TDPMVI 18

Chapter : 18

After Hanisha left.

Tap. Tap.

Pater, who had been lightly drumming his index finger against the armrest, mulled over the child’s voice he had just heard.

He had already known that Count Roman was plotting something else. He also knew the man had been snooping around near Ramus.

Even so, he hadn’t stopped him.

Poison meant nothing to him, and if Hanisha truly wished to remain as his daughter, then enduring something like that was only natural.

That was why he had prepared the documents.

Even if she signed them, he could simply choose not to submit them. His signature would never be used. In the end, it was nothing more than a scrap of paper.

He had never intended to adopt anyone.

So this was merely a way to test the child’s intentions.

Was she an ally—or an enemy pretending to be one?

Even without sight, it was easy for him to tell when someone was lying.

“I’m actually from Agnito.”

But before he could even probe her true intentions, the child had told him the truth.

If he said he wasn’t surprised, that would be a lie.

He had never imagined that Agnito would truly abandon a child.

Yet the girl continued calmly, as though she had expected this all along.

“My existence is Agnito’s weakness and a gain for Stukia. After all, you’d be raising the child Agnito discarded.”

That was true as well.

“I just… didn’t want to see you in pain, Duke.”

That, too… well, in terms of meaning, it was true. If he collapsed, the one to be suspected would be Hanisha.

But—

“No. I’ve never tried it.”

Her heart, beating strongly, had told him otherwise.

That answer alone was clearly a lie.

She could have spoken the truth. It would have been more than enough to press her pitiful circumstances to her advantage.

But she hadn’t.

Which meant she hadn’t taken it by mistake—she had been forced.

And when a child that young experiences something like that, there is usually only one explanation.

Someone forced it on her.

And if the child was truly from Agnito, then the one responsible was highly likely the Duke of Agnito himself.

Judging by that, her distrust toward Agnito seemed genuine.

But something else bothered him even more.

Her attitude.

The tone that suggested it was only natural for her to hate her own existence. The experience of having tasted poison. The faint anxiety he had sensed.

“I hate myself.”

“That’s why I came. It felt like a place I could belong.”

If that faint voice resembled someone else, was that merely his imagination?

Behind the cloth that covered his eyes, his gaze turned cold for a fleeting moment.

Then he let out a small scoff.

Hanisha had admitted she was the Saintess’s daughter.

Of course she wasn’t that man’s daughter. And yet… was he still unable to let go? Foolish.

“Charon.”

With a short call, Pater dismissed his thoughts.

“Investigate Agnito’s current situation. See if there have been any other movements. And find out how the Saintess’s daughter has been treated all this time.”

He needed a suitable child anyway. Of course, he hadn’t expected that child to be from Agnito—but it didn’t matter.

If they tried anything else, he would eliminate them then. He could even use it as a reason to delay appointing an heir.

On the other hand, if he brought in just anyone and played family as they wanted, that would enrage them in its own way. That might be even more entertaining.

“Yes, understood.”

Soon after, a clinking sound followed—the sound of Charon putting away the teapot.

The rattling trolley from earlier came to mind. And the child’s voice, filled with tension despite her attempt to appear calm.

“I just… didn’t want to see you in pain, Duke.”

“It’s okay. I’m very persistent!”

“I want to become your daughter.”

Daughter. A daughter…

Pater rolled the unfamiliar word around in his mouth.

Strangely—or perhaps more than he expected—it didn’t feel bad.

“And…”

At his slow call, Charon turned toward him.

“Don’t you feel restless these days?”

Charon faltered.

But he soon regained his composure and answered politely.

“…Not at all. I was born to wear a butler’s uniform. I cannot hold something as cruel as a sword.”

“That’s unfortunate. I was going to let you handle a little subjugation.”

“Well, as it happens, I was just feeling that my clothes were rather constricting. So… where shall I go?”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Pater’s lips.

Whatever her intentions, Hanisha had chosen him as her father.

“I want to become your daughter.”

Among the many truths she had spoken, none had carried more sincerity than that.

So…

For a child who wished to become his daughter, perhaps he could grant a very small reward.

“The Ramus Mountains,” Pater said briefly.

“Sweep the entire area clean. Leave no trace.”

Charon came to see me the next morning.

Since I had revealed I was from Agnito, I had expected his attitude to grow colder.

“Good morning, Miss Hanisha.”

But Charon was the same as yesterday.

If there was one difference, it was that he looked incredibly refreshed.

“The weather is lovely, isn’t it?”

“Uh… it’s raining today.”

As if on cue, the sky rumbled with a low growl of thunder.

“Which is precisely why it’s such fine weather. Perfect for washing away all traces.”

I glanced sideways at the handkerchief tucked into his jacket.

At the end of the white cloth, there was a faint red stain that hadn’t quite washed out.

“……”

I quietly pretended not to notice.

“Ah, and this is something His Grace has sent for you, my lady.”

Charon held something out to me.

It was a bundle that looked heavy even at a glance.

“This is…?”

“Count Roman’s head.”

“Wh-What?! H-His head?!”

I shot up from my seat. The chair toppled over with a loud crash.

“I’m joking.”

Charon announced calmly.

As if to prove it, he shook the bundle, and it made a clinking sound.

“Y-You scared me…!”

I raised my voice without meaning to. Placing his free hand over his chest, Charon spoke politely.

“My apologies. This butler very much wishes to take a large bite out of our adorable young lady, but as that is impossible, I attempted to express my feelings through somewhat eccentric humor.”

“……”

Why would you bite me?

And isn’t that way too creepy to call humor?

As I swallowed my complaints, Charon continued.

“It is Count Roman’s slush fund. He had been diligently leaking our information. Thanks to you, we discovered it. His Grace has ordered that your share be properly calculated and given to you.”

“…The Duke did?”

I examined the bundle with an incredulous expression.

‘Th-This is real money?’

Compared to other noble families’ fortunes, it might be nothing. But it was an amount I had never even touched before my regression.

‘Goodness… he really did pretend to be a good person all this time. Honestly, he deserved to be killed.’

“What do you plan to do with it?”

“Hmm…”

At Charon’s question, I fell into thought.

Even after revealing that I was from Agnito, they had given this to me.

Which meant they were watching to see what I would do.

‘In that case…’

“I have somewhere to use it!”

Given Stukia’s nature, many people invaded seeking unknown treasures or something they needed.

What if someone stole it after I hid it away? Losing the money was one thing—but I did not want to deal with a situation where the ducal household began suspecting one another.

“Oh?”

Charon’s eyes gleamed.

“Would you perhaps confide in this humble butler where you intend to spend it?”

He gazed at me—a rare occurrence.

I wrinkled my nose.

“It’s a secret.”

I couldn’t tell anyone.

Not even the person I intended to spend it on knew I existed yet.

‘Hmm… but how should I send it? Legally, donations and sponsorships require identification.’

As long as I was still bound to Agnito, I couldn’t send it carelessly.

Just as I was worrying—

“Ah.”

As though he had just remembered something, Charon spoke again.

“There is one more thing His Grace has given you.”

With that, he pulled something out from inside his coat.

The moment I saw it, my eyes widened.