~Chapter 2~
“…”
The Count and Countess looked stiff and clearly caught.
I mean, really—who discusses big secrets out loud in a hallway?
I just clicked my tongue internally and thought to myself, “Tsk.
Serves you right.”
“What are you doing there?”
The Count, who had frozen up in shock just a moment ago, now looked annoyed and spoke like nothing had happened.
“I just came to greet you like usual, Father.”
Honestly, I didn’t really care whether the Count was shocked or not.
“Crap.
What do I do now?”
The only clue I had was that the male lead was currently in an orphanage.
That’s it.
I didn’t know how old he was, or when he would burn the orphanage and escape.
Even that was just a vague memory from the novel.
“How much did you hear?”
“From the beginning?”
Their faces twisted up completely.
I tried to remember how much personal money I had saved.
There were dozens of orphanages across the empire.
Me going around randomly on my own wouldn’t work.
And if I wanted to ask a guild for information, it’d cost a lot.
“There goes my emergency stash I was saving in case I needed to run…”
Next year, I’d be of marriageable age.
So realistically, I had one year to find the male lead.
Not only that, but the male lead? Yeah, turns out he’s the Crown Prince’s only son.
From some random nobleman with no power.
Just a name.
And me? Since I was born as the male lead’s aunt, the moment I decided to take responsibility for him, my life became tied up in the political mess I wanted nothing to do with.
So obviously, even if I get married, it has to be into a family that can back him up.
I’m losing it.
I thought my life couldn’t get any worse, but turns out I was being optimistic.
I smiled serenely like I’d found inner peace.
“I’ll go find the family heirloom.”
—
I talked to them for over an hour.
I didn’t even know what I was saying half the time, but whatever I said must’ve sounded convincing enough.
Since I’d been in touch with Raniel occasionally, the Count gave me one year to track her down—on the condition I take three knights with me to the capital.
“I’m so screwed.”
“…My Lady?”
I had no time.
My head was still pounding.
I mean, really? How am I supposed to search the entire empire in one year to find a kid I only know by name?
And the stupid heirloom? Apparently, it’s such a big secret that no one outside the family even knows what it looks like.
So I’d have to get help from the information guild.
But first, I’d need to ditch those knights the Count assigned to me.
“Catherine.
Does this even make sense? I just wanted to live quietly, you know.
I swear, on the heavens!”
“…My Lady, I’ve known you since you were a child, and I don’t think you’ve ever lived quietly.”
“Are you talking back to your superior right now?”
“I’m just stating facts.
And technically, you’re my mistress, not my boss.”
I stuffed a handkerchief into my mouth and groaned dramatically.
“Anyway, what the heck did you even do, My Lady?”
“I didn’t do anything! I’m fixing things!”
“…Excuse me?”
“Grab my stash.
We’re leaving immediately.
We don’t have time.”
“My Lady, could you maybe explain what’s going on?”
Catherine looked at me like I was insane.
I gently patted her on the back and continued.
“I’m about to share a big secret and mission with you.
If you don’t want in, you can walk away now.
I’ll give you five seconds.”
“Wait, what—”
Before she could finish her sentence, I counted fast like lightning:
“Five, four, three, two, one—ding! I have a nephew now.”
“…”
Catherine was speechless.
Girl, it’s way too early to be shocked.
“And apparently, he’s the Crown Prince’s son.
No one knows yet. But now you do. Congrats.”
Several seconds of silence passed, and her expression visibly soured.
“My Lady… I know I once said I owed you my life and would be loyal to you forever, but this joke is—”
“I wish it was a joke.”
“…”
Silence again.
“I told Father I’m searching for the heirloom Raniel ran off with, but you get it, right? What am I really doing?”
As I said it seriously, Catherine finally seemed to catch on. She whispered in a low, serious voice:
“If this is real, then we need to tell the Count right away—”
“You really don’t know what side the Estella family’s on, do you?”
“…”
In the original story, the Count had his reasons for letting Raniel die.
It wasn’t just because he was a bad guy—Estella was part of the powerful western noble faction, and the Crown Prince was from the weaker eastern side.
The late Empress had given birth to the Crown Prince, and her faction was all eastern nobles—considered the weaker, less prestigious side.
So when the eldest daughter ran away and secretly gave birth to the Crown Prince’s illegitimate child? Yeah, that was a political disaster waiting to happen.
If the Crown Prince had been single, maybe the Count would’ve tried to smooth things over.
But no—he was already married.
Even in a society where mistresses were common, an unmarried noblewoman giving birth to the Crown Prince’s child? Yeah, that’s a scandal.
If the other nobles found out, it’d cause a huge mess, so Father would definitely try to kill the child and erase any trace of it.
“The moment he finds out, that kid’s as good as dead.
And even if I’m just the aunt, I can’t kill a kid.
That’s just… not right.”
I let out a sigh.
Why’d I have to be reborn into such a ridiculous role?
Why couldn’t I have just possessed a background maid or something?
“That might be true, but getting involved with this child puts you in danger too!”
Catherine finally grasped the seriousness of the situation and shouted with a pale face.
I just smiled shamelessly and gave her a thumbs up.
“If I leave things alone, this mess will only get worse.
Plus, the heirloom is with the kid. I need to act now while I still can.”
Catherine looked like she was about to cry.
I totally get it.
If my boss suddenly asked me to join a deadly mission, I’d cry too.
“The Count assigned me three knights.
We leave the territory in a week.
Until then, I need you to copy me using a transformation artifact.
Father can’t find out about my nephew.”
I waved my hand and opened a magically hidden box.
It was a crude method, but as a noblewoman, I couldn’t exactly open a bank account—so I had no choice.
“Starting today, you’re no longer a maid in the Estella household.
You’re my personal assistant and spy now.”
“What?! My Lady!”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
I pulled out a ring from under a pile of gold coins.
I bought it back when Raniel left home and I was still full of useless ambition.
At the time, I’d made up my mind to run away too. Maybe I should’ve.
“Write up your resignation today.
I’ll pay you more than double your current salary.
I can’t fix the Count’s messed-up pay system, but as my direct hire, you’ll be better off.”
“You want me to pretend to be you? Me? But I’m a commoner and you’re a noble!”
I winked at the flustered Catherine and stood up.
Time to move.
“If you say stuff like that, it makes all the studying I forced on you seem pointless.
I’m hurt.”
“…”
Catherine looked at me like she’d eaten something sour.
“If I knew this is what you were training me for, I wouldn’t have studied.”
“What’s done is done.
No going back.
For either of us.”
I felt a little depressed.
Is this really my life?
“We leave tomorrow.”
“…”
“As soon as we get to the capital, buy a message scroll.
I can’t let Father’s people catch me.
You can do that, right?”
Catherine nodded with a complicated expression.
“…Still, My Lady, searching for this so-called nephew sounds way too dangerous.”
“Not finding him would be more dangerous.”
I smiled sweetly at her.
“If I don’t find that kid, I’m dead.”
