Thud!
The child tumbled to the floor after colliding with the butler’s stride.
“Ow, I’m dying!”
The poor little girl rolled across the floor like a freshly fallen acorn.
She kept rolling and bouncing around the office as if it were some trendy new game.
But everything had happened so fast that the butler—who had just “accidentally” hurt the child—seemed genuinely flustered.
“W-What? No, no, I didn’t do anything! Why did you suddenly jump in like that? Hurry and get up!”
He reached out to help her, but the child quickly clung to his pant leg.
“It’s m-my fauwt!”
The butler blinked in confusion at her sudden outburst.
“Let go of me for now and explain. What is this…?”
“It’s all my fauwt, wight? Mishter Butwer, you towd me at your house, ‘member? You said I had to say what you towd me to say! You said you’d hit me again if I didn’t!”
The secretary’s face twisted with rage at the child’s shocking confession, and sensing the shift in mood, the butler quickly grabbed the child’s small wrist and yanked her up roughly.
“When—When did I ever…! What’s with this lying little brat?! Stop spouting nonsense and get up immediately!”
“Kyaa! D-Don’t hit me! It huwts when you hit me again…!”
Whoosh! Thud!
Something like a red cannonball suddenly flew in?
No, it was actually Secretary Logan’s furious kick.
Crash! Bang!
With a loud crash, the butler tumbled across the floor like a useless pinwheel, landing in a pathetic heap.
“How dare you! It wasn’t enough to bring in a fake noble girl—now you’ve even been abusing her? And such a child, with eyes as pure as a fairy’s essence! Eyes that shine like the warm rays of the sun!”
The secretary went over the top with his flowery words, then turned to glare at the butler with absolute disgust.
Reignited with fury, he looked ready to tear the man apart on the spot.
Unlike before, the butler now seemed genuinely afraid for his life as he leapt to his feet and scrambled behind the sofa to hide.
“Your Grace! Please, restrain this madman! This is a misunderstanding!”
No matter how desperate he sounded, Duke Dane didn’t even glance his way.
All that followed was the secretary’s sharp accusation.
“A misunderstanding? Your Grace, please look carefully. The bruises on the child’s arm are far too severe to be from a simple bump. This filthy old man—what else will he call a misunderstanding?!”
“That’s not my doing! I’ve never met this child before in my life…!”
It was then.
A low voice quietly cut through the tense air of the office.
The Duke, who had been silently observing all this time, finally spoke.
“This child recognized you as the butler the moment she arrived here, despite never being introduced to you.”
“……!”
It was a sharp, damning point that rippled through the heavy air.
Silence filled the office as the butler, clutching his bruised cheek, stared blankly at the child.
From his perspective, he had only shared confidential information with the baron—he had never actually met the child in person.
“…Right… why did she know? Why did she say that? She shouldn’t have… known me…”
“And why are you sitting there acting like this is someone else’s problem?!”
The secretary seized the opportunity to restrain the butler, then knelt down to gently comfort the supposedly frightened child.
“Your name is Jenna, right? Thanks. Thanks to you, we caught the liar. I’ll take him to the interrogation room immediately. Please wait here just a little longer. Your Grace, I’ll quietly remove this man now.”
“Proceed.”
Perhaps to avoid further disruption, the secretary promptly knocked the butler unconscious and dragged him out.
Now, only two people remained in the office.
The Duke turned his gaze toward the child, who was brushing herself off and awkwardly scratching her shin, and quietly began to reflect to himself.
‘Was this all for compensation money?’
He was convinced the child’s actions and words were a carefully constructed lie.
If she had truly been abused, she would’ve shown signs of fear or anxiety the moment she arrived.
He assumed her real parents had realized the settlement payout would be far greater than whatever money the butler owed them, so they had coached her to pull this act.
It made sense.
It was a sharp deduction—but the child was only five years old.
It was the kind of suspicion most people wouldn’t even think to have toward someone that young.
But in his world—where his family had vanished and only coldness remained—it was the most natural conclusion.
“How much do your parents want?”
The child hesitated, fidgeting with her hands as she approached.
Slide.
As expected, she held out one small hand.
‘Such a tiny hand… probably can’t even hold five gold coins without struggling, yet she’s holding it out so confidently.’
As if she’d been planning it all along, the Duke looked down at her with cold eyes. But the child surprised him.
“…Duke, promise.”
Instead of asking for money, she folded down each finger until only her pinky remained, holding it up.
“What is this?”
“Promise. Family, don’t twust them. Don’t dwink anyfing dey give you.”
“……”
For a moment, he almost reached out without thinking.
Such a small pinky, barely even visible, insignificant in size—but why did it make him falter?
He couldn’t understand it himself. But when he saw the child’s bright, gentle smile, his mind suddenly felt clear.
It had been a long, long time since he’d felt that way.
‘…What a strange child.’
* * *
I arrived home in the Duke’s carriage.
No—strictly speaking, it was the guards who brought me back, since the carriage couldn’t fit through the narrow slum alleys.
‘What a disgusted face they made.’
It was a filthy place, where garbage, sewage, and beggars filled every corner.
Like that guard, I didn’t particularly like this neighborhood either—but right now, I was simply satisfied that I’d repaid the Duke’s kindness.
Even if my mother turned into a complete demon after I failed to become a fake noble lady.
Smack!
“You useless brat!”
The moment the guard was out of sight, she slapped me hard, stomped on me, and even poured cold water over me—a trick she usually didn’t bother with.
Where had she even picked up that cruel little trick, knowing wet skin made the beatings hurt more?
Thankfully, Dad wasn’t home—probably off drinking somewhere—but I knew I’d have to deal with him later, so it was best to wrap this up before then.
“Aaah… Ugh. I made a mistake… Pwease, that’s enough… Mom, I’m sowwy.”
“A mistake? Is that the face of someone who’s sorry? Why are you smiling? You thought I wouldn’t notice?”
Mom yanked me by the hair.
‘Tch, I smiled secretly—how did she catch that? Ugh, should I just let her hit me one more time and pretend to pass out until dinner?’
“You always act so clever, but you couldn’t even pull this off? You ruined it when we were so close to mining!”
“…It’s not. It’s winning.”
“What?”
“It’s not mining… It’s winning.”
“Shu–Shut up! Even after getting beaten like this, you still have the energy to act smart? You think you’re so great?!”
Experience told me provoking her wasn’t the best idea, but the habit of talking back slipped out automatically—and nearly shortened my life.
Still, I had a plan.
“…Didn’t we get da compensation? I gave it all to you. Just hide it ’til Daddy comes home. Dat’s ‘nough, right?”
A whole one hundred gold coins.
The compensation from the powerful Everhart Duchy, enough to build mountains of wealth, was only fair, since they’d “helped” the Duke find his missing daughter, even if she was a fake.
It was even more than the hush money the butler used to give us in secret.
So, I allowed myself a bit of hope.
‘She’s just angry right now. When the money starts flowing, maybe this time, we can really be a normal, happy family…’
“What did you say? Hiding it from my husband? You little snake! Did you stash some money away? Tell me the truth! How much did you hide?!”
“What? What are you tawking about? I didn’t… Ugh!”
Unexpectedly, she grabbed me by the collar.
“If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have stolen you in the first place!”
Gulp. I swallowed hard as she threw me to the floor.
A high-pitched ringing buzzed in my ears.
“…Stolen…? What?”
“What?”
“…You stole? That’s a lie, wight? I’m not… I’m not a stolen child, wight…?”
Lying there, I stared up at her desperately.
But she laughed in my face as if to mock me.
“Oh my, what’s this? You’re just a kid, too, huh? Always acting so smart, and now suddenly you need your mommy?”
“What… are you tawking about… Mom…”
“Don’t call me Mom! It’s disgusting. I’m no mother to you. We’re not your real parents. You’re just some kid we snatched for fun!”
She muttered to herself as she brushed back her disheveled silver hair, saying something about finally getting some money out of me.
‘Then…’
My sparkling silver hair… wasn’t from Mom?
My pale white skin… wasn’t from Dad?
It didn’t matter how many times they’d abandoned me or how heartless they were.
They were my parents. They were my family.
I had believed that was enough—as their fake noble daughter, I spent years earning their living and even took on their debts, afraid the loan sharks would come after them.
Was that it?
Was this life, filled with lies, destined to have even my very birth start as a lie?
I muttered, dazed.
“…Why… why would you do this to me…? Why did you… do this to me? Awe you even… human…?”
“What? Watch your mouth, brat. Talking like that to an adult…”
Just as she was about to strike me again.
Bang! Bang! A thunderous knock pounded the door.
It was probably the man who used to be my father, drunkenly stumbling home.
“Oh my! My honey’s home!”
I heard the door swing open, accompanied by her cheerful humming.
Maybe… if he came in and hit me—now that I was so small—I might not survive the night.
But even so, the tears wouldn’t stop.
I thought the reason I’d come back was just to avoid becoming the fake noble lady again.
But was that not enough?
They weren’t my real family.
I had been deceived. My entire life.
‘I never wanted to know a truth like this…’
I was staring blankly at the floor, completely having given up on life, when suddenly, the house became noisy.
Thud!
A dull, heavy sound made me lift my head. There, on the floor, was a large, crumpled figure tossed aside.
“H-Honey! W-Who are you people?! Who are you? Honey!”
Whether he had fainted or was just more drunk than usual, he didn’t wake up, no matter how hard she shook him.
Then, two men walked in.
Step. Step.
Their heavy footsteps echoed. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—it was the people I had met earlier today.
‘The secretary… and the Duke?’
“Get rid of those two.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
As the secretary dragged them both out by their collars, the Duke approached me and looked down at me.
Then he lifted me up.
Just like that rainy night in the past. Except now, my shortened legs dangled helplessly in the air.
When I met the Duke’s clear blue eyes, tears suddenly burst out of me like a child.
“Huuhhh… Waaahhh!”
‘Duke, you’re saving me again? Why? …When will I ever be able to repay you then?’
I was crying so hard I could barely breathe, my mind completely clouded.
Was this buried somewhere in my past memories? Or was it just a coincidence? The situations overlapped, and my memories tangled together on their own.
And suddenly, a thought struck me.
Just like I couldn’t let go of my family, maybe the Duke—left all alone—was also too lonely to let go of his fake daughter.
Even if I was a fake… what if I was the only family who ever made him feel like he existed?
‘…Duke, then, back then… the words you wanted to say…’
“Let’s go home.”
