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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Golden Egg is Mine!
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The guard was desperately trying to hold back his laughter.
‘Guess I must have looked pretty ridiculous.’
But the pain of parting was so great that I wasn’t embarrassed at all.
“Here.”
When my hand offering the golden egg trembled uncontrollably, the guard’s shoulders shook violently.
He laughed soundlessly, almost choking on it.
What? Why?
‘First person you’ve seen who loves gold this much?’
When I glared at him with that look, he finally cleared his throat awkwardly and composed himself.
My mother was covering her face with her palm, as if embarrassed.
“It must be incredibly hard for you to part with it.”
Of course!
“……Yes.”
“Then how about this? You take the gold with you for now.”
The guard made an unexpected proposal.
“You mean I can take it?”
My voice rose involuntarily.
“Yes. If the owner shows up, I’ll contact you. You can return it then.”
What kind of deal is that?
I still have to give it back anyway.
Wait, there’s a prerequisite, right?
“What if the owner doesn’t show up?”
I voiced my hopeful wish, and the guard smiled faintly.
“If no one claims it within a month, the finder becomes the owner.”
My eyes lit up at those words.
“Really?”
“Yes. That’s the lost and found regulation.”
Ooh!
Just one month.
What a great rule!
“Please, please, no one come looking for it within a month!”
“Guh!”
“Espin!”
In the midst of my fervent prayer, I heard my mother’s urgent call.
“……Did I say that out loud again?”
“Yes.”
The expression on my mother’s face was, ‘Who does she get her greed from?’
‘Mother, come on. It’s not like this is the first time.’
More importantly, I glanced down at the golden egg and made up my mind.
“No. I’ll leave it here now.”
Both my mother and the guard’s eyes widened in surprise.
They hadn’t expected me to make that decision.
‘It’s not like I won’t have to return it if someone claims it within a month anyway.’
“Staying together might make it harder to part later if we get attached.”
So it was better to say goodbye now.
‘And if no owner shows up, it’ll be mine completely in a month. Even better.’
It was a terribly difficult decision, but the guard revealed something unexpected.
“Actually, items like this are rarely claimed.”
“Rarely claimed?”
Why wouldn’t they claim something like this?
If I lost it, I’d be searching high and low.
“If you think about why something like that would be in a place like that, the answer’s clear.”
“Maybe someone dropped it by accident?”
No one would leave it there on purpose.
The guard chuckled, as if my reaction was cute.
“Why would someone who can own gold bring it to a park? And not on a bench, but under a tree, right?”
‘Huh. That’s true.’
Even rich people don’t stroll around with gold bars like this.
Especially since I found it under a tree, slightly off the path.
That meant someone was transporting the golden egg intentionally.
And taking a non-normal route for a reason...
“It’s illegal goods?”
“Probably. But it’s not dangerous. From what I saw earlier, it’s just a gold lump. No special features, doesn’t seem made for any particular purpose.”
“What kind of purpose?”
“Sometimes they make fake ones that look real for scams. But this one’s too plain for that.”
No matter how I looked at it, it was just a round egg shape.
“Probably made as slush funds. If it were cash, maybe, but almost no one comes back for physical assets like this.”
“Why not?”
“Because the location and item are suspicious. It draws attention. You might even get audited. Who’d risk coming forward?”
So the guard was convinced no one would claim it.
I quickly turned to my mother.
See?
Can I take it?
I pleaded intensely with my eyes, and she sighed.
“Fine, take it.”
“Wow! Awesome!”
“But! If the owner shows up, you have to return it.”
“Of course! I’ll take it!”
With her permission, I happily scooped it up.
“If anyone claims it, I’ll contact the Samuel Count’s estate. Please don’t sell it for at least a month, no matter how tempting.”
“I’m keeping it forever.”
When I said that, the guard desperately suppressed another laugh at my scary words.
“Pfft. Take care.”
When luck with money comes, it really pours in.
Back home, I bragged to everyone I met.
“Butler, look at this! A golden egg! I found it!”
“How wonderful, miss.”
“Yeah! But it’s not mine yet. It becomes mine for real if no owner shows up in a month.”
“I hope no owner appears.”
“Thanks!”
The butler was on my side, as always.
“Father, look! I found this!”
“You found gold?”
“In the park!”
“Espin, if you find lost property, you have to report it.”
“…….”
“It’s valuable, so the owner must be looking for it.”
Talk about husband and wife being alike.
How could he say exactly the same thing as Mother?
“I already reported it. Ask Mother.”
I left before talking more with Father would frustrate me.
Why is my family so goody-goody?
‘I really need to live more selfishly!’
With that firm resolution, I went to find Nanny.
“Nanny! Look at this? I found it! Amazing, right? Amazing!”
“Oh my, it was just lying on the ground?”
“Yeah, under a tree. When I found it, my heart nearly burst.”
“You must have been so thrilled you almost fainted, miss.”
See! Nanny understood my feelings perfectly.
“Yeah. I’m truly happy.”
Not satisfied, I bragged to May and Bell too, and even to Lady Ophelia.
Finally, I contacted Luciano.
[I have something to tell you! Wanna hang out?]
[Sry, busy lately.]
But Luciano rejected my visit again, claiming he was busy.
‘This is the fifth time already.’
A strange unease crept in, but I brushed it off quickly.
Because the golden egg had my full attention!
Calling it “golden egg, golden egg” made it feel like a real pet, and affection grew.
So I took care of it every day.
Of course, I carried it everywhere.
“Golden, you need to stay clean too.”
Every time I washed my face, I polished it with soft cloth.
“Golden, you need to sleep well too.”
At bedtime, I placed it on a cushion, laid it down, and covered it with a handkerchief.
If it could eat, I’d have fed it meals too.
“Miss, why not just get a doll instead?”
Nanny, horrified by my devotion, tried to stop me.
“What are you saying! Is there a law saying I can only cherish dolls? I have to treasure this precious body even more!”
I cared for it like a pet gold bar.
A pet golden egg, no less.
Wasn’t this the height of luxury?
“Isn’t the miss acting really weird lately? What on earth is she doing with that gold?”
I overheard odd comments about my antics sometimes.
“What do you mean? Our miss has always been unique. Don’t think she’s ordinary.”
But someone defended me earnestly.
‘Who’s that? Sounds familiar.’
There were minor annoyances, but I was in too good a mood to care.
Maybe because it was real gold.
‘I love gold. Really love it!’
Just looking at it made me grin ear to ear.
And finally, that day arrived.
[No one has claimed the lost item you reported.
Per regulations, after one month from reporting, the found item becomes your property.]
A letter from the guards arrived.
The golden egg was officially mine.
“Ooh! It’s mine! Really mine!”
I ran around the entire estate, bragging that the golden egg was now mine.
“I’m the owner of a golden egg!”
“This is really mine!”
I told everyone I met.
“Father, Mother! It’s really mine now!”
“Our Espin has a gold nugget now. Must be happy.”
“Yes. I’m happy enough to die.”
I’d thought it likely, but actually owning it brought a different joy.
“So, no more allowance then?”
Father slyly interjected.
“Father, allowance is allowance.”
I turned away sternly.
No way he was cutting my allowance.
Then I happily wandered the estate.
To think I could pick up a gold nugget and make it mine.
This is the perk of possession!
Impossible in a normal romance fantasy world.
I’d never have this luck.
So thrilled, I bragged to everyone I knew.
I spread the word far and wide, but my bragging itch didn’t stop.
I wanted to boast more, more.
No matter how much I bragged, it wasn’t enough.
[I have really good news! Let me tell you, let’s meet!]
So I wrote to Luciano.
My mouth itched to meet and brag soon.
As I fidgeted waiting for a reply.
[Good news? Congrats, whatever it is.
But sorry.
I’m swamped lately, so meeting’s tough.]
……A rejection reply came.
With the golden egg excitement faded, Luciano’s behavior came into sharp focus.
Over about two months.
After ten rejections total, I had to admit it.
‘He’s avoiding me!’
The realization made my head boil.
“How dare Luciano avoid me?”
“Miss, not ‘Luci’ to a prince.”
I fumed aloud, and Nanny corrected me.
But her words didn’t register.
“Does this make sense?”
“It’s happening right now.”
That’s why I’m even angrier!
How well have I treated him!
I bring him food!
Nice things!
Comfort him when he’s down!
Help when he asks!
‘I did everything for him, and now he dares put distance between us?’
Betrayal made me tremble with rage.
I Thought I Was the Protagonist
