Chapter 12
<13화>
‘What did I just see?’
Until now, the people had resented Aisha.
The child had nearly put their master in danger with a blatant lie.
So when the lie was exposed, they expected her to be kicked out.
No, they prayed for it.
Calips wasn’t the only one protecting Crost. This Duke’s Castle was a place guarded by everyone who worked within its walls.
And yet, instead of throwing her out, he adopted her into the direct line?
No, he was even tempting a reluctant child with steak?
“…His Grace really…”
The chef, witnessing the shocking truth, muttered to himself.
“…likes that child quite a bit.”
“More than I thought.”
“If anything, the child looks like she can’t stand him….”
Amidst those muttering daze, Butler Brad spoke up with a look of displeasure.
“It’s even more suspicious. Just how did she manage to wrap him around her finger like that?”
“Yes… but….”
Head Maid May couldn’t finish her sentence.
It had been so long.
Since the Duke had taken off his mask, and since he had smiled with a face full of mischief.
Ultimately, May reached a conclusion with a heavy heart.
“…He ordered us to treat her with the respect due to a lady of the house, so we have no choice.”
Everyone nodded at her words.
The observation log of the Duke and his sudden adoptee ended rather anticlimactically.
Immediately after the crowd dispersed.
“…Suspicious, as I thought.”
A man who had been watching everything from the shadows muttered.
“I’ll have to keep monitoring them.”
Flash—
He adjusted his gleaming white monocle and vanished like a shadow.
I think I’ve been scammed.
To think the gardener was Duke Calips.
…And that I’ve ended up being adopted by him.
“I tried to break the original plot, but I ended up getting even closer to it!”
Flail, flail!
After thrashing around on the bed for a long time, I let out a sigh and sprawled out spread-eagle.
Well, there was nothing I could do about that now, but there was something else bothering me.
It was definitely strange.
“I can understand the situation around me changing based on my actions, since that happened with Dorothy too.”
But for the Young Lady, who should be far away, to suddenly disappear?
“Hmm.”
Impossible to understand. I don’t get it at all!
Narrowing my eyes, I pressed my tiny fingers against my temples.
Thinking I might have gotten something wrong, I tried to recall the original setting regarding the Young Lady, but the descriptions of her were particularly thin compared to the other children.
“Same goes for the Duchess.”
There’s no information other than the fact that she went missing along with her daughter.
“…Hmm. Something smells fishy. Very fishy.”
A five-year-old former spy.
Though my career was humble, my intuition was tingling.
‘There’s something going on with the Duchess and the Young Lady.’
There was only one way to find out.
I had to poke around the Pose Duchy’s side.
I opened the small wardrobe in the bedroom and took out my pajamas.
Even though I’d abandoned the spy mission, the Pose family likely hadn’t realized my betrayal yet.
That’s because Dorothy, my only contact, was being held captive.
My mission was originally to act as a fake daughter in place of the biological one.
It wouldn’t be strange even if I asked for information about her.
[Adoption into the Crost Duchy complete. What is Dorothy’s progress? Where is the real biological daughter?]
After writing it out, I sprinkled a potion infused with an ability over the paper, and the crooked handwriting vanished shortly after.
It was then.
Knock, knock—
At the sudden knock, I scurried under the covers and pretended to be fast asleep in a perfect pose.
Soon, the door opened, and I heard Head Maid May’s businesslike voice.
“Wake up, Lady Aisha. It is already morning.”
“Mmm-nya, otay.”
Rub, rub.
Child-like eye rubbing: complete.
Child-like yawning: complete.
“…….”
I thought I’d put on a pretty thorough performance of waking up.
But May, showing zero interest in my act, was merely setting out the meal she’d brought on a trolley.
“For breakfast, I have prepared a simple citron salad and mushroom soup.”
“Thank you! But there’s so much, would you like to eat some with me…”
“Right then.”
I poked a piece of chicken from the salad with my fork and held it out to May, but—
Click—
May had already closed the door and disappeared.
“…….”
The chicken remained suspended in mid-air, having lost its destination.
“I guess I’ll just eat it.”
Munch, munch.
It was a bit embarrassing, but it wasn’t surprising since I’d expected it.
I must look like a completely suspicious brat to them.
‘I got adopted by lying that I knew the whereabouts of the biological daughter. I must look like a total little con artist.’
I understand, everyone. Even I think I look like a scammer.
Honestly, Calips is the weird one for taking me in.
But this level of coldness from people was nothing compared to my past spy training.
I scraped the salad bowl clean until the plate was nice and empty.
“A child who eats well is a child who gets loved!”
When the maids arrived after I pulled the bell cord—
“I ate it all without leaving a bite!”
With my cheeks full and round, I spoke with a beaming smile.
However, the maids simply snatched up the plates and the trolley and marched out of the bedroom.
‘Mm. My sisters are very shy.’
That’s okay. It’s my fault anyway!
Just as I was climbing back onto the bed with those thoughts—
“Who’s there?!”
Sensing a gaze behind me, I hopped off the bed and took a combat stance.
The so-called Squirrel Technique.
It was a hand-to-hand combat stance that utilized a physique smaller than the average child’s.
However—
“…Was it my imagination?”
Only peaceful sunlight streamed through the open window; no one was there.
“I’m sure I felt a presence by the window.”
Only after scurrying over to check outside the window did I breathe a sigh of relief.
Then again, who would climb up to a second-floor window?
Fortunately, there was no one outside.
Or so I thought.
“……?”
When I leaned my head out further—
A shadow hurriedly rounded the corner of the castle and vanished.
It was only for a few seconds, but I was certain.
‘An adult with tied-back hair.’
In that case, it was highly likely to be a maid.
“…I understand suspecting me, but monitoring me is a no-go.”
Me, being monitored? And by a former spy, no less?
My pride was wounded, and I felt a surge of unfairness.
‘I need to clear up this misunderstanding soon….’
I don’t know who it is, but I’m going into 24-hour alert mode for the time being.
But contrary to that resolve, my daily life passed peacefully.
No, it wasn’t just peaceful.
Surprisingly, absolutely no one paid me any attention.
“Lady Aisha. I will help you dress.”
“Thank you! By the way, sister, what color clothes do you like?”
“…I do not know.”
“I like blue. Maybe it’s because it’s similar to my eye color?”
“…….”
“How does it look to you? Do you think it suits me?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“A lot.”
“How much is a lot?”
“…….”
Silence fell.
In that case, my finishing move: wide eyes.
Twinkle, twinkle—
Now, sister, look at me. How is it? Don’t you want to become a fan?
No one who has dived into my clear, lake-like blue eyes has ever been able to ignore—
“A lo-ot.”
Letting out a long sigh, the maid gave a half-hearted answer.
“You are ready. I shall take my leave now.”
And she vanished in a flash, keeping her head down as if afraid to even make eye contact.
…There is someone who ignores it. My acting teacher said this expression was a hundred out of a hundred.
“I need to retake my acting classes.”
Feeling strangely bitter, I swung my plump legs.
It was always like this, whether I tried to start a conversation or asked for a favor.
Trudge, trudge.
Returning to the bedroom, I buried my face deep into the pillow.
I hadn’t even done anything, but my body felt heavy as lead.
“It feels like talking to a wall.”
Sisters. If you’re going to ignore me like this, why were you monitoring me from the bedroom window back then?
“…I’d rather you be wary of me. You people…. Fight with me….”
Flop, flop.
My listless legs dropped onto the mattress.
They say hate comments are better than no comments. That was exactly how I felt right now.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
The inevitable sound of a knock.
I wasn’t in the mood to face sisters who wore ‘uncanny valley’ expressions in front of me.
“Aisha is sleeping. So please come back tomorrow.”
I closed my eyes while making rough snoring sounds.
“I wonder where the brat who was going to eat strawberry cake before bed went.”
“…Ung?”
A low voice, completely different from the maids.
When I slowly turned my head, there stood the Duke, who had opened the door at some point, with a relaxed smile.
He was wearing glasses, perhaps having come straight from work, making him look a level more intellectual than usual.
“Look at you. Before you were adopted, you were running around all day. Now that you’re adopted, you’ve become a lazybones?”
“It’s not dat, it’s—”
As I tried to protest, he pinched my chubby cheek.
Then he tilted his head as if something was strange.
“Wait, the brat’s expression doesn’t look good?”
Do you not think it’s because you’re pulling on my cheek?
“Did something happen?”
“Mhu-mhoo.”
“…What. Are you so sad you can’t even speak?”
Do you not think I can’t speak because you’re pulling on my cheek?
