“So, how are things going with the Kreutz Family?”
The room was so quiet that even a single breath sounded cautious. The man, swallowing hard with a tense expression, reported to his superior.
“Our spy sent six years ago is still undercover, but the stringent security makes it difficult to even catch a glimpse of the Duke.”
“We need to find a way to let our guard down.”
“But how…”
“Send someone who doesn’t look like a spy at all.”
His confident tone cut through the air.
“That should ease suspicion.”
A thick, wrinkled finger pointed somewhere.
With a displeased look resembling a toad, the man pointed his finger at someone.
“Come here, Aisha.”
At his command, a small foot clad in simple shoes emerged from the shadows.
“Duke Pose, sir.”
The figure revealed from the shadows was none other than a five-year-old girl.
As she looked up to meet Duke Pose, who was much taller, the man hurriedly concealed his expression.
“…What can such a child possibly do?”
“Why? Worried?”
“…She’s only five…? Don’t they typically assign spy missions to those at least twelve or older?”
“Haha! Indeed!”
Duke Pose chuckled, greedily stroking his chin.
“That’s exactly why we’re sending a five-year-old. No one would ever think such a little kid could be a spy.”
‘But the possibility of mission failure, and the risk of the child dying…’
Unbeknownst to him, the vessal swallowed back his almost-expressed thoughts along with his saliva.
The current primary concern of the Doktia Kingdom is absorbing the Frozen Kingdom.
Yet they hadn’t even dared to think of invading the Frozen Kingdom.
It was because of the demons.
The demons beyond the northern reaches are known as the “end of the world.”
The reason humanity hadn’t collapsed was thanks to the Kreutz Family of the Frozen Kingdom, who protected it like a pillar.
‘But our Pose Family has finally created something even more powerful.’
Powers beyond those of ice.
So now there was no need to be cautious of the Frozen Kingdom.
‘It should start with gradually crumbling the Kreutz Family.’
Greed flickered in Duke Pose’s eyes as he reviewed his plans.
While the Kreutz Family guarded the Kingdom against demons, Duke Pose had been investing in numerous spies for this moment.
And this was the result.
“Aisha. Listen carefully.”
Among the five-year-olds trained as spies, Aisha was of Grade A.
Because she was the most obedient.
If she were ever caught infiltrating the Kreutz Family?
There was no need to worry about exposing the mastermind behind her. The child would cut her own throat without a second thought.
“Aisha. This is your first mission. Become the missing daughter of Duke Kreutz.”
His greedy gaze seemed to devour the child.
“The very fact that the Duke, who protects the Kingdom, couldn’t protect his own children. That’s Duke Kreutz’s weakness. You must worm your way into that weakness, becoming the daughter who doesn’t hurt his eyes. And…”
Crash—
The whiskey glass in his hand shattered.
“When the time comes, you’ll know what to say to bring Duke Kreutz here. Understand?”
Sharp shards of glass seemed to threaten Aisha’s shoes as they fell, but she didn’t even flinch.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
The Duke ordered one final time.
“Then put on a face that’s adorable no matter who sees it.”
At his words, the child, who had been expressionless until then, began to smile.
A bright, harmless smile.
That made her soft, fair cheeks, like finely ground flour, even more appealing.
Even her naturally folded eye corners revealed ocean-blue irises that sparkled.
Even her hair, tied up on both sides to sway endearingly with the slightest movement.
“Understood, sir!”
“Good. Maintain that exact smile in front of Duke Kreutz. Like an innocent child!”
“Yes!”
As Aisha, whose colorless face suddenly transformed into that of an ordinary five-year-old, grinned widely, a satisfied laughter filled Duke Pose’s office eerily.
“It truly feels worthwhile to have raised a spy since childhood!”
“Thank you.”
Thus, the five-year-old sent by the Pose Family soon became a spy shaking the Kreutz Family.
* * *
“Pain is youth. Pain is MZ.”
Working overtime like having meals, I, who was living as the epitome of MZ, eventually died from exhaustion.
When I woke up again, I was in the form of a child.
Hands as sturdy as autumn leaves.
Eyes as blue as sapphires, a rarity in Korea.
As a fan of romance novels, I realized that this was a transmigration.
And the child was so cute that I wanted to pamper her. Could this genre be childcare?
A wealthy and handsome father. Wealthy and handsome older brothers. And initially pitiable but ultimately wealthy and handsome male leads.
“…This is the reward for working tirelessly without rest…!”
Even the preparation to meet these handsome men with wide eyes was short-lived.
I realized my fate.
The one who works is condemned to a lifetime of work.
“A spy must maintain a poker face even if someone throws garbage at you.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, I’ll be throwing garbage at you, so maintain your poker face.”
“Yes?”
It would have been better if I had awakened in an orphanage.
A saint. A knight. A maid. An orphan.
Of all those roles, why did I have to transmigrate into a spy?
“I couldn’t control my expression. If this were a real situation, I would have been caught as a spy by now. What should I do in this situation?”
“Y-you… must take your own life before getting caught.”
“Got it.”
To think, I, as a tired spy, had to train hard every day and even prepare for suicide…!
It had been three years since I was reincarnated as Aisha.
I had to undergo intense training with a body that was lacking even in baby-like agility.
And finally, the eagerly awaited day of deployment arrived.
“Aisha. This is your first mission. Become the missing daughter of Duke Kreutz.”
“…Kreutz?”
When the word “Kreutz Family” popped out of Duke Pose’s mouth, I realized.
That the same trash-like destiny was repeating itself.
I had hesitated because of the name Aisha, but now it seemed my doubts were well-founded.
I transmigrated into a growth-type fantasy novel devoid of romance.
Titled [Judgement Sword].
It was a world where Doktia Kingdom and Frozen Kingdom, possessing abilities, were in conflict.
The male protagonist, a former servant of the Pose Family, endured persecution and trials, and unified the two Kingdoms.
But now the male protagonist wasn’t important.
I was an extra who died before the male lead even appeared.
More precisely, I was a spy who was caught posing as Duke Kreutz’s fake daughter and chased out and killed.
If I died from overwork in my previous life?
In this life, I had died from posing as Duke Calypse Kreutz’s fake daughter.
“What if life’s difficulty level increases?!”
Duke Calypse Kreutz.
He was an antagonist who rivaled the male protagonist.
To put it simply, why is there always a particularly popular villain who isn’t the protagonist.
The head of the Kreutz Family responsible for the security of the Frozen Kingdom.
The pillar of the Frozen Kingdom. A huge wall. An impenetrable shield.
His unwavering fortitude, which had been adorned with every possible description, faltered when he lost his three children and wife.
During the five-year war, his children went missing under mysterious circumstances.
The Duchess was no different. They all disappeared without a trace.
In the end, Calypse searched for his missing children frantically but failed, and to conceal his deteriorating expression, he wore a black mask.
And with a twisted heart, he began to protect not the Kingdom but only the Kreutz Family. This made him the male protagonist’s most formidable enemy.
And I, I had to infiltrate his house and pose as his fake daughter.
And so, now.
“You’re Duke Kreutz’s lost daughter?”
The place I arrived at forcibly by carriage was Duke Kreutz’s castle.
Duke Pose threw me some shabby clothes and a few emergency potions before leaving.
And among the emergency potions,
There was also a spy’s essential, a lethal poison for self-termination.
