Chapter 27
‘I’m screwed.’
The moment I saw the utterly shattered surprise ball—and Ricardo standing on it, staring at me—I immediately thought that.
It looked like the surprise ball’s effects had completely worn off. Everyone who had been under its influence had now returned to their senses.
“……”
As the gazes shifted to me, Maya flinched in shock.
“Ah, milady! When did you get over there?”
She came running as I peeked out shyly from behind a pillar.
Unlike last time, at least I’d been transported to a reasonable location, which was a relief. If it had been somewhere worse, suspicions would’ve really piled up… or maybe not. This situation still wasn’t exactly good.
“You…”
Even Othello seemed to be frowning.
Did they realize I’d been somewhere else?
In the original story, Ricardo Winchester had such keen instincts he could sense ambushes by trained assassins.
My heart pounded as I stared into his deep green eyes.
“This…”
I flinched as his red lips moved.
The shattered surprise ball at his feet felt like an omen for my future.
Maybe I’d gotten too drunk on the temporary attention and forgotten what a terrifying villain he really was. Fear started creeping in.
“…Is this yours?”
Despite the distance between us, his cold, piercing gaze froze me in place.
I couldn’t tell what that look meant.
Was it blame for ruining the party atmosphere? Or had he figured out I’d done something?
Even Maya looked flustered and unsure of what to do.
“Among the lady’s toys… there wasn’t anything like this…”
The room was deathly silent, and I clenched my fists tightly.
Jin was staring. So was Permetis. And Zestia… everyone was looking at me.
One wrong move and I’d be in real trouble…
So there was only one way out of this.
Then, suddenly, Ricardo’s eyebrow twitched.
At the same moment, my mouth opened.
“Sha… Shasha’s scared!”
Even like this, I’m still a three-year-old.
And for a three-year-old, crying at any time or place isn’t unusual.
At this age, even just making eye contact with a scary-looking man is enough reason to cry!
“I dunno…”
Tears welled up in my eyes right away, filled with sadness and fear.
But I tried hard not to make any sound.
Today’s performance was all about looking pitiful while holding back tears.
A loud, wailing sob might’ve seemed excessive. But clenching my fists and letting tears fall silently? That would look much more tragic.
And it’d make others hesitate to ask questions too.
“Hic…”
Jin and Othello, who had been staring at me, turned their gazes toward Ricardo.
“A-ah, milady…”
Maya’s voice trembled.
The more I immersed myself in this act, the more genuinely sorrowful I felt.
‘So don’t ask anything. Please.’
I hadn’t realized the surprise ball would shatter so easily from a bit of physical force.
They should’ve put a warning on it.
Hic.
Ricardo was still staring at me.
“……”
After a moment, he let out a sigh and spoke with furrowed brows.
“Come here.”
Sniffling, I walked over to him and looked up.
Maybe I really did look pitiful, because I saw his eyebrow twitch again.
He stared at me for a long moment, then pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke to Maya.
“Take the child inside.”
Maya bowed her head hastily.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After that dizzying night, I finally heard what had happened.
Apparently, after I had sniffled pitifully in front of Ricardo, some of the relatives who had been wary of me had let down their guard.
They said my silent sobbing even garnered a bit of sympathy.
“She lost her mother as soon as she was born. Growing up between the grim duke and her half-brothers must be stifling.” Or something like “She looked so pitiful trying not to cry.”
Also, the surprise ball from yesterday had been disposed of.
“I wonder where that toy came from…”
Maya asked me, but I only responded with baby babble.
“All items that come into Winchester, from needles to wardrobes, go through thorough inspection. That includes toys…”
Maya said while tying up my hair.
“I’ve never seen that one before. His Grace must’ve been worried it was dangerous.”
The thorough inspection couldn’t just be about quality control.
The Winchester family had many enemies.
External enemies, internal enemies—there were plenty of both.
And on a day like yesterday, it was difficult to distinguish between the internal ones.
‘Ricardo… Was he… worried about me?’
But his icy stare hadn’t shown a single shred of warmth or concern—just like always.
In the original story, Ricardo was not someone who trusted or loved others.
Not even his own children.
“No way.”
The reflection in the mirror was that of an innocent, adorable three-year-old.
No one would suspect anything from me for now, but I realized I needed to start being more careful with my actions.
“M’lady, tonight there’s an event where they put offerings in the Goblet of Darkness. That smoke you’ll see is the sacrifice being burned for the Black Dragon… We’ll probably see another spectacular display.”
From outside the window, I could already see thin streams of white smoke rising.
“I wonder what kind of flame Young Master Jin will show. I heard he was amazing last year.”
“Fwame?”
It was a traditional Winchester family ceremony—an important one.
“The flames shoot up beautifully. When you’re older, you’ll get to put something in the goblet too.”
The founder and source of the Winchesters, the Black Dragon, who loved the night and the dark.
They offered tributes to it, and by reading the color of the flames from the Goblet of Darkness, they would confirm whether someone was a descendant of the dragon.
The intensity and splendor of the fire was used to judge who had greater power—and who was chosen by the Black Flame as heir.
In a family ruled by the law of the jungle, it was also a way to measure strength without shedding kin blood.
“Oh! The young masters are back.”
At Maya’s words, I looked outside and saw pink and sky-blue hair far below.
Ricardo, Jin, and Othello had gone out hunting, but it seemed only the two had returned.
They both rode black horses, but their pastel hair made them stand out even more.
Maybe blood had splattered on his face—Othello was wiping his cheek with a white cloth when he suddenly looked up.
“Milady, Young Master Othello is looking this way.”
I flinched at Maya’s words and quickly ducked behind the bed guard.
Through the slats, I thought I saw Othello smirk.
Then he turned back to Jin and resumed chatting.
“Are you shy, milady?”
Ignoring Maya’s teasing smile, I turned my head away.
Since yesterday, I’d had this thought—maintaining some distance from the family was essential.
The more attention I drew, the more my actions would be limited.
If they ever found out I was a reincarnator…
I shuddered.
The Winchester family was the worst villainous house in the empire. I was just clinging to the tiny tip of the iceberg that floated above the surface.
“Milady, it’s Robin.”
At that moment, a man’s voice came from outside.
Robin was the knight assigned to me about six months ago. He was supposed to have arrived earlier, but his deployment had been delayed due to an injury.
I’d imagined him as a rough, arrogant knight based on the novel—but he was surprisingly kind.
“I brought gifts.”
Maya’s eyes widened at the sight.
“Robin?”
I was surprised too.
He was carrying a whole armful of new toys.
Clockwork cars, balloons, a cat doll that lit up, a teddy bear, a soft rubber disc, and even a giraffe teether that seemed a bit too young for me now…
And three balls that looked quite similar to the surprise ball from yesterday.
All of them had red ribbons tied to them.
Red ribbons marked with Elre Toy Shop—a high-end toy store in Rosento, and the origin of most of my toys.
“Wait, how does Robin have this much money? One of these probably costs more than a rookie knight’s monthly pay.”
Maya picked up the cat doll and asked.
Gasp—this is that expensive?
Since I hadn’t seen a huge variety of toys, I’d assumed my budget was tiny… But it seemed I’d underestimated things.
Maybe because I was a Winchester daughter after all?
“Of course I didn’t buy them myself…”
Robin sighed softly and said,
“They were all sent by your blood relatives.”
“What?”
“It just… ended up that way. It means there are more people who look on the young lady favorably now.”
All I did was pretend to cry a little… Or maybe it was thanks to my brothers escorting me?
Whatever the reason, I was happy to get new toys.
That’s the power of a gift, after all.
I hugged the pink ball that looked like the surprise ball.
Robin leaned down and added,
“That one was sent by His Grace, the Duke.”
Was it to replace the one I broke yesterday?
Ricardo’s face came to mind—his expression had been so complicated as he stared at me.
