CHAPTER 10…………………………………………………
“So I’m supposed to pick up coins from the fountain to complete the quest?”
Excerpt Reading skill ended.
Inside the carriage, my only companion was the notification window.
If I got hungry, I ate bread the maid prepared.
If I got bored, I opened the window and looked at the scenery.
At one point, I even nodded off from exhaustion.
The carriage that left in the morning didn’t stop moving until night.
Time limit: 1 hour
By the time I arrived at the Duke’s Castle, the deadline was dangerously close.
There was no time to waste.
After getting off the carriage, I hurried to find the Berkshire fountain.
‘How can a house be this big? Even for a Duke’s Castle… it’s so wide.’
The Berkshire Castle was enormous.
I lost count of how many gardens I passed.
The ticking timer made my heart race.
Fortunately, I soon spotted the fountain.
The Gold Dragon statue sparkled even at night.
“…Found it.”
I gasped, placing my hands on my knees to catch my breath.
The statue was even more magnificent than I imagined.
The massive Gold Dragon looked like it was made entirely of solid gold.
‘I’m just picking up coins from the fountain… the Gold Dragon’s curse won’t really happen, right?’
A small feeling of unease lingered.
I hesitated for a moment, then dipped my hand into the fountain water.
It was freezing.
Being a child, I had to use almost my entire arm to reach the bottom.
Touched money! (1/10)
Touched money! (2/10)
“Finally…”
The coins were slippery with algae, but they were still gold.
The initial discomfort quickly gave way to exhilaration.
Assets: 2 gold
A week into being possessed.
Escaping from 0 gold to 2 gold made my heart pound like it would burst.
Touched money! (3/10)
Touched money! (4/10)
Touched money! (5/10)
…
Touched money! (9/10)
The consecutive notification sounds made my eyes spin.
I had been starving for so long.
How much had I been ignored?
A beggar, a vagrant, an orphan.
With no money at all, I had almost starved to death.
Assets: 7 gold 2 silver
Already more than my body’s “worth.”
Touched money! (10/10)
You have touched money 10 times. Assets are now positive. Quest condition complete!
Congratulations, reader. Your level has increased!
“Wow…”
Assets: 7 gold 3 silver
It was frustrating how small my hands were.
With chubby little fingers, ten coins was already past the limit I could pick up.
The dress I wore was fancy, but it had no pockets.
While I was dazed in frustration, a voice filled with disdain rang out.
“What are you doing, filthy child?”
A tone that pierced deep into my bones.
Just hearing it made my ears tingle.
I turned around and saw a boy.
Name: Dandolo von Berkshire
Age: 8
‘Berkshire? …Is he my cousin?’
Dandolo walked straight toward me.
And then—
Splash.
He had probably intended to grab my hand to stop me, but I ended up being pushed into the fountain.
The boy looked surprised, then angry.
“Are you coveting the fountain’s money? What if the Gold Dragon protecting Berkshire gets angry?!”
The fountain wasn’t deep, so my feet touched the bottom immediately.
But combined with shame and embarrassment, my mind felt numb.
I could feel countless gold coins shifting beneath my feet.
The cold night air whipped across my cheeks.
“Pink hair… pink eyes.”
Dandolo.
I remembered him—he was the son born to Laollet and Hamilax.
“I see… so you’re the one from the rumors…”
The boy spat coldly.
Cough, cough.
The body of Ariana I possessed was already weak.
Even the maids at the Duke’s residence commented on how her growth was slower than other children.
A few days ago, I was starving in the slums—so being healthy now was surprising.
Exposed to the cold night air, I shivered violently.
Dandolo looked down at me with arrogant eyes.
“Must you show how uneducated you are?”
“I-I’m cold. Please, let me get out of here…”
“Where do you think you’re running as a caught culprit?”
He added,
“Don’t you know that Berkshires don’t pick up coins lying on the street? The interest from their assets grows dozens of times faster than any coin you pick up. Judging by your lowly eyes, you must be a cheap fake as well, making a parentage test unnecessary.”
“I just want to—”
“No. I’ll call the knights. Until then, stay in there…”
“What’s all this commotion?”
Dandolo’s words were cut short.
Tears began forming in my eyes as his expression froze.
“Y-Your Grace.”
Dandolo immediately knelt and showed proper respect.
His grip on my arm loosened, so I stepped out of the fountain first.
‘Cold.’
My whole body shivered.
Even so, I tightly held all my coins in my hands.
“Your Grace, it’s just… this child is picking up the fountain coins like a thief, shamelessly. I couldn’t just watch and wanted to teach her proper manners…”
“Silence.”
Dandolo, who had been so bold, was immediately silenced by the word “Duke.”
I slowly turned to look.
‘…He looks like a stately middle-aged man.’
His neatly pomaded hair, swept back without bangs, was gray.
His piercing red eyes flickered like blood.
‘The author must be Schwaben.’
My grandfather, head of the Berkshire family.
The Duke, the most powerful man in the empire.
I could immediately see why Schwaben was considered the most frugal of the Berkshires.
His clothes were pristine and high-quality, yet showed the marks of time.
Every garment looked treasured and long-worn.
He had been handsome enough in his prime to break many hearts.
Even now, at this age, he was astonishingly handsome.
I immediately understood why Adrian’s appearance was so exceptional.
‘So he inherited it all from Grandpa.’
“You’re Moltke’s child…”
Schwaben, who had opposed my parents’ marriage, frowned.
The Duke’s gaze slowly scanned me.
Feeling an inexplicable intimidation, I flinched and shivered.
Even in my cute dress, I felt dirty again—just like when I wore tattered slum clothes.
‘But I won’t let Grandpa intimidate me.’
At that moment, Schwaben’s status window appeared in my mind.
Name: Schwaben von Berkshire [Character] Lv.7243
Title: (Current) Duke of Berkshire
Emotional state toward player: Reflecting on his own childhood
Assets: 87% of total Berkshire holdings
Trait: God of Investment
Cannot modify status window
Despite Schwaben’s cold expression, I had to pause.
The Duke’s emotional state was unexpectedly revealing.
Reflecting on his own childhood?
‘…Which part of me is he looking at?’
