Chapter 09
To start with the conclusion: Milona failed to obtain any useful information from Berenice.
‘This isn’t easy…’
Watching Berenice sitting beside her with a bright, cheerful smile, Milona clicked her tongue lightly.
She was clearly innocent, oblivious, and kind—but when it came to important questions, she skillfully avoided them all.
Well, that must be why she worked at the Marquis’ household.
If she had been the type to speak carelessly, she would’ve been thrown out long ago.
“So you’re saying some priest suddenly appeared and told them where I was?”
“Yes! He just showed up out of nowhere and said he knew where you were and asked them to call the Marquis! Normally, guards would chase away scammers like that, but if someone’s wearing priest robes, it feels a bit… uncomfortable, you know?”
“And then he met the Marquis and told him my name and where I live?”
“Yes! But honestly, that part was a bit strange. It was way too obvious. I heard somewhere that if you’re going to scam someone, you have to build up the atmosphere first. But he didn’t do any of that—he just revealed your name right away!”
“My name…”
“It’s a big deal that the Marquis personally stepped in, but he always does that whenever it’s about you, so that part’s fine. Anyway, when Lord Rayner arrives later, make sure to apologize sincerely! He’ll definitely be angry, but at least he won’t hand you over to the capital guards. Maybe just a light punishment—like being exiled from the capital?”
…If she was so convinced Milona was a scammer, why was she worrying so sincerely?
And the content of that concern somehow sounded more like teasing than comfort.
Of course, judging by those sparkling orange eyes, it was clear she had no ill intent—but from the listener’s perspective, it was… complicated.
Anyway, to summarize once more: Milona was doomed.
There was no information to be gained.
She had at least tried to figure out the identity of the priest, but Berenice looked at her as if to say, “Why would allies question each other’s identities? Everything’s already been exposed—you don’t need to pretend you don’t know!”
So Milona had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.
“Haha, by the way, why do you keep calling me ‘young master… young lady’?”
Since she had concluded that getting information was impossible, any further effort would just be a waste of time and energy.
Might as well satisfy some curiosity instead.
As for what came next… she’d just have to deal with it when it happened.
“Ah… well… we know you were born, but no one knows your gender. Even when you were in the late Madam’s womb, they called you ‘the child.’ The Marquis said he’d give you a name that suits you best after you were born… but things turned out like this, so we still call you ‘young master…’”
Unlike before, Berenice answered in a slightly subdued voice.
From that, Milona realized just how deeply loved this lost child was.
How could they love a child they had never even seen?
And Berenice had only been working here for three years.
‘God, are you listening? Surely you’re not planning to use such a beloved child for a scam in the name of saving the world? Even my conscience can’t handle this! Even our boss would say this is too much!’
Danilo—who hated nobles to the bone but loved the gold in their pockets more than anyone—sometimes behaved in ways that made one think, “If that’s not a demon, then what is?”
But even that “demon” never targeted children!
Sure, judging by the timeline, the lost child would have come of age this year—but in everyone’s minds, the Marquis’ bloodline was still remembered as a baby who hadn’t even opened its eyes.
And now God was telling her to play with that?
Even if it was to prevent the world’s destruction—how could it make sense to use a child that someone desperately wanted to find?
‘No… there must be another reason. Even so, someone named “Light,” who’s actually a god, wouldn’t do something this shameless… right?’
She tried to change her thinking, but she couldn’t forget what the Marquis had said when he first saw her.
‘If I become the Marquis’ lost child, it’ll be easier to approach the Duke. But then… what happens to the real child?’
She searched her past memories from before regression, but she had never heard that the Marquis had found the child.
Only that scammers constantly came and went from the estate—and that once again, he had failed.
And now Milona would take that place?
She had always chosen professional ethics over personal conscience in her work as a “property transfer specialist,” but this…
This was too much.
‘God, answer me! My head’s about to explode! In case you don’t know—if a human’s head explodes, they die! And if I die, how am I supposed to stop the destruction? You chose me because there were no other options, right? Then answer me!’
At this rate, she really would end up playing the role of a noble lady she never asked for.
Just as she was about to grab her head in frustration, the door to the reception room opened, and she instinctively straightened her back.
“Berenice, why are you still here?”
“Gasp! Head maid!”
A woman with neatly tied-back brown hair and a faint scar on the left side of her forehead had appeared.
Berenice jumped to her feet.
Apparently, she knew it didn’t look good for a maid to sit chatting beside a guest.
Milona shifted her gaze to the head maid.
—Flinch.
The moment their eyes met, the head maid’s shoulders twitched slightly.
It was only a fleeting reaction, but Milona didn’t miss the tremor in her eyes or the tension in her clasped hands.
“The guest the master brought… is it you?”
“Y-yes! My name is Milona.”
“Milona…”
After Berenice hurriedly left the room, silence filled the space.
The head maid continued to observe Milona carefully, her gaze wavering.
‘…She seems to think I’m the lost child too… but isn’t her reaction a bit excessive?’
Anyone watching might mistake it for someone who had just found her own child—not the Marquis’.
Because of that, Milona felt the faint remnants of her conscience ache.
She wanted to beg God to cancel this plan.
“Um… I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m not who you think I am.”
God, are you listening? This method really isn’t it. I’ll find another way, so please—let’s stop here! If we stop now, it can just pass as a misunderstanding! Being mistaken for a scammer hurts my pride, but it’s better than having my conscience hurt like this!
Praying desperately, Milona avoided the head maid’s increasingly intense gaze.
“The master has finished preparing and requests your presence.”
“W-where?”
Oh no.
Even her voice was shaking now.
“They are heading to the temple.”
They were going to confirm whether she was truly the lost child.
If God’s scheme worked, she would undoubtedly be identified as the Marquis’ child.
She really didn’t want that.
Truly, sincerely didn’t.
She just wanted to live quietly as an ordinary back-alley thief and die peacefully someday.
“Please come. The master is already in the carriage, waiting for you… Milona.”
It seemed her conscience had been hiding all her life just to strike all at once today.
As she felt a sharp ache in her chest, Milona realized—so this is what having a conscience feels like…
“I’ll guide you.”
“Th-thank you…”
Just as she was about to follow the head maid out—
She froze.
The sound of footsteps behind her had disappeared.
When the head maid turned back, she saw Milona standing there, pale as a sheet.
“Milona? Are you feeling unwell?”
But Milona couldn’t respond.
She had just realized something.
It had only been two hours since she stole Wade’s coin pouch.
Two hours.
Not long… but not short either.
‘No way he’s still at the temple… right? Right?’
He couldn’t be.
He shouldn’t be.
He hadn’t seen her full face—but she was still wearing the exact same clothes from when she stole his pouch.
She had been too busy blaming herself to change, and then the Marquis had arrived before she had the chance.
‘Please go home. Please! God! Tell the Duke to go home! Hurry!’
Ignoring the head maid’s concerned voice, Milona prayed desperately.
Meanwhile—
Wade, who had gone to the temple, encountered an assassin, and even had his pouch stolen, was now sitting in the temple’s reception room, calmly enjoying a cup of warm tea.
“The Marquis found his lost child?”
“Yes. He requested space at the temple to verify if it’s real.”
“Oh? So they’re on their way here now?”
“Yes. They must be quite desperate.”
“I see. This should be interesting.”
Behind his teacup, one corner of Wade’s lips curled upward mischievously.
