Knox, who had been quietly observing, suddenly found himself caught in the middle. However, he obediently knelt at the Duke’s command.
“I’m kneeling, but what is the reason?”
“The kid, who was bouncing around like a frog, suddenly became a little beetle. What did you do to her?”
“I did calm her down, but I didn’t push her that hard…”
Oh my gosh.
“Mister~”
Understanding the situation, I mustered all my strength and leaped into his arms like a frog.
“By the way, where are you going? Your clothes look really warm.”
I quickly changed the subject, and he sighed softly while looking at me.
“Monster hunting.”
I had already figured it out from his warm-looking wolf fur and armor, suitable for enduring the cold.
Around this time, the heads of Kreutz Duchy always went on monster hunting missions.
He didn’t seem to have the time to engage in a long conversation with me.
“It will take about a week. After that, I’ll introduce you during the successor’s test, so be prepared.”
“…Introduce me? But I don’t have the ice ability.”
My eyes widened at his incomprehensible words.
Although the Pose Duke had told me to focus on the successor’s test, I thought it was impossible from the start.
I didn’t have the ability to participate in the test.
“I’m introducing you as part of the family, not as a successor.”
“…Oh.”
I could only nod absentmindedly.
‘This is a disaster. I was already planning to prepare myself as a proper noble lady…’
Practicing swordsmanship fitting of Kreutz lineage, learning manners to impress the retainers…
But now, knowing that I would be introduced at the successor’s test, I felt time was too short.
Regardless, Mister seemed genuinely busy. He picked me up and stood up.
“Knox, come out for a moment. Before the hunt, we need to hold a brief meeting about the issue with Marquis Lilith.”
Knox sighed and looked at me.
“Are you taking the child with you?”
“She’s well-behaved. She won’t be a distraction.”
Oh, this is my chance.
“That’s right. I’ll be quiet!”
Although I didn’t know much about Marquis Lilith and his son, I knew they were problematic. I figured I could help. With that in mind, I hurriedly joined the conversation.
“Who knows? She might smile sweetly and steal our secrets.”
Knox narrowed his eyes, and Calypse sighed deeply.
“…Is that something to say to a child?”
Right. Is that something to say to a child?
How absurd.
Even though I was a former spy with no trust, I had shown all the Pose Duchy messages!
‘Still, it’s comforting to have Mister around!’
I must stick close to Mister. That way, Knox won’t be able to bother me.
Placing my hand confidently on Mister’s sturdy chest, I glared at Knox.
“……”
Uh-oh. I locked eyes with Knox.
Seeing my stare, Knox adjusted his glasses and slowly spoke.
“…Your Grace, you need to stop bringing children into the workplace. It’s not good for their emotional well-being… as I heard at that inn.”
“……!”
The arm holding me flinched.
“…Mister?”
No way. He wouldn’t believe such gossip from some inn, right?
I looked at Calypse desperately, eyes wide, but…
“…Aisha. Finish your meal.”
He gave in to the gossip and put me back on the chair.
“…Mister?”
And then.
“…I’m sorry.”
Leaving a brief apology, he closed his eyes and walked out.
“Mister-!”
Knox’s triumphant smile and my frustrated scream filled the mansion.
But the next day-
“Ah, so you’re the Duke’s child?”
“…Yes?”
I realized the real reason Knox hadn’t accepted me when I saw the sinister smile of a middle-aged nobleman looking at me.
* * *
That day, as always, Knox was watching me.
The sound of tiny footsteps echoed in the high-ceilinged hallway.
Dodo-
The sound of me, having eaten my fill, walking diligently to the garden.
“…Do all children that age waddle like ducklings, or is it just that kid?”
Knox asked, and the head maid, Mai, replied flatly.
“Kids that age all do that.”
“Right? But there’s a reason for that.”
“…Excuse me?”
Knox adjusted his glasses.
“It’s been proven that living beings look cute when they’re young to elicit protection. They can’t hunt for food yet, so they use their cuteness to gain favor.”
“…I see?”
“So, her cuteness isn’t unusual. Wait, I never said she was cute. Anyway, be careful.”
“…Understood.”
Here we go again.
Knox’s “Aisha Observation Diary.”
Since Calypse left for the monster hunt, Knox had been watching me 24/7.
When I woke up, when I ate, when I zoned out waiting for Mister, when I walked in the garden.
He was like a surveillance camera, always by my side except when I was in my bedroom.
‘I can’t live like this.’
Even now, Knox was whispering something to Mai while glaring at me. I could only sigh.
I had to make Knox see I wasn’t a threat.
‘How do I do that?’
At that moment.
“Knox!”
A servant came running, out of breath.
“What is it?”
“The Marquis Lilith has suddenly arrived…”
Marquis Lilith?
My ears perked up, and Knox frowned deeply.
“The regular meeting is in a week. What’s he doing here? Tell him to come back later.”
“No! He said he’s already here for just a cup of tea…”
“I said he could come in for a cup of tea, but it seems he’s already in.”
The slender middle-aged man who appeared behind the servant was none other than Marquis Lilith.
That must be…
‘Marquis Lilith.’
I quietly observed him.
‘He really does look greedy.’
He wore extravagant frills typical of a social party. His fingers were adorned with jeweled rings.
Unlike the Duke, who looked more like a knight, this man seemed to have just stepped out of the center of high society.
The Marquis Lilith family branched off from Kreutz Duchy.
The only reason a secondary family could visit the duchy unannounced was because of…
‘The ice ability bearer.’
I observed the boy standing next to the Marquis with one leg crossed.
‘That’s the ability bearer, Tex.’
Even secondary branches are connected to Kreutz Duchy if traced back.
Since the birth of the ice ability bearer in Marquis Lilith’s family, the Marquis had acted as if he were the Duke himself.
He was desperate to position his son as the next successor of Kreutz Duchy.
“I came by to greet His Grace, but where is he?”
A brief silence followed the Marquis’s question before Knox reluctantly answered.
“His Grace is out hunting monsters.”
“Ah, I see. I had no idea.”
“Didn’t know?”
“Of course not. I’m not a stalker. How would I know His Grace’s schedule? Anyway, since I’m here, I’d like to have a cup of tea.”
The more I listened, the more absurd it seemed. I couldn’t help but interject.
“…Even I know the monster hunting schedule in the north.”
As I peeked out from behind Knox’s trousers, everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“If the father doesn’t know, the son won’t either. You’ll need to study a lot for the successor test.”
“…What?”
“Monster hunts typically happen mid-month. Even the royal family refrains from contacting the Duke during this time.”
I didn’t want to intervene, but…
‘The Marquis is too much. Claiming ignorance of the monster hunt schedule? What a blatant lie.’
Unable to tolerate his shamelessness, I muttered behind Knox’s protective barrier.
“The Duke goes monster hunting while the Marquis has tea in the Duke’s castle. I’m sure the Duke would be thrilled to hear that.”
“……?”
My words turned the Marquis’s face red, and the maids behind him shook with suppressed laughter.
“What the…?”
The Marquis looked around, clearly flustered.
Everyone had heard my words.
He seemed to expect someone to scold me, but when no one did, he finally exploded.
“Who is this brat! How dare she slander me, and why does no one rebuke her!”
Knox then fully shielded me behind him and bowed his head.
“This is the Duke’s legitimate daughter.”
“…What?”
