Chapter 4
Penelope, who had been wholly absorbed in her meal and had momentarily forgotten the duke’s presence, suddenly choked with a kek.
Thank goodness there was nothing in her mouth at the time.
Yesterday it was a sewer rat, today it’s a piglet…
She’d dressed up nicely, and yet here she was, being treated like livestock again.
But Penelope wasn’t the type to wilt under such petty insults.
Compared to the vicious verbal abuse she’d endured in her past life, this was practically a compliment.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“Good. You’re going to be my daughter, after all. You should grow up strong and healthy like a wild boar.”
“…Yes.”
…Wait. Was that “piglet” remark just now supposed to be a compliment or a blessing of some kind?
Penelope found herself a little confused.
The Calix Duke, seemingly oblivious to her strange expression, got straight to the point.
“So, what’s your decision?”
Do you want to die, or be my daughter?
The answer was practically decided already.
“I’ll do it.”
“Wise choice.”
The blackmailer—no, her soon-to-be adoptive father—lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked grin.
It was the kind of smile that seemed to say, Good, no need to go through the trouble of wringing a little brat’s neck.
Penelope swallowed dryly.
This man as my father… this will be fine, right?
* *
With dessert came a silver tray bearing the adoption papers.
Judging by the neat handwriting, they’d been drawn up just last night—dense with clauses and stipulations.
It was a blessing she’d learned to read by peeking over others’ shoulders in her past life.
Penelope bent over the page, diligently reading each line.
The document stated:
From the moment of signing, Penelope Banton shall become Penelope Calix, the adopted daughter of Theodore Calix.
Penelope Calix shall be recognized as the lawful heir of Theodore Calix.
After that came long, complex paragraphs about property, legal authority, and rights.
So I’m going to be the heir to the ducal house…
She’d already known that, but seeing it written in such formal, legal language gave the fact a different kind of weight.
Glancing up from the page, Penelope eyed the Duke.
“By the way, Your Grace…”
“What?”
“My background… I’m obviously not a noble, not even a wealthy commoner. Is it really fine for me to be your heir?”
Like the old man she’d seen the day before, there might be those who opposed her.
Penelope wanted to hear the Duke’s assurance that he would protect her.
“It’s my will. Anyone who goes against it… let’s see… yes, they’ll need an example set for them.”
“T-Then, could you add a clause to that effect in the contract?”
“This document already means what you’re asking.”
“Still… I’d like it to be written out clearly…”
Even while gauging his mood, she pressed her point to the end. To the Duke, it might have seemed absurd for such a slip of a girl.
A brat who actually reads the contract properly is better than a fool who can’t.
The Duke found himself quietly approving of her behavior. She looked like a frail waif, skin and bones with big eyes, but she had more backbone than expected.
“Fine. I’ll have a separate agreement drawn up regarding your treatment.”
He took a blank sheet of paper and, without hesitation, began writing.
The clause stated that if anyone disregarded her rights as heir, the Duke himself would intervene and deliver punishment.
“In return, you will also have to conduct yourself in a manner befitting the dignity of House Calix.”
“Understood!”
Penelope recalled the final clause of the agreement:
If she sullied the honor of House Calix or challenged the authority of its head, she could be disowned.
It meant that if the Duke changed his mind, she could be cast out at any time—a clause heavily against her favor.
Even knowing this, Penelope silently signed both the adoption papers and the contract in neat, careful letters.
This is good enough. The Duke agreed to be on my side, and that’s all I need.
After all, this opportunity came from the Duke’s whim. Penelope was satisfied just to have such an incredible stroke of luck.
In fact, she had already made plans for the worst-case scenario—being thrown out.
According to the contract… if I save a year’s allowance, I can buy a pretty decent house. Then I won’t have to worry about making a living!
In other words, survive for a year and she’d become a suspiciously wealthy little commoner.
The Duke isn’t the only one with a plan!
Sticking her tongue out in her mind, she set down the pen.
“I’ve signed everything, Your Grace.”
The Duke sealed the adoption papers and handed them to the butler.
“Send these to the royal capital immediately.”
“Today, sir?”
“Yes. Better to get it done while there’s no one around to cause trouble.”
He snatched up the contract with Penelope and, as if his business were finished, stood from his seat.
“I’ll keep this contract myself.”
It seemed like he was about to leave the dining room altogether, so Penelope quickly hopped down from her chair.
“Your Grace!”
“…What is it?”
The Duke looked down at the small hand extended toward him.
Penelope swallowed nervously under his cold gaze.
“I… I’m saying I’m in your care.”
Only then did the Duke seem to realize what her gesture meant. He let out a short scoff.
“Hah.”
“Since we’re going to be family… I… I want to make a good impression on you.”
Strictly speaking, she wanted to make a good impression on his wealth, but still—good relations were good relations.
The Duke stared into Penelope’s round eyes. Her glass-like red irises gleamed with a chilling light.
Maybe this was a bit too much…
Just as she was about to awkwardly withdraw her hand, the Duke’s large, scarred hand briefly clasped her small, thin white one before letting go.
“Next time we dine, I hope you’ll be in a more presentable state.”
With those final words, the Duke vanished like the wind.
…Wow.
Left alone before she realized it, Penelope’s mouth hung slightly open.
The Duke’s hand, which looked like it should run cold with blue blood, had been surprisingly warm.
“Did the talk go well?”
Derrick, the vice-commander of the Black Hawk Knights, followed Duke Theodore Calix with a beaming smile.
The duke asked bluntly.
“Her bloodline?”
“Lady Penelope has absolutely no trace of Calix blood.”
“Can you swear to that?”
“I could swear on my knighthood, if you wish.”
“I see.”
“I’ve been racking my brain hunting down every last remote branch with even a drop of Calix blood, and yet a successor candidate was right under our noses! If that’s the case, I should have just grabbed some random kid from the start—uh!”
Derrick caught himself mid-sentence and glanced nervously at the duke. But when the duke didn’t comment on his slip, Derrick quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
“I dug up a bit more information, but like I reported earlier, there’s nothing much. She’s an eight-year-old girl living in a slum back alley. Personality-wise… well, they say she’s timid and cries easily, like most kids her age.”
“She didn’t seem that way to me.”
“…Pardon?”
“Never mind. The cleanup went smoothly?”
“Yes! We paid her parents to give up custody, and threw in a bit extra to keep their mouths shut. They didn’t seem particularly attached to her. Lucky for us—less trouble that way.”
After delivering his reports, Derrick asked in a slightly suggestive tone,
“By the way, Your Grace… did you manage to win the child over?”
“Win her over?”
“You know, like I said before—Your Grace can be a bit intimidating, so you ought to learn how to deal with children. Give her some compliments, offer a bit of encouragement… that sort of thing helps a father-daughter bond.”
“We’re not even related by blood. Why bother?”
At the frosty reply, Derrick sighed and shook his head.
“Never mind. My fault for bringing it up.”
The duke was silent for a moment, then said,
“I did compare her to an animal as a compliment.”
“You did? You, Your Grace?”
“Why that face? Like you said, she’s going to be my daughter. I can spare a few kind words.”
Derrick’s jaw dropped.
“Wow. What did you call her? A kitten? A rabbit? A puppy?”
“A piglet. I told her she should grow up healthy like a wild boar.”
It was perhaps inevitable that Derrick, after bursting into laughter clutching his stomach, ended up getting smacked in the back of the head by the duke.
Duke Calix Adopts a Child!
It was explosive news. The imperial capital was turned upside down.
“What kind of family did the child come from?”
“There’s a rumor she’s a distant relative of the Calix line.”
“Then why is it so vague? If that were true, those relatives would already be strutting about bragging to everyone.”
“Is it a girl or a boy?”
“Some say she’s Duke Calix’s illegitimate child. Could it be true?”
“Would it? But the duke can’t stand people in general. You think he would father a child and bring it home?”
“He might not have been that way in his youth.”
“No, he’s a famously committed bachelor.”
“What’s really going on here?”
“Go find out—anything!”
And it wasn’t just noble society in an uproar. The news of Duke Calix’s adoption hit the streets in special editions and splashed across newspaper headlines.
All eyes were on the Calix household.
Who will be the next Calix heir?
Everyone was on edge, waiting for answers. Yet the Calix estate was as silent as a stone.
Penelope’s daily life was equally uneventful.
Since becoming “Lady Penelope Calix,” she’d never enjoyed such a peaceful life—whether before or after her regression.
“Ahhh, this is heaven. The food’s delicious, I don’t have to work, and I can just laze around. The idle life is the best.”
After signing the adoption papers, she hadn’t seen Duke Calix even once. For a whole month!
In that time, she’d done exactly three things:
Eat, sleep, and poop.
In other words, she’d been enjoying a life of complete leisure.
“Meals appear right on time, I wake up with the sunrise, go to bed when it sets. In between, I lie around or stroll around the mansion.”
It was the sweet life of a pampered noble.
But after a month of this laid-back existence, an uneasy thought began to creep into Penelope’s mind.
“…Am I really allowed to just live like this?”
