Chapter 1

"I will adopt the child."

The demon of the empire, Duke Erhardt Schuetz, declared.

The orphanage teachers held their breath.

The duke's words were clear.

With a feverish face, the child was barely breathing.

That child was the son of the late Duke Cleyder.

There were two ducal families in the empire.

The rulers of the battlefield, the Schuetz family, and the center of commerce, the Cleyder family.

Even though they were separate, the two powerful families were close friends.

If the two families were to unite, they might possess power rivaling the royal family.

However, about ten years ago, the Duke and Duchess Cleyder died in an accident.

It was a carriage accident. The carriage fell from the cliff of monsters, swallowing the duke and duchess and their infant son.

Duke Schuetz mobilized all his resources to search the north thoroughly and eventually found the bodies of the duke and duchess and the clothes the child was wearing.

The child fell from the cliff where monsters swarmed. He was surely dead.

But Duke Schuetz had been searching the empire for over ten years to find his dead friend's son.

'But it turns out that child is this one!'

The orphanage teachers were genuinely despairing.

To make matters worse, the child was suffering from a high fever.

It was the perfect timing for a misunderstanding.

If they had known, they would have treated him better, and deep regret washed over them.

While the teachers were belatedly berating themselves,

"......"

A girl quietly observed their confusion.

'Finally, we meet.'

As in the original story, Duke Schuetz found Damian.

It was the moment when the male protagonist, who had long suffered abuse, met his new family.

'I'm glad he was found safely.'

He almost missed the timing.

Because he had fallen out of favor with the director and Damian was suffering from a fever not mentioned in the original story.

But since they met safely, he wouldn't be kicked out of the orphanage for tormenting the male protagonist as in the original story.

He had repaid the male protagonist and exposed the teacher's evil deeds.

The most fortunate thing was...

'I kept the promise to let him meet his family.'

When the girl's lips curved into a gentle smile,

"And."

The duke's finger pointed to the girl sitting next to Damian.

"The child next to him. I will adopt her as well."

The knight guarding behind asked,

"Will you adopt her as a daughter?"

The duke's red eyes met the girl's.

"No. I will take her as a daughter-in-law."

"Excuse me?!"

At that moment, everyone in the room opened their mouths wide.

The girl was no exception.

'Daughter-in-law? Daughter-in-law?'

It's impossible.

Damian's wife was supposed to appear much later.

A minor antagonist, 'Eli,' couldn't have that position.

She only wanted to change her future of being kicked out onto the streets.

'Daughter-in-law!'

The girl, that is, Eli, silently despaired with her mouth wide open.

* * *

I was an orphan in the Saint territory, at the far end of the empire.

My mother was the most famous thief in the empire and was caught and killed while trying to steal from a baron's house.

After my mother passed away, I was taken in by the director.

But I didn't feel particularly grateful to the director.

He exploited the children.

Even the few caretakers were distant relatives of the director, so you can imagine how chaotic the orphanage was.

"The children are in good condition."

"Our orphanage prioritizes the children."

So when I heard those words, I was a bit angry.

The director spoke lies without batting an eye.

He had to look good to the nobles.

The empire had won consecutive victories in large and small wars, subjugating several small countries.

It was an era of overflowing wealth. The nobles were desperate to spend their abundant money.

What caught their attention were the war orphans.

So the director only brought in orphans with average looks, cleaned them up, and fed them 'just enough to look good.'

"I like that child."

The noble chose a child they liked, and that was it.

The adopted child could live well under the noble's patronage.

Sponsoring war orphans was the easiest way for nobles to show their wealth and generosity to the world.

'-That's just formal talk.'

I didn't believe it, knowing the level of this orphanage.

It was because of what the director said when he brought me to the orphanage.

"Oh, what a pretty child. Why are you crying here? Where's your mother?"

"......"

At that time, I didn't say anything. It was true that I didn't have a mother.

The director brought me to the orphanage because he liked my appearance.

But there was something he overlooked.

My mother was a famous thief who shook the empire.

'She was caught stealing from a noble's house and hanged.'

Who would adopt the daughter of a thief?

That's how I ended up being returned to the orphanage for the third time.

"What? What's wrong with this?"

Suddenly, the carriage wheel broke, and I hit my head.

And at that moment, I realized.

That I was in a world from a book.

I lived in a different world before.

A world where things were automatically made when touched, and people could be easily summoned.

In my previous life, I worked on turning such businesses and ideas into reality.

From the vague memories, it seems I quite enjoyed that job.

Realizing my past life was a good thing, but it was hard to say.

'But there is one question.'

Why do I remember the content of this novel so clearly among so many books?

I can't even remember the title of this novel.

Still, knowing the future was fortunate for me.

"Introduce yourself. You will be living with them from today."

Today, the director brought in a new child.

But his expression was terribly wrinkled.

'He must have lost another game.'

He was a gambling enthusiast. But from his constant expression, it seemed he wasn't very good at it.

'Not playing losing games would be better for him.'

I thought this and lowered my gaze.

The child was dirty, with clothes torn and a body so thin that the bones showed.

The short hair down to his shoulders revealed how neglected he was.

Children usually cowered and looked around in such situations.

But the child in front of me seemed very calm.

I found it a bit strange and stared at him.

"My name is Damian. Damian."

The moment the director said the child's name, my heart sank.

"Damian is a weak child, so don't bully him and be friendly. I do not allow fights among the orphans."

The director's voice faded like an echo.

Damian. I know this child's name.

'Finally, you're here.'

I clenched my fists.

A child I never forgot since realizing this world was from a book.

'Damian.'

This child will become the male protagonist who will overthrow the emperor, and I am the minor antagonist who torments him and gets kicked out of the orphanage.