Chapter 8
<9화>
I was doomed.
To call the head of a ducal house a gardener.
This was an offense for which I could be punished for insulting a noble, and I would have no defense.
Calips looked equally caught off guard, his eyes wavering slightly.
Failing to find a place to land, my short legs dangled in the air, trembling.
“…The, the gardener mister also held me like this.”
“…….”
“I-I guess everyone in the House of Crost is kind, cool, tall, and strong.”
“…….”
“Hehe.”
I was so doomed.
The corners of my mouth, forced upward awkwardly, felt like they were about to twitch. Cold sweat began to pour from my scalp.
I would have preferred it if he just got angry.
Was he so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even speak?
‘Well, I did just call a Duke a gardener.’
Now the Duke would send me to the dungeon, right?
Or would he just execute me on the spot?
‘I don’t want to die like this again. My dream is just to live until I’m a little old lady and die of natural causes!’
Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“A gardener? You must have misspoke.”
Contrary to my expectations, a heavy sigh came from across me.
“Huh?”
“Snap out of it and look at this paper.”
When I cautiously opened my tightly shut eyes—
Calips handed me a sheet of paper that he had produced from somewhere in the blink of an eye.
Then, he sat down on the sofa opposite me.
It was strange.
Usually, a Duke would have sat in his own chair, but he sat as if he were treating me as an equal.
“…This is….”
With that thought, I checked the paper he held out.
It was the contract I had written before.
“The contract is still valid, kid.”
“Pardon?”
“So you don’t need to be scared and tremble. As long as you bring the direct-line Lady back, I will have you adopted as a daughter into a Viscounty.”
At his words, my eyes slowly widened.
“…But I’m a spy from the House of Pose?”
“I know.”
“Then why are you being so nice to me?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to live? That’s why you revealed the identity of the spy named Dorothy.”
“Uh, yeah….”
Then… did the news that I was the one who exposed Dorothy come from the Duke’s own mouth?
“Duke.”
“What.”
I had to stay calm at a time like this.
“…Duke, you are my savior.”
Contrary to my intentions, my mouth moved on its own.
At that, the calm red eyes behind the mask slowly widened.
“…….”
He was silent for a moment.
Perhaps slightly flustered, his lost gaze lingered on me before dropping down to the paper—
“Stop talking nonsense and go rest.”
As he turned back toward the desk in the office, he had returned to being the head of the House of Crost.
“Yes, sir!”
I answered energetically and left the office.
He seemed a little surprised by what I said.
Or maybe not. It must have been my imagination.
That evening.
“Mister, you know, I don’t think Duke Calips is as bad a person as I thought. I think I might have even misunderstood him.”
My legs dangled cheerfully in the air.
The gardener mister stared at me as I spoke excitedly.
Ever since I’d gotten a sandwich from him last time, I had eaten with him occasionally. Now, visiting the garden at mealtime had become part of my daily routine.
Leaning his elbow on the outdoor table and rubbing his temple, he picked up a handkerchief.
“Is that so? In what way?”
It had also become a routine for him to use the handkerchief to wipe the bread crumbs from the corners of my mouth.
I told him all the details of what had happened that afternoon.
“—So, I called him the gardener mister, but he let it slide. Even though I did something else really bad, he trusted me.”
“Something really bad?”
Having listened quietly without interrupting, he asked tentatively.
“What was the ‘really bad’ thing?”
“It’s a secret! That’s a secret between the Duke and me. I can’t tell you, even if it’s you, mister.”
I replied primly, crossing my arms.
Naturally, speaking about the fact that I was a spy was taboo. I wanted to tell the gardener mister because we were close, but still, rules were rules.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. A secret. Confidential.”
“If it’s a secret with the Duke, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Surprisingly, the gardener mister didn’t pry any further.
Was it just my imagination?
In fact, the moment I mentioned it was a ‘secret’ with the Duke, it felt like he offered a faint smile.
After that, things moved quickly.
Upon hearing the news that Dorothy had been discovered, the Duke of Pose flatly denied that she was his spy.
In the end, it was only after the House of Crost sent her body along with the fabric engraved with his crest that an official message of apology arrived.
Thanks to that, Calips decided to head to the Doctia Kingdom with fifty knights under the pretext that he could no longer trust the House of Pose.
It wasn’t a request for permission; it was a threat.
The Duke of Pose couldn’t say a single word in protest against Calips’s unilateral declaration.
After Calips left.
“Are you Aisha? Are you hungry?”
As rumors spread that I was the one who revealed Dorothy’s identity, the servants’ attitudes began to change.
They became even more favorable after hearing that I had been summoned privately by the Duke.
Thanks to that, I became close enough with the maids to occasionally receive strawberry tarts from them.
“Is the gardener mister not here today either?”
The problem, however, was this.
“Yes. He’s on vacation today as well.”
“Again?”
“I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon…. Just stay indoors for now.”
Since Calips left, the gardener mister had disappeared as well.
My shoulders slumped at the dismissal that came without fail this time too.
‘I mean, if he was going on a long vacation, he should have told me!’
I had come here to have lunch with him.
Before I knew it, the gardener mister had become quite special to me.
He was the first adult to help me, and the only person who had become something like a friend since I possessed this body.
‘But he probably doesn’t feel the same. To him, I might just be one of many people passing through his life.’
Trudge, trudge.
My disappointed eyes narrowed.
“…The Lady is lucky. She has a father scouring the whole world to find her. I’ve never had parents like that.”
Not in my past life, nor in this one. I had no such parents, no such family.
Shuddering at the sudden sense of loneliness, I went back to my room and ate a sandwich alone.
No. Things went well, didn’t they?
So why was I feeling so down?
“Cheer up, cheer up!”
Slapping my forehead to snap out of it, I spread out a newspaper that was nearby.
I didn’t have time to be depressed over the gardener mister. Today was an important day.
‘Today is the day I get adopted into the Freesia Viscounty!’
With eyes that looked like they could emit lasers, I read the newspapers I had collected so far.
I had gathered newspapers the maids had finished reading and discarded, and they contained a surprising amount of information about the Viscounty.
‘Isn’t this the basic preparation for a daughter?’
While the maids braided my hair, I got a general grasp of the Freesia Viscounty.
And a short while later—
“It is a pleasure to meet you. Your name is Aisha, right? His Excellency introduced you as a bright child, so I was very eager to meet you. We’ve come to have lunch with you.”
As promised, the Freesia Viscount and his wife arrived.
“Ah, y-yes.”
“It’s a lovely name. I’m truly happy to meet you.”
Their kindness didn’t seem forced.
As soon as we sat down, the Viscountess’s fingertips trembled slightly as she cautiously offered a handshake.
Calm brown hair. Green eyes.
Not only their appearance but even their smiles were gentle; they were a couple who looked kind at first glance.
Swish.
Quickly scanning their impressions, I clenched my small fists under the table.
The opportunity to live with wealthy and loving legal guardians had arrived.
I couldn’t let this slip away.
“…Hello, Viscount Freesia. Viscountess.”
After shaking hands, I stood up and lifted the hem of my dress.
Naturally, I had been thoroughly trained in noble etiquette during my spy training.
“Have they already taught her noble etiquette?”
“I haven’t been taught formally, but I studied hard in preparation for meeting the Viscount and Viscountess.”
The Viscount marveled as I spoke with burning determination in my eyes.
“His Excellency said you were a clever one, and he was right. Don’t just stand there; sit down quickly.”
“Yes.”
Phew. At least the first impression was a success.
I calmed my racing heart and took my seat.
“How old are you?”
“I am five years old.”
“I see. Have you heard anything about the Freesia Viscounty?”
The interview was starting in earnest.
“Yes. Of course.”
‘I’ve been gathering information on the Viscounty for a month for this very moment.’
I put on a polite smile that adults would like.
“The Freesia Viscounty was the first family in the Frozen Kingdom to be granted a noble title as commoners, and His Excellency Calips personally bestowed the territory upon you.”
“Oh my.”
“The territory, known as Frendia, is a fertile agricultural area surrounding the river. I understand the main export is wheat.”
“…Oho.”
The Viscount couple’s eyes widened as the information poured out like a string of sausages.
Was this enough to pass the interview?
No. I had to seal the deal.
I didn’t lose my smile until the very end.
“If I am adopted, I would like to learn swordsmanship at the Freesia Viscounty. My original goal was to be a mercenary, but if you two allow it, I am even considering becoming a knight commander. And of course, I intend to marry for the glory of the Freesia Viscounty.”
“……?”
“However, these are just my personal plans to become the golden wheat of Freesia, so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me.”
Slurp.
I drank my milk as if it were black tea and gave a bright smile.
“Goals are subject to change at any time, after all.”
“…….”
At that, the Viscount, who had been silent, looked at me with wonder and whispered to his wife.
“…Do you think His Excellency was going to raise her himself but introduced her to us because he felt sorry for our childless state?”
“…I think so.”
Complaints made in secret are usually the truth. It looked like I would be able to live a peaceful life in the Freesia Viscounty from now on.
It was then.
There was a knock, and a maid entered and bowed her head.
“Viscount. I apologize for the interruption during your meal, but His Excellency has returned, and I thought you might want to greet him.”
“What? Already?”
“When he left for the Doctia Kingdom, he had to travel manually because they didn’t authorize the use of a portal, but….”
The maid bowed her head and continued.
“It is said that he arrived quickly because he used a portal when returning here to the Frozen Kingdom.”
“I see. So, did he come back with the Lady?”
The Viscount stood up. I also straightened my back, feeling a bit nervous.
The maid, who seemed like she was about to answer immediately, surprisingly remained silent.
After a moment.
The maid closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head.
“The Lady… was not with him, it seems.”
…What?
I dropped the fork I was holding.
The original story had gone off track.
