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Chapter 4
False Rumors
The ring the woman had brought the day before was fake. Philen had confirmed it himself.
When a ring bearing a family’s seal is made, it is always crafted from pure gold. However, the ring the woman brought immediately changed color the moment it was dipped into the reagent.
And yet, what Kylius had ordered today—after bringing the child—was to spread a story that was the complete opposite of the truth.
“I don’t see what the problem is.”
Kylius pressed his furrowed brow as he continued.
“The child was much thinner than others her age. Whether the woman was her real mother or not, it’s clear she didn’t take proper care of her. There were even signs of abuse on her arms and neck. Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity for such a child?”
“Hearing that alone, it sounds like you brought her here out of concern, my lord.”
Philen shrugged.
“If that were the case, you could’ve simply arranged for her to be placed in an orphanage. I know better than anyone that you wouldn’t register a complete stranger as a member of the family for such a reason alone.”
Kylius set down the documents in his hand. After a brief silence, he spoke first.
“She’s a child the family needs. And her hair is black, isn’t it?”
At that answer, Philen’s brow slowly furrowed as if something clicked.
“Could it be… because of what the vassals recently demanded?”
Philen had previously attended an official meeting in Kylius’s place during a business trip.
At that time, one particular topic had been brought up repeatedly in the meeting.
“The vassals seem quite dissatisfied. About naming young master Clemens as the heir.”
It was the most troublesome issue lately.
More than half of the vassals serving the ducal house refused to accept Clemens as the next duke.
The reason was simple: they could not acknowledge an adopted child—one without the family’s blood—as the heir.
And what they demanded was absurd.
[Therefore, the families of Marke, Ripe, Pekus, and Bremen request that Your Grace strengthen the ducal house’s position through a union with the Schusted family.]
In short, they wanted him to marry into one of their families. They even implied that if their demand was accepted, they would no longer interfere with the issue of succession.
When Philen had delivered that letter, Kylius’s reaction had been—
“The Schusted family, you say.”
A chilling voice had come first. Kylius couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
To Philen, he looked like a grim reaper who might summon all the vassals at once and send them to the afterlife.
If Kylius had actually called them in, Philen would have sincerely advised against it—no matter how powerful a noble he was, killing all his vassals at once would not be tolerated by the imperial family.
Fortunately, Kylius did not summon them.
Even so, Philen had no doubt that one day Kylius would send his “mad dogs” after them.
But even after several days passed, Kylius remained—by Philen’s standards—unusually quiet.
It wasn’t just Philen who found it strange. The vassal families sent follow-up letters, disguised as inquiries, pressing for an answer regarding the heir.
Philen delivered those letters as well, but Kylius showed no reaction.
Could it be… he’s actually considering their demand?
That, too, was something Philen had to stop as a loyal retainer. Of all families, the Schusted family was particularly problematic.
And then, in the midst of all this, that child appeared—a ragged girl said to be the daughter of some unknown prostitute.
When Philen first saw her black hair, he was truly shocked. Black hair was extremely rare in the empire.
“If you accept that child, they won’t be able to argue about your successor anymore.”
Realizing Kylius’s intention, Philen clapped his hands.
“I’d say she’s about four years old at most. The timing is perfect.”
To Philen, the child was already “young lady.”
A child who could be of such help to the family was naturally someone precious.
And as Philen said, Kylius had indeed taken that “timing” into account.
If the child had been even slightly older or younger—or if her hair hadn’t been black like his—he wouldn’t have brought her.
It would have only invited suspicion.
“In that case, there’s much to prepare right away. I’ll start by ordering clothes and furniture for the young lady.”
Philen looked excited, as if a long-standing problem had finally been solved.
Kylius lowered his gaze back to the documents. The image of the child he had seen yesterday naturally came to mind.
The child who had burst into tears the moment she saw him.
During their first meeting, she hadn’t avoided his gaze despite being afraid, so he thought she had a bold personality. But during the second meeting, she suddenly cried.
He remembered Yan, standing beside him, nervously trying to soothe the child.
Yet, strangely, her crying hadn’t irritated him much.
Even he found that surprising—but nothing more.
Unlike his sons, she wasn’t someone who would stay by his side for long.
He pushed the thought of her aside indifferently.
* * *
“Young lady, you’re eating so well now.”
“Yeah! Give me another bowl!”
“Of course.”
Sophia smiled warmly as she filled the bowl with more soup. Meanwhile, another maid who had been tidying toys approached. Her name was Delma.
“You’re eating so well—you’ll grow taller in no time!”
Delma’s cheerful encouragement gave me even more energy.
Since arriving at the ducal estate, I had been quite busy. I didn’t even have time to worry about being in a villain’s household.
A tailor came to measure clothes for me, and even a furniture maker came to create items suited to my height.
All I had to do was stand still while they took measurements. But what they said shocked me.
“Oh my, you’re even smaller than I expected. How adorable.”
“What tiny, cute feet! Come look at this!”
“These toys might be too difficult for you. I’ll make new ones just for you.”
Am I really that small…?
I thought I was at least average!
Feeling wronged, I started eating vegetables diligently from that day on.
Like today—finishing two full bowls.
“Wow, well done. You ate everything.”
Sophia beamed at the empty bowl. I walked over to a mirror and looked at myself, rising slightly onto my tiptoes.
…Maybe I should’ve had one more bowl.
“You’ll grow quickly. You eat so well.”
Sophia comforted me, but looking in the mirror, it wasn’t very convincing.
Anyway, let’s focus on what matters.
From the moment I arrived here, I had one goal in mind.
After finishing my meal, I packed my bag.
“Are you going on another mansion exploration today, young lady?”
“Yep!”
“Mansion exploration” was the name Sophia had given to my wandering around and studying the layout.
But the real purpose was simple.
In four years, I’m leaving.
For some reason, the duke had brought me in pretending I was his lost daughter.
But I knew the truth.
The duke didn’t have a daughter.
More precisely, in the original story, he didn’t.
There’s no way I’m actually his real daughter.
He hadn’t brought me here believing that either. In the original story, he was someone who would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.
So this time was no different—he brought me here to use me.
Fortunately, there was still time before the villainous duke truly began his atrocities.
The incident where he suddenly went mad and slaughtered all his vassals happened after Clemens returned to the estate.
Clemens comes back at age fifteen.
That meant I had four years.
I just needed to endure until then.
By that time, I would be eight years old—and at eight, there was quite a lot I could do.
Small inns and restaurants in rural areas often took in homeless children, giving them food and shelter in exchange for work.
At eight, I can live on my own.
To prepare for my independence, I had two goals:
Find an escape route in advance, and save emergency funds.
“Oh my, what did you pack in your bag?”
Sophia looked curious. I quickly hugged the bag tightly.
“Nothing!”
“Hmm… that seems suspicious.”
She narrowed her eyes.
I rolled my eyes around and spoke softly.
“Actually… it’s a secret. It’s for exploration.”
“Oh really?”
When I whispered into her ear, she smiled.
“Sounds like you’re going very far today.”
“Yeah! So I have to go now!”
I hurried out of the room with my bag. I could hear Sophia laughing behind me.
Inside the bag were things I had picked up during my exploration.
Buttons fallen from clothes, hair ties, broken ornaments…
I should store them somewhere else when I get back.
If anyone suspected me of collecting them, I’d have no excuse. They might even think I was stealing.
And then they might lock me in my room.
I carefully scanned the floor as I walked through the hallway. The stairs were especially good places—people dropped things there often.
Sure enough, near the bottom of the stairs, I found a shiny silver button.
Jackpot!
This alone made today worthwhile. I carefully placed it into my bag.
Alright, let’s check the second floor today.
As I hurried down the stairs, I noticed a large figure standing in the middle of the corridor.
I froze and quickly hid behind the wall.
My heart pounded loudly.
That startled me!
