“…….”
“…….”
There was silence in the bathroom, but I was no longer afraid of the Duke.
Was it because this great man was sitting with his knees bent in front of a little girl to wash her feet?
We quickly left the bathroom.
When the door opened, Leah, who had been waiting impatiently, rushed toward us.
The Duke handed me over to Leah and said, “Go. Use some medicine.”
“Yes?”
“Medicine.”
“Oh, yes! Medicine!”
Leah and her maids, in a state of panic, hurried down the hall.
They were moving almost as fast as they could run.
The maids collapsed, panting, once we entered the room.
Leah whispered softly while drying my wet hair.
“It’s okay. Oh, my poor child. It’s okay.”
“…….”
“No, he isn't angry with you.”
“…….”
“No, it’s okay. It’s all okay.”
Her voice was so sweet that I couldn't help but want to cry.
I spent the next few days in suspense.
But the Duke didn't actually scold me.
He didn't tell the Empress about Newt, nor did he send me back to the capital.
He didn't even look angry.
Furthermore...
*Why?*
He didn't throw away the flower I had picked.
It wasn't a carefully cultivated flower, but a single wildflower that had bloomed by mistake in the garden grass.
Yet, those wildflowers were now in a vase in the Duke of Dubeld's office.
When I saw the delicate bunch of wildflowers in such a luxurious vase, I was touched.
*What is he thinking?*
*If it were anyone else, they would have thrown away a flower a child picked in the middle of the night. But the Duke...*
*Theodore Dubeld, who slaughtered innocents...*
He had been somewhat lenient with me since that day.
*This is delicious!*
The chicken dish, cooked in a sweet sauce and mixed with various spices, was truly delicious.
The meat was tender, and the sauce was perfectly sweet and salty.
“…….”
*What's wrong with him?*
*Does he want some?*
I slid my arms over the plate, fearing I might lose my precious chicken leg.
The Duke's eyebrows furrowed.
*This is so mean!*
*He ate all the big lamb chops himself, and now he's after a baby's food.*
I was truly grateful that he let the Newt incident slide.
Newt was a valuable treasure.
When it was in the hands of the Emperor, the Pope had visited the Imperial Palace to ask that it be kept in the church.
It was precious not only for its historical value, but because its uses were endless.
I struggled for a long time, debating whether to keep the chicken leg or give it to the Duke.
I bit my lip tightly and broke off a piece of the chicken leg as I held out my hand.
“I will give it to you.”
His eyebrows narrowed as he watched me offer the chicken leg with a sad face.
“What….”
A short laugh escaped his lips.
“I want to open your head and see what is spinning inside.”
“Are you really going to open my head?”
I clutched my head with both hands in fear.
“If you open it, you'll die!”
Then, the sound of laughter came from the door.
It was Noss, holding several papers.
He coughed awkwardly as the Duke's gaze shifted toward him.
“It is the list of potential gifts for the Emperor.”
“Which shop will solve the Newt issue?”
“We have found a very good merchant.”
“Inform me.”
“He will arrive here early this afternoon. He has a substitute for Newt.”
I didn't know what it was, but it was likely too expensive to imagine.
*I'm so happy they found an alternative.*
*If Dubeld is crazy enough to give Newt to the Emperor, it must mean there is something he expects to receive in return.*
*If the deal is broken because of me, my adoption might be in jeopardy.*
*The item found by the trading partner must be truly exceptional.*
But at that time, I didn't know that the merchants hadn't actually brought anything worth a Newt.
I muttered casually, “Trade…?”
Noss smiled. “Are you curious about what trade is?”
“Huh?”
“A merchant is a person who sells goods between countries.”
Come to think of it, I realized that was a difficult word for a child, so I gasped.
“Wow!”
I pretended to be surprised.
“Do you want to see the trade items?”
“Yes… I really do.”
I wasn't actually curious about the concept of trading.
But I was curious about what kind of goods they had brought.
“You can take a look at the items. There are many unique things, so it will be fun to look around.”
“Of course I would like to, but...?”
I looked at the Duke.
I wondered if he would scold me if I accidentally destroyed something, but he didn't say much.
I'm so glad I gave him that chicken leg.
Duke Noss soon left the dining room to discuss the Emperor's birthday.
I decided to go to the library with Leah and the other servants to kill time until the business partner arrived.
*What is the library in the Dubeld castle like?*
“Yes, it is full of books. Of course, there are many of them.”
My eyes nearly popped out when Leah opened the door.
*Oh my god. What a wonderful library!*
The room was the size of a riding stadium, and the ceiling was incredibly high.
A spiral staircase rose through the center, with countless bookshelves lining each floor.
There wasn't a single empty space on the tall bookcases, which seemed to exceed three meters in height.
I headed toward the fiction section, looking around the library that prided itself on its enormous scale.
“Sister, I see one!” one of the maids exclaimed, her eyes shining.
She looked like a parent trying to find a book her child would like.
I was pushed to the front of the bookshelf by their enthusiasm.
I had to pretend I couldn't read yet, so I decided to choose a book with a nice cover.
While looking for something appealing, I found something unusual.
*Why is there no title for this one?*
Furthermore, only half of the book remained; the other half had been cut off.
I tilted my head and opened the book.
It wasn't a fairy tale.
It was a record of the achievements of the Founder Emperor. It described how he defeated a class of power known as Evil Spirits.
According to the records, there were two conditions to manifest an Evil Spirit.
First, one must make contact with a specific material to awaken potential powers and gain the authority of a mediator.
That was the end.
The rest was cut off, so I couldn't read any further.
*This is too short.*
Then Leah asked me, “Miss, have you chosen one?”
I quickly put down the book I was holding and pulled out a random one next to it.
“Let's go back and read it together!”
I took Leah's hand and left the library.
The maids had a wonderful talent for storytelling, but my mind was occupied.
I kept thinking about the untitled book I had seen.
*Why was there content related to Evil Spirits?*
*An Evil Spirit was attached to me as well.*
The good ruler, the mother of the empire, the seal of the evil spirit, the source of evil for humans.
But the seal had loosened over time, and it required the strength of the Enamel—the Child of Destiny—to reseal it.
*And I was the sacrifice for that ceremony.*
The ritual had been so painful that I had wanted to kill them all as soon as possible.
As I remembered this, my face darkened, and Leah looked at me with worry.
“Why do you look so sad?”
I couldn't tell her I was remembering my past life, so I rolled my eyes and lied.
“Because I'm afraid of lions.”
The maids suddenly shrieked, “Kyaa!”
They shook their fists in a flurry of affection.
“Really? Our poor child is scared of lions!”
The maids began rubbing my cheeks on both sides.
I endured it with blurred eyes.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.
Leah opened the door slightly and looked down the hallway.
“It seems the merchant has arrived.”
She reached out to me. “Shall we go see?”
I took Leah's hand and left the room.
When we arrived, the Duke was sitting in an ivory chair.
Behind him, I saw the Emperor's tapestry.
This tapestry, written in an ancient language, was a symbol of the military power of Dubeld.
In front of him was the man who appeared to be the business partner.
I recognized the man immediately.
*Why is this fraudster here!*
Merchant Torva.
Later, he would become a wanted criminal for selling forged paintings to the imperial family.