I shamelessly nodded.

“As a genius, there’s just one thing I don’t know, and that’s the secret of my birth.”

“Really…”
Leonhardt nodded nervously, and as if he had a brilliant idea, he whispered in my ear.

“…There’s a way. What do you think?”

Looking into his sparkling eyes, I found myself nodding involuntarily.

It might be a somewhat ambiguous proposition to call it a brilliant idea bank, but…

“Is it okay?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Leonhardt’s cheeks turned as pink as ripe peaches.

“I’ve been praised…!”
“What’s the big deal? Is it such a rare occurrence for me to receive praise?”

If that were the case, I could praise him even more. Praise doesn’t cost a thing, after all.

I nodded towards Leonhardt, clapping my hands lightly as I thought,

“Well, if it makes Leon happy, I’m a little happy too! I should do more!”
After completing several rounds of praise, I shifted my gaze away from Leonhardt. There was no time to waste now. The evening sun was already setting in the sky.

Following the method Leonhardt had told me, I quietly stood up to investigate the secret of my birth.

…The method Leonhardt had shared with me was, well,

“Go, go, go, go, go to find Delphia Mirmord!”

(Note: The name “Delphia Mirmord” is provided as it is in the original text.)
She had been living in the Mirmord family longer than Leonhardt or me, so I judged that she might be able to provide the information I needed.

Leonhardt, in his own way, presented a reasonable argument.

He listed several reasons why I should ask Delphia. Lady Lucella, the Duchess, might know the most, but she is skilled in deception and trickery.
On the other hand, Delphia Mirmord, having seen herself for quite some time, said that people are honest and straightforward in everything, unable to tell lies.

So, she gladly opened her arms wide, stating that she was suitable to answer such questions.

Of course, Leonhardt’s words were quite persuasive.

Therefore, I headed to Delphia’s mansion. Delphia ran out when she heard I had arrived.

Then, she tightly embraced my small body and showered me with affection.
Her display of affection continued until the twilight had completely faded.

I reluctantly gave up trying to escape her embrace, my body itching from the cuddling.

After a lengthy hug, I sat beside Delphia and asked her directly and solemnly if I was a fake daughter.

Upon hearing this, Delphia’s complexion turned paler than it could possibly be. She began to stammer in response.
“Fa-fa-fake daughter? Who, who would utter such nonsense!”

Just by observing the current situation, I could tell my choice was correct.

‘Delphia can’t lie.’

“Because there are such words, please tell me honestly.”

“W-well… I mean… Some scoundrel uttered such blasphemous words!”

“It doesn’t matter who said it. I don’t get hurt being a fake.”

“Our baby, you’ve grown so much…”

Delphia, who had shed many tears over the past five years, sobbed as she looked at me.
‘In five years, Delphia must have gotten smaller!’

The formidable Delphia, who had once aspired to be the Mirmod heir, had long become my captive. She was quite a pitiable captive at that, prone to tears if I didn’t look after her.

I raised an eyebrow and puffed my cheeks.

“Even so, I love Dad and everyone.”

Delphia touched her forehead. Then, she let out a deep sigh. It was another bonus to have her scrutinizing me for a while.
“So, you see…,” Delphia hesitated for a moment. Then, what followed in her story was within a category I had never imagined until now.

I listened to Delphia as she revealed all the rumors circulating about my birth and related them to me.

“They’ve really spread rumors that I’m a fake daughter. Stories like Dad found me somewhere. Such cowardly children!”

I was determined.
I decided to meet Princess Anessa to find out how much she knew about my birth. Also, I wanted to thoroughly understand how she planned to use the secret of my birth to get rid of me.

“It wasn’t just an attitude of annoyance with being a stepmother. It felt like she was determined to eliminate me. So, there must be a clear intention.”

Princess Anessa visited me frequently.
It was a labor of love to the extent that everyone at the Mirmod Mansion knew about it.

Of course, I had the option to avoid her. However, I didn’t want to. I needed to think about what exactly Princess Anessa wanted.

Princess Anessa wasn’t that calculating type. She initially lowered her veil in front of a child like me, so if she relaxed, she might be even more careless.
So, what I had to do was to confront this woman and gather information she might reveal to me.

I needed to find out when Princess Anessa might accuse me of being a fake daughter, whether I was really a fake daughter, and if so, where the real daughter was.

“She probably doesn’t even realize she’s leaking information to me.”
Princess Anessa made a good impression on Delphia and frequently exchanged greetings with Lady Lucella, earning points with her.

It was the same with other Mermod aquatic creatures.

I had quietly observed her actions all this time. Watching someone like Princess Anessa hide their true nature and bow down was entertaining in itself.

“Please try this. I made it myself.”

…she even offered a raspberry pie.
Even Delphia, my sister, went as far as to eat the pie she offered and comment like this.

“Princess Anessa? She doesn’t seem like a bad woman at all.”

The princess behaved like an angel to everyone to that extent. Since I hadn’t mentioned anything about her true nature, even Delphia thought that Anessa was being nice to me.

‘Anessa is kind to everyone in the Mermod Mansion.’