Chapter 05
I had lived for several days in a room without an owner.
When it was time for meals or treatment, the secretary would come without fail — but no one else.
It seemed they intended to keep me hidden until I accepted the contract.
It felt strange.
Someone was waiting for me — me, who had only ever been forced or driven away.
‘No matter how you look at it, I have no choice but to accept. Especially in my current state.’
The absurd contract had scrambled my thoughts, but now that I understood the circumstances, it wasn’t such an incomprehensible plan.
After all, it was about using a fraud to expose another fraud.
The problem had started quite some time ago.
Right after the duke came to this mansion — from the lowest maids to the cooks, even the knights and clerks — everyone had been on the butler’s side.
Of course, now that the butler was gone, removing that faction wouldn’t be difficult, but the duke knew well that simply replacing the staff wouldn’t solve anything.
So, he planned to use me as bait — to lure out those who held real information.
Those who didn’t yet know the butler had been caught would surely be provoked when a commoner like me pretended to be a wicked noblewoman.
‘A tiny, powerless child — they’ll surely try to torment me for it. Ugh, can he even protect me properly? This is too much!’
That bitter thought made it hard to sleep.
When I got up and went toward the window…
“…Huh? It’s the Duke.”
There he stood, in the middle of a garden bursting with flowers — looking as lonely as a crescent moon hanging in a dark sky.
Was this the garden his late wife had loved most?
Half pity, half relief filled my heart.
I suddenly wanted to tell him — thank you for forgiving me back then; because of that, I lived a life without regrets.
But the moment he turned around and looked straight at me, all such thoughts froze cold.
Through the strands of my fluttering hair, I saw those glacial blue eyes and tightly sealed lips.
So unlike the man I remembered twelve years later — these eyes were sharp, wary, full of hostility at the faintest hint of being watched.
My heart thudded violently. I quickly turned away, hiding from sight.
But soon after, I sensed someone at the door.
Click.
As expected, it was him — Duke Dane.
Nervously gripping the curtain beside me, I heard his low voice.
“Airi Everhart. If you accept the proposal, that will be the name you bear.”
“……”
Airi Everhart.
It had been so long.
The familiar name of the foolish girl who, under the hollow title of a noblewoman, had been exploited by her own parents.
But this time was different.
Unlike before, this was an offer, not a command.
I still had no real choice — but if I could put my will into it, there was one thing I’d never want to repeat.
Clutching the curtain tight, I took a deep breath and spoke bravely.
“…I, I got something I want too…!”
When I glanced up at him, he was looking right back at me.
“…Mama, Papa.”
His eyes wavered — startled, perhaps.
Of course, he wouldn’t understand.
At five years old, even an abused child still longs for their parents.
So surely, even this awkward man would try to come up with some gentle excuse that a child could understand.
Indeed, he took a step closer.
But not wanting his pity, I took two steps back.
My head bumped against the glass with a dull clack, and the window rattled in the cold air.
“…I don’ wanna see ’em. Ever. Can you make that happen?”
“……”
He must have been surprised.
Especially since he was someone who longed for family — he probably couldn’t understand my words at all.
But it had been just yesterday.
Yesterday that everything in my once-proud life had crumbled into misery.
That was when I realized — I wasn’t even sure I could cut ties with my parents on my own.
It was a lifetime of brainwashing that wouldn’t be undone so easily.
Smart? What a joke. I was the biggest fool alive.
As bitterness twisted my lips, my eyes met his again — the duke’s.
The only thing we shared was smooth, silvery hair.
His expression was calm, like still water.
And as silence fell, I suddenly wondered —
When you forgave me back then, did you feel the same way?
That sadness of holding onto something fake — family in name only — because you were afraid of losing even that small warmth.
If so… that must have been unbearably lonely.
Fiddling with the damp curtain in my hands, I heard his voice again.
“You’re clever. As you wish — I’ll grant it.”
“…?”
Startled, I looked up at him. He murmured softly, “More than me,” then drew a dagger from his breast pocket.
Shing, swish.
Oh no — so much for a compliment!
He was going to cut down the rotten weed — me!
I covered my head with my short arms and squeezed my eyes shut — but nothing happened.
Peeking cautiously, I saw him carving something from the corner of the bed.
Then, taking out an inkpad from his coat, he pressed it onto the carved object and handed it to me.
“I’ll make a proper one later. For now, let’s use this for the contract.”
It was a small stamp — carefully carved with the family crest of a lion.
Dumbfounded, I blinked as he turned away with one last remark.
“There’s a saying — that the cruelty of a noble lady is nothing more than her way of being spoiled.”
“……”
Click.
The door closed. I stood frozen.
To others, it might sound like manipulative words — tricking a child into a contract.
But to me, it was different.
This time, I’ll treat it as the childish selfishness I never got to have.
Because that had been his last words to me, long ago.
My eyes burned, but I held it in and wiped them quickly.
He was still the same.
Wounded, yes — wrapped in cocoons of walls — but even in this cold contract, there must be another meaning.
Erasing the brief sting of hurt, I pressed the stamp firmly onto the contract in the drawer.
I trust you, Duke. And this time, I’ll truly repay you. Just you wait!
When I lifted the paper, there it was — my new name and the proud lion crest of the Everhart family.
The Everhart Duchy, Main Manor, Second Floor.
In a newly prepared room, the child and the secretary entered.
Tall door handles, chairs and beds that required a jump to climb onto, curtains that shimmered with sunlight — though still too big for a child, the room was clearly fit for a young lady.
And with all the dolls filling it, it certainly wasn’t lonely.
The secretary seated the girl on the sofa and sighed deeply before speaking.
“I know I was the one who suggested it, but… think about it again, please.”
The girl met his earnest gaze and shook her head.
Of course she did.
Who would refuse an offer to live as a noble when born a commoner?
Refusing would be as petty as taking a candy from a child.
But knowing how dangerous it was to side with the duke in this mansion, the secretary couldn’t shake his guilt.
“I should’ve opposed it to the end… But don’t worry.”
The girl blinked and asked, “Worry? ’Bout what?”
“You said you wanted to go to an orphanage in the capital. I’ll take you there soon.”
“Eh? N-no! You can’t!”
“I’ll make sure the sponsorship continues, so don’t fret.”
“That’s not it! I mean, I can handle it myself— ah, no! I mean, I’m fine!”
I’m fine because I’m here.
It was childish comfort, but it made his nose sting.
‘Damn it, she’s just like my sister.’
That bright, sunlike gaze — promising to protect him no matter what — reminded him of his only sister.
Then it hit him.
‘…Wait. If the contract’s official now, does that make me her… uncle? No, no way!’
He chuckled faintly — then shook his head hard.
To think he’d get attached just because she resembled them… How could he face his sister and niece?
But his eyes inevitably drifted toward the child again.
The way she clung to his sleeve — that desperate little grip — was exactly how he’d imagined his niece would be.
Yes, that’s it.
If this child called him uncle, just once…
He tried to stop himself, but the image flooded in — him and the girl running through a flower field, hand in hand.
At last, he admitted it.
Five years of loneliness had reached their limit.
Even if it was fake, he just wanted to feel that warmth again — the love of a family.
“…If you want to go through with the contract that badly, then so be it.”
The one who had given in was himself.
The moment he said it, her face lit up — bright as a spring morning, her crescent-moon smile revealing tiny new teeth.
Uncle. Uncle. Uncle!
Yes, that was it.
The word he’d longed to hear for so long.
His once-stiff heart began to beat foolishly, and his suspicious grin reached his ears.
“Alright then, from now on you can call me—”
Knock, knock.
“Gah!”
The knock shattered his daydream — and the terrified child was already huddled in the sofa corner.
He sighed in self-loathing.
‘…Forcing even her to act — I’ve really hit rock bottom, Logan Ludwig.’
Once called the “Iron Wall Secretary,” how had he fallen this far?
It was all His Grace’s fault.
He swallowed the bitterness and said stiffly, “It’s nothing. Come in.”
The door opened, and maids entered, curtseying.
“You summoned us, sir. I am Head Maid Melissa.”
“I’m Linda.”
“And I’m Rosy.”
Led by the older head maid, the lower maids followed.
Though they were among the few still trustworthy, Logan deliberately put on a stern face.
He hoped the tension would make them more careful.
“This is the young lady. She may look a little shabby since I’ve been looking after her personally, but she’s a noble now — remember that.”
“Yes, Secretary.”
“Then I’ll take my leave, my lady.”
As soon as he left, the maids curtsied again and approached the child politely.
“My lady, it’s an honor. I’m Linda. Shall we begin your bath?”
“I’m Rosy. I’ll help you undress.”
Their tone was kind, but oddly detached.
Even low-ranking maids knew better than to take sides in the duke’s faction.
Then the head maid spoke sharply.
“Linda, Rosy. Stop. Both of you, out.”
“Eh? But—”
“Head Maid, it’s nearly bedtime for the young lady—”
She silenced them with a firm glance toward the door.
Reluctantly, they left.
Now, only the two of them remained.
In the silence, the old woman’s raspy voice echoed.
“A commoner, yet you play the part of a noble lady quite well.”
“……”
With a smug curl of her wrinkled lips, she smiled in superiority.
