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CHAPTER 05
Ah.
At those words, I suddenly remembered something important I’d forgotten.
In the original story, Lennox had lost his memory early on. The only thing he remembered was his name — “Lennox.”
‘…And at some point, he regains his memory of his family.’
But when was that?
I felt like I was on the verge of remembering it, and the frustration was enough to make me want to tear my hair out.
How could I forget something this crucial?!
“Then how did you know he was from House Euclid?”
The name Lennox wasn’t particularly rare in the Empire.
To guess he was a Euclid heir from that alone?
Was Callisto’s intel network stronger than I thought?
“You suddenly showed up and asked me to take in a mysterious boy, so I figured there must be a secret behind his birth. I looked into it a little.”
“Ah… right. We really are best friends, aren’t we.”
“…That’s true.”
Callisto nodded solemnly, completely missing the sarcasm in my tone.
‘Right… Callisto’s never been the most perceptive type.’
Well, lucky for him, I’m the understanding sort.
“Ahem. In any case, this works out. You were looking for him too, weren’t you?”
I jumped on the opportunity.
He didn’t deny it — because it was true. The Skylar family had been searching for the last surviving heir of House Euclid.
According to the original story, the Marquess of Skylar had been a childhood friend of the late Duke Euclid.
And so he had been secretly searching for his fugitive friend’s son.
‘In the novel, he never found him — Lennox ascended the throne before that happened.’
Callisto adjusted his glasses with a slightly flustered expression.
“Still, I didn’t expect it to happen this way.”
Well, of course. Lennox had been kidnapped and dropped off at the Skylar estate — he must have mistaken Callisto for the kidnapper.
“I did mean to handle things more gently, but… things kind of spiraled.”
I pulled a document out of my bag and handed it to him.
“A sponsorship contract.”
Callisto’s eyes widened as he read through it.
It outlined that the sponsor would be responsible for Lennox’s education, health, lifestyle, and even future marriage expenses.
“So the rumors about you taking over your family were true.”
He inferred that I now had control over my family’s finances.
‘That’s actually not true.’
I hadn’t even inherited the title of Count yet — I couldn’t touch a single coin of our family funds.
But I didn’t let that show. I nodded with a straight face.
Before I knew it, his blue eyes were staring straight at me.
“Clen, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“I just don’t understand why you’re going this far. We had ties to House Euclid, but Countess Jacqueline…”
“You’re right. My father helped bring down House Euclid.”
I didn’t deny it.
Everyone said it was Count Jacqueline who led the charge to eliminate the traitorous Duke and Duchess of Euclid.
The emperor had even planned to reward him with a marquess title, but he firmly refused.
‘And not long after… my parents both passed away.’
A mysterious carriage accident.
My years of watching soap operas told me there was more to the story.
Of course, as a commoner reincarnate, I had no intention of uncovering the truth behind it.
I’d rather live quietly — even if it meant dying ignorant.
“…I’m not blaming you for it.”
His blue eyes clouded with a complicated emotion.
“Well, who knows? They say you can read the depths of the sea, but not the depths of a person’s heart…”
I was eager to wrap up the awkward conversation and trailed off.
Seeing that, Callisto’s expression softened.
“You’re actually a kind person, Clen.”
“…What?”
Yeah, no. He was definitely misunderstanding.
“You couldn’t just leave Lennox on his own, so you brought him to me, right?”
“…Y-Yeah. That’s right.”
That wasn’t it. I could’ve very easily left him alone.
Embarrassed, I quickly got to the point.
“Officially, you are the sponsor. But all financial responsibilities for Lennox — I’ll be covering them.”
I pulled out another contract from my bag and handed it to him.
“So think of yourself as an intermediary for my support.”
The contract stated: “Callisto Skylar will act as the public sponsor of Lennox, while Clen Jacqueline bears all related costs.”
“A double contract, huh. Then Lennox will never know you’re behind this.”
“Exactly. And just to be extra clear — never, ever let it slip that I’m his real sponsor. Got it?”
Callisto smirked and nodded.
“I know how much you value your life, Secret Benefactor.”
If it ever got out that I was secretly supporting Lennox, it’d be the end of me.
Whether it was Lennox himself… or the emperor.
“The documents are flawless. There’s nothing more to add. This’ll go smoothly.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yeah. Everything should go smoothly.”
But then he added something that made me uneasy.
“…If the boy accepts the contract.”
Who would refuse such generous support? I scoffed at the idea.
“Oh, wait, Clen.”
Just as I thought we were done, Callisto called after me.
“What?”
“Lennox seems to have lost his necklace. Do you know anything about that?”
“No, I don’t.”
I flinched inwardly.
If it was that necklace, he meant the Euclid family heirloom.
I’d taken it away — because if Lennox went around wearing it, it’d be like waving a flag that said, “I’m a Euclid! Come kill me!”
In the original story, greedy Arthur had stolen and sold Lennox’s necklace — and ironically, that’s what helped Lennox stay hidden from the emperor.
But since I kicked Arthur out, someone had to take on that role.
‘Of course, I’m not going to sell it. I’m just… keeping it safe. Just storing it.’
Yes, I took someone else’s possession, but at least I had no plans to sell it.
I had some conscience.
“Then Lennox must’ve lost it somewhere.”
At my answer, Callisto gave a knowing nod.
‘I should probably buy him a decent replacement soon.’
I sipped my tea, thinking as much.
The next morning.
A letter arrived first thing.
Its contents?
Rejection of the sponsorship contract.
‘Is this real life?’
I wanted to believe it was a dream.
But no — it was reality, plain and cruel.
I turned to Lisa, the new maid.
“Prepare for a visit to the Skylar estate.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I had intended to avoid direct contact with Lennox.
If he even suspected that I was behind this, he’d grow wary of me.
‘This was definitely not part of the plan.’
With no other choice, I donned a white cat mask and headed to the Skylar estate in broad daylight.
When I arrived, I spotted the stables in the distance.
‘He’s working over there, right?’
I couldn’t see clearly from this distance, but I’d heard he was gathering hay and feeding horses.
Surely doing such menial tasks should’ve made him realize the value of sponsorship?
‘Is it because he’s still just a child?’
Then again, with five years of surviving in back alleys, he was likely much more mature than most kids his age.
“Sigh…”
The more I thought about it, the more my head ached.
‘There must be a reason.’
When I entered the parlor at the Skylar estate, Callisto was already sitting there, looking grim.
I got straight to the point.
“Why did he refuse the sponsorship?”
With a troubled look, Callisto finally spoke.
“He keeps asking what the catch is.”
“…Catch?”
“Living out on the streets must’ve made him wary. He doesn’t believe in goodwill without reason.”
It was a tragic situation, but I couldn’t let things go on like this.
As I looked troubled, Callisto continued.
“Even when I tell him there is no catch, he just asks again — what’s the real cost? It’s a loop.”
He sighed.
“If he insists on there being a price, then maybe we should set one ourselves.”
Honestly, I never expected anything in return.
But if he was going to be that suspicious, then…
‘Fine. I’ll show him just how cruel the world can be!’
