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Chapter 3
There’s No Way I’m the Duke’s Real Daughter
2023.01.08
The pain in my backside only lasted a moment. But when I saw the duke’s smile disappear, my heart dropped.
I’m screwed.
The duke’s expression only twisted briefly before smoothing out again. But unlike before, there was now a sharpness in his gaze.
I replayed my mistake in my head. I should have just acted like a normal child.
All I had to do was sit quietly like any other kid—pretend I knew nothing. But in front of the duke, I had reacted far too noticeably.
As if I knew exactly what kind of person he was.
“Miss, are you alright?”
In the awkward silence, Yan was the first to speak. He quickly helped me to my feet.
The duke stared at me as I stood up. Without a smile, his gaze made my body stiffen.
His eyes scanned my expression thoroughly. He hadn’t said a word, but it felt like I was being interrogated.
“How old are you?”
The duke broke the silence. When I failed to answer immediately, Yan spoke instead.
“She is four years old.”
“I see?”
The duke lowered himself slightly, rubbing his chin. Even before I regained memories of my past life, I had always been perceptive. And perceptive children tend to be disliked by adults.
The duke was suspicious of me. The fake smile he had shown earlier had already disappeared—that alone was proof.
Normally, children quickly drop their guard when an adult smiles at them. But I had done the opposite. There was no way I looked like an ordinary child.
It’s better to seem like a clueless kid.
“It’s alright, miss. This is the duke who asked for you to be brought here.”
Yan spoke gently to me. I quickly stepped back and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
I stared up at the duke without blinking. My vision soon blurred.
“Uh…?”
“Ugh…”
Yan looked between me and the duke. The duke also frowned slightly, as if confused.
“Waaah!”
After letting a few tears fall, I clung tightly to Yan’s leg and hid my face.
“Waaah, waaah!”
“Why are you suddenly like this…? You were fine just a moment ago…”
Yan muttered in a flustered voice. His restless movements showed just how troubled he was.
Sorry, Yan.
He tried to gently pull me away, but I clung tighter and refused to budge. If he had used force, he could have easily separated me—but he didn’t.
Behind me, the duke let out a small sigh.
“It seems difficult to greet her right now.”
I peeked out slightly. The duke had been watching me the whole time, and our eyes met.
His expression clearly said, What kind of child is this?
Seeing that, I relaxed a little.
The duke seemed sensitive to a child’s crying. He promptly left the room.
Yan patted my shoulder with his large hand.
“Miss, the duke has left. It’s alright now.”
Still sniffling, I peeked up at him.
“Were you scared?”
“…Sniff, yes.”
Even as I wiped my nose, I kept an eye on the door, just in case the duke came back.
But it never opened again. In the meantime, Yan carefully wiped my face with a handkerchief, not minding that his clothes were stained with my tears and snot.
“It’s because it’s your first day. He’s not a scary person. He’s a good man.”
Yan really has no eye for people.
He’s definitely not a good person.
I thought about the duke again.
Kaillius Crustel—the man Yan called good—was actually the final mastermind and villain of this world.
Not only did he commit evil deeds himself, but he also raised children to become villains.
Seeing someone as kind and honest as Yan serve such a man made my heart ache.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Sir Knight, I’ve come to take the child.”
Yan had comforted me so well that I had almost forgotten—he was a knight. Which meant someone else would be assigned to take care of me.
It seemed the duke had sent someone after leaving.
“Hello, little miss. I’ll be taking care of you from now on. My name is Sophia.”
Seeing Sophia, who came to take me, confirmed one thing.
I’m going to be living here.
At least I didn’t have to see Rebecca right away—that was a relief.
“Hello.”
I greeted her politely. Sophia smiled warmly.
“Oh my, how sweet. Shall we go together?”
She gently took my hand. As I followed her, I glanced back.
Yan met my eyes immediately, as if he had been watching me all along.
I didn’t get to thank him.
I hadn’t thanked him for saving me from Rebecca earlier. But somehow, it felt like he already understood.
“Shall we say goodbye to the knight?”
Noticing my hesitation, Sophia asked gently. After a brief pause, I waved at him.
Yan pressed his lips together, as if holding back a smile, and replied shortly,
“I will see you again, miss.”
* * *
Sophia was kind and gentle. As we went up to the room, she tried her best to help me relax.
The first thing I did after entering the room was eat.
“Little miss, chew slowly. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring you more.”
Following her words, I slowly scooped the soup into my mouth.
Honestly, if I hadn’t eaten those cookies earlier, I might have devoured the soup with my hands out of hunger.
It’s delicious.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten proper food.
I had starved for two days. Even before that, all I had eaten was a nameless porridge made from boiled weeds and a bit of flour.
Even that, Rebecca never gave me a full bowl.
What’s the point of feeding such a tiny thing so much?
It never filled my stomach, nor did it have any nutrition.
In contrast, the food Sophia gave me made me feel full after just a few spoonfuls.
“Would you like more?”
At her gentle question, my liking for Sophia instantly shot up.
“I’m okay.”
“But you barely ate anything.”
“No, I’m full.”
I politely returned the empty bowl. Sophia’s expression softened, her brows drooping.
Ah, that again.
The same expression Yan had made in the carriage.
Rebecca had never once looked at me like that.
She always frowned whenever she saw me.
Even in my past life, there were many adults like that, so I thought that’s just how adults were.
But seeing Yan and Sophia, maybe that wasn’t true.
Sophia washed me clean and gently laid me on the bed. She patted me softly, as if planning to stay until I fell asleep.
It’s so soft.
Normally, I couldn’t fall asleep with someone else around. But beside Sophia, I felt at ease.
My body quickly relaxed, and my eyelids grew heavy.
Half-asleep, I kept struggling to keep my eyes open, as if I had something important to do.
“Can’t you sleep?”
Sophia asked with a smile.
“When I fall asleep…”
“Yes?”
“It feels like everything will disappear.”
Without realizing it, I spoke my true feelings.
I clutched her sleeve tightly.
If I fall asleep, this will all turn out to be a dream.
If I close my eyes, I’ll wake up back home.
And when I wake up… Mom will…
Sophia gently patted my back.
“It’s not a dream.”
“…”
“It’s not a dream, little miss.”
Only then did I finally relax.
It’s not a dream.
Being full and warm isn’t a dream.
None of this is a dream.
That’s a relief.
At last, I let my heavy eyelids close.
* * *
A child raised by a back-alley prostitute had entered the duke’s household.
The news quietly spread among the servants.
“Did you hear? About that child the woman brought yesterday—the master only brought the child back.”
“Then what the woman said was true?”
“They say she brought the duke’s ring as proof.”
Rumors spread quickly throughout the mansion.
But no one knew the full truth.
A hidden child of the duke? Even though he had already adopted heirs?
They had all worked there since the luxurious mansion was built in the desolate north.
In that isolated place where nothing ever changed, the new rumor kept their mouths busy.
“They say the ring was fake, though. He just took the child out of pity.”
“Then the child won’t be registered into the family?”
As the maids whispered, a tall figure suddenly joined them.
“Well, the token itself was genuine.”
“Ah!”
Startled, the maids stepped back. It was Pilen, the duke’s young aide.
One of the bolder maids spoke first.
“Sir Otol, if the token was real, does that mean the woman wasn’t lying?”
“Well, even if the token is real, that doesn’t mean everything she said is true.”
Pilen glanced around carefully, as if he had more to say.
Another maid caught on and asked,
“So it’s not something we can dismiss as nonsense?”
“Yes. The master himself seems quite troubled.”
He spoke reluctantly, then added,
“You must not tell anyone I said this.”
The maids nodded eagerly.
Pilen returned to his duties and headed toward the duke’s office.
“Come in.”
A low voice answered immediately after he knocked. Inside, Kaillius was reviewing documents.
“You’ve come?”
“Yes. I’ve spread the word as instructed.”
“Good.”
Kaillius replied briefly, still looking at the papers. Noticing Pilen hadn’t left, he raised his head.
“Is there more?”
“I’d like to ask why you gave that order. The token being real… that’s a lie, isn’t it?”
