“Secret! But don’t worry. I have a plan.”

Dad seemed a bit uneasy, but I looked at him proudly with my chin up. Finally, a tender voice came out of Dad’s mouth.

“Okay, let’s go with Sien’s plan this time.”

It was an attitude that trusted whoever I was.

Quietly looking at Dad, I handed him the key from my pocket.

“Then, please. Go to the family warehouse.”

“What’s this…? This key is only held by the family’s lady.”

“Grandma gave it to me.”

Dad’s complexion paled as he checked the key. Smiling, I looked at Dad.

“Dad.”

“Yeah?”

“If you go into the family’s underground warehouse with this key, there will be a swan sculpture. Do you know how a swan sculpture looks, Dad?”

“I do. But why a swan sculpture…”

“If I’m in danger, take that and come to the palace to rescue me. Got it?”

“Sien? Why all of a sudden…”

Facing Dad, who looked puzzled, I spoke calmly with pursed lips.

“Today, we are partners cooperating! So, trust me. I’ll explain the reasons later!”

There was no time to tell Dad the whole story of the incident now.

Without waiting for Dad’s response, I sprinted out the door.

“Then, Dad. I’ll be waiting at the palace!”

Until the loudly shouted voice echoed in the corridor and disappeared, I never looked back.

I had to leave this place as soon as possible.

Inside the palace.

Duke Heinrich sighed quietly. The image of the public rioters kept flashing in his mind.

They had shouted in unison, holding his arms.

“We did it because it was unfair, because it was unfair.”

“…Unfair.”

“Yes! We had all our achievements taken away!”

They couldn’t properly prove what they had gone through. So, there was no way to remedy the situation. Protecting citizens was undoubtedly the right thing to do, but it was challenging when facing the empire.

‘To incite a riot just because they believe in that statement from the empire…’

Though the Michell mines were undoubtedly important, the opposition was the empire. There was an order from the emperor to act with as little friction as possible.

‘…What does it mean to handle this matter.’

Was there a way to handle everything peacefully? Walking around the annex for a while, he got up to take a stroll.

During the walk, someone entered his field of view.

Sien lifted the corners of her mouth slightly. She stared intently at Duke Heinrich before tilting her head.

“What are you contemplating?”

A sudden appearance of the little girl.

It was Sien Mirmode, whom I briefly talked to earlier. Looking blankly at her tousled hair, Duke Heinrich responded a bit belatedly.

“…Lady Mirmode?”
“Yes. You can call me Sien!”

With hair gently swaying in the wind and a soft voice, it happened when Duke Heinrich suppressed a small gasp, feeling a different atmosphere from what he had seen at the reception hall, like a little fairy.

Sien charmingly smiled and whispered, “You know, sir! I saw it while riding in the carriage earlier!”

“What? What…”

Sien innocently whispered, “People protesting outside the palace! The maids said they are citizens of the empire.”

Duke Heinrich’s expression subtly distorted. Already burdened with guilt about those people, it felt like a direct hit to that part. Whether she knew it or not, Sien laughed while tilting her head.

“In fact, I saw the lord attentively listening to their stories! Indeed, sir, you’re wonderful!”

“No, I haven’t done anything…”

When Duke Heinrich uncomfortably gestured with his head, Sien laughed heartily.

“Hehe, those protesters also trust you, sir!”

“…I have nothing I can do.”

Looking into the little girl’s green eyes, he felt relieved. So, he ended up speaking his mind, no matter that she was just a child.

‘After all, she’s just a child.’

As an envoy sent by the empire, he was well aware of the notorious reputation of the Mirmode family.

He also knew well how much the Crown Prince restrained that family. However, when facing such a cute and lovely little girl, the walls in his heart melted away unconsciously.

Sien whispered softly, “But is there really nothing you can do?”

“What?”

“Maybe you don’t want to get involved with the empire, but…”

Sien smiled slyly and handed out a small business card, which looked much larger in her tiny hands.

“Ta-da, Sien Mirmode, Top of Mirmode!”

His face twisted strangely at that moment, and Sien responded with a puzzled smile.

“However, right then, a voice, thick with oily grease, like it was seasoned, came in the middle-aged man’s voice.”

“Duke Heinrich, you’re here.”

Both I and Duke Heinrich turned to look in that direction simultaneously. There stood Yotter, the viscount who was a close aide to the Crown Prince and a rival to the Top of Sien. He spoke, lifting the corners of his mouth in a mocking smile.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, the Duke has nothing to do with him now. I have something to talk to him about.”

With those words, Viscount Yotter rudely grabbed my arm. Duke Heinrich opened his mouth in surprise.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s a criminal investigation.”

“A noble lady as a criminal?”

“Ha! Noble? This one dares to falsely impersonate the name of Mirmode.”

“What? No, that’s, I’d like to hear more about…”

“Duke Heinrich.”

The one who looked at Heinrich sternly cut off his words.

“Please be quiet now. From here on, it will be a conversation between the palace and the Mirmode family.”
Quietly observing Viscount Yotter and Sien, Duke Heinrich lowered his hand lifelessly when he saw Sien firmly closing her mouth.

“It’s a paternity test kit developed directly by our Yotter family.”

Sien looked at Viscount Yotter with curious eyes and asked, “What does a paternity test kit have to do with me?”

As if waiting for that question, Viscount Yotter suppressed a smirk and said, “What does it have to do? You know, right? The truth about your identity has spread to the public.”

“Are you saying I’m a fake daughter?”

“Yes. Through this paternity test kit, I will present conclusive evidence that you are a fake daughter. It’s a favor from the palace to the Mirmode family.”

Sien, who had been silent, caressed her chin and uttered the next words, “Is that so? Even if that’s true, we can’t have a trial right now, can we?”

A trial against high-ranking nobles required the presence of at least one member of the royal family. Currently, the emperor was pretending not to know about the mining issue, leaving the authority in the hands of the Crown Prince.

However, Viscount Yotter confidently spoke while extending his chest, “You use numbers, little one. But it’s quite possible. His Highness the Crown Prince is ready to preside over the trial himself. Come with me right now.”

Viscount Yotter’s plan was as follows:

While promoting the utility of the paternity test kit, he would frame Sien as a fake daughter. The story of a fake daughter hiding in the Mirmode family was sensational, and after the trial, the paternity test kit he created would naturally gain publicity.

‘A kind of noise marketing. We have nothing to lose in this regard.’

Viscount Yotter forcibly grabbed Sien. Duke Heinrich, trying to step forward, bit his lip, but Sien, as if unaffected, shook hands with a faint smile.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll go. But, sir, can you also come to my trial?”

It seemed like an attitude of someone who looked relaxed as if they had planned everything.

Viscount Yotter squeezed Sien’s small body harshly and whispered, “Sure, take him. Let the Duke witness your downfall. You won’t be so arrogant after today.”