ADVD 05

Chapter 5

And so, the two of them headed to the Greenwich district’s children’s clothing boutique.

“We’ll take six pieces as haute couture and buy four ready-made.”

Custom-tailored clothes were lovely, but since all of her current wardrobe was worn out, they purchased a few off-the-rack outfits as well.

Cecile looked at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a purple dress that matched the color of her eyes and had a cute ribbon with pom-poms in her hair.

“Anne, do I look cute?”

Cecile looked up sweetly at Anne and the adults around her.

Anne’s expression had melted completely, her cheeks flushed pink. She looked nothing like the stern and dignified woman Cecile had first met.

It wasn’t just Anne—everyone in the boutique, clearly used to seeing cute children, had “mom-and-dad smiles” plastered on their faces.

“You are truly the cutest in the world.”

As Anne said this, the boutique staff all nodded in agreement. Cecile thought to herself:

“I didn’t even use my best cute act yet, and they’re already like this? I guess I really am cute.”

Even among the many beauties of the imperial family, Cecile’s looks had always stood out. Her beauty had begun turning heads from as early as age two.

There was a reason the imperial family, even if they didn’t care for her, had regarded her as a valuable asset for political marriage.

“Too bad I never had the chance to use my looks properly in my past life, being too busy just trying to survive. I’m definitely making use of them this time. There’s no easier way to gain favor than by using one’s appearance.”

With that thought, Cecile poked her marshmallow-like chubby cheeks with her index finger and made a heart with both hands toward the adults, flashing a bright smile.

“Aah…!”

The adults staggered back or clutched at their chests, overwhelmed by the unbearable cuteness.

“This might actually be fun.”

Since they were already out, the two decided to stroll around Greenwich a bit.

“Is there another eight-year-old girl in the world as composed and mature as you?”

While admiring the quiet morning streets, Cecile looked up at the sound of Anne’s voice.

“You must be feeling anxious in such a strange place. But you can relax a little more. My master truly wants you to feel at home here. I do too.”

“She must be concerned that I’m not acting like a typical eight-year-old princess.”

Not being scared of spiders, not whining, and even refusing expensive clothes must have seemed like she was walking on eggshells.

Anne, looking a bit sorry for Cecile, gently tidied her hair and smiled sadly.

“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. My master may seem cold and intimidating, but he’s actually very fond of children and quite kind.”

“……”

“And he has a reason for taking a special liking to you, Miss. I can’t go into the details, but… you can trust me.”

Anne squatted down to match Cecile’s eye level and gently patted her back.

Though she couldn’t share everything, her warmth and sincerity were clear.

Cecile understood why Anne wasn’t telling her more.

“One of the greatest virtues of a noble’s servant is keeping their mouth shut. It makes sense that she wouldn’t talk about her master’s private matters with someone like me.”

Besides…

“I think I already know what she wants to say.”

Cecile actually knew quite a lot about Duke Bartholomew—probably more than most of his close aides.

“Of course. He and I were mortal enemies for ten years in my previous life. If anything, enemies know each other better than friends.”

It was widely known that Duke Bartholomew had lost his beloved wife.

She had died during childbirth, and the child had died as well.

“He lost two people he loved that day.”

That event was part of why the Duke had such a soft spot for children.

However, hardly anyone knew that the Duke’s son, who had died then, had black hair and violet eyes.

Besides the Duke himself, only a handful of his inner circle knew that detail.

“Black hair and violet eyes, just like me. It makes sense that the Duke would show sympathy—he not only saved me but even agreed to take me in temporarily.”

Cecile’s gaze turned cold.

“If he weren’t a villain and was just an ordinary man, that is.”

Even if she knew his tragic past, Cecile still couldn’t fully trust him.

She had suffered far too much at his hands in her previous life to trust his goodwill now.

Still, Cecile looked up at Anne with a face of pure innocence.

“Really? Do you think the Duke likes me?”

“Of course. How could he not, when you’re so adorable?”

“Hehe, I’m happy! Thank you, Anne!”

Cecile beamed at Anne—a bright, childlike smile befitting her eight-year-old appearance.

Anne gazed back at her fondly.

“Well, I didn’t come to Greenwich just to shop. I have a goal—finding someone to help improve the mansion’s living conditions.”

She could try fixing the place up herself, but in an eight-year-old’s body, there were limits.

“This is a job better left to someone more capable.”

Cecile was now on her way to meet that person.

Leading Anne along, she headed toward a particular location.

“Miss, is this really the place you’re looking for?”

Anne looked flustered.

Her reaction was understandable—the destination was somewhere Cecile normally would never go.

In the middle of an otherwise decent street stood a run-down building that looked ready to collapse.

The first and second floors were abandoned, and only the third floor had a shabby sign:

“Goldman Agency” — the faded letters barely visible.

Cecile spoke casually.

“If you don’t want to come in, you can wait out here.”

“What? No, not at all! That’s not what I meant. I’m coming with you!”

Flustered, Anne quickly followed Cecile inside.

Together, they opened the door to the third-floor office.

“Excuse us.”

As the door opened, a sweet, dreamy fragrance tickled Cecile’s nose.

Unlike its exterior, the inside was surprisingly clean.

It looked like a typical office, with bookshelves, a desk, and a guest sofa, all laid over a carpet.

But one side of the wall was covered with suspicious-looking objects.

Cecile only glanced at it, unfazed. Anne, however, was not.

“Are those… could they be…?”

Before she could finish, someone appeared.

“Welcome to the Goldman Agency!”

A moment later, cups of tea were set in front of Cecile and Anne.

Across from them sat a handsome man with tousled auburn hair and warm brown eyes.

With an easygoing smile, he addressed them.

“My name is Isaac Goldman. You can just call me Isaac.”

Anne, still not touching her tea, eyed him suspiciously.

“So what exactly is this place?”

“It’s a fixer agency.”

“And what, precisely, does a fixer do?”

“Anything you can imagine! Security, deliveries, collecting evidence of affairs, drafting official documents, gathering rumors, accounting, waiting tables—even attending weddings as a stand-in guest!”

Isaac answered eagerly, forming a circle with his fingers and winking.

“The only limits to what I can do are whether it’s metal, paper, or a paper without numbers on it.”

The more Anne heard, the more untrustworthy he seemed. She finally leaned over and whispered to Cecile:

“Miss, is this really the person you were looking for?”

“Yup, that’s him.”

“What are you planning to ask him to do? Whatever it is, I might be more helpful than that guy.”

Cecile smiled awkwardly and mouthed “Just wait.”

“Well then, surely you two didn’t come all this way for nothing, right?”

Isaac glanced between them before fixing his gaze on Anne.

It was only natural—what eight-year-old girl would seek out a back-alley fixer?

But Cecile was no ordinary child.

“I’d like to hire you to improve the living conditions at Duke Bartholomew’s estate.”