Morning arrived. As soon as I opened my eyes, I immediately washed my face.

I went to the mirror and thoroughly checked for any unwashed or haggard parts.

‘This should be good enough!’

I quickly went to the door, stood on my tiptoes, and turned the doorknob with both hands.

A large figure standing by the door caught my eye.

“Young lady.”

Sensing my presence, Yan turned his gaze towards me. I greeted him with a bright smile.

“It’s Yan!”

“Yes, I’m grateful to be assigned as your escort again.”

Excitedly, I ran to him. He familiarly picked me up.

‘At least he seems to be keeping his promise.’

I had been anxious all night, worrying if the Duke might not keep his promise.

“Will you be going for a walk later?”

“Yes!”

“Very well, I will accompany you whenever you are ready.”

That’s when it happened. An unwelcome voice interrupted our peaceful conversation.

“Anyone who sees you two would think you are a reunited family.”

“Ahaha……”

Wait, this is the Duke’s voice?

Puzzled, I turned my head and saw the Duke, who had been staring intently at us while leaning against the wall.

No, let me correct that. It wasn’t just staring, it was more like glaring.

However, I was no longer afraid of that gaze. He usually had that expression anyway.

“By the way, Duke, why are you here so early in the morning?”

“…I just happened to be passing by.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

My room was one floor above the Duke’s room.

Whether it was his office or the entrance, this corridor did not overlap with the Duke’s usual route.

Although I found it strange, I roughly nodded my head.

“Okay, then have a good day.”

I replied casually. As I turned my head again, I noticed Yan sweating profusely.

“Yan, are you hot?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine.”

Despite his words, his avoidance of eye contact seemed suspicious.

Knowing Yan, there was a high possibility he would deny being sick even if he was. Worried, I came back down to the floor.

Kind Yan, he shouldn’t be sick.

* * *

Luxurious carriages lined up and entered through the main gate.

Never before had so many families visited the ducal residence on the same day. A young servant, seeing this sight for the first time, opened his mouth wide.

“Are all these people vassals of the ducal family?”

“Yes, do your best and don’t make any mistakes.”

The young servant, who was serving for the first time today, tensely greeted the guests.

The people entering now were all equally noble and dignified, and they were all vassals serving the ducal family.

The servant could hardly even imagine the extent of the ducal family’s prestige.

The vassals entered the grand conference hall one by one.

Given the large number of vassals in the ducal family, it was rare for everyone to gather in one place like this.

Unless, of course, there was a summons from the head of the family.

As the vassals of the ducal family entered, they all had the same thought in their minds.

‘His Excellency’s biological daughter.’

That news would surely cause an immense stir.

Moreover, the child of the rumors was directly coming to the grand conference hall today to show her face, so even if attendance wasn’t mandatory, one had to be present, right?

“What is this news, His Excellency has a biological daughter?”

Among them, there were some who hadn’t heard the news and attended. They were the ones who had been staying in foreign countries and had hurriedly returned.

“Ah, come to think of it, you must not have heard the news.”

“Yes, I returned as soon as I heard the summons.”

“His Excellency found his biological daughter. Even His Excellency didn’t know he had a biological daughter at first.”

“Oh my, such a thing happened! When did he find her?”

Amidst their conversation, a leisurely voice interjected.

“When he found her isn’t important, that’s not what we need to verify. What matters most is whether that child is truly His Excellency’s offspring.”

It was a rather dangerous remark. At those words, the surroundings instantly fell silent.

As the vassals who were conversing earlier glanced around nervously, Count Schusted stepped forward.

“Count Ripe, mind your words.”

“What’s wrong with my words?”

“As a vassal, how can you doubt your lord? She is the daughter personally brought by His Excellency. If His Excellency says she is his biological daughter, we should simply believe it, shouldn’t we?”

At that, Count Ripe let out a hollow laugh.

“Our role is to assist His Excellency in staying on the right path. I’m just faithfully fulfilling that role.”

“From my perspective, you have too many unnecessary suspicions. Last time, you even brought up the matter of double accounting without any evidence.”

The confrontation between the two influential figures made the surroundings instantly quiet. It was Count Otol who barely managed to mediate between them.

“Now, now, don’t start a fight before the meeting even begins.”

The confrontation between the two momentarily subsided. However, it was Count Ripe who broke the heavy silence again.

“By the way, what will happen to your daughter Cynthia in this situation?”

“I don’t think that’s a topic to be discussed here.”

“Weren’t you the one who pushed a marriage proposal to His Excellency? You should be the one questioning the authenticity of this news, not anyone else.”

“As I said, that matter has nothing to do with this.”

Their gazes clashed in midair. It seemed as if sparks were flying from their eyes.

The other vassals could only gulp nervously, realizing that today’s meeting would not go smoothly.

At that moment, Count Schusted spoke with emphasis.

“I am the one who has been by His Excellency’s side for the longest time. When I heard the news that His Excellency had found his biological daughter, no one was happier than me.”

* * *

Finally, today was the day. Having finished all the preparations, I stood in front of the mirror with satisfaction.

‘Hmm, good!’

Now I had gained a decent amount of weight, and my arms and legs had become sturdy. Although my height remained the same.

Anyway, I no longer looked like a child who had grown up in a back alley.

‘I shouldn’t face opposition from the vassals.’

I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know how long I would have to stay at the ducal residence. In this situation, it would be the worst if the vassals opposed accepting someone like me as a biological daughter.

I had to be as docile as possible and make a good impression. With that thought, I steeled myself and left the room.

But as I opened the door, I saw two legs firmly planted in front of me.

“Are you done getting ready?”

“Yes, I’m all done.”

Sophia politely replied.

With a sinking feeling, I raised my head, only to find the Duke staring down at me intently, with Yan nowhere to be seen.

With his hair neatly styled and an even sharper and colder image than usual.

The Duke usually wore military uniforms, but today, perhaps because of the particularly dark fabric, he reminded me of the Grim Reaper who takes away the dead. Seeing his appearance, I let out a brief exclamation.

‘He looks even more like a villain today.’

However, I was no longer afraid of the Duke like I was on the first day.

Even if he looked down at me with such a sharp gaze, it didn’t faze me.

But why was the Duke here anyway?

“Duke, why are you here?”

As I tilted my head and asked, there was no response. Instead, my two feet suddenly lifted off the ground.

“Then, have a good day, Young Lady.”

Sophia smiled brightly and saw me off. I stared at her, not understanding the current situation, and stammered.

…Did the Duke just pick me up?

I was now being held in the Duke’s arms, and the Duke was casually carrying me with one hand and walking on his own.

I belatedly came to my senses and struggled, saying, “Put me down! I want to walk on my own!”

“Why.”

“I can walk well by myself!”

“You had no problem asking Yan to carry you.”

The Duke narrowed his eyes.

“Just go, you’re heading to the conference hall anyway.”

As I struggled, the Duke’s grip on me tightened. He showed no intention of putting me down.

‘Tsk.’

Struggling was only exhausting me. I gave up and slumped against his shoulder.

The Duke’s grip on me naturally loosened. He adjusted his hold on me to a more comfortable position.

Giving up, a belated realization washed over me.

‘…Unexpectedly comfortable?’

Maybe he had experience carrying his adopted sons a lot.

“Even when we get there, stay put and do as I say.”

“I will.”

I replied curtly.

‘What does he take me for?’

To borrow Sophia and Delma’s words, I was a docile and obedient child.

His concern was utterly unnecessary.

Besides, I had something to do.

‘I must prevent the Duke from drinking the poison at all costs.’

Let me clarify in advance, I had no intention of helping the Duke. This was purely for my own sake.

‘If the Duke collapses, there will be no one to protect me.’

I firmly told myself that I absolutely wasn’t worried about the Duke.

‘Yes, absolutely not. Definitely not.’

Having forcefully reached a conclusion, I asked what I had been curious about.

“By the way, where is Yan?”

“He had other matters to attend to today, so I sent him out.”

“So he won’t be coming today?”

“He’ll be back late.”

“I see.”

If that was the case, it meant he wouldn’t return at least until the evening.

It was perfect timing.

‘I was just worrying about how to sneak out of the room.’

Suddenly, the Duke stopped walking. We hadn’t reached the conference hall yet.

I looked up with a puzzled gaze, only to find the Duke staring down at me intently with a suspicious gaze.

“What?”

“You haven’t forgotten my condition, right?”

I flinched inwardly. I nodded my head vigorously, as if nothing was wrong.

“Yes, of course!”

I defiantly held out my hands to the Duke and counted on my fingers as I continued.

“I’m super busy today. I have to play with blocks in my room and solve puzzles. Also, I was told that today’s snack is pudding. I have to eat all of that too…”

I desperately squeezed out a list of things to do.

Only after listing enough tasks to fold all ten fingers did the Duke’s suspicious gaze withdraw.

“Alright. Go to your room, play with blocks, solve puzzles, and eat your pudding diligently.”

“Okay!”

The Duke started walking again.

I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

The condition the Duke mentioned yesterday. It was to stay cooped up in my room on the very day of the full gathering.

According to the Duke, once I briefly introduced myself in front of the vassals, my task would be complete.

He said that after the meeting, a servant would escort me back to my room.

I planned to take a nap as soon as I returned to my room. Of course, I was only going to pretend to sleep.

In fact, I had no intention of complying with the condition the Duke mentioned. The Duke would drink the poison after the meeting was over, when he returned to his room.

In other words, someone would spike the Duke’s tea with poison before he arrived.

Since I didn’t know which item contained the poison, I planned to remove everything he might drink.

Apart from that, I inwardly clicked my tongue at the Duke’s keen intuition.

‘He’s like a ghost.’