Chapter 15

But even so, wasn’t this going too far?

“An illegitimate child. You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“No, it’s the truth. Her cute little face is obviously a spitting image of me.”

“…You have finally completely lost your conscience.”

“I can hear everything, Hudson.”

“Oh, really? Please just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Haa.

Letting out a deep sigh, Hudson trudged over and plopped down in his chair.

“This damn job… I should have quit a long time ago.”

“I said I can hear you, Hudson.”

“I asked you to pretend you didn’t hear, Your Grace.”

Muttering gloomily, Hudson clutched his throbbing stomach and closed his eyes.

“Honestly, I thought you went to Bramchois to slack off. That undercover investigation was a ridiculous excuse. But did you actually go to find your daughter?”

“No, I really did go to slack off.”

“I knew it?! So it really was slacking off? No, then who on earth is she…!”

Hudson, who had widened his eyes and launched into a passionate speech, suddenly froze.

‘Wait, now that I think about it…’

The Duke has an illegitimate child?

Does that make any sense?

No, it’s impossible. It might be true for others, but there’s no way the Duke has an illegitimate child.

Because the only woman the Duke has ever had in his entire life…

“Was Lady Labela…?”

“I said I can hear you, Hudson.”

“Hup.”

Snapping out of his daze, Hudson hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.

At his obvious attempt to gauge the room, Contie chuckled and leaned back on the sofa.

“Hudson, what’s important in this world isn’t the truth.”

“…Huh? Then what is?”

“Belief. The willingness to say, ‘Ah, I see,’ just because I said so.”

At Contie’s words, Hudson let out an ‘Ahh’ of admiration.

“…I see. So why did you *really* bring her here?”

“You pretend to be scared, but you end up saying everything anyway.”

Tsk.

Clicking his tongue, Contie shrugged and answered.

“No reason. I just thought it might be nice to have a daughter.”

“Aha. I see.”

“You accept it more easily than I thought?”

“Yes. Because it’s a very ‘you’ reason, Your Grace. If you had given me a plausible excuse, I would have been more surprised.”

“Haha, speaking so freely, you might just die young.”

“…Is that a threat?”

“Somewhat?”

At Contie’s words, Hudson smiled and asked.

“Are there any precautions I should know regarding the Young Lady, your daughter?”

Switching gears quickly was Hudson’s forte and pride.

Contie let out a dumbfounded laugh, but his smile suddenly faded.

“She has an ability.”

“Ah, she has an ability… Wait, what? An ability?”

Hudson, who had answered calmly, asked back with a start.

Did I mishear just now?

“Yes, an ability.”

Ah, I heard correctly.

The fact that I heard correctly made it an even bigger problem.

Having an ability meant…

“The Young Lady… is she the bloodline of another ducal family? Have you resorted to stealing another Duke’s child now-“

“Sometimes you really seem to see me as garbage, don’t you?”

“…I’ll take the Fifth.”

I’m going to die young.

Deciding to calmly accept his fate, Hudson opened his mouth again.

“Then what is it? If you didn’t steal another family’s child, it doesn’t make sense…”

“She has a completely new type of ability. A kind that has never existed before.”

I’ve had a lot of moments to doubt my ears today.

Hudson was utterly bewildered.

Every part of this conversation was bewildering.

A new type of ability.

He had never heard nor seen such a thing.

Did something like that really exist?

“…You’re lying.”

“It’s the truth. And that is one of the reasons that child must be of my bloodline.”

There was no further explanation, but Hudson understood what he meant.

“You’re worried about the Imperial family.”

“Snakes rotting with inferiority complexes often do the most dog-like things.”

Oh, he insults the Imperial family as easily as breathing.

However, Hudson also agreed with Contie’s words.

The Imperial family inherited the dragon’s bloodline, but they did not possess an ability.

That didn’t mean the Imperial family was the same as ordinary people, though.

Senses twice as developed as ordinary humans and immense physical strength.

Excellent mana sensitivity and extraordinary recovery abilities.

Moreover, according to histories that resemble legends, a child inheriting the ‘Dragon’s Power’ is occasionally born into the Imperial bloodline-.

‘Though that has yet to happen.’

They far exceeded the bounds of ordinary humans in many ways, yet the Imperial family was not satisfied.

What they coveted was a power more special than that.

Something like an ability, for instance.

Thus, the Imperial family regarded the abilities of the Three Great Ducal Houses as the pride of the Empire while simultaneously envying and resenting them.

Deliberately empowering the Temple and blatantly keeping the three ducal houses in check was merely an extension of their ugly jealousy.

But in this situation, a child with a new type of ability appears?

And an orphan who doesn’t even know who her parents are?

‘The Imperial family will be thrown into absolute chaos.’

To the point where they’d want to get rid of her without anyone knowing.

But if the child were said to have inherited the Panteyebe bloodline-.

“They’ll just console themselves with a mental victory and keep quiet. ‘That child is of the Panteyebe bloodline.’ Even the Imperial family wouldn’t dare touch the Young Lady of Panteyebe.”

Unless they want to make an enemy of me.

At the chilling, eerie mutter, Hudson unwittingly swallowed hard.

This is…

‘He seems to be more serious about this than I thought.’

Seeing as how the Duke, who cares nothing for worldly affairs, is even considering the dangers the child might face.

It seems he really does like that child.

‘At this rate, no matter what anyone says, the child will become the Young Lady of Panteyebe.’

Having reached a quick conclusion, Hudson racked his brain.

Let’s see, what does a four-year-old Young Lady need…?

Chapter 3

Chirp, chirp.

At the sound of birds chirping, I opened my eyes reverently.

‘Is today the fourth day?’

Since I came to the ducal residence, that is.

Over the past four days, I had been steadily adapting to life in the ducal estate.

‘At first, I was startled by the smallest things.’

Amazing baths.

Amazing meals.

Amazing snacks and even amazing clothes!

But who was I?

I am the thoroughly meticulous four-year-old Melony on her second life, after all.

I fully utilized the adaptability that helped me survive on the streets to quickly adjust to life in the ducal estate.

‘I can’t keep acting like a clueless kid forever.’

To become a full-time employee and stay in the ducal estate for a long time, I need to keep my wits about me.

Over the past four days, my desire to become a full-time employee burned even brighter.

It wasn’t just because of a comfortable life.

I had my fill of hellish orphanages and rolling on the streets as a beggar.

I had no intention of getting drunk on playing noble and saying, ‘I don’t eat commoner food.’

My goal was still survival.

‘If I get kicked out now, my life will be in danger.’

Since I used my ability in front of so many eyes, it was impossible to hide the fact that I had one.

After all, rumors are bound to spread no matter how much you try to suppress them.

The that kidnapped me in my past life would naturally target me in this life as well.

‘But as long as I stay here, I won’t be easily captured.’

This was the Panteyebe ducal estate, after all.

The family renowned as the strongest and wealthiest in the Empire!

‘And on top of that, my dad is the infamous Duke Panteyebe…!’

There was no safer place than this.

Therefore, in order to survive, I had to hold out here as long as possible.

Even if I were to be kicked out-.

‘I need time to build a foundation so I can live well in hiding.’

Save money, practice my ability.

Find a place to hide.

‘Though practicing my ability seems useless.’

In conclusion, the best option was to stick with the ducal family for as long as possible.

But there was a problem.

Getting close to the servants and adjusting to the estate wasn’t that difficult…

“Um, Duke.”

At my subtle call, the Duke, who was about to pop a macaron into his mouth, stared at me quietly.

“…Duke?”

He chewed and swallowed the macaron thoroughly, then rested his chin on the table and nodded.

“Speak, Melony.”

What’s this. Why does he feel subtly sulky?

It’s probably just… my imagination, right?