Chapter 11
“Um, Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“Have you ever gone shopping with your children before?”
“…That’s a ridiculous question.”
His brow furrowed slightly.
“Running errands at the market isn’t my job. If there’s something I want, I summon a merchant.”
“Ah…”
So this is the aura of a true VVIP.
They don’t go to the market—the market comes to them.
“Then… what about today? When you came to the market with me?”
“I surprised the servants by adopting you unexpectedly. As your guardian, I should at least take responsibility for the aftermath.”
“Aha.”
“But why bring up my sons?”
“You said earlier you’d never seen merchants act so carelessly around you!”
“I did.”
“If you had taken your sons out when they were little, you might’ve seen a similar reaction!”
“Based on what?”
“…Umm.”
How do I explain this?
‘Why do you think it’s touching when a gangster raises a stray kitten?’
That example flashed through my mind, but if I said it aloud, he’d probably respond with:
‘So you’re saying I’m a gangster?’
…And I’d rather not risk that. Someone really needs to teach villains better PR.
Luckily, the Duke didn’t expect much from me.
“No need to think too hard. I won’t see those expressions again anyway.”
“Did it… bother you?”
“Yes.”
Oh. That’s honest.
But his next words quickly erased my admiration.
“If only I could get nobles to lower their guard like that in front of me… it would be so much easier to stab them in the back.”
Hey! You villain!
After declaring that proudly, he glanced at me with a faint smirk.
“Feel free to talk about this conversation. Not like anyone would believe you.”
As if I have ten lives to risk by gossiping around.
Still… I had a thought.
“What if… the method you used on the store clerks could work on nobles too?”
“Hm? What method?”
“When I asked if I was allowed to wear the same coat as you, you said, ‘You’re my daughter, of course you can.’”
“I did.”
“The staff were moved by that! The terrifying Duke calling an orphan girl his daughter!”
“…That’s it?”
The Duke sighed.
“‘A powerful figure adopts an orphan’—it’s such a cliché it doesn’t even count as a proper tactic. Those store people must just be sentimental.”
“Huh? That’s not enough to explain it! Normally, a powerful person adopting an orphan would be seen as a good deed—but your infamy is too strong. It’s not enough to redeem you.”
“…”
His eyes turned cold.
Oops. Maybe I said too much. But still! I already kicked your shin once at the orphanage, ready to die for it!
“So! That’s why it needs something more! Adoption plus alpha!”
“…”
The silence stretches. Is he waiting to hear more before killing me? Welp, better use the chance.
“What’s needed is the adopted daughter’s narrative! She’s still scared of you. Remember how she trembled and asked, ‘Am I even allowed’? Clearly low self-esteem, right?”
“…”
“Then! You said, ‘You are my daughter.’ And not in front of nobles or important people—just at a small neighborhood shop! That sincerity is a major selling point!”
Words were pouring out of me now.
I recognized the tone—I’d heard it before. It was the sales pitch of the con artists who ruined my twenties.
…Damn it. I didn’t want to remember that.
But I couldn’t stop talking. Whatever. It’s not like I’m conning the Duke. You win some, you lose some.
“To be honest! You adopting me is more like the beginning of a horror story than a heartwarming tale. But once people saw your interaction with me, it turned into something touching. That’s what made the staff smile.”
“…”
“It’s not a story that works on everyone! But still, that’s my analysis. I’m done.”
I barely finished.
I hadn’t expected the Duke to take me seriously, but surprisingly, he seemed to be considering it deeply.
Huh… did it work?
Or is he figuring out where to dump me?
Finally, he looked at me and said—
“So, that line earlier—‘Am I even allowed to wear the same coat as you?’—was a lie you made up on the spot?”
Ack.
“Uh, no! It was sincere! Honestly, I felt awkward getting such expensive clothes…”
“No need for a long explanation. Prove your honesty through action.”
“Yes! What action?”
“Burp.”
“…”
Excuse me? Aren’t you supposed to end with something nice like, ‘Be a good girl from now on’?
“Sol, didn’t you say at the orphanage that you could burp anytime, anywhere?”
Yeah, because I didn’t want to be adopted by you and made up nonsense.
The Duke crossed his legs and looked down at me with those cold blue eyes. His voice was equally icy.
“Was that a lie too?”
“W-wait a second!”
I thumped my chest, clenched my abs, tried everything. But what came out was…
“Hic! Hkk! Kkya!”
“…Stop.”
“Hkk! Please… just give me a minute. I’ll try to build up some gas…”
“That’s enough.”
Enough what? My life?
But…
For some reason, the Duke’s cold blue eyes seemed to soften with amusement.
Was he… entertained? His voice was still cool, but…
“I knew you lied because you didn’t want to be adopted. You couldn’t exactly say, ‘I don’t want to live with the Duke.’ For a child, it was decent improvisation.”
“…”
“I don’t dislike smart children.”
Oh, is this… the survival route?
“Only if that intelligence is genuine.”
Nope. I’m still on the edge of life and death.
“I’ll be introducing you as my daughter at an upcoming banquet for provincial nobles. I’ll evaluate you again based on your conduct then.”
“You’ll introduce me… as your daughter?”
“Etiquette lessons begin tomorrow. Study hard. Remember, you are now a daughter of House Schleighger.”
…Someone’s daughter.
It was something I had longed to hear during my years at the orphanage. I never imagined I’d hear it like this.
It’s fine. I stopped wanting a protector a long time ago. I’m an adult inside. I can play the part of a brilliant daughter perfectly.
I stood tall. I’d already given up pretending to be a child. Proving my usefulness was the only way I’d survive the next six years.
“Don’t worry! I’m much smarter than your average ten-year-old. If you teach me well, I’ll be a truly valuable daughter!”
“…”
“Just invest a little in me, and I’ll pay it back in full…”
So please… don’t kill me in six years.
“I’ll do my best…”
My confident posture faded quickly, and my voice turned meek. My head slowly lowered.
…It brought back memories.
The orphanage director once said she wished children never had to learn the word “abandonment.”
Because once they did, they’d also hear, “Be good or you’ll be abandoned.”
Maybe people think that’s normal.
But children born into families don’t worry about being kicked out. Even if they’re scolded or pushed out the door, they know they can come back.
It’s different for us—who always feared being left again.
It felt like the world had real families and fake ones, and we’d never be allowed the real thing.
I used to think it was just a painful childhood memory.
But now, here I was, once again pleading not to be thrown away.
My voice trembled. My nose stung.
“I’ll really… try…”
“…You must be very tired.”
“I’m fine!”
I quickly wiped my eyes with my sleeve. The sky-blue blouse I got from the shop now had a faint tear stain. I must’ve cried a little.
I forced myself to raise my head and meet the Duke’s blue eyes.
…And saw him awkwardly raising his right hand, only to place it back on his knee.
What was he trying to do? Surely not grab my collar because I was whining?
But his eyes showed neither pity nor anger.
“I believe you, Sol.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best, moving forward.”
“…You really do seem like there’s an adult inside you.”
“If it makes you more comfortable, I can keep acting like one.”
“No need. If rumors spread that ‘Duke Schleighger is raising a human-turned-dragon,’ it’ll be troublesome. Behave like a child.”
That’s hard. I am an adult.
But hey, the mood isn’t bad, right? At least I got a chance.
Good. Let’s seal the deal.
I reached toward a small box I had intentionally placed on top of the pile in the carriage. It was tiny and cute—just the right size for my hand.
And the person it was for—
“Your Grace, here! A gift.”
“…?”
The Duke looked like a stray cat being handed a lettuce leaf as a present.
I hurried to explain.
“The store gave me a bonus for buying so much. I specifically asked for a men’s item—to give it to you as a thank-you.”
“…”
“Though I guess it was technically bought with your money…”
Still, a kid’s first Parents’ Day gift never comes from their own allowance.
In my part-time jobs, starting with a small gift for a senior helped make a good impression. I hope that trick works here too.
The Duke accepted the box. It was light. Inside was—
“…Cufflinks?”
“Yes.”
Blue glass cufflinks with shell inlays. I thought they matched the ocean-like blue of his eyes.
They looked pretty in the store.
But now, seeing them in his hands…
I noticed, more than ever, that everything he wore was luxurious. Compared to that, these cufflinks looked like toy trinkets.
I stammered.
“Um… If you don’t like them…”
