Chapter 04
“Here…”
When I opened my eyes to the warm sunlight, I realized I was in the Duke’s bedroom.
I could tell right away because above the fireplace was a portrait of the late duke.
As I moved, I felt a faint ache in my muscles. Pulling the blanket aside, I saw that someone had already treated my wounds and changed me into clean clothes.
‘Right… yesterday… I…’
I had thought that after regressing, nothing could surprise me anymore — but this new life had its twists.
‘A secret birth? How ridiculous.’
My mind went cold.
Thinking about it, there was a reason I could never cut ties with my troublemaking parents.
I had grown up in a slum full of orphans — and kids without guardians usually starved to death.
So of course, the presence of “parents” had always loomed large in my heart, whether I liked it or not.
‘I knew they’d given up on me yesterday… but if the Duke hadn’t shown up, I might’ve been beaten to death. Oh, wait—’
I struggled to recall through the haze of shock.
The Duke had told me to come back with him, and I’d… hugged him.
‘Oh no! You absolute fool!’
My jumbled memories had overlapped — I’d mistaken him for the Duke who forgave me in my previous life!
In reality, he had only rescued me after witnessing a child being abused.
This was bad.
Now, trapped in a child’s body with nowhere to go, I’d inevitably be sent to an orphanage!
‘Aaaah! This is worse than my previous life! I was supposed to repay his kindness — how did it turn out like this?’
Just as panic began to set in, I heard a rustling sound and turned my head.
“Kyaaa! Gross!”
Oh hell, that scared me.
Right next to me was a giant rabbit plushie — so huge it looked almost taxidermied.
“How cruel…! That’s my favorite toy…”
A voice came from behind the rabbit — and there stood Secretary Logan, looking utterly heartbroken, as if he wanted to dig himself into a hole.
“I-I was just startled! It’s, um, c-cool!”
Trying to sound cheerful, I blurted that out. His drooping ears twitched, and he instantly brightened, babbling nonstop.
“Right? Actually, this toy resembles my lady. She’s not with us anymore due to… certain circumstances. Keeping something like this close brings me comfort. I know it’s childish for a man my age.”
“…?”
Please, just insult me instead.
There’s no way that hideous rabbit looks like a beautiful duchess.
He muttered bitterly to himself, clearly lost in some sad fantasy.
But since he was the Duke’s man, I decided to play along.
“U-uh-huh. Bunny sister… has cool muscles. Just like you, Mr. Secretary.”
But instead of cheering up, his expression grew darker.
“No… I’m not like her. It may sound strange, but I actually grew up in an environment similar to yours.”
“…?”
“She and I are half-siblings. My mother… didn’t exactly have the best habits. So…”
“…”
Watching him hesitate, I suddenly realized—
‘…He’s trying to comfort me.’
The awkward speech, the weird rabbit — all of it was his clumsy attempt to soothe a child who’d been abused by her parents.
His sincerity was so transparent it made my nose sting a little.
But maybe it was too transparent.
Because that touching moment didn’t last long.
He suddenly grabbed my cheeks, squishing them like a fish’s mouth, and teared up dramatically.
“Sniff! And yet, my lady never forgot me! She supported me all along! I can finally repay that kindness now — but where is she? My lady, where are you?!”
‘…Wow, emotional whiplash much.’
For someone like me — whose family only left scars — this kind of obsessive affection was completely alien.
Still, as I looked into his eyes that softened whenever he saw me, an idea came to mind.
‘Yes. Maybe he can at least get me into a public orphanage.’
I quickly wiped away his tears.
Pat pat.
‘Look at my eyes! The same eyes as your beloved sister! I’m a poor, tragic child!’
“Mr. Secretary! I like the big orphanage in the capital best! Oh, and thank you for saving me!”
Okay, maybe that sounded greedy — but he’d say yes, right? He’s such a sister simp!
But instead of agreeing, he stiffened and turned away.
“That will not happen.”
Thud.
My shoulders sank under the weight of despair.
What? Why so cold?
I almost died yesterday, and you can’t even grant me this one thing?
There was a reason I wanted to go all the way to the capital.
No matter how many times I hid, my so-called “parents” — those con artists — always found me.
‘They’ll chase me again in this life too. I need to get as far away as possible!’
Please… can’t you make it work somehow?
As I looked up at him with pleading eyes, he sighed, pulled a parchment from his pocket, and unfolded it.
He seemed to hesitate, groaning as he read whatever was written there.
“Sigh… His Grace really… How am I supposed to explain this to a child? Alright, maybe like this. Listen carefully and repeat after me.”
Huh? His Grace? Did the Duke prepare something for me?
Well, he did let me sleep in his own bedroom — maybe he had a plan!
Brimming with hope, I nodded.
Logan lowered the parchment, crossed his arms, lifted his chin… and barked in an icy, imperious tone:
“You foolish girl! Get out of my sight at once!”
“?”
Okay. Sorry for being greedy. Please just send me to any orphanage nearby.
I stared at him in horror, and he immediately clamped his hand over his mouth.
“Ahhh! No, that’s not what I meant! I wasn’t yelling at you— maybe that was too harsh? Okay, let’s try again. ‘Who made these awful cookies? You’re fired!’”
“…?”
“Ahem. Go on.”
“…U-uh, who made these awful cookies? You’re fired?”
“Filthy! Who’s the maid that handled my clothes? You’re fired!”
“F-filthy… who’s the maid that handled my clothes… y-you’re fired…”
What. The. Hell.
What is he even making me do?
As I stared at him in embarrassment, I caught sight of the parchment on the bed — and finally read it.
[Confidential Contract]
The signer shall act as the “wicked young lady” of House Everhart, freely ordering the servants about and firing them at will.
In return, the Duke promises to sponsor her until she comes of age.
If this arrangement is exposed, all responsibility shall fall to Party A.
The contract is valid for one year, with the possibility of extension upon mutual agreement.
…Excuse me?
In all my lives, I’d never seen a contract this absurd.
‘…No. It can’t be. But… that handwriting — that’s definitely the Duke’s… Don’t tell me.’
He wants me… to become an evil noblewoman? Seriously?
Utterly lost, I could only gape at the secretary’s pitiful attempt at “villainess acting.”
Late that night, in the Duke’s study.
Bathed in moonlight, a man sat by the window, reading documents.
The papers contained information on a girl named Jenna Madeline — and her parents.
Their records showed nothing more than petty crimes: fraud, theft, dine-and-dash, minor bounties from town to town.
‘Fortunate, really. To steal a child from an orphanage and still live unscathed…’
Flipping through the report with detached indifference, the Duke suddenly spoke — sensing a sharp gaze fixed on him.
“If you’re going to glare at me like that, leave.”
At once, Secretary Logan burst out:
“Lord Dane Spenox Everhart!”
A faint line appeared between the Duke’s smooth brows.
Using his full name — that meant a lecture was coming.
“It was just this afternoon! The moment you presented that ridiculous contract! Do you know how hard it was to explain it to her?”
“So, what was her answer?”
“Even a child deserves time to think! Wait—don’t change the subject, Your Grace! Did you save that poor girl just to use her?”
Truthfully, the Duke hadn’t followed her expecting abuse.
If anything, the opposite.
Very few people knew the missing Duchess’s middle name — so when he heard it, he’d grown suspicious and followed the child.
And so, by sheer chance, he had rescued her.
But now, he was using that pitiful child for some scheme.
Logan’s glare deepened, but the Duke remained indifferent.
“That’s exactly why. The house staff and retainers wanted her brought in — she’ll be useful in more ways than one.”
“Your Grace! How can you say that! You’re no better than that despicable steward if you do this!”
“I’ve told you before. If you hate it, leave.”
“…”
The chill in his tone made Logan’s head throb.
He hadn’t always been this way.
Everything changed the moment he lost her — the woman he loved, his sister in name, and the child they shared.
They had come to this ancestral mansion to reconnect with his roots… and lost everything.
For five years, he had searched for her in vain — nothing but faint traces and fading hope.
Even if the servants wouldn’t admit it, every one of them knew deep down: they were all clinging to ghosts.
Perhaps that was why they never left this lonely estate.
With a sigh, Logan steadied himself.
He could understand the Duke’s pain — but using a child as a pawn? That was unforgivable.
“If all your endurance these years was just to plot something like this, then I have no reason to stay — except to find my lady.”
Leaving behind those cold words, he exited the study.
The long corridor beyond was dim, shadows of lurking servants flickering at the edges — spies, eavesdropping for scraps of information.
“…”
Nothing had changed.
Only two people truly remained in this vast mansion: the Duke and his secretary.
And now, perhaps, a tiny new guest who had only arrived yesterday.
