I Am the 5-Year-Old Spy Who Kidnapped the Villain

“…What?”

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

I stared at him with wide eyes, thinking I must have misheard. He nodded towards the paper.

No way. Is it true?

Stunned, I read the paper while still in his arms.

“A direct application….”

It wasn’t an adoption but a direct application.

Like a family registry in our world?

I reached out and touched the paper as if in a trance.

Then, a pleasant laugh sounded above my head.

“Sign it. You may not be an ordinary kid, but I can handle it.”

I felt like I could fly.

The gardener had truly come through for me.

He had run away to save me.

“Mister!”

I leaped up and hugged his neck tightly.

“…Alright.”

He could have been startled by my sudden frog-like embrace, but instead, he lifted me lightly.

“Grow up strong. Don’t hide anymore.”

His large hand patted my back.

“Hic, yes! I’ll be a good child!”

“…What does that mean?”

“I’ll be your golden seed, gardener.”

This wasn’t necessarily a good choice.

By taking me with him, he had risked being chased by two powerful families.

But what mattered was that he had taken me in.

‘I need to grow up quickly to protect him.’

“Well, if you’re going to be something, be great. An S-rank mercenary wouldn’t be enough for me.”

“Hic, alright.”

I signed the paper while still in his arms.

“Here, I signed it. So now you’re my legal guardian, right?”

Clenching my small hands, I steadied myself.

Father.

I don’t know where you’ve taken us, but we’ll be okay.

With your experience as a gardener at the Kreutz Duchy and my skills as a trained spy, we can survive anywhere.

“Now that you’ve signed it.”

At that moment, his red eyes glanced at the paper, and he rang a small bell he had pulled out from somewhere.

Jingle-

“Time for a proper introduction.”

“…A bell?”

That’s usually what nobles use to summon their servants.

I realized something was off and tried to get up.

“You called, Your Excellency.”

The large doors I hadn’t noticed opened suddenly.

People dressed in various elaborate outfits poured in, forming a line before us and kneeling with solemn expressions.

“……?”

Is this a dream? Am I having a strange dream?

I scanned their faces with a dumbfounded expression.

The head maid, the head maid, the chef, the captain of the knights, and even Nox.

They were all from the Kreutz Duchy.

“Your Excellency.”

Then, as they raised their heads to face the gardener—

“…Your Excellency, your mask!”

They muttered, their gazes shaking.

“You removed your mask….”

“What happened?”

“I took it off. It was hard to breathe.”

Answering their startled questions casually, the gardener, or rather, the duke, glanced at me.

“A mask? What do you mean? Is it hard for you to breathe?”

Ignoring my question, he picked me up again.

“This child will grow up under my care. Treat her accordingly.”

“!”

“!”

“!”

The sudden declaration drew their attention to me.

“Understood.”

“Pleased to serve you, Lady Aisha.”

“Pleased to serve you.”

“…What?”

This is strange.

Surely, this man had fled the Kreutz Duchy with me.

So why are Nox, the knights, and everyone else here, bowing to us?

They obeyed his command as if he were the head of the family.

“…….”

Wait a minute.

Finally, the uneasy feeling I had been sensing began to make sense.

Why was the gardener, an extra, so handsome?

Why was his bedroom so luxurious, like a noble’s?

…Why am I still alive?

“Mister.”

“What?”

I hiccuped from the tension, looking up at him.

This man.

Now he felt unfamiliar.

“…Who are you?”

* * *

The usually quiet Kreutz Duchy was in an uproar.

Duke Calypse, who had worn a mask for five years, had greeted people with his bare face.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen His Excellency’s face.”

“Indeed.”

Listening to the old servants’ conversation, maid Lesa said, still looking as if in a dream.

“I’ve never seen the Duke’s face before. He’s so handsome. Why did he wear a mask for five years?”

It was true.

The unmasked Duke Calypse looked like the embodiment of the northern region he ruled.

Skin as white as the snowy plains.

Contrasting black hair and red eyes, usually hidden behind the mask, gave him a decadent yet cold aura.

A chilling gaze that added to his beauty.

“His wife and children disappeared. He must have hidden his grief.”

I see….

Still, it’s nice to see such a handsome face!

While the servants blushed and whispered among themselves, the head maid’s face was particularly grim.

“…What changed His Excellency?”

It wasn’t just the head maid who was curious.

Everyone in the duchy was wondering.

Especially the chef, the captain of the knights, the head maid, and the butler.

Those who had dedicated their lives to the duchy couldn’t just watch this situation unfold.

They made a decision.

“But isn’t it rude to watch secretly like this?”

“Do you want to stand by and watch the Kreutz Duchy fall to a commoner child?”

“Well, that’s true….”

They decided to observe the child who had changed the Duke, Aisha.

Secretly, through the window!

Gathered at the slightly open window, they watched.

Inside, Duke Calypse and the golden-haired child walked through the snow.

“…His Excellency is very emotional right now.”

“Yes. We have no choice but to intervene.”

“Never mind the mask. That child is a fraud. Why did he take her in?”

“Has he lost his mind?”

“Maybe he’s just lonely.”

“The Duke’s children are all missing. You think he adopted a child out of loneliness?”

No, absolutely not.

They shook their heads firmly.

Calypse was a hero who saved humanity from monsters.

The ruler of the north. The head of the Kreutz Duchy who led the family wearing a black mask!

“The child must have approached him with ulterior motives. We should have known she was lying about knowing the Lady’s whereabouts…!”

At that moment.

“Kid.”

Everyone lowered their heads and perked up their ears at the Duke’s deep voice.

And peeked through the window.

“How long are you going to sulk?”

Calypse asked as he followed Aisha through the snow.

The little girl stopped, her short legs moving through the snow.

“This adoption is a scam! I didn’t know you were the Duke!”

And she shouted back.

‘How dare she…!’

‘She called the Duke a fraud…?’

The people, squinting at her boldness—

“You should have read the contract carefully before signing.”

—were surprised by Calypse’s villainous reply.

‘Read the contract carefully before signing?!’

‘Is that something you say to a five-year-old?!’

‘Who am I looking at right now?!’

Their master wasn’t supposed to say such things to a child. It didn’t fit him at all.

Reflecting their thoughts, Aisha’s blue eyes widened.

“…Is that something you say to a five-year-old?!”

“Who brought up the contract? Said it wasn’t valid without the head’s seal?”

“Mister!”

“Kid, look at this.”

Raising her voice, Aisha was interrupted as Calypse knelt and showed her a piece of the finest steak.

Sniff, sniff.

“……!”

Aisha’s nose twitched at the smell of the meat.

“You said you went on a hunger strike for days?”

Calypse spoke seriously.

“If you live with me as per the contract, you can eat steak three times a day.”

“…….”

“And the orange juice you like? I can buy you an orange farm. But if you don’t accept…”

“Hmph.”

His serious voice turned into a threat.

Aisha, glaring in frustration, eventually began to move her short legs.

“That’s it.”

“Hmph.”

“Come back into the estate.”

“Grr.”

Even her growling didn’t faze Calypse, the ruler of the north.

As the Duke and the child disappeared into the estate—

“…….”

The people gathered by the window were left speechless.