘

A small frictional sound was heard. Leblaine’s small shadow was formed by
the light coming in from the hall. She slipped into the room with a light step
and closed the door hushedly.

Leblaine then crept over to Henry’s bedside.

“Asleep.”

He had refused for a doctor to check up on him and had stayed in his room
ever since, but he seems to have been sleeping all along. Leblaine carefully
raised Henry’s sleeve. The bruises she saw during the day had darkened
once more.

She took out a small bottle from her pocket and applied the ointment inside
gently over the dark bruises and wounds. All of a sudden, Henry’s body
tossed and turned.

“Gasp!”

She pressed her racing heart with her small hands and looked at Henry’s
face again, to make sure he is sleeping.

‘Let’s just go back. If he wakes up and sees me, his mood is going to
plummet.’

She put the little bottle back in her pocket. Leblaine turned to the door, but
paused in her track and looked at Henry’s sleeping face. She gently patted
Henry‘s hair and whispered.

“It’s all wight, child. It’s all wight.” (It’s all right, child. It’s all right.) When
she was abused by the Duke of Vallua and tortured because of the attempt
on Mina’s life, she had wished for someone to pat her head gently and
assured her that everything was going to be alright.

It’s okay.

Tomorrow will come and everything will be fine.

Leblaine just hoped that this simple pat would be able to take away at least
a little bit of Henry’s pain.

After Leblaine left the room, Henry slowly raised his eyelid.

“Who’s older to whom?”

Henry’s mind flashed to his previous actions. Even when he showed dislike
towards her, she would keep chasing after him foolishly without giving up.
Was she really that stupid?

“Foolish…”

“Do you really think that you’ve become my sibling just because you’re in
the family register? Don’t make me laugh. There’s no one who really
considers an orphan without a drop of blood as a family.”

He vented his anger to her.

Henry bit his bottom lips. He didn’t mean what he said to her. He was
embarrassed that she found out about his fear, so he shouted out hurtful
remarks to cover up his embarrassment.

…Actually, it was scary. When Teramore raised his hand to hit him, he
would always remember his grandfather’s cruel words…

‘Why can’t you live up to your expectations? You’re not my grandson if

you’re defective!’
…and soon the illusion of Teramore and grandfather overlapped.

But-

‘I’ll protect you, Henly.’

Henry buried his face in the blanket and cried silently.

***

The castle was in uproar. Two out of the three seniors who recommended
Teramore were removed from their post and they lost their jurisdiction. The
establishment of an advisory body, which had been opposed strongly by the
senate, was authorised.

Trapped inside the underground prison building, Teramore’s appearance

was terrible. However, he did not give up and begged the patrolling soldier.
He reached his hand out through the iron bar’s gap.

“The chairman… Please deliver a message to the chairman. I know the

secret of the child of fate!”

If the chairman finds out that she was actually a demon, he could turn the
situation upside down. Previously, he was cautious because of his
precarious position, but the chairman is different. His position was secured
and stable. Unfortunately, the soldier didn’t heed his gibberish words, the
soldier kicked his hand away.

“Always saying nonsense. Who would believe a madman’s words?”

“I’m not crazy!”

“Ha! If you’re not crazy how did you find the guts to raise your hand to the
young master?”

The soldier shook his head and said,

“When the chairman sees you, he’ll cut your throat right away instead. If
you want to live another day, don’t talk nonsense.”

Soon after the prison guard finished his advice, the door that led to the
underground prison opened and someone descended down the stairs.

“Young master.”

The soldiers bowed over towards Henry.

“…!”

Teramore’s face lit up with delight and hope when he saw Henry’s figure
‘The heavens have not abandoned me!’

Henry ordered the guarding soldiers.

“Go outside until I call you.”

The soldiers looked at each other, but soon bowed deeply and left the door.

Teramore, who was left alone with Henry, cried out, holding the iron bar.

“Henry, get me out of here.”

“…”

“I won’t divulge your trauma. So let me meet with the chairman. “

“What are you going to do when you meet him?”

“I will surely take my revenge on that little bitch, —Agh!”

The surge of mana emanating from Henry’s body strangled Teramore’s

neck.
“Wha-what are you doing…!”

No way.

Something’s wrong. Henry would never dare to look straight at him, let
alone possessed the guts to strangle him.

“Thi-this defective-…”

In the past, even Teramore’s voice could drive him off the cliff, but now the
tables had turned. Henry pierce his gaze straight at Teramore’s eye with an
indifferent look.

“I’m not a defective product!”

Teramore’s trembling hand reached towards Henry. Henry, who normally

would cowered from the sight of Teramore’s wrinkled hand, kicked his
hand away.

For some reason he was no longer afraid.

Henry said with a sneer.

“And my sister is not a bitch, her name is Leblaine.”

Leblaine, who was fast asleep in her room, did not know that such a big
thing was happening in the underground prison.
Chapter 23
A few days later, the story of Teramore going insane amidst his
imprisonment spread out. I tried to snoop around in front of the
underground prison to confirm the truth of the rumor.

‘Since Henry’s incident, Teramore has been having suspicion regarding my

identity. It would be very convenient for me if he really lost his mind,
although even if he did lose his mind, it’d still better to stay low for a
while.’

As I kept pacing around the entrance. I lowered my head and tried to steal a
glance at the slight opening of the door.

Someone’s leg suddenly obstructed my vision and Viscount Dubos, the

head of the advisor, came out from the underground prison. He was
standing tall in front of me.

“Little miss.”

“Hellow, mistew… Awe you swill scodwing gwandpa Tewamoe?” (Hello,

mister… Are you still scolding grandpa Teramore?) The question concealed
my real intention that, ‘Is it true that Teramore has lost his mind?’, burying
the truth within the innocent probing.

“No, His mind is… not in the right place. That man should’ve waited for
me to butchered off his ankle slowly and throw it outside—ahem,”

Sir Dubois tried to fake a small cough when he realized his real thoughts
slipped through his mouth in front of the small Leblaine.

Dubos saw her innocent eyes blinking as if his words were too foreign for
her little mind to comprehend. He laughed awkwardly and scratched his
head.
“The questioning is over. I’ve made sure he won’t do anything bad anymore
to you or Henry. I promise.”

“Wow! Thwank you, Mistew Dubos!” (Wow! Thank you, Mister Dubos!)
Feeling the burden that has been weighing my mind lifted, I skipped away
from the prison’s entrance jubilantly.

‘I’ve been wondering what to do with Teramore since he suspected my

identity. It was a slip of mine when I showed him I was too mature for my
age. With this one of my problems was resolved. This is a real stroke of
luck.’

After I parted with Viscount Dubos, I walked around the castle, feeling the
cold breeze gently caressing my warm cheek. The garden and the flowers
looked even more vibrant than yesterday. Everything seemed more so
beautiful than usual as the bad guy Teramore disappeared.

‘Ah, it feels good to loosen up once in a while… ’

The passing employees smiled and greeted me cheerfully when they saw
me strolling around the castle mirthfully.

“Hello, young miss. You’re in a good mood today. Where are you going?”

“I’m gwoing to look for snwacks.” (I’m going to look for snacks.) Since the
incident with Teramore, Lea and the maids had been giving me a lot of
snacks. Fearing Teramore’s abusive means would scar me; the maids
became more pampering than ever.

“Scumbag.”

“Die!”

“Fuck you!”
The maids hurled out vicious scary insults towards Teramore whenever they
remembered what the rotten man did to me. Lea was the only quiet one
amidst the storm of curses. All of sudden, her chair clattered as she stood up
and paced into the kitchen. The other maids went silent. They looked at
Lea’s sudden action with dismay.

‘What on earth?’

Only then Leah came out.

With a kitchen knife…

“I’ll kill Teramore,” her menacing look shocked the maids out of their wits.

If only Lea wasn’t afraid of the duke, Teramore might’ve left the world that
same night.

‘Her eyes were frighteningly ablaze with anger… ’

When the thought of Lea with a kitchen knife flashed my mind, I couldn’t
help but feel shivered down my spine.

After venting out their suppressed anger, the maids encircled me within
their embrace and suddenly burst into tears. One of the maids broke the
sobbing and sounded out a question that has been plaguing her mind.

“What… what if the child got traumatized?”

“What?”

“Doesn’t that often happen? When you can’t trust people all your life
because of childhood trauma.”

Since that night, they’ve showered me with snacks and told me things such
as : “Young miss is the most precious.”
“Don’t worry little miss, the bad guys will be punished!”

“You don’t need to be scared, little miss.” and so on.

‘Their overindulgence towards me felt a little burdensome, although I didn’t

mind the amount of snacks they gave me… ’

I hummed a happy tune as I capered into my room.

‘Today’s snack is a sweet pickled peach pie. I can’t wait to savor one of
those delicious pie.’

As I hopped onto the chair, the maids quickly surrounded me like a bee and
began to chant out their usual encouragement.

“You’re so brave, young miss.”

“Our young miss is the smartest.”

“Young miss is the most precious.”

I could only nod at their adoring praises. I tapped my feet in impatience as I

waited for the plate of snacks.

But… something seemed strange. No matter how long I waited, no snacks

came in, and the maids began to brush my hair.

I tugged the sleeve of Dahlia, one of the attending maid, and asked,
“Whewe’ e the snwacks?” (Where’re the snacks?)

“Today’s snack will be served in the afternoon. The duke will have lunch
with you, so he’s going to come earlier than usual.”

‘Why!!!’
I could feel imaginary tears running down my cheeks. It’s already
disheartening enough that the snack time has been delayed, but having to
eat with the duke as the addition… I couldn’t help but shudder.

My mind flashed to yesterday’s accidental meeting. When I unintentionally

bumped into the duke yesterday, his chilling expression was more terrifying
than usual. Perhaps, because the meetings with the vassals went worse than
his expectations, his usual intense bearing became worse.

‘I think I got a stomach ache.’

At this rate, I’d have to take digestive medicine in advance. With a huge
despondent sigh, I got up and fumbled through the elephant bag.

***

Dubbled was already sitting at the table when I finally made my arrival at
the dining room. Foods were set on the long table, waiting to be feasted
upon. As I was about to get onto my seat, the door opened. Isaac figure’s
were revealed through the gap on the wooden door.

“Good afternoon, duke.”

Isaac bowed as he greeted the duke. The poised duke gave a slight nod
towards his direction.

‘Isaac’s here. Is Henry coming to the supper, as well?’

Just after I thought about Henry, promptly, the door to the large dining room
opened once more and a light step approaching from outside the room was
heard.

“Good afternoon, duke.”

The incoming person bowed his head to the duke. As usual, Henry appeared
impeccably neat and elegant in his simple attire.
“Have a seat.”

Instead of returning Henry’s greeting, the duke simply sighed and gestured
towards the empty chair. Henry could only raise his head and walked
approached his designated seat.

‘Are you all right now?’

Question regarding Henry’s well-being was flooding from my concerned

mind.

Throughout the whole week since Teramore confinement, Henry has been
confining himself in his room while the castle was stirred up in a storm. All
the servants that previously served him were temporarily banned from
entering his room. The only people allowed inside was a maid and a doctor.
To serve him food and check up on his health. Other than them, none of the
people in this estate were allowed to go past the door.

‘The bruised arm… hmm… thankfully, it looks much better.’

Teramore’s abusive ways towards Henry deeply concerned me as I used to

be the victim of similarly horrendous people and it was the worst thing that
I ever experienced. I sat down and glanced at the Duke and Henry. The last
time I saw the two of them interact was when the duke interrogated Henry
before he ran away, not wanting to tell everyone what Teramore did to him.
Was it possible for them to become more estranged ever since?’

Breaking the lasting silence, Henry spoke.

“Duke, I would like to ask for your permission to take a leave of absence
from the academy and be educated here for a while.”

‘Huh?’

‘Is he keeping an eye on Teramores’ case? Is that why he would rather stay
here?’
I was surprised by his sudden request, but the duke responded unperturbed.

“Why?”

“I’m sure there would be many difficulties for a child as young as me to

manage the fief, but I think I should start to learn step-by-step.”

Only then did the duke look at Henry. His eyes weren’t full of anger, instead
it was filled with gentleness.

“Alright,” that short reply ended the conversation between those two.

While all the eyes in the room were looking at the two, the concerned
parties were unbothered by the gaze. I could only force myself to swallow
my complaints.

‘No matter how bad their environment was when they grew up, isn’t it too
much for the duke, as an adult, to behave this way?’

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand where they both were coming from. The
duke and Henry, both grew up under a reputable family. The duke, at
Henry’s age, almost died in the war; meanwhile, Henry was abused by his
own teacher in these past years.

‘That would somewhat explain the reason they don’t know much about
family relationships.’

‘But how can they know less than me? I, who had shed so much blood, life
by life, only to finally find some happiness in my fourth life?’

I looked at the duke with glaring eyes, and the duke, who felt the gaze,
thought I was glaring at the glazed strawberries on his plate.

“You love sweets, right? Give me your plate. I’ll give you some.”
He then brought my plate towards his side before moving his strawberries’
onto it. All while not realizing the intense glare I was giving him. I couldn’t
help but kept worrying about Henry.

I, as a child, didn’t really like peoples’ attention, yet I still believe that every
child needs their parents’ attention. Especially a child like Henry, who
preferred to keep everything to themselves.

‘What should I do?’

I hastily shook the duke’s sleeves and said.

“Henwy woves stwawbewys, too.” (Henry loves strawberries, too.) “…”

‘Does Henry like strawberries? I hope he does or all my effort would be for
naught’

The duke looked at me, but there was no answer, so I told him one more
time.

“Henwy too, stwawbewy.” (Henry too, strawberry)

“…”

“Henwy! stwawbewy!” (Henry! strawberry!)

I cried out in frustration until somehow the duke flinched. He looked at

Henry and moved his fork slowly. His movement was stiff, as if it was the
first time he ever used the cutlery.

And…

“…”

Henry’s eyes trembled as he scrutinized the strawberries the duke had left
on his plate as if it was unreal. Neither of them had any change of
expression and none of them spoke. The stifling awkwardness could be felt
miles away. I endured the discomfiture and braced myself as I shook the
duke’s sleeve once more. After a moment, he finally broke the silence.

“…Eat.”

“…Thank you…”

I was pleased.

‘All right, all right.’

This won’t break down the high wall between the duke and Henry, but I
hope it will improve their relationship slightly.

I looked at the two alternately with a big happy grin on my face.

With a childish smile, I said to the duke,

“Wat’s woung?” (What’s wrong?)

“Dyuke, you shoul giwe swome to Isyac two.” (Duke, you should give
some to Isaac too.) You shouldn’t discriminate as a parent.

“……”

The duke moved his cutlery again, his eloquence was nowhere to be found
and only rigidness remained, when he moved his the piece of strawberries
on Isaac’s plate.

***

I rubbed my stomach with a sigh as I left the dining room after the
suffocating supper.

‘The atmosphere was a bit too much for my nerves.’

I shook my head while contemplating if I should request Lea for more food.
Today’s snack was a pie with sweet pickled peaches… maybe I should just
wait for it?

‘Hmm… what should I do while I wait for the snacks?’

It was comical to see myself pondering over what to do in my free time.

In my first and second life, I was desperate to take a day off, but now I had
too much free time and was mulling over what to fill it with.

“What should I do?”

Such liberties used to be a dream, which I never would’ve thought could

happen.

‘Am I actually in heaven?’

I pondered with serious consideration.

The sudden sight in front of me woke me up from the daydream, the door at
the end of the corridor on the first floor had opened.

‘Huh?’

That door was what separated the east and west wing of the estate. The east
wing was where outsiders could come and go, such as the office, the
conference hall and the guest library.

On the other hand, the west wing was a space exclusive only for Dubbled’s
relatives. It’s where the duke’s bedroom and brothers’ room were.

Thus the door at the end of the first-floor corridor connecting the east and
west gates would always be closed.

‘The west wing. What kind of place is it?’

I’ve just been adopted, and the duke has prepared my room in the west
wing, but my room is currently undergoing renovation, so until the
refurbishing was completed, I’d still be living in the east wing’s VIP room.

‘I’m going to live there eventually anyway, so can’t I go in and take a

look?’

I glanced around once I made sure no one was around. Stealthily, I crossed
the corridor and opened the door that would eventually lead me to the west
wing.

“Wow…”

I burst out with admiration at the sight in front of me. Of course, the east
wing was excellent in every way, but it was decorated as a front to maintain
the dukedom’s dignity and virtue as outsiders came and went. The west
wing was completely different from the east wing.

The warm-colored smooth marble shines brilliantly, reflecting the sunlight

pouring in from the tall windows. The trees planted on the floor at the end
of the hall gave off a pleasant forest kind of smell.

If a fairy king lived in a castle, this was what his castle would be like.

While looking around frantically at the majestic hall, I found a doorless

passage with an arch-shaped passageway. I poked my head out from behind
the wall.

‘Painting?’

A giant portrait took over one side of the wall. But the room was too
shabby, contrasting the majestic hall, it was only decorated with a painting.
There was only an old embroidery tablet embedded in the top center of the
frame. I looked up at the huge artwork. The face that filled the picture was
of an old man. Though his hair was gray and wrinkles were all over his
face, gracefulness and beauty could be felt even beyond the painting’s
world.

“Who’s there?”
Chapter 24
The voice of the individual flowed into my head and somehow, the mere
sound managed to distort my vision. With my sight out of control,
everything in front of my eyes became fuzzy and dark.

I could feel my heart beating against my ribcage, racing against the

emerging dizziness in my head.

“Child.”

“Ah……”

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

The sound of my heart pounding filled my ears. My lungs felt tight and I
couldn’t breathe. The dizziness was maddening and my vision just kept
getting darker and darker.

I could feel the world spun around unceasingly. My feet staggered and…

Thump!

I fell on the cold hard floor with a thud.

‘…’

“Blaine!”

I could hear Henry’s and Isaac’s voice nearing the room. Before they could
arrive, my mind was already lost in my final thoughts.

‘Who the hell is that person?’

‘Why did I feel so nauseous when I heard the voice?’

***

How much time has passed…? I tried to open my eyes and moved my body,
but my eyelids felt like it was sewn tight and my hand weighed a ton.

“Why hasn’t she opened her eyes when there’s no problem with her? Did
you check her thoroughly? Answer me unless you want to die!”

“Check her again. Find out why she fell. If you can’t, don’t even think of
leaving this room alive.”

My ears were soon filled with thundering angry, impatient voices.

“Stop it, Henry, Isaac. “

‘Is that the duke’s voice?’

A dull sound of footstep was heard in the pin-drop silence. The footstep
finally stops. A sudden shriek pierced everyone’s ears and barrage of pleas
followed.

“I’m telling you, sir! There’s nothing wrong with her! She is healthy!”

“Then why isn’t she awake yet.”

“Bu-but really!”

“If you can’t wake her up, I’ll cut off all of your throats. “

‘What?!’

Out of shock, I opened my eyes wide. It didn’t feel as heavy as before.

“Blaine…!”
“Leblaine!”

Two blurry shadows started to form under my hazy sight. It was Henry and
Isaac.

‘No, why are they here?’

I scanned the room as I blinked my eyes to dispel the thin fog cloaking my
sight. I was lying on the bed, while Henry and Isaac were glued to my bed’s
sides. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Lea’s figure behind them.
Thirty doctors were kneeling on the floor and standing in front of the
doctors was the duke with Nos behind him.

“Dyuke.” (Duke.)

I called him, but my voice was hoarse, yet still the duke managed to hear
my voice. He came to my bedside immediately.

“Are you all right?”

As I nodded, a relieved sigh came out from the duke’s mouth. Soon after, he
turned his head towards the doctors. I let out a deep sigh in my mind.

‘Thankfully, I woke up in time.’

The child of fate who was sent from the church collapsed at Dubbled, so the
doctors were called to check on the child. Unfortunately, they weren’t able
to diagnose what’s the issue and why I blacked out.

But me fainting wasn’t their fault. It’s my fault for sneaking into the room.

The duke opened his mouth.

“Now that Leblaine has woken-”

Yes, I would like to let the doctors go.

“Kill all the doctors. “

‘What?!’

I stared at the duke in shock. The doctors weren’t better off than me.
Everyone could see the trembling of their limbs in the room.

“There’s no use for incompetent people who couldn’t even find out why a
child fainted.”

Henry and Isaac, next to the duke, were looking at the doctors with cold
eyes. It could be seen from their unchanging expression that they were
supporting the duke’s decision.

‘What are you both doing?!’

“Your Excellency, please reconsider your decision.”

Nos tried desperately to persuade the duke to let them off, but Dubbled was
adamant and nothing could change his verdict.

“If you try to call other doctors to the estate, it’ll take a good two weeks.”

“So?”

“When the little miss’ body is in trouble again, there will be no doctor to
look after her?”

The duke frowned. When Nos saw the duke’s reaction, he realized that his
words had worked. Seeing a ray of hope, Nos’s face brightened.

I didn’t want Nos’s efforts to dissuade the duke down the drain, as an effort
to back him up, I quickly made up an excuse for the doctors.

“Dyuke, I wasn’t swick. It’s becawse of the divine welated stuwff, dat’s
why the doctows cowldn’t help. If I was swick, suwely the doctows cwuld
helwp.” (Duke, I wasn’t sick. It’s because of the divine related stuff, that’s
why the doctors couldn’t help. If I was sick, surely doctors can help.) When
I said so, I looked pleadingly at the duke,

Everyone’s eyes in the room turned towards me and the duke. The doctors
wore hopeful expressions as they looked at me as if they had found their
savior.

I could only roll my eyes and cover my mouth as I fake a cough.

“…Cough!”

“…!”

The duke’ eyes widened before he gave out a thunderous roar.

“Isn’t it a cold? Go and treat her!”

“Hurry!”

More than thirty doctors rushed to my bed in a perfect line. After that, I
spared no effort to act as if I’ve caught a cold and all the doctors were
relieved that they had avoided the duke’s death penalty.

***

The desperate child’s lie was eaten by the duke and the doctors were
fortunate enough to save their life.

Of course, the doctors who were experts saw through my trick. When they
checked on me, they immediately found out that the cold was only an act.
Perhaps that’s why whenever they saw me, they would call me with
gratitude, “Child…”

Seeing their tearful expression, my jaw dropped.

The favor deeply moved Baron Morr, the director of Dubbled Castle
Medical Center, in particular.

“Little miss, I, Adam Morr will definitely repay this favor.”

“I’ve been married for ten years and my wife is pregnant with our child.
Without your aid, I would have died without ever seeing my first child,”

he continued.

“Little miss, you’re my benefactor.”

It’s a good thing that I saved these innocent doctors. Most of them were a
husband and father of a family. If they were to die, their family would
surely be devastated.

‘But what is that voice?’

The voice appeared from time to time since I’ve touched Newt.

‘Was the stone cursed?’

Whether I was cursed or not could be found as soon as I went to the priest,
but I really didn’t want to get involved with the church in any way.

I had been asking around what had happened after I blacked out.
Apparently, it was Isaac and Henry who moved me right away from the
west wing. Both of the children have been scolding the doctor when they
couldn’t find out my sickness.

‘It was unexpected.’

Especially Henry.

The same was true for duke who has always been cold-hearted.
‘You guys don’t hate me.’

On the contrary, wouldn’t their feelings be more like a favor? I covered my

mouth with both hands and laughed cheerfully. All the time, I used to chase
them around and build up good feelings was worth it in the end.

When I got adopted, it was like heaven to me, but obstacles would come as
I grew older. The real child of destiny will be revealed in the future. Soon
after that, I’ll be the sacrifice in a ritual to seal evil spirits and this was not
something Duke of Dubbled had a say in.

‘How much money do I need to save up for the future?’

I crawled up to the bed with my elephant bag.

“One, two, three,…, twenty five.”

I looked at the piling coins with a happy smile and put them back in the
bag.

‘When I’ve accumulated enough money, I’ll go to the information guild and
make a fake ID.’

I should do this as soon as possible. Soon, around one year later, the law
will be revised and the guild workers will be more attentive with the local
resident’s data.

‘I’m short on time and I can’t depend on a single source forever. If this
keeps on going, The money I’ve amassed would be far from enough.’

It was time to create slush funds. I couldn’t make gold slush funds like
Henry, but I could look for other ways to make money. I grinned and looked
at the calendar.

‘A wanted criminal is coming to Dubbled soon.’

The amount of the bounty is enormous because he was involved with an
incident at the imperial palace. If I hand him over to the authorities, I would
be awarded for capturing him.

Even a child could earn the reward.

But how did he come into Dubbled’s castle again? I heard he got caught
while working in the estate. Was he one of the servants?

‘Now that I think of it, finding him would be a breeze. I just need to check
on all the new servants in the estate.’

Just as I was about to leave the room, a soft body collided into me.

‘Ouch!’

Lea was standing in front of me, she was rubbing my red nose and scanning
my body for any injuries. As it was only a small bump there was no bruise
on my body. When Lea saw that I was fine, she released a relieved sigh.

“You’re up early today, little miss.”

Lea asked affectionately and I replied brazenly,

“Yes!”

“I’m glad you’re so energetic in the morning. By the way, where are you
going?”

I couldn’t possibly tell Lea that she was going to visit the servants’ lounge
to check on the servants’ list.

I shifted my eyes and murmured.

“Libwary.” (Library.)
“Didn’t you borrow a lot of fairy tales yesterday?”

“I wawnt a new wone… studwy! I’m gwoing to study!” (I want a new

one… study! I’m going to study!) Leah wrapped one cheek with her hand,
pondering, before she nodded her head in approval.

“I see. You’re getting close to learning letters. I’ll tell the duke right away.
He’ll give you a good teacher.”

‘No!’

I already learned the Imperial language three times. It’s not necessary at all.

However Lea said proudly, “You’re very admirable, little miss.”

I felt despair at the idea of having to learn the Imperial language from
scratch in my fourth life as well.

***

When the duke heard the news he immediately sent Leblaine a teacher. He
was the alumni of the School of Medicine and was ranked the first when he
graduated. He also was the youngest person ever to pass the infamous
imperial administrative examination and was experienced in teaching
nobles.

“Nos.”

Of course, the famous teacher that taught Henry and Isaac as well.

“Down’t you have wowk?” (Don’t you have work?)

“Little miss… If you could see how many papers were piled up on my desk,
you’d be shedding tears with me.”

Nos murmured with misty eyes.

I couldn’t imagine how much work would Nos have, especially with the
recent incident. That must’ve added more workload for him.

He’s really pitiful. Working with such a cold-blooded and demanding boss.

“Now, let’s start the class. For our first meeting, you should learn the
Imperial alphabet first. Look at this card, please.”

Nos was undoubtedly a capable man. He was not only good at handling
documents, but he was a competent teacher as well. His explanation was
smooth and his examples were on point, no wonder all the children under
his education could learn quickly.

“Come on, little miss, repeat after me. Game.”

“Game…”

“What about other words that use G?”

“Gweat, gwow, go, gush, guwible…” (Great, grow, go, gush, gullible…) As
I continued, Nos whispered in a low voice.

“Ahh… I’m dying from cuteness.”

“You’re very clever, little miss. I can’t wait to have more administrators in
the estate, so I can focus on taking care of your education.”

Appointing an administrator?
Chapter 25
“Awe thewe any new people coming to the estawte?” (Are there any new
people coming to the estate?) “Yes, the new administrators took the test last
month and some of them passed. The second round of the exam will be held
tomorrow. If they pass the second test as well, they’ll become a new
administrator of Dubbled’s.”

When the recruitment was posted, talented people from all over the country
immediately came to attend the test. This was an enormous chance for
them. Dubbled never cared about people’s backgrounds, whether they were
commoner or noble none of them mattered to him as long as they were
capable.

With this way of employing people, no wonder Dubbled could have so

many talented people by his side. Unfortunately, some disadvantages came
with the system. One of them is that even a wanted criminal could slip in
with how lax the background check was.

‘Catching the offender is going to be easier than I expected.’

In the middle of the study session I had with Nos, the door burst open as
Henry and Isaac came in tow. Nos, who saw the two, considerately gave me
a break and slipped away for a while.

Isaac came straight to me

“Kid! Are you all better?”

“…?”

“The cold. Are you all better?”

“Yes.”
Hearing my weak voice, Isaac groaned in annoyance. He looked at Henry
then questioned.

“Why is she so weak?”

“It’s because she’s still young, Isaac.”

“But I was very healthy when I was this small.”

“That’s because you’re a monster.”

Henry pushed Isaac away from me and took his place before inclining his
body, so his eye met with mine. He looked intently at my eyes and greeted
me.

“Hello, Leblaine.”

“Hello…”

“Have you noticed anything strange since you collapsed? Did you find any
dark spots on your body, or something wrong with your divine powers? It’s
the symptoms of the people suffering from a curse…”

Before I could reply, Henry continued with a sad and remorseful

expression.

“…I’m sorry, Blaine. I said very harsh things to you last time.”

“I wanted to apologize. If it’s all right, will you forgive me?”

I remembered Henry callous remarks that day, his words did break my heart
a little, but they were nothing compared to all kinds of hurtful insults I had
to face in my previous lives. Especially when I knew it was him being
defensive over his weakness.
“Yes, Henwy. It’s owkay. I fowgive you” (Yes, Henry. It’s okay. I forgive
you.) Henry’s distressed expression turned into a bright smile as he patted
my hair and said, “You’re the sweetest, Blaine. Thank you for giving me a
second chance.”

‘Wow’

His warm gentle smile even managed to make the maids squeal.

Isaac frowned at Henry.

“Why is your treatment towards her and me so different?”

“Because I only care about my people. “

“Since when did the kid become your people? She’s my little sister!”

“My little sister.”

“No. Mine!”

The brothers glared at each other throughout the heated debate. I, a

bystander, was shocked to see such an unusual interaction between them.

‘What’s wrong with both of them!’

In the middle of their dispute, an incoming footstep could be heard from

outside the door. It was the duke.

He was stunned when he saw both of his sons were having a dispute.

‘Duke, your sons are doing strange things.’

‘Take them away, please.’

I tried to convey the request with my eyes, but instead of dragging his sons
away, the duke suddenly hugged me.

“My daughter.”

***

Henry and Isaac frowned when the duke came in and stole Leblaine away
from them in his arm.

‘Hateful.’

‘That’s so mean.’

Both of them have been loitering in front of Leblaine’s room for the past
few days. They wanted to see how she was doing. However, when they
were told that she needed to recover, they held back their desire to see her.

However, the duke regularly visited the room to check on Leblaine’s

condition.

And every time he visited, he would bring the snacks that Leblaine loves.

The two brothers could only hear Leblaine’s voice praising the duke from
outside the room with resentment.

Isaac looked up at the duke with discontent.

“It’s not fair.”

“Unfair?”

“You’re the only one who can see the kid!”

“What’s unfair about a father seeing his daughter?”

“That… but…”

Isaac was lost for words and rolled his eyes. Seeing his brother’s immediate
defeat, Henry stepped out to save him.

“We also need time to be with Leblaine. It must have felt awkward for her
to always be accompanied by you.”

“You’re right!”

The siblings who couldn’t stand each other’s presence were in perfect
harmony today.

“Next time. The child is still sick today, so you both need to leave.”

“The kid said she’s all better!”

“Yes, Leblaine’s doctor said she’s fine now.”

The disagreement between the three persisted. In the end, they both turned
to me and demanded me to choose one of them.

“Leblaine, don’t you want to be with your father?”

“Kid, don’t you want to hang out with us?”

“Who do you like more? Huh?”

Leblaine looked at the duke and children frantically, nervously playing with
her fingers’.

The three people in the library waited eagerly for the child’s response.

“Lea!”
Suddenly Leblaine jumped out of the duke’s arms and ran to Lea, who had
just entered the library.

“Lea’s twe bwest.” (Lea’s the best.)

“Oh my, thank you so much, little miss. I like you, too.”

“Shall we go to the dining room?”

“Yes.”

Leblaine took Lea’s hand and both left the library, leaving the three people
in the room deserted.

***

‘What was wrong with them?’

On the surface, they were like fathers and brothers who kept their daughter
and sister in check.

‘But I don’t believe it.’

One of the things I learned from when I was in Duke of Vallua’s custody,
was that whenever I got excited about the idea of ‘family’, it’d eventually
turned out to be one of their means to exploit me through my foolish wish.

Lea grinned at me with an adoring look on her face.

“Little miss, are you excited for lunch?”

“I gwues so…” (I guess so…)

“It’s your favorite cream stew. I asked the chef to add a lot of meat.”
When I heard that I would have cream stew for lunch, the bad thoughts
disappeared and I immediately felt a lot better. I held Lea’s hand tighter as I
assured myself.

‘Of course, Lea’s the best.’

The stew that the kitchen staff served tasted even better than I thought.
After lunch, I sighed in contentment as I rubbed my expanding belly filled
with two bowls of cream stew.

***

Isaac alongside Henry was heading to the training ground. Unlike his usual
bright expression, a sullen look marked his face.

‘Why does the kid prefer to be with the maid rather than us?’

Come to think of it, it wasn’t only once or twice that he was cast aside when
Lea came.

“Does she prefer to be with a servant rather than me, her brother?… No
way!”

“You are talking nonsense, Isaac.”

Isaac, who heard his brother’s reply, frowned.

“It’s the truth! The kid even said that she liked me the best. Don’t you
remember when I gave the cake to the kid, she said, “Isaac is the best!”,
“Isaac’s cool!”?”

Isaac said triumphantly. Henry narrowed the gap between them.

“You’re speaking gibberish.”

“I’m telling you the truth. The kid loves me so much. She even said, “Isaac,
I’m so glad to see you.”, when she saw me.”

No one was ever that happy to meet Isaac.

People would always stiffly greet him because of his high status. Even the
noble’s children would avoid him purposely.

Henry answered back, narrowing his forehead.

“Leblaine says hello to others, too. “

The small ray of sunshine would appear in the desolate castle of Dubbled
and greeted everybody and cheered them up with her jubilant smile.

Isaac stopped walking.

“Then, the kid doesn’t like me the best?”

He looked heartbroken. Henry unsympathetically shrugged, “She doesn’t

hate you. I don’t know how much she likes you, but you are not on top of
her list.”

“Then what should I do to make her like me the best?”

Henry frowned at his brother’s question.

‘I want to find out the answer as well.’

Usually, it was easier for people to be acquainted with Henry rather than
with his other family members.

Unlike the duke, Johann and Isaac, he was great at mingling with others and
was a charming conversationalist.

But Leblaine was different.

That child was neutral and objective.

‘I need to do something to build a relationship between us.’

When he was musing on what to do, the servants crossed the hallway with
toys in their hands.

“Did you buy it?”

“Yes, fortunately I went there earlier. After I bought the toys, I saw people
queuing outside the door just to get one of these. Children’s Day is near,
that’s why the toy store was so crowded.”

Henry and Isaac, who overheard the conversation of servants casually, fixed
their gazes on the present in the servants’ hands.

“Isaac.”

“Hm. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yes.”

“Cooperate this time?”

“Okay.”

The boys are getting along well for the first time. They didn’t know, from
the corner of the hall, a sharp pair of eyes are watching their every move.

“So the two of them are planning to go to the toy store to buy gifts.”

The duke, who was told the news by Nos, laughed.

“I can’t believe they are buying presents for the little miss.”
Nos said, while smiling awkwardly. He never imagined there would be a
day where Isaac and Henry would buy someone a present on their own
initiatives.

“So they are trying to change the child’s mind with a bribe…”

The duke clucked his tongue in annoyance, then commanded Nos.

“Buy me the largest toy store for the child.”

“…?”

The duke looked at him with a displeased look.

“What are you doing standing around? Go buy me the largest toy store
now.”

Nos, who was once again tasked with an absurd job, could only sigh in
resignation.

***

Two days later

When I heard the new group of new administrators had come, I headed for
the first floor where they were waiting straight away. I clung close to the
corner of the courtyard and tried to peek at the new administrators.

‘My money. Who’s the criminal that’s going to be the source of my

money?’

I scanned all of them carefully, however all of them seemed normal. None
of them were showing suspicious behaviors.

Well, I shouldn’t determine them just by their looks. Just because you’re a
criminal, it didn’t mean that a wanted man sign would be written on your
forehead.

As Nos, the administrator’s general manager, announced the state’s

upcoming agendas for this month and the allocation of the departments, my
eyes met with some of the new administrators.

“Huh? It’s a kid.”

Some of the new administrators noticed that I was there. Nos and the
existing officers followed their sight and found me hiding behind the wall.
Nos and the officers were surprised to find me but soon bowed their heads.
Busted from my hiding place, I came out from behind the wall and said,
“Hello.”

Nos held me protectively in his arms and headed to the center.

“This is the duke’s youngest daughter, Leblaine. “

Then he glances at the new administrator who had called me “a kid” and
reprimanded him.

“And not just any kid.”

Chapter 26
I glanced sympathetically to the slow-witted administrators.

“Little miss, what brings you here?” asked Nos, his stern authoritative voice
was replaced with gentleness.

Realizing the administrators’ gazes were now on me, I quickly made up an

excuse.

“I wyant to leawn mowe lettews fwom Nos.”

(I want to learn more letters from Nos. )

“You are so diligent, little miss. Please wait for a moment. After the briefing
ends, I’ll bring a new book for you and teach you new letters,” Nos said
patiently before leaving me in the care of the servants.

When Nos was taking care of me, the new administrators whispered to each
other in low voices.

“That’s him.”

“I heard when he served in the imperial palace, he solved the long drought
in the country and was appointed as the youngest official.”

“The Eugene Nos? Who worked in the country’s intelligence agency?!”

“Wow, I didn’t know that. I only heard he’s a genius.”

The new administrators all suddenly looked nervous and fidgety. They
didn’t know when they applied for the job, that they would meet such a
renowned person.
‘Oh, right. Nos was so talented that he restored the reputation of the
imperial palace.’

“You don’t have to be nervous. The famed Eugene Nos is now our co-
worker.”

The woman in glasses frowned when she heard the man’s words.

“Charlie, watch your words.”

“Seria, why do you always interfere with what I’m doing?… No way! Do
you like me?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

As their argument escalated, their tone became sharper, and it started to

catch the attention of bystanders. Feeling the gaze of the people around
them, another officer broke down their squabble.

“Don’t fight. The others are looking.”

“Jacob… you’re the loudest among us.”

Just like everyone else, I was looking at the three’s arguments.

‘That’s a Nox Stone’s (border area) accent, isn’t it?’

On the day of the crime, one of the employees had testified hearing a
Noxstone accent coming from the bedroom. Many had guessed it was the
criminal’s voice.

Not moving an inch, I stayed beside the servants until Nos finished his duty.
As I was waiting for him, I observed the surrounding officers, yet no other
than the three people had that border area’s accent.

I grinned in accomplishment.
So the search has been narrowed down to three.

***

While Nos was teaching, my head was up in the cloud. Other thoughts were
swirling inside my head.

‘I should have paid more attention to the news surrounding wanted

criminals in my past lives.’

Feeling regretful, I reprimanded myself. I could only remember a few

famous criminals, even the memory regarding their captures and crimes was
blurry.

The criminal I was looking for was charged with murder. Not just any
murder, he/she was charged for killing a nobleman.

The incident, which took place earlier this year, had drawn the wrath of the
whole nation.

That’s because the victim was a real noblesse oblige. In his free time, he ran
a nursery school and gave all of his fortunes to the abandoned, poor and
disabled people.

The whole empire was angry. Unfortunately, it was not easy to catch
him/her, because there wasn’t much known about the criminal’s physical
description.

‘How the hell did someone catch a wanted criminal at Dubbled before?’

Thinking hard about how I was supposed to catch the criminal, suddenly
someone knocked on the library door. The door swung open and revealed
the butler behind.

“Sir, the master is looking for you.”

“…Is it for the job?”

“Unfortunately, yes…”

Nos nodded weakly when he heard the duke requesting his presence.

“Little miss, would you like to-“

“What are you doing, Nos?”

Isaac and Henry appeared behind the butler, cutting Nos off.

Isaac said to Nos sharply.

“Are you trying to ruin our plans?”

“No way.”

Henry just smiled at Nos’s awkward refutation.

“You must be preparing for ‘that’ too, huh?”

“Well, I don’t know what you are saying, young master.”

“Don’t try to fool me. If Eugene Nos doesn’t know, then who knows?”

Isaac and Henry glared at Nos fiercely.

“I’m sorry. I must go to see the duke. Little miss, we’ll have the next class
the day after tomorrow,” Nos sighed in defeat and told me.

I nodded, assenting his notice as he left the library after greeting the
brothers.

Isaac, who was staring at his back, muttered.

“What a cheap man.”

“…”

I could only stare at him and his words of disapproval. Henry cut his
brother’s tantrum out.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s do ‘that’ today.”

“Okay.”

The two people looked at me at the same time.

“Why don’t we go to the store today, Leblaine?”

“Yeah, let’s go, kid”

I opened my eyes wide in wonder. The people in the estate had been acting
weird since yesterday. The brothers weren’t the only one talking nonsense.
The servants also kept asking me weird questions.

I remembered several conversations that I held with the servants.

“What kind of toys do you like best? “

“Oh, no, we’re just curious…!”

Not only the servants, even the knights, also came up to me and asked.

“Little miss, have you ever held a wooden sword?”

“Would that kind of gift be useful for the little miss?” they asked.

I scrunched up my brow in confusion before the realization sunk in.

‘Ah! Tomorrow is Children’s Day.’

It’s my first children’s day since Dubbleds adopted me. The duke, the
brothers, and all the servants seemed to be paying close attention to the
celebration.

In my previous lives, just like the Dubbleds were doing, Duke Amity and
Duke Vallua also celebrated my first children’s day.

Duke Amity and Vallua did what most guardians would do. They showered
me with gifts and presents. All of it only to keep up the facade of a
responsible parent. They didn’t want to be seen as neglectful parents of an
adopted child.

Maybe Dubbled’s and his people had the same intention.

Although my toys given by the duke have filled the bedroom, I still wanted
to go to the store.

“Youw want me to gow wid youw?” (You want me to go with you?) “Of
course.”

“Bwut I haven’t gyet pewmission fwom the dyuke yet…” (But I haven’t got
permission from the duke yet…) “It’s alright. He won’t mind since we are
with you, Leblaine.”

At Henry’s friendly smile, I smiled brightly and said, “I want to go!”

‘If they get me a toy, I should pretend to like it, even if I don’t’

***

I followed the brothers into a signless luxurious building. Entering in, a

man wearing a half-face mask bowed deeply.

I followed Henry and Isaac’s confident stride into the back and peeked
inside. In front of my eyes laid an extravagant hall. A beautiful large stage
was built in front of the countless chairs rowing up to the entrance, yet only
a few were vacant.

Instead of heading to the vacant seat, the brothers took me to the second
floor, the private VIP section. The balcony was splendidly decorated. Big
sofas, much more luxurious than the regular sitting, lay side by side.

‘We’re not here to buy toys… are we here to watch a performance?’

I was bubbling with excitement. I had wanted to go to the toy store, but
seeing the beautiful opera house I immediately changed my mind.

Although the visit was an unscheduled outing, I didn’t regret following the
brothers’.

Well, I already had too many toys, so it was much better to watch a
performance than to buy another toy. It was only once in a lifetime
experience as well.

My awe for the architectural beauty was interrupted by a servant.

“Young masters and miss, what kind of drinks would you like to order?”

“Earl Grey tea.”

Henry gave a short answer, followed by Isaac.

“Milk-“he paused, then shifted his gaze towards me, “-No, black tea.”

“What kind of black tea would you like?”

“The most bitter black tea.”

“Pardon?”

“Bitter black tea!”

“Ah… yes, I’ll give you the most bitter one.”

Writing down their request, the waiter then looked at me, waiting for my
order.

“Strawberry milk!” I requested.

Hearing my childish eagerness, Isaac grinned.

“Are you still a baby?”

“You’re a child as well.”

“I’m an adult. I’m drinking black tea. That’s very bitter.”

He smiled adoringly and said, “You’re drinking milk. That means you’re
still a child, kid.”

I didn’t mind his words, beside his words weren’t upsetting, because it’s
true I was indeed a child. Even when I grew up, people used to call me
“Child.”, because of the ‘Child of fate’ title.

It wasn’t long before the drink came out. Under the warm white milk, the
glittering-red strawberry sauce had sunk, slowly changing the color into
pastel pink. I held the cup of milk and sip it.

Soon warmth and sweetness enveloped my taste bud.

“Delicious?” Henry asked with a big grin.

I nod my head contentedly.

“Drink it with some refreshments. “

“Owkay.” (Okay.)
Henry and I enjoyed the drinks we were served. But unlike his usual
chirpiness around me, Isaac was quiet.

The thick black liquid was swirling in his cup, untouched. The tea was
several times denser than Henry’s. Even me, the onlooker could see that the
tea would be very bitter.

“…”

Instead of sipping his tea, Isaac held the cup with a sullen face.

‘As I thought, he couldn’t even sip the tea.’

Feeling sympathetic at his sulky face, I offered him my glass of milk.

“Isyac, dwink this.” (Isaac, drink this.)

“Milk is for kids.”

“No, adulwts wove milks, too.” (No, adults love milks, too.) “…Really?”

“Yes.”

Isaac, who received the glass from me, tasted the milk.

His dark face brightened as if tasting the most delicious beverage in the
country. Realizing his facade was slipping, he changed his expression and
coughed to conceal his delight.

“It’s decent.”

“Youw can have wit.” (You can have it.)

“But… if I take this drink, then you’ll have none?”

Isaac felt guilty and handed back the cup of milk to me. Henry shook his
head in exasperation at his brother’s simple-mindedness, he then said, “Just
order one more, you idiot.”

“…I, I know!” Isaac said. Even in the dimly lit room, I could see his face
heating up with embarrassment.

“Leblaine, that milk is contaminated. Let’s ask the servants to prepare a

new one,” said Henry as he pushed back the cup towards Isaac.

A servant soon came with a new cup of strawberry milk. Circling the warm
cup with my small hand, the hushed whispers slowly fade into silence. I
sipped the milk slowly, expecting a beautiful performance.

‘Is it an orchestra? A play? Or an opera?’

I thought it was a play, considering that they brought a child like me. My
heart was pounding in anticipation. In the middle of the stillness, the half
masked man that I saw earlier at the entrance came up on stage.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to ‘heaven’.”

The man smiled mysteriously as he looked around the crowd.

“Let the slave auction begin!”

…What?!

‘You’re lying, aren’t you?’

I looked at the brothers with a dumbfounded gaze, but Isaac didn’t realize
my gaze’s meaning. He instead smiled broadly and said.

“Kid, if there’s anything you want to have, just go ahead and say it. I’ll buy
you everything!”
Only then did I remember

That’s right. They were called the villains

Chapter 27
As the auction progressed, I couldn’t help the apathy from rising.

Instead of naming this place ‘Heaven’, ‘Hell’ was the more appropriate term
for such a venue.

‘Auction for slaves is clearly illegal and banned, yet why are there so many
people in the auction house?’

“The next product is Lunetia siblings. Both of them have pure white hair
and white eyes. They are both literate…,” the half-masked man introduced
the slaves’ with a smile. Without realizing the sickening situation he was in.

The siblings were dragged out to the middle of the stage. A long chain
shackled both of their hands and ankles. Countless wounds marred their
whole body, leaving ugly marks on their skin.

“What do you think?”

At Isaac’s words, Henry lightly said.

“If you’re going to buy one, just buy the girl. Since she can read, we can
have her read Leblaine fairytale books.”

The auction progressed and soon both of them were forcefully drawn off the
stage.

The next slave in turn was a tall man. His long shaggy hair completely
covered his face. A roar was released from his mouth, filling the entire hall,
as he was dragged out from the slave’s cage.

An iron shackle hung around his neck, connecting to countless chains that
were tying his entire body. His appearance was even worse than the
previous slaves. Isaac’s eyes glistened with eagerness.

“Henry, look! That guy could probably burn lanterns and circulate them
around the castle all day long.”

“No. He’s too violent. What if LeBlaine got hurt?”

Henry reprimanded his brother. Moving his gaze towards me, he asked.

“LeBlaine, do you fancy any of them?”

“…”

“LeBlaine?”

“I down’t wand any swaves…” (I don’t want any slaves…)

Isaac tilted his head at my words in confusion.

“Why?”

“They awe two stwong.” (They are too strong. )

“That means they’re good slaves. My ancestor told me it was terrible to be

weak. “

‘Fucking ancestor.’ I cursed inside my mind.

They must have had some messed up principles. Why would they teach the
kids such things? If they were still alive, I would love to choke them into
oblivion.

“AGGH!”

A furious roar rang once again from the shaggy-haired man. The onlooker
could only stare at a tremendous gust of wind building up from the
epicenter of the stage agape.

“Clank!”

In the center of the wind, the man’s chains broke down and fell. The dull
sound of chains hitting the floor echoed in the opera hall.

He then hit the ground with his fist and rebounded towards the VIP section
on the second floor where we were sitting.

“Clank!”

A dull sound of metal resounded once more. The man was now settled on
the railing. Scanning his surroundings with a ferocious glare, he tried to
look for a way out from this hell hole. Unfortunately for him, there was no
way out nor a place to run to. He gritted his teeth, persistence flashed
through his eyes and somehow his gaze fell on me.

‘Don’t tell me… he wants to take me as a hostage?’

As if reading my thoughts, the man outstretched his hand towards my

directions…

‘…!’

I unconsciously clench my eyes shut and hug my body, readying myself for
the incoming assault. However, no matter how much time passed, nothing
came. I slowly opened one of my eyes and saw a startling scene in front of
me.

Isaac’s sword blocked the man’s outreached hand, and a red mana
originating from Henry’s hand was surrounding me, similar to a cocoon,
encompassing me in its protection.

Isaac quickly put his foot under the man’s leg, tripping him from the railing.
The man, unable to defy the gravity, soon crashed into the ground with a
loud bang. Isaac immediately stepped up onto the railing and jumped from
the balcony, going after the slave. He landed beside the man’s sprawling
body. Before the man could even get up, a sword was already pointed on his
chest.

The slave let out a frustrated roar.

I grabbed the railing in haste and looked down at the VIP section. The
beautiful floor was indented and cracked as if a meteor had fallen. The
man’s body was shining blue from a line that stretched out from Isaac’s
hand, the seemingly thin mana line bound his whole body.

The line chained him up more tightly than the metal chain could. Because
of the line, he couldn’t even move an inch. His entire body was completely
frozen up.

A sense of dread crept up the hearts of the audiences as they watched the
brothers’ power in person.

Isaac waved at me from the first floor.

“Kid, it’s very strong. You don’t want to play with it?”

“It’s really a special creature. Borned by combining animal and human’s

blood. Moreover, this fellow is still young. Little miss would be able to play
with it for a long time.”

‘What are you talking about? Are you crazy?’

I could only stare with disbelief at the half-masked auctioneer who said
those words.

I’d rather go back to the estate than buy any of the slaves here.

‘How can I persuade the brothers from injuring these people?’

No matter how long I ponder over it, I could only find one way to coax
them.

‘…I wasn’t planning to do this in a crowded place, but… ’

Giving my pride up, “Wow!” I shouted with an expression filled with

excitement.

“Isyac and Henwy are cwool!” (Isaac and Henry are so cool!) Isaac and
Henry’s eyes widened at my unexpected proclamation.

“Bwaine doeswn’t need neuw toys. I like pwaying with Henwy and Isyac
more. Bowth of you awe coolew than them!” (Blaine doesn’t need new
toys. I like playing with Henry and Isaac more. Both of you are cooler than
them!) I hugged Henry, who was standing next to me, tightly. His body
immediately stiffened in surprise from my sudden action, but I could see his
lips twitched upwards with triumph even then.

“Then… shall we just go?”

“Yes!”

‘Yeah, let’s go back. As soon as possible.’

Once I go back, I would tell the temple and the imperial family about the
odious half-masked man.

On the other hand, as if his toy was snatched away, Isaac relented with a
disappointed face.

“Oh, well, if you think so. Let’s just go. By the way, Kid…”

“…?” I tilted my head at his unfinished question.

“How fun is it playing with us?”

I said with a big smile.

“The mowst fun!” (The most fun!)

I could feel the situation finally shifted in my favor as both of the brothers’
faces brightened.

Out of sudden, the entrance’s door opened with a bang, and someone very
familiar to the three of us came in.

“Dyuke?” (Duke?)

Before I knew it, the duke had entered the place. With his big strides, in a
few seconds he was already standing right beside me. His expression was
dark, as if the sky had collapsed.

The brothers’ expression unintentionally turned rigid, as if mirroring their

father’s, at the arrival of him.

***

A few minutes after the siblings’ departure to ‘Heaven’, a man sitting on a

luxurious leather chair was frowning. The servant reporting the little trip
LeBlaine took to the store, couldn’t help but shudder under his employee’s
dark mood.

‘Such a lousy trick,’ he thought, criticizing his sons’ action.

‘The first thing a child received would be the most memorable present,’ the
duke thought so, ‘If it was so, then the gift from his sons would be more
memorable than him.’

As the thought fleeted his mind, his already dark expression became even
more ominous, frightening all the people in his room. Not waiting another
second, he slipped into his outer coat and walked out of the study room. He
didn’t even heed Nos and the administrators’ plea to finish the paperwork
first.

His mind recurred to when he was alone with LeBlaine, without the
brothers by her side. His life was very peaceful and fulfilling. Life went by
slowly and everyday LeBlaine would sit on his lap all day long. His regular
heavy mood would turn light whenever the little girl was by his side.

Unfortunately, after the formal adoption process went through, the time
between the father and daughter seemed to lessen. Either due to the incident
that came one after another or the increasing paperwork. But even with his
packed schedule, he was still included in the list of her favorite people.
Only after his sons came, did the situation change.

Dubbled remembered his first interaction with the girl. In the beginning, he
thought she was a nuisance to his life. Simply a fearless child who wasn’t
afraid of his cold glare and boldly chased after him.

Every day, she would trail enthusiastically behind him, following him
wherever he went. Dubbled never realized, since when did he feel empty
without the little girl’s presence?

He didn’t know precisely when or how he started to care for her.

But he could still remember the anger clouding his mind when the servant
told him LeBlaine had fallen sick. Her words played in his head like a
broken record, as if those were her last.

“Dyuke!”

“Plwease be my fathew!” (Please be my father!)

He nearly let the rage consume him and ordered the execution of more than
a dozen doctors that day. Fortunately, LeBlaine woke up before the order
was carried out. She managed to stir the duke out from the cloud of
madness.
Dubbled quietly closed his eyes and leaned on the cozy carriage seat.
Without realizing, he was reminiscing all the happy times he spent with his
daughter. Suddenly a knock from the horseman’s seat woke him up from his
doze.

“Your highness, we have arrived.”

The duke fastened his outer coat before he went down the carriage. Nos,
who failed to persuade Dubbled off from this trip, was now standing beside
him.

“Where are Blaine and the boys?”

“They are in the slave auction house, ‘Heaven’.”

The duke narrowed his eyes. He knew the ‘Heaven’. It was a slave auction
disguised under a beautiful building to hide their activity, auctioning
immigrants and prisoners of war as if they’re a product.

That place has been a long-time problem for his domain. The act of selling
human lives itself was illegal; however, the opera house was an untouched
corner, even for the governor of the land, such as himself.

It was more appropriate to say that the auction had some trick up its sleeve
rather than untouchable. Not only was it customary for the lord to overlook
some of the big criminal trading, especially the one favored by the people.
The auction itself had some strong sponsors which made it hard for anyone
to bring the place down.

“Are they giving a slave as the Children’s Day gift for LeBlaine?”

“It seems like it.”

Hearing Nos’ reply, the duke couldn’t help but raise the corners of his
mouth, condemning the brothers’ plan.
“They’re doing pointless things again.”

The brothers’ wanted to buy the girl a slave as a present. Then let’s see their
reaction when he bought her 20 slaves.

The duke was walking towards the entrance, when LeBlaine’s words
pricked up his ear.

“How fun is it to play with us?”

“The most fun!”

When the ridiculous statement passed his ears, the duke stopped in his
tracks for a second before walking towards the sibling in a long stride. He
looked alternately at the bewildered LeBlaine and his sons before he finally
ordered Nos in a chilling tone.

“Blow it up.”

“Pardon?”

Feeling somehow the duke’s word didn’t make any sense, Nos licked his
lips anxiously and braced himself for the duke’s answer. The duke then
declared through his gritted teeth.

“This fucking place burn it to the ground.”

***

Everything passed in a blink of an eye, and I could only stare blankly at the
burning opera house.

The duke ordered his men to burn down the ‘Heaven’, without even
spending a moment to hear any explanation.
As soon as the duke’s order came, four attendants cladded in black attire,
appeared from the shadow next to him and drew mana out of thin air,
burning the beautiful building down.

Without even caring about the commotion he had caused, the duke carried
me in his embrace and walked to the building’s entrance.

“BANG!”

A sudden big explosion occurred within the building before finally the last
standing structure crashed into a pile of wreckage. The good news was that
everyone there got out in time and there were no casualties.

All of it owing to Nos’s desperate cry before the building was burned down.

“Those who want to live, run!” he shouted.

‘Fortunately, the slaves were all let out as well.’

At the entrance, instead of panicking like all of the visitors, a lethargic man
was instead counting all of the runaway slaves and said to us, “The goods
are now all your. Pay up for it.”

‘He should’ve just been buried under the rubble.’

I looked at the man hatefully.

“What’s wrong, kid? Do you like him, too?”

I immediately frowned at Isaac’s words.

‘How did he come to that conclusion?’

There’s no way I’d like such a cunning person.

It was then I realized, Isaac’s eyes were not on the loathsome man. It was
instead on the shaggy-haired man crouching behind him. It turned out to be
the slave who tried to take me hostage.

“Shall we buy him? If you want to, you’d better buy him now. Now that the
building had collapsed, we won’t be able to enter the auction for a while.”

“…”

“I will buy him for you, but you must also play with us even if I buy him.
You said it yourself that we’re the coolest in the world!”

I didn’t know why he thought I wanted to buy the slave. It never even
crossed my mind to buy any of the slaves. I happened to know about this
auction because of the brothers. If only they didn’t try to buy me a weird
gift, I wouldn’t have known about this horrible ‘Heaven’. I really need to
discipline both of them.

‘If a carrot doesn’t work, then he needs a whip. If currying favor doesn’t
work, then it’s time to do it the hard way.’

I looked at Isaac and said.

“Now, I won’t pway…” (No, I won’t play…)

“Huh? Why?!”

“Cowme to tink of it, you’ we not vewy cool.” (Come to think of it, you’re
not very cool.) “Why?! No way, you said I’m the coolest!”

Isaac shouted in desperation.

Chapter 28
“Sold as a slave… poor thing. He must be sad. Isyac, I think if LeBwaine is
sold as a slave, I will be sad too…” (Sold as a slave… poor thing. He must
be sad. Isaac, I think if LeBlaine is sold as a swave, I will be sad too…)
“That’s… he’s weak, kid. That’s why the slave trader captures him. That’s
what my ancestor used to say, ‘The strong will always suppressed the
weak.’”

“Then am I bad too?”

At my words, Isaac’s expression faltered.

“What are you saying!”

“I’m weak, too. I’m small and I’m not as strong as Henly and Isyac.” (I’m
weak, too. I’m small and I’m not as strong as Henry and Isaac.) The child’s
expression immediately turned dejected at my words. Seeing his sad look, I
tugged his sleeve forcefully.

“Are you still gwoing to buy Bwaine a slave?” (Are you still going to buy
Blaine a slave?) “I won’t buy it. I never bought a slave before. I just wanted
to give you the best toys, and I heard that the nobles collect slaves as their
toys these days. I wanted to buy you the best toys, that’s why I brought you
here…”

“It’s okay then if that’s the case. I changed my mind, you’ we still the
coowest!” (It’s okay then if that’s the case. I changed my mind, you’re still
the coolest!) Isaac’s disappointed face brightened with delight as he heard
my statement. I sighed inwardly at his simple-mindedness.

‘It’s tough to discipline a kid.’

***
When the duke returned to the castle, his temperament seemed to worsen.
Because of his volatile temper, the employees and administrators were
walking on a thin ice.

Lea and my maids were equally absent-minded. They were dozing off as
they looked after me. But it was a good thing for me.

‘I’ll take this opportunity to look at the new administrators.’

I thought as I recalled the way to the room where there were new
administrators were stationed. I had been eyeing their office’s under the
pretext of doing my homework and looking for Nos.

“Lea, I want to gow to the administwatow’s woom.” (Lea, I want to go to

the administrator’s room.) “Administrator’s room… Yuni, go with the
baby.”

She ordered one of the stationed maid to accompany me.

I shook my head at Lea’s words.

“No, it’s ok! I can go by myswelf.” (No, it’s ok! I can go by myself.) “Little
miss, you must be careful when you meet a new person in the castle.
Because the duke accepts people regardless of their background and status,
that’s why we need to be cautious. It’d be better for you if Yuni’s by your
side.”

Lea patiently explained to me. I couldn’t refute her logic and decision, as I
know there was indeed a criminal hiding within the estate and I was going
to find out who he was…

“Okay…”

“That’s very nice of you.”

Lea kissed me gently on the crown of my head.

And that’s how Yuni and I ended up walking together towards the
administrator’s room. When I was about to enter the room, a frustrated
voice shouted from the room, startling Yuni and me.

“So? It’s too expensive! Radish seedlings are usually traded for only 40
francs!”

The new administrator, Seria, was in a scuffle with a supplier. Soon another
administrator, Charlie, stepped in.

“It’s more than double the price on the market. At this amount, we could
assume that someone pocketed the money.”

The accused person immediately denied the accusation.

“Wha-What are you talking about!” he shouted in indignance.

Charlie snorted.

“Seria, you don’t know because this is your first time, but the aristocracy
deliberately brings things in at a low price. It was all done to show off their
wealth.”

“However, this is too much…!”

“This is what commoners do.”

“What are you talking about? The rule of preliminary administration

officers is not to share their identity- Little miss!”

As she was about to reprimand him, her eyes accidentally found me hiding
behind the administrator office’s door, she immediately turned to face me.

“Oh my, it’s the lovely little miss… Greeting, little miss, my name is Seria.”
The man, who was spectating the fight between Charlie and Seria, bowed
towards me straightaway.

“My-my name is Jacob.”

He was the one who called me “A kid.” on his first day. As a consequence,
he was taken by Nos and was admonished because of the mistake. Weirdly
enough, he didn’t seem to resent me. His eyes instead were glued to my
hand which was holding onto Yuni’s skirt.

He suddenly whispered under his breath, “About nine centimeters… It’s

small…”

Contrasting to both his co-workers, Charlie just stood there as if I didn’t

exist. Seria stared at his weird behavior before elbowing him in the ribs.

“What are you doing?” he whispered harshly, annoyed at his co-worker’s

nudging.

“Say hello to the little miss,” replied Seria in a low voice.

“Well, my name is Charlie Mayroll.”

He said nonchalantly as if my existence was just a simple kid and with the
same standing as him. Seria and Jacob looked at him with a baffled look.

While my maid, Yuni’s face, was distorted into distaste.

“What a rude person!”

“Huh?”

Charlie looked up and down at Yuni as if she was crazy.

“An administrator dares to disrespect the little miss!” Yuni reprimanded

him.
“What’s the problem, huh?”

“What’s your name? I’ll refer you to the punishment meeting.”

Punishment meeting was a trial for those who disrespect the order of
aristocracy. The offender would be brought in front of the heads of each
district’s stations to be judged. If more than half of the heads acknowledge
his crime, the criminal would be punished. The sort of punishment he would
face was diverse, from being fined or jailed to being hanged.

When Charlie heard the maid’s words, he was displeased. Feeling she was
overreacting, he scratched his head in irritation. Fortunately, Seria managed
to grab Charlie’s wrist before he escalated the problem any further.

“Stop it, Charlie. You were indeed disrespecting little miss.”

Charlie shook Seria’s hand and snapped off the sleeves that she held. He felt
betrayed. How could she take the side of the little miss, who she didn’t even
know, over him, her co-worker.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, before walking towards the door. As

soon as he passed me, I heard him muttering.

“It’s a good enough greeting for an orphan like you.”

Indeed, only a few believed that I was the real Child of Destiny.

In the temple, they had given me a plaque as a way to propagate the

spirituality of God that they believed in.

But outside the temple, people’s treatment towards me varied. Many of the
people didn’t believe I was the Child of Destiny, even the empress didn’t
wholly believed me either. That’s why when she looked for someone to
adopt me, she excluded her own father, Duke of Marche, from the list.
Her action was one of the things that fueled people’s doubt. Faced with
familiar feeling of condemnation, Charlie’s words weren’t foreign nor
upsetting.

‘However… ’

I grabbed his sleeve.

“Wha-what is it?” Charlie stopped in his tracks at my forceful tug.

“Gweet me propewy and go,” (Greet me properly and go.) Hearing my

order, Charlie burst out laughing.

“I did, kid. What I just did was a greeting.”

He stared down at me with a disparaging look in his eyes.

I then said with a smile. “I sayd hellow when I met you, I alwso gweeted
you when I went. Awe you a fool with no mannew, siw?” (I said hello when
I met you, I also greeted you when I went. Are you a fool with no manner,
sir?) “Huh…”

He was staring at me as if I was the fool and sneered.

“Yes, yes. Goodbye, have a good day,” with sarcasm laced in his words, he
walked away from me.

Yet before he could take another step, I kicked his knee with all the strength
I could muster.

“Aghh!”

His painful scream resounded through the administrator’s hall. I stared

coldly as he rubbed the bruised knee, trying to ease the pain.
“Do it cowectly. When you say gwodbye, bent youw knees and bowed
youw head to the floor. Now, do it again,” (Do it correctly. When you say
goodbye, bend your knees and bow your head to the floor. Now, do it
again.) Charlie clenched his jaw in anger. All the administrators present
were now looking at the commotion. Yuni who was standing beside me,
was astounded at my sudden outburst.

‘It’d be hard for me if I let people disrespected as they want.’

I didn’t know better in my previous life and let myself be disrespected by

everyone who didn’t believe I was the child of destiny. In the end, no one
had respected me. Everyone treated me as if I was only a child with an
honorary noble title on me—a fake.

Charlie was embarrassed and angry. Especially when he saw all the
administrators were looking at the disturbance, at him being reprimanded
by a little kid. Trying to salvage his pride, he shifted the attention to me.

“What the hell!”

I pretended not to hear his little whining and instead shook Yuni’s skirt.

“Yuni, Yuni.”

“Yes, little miss.”

“Lea said, everyone except the dyuke and my bwothews must say hellow to
me, wight?” (Lea said, everyone except duke and my brothers must say
hello to me, right?) “That’s true, little miss.”

“Then… how about the othews who down’t gweet me? Like this mistew.”
(Then… how about the others who don’t greet me. Like this mister.) Yuni
looked down at Charlie and smiled gently at me.

“They will be punished by death with his throat cut.”

Then she asked, “Should I report this to Nos, little miss?” when Charlie
heard the maid’s words his face couldn’t help but paled.

His arrogant demeanor from before was gone, he banged his forehead on
the floor and begged for my mercy.

“I’ve been rude to you, little miss. Please forgive me!” his voice was filled
with desperation.

I smiled broadly at his figure and stepped close to him.

“Don’t forget next time.” I whispered in his ear.

‘That I’m Dubbled’s little miss.’

Fearing I would change my mind, he gulped and nodded eagerly.

***

Seria and Jacob looked at me with rigid expressions. The previous incident
was still fresh in their memories. Remembering what I did to Charlie, they
couldn’t help but stiffen every time I passed their line of sight.

In the meantime, I sat with my chin in my hand and focused on my

thoughts.

‘Today’s a terrible day.’

I didn’t manage to find out who the criminal was and I had to encounter an
arrogant prick. I had hoped he was the wanted criminal, but that criminal
single-handedly attacked the nobleman’s mansion and killed people without
getting caught.

‘The criminal must be brilliant.’

Unfortunately, Charlie was a bit lacking in that department. The smartest
one I know was Seria…

I didn’t think she was the one who committed a crime. Even my first
impression of her was a very sincere and rational person ‘Is it Jacob?’

I glanced at Jacob. He was looking at my feet with a weird look. His eyes
followed the direction of my feet swaying in the air, he murmured, “14
centimeters…”

‘He seems just like a fool who loves kids.’

An unexpected idea flashed through my mind, I hit the armchair with my

fist in revelation at the sudden thought.

‘Why didn’t I think of that sooner! My money, no, the wanted criminal, is…
’
Chapter 29
Yuni put the paper and pencils on the table.

“Are you working on your homework?”

Oh, that’s right. I had come here under the pretext of doing my
homework.

While trying to grab the pencil, I found a scar on Yuni’s hand.

“Yuni, huwt.” (Yuni, you’re hurt)

“Ah, I got cut because I was careless. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

Then Seria came to us.

“I have the medicine.”

“It’s all right……”

“An employee’s body is also an asset. We need to take care of it well.”

Seria applied medicine on her hand, as Yuni replied with a slightly

embarrassed face, “Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it.”

Coming out of the room after finishing my homework, I went to the Duke’s
office.

‘Now that I know who the wanted criminal is, I need to find the evidence to
get that bounty.’
To do that, I have to keep the wanted criminal next to me. I thought of
making the convict as my teacher under the pretext of wanting a full-
fledged lesson.

I knocked and entered while the Duke was talking to one of his vassals.
There was a huge box on the Duke’s desk.

’What’s inside……?’

‘Etwal!’

It was the holy object that made Mina exert her power.

But that one was different from Mina’s. Mina’s etwal was platinum, but this
was all gold. And the corners of the hexagonal center didn’t have jewels
attached to them.

‘That’s it. The second Etwal.’

The one that Turva wanted to get his hands on by swindling the Duke of
Dubbled.

‘How did they get their hands on it already?’

I’ve heard about the war, but it couldn’t have ended this fast. Suddenly, the
vassal said to the duke.

“The citizens of that continent were suffering from tyranny so much that
they directly opened the gates for our troops. Thanks to that, the trip was
faster.”

“Did you send this news to the Emperor?”

“Of course, he said he was most pleased with this year’s gift, and that he
would send an edict to honor you.”
“What a pain in the neck.”

Viscount Dubos looked at me.

“This is all thanks to you. If you didn’t recognize the con artist, how could
we have known about the existence of the second Etwal?”

The vassals laughed. I felt good too.

The Duke of Vallua must have had a heart attack. He had put a lot of effort
into this year’s gift. He had even borrowed money from his in-laws. In my
previous life, because of the gift, he bought the Emperor’s favor and
acquired the tea leaf trade that he had been aiming for.

He is going all out, but if he fails this time, he will suffer from debt.

‘Well, that’s not my problem.’

What’s urgent now is my money, not their money. Now that I’ve found the
wanted criminal, ‘I have to catch him myself.’

That’s how I’ll get the reward.

I stretched my arm towards the duke sitting in his chair.

“Dyuke, give me a hug”

“……”

The duke stared at me

‘That’s weird, he usually hugs me immediately.’

It wasn’t until I gave a curious glance did the Duke put me on his lap.

“What brings you here?”

Well, given that he’s trying to listen, he must be in a good mood today.

It means I don’t have to run away right now or avoid him for the time
being.

“Bwaine wanted to study.”

“I’m sure you’re already learning the letters.”

“Now I know all the letters. I’m learning hard and I want something new. “

The Duke stared at me and then opened his mouth again.

“It will be difficult to spend time with Henry and Isaac if you take classes in
earnest.”

“It’s ok.”

“They’re your favorite. You wouldn’t want to be away for a second, right?”

Why are you talking about it here? I tilted my head. Everyone in the room
looked at me with desperate expressions.

I didn’t know what this feeling was, but the experiences I had was telling
me. I need to do well here.

“No. Henly and Isyac are the nicest in the world. But my most favorite
person in the universe is dyuke!” (No. Henry and Isaac are the nicest in the
world but my most favorite person in the universe is duke!) “……”

I looked at the duke’s expression with a nervous heart.

“……Who taught you this?”

The duke, who smiled, lightly glanced at my head. I looked at the vassals
and administrators at the front desk.
Viscount Dubos replied quickly as if a button had been pressed.

“Where would a child learn to say that?”

“That’s right. Your baby must really like you the best. I’ve never even heard
that from my children.”

“Really?”

Other vassals also echoed, saying, “I envy you!”

“My daughter gets so annoyed every time I ask for a hug.”

“I always beg my daughter to hug me.”

“It’s a blessing.”

Finally, the duke’s lips curled up. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with
the back of my hand.

‘They are really good at flattery.’

The Duke allowed himself to take the compliments from the vassals in
earnest.

“I’ll tell Nos.”

“No!”

I shouted in amazement, but I suddenly came to my senses and laughed

awkwardly.

“Nos has lots of papers to do. I’ll stwudy with someone else” (Nos has a lot
of papers to do. I’ll study with someone else.) “But…”
“The admwinistrator sister and bwoter are smart.” (The administrator sister
and brother are smart) I spoke as childishly as I could. Soon, the vassals in
the office nodded, “I heard that she had a good time with the administrators,
and they seem to like her.”

The Duke nodded. Finally, I succeeded in turning the wanted criminal into
my teacher as planned.

***

Two days later in the morning.

Lea and the maids surrounded me. There were packaged boxes in my hands.

“They’re all Children’s Day presents.”

“You’re curious aren’t you?”

“Right?”

Handmade gloves and mufflers, ribbons, fountain pens, sketchbooks. I had

known everything since yesterday, but I pretended otherwise.

I didn’t forget to jump and smile widely whenever the gifts were opened
one by one. The maids beamed and hugged me.

“Little Miss is very cute today~”

But, I truly was grateful for their sincerity.

I took out a couple of books and headed for the administrator’s room.
Charlie, Seria, and Jacob were there first.

“It’s an honor to teach you. I know I’m not good enough, but I’ll do my
best.”
Seria greeted me and continued.

“Jacob and Charlie will teach you the Imperial language, and I will teach
you history.”

“Let’s learn the imperial language from Jacob and Charlie first, and then
let’s go around the castle with me and talk about the history of Dubbled!”

Seria was very motivated. The class began when I nodded. Meanwhile,
Jacob’s eyes looked very unusual today.

“I heard you memorized those letters in two days. Now, let’s combine those
letters and make a word.”

“Let’s learn a foreign language first.”

Charlie suddenly stepped in and smacked Jacob’s head with a thick book.

“How can she speak a foreign language when she’s not fluent in the
language of the empire yet?”

“Unless you’re not stupid, you’ll learn it naturally.”

Then he pushed Jacob aside and looked at me.

“Other Dubbleds kids knew how to memorize the Bible when they were at
her age. I’m sure she can learn the language of the Empire, right?”

Oops.

Unfortunately, I’m not a real Dubbled, to be able to memorize the Bible at

that age. Even after he was humiliated yesterday, his attitude had remained
unchanged.

Rather, he seemed to have become more intimidating.

“I don’t know where you heard those rumors, but it was an excellent choice
to choose me as your teacher.”

“Honestly, I think I should be in charge of everything in your education.

Yeah, well, think of this as a rehearsal, I look forward to the future.”

It was totally different from Nos’s class, which focused on the important
points and still allowed me to actively participate.

It was a class where he only boasted about his knowledge. If I was really
just a child, I wouldn’t have understood anything.

After the first class, I left for Seria’s class.

I caught the maids chattering as i went into the castle “The new
administrators really gives me the creeps except for Seria.”

“I agree with Charlie, but why Jacob?”

“I don’t like him seeing the baby and saying she’s small and cute every
time.”

“But It’s true that our baby is small and cute.”

“…His gaze is like that of an animal’s.”

“You are too sensitive.”

When all maids left except for Lea, Seria came running, “Little miss!”

She had a thick bundle of data in her hand. Her forehead was full of sweat.

“I should have been here sooner. I’m sorry. I had stopped by the library for
my last inspection.”

“It’s ok.”
“You’re very nice…”

Seria, while smiling, walked close to me. Naturally, Lea had retreated to the
back. I felt that Seria was a really good teacher.

‘She must be used to teaching kids.’

Her explanation was not difficult at all. Plus, she was good at handling
children.

“Agh!”

When I fell while concentrating on her explanation, Lea came running in

amazement.

“Little Miss, are you alright? Your knees are red.”

Unlike Lea, who was so worried, Seria fixed my skirt and said calmly.

“Are you all right?”

Seria, who fixed my skirt, rose. Then the hem of her skirt pushed up as her
foot was revealed.

There was a burn scar on her foot.

TL note : I’ve bolden Leblaine’s thought, what do you guys think?

Chapter 30
As I stared at the wound, she laughed awkwardly.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“……”

Even though I didn’t cry, Lea left restlessly, saying she would bring
medicine.

“Shall we continue with the class? This tower was built three hundred years
ago by the Duke at the time to honor his ancestors. “

It was a strange-looking spire.

It wasn’t built for accommodation or any other purpose. It was just like a
symbol.

There were only stairs inside, no rooms. There was only a beam of sunshine
without even a lamp, maintained by mana.

“Wow!”

“Would you like to go up?”

“Yes!”

Seria chuckled as she glanced up the stairs.

“Why?”

“You remind me of my younger brother.”

“Sewia must have been a good sistew.” (Seria must have been a good
sister.) “I’m not.”

“No. You awe” (No.You are)

I went up the stairs and looked at Seria.

“You kiwwed a nobleman fow him.” (You killed a nobleman for him.)
“………!”

Her face hardened.

Checkmate.

***

‘I just hoped it wasn’t you.’

The evidence was the wound on her foot that had been caused by a fire.

I had seen it at the slave auction house. All the slaves had the same mark on
their feet.

‘It was there on the foot of the man who tried to attack me.’

Seria also got an accent.

The Noxstone accent.

“The dead nobleman was actually a slave trafficker. Seria, your area’s
slaves were sold by that nobleman.”

It was not common that a nobleman earned for the elderly and the weak.

She was a slave raised by the nobility, so Seria was able to break into the
mansion by herself.
“How… how can I do that…”

Seria, who was looking at me with trembling eyes, soon burst out laughing.

“I guess you heard about it from the duke. I didn’t think I could hide it for a
long time either. I got caught sooner than I expected.”

I rolled my eyes.

I’ve already prepared an excuse.

“That’s right. He deserved to die.”

“……”

“No one knew he was such a bastard, to even sell children as slaves.”

Seria clenched her fist.

“The kids who didn’t know anything would have been waiting for him to
save them even after they were sold… just like me.”

“………”

“But I was lucky. I worked at his mansion. So I was sold out after my
adolescence, and I realized more than other kids. That fucking man’s true
nature.”

Seria said she escaped with all her might. She went to the facility to save
the other children, but many of them had already been sold.

“The children who are not suitable for sale are miserable.”

I know you killed a nobleman.

‘But why did you have to come into Dubbled?’

Seria knelt before me.

“Little miss, a mere administrator like me can’t see the duke. Please help
me see him!”

I said in a fit of surprise.

“If the dyuke finds out, you’ll die!”

Do you think a man without blood or tears will save her life because she
had a miserable past?

“I have to find my brothers who have been sold.”

“What?”

“I heard from another one of his subordinates. I don’t know why, but he
definitely said he’d go into the Dubbled territory.”

At that moment, many things came to my mind. The particular eyes that
were looking at me, unusual fondness for children. A wound the length of
one’s hand.

“Jacob……”

It was when I muttered.

“How did you know?”

A voice came from beneath the stairs. It was when Seria suddenly raised her
head. He jumped up in an instant and grabbed her by the neck.

“Ugh…!”

Then, he dropped her down the stairs.

Dark red blood gathered around the Seria, which rolled down the high
stairs. Jacob looked at me.

“Huh? How did you find out?”

I bit my lips tight.

This tower I was in now was far from the main castle. It was just a symbol,
so it was an area where the knights didn’t patrol.

There were no other people. I needed room to talk to Seria, and I was sure
she would never attack me.

Jacob approached slowly. “You’re not gonna tell me?”

I stumbled to the back as Jacob groaned.

“My customer told me not to break you, but to bring you there.”

I glared at him as he muttered in a very sad tone.

”If you go back this time, they’ll kill you first.”

But what was the best way to avoid a painful death?

Falling off the tower? Biting your tongue?

‘Sir, you have to die before you get caught.’

It was clear that Jacob’s ’customer’ was a crazy pervert, so it was very
dangerous for him to get caught.

‘It’ll be better for him to fall and die.’

I rushed to the window but Jacob was faster. He grabbed me by the collar
and said, “It’d be fun to play with you.”
It was then.

A familiar voice came in.

‘Lea!’

There was also Yuni behind her. I shouted hurriedly “Run away!”

These two women can’t beat an adult man. Most of all, Jacob was
experienced, judging by the way he handled Seria.

It’s worse if those two died together to protect me. But they didn’t move. As
soon as I was about to yell again, Lea narrowed the distance between her
and Jacob. Lea jumped and grabbed his shoulders.

She grabbed his neck swiftly and tightened her hold.

‘How…!’

Jacob’s face was all red as if he could not breathe. As he slowly lost his
strength, Lea threw him to the wall and he fell on the floor.

I was so shocked that I bumped my head to the wall and fell down.

“Little miss!”

Lea came running towards me.

“Are you okay? Sorry, it’s been so long since I made a mistake.”

I stared at her in amazement

“Oh no, your forehead is red.”

Yuni ran to where Jacob had fallen and asked him.

“Which organization are you from? Are you from Malta? Orca of Brown
Wolf? If not, Karutano?”

The usually cheerful and lovely Yuni was very different today.

The names of drug gangs, human trafficking organizations, and assassins

came out in a row, along with a quirky dialect. Then she grabbed him by the
hair and smacked him down on the floor, and it seemed as if I had heard his
head crack.

“Oh, yes, let’s take your intestines out.”

Watching Jacob get beaten like a dog, I suddenly came to my senses.

“……Lea, you’we not a maid?”

Lea quickly shook her hand.

“I’m a maid! I was just caught up in some stuff back then.”

“Where?”

“Dubbled’s elite knight, for a while………”

Dubbled’s elite knights use Aura in battles. Rumor has it that more than
100,000 people have been mobilized to complete the battle in 15 days. She
meant that Dubbled’s finest knight?

I swallowed as my mouth went dry and asked.

“Yuni too?”

“No. Yuni has a brief history of being in an organization before she entered
the castle……”

Then Yuni made an excuse out of embarrassment.

“I just did a small business in finance!”

If it was a financial business, was it a money lending business?

Yuni explained to me as both her hands shook while she was making
excuses, and threw the confused Jacob aside.

“But I still have the least bounty among the maids who serve you!”

…So Dahlia and Linda were also criminals?

I realized I was overlooking one thing.

The Dubbleds were overlooking their employees’ identity and origin.

In other words, criminals may already be mixed up.

‘Oh, this must be why the Dubbleds territory was called the villainous lair.’

I nodded blankly.

“I just preached God’s teaching. There are people in the world who need
God’s guidance.”

-said serial killer Dahlia, who had killed about a hundred rapists.

“My family had been poor since I was young, and we had never eaten good
food.”

These were the words of Linda, who had embezzled the annual budget of
many landlords.

“Don’t be disappointed, little miss!”

“Now, we’re living a life of remorse!”

I nodded with dim eyes.

“It’s ok.”

But the maids cried because they thought it was empty words.

‘It’s really okay’

Technically speaking, I was also a murderer before my return. Even though

it was a false charge.

‘That’s not important now.’

Lea came into the room with a stiff face.

“The master is looking for you.”

Chapter 31
Not only the brothers, but numerous vassals, administrators, officers, and
high-ranking employees were also present.

It smelled of blood. Jacob, who had been beaten to a pulp, was covered with
a blanket. Blood dripped down from Isaac’s sword and Henry’s hands.
Meanwhile, Seria was kneeling and her head was lowered.

I was worried that the soldiers would drag Seria away, but I think they have
something to ask Seria about Jacob.

The duke asked in a lowered voice.

“Are you hurt?”

I answered immediately

“Not hurt!”

“……”

The Duke’s gaze hardened as I mumbled again.

“My head, a bit.”

Then the back of Henry’s hand shone blue with a flame-like pattern which
was unlike Isaac’s mana. A light surrounded Jacob, stretched out like an
arrow, and entered between the blankets.

“Agh!”

Jacob wriggled like he was being strangled. On the other side, Isaac rushed
towards him.
“Son of a bitch.”

He gave vent to his anger as he trampled on his head several times. No one
dared to stop him.

‘He’s very scary.’

“Stop.”

Isaac stopped at the duke’s words, clucked, and retreated. Then the
administrators lined up in front of the duke and bent their knees. At the very
front was Nos, who was in charge of all the officials inside the castle.
Suddenly, one vassal shouted.

“I beg you with a tearful heart. Slash Eugene Nos’s throat, which has
attracted an unfaithful seed to the castle!”

Nos wasn’t able to participate in the selection. My adoption case and the
Etwal case, not to mention the Teramore case were to blame.

‘That’s why the newly appointed administrators were in such a mess.’

It’s just that Nos was responsible for this, so they blame him instead.

“……”

I looked at the silent duke and Nos with a nervous heart. The duke won’t
easily forgive him just because he is a close aide.

It’s a shame. He is a very talented man.

The Duke replied as he gently pressed his temples with eyes closed.

“Then do so.”

Nos answered without a hint of expression, “There’s no excuse.”

‘Nos, you liar! There’s an excuse for that’

In Dubbled, the reason why they were insisting on the examination for the
new employees for the possibility of spies was because they were confident
that the test won’t be cracked easily by anyone and the reason why the
Dubbled manor was not equipped with safety devices was that Henry, Isaac,
and the Duke were far superior to the knights, so they were safe even
without them.

“All the administrators involved in the recruitment process will have to

appear before the council.”

The duke continued.

“Eugene Nos, cut your wrists.”

A dagger fell in front of Nos. People looked sad as if they knew this would
happen. Nos slowly picked the dagger with trembling hands. As soon as the
dagger was about to touch his wrist, “No-!”

I burst into tears. Everyone looked at me in surprise. The eyes of the Duke
and Henry grew bigger in surprise. Henry and Isaac came running towards
me.

“Why are you crying? Who hit you again? Who is it, who is it?!”

“Leblaine……”

“Dyuke‘s scary!”

Ahh… my dignity

“The Duke is really scary for me too! Many people are scared of him too!
It’s natural to be scared!”
Isaac said restlessly and Henry wiped away my tears. The Duke, who was
still looking at me with his eyes wide open, said something to the butler.

The butler carried me and took me to the Duke.

“Leblaine.”

“……”

“Blaine.”

I wriggled my hands while holding on to my runny nose.

“Nwos hands… no cutting”

“……”

The Duke seemed a little embarrassed.

‘That’s right, it’s time.’

I clung to his leg and my face was all crumpled.

“Dyuke, forgive Nos.”

“……I understand. Stop crying.”

That’s what he said, as he held me in his lap and wiped my tears “……!”

“……!”

When I looked back, Nos was staring at me blankly.

‘You’re mine now because I’ve protected you this far.’

It was the moment when the lieutenant of the Duke came into my own
hands.

***

Thanks to Leblaine’s tears, the administrators could barely keep themselves

from being dragged to the council.

Nos’s wrists were safe.

They all knelt before Leblaine and thanked her.

Nos, who was at the forefront, bowed his head at the child’s feet. It was a
pledge of loyalty that even Johann, the eldest son of Dubbled, had never
received.

Once things had come to an end, Isaac and Henry came into their private
study room. After entering the room, Isaac was unusually quiet.

“Brother.”

“What?”

“Our little sister, would she become like the slaves we saw that time if she
had been taken away?”

Henry’s hand, which was writing something on the paper, stopped.

“…I guess.”

The teacher, who had educated the two since they were babies, had said it
was common for the weak to be eaten by the strong. They thought he was
right.

The two had never been in the shoes of the weak.

Even their mana and family made them the highest of predators. Nothing
and no one around them had ever been weak, so they could not sympathize
with the fear of the weak.

‘But Leblaine’

In Isaac and Henry’s head, the image of Leblaine, wearing shackles like the
Lunetia siblings, came up.

The captured Leblaine, curled up in front of the whip and kept sobbing
while calling for Henry and Isaac.

Their faces hardened.

They felt strange.

Isaac stood up and looked straight at Henry.

“Are you rebuilding ‘Heaven’?”

“Why, do you want to buy a slave?”

“I’m not buying anything. Can’t we let them go?”

Then Henry replied to Isaac, who held the door handle.

“Dimwit, if you just go and knock them down, they’ll let the slaves go?”

Henry threw the document he was writing to Isaac.

“Go tell Nos.”

“What is this?”

Henry grinned, leaning more into the luxurious chair.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll hear soon that Heaven’s owner committed suicide
this evening.”

“You’re……”

Isaac looked at him in admiration

“You’re cool…”

That evening, nearly a hundred slaves owned by Heaven were all released.

***

“……Miss”

“Little Miss”

When I was asleep, I opened my eyes to a voice that seemed to be

whispering in my ears. Lea and the maids were looking at me from the
bedside.

“Morning alweady?”

“It’s evening.”

“I want to sleep more…”

When I rubbed my eyes and said that, Lea patted me.

“The master is looking for you. How about we go for just a moment and
come back soon?”

‘The duke?’

I pulled myself up. In the afternoon, I asked Nos to investigate Jacob’s

“customer”. I had already figured it out. I left the room with the maids.
‘It smells delicious.’

Was a meal prepared at this late hour? I opened the door, wondering what
was going on, but there were countless employees, including Duke, Henry,
and Isaac.

The table was full of all kinds of delicious things. The duke and the pair of
brothers had a box on each side.

‘Oh, right.’

Today was Children’s Day. I had received gifts from the maids, but I forgot.
Isaac ran up to me and took out a big box.

It was so big and heavy that I couldn’t lift it.

“Unlock it. Quickly.”

I opened the box. It was a training bow without arrowheads. Light enough
for a child.

Next was Henry.

I opened the box that he gave me, there was a very cute little dress. A soft
cloth, like a lump of snow, with small wings attached to its back.

My heart was full of gratitude that I hugged Henry and Isaac at once. The
corners of their mouths crept upwards. At the same time, the Duke pulled
out an envelope for me.

“Open it”

I glanced at him, opened the envelope, and checked the contents of it.

……I put it back in quickly

‘I think I just saw something awesome.’

I took a deep breath several times and slowly took out the paper.

It was the same letter on a luxurious piece of paper decorated with gold foil.

[Certificate of Rights]

Oh my god.

I looked at the duke with a blank face. My hands holding the paper was
shaking. My heart was beating so hard that I pressed down on my chest.

Is this the joy of having a rich father?

I hear trumpet sounds and fireworks popping in my head.

Chapter 32
Really?

You’re giving this to me?

A certificate?

That’s the certificate of the largest toy store, isn’t it?

Let’s calm down.

I know how painful it is to have something beyond your ability as I had

been a child of fake destiny.

I can’t take it with me when I get exiled and since I’m young and can’t run
such a big store, other people will take over. Either way, I wouldn’t be able
to touch the money. With a heavy heart, I gave the certificate back to the
Duke.

”I can’t wead some of zhe wetters” (I can’t read some of the letters) Lea
laughed affectionately, saying, “I’ll read it for you.”

“Oh, this is a toy store certificate, little miss!”

I said in a somber voice.

“Blaine don’t want papew.”

“It’s not just a paper, little miss. If you have this, you can have all the toys
in the store.”

I shook my head with a sad look.

“Don’t want… I want more toys.”

Henry and Isaac were staring at the duke.

“For a young child, a toy store certificate’s meaning would be beyond her
comprehension. “

“Well, it is. A bow or dress would make her happier.”

The duke looked like he was struck by lightning. But the brothers grinned
and wrapped their arms around me.

“Let’s go to your room, Leblaine.”

“Yes, we’ll tuck you in.”

I heard the Duke’s voice behind me, who followed the brothers helplessly.

“Those who handled this, bring me the list.”

Turns out, there were actually other presents for her prepared.

***

I got up before the sun rose and left the soft bed.

‘Okay, I’ve taken care of the bow that Isaac gave me.’

Just in case, I even put the tracking device that Lea gave me in my pocket.

There were people out there who wanted me enough to get a trafficker
inside the castle, so I need to be careful.

I crept into the underground prison.

The soldiers were on patrol, but I succeeded in sneaking in, taking
advantage of my experience of being a beggar. Of course, getting a key was
also a skill learned due to that experience.

“Seria.”

A small voice caused the crouching girl to lift her head.

“Little miss……!”

“Shh!”

When I put my index finger on her lips, Seria grunted and lowered her
voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“There’s a place I want to go with Seria.”

I left the underground prison holding Seria’s hand, blinking innocently

Through the iron bars, a terrible groan, like scratching iron, leaked out.
Seeing the figure in the cage, Seria took a deep breath.

“Jacob……!”

She looked at me with a look on her face asking as to why I had brought her
here.

I shrugged my shoulders, saying, “I’ll help you.”

“But it’s locked.”

“I don’t think so.”

Then I opened the door.

“How come?……!”

It seemed that Jacob had not confessed anything about who his “customer”
was.

Meaning, the Duke would have left the door open.

‘So that Jacob can get away and meet his so-called customer.’

There was a high possibility that Jacob may have been given or had a
tracking device attached to him early on.

The Dubbled family was as scary as the rumors I had heard about them.

“Let’s get inside.”

When I opened the door, Seria went into Jacob’s prison. Jacob who was
drooping from the wall towards the floor looked at us with his barely
moving eyes.

“Save…… save me……”

“I don’t want to hear that!”

Seria shouted as she rushed at him.

Jacob, who had been subjected to torture for hours, had no power to shake
off Seria.

“Where are my brothers? Where did you sell them……!”

When Jacob didn’t answer, she began to choke him.

“Cu-customer. “

“What?”
“The customer took them.”

“You mean the customer who told you to kidnap the little miss?”

When Seria released her hold on Jacob, whose neck had turned red, he
breathed out.

“I don’t know who it is. I’m serious. The customer came every time and
bought the kids. All the kids raised in the House of Hope were bought by
him.”

“What did you do to my brothers?”

“……”

“Speak!”

Jacob looked up at Seria, gulping.

“I can’t give out a customer’s personal information.”

Pak!

I kicked him in the face.

“I twought that was all you had to say! (I thought that was all you have to
say!)”

Seria stepped on Jacob to stop him from moving, as he looked at me

dumbfoundedly. I could hear the sound of his pained groans when she
punched his face to knock him out.

“Li, little miss.”

Seria was surprised and hugged me.

I looked up at her.

“I have a question. “

“Say it.”

I stared at her directly and opened my mouth.

“How despewate are you wanting to find your brothers?” (How desperate
are you wanting to find your brothers?”) “………Pardon?”

Seria’s eyes shook.

“Can you kill any more of the people that destroyed your and your brothers’
lives?”

When asked so, Seria’s eyes were mysteriously distorted.

“You’re…… not an ordinary child.”

I grinned.

“If you’re pwepared to do that, I’ll help you.”

(If you’re prepared to do that, I’ll help you.) I slowly reached out my hand.
Seria, who was still staring at my small hand, bit her lips tightly.

“I’ve already made my vow to finish him. “

She took my hand.

“What should I do?”

“Would you like to get youw bounty fow now?”

***
Seria looked at me who had a childlike smile on my face.

“You want me to turn myself in?”

“Yes, so you can get the bounty. “

“Then I’ll be executed!”

“You won’t.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Gwt the pwiest to visit you before dhat hapwens. You can say it like this.”

(Get the priest to visit you before that happens.) I straightened my position
and lowered my voice.

“I know where the original copy of the Bible is.”

Seria’s eyes grew bigger.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“I know where it is though.”

I’m sure they’ll be anxious to get their hands on it and save Seria’s life.

“The original version of the Bible is priceless. Why would you use it for
that?”

“Because Seria is worth it.”

She stared at me for a while without saying anything.

With trembling pupils and shrieking lips, I could see just how touched she
was.
‘Really, Seria’s worth it.’

She devoted her life to her younger siblings because they grew up together
in a nursery school.

She was someone who would never betray the person who gains her loyalty.
Above all, Seria was smart.

She was different from Jacob, who had passed the exam with the help of the
“customer,” or Charlie who somehow managed to enter the administrative
office.

Without a proper education at the nursery, she passed Dubbled’s

administrative exam just by learning from the aristocracy.

This person is full of determination.

‘She’s somewhat similar to Nos.’

There was no one as good as her to keep next to me.

“Then where should I say the original is? “

“The Empress’s secwet library.”

Besides, I can kill two birds with one stone.

The empress kept her possession of the original piece a secret.

The temple would tremble with a sense of betrayal if they knew that the
Empress, who had such a good relationship with them, secretly had the
original biblical texts that the church had been searching for.

“Go before dawn.”

“Little miss, I’ll never forget this.”

The kneeling Seria strengthened her determination.

“I’m really ashamed of this, but may I ask you for another favor?”

“Favor?”

“Please get out of here first. “

She looked at Jacob with cool eyes and continued.

“And don’t come back no matter what you hear.”

I glanced at her black twitching eyes.

“……Ok”

I left the prison first, as she asked. Behind my back, Jacob’s desperate
screams followed. That day Jacob went out of prison as a corpse, and Seria
slipped out of the castle.

A few days later, a present in the name of ‘Children’s day gift’ was
delivered to me.

There were 30,000 francs in the bag. It was the amount of Seria’s bounty.
Chapter 33
Seeing as there was no one in the corridor, LeBlaine ran into the
greenhouse.

She dug out the soil under the newly planted cedar seedlings.

She dug quite deep and peeped through the soil-filled cloth.

When she rubbed the cloth with her fingertips, she could feel the bluntness
of the dirt smearing against her skin.

This was half of the bounty from Seria.

A friend of Seria, who dressed up as the gardener, came to plant some

seedlings, and buried the money here.

While squatting, LeBlaine had a happy look on her face.

‘Now, all I have to do is to get Seria back safely.’

There was a lot of preparation to be done.

She also had to help Seria track the ‘customer,’ but that wasn’t the difficult
part.

The Duke was also tracking the customer.

All I had to do was to sneak the information from the Duke to Seria.

A moment later, LeBlaine decided to leave the greenhouse, while walking

down the hall she heard someone calling her.

“Young miss!”
“There you are! We’ve been looking for you,” said the maids who were all
dressed up.

“You have to attend the conference.”

It was a meeting held by the Duke of Dubbled.

“Why do I have to attend?” LeBlaine questioned as she tilted her head.

At her response, the maids laughed and exchanged glances.

“Today is the day where you introduce yourself as part of the family.”

‘Ah!’

That was the reason why Lea had been dressing me up fancily since
yesterday.

The maids took her and decorated her with jewels and beautiful accessories.

They dressed her in colorful clothes, combed her hair, and attached a ribbon
on top of her head. LeBlaine ended up looking very pretty and cute.

After they finished dressing her up, LeBlaine left the room with Lea and
proceeded to walk to the conference room. They were greeted by the
knights when they arrived and as they were about to open the door,
LeBlaine couldn’t help but feel nervous.

She gulped hard and as the door opened and began to look around the
attendees.

There were familiar faces, but most of them were people she had met for
the first time.

They were the ones who had the most influence, power, and status in the
entire kingdom.
However, it was the Duke of Dubbled who had the most intimidating
presence.

‘Wow.’

It was her first time seeing the duke so dressed up.

He wore a shirt with delicate embroidery of gold thread and a luxurious

tunic with several medals of merit. On top of it was a robe with a black lion
pattern symbolizing the family of Dubbled.

‘His appearance, is truly unrivaled.’

His fancy clothes did nothing to hide his firm chest and broad shoulders. He
had an amazing figure.

Also, his calm expression made him all the more stunning.

‘I can see why he was still able to attract the ladies with that cold
personality of his.’

Sitting beside the duke, were Henry and Isaac.

Henry had a mature appearance while Isaac looked cool.

They also had an intimidating aura around them.

’As expected from the children of the duke… ’, “LeBlaine,” the duke
called out and drew everyone’s attention to me.

I carefully walked towards the Duke so that I wouldn’t fall and then he put
me in his lap.

The nobles who saw me for the first time had a look of surprise.

“Your name is now LeBlaine Risette Dubbled.”

Risette?

‘You adopted me, gave me the family name, but you’re also going to
give me a middle name?’

She was surprised at his words, her eyes blinked, and the other attendees
muttered to each other. They seemed as surprised as she was.

“What…?”

“What do you mean Risette, Duke?” Asked one of the attendees.

“That’s the name of the late Duchess!”

LeBlaine stared at the duke in shock.

‘Is he crazy?!’

Usually, middle names are named after parents, grandparents, or honorary

ancestors.

But that’s only for the offspring of the family!

This was a declaration that she would be treated as if she was his real child.

The right to access all information and to the right to manage the estate if
the Duke is away from the mansion.

Even the vassals who were close to my faction hardened their faces.

Suddenly, some of the vassals raised their voices.

“Please reconsider!”

“The right of the Dubbled is only given to those of pure blood! Not to a
baby from the church!”
“Your Excellency!”

Everything was a mess and LeBlaine was terribly embarrassed.

‘No, I’m just gonna get some food and live a quiet life.’

Of course, she’d have to build up power so that no one in the church can
mess with her when she’s exiled, still… this is too much.

“Dyu,… Dyuke”

LeBlaine wanted him to take back his statement, but she was far too
embarrassed to say it now.

The duke shifted his gaze towards LeBlaine and his expression turned dark.

“Who dares frighten my daughter?”

What?

“Hurt my daughter and I’ll twist your limbs.”

Then, Henry and Isaac rose from their seats with a menacing look.

“I’ll cut their necks,” Isaac snarled.

“Leave it to me,” Henry added.

‘What’s wrong with them?’

The vassals were scared and decided to shut their mouths.

The vassal’s face, who was about to protest, flushed red in embarrassment.

‘Oh, God.’
LeBlaine realized.

‘What should I do if you keep treating me this nicely?’

***

After the meeting finished, LeBlaine returned to her room. Then, she
sprawled on the sofa and started to ponder.

‘How did this happen?’

“It’s a disaster, a disaster!”

‘Wait… ’

‘Wasn’t the door closed before?’

It’s now open.

There were unfamiliar maids standing inside her room, but they had a much
higher status compared to Lea by the look of their uniform.

“Young miss, are you tired?”

“I brought you milk.”

“Oh, dear lord, the rug’s all worn out. Why didn’t Lea report this?”

Lea and the other maids, who followed them, looked dumbfounded.

Lea reported that the rug was too old, but it was that maid who told her to
let it go because it was still useful.

LeBlaine was usually favored by the servants.

‘Thanks to the vassals, the servants became interested in me. But these
servants were those that used to work for aristocrats of high status. So
they don’t give me as much attention.’

The only superior employee who was kind to her was the butler.

This was the aftermath of her getting a middle name.

“I’ll have to buy some clothes and accessories.”

“I’ll take your measurements.”

“What is your favorite food?”

The senior employees were smiling, but LeBlaine knew that those smiles
were fake.

They saw her as a disgrace.

Of course, it’s good to be loved by your father.

However, if the father is the Duke of Dubbled, it was different. How could
she, an adopted child, be treated as if she was of the same blood as the
Dubbleds?

It was clear that all eyes of the Empire would be on her.

She tried to pull herself together.

One of the measures the monarch took was to maintain strong power and to
put a strict criteria on the Dubbleds successors.

Wasn’t that how the predecessors were handling power alone?

‘That could be it! If I could do that…”

But the chances were low.

“Now we’ll move all of your furniture. If you move to the west wing, we
could serve you.”

Lea and the maids were agonized by her words.

“It’s our job to serve the miss!”

When Dahlia, the most quick-tempered of the maids, shouted, the head
maids frowned.

“Your job is to serve the nobles in the East Wing.”

“She is no longer a mere noble, but a blood relative of the Dubbled. Which
is why we were assigned here.”

The maids argued back at the remark.

“But we’re the ones who have been taking care of her!”

“They never said to replace the original maids in the first place!”

“Yes! If you change the servants so suddenly, the young miss will be
confused and…!”

The head maid folded her arms as if she could no longer hear their absurd
remarks.

“You raised your voice in front of the miss. Where did you learn to act like
that?”

LeBlaine was dazzled, she continued to look at the maids with empty eyes.

‘Can’t you guys just leave me alone?’

She grabbed her head with both hands, laid on her bed, and groaned.

***

Inside the duke’s office

Viscount Dubos said, “That was a rash move that you made today, your
grace. The eyes of the nobles will be on the young miss.”

The Duke gave his jacket to the butler and gave him an answer, “So?”

“Huh?”

The Duke of Dubbled, sat in his chair, crossed his legs, and said, “It has not
been revealed yet whether the ‘customer’ came from within or from
outside.”

“That’s true.”

“If they’re an outsider, they’ll try to save themselves when all eyes are on
LeBlaine.”

“But if they’re an insider, they’ll suffer a bigger backlash.”

“What’s the real reason behind Duchess Risette’s death?” said Viscount
Dubos The Duchess was a nameless aristocrat with no parents or relatives.

The Duke kept her in complete secrecy to protect her.

Not only at social parties but also inside the mansion, only a few had seen
her face.

Her escort was also thorough. A man who was the leader of the current
Dubbled’s elite knight and the most powerful magician at the time was
assigned to protect her without a break Unfortunately, she passed away.
Her death, which everyone knew as a natural death, was actually murder.

It was as if the Duke wanted to declare that he would not fall for the same
tricks twice by giving his new daughter the name of the Duchess.

No, but that’s not all.

There was no place within the land, where the eyes of the Duke could not
reach.

The same could be said on the day the wanted criminal, Seria, escaped the
mansion. The Duke knew that LeBlaine had sneaked into an underground
prison.

He hated that he knew a lot, yet, there were still some areas that were out of
his control.
Chapter 34
Same time at the tower of wisdom.

The Senate’s meeting was full of numerous aristocrats.

“Where is the chairman who is supposed to offer advice on such

situations?”

“He said he would be in seclusion for the time being because of the
Teramore incident.”

Everyone had suffered due to Teramore’s incident.

“’Surely, but it’s because his due date has come.”

Cried the excited aristocrat.

“If the chairman doesn’t come forward, we must stop him ourselves!”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“But if we leave it like this, the child of fate will take over the Dubbled!”

“It makes no sense for an adoptee from the common people to take care of
the estate in the name of Dubbled…”

“If he had remarried, this terrible thing wouldn’t have happened. Why don’t
you start looking now?”

“It will take at least a year or two to find a suitable family.”

“Well, the Duchess should have had another daughter. That way, he won’t
be swayed by an unqualified girl.”
The elder, who was sitting in the upper seat on behalf of the chairman,
rubbed his chin.

“Wait… that would be enough to have another qualified daughter.”

“Pardon?”

He looked back at Baron Walston.

“How old did you say your daughter was?”

“What?”

***

My daily life had become chaotic.

“Little miss, the employees of our wing have served the blood relatives of
Dubbled from generation to generation. I’m sure it’ll help if we’re around.”

“Le, Lea, and all of us will take good care of her!”

The employees were so busy every day. I fled to the garden to escape the
maids from the west wing.

‘I feel so tired these days that I don’t have time to go to the greenhouse
to see the money.’

I squatted behind a big tree and held my breath until the maids were far
away.

‘Let’s play here and then go back when it is evening.’

I looked at the flowers in the garden.

The winter wind had not receded, yet, the flowers were in full bloom. It was
because of the Mana Stone.

The clearer the color, the more power it can hold, the mana stone in the
garden was very vivid. On top of that, it was very big.

‘It would be good to take that one with me when I defected later.’

‘It must be very expensive.’

That’s what I thought as I picked the flowers in the garden.

I was making a bouquet for Lea.

Lea prefers the wildflowers that people find by the roadside rather than the
one that have been groomed by the gardener. So I searched for small
wildflowers that the gardeners had never seen before.

I was so focused on the flowers that I suddenly bumped into someone.

“Wha!”

“Agh!”

The girl who bumped into me screamed and fell down. It was a girl who
looked to be my age. She was wearing a wide-brimmed bonnet and a lacey
dress, which looked expensive.

‘Oh, I have to help her up.’

So I reached out my hand.

The child shook my hand away and frowned. So, I stood up and looked at
her. The girl suddenly said, “What are you doing?”

“Huh?”
“You should apologize.”

I nodded softly and said,

“Let’s apologize to each other.”

“What?”

“We both bumped into each other.”

She frowned, then,

“Kid!”

I could hear Isaac’s voice.

“Just where is she…”

The muttering child searched through the garden. Then, his eyes glistened
when his eyes found mine.

Isaac jump over the plants,

“Here you are.”

“Isyac following me again?”

After the Jacob incident, I was given a tracking device.

The device is not only capable of searching for my own location, but also
showed the escape routes and allowed for emergency calls.

“Oh, you’re angry?”

“Wight, you always follow me.”

(Right, you always follow me.)

Even though they had put a tracking device on me, their worry still dwells.
Every now and then, Henry will check on me. Isaac is even worse, he
always tries to meet me in his spare time. The child grinned. At first, I was
surprised whenever his handsome face came close, but now that I’m used to
it, I just felt burdened.

“You can’t be mad if you know what I told them to prepare for today’s
snack.”

“……What?”

“French toast.”

“Why did you come only now?!”

I greeted him with a big welcome.

French toast was my favorite snack, soaked in half-cooked egg and topped
with honey and butter.

However, the chefs were always crushing her hopes by saying, “I can’t give
the little miss food that only the common people eat.”

“Oh my, you’re the little miss.”

The girl that I bumped into suddenly voiced out.

“I’m sorry for not greeting you sooner.”

Isaac frowned.

“What, why are you here?”

“Good to see you again.”

The child who bumped earlier smiled shyly and bowed her head. Then she
looked at me.

“My name is Cattlea Walston. I’m Dubbled’s third cousin.”

“Twhid cousin?” (Third cousin?)

“Yes. You were surprised earlier, weren’t you? Forgive me. I didn’t know
you because you’re dressed so simply.”

My outfit was indeed simple. It was because the duke’s fingers got stuck in
the fancy dress’s decoration last time.

Isaac also said that my dress is annoying, meanwhile, Henry just smiled at
the employee in charge of my clothes and said, “If this happened again, I
will strip your skin off and make it into her clothes.”

After that, I only wore comfortable clothes. But it was plain without any
decorations.

On top of that, because I was crouching on the ground, the dress looked
dusty. The girl continued, holding my hand with both of her hands.

“Please forgive me.”

She continued her speech.

“We’re going to stay together in the castle in the future. Let’s be

comfortable with each other”

Staying together in the castle? Me and Isaac looked at each other, our eyes
wide.

***
I then heard about who Cattlea was, as she entered a room with Isaac. She
said she was twelve, but she was rather precocious. She was smart enough
to pour out a lot of difficult words.

Isaac had a crooked look on his face, taking a fork over the strawberries and
handing them to me.

“Why did they bring back the pedigree education they didn’t normally do?”

I looked at Henry. A pedigree education refers to a system in which a

household collects and manages all of Dubbled’s children to control the
family. The system in which the Duke had no choice but to hand over the
three brothers to his predecessors.

Henry said with an indifferent tone.

“I heard it was a voluntary request from Walston.”

“Isn’t he crazy? Every family always shuddered for fear that we would take
their child away.”

“Right.”

“I’m afraid the Duke will say he’s going to do the same thing as his
predecessor did.”

“So, if he is going to do so? Why?”

Henry glanced at me and turned his head to Isaac’s question. Suddenly a

gentle voice was heard.

“Now I have to gwo eat my meal in the dwining room.”

“Aren’t you full already?”

Guys, there is something called ‘a separate stomach for snacks and meals’.
“It’s possible,”

The brothers laughed

“Let’s go, then.”

I took the brothers’ hands and headed to the dining room. Dubbled’s dining
room was not a common dining table. It was like a table for a meeting.

When I entered the dining room, I saw nobles from the other day seated
around the table. When the children of Duke appeared, they all rose from
their seats, put their hands on their chests, and bowed their heads.

I was a little nervous about giving the polite greetings of those in power, but
the brothers were already used to this.

When we sat on the left side of the table, Cattlea, who was on the side,
smiled brightly and said, “He’s here too.”

Then, the Duke appeared.

Another polite greeting followed. The duke sat down and the meal began.
While adults were talking about difficult things, I focused on the meal.

‘Beef, I love it.’

What kind of technique did the chef use? This food… It melts the moment
it touches my mouth, enveloping my taste buds with its softness. Leaving
only a flavorful aftertaste inside. It was a taste that I had never tasted even
in the days when the empress adored me before my return. It was then.

“Ah!”

“I’m sorry, I was surprised.”

The wife of Baron Wilston, Cattlea’s mother, asked, “What’s going on?”
Cattlea rose without a reply. Then she came up to me and wiped my face
with a napkin.

“That’s enough,”

She said as I blinked at Cattlea.

‘I didn’t eat it with much sauce on my face though?’

It was a dinner full of important people, so I took great care of my image.

Cattlea smiled and went back to her seat. Then she glanced at the duke and
put meat on his plate with a shy look.

“It’s delicious, Duke have more.”

She laughed happily as she said it.

The elders simply grinned.

Chapter 35
Cattlea Walston was the prettiest child in the Dubbled’s branch families.

She had brilliant blonde hair that resembled her mother’s and enchanting
blue eyes, which was a symbol of the Dubbled family.

A few days ago, Baron Walston returned to his mansion with a great deal of
excitement.

“Opportunity, an opportunity has come!”

The Baroness asked her delighted husband.

“What do you mean by an opportunity?”

“The chance for our daughter to be a child of Dubbled!”

“What do you mean? You’ve already been rejected once, haven’t you?”

It was not uncommon for a branch family to send a child for pedigree
education. Especially if it was a child like Cattlea.

The baron’s daughter owned exceptional divine power. Because of that, she
received education from the church at an early age.

As long as she continued to grow up like this, the Baron could take the
position of a high priest, moreover, if he had the help of Duke Dubbled, he
could possibly become a cardinal.

The couple asked the Duke to accept their daughter in order to gain a
foothold, but they were refused. The reason was that their hands were
already full taking care of three children.
“The elders said they would give me support.”

“Why all of sudden?”

“What do you mean? It’s because of that child of fate.”

The Baroness frowned.

The mere mention of the child of fate made her upset.

They said that their hands were already full, but they still adopted that child.

Even though it was at the request of the Empress, they were so angry when
they thought that a child who had not even reached Cattlea’s level had
secured their daughter’s place.

“Will the Duke change his mind this time?”

“At that time, he had never seen Cattlea properly, so he refused her. If they
leave the position to a child of fate, they will realize how foolish their
judgment is.”

The Baroness curled her lips hearing her husband’s boast.

Rumors had already spread that the child of fate was given a middle name.
The name of the duke’s former duchess.

It was terrible to think that they were being swayed by a commoner child.

But if Cattlea was at the Dubbleds and took her place, The Baroness could
intervene in the Dubbled’s affairs under the pretext of helping her daughter.
She is the powerless baroness, so she can reign over the nobles who ignored
her before.

The Baroness while stroking Cattlea’s hair, said “Can you please his
Excellency and those pair of brothers?”
At the question, Cattlea smiled brightly.

“When have I ever let you down?”

“That’s true.”

The baroness kissed her daughter’s head.

……But

Cattlea grasped her skirt tightly.

The Duke carried the meat she had put in his plate into Leblaine’s.

“Eat slowly.”

Leblaine opened her eyes wide as she stared at Cattlea and the duke several
times.

When she saw me staring sharply, she picked up the meat again and slipped
it to the duke’s plate.

“No, Dyuke you eat it.”

But the Duke lifted the meat that LeBlaine had put down with a clean fork.

“This is the first bite of meat that my daughter gave me.”

Cattlea’s face became distorted.

I gave it to you first…!

***

Cattlea, who left the castle with the vassals after the dinner, gritted her
teeth.
She couldn’t stand her anger.

‘What had just happened?!’

She was a little girl who couldn’t even speak properly.

‘I am cuter and smarter, she’s just a small girl!’

Tears unconsciously pricked her eyes.

“Don’t cry.”

Cattlea was startled by the voice she heard next to her.

As she turned her head, an elder, she recognized as her father’s friend,
smiled.

“How can a child of Dubbled, cry because of such a small thing?”

“Can I really be Dubbled’s little miss?”

“Of course.”

“But the duke didn’t even look at me.”

Cattlea stared at the wide hallway, her father and mother both looked
anxious.

“Well, that’s because the child of fate happened to help the family several
times…”

Only a few knew about it.

Letting him know where the Oriharcon was buried, let him find the second
Etwal.
The elder continued,

“Don’t worry, we will change his mind.”

Then he bent down to look at Cattlea.

“As long as you trust us, all of us. And please repay us for this in the
future.”

He spoke to her politely, as if she was really the Dubbled’s little miss.

Only then did a smile appear on Cattlea’s face.

***

Two days later.

I looked at Isaac and Henry, who stood in front of me with my back against
the wall.

I just stared at them.

“Kid.”

“Yes……?”

“I’m telling you because I don’t think you know.”

“Yes.”

“I love to eat meat too.”

“……”

Henry was only smiling, but I think he wanted to say something too.
It’s unfair.

I’ve only returned the meat that Cattlea gave to the Duke. I gave it back
because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings because of a piece of meat.

Isaac continued,

“If you discriminate against us like this, I’ll discriminate against you too.”

I breathed a sigh and searched my pockets.

‘Is there anything I can give to him?’

I searched through the pouch and found some of the wildflowers I had
searched for in the garden yesterday for Lea.

I had bumped into Cattlea after that so I didn’t have time to make a bouquet
and just kept it in my pocket.

The wildflowers in my pocket were in tatters, but this was all I had.

I took out a bunch of wildflowers for Henry and Isaac.

The brothers opened their eyes wide.

“Are you giving this to us?”

“Yes.”

As she replied, the two accepted the flowers with trembling hands.

“The kid, for me…”

“Flowers for me…”

“Excuse me, Sir,” said Henry’s footman, who suddenly opened the door.
“Everyone has been invited to see Cattlea releasing the barrier of the
Dubbled’s ancient artifact*.”

*TL note : the real translation of this is ‘sleeping mineral’ which sounds
really weird, hence I decided on ancient artifact instead.

‘Do you mean that ancient artifact?’

Dubbled’s heirloom.

It was something sacred and only the chosen one could release it.

The ancestors left the heirloom and said that it would be possible to use it
only when the daughter of the main family was born with divine power.

Isaac shouted.

“What do you mean?! The Duke’s daughter is this little girl, so why would
she……!”

Henry’s expression also grew colder.

He asked,

“Where are the vassals?“

“They’re in the reception room.”

Henry and Isaac left the hall immediately.

Cattlea, who was standing between them, smiled at me and the brothers
who had just entered the room.

In front of the duke’s chair and the vassals was a luxurious box.

At first glance, it was just like a big stone.

‘Is that the ancient artifact?’

The vassals opened their mouths to the duke, saying, “The weathermen
predicted that a severe drought will come next year.”

That’s true.

Even the imperial family, the nobles, and the church predicted it and
prepared, but the drought continued for a long time.

“Isn’t this the time we need the power of an ancient artifact?”

“It would be of great help if this stone, as the record suggests, can evoke a
spirit of water.”

“And Baron Walston’s daughter has powerful divine power. I’m sure she
can release the barrier.”

Henry, who heard the story, looked back at the duke.

“We cannot let an incident take place because of an artifact owned by our
family.”

I nodded inwardly.

“Of course, we are aware of the dangers of them doing this. It could cause
them internal strife.”

Isaac opened his lips.

“Why are you still talking about this nonsense then?”

The corners of the elder’s mouth went up.

“If Cattlea Walston is adopted by the Dubbled family, you will be able to
save the people of the land without causing any incident.”
‘This was the whole purpose.’

I looked at Cattlea, whose cheeks were flustered.

“Of course. If the child of fate can release the barrier, would we make this
request?”

“The child of fate, which owns a minuscule amount of divine power, will
not be able to break the barrier.”

The vassals shouted,

“How dare you judge the child of fate!”

“Then, can she do it?”

“That…!”

“By the way.”

The gazes of the elders turned towards me, who was standing next to
Viscount Dubos.

“Is she really the child of fate?”

Chapter 36
“She’s the one verified as the child of fate!”

The elder replied without losing their composure.

“How come the amount of divine power she possesses is so small?”

“Which of you guys witnessed the child exerting divine power?”

“She’s only a child! She can’t control that!”

This must have been the second purpose.

To take away all the trust I’ve built.

At this moment, the Duke, who laid his tilted head on a fist with his eyes
closed, opened his mouth.

“What a joke.”

As he slowly lifted his head an intense gaze came from his blue eyes.

The elder and aristocrats gulped hard.

People who insisted on Cattlea’s adoption dropped down to their knees at

once.

“Everything is for Dubbled’s glory.”

“For Dubbled’s glory!”

“For Glory!”
Most of the people gathered in the room shouted together.

‘Don’t, you idiots!’

They seemed to think that the Duke had no other choice.

I’m sure the duke wants them dead, but if all of them died now, the church
would take me away with the excuse that he is not the right father to raise
me.

‘There’s nothing we can do about it.’

I shouted, “Wow!” and ran to the big box.

“Is this Bwaine’s?”

As I pretended to be naive, Viscount Dubos panicked and said, “Oh, little

miss.”

The Elder replied as he squinted his eyes.

“If you can break the barrier, yes.”

“Then Bwaine will try!”

‘It looks like I can do it.’

“It would be dangerous if there was no divine power present in the body to
break the barrier.”

Nos and Dubos, even the brothers seemed to think I couldn’t do it.

“Leblaine, that’s dangerous, let it go.”

“Yes, I’ll buy you a better toy!”

‘I know it’s dangerous.’

No, it was clear that I would never be able to.

I felt it as soon as I lifted the artifact.

It was surrounded by a triple barrier, and inside it, I could feel a strange
energy.

‘But I may be able to assess what the components are.’

It doesn’t need strong divine power.

You just have to push in a very small force through the crack. And figure
out what component it is by calculating the quality of the power it contains.

‘All I have to do is make sure this really brings out the Water Spirit
inside.’

If I can invoke it, I don’t have to fight with Cattlea about breaking the
barrier. I carefully breathed divine power into the stone. It was at that
moment.

Gwang, gwang, gwang!!!

The castle shook violently as if an earthquake had erupted at the same time
as red light emitted from the stone. Cracks on walls and ceilings and broken
pieces crashed.

“What…,”

All the people were confused. The duke sprang up.

“Leblaine!”

“Kid!”
Henry and Isaac hastily released their magic power. The mana of the two
floated above my head.

But Isaac’s mana that blocked the debris of the wall soon scattered with a
sharp crack.

“What’s wrong with my power?”

After Isaac muttered so,

Suddenly, a voice flowed into my ears. However, the surrounding area soon
turned into a mess. Black circles were created in the air, and Dubbled’s
mage with gold-decorated hoods appeared.

A man in the gold-decorated hood hurriedly took off his hat and shouted.

“This enormous divine power… It must be the attack from the church!”

Then others raised their sticks and said, “No matter how many thousands of
battle priests come, it’s no use. Dubbled’s mage will annihilate you all!”

“How many thousands are they? Tens of thousands!?”

‘Ah, someone please make me faint’

The mage looked at me with a confused face.

And said, “Why is there… only a child?”

I do not know either.

I was just trying to appraise the minerals, but suddenly a voice flowed into
my head and my divine power was exerted out strongly.

“Is that the little miss?”

The mage who wore the robe reached out to me.

[Where are you-!]

The voice in my head shouted. And there was an even stronger wave of
divine power.

‘Don’t’

I thought in my head that I need to stop it somehow.

But at that moment.

“Agh!”

Cattlea sat down and placed her hands on her mouth. Blood was dripping
through her fingers.

‘What… ’

The surrounding area became more chaotic.

“Aghhhh-!”

When the situation came to this point, the mage shouted, “Formation!”

Then, the mages surrounded me and deployed their defense formation The
voice in my head became angrier, and I was awfully scared.

I didn’t want to attack people, but I couldn’t pull back. No, rather, whenever
my tension and fear grew, my divine power got stronger and stronger.

It seemed to be because of that voice, which looked like it lost its sense of
reason.
The attacks continued. The mages tried to approach me but got pushed
back, and eventually, I could see what the mages were doing. It was a signal
to launch an attack.

Just then.

“Stop!”

It was the voice of the Duke.

“But to stop it, you have to take that stone away from the baby!”

The bewildered elders said, but the Duke came towards me without a word.

Every step closer, a wave of divinity blocked his way.

It repeated several times. Waves blocked him, got destroyed and

regenerated.

Soon, the stone broke with a sharp rupture, and cracks appeared all over it
like it was a piece of glass.

Even though dark red blood flowed down his arm, he kept trying to reach
me.

“It’s all right.”

“……”

“It’s all right, Leblaine.”

He put his hand on the back of mine

As soon as I felt his warm touch, the stone, which seemed to have reached
its limit, fell to the floor. And I collapsed into the duke’s arms.
 ***

After that, I was moved to another room where a doctor came to treat me
but found nothing wrong with my body.

‘I myself felt that nothing was wrong with me physically. I was all
right.’

When I left the space, the eyes of the vassals looking at me were fearful.

‘What… should I do about it?’

This was not the only problem.

[Little miss, are you alright? Huh?]

Some voices kept talking in my head.

This voice was the biggest problem.

Whenever I heard that voice, I felt weak all over. Plus, I got hungry and
sleepy.

‘Let’s get things straight for now.’

I’ve never heard this voice in my last three lives.

I also didn’t know that my divine power was this strong.

It seems that the voice had strengthened my divine power.

The first time I heard that voice was when I touched the Newt.

‘That’s right. It was written in the records. Newt’s a key to the divine
power.’
If so, it is understandable that my divine power had suddenly become
stronger.

‘Then am I really the child of fate?!…… or not.’

The condition to be a child of fate was three.

1. Must be born on February 29.

2. Must have divine power.

3.Can read the ancient language.

This is because these three were all required to seal evil spirits.

Mina was a fit for all three and succeeded in sealing the evil spirits. I knew
it best that it was a seal offering.

‘I’ll never dream of anything extravagant in this life.’

In my first life, I was so young that I didn’t know many things, but this
time…

‘Huh? Come to think of it, how do I keep thinking like an adult for this
long? What did the voice do?’

[Little miss, are you all right? Huh?]

I thought I heard that voice again.

‘Who the hell are you? No, who is it?’

[That can’t be said until you’re qualified.]

‘How do I qualify then?’

[I can’t tell you. Only after you are qualified can I answer your questions.
But little miss already knows where it is. So… Ugh!]

A voice murmured with a small scream.

[Even this is not allowed. I can’t say anything more you.]

The voice said so, but I got a hint with the word ‘where it is.’

It must be an object.

There is only one thing that is so special that would be required as

qualification.

‘Second Etwal.’

[But is your body okay? Sweetheart, Is it too hard to answer? Alas, if I was
there at that time… You will have to qualify for it so that I can…]

‘You know what?’

Cowardly, the voice answered quickly, [Yes?!]

‘Would you please be quiet? I think I’m gonna have to rest.’

Every time the voice spoke I couldn’t think like an adult because I was too
tired.

I got goosebumps when I imagined myself peeing on the bed again.

‘I need to go find the Etwal quickly before I completely become a kid.’

I jumped out of bed.

Chapter 37
It was already night when I came out.

I recalled that the Etwal was being kept in the Duke’s office and quickly
headed there.

As I walked down the dark corridor to the office, I saw light leaking
through a crack in the office’s door.

Then came a voice.

“Look at Cattlea! It’s all because of that child of fate!”

When the baron’s wife shouted in her trembling voice, the baron also
voiced his grievances.

“Why did she attack my daughter? She didn’t do anything wrong!”

“You have to hold the child of fate responsible. Someone who has that
much power doesn’t fall into the category of a child!”

“Noisy.”

It was Isaac who said so.

The child sat and lightly supported his head with his fist, his other arm was
on the sofa armrest.

When the baron and his wife asked, “Pardon?” Isaac muttered in a faint
voice.

“I want to kill you.”

“How can you be so cruel? Cattlea is your cousin…”

Then Henry put down the teacup and smiled.

“Baron.”

Seeing his honey-sweet smile, hope came to the couple’s faces. The baron
replied with a bright expression.

“As expected, Master Henry supports Cattlea,……”

“I’m only putting up with you for now.”

“What…?”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been fooling around in the first
place.”

“Ma-master.”

‘It’s too crowded. Shall I go back and come back tomorrow?’

But I needed to find Etwal before the voice made me too tired.

As soon as I was thinking about it,

“Kid!”

“Leblaine.”

The brothers, who had managed to find me, stood up.

“Are you all right?”

“Why didn’t you sleep?”

“I’m hewe becwause I’m fine.” (I’m here because I’m fine.) I was surprised
by the way I spoke. My pronunciation, which had been improving so far,
had degenerated.

‘As expected, I have to find Etwal today and ask the voice how to get
back to my normal condition.’

“I miss the dyuke…”

Then Henry and Isaac opened the door wide and let me in.

When I entered the room, I could see whatever I couldn’t from the outside.

The people present were looking at me with the expression of a person who
appraised things.

I approached the Duke and looked at him with tearful eyes.

“Sniff…”

The duke quickly hugged me as I rubbed my eyes.

“What happened?”

The brothers came up to me in no time.

“What’s wrong? Huh? Are you hurt anywhere?”

I buried my head in the duke’s chest and pointed at the baron with my index
finger.

“I hwate that old man, he wooks scawy. (I hate that old man, he looks
scary.)”

Upon hearing my words, Isaac glared at him.

“I’ll pull out his eyes.”

Henry, staring at the Baron with cold eyes, replied to Isaac.

“I told him to use nice words in front of Leblaine. Also, I’m going to gouge
his eyes out.”

In any case, he really meant to pull out his eyeballs.

The baron smiled awkwardly and laughed nervously in response.

Soon, he hurriedly gave the Duke a bow and headed for the door. The others
followed after him.

Cattlea only glanced at me before she went out.

All of them went out, except for Nos and some vassals, including Dubos
himself.

The Duke stroked my hair and asked.

“Don’t you need more rest?”

“I’m okay.”

“Stubborn. Is there anything you want to eat? What do you need?”

As soon as I heard that, my eyes widened as realization struck me.

‘Yes, I can’t steal the Etwal from the office directly.’

Then I’ll have no choice but to sneak in with the help of the voice. But, I
can’t control my divine power, if the Dubbled family’s mage appears again,
it will become really difficult.
‘So, when he said he’d give me anything, it meant I should just say
what I want.’

I looked up at him with caution and said,

“ The Etwal pwease.”

The vassals and Nos’s eyes seemed to bulge out. Even Isaac and Henry
looked like they received a great shock.

“Huh? Kid, that’s……”

“Leblaine, the Etwal…”

I couldn’t just ask for something precious like the Etwal was what everyone
seemed to say…

‘Let’s do something.’

I held my hands together and looked at the Duke with sparkling eyes.

“Daddy,…… Bwaine, give me Etwal.”

I felt goosebumps all over my body, but I tried to speak as cutely as I could.

I’d rather give up my dignity than to pee on my bed.

‘Why is it so quiet? Didn’t it work?’

Just then,

Boom!

Some noise was heard.

When I opened my eyes gently, there was a half-jilted wooden box placed
on the desk.

As the duke opened the box, I heard a bomb going off.

It was the sound of the 12-fold barrier that Dubbled’s 100 mages had made
day and night continuously for a week.

Boom!

With the last chain of the box rattled off, and blood surged like a fountain
from the duke’s hand.

The duke who caught the Etwal while reaching it out to me said, “Do you
want me to take what’s in the church?”

“……No that’s fine.”

***

“Daddy.”

“Yes.”

“Dad.”

“Yes.”

“Dad~…”

“Yes.”

‘Until when do I have to do this?’

The duke, who was about to hear this voice all night long, yet he acted as if
he didn’t get tired of it.
In the end, I was able to come down from the Duke’s lap with a passionate
performance like a theater actress, “Oh, my head,……!”

Henry and Isaac looked at me with a very dim expression painted on their
faces as they were holding the doorknob.

‘…It’s somehow ominous.’

Then I left the room with the Etwal.

‘I can’t do it in front of Lea.’

I looked around and found a suitable place to talk with the voice.

In the end, I went to the garden.

‘Am I qualified now?’

—I thought, but the voice didn’t answer me back.

‘Why did it suddenly get quiet?’

I snorted inwardly and shook the Etwal.

‘Do I need the same amount of divine power as before?’

It was at the moment when she instilled divine power very, very gently into
the Etwal she was holding, that a gust of wind blew. Leaves and petals
mingled in the wind and scattered, so Leblaine covered her eyes with her
arms.

“It’s finally time to say hello like this.”

“……!”
The voice did not sound directly in my head as before; it sounded like it
was near my ears.

I put down the arm that was covering my eyes.

Under the full moon stood a long silver-haired beautiful man, reminiscent
of a lily flower.

“I am the twenty-second pillar, Boone.”

His fine silver hair fluttered in the wind. Behind him was a pillar of burning
fire.

“I was looking forward to meeting you.”

“……”

When I didn’t say anything, he looked at me and scratched his head.

“Hmm? Are you surprised? Why aren’t you talking?”

“Fire.”

“What?”

“Huwwy up and put out the fiwe!” (Hurry up and put out the fire!) ‘What if
people find out that I’m here?!’

The voice, no, Boone erased the fire. He just erased it.

Every time he swayed his hand in the air, the pillar disappeared as if he
used an eraser on paper.

“I didn’t mean to surprise you, child. My ‘column’ is something only you

can see anyway.”
“Why can I see it?”

“Because you called for me.”

“Twen, can someone else caww you? (Then can someone else call you?)”

“If they have strong tenacity and possess extremely rare luck with a price,
of course, they can.”

“What’s the price?”

“Their soul.”

I was shocked.

“Do I hwave to gwive you my soul too?” (Do I have to give you my soul,
too?) “No way. If someone grows up to be this powerful they’re qualified,
they won’t have to pay a price. You can keep us alive with just your divine
power.”

I was glad to hear that,

‘Boone. I’ve heard about that name before.‘

And stories such as the pillar and the soul.

As I was pondering about it, I got so nervous that I suddenly stood up.

“Mistew, no way…”

“The word ‘mister’ makes me a little sad.”

“No way.”

“Yes.”
“Awe you a devil?!” (Are you a devil?!)

He smiled brightly.

“That’s the right answer.”

My dad is cunning. One of my brothers is a war buff and the other a

poisonous snake.

The maids are serial killers, crooks, and loan sharks.

And I suddenly summoned a devil in such a place.

‘What a luck.’

They chose me as the child of fate to represent the church, yet I summoned
a devil.

I grabbed my back and let out a sigh.

But the son of a bitch, who looked at me with sparkling eyes, hugged me.
He rubbed his cheeks on my face. Thanks to him, my cheeks became red.

“Oh no, what do I do? You’re much cuter than I thought.”

“Your cheeks are plumpy, and your hands are soft.”

He muttered in an ecstatic voice.

“Let gwo of me.”

“Your eyes are round, and your hair is fluffy.”

“Now!”

Shouting out of frustration, I made Boone sullen.

“I didn’t mean to. I just love babies. I’ve been waiting for a long time to
meet one. A special being that will call upon us.”

“How come?”

“We’ve always granted someone’s wish. But no one could grant our wish.
It’s something only Gaman can do.”

He grinned and said,

“So sweetheart you can wish for anything. In order for us to exert power,
we will need a lot of the divine power from you.”

“But why divine powel? If you’we a devil, you shwoldn’t like divinity. (But
why divine power? If you’re a devil, you shouldn’t like divinity.)”

“I’d rather ask.”

“What?”

“Why do you think we don’t hate divine power?”

“You don’t hwate it? (You don’t hate it?)”

“Yes, but there are those whose wishes that use enormous amounts of divine
power.”

I nodded as I hummed.

“Good, what can I do for you?”

“You finally asked me that!”

He made eye contact with me with great joy.

“So, what do you want?”

Chapter 38
“I want jewels!”

I answered cheerfully.

He snorted.

I thought a demon could give me a whole bunch of jewels.

With his hand wrapped around his chin, he sighed loudly.

“We have different kinds of powers. Some can produce love, others can kill
enemies. It’s easy, but I don’t have the power to make jewelry.”

“Ywo can ask a dwevil who can make jewelries.” (You can ask the devil
who can make jewelries.) Boone tapped my nose and said,

“But we can’t meet each other without another medium.”

“Ahh…”

I nodded and looked at Boone.

My eyes shone to show I really wanted jewelry.

After watching the man for a while, I nodded and asked what was most
important.

“Ten, what awe you gwoing to do fow me?” (Then what are you going to do
for me?) He raised the corners of his mouth.

***
The next day, at the greenhouse.

At breakfast, I put the sautéed lamb I was given, in my mouth.

There was a lot of food on the table, but my fork always went towards the
meat. Then to another meat dish. Next, next, and also next my hands went
towards the meat dishes.

[Child, eat a balanced diet to make sure you’re healthy.]

I could hear the voice of Boone in my head.

I was wondering what to do if he kept his human form and someone saw
him, but fortunately, it was possible to make his body disappear.

‘It’s noisy.’

When I answered curtly, I could hear Boone sighing.

But I was depressed too.

When summoning a devil, divine power is very, very, very much needed,
making it difficult for me to maintain my adult-like thought process due to
exhaustion.

I needed to eat and sleep three or four times due to that.

I learned a lot about the devil summoning from the Q&A session I had with
Boone yesterday.

1. The devil must have a special stone (or gem) to serve as a medium. You
can’t just pick a devil you want and then summon them.

2. When a devil is summoned, the stone (or jewel) that became the medium
will lose its function.
3.Only one devil can be summoned at a time, and if one’s wishes come true,
it will disappear.

4.During the summoning period, I can use the power of the devil through
my divine power. However, because summoning and maintaining itself also
uses divine power, I must make them disappear as quickly as possible.

If all my divine power is gone, I’ll go crazy.

Boone could ‘summon the soul of the dead.’ But he needed a medium to
manifest his ability, which was the Goddess’s tears.

‘I wish Boone’s ability was teleport or something that I didn’t know

about.’

Boone, who heard my thoughts again, sighed sadly.

But really, it was me who was really sad!

‘How can I steal the Goddess’ Tears?’

Of all people, it was only the church that owned it.

‘The church that owns it is nearby, should I steal it?’

My specialty as a beggar in my last life was stealing.

As soon as I thought about it, someone came into the greenhouse.

“Hello, little miss?”

My eyes went wide.

It was Cattlea.
“How awe you hewe?” (How are you here?) “Last night, I went out of the
castle and fell. I was urgently moved to the ward in the castle to receive
treatment.”

“I see.”

I nodded and put the last piece of lamb meat in my mouth.

Lea asked, “Do you want more?” I nodded, and she left.

Only Cattlea and I were left in the greenhouse.

She put her hands together and said, “Oh, right.”

“I have some good news.”

“News?”

“Yes. The church was very happy to know that you have a huge amount of
divine power.”

“……What?”

“A letter has arrived telling you to come to a nearby church to check your
divine power. With that divine power, you might be called to the central
church right away. Congratulations.”

“……”

“I will take good care of you in the central church.”

Cattlea then stroked my hair.

“All right, you idiot?”

‘The Baron and his wife must have told the church this story.’
They failed yesterday, so they’re trying to drive me out by using the church.

Cattlea continued while smacking my cheek.

“You are only a commoner and an orphan. Just because you have a huge
amount of divine power, do you think you can erase your origins?”

“……”

I had seen quite a lot of people like Cattlea before.

Because she’s just a child, what she’s doing doesn’t really hurt me.

But I was not very patient.

The good LeBlaine was now gone.

It happened when Cattlea hit my cheeks once again.

“Aahh—!”

I exaggerated. Hence, I fell off the chair and screamed.

“Little miss?!”

Nearby employees and officers rushed in.

In the meantime, Henry came from the other side while holding a book.

“What’s going on?!”

I pointed to Cattlea.

“Shwe hit me.” (She hit me.)

She turned pale and shook her head.

“Wha, what,… No!”

Henry, who strode up, grabbed Cattlea’s wrist.

There was oil on her palms. It was the oil of the meat on my face.

“No, I’m not, I, that’s……!”

This was just one of the many tricks I learned when I was a beggar, I,
unfortunately, stayed alive by using many tricks such as the blackmailing
and the intimidation technique.

‘Don’t mess with the bluffing king of this area, you little rascal.’

***

Mr. and Mrs. Walston were called in at once.

The couple was very shocked to see Cattlea in the greenhouse. Isaac and
Henry glared at them with a fierce look on their faces.

“Mother!”

As soon as Cattlea saw the baron’s wife, she burst into tears, and the couple,
hugging their daughter, asked, “What is going on?”

“Leblaine fell.”

Henry’s cool words hardened the baron’s eyes, and Cattlea shouted.

“No, I was wronged! I was just trying to get the dirt off her face,……!”

The Baron suddenly stared at me and said, “Little miss, do it in moderation!

Are you going to hurt Cattlea again like yesterday? I’m afraid that Cattlea-“

Slap!
Isaac slapped him on the cheek.

The man who was hit by the palm of the hand that carried an aura harshly
fell on the grass of the greenhouse.

He wrapped his cheek in disbelief.

“Wha, what…… This is……”

“Look, I hit you.”

Then Isaac proceeded to take a speck of dirt off the Baron’s face with his
index finger and thumb.

“I took it off.”

“Pardon?”

“If your daughter wants to clean the dust off the kid’s face, what will she
use?”

“Of course your fingers………”

Isaac grabbed Cattlea’s wrists, shaking her shoulders, and held them out to
the baron.

“Then how did your daughter get oil on her hand’s palm?”

The baron gulped when he saw her palm twinkling.

When he couldn’t answer, Isaac muttered, “Oh, I’ll have to give you a
demonstration again.”

The baroness looked at her daughter with a shocked expression.

“Are you serious?”

“……”

“Cattlea!”

Realizing that there wasn’t going to be excused, Cattlea bit her lips hard.

“I only wanted to pat her on the cheek!”

“Why did you do such a thing?!”

It’s rude to touch others however you like, but it’s worse to slap them on the
cheek.

Besides, I was a young miss from Dubbled’s main family.

Cattlea glared at me with tears in her eyes.

“She’s the bad one! She’s lying!”

“You…”

“She’s a commoner orphan! She is way worse than I am, I’m the one who
should have been Dubbled’s young miss! My mother, my father, and Lord
Roman, they all said the Duke will have no choice but to accept me,…!”

The baron couple’s faces grew pale.

Cattlea’s words were like bombs.

If you interpreted those words maliciously, it’s ‘I tried to make a plan to

overthrow the Duke.’ In other words, this was challenging the Duke’s
authority.

Isaac and Henry looked at Cattlea and the helpless baron.

“Leave it to me. The guys who hurt LeBlaine will be punished.”

Isaac ran out of the greenhouse.

“Duke!”

Yes, tell your father.

It was needless to say that the Walstons were doomed.

Chapter 39
I left the castle in a carriage.

The Baron and Cattlea had told the church about my divine power, so we
headed to a nearby church to test my divine power again.

The Duke didn’t want me to go, but Dubos himself had earnestly persuaded
him.

“The child has exerted the power that even the elite masters of Dubbled
cannot withstand. There could be an abnormality that the doctor doesn’t
know about. She needs to get an accurate diagnosis in the church.”

Of course, it was a persuasion that included not only my worries but also
the Dubbled family’s worries If he doesn’t let me go, his relationship with
the church would become irreparable.

Anyway, when Dubos raised concern about my health, the Duke was forced
to let me go.

I was looking out the window with a sullen face.

[Child, you must be in a bad mood.]

‘Yes.’

[Why?]

‘As Cattlea had said, my divine power has grown this much, so I might
be dragged to the central church.’

[Do you want me to get rid of the church?]

‘Can you even do that?!’

[If I use all of your divine power, perhaps.]

It’s better to die than to go crazy. If I die, I might at least reincarnate again,
but if I lose my mind, I will not be able to die and will be transferred as a
tool for the church.

‘No, let’s be positive.’

The Goddess’s Tears are in the church where we are currently headed.

I can secretly steal it for Boone. Then I won’t have to worry about losing all
of my divinity and going crazy.

‘I should find the goddess’s tears as soon as possible.’

By the time I was thinking about that the carriage had come to a stop.

I looked out to see if I had arrived, but it was still mountains.

“Sorry, little miss. We’ve got a problem with the wheels.”

Then the faces of the guards inside the carriage became horribly distorted.

“Did you start off without properly repairing the carriage?”

“It-, it rained yesterday and the road was muddy, so mud got stuck to the
wheels.”

The horseman’s face became pitifully pale.

“It’s owkay.”

It would take a long time to climb the mountain anyway, so I calmed them
down under the excuse that I wanted to rest a little.
As I went outside, countless knights stood up at the same time.

A great number of people took the same step for every step I took, and
when I stopped, they stopped together.

I looked at them.

“I will be somwhewe neaw hewe. Everybody rest.” (I will be somewhere

near here. Everybody rest.) In case I am caught stealing away the goddess’s
tears, I should find an escape route.

“I don’t think that’s possible, little miss.”

I turned around and shouted.

“It’s possible!”

“Ah, yes, little miss.”

“But little miss, you’re worth a lot.”

“That…”

Before I could say anything, the escorts were already standing next to me.

“How can a woman protect you completely?”

I tilted my head.

“Awe they stwonger than you, Lea?” (Are they stronger than you, Lea?)
“Of course……”

“You awe from Irie* too.”

*TL note: Dubbled’s elite knight.

“What?!”

Their eyes widened from shock as if they didn’t know that she was also
from Irie.

“……!”

When we finally arrived, the church’s mountains were as green as the

garden of Dubbled, even though it was winter.

‘It looks like they’re keeping the temperature with spinel. This place
must be getting a lot of donations.’

I looked around as I walked. It was a little dim because the sun was covered
by clouds, but it wasn’t particularly difficult to look around.

Lea walked on the right side so that she wouldn’t disturb me in the way.

That was when I found a tree with exceptionally pretty leaves. My eyes
went wide.

‘Awesome! It’s an Elsa tree!’

That was a really precious tree.

Since it was a tree that grew by consuming divine power, its leaves had
mysterious effects.

‘If I dry the leaves and sell them, I can sell it for 50 francs per gram!’

I screamed silently and ran towards the brilliant Elsa tree.

When I grabbed the tree trunk and raised my hands to pluck leaves, I heard
the grass rustling.

Suddenly, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.

As the surrounding area brightened, a blond boy with a beautiful
appearance appeared.

“You are…”

Brilliantly shining blonde hair, and vivid ruby red eyes. He looked really
familiar.

I knew this beautiful-looking boy who could rival the Dubbleds’.

He was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dubbled’s three sons. His
beautiful appearance, great physical abilities, mana, and even family
pedigree were first in the country— ‘Adrian Louerg.’

‘Is it possible to meet the prince while walking……?’

I silently gulped.

My heart was pounding so hard that it was about to burst out of my body.

I wouldn’t have been so surprised if it had been another prince. But it was
Adrian.

And he shouldn’t be here right now.

‘He was going to be deposed of this winter and kicked out of the
palace!’

It certainly happened at this time of year.

The Marquis Chatele, the maternal grandfather of Adrian and the father of
the late empress, revolted against his grandson to bring him to the throne.

But it fails and the Marquis dies, so Adrian is deposed.

And only at 15, he was reinstated as the youngest cardinal.

‘The future has changed… ’

But why?

There is only one thing that could change the future…

‘When I did something different… ’

But what could I have done to Adrian that changed the future?

Why didn’t the Marquis Chatele start his revolt?

Why was he here?

While I was standing there confused, something hit my nose.

When I looked up, I saw two small fish made of water floating in the air.

[That boy’s power is amazing. He gives consciousness to things that are

created by divine force.]

I heard Boone’s words and thanked him.

He really was powerful. Therefore, at 15, he was appointed as a cardinal

even though he was a deposed prince.

“Amy, Amand. Come back here.”

At Adrian’s words, the little fish went right back, but the big fish kept
looking back at me and went back with its tail drooping. It seemed as if it
didn’t want to go back.

‘It’s like a puppy… and not a fish.’

As I was thinking so, our gazes met.

“Who is it? How did you get into my barrier?”

“Huh?”

“How are you able to see the Elsa tree?”

Did he make it invisible by using a barrier?

‘But why was I able to see it?’

[I made it visible!]

But even so, wouldn’t it have been impossible to get into the barrier?

[I thought you wanted to go to the tree, so I broke through it!]

Said Boone cheerfully.

‘You can’t do whatever you want!’

Unless an opponent attacked someone, it was very, very rude to break

through a barrier.

This is because a barrier was not for offensive use.

I mean, it’s like hitting someone while standing still.

Adrian was generally nice to people, but he was not an easy man.

Some aspects of him were eerily cold. Especially for those who attack him.

He was a thorough type of man who would never even let a speck of dust
go.

“I asked you, who are you?”

Here’s the problem.

My actions seemed to be slapping a child who would become a cardinal

soon. So what should I do?

“My name is Isyac!” (My name is Isaac!)

I smiled brightly.

“Isaac?”

“Yes!”

“Only authorized personnel can enter this mountain, how did you get in?”

“Uh, um,…… I, I’m a sewvant of the Dubbleds.”

He stared at me.

I must have looked so young that he couldn’t believe it.

[That guy…… He’s checking your mana. Ugh—!]

He was checking it because I said something unbelievable.

And it wasn’t particularly rude to check only the amount of Mana.

Boone became quiet.

Anyway, Adrian seemed to have confirmed the amount of my mana and

believed me.

It was because incidents often occur where a child with mana stole it from
another person and used it as a tool for entering the church.
Besides, it would have been more convincing because my clothes were
really plain like servants.

“Did they put servants in to serve the child of fate?”

Adrian looked at me and murmured,

“Yes, this trip must be hard for you… Go back.”

“…Can I just gwo?” (Can I just go?)

Even though I broke the barrier?

Even an adult would have their brows squeezed in a fiery rage.

“Because it was an accident.”

Adrian was young enough to say that.

He’s four years older than me, so he’s probably eight-years-old right now.
Of course, it’s New Year’s Day in about 15 days, so one could count it as
nine.

‘Let’s get out of here.’

“Kid.”

I tried to go back, but the barrier hit me!

“Ugh…”

‘Boone! If you let me in, you should let me out too!’

[Child… I can’t always act as I want to.]

Boone who didn’t notice said softly.

Then.

A thin beam of light floated up in Adrian’s hand with a small vibration.

And soon there was a small door on the barrier.

I glanced back and said, “This too, thwank you.”

“Bye!”

I waved my hands as if nothing was wrong and left the barrier.

In the distance, I heard Lea voice,

“Where are you, little miss?”

She was looking for me. I wasn’t aware of the change that happened at the
time because I was distracted running towards her.
Chapter 40
“You can’t just go anywhere all alone. You don’t know how worried I was.”

Lea while looking pale with worry, grabbed me by my shoulders and

warned me several times.

I didn’t mean to, it was a bit unfair, but I nodded and replied obediently,
“I’m sowwy.”

“Never, never, be alone in the church, alright?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, then let’s go in.”

Lea opened the door of the carriage.

People with hooded robes lined up in front of the church to greet us. A
young man with the same robe came up to me.

“Nice to meet you, little miss. My name is Urso, I’m responsible for the
third church in the northwest.”

“Hello.”

“You must have had a hard time riding the carriage until sunset. You can
rest today, and tomorrow when the person from the central church arrives,
we will check your divine power.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, I don’t think I’m going to check it today.

‘Before that, I have to be prepared to make some kind of mistake in the
test.’

In view of what happened in the castle not long ago, my divine power is at
least similar to that of a priest under the direct control of the Pope.

‘If this gets known, they’ll try to take me away.’

But it’s already known to many people because of the incident, and I can’t
pretend to be a beggar like before.

So I had to look as normal as possible. It’s a good thing that my divine

power has increased.

‘The question is how to make errors in the test.’

Suddenly, Urso said,

“Let’s go. We have prepared a meal.”

Urso walked ahead and guided me.

The rest of the people from Dubbled, who were accompanying me, looked
around the inside of the church with a small exclamation. For a first-timer,
it really was a wonder.

Ordinary people could enter the chapel built outside but the access for
people to come and see the church inside was strictly limited. It was
because those who did not have any divine power were not allowed to enter.

‘Oh, it’s been a long time since I last came to this church.’

It felt very familiar as I had almost came to live here in my second life.

The people from Dubbled were excited and whispered to each other.
“What do you eat in the church?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll have something great.”

“We can eat, right?”

“I’m sure because the teaching of the church is not to discriminate by rank.”

I looked at them with a pitiful look.

‘I don’t think so… ’

As expected, their expectations broke down as soon as they entered the

dining room.

The meat and fish were full of bad smell.

‘I knew it.’

The church avoids killing.

’Do not eat what is bought, but eat what is naturally dead’ was the way they
ate.

Therefore, one shouldn’t expect delicious food because the quality of the
ingredients are the lowest.

“Come, have a seat.”

Urso sat in the chair as I sat next to him.

“Before we began eating, let us all give a short thanks to God for allowing
us to eat.”

Soon, all of us started to eat.

“Urgh…”

The faces of the Dubbled’s servants, who tasted the food, turned pale.

‘I know, it’s not tasty.’

The reason why the servants felt so disgusted by the food provided by the
church was that the duke was full of money and was generous with his
employee’s meals.

I had become so comfortable with the meals provided there that I wondered
if I could even eat the meals here after such a long time.

With a worried face, I scooped up the fish soup with a spoon and delivered
it to my mouth.

‘Huh?’

It’s surprisingly good enough.

I was hungry and the food was pretty decent, so I finished a whole bowl of
soup.

“You seem to like it. I’m glad.”

Urso grinned.

***

On a particularly dark night.

Lea, who saw me asleep, left the room with an empty glass of water.

As soon as I heard the sound of the door close, I opened my eyes.

[Are you going out? Didn’t you promise not to be alone?]

‘Now is the only time I can get the goddess’s tears for you.’

If Boone didn’t grant me a wish, then he won’t go away. He would continue

to suck out my divine power, and eventually I’ll become a lunatic.

[Child…]

Boone called me sadly.

‘I’m sure there are a lot of people who want your power!’

[Yes! Those who miss their dead parents, lovers, friends, and children try so
hard to awake me!]

‘But, I don’t miss anyone from the grave.’

Rather it was that there was no one who I could miss in the first place.

[If I emerge, I can protect you.]

‘Really? Will you look like a human if you emerge?’

[Yes, and my power will stay the same, but when I am assuming my true
form, I can exude more power.]

‘Why are you using your human form then?’

[Most of the humans are so weak that they go crazy just by looking at a
devil’s true form. Usually the bodies of other devils are too terrible for
human eyes. But I look beautiful even in human eyes.]

He said with a huff.

Those words aroused my curiosity.

‘Then show me.’

[Sure, but I’ll need to pull your divine power by 9 percent…]

I quickly corrected my words.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t think I have to look at it.’

9%.

Large amounts of my divine power was required to maintain his current

form if it got to nine percent, it would drive me crazy in less than half a day.

Carefully leaving the church grounds, I headed for the chapel.

During the meal earlier, I heard people say that the Goddess’s Tears, was on
display. But the chapel was guarded by many knights.

‘Boone, please make sure they won’t see me.’

Soon, I set up a barrier.

I was thinking, if I get caught, I should pretend to be sleepwalking. But the

knights didn’t notice me.

‘Okay, it’s a success.’

I saw a glass tube on the platform and ran. It was much taller than me, so I
grabbed the corners and raised my head.

As I stuck out my head, I caught a glimpse of the beautiful sapphire under

the moonlight.

‘This is it?’

[Yes! This is it!]

Boone exclaimed with great joy.

I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out the wire I had packed in
advance. When I was a beggar, there was no place I could not get through
with this thing.

‘I must unlock it first, and remove the protection.’

It was then.

I heard the door open. I was so startled that I quickly lowered myself in an
attempt to hide myself. I could see red wine-colored loafers worn which
were usually worn by high-ranking priests.

‘I’m in big trouble.’

Just because I set up a barrier didn’t mean that everyone couldn’t see me.
Those with strong divine power could see the existence within the barrier.
In other words, if they were a high-ranking person in the church, it was
likely that they could catch me red-handed.

‘Boone!’

[Yes, child.]

‘Emerge as a human.’

[Huh?]

‘Please attract his attention so that he doesn’t notice me!’

A gust of wind blew through the window. I felt the cold blow over my
shoulders as the curtains fluttered wildly. Boone emerged with a human
body.

‘Go out now!’

If I get caught entering the chapel at this hour, I’ll be locked up in prison.
If Boone gets caught, I’ll have to bring him back. As I got up, the other
person’s feet came to a standstill.

But…

“Are you from Dorie Farm?”

Far from being surprised, he said strange things.

‘Isn’t that Urso’s voice?’

He strode up and stopped in front of Boone.

“You’re a girl worth seeing as I have heard.”

It seemed that Boone was mistaken as a very delicate and beautiful-looking

woman.

That misunderstanding was very much possible in such a dark place.

I would have mistaken him for a woman too if I hadn’t seen that pillar of
fire the other day.

“I have brought the money. If you make me disappointed this time, your
father’s farm will be cut off today.”

What?

‘You extorted money from the residents, and you enjoy a luxurious
life.’

If so, it was understandable how the church food was unusually delicious.
Although they prepared it in a similar fashion to other churches’ food to
show it to the people of Dubbled, it may have been mixed with Urso’s food
because it usually used good ingredients. I glanced up and peeped at Urso
as he approached Boone and squeezed his hands. Then, ‘Gasp!’
Suddenly, he grabbed Boone’s ass and squeezed it.

“Your father must have been in dire need of money seeing that he sent you
in a hurry when he said he couldn’t do so before.”

There was a grin on his face.

Boone stared at Urso, who was rubbing a devil’s ass.

Could one consider Urso unlucky or lucky to be able to touch a devil’s butt?

I was so dumbfounded.

One thing was for sure, that madman was a pervert. Boone’s gaze fell down
on Urso’s hand that was grasping his ass, and then a smile bloomed on his
face.

“Why? Are you already excited?”

Chapter 41
It happened when Boone grinned.

“…Huh?”

Urso’s hand was twisted bizarrely at some point and, Boom—!!!

He flew off and bumped into the wall.

Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!

A crushed chair flew above his head, under his feet, and into his arms. Like
a dart.

It happened so fast there was no time for him to scream ‘Oh wow… ’

I admired what Boone did, but Urso was on the verge of collapsing.

In the chapel, only the footsteps of Boone echoed slowly.

He gazed at Urso, whose face was looking blue with eyes dull.

“Foolish…”

Urso’s eyes grew round. It was only after hearing his voice that he knew,
Boone was a man.

“Is it better for the scrotum to be crushed, or is it better to bend the penis?”

“Wha,what… what…”

“Oh, don’t worry. If you don’t like both, there’s also a way to pop your
buttocks, bastard.”
Urso, who turned pale, looked urgently at the door.

“Ou, out there! Anybody out there?! Hey! Help me!”

He shouted, but it was quiet outside.

‘If someone was coming, they would have come already.’

The presence of the knights in front of the door disappeared when Urso
entered. He must have bribed the knight in the chapel to shut up.

It was causal retribution.

“Who, who, who are you? An assassin sent from Dorie Farm? Or by the
village chief? Uh, it doesn’t matter where you’re from. I’ll give you three
times the gold they paid!”

“You must have saved a lot of money. I don’t know how much you’ve
stolen from the surrounding area.”

But Boone was not impressed at all. He held Urso’s neck up and raised his
other hand. His fingernails stretched long, sharpened like blades.

“Stop!”

I ran out quickly.

Urso’s eyes went wide as if they could fall any time soon.

“Ywo can’t kill him now.” (You can’t kill him now) “But, there are people
in the world who are not worth living.”

“I know but ywo cwan’t (I know, but you can’t.)”

This man was supposed to check my divine power.

If anything happens to Urso ahead of the rechecking, they’ll think that
Dubbled did it to monopolize my divine power.

Boone looked displeased, but soon let go of Urso’s neck.

Urso was dropping down the wall, as he fell to the floor.

“Ch, child of fate?”

Then he looked at Boone like he’s going to tear him apart.

“Oh, so you’re Dubbled’s escort. Why are you here? You dare to try and
hurt a priest?!”

“Seems lwaik this pewsom hasn’t figuwed out the sitwuatuon yet.” (Seems
like this person hasn’t figured out the situation yet.) Urso, who was
shouting with harsh words, looked at me with wide eyes.

He must have realized that I wasn’t just a kid.

“You, you……”

I looked at Boone.

“Bweat him up, but not too mwuch just enough for him to make a
convowsation.” (Beat him up, but not too much just enough for him to
make a conversation) Urso’s face hardened, and Boone’s face brightened.

***

“Dowie Farm, Rotwail, Panjiwene, village chief, Baron Panoch.”

I pinched my fingers, calling out the names of the people Urso had stolen
from.

Then she looked at Urso, who looked pale and tired.

“This is it?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

“You’we lying to me. Awe you joking?”

When he glanced at Boone, Urso flinched and muttered, “To Modeland

Hospital and some of the money lenders…”

He must’ve stolen a lot.

I looked at Boone again. Then Urso shook his shoulder as he was about to
be beaten up again by Boone.

‘Boone, can you make a ‘contract’ even if you didn’t call the devil
yourself?’

I asked inwardly, and Boone answered silently.

[If you don’t need my powers, you can use your divine power to sign a
contract.]

Boone’s speciality was in necromancy. He could call out a dead soul.

“Can the pwiest awso sighn a contwact with the dwevil?” (Can the priest
also sign a contract with the devil?) “Every type of human being can initiate
a contract with me.”

I nodded, as Urso’s face was struck with astonishment.

“De, devil…?”

“Yes.”

“The child of fate calls out the devil. What a terrible thing?!”
“I think you’we no bettew than me, you’we been pocketing people’s
money.”

“How is it worse than calling out a devil?! I will only be dismissed, but you
will be in prison!”

I answered with a smile.

“It’s okay. You will sign a contwact whetew you want it ow not.”

“I must be going crazy… to make a contract with the devil…!”

When Urso shouted, Boone grabbed him and dunked him to the floor.

“If you raise your voice anymore in front of the child, I won’t be patience
with you.”

Urso breathed in and became weak.

I squatted down and looked at Urso.

“Don’t worry. You’we not on the losing side in this contwact.”

“Wha, what can I get if I sign a contract?”

“You can’t die here and you can go out.”

I laughed brightly.

“Look, it’s not your loss, is it?”

He couldn’t say a word, and his expression was dim.

I looked at Boone.

“Give me a contract.”
Boone looked a little dissatisfied. But soon he sighed.

I told him the contents of the contract.

1.Urso can’t tell anyone what happened in the chapel today and the identity
of Leblaine.

2. Urso has to give back all the money he has taken from his people.

3. When all the contract conditions are kept, Leblaine will not kill Urso.

“One last thing.”

I whispered a fourth condition in his ear.

***

The next day.

I dozed off while Lea clothed me.

“Are you tired?”

Lea asked with a worried look on her face, so I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to go to the medical centre?”

I quickly shook my head.

“It’s okay, I just feel sweepy.” (It’s okay, I feel sleepy) “We’ll go back to
Dubbled this evening. I’m going to take out a new comfy blanket for you.”

“Give me stawbewwies, too.”

When I spoke earnestly, Lea smiled and kissed my cheek.

“I’ll put a lot of cream on it.”

Exciting!

I clasped Lea’s hand, shouting “Hooray” inside.

When I stepped outside, the priests from the central church had already
arrived.

“We finally meet, little miss.”

When the two priests greeted me, the young priest looked at them in
amazement.

“Wow…”

In a brief summary of the church of the Wigentra Empire.

The pope and cardinal were placed in the Vatican.

The central church was protected by 21 priests and small and medium-sized
churches stretched like tree trunks throughout the empire.

The position of Priests belonged to neither commoners nor nobles.

Even though someone was born a commoner, they enjoyed the right of a
nobleman if they became a believer.

Among such priests, the central church, where only the most outstanding
people were selected, was the object of admiration.

Back then, everyone found out that I was a fake, so I didn’t know that the
priests of the central church could behave like this.
‘Until my 9th birthday, I was treated nicely.’

I was even taken to the Vatican once just because I fell and scraped my
knee.

However, when I failed to improve my divine power to the level they

wanted on my ninth birthday, their attitudes changed.

They were totally disappointed, not a single man, even in the church,
regarded me as the child of fate.

It was around that time that the Duke of Vallua began to abuse me.

We headed to the front room for the recheck.

Urso was there in advance.

Priests from the central church, who saw him wearing a bandage, clucked
their tongues.

“Please be more careful on this important day…”

Urso looked at me with a gaze that contained a lot of emotions, but soon
avoided my eyes when I glared.

As soon as I went up to the circular platform that was present in the room,
the priest of the central church said, “We’ve checked your divine power
before. If you sit still and count until 100, it’ll be over soon, so don’t
worry.”

The priest said soothingly.

Behind me, Lea made a clenched fist to cheer me on.

Two of the central church’s priests and Urso encircled the platform. With
one knee bent, the bowed ones began to pray. My body was getting hotter,
and I swallowed.

***

After the checking, the faces of the priests who left the room were bright. It
was a clearly different scene from my first life when my divine power
hovered at the bottom.

“I was really worried that the child of fate may lack divine power. Finally,
her divine power improves, I’m glad.”

“I’ll hurry back and tell them the good news.”

The central church priests emphasized Urso’s role as the leader of the
northwest church.

The church in the northwest was in a festive mood after the priest of the
central church returned back to vatican.

As long as the child of fate was real, the status of the northwestern church
could be compared to the central church.

“If only the child of fate grows safely, wouldn’t we be able to move her to
our side?”

“No problem. But the first beneficiary would be the central church.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for Urso, to be the first beneficiary?”

“Yes, now all the churches around here must be bent on taking over that
child’s education. We need to secure her first–“

But Urso went into the room, closing the door roughly without answering.

The priests shook their heads, clucking their tongue.

“In the meantime, Urso…”

“Yes, he doesn’t seem to know what’s important.”

“It’s lamentable.”

Urso, who was listening to the voices of the priest outside the door,
violently struck the desk.

‘I need to be the beneficiary? Bullshit!’

If they know what I did back then, I would be taken to a trial.

‘I manipulated the child of fate’s result!’

Chapter 42
Urso did something that could be criticized for generations.

‘The divine power inherent in the child was even more than before.’

Like a lake with spring water, her body was filled with purity and divine
power.

He couldn’t confirm the exact amount, but at least 21 priests in the central
church- no, it was a tremendous divine power comparable to a cardinal.

And all of that while maintaining the devil.

What’s even more bizarre was that the terrible girl knew how to manipulate
the divine verification.

“Fabricate the result? That can’t be possible!”

“Vewificatwion is a way to cweck how much my divine powel is. But what if
you draw my divine powel towads you during the verification? So in the
end, my divine power will not be enormous ” (Verification is a way to check
how much my divine power is. But what if you draw my divine power
towards you during the verification? So in the end, my divine power will
not be enormous.) As confident as they were, the priests did not notice their
tricks.

“Evil Bitch.”

‘Do you think I will silently keep suffering like this?’

Urso’s eyes shone wickedly.

‘1. Urso can’t tell anyone what happened in the chapel today and the
identity of LeBlaine.’

One of the contract’s clauses from yesterday was this.

‘In other words, if I don’t tell what happened at the chapel yesterday
—’

Urso’s lips curled up.

“Krux!”

When he shouted, an old man with a broad back came in.

“Ha, have you called? Ur, Urso.”

“Come here and write a letter to tell them something before the priests
arrive.”

“Ho, how should I write the letter?”

When Urso explained the whole situation, Krux said, “Ah!” and nodded
quickly.

“The child of fate lessened her divine power on purpose, would that be
enough?”

Urso grinned at Krux’s words.

It was Krux who repeatedly sent fake letters to the system to extort money
from the people around him.

They were in perfect harmony without saying much.

As Krux finished the letter and grabbed the doorknob, Urso beckoned him.
“Bring in girls to a few bedrooms before you leave the church.”

“Wh, who shall we go with?”

“Young girls taste good.”

Seeing Krux scurrying out, Urso raised his lips.

‘Who dares to threaten whom.’

So far, their level of intelligence seemed to be a lot different.

The moment her limbs get torn in the church, she will realize who she had
touched and would come to regret the arrogance she had shown previously.

Urso left the room with a smirk.

After a while, Urso opened a bedroom door and went in.

Krux had placed the girl on the bed.

Urso closed the curtains and approached the bed.

“This girl has no sense. You should have taken off your clothes before I
came–“

Suddenly, a sharp fingernail pierced through his chest.

“I got bored while waiting for you, old man.”

“AAGH—!”

Red blood dripped on his back pierced by the sharp fingernails.

“Wh-,why… Promise, you had promised to keep me… Aliv…”

At Urso’s words, Boone answered as he twisted his hand further.

“The promise…”

“It meant that the child wouldn’t kill you, but I never said that I would spare
you.”

The staggering Urso shuddered and collapsed.

“It is natural for molesters and sexual assaulters to die,” Leblaine had said
so before.

***

Boone arrived at the chapel where I was waiting with a bright smile.

“I’ve done all the work you told me to do.”

Then he handed over a letter.

I opened the envelope and quickly went through what was written.

It was a statement about the child of fate’s divine power.

‘He behaved as I expected.’

I shrugged my shoulders and burned the letter with the lighted candle
placed in the chapel.

“As you said, I met his assistant and moved him to the pervert’s room.”

A man named Krux was forced to follow Urso’s words, and Boone tried to
save him.

However, Krux’s face, who left the room with the letter, was clearly happy.
“Thi, this time I can buy a big house and leave.”

“Good job.”

With a proud expression, Boone grinned.

“Little miss is very clever.”

Boone was strangely naive, even though he was a devil.

‘Then.’

She opened a box and a piece of jewelry came into her view. She had made
Urso unlock it yesterday, so the possibility of something being wrong with
it was unlikely.

It was the Goddess’s tears. She took it out of the box and went back.

With this, she could send Boone back and she also won’t be taken to the
central church. In the process, she had also dealt with a bad guy.

‘It’s killing three birds with one stone.’

When I thought that, Boone said,

“You’re so wicked, just like the devil! As expected, you’re evil enough to
call me. I hope you will continue to do your best and become even more
evil.”

When I saw his eyes glistening with satisfaction I was a little dumbfounded.

***

The northwest church was in turmoil.

Urso, the church’s leader, was found dead, and his servant, Krux, was
named the murderer.

In addition, Kruk’s confession was carried out, and Urso’s sins were fully
revealed.

Some even said that Urso was responsible for the Goddess’s tears’
disappearance.

It was he who had terminated the barrier, so it was only a matter of time
before it was confirmed.

“Little miss, a problem came up, so we couldn’t get permission to get out.”

Lea said with a troubled look.

Before Krux admitted to his sins, they couldn’t get anyone out of the
church.

It was within my prediction so I nodded.

“If I tell the master this news, he’ll take care of it soon. Please wait and play
with the soldiers here for a while.”

“Yes.”

“If you behave nicely when we go back to the castle, I’ll give you ten
strawberries.”

“Yes!”

When I answered loudly, Lea laughed and left the garden.

I took a walk in the church’s garden while the soldiers followed me around.
The child in me wanted to run like a wild horse in this huge garden, but I
held back and walked slowly.

“Little miss always behaves well.”

When a Dubbled’s servant said that, I responded with a storm of nods.

‘Yes, I behave nicely, so please tell Lea when she comes back.’

Then Lea will give me 10 strawberries with cream on them.

I laughed brightly.

But it was strange.

As I walked forward, I saw marks of water on the dry grass, and my bag
became wet like it was raining.

‘Huh?’

It was wet like this, but there was no mud on my shoes.

I blinked as I thought I saw something, and I was amazed.

It was the fish made of water that I saw yesterday.

“Fish………!”

As I shouted unintentionally, the servants and soldiers looked up at me.

“What?”

Usually, people might get surprised seeing a fish like this, but they were
quiet.

[It seems like the others can’t see it.]

‘I think so.’

The fish swirled around me, wagging its tail.

‘You want me to come with you? Where to? Did something happen to
their master, Adrian?’

[It’s none of your business.]

Boone was right. There’s no need for me to care.

But.

But…

‘It is hard because my mind, which was of a child’s, still has a

conscience.’

I looked back at the servants and soldiers as I sighed deeply.

“I want to pway hide and seek.” (I want to play hide and seek.) I put my
hands together and looked up at the people of Dubbled with a desperate
expression.

This was my special move that had even captured Dubbled’s family.

“Hide and seek, right now!”

“Hurry up!”

Nodding satisfactorily, I pointed to the man who had to be gone if I wanted

to go look for Adrian.

“The lwieutenant genewal will be the twagger, count to a hundwed.”

(The lieutenant general will be the tagger. Count to a hundred.)”

“Yes!”

The lieutenant general, who answered as if he was under the command of

the Duke, hide his face while turning towards a tree and shouted, “One,
two, three—“

I ran in a rush.

‘Lea said she’d give me ten strawberries if I behave well.’

I won’t let those fishes go if it turns out to be nothing.

The place where the fish were headed was in front of the huge wooden
floor.

Adrian was sitting alone while holding something.

Another fish made of water lay still in his hand.

‘It’s made of divine power.’

Like the pair of fish that came to pick me up.

I wondered if Adrian was seriously injured, or it could be that his divine

power was diminishing, but it looked like it was time for the fishes to
disappear.

Something created by the condensation of divine power does not last long.

It disappears just as the power is scattered into nature.

His eyes were blank and seemed worn out.

I crouched down carefully and looked at him.

“Ywo can cweate it awgain.” (You can create it again) So don’t make that
face.

It bothers me when a child has such an expression.

Adrian looked up at me.

“……How?”

Adrian quieted down.

Excuse me, making a barrier, and making things from divine power was
different.

You could learn how to make a barrier from a church or a book, but no one
teaches you how to make things from divine power.

It is useless because it is not as sturdy as a real human being or animal.

Even if it was created by a priest, it could only last for three days. Above
all, it took a lot of hard work.

“How did you make the thing?”

When asked, Adrian looked at the fish that was in his hand.

“I just… woke up and it was next to me.”

“When?”

“In the morning when I was recovering from Rubella.”

“You’re sending our kids to Prince Adrian’s birthday party? My God,

honey! Would you like to see our kids in the eyes of Empress Yvonne? The
prince got rubella!”

I remembered the words of the Duchess Vallua.

‘If it’s rubella, it happened when this kid was six years old.’

There’s no way I could’ve misheard that.

‘So, you kept the fish for two years?’

Usually, no matter how long, a week is the limit. Indeed, he owns a huge
amount of power to be appointed as the youngest cardinal.

Adrian looked at me.

“Can you save it again?”

Boone grumbled at the boy’s words.

[He is a strange human being. Why did he focus his mind on something that
is made with divine power? Child, let’s go back.]

Boone tried to persuade me, saying,

[Your ten precious strawberries are disappearing.]

But I couldn’t move easily.

There is only one case in which a child who does not own a friend can
create a thing. It was because they were desperate enough for it.

Adrian must have been desperately hoping for someone’s company when he
suffered.

The empress and his maternal grandfather regarded their grandson as just a
tool of power.

The emperor did not take care of his son, and many people repeatedly
plotted against him. No one spoke to the child trapped all alone in the great
palace. Neither did someone reach their hand out to him nor did anyone
want the child to live.

That’s why he had created those things unconsciously.

‘Just as I did in my first life.’

Of course, I wasn’t as strong as Adrian at the time, so they disappeared in

less than an hour.

I remembered crying silently under a blanket because of their

disappearance.

I’m sure Adrian feels the same right now as I did back then.

I reached out to him carefully.

Chapter 43
She shook her head.

“I can’t swave it.” (I can’t save it.)

“Then tell me how to make it again.”

“But it’ll be diffewent from Amy*. (But it’ll be different from Amy.)”

Tl note: Amy is the fish’s name.

Adrian’s gaze fell to the floor.

I recalled the memory of his past self. It was him who first rode a horse in
the victory march of the Holy War.

The intense dignity he bore could be felt even before his beautiful
appearance came into someone’s eye.

I had vaguely thought no one could hurt him.

But the child I was seeing now was engulfed in sadness. To the point where
just looking at him made a person’s heart ache.

“But we can make a grave for them.”

When I spoke in a small voice, Boone was restless, saying, [Child, ten
strawberries!], But I pretended that I didn’t hear it.

Adrian looked up and stared at me, I didn’t avoid his eyes.

***
“I’ll dig dweeper.”

Adrian looked at the girl pointing at the ground while holding Amy
carefully in one hand.

“How long awe you gonna dig. Come hewe.”

The girl brushed off Adrian’s hand, as she gave Amy back to him to hold.

Then she squatted down and dug up the soil. Within minutes, a hole twice
the size of the one Adrian had made could be seen.

“Now it looks like a burial ground.”

She was a really weird kid.

She dug as well as a farmer.

The child had never seen anyone be so kind to him either.

‘But.’

But if she knows who I am, she’ll act differently.

Everyone did.

The royal family, the nobles, and even the palace men considered him like
an eyesore.

An eyesore that was scary to touch, and annoying.

As the emperor’s eldest son, and being constantly checked on by Empress

Yvonne, the eldest daughter of duke Marche, Adrian felt uncomfortable.

He was physically alive yet, at the same time he didn’t feel alive.
So if she knew who he was, everything would be different.

The gaze that looked at him with a litter in it would be darkened with fear,
and her lively eyes were bound to be grim. I felt sorry, but I thought I
should say it sooner.

“I am the eldest son of the imperial family.”

“Is twat so?”

“I said I was the child of the dead empress, but I,…”

“So?”

Adrian was speechless.

Strange.

She should have been surprised.

Even if she doesn’t know about their complicated political relations, it’s
normal to be afraid of the word imperial family.

Adrian looked at her with strange eyes, and the child snorted.

“Is that important now?”

“…Huh?”

“If it doesn’t mattew, lets bury them.” (If it doesn’t matter, let’s bury them.)
The child pulled his hand.

Suddenly, Adrian sat down with the child, and let the pair of fish, which had
become completely turned back into water, rush into the pit.

The child patted over the water instead of Adrian.

“Now, let’s pway.” (Now, let’s pray)

Adrian stared at the child who had both of her hands and eyes tightly
closed.

“Pwease let us be togwether for a long time in the next life.”

“………”

“Even if we fight and get angry, let us be next to each other in the nwext
life,”

“………”

The child gently looked at Adrian’s eyes.

“Let this cwild be happy.”

It was as if she was talking to himself.

He couldn’t say anything and looked at the child. Adrian couldn’t tell why
his eyes were moist. Just to be clear, this was the first time he thought he
would never forget the name of a person.

***

After burying the fishes and praying, I got up from my seat.

“Are you going?”

Adrian held my hand and asked me, so I replied, “Yes.”

“…Come again?”

“Huh?”
“…Please come again.”

His eyes were looking at me.

“Yes, well.”

“But if you don’t come,…”

Adrian’s eyes twinkled. His long eyelashes glistened under the sunlight.

‘Wow… ’

He is indeed a beauty that could rival the Dubbleds.

Even though my aesthetic sense had become accustomed to many kinds of

beauty, my heart was still pounding “Now we’re fwiends. And fwiend keep
their promises. So, see you someday.”

“Friends…”

I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at the sight of Adrian muttering several
times because he was so cute.

After that, I waved my hand to say goodbye, turned around, and ran away.

‘I’m late, too late!’

I had come here under the pretext of playing hide-and-seek, but half an hour
had already passed.

As I headed for the garden, I heard a voice shouting, “Where are you, little
miss?!”

The soldiers and servants were frantically looking for me.

“Blaine is hewe!”
I jumped and shouted, and the people came running.

“Oh my god…”

Lea was relieved at the sight of me.

“Where have you been? I was so surprised that I couldn’t find you no
matter how hard I looked.”

The place where I was is not far from the garden, but if they couldn’t find
me, then it was probably because Adrian had built a barrier.

I replied, “I’m wong…” (I’m wrong…)

Lea sighed and shook the dirt off my skirt.

“It’s okay because you are safe. But please don’t do this next time.”

“Yes.”

“We have permission to go. Now let’s go back home.”

When she said so, I nodded with a bright expression.

[Strawberry! Little miss, ask if she’ll give you ten strawberries.]

I looked up at Lea.

“Lea, ten stawbewwies?”

“That…”

Lea’s eyes narrowed.

“You broke your promise, so I’m only going to give you five.”
Oh my god.

As a shocked expression came upon her face, laughter exploded all around
her.

***

I could only get five strawberries, but I felt pretty good.

The money that Urso had borrowed was returned to the original owners, but
quite a lot of money was left even after the handover.

‘There are 6,000 francs.’

Seria’s capture reward was 30,000 francs, meaning the total amount of
money I currently had was 36,000 francs.

‘Now, I have to keep searching for earnest money-making ways so that

I can find a place to live later on.’

I knew about a few good things I could invest in.

The problem was I’m too young to contact an investment target.

This was the reason why I lived in poverty when I was a beggar.

Of course, I had to live as quietly as I could because I didn’t want to stand

out, but I couldn’t invest because of this.

‘I need an adult to help me.’

Seria was also an option, but she had limitations because she had the label
of a criminal now. She was still alive but had to stay under imprisonment.

I couldn’t keep relying on Boone for help. My divine power was

inadequate, so it would not be possible for me to maintain his form for the
next five days.

‘I need to decide when to use Boone’s powers.’

It’s an ability I don’t really need, but it’s a shame to not use it.

While I was thinking about that, the carriage stopped. We had arrived at the
Dubbled’s Castle.

As soon as the door opened, Henry and Isaac approached me.

“Why did you come back so late?”

When Isaac brought his face too close and questioned me, Henry pushed
him aside and hugged me.

“You had a hard time, didn’t you?”

Then Isaac took me away and held my hand.

“I asked the chef to prepare your favorite meat.”

Henry turned to the other side to argue with Isaac while directing his
question at me.

“Wouldn’t eating late at night be bad for your health? I think you’d rather
have a simple meal on the terrace and a delicious breakfast tomorrow.”

“It’s unhealthy to not eat.”

“The child is weak. Don’t compare her with monsters like you.”

They tried to take me away from each other’s grasp, as my eyes went as
wide as saucers.

“Ow…”
I groaned and then I was suddenly brought in the Duke’s arms.

“Don’t fight.”

When the Duke spoke sternly, Henry and Isaac looked at each other with
discontented faces, but soon replied, “Yes,…”

‘Oh, I’ll be able to live after all.’

It was difficult being stuck between the two of them because the trip was
tiring and I was working hard to keep Boone quiet.

I leaned my face in the arms of the duke.

I was so tired but I had to greet them.

“I’m bwack.”

Then the duke, Henry, and Isaac’s gaze all softened.

“Yes.”

“Welcome.”

“Let’s get inside.”

Having been here for a few months it really felt like I was back home.

***

On the next day, I got the strawberries Lea promised me for lunch.

When I looked with glistening eyes at the strawberries full of whipped

cream, Boone rejoiced, saying, [Good for you, my dear.]

Lea gave me a bib and took some strawberries out of the bowl.
“…Three, four, five.”

“Lea, I lwike you.”

When I kissed Lea on her cheek as a token of gratitude, the maids were
squealing.

“Little miss, I helped Lea put on the cream.”

And then Dahlia put out her cheek.

“I picked the strawberries too.”

Linda came close to me.

“Do it for me too please.”

Yuni tilted her head towards me.

I kissed them on the cheek once more and picked up the fork again.

[I can get you some milk, too.]

‘What?’

[I can also pick strawberries. Should I emerge?]

“……”
Chapter 44
As I inclined my head, Boone became sullen.

Why did he get depressed again? I jabbed at the strawberries with a fork,
wondering what to do with this devil.

When I put a lot of whipped cream in my mouth, I was entranced with the
flavourful combination of sour & sweet, and the delicate taste.

‘I don’t think I’ll get tired of this.’

When I put the last remaining strawberry in my mouth with a lament, the
door opened.

It was Isaac.

“Let’s go see the presents!”

Presents?

Henry, who followed in, said, “Don’t be surprised,”

As he tenderly wiped the whipped cream off my mouth.

“What pwesent?”

When I asked him, Isaac giggled.

I felt strangely uneasy.

I stared between both of them as I went along to see the present.

Returning gift?… It can’t be.

Children’s Day is over, so toys won’t be it.

My birthday is still far away.

So what present were they talking about?

After I arrived at my destination, I wasn’t feeling anxious for nothing.

In front of the duke, numerous vassals stood with their heads bowed.

“Kill us, little miss!”

“Save us, little miss!”

One side cried out for the punishment of death while the other side begged
for help.

I turned my eyes and stared at the Duke, Henry, and Isaac.

The Duke looked at me with a look in his eyes as if he liked what was going
on, and Isaac looked proud.

“What is this…?”

“These are the people who previously tried to make the duke adopt Cattlea
Waltson.”

Upon hearing Isaac proudly answer, I looked at them again.

Some had cuts and bruises. Most of them were fine, but if they were
pressured any more than this then they would probably faint.

“So, this…”

As I murmured, Isaac said, “Ah,” and grinned.

“How many of you are missing? That’s right, exactly three missing, two in
the torture chamber, and one for the whole castle too see every month as an
example.”

I expected to see the day when these people would eventually pay the price
for their actions But I never wanted something like this.

“Dyuke, and Henly, Isyac.”

Three people looked at me as I muttered their names.

“Yes.”

“Should I have just cut everyone’s throat?”

At Isaac’s words, their faces became even more pale.

“No!”

I said while grimacing.

“I’ll hwate you if you kwill them.” (I’ll hate you if you kill them) The three
people whom those words were addressed to were astonished.

***

“I don’t want twis, I don’t want gwift. Tell them to gwo home!” (I don’t
want this, I don’t want gifts. Tell them to go home!) As of a beacon of light
had shined upon them, the punished vassals were profoundly moved by
Leblaine’s word trying immobilize the duke and the brothers.

Two days ago, after Leblaine was sent to the church, the people in the
Dubbled were devastated.

All those involved in the Cattlea Walston case were brought to the castle.
“Your-, Your Excellency. Why were we brought here?”

As someone finally managed to speak out loud but with a shudder, Henry
smiled sweetly and looked at them.

“You have done a crime punishable by death.”

“It, It’s ridiculous! We just couldn’t see the child of fate controlling the
Dubbleds! So, we would rather have a blood relative, Cattlea—!”

They dared to say that because they thought the Dubbleds wouldn’t dare to
touch them.

All of them were descendants of prestigious families with jurisdiction, who

had long served for the Dubbleds, so they could not be easily touched.

“AGGHH—!”

……They thought he wouldn’t touch them.

Until one of the elder’s wrists was cut off.

Theodore Dubbled had led the family for five years. Only then did the
vassals become accustomed to peace.

They forgot that, that man was a wicked one who slaughtered his brothers
and brought down his mighty ancestor.

“Your head will be rolling down from a hill soon.”

When the duke spoke languidly, the vassals, with pale complexions,
plunged their heads onto the floor at once.

And this was how the current situation came to be.

The duke and the brothers had been doing all sorts of things to them for
several days. They were putting all sorts of offences on their heads.

[Embezzlement of funds]

It was only three francs.

[Receiving bribery at the shopping centre.]

The owner of the flower shop gave them a piece of tulip flower each.

Those were the ridiculously minor crimes, but it was enough to make the
vassals shudder.

It was so trivial that they had forgotten about it, but it meant that the Duke
knew everything that no one else knew about.

In other words, all the vassals were in the duke’s sight.

He deliberately listed minor crimes. I wondered if they had no choice but to

die like this. But,…

“But kid, they‘ve treated you badly.”

When Isaac said so, Leblaine answered firmly.

“Ywo can’t kwill people because of that.” (You can’t kill people because of
that) Next to him, Henry also persuaded me.

“You have to pull out the bad roots. That’s how it works, Leblaine.”

“A pewson is not a thing.” (A person is not a thing) The Duke stretched out
his hand, calling out “Blaine.”

“No.”
“Why?”

Leblaine frowned, as she looked around the three restless people.

“I’m not gwoing to pway with Dyuke, Henly, and Isyac again.”

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

When they saw the three hard-headed men looking as if they had been hit
by a bolt out of the blue, they were stunned.

“Ahh, Little miss…”

It was not wrong to say that she had given hope to all of them.

The little miss was so kind!

***

The people were released unharmed.

In front of the castle, the cries of their families for the fear that their
children, husbands, and parents would die were heard.

“Honey, wife! I was so afraid!”

“Father, are you okay? Is your body aching? What a relief, your neck is
intact!”

But Boone was dissatisfied.

[Why would you let them live when they deserved to die?]
‘It wasn’t severe enough a crime from them to pay with their deaths.’

They didn’t abuse a child like Teramore nor force a woman like Urso.

And most of all, I understood why they tried to drive me out.

Some people tried to get Cattlea to enter the Duke’s house, because there
was definitely a position empty for Dubbled.

I am the child of fate, who was founded by the church, and it is very
dangerous for me to take full control of the Dubbled.

Above all, Dubbled’s status would plummet if he was swayed by a

commoner, with a fake title.

‘And if we had killed them all, the chairman would have stepped in.’

The strongest chairman, Noanoke

[Who is he?]

‘Um to put it simply… a very scary person?’

The reason why the ancestors, who were famous for their tyranny, gave
people to the Senate was not just because they were required to.

The bigger reason was that the chairman of the senate was Jean Marc
Noanoke.

Noanoke had a strong bond with the nobles of the senate, and even the
church gave priority to his words over the Dubbled’s direct descendant.

[Why does he have so much power?]

‘When it comes to the chairman, he’s not just a vassal. He’s number
two in Dubbled’s hierarchy.’
Moreover, in the near future, he would come to own more powerful
connections.

‘But why is it so quiet these days?’

I should’ve stepped forward another time.

As soon as I was thinking about it, the brothers, who had been wary of me,
came towards me.

“Kid, are you still mad…?”

“Leblaine do you want to go for a walk?”

Sitting on the sofa, I looked at them from the corner of my eye They had
become sullen.

“Next time, you won’t tweat people like that wight?”

The two of them visibly brightened.

“We won’t!”

“Yes.”

I sighed and came down from the sofa.

“Let’s take a walk.”

“Shall we go to the garden?”

“How about the greenhouse?”

I left the room with the brothers, who looked like they were wagging their
invisible tail.
After a small debate, the three decided to take a walk in the garden.

It was because Isaac insisted strongly that there was a flower he wanted to
show me.

Coming out into the garden, I was surprised.

“Wow—!”

A few days ago, the flower bed, which had been empty, was full of flowers.

The wildflowers, primroses, and violets, were rarely seen flowers in a noble
house’s flower bed. Most of them preferred flowers that were expensive and
hand-sized, like Tulips.

But I preferred wild flowers more. Especially violets, they were my favorite
flowers.

“Bwaine likes this flower!” (Blaine likes this flower!) Isaac was elated.

“I told the gardener to plant it!”

“Twank you.”

Henry smiled excitedly when he smelled the scent.

“Finally an idiot has done something commendable.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Yes, for today I’ll admit you’re not an idiot. But I don’t know about
tomorrow.”

The brothers started bickering again, so I pulled their sleeves.

When they squatted beside me, I gave them a flower ring.

As I expected both of them were surprised.

“Kid, how did you know how to do this?”

“I wearned it at the nuwsery.” (I learned it at the nursery) Isaac looked

curious as to why the nursery taught her to make such flower rings.

While peeling off the tiny dried grass on the flower ring stem, I said.

“Nobles make their newborn babies wear rings.”

“Yes. They are made to wear Ruby rings.”

The rings meant that they needed to grow up healthily until the day the
family seal could be worn by them.

“The commonew make flower rings and put them on theiw fingers.
Children in the nursery don’t have mothers, so the kids there make it
together and wear them.”

“Why do commoners use flower rings?”

“Because it means twhey love you.”

It means that even if you can’t give a child an expensive ruby ring like a
nobleman, your love for a child is no different from a noble’s.

“So, the teacwes (teachers) teach us how to make flower ring-… huh?”

They didn’t even listen to me and stared at the flower ring I had made for
them.

“If a flower ring means love,…”

“Because Leblaine gave us this…”

“We…”

Then, their faces turned red and they clasped the flower ring in their hands.
Chapter 45
Viscount Roman secretly summoned the vassals for a meeting.

“We have to bring Theodore Dubbled down, and kill the child of fate for the
sake of the Dubbled family’s future!”

However, Roman’s words did not appeal to the vassals.

“Is that necessary?”

“What?”

“I’d rather see it as a good thing. We now at least have a leash on the duke.”

“She’s a fake! And a commoner!”

“Well, that’s also a rumor.”

A vassal who said so smiled, and looked at others.

“Did you not witness the kindness of our little miss last time?”

“It was amazing.”

“The increase in her divine powers has also been confirmed. Apparently, the
people from the church are overjoyed.”

“Even among those who are able to wield divine power to experience an
increase in them is very rare.”

The vassals, who had previously stated that they would never acknowledge
Leblaine as a member of the Dubbled family, changed their minds and
heaped all kinds of praises on her.
“No one is as lovely and generous as her.”

“No matter how small a child is, they can always distinguish between evil
and good. It is clear that she’s an angel that has descended from heaven for
she saved us, even though we made her go through all those things.”

“These people…!!! Get a hold of yourself. The little girl is not a child of
fate, but a demon who has disillusioned the Duke!”

The other vassal shouted, “Oho!”

“You’re talking too much!”

“Your life was saved by the little miss, you should be a little grateful!”

The vassals worked together and drove Roman out of the room.

***

After dinner, the Duke summoned me to the office.

As I stood in front of him I stared at him with an oblivious expression on

my face.

I had no idea why he called me for this time.

“Leblaine.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you give me a flower ring?”

“What?”

When I looked at him, he pointed to Henry and Isaac, who were smiling
brightly.
They stretched their hands out all day and kept staring at it saying, “Love in
the Flower language” and “Leblaine’s love” and finally, that fell into the
duke’s ears.

I pointed at the duke’s index finger.

“Dyuke there’s a ring hewe.” (Duke, there’s a ring here.) I said while
pointing to Dubbled’s seal on his index finger.

immediately he removed the ring and threw it at Nos.

“No, there’s no more ring.”

Was it fine to throw it like that…?

It was an amazing sight because in the past, Duke Vallua held the seal
almost like it was his honor.

‘It’s too late to find a violet.’

I was wondering what to do and found a yellow tulip stuck in a vase.

I took it and made a flower ring for him.

The tulip had a thick stem, I couldn’t tie it into a ring, so I changed it to a
bracelet.

“Fwinished.”

After completing the flower bracelet and putting the seal on Nos’s hand, I
sighed.

The Duke glanced gently at the flower bracelet I had made.

‘What if he doesn’t like it after trying it on?’

I don’t know if it resembles a flower ring made of small flowers, but such a
large bracelet looked a bit burdensome.

The Duke looked at the brothers. Then he raised his arm.

“Mine is bigger.”

‘Stop it!’

“That’s twice bigger than yours.”

‘Stop it.’

“Isn’t mine prettier?”

‘Stop that mouth!’

I got second-hand embarrassment from watching his actions.

I panicked and looked at Henry, Isaac, and the others Lea and the maids
looked envious, squeezing their handkerchiefs, and Isaac was angry.

“But I got it first.”

As the child went on, the corners of the duke’s mouth went up. Isaac was
angry and didn’t know what to do.

But Henry was quiet.

‘As expected, Henry is the most normal one here.’

Fortunately, Henry smiled brightly and looked at the duke the Duke.

“Yellow flower means love in vain.”

“…what?”
“The meaning of purple violets in the flower language is love.”

Henry stared at the ring with a gentle gaze while the duke’s gaze hardened.

Following that Isaac gave a bright smile, alternately looking at my purple

violet flower ring and the duke’s yellow flower bracelet.

“Aha, vain love.”

After I saw the Duke glaring at it with a cold gaze, I tried my best to
appease him.

“Bwaine doesn’t understwand flower language.” (Blaine doesn’t understand

flower language) “……”

“I’m going to make flowew ring tommowow. Two!”

The Duke’s expression softened only after I promised to make two of them.

I sat on the duke’s lap and sighed.

Strange.

Why does it feel like I’m raising children?

The Duke gave me a glass of orange juice.

“Drink it.”

He said with a friendly voice.

While I was drinking juice, the Duke fixed my messy hair.

“Are you sick? You’re sweating.”

“No.”
It’s because I was trying to maintain Boone’s form all this while.

The first time Boone appeared, I thought it was going to be hard, yet it was
bearable because I had the Etwal with me always hanging around my neck.

“Your Excellency!”

Viscount Dubos rushed into the room.

“What’s the matter?”

“There is a problem with the spinel mine that’s on the top of Celbon!”

“What is it?”

“The volcano suddenly erupted and the mine got buried under the lava.”

Viscount Dubos continued with a frown.

“Currently… we’re at war with the Kingdom of Kruger, and if we don’t get
enough Spinel, we’re not going to win.”

Kruger was a nation renowned for its powerful army consisting of mages.

Since the mages covered for the Kruger knights from behind, the opponent
must use spinel (a stone that can contain divine power) to build a defense
line for a chance at a counter-attack.

‘This is what happened this year.’

But why were the Dubbleds prepared for the Kruger battle?

It should have been Duke Amity.

‘Did they give up on the right to be a commander because they didn’t

have enough Spinel?’
Eventually, that spinel mine could not be recovered and the price of Spinel
soared.

Even if it was expensive, it could have somehow been procured with the
money the Dubbled family had, but the problem was nobody was able to
secure enough amount that could be supplied to the battlefield.

‘After the Spinel mine was buried, the church became the main
supplier of spinel.’

In the past, the church must have sent spinel to Duke Amity in advance to
keep the Dubbleds in check.

As I recalled all those details, the Duke summoned the vassals at once.

***

The vassals shared their opinions for hours and hours, but there was only
one answer.

To get help from the church that supplied the most spinel besides the
Celbon spinel mine.

Viscount Dubos contacted the church.

As I was sitting on the duke’s lap, I observed the vassals waiting to talk
with the church officials.

A familiar voice came from the magic stone that the magicians had set up.
The one who greeted them was Adolf who was on bad terms with the
Dubbleds.

[I’m sorry to hear about what happened, but we’re also in trouble because
of poor supply and high demand for Spinel.]

On the surface, he looked troubled, but couldn’t hide ridicule from his eyes.
Viscount Dubos tried to contain his anger.

“His Majesty the Emperor himself has issued a war decree to Dubbled.
Without Spinel, this war will kill all of our soldiers.”

[If you really want it, it’s not like there’s no other way.]

“What is it?”

Viscount Dubos’ face brightened.

[If His Excellency directly asks the Pope, how would the Merciful One
reject the request?]

“What?”

The vassals’ faces all hardened.

I took a look at Adolf, who kept smiling gracefully.

‘Adolf’s always been a jerk.’

He regarded the Dubbled, who unlike other families was not afraid of the
church, like a thorn.

By deliberately sending him for the negotiation the church was probably
trying to catch the duke’s weakness.

He doesn’t want to give us spinel anyway, so it’s better to stop.

The Duke stared at the magic stone and tapped the table slowly.

“Nos.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Take Leblaine. It’ll be too much for a kid to hear this.”

“I’m going to go awone, Nos, Dyuke.” (I’m going alone, Nos, Duke) After
saying that, I left the room quickly

I sent Nos back to the conference room and walked the hall all alone to get
back to my room.

‘It’s weird.’

[What’s wrong, child?]

‘I feel like I’m forgetting something.’

I felt it was something about Spinel.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I can’t remember. What was it?’

It happened when I was turning around the corner while worrying about
that.

Crash!

That I bumped into someone.

Sitting up, I rubbed my forehead and raised my head.

“Are you all right?”

When I saw the man who bumped into me, my eyes turned round from
shock.

Though old, he had broad shoulders and a fine wrinkled face.

When he was young, he was probably a man who would have had a bunch
of admirers.
‘He must be the rumored chairman of the senate.’

As he rubbed the dust off his shoulders, the chairman said.

“You must have been surprised.”

“……”

“Come on, I’ll help you up.”

He helped me stand and stared straight at me.

His eyes were sharp, as if he was looking through me.

Since he was a powerful person not on friendly terms with me, I felt very
tense.

I slowly raised my head to meet his gaze.

“You look as lovely as I have heard from the rumors.”

“Twank you?”

When I said thank you as if I was confused, the chairman’s eyebrows went
up.

“Lord Noanoke!”

A familiar voice came from afar.

It was Roman himself, the elder who had tried to drive me away by
influencing the vassals.

He frowned at me as he hesitated.

“What are you doing here? And what kind of tricks are you trying to do…!”
“Stop.”

At the words of the chairman, Roman clicked his tongue.

“Let’s go. The vassals are already discussing about the Spinel case.”

As Roman spoke, the chairman glanced at me,took a few steps and went his
way.

Roman himself grumbled and followed after him.

“What was the child of fate doing here? Ever since she came here, all sorts
of misfortunes have befallen the Dubbled.”

“If you make fun of her at the castle, your tongue will be pulled out.”

I looked at the two and murmured, “Ah!” in a small voice.

‘I remembered.’

Where I had heard about the Spinel story!

Chapter 46
“They said that the dead Noanoke’s son was crazy. He was looking for a
reclaimed site for Spinel, touched the holy tree, was cursed and died.”

“But they said it could all be rumors.”

“What do you mean?”

“In fact, Noanoke’s child was intelligent. At an early age, he became the
head of the Senate. Why would he go crazy?”

I’ve heard such rumors clearly in society.

‘I don’t know if it’s real, but it’s worth checking.’

It is okay to call out the soul with Boone’s abilities, but it is a waste to use
the devil abilities that way.

‘He knows his son best.’

I decided to trust the chairman.

***

The next day, I put my hands on the wall at the corner of the corridor and
looked around.

The meeting lasted from yesterday and barely ended just a moment ago.

I watched the vassals rushing out, but there was no chairman in sight.

‘That means he’s still in the conference room.’

Sure enough, the chairman was walking from the end of the hall as
expected.

I ran to him with a happy look on my face.

“Gwandfather!”

“…Little miss, why did you come all the way here?”

“To see gwandfather.”

“Me?”

He looked at me, narrowing down the middle of his forehead.

“You helped Blaine yesterday. I’m gwoing to say thank you.”

I blurted out the words to him, talking as childish as I could.

He stared at me and opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to.”

“Why?”

I asked him in amazement, and he laughed.

“You lwook so sad, pwease take this.”

This was the most delicious chocolate even in the candy room that the Duke
made. I ate many of it, and there’s only one chocolate left, I let it go.

“Then, shawe with Bwaine.” (Then, share with Blaine.) “You don’t have
to.”
“But you’we skinny, the othew gwanpa has big stomach.” (But you’re
skinny, the other grandpa has big stomach.) “……”

“I’m wowwied.” (I’m worried.)

Although she had a sneaky intention, it was true she was worried because
he was so thin.

The chairman’s wife left the world early, and his only son also followed her
years ago.

Though there were servants in the mansion, no one would have cared for
his health with genuine concern.

Maybe that’s why he looks so skinny.

In addition to that, other vassals said he skipped meals because he’s busy
with meetings several times.

I took off the wrapping paper of the chocolate, cut it in half, and held it out
to him.

The chairman’s eyes glanced at the chocolate for a moment.

Soon, the chairman received the chocolate from me and asked carefully.

“That’s sweet. It’s been years since I’ve had this. I’ve tasted it a few times
while my son was alive.”

‘Yes! Tell me more about your son!’

I quickly talked to him.

“I know. Hwis name is Louis, wight?”

“How do you know my son?”

“He’s vewy smart. Lwike Henly and Isaac.”

“Yes. My son went to the academy at the same age as the brothers.”

This has set the stage for the topic I want.

The chairman seemed happy to talk about his son. Because no one would
have asked about his son.

The chairman is as terrifying as the Duke of Dubbled. No one would have

gone to chat casually with him. I talk to him under the pretext of seeing the
chairman off and asked him about his son in detail.

“Henwy is good at math, Isyac is good at swowdmanship. What is Louis

good at?”

“My son did geology research in college. It’s to examine the nature of the
land.”

“I see.”

“He wasn’t interested in family affairs or politics. I didn’t like it. So I’ve
been pushing him a lot…”

The chairman’s eyes were moist.

Most of the parents who sent their children first regretted it like this.

“He would’ve live more happily if I hadn’t pushed him.”

I held his hand slightly because I felt sorry for him.

“No. Louis loves his fwater.”

“How does the little miss know that?”

“Because Bwaine doesn’t have a mom and dad, so I know.”

I answered casually.

“If the kids with mom and dad fall down, thwey can call their pawents. The
kids who don’t have it can’t. That’s really sad.”

“……”

“Blaine didn’t have anyone to miss. But Louis have. It’s bwetter to have a
mom and dad thwan nothing.”

I looked at the chairman.

“Grandpa loves Louis so much, so Louis loves you vewy much too.”

The chairman’s hand that being held by my hand was strained.

‘Oh, no, this isn’t the time.’

I have to ask about the spinel.

I waved a hand to the chairman, who is staring at me blankly.

“If Louis stwudied the land, do you know what kwind of land the gems are
made from?”

“Yes. He said he found the spinel landfill. It was because he was in a

carriage accident while on the way to check it. If it wasn’t for that, he
would have found it.”

“By the way, people say Louis lied…”

When I asked carefully, the chairman’s eyes were distorted.

“The carriage accident destroyed all the data he had, and I just can’t prove
it.”

“I see.”

“Yes, I still can’t forget my son’s expression who was happy to find Spinel’s
landfill.”

The chairman was a man who put reason before emotion.

If such a person can answer so firmly, he must be convinced that Louis

Noanoke really found the landfill.

‘Then all I have to do is hear it from him myself.’

***

That night.

I lay in bed pretending to be asleep, and only after Lea left the room, I
sneak out of bed.

I looked at my surrounding.

‘All right, there’s no one.’

I caught Etwal and said to myself,

‘Boone, emerge as a human.’

Then a glimmer of light gathered around Etwal in several curves, and a

bouquet appeared before my eyes.

I smiled brightly as I looked with eyes full of anticipation.

“Have ywo been waiting lwong for the jewels?”

“Waiting is fun.”

He tapped me lightly on the cheek with his fingertips…

I took out the goddess’s tears which was hiding in my pocket and held them
out to him.

Boone looked at the jewel in my hand Then he put his hand on his forehead
with the jewels very carefully.

“Finally, my master…”

‘Master?’

I blinked in confusion but Boone bent down and said, “You have granted
my wishes, so I will grant your wish as well. Now, what’s your wish?”

“Cwall Noanoke’s son.” (Call Noanoke’s son.) Boone’s eyes are looking at
me gently.

He kissed me lightly around the eye. At the moment, my head went

spinning. I felt like I was hurting all over.

The white moonlight that came through the window broke down along with
the outline of the Boone. Soon he faded away.

[Someday, little miss… when in need…… Let’s meet again.]

A friendly voice flowed through the room.

And what I saw in front of me–

“Little miss, I’m here.”

It was a chubby man with a bald head.

‘Huuuhh?’

I blinked in astonishment.

I was looking at him, wondering if he was really Noanoke‘s son. Then, he

said while scratching his head.

“I’m Louis Noanoke. I came under your command.”

“Boone, have only just gwo…?”

“There is a completely different flow of time between that place and this
place. It may be a very long time for me, but it may be a blink of an eye for
you.”

When he said so, he asked with an embarrassed look.

“Are you disappointed? Most of the people have that look the first time they
met me.”

“No, I’m not disswapointed. I’m just suwprised.”

The chairman is a handsome man who has a sleek appearance and an

elegant atmosphere.

But Louis Noanoke has a gentle bear aura.

“You look a bit diffewent, but it’s similar if I lwook at you more.”

Louis Noanoke smile at my words.

“Thank you. But why did you find me?”

“Louis, you know well abwout Spinel, don’t you?”

Then his eyes twinkled at once.

“Yes! Spinel on this continent is special. Unlike Spinel elsewhere, it’s
possible to carry the divine power. I did some research to see if it was
because of the difference in the environment. At first, I compared the
density of the soil, and this is really interesting!”

He then lined up a series of difficult explanations. I’ve been listening to his

story for nearly a dozen minutes, and I have no idea what he’s talking
about.

“Jwust to the point!”

“Ah… The habit that my father hated came out again.”

He smiled and scratched his head.

“The conclusion is that there’s a Spinel mine but no landfill.”

“What?”

I opened my eyes in amazement.

“There is no place in the world where the spinel itself is buried. It’s just a
natural metamorphosis.”

He said with his three fingers up

“There are three conditions: a volcano, an Elsa tree habitat, and a divine
power.”

“……”

“In places that fit these three, the rock is transformed into spinel with a
certain probability.”

Oh my god.
So you’re saying that if you just bury the rock in the ground, you’ll be able
to generate Spinel indefinitely?

Is this how it feels to find a mine that won’t run out of diamonds?

Louis Noanoke said to me with an ecstatic expression.

“Currently, there is only one undisclosed location that meets the conditions.
In the Dubbleds.”

‘I got a jackpot.’
Chapter 47
Roman’s gaze looking at the chairman was not nice.

‘What the hell is he thinking?’

Today he heard that the child of fate and him walked together in the castle
with quite a friendly atmosphere.

The chairman, who walked with the child of fate, was rarely comfortable,
but he does look so there.

‘It doesn’t make sense. That is Jean Marc Noanoke.’

He was too cold even for his only son.

Some even argued that his son, Louis Noanoke, might actually committed
suicide.

The child of fate could not have made him feel comfortable.

‘Is he thinking of doing something to the child of fate?’

Roman hopes went up.

Then it was a good thing.

He was eager for a rift between the chairman and the Duke of Dubbled.

In his early days, the Senate was a powerful force within Dubbled.

Before his son’s death, the chairman came forward and sought the Senate’s
interests.
However, after his son died and Theodore Dubbled took over the Dukedom,
the chairman behaved like a toothless tiger.

It was not that he had no interest in the Senate’s gains, but he did not want
to come forward and keep Theodore in check while regaining his former
glory.

“Chairman.”

At Roman’s call, the chairman looked at him with a dry look.

“If you’re willing to take this opportunity, I’ll help you from the back.”

“Cut to the chase, say it.”

When asked what he was talking about, Roman smiled, thinking, ‘You
didn’t know.’

“Will Spinel be used only in the fight against Kruger? Defences with Spinel
in certain battles are essential to the military. The Duke’s military might be
weakened if the church doesn’t hand out the Dubbled Spinel.”

“So?”

“Didn’t you have a connection in the church?”

“……”

“If you bring Spinel without knowing it, our forces will laugh at the power
of the Duke.”

“Do you mean to wage a civil war?”

Roman shrugged his shoulders with a limp face.

“It means that the Senate needs to have the power to resist the Duke’s
madness. “

When the chairman was silent, Roman came close to him.

“Until when should we be subjected to the Duke?”

“It’s true that I have connection in the church, but they can’t help us easily.”

“You have the child of fate.”

Roman smiled and looked out of the window at the castle Dubbled.

“She’s also been reassessed, so the Vatican will somehow want to bring the
child back. There’s nothing they can’t do if you’re using her to trade.”

Roman spoke excitedly.

“This is what I think. Kidnap the girl, put her in slavery, and talked to the
church. If the church regains the child, the duke who neglects the care of
the child will be taken away, and the church will secure the child–“

It was then.

Knock, knock.

the butler came in.

“Master, I have a letter from the castle.”

“Is it the duke?”

“The seal of the letter is not the Duke’s seal.”

It’s not the duke’s seal, but a letter came from the castle.
The narrow-eyed chairman received the letter from the butler with much
suspicion.

Yet, what he saw when he opened the envelope was a crooked child’s
handwriting.

[We invite Jean Marc Noanoke to Leblaine’s first tea party. The cookie
crumbs look like dirt, but they are not a dirt. Please come yourself.]

The chairman’s eyes trembled when he saw letter with no date or place
written on it.

“Father, the crumbs of a cookie look like dirt. But why aren’t they like
dirt?”

How did she.

How does a child of fate know what his dead son said in his childhood?

“Chairman?”

But the chairman rose silently, putting letters into his jacket.

“Prepare the carriage!”

Roman himself looked puzzled at the chairman as he hurried out.

***

I kissed the maid Yuni ten times.

It was the price for delivering my invitation to the chairman in secret.

“Please do it here, too.”

“Just ten kisses.”

“Give me the interest!”

The interest is taken care of wonderfully because a certain someone is a

former loan shark.

I kissed Yuni on the opposite cheek.

“Done?”

“Yes~”

She hugged me with a happy face, and left the room.

‘Now then, all we have to do is wait.’

I waited for him at the gazebo in the corner of the garden for easy
conversation when the chairman came.

And when the sun was all set, the chairman came to me.

He was gasping for breath, he was looking for me perhaps for a long time.

“How, how did you know the story?”

Without greeting, he said to the point. His voice seemed to be in great

impatience.

I jumped off the gazebo chair and looked up at the chairman.

“I’m gwoing to ask you befowe that.”

“Speak.”

“Gwanpa, how much do you miss youw son?” (Grandpa, how much do you
miss your son?) “If you cwould see Louis again, would you want to pay any
price?”
He looked at me with a stiff face and said,

“I’ll sell my soul.”

‘All right, I waited for the words.’

I grab the Etwal a little. The chairman frowned at me.

“Now answer my question. How the hell do you know that story–!”

“You can’t yell at the child…”

A slightly timid voice was heard behind the pavilion.

The chairman’s pupils dilated, and soon his eyes gazed at me.

As if he couldn’t believe it.

He turned his head slowly.

“Father…”

Louis Noanoke smiled weakly at his pale father.

The chairman just stared at his son without saying a word to him.

“What did you do? Was it the duke or someone else who told you to mock
me?”

His eyes were still shaking as he spoke with incredible coldness.

Louis bite his lips as if he was trying to hold back tears, he looked at his
father again.

“I asked you to eat pancakes together first, and I’m sorry I couldn’t keep the
promise.”
The chairman’s face turned sour when a story only he and Louis knew came
out of his mouth.

The chairman’s shoulders, which had always been overwhelmingly broad,

have shrunk, and wrinkles have grown all over his face.

It was not the image of a powerful man in charge of the Senate. It was an
old and lonely father who lost his son.

“……”

I pulled on Louis sleeve, which couldn’t say a word.

“Say swomething. Quickly!”

“……”

“It’s vewy hard to keep youw soul. It’s going to be gone soon!”

She had already lost all her strength after Boone went away, and she was
forced to maintain his soul for the chairman who missed his son so much.

As Louis approached carefully, the chairman gritted his teeth.

“…you ugly.”

‘Oh? No, this isn’t it!’

I opened my eyes wide with astonishment, and the chairman punched

Louis’s shoulders and chest.

“You ugly son! You ugly son…!”

“……”
“You’ve been so mean all your life that you’ve let me down! You ugly
bastard! Why did you leave me behind first!”

The chairman’s face got wet.

Louis couldn’t say a word and just stood there.

The chairman, who groaned as if he was dying of grief, soon collapsed on

the floor.

“Did… you kill yourself?”

“……”

“Is it true that, as people say, you have not found the landfill, so you have
committed suicide in fear of me?”

Louis bent his knees and stared at his father.

“I’ve always been so mean, so I wanted to give you a spinel for father’s
birthday.”

“…you.”

“It was an accident. I was afraid you, but I had more respect, gratitude, and
love for you more than fear.”

The chairman cried like a child. Until Louis disappears.

***

I glanced at the chairman sitting on the gazebo without any strength.

‘What should I say in this situation?’

As she was in agony over it, the chairman’s voice came.

“What are you little miss?”

“What?”

“I’m sure you’re not an average kid.”

His dry eyes looked at me.

I didn’t avoid his eyes.

“What do I say to mwake the chaiwman believe in me.” (What do I sat to

make the chairman believe in me?) “I meant it when I said I’d give my
soul.”

‘I know.’

His eyes were sincere.

That’s why she took a risk and showed Louis to the chairman.

‘No one will believe him, even if he say it anyway.’

Above all, Louis left and emphasized to him.

“If you do any harm to the little miss, my soul will not find rest.”

Even though he looked completely different from the chairman, it was his
son. His threatening tricks resembled the chairman.

Louis threatened with his own life, not with others, like the chairman.

He must have been very grateful to me for letting him see his father again.
He is a good man who can repay kindness.

I glanced at him thinking so.

‘More than anything, I need the chairman’s help.’

There’s no way I, a child, can carry the spinel.

In addition, the chairman is the right person to help me.

A man who is appropriately materialistic, puts personal interests before his

family or country, above all else, who will not be harmed when I defect.

‘Still, just in case.’

“Twake off your jacket.”

“Pardon?”

“Let out your pant’s pwocket.”

“What…”

I confirmed that there were no magic and no divine tools.

Only then did I begin to talk.

“I go back three times. And in this life I cwan call out the devil,” (I go back
three times and in this life I can call out the devil.) the chairman’s
expression was struck with astonishment.
Chapter 48
He held his forehead when she finished talking.

“Is all the luck that happened in Dubbled what you intended?”

“Yes.”

“Huh…”

He had a truly astonished look on his face.

“Anyway I nweed your help.”

Then I took out Seria’s bounty pocket that I had left under my feet.

“You can buy with twis.”

With his forehead clenched as if he was organizing his thoughts, Noanoke

soon opened his eyes.

‘Will you do me a favour?’

No matter how much she threatened with Louis’s soul, it might not work.

As I looked at him nervously, the chairman asked, “Can I see Louis again if
I do it?”

“I cwan’t do as I want…”

“How come?”

“I accidentally called the dwevil, so I don’t think I can call him twice.”
“Are you suggesting that there is a possibility?”

I didn’t understand everything Boone said last time, but he said I could see
him again.

So there is a way to meet again.

Besides Boone, there are probably other devils that can bring out souls.

If I summon him, I can grant his wish and call Louis.

When I nodded, I looked into the chairman’s eyes.

He got up from the gazebo and lay low at my feet. He tried to put his
forehead on my foot.

This is that. A pledge of loyalty that Nos made to me!

I didn’t want to be the owner of the Dubbled’s second-in-command.

“I, Jean March Noanokeㅡ”

“No! Don’t do that!”

“Greetings to the new Lord–“

“That’s enough!”

“I greet—“

I ran away from the gazebo before he made a greeting.

No, I just need him to bring the spinel, but why does it come with a pledge
of loyalty?

***
“Jean Marc Noanoke greets my new lord.”

“Will you please stwop?”

He had been chasing her around for days.

The chairman of the senate keeps following her around and everyone is
looking at her.

I got tired and looked around at the employees glancing at us.

They might not have heard us because we were far away, but they looked
very curious about why the chairman of the Senate kept chasing me like a
puppy.

“Jean Marc Noanoke…”

Seeing him with a bored face, I was stunned to find the elders coming from
behind my back.

It becomes annoying when even the elders notice our relationship.

I whispered to him.

”Act serious, huwwy.”

When I spoke, the elders approached us.

“What’s the matter, chairman?” asked Roman himself, the chairman said,
“Not a big deal.”

“You look uncomfortable. I’m afraid there’s something wrong.”

“It’s not.”
When the chairman turned around, Roman smiled and followed him.
Despite his busy schedule, Roman did not give up trying to pick a fight with
her.

“What did the child of fate do to make you this angry?”

“……”

“Anyway she’s a stupid kid, hahaha!”

Just then.

“What did you bastard just say?”

Just in time, Isaac, who came to me, murmured coldly. As if he had come
right after the training, he had a wooden sword in his hand.

I quickly pulled Isaac as fast as I could.

And change the subject.

“Awe you training alone today? What about Henly?”

“Brother is searching for an ancestor’s book.”

“Why?”

“To pressure the church. No, more than that the people………!”

“Dwon’t.”

As I looked up with my eyebrows drooping, Isaac sighed.

“You’re too nice.”

No way.
Roman himself should still be safe. Because-

‘The spinel is in Roman’s land’

I laughed inwardly.

Nothing should happen to Roman if they wanted to trade the land.

And if we find Spinel there, he’ll be rolling around with regret.

It was worth much more than a few words that Viscount Roman had just
told me.

‘And to be honest, I don’t even feel like dealing with it.’

Isaac looked very sad that he couldn’t beat Roman up.

“Isyac, let’s eat ice cweam.”

“…Can I feed you?”

“Yes.”

I gently soothed as the child smile widely.

“Let’s go, now, cwome on, fwaster,”

I went after Isaac who was running.

***

Roman stamped the trade document with an excited face.

In addition to the land being near an active volcano, the thick roots of the
Elsa trees were also entangled in the ground. Thankfully, the troublesome
land was sold.
“But why are you buying this land?”

Roman asked.

“The paperwork is finished. I’ll go back.”

Roman’s lieutenant, who was waiting in front of the door, approached him
after the chairman left.

“Did the chairman really buy the land? What is it for?”

“That is not a land that can be used as an agricultural land because of the
location, even if all the trees of Elsa are pulled out. He did not tell me why.
But…”

“Isn’t it obvious that he bought the useless land at a good price?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m sure it means he’ll trust and use me.”

He didn’t express it, but there was no other reason.

“Doesn’t the chairman keep me close to him than the other vassals? Tha
chairman will like the plan I made for him.”

The scheme to kidnap the child of fate, hand it over to a slaving trade, and
inform the church so that they can get their hands on her.

It was a brilliant scheme, as it would strengthen the church and its ties, and
would allow them to carry Spinel into their hands for a powerful military
force.

‘After the chairman had retired, he’ll hand over the chairmanship to
me… ’
I will command the world with Dubbled under my feet.

“Go and call mages who were easy to be bribed.”

“Why are you looking for them?”

“I’ll help the chairman.”

He smiled and the lieutenant looked at him in wonder.

***

A letter came to me. The maids delivered a letter with happy faces saying
that it is my acquaintance.

Although the content was a normal greeting, it was completely different

when I read vertically the first letter.

[I’m safe.]

It’s Seria.

She had made a successful deal with the church and had left the prison.

‘Okay, then we’ll have a hand and foot in the system.’

If the chairman buys the land and distributes the spinel through Seria.

‘How much money will I have?’

While I was calculating, I was ecstatic to think of the countless feast of

zeros.

‘I’m going to buy a really big house because I’m going to defect later.’

I’ll get a good cook and ask them to do French toast every day.
[Twis is Sese. A kwid in the garden give me a blue stwone. Then Bwaine,
buy sometwing delicious and eat it. Bye]

Deliberately speaking like a child, the maids grabbed both cheeks and said
“Our little miss’s friend is too cute~”

“Did she gives you a pretty blue stone?”

“Yes, yes. Buy a lot of delicious foods with it~”

I was a little nervous, but skillfully hid it.

“Let’s swend a letter back. Huwwy!”

The smart Seria would understand this much.

Lea, who wrote the letter, smiled and sealed it well.

“I’ll take it to the post office.”

“I’ll bring a fairytale book to read after I came back.”

”Little miss, it’s time for a snack.”

“It’s chilly, so I’ll have to bring some firewood.”

The maids got up to work one by one.

“I’ll be right back, so hang on,”

They said so as I waved to the departing maids. Then I crept to find the
elephant bag and took out a sketchbook.

I pointed out the picture I had drawn in advance the other day.

Scissors on a yellow circle with gold coins.

‘I got the money.’

Scissor marks on the yellow-coloured circle that depicts a person.

‘I saved a man.’

Then what’s left…

It was when I was about to turn it over to the next page.

My heart was pounding and I felt dizzy. I felt something was pushing me
hard.

Soon, something like a black tentacle appeared under my feet.

‘Magic!’

I jumped down the other side to avoid it quickly. I ran quickly to the door,
but just before I caught the doorknob, tree trunks came out of the ground
and engulfed my body.

“Who…!”

When even my eyes were covered by the black tentacles, my mind went
blank.
Chapter 49
Roman look at the child lying on the circular platform and smoothed his
grey beard.

“Good work.”

At Roman’s words, a person in a black robe behind him bow down.

Viscount Roman’s lieutenant looked at the child, his master, and the mage
alternately with a terrified face.

“Is this okay? To kidnap the child of fate…!”

“It’s to send her back where she came from. It’s not kidnapping.”

“But if his excellency finds out…”

“He’s busy with the spinel problem.”

Kiik-

A rusty hinge was heard and someone came in.

“Chairman!”

Roman ran to him with face full of relief.

“Why did you call me here…”

The chairman looked at LeBlaine, who was lying on the podium, unable to
finish his words. His face has hardened.

“What is this!”
“This is proof of my loyalty to you.”

There is no proof like this.

He dared to kidnap a child of fate inside the Duke of Dubbled’s home.

“Now I’m done if I just hand her over to a slave trading. Oh, don’t worry. I
predicted that this would happen in the future and recruited the magicians
of the castle…”

“Cwazy guy.”

Roman, who was speaking with a proud face, stopped.

Turning her head, Leblaine stood up and sat on the round table.

“Awe you stupid? Do ywo underestwimate the dyuke?”

“What?”

Roman’s face went pale.

“How dare you say such a thing…!”

He went up to Leblaine and raised his hand. But he couldn’t hit her cheeks
and his wrist was held.

It was the chairman.

“What are you doing to my lord?”

“……Pardon?”

What do you mean my lord?

As soon as Roman asked back, outside the door, there are sounds of
something exploding.

Frustrated, Roman’s assistand shouted to the mage, the mage tried to make
a fast decision, but when they tried to make the barrier, they failed.

It was the aftereffect of casting a spell on Leblaine.

The Duke himself made several layers of magic barrier after Leblaine was
nearly attacked.

Protective magic, tracking magic, and many more.

Those who cast magic on Leblaine will be destroyed.

Roman realized that things were going downwards.

“Wha, what… how…”

Leblaine, who came down from the podium, looked at Roman and said to
the chairman, “Cwose the door.” (Close the door.)

“Pardon?”

“The dyuke will kill you when he came.”

Under Leblaine’s order, the chairman closes the door.

***

I looked at Viscount Roman, lieutenant, and the mage, who was lying on the
floor.

The chairman looked around blankly at them.

“Are you really the child of fate?”

“Yes.”

When I answered casually and unfolded the crumpled skirt with my hands,
the chairman gulped.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it… to have this power on a four-year-old
body…”

“It’s not lwike that.”

I often saw how powerful the Pope and Mina were before my return.

How powerful is the power of the two brothers in this life?

‘And the duke had tremendous power.’

The goose bumps came up when I remembered the duke approaching after
breaking Boone’s barriers when my divine power ran wild. Boone owns a
really a tremendous force.

Then, the door flew away

It was the duke. Then came Henry, Isaac, mages, with the soldiers.

“Who is the jerk that took-”

The shouting Isaac opened his eyes wide.

“—dead?”

People looked puzzled as if they hadn’t predicted the situation.

Henry frowned and looked towards them.

“What’s going on?”

His gaze reached the chairman.

The chairman glanced at me, and soon the eyes of the Dubbled’s people are
on me.

“So, twis…”

I pointed at the chairman.

“The gwanpa saves me!”

“He saved you?”

Henry’s eyes were filled with doubts. The same was true of Isaac, the Duke
and the soldiers.

Viscount Roman who fell down is an elder. That’s why the chairman of the
Senate, defeated him and saved me.

The chairman and the Duke must have been awfully curious about me, even
had a terrible relationship.

“Bad uncwels have bullied bwaine! He punishwed the uncwels. Twank you
gwanpa!”

I purposely spoke childishly and stepped on the chairman’s shoes.

The chairman glanced at me and nodded With the support of the chairman, I
ran to the duke, hung on his leg and had a tearful look on my face.

“I’m afwaid.”

Henry and Isaac ran to me quickly.

“LeBlaine. I’m sorry. I should’ve come earlier.”

“I’ll kill all those bastards!”

They were already dying, but I nodded loudly, “Yes.”

But the Duke didn’t react like the brothers did. He hugged me.

‘If this already happens, I must do this.’

I clung to his neck.

“Dad… I want to go hwome.”

Only then did the Duke turn to me. I had the most pitiful look on my face.

“Yes. Let’s go back.”

The Duke held me in his arms and laid my back on him.

I buried my face in his neck.

‘I feel so relieved for some reason.’

He seems to be a little surprised.

The Duke turned away without a word. I secretly said to the chairman,
“Dwon’t. Open. Yow mouth.”

The chairman nodded.

That night, they displayed their abilities The brothers, who had gone
unknowingly to slit the neck of Roman, trudged back home too.

The three who witnessed my strength left the world side by side.

***
A few days later, I met the chairman in the greenhouse.

‘A scary person.’

I squinted at the chairman.

“I dwidn’t ask you to kwill them (I didn’t ask you to kill them.)”

“Viscount Roman does all kinds of bad deeds. The mages also kidnap an
eldery and experimented on human beings.”

“………well they desweved to die.”

I drink an orange juice with a straw and asked.

“What about the Spinel?”

When asked, the chairman placed a small box on the table.

“As you said, I was able to mine spinel in three days.”

“How many days will you be able to meet the required quantity for the
Krueger War?”

“Half a month is enough.”

I asked the chairman for a few more things.

To give a status to Seria and some clever workers.

“And twen, immediately mwove the spinel mined this time to the place I
told you.”

“What would you do with it?”

“Sir, 20 percent of Spinel is from the metamorphosis.”

“I am the chairman of the Dubbled’s Senate, the empire number one. I’m
not short of wealth.”

“Hmm…”

“You must know better what I want.”

“……”

I pouted my lips.

“Do you know how many aristocrats want me? The ancestor was impatient
to take my oath of loyalty.”

“So?”

“Who knew I’d run errands to be accepted by such a small child in my later
years…”

That’s why the chairman looked dejected.

I gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Okay. Now the chaiwman is mine. Is that enough?”

That made the chairman look even more sullen.

“I’m even touched by such words.”

Others are very scared of him, and I was a little scared of him too at first,
but now I see him as a cute grandfather.

“Let’s gwo.”

“Where?”
I laughed and said,

“To screw the chwuch.”

Then I headed to the Duke’s office.

A group of vassals, including Dubos, were discussing the issue of Spinel.

“Little miss, are you here?”

I used to go in and out of the room easily even when the Duke was in a
meeting.

When I was greeted and approached the desk, he sat me on his lap.

“If this happens, we have no choice but to give up fighting.”

“The imperial family will have no choice but to understand.”

Then I saw the spinel rolling in the hand of the duke and shouted, “It’s a
stwone!”

Even though it was a serious atmosphere, Nos smiled and told me.

“It’s name is Spinel not a stone. It’s a precious mineral.”

“It’s a stwone.”

“What?”

“Thewe awe so many.”

Then the vassals took notice of me at once.

Chapter 50
“Is there many of them?”

“My owlder sister who lwived near the nursery showed me that there are a
lot of these things.”

“Really? Are you sure it’s Spinel?!”

“It looks like it…”

The vassals glanced at each other at my words.

Viscount Dubos came close to me and asked.

“Who is the owner? Where is it?”

“Sister Sese!” I shouted and gave them a description of the place vaguely.

***

Viscount Dubos sent an administrator to the place that Leblaine had told
him.

And three days later, the administrator really brought a box full of spinel.

“Is there really a spinel landfill owner we didn’t know…”

Viscount Dubos was shocked, and the vassals asked the administrators.

“How did that happen?”

“The woman named Sesera is smart. It seems that the commoner knew that
if it was known that she owns a spinel landfill, it would be taken away.”
“That’s why she didn’t release the Spinel on the market?”

“It took her time to get ready to set up the store.”

The people’s face brightened.

“This eliminates the need to lean on the church. I’ll call in the messenger
who is negotiating.”

The Duke, who was tapping the handle of the chair, opened his mouth.

“No. Don’t let the church know that we had spinel.”

“Why is that…”

“Nos, buy the whole of Spinel as soon as the owner sells it.”

“Is it necessary to stock up that much?”

“It’s not to stock up. It will be distributed at a bargain price on the market.”

The people were smiling but Henry was deep in thoughts.

“You’re trying to lower the value of Spinel.”

If the spinel is supplied too much on the market, the price will inevitably
fall.

If the value of Spinel, a source of funding for the church, was reduced, the
church would naturally face a direct hit.

The vassals, who understand the Duke’s intentions, asked in a worried voice.

“It’s going to have an effect on us, too.” Henry replied, “The church won’t
last long. They’ll be forced to sell the worthless Spinel mine.”
Then Spinel will eventually become monopolized. Raising the price was
enough.

“But it would cost us a fortune to buy all those spinels and sell them back at
a bargain price. Will we be able to hold on,…”

Isaac, who sat loosely beside Henry with his eyes closed said.

“Are you an idiot?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you forget who we are?”

In addition to being the villain’s lair, there were other nicknames for
Dubbled.

It is Western’s gold.

They have unrelenting financial strength.

In money games, Dubbled always had a winning percentage of 100 percent.

The vassals bowed their heads at once.

The meeting finished and the vassals who came out said.

“Isn’t the little miss full of luck?”

“Yes, without her, we would have been fooled around by the church.”

“She has saved the Dubbleds more than once. Like a goddess of luck.”

Each of the vassals fell into their own thoughts.

‘Is she also an angel?’

‘Dubbled’s little fairy… ’

‘Cute… ’

At that time, Leblaine was unaware of her increased in followers.

***

I woke up after taking a nap for quite a long time.

A few days ago, I used the divine power alone for the first time without
Boone because of Roman. I had wasted much more divine power than
planned.

‘Since then, I nearly became a complete child because of it, so I’m not
feeling well.’

I stretched out and came down from the bed.

“I’m hungwy, I want to eat byead.” (I’m hungry. I want to eat bread…) I was
surprised because I unconsciously suck my finger.

‘I think this time is serious, I used up too much power.’

Compared to when I try to maintain Boone.

Her mind was returning to a child due to her using too much divine power.

Suddenly, I felt like I wanted to cry. There was no one in the room, so it was
scary.

“Huu…”

When I was crying, the maids came into the room.

“Oh my, little miss. What’s the matter?”

Surprised at the sight of my tears, the maids quickly came to me.

“Alone scawed…” (Alone scared…)

The maids were restless and soothed me.

“Come on, little miss, don’t cry. We have good news.”

“Good news?”

When asked, the maids exchanged glances with each other and grinned.

“Your room is complete!”

It’s finally finished.

I was staying in the guest room the Duke had given me when I first came to
Dubbled’s Castle.

Immediately after I was adopted, I had to have my room in the west

building, but it was delayed to install safety devices.

‘My room… ’

For some reason, my heart was pounding and I cried.

Only having my own room, decorated for me, is the first time since my first
life.

‘Even in my first life, it wasn’t my own room.’

They give me an empty room and only give me a new desk and a bed.

The maids showed me into the room.

‘We’re in the west building.’

I walked with the maids, looking around the West Wing.

“Here you go.”

I opened the door and took a deep breath.

A large window and a beautiful wall.

All the furniture in the room is white, and the corners were decorated with
beautiful gold frames.

The sofa is a lovely peach coloured. On the tables and on the bookshelf lay a
sweet-scented candle.

It is so enormous that it cannot be compared to the guest room that I have

been staying so far.

“This is the parlor. That’s the door to your personal library where little miss
can read or study.”

“There’s a bedroom on the right side. There’s a bathroom and a dress room.”

“In the dress room, we’ve got a new dress, new accesories, and more.”

“There is also a big, wide bathtub in the bathroom, and…”

I had stiffened up while the maids explained the structure of the room.

“Little miss?”

The maids looked at me in wonder.

“Don’t you like it?”

I couldn’t say a word, I was restless.

The Duke of Amity let me stay in the pretty Mina’s room before handing me
over as a ritual offering.

The Duke of Vallua also let me rest in such a pretty room before the abuse.

“It’s time to fulfill your mission, LeBlaine.”

“You have to pay the price for enjoying the things I give.”

The voices of Duke Amity and Duke Vallua came to mind.

I curled up in the corner of the room and begged “It’s my fault. I’m wrong.
Please kill me, I’m sorry.” I desperately begged for it.

Then, familiar people came in from outside the door.

The employees flooded to both sides like the Red Sea, and the brothers, who
had walked through it, looked at me.

“What’s with the noise.”

Isaac looked around my room and continued to talk.

“It’s near my room. Hey, kid. You can’t just come by at night and say you’re
scared.”

Then he said, “Come only three times a week. Do you understand?” and
coughed vainly.

“……”

“What, why aren’t you answering? Oh, I got it. You can come four times a
week. Is it enough?”

“……”
“What is it? What’s wrong with you?”

Isaac looked back at the maids as if he was wondering what was going on.
But the maids shook their heads as if they didn’t know anything.

Henry asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Thwis is not Blaine’s room.”

“This is your room, Leblaine.”

“Well, but this is princess’s room!”

Henry asked back, “Pardon?”

Isaac said “What are you saying?”

“The room is too big and too pwetty…”

“What are you saying? Hey, kid. The bigger and prettier, the better! And
your room so far has always been spacious and nice.”

“That’s a gwuest room. The guest room is nwice! But Blaine’s room is
narrow and dark. So it’s not my room. It’s big and it’s not my room!”

Stop talking about the former Leblaine! But my thoughts are not
cooperating, I kept getting scared.

If you give me a nice room like the Duke of Amity and the Duke of Vallua at
first, It might be taken away again later.

What if it hurts like that again?

What if I repeat that again?

It’s really, really painful when I think about it.

It was a pain that felt like my whole body was splitting up and then sticking
together again.

I looked at brothers with a frightened face. Their eyes were trembling.

***

Henry stared blankly at LeBlaine. Then when tears began to gather in her
eyes, she came to her senses.

“You don’t have to stay in a narrow dark room now.”

“……”

“This is your room, and this castle is your home.”

Henry wiped LeBlaine’s wet eyes with his sleeves.

“So please don’t cry. It breaks my heart.”

He patted my head very carefully.

When LeBlaine calmed down, Henry said to the servants, “For now, keep
her in the guest room.”

“Yes, Master.”

Just in time, Lea came and to see the child and saying, “Oh my God, little
miss!”

Henry turned around as he watched Lea took Leblaine away.

But Isaac is standing with the same posture as when Leblaine began to cry.
“What, don’t get in the way, get lost.”

said Henry, narrowing his brows. Isaac looked at his brother, discouraged
like a dog with its ears and tail hanging down.

“Brother, what room did LeBlaine used to live in?”

Born as the youngest of the Dubbled’s brother, he couldn’t easily think of a

narrow, dirty room.

It was the same with Henry.

“There’s a record of Leblaine being sent by the Empress to the

Administrator’s Office. It’s going to say where she grew up.”

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The brothers immediately headed to the administration office where Nos was
located.

When the brothers, who had come in out of nowhere, asked for the record of
Leblaine, they were all perplexed.

“Do you have the data from the nursery? Same thing about the room.”

“Yes, I checked the other day, and here it is.”

Isaac looked into the picture given by the administrator and narrowed his
eyes.

“No, the room where the kid used to stay. Not the barn.”

“That’s her room.”

“What?”