Chapter 10
Lephonia let out a quiet, startled breath at the sudden remark.
‘Did he notice why I’ve been wandering around?’
The Duke of Kreitan looked at Lephonia’s legs, which looked as if they would snap if he gave them a light tap, and spoke.
“If you keep walking around on those legs, I feel like they’ll actually break one day.”
“Hm?”
Human bones don’t break just from walking. There’s no way this man doesn’t know that, so what is he talking about?
“I’m thinking of calling a craftsman soon to make a wooden horse for you to ride around the mansion. Once it’s finished, use that to get around.”
Lephonia narrowed her eyes and scanned the Duke of Kreitan.
That’s just an excuse; perhaps he’s noticed something suspicious and is trying to stop me.
‘But it’s already too late.’
Thanks to her diligent wandering, she had already finished mapping out the interior of the main building.
“I understand.”
Seeing Lephonia not putting up a single fight, the Duke of Kreitan patted her back.
“Daughters are difficult.”
Unlike his words, his patting hand looked accustomed to handling children. Perhaps it was because he had raised two sons himself.
His large hand, which looked like it would hurt if he struck someone, was surprisingly well-suited for patting.
*Gurgle.*
As her tension eased, a loud cry echoed at the same time.
The Duke’s and Lephonia’s gazes turned to the same spot.
*Gurgle.*
‘You clueless stomach!’
Lephonia’s stomach, which had been quiet until now, shouted loudly as if it could no longer hold back.
“That’s quite a roar.”
The Duke laughed brightly, as if he found it very amusing.
“I came to see you, Duke, ah, I haven’t eaten anything yet, that’s why.”
“That was my mistake.”
Even at Lephonia’s awkward excuse, the Duke admitted his fault without hesitation. Lephonia was actually surprised that a nobleman with such high pride and dignity would admit it so easily.
The Duke left the conference room and headed toward the dining room. Lephonia naturally wrapped her small arms around the Duke’s neck.
She had been carried around so much lately that she was now used to it.
“Ponia. Is there nothing you’re curious about?”
“Hm?”
“You don’t ask where we’re going even now, and you didn’t ask why when I told you not to walk around until the wooden horse is finished.”
“…….”
“Ponia. I’ve never seen you ask ‘why’.”
It meant that she wasn’t being unnecessarily bothersome, nor was she being stubborn without needing an explanation, so it wasn’t a hassle. In other words, it was a compliment.
“I’ll keep doing my best.”
Lephonia muttered quietly. The Duke said, “Daughters really are difficult,” as they entered the dining room.
“Bring the meat.”
Even though it was a late morning, the Duke, who called for meat for the child’s first meal, carefully sat Lephonia down.
While the table was being set with food, the two did not say a word.
After pondering for a while, the Duke spoke first in an awkward tone.
“Come to think of it, you changed your hair clip today. It suits you well. It’s pretty.”
Lephonia touched the hair clip she had worn for the first time in her life.
Even though he was just saying the hair clip was pretty, her face felt strangely hot.
Even though such a pretty hair clip shouldn’t suit her at all.
“Duke, I heard you already ate.”
“It’s lonely to eat alone, though.”
Lephonia lifted her head as if she had heard something strange.
“Ah. Not you, Ponia, I mean me.”
The Duke added, ordering a meal for himself. If he hadn’t eaten early at dawn, it would have only been an hour or two since his last meal, yet he was eating again?
“I guess I’m hungry because I’ve heard so much nonsense since this morning.”
Could it be that he was doing this to eat with her?
Lephonia touched the fork decorated with a little chick. Once all the food was served, the Duke of Kreitan began his meal neatly.
Lephonia picked up her cutlery as well.
“Ponia. Is it tasty?”
“Yes. It’s tasty.”
“I must reward the chef. Tell them to come to my office during the afternoon break.”
“Yes, Duke.”
Seeing the Duke eating deliciously without pause, it really seemed like he had been hungry.
‘Thinking of me and eating together. Of course, that couldn’t be it.’
Lephonia relaxed her face and ate her food comfortably. If nothing else, she agreed that the chef deserved a reward.
‘I wish I could eat like this later, too.’
That wouldn’t happen. Once she left this mansion, she wouldn’t be able to enjoy such food or such comfort.
‘Let’s enjoy it as much as I can now.’
As Lephonia focused on her meal, the Duke of Kreitan’s hand finally stopped.
The butler, who had approached, quietly handed the Duke some tea good for digestion.
* * *
A week had passed since the vassals arrived at the mansion.
The vassals had been moving very busily.
“Do you know how great the Kreitan family is? It is the most prestigious family in the Empire, second only to the Imperial family. A mere you—”
“Wow. I’ve been adopted into such a family. I’m glad you told me. But if that’s true, I’m the daughter of the most prestigious family after the Imperial family… is it okay for you to call me ‘you’?”
They tried to make the child feel intimidated by telling her how great the family was.
“Duke, my ring has disappeared! It’s a precious ring my wife gifted me! I saw the Lady looking at it as if she wanted it earlier, could it be!”
“Is this the ring you said you lost?”
“My ring! As expected, the Lady stole my ring! …Duke! This is a clear criminal act! How can a criminal act occur in a guardian family that protects the peace and safety of the Empire! I cannot just let this pass….”
“I saw you sneak into my bedroom and leave it there earlier, along with the Duke.”
They tried to ruin her reputation by framing the child for stealing.
“Duke. The Lady is suspicious. I think she might be a spy sent to ruin this family….”
“What’s a spy?”
They tried to sow discord between the child and the Duke of Kreitan.
“Lady. I will give you as much money as you want. In exchange, please leave this family….”
“Duke. They said they’d give me money if I leave the family. How much should I ask for?”
They even tried to persuade the child by offering her money.
And all of them failed cleanly.
“She is no ordinary child.”
Late at night.
The vassals gathered secretly to talk.
“She doesn’t leave the Duke’s side from morning until night, so there’s no time to sow discord.”
“We should have known when she barged into the conference room as she pleased. It seems she intends to take root here entirely.”
“She’s a cunning child. A child who doesn’t know her place has become greedy.”
They thought about how much of a grand plan would be needed for a five-year-old, but that was arrogance.
“This is not the time to go easy on her because she’s a five-year-old. If that little thing is this greedy now, what will happen when she grows up?”
The vassals exchanged secret glances. A dark murderous intent seeped into their blurred eyes.
“Let’s hire mercenaries, kidnap the child, and kill her.”
“I agree.”
“We must choose someone perfect with no loose ends.”
No matter how clever a five-year-old child is, she cannot defeat a skilled mercenary.
The vassals played their final card.
“I feel sorry for the child, but as those who are loyal to the Kreitan family, we must protect the family.”
“Of course. All of this is for the Kreitan family.”
“It’s the fault of that child who was too greedy. We warned her endlessly.”
The vassals reached a consensus.
They unanimously agreed to kill the five-year-old child.
After exchanging their opinions a few more times, they quietly dispersed with the plan to hire an assassin.
As all traces of the vassals vanished, only the sound of a night bird crying could be heard.
Lephonia, who had been hiding behind a pillar while concealing her presence the whole time, revealed herself.
“Trash.”
After the Duke of Kreitan had put Lephonia to sleep and left.
Lephonia had quietly followed them when she saw the vassals gathering in secret.
“Haa.”
She knew they would come up with a new plan since all their previous ones had failed, but she hadn’t expected them to conclude with killing a five-year-old.
“It’s hard for children to survive anywhere.”
Lephonia, with her arms crossed with her short arms, looked up at the night sky where the moon had risen.
‘If they just left me alone, I would have found the heirloom and left on my own.’
A skilled mercenary with no loose ends.
Lephonia sneered, recalling what the vassals had said.
“That’s me.”
Lephonia was known as the honor student among the many children the Pope had raised, as the eldest daughter.
Lephonia looked up as she returned to the main building.
Perhaps because there was so much work, the windows of the Duke’s office were still brightly lit.
‘He has to work while playing with me all day, so he only has time at night.’
Because the vassals had been barging in, things were chaotic, and Lephonia hadn’t been assigned a personal guard yet.
Perhaps conscious of this, the Duke of Kreitan also seemed to be keeping an eye on the knights lately.
‘The vassals must know this too.’
So they would try to finish the job before a guard was assigned.
Lephonia hummed a tune as she headed to her bedroom.
“Hmm-hmm.”
Of course, since she had never heard music, the humming was a complete mess.
As she entered the bedroom, a warm heat enveloped Lephonia. Following the Duke’s insistence that a child should not be cold, the fireplace in Lephonia’s bedroom had never been extinguished.
The maids took turns checking the ventilation and managing the embers every hour, so it would soon be time for a maid to come.
Lephonia lay on the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.
After steadying her breathing and pretending to sleep, the maid entered the bedroom right on time.
After checking the fireplace embers and even ventilating the room, she checked to see if Lephonia was sleeping well. Then, she closed the windows carefully and left the bedroom.
Once the maid left, Lephonia slowly sat up. She headed to the private room connected to her bedroom.
It was a space mainly used for changing clothes. Lephonia hummed a tune and brought out the alcohol-based fragrance she had been keeping an eye on.
*Sniff, sniff.* It always smells so good.
When she opened the window, a gentle breeze blew in.
“I’m sorry, owner of this bedroom.”
Lephonia apologized indifferently to the ‘real Lady of Kreitan,’ the owner of the bedroom, and from a distance, threw the alcohol-based fragrance toward the fireplace.
*Crash—!!*
With the sound of glass breaking, flames soared. The terrifyingly large flames danced in the wind and soon caught onto the tapestries.
*Whoosh—!*
The embers that devoured the golden tapestries spread to the velvet curtains and soon quickly swallowed the carpet, wooden chairs, and the sofa.
She had learned from the Pope that when you need to burn down a mansion to destroy evidence, you should use the oil lamps or alcohol-based fragrances lying around.
He said that by using the oil lamps or alcohol-based fragrances already in the mansion, no one could pinpoint who had committed the arson.
‘This should be enough.’
As the carpet near the bedroom door caught fire, the escape route was quickly blocked.
Having finished all her preparations, Lephonia headed toward the bed inside the bedroom.
‘How long will it take?’
She lay on the bed in the exact position the maid had checked earlier.
In the bed, inside the bedroom where the flames were rising.
"Duke."
Lephonia curled the corners of her lips upward and closed her eyes as if falling asleep.
"You had better notice quickly. If you're too late, I'll die."
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