Chapter 14

The man carried me just like that and entered the office.

And then—

“Eat.”

He shoved a chunk of cake he had prepared in advance straight into my mouth.

It was completely unexpected, but the sweetness of the cream and cake washed away the lingering unease in an instant.

Strawberry. Fresh cream. Perfect.

As the corners of my mouth softened, he rested his chin on his hand and watched me. Only then did he let out a relieved sigh.

“Is someone bothering you?”

At that, my half-lidded eyes widened.

This man has good instincts...?

“No. Nothing like that.”

But I had no intention of honestly reporting the subtle hostility from the maids.

They didn’t openly hate me.

And it was perfectly understandable that they were wary of me.

Besides, bothering an adult over something this minor wasn’t what a model child should do.

Still—

“......”

The fact that someone had been watching me from the bedroom window still bothered me.

I took another bite of cake that was already being offered to my mouth and asked,

“Mister.”

“What.”

“Are there any dangerous people in the Kreutz family?”

“What do you mean by that?”

At the sudden question, he frowned and removed his work glasses.

“For example... someone who could watch me through my bedroom window...”

“Who’s bothering you?”

“Well... not exactly...”

At my vague answer, his brow lifted.

“Who would pick on someone this small? Who is it? The head maid? Is it Mai?”

“No.”

“The chef, then?”

“Hmm. No... ah!”

“Aisha?!”

The moment I slipped from his lap and his startled shout overlapped almost perfectly.

Because something had just darted quickly beneath the desk.

“Got you!”

As a spy of the Pose family, there was no way I would miss it. I grabbed it with my small fist.

“Reveal your identity!”

“Squeak—!”

A familiar sound.

No way.

Swallowing, I slowly opened my tiny fingers—

“...Squeee.”

Between them, a small gray snout poked out, clearly irritated.

A rat.

Not just any rat—it was a messenger rat sent by the Pose family.

“Mister.”

“...Aisha. If you’re going to act like a frog, go play in a pond.”

“A telegram from the Pose family arrived.”

He had been rubbing his forehead with his eyes closed, but he froze.

“What?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Through the gaps between his fingers, his red eyes gleamed sharply.

***

Now, a question.

As seen during Dorothy’s arrest, spies of the Pose family write their reports on their clothing.

Then they deliver those reports to a relay point located near their place of work.

In Dorothy’s case, she used a place called “Perkus’s Bookshop” in the city of Torn near the estate.

Under the excuse of going into town, she would send the report there—

And from there, it would be delivered directly to the Pose family.

Then, how does the ducal side send a telegram in return?

Carrier birds?

No. That’s too predictable—and too easy to intercept.

The answer is rats.

The center of the royal court. Corridors of noble estates. Restrooms. Orphanages. Even the cold north.

Rats could move unnoticed through hidden passages and reach their destination no matter what.

That was why the Pose family had chosen rats as their messenger animals.

“Alright—just a moment.”

“Squeak?”

I opened my palm and set the rat down.

The rat, clearly displeased, sniffed the air, then approached me.

It had recognized my scent from training.

“Mister, could I borrow a pen and paper?”

“...Fine.”

With a confused expression, he handed them over. I placed them on the floor.

Scurry—

As if it had been waiting, the rat rushed forward and grabbed the pen with its long snout.

“......”

Watching the strange sight unfold, he fell silent.

Because the rat was writing.

“...Little one. Is this even possible through training?”

“Yes. If you let them loose in a maze shaped like letters while they’re holding a pen, and scatter food inside, they memorize the shapes after a few rounds and end up writing them.”

“...I see. Certainly...”

He trailed off, clearly astonished.

“...It writes better than you.”

“......?”

What kind of friendly fire was that?

My eyes sharpened at the completely unnecessary blunt remark.

“Are you saying I’m worse than a rat?”

“What nonsense. Don’t start picking ridiculous arguments again.”

“Mister.”

“What.”

“A golden seed can grow into a tree or turn into a weed depending on how it’s raised.”

“Why is a golden seed suddenly coming up here?”

I crossed my arms and protested.

“I’m saying that even if I’m a golden seed, comments like that could hurt me and hinder my growth.”

Of course, he simply shrugged, completely unfazed.

“Sorry. You’re better than a rat.”

“Mis-ter!”

As I fumed, he smirked faintly.

Whenever I got angry, he seemed to find it amusing.

Apparently, it made me look like a normal child.

“What’s wrong with being worse than a rat? You’re always my perfect daughter.”

“That’s not what I want to hear!”

“...Ah. So this is the appeal of raising a daughter.”

Scratch—

Blow.

He even dug at his ear and flicked it away, pretending not to know while clearly knowing everything.

“Mister!”

“Squeak.”

Fortunately—or unfortunately—our argument was interrupted by the small rat.

It had finished writing the message.

“Squeak, squeak!”

With its task complete, the rat rubbed its nose against the back of my hand.

“...Mister.”

“Aisha.”

And one thing was certain—

When he was serious, my father became utterly reliable.

Lowering himself to my eye level, he placed a hand over my shoulder.

“You’re not a spy anymore.”

Then he spoke gently.

“...Don’t worry about the telegram. I’ll handle it from now on.”

He’d been arguing just moments ago, and now he suddenly switched into a composed, leading role.

“...No. I’ll read it.”

Seeing that, I felt a surge of resolve instead. I wanted to help him.

I held up the telegram so he could read it easily.

[Adoption mission confirmed complete.]

Fortunately, I had already told him about that, so I brushed past it.

The problem came next.

[Dorothy disposed.]

Disposed.

Execution. Death. Not even failure—disposed.

A term used for failed spies who were no longer even treated as human... who were not meant to remain human in this world.

My entire body tightened, as if something was constricting it.

Dorothy hadn’t been a good person—but the fact that she had existed in this world...

Now I’m probably the only one who knows.

My small, maple-leaf-like fingers clenched.

After staring at her name for a moment, I moved on.

[No need to know further information.]

I had expected it.

So there’s still no information about the young lady of the main line.

But something felt strange.

No need to know.

That sounds like they know something about her... but are deliberately not telling me.

[Focus on the upcoming heir selection trial.]

And finally, the heir selection trial.

In The Sword of Judgment, the Kreutz family’s succession trial had been a major topic.

The Kreutz family had protected humanity from monsters using the ice barrier created by their power of ice.

As the head of the house, Calypse maintained the barrier and led monster subjugations. Naturally, he needed to raise a successor to inherit that role.

And now, the time to decide that successor had come.

In the original story, it was the son of the Lilith marquis’s family... but he was driven out a few years later.

I didn’t quite remember why.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Mister. This means...”

When I turned my head, I met his red eyes—slightly angry.

It seemed he had reached a conclusion as well.

“This means...”

“This is...”

We muttered at the same time.

“Duke Pose wants me to become the heir of the Kreutz family, right?!”

“This is the kind of message the Pose family sends to a five-year-old?”

...Huh?

That’s not... the same conclusion?

I looked at him in confusion.

He was already crumpling the letter, his jaw tight with irritation.

“Hey! That’s evidence!”

“I’ve been noticing rats around the estate lately. We should conduct a full extermination and make sure this kind of absurd order never even shows up again.”

No, no—don’t crumple that!

That’s all evidence against Duke Pose!

“That’s not the point.”

Right, right. That’s not the point—

“...Huh?”

“What?”

Whose voice was that?

“I didn’t say that.”

“...Aisha. Come here.”

As I looked around in alarm, he tossed the letter aside and instinctively pulled me into his arms.

“So that little one really was a spy of the Pose family. That’s what matters.”

A heavy, ominous voice echoed again.

“So it wasn’t just a rat that slipped into the office.”

The hand that had been holding me had already moved to the hilt of a sword.

The situation had changed instantly—but I didn’t just tremble.

Who is it? Did the Pose family send an assassin?

I slipped one small, useless hand out from his solid frame.

If the enemy was targeting me—

I won’t go down without a fight.

“......”

We both stared into the empty air, ready to strike at any moment.

Pop—

Then it happened.

A flowerpot in the corner of the office rose upward.

No—more precisely—

“As expected, you’re not an ordinary child.”

A man wearing a headband shaped like a plant emerged from the soil.

It was Knox, the aide of the Kreutz family.