Chapter 4: Adonis Liberica Duke(4)

It’s a disaster.

This way was definitely the right way, but the path didn’t appear, no matter how long I walked.

Adding insult to injury, the weather was good until just now, but it was dark and gloomy, and it looked like it would rain any minute.

…Why do ominous premonitions never fail?

Raindrops began to fall from the sky and then started pouring down in an instant.

My whole body got soaked, and I eventually decided to wait under a tree until the rain stopped, but it started to get cold.

‘Ugh, if it continues like this, I’ll catch a cold. And if I’m not careful, I could die!?’

I stumbled down the mountain path, getting wet in the downpour, trying to find the path, when I tripped.

“…Huh?”

Of all times, it had to rain.

If you climb the mountain along the hiking trail, it’s an ordinary hill, but if you stray even a little, it’s dangerous, even for adults.

But how could I handle the fact that a mere 5-year-old girl was in such danger?

How much time had passed as I searched the mountain, hoping for her safety?

As I was searching, I confirmed that wild strawberries had fallen on the ground, and as soon as I searched the area, the youngest daughter was collapsed.

“…Y, youngest!”

As I checked the youngest’s condition urgently, she had scratches all over her body, and her ankle was severely injured.

Fortunately, she wasn’t in any life-threatening danger, but she was shivering from the cold.

I took off my outer garment urgently and covered the youngest, and the youngest’s closed eyes opened slightly.

“Youngest! Are you alright!”

“…Ehehe, D, Duke. T, this. A pre, present.”

I checked that she was presenting something to me, and there were a few wild strawberries on a branch.

I wanted to shout that she had done all this just for that, but I couldn’t.

Her body was trembling, and her face was contorted in pain due to the injuries all over her body, but how could I scold my daughter, who was offering them to me as if they were precious?

“…Thank you. Let’s go home.”

“…Yesss.”

“Ugh, my body.”

I woke up in a place I had never seen before.

I clearly remembered picking wild strawberries on the mountain and trying to go home, but I lost my way, wandered in the mountains, and then slipped.

I clearly remembered the Duke finding me collapsed and hugging me, and did I give him the wild strawberries in that state…?

‘More than that, where even is this place.’

I was looking around the room, which was all black and white, and someone came to mind. Was it just a feeling?

The bed is white, the sofa is black, the table is white, and the bookcase is black.

And on a shelf, the wild strawberries I had seen somewhere were decorated.

As I was looking around the room, the door opened, and the Duke came in.

“Youngest, you’re awake.”

“Ehehe, Hel, hello?”

“…Are you okay?”

“I, I’m okay.”

I was looking at the Duke, worried that I would be scolded, but the Duke approached me and stroked my head.

“Then it’s fine. Don’t go alone next time, take someone with you.”

“…Aren’t you going to scold me?”

“If you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

…What is this? Is he sick somewhere? Suddenly, if someone changes, they die, right? Ugh, what is this?

I glanced at the heart on the Duke’s head, and I almost fell over.

The heart, which was only about 30% full yesterday, was now more than 70% full!

Why did it go up so high!? I didn’t do anything!?

The Duke, who was looking at me blankly, seemed to find my appearance curious and poked my cheek?

“Huh?”

“Ahem, alright, Youngest, aren’t you hungry? Shall we have breakfast together?”

“…Huh? Yes. Y, yeah.”

I had breakfast with the Duke and wanted to change clothes, so I called the maid, but another maid came in.

“Where is Anna…?”

“Ah, you mean the maid? I don’t need a maid who can’t properly serve her master.”

“N, no! Anna is my maid!”

When I shouted urgently, the Duke seemed to think for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“Youngest. In this world, if something is taken, something must come.
If you give me that maid, what will you give Dad?”

Is there a word that’s emphasized so much? Is it just a feeling?

Ugh, I’ve never called him Dad, even in my previous life or before I was reincarnated. And now he wants me to call him that!?

I closed my mouth tightly, and the Duke’s expression changed?

“I can’t help it. As planned, that maid is fired. No, you can’t avoid execution since you didn’t properly serve the noble.”

“A, Dad!”

“Dad didn’t hear you well, what did you say?”

That’s 100% a lie.

His mouth is twitching, and is he lying to me right now!?

“The maid…”

“Dad! Give me Anna back!”

“Huhu, I don’t know who my Youngest takes after, but she’s so smart and kind.”

I was looking at the Duke…no, Dad, who was stroking my head and showing a satisfied expression, and I finally gave up.

Did I seduce too much? No. My D, Dad is strange.

After having breakfast with my, Dad, who I’m still not used to calling that, I returned to my room, and Anna was waiting.

“Anna!!”

When I hugged Anna, Anna carefully pushed me away and bowed her head.

“A, Anna!?”

“I’m really grateful that you protected me, since I couldn’t properly serve the young lady.”

“Anna is my maid, so of course, I have to protect you! From now on, just believe in me!”

Anna’s expression…I’m not sure if it’s emotion, but one thing was certain.

She was looking at me with warm eyes.

At that moment, the heart floating above Anna’s head filled up and disappeared with a tremendous light…?

‘U, uh, arara? Does that disappear, too!?’

I was momentarily taken aback, and Anna looked at me with a puzzled expression. Is this good or bad?

“Anna, if I say I want to run away from this house, what will you do?”

“There is a quiet seaside village on the edge of the continent. I will take you there.”

She didn’t even ask why and immediately mentioned the escape route, and one thing was certain.

When the heart is completely filled and disappears, that person will do anything for me.

“…It’s a joke, Anna! By the way! Do you want to hear my adventure story!?”

“I’d love to hear anything about the young lady.”

I started telling my great adventure story with a bright smile, but there was one thing that bothered me.

‘…But how does Anna know about that village?’

Looking at the sleeping, lovely young lady, I headed to my room.

I moved to the room and used the communication device to contact the guild.

“Master. What’s going on? Are you doing well with the Duke’s family?”

“Discard all the requests related to the Liberica Duke Family and make a list of the families that requested them.”

“…Are you crazy, Master? Why are you doing that all of a sudden?”

I opened my mouth to the communication device in an even colder voice.

“From now on, I will not accept any requests related to the Liberica Duke Family. Got it?”

“…Alright, Master.”

After ending the communication, I took something out of my pocket.

A precious item that the young lady always gave to me, saying thank you.

‘Emerald’

She meant for me to use it by exchanging it for money, but it also meant something else.

‘Happiness and good luck’

It was strange. I knew it myself.

The original purpose of my infiltration into the Duke’s family was to find out information about the Liberica Duke Family, which hires a large number of employees.

But I got a chance to become the young lady’s maid, and I was shocked when I first met the young lady.

It was too pathetic to be the young lady of the Duke’s family, who is called gold.

The young lady is 5 years old.

Yes. Only 5 years old.

As I served the young lady, I learned that she was a person with many wounds.

People with many wounds protect themselves with sharp thorns, like a hedgehog, but the young lady was different.

She hid her wounds and, with a warm heart, not with sharp thorns, showed a contradictory appearance of caring for others, and I became interested.

Until I lost my heart to that warm heart at some point.

On top of that, she trusted me and entrusted me with the family’s symbol, which I would never have been allowed to use even in my dreams.

She knew about my circumstances.

That my one and only younger sister had been diagnosed with an incurable disease among commoners.

The young lady took care of me so that I could get the medicinal herbs that could only be purchased by high-ranking nobles.

Under the pretext of errands.

Thanks to that, my younger sister was currently resting after being cured of her illness.

On top of that, it seemed she had made a deal with the Duke to protect me, since I couldn’t properly serve her.

Perhaps she knows that I’m the “Information Guild” master.

I don’t know how far she’s watching.

‘But, there’s one thing she doesn’t know.’

That I would even sacrifice my life for the young lady.

“…I can’t. I have to go see the young lady’s face one more time.”

I left the room to see the young lady with a lighter step than ever before.