Goddess Kingmaker Chapter 5

‘Well, I haven’t even looked in the mirror yet.’

 

Born in a brothel and barely surviving, I never had the chance to see a mirror.

 

But my biological mother was said to be a stunning beauty, so if I took after her, I couldn’t possibly be ugly. Or maybe I took after my father instead?

 

“H-Huh!”

 

But judging from the reaction of the maid standing at the edge, it seemed like there was nothing wrong with my appearance.

 

As soon as our eyes met, her face turned red and she opened her mouth as if she had lost her mind.

 

“Anyway, always looking for the easy way out…..Roen?”

 

“…….”

 

“Roen! Can’t you hear me?”

 

Parma, who had been getting irritated by everyone’s reactions of difficulty, turned her head toward the last young woman.

 

Startled, Roen hurriedly bowed her head.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Parma!”

 

“This is why we should’ve been more selective in choosing people.”

 

“…..”

 

So it wasn’t just me she was mean to—she was always like that.

 

As expected, Parma was the typical type who treated the weak worse.

 

Seeing Roen lower her head in embarrassment, Parma pouted mischievously, as if finding her an easy target.

 

“Okay. Judging from your expression, it looks like you like it quite a bit. Then you can take care of the baby.”

 

“M–Me?”

 

“Why? You don’t like it?”

 

“….Oh, no, Parma.”

 

Phew, relieved by her answer, I felt my heart pounding.

 

If even that pretty maid had refused to take care of me, I would have ended up back with Parma again.

 

Judging by how she wasn’t outright ordering people around, it seemed she didn’t hold any significant position—probably just an old senior servant.

 

‘Ugh, a powerless old nag.’

 

“Okay. Since you volunteered, Roen, don’t even think about saying anything else later!”

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

“And don’t think your workload will decrease. It’s not really that much. Just keep doing what you’re doing now and stop by every once in a while, like you’re taking a break.”

 

“……”

 

‘What? She wasn’t even my personal maid?’

 

It was understandable why everyone was reluctant to do it.

 

Roen hesitated but, realizing she had no choice, carefully asked Parma,

 

“Then where can I get the baby’s food and clothes?”

 

“Food? Clothes? Do you really not get it, even after seeing this child here? No room, no guardian, not even a proper status!”

 

Parma told me very bluntly that I was a ‘penniless baby’.

 

“Just give her an appropriate amount of milk from what we eat, and for her clothes, cut up some useless cloth from the Layton Palace. Who would even care about a baby like this?”

 

“But, Parma. She is a princess. I heard a rumor that she also has the power of water, which is only known in the imperial family.”

 

“Ugh, I don’t know about any of that. I’m just telling you to make sure she doesn’t die, so why are you talking so much?”

 

Annoyed by the conversation, Parma waved her hand as if swatting away a fly.

 

Then, perhaps worried that Roen might change her mind, she quickly led the others out.

 

“You two should get along well. Now that I think about it, you both come from similar backgrounds and you seem like a great match.”

 

“……”

 

She even said her goodbye in the most obnoxious way.

 

Perhaps because of all the commotion since morning, I feel tired.

 

‘Should I take another nap?’

 

Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard cautious footsteps approaching me.

 

“Hello, baby.”

 

Wow. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to me politely.

 

Considering we were going to spend a lot of time together, this wasn’t a bad first impression.

 

I think her name was Roen.

 

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I first saw you. I thought I was seeing an angel. I didn’t know there was such a beautiful baby in the world.”

 

“…….”

 

Hmm, I’m starting to like her even more.

 

I couldn’t help but smile at Roen, who was whispering as if she was telling a secret.

 

She was so surprised by my smile that she even covered her mouth.

 

“Oh my god!”

 

“…….”

 

She didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was obvious.

 

She had already fallen for me.

 

“Baby, don’t worry. I’ll do my best while I’m taking care of you.”

 

“Aang!”

 

As she was showing her kindness, I also let her hear my bright voice, and Roen’s face became even more happy.

 

“No matter what people say, in my opinion, the baby looks exactly like the Duke.”

 

“uung?”

 

‘Really?’

 

Hearing something that piqued my interest, I struggled to lift my body.

 

From the way she spoke, it seemed Roen knew my biological father well.

 

“Though the Duke may be a bit intimidating, calling him a monster is simply outrageous.”

 

“……”

 

He may not be the type to be liked that much, so this was the first time I was hearing anything about my real father.

 

I need to get as much information as possible for my future grand plans.

 

If only I had secured the right information earlier, I wouldn’t have been betrayed or ended up in this pathetic state.

 

“Ang!”

 

More! Tell me more!

 

I stuck my ear out between the railings of the old cradle.

 

“I don’t know how the baby could possibly not be the Duke’s child. The two of you look so much alike.”

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

“Oh, come to think of it, you’ve never seen the Duke before, have you?”

 

‘Why are you asking such an obvious thing?’

 

As Roen looked at me with pity, I shook the bars of the cradle that I was holding tightly. She quickly took my hand away from the cradle that was creaking as if it would break at any moment.

 

“This is dangerous! You mustn’t do that, baby!”

 

“…Mmm.”

 

“Still, even your strength is just like the Duke’s.”

 

I don’t know if I should like it or not, but Roen didn’t seem to have any doubts about the fact that I was the Duke’s biological daughter.

 

‘Of course, I’m his real daughter!’

 

With so many people doubting me, I nearly felt touched by her certainty.

 

Why else would I have gone through all that hardship to be born?

 

I had timed my birth precisely, knowing full well that I’d suffer for nine months in neglect, all for the sole purpose of becoming the biological daughter of Duke Targa Berk.

 

They are not the kind of people who will just believe that you are their child and that you just fell for it overnight.

 

Though I felt sorry for my birth mother, who had died not long after giving birth to me, that was her predetermined fate from the beginning.

 

Still, she had the honor of giving birth to a goddess, so in her next life, she would surely live in peace—making it a win-win situation for both of us.

 

Everything had been planned down to the finest detail.

 

Even though this world was unfamiliar to me, I was sure of one thing: if DNA tests existed in 21st-century South Korea, then in a world of magic and divine power, there had to be a way to verify parentage.

 

And during my first encounter with my grandfather, the Emperor, my assumptions were proven right.

 

‘Good. So I really do have the power of water!’

 

I wasn’t sure if I could control water or create it from nothing, but it seemed to be an ability unique to the imperial bloodline.

 

My body stayed dry despite being submerged in water, which must be part of that power as well.

 

“Baby, why are you looking at your hands?”

 

“…Mmm.”

 

Roen sat close to the cradle, curious about me looking at my empty hands.

 

Even after staring so much, she still seemed to find more to see.

 

“Even angels won’t be as pretty as you, baby.”

 

“……”

 

Well, if that’s the case, then I don’t mind being looked at.

 

“No, no. Even the goddess wouldn’t be prettier than you, baby.”

 

“……”

 

That’s not true.

 

Recalling my dazzling past self, I shrugged.

 

To Roen, it must have looked like I was playfully wiggling my shoulders because she clapped her hands in delight.

 

“When the Duke sees you someday, he’ll be so—oh, never mind.”

 

“……”

 

‘What? Why are you stopping talking?’

 

As Roen started to act anxious, my expression also became serious.

 

Not that I needed to hear it to know.

 

You can only give love if you’ve received it.

 

When even his own father—the Emperor—treated him like an abandoned child, there was no way the Duke would cherish me.

 

“Baby, I’m sorry. I must have startled you with such a gloomy topic.”

 

“Ai, aia.”

 

“My dear sweet baby.”

 

Roen gently pressed her lips to my fingertip and smiled tenderly.

 

She was a beautiful young woman, barely twenty, yet she was living a life of neglect in the palace.

 

For a moment, I almost felt sorry for her, but I didn’t let myself waver.

 

‘I won’t trust anyone lightly!’

 

I still hadn’t recovered from the betrayal of my closest friend, someone I had known for hundreds of years.

 

There was no way I could open my heart to a human woman I had met less than an hour ago.

 

For now, she was merely a strategic partner—nothing more, nothing less.

 

“Oh, Baby. Should I show you the Duke’s face instead?”

 

“Uung?”

 

I had been trying to keep my distance from Roen, but at her words, my ears perked up, and I took a deep breath.

 

‘My real father is already here?’

 

I never expected such a sudden reunion.

 

While I was looking around wondering where he was, I found myself in Roen’s arms.

 

“Oh my! You even know how to shake your head?”

 

“Uung? Mm-hmm.”

 

“This is too precious to keep to myself. Come, I’ll show you the rest of your family too.”

 

Roen, who was holding me tightly, walked towards the wall instead of the entrance or the window.

 

‘What was she trying to do?’

 

I opened my eyes wide in surprise, and she pulled back the long curtain hanging on the wall with one hand.

 

“Wahh!”

 

“Amazing, isn’t it? This room used to be His Majesty’s study a long time ago. That’s why there are so many portraits here.”

 

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