“Raise him.”

The golden eyes of the man, who resembled a black panther rather than a cat, flashed.

“Pardon?”

“I said, raise him.”

The child around ten years old looking up at me with sparkling eyes next to him seemed like a miniature version of the man giving an order that didn’t quite sound like an order.

From the jet-black hair to the sharp cat-like eyes, no, from head to toe, they looked completely alike.

Like father and son?

“But, even if you say that…”

The man tilted his chin up as if asking what the problem was. I let out a long sigh before speaking.

“Your Grace, there are procedures for adopting a child. Above all, telling an unmarried noble lady to raise a child is like asking her to give up her future life, isn’t it?”

“Is that the only issue to address?”

Askal Modesto Artenbach.

The man before me was the head of the Artenbach duchy, one of the three families that played a key role in founding the empire, and the protagonist of the Tidga scandal that had shaken the empire. Now the Crown Princess Hegelia Tidga and Duke Artenbach had been in that kind of relationship, but after breaking up for some reason, all sorts of rumors had circulated.

‘There were rumors that the duke broke up because he was impotent, and rumors that he had an illegitimate child.’

Thanks to that, for a while, gossip about the duke’s family was the talk of the empire over drinks. And the reason Artenbach didn’t waver even in that situation was due to his enormous wealth.

A tourist attraction where hot water gushes 365 days a year. Spoils obtained through subjugating beasts. In addition, profits earned through the Artenbach Bank and trade with other countries. Maintaining all that wealth and power.

That was this man’s life.

I probably just saw him briefly at a banquet hall I don’t remember well, since I’ve never been to an imperial court banquet.

Ah, and thanks to being reborn into a new world with memories of my past life, I thought this place was inside a book. I rushed around trying to figure out who the protagonist was and who I was, but it was just another world. When I was about ten, I thought I might be the protagonist, but it was just a delusion. Above all, the memories of my past life in the 21st century only made me more confused.

‘I just gained a new life.’

Stories of possession and revenge were really just stories in books. The place I lived was reality, and the dishonor of the Tidga Empire, marred by war and scandal, was ongoing.

‘Anyway, I tried so hard for a peaceful life.’

To be precise, until I met the duke’s miniature and the duke.

“Then I’ll give the lady a surname.”

The duke spoke as if he had made up his mind, ignoring my troubled feelings.

The massive and majestic Artenbach Castle, comparable to a cultural heritage site.

But that wasn’t important to me.

“I can arrange a castle myself if it’s about that. I have more money than you might think.”

Of course, that’s a lie.

“Is that so? But you can’t buy the title of Artenbach with money.”

“Pardon?”

“From today, you’ll be Schmidt Artenbach. Then you won’t be an unmarried noble lady anymore, so there shouldn’t be a problem with raising a child.”

I covered my throbbing forehead with my palm. So it wasn’t about a castle to live in, but a surname to add to my name.

“I’m not going to raise that child. And I won’t become the duchess either.”

As I expressed my refusal with a rather serious face, the ten-year-old child’s golden eyes became moist.

“But mom…”

The lips that had been tightly closed until now opened slightly. I watched the child silently.

“You said you’d find someone to be my mom…”

“I said I’d find someone, not that I’d become your mom myself.”

Tears rolled down the child’s plump cheeks.

“It has to be you, auntie.”

“Auntie… Kid, I’m still in my twenties. If you’re going to call me something, how about elder sister or aunt?”

“If I call you elder sister or aunt, will you become my mom?”

“No.”

The child’s face contorted, looking hurt. I was afraid he might sit down on the floor and start sobbing any moment.

And that fear came in a different meaning.

The duke lowered his eyes to look at the child, then spoke to me with a fierce expression.

“Take responsibility.”

“I don’t understand how things have come to this, but I have no intention of doing anything…”

“Waaaaaah!”

The enormous cry of a ten-year-old boy echoed through the large corridor.

The whispering of maids who couldn’t easily approach due to the strange atmosphere and the duke’s statement driving the final nail made me go crazy.

“How dare you make the heir of the duchy cry. I absolutely cannot let this go. So let’s discuss the rest slowly.”

The duke snapped his fingers.

“Prepare a room for the lady to rest. Make sure there’s no inconvenience during her stay.”

“No, please listen to what I have to say until the end…”

My view was blocked by maids suddenly surrounding me. I shouted at the two males moving away as if swept by waves.

“I absolutely won’t be a mom! This is kidnapping!”

The duke covered the child’s ears with his hands. Although it seemed like an action out of concern for emotional trauma, the expression of the duke’s miniature didn’t look like that at all. Rather, he was smiling with one corner of his mouth raised crookedly.

‘I’ve been tricked.’

I, Schmidt Deli.

For the first time in 24 years since being reborn, I was conned. By a ten-year-old brat, no less.

* * *

Black swan.

It refers to an event that seems highly unlikely to happen actually occurring.

And the Black Swan agency I run was mainly visited by those who had something they desperately wanted to do or wanted to happen. Of course, most of those wishes could be resolved with money.

“So your daughter needs to get married, but the groom’s family is demanding a large dowry?”

“That’s right. We’re living day to day…”

“There are two options. Black Swan can step in to reduce the dowry demanded by the other family. Or you can entrust something of suitable value to me and borrow money.”

“Something suitable… I can’t think of anything suitable.”

I examined the blacksmith’s hands with thick calluses.

“May I suggest what that suitable thing might be?”

“What are you referring to?”

I smiled, conveying that I meant no harm.

“There’s a man named Ranson at your forge, right?”

“Yes, he’s an apprentice I cherish. But why are you asking about my apprentice…”

I knew. That Ranson was in charge of the final detailing of products made at the forge. And about his hidden talent.

“I’ll lend you the needed dowry. In return, Ranson will stay with Black Swan until the principal is fully repaid.”

“What? But why? He’s still just an apprentice.”

If this were modern times, you blacksmith would have received several letters from the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

“It won’t be a losing deal. Black Swan will work to improve Ranson’s skills, and you can focus on your role as a father in the meantime.”

This was something I had thought of since the blacksmith made an appointment to visit Black Swan.

Ranson’s carving skills were capable of shining if given just a little boost. The important thing was that no one knew he was buried here, and I was the one who would bring him into the light.

‘I can’t let that skill rot away. And I can’t allow someone else to snatch him up.’

I smiled brightly and wiggled my fingers. The clerk standing like a statue by the door promptly placed a paper in front of me.

“Normally you’d have to pay interest, but Ranson will serve as the interest. So you only need to repay the principal.”

It’s an incredibly attractive offer. Come on, accept it.

“I can’t decide right away. I need to hear Ranson’s opinion too.”

That was fair. I responded with a smile full of benevolence.

“There’s a contract included for Ranson as well. So take it home, look it over thoroughly, and make a careful decision.”

I slowly rose from my seat. I could feel the blacksmith’s eyes following me.

“The consultation ends here. I look forward to meeting you again.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The blacksmith disappeared outside, clutching the contract to his chest. I roughly brushed back my bangs that kept falling forward.

“Was that the last client?”

“Yes, it was the last, but…”

Anna, with her long brown hair tied back, answered cautiously.

She was a professional who skillfully handled difficult tasks for me when I was the director of Black Swan, and at the Deli barony, she was a dexterous personal maid.

“There’s a child protesting outside the office, asking to be let in.”

“A child?”

“Yes. Looks about ten years old.”

“Give him a few pieces of bread and send him away.”

“It doesn’t seem like he came for bread.”

Children often came to Black Swan.

A child wearing clothes that looked difficult to endure winter, wearing shoes with toes touching the ground, asking for food.

Or a child saying they’ll work at Black Swan if we just give them a place to sleep.

Of course, when I heard a child had come, I assumed it was for such purposes.

“Are you saying the child came as a client?”

“Yes. He asked for you quite confidently.”

That piqued my interest a bit.

“Is that so? Then bring him inside.”

Anna bowed her head before going outside. And not long after, she returned with the child.

‘A child who doesn’t seem to have any reason to come here.’

Glossy hair. High-quality clothes that fit perfectly.

Above all, the aura emanating from the child’s expression was different from children commonly seen in busy streets.

It was like an atmosphere that demanded obedience if he gave an order.

“Please sit down first.”

I gestured to the seat where the blacksmith had sat. The child slowly looked around before speaking.

“It doesn’t look clean, so I don’t want to sit. Give me another chair.”

A shiver ran from the top of my head. Seeing him calmly give orders with bright, wide eyes, I had a feeling.

‘He’s a troublemaker.’

I really feel like trash for having such thoughts about a child.

“If possible, I’d like a new chair. Not a low one, but a high one.”

This was a fresh kind of trouble I had never experienced before.

“Haha, we don’t have new chairs, but I can offer you a new cushion. Would that be okay?”

“It’s disappointing, but I guess there’s no choice.”

Let’s be patient. He’s just a child.

Anna, noticing my forced smile, quickly brought a cushion.

The child reluctantly patted the cushion repeatedly before sitting down gracefully.

“Now then, could you tell me why you’ve come here?”

The child stared at me, sitting with his back straight.

I met his golden eyes. I was overcome by a strange feeling, as if I should remember something but couldn’t quite recall it.

“The reason I came here is…”