Chapter 2

“...Either way, I end up dead, don’t I?”

My fingers, clutching the vial of poison in my pocket, turned pale.

If I followed the original story and pretended to be the daughter, I would die.

If I refused, I would die for disobeying orders.

I might have been the only A-class spy among the five-year-olds, but I wasn’t anything special.

That meant Duke Pose hadn’t sent me here because he believed I would succeed.

He sent me because he knew I would kill myself before getting caught by the Kreutz family.

Because I was young. Because I obeyed. Because I had been conditioned that way since the moment I learned to read.

That was all he wanted.

...This isn’t any different from my last life.

I clenched my teeth quietly.

“Just study hard.”

“Just get into college.”

“Just get a job.”

Those lies—spoken as if they would take responsibility for my life.

And what did I get after listening to them?

Overtime? Everyone does it. Just endure it.

Life is supposed to be hard. That’s why your student days were the best.

That was all that came back.

“......”

I slowly opened my eyes and released the vial of poison.

One regret-filled death was enough.

One foolish life was enough.

I wasn’t going to make a choice with an obvious ending ever again.

“Hey, mister knight.”

When I finally spoke after a long silence, the gatekeeper let out a sigh.

“So you can talk after all. Then is it true? Are you really the Duke’s daughter? What proof do you have?”

I took a deep breath and spoke clearly.

“In a room with a warm fireplace and a grand canopy, my mother told me something. She said that those of the Kreutz family are placed in an ice cave right after birth, where they must endure extreme cold.”

“...What?”

The knight’s eyes trembled.

The ice cave—

a hidden space created by Duke Kreutz using his ice ability.

Living there for weeks immediately after birth, adapting to the cold, was a rite of passage for direct descendants of the Kreutz family.

To wield ice power, one couldn’t be weak to cold. They had to grow accustomed to it from infancy.

So the children of the main line lived in that cave with a nurse for four weeks, eating and sleeping there.

“By ‘mother,’ you mean... the Duchess?”

The knight dropped to one knee. I nodded.

“My... God.”

He covered his mouth, his eyes already reddening with emotion.

“...Is that... truly true?”

His voice softened, becoming respectful—

“That’s what the young lady of the main line told me.”

“...Huh?”

Whoosh—

An awkward silence drifted between us. The knight’s eyes, once brimming with tears, dried instantly.

Wow. This guy is sensitive. Now I feel bad.

“C-cough!”

I cleared my throat in my childish voice.

“When did I say I experienced it myself?”

If pretending to be the daughter would get me killed—

why would I lie?

I swallowed the rest of my thoughts and let out a small breath.

“She told me~ That’s what happened. And I know where she is.”

“...What?”

The knight’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“You know where the young lady is?”

“Yes.”

There was only one way for me to survive.

Quit being a spy—and give Duke Kreutz the information I knew.

In the novel, the daughter ended up in an orphanage.

To be honest, the original story barely gave details about her.

Five years ago, shortly after the Duke’s two older children were kidnapped, his pregnant wife also disappeared.

The Duchess was never found.

But much later, the daughter was discovered in an orphanage.

As a corpse.

The novel said the estimated age of the body was around elementary school age... so right now, she should still be alive.

“So I would like to request an audience with the Duke.”

A random child knowing secrets only close aides should know?

Anyone would assume I was connected to the missing daughter.

“M-my God...”

The knight dropped his handkerchief.

“Finally... the young lady...”

Trembling, he grabbed my hand with a resolute expression.

“You understand what happens if you’re lying, right?”

“Yes.”

I had been worried he might doubt me, but thankfully—

he didn’t.

I nodded and followed him into the Kreutz estate.

Step one: success.

I swallowed hard, bracing myself for what came next.

I refused to die just because I blindly followed orders anymore.

***

...Wow. The ceiling is so high.

“Hey, kid. Hurry up.”

Maybe it was because I had spent five years locked in the Pose family’s training facility.

Everything outside felt new.

I absentmindedly looked up—

and nearly fell backward from the weight of my own head.

“Ugh.”

Not the time for this.

I had to move my legs fast to keep ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) up with the knight.

Patter, patter—

My short legs echoed loudly in the quiet hallway.

Anyway... what should I ask for as a reward for finding the Duke’s daughter?

Honestly, money would be best.

But I was five.

And a spy tied to the Pose family.

If I took a reward, I’d have to run somewhere Duke Pose couldn’t reach.

Could this body run away carrying that much money?

Nope.

Absolutely not.

Ugh, this useless little body.

What’s the point of spy training when the physical stats are trash?

I sighed.

The real daughter has it nice. She has Duke Kreutz protecting her... If she returned here, no one could touch her.

...Wait.

That gave me an idea.

If running away was impossible—

then I just needed someone strong enough to protect me.

Someone even Duke Pose wouldn’t dare touch...

What if I ask to be legally adopted by the Kreutz family?!

“...Wow. That could actually work.”

I was genuinely impressed with myself.

Was this why Duke Pose made me a spy?

Because I’m a genius?

“What could work?”

The knight turned around.

Would someone like him be untouchable by Duke Pose?

Duke Kreutz valued his people deeply. If someone harmed one of his knights, he would retaliate personally.

A thought struck me instantly.

“Sir.”

“What?”

“Have you ever thought it would be nice to have a child?”

“I already have one.”

“...What?!”

Oh. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Taken.

“Why do you ask?”

“I just... sometimes wish I had parents...”

I muttered with a sigh.

The knight looked confused, but I avoided his gaze.

Then—

“Ah, Miss Dorothy.”

The knight suddenly stopped and gently pushed me forward.

“This is the child I mentioned. Please take care of her until permission for an audience is granted.”

“Of course.”

“Take care. And be sure to tell them where the young lady is.”

He patted my head and left.

Wait—what?

I wasn’t going straight to the Duke?

Well... he is the head of the house.

Not easy to meet.

“Yes. Goodbye.”

I bowed—

“...So. You claim to know where the young lady is?”

“Yes.”

At the soft voice, I lifted my head.

And—

“You were ordered to become her, not reveal her location, weren’t you?”

Cold warning.

Sharp brown eyes.

Right.

I forgot.

I wasn’t the only spy in the Kreutz household.

Six years ago—

a maid had successfully infiltrated the estate.

Her name was Dorothy.

***

Dorothy.

In the original story, she was someone who feared losing her position once Aisha succeeded in becoming the fake daughter.

That fear turned into anger.

And she tormented Aisha for a long time.

And of all people—

I got caught betraying my mission right in front of her.

Glance—

Running seemed like the best option.

“Wow, look over there!”

I pointed dramatically like a child.

“What?”

“A handsome big brother!”

“What—?”

She turned instinctively.

“...Ahem. Do you mean me?”

An old man—nearly a hundred—blushed while holding a book.

“...That’s not a handsome brother.”

When she turned back—

I was already gone.

***

“Damn this tiny body! Seriously!”

I ran with everything I had.

“Hey, kid! Don’t be scared! I just want to ask you something!”

“—Huff... why didn’t I remember her...?”

She was a minor character, but her personality was so awful I used to call her crazy.

But it made sense.

In the original story, Aisha met Dorothy a month after successfully infiltrating.

But because I changed the plot—

I met her earlier.

And something I realized after becoming Aisha—

five-year-olds have very short legs.

I was running at full speed—

Tap tap tap—

but it probably looked like a toy bicycle with training wheels.

At first, I had distance.

But Dorothy was catching up.

The moment I burst through the gate—

a garden spread before me.

I hid behind the nearest bushes.

Running wasn’t an option.

Hiding was.

Then—

“E-excuse me!”

Someone was approaching.

Wearing a black robe—no idea what rank.

But—

a hiding place.

“A scary person is chasing me. I’ll just hide in your robe for a moment.”

Rustle—

“......?”

Driven by pure panic, I dove straight into the man’s robe.

I could feel his surprise as he staggered back.