Chapter 48
“Is this place sturdy?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s for everyone’s safety. What’s the purpose of my kidnapping? Ransom? Or forcing someone’s demands?”
“Ha, this kid says the weirdest things.”
One of the men put his hand on my head. His rough palm smelled of earth.
“And what would you do if you knew?”
“Depending on the purpose, my father’s reaction will be different. I just want to be mentally prepared.”
“…Kids shouldn’t say things like that.”
Everything they did was awkward, but that pat on the head was oddly practiced. Why do they seem like rookie kidnappers?
I was starting to think there might be a real mastermind behind them when a third person entered the warehouse.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
His voice was especially gravelly—more husky than anything. The two kidnappers hurried over to him, shouting,
“What took you so long!”
“I didn’t expect you to grab her so quickly. She didn’t resist?”
“No, actually. The kid’s really mature and smart.”
“…Ha.”
The husky man chuckled in disbelief. Then his footsteps came steadily closer to me—
“Eek!”
He spun my chair 180 degrees. For a brief moment, I saw his menacing face, but I quickly squeezed my eyes shut.
Annoyed, he tapped my cheek a couple of times.
“Little lady, I just want to get to know you. Why pretend you didn’t see me?”
The classic villain tone. So he’s the ringleader. I gritted my teeth.
“What do you want?”
“To be friends with you.”
“I learned to stay away from adults who suddenly ask to be friends.”
“Good lesson. What else did you learn at the ducal estate?”
“Manners…?”
“Not that. Things like where your father keeps important documents, or where he’s planning to invest soon. Remember anything like that?”
“I don’t know.”
So what they wanted wasn’t money—it was information. But they’d knocked on the wrong door. Like I’d know anything that important.
Just when I thought he was a bit pathetic—
“You don’t need to know now.”
“What…?”
“Kid, do you know who your father really is?”
“Duke Schlaeger, Margrave of Flogel.”
“Right. And someone who never loves children.”
His hand gripped my shoulder tightly.
“Is he good to you?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Sure, for now. But the Duke is a very bad man. His eldest son ran away because life was so hard.”
“…”
“Ask anyone about Duke Schlaeger—they’ll all say the same thing. You’ve been caught by a dangerous man.”
“N-No…”
“That’s right. I’m telling you something very important.”
I know more than anyone about the Duke’s garbage personality! But then, he said something unexpected.
“I’ll let you go soon.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. As long as you promise to help me.”
“…Help with what?”
“Nothing much. Just bring me some things from the ducal estate when I ask—like documents.”
So basically, he wanted me to be his spy.
“Why would I—”
“I told you the Duke’s a bad man. If you don’t grab this chance to escape, he might crush you someday.”
“No! That’s not true!”
“Oh yeah? Does he do anything fatherly for you?”
“Yes! He said he’d dance with me at the finale today!”
“Ha ha ha! The Duke? No way! He probably made your brothers do it for him.”
“…”
“Any kindness he shows you is all image management. Guaranteed.”
You should open a fortune-telling shop.
The husky man soon released me, chuckling.
“I’ll give you some time to think. In the meantime, I’ll check if the Duke is even looking for you.”
“…”
“Watch her for a while,” he told the two kidnappers before leaving the warehouse.
Sigh… I get it now.
‘The Duke would never see his adopted daughter as a real daughter. We’ll plant seeds of doubt, then let her go. Eventually, she’ll learn the truth and become our spy.’ That was the plan.
Normally, a kid wouldn’t trust kidnappers. But once you plant that seed and release them, it could bloom later.
The problem was—I already knew the Duke better than they did.
Now what?
I let out a long sigh, and the remaining two kidnappers stepped closer.
“Kid, what that guy said was true. The Duke’s a cold-blooded man.”
“Yeah! Look at the young masters—they look half-dead.”
“I’ve heard rumors he’s good to you, but there’s no way he’d treat an adopted daughter better than his own blood. He must have some ulterior motive.”
I’m the one who gave him that ulterior motive.
Honestly, Duke—if you lived a better life, people wouldn’t talk about you like this.
The sad gossip kept coming.
“And he’s so cold-hearted… We’re workers at the opal mine, see? And the opals are running low.”
“They could’ve dug more tunnels, but His Grace ordered the project stopped.”
“Guess he didn’t want to waste explosives. But now we’re out of work…”
Opal mine? I remembered hearing about this in a recent meeting.
The guild master of the mines had said:
“The yield at Mine No. 7 has reached its limit. If you authorize explosives, we can immediately start developing additional tunnels.”
And the Duke had replied:
“Since there’s still ice this season, to reduce collapse risk, wait until June.”
Right—I remembered because it was strange that ice in that cold region wouldn’t melt until June. But he never said to stop work entirely!
“Misters, who told you to close the mine?”
“Huh? His Grace did.”
“You didn’t hear it from him directly, did you?”
“…What a thing to say. Of course not.”
They muttered,
“The mine’s deputy manager told us.”
“He’s wrong. The mine will continue operating.”
“Huh?”
“He did forbid explosives for now, but only until June when the ice melts. I heard it myself at the meeting!”
“Ice? …Ah!”
They seemed to get it.
“Yes. If you use explosives when ice is holding the soil together, the collapse could be worse than expected.”
“Smart kid.”
“Shouldn’t you miners know that better?”
“We don’t handle explosives. We just work with our bodies.”
“Anyway, the situation isn’t as bad as you—”
“It’s bad.”
Their tone was firm. And not without reason.
“Digging in June? It’s April now. People like us, who live on daily wages, can’t survive two months without work.”
“Ah…”
“And if the new tunnels still aren’t profitable? Then we’ll have just waited for a death notice.”
I had no response. I’d thought I could give them hope, but my words ended up no better than the deputy’s lies.
One worker clicked his tongue.
“People up high don’t care about folks like us. When a farmer clears land, do you think he worries about every ant on it?”
“…”
“Don’t look so sorry, kid. You didn’t do anything wrong. And the Duke… didn’t exactly make the wrong choice either.”
His gentle voice seemed to be trying to keep me from crying.
…And I didn’t want to see them cry either.
“Misters.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll ask my father if he can give jobs elsewhere to those who lost work.”
“W-What? No need! Don’t say something so scary!”
They looked genuinely alarmed.
Well, if I got fired from a convenience store job and someone told me the company chairman would personally meet me about it, I’d run too.
But—
“I won’t tell him who you are. I’ll just ask if he can give temporary jobs to the opal miners.”
“Hah, you talk so grown-up. But will he listen to you?”
“He will. He really likes me!”
That was a lie.
But since I said it without a second’s hesitation, they seemed at a loss for words, whispering among themselves.
“I heard he does cherish her.”
“It’s all for show!”
“But does he need to? Everyone in the county would grovel at his orders.”
“…True.”
“I don’t want to keep her long anyway. She reminds me of my niece.”
“…”
They were wavering. Yes, yes, just let me go! My arms and legs are going numb here!
But before they could decide—
The husky man came back.
“Lady! Did you wait long? I checked on the Duke—he’s working as usual. Doesn’t care about dancing with you at all.”
“No. He said he’d dance with me!”
“He’s just sweet-talking you. Open your eyes, will you?”
I refused to open them. No need to remember that unpleasant face. His voice grew rougher.
“Naïve kid. You’d better join us while you can.”
“No.”
“…Truth is, the Duke adopted another girl before you.”
“What?”
“She was doted on… until one day she vanished. They said she ran away, but we know the truth.”
“What truth?”
“Nobles take orphans and use them for experiments.”
He gently took my hand. His damp warmth was unpleasant.
“Kid, you’ll die in the Duke’s lab soon.”
“No, that’s not true!”
“It is. Why else would he adopt a commoner? We can help you—wake up!”
His desperate tone might have fooled most kids.
But I’d read the original story. The Duke had only ever adopted one child—me.
And…
“The Duke would never do that! He’s just a regular villain.”
“No! He’s really—wait, what?”
“He’s bad-tempered and doesn’t love his kids. But he doesn’t do human experiments!”
“…”
Why would he need to? With the Silver Dragon’s power, he could find mana pearls anytime he wanted.
The husky man stared at me in disbelief. Then I realized I’d opened my eyes in my excitement. Might as well shout while I’m at it.
“I believe in him! I’ve always been his only daughter!”
My voice rang through the small warehouse. The husky man, flustered, reached for my collar—
And then, I heard a familiar sound. The sound of a door being smashed open, just like at the orphanage.
Through the cold air that swept in, a man strode in—
“Sorry I’m late for your escort, Sol.”
Latiger Olt Schlaeger.
…And for some reason, he was looking at me as if he were deeply moved.
