“Regardless, it ultimately ends in death, doesn’t it?”
My hand, gripping the vial of death potion from my pocket, turned pale.
Acting as the false daughter ends in death, while rejecting the command leads to the same fate.
Despite being a five-year-old A-level spy, my importance was minimal.
Duke Pose sent me not because he believed in the mission’s success, but in anticipation of my demise before the Kreutz family could locate me.
Because obedience was ingrained in me since learning to read, that’s all the Duke desired.
“It’s no different than my past life.”
I gritted my teeth in silence.
What had obeying the advice of those who claimed to guide my life—”study first,” “just get into college,” “just get a job”—resulted in?
Overtime work? It’s the norm. Just endure
Life’s challenges are inherent. Is that why they say college days are the best?
All I got were empty words.
“…”
Slowly, I opened my eyes and let go of the death potion bottle.
One regrettable death was enough, one foolish life was enough.
I chose to defy the predictable path with its obvious outcome.
“Sir.”
A long silence passed before I spoke, eliciting a sigh from the gatekeeper.
“Finally you’ve spoken. Are you truly the daughter? What evidence can you provide?”
Taking a deep breath, I spoke with unwavering composure.
“My mother told me in a room with a cozy fireplace and a magnificent canopy. She said that Kreutz people endure the harsh cold by entering the ice cave shortly after birth.”
“What?”
The knight’s eyes narrowed in response to my words.
The Ice Cave—a secret chamber imbued with ice abilities, created by Duke Kreutz.
For the Kreutz lineage, it was a crucial rite of passage to spend a few weeks in the Ice Cave right after birth, enduring severe cold.
It was necessary to be accustomed to the cold in order to use the ice abilities, and to start young.
That’s why direct descendants spent four weeks with nannies in the Ice Cave, eating and sleeping to get used to the abilities.
“Your mother… is Duke’s wife?”
The knight asked, kneeling. I nodded.
“My goodness… My Lord.”
The knight, covering his mouth with his hands, seemed moved, tears welling in his eyes.
“Is this… Is this true?”
Suddenly, the tearful knight addressed me with reverence.
“…Yes, that’s what the direct lady told me.”
“Huh?”
I asked.
A strange breeze blew between the weeping knight and me. The knight’s eyes, which he had covered with a handkerchief, seemed to dry up like sand.
No, this knight is quite emotional. I feel a little guilty.
“Ahem!”
I cleared my throat with a hint of childishness.
“When did I claim to have experienced it firsthand?”
“I’d choose death over pretending to be a false daughter.
I know that, so why should I lie?
Holding back my thoughts, I let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“Exactly! That’s what the little princess revealed to me. And I have information on her whereabouts.”
“What did you say?”
However, the knight’s eyes narrowed as he caught the last word.
“You know where the little princess is?”
“Yes.”
Survival in this scenario necessitated abandoning my spy role and disclosing what I knew to Duke Kreutz.
“As per the novel, the princess was sent to an orphanage.”
In fact, information about the princess was scarce in the original work.
Five years ago. Not long after the first and second duchesses were kidnapped, the pregnant duchess disappeared as well.
The dilemma arose when the duchess remained missing, while the little princess was later found in an orphanage.
As a corpse.
“According to the original work, the presumed age of the deceased was elementary school level, indicating she could still be alive.”
“Therefore, I request an audience with His Grace.”
What ties this unusual child to insider knowledge only known to close aides? It suggests a connection to the little princess.
“Oh my, goodness…”
The knight dropped the handkerchief he was holding.
“Oh Lord. Finally, the little princess…”
Then, trembling, he grasped my hand with a determined expression.
“Young one, do you know the trouble lying can cause?”
“Yes.”
I feared suspicion, but thankfully, it turned out well.
After nodding, I followed the knight into Kreutz Duchy, marking the successful completion of the first step.
I swallowed hard and prepared myself for what was to come.
Listening to others and then dying was not an option.
***
“Wow. The ceiling is incredibly high.”
“Young one, come quickly.”
After being stuck in Duke Pose’s training ground for five years, everything outside seemed fascinating.
Enchanted by my surroundings, I gazed upward, nearly stumbling from the strain on my neck.
“Ugh.”
Not now. I had to move my legs vigorously to keep up with the knight.
Thump-thump-
My short legs hurried me towards the knights, their footsteps echoing in the silent corridor.
“By the way, what reward should I seek for finding Duke Kreutz’s daughter?”
Honestly, money is always good…
But I’m only five years old. And a spy for Duke Pose.
Following the reward, I’d need to flee to a location beyond Duke Pose’s grasp.
Could I truly escape with all that money, considering my young age?
Thud-thud-
“No, it’s out of the question.”
Oh, this feeble body of mine.
What’s the use of spy training if my physical prowess lags behind.
I sighed, my eyes half-open.
“The little princess is fortunate. With Duke Kreutz as her formidable protector, no one would dare harm her upon her return to the duchy.”
Hmm, wait a moment. I just had an idea.
If escaping is challenging, then enlisting a strong protector should suffice, shouldn’t it?
Someone so strong that even Duke Pose wouldn’t dare touch me…
“Should I ask a member of the Kreutz family to become my legal guardian?”
“…Wow, that might work.”
I marveled at my own cunning.
Is that why Duke Pose made me a spy?
Because I’m too smart?
“What’s the idea?”
At that moment, the knight in front of me turned his head.
If the Sir appears perplexed, perhaps Duke Pose won’t interfere with me.
Duke Kreutz harbored contempt for his subjects; touching them would incur his wrath.
With a surge of inspiration, I spoke to him.
“Sir.”
“Why?”
“Have you ever considered having children?”
“I already have children.”
“You do?!”
Oh dear. He already had a family.
“What made you ask?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I occasionally ponder the notion of having parental figures…”
Deeply sighing, a tinge of dejection washed over me.
The knight looked at me with a puzzled expression, but I brushed it off.
And then it struck me.
“Ah, Ms. Dorothy.”
The knight abruptly halted and gently nudged me forward.
“This is the child I mentioned earlier. I’ll depend on you until permission is granted.”
“Certainly.”
“Farewell. Ensure His Grace is informed of the little princess’s location.”
The knight who introduced me suddenly said goodbye and patted my head.
Huh? Wasn’t I supposed to go directly to the Duke?
Meeting the Lord of the Duchy isn’t easy, after all.
“Okay, goodbye.”
I was about to nod to the knight when…
“…So you know where the princess is?”
“Yes.”
Only then did I lift my bowed head to look at the person in front of me, in response to the gentle question.
However…
“Rather than disclosing the princess’s location, have you been tasked with assuming her identity?”
With a sharp warning and a flash of brown eyes, the woman looked at me.
Indeed, I had overlooked that fact.
I wasn’t the only spy infiltrating the Kreutz family.
Six years ago, the first successful spy to infiltrate the Kreutz family was Dorothy, using the guise of a maid.
* * *
Dorothy.
In the original storyline, Dorothy fretted over her declining status as Aisha excelled in impersonating the false daughter.
However, her concern quickly turned into anger, resulting in harassment towards innocent Aisha.
She was on the verge of betraying this woman.
Hm…
For now, escaping seemed to be the priority.
“Wow, look over there!”
I exclaimed, playfully pointing somewhere like a child.
“What’s that?”
“A handsome guy!”
“What?”
Upon hearing my compliment, Dorothy instinctively turned her head.
“Uh, me? Are you referring to me?”
An elderly man, nearly a hundred years old, stood there blushing and holding a book.
“…No, not you.”
With a puzzled expression, Dorothy turned her head back, her face contorted in frustration.
“No, darn it!”
I had already made my escape.
* * *
“Curses, that little brat! Blast it!”
I ran, even summoning the strength I used to drink milk with.
“Child, fear not! I merely wished to inquire about something!”
“Huh, huh… Why can’t I remember that woman?”
She was just a minor character, but her personality was so quirky that she often cursed and called Dorothy a troublemaker.
It was natural that I didn’t remember her.
In the original work, Aisha met Dorothy a month after her successful infiltration.
Due to my declaration, “I know where the princess is,” our encounter occurred earlier than anticipated.
And upon becoming Aisha, I realized once again. Being five years old means having much shorter legs than you think.
I sprinted as fast as I could. However…
Thud-thud-thud…
To others, it must have seemed like a bicycle with training wheels passing by.
There was quite a distance between us at first, but the gap between me and Dorothy, who was chasing me, began to close.
Upon reaching the gate and venturing outside, a garden unfolded before my eyes.
I quickly hid behind some bushes. Escape was difficult, so hiding was the only option.
As I frantically surveyed the wide garden…
“Excuse me!”
Someone approaching from that side caught my attention.
They were wearing a black robe, and although I didn’t know their rank, it looked like they had found a hiding place.
“Someone frightening is pursuing me. May I hide under your robe for a moment?”
Rustle…
“…?”
Driven by a sudden fear of being seen, I quietly slipped into the person’s robe.
In their backward steps, I sensed the person’s astonishment.
