Chapter 5

The next day, Oliver, the second son, came and slightly opened the door, observing me as if he were carefully examining me.

At first, his gaze bothered me, but he showed no signs of wanting to speak. I wondered if I should initiate the conversation, but I couldn’t find the right words to say in my delicate position in this house.

When Oliver left and I found myself with nothing to do, I tried looking at a picture book, thinking I might be able to learn the letters. However, no matter how I looked at the letters, I couldn’t read them, and I ended up just looking at the pictures.

It seems that a four-year-old’s body requires a nap. On a fluffy futon placed in the sunny window, I slept soundly. Unbeknownst to me, in this earl’s household, everyone loved Olivia, and they must have had mixed feelings about me, the one who made Olivia cry.

The next day, and the day after that, the maid with glasses brought me meals, but she neither looked at me nor spoke to me. I thought she was probably avoiding me, so I tried to stay out of her sight whenever she came, managing to get through those moments.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered.

In my previous life, when I found human relationships troublesome, I didn’t try to improve them; I simply avoided getting involved.

"I guess in that sense, I’m the same now as I was back then."

Living here, I get three delicious meals a day without doing anything. Moreover, with a warm bed, it’s quite comfortable. However, I started to wonder if it was really okay for me to be here. After a few days of Oliver peering at me from the door without saying anything, he finally entered the room today.

"Everyone is angry that you made Mother cry."

Oliver said that and left.

Of course, the earl would be unhappy if the child of his mistress were in his house, and neither Olivia, Oliver, nor Brian would be happy. Yes, I should go home. With that decision, I quietly left the room.

However, having not left the room except for the bathroom, I had no idea where to go.

I’ll just say that it took me a very long time to get downstairs.

Successfully making my way out of the vast mansion, I started walking.

Even before I left the mansion, I was already tired, but I persevered, walking for about an hour.

A child’s legs get tired after walking for an hour, and I sat down on the side of the road to rest.

"Four-year-olds have no stamina at all."

It took about an hour by carriage to get here, so it should be possible to walk back, but it’s quite a challenging journey for a four-year-old.

Without a jacket, I realized I had underestimated the drop in temperature as the sky clouded over.

Still, I took one step at a time, and suddenly a carriage stopped in front of me.

"What are you doing?"

I saw the earl get out of the carriage with my mouth agape.

"What are you doing?" he repeated.

"… I was walking home."

The earl raised an eyebrow and, for some reason, picked me up and pushed me into the carriage.

"Hey, um, that—"

"I can’t have you leaving on your own."

"Huh?"

"I did not commit adultery."

I thought to myself that a four-year-old wouldn’t understand such a word, but of course, I couldn’t say that.

The earl took my hair in his hand and examined it closely, then looked into my eyes from a very close distance. His sharp gaze made me swallow hard.

"However, you are a member of the earl’s household. How old are you?"

"Four years old."

I tried to act childlike by holding up four fingers, but they trembled slightly under the earl’s intimidating presence. The earl wasn’t looking at my fingers, but I quickly put my hand down on my knee.

The journey that took me over an hour on foot was a breeze in the carriage.

When we arrived at the earl’s house, I stopped, unsure of what to do, and the earl turned around.

"Follow me."

The earl walked without paying attention to the people who greeted us at the entrance. Some people were surprised to see me, but I had no time to think about it and followed the earl.

The mansion was as vast as ever, and I had no idea where we were going, but when the earl stopped at a door, I remembered.

This was the earl’s study.

"I am not your father, but it is certain that you are a member of the earl’s household. That’s why I have called in a potential father."

Huh?

If the earl didn’t commit adultery, then I’m not his child.

I tilted my head, wondering who the potential father could be, and the earl said:

"You probably won’t understand, but… a man who could be your father is coming here. Wait here."

I was told to sit on a soft sofa, and I obliged.

The earl seemed busy, sitting at a large desk and looking at documents with a serious face, seemingly unaware of my presence. I sat up straight, feeling oddly tense.

At first, I sat stiffly, but my tired body was honest, and I couldn’t stop dozing off. My head kept nodding, and each time, the earl watched me, but I didn’t notice.

"Hey."

The low voice woke me up.

"Can you wake up?"

I snapped awake, and in front of me was a man with short silver hair and sky-blue eyes. My gaze was fixed on his muscular arms, which were visible even from close up.

"This is Tori, four years old. Do you have any idea who the mother might be?"

"Four years old… that would be five years ago. It could be Alissa, no, Mary, or maybe Mia."

"Do you have any idea?"

"Well, I do, but I don’t make mistakes that result in children."

"Even so, I did not commit adultery, so the possibility of me being Tori’s father is zero percent."

"…So, am I this child’s father?"

The short-haired man and I locked eyes.

The earl nodded vigorously and clapped his hands.

"Indeed, it seems we have found Tori’s father."

"Wait a moment. You said Tori, right?"

"Yes."

The man knelt in front of me, scratching his head in a troubled manner.

"So, where is Tori’s mother?"

"The mother is here, but Jade is not my real mother."

"Hmm?"

"I was told that the baby was found at the front door."

"Is that true?"

I nodded, and the short-haired man examined my face closely.

"I thought I might recognize the mother from any resemblance, but this is clearly Middleton blood."

"Indeed, I was surprised when I first saw her."

Both of them stared at me, and I could only smile awkwardly.

"Hey, maybe Tori is my brother’s child? That smile is just like his."

"Olivia said the same thing, but I am not Tori’s father."

I looked at the short-haired man again.

"Are you my dad?"

The moment I said that, the man’s eyes widened.

From his reaction, I could tell he didn’t seem to mind, and I felt relieved.