Chapter 5

The Marquisate of Leways is doomed. But Jeppetto wants to kick me out.

Then what should I do?

Get some money out of it on my way out.

This plan only works because the opponent is Jeppetto.

“……”

Jeppetto, who had been silent for a long time, picked up the document.

As if he couldn’t believe it, he checked the signature line over and over before whipping his head around to glare at me.

“Hey, you can’t take this back. Got it? You signed it yourself.”

“Yeah.”

I did.

I tilted my head in agreement and smirked.

“But do you have proof?”

“What?”

“You could’ve coerced me into signing. Maybe even forged it.”

“You—You hit me! I’m the one who got hit, so how could I be the one—th-threatening—”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

If the marquis were still alive, he would’ve handled it like this:

“As a member of House Leways, I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone trying to ruin the family.”

“What kind of nonsense—”

“Marthe estate. Waning Moon Inn. The passphrase is ‘at dawn—’”

“Shut up!”

At first, Jeppetto just stared at me blankly. But as more words came out, the veins in his neck bulged and his face turned red.

“You really thought no one would find out that place was a drug distribution point? Really?”

There were exactly two things the marquis despised most in the world.

One was doing something he hadn’t personally ordered.

“Tsk, how heartbroken Father must be. He always believed the family should be inherited by the eldest son. Imagine how devastated he’d be to learn that his son is now under royal investigation for drug trafficking—”

“You bitch, shut up! I said shut the hell up!”

The other was feeding dirt to the royal family.

Eventually, Jeppetto raised his voice. But his eyes wavered—he was panicking.

He was calculating—wondering whether he should silence me, whether that was even possible.

It looked like his thoughts were spiraling, so I decided to help him out.

“Fortunately, I’m sick of this family. I’m tired of living like a dog. And you’ve got the legal paperwork to kick me out. Once I’m no longer a member of the household, there’s no reason for me to sit at the same table as the noble marquis. Meaning—your little secret won’t ever reach Father’s ears. Don’t miss this golden opportunity.”

His rolling eyes finally stopped.

“What do you want?”

I made a circle with my fingers.

Come on now, you didn’t think you’d get off scot-free, did you?

We arrived at the temple.

Even though it was on the outskirts, Marsha hadn’t expected a place like this to exist in the imperial capital. Her mouth hung open as she looked around in awe.

But she quickly pulled herself together.

She must’ve realized that no matter what happens tomorrow, we’d have to stay here tonight. She started wandering around, looking for a suitable room.

As for me, I headed to the room where I’d laid Seraphina down.

“Where’s Seraphina?”

—Still asleep!

A translucent creature, like a bubble of gathered wind, zipped around me in a circle.

It looked like an adorable little animal, but its true identity was Shirin—the spirit of sound.

I’d left her with Seraphina since I couldn’t leave a sleeping child unattended.

Shirin was perfect for relaying messages—able to transmit specific sounds to specific people.

(‘Though Laura only ever used her for spying or noise terrorism on people she hated…’)

—But who is this kid? The contractor’s daughter? Weird. They don’t look anything alike. But she sleeps with her hands all bunched up like this—super cute and sweet! Is this that famous entrusted care?

Shirin could also perform simple physical tasks.

—Oh right! She started to wake up, so I lifted the blanket and tucked her in like this, like this! Did I do good?

But Shirin had one fatal flaw.

—That girl with the black hair who came in earlier. That’s Marsha, right? It’s been forever since I saw her! But why’d she come in separately? The saint isn’t here either. Wait, didn’t she always stick close to the contractor even without the saint? Did you guys fight? You fought, didn’t you? Who won? I bet it was the contractor, right?

She talked. Way too much.

“We didn’t fight…”

—Anyway, this is a temple, right? I knew it! I could tell at a glance. It’s drenched in holy power everywhere. That goddess really loves to mark her territory. Still, that’s probably the only reason this place hasn’t fallen apa—huh? Wait a sec?

While listening to Shirin’s rapid-fire chatter, I finally noticed the state of the room.

The door was open.

“I thought she was asleep?”

Seraphina was gone.

—I-I swear she was sleeping! Really!

And it wasn’t just Seraphina. The blankets and sheets were missing too.

Shirin circled the room, then landed on the bed and stared intently at the door.

A few seconds passed.

—Found her! She’s not far!

Shirin pointed toward a room diagonally across from ours.

A small child could’ve easily walked that distance.

Most tellingly, part of a blanket was poking out from under the door.

‘Aha.’

Still, I had to check.

I knocked.

“Seraphina?”

“She’s not here! Go away!”

A grumpy voice snapped from inside.

She was probably sitting with her back to the door.

—Princess, forgive me. How could I be so careless and take my eyes off such a precious child! You must be so scared. Allow me to atone with a performance. On the count of three, I’ll do a Cossack dance! One, two—no, never mind, I’ll just show you—

“I said she’s not here!”

In the end, we made her cry.

“…Shirin, go in.”

Once I lifted the summoning restriction, Shirin eagerly darted in. She normally begged to stay out even a minute longer. What a rascal.

Meanwhile, Seraphina was sobbing her heart out.

‘This is bad.’

If I remembered right, this room was a storage closet for miscellaneous junk. Small, with no windows—not the kind of place a child should be in.

‘Is the door… locked?’

Just then—

“Marsha?”

“Excuse me.”

Marsha walked down the hall and came to a stop in front of the door.

“?!??”

She yanked it open without hesitation.

Caught off guard by the sudden opening, Seraphina stood frozen in place.

Tears still streaked her cheeks. Marsha silently picked her up, sniffed her nose, and announced,

“The little one had an accident.”

Ah…?

---

Marsha handled it with practiced ease.

She took off Seraphina’s clothes, checked her condition, washed her gently, and dressed her again.

Seraphina had looked grumpy ever since we discovered her accident, but once she was clean and dry, she burst into giggles again.

What was truly surprising wasn’t Seraphina—it was Marsha. I already knew she was capable, but her movements were so precise and efficient.

“My parents were busy. Taking care of my siblings was my job.”

I knew what happened to those siblings. That thought made me shut my mouth.

Thankfully, the awkward mood didn’t last long.

“All done.”

“Thanks.”

But another crisis followed.

“By the way… who is this child?”

“Well…”

Luckily, I didn’t need to explain.

Just then, a warm light enveloped the now-clean Seraphina, and a message appeared:

---

• You have successfully intercepted Jeppetto’s illegal funds and reduced the volume of drugs smuggled into the empire.

• The number of addicts in the empire will decrease.

• You have prevented Marsha Dwayne’s death and earned her loyalty.

• You have successfully created a turning point in history.

• Calculating curse relief rate based on contribution…

• The Curse of Forgetting is alleviated by 5%.

• Someone’s memory is restored completely.

---

There was no need to guess whose memory it was.

“…Lady Laura.”

Marsha looked at me with red-rimmed eyes.