Anesa answered irritably.

“Yeah. I don’t plan on keeping her either. Anyway, I could have enchanted her and then made her disappear later!”

“Do you think that would be possible?”

“She’s just a child. If you give her candy…”

“She’s not just any child. Of course, she’s young but quite intelligent. Maybe… even smarter than you. Just look at how she’s a rival to Count Yoter who runs the guild.”

“That must be with adults’ help!”

“Even so, Anesa.”

Seeing Princess Anesa’s hurt expression, the Crown Prince patted her shoulder as if to soothe her.

“She may not know that our goal is to make the head of the Mirmod family a puppet and get them in the hands of the imperial palace. So… child or not, we need to eliminate her as quickly as possible.”

Anesa fully agreed with that statement.

“Sien Mirmod and Matthias Mirmod are thorns in our side, so yes. That’s right. And after that…”

“…The future we want will unfold.”

They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

To achieve the Crown Prince and Anesa’s goal, Sien Mirmod had to be eliminated.

“But elder brother. It seemed that family cares quite a bit for Sien Mirmod.”

“That may be true now. But blood is thicker than water.”

“What kind of irrelevant answer is that?”

The Crown Prince made a clapping sound.

At that moment, as if the attendants outside had been waiting, the white door opened.

And… a small girl hesitantly entered.

She seemed to have fallen into a sewer, as her body smelled quite bad.

No longer intending to wear a social mask, Princess Anesa pinched her nose and asked.

“What is this rotten smell?”

“This is Matthias Mirmod’s real daughter I told you about before.”

Now that she looked closely, the girl had a face surprisingly similar to Matthias Mirmod.

Messy black hair and blue eyes. But with a dreamy yet cold gaze and sharp jawline.

A completely different appearance from Sien Mirmod’s alien pink hair and green eyes. Looking closely, her hair color was exactly the same as Matthias’.

If cleaned up and placed next to him, even Matthias Mirmod would not doubt she was his daughter, they looked so alike.

“I see… the real daughter.”

As Anesa nodded, the Crown Prince stood up and approached the child.

“We’ve completed the paternity test too.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Anesa, thanks to this child, our plan will succeed.”

“Was this child sent by the temple?”

The corners of the Crown Prince’s mouth rose uncontrollably.

“Yes, Melodia sent her.”

“Can we trust…”

As Anesa expressed slight doubt, the Crown Prince’s expression immediately turned vicious.

“What nonsense are you talking about? She is wise and elegant. She can’t be wrong. Instead of doubting, focus on acting properly. That’s how you can avoid things you don’t want, right?”

Listening to the Crown Prince’s words firing like a machine gun, Anesa quietly bowed her head.

“I trust Melodia too.”

“Good, trust Melodia. We have Matthias’ real daughter that Melodia created for us, right?”

A satisfied curve appeared on the Crown Prince’s lips. He nodded quietly while stroking the hair of the five-year-old girl standing blankly beside him.

“This child will now be at the center of the turmoil.”

The Crown Prince knew Matthias Mirmod very well.

So he scoffed and laughed at the rumors spreading that Matthias loved Sien.

He was ‘that’ Matthias Mirmod.

Such a person could not love anyone. He was just using Sien Mirmod because she was quite intelligent. So…

“The plan is perfect.”

…And so, as planned by the Crown Prince, Princess Anesa appeared here.

She entered the Mirmod mansion, recalling Melodia’s calculations.

In fact, she had considered secretly sneaking this child over the wall.

Since Matthias Mirmod’s attitude was more stubborn than expected.

But surprisingly, Matthias let her in. Though she didn’t know why, it was fortunate for her. Whether Matthias thought negatively of her now or not, she was about to become a benefactor who brought Matthias his ‘real daughter’.

Finally, inside the massive central plaza of the Mirmod mansion.

A small girl appeared in between, holding Princess Anesa’s hand.

Though she must have been well-fed and rested in the imperial palace, she looked pitiful enough to evoke sympathy from anyone.

And somehow, the appearance of the small girl with black hair and blue eyes reminded people of someone.

It was enough to make people passing through the plaza glance at her.

Princess Anesa stopped in front of the fountain, where the most people passed by in the central plaza, along with Count Yoter, attendants, and the girl.

“What, what’s going on?”

“Isn’t that Princess Anesa?”

“Did Princess Anesa also come to participate in the Mirmod family’s ?”

There was a reason for choosing today specifically.

Today was the day of an event where many nobles entered and exited the usually closed Mirmod Duke’s mansion.

It was also a day when Matthias Mirmod stayed in the mansion to carry out his duties.

And… it was the day that damned Delphia Mirmod left to take care of her territory.

Recalling Delphia, Princess Anesa gritted her teeth and nodded to the attendant beside her.

It meant to quickly spread the word as planned.

Following her order, Count Yoter and the attendants who entered with Princess Anesa shouted sharply.

“Here is Lord Matthias’ real daughter!”

“Sien Mirmod is not the real daughter!”

“Just look. Isn’t she similar? Moreover, we’ve even completed a paternity test!”

Finally, the gathered people of the family began to whisper.

“What on earth is going on?”

And attendants and maids from other families, as well as some nobles, also voiced their confusion.

“…She does look alike?”

“That’s definitely the real Princess Anesa. She wouldn’t lie.”

“What’s going on? Then is that Sien girl or whatever a fake daughter?”

As planned, rumors were spreading like wildfire.

The princess smiled with satisfaction.

And finally… Matthias Mirmod appeared towards the plaza.

‘…He’s wearing a sword.’

For some reason he was wearing a sword and even emitting killing intent, but seeing a child who looked like him, Matthias would surely feel a strange emotion.

As Matthias Mirmod appeared in the back, Sien Mirmod also emerged behind him.

At that moment, Princess Anesa smiled coldly.

Everything was going according to her will.

The news of Princess Anesa’s arrival spread quickly through the maids. I decided to go meet Princess Anesa faster and differently than others.

The elder sister maids piggybacked me and strode towards the central plaza where the princess was said to be.

And the scene that appeared before my eyes was…

Father, who had already arrived at the plaza one step ahead of me.

And…

“Father…”

…A child claiming to be Father’s real daughter.

“I’ve brought your daughter.”

It was Princess Anesa and Count Yoter.

Princess Anesa, with a faint smile on her lips, nodded to Count Yoter beside her. The priest’s expression hardened slightly at Count Yoter’s signal.

The priest whispered carefully while kneeling on one knee.

“I inform the heir of the Mirmod family. The test results confirm she is of Mirmod blood.”

“More precisely, she is Lord Matthias’ child.”

The child hesitantly approached Father, who had stiffened.

“Um, I missed you, Father…”

I took a step closer to Father’s side.

Father, sensitive to presence, looked towards me. The eyes looking at me were clearly warm, but his expression towards them was cold.

I didn’t think Father would abandon me.

But given Father’s fragile nature, I thought he would naturally worry if told his real daughter had arrived!

But Father…

“What nonsense.”

He whispered coldly, as if he wasn’t my father, then turned his gaze away from that child.

The child took a step on the ground with a frightened expression.

“Fa-Father…!”

But Father didn’t even look at the little child who appeared claiming to be his real daughter. He said with an indifferent expression.

“Who’s your father?”

“B-But. They said I’m your daughter-”

“I don’t remember acknowledging you as my daughter.”

“…What?”

The child who entered holding the princess’s hand tightly looked bewildered. Father coldly ignored the child who looked just like him, then hugged me tight.

“Sien, my daughter, let’s go.”

Whispering, ‘You don’t need to hear such filthy talk.’

But I glanced at the child claiming to be Father’s daughter.

It seemed necessary to check for sure.

But Father…

…Even though a child claiming to be his daughter had come. Even though her appearance, eye color, and hair color were exactly the same as Father’s.

“Sien.”

Looking only at me, he said sternly.

“Don’t look. Dad will take care of it.”

Father picked me up and said to Princess Anesa.

“Princess Anesa, is this all you have to say?”

Princess Anesa bit her lip hard. I carefully opened my mouth towards Father.

“Father…”

Father unexpectedly abandoned his cold attitude and smiled at me.

“Sien, shall Dad make you something delicious?”

I felt a warm energy from the arms hugging me tightly.

I glanced down. I could see the princess and the child called the ‘real daughter’.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, Father quietly murmured.

“No matter what anyone says, Sien is Dad’s daughter.”

Father said it as if it were obvious, but honestly, that child did look too much like Father.

I didn’t seriously think I might be a fake daughter, but various tangled thoughts were starting to form bit by bit.

Could he have read my mind?

“Don’t believe strange things. Dad will…”

Father whispered, hugging me tightly.

“Scold them.”

…I didn’t believe it, but somehow it felt like they really would get scolded.

Just then, as if she had just come to her senses, Princess Anesa shouted loudly.

“It won’t do, Your Highness. The Mirmod family’s council of elders has already said they will verify whether she’s your child or not through the specialized test kit made by Count Yoter.”

The princess pulled out the council’s card.

The council was currently a faction supporting Axel Mirmod, and was the center of power in this family. They were also the opposite force to our father.

No wonder she looked so confident, it seemed she had already finished backdoor dealings with the council.

Father, who had just become duke, could not refuse both the royal family and the council alone.

Father had become duke by chance due to Axel Mirmod, who was a strong successor candidate, unexpectedly fighting near the demon realm for many years.

Father’s foundation was not solid enough to ignore the council and the imperial palace.

At that moment, Father’s arms hugging me tightly trembled slightly.

My heart pounded, wondering if soft-hearted Father might have been hurt.

“Sien.”

“Mm?”

“…Do you want to go inside? Dad will resolve this as quickly as possible.”