Chapter 8

Agi-nim Cashes for the Ropan - Chapter 8 (8/353)

☆ Chapter 8 ☆

‘What should I do?’

Isn’t it a bit strange to say that a child figured this out?

“U-Uncle said so!”

I quickly shouted.

“…Did you mean Duke Talenka?”

“Yes! I saw Uncle talking to a very well-dressed man, saying that Father had invested!”

It wasn’t a lie.

At the time, I didn’t understand the word ‘investment’ in this world, so I didn’t fully grasp what was being said.

But as this situation repeated itself, I gradually realized.

“Uncle showed the man something as evidence….”

To prevent them from not believing or dismissing what the child said, I chattered on.

If a child’s words are specific, they become more credible.

“Evidence?

“It was a very, very pretty card! It was completely black and sparkled… Ah, it looked like this!”

I happened to see a card on the assistant’s desk.

“This is….”

The assistant picked up the card.

“Did Duke Talenka really show this and say that?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

I nodded at the card the assistant showed me.

Although I had never seen it up close before, I was certain.

The black card shimmered with a strange pattern in the light, and a red seal was drawn on it.

‘Let’s see. Issuer… House Paeraton. Huh?’

As I read the words on the card, my eyes widened.

‘This is a check?!’

Although the amount wasn’t written yet, it was clearly a check issued by the House of Paeraton.

‘So, did the Duke give money to Duke Talenka? Or could it be a forged check?’

While I was surprised, the retainers began to murmur.

“To use this as evidence of investment!”

“How could anyone dare to do such a thing if they weren’t insane!”

“It would be fine if real mana stones came out of the mine, but if not, it would be a big problem.”

“Yes, rumors would spread that the House of Paeraton was involved in fraud!”

While the office suddenly became noisy, Duke Paeraton was strangely quiet.

‘…?’

Finding it a bit odd, I quietly raised my head.

Immediately, my eyes met the Duke’s.

He was looking down at me with his chin resting on his hand.

‘He’s been watching me this whole time?’

The Duke’s red eyes flickered darkly.

I couldn’t even turn my head, and I shrank back.

His lips parted.

“How did you come to hear such a thing?”

A low, chilling question.

It was almost like an interrogation.

An interrogation?

‘Huh!’

The sudden realization made me gasp.

‘Is this the common scenario where the tyrant father interrogates and suspects his daughter?!’

My Ropan sense tells me this is a very important moment.

Usually, Ropan heroines navigate this situation well and survive.

But what about those who aren’t heroines?

‘I must dispel any suspicion. If not, 一.’

The original character before the heroine possessed her.

Or the heroine before she regressed.

They couldn’t handle the tyrant’s suspicion well and, as a result, 一

‘…would have their heads cut off…!’

A chill ran down my spine.

‘I must not be misunderstood. I need to prove my innocence! If I’m suspected of being strange, I’ll die!’

The cruel and ruthless tyrants in novels.

My body trembled. I hurriedly opened my mouth.

“W-When Uncle was meeting the man, I was polishing Uncle’s shoes. That’s how I heard it.”

Since I only did menial tasks at the Talenka household, all the visitors knew me as a slave.

Most of the other servants thought the same.

Only a very few close confidants knew I was a princess of the House of Paeraton.

“While polishing the shoes, you heard…?”

At one retainer’s question, I clenched my fists.

‘Yes, you won’t believe it. The idea that he would commit such a fraud in front of others.’

The Duke enjoyed seeing me, a noble lady, roll around like a slave in front of others.

So, whenever he met someone at the mansion, he often called me.

‘He probably thought that since I hadn’t received any education and was young, I wouldn’t understand anything even if I heard it.’

“Huh! If Duke Talenka said that…!”

“To my knowledge, all the checks issued by Paeraton to Duke Talenka in recent years….”

“Yes, they were for child support.”

At this, my eyes widened.

“Child support?”

“Yes, for the youngest lady.”

I gaped, then quickly shouted.

“No, no! I’ve never heard of any child support!”

The retainers frowned.

“What do you mean? The House of Paeraton sent astronomical amounts of money every month!”

“Didn’t Duke Talenka say that it was money His Excellency invested in the Duke’s mine?”

“It’s true!”

I was so flustered that my lips trembled.

“Because he said there was no money, I only ate a little, did the dishes and cleaning, and did everything Uncle told me to. That’s why Uncle gave me a place to sleep and food.”

The retainers were taken aback and frowned even more.

“No, no matter what, to make a child do such things…? It’s hard to believe.”

“Duke Talenka is especially known for being a doting father.”

Why don’t they believe me!

“Uncle said every day that Father didn’t give any money and left me. I… was abandoned….”

As I spoke, I felt sad. My eyes blurred, so I opened them wide.

You were abandoned even by your parents.

The first thing I heard after I could understand speech to some extent.

He probably said it even before I could fully understand.

After being reborn, my life was like that.

No matter what, speaking about how I was treated….

Speaking about being abandoned, really 一

“But when the report from the Duke’s household was clear… The records of child support payments were sent regularly.”

“No! I could barely do any work, so I only got two meals a day. Many times, I only got one meal because I couldn’t finish my work. Sometimes, I didn’t eat at all….”

The retainers, who kept saying it couldn’t have been like that, frustrated me.

I didn’t dare to look at the Duke.

What if this is really a situation where I’m being suspected by the tyrant father?

‘I spoke too maturely just now! And I even interrupted the Duke…!’

I thought he wouldn’t suspect a child, but in the Ropan world, it’s entirely possible.

‘I need to speak as harmlessly and age-appropriately as possible.’

I clasped my hands tightly.

“Uncle said I should be grateful to him. Even if I did everything he told me to do from before the sun rose until the moon was high in the sky, I could never repay the debt.”

I glanced at the Duke.

His bright red eyes were glaring at me more intensely than ever.

Damn.

I feel like I’m about to cry.

‘I don’t want to die….’

How did I survive all this?

Because of one wrong word!

“It’s true!”

I hurriedly knelt and started wiping the Duke’s shoes with my sleeve. His foot, wrapped in the shoe, twitched.

“While I was polishing the shoes, Uncle said to the man that this card was proof of investment. He said the same thing to the other old man and the red-haired man! It’s true….”

Overwhelmed by the sorrow, I finally burst into tears.

I was startled and quickly covered my mouth with my other hand and bowed my head.

No one likes a crying child.

The room was deathly silent.

Thud.

Plop.

A drop of water spread on the Duke’s black, shiny shoe.

My chin trembled. I bit my lip tightly to prevent even a faint sob from escaping and squeezed my hands.

I couldn’t raise my head and just rubbed the shoe, as if it were a lifeline.

No matter how many times I wiped away the water, new drops kept appearing.

Then, a low, deep voice fell from above.

“Stop.”

It was a voice that made my spine shiver. I raised my head blankly.

Duke Paeraton was looking at me with an indescribable expression.

“Who are you daring to interrogate?”

He wasn’t speaking to me.

He was speaking to the retainers.

I couldn’t understand it at first.

Didn’t the Duke interrogate me first?

He asked me how I knew.

“Eh? We weren’t interrogating, we were just….”

The retainers couldn’t continue.

A pitch-black, thick energy was violently but infinitely calmly stirring in the office.

‘What is this….’

It was similar to the black energy that enveloped the sealed book, but different.

At that time, I didn’t feel so overwhelmed.

Thud.

I sat down on the floor without realizing it.

At that moment, the black energy disappeared like a lie.

The retainers, pale and stiff, finally exhaled.

“There’s no need to say more.”

The Duke spoke to me.

When I looked up, he was reaching out his hand to me. But he hesitated and retracted it.

I unconsciously grabbed his hand.

He stiffened slightly, then firmly lifted me up to his eye level.

“You’re recalling unnecessary memories.”

The Duke clicked his tongue.

For some reason, his words sounded like he was telling me not to recall unpleasant memories.

Perhaps, the Duke wasn’t interrogating me from the beginning 一

‘Was he… worried?’

The Duke’s eyes moved from my face to my wrist.

Seeing my crumpled sleeve, he frowned.

“Call the tailor.”

While everyone was surprised by the unexpected order, the chief butler bowed professionally.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

The Duke placed me on his lap.

When I raised my head, his hand pressed down on my head.

‘Ugh, that’s too heavy!’

His touch was very rough and clumsy, making it hard for me, a child, to hold my head up.

But it was warm.

* * *

“Mmm…”

I rolled over and opened my eyes.

Huh, did I fall asleep?

I clearly remember being in the Duke’s office last, but now I’m lying on my bed.

And the blanket is neatly tucked around me.

‘Did Anna move me here?’

I tilted my head and sat up.

The maids, who usually appeared like ghosts when I woke up, were nowhere to be seen. They must be busy with something else.

Then….

‘This is my chance!’

I pulled back the canopy and jumped out of bed.

‘My book!’

Looking around, I saw the sealed book neatly placed on the bedside table.

I quickly picked it up and examined it.

Indeed, a book that had shared a history with the House of Paeraton.

It was old-fashioned and clearly not an ordinary item 一 or so I wanted to say.

‘But it’s too old!’

Honestly, it looked like trash. I was afraid a page would fall out if I opened it.

‘I’m a bit worried, but I need to read it quickly.’

The quest window mentioned something about quick progress and development, but I’m a Ropan reader.

Of course, I love quick developments.

Without hesitation, I opened the book.

And.

Whoosh!

The pages flipped on their own, and starlight poured out.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

A river of starlight flowed from the book, enveloping me.

My hair was blown by the wind that had suddenly started. The starlight grew brighter and more radiant.

Just as I reached out to touch the starlight, entranced 一

Boom!

A light orb burst from the star, turning the world white.

Unable to withstand the intensity, I squeezed my eyes shut.

The book in my hands shook continuously, and the pages kept flipping.

Rustle, rustle 一 finally, to the last page.

Thud.

The book closed, and the light and wind disappeared.

I cautiously opened my eyes. In front of me was 一

“This… this is….”

A book that shone brightly, unimaginable from the old book I had just held.

The soft leather that fit perfectly in my hand, the gold trim protecting the edges of the book.

The sparkling star fragments and intricately cut heart-shaped gems embedded in the cover.

It was as if the book had undergone a complete transformation, from a crumbling, old book to a new one.

A summoning medium, a sealed book, and a treasure of the first Duke of Paeraton 一 it was indeed an extraordinary book.

‘…It’s not broken, just cleaned up, so it should be fine, right?’

I shuddered, imagining the Duke’s cold face.

‘Ah! It’s already happened. I’ll think about it later!’

What kind of content is written inside?

Forbidden magic or a way to borrow the power of a god?

Since it’s a sealed book, it might contain instructions on sealing a demon.

‘…It can’t be a way to summon a demon, right?’

I ran my hand over the cover, swallowed, and opened the book.

And.

There was nothing written.

Seeing the blank white pages, disappointment welled up, and I frowned.

“What is this!”

At that moment, a notification appeared.

Along with the notification, the attribute window appeared.

The unusable mark and caution items from before were gone.

‘Wow! I can use it now! My ability! Finally!’

〈The Path of a Good Reader (1)〉

Congratulations, Reader!

Reader! You have finally obtained 〈Summoning Medium: Book〉!

Please read books diligently to fulfill your duty as a reader.

A reader is a reader only when they read books. A reader who doesn’t read books is a bad reader.

Be a good reader.

– Condition: Use Cashes to summon a novel and extract and use the ability.

– Reward: 1000 Cashes

‘Oh, how rare, a quest I actually want?’

Of course, the words written are still annoying.

‘But I’ll accept it anyway.’

“Um, but how do I summon? Come out, summon, yap yap?! Or something more fantastical….”

I rolled my eyes and

coughed.

‘It’s a bit embarrassing, but no one’s here, so it’s fine.’

I confirmed the door was firmly closed and got into position.

Then, as if I were possessed by a magical heroine, I began to chant.

“O one with the blood of cold soda, I beseech you to appear before me with the power to crush sweet potatoes—”

Just as I was about to continue, a notification appeared.

Eh, why do I feel emotions from the words? It’s like they’re making fun of me….

‘Embarrassing.’

I covered my blushing cheeks and checked the next notification.

“Hmm, then…! 〈I’m a Golden Spoon, But I’m Running Away〉.”

I’ll get that heroine’s training skill and eat this Duke’s house!

With this skill, I won’t have to worry about when I might die or be kicked out!

I looked ahead confidently.

But.

Ding.

A familiar notification appeared, one I’ve seen many times.

‘Not enough Cashes, even here…!’

In front of my despair, a new notification appeared.