“I apologize to the temple folks, but it can’t be helped.”

Even in the midst of this, he courteously apologized to the temple, showing that becoming a true villain was still a long way off.

“Alright then!”

I nodded vigorously towards Dad.

Upon that, Dad’s subordinate, the tough-looking guy but with a tender heart like a soft green sprout, approached the child energetically.

“Now, go back to your home.”

That guy, who oddly attached a fake mustache only in front of me!

Lowering his voice made him look incredibly dignified.

I rolled my eyes while gazing in that direction.
I was curious whether she would engage in villainy, just as she did to me earlier. Or perhaps, she didn’t know if she would claim to be Lord Matthias’s daughter herself.

However, the child did not exhibit such behavior. She simply held the uncle’s hand quietly, as if submitting to the logic of power. Not a single word. It felt peculiar watching the child, who had been murmuring like a parrot that she was real, leave.

I muttered with a slightly furrowed brow, “Sisters.”

“Yes?”

“Something… smells suspicious.”

Even though I clearly said it to my sisters, Dad casually asked for a conversation.

“…What, suspicious smell?”

“Hmm…”

It was odd that Dad persuaded the princess so easily. ‘Is the world really obedient to our dad’s words like this?’

With a thought that something was undeniably fishy, I ran simulations in my mind.

‘Maybe our dad is the strongest in the world. So, when he speaks once, everyone just obeys and leaves.’

Well, saying that even made me laugh.

‘Does this make any sense? Not really!’

There was undoubtedly a hidden reason. For example, it seemed like the princess left while drawing a big picture, carrying a doll.

A few weeks passed.

Even with that ‘hidden reason,’ what mattered most to me now was still the kinship test. For some reason, although the princess left without a trace, and still seemed to be hiding, ‘She entered the family, so she might be doing something fishy behind the scenes.’

Moreover, the child’s identity was quite suspicious. Even though she left so easily, I had no grounds to detain her. Moreover, Dad and the subordinate jointly agreed to send her back.

Holding the strands of hair I pulled from the child, I thought, ‘Gradually… the time to confront Count Yotter and the palace has come.’ If the Crown Prince and the princess continue to interfere with our work, I won’t stay silent any longer.

It seemed like the day had come to engage in a conflict with the palace beneath the surface. I had already taken the lead, so my actions were undoubtedly in self-defense.

‘I’ll cut off the strings of the Crown Prince and the princess’s influence.’

I planned to systematically take away everything belonging to the temple that hindered my and Dad’s path. The foundation of that plan was lifting this small fist and smashing the sofa.

“Let’s go.”

“….Yes?”

The maid sisters, who were drinking tea, looked puzzled, possibly because it happened while they were sipping their tea. In front of me, Ted, Acid, and the maid sisters were enjoying tea together.

Over the past few weeks, I, like the palace people, had also been working undercover. During that time, I found information in a small gossip source in the neighborhood. I discovered an underprivileged upper-class figure in the Beipal Kingdom making kinship test kits, just like Count Yotter.
While in the midst of that, I finally found information in the neighborhood’s small gossip network.

It turns out there is a small upper-class group in the neighboring Bipal Kingdom that is producing kinship test kits, just like Count Yotter.

Bipal Kingdom is a place located near the top of our empire, using the same continental language. ‘Moreover, it’s known to be a neutral country with many skilled technicians!’

I heard that Sharif Upper, too, is a commercial organization formed by promising technicians from the Bipal Kingdom.

I looked at the maid sisters, chin resting on my hand, and said, “Bring me a scarf and sunglasses!”

“What?”

“Miss Sian, why a scarf…?”

“There’s an important task at hand.”

The maid sisters seemed perplexed. However, true to the nature of my obedient sisters, they got up and brought the scarf and sunglasses.

In the original work, ‘The Life of Melodia,’ Sharif Upper, located in a kingdom surrounding the empire, invents simple test kits utilizing magic.

So, if I sponsored Sharif Upper, it would be the end of it.

Unfortunately, they were those who couldn’t even bloom flowers under the oppression and disinformation campaigns of Count Yotter, who was riding on the power of the royal palace.

Count Yotter, in his pursuit of selling his defective kinship test kits at an expensive price, would trample over anything if he sensed proper kits were about to be sold.

‘There might be people who desperately need kinship tests, and he’s truly an outrageously bad person!’

But now, with me, the magnificent ten-year-old, I can put an end to it by helping people.

The only one not confused at this moment, Ted, quietly stood up and bowed before me.

“Will you head to Sharif right now?”

“Yeah, Ted.”

I felt Acid’s gaze on me. I responded by staring back with a warmly smiling gaze as if replying to his gaze.

“And Acid, come along.”

In this operation, the two of them were the most crucial.

A dimple appeared on Acid’s cheek, as if he was pleased to be of help.

Reaching Sharif Upper, located on the outskirts of the capital, was not difficult.

I secretly rented a luggage carriage and checked all the preparations inside the carriage.

“It’s a kit made by Count Yotter’s side. Also, here are Lord Matthias’s hair…”

“Good.”

“The child’s hair is also here.”

I secretly smuggled in Count Yotter’s kit with a gold ingot.

‘I’ve taken a strand of Dad’s hair.’

I wickedly chuckled while holding the kit.

“Hey, do you have anything other than this kit?”

“Oh, uh… no… Count Yotter was the only one in charge of the kinship test.”

“Is that so? Got it.”

Holding the kit, I looked at Acid and Ted intently. They could help me, and precisely speaking, help Sharif Upper.

‘Following the original flow, Sharif Upper might be entering the final stages of kit development by now.’
Since it will be before Count Yotter’s confrontation, the atmosphere is likely to be quite lively.

However…

The atmosphere in front of Sharif Upper, where we’ve just arrived, was peculiar.

It felt like entering a portrait studio.