The pain in my bottom was only momentary. Seeing the duke’s smile disappear made my heart sink.

‘I’m doomed.’

The duke’s frown was fleeting. He quickly relaxed his expression again. However, unlike before, there seemed to be a sharper edge to his gaze now.

I mulled over the mistake I had just made. I should have just sat there quietly like an ordinary child.

I should have acted like I knew nothing, just like a child of my age would, but I reacted too noticeably in front of the duke.

As if I knew what kind of person he was.

“Young lady, are you alright?”

In the awkward situation, Yan was the first to speak. Yan quickly helped me up.

The duke was staring intently at me as I got up from the floor. Meeting his gaze without a smile made my body feel stiff.

His gaze scrutinizing my expression was sharp. Even though he said nothing, I felt like I was being interrogated.

“How old are you?”

The duke was the first to break the short silence. When I couldn’t answer in time, Yan spoke up.

“She said she’s 4 years old.”

“Is that so?”

The duke lowered his body and rubbed his chin. Even before remembering my past life, I had always been quick-witted. And quick-witted children are disliked by adults.

The duke was suspicious of me. The proof was that even the pretentious smile he initially showed me had disappeared.

Usually, when a smiling adult approaches, children immediately let their guard down. My behavior, which was the complete opposite, certainly did not appear like an ordinary child.

‘It would be better to seem like I know nothing at all.’

“It’s alright, young lady. This gentleman is the duke who ordered to bring you here,” Yan kindly explained to me.

I quickly stepped back and grabbed the hem of Yan’s clothes. I looked up at him without blinking. My vision soon became blurry.

“Oh?”

“Uuk…”

Yan looked back and forth between me and the duke. The duke also narrowed his brows, seeming a bit flustered.

“Waah!”

After letting a tear or two flow, I clung to Yan’s leg and hid my face.

“Waah, waaah!”

“Why is she suddenly acting like this…? She was fine just now…”

Yan muttered in a perplexed voice. His fidgeting seemed to indicate how awkward the situation was for him right now.

‘Yan, I’m sorry.’

Yan carefully tried to push my shoulders away, but I held on tight and didn’t budge. If Yan used force, he could have pried me off, but he didn’t.

The duke let out a small sigh behind me.

“It seems difficult for her to greet me now.”

I only slightly raised my head to peek. The duke must have been continuously watching me. Our eyes met immediately.

He had an expression of ‘there are kids like this too.’ Seeing that, I felt a bit relieved.

The duke seemed sensitive to the sound of a child crying. He immediately left the room.

Yan patted my shoulder with his large hand and said, “Young lady, the duke has left. It’s truly alright now.”

I was still sniffling but peeked out my head a little.

“Were you scared?”

“Sniff, yes.”

While sniffling, I keenly watched the door in case the duke returned.

The door did not open again. Meanwhile, Yan took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped my face.

He didn’t seem to mind my tears and snot sticking to his pants.

“It’s because it’s your first day here. But he is not a scary person. He is a good man.”

Yan has no eye for people.

‘He’s probably not a good person.’

I thought about the duke again.

Cailius Crustel, the man Yan called a good person, was the final villain and antagonist of this world.

Not only did he commit evil deeds alone, but he also turned the children he raised into villains.

It was heartbreaking to think how a sincere and honest young man like Yan ended up pledging loyalty to such a place and facing hardships.

That’s when someone knocked on the door.

“Sir Knight, I’m here to escort the young lady.”

Yan had comforted me so well that I had momentarily forgotten, but he was a knight. In other words, there would be someone else to look after me continuously.

It seemed the duke who left first had sent someone else to take care of me.

“Hello, young lady. I’m Sophia, and I will be taking care of you from now on.”

One thing became clear upon seeing Sophia who came to get me.

‘I guess I’m going to stay here.’

I was a bit relieved that I wouldn’t have to see Rebecca right away.

“Hello.”

I politely greeted her. Sophia smiled brightly and responded.

“Oh my, how polite you are. Shall we go together then?”

Sophia gently took my hand. As I followed Sophia, I suddenly looked back.

Perhaps because he had been watching me the whole time, my eyes immediately met Yan’s.

‘I didn’t get to say thank you.’

I couldn’t say thank you for saving me from Rebecca today. But somehow, I felt like he understood it all when our eyes met.

“Would you like to say goodbye to the knight?”

Sophia kindly asked, noticing my hesitant steps. I hesitated for a moment before waving a hand at him.

I saw Yan press his lips together tightly. At a glance, it looked like he was holding back a smile. Soon, he replied curtly.

“I will see you later, young lady.”

* * *

Sophia was a kind and friendly person. She seemed to be trying to help me relax the whole way up to the room.

The first thing I did upon following Sophia to the room was to eat heartily.

“Young lady, you should chew thoroughly and eat slowly. I’ll give you more if it’s not enough.”

Hearing Sophia’s words, I slowly scooped up the soup and put it in my mouth.

Actually, if it weren’t for the cookie I ate earlier, I might have unknowingly scooped up the soup with my hands and gobbled it down out of hunger.

‘It’s delicious.’

I wonder how long it’s been since I had a proper meal.

I had been starving for two days, and even before that, all I had was some unidentifiable porridge made by boiling foxglove and mixing in a little flour.

Even that, Rebecca didn’t fill a whole bowl before giving it to me.

‘No matter how much a little thing eats, what good will it do.’

It was food that not only failed to satisfy my hunger but also lacked nutrition. It was insufficient to even temporarily quell the hunger.

In stark contrast, the food Sophia gave me felt like it was filling up my stomach solidly with just a few spoonfuls.

“Shall I give you more?”

Sophia kindly asked. My favorability toward Sophia instantly skyrocketed.

“It’s alright.”

“But it seems like you ate too little.”

“No, I’m full.”

I politely returned the empty bowl to her. At that moment, Sophia’s expression softened, and her eyebrows drooped to the sides.

‘Oh, again.’

An expression similar to the one Yan made in the carriage.

Rebecca never made that face at me even once.

‘She only ever frowned at me all the time.’

Even in my previous life, there were many adults like that to me, so I thought everyone became like that as they grew older.

But looking at Yan and Sophia, it seems that’s not always the case.

Sophia washed me clean and gently laid me on the bed.

Seeing her caressing me like that, it seemed she would stay by my side until I fell asleep.

‘It’s super soft.’

Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep with someone else around, but Sophia’s presence was just comforting.

My body soon became drowsy, and my eyelids felt heavy.

When I was half-asleep and dazed, I blinked my heavy eyelids up and down repeatedly like someone with something to do.

“Can’t sleep?”

Sophia asked with a smile. I let out a deep sigh and spoke unknowingly.

“If I fall asleep…”

“Yes?”

“If I fall asleep, it feels like everything will disappear.”

In my sleep-addled state, I unintentionally blurted out my true feelings. Without realizing it, I tightly grasped the sleeve of Sophia’s clothes.

It feels like this will all be a dream if I fall asleep like this.

It feels like I’ll wake up at home if I close my eyes.

When I wake up from the dream, Mom will again…

Sophia slowly patted my back and started to speak.

“It’s not a dream.”

“…”

“It’s not a dream, young lady.”

Only then, upon hearing Sophia’s words, could I relax.

She says it’s not a dream.

She says being full and warm is not a dream.

She says none of this is a dream.

‘Thank goodness.’

I could finally let my heavy eyelids fall.

* * *

The child who was raised by the hands of a back-alley cult came to the ducal residence.

That news quietly spread among the servants of the ducal residence.

“Did you hear? That child the woman brought yesterday, I heard the master only took the child?”

“So what that woman said was true?”

“Yes, she brought the duke’s ring as proof.”

The rumor spread to all the employees of the mansion in an instant.

But none of them knew the truth properly.

To think that child is really the master’s hidden child, when he has already adopted the young masters?

They had been working there since the day this luxurious mansion was built in the desolate north.

Always quiet and isolated with no changes, when a new rumor was heard, their mouths moved without rest.

“Anyway, I heard that ring was fake, and he took in the child out of pity.”

“Then the child won’t be registered into the family?”

Amidst the maids’ quiet conversation, a tall shadow suddenly intruded.

“Well, the proof was genuine, though.”

“Eek!”

The maids, unaware of someone approaching from behind, were startled and stepped back. The one who interrupted the conversation was Philen, the young aide who spent most of the day glued to the duke’s side.

The most cheerful maid spoke up first.

“Sir Otol, does the proof being genuine mean that woman wasn’t lying?”

“That, I don’t know. Even if the proof is genuine, that’s not everything, is it?”

Philen, who was answering lightly, carefully surveyed the surroundings with a cautious gaze. By the looks of it, he had more to say. This time, another maid beside him tactfully asked again.

“Anyway, what that woman said isn’t something to be dismissed as nonsense, right?”

“Yes, the master also seemed to be quite troubled.”

Philen replied reluctantly with a troubled face. Lastly, he urged them again.

“You must never say that I talked about this.”

At those words, the maids nodded their heads and their eyes sparkled.

Philen returned to his main job, assigning each of them their tasks, and turned to leave. His destination was none other than the office of the duke, the subject of this rumor.

“Come in.”

A low voice was heard from inside as soon as he knocked. Opening the door and entering, he saw Cailius looking through documents.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, I have informed them as instructed.”

“Good.”

Cailius replied curtly, his gaze still on the documents. Seeing Philen not looking like he would leave, he raised his head again.

“Do you have more to say?”

“I wanted to ask the reason behind today’s orders. It’s not a lie that the proof is genuine, is it?”