Chapter 18
“That backside… Is that you, Knox-nim?”
He could hear the knights whispering below, but he didn’t care.
Twenty-four years of single-minded devotion.
As a monster enthusiast and as the aide to the House of Crost, Knox had never once bent his convictions because of other people’s stares.
Finally reaching the top of the wall, he peered cautiously through the window of Aisha’s room.
To see more clearly, he pulled out a second monocle and fixed it over his other eye.
His pupils dilated at the sight of the child’s back inside the bedroom.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?!”
“Hi- Heek!”
Caught red-handed.
He had already caught her in the act.
* * *
“…This should get Knox’s attention, right?”
One hour ago.
As soon as I returned to the bedroom, I began my operation in earnest.
Since I had reincarnated as Aisha, I needed to deviate from the original plot to prevent my future death.
But in the end, I had become Calips’s daughter just as the story dictated.
Of course, I had been accepted even though he knew I was a spy, but I couldn’t let my guard down. I had to earn their trust somehow.
‘To do that, I need help.’
The problem was that there was no one to help me. Calips expected nothing from me, and Knox was outright wary.
“Then there’s only one way.”
I picked out the simplest dress from a pile of several and spread it on the floor. Then, I began to draw something on it with crayons, making it look like a spy from the Pose family writing a report.
“If I act this suspiciously, there’s no way he won’t be curious.”
May, the head maid, said Knox was currently in his private office.
“…But did she really think I’d believe that?”
With Calips gone, he would be monitoring me even more closely. So the claim that he was in his office was obviously a lie.
He was watching to see what I did when I was alone. To catch me right when I was doing something suspicious…
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?!”
It was then. As expected, the moment I started drawing, a fierce shout erupted from the window.
‘It starts now.’
“Hi- Heek!”
Ranked number one in the Pose Duchy’s acting exams.
Flap—!
As I jerked my head up, looking as suspicious as possible while hiding the dress—
“Good day, Lady Fake.”
Knox was grinning ominously, watching me while wearing two monocles at once.
Wait, why does he look so terrifying?
W-well, anyway…
‘You’ve taken the bait!’
* * *
“…Did you climb up the wall?”
When I asked cautiously, pretending to be frightened—
He tucked the monocles into his pocket and casually stepped through the window.
“I was surveilling you. I wanted to see how a seemingly ordinary fake Lady could win over His Grace’s heart.”
“So you entered my room without permission? And by climbing through the window?!”
“Yes.”
His monocle glinted, hiding his true thoughts.
“While His Grace is away, I must play the role of the fake Lady’s father.”
“…….”
“Though it is a bother, of course.”
He looked down at me with a bored expression.
“Since things have turned out this way, I wanted to find out exactly why His Grace adopted Aisha-nim.”
“…….”
He had been caught spying on me, yet he acted as if it were nothing. In fact, he seemed quite proud of himself.
“And yet, here you are, committing such a bold act. What were you writing on that dress?”
What else? The suspicious information I need you to investigate.
“The dress?”
Shrugging as if I didn’t know what he meant, I carefully pushed the dress I had hidden behind me with my bottom. Naturally, his sharp eyes didn’t miss it.
“What did you draw?!”
“Nothing?”
“If it’s nothing, why are you hiding it so suspiciously?”
“Even five-year-olds have a right to privacy.”
“But a five-year-old who was a ‘former’ spy is a different story. Reveal the identity of that dress!”
“Eek!”
Suddenly lowering his upper body, Knox reached his arm out behind me. I tried to block him, but unfortunately, his arm was much longer than mine.
“Heh… What exactly did they teach you during spy training?”
He showed no mercy just because I was five. Eventually, Knox snatched the dress and looked down at me triumphantly.
What did they teach me? Thanks to them, I’m putting on this masterpiece of a performance, pretending to let you win.
Knox spread out the back of the dress—
“…Ahili’s Circus. 12:00. Staff storage room.”
His voice went chillingly flat as he read the fake report. To anyone’s eyes, this was a spy’s rendezvous message.
“…What are you planning to do by going there?”
The surrounding air grew heavy, as if weighed down by an anchor.
“Are you going there to brag that you successfully deceived the Duke of Crost and became his daughter?”
“…….”
H-he’s much scarier than I thought.
“I’m curious to see what the fake Lady is up to. I’ll go with you.”
“Huh?!”
When I froze, he let out a dry laugh and tossed the dress onto the bed. Then, he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck as if I were a kitten.
Before I had time to panic, I was led away and placed into a carriage.
* * *
“Get out.”
He told me to get out, but his large hand was still firmly gripping the back of my neck. Ever since Knox read the fake report, he had stopped treating me like a ‘Lady’ as Calips had ordered.
It was all going according to plan. Fortunately, Knox seemed convinced that I was still communicating with the Pose family.
‘It’s a bit scary… but well, I’m glad we made it this far.’
As I entered the circus under his watch, the air felt as cold as if I had stepped into a freezer. Just then, a bright spotlight illuminated a host standing on the stage.
“Welcome to Ahili’s Circus, the greatest monster show on earth that you’ve all been waiting for!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Whoo—!”
The host’s voice boomed, and the excited audience rose to their feet as one.
“…Monsters? People gathered here just to see monsters…?”
Startled by the unexpected situation, Knox muttered in a bewildered voice.
That was right. This was a circus that showcased monsters brought in illegally. However, someone like Knox, entering a circus for the first time, couldn’t help but be skeptical.
Monsters were violent, impossible to communicate with, and difficult to hunt. Yet a monster show? Someone who knew the nature of monsters as well as Knox would find it even more bizarre.
In that case, how did this circus bring in and manage monsters? The answer was the Ice Ability.
The second son of the House of Crost. Lucas, whom I was about to save, was imprisoned here, his ability being exploited.
* * *
At that same time, beyond the End of the World.
“We have eliminated the pack of Winter Wolves that were lingering near the ice wall.”
“And the orcs?”
Calips’s black hair fluttered amidst the raging blizzard. In that white world, the red bloodstains were particularly striking. Blood dripped from his palm, but Calips wiped it away as if it were nothing and roughly wrapped the wound with a bandage.
Bleeding during a monster subjugation was a regular occurrence.
“We confirmed about ten orcs lingering near the boundary.”
“Casualties?”
“Three are unfit for combat. The rest are capable.”
“Then at dawn today…”
Calips’s lips snapped shut as he continued. A child as small as a ball of fluff had suddenly come to mind.
Aisha. The little brat who would be waiting for him at the Duke’s castle.
Of course, she would be fine even without him. But for some reason, he felt uneasy leaving Aisha in Knox’s care.
‘Is he nagging that innocent child even now?’
After a moment’s thought, Calips changed his orders.
“We’ll finish this as quickly as possible. Have them ready immediately.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After securing the bandage, he took a swig of liquor. Strong alcohol was essential to endure the cold, which easily dipped below minus 30 degrees Celsius. His red eyes, burning like lava, were already fixed toward the far north where the orcs were located.
‘If we finish quickly, I can return tonight.’
Someone was waiting for him. There was someone who would embrace him when he returned home.
“…….”
A faint smile touched his usually stoic lips at the rare sensation of warmth. But then—
“Your Grace. An urgent message from Knox-nim.”
The image of the child’s pale, dough-like face vanished at the sight of the message the knight held out. ‘An urgent message?’
That couldn’t be. The only threat to the House of Crost was monsters. And since he was personally subjugating them right now, there should be no danger.
“…….”
However—
[I discovered Aisha writing a secret report. We are currently on our way to the rendezvous point mentioned in the report.
PS. See, what did I tell you?]
“Your Grace? The preparations for the subjugation are complete…”
“We’re going back.”
“Pardon?”
“Create a portal. There is somewhere I must go immediately.”
Calips crumpled the letter, feeling his blood run cold.
