Chapter 08
Leponea’s tightly shut eyes snapped open.
It was late at night, when even the lights had been swallowed by darkness.
A young boy riding on the back of a silver wolf-shaped creature hovered in the air, looking down at Leponea’s terrace.
The boy looked only three or four years older than Leponea at most, but his appearance was striking enough to leave a deep impression even at a glance.
It might not have been something to say about a child who could not have been older than nine, but his black hair, darker than the abyss itself, seemed as though he wore the night sky over his head, while his golden eyes, brighter than the sun, were dazzling.
‘A face I’ve never seen before.’
Leponea possessed the kind of memory that never forgot a face once seen, yet the boy was absent from it.
“Who are you?”
The boy did not answer her question. He merely stared silently at the terrace as though he had come to confirm something.
“I honestly didn’t think it would work.”
“What?”
“I’m glad you’re alive. Aren’t you?”
The boy muttered incomprehensible words to himself. His strangely exhilarated voice sounded dangerous.
To look at someone who was obviously alive and repeat twice that they were alive—what a rude child.
“Then I suppose I’ll need to confirm what happens from now on as well.”
“What?”
“Hah. See you again.”
“What do you mean by tha— Ah!”
Before Leponea could even finish her question, the boy who had uttered those strange words turned around. The silver wolf he rode kicked off through the air, and another fierce gust of wind blew so strongly that she could barely keep her eyes open.
And when Leponea opened her eyes again, the boy had already disappeared.
‘…What on earth was that? Did I fall asleep standing up? Was it a dream?’
Leponea blinked as she stared at the empty sky.
‘As if I fell asleep standing up. There’s no way that was a dream. Tch.’
Resting her chin crookedly on one hand, Leponea recalled the brief memory from the previous night.
Because of that boy who had appeared and vanished entirely on his own whims, she had tossed and turned all night without being able to sleep.
‘He definitely looked at me and said, “You’re alive.” Does that mean he thought I was dead?’
But no matter how much she thought about it, she had never seen him before.
‘Just thinking about where the heirloom is hidden already feels like it’ll make my head explode, so who exactly is that kid?’
Leponea bit her lip and pressed firmly against her temples. But there was so little strength in her fingers that it barely helped.
‘Then is it possible he mistook me for someone else?’
But the memory of the boy staring intently at her surfaced again. With such a persistent gaze, mistaking her for someone else made no sense to begin with.
‘Could he have been sent by the Pope?’
While calculating the possibilities, Leponea soon shook her head.
‘If the Pope had sent him, he wouldn’t have simply left last night. He would’ve killed me on the spot.’
The Pope had never taught anyone to leave their enemies alive.
‘I don’t want to get dragged into even more troublesome things.’
Grrrrowl.
At that moment, her tactless stomach made its presence known. Since she had overslept, breakfast time had been delayed, and now this was the result.
Humans truly were creatures of adaptation.
‘Since when did I ever bother eating breakfast?’
There had even been times when she failed one of the Pope’s missions and was locked alone in an underground prison, starving for days.
So how could she make such a fuss over missing a single meal?
Leponea smacked her stomach with her palm as if scolding it.
“Don’t get used to being full. This is only temporary.”
Grrrrowl.
Despite her reprimand, her stomach continued to rumble loudly.
“I’ll go eat later. Just wait.”
Grrrrowl.
Her stomach argued back that she should eat immediately.
“Don’t you have any pride?”
Grrrrrrrowl.
“What a pride-less stomach.”
Muttering helplessly, Leponea patted her stomach.
“Fine. I know this isn’t the time to care about pride. If you’re going to be this noisy, then it can’t be helped.”
After neatly finishing her self-justification, Leponea reached out and pulled the bell cord to signal that she was awake.
It seemed best to fill her stomach first and think afterward.
It was too noisy otherwise.
Not long after she rang the bell, a knock sounded. When Leponea told them to come in, the bedroom door opened and two maids entered.
“Did you sleep peacefully last night, Young Lady?”
“Good morning, Young Lady. Did you have pleasant dreams?”
They were Birdie and Becky, the maids from the main residence who had been assigned to take care of Leponea.
They were the same maids who had washed her when she first arrived at the mansion and later gone to fetch the young masters’ clothes.
“Mm.”
At first, even the nickname Ponya had made her cringe with embarrassment, but after hearing it repeatedly, she had become indifferent to it.
After all, it was only a nickname she would hear while staying in this mansion. Reacting to it every single time was more troublesome.
“The Duke had breakfast earlier today because of work. He told us not to wake you so you could sleep comfortably, Young Lady.”
“S’kay.”
Even her slurred pronunciation from being distracted by other thoughts no longer embarrassed her as much.
After washing her face and changing into a dress, Leponea sat in front of the mirror.
‘Busy work, huh.’
She recalled the maids bustling around the mansion recently, saying they had to prepare for guests who might suddenly arrive without notice.
“Would you like to eat in the beautiful greenhouse in the garden today?”
Becky asked while brushing Leponea’s hair. Her rough, naturally curly hair that had once fallen unevenly to her waist had now become noticeably softer.
Leponea, whose hair had once again been tied neatly into twin braids, thought of the greenhouse. The greenhouse in the garden was quite far from the main residence.
‘Ah. I get it now.’
Leponea smiled.
“Why? What about the dining hall?”
Pretending not to know anything, she asked innocently.
Birdie, who was choosing pretty hairpins for her, replied with a smile.
“A guest is arriving today, so the main residence will probably be crowded and chaotic. Is there anything you’d like for breakfast? If you tell me, I’ll inform the chef!”
“Mmm. Anything is fine.”
Pretending to nod, Leponea observed Birdie and Becky’s expressions through the mirror. At her answer, both women let out sighs of relief.
That confirmed it.
‘The vassals of Krytane must have arrived.’
As though she had been waiting for this, Leponea smiled.
No one had told her that the vassals were coming, but it was obvious.
There were not many guests who could suddenly appear at the Duke’s estate without prior notice and still be formally welcomed in the main residence.
It was easy enough to figure out if one thought about it a little.
‘They probably heard about my adoption and rushed over to oppose it.’
That was simply how noble society worked.
Vassals pledged loyalty to a ducal family, and when their lord headed down the wrong path, it was their duty to correct them.
There was no way anyone would react positively to suddenly adopting an unknown child of uncertain origins as a daughter.
‘Honestly, it would’ve been stranger if the adoption had gone through so easily without any opposition from the beginning.’
Perhaps because the Pope had taught her everything about noble society, this all felt like the natural sequence of events.
‘Since the documents have already been submitted to the imperial family, annulment is impossible unless the Duke changes his mind.’
Perhaps because the paperwork had already bound everything together, she was not particularly anxious even if the vassals had come in droves.
Duke Krytane had adopted Leponea to soothe the guilt he felt toward his lost daughter.
So for now, there was no reason for him to change his mind and cast her out.
‘Good thing I hurried and completed the paperwork, even if it meant drawing blood.’
She looked down at her finger, which had healed without leaving a scar thanks to the doctor’s swift treatment.
‘The main residence is going to be noisy for several days.’
Even if the outcome could not be changed, the vassals would never retreat so easily after coming all this way.
Since they likely could not persuade the Duke, they would probably stay at the estate for several days and pressure Leponea instead.
‘There is a way to help solve the family’s problems and prove my usefulness to the vassals.’
But Leponea had no intention of stepping forward to resolve the family’s affairs.
If a family needed even the hands of a child to solve its problems, then it deserved to collapse already. That was the responsibility of the head of the household. Leponea had no intention of handling things in his place unless they handed her the position of family head.
‘This actually works out nicely.’
Patting her growling stomach as though telling it to endure a little longer, Leponea spoke.
“…Birdie.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Is the Duke in the conference hall right now?”
“Huh?”
Since Leponea had never once sought out the Duke first, Birdie looked startled that she was suddenly asking for his location today of all days.
As Birdie raised her surprised face, her eyes met Leponea’s through the mirror.
Birdie quickly averted her gaze. That alone was answer enough.
“Up we go.”
Without realizing it, Leponea made an exaggerated sound as she hopped down from the chair.
“Y-Young Lady, where are you going?”
Leponea moved her short limbs energetically as she left the bedroom. Birdie and Becky hurried after her.
“Mhm. To see the Duke.”
“…Pardon?”
Having no intention of explaining further, Leponea recalled the location of the grand conference hall and toddled briskly down the corridor on her tiny feet.
Grand Conference Hall.
“To suddenly adopt a child… it was far too hasty a decision, Duke.”
“If you were concerned about the child, I believe sponsoring her would have been the better option, Duke.”
The conference hall was noisy with the gathered vassals.
“It’s not that we do not wish to celebrate the birth of a new Young Lady. However, if that child ever begins coveting the assets of the ducal family—”
“What do Young Master Havelian and Young Master Pellens think about this?”
“This is hardly the time for such discussions. Since the adoption has already been decided, shouldn’t her background be verified first? Did you investigate whether there are criminals among the child’s blood relatives, Duke?”
“So you’re saying we should accept the adoption? We don’t know who gave birth to her or how she was raised. What if she’s carrying some contagious disease?”
“But rather than wasting time searching for the lost Young Lady, who may already be dead or alive—”
Bang!
Duke Krytane, who had remained silent the entire time while pressing at his temples, slammed his palm infused with aura onto the table.
Fortunately, the magically reinforced table did not break, though it trembled violently.
The killing intent carried within that vibration made every vassal immediately fall silent.
“I granted you freedom to speak, and yet you continue crossing the line.”
His rough voice tightened around their throats like a noose, suffocating them.
“Must I now seek your permission just to adopt my own child?”
