* * *
Early dawn. The duke, the doctor, and the butler gathered in the Duke of Craytan office.
“There’s nothing much to say. I need to submit the adoption documents, so let’s finish this quickly.”
“Your Grace, are you really okay?”
“Suddenly talking about adoption… Didn’t you say before that you had no intention of adopting?”
“I did.”
“Then why now?”
“Since I adopted a child without prior notice, the vassals must think I’ve gone mad.”
The butler didn’t deny it.
“Send them a letter with the right words so that rumors don’t spread.”
“The little guest cannot be the lost young lady.”
The duke’s hand paused at the butler’s sharply delivered words.
Even in the cold gaze like a sword, the butler quietly continued.
“If the young lady is still alive, she’s probably already a grown lady now. Not like a five- or six-year-old child.”
The doctor, who had been watching the duke and the butler’s expressions, cautiously spoke.
“But she really does resemble the Duchess. For a moment, I thought it was the Duchess herself sitting there.”
The butler seemed to agree.
When they first saw the child step out of the carriage, they all thought the late Duchess had come back to life.
There had been many imposters claiming to be the lost lady until now.
But the Duke had always dealt with them decisively, punishing them for fraud or poisoning, sometimes even with death or stripping them of all their possessions.
Not a single coin was given to those who dared to claim to be his daughter.
So Lephonia’s sudden adoption was entirely unexpected.
The butler let out a sigh.
“If you’re worried just because she resembles the Duchess, there are other ways besides adoption.”
“I know the child is different. I’m not so insane that I can’t tell the difference.”
“……”
“I’m not adopting her just because she resembles Lyla.”
Lyla. Just saying her name made his heart ache, as if it would stop.
The cold-hearted man known as the Duke of Craytan had only ever loved one woman, from beginning to end. That woman was Lyla.
“It might seem like a light decision, but my feelings aren’t shallow. I didn’t take the child in on a whim, nor did I do it without thinking.”
Duke Craytan did not explain further. Or rather, there was nothing he could explain.
“I felt a force.”
“A force?”
The Duke, whose senses had been honed through years of wielding aura, had to focus intently to perceive it, a force.
That force resided within the child’s body.
He checked for it by brushing the ore over her as soon as they met, but couldn’t feel anything definite.
Yet something was there.
A mysterious force that defied explanation resonated with the aura and pulled at him.
How could he even begin to explain this feeling?
Lephonia.
He knew the child wasn’t born between him and Lyla.
Yet the moment he saw her, he thought, “She’s my child.”
He felt it would be an irredeemable mistake to let her go.
After awakening the aura, the Duke became more alert and now certain, he loved the child.
“It’s the first time I’ve felt this since the moment I fell for Lyla at first sight.”
“Pardon?”
“Maybe I’m just really tired.”
His voice, mixed with a rare chuckle, trembled faintly.
It had been twenty long years.
For two decades, the Duke had been searching for the daughter everyone said was dead.
The butler let out a sigh and gave his report.
“I will report the investigation of the little guest.”
Although the age didn’t match that of the lost daughter, it was worth investigating since the child resembled Lyla, the Duchess.
“There are 60 people registered with the name ‘Lephonia’ in the empire records. The number of unregistered individuals is estimated to be around 170, and none of them are five years old this year.”
“None?”
“Yes. Since Your Grace estimated the age, we investigated children named ‘Lephonia’ between four and six years old. There was one six-year-old, but he was a boy.”
Duke Craytan clicked his tongue.
“Is there a possibility that someone from Lyla’s family had the child and abandoned it?”
“There is no connection with Marquis Rowald of the Madam’s family.”
The butler replied firmly.
“The Marquis of Rowald from the Madam’s family line ended long ago due to an unfortunate fire accident. The only person believed to still be alive from that family is—”
“My wife’s father.”
“Yes, only Marquis Rowald remains. If he had a child and raised it himself… it’s unlikely he would have left the child unattended.”
Duke Craytan lightly tapped the desk.
“How is Marquis Rowald doing?”
“He’s still residing in the area Your Grace mentioned, though he rarely leaves.”
“It’s my fault for losing his beloved daughter and granddaughter. I’m just grateful he’s still willing to meet Haverian and Pellenz.”
“Yes, we also confirmed the house where the little guest stayed. The owner is a man, but he hardly ever comes by.”
The Duke fell silent, lost in thought.
“No trace remains at all, as if the little guest lived with extreme caution.”
Can someone truly leave no trace while living somewhere? It didn’t make sense.
“Anyway, we’re saying she has nothing to do with our family.”
Then what was this feeling?
The image of the five-year-old child, too composed despite her blank expression, surfaced in his mind.
“So much happened in just one day. You know, that child actually asked me something.”
To the Duke’s rhetorical murmur, the butler remained silent.
“She asked if I would regret it. She showed no signs of unease and didn’t seem curious, as if it were someone else’s matter.”
Unlike when she eagerly finished the cake with its cream, she seemed to read the room, and guilt washed over her.
“She seems to have experience being indifferent to her own matters. …Hmm, maybe it’s a form of defense mechanism.”
The doctor commented with a sigh.
“She didn’t cry even when treated for her wounds and remained composed. Even the knights flinch at getting blood drawn, you know.”
Hearing this, the butler opened his mouth as if something came to mind.
“One of the maids said when washing the young lady, she noticed a scar across her back.”
“That might have happened because she lived alone. Children are more easily hurt than we might imagine.”
At the doctor’s explanation, the butler awkwardly added,
“The problem is her response. Even when she was hurt, she spoke as if nothing had happened, completely unfazed.”
“If she lived alone for five years, it couldn’t have been a good environment for a child.”
The doctor let out a quiet sigh.
As the duke showed her the adoption documents, he remembered Lephonia reading them.
“Come to think of it, she’s only five, but she can read.”
“She probably didn’t receive formal education. Children often learn naturally to survive alone.”
The duke started walking toward the imperial palace, with the butler following behind to finish his report.
“Soon, young master Villemin will inherit the duke’s title. Your Grace also needs to attend the coronation, so we’ll need to have new uniforms made.”
The Duke of Villemin’s family was renowned throughout the empire for their exceptional swordsmanship. They held a strong military presence and a reputation to rival that of the Duke of Craytan.
“Oh, that stubborn punk.”
Currently, the young heir and his grandmother, the Grand Duchess Villemin, were continuing the family legacy.
The heir would officially take the title this fall, but the Grand Duchess had long served as the duke’s proxy.
“He will be the legitimate heir. Terms like ‘punk’ and ‘greenhorn’ are forbidden.”
“The Grand Duchess wouldn’t have given up her seat easily.”
“Yes. They say he is the youngest duke in the empire’s history. After the succession ceremony at the palace, a celebration will be held at the mansion. Please take good care of him.”
“I’ll let someone else handle the kids. I’m busy taking care of the others right now.”
Without further delay, Duke Craytan left for the Imperial Palace.
* * *
The day after Lephonia approved the adoption documents.
Duke Craytan submitted them to the imperial palace without hesitation. He even urged them to process the papers quickly at dawn.
The Emperor approved the adoption, and Lephonia officially became Duke Craytan’s daughter.
Rumors about the duke adopting a child spread rapidly, and people grew curious about the details.
“… So good.”
Lephonia, the subject of the rumor, slowly opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of the morning sunlight.
The gentle rays streamed through the small window beside the bed, waking her softly and without fail.
The soft, cloud-like bed; the luxurious cotton blanket brought in through trade; the silky pillow; even the high-end sheets that didn’t irritate her neck—
All of it was new to Lephonia, who had never known such perfect comfort in her life.
Of course, that didn’t mean everything was peaceful.
‘Where on earth is the heirloom?’
After putting on her dress and shoes and having several doctors check her health, Lephonia continued inspecting the mansion despite her busy daily schedule.
Her frail body grew tired quickly, and even walking around the mansion took her several days.
Lephonia had naturally grown accustomed to dining with the duke and patrolling the mansion alongside the maid.
At lunchtime, the duke, who had disappeared somewhere, would suddenly reappear and dine with her before she resumed her rounds.
By dinnertime, as if following a routine, the duke would return once again to dine with her.
Is that all?
“Phonia.”
“Yup.”
“…Phonia.”
“Yup?”
“Ha, Phonia.”
“Yup!”
Calling her that for no reason kept happening more and more every day!
As she kept responding to Duke Craytan’s calls, the maids stood behind her, clutching their chests and pretending to faint.
“My lady, your replies are just too cute.”
“Even the way you fumble is perfect.”
“How are you so good at replying like that? My lady, could you be a genius?”
…This place is really strange.
“Ha. Phonia.”
Among them, the most despicable was Duke Craytan, who kept calling her that with a satisfied smirk.
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering? You need to say ‘yup’ cutely again.”
The conversation always ended with Lephonia glaring, her temper flaring.
Because she had been abandoned in April, the orphanage director used to call Lephonia by the name of a fruit that could be eaten in April.
Lephonia hated it, so she gave herself a new name, something easy to remember and call.
Of course, no one ever used it.
Even after meeting the Pope, she was still called the First Daughter.
It felt strange to hear that name everywhere.
She couldn’t explore the mansion late at night, so she washed up and, like a five-year-old, went to bed early.
“Then have sweet dreams, my lady.”
The maid, having read her two picture books and sung a lullaby, only left the room after Lephonia had fallen asleep.
Tap.
Pretending to be asleep, Lephonia opened her eyes.
“Ha. Just eating feels like the whole day is gone.”
She patted her stuffed stomach.
Still, she had walked around diligently today, and at last, she was finally drawing a mental map of the mansion’s main building in her head.
It wasn’t perfect, but she roughly calculated the shape of the outer walls and hallways, deducing possible secret passageways connecting each floor.
However, no matter how thoroughly she searched, there was no sign of where the heirloom could be hidden.
‘Could it be that the heirloom isn’t inside the mansion but hidden somewhere else?’
It was said that the Duke of Craytan’s heirloom was managed directly by the head and kept deep within the mansion.
Of course, only the head of the family truly knew what it was.
‘A safe place where no one can steal it. A place that’s often maintained and checked.’
In other words, it had to be inside the main building.
“Hmm.”
Lephonia recalculated in her mind to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.
Clunk!
Just then, a gust of wind blew outside, and the terrace window rattled. Lephonia turned toward the sound.
“Huh?”
She saw a shadow beyond the terrace window.
‘What is that?’
Frowning, Lephonia slowly approached the terrace and opened the door.
Whoosh!
As soon as the door opened, a strong wind rushed in as if waiting for her. Lephonia’s silver hair shimmered in the moonlight, fluttering wildly in the breeze.
Startled, she couldn’t even scream and tightly shut her eyes.
At that moment, a faint voice of a young boy echoed softly from somewhere above her.
“So, you’re alive.”
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