Chapter 4

And so my one-sided monologue continued.

“Just so you know, I’m not a difficult child to raise either!”

“......”

“I go to bed early and wake up early.”

“......”

“I can study and help with your work too—I can be the perfect daughter, like your friend’s kid who’s good at everything—ow!”

It happened just then.

I had been enthusiastically showing off my appeal, but the man suddenly stopped walking. My round forehead bumped straight into his leg.

...Wow, that’s hard.

Not a log—steel. Are gardeners usually built like this?

Still dazed by how solid his leg was, I rubbed my forehead.

“You.”

The gardener turned sharply, dropped to one knee, and stared straight at me.

His face was still hidden beneath the robe, but somehow, he seemed quite troubled.

“Did you talk like that to other people at the orphanage too?”

“Talk like what?”

“About becoming the King of Mercenaries, or how they wouldn’t regret choosing you. That sort of thing.”

“No. I choose who I say those things to.”

My eyes sparkled.

“Out of all the adults I’ve met, you’re the best, mister.”

And then a bright smile.

It was the smile of Aisha, the spy trained since childhood—but the man only sighed, as if that made things worse.

“If you wait here in the corridor, a servant will take you to His Grace’s office. When that happens, stop chattering and quietly tell him only where the young lady of the main line is.”

“But I need to gain something too.”

“There’s a baron’s family among the Kreutz family’s attendants looking to take in a child. It’s a knight’s house—you’ll be well protected there. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”

He placed a large hand on my shoulder.

Still, he seemed like a better option than some baron’s family.

“Understood?”

When my silence dragged on, I could feel a hint of urgency in the gaze hidden beneath shadow.

“...Alright.”

There was no helping it.

As I nodded, the man finally let out the breath he’d been holding and stood up.

“Then wait here.”

“Yes.”

Once the gardener left, only the knight guarding the corridor inside the castle grounds and I remained.

“......”

I glanced at the knight.

“Ahem!”

He coughed awkwardly and looked up at the ceiling.

He had definitely heard everything the gardener and I had said.

So, a knight of the Kreutz family.

I fell into thought again.

A knight might not survive if war broke out—but the same went for the gardener.

Still, since he’s a knight, he’s probably stronger than that gardener and earns more, right?

And as a knight of the Kreutz family, his status is verified...

“Huh.”

Just then.

I had been watching him like a silent owl, and when he turned his head, our eyes met.

The gardener said he’d introduce someone, but you always need a backup plan.

More importantly, there’s no guarantee a commoner like him can actually keep that promise.

Got you.

I smiled faintly and started walking toward the knight.

“Excuse me, mister. Would you happen to be interested in adopting a clever daughter—”

“Kid. This isn’t an orphanage.”

My legs suddenly lifted off the ground before I could get any closer.

...Levitation?

What? Is this Aisha’s hidden power?

Something else felt strange too.

When I came to my senses, the knight in front of me had gone pale and snapped into a rigid stance.

“Your Grace! What brings you here... anyway, greetings!”

...Your Grace?

I frowned and thought it over.

If someone in the Kreutz family is being called that, then it must be Duke Calypse Kreutz, which means—

“I was passing by and it looked like someone was in danger. But what is this child?”

I slowly turned my head.

The black mask I had only imagined from descriptions in the original novel met my eyes.

It was Duke Calypse Kreutz.

***

“Your Grace, greetings... but what is that child?”

“Don’t concern yourself.”

Calypse lifted me easily with one hand, as if I were a sack.

As we walked down the corridor, the eyes of servants and knights we passed fixed on both of us.

I was completely frozen. In the original novel, Calypse was described as terrifying.

It made sense—he was the main antagonist, after all...

...He’s even scarier than I thought.

Bigger than expected. Much bigger.

185 centimeters? No. He had to be over 190.

And was he talking alone in a cave or something? His voice was unbelievably low.

“......”

My body was five years old, but my mind was that of an adult.

And more than that, I was Aisha—a trained spy.

There was nothing to fear, nothing to lose.

Afraid.

Swing, swing—

Each time his arm—hard as a log—moved, my body swayed like I was on a hanging swing.

Ever since I became Aisha, I had always remained calm.

But now, cold sweat ran down my neck.

“Kid. Name.”

At that moment, a low voice dropped from above my head.

“......”

“Dead? Why are you so quiet?”

Only then did I realize he had been speaking to me.

I hurriedly answered.

“...A-Aisha.”

“Was she always like this? I thought she was supposed to be very noisy.”

Huh? What is he saying?

He seemed to mutter something, but it was too quiet to hear.

...Forget everything else. I want to see that gardener. He was the only one who felt approachable.

Click—

But that trivial thought vanished as the door opened.

The cold draft was cut off.

A cozy fireplace. A warm purple carpet.

This was the office.

“...What exactly did you bring in?”

A handsome young man wearing a monocle asked as he reviewed documents inside.

He seemed to be Knox, Calypse’s aide.

“Kid. I’ll put you down—stand properly.”

Ignoring Knox’s curiosity, Calypse set me down.

“She says she knows where the young lady of the main line is.”

“...This child?”

“Yes. Now speak, child. Where is the young lady?”

At the voice above me, I lifted my head.

My eyes met the black mask.

Not flashy, but refined—engraved with the shape of a black panther.

Beneath it, the only visible feature—his red eyes—gleamed with strange curiosity and caution.

It felt like being caught in a trap.

He leaned slightly forward, staring down at me without the slightest movement.

My mouth went dry.

Knox, and Calypse...

They’re too big.

They would have been intimidating even in my previous life—but from the perspective of a five-year-old, the fear was doubled.

“...Could I have some paper and a pen?”

But I was a spy. A trained child.

Suppressing my fear, I asked calmly.

The red eyes flicked toward Knox.

“Knox. Bring them.”

“I’m curious what she intends to draw.”

At Calypse’s command, Knox handed me paper and a pen.

Get a grip.

Watching the two men, I realized something.

I’m a spy. But at the same time, I’m just a powerless five-year-old child.

So—

“Let’s write the contract first.”

“...What?”

Calypse looked as if he had misheard.

“With whom are you suggesting we write a contract? More importantly, how old is this child?”

Knox was just as flustered.

Scratch, scratch—

Ignoring their stares as best I could, I gripped the pen with my small hand and began to write.

“I’m done.”

My fingers hurt from forcing the writing, but I wrote everything I needed to say.

Feeling proud, I spread my five small fingers wide—then Calypse frowned as he read.

“What did you write?”

“Let me see.”

Flash—

Knox adjusted his monocle as he took the paper, the lens catching the light.

Then—

“I have no idea.”

He answered confidently.

Honestly, these people.

“I’ll explain.”

It was still better handwriting than an average five-year-old’s.

Maybe because I’d focused so much on physical training, I still needed practice writing.

I pointed to the sentence with my finger.

“If I tell you where the young lady of the main line is, then you must fulfill the conditions written in this contract.”

“......”

“The condition is that you will find me a legal guardian who can safely protect me until I reach adulthood.”

“If you truly find the young lady,”

Calypse replied quietly, raising an eyebrow,

“I could grant you a territory. So speak. Where is she?”

“After you sign.”

“You don’t trust the word of the Kreutz family?”

I shook my head.

According to the original novel, Calypse was a man of loyalty who never broke his promises—even to a child.

But—

“What can protect me right now isn’t someone’s word. It’s a contract with legal force.”

I was alone.

A being raised only to live as a spy. In neither the Kingdom of Doctia nor the Frozen Kingdom did I even have an identity.

Even if I died, no one would acknowledge it—because I had never existed in the first place.

“So please sign the contract.”

I’m alone.

“Then I’ll tell you exactly where the young lady is.”

All I can trust is a contract.

As I crossed my arms and spoke firmly, Calypse stared at me for a moment, then sighed.

“Knox. Bring the seal.”

“What? A signature is enough—why use the seal too?”

“Look at her eyes. Do you think she’ll settle for just a signature?”

“...Do as you wish.”

Ah, thank goodness.

Now I finally had a way to survive.

The tightness in my chest from speaking with Calypse finally eased.

But then, suddenly, the pen I was holding disappeared.

“In return, I’ll set a condition as well.”

At some point, Calypse had taken the pen and began writing something on the paper.

“If we go where you say, and the young lady is not there...”