Chapter 28
28
"Being sold as a slave is so sad. Sad gos are sad. Ishak, don't make Leubu sad."
"That's... that's because those weaklings are bad. The predecessors said so. Because they're weak, they get eaten by the strong."
"Guromon, am I bad too?"
At those words, Isaac's eyes flashed open, and he shouted,
"Why are you bad!"
"I'm weak too. I'm so small, not as strong as Ishak and Annie."
The child paused.
His mouth opened and closed, but he didn't seem to have anything to say, and he closed his mouth with a somber expression.
I subtly tugged at his sleeve.
"Even so, is Ishak going to buy Leubu a slave?"
"I won't buy one. Actually, I've never bought one. I just heard that nobles think slaves are the best toys these days... I wanted to give you the best thing..."
"I see. Then Ishak is still a cool go!"
Isaac's face brightened again.
'Raising a child is hard.'
I sighed inwardly.
When we returned to the castle, for some reason, Duke Marche was very displeased.
Because of that, the employees, administrators, and vassals were walking on thin ice.
"We need to prepare for the guests in advance..."
"So that the master is not upset, thoroughly... decorate the east wing... the guest is..."
I could hear the employees whispering anxiously.
Leah and my maids were just as flustered. And that was a good thing for me.
'I should take this opportunity to check out the new administrators.'
I made the excuse of going to do my homework and said I would go to the greenhouse where the administrators I had been watching were.
"If it's the greenhouse... Uni, go with the Young Lady."
At Leah's words, I quickly waved my hand.
"No, it's okay!"
"Young Lady, you must be careful when new people come to the castle. Dubled accepts people regardless of their origin or status, so you never know who might be mixed in."
I thought so too, and since I was going to find out who the wanted criminal was, I had nothing to say in response.
"Yes..."
"How kind."
Leah kissed my cheek and handed Uni a stack of papers for homework.
Uni and I headed to the greenhouse.
Fortunately, only Uni was attached to me, so it didn't seem like she would be a hindrance when I was checking out the administrators.
As we entered the greenhouse, I heard a sharp voice.
"So, it's too expensive. Juniper saplings usually trade for 40 francs!"
The newly arrived administrator, Seria, was arguing with a plant supplier.
Soon, another administrator, Charlie, chimed in.
"Anyway, girls make a fuss over nothing."
"It's more than double the market price. At this price, we can assume that the original manager colluded with the supplier to embezzle funds."
The supplier jumped up, saying, "Oh, sir! Don't say such terrible things!"
Charlie scoffed.
"Seria, you're new to this, so you don't know, but noble families sometimes deliberately bring in goods at expensive prices. To show off their wealth."
"Even so, this is too much...!"
"That's why they're commoners."
"Why are commoners brought up here? The rules state that prospective administrators should not be divided by status...! Young Lady."
She stopped shouting when she found me and hurriedly bowed.
"Greetings to Dubled's precious one. I am Seria."
And the man who had been blankly watching the fight between Charlie and Seria also hurriedly greeted me.
"I, I'm Jacob."
He was the one who had been marked by Noth for calling me 'a kid'.
He couldn't take his eyes off my hand, which was holding onto Uni's skirt.
Then he muttered, "About 9 centimeters to the middle finger... small."
'Does he like kids?'
However, Charlie did not greet me.
Seria nudged his side with her elbow.
"What are you doing?"
"What."
"Greet the Young Lady."
Then Charlie clicked his tongue briefly and said, "Yes, I'm Charlie Mayrole," and nodded his head insincerely.
Seria and Jacob looked at him with bewildered expressions.
My maid Uni's face twisted.
"What kind of rude attitude is that!"
"What?"
Charlie looked Uni up and down as if he was dumbfounded.
"A mere maid dares to shout at a castle administrator, who is being rude to whom?"
"What did you say?"
"What's your name? I'll immediately refer you to the Punishment Council...!"
The Punishment Council was a trial for those who disrupted the order of the family. If more than half of the district heads agreed that the order had been disrupted, they would receive a terrible punishment.
Seria glanced at me and grabbed Charlie's wrist.
"Stop it. It's true that you were rude."
"You must be mistaken for thinking you're something, but don't be nosy and get out of here."
Charlie shook off Seria's hand and dusted off the sleeve he had been grabbed.
Then he clicked his tongue and left the spot, but as he passed me, I heard a small mumble.
"Flattering commoners."
I had heard those words countless times in the past.
Almost no one believed that I, who had weaker Divine Power than the Priests, was the real Child of Destiny.
It was the same as the Temple giving me a nameplate to promote the divine power of the god they believed in.
Only devout people or those who wanted to believe their words did. People like the Empress Dowager.
But even the Empress Dowager didn't completely believe in me.
That's why she excluded Duke Marche's family, her own family, from the candidates for adopting me.
A guy who will be kicked out once it's revealed that he's a fake anyway.
That's what most people thought of me, so Charlie's words didn't bother me at all.
'But.'
I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back.
"Wh, what is it."
"You have to say goodbye before you leave."
Charlie let out a hollow laugh.
"I did. Just now, my introduction was a 'greeting'."
He had a look on his face as if I was a stupid child.
I smiled brightly and said.
"You said hello when we met, so you have to say goodbye when you leave. Are you stupid, mister?"
"Huh..."
He glared at me and twisted his lips.
"Yes, yes. I'll say goodbye. Have a good night."
This time, it was a sarcastic tone.
I kicked his knee hard.
"Ah!"
He screamed and bent one knee, grabbing the opposite knee that I had hit.
"Oh, my. When you greet someone, you bend your knees and bow your head to the ground. Now, do it again."
Charlie's face completely hardened.
The new administrators widened their eyes, and Uni was so surprised that her mouth dropped open.
'It's a problem if they think it's natural to be ignored.'
In my previous life, I didn't know much and was naive, so I just put up with it, but it's different now.
Once you think 'it can't be helped' once, it gets worse the second time, and the third time they try to trample you under their feet.
Charlie, who was very proud, gritted his teeth.
"What is the meaning of this!"
I ignored him and shook Uni's skirt.
"Uni, Uni."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Nhea said. Everyone except Gongzhanmi and the Gongja must greet me, right?"
"That's right."
"What happens to people who don't greet me?"
Uni looked down at Charlie and raised the corners of her lips.
"They must be beheaded."
Then she asked, "Shall I tell Noth?" Only then did Charlie's face turn pale.
He quickly put his forehead to the ground.
"I, I was ignorant and forgot my manners to the Young Lady. Please forgive me!"
I smiled brightly and went closer to him.
"Don't forget next time."
That I am Dubled's Young Lady.
He swallowed hard, understanding what I meant.
Charlie stormed out with a red face, and I sat down at the greenhouse table.
Seria and Jacob looked at me with slightly nervous faces.
"Even though the Young Lady isn't a blood relative of Dubled..."
"Yeah, she has a presence."
Uni was excited at the whispering voices.
She had an itchy face because she wanted to say, 'Our Young Lady is like this.'
Meanwhile, I sat with my chin in my hands and concentrated on thinking.
'Ah, today is an unlucky day.'
I went to the slave auction. Also, the auction house exploded.
Besides, I have no idea who the wanted criminal is.
The most unpleasant thing is Charlie, but the wanted criminal is someone who broke into a noble's mansion alone, killed the noble without being detected by anyone.
'In other words, he's smart.'
But no matter how I looked at it, Charlie was on the stupid side.
'The smartest one in my opinion is Seria...'
She didn't seem like a bad person who committed crimes. At first glance, she seemed very sincere and rational.
'Or, Jacob?'
I glanced at Jacob.
He was looking at me with a deep gaze. He looked at my feet, which were dangling in the air because they were short, and muttered, "14 centimeters..."
'He's just a silly guy who likes kids a lot.'
I sighed with my chin in my hands.
For now, I'll be satisfied that I didn't receive a slave as a toy, and I'll have to look at them again tomorrow.
'Wait a minute, slave?'
I suddenly clenched my fist, startled by the thought that came to mind.
Why didn't I think of that!
'Then my money, no, the wanted criminal is that person.'
