Chapter 3
<Chapter 4>
And so, my one-sided monologue continued.
“For your information, I’m actually quite easy to raise!”
“…….”
“I sleep early and wake up early.”
“…….”
“I can study and even help my father with his work. I can be the perfect daughter—the kind of child every parent wishes for—I can be… Ouch.”
It happened then.
I had been busily showing off my charms when the man suddenly came to a halt, causing my rounded forehead to bump into his leg.
‘…Wow, it’s rock hard.’
It wasn’t a log; it felt like steel. Are gardeners’ bodies usually this fit?
Stunned by the unexpectedly solid leg, I stood there dazed, rubbing my forehead.
“You.”
The gardener spun around and knelt to look me in the eye.
His face was still hidden beneath the hood, but he seemed quite troubled for some reason.
“Did you act like this to other people at the orphanage, too?”
“Act like what?”
“Saying things like you’ll become the Mercenary King, or that they won’t regret choosing you. All that nonsense.”
“No. I choose who I talk to.”
My eyes sparkled.
“Out of all the adults I’ve met, you’re the best, Mr. Gardener.”
I gave him a bright smile.
It was the smile of Aisha the spy, trained since childhood, but the man let out a sigh as if he were even more distressed.
“If you wait here in the hallway, an attendant will take you to His Grace the Duke’s office. When that happens, don’t chatter. Just quietly tell him the Lady’s location.”
“But I have to get something out of this too, don’t I?”
“I heard there’s a viscount family among the vassals of the Crost Duchy who wants a child. They’re a knight family, so you’ll be well-protected. That should be enough, right?”
He placed his large hands on my shoulders.
But I think you’d be better than some viscount family, Mister.
“Understood?”
When my silence stretched on, I could feel a sense of desperation in the gaze hidden by the shadows.
“Fine, I understand for now.”
Well, nothing I can do about it.
When I finally nodded, the man exhaled a breath he’d been holding and stood up.
“Then wait here.”
“Yes.”
Once the gardener disappeared, only I and the knight guarding the castle corridor remained in the hallway.
“…….”
I stole a glance at the knight.
“Ahem!”
The knight let out an awkward cough and looked up at the ceiling.
He had clearly heard everything the gardener and I had discussed.
‘A knight of the Crost family, huh.’
I fell back into thought.
If he’s a knight, there’s no guarantee of survival in the event of a war, but the same goes for a gardener.
However, since he’s a knight, he’d be stronger than the gardener and get paid more, right?
And if he’s a knight of the Crost family, his status is guaranteed….
“Hup.”
It happened then.
I had been staring at him like a secretive owl when my eyes met the knight’s as he turned his gaze.
The gardener said he’d introduce me to someone, but one always needs insurance.
Besides, there’s no guarantee a commoner gardener’s promise will actually be fulfilled, is there?
‘Gotcha.’
I smiled broadly and prepared to approach the knight.
“Excuse me, Mister. Do you happen to have any interest in adopting a clever daught—whoa!”
“Kid. This isn’t an orphanage.”
My feet suddenly left the ground, preventing me from getting any closer.
‘…Levitation?’
What was this? Was it some hidden ability of Aisha’s?
Something else was strange, too.
When I snapped out of it, I saw the knight in front of me standing at stiff attention, his face pale.
“Your Grace! What brings you here… anyway, greetings!”
…The Duke?
I frowned, lost in thought.
If someone in the Crost family is called the Duke, then it’s Duke Calips, which means….
“I was passing by and thought someone was in danger. Anyway, what’s with this brat?”
As I turned my head slightly, I locked eyes with the black mask I had only ever imagined through descriptions in the original novel.
It was Duke Calips.
“Your Grace. Greetings… but what is that brat?”
“Mind your business.”
Calips carried me effortlessly with one hand, as if he were moving a sack of grain.
As we walked down the hallway, the gazes of the servants and knights we passed were fixed on us.
I was completely frozen. In the original novel, Calips was described as being incredibly terrifying.
I thought that was only natural since he was the main villain, but…
‘…He’s much scarier than I thought!’
He was bigger than I expected, way bigger.
185cm? No. He looked over 190.
Also, his voice was incredibly deep, sounding as if he were speaking from within a cave.
“…….”
My body was five years old, but my mind was an adult’s.
Furthermore, I was the well-trained spy, Aisha.
I was someone with nothing to fear and nothing to lose.
And yet, I was terrified.
Dangle, dangle—
My body swayed like a trapeze every time his log-like arm moved.
I, who had always maintained my composure since possessing Aisha, felt cold sweat trickling down my neck.
“Kid. Your name.”
A low bass voice drifted down over the top of my head.
“…….”
“Are you dead? Why are you so quiet?”
Only then did I realize Calips had asked me a question.
I answered hurriedly.
“…A-Aisha.”
“Was she always like this? I thought she was extremely noisy.”
Huh? What is he saying?
He seemed to be mumbling something, but he was too quiet for me to hear.
‘…Forget everything else. I want to see the gardener. No one was as friendly as him.’
Click—
But my idle thoughts vanished at the sound of a door opening.
The cold draft was immediately blocked out.
A cozy fireplace. A warm purple carpet.
This was his office.
“…What did you bring in with you?”
A handsome young man wearing a monocle and checking reports in the room asked.
He appeared to be Knox, Calips’s aide.
“Kid. I’m putting you down, so stand up straight.”
Calips ignored the curious Knox and set me down.
“She says she knows the Lady’s location.”
“…This brat does?”
“Yeah. Now speak, kid. Where is the Lady?”
When I lifted my head at the voice echoing from above, I met the black mask.
It wasn’t flashy, but the mask was elegantly engraved in the shape of a black panther.
The red eyes, the only thing visible beneath the mask, flickered with a strange mix of curiosity and wariness.
I felt as if I had walked into a trap.
The man leaned forward slightly, looking down at me with an unmoving gaze.
My mouth went dry.
‘Both Knox and Calips…’
They’re too big.
They would have been scary even from the perspective of my past life, but seeing them from the eyes of a five-year-old made the fear feel twice as intense.
“…Could you give me some paper and a pen?”
But I was a spy. That meant I was a relatively well-trained child.
Hiding my inner terror, I asked calmly, and the crimson eyes flicked toward Knox.
“Knox. Bring them.”
“I’m quite curious to see what she’ll draw.”
At Calips’s command, Knox handed me a pen and paper.
‘Get it together.’
Looking at the two men, I realized something vaguely.
I was a spy. But at the same time, I was just a powerless five-year-old child.
So…
“Write a contract first.”
“…What?”
Calips looked as if he had misheard.
“Who are you trying to write a contract with right now? No, more importantly, how old is this child?”
Knox was equally bewildered.
Scratch, scratch—
Ignoring the men’s stares as much as possible, I gripped the pen with my small hand and began writing.
“I’m done.”
My fingers hurt from trying to write with my limited strength. Still, I managed to write down everything I wanted to say.
As I proudly spread my five stubby fingers, Calips frowned at the words.
“What did you write?”
“Give it to me.”
Flash—
Knox took the paper and adjusted his monocle, making the lens gleam.
And then.
“I have no idea either.”
He answered confidently.
‘Good grief, these people.’
“I’ll explain.”
Still, my handwriting was better than an average five-year-old’s.
I suppose I need more practice, perhaps because I’ve only ever focused on physical training.
I pointed to the sentences with my finger.
“If I tell you the Lady’s location, Your Grace must fulfill the conditions written in this contract.”
“…….”
“The condition is that you find me a legal guardian who will keep me safe until I become an adult.”
“If you find the Lady,”
Calips answered lowly, arching an eyebrow.
“I could even give you a territory. So hurry up and tell me where she is.”
“Only after you sign.”
“Are you saying you don’t trust the oath of the House of Crost?”
I shook my head.
Based on what I saw in the original novel, Calips was a man of integrity who wouldn’t ignore a promise, even if it were made to a child.
However.
“What can help me right now isn’t someone’s oath, but a legally binding contract.”
I am alone.
A being born to live as a spy. Someone without a single identification card in either the Doctia Kingdom or the Frozen Kingdom.
Even if I died, no one would know, because I never existed in the first place.
“So please sign the contract.”
I am alone.
“Then I’ll tell you the Lady’s location in detail.”
The contract is the only thing I can trust.
When I answered firmly with my arms crossed, Calips stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh.
“Knox. Bring the seal.”
“Pardon? You’re going to use the seal instead of just signing?”
“Look at the ferocity in her eyes. Do you think a signature will satisfy her?”
“…Ha, do as you wish.”
Ah, thank goodness.
Now I have a way to survive.
The breath that had been trapped in my chest throughout the conversation with Calips finally felt like it was flowing again.
But then, the pen I was holding suddenly vanished.
“In exchange, I’ll set a condition as well.”
Calips, who had taken the pen before I knew it, began writing something on the paper.
“If I go to the place you told me and the Lady isn’t there…”
