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Chapter 2
Using a crate as a stepping stool, Leponea climbed up and looked at the face reflected in the mirror.
Five years old.
It was exactly the same as when she had lived in the orphanage.
The same silver, wavy hair that would frizz in all directions when it rained, which she used to press down firmly with her palms.
The same reddish pupils, the color of blood, that she disliked.
Even the same scrawny limbs, thin like twigs from not getting even one proper meal a day, were identical.
“Ow wude.”
Ah, this damn five-year-old tongue.
If she didn’t put effort into her speech, her tongue would slacken on its own, and even her pronunciation became inaccurate.
Leponea buried her face in her small palms and tried hard to figure out the cause.
Through the gaps between her fingers, she could see a small, empty medicine bottle rolling on the floor, with a tiny residue of pink liquid inside.
“…Shrinking Potion.”
Leponea frowned and picked up the empty bottle.
“This isn’t a Shrinking Potion.”
Putting force into her tongue, Leponea muttered with clear pronunciation.
“I definitely bought two blue potions back then.”
The color of the potion she bought back then was clearly blue. Leponea shook the empty bottle with the faint residue of pink liquid.
“Somewun swapped the potion.”
Startled by her own muttering, Leponea hurriedly looked around. A cold sweat trickled down her spine.
Goosebumps broke out all over her body.
“No one knows about this house.”
It was a house she had secretly purchased using a fake commoner man’s identity. There was no way anyone could know about it.
‘If this had been poison…’
She would have drunk it without any suspicion and died on the spot.
Once that thought occurred to her, Leponea jumped up and searched the house thoroughly. She checked every possible hiding spot, but fortunately, there was no one hiding.
“Need to cahm down.”
First, I need to calm my tongue.
‘It’s not the Pope.’
If it were the Pope’s doing, he wouldn’t have used a youth potion but would have left real poison.
‘Then, is it my brothers, not the Pope?’
Leponea crossed her short legs and sat on the chair.
The Pope favored Leponea, the honor student. That’s why, even if she failed a mission, he exceptionally spared her life instead of killing her.
His affection was power.
It was only natural for her brothers to be jealous of Leponea, the eyesore, and plan to kill or kidnap her.
“Sigh.”
If her brothers found out that Leponea had become a five-year-old child, they would surely dance with joy.
So, she had to hide her current state no matter what.
“Maybe after a day passes, I’ll return to my original state.”
Leponea nibbled delicately on her plump, soft red lips.
“First things first.”
Leponea clenched her small fists dramatically.
“Let’s change clothes.”
The five-year-old Leponea hopped down from the chair and scurried away.
“I’m doomed.”
It’s not reverting.
This messed-up tongue isn’t working properly either.
“Completely doomed.”
My body isn’t reverting either.
“How long do I have to stay five years old?!”
Hoping for a change, she spent a few days eating and living in the cabin, observing the situation, but there was no sign of her body returning.
Even though the wound on her hand had healed, her body remained the same.
Moreover, perhaps it was a reflection of her sickly childhood, this body would get out of breath even from a little running, and her limbs felt weak.
Even though she picked up and wore discarded small clothes she found while wandering around, they were still loose.
She even struggled to handle a knife properly because she couldn’t put enough strength into her hands, so she ended up eating apples with the skin on, chewing them whole.
While there were advantages, like her stamina recovering quickly after a short sleep and getting full from just a little food, reducing living expenses, this situation was untenable.
“I can’t do my miffion like this.”
The original plan was to take the Shrinking Potion, check the heirloom, and then get a job as a maid at the Duke of Craitan’s residence.
The plan was to pretend to work as a maid, steal the heirloom, and run away…
‘With this five-year-old body, I probably can’t even get past the entrance of the Duke of Craitan’s residence.’
Who would hire a five-year-old as a maid?
Leponea propped her forehead up with her small hand.
‘I could take a Nullification Potion.’
The problem is that the Nullification Potion is too expensive.
She had spent her entire saved fortune just to buy the Shrinking Potion.
The Nullification Potion cost three times the price of the Shrinking Potion. With this body, she couldn’t even work, so there was no way to save up money.
‘Since I don’t know exactly what potion I took, I shouldn’t take any other potions recklessly for now.’
Leponea bit her lip.
“Just let me find out who did this.”
Knock knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Was there anyone who would come to this cabin?
‘Maybe the person who swapped the potion?’
Perhaps they came to check on the situation since they swapped the potion.
‘The person on the other side of the door doesn’t seem like my brothers.’
If it were her brothers, they wouldn’t knock; they’d throw a sword first.
Leponea walked slowly towards the front door.
“Who’s there?”
Ah. This damn tongue.
Rolling her tongue and firmly putting in effort, she asked again.
“Who is it?”
“Um. I came to ask something, but are the adults not home?”
A polite question came from the other side of the door.
‘Adults?’
I guess I have to open the door.
Tilting her head, Leponea carefully opened the door.
On the other side stood the lady from next door, whom she had seen while picking up clothes, and a knight.
Perhaps because she was looking up from a child’s eye level, her shoulders instinctively hunched.
“…Who are you?” Leponea asked, rolling her eyes.
“Hello.”
The knight greeted her in a soft voice and waved. Meanwhile, his sharp eyes quickly scanned the inside of the house.
With a wary expression, Leponea slightly closed the door. Seeing this, the knight hurriedly averted his gaze, matched Leponea’s eye level, and gave a bright smile.
“Are there no other adults inside?”
“Why?”
“Have they gone out?”
Leponea shook her head.
‘They’re checking if I’m hiding a wanted criminal or a fugitive.’
Having been chased by the capital’s guards before, Leponea instantly understood the knight’s intention.
When a criminal was on the run, the guards would check house by house to see if anyone was hiding them inside.
‘No way.’
Leponea smiled brightly like a child and shook her head.
“I live here alone.”
At Leponea’s confident answer, the knight and the lady from next door exchanged bewildered glances.
“You can come in and check. There’s really no one else but me.”
Leponea lifted her chin, smiled, and boldly opened the door wide.
“Your parents?”
“Don’t have any.”
“Where did they go?”
“Never had them. Didn’t have them from birth. They abandoned me.”
“No guardian coming and going? No relatives or adults around?”
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s always just been me here.”
The more she answered, the more pity appeared in their eyes.
“See, I told you it seemed like a child was living alone here. I was right, wasn’t I?”
…Huh?
“Um. It seems so.”
Huh?
They reported it because they thought a child was living alone?
‘Don’t tell me… they’re talking about me?’
Leponea’s pupils shook.
“This house seemed to have been empty for a long time. …Perhaps the child just moved in and is living alone here.”
No, I am the owner of this house who’s been away for long periods.
“Thank you for reporting it. We’ll take protective custody of this child. …Child, it’s dangerous for you to live here alone. Bad people might come, and even if you get sick, there’s no one to help you.”
Things seemed to be taking a strange turn.
“…I’m fine though?”
“You might seem fine now, but you’re absolutely not. You’re still a child, an age where you need a guardian.”
Leponea frowned. When she truly needed protection, no one had reached out to her, so why were they doing this now?
“It’s nosy of you.”
Leponea refused firmly. Of course, it didn’t work.
“Come here. I’ll take you to a safe place.”
“Where will the child go?”
The lady and the knight conversed, excluding Leponea.
“First, I’ll take her to an orphanage and then verify her identity and parents. I’ll keep an eye on the situation, so don’t worry.”
Leponea’s head shot up.
What did he just say?
Orphanage?
“There’s a well-equipped orphanage nearby. I hear the director is a good person.”
Right now, he’s saying he’ll send me to an orphanage?
Enter that hell again?
“I—”
At the child’s voice, trembling and pitiful, the two lowered their heads.
“I won’t go.”
“Oh dear, you must be very startled. It’s okay, child. This knight is trying to take you to a warm place with lots of friends.”
No. How is that place warm?
“I won’t go. Don’t touch me.”
“You’re scared, huh? It’s okay. It’s alright.”
The knight laughed and reached out his arms towards the startled Leponea. She tried to dodge quickly, but with a five-year-old’s body, it wasn’t easy to evade the knight’s hands.
“Let go! Let go of this! I don’t need it!”
Leponea hit the knight with her fists and struggled with all her might, but it was useless. The knight thanked the lady, then started walking, holding the struggling Leponea.
“You must have been lonely all alone? When you go, there will be lots of friends, plenty of food, and you can live warmly.”
“Put me down. I said I’m not going! This is kidnapping!”
“It’s okay. I’m really trying to help you.”
“I hate that place!”
That place, that hell—
Remembering what she experienced at five, she struggled desperately.
Leponea exerted all her strength to break free from the knight’s hold. But his embrace was so firm it wasn’t easy at all.
‘I’m in a five-year-old’s body now.’
With a five-year-old’s body, she couldn’t escape the hold of a formal knight.
‘If I scream here, will anyone help?’
Leponea bit her small lip hard.
No.
There’s no way anyone would help.
People are surprisingly uninterested in others’ affairs.
If there had been someone to help…
Back when she was a real five-year-old, when she ran away from the orphanage and screamed for help.
When she was beaten at the poorhouse and cried for someone to save her.
If only someone had helped then.
Maybe it would be better to go to the orphanage for now and escape again later…
“What’s all this commotion?”
Just as she was planning her escape from the orphanage, a shadow fell over her head, and an indifferent voice spoke.
