Chapter 11

At that, Enzo laughed awkwardly.

"Well, miss, a banquet isn't something that can be held with just 1 or 2 gold pieces—"

I took something crinkly out of the bag I had brought with me and held it out in front of me.

"Where did you get so many jewels...!"

Enzo looked at the jewels in my hand with an expression of immense surprise.

Each one was unique and looked incredibly expensive at a glance.

Conrad had brought these to me last night.

'This is in return for the body regression potion I gave to grandfather!'

Enzo's eyes widened.

The fact that a three-year-old like me was carrying such jewels was jaw-dropping.

He muttered, "This should be enough for the banquet..." and extended his trembling hand toward me.

Thud!

Father slapped away Enzo's hand, which was just about to reach me.

"Do you plan to extort money from a child?"

"Money from a child... I don't think these are a child's savings..."

Enzo was right.

This amount would be equivalent to the internal funds of a decent noble family.

When I received them from Conrad, I heard a trumpet in my ear.

So, although I was incredibly reluctant to part with them...

'I was planning to consider it an investment.'

Besides, being only three, I had no way to liquidate the jewels.

Father frowned at Enzo, who looked dejected.

Then he tossed something, which turned out to be a key.

"Take what you need from my private treasury."

"Yes, sir."

"What are you doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you dawdling? Can you return to the territory by the end of this week?"

"I will prepare immediately."

Enzo bowed to me and Father and hurriedly left.

'He's going to the territory by the end of this week?'

There are only six days left this week.

If Father, who has a poor relationship with Grandfather, is almost never seen at the castle, that means...

I have only six days to get closer to Father.

After that, the desperate 'Get Closer to Father Project' began.

* * *

I spent the whole day going in and out of Father's office in the barracks.

I came after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner.

It was the fourth day since Father arrived at the castle.

After lunch, I went back to Father's office.

I knocked on the large door with my tiptoes, and Enzo opened it.

"Have you finished your meal?"

Enzo, who had become familiar with me over the past two days, smiled.

Father's other officers also greeted me with smiles.

I greeted Enzo and plopped down on the carpet in front of Father's desk.

Fortunately, Father didn't say anything.

He was so busy with work after his five-year absence that he had no time to pay attention to me.

Occasionally, he would look at me playing and think, "What's that?" but...

'That's very good.'

With Grandfather, I couldn't even enter the room, but with Father, I could be in the office.

'If I stay close, I'll have a chance to show myself.'

I played by writing in my sketchbook.

Enzo, seeing this, asked, "Can you already write?"

I lifted my chin proudly.

'How hard I worked.'

It took me three years to learn, as it was completely different from Hangul or English.

'I can't write sentences well yet, but I'm much better than other kids my age.'

"Wow, you are indeed the daughter of Astra. You are not like ordinary people—"

Enzo flinched as he said this.

Father was looking at us with a blank expression.

'Enzo, you fool.'

Father hates Astra.

Especially the phrase "indeed Astra" made him snort.

While Enzo was flustered, I quickly changed the subject.

"I know a lot of letters! (I know a lot of letters!)"

"R-really? Can you write your father's name?"

"Sure!"

I leaned over and wrote diligently.

[Dae...]

I glanced at Father.

'If I do too well, he might get suspicious.'

If I'm too smart, he might start to distrust me.

'What if he thinks I'm a manufactured human?'

I erased what I had written with a crayon and wrote again.

"Here."

The officers, including Enzo, looked at it with interest.

[Mondae]

"Ahem!"

A sound like someone choking was heard from somewhere.

An officer with long hair was covering his mouth, looking like he was about to die.

Enzo was similar. He pinched his thigh fiercely.

The other officers were in no better shape.

Since I had written the letters so large, Father could see them from his desk.

"..."

As his brows furrowed, Enzo quickly said, "A-at least you got two letters right."

"Yes, for a three-year-old, you are very impressive."

Then he subtly turned the page of my sketchbook.

I glanced at Father.

'Was I overacting trying to act cute?'

I tensed, expecting him to say something.

But he went back to his work without a word.

'...'

I fiddled with the lace on my dress.

'Father seems to be a good person, better than I thought.'

Though he looks cold, he doesn't treat children harshly.

Even when I bother him, he doesn't cut me off.

'Maybe he likes me a little...?'

I shook my head.

I don't believe in unconditional affection.

It might exist for others, but not for me, the unfortunate one.

'It was the same in the original world.'

When I was Yoo Hye-min, I lived with my mother alone because my father had passed away early.

My mother remarried after I started walking.

My grandmother was very happy.

"What a surprise, I thought you'd live as a widow with a child for the rest of your life, but now you have a son-in-law who works for a good company."

My stepfather was a good person, as my grandmother was very happy.

He treated the daughter his wife brought with her well.

'Until my brother was born.'

Seven months after my mother and stepfather married, my brother Se-eun was born.

He was a charming and adorable child, and everyone in the family fell in love with him.

My grandmother would always say while holding Se-eun,

"You were born to change your mother's fate, so you've done all the filial piety you need to do in your life. Oh, what a pretty thing."

Whenever I heard this, the neighbor lady would say, "Grandma is old-fashioned."

But I didn't think her words were entirely wrong.

My mother also doted on my brother.

After my brother was born, I was no longer the center of my mother's attention, but I was okay with it.

Because my mother was happy.

One day, when I was about to start elementary school,

My brother and I fought over a doll.

"Give it to me! I'm asking you!"

"No way. Mom bought this as a birthday present!"

I pushed my brother without thinking, afraid the doll's head would tear.

"What are you doing?!"

My stepfather came in and yelled at me.

Then he comforted my crying brother.

"I'll buy you ten of those. Okay? There, there. Our Se-eun's eyes are all puffy."

My brother stuck his tongue out at me from my stepfather's arms.

When my grandmother heard the story, she rushed over.

"How can you fight with your brother over a doll? If your father says he can't live with your mother because of you, will you take responsibility? Will you?"

"..."

"Repent, repent!"

My mother pretended not to notice.

She patted my brother's back as he slept and didn't come out of the bedroom.

Children are more sensitive than you think.

They can easily sense their situation.

I vaguely realized that I had entered this family as a bridge for my brother.

My brother also realized that he could treat his sister however he wanted.

Until my brother graduated, all his homework was my responsibility.

When I became a college student, I never took a day off from part-time jobs to pay for my brother's piano lessons, which were very expensive.

Still, my brother would say things like,

"Se-eun, who's going to clean up after we eat?"

"Oh, our housemaid."

He said these things as if they were jokes.

My brother was the princess of our house, the price of being the catalyst for my mother and stepfather's marriage.

And I, having entered the house without a price, was the maid...

'Stop, stop.'

I shook my head.

Thinking about it just makes me feel bad, so I'll stop.

Still, there was one good thing that came from my brother.

I found out about <Bing.Heuk.Son>.

If I had become Arlette without knowing anything, I don't know what would have happened.

I organized my thoughts and glanced at Father.

'Anyway, I need to give something in return to be loved by Father.'

Is there any good way?

While I was pondering, there was a knock on the door.

"It's Conrad Marchal."

Conrad!

I jumped up, and Enzo, with Father's permission, opened the door.

Conrad entered the room and greeted Father.

Then he winked at me when our eyes met.

Father asked, "What is it?"

"A scout has found a clue to the purification stone in the Hadix Mountains."

"So?"

"The order is to have the troops search the Hadix Mountains for the purification stone."

"Four days after my return?"

"If the purification stone is found, the budget for the territory will be reconsidered."

Saying this, Conrad handed over a document, which seemed to be related to the purification stone.

I looked at Father anxiously.

'Will he do it? Yes?'

Disobeying an order is punishable by military law.

And he's offering to reconsider the budget!

This is a compromise even from Grandfather.

Enzo and Father's officers looked at him with pleading expressions.

Father clicked his tongue and looked at Enzo.

"Prepare the troops. We leave for the Hadix Mountains tomorrow morning."

"Yes...!"

Enzo and the officers hurried out, afraid Father might change his mind.

'The purification stone, which is said to purify curses...?'

I looked at Father, startled.

The content of the novel flashed through my mind.

"Was a purification stone found in the Hadix Mountains?"

"Yes, it's a great achievement after three attempts."

"What a pity. If it had been found while Lord Dae-mond was alive, his precious talent wouldn't have been wasted."

"Didn't General Dae-mond die in the war?"

"Didn't you know? There's a rumor that he was cursed during the war and couldn't avoid the enemy's sword."

"True, it was strange that such a great person died from a common soldier's sword."