TDPMVI 17

Chapter : 17

Honestly, I agonized over it. Whether or not I should reveal that I was Agnito.
But I decided it was better to say it myself than to have someone else expose it later. Once trust is broken, it’s hard to restore.

The duke, who had been silent for a moment, slowly spoke.
“If you are Agnito… then you must be the child who broke the lineage of the saint, huh.”
“…….”
“That’s something I’ve never heard in all the confessions I’ve listened to…”

Though he laughed as if at a boring joke, the duke’s aura instantly sharpened.
“Why bring that up all of a sudden? Do you mean that now, scared, you’ll step back and go back to being Agnito?”
“……No, that’s not it.”
“Then speak.”
“I want you to use me.”
“……What?”

The duke furrowed his brows slightly, as if he didn’t understand. I continued in a calm voice.
“I am the illegitimate child of Agnito. That’s a fact everyone in the world knows.”
“…….”
“That’s why Duke Agnito sent me to the north to be killed. That goes against the temple’s doctrine that no matter what happens, a child must never be abandoned.”

I added strength to my voice as I spoke.
“My existence will be both Agnito’s weakness and Stuckia’s advantage. I am, after all, the child that Agnito abandoned but was raised by Stuckia. So…”
“What if you were just used as a card for Agnito to discard?”

The duke cut me off coldly.
“They could have sent you as a means to wage a fair territorial war, while using the excuse that the child was kidnapped.”
“……Yes. That could be true.”

I nodded calmly.
“But the royal family wouldn’t allow that.”
“The royal family?”
“Yes. My existence is an opportunity to weaken the temple’s influence.”

Outwardly, it may seem like the temple and the royal family are working toward the same goal, but that’s just an illusion. The royal family wanted to completely suppress the temple’s power while the saint’s strength had disappeared.

A child of Agnito, the illegitimate daughter of a persecuted saint, is protected in Stuckia. Naturally, the royal family would side with Stuckia.

“If you accept me, the royal family will no longer pressure the heir. They would think a family that took in an abandoned child could never function properly. So, Duke…”

I took a deep breath, steadying my trembling voice, and spoke clearly.
“You may think I’m a spy sent from Agnito. That’s fine. Use me as you see fit.”
“…….”
“And if your misunderstanding is resolved, then please adopt me as your daughter.”

Please.

I bowed deeply.
“…….”

The duke said nothing. Perhaps he thought taking in an illegitimate child was impossible?

I anxiously waited for his response. After a long, silent moment, the duke finally spoke slowly.
“Let me ask one thing.”

He said,
“Was changing the Ramus tea leaves part of that plan too?”

I froze at the unexpected question. Did he think that was something I did to earn his favor?

I hesitated for a moment. Acting as if I had a plan could earn me points with him. But I shook my head.
“No. To be honest, that wasn’t part of the plan.”

I did have the desire to earn points from the duke—it would be a lie to say otherwise. But more than that…
“I just didn’t want to see you in pain.”

I had come back to life once and learned something painfully clear: my life is important, but so is the life of others. No life is trivial, nor is anyone meant to be used as a tool.

That’s why I changed the tea leaves. I wanted no one to get hurt.

“…….”

Even after my honest answer, the duke said nothing, only maintaining a quiet silence.

And after a moment…
“Alright. One last question.”

The duke spoke again. I clenched my fists, ready to answer honestly, no matter what.
“Have you ever tasted the tea from the Ramus Mountains?”

I froze again. I had tasted it.

One day, as Esther manifested the saint’s power and my own gold ban was lifted, gradually increasing my influence within the duke’s court, the Duke of Agnito suddenly invited me for tea.

A private tea session with the duke, just the two of us—a first for me. I attended with a fluttering heart.

“Drink it. It’s good for your health.”
“You should drink it first, Duke…”
“Ah, it’s just tea. Don’t be shy. Drink it.”

Without any suspicion, I drank it…

“Ugh…!”

And immediately shattered the cup.

I stared at the duke in disbelief.
“How is it, Hanisha? Does it hurt much? Any other sensations?”
“It… it hurts. My… my throat… p-please… help me…”

Even as I clutched my burning throat, the duke pressed me, asking, “Any other changes?”

When the pain worsened, he clicked his tongue, stood up, and said,
“I thought perhaps the saint’s power would manifest in a crisis, but seems not.”

I had hoped maybe the saint’s power would appear in both of us. But the duke clicked his tongue, ordered a servant to give me an antidote, and left the room without looking back.

It was only after a full week of illness that I realized the tea leaves used were the highly toxic Ramus variety.

‘Since my identity has already been revealed to the world, he said he only used a very small amount so I wouldn’t die.’

The sorrow and pain of that moment were still vivid. But I couldn’t tell the duke—how strange it would be for a child to have tasted poison.

So, for the first time, I lied to the duke.
“No. I haven’t tasted it.”

My voice trembled slightly, but not enough to arouse suspicion. Surely.
“……I see.”

The duke murmured slowly, in a low voice that sounded displeased, as if he had heard an unsatisfactory story.

‘Did he perhaps notice I lied?’
Or perhaps he just thought it inappropriate for Stuckia…

My palms sweated.

“Truly.”

The duke spoke slowly.
“Do you really want to be my daughter?”

Caught off guard, I blinked, then quickly answered.
“Yes. I want to be your daughter, Duke.”

“Is that so?”

The duke, listening quietly, smiled faintly.
“What should I do? I’m a carefree idler, with many desires and little action.”
“…….”
“If you become my daughter, you’ll have to deal with my laziness too. Or perhaps I might even delegate tasks to you.”
“…….”
“And those will be—very dangerous tasks.”

The duke leaned back in his chair, tilting his head lazily. His loosely draped robe slipped slightly, revealing skin—dangerous, to anyone’s eyes.

And yet, somehow… he looked like a threatening cat.
‘No… maybe more like a lion, if it’s the duke.’

Anyway, I said boldly,
“It’s fine. I’m very persistent.”

Having already lived one life, if that’s not persistence, what is?

“Good.”

At my spirited reply, the duke smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.
“Then try your best. Make me want to sign this personally.”

He tapped the adoption agreement with his index finger.
“When that happens, I’ll truly acknowledge you as my daughter, in the name of Stuckia.”

I caught my breath at that. A vow in the name of Stuckia—the founding duke’s will—was a promise that what was sworn in his name would certainly be carried out. The duke didn’t say it lightly.

“Yes!”
“You answered well. Now, go.”

The duke waved gently. I replied firmly, “Goodbye!” and left his office.

Once the door closed, I placed my hand on my chest.

“He’ll truly acknowledge me as his daughter.”

Even after revealing I was the illegitimate daughter of a saint, I had been given an opportunity. No one had looked down on me, or treated me as worthless.

Perhaps that’s why it felt strangely unfamiliar, my heart fluttering. Somehow, it felt a little warm…

‘No!’

I shook my head quickly. Family is just a pretext. What I truly want is the castle of Stuckia. I mustn’t be swayed by these feelings any longer.

‘Alright.’

I would get the adoption approved, no matter what!

I returned to my room, steeling my resolve.