Chapter 6 – The Promise
‘Where… am I?’
I looked around.
A small window was set high above—higher than my head.
‘Ah… this is my laboratory.’
I stood up and placed my bare feet on the dusty wooden floor.
The air was heavy and still.
When I checked the clock, it was almost noon.
“…I’m thirsty.”
My gaze drifted toward the desk.
On a chipped tray sat a piece of dry bread and a cup of half-cold coffee.
“…Seriously?”
Muttering to myself, I grabbed the bread and bit into it hungrily.
Then I gulped down the bitter coffee in one go.
As my thirst faded, my eyes began to focus on the mess around me—
vials, old books, scraps of parchment covered in half-written formulas.
Scattered among them were a few of my latest magical designs.
And then—my eyes froze.
There, in the corner of one parchment,
was a small, neat note written in handwriting that wasn’t mine.
“Sis, this looks great. I’ll use this for mine, okay? Thanks!”
My mouth went dry.
My trembling hand reached for the parchment—
Thump—!
My heart gave a violent lurch.
I blinked, startled.
Thump—!
A strange pressure rose from the back of my throat.
“Urgh—”
I clamped my hand over my mouth—
but warm liquid slipped through my fingers, dripping down.
Bending over, I slowly pulled my hand away.
My palm was covered in dark red blood.
“…What…?”
That’s when I felt it—
the strange, creeping pain spreading through my body.
It was real.
Pain. Sharp, burning pain.
“Ha—agh!”
I stumbled, trying to hold onto the desk, but it tipped over with a crash.
Glass flasks shattered across the floor.
“Ugh—guh—!”
Blood poured from my mouth uncontrollably.
My vision blurred as I stared blankly at the cup I’d just drunk from.
“…Poison?”
Because of my studies in magical pharmacology,
I knew the symptoms immediately.
‘This is poison.’
A deadly kind—the toxin of the Midia Cactus.
The moment it’s consumed, you start coughing up blood.
Pain spreads from your insides outward,
and within minutes, you lose consciousness… and die.
“I’m… going to die?”
My eyes trembled as I stared down at the blood soaking my clothes.
A strange numbness and disbelief flooded me.
‘Who… who would do something like this?’
My lips shook; my breathing grew ragged.
Everyone in the Longton mansion despised me.
I’d always known that one day, someone might try to hurt me—
but I never imagined it would be like this.
So sudden. So cruel.
“Ha… haha…”
My body tilted backward.
What a pathetic end.
Fitting, really.
A dull thud sounded as my head hit the floor.
My limbs turned cold.
My thoughts dulled; it felt like I was sinking into deep water.
The ringing in my ears faded away.
Silence swallowed everything.
And then—
The floor vibrated.
Someone had slammed the door open.
‘Someone’s coming.’
I couldn’t see or hear anymore—
only feel.
Heavy footsteps. Rushing closer.
Then—warm hands touched my shoulder, my arm, my back.
They gripped me tightly, shaking me roughly.
A blurred voice shouted near my ear—
the words distorted, breaking apart:
“…Lia, …ah! …no, …you can’t!!”
And then, nothing.
***
“Ha—!”
I bolted upright, gasping for air.
My vision cleared slowly—
a luxurious room, filled with fine furniture polished to a shine.
A fur carpet spread across the glossy wooden floor.
“You had a nightmare.”
Across from me, Sharon Abner sat on an armchair,
one leg elegantly crossed over the other.
“What kind of dream makes a child thrash and shout so much?”
Panting, I pressed my hand over my mouth.
‘It was just a dream. Just a dream.’
Wendell stood beside me, quietly offering a glass of water.
But I couldn’t bring myself to take it.
Outside the window, night had already fallen.
I was in an unfamiliar room—
with Sharon Abner watching me closely.
When I finally understood the situation,
my voice trembled as I spoke.
“Th-the letter… it was from the orphanage, right? You didn’t ask anything about it…”
A few days ago, I had written a letter to Sharon Abner—
a desperate plea asking her to take me in,
promising that I could be of great help to her house.
And she had actually done it.
The fact that I was here, in Abner Castle instead of Longton Mansion,
was proof enough.
But one problem remained.
“D-Duke…”
Her expression stiffened slightly when I called her that.
I swallowed hard.
Now I had to stay calm. Think clearly.
“I-I know you must have a lot of questions about me,” I said quickly.
“I understand! I really do.”
Sharon’s brows furrowed—but she folded her hands calmly.
“Of course,” she said quietly.
“It would be stranger if I didn’t have questions.”
I nodded rapidly, expecting that answer.
Then, taking a deep breath, I said,
“But Lia already said it first.”
Wendell looked down at me, confused.
I pointed to the wrinkled parchment Sharon held in her hand—
the letter I had sent.
If you promise not to ask me any questions,
I’ll be a great help to House Abner.
That was what I had written.
At first, I’d been at a loss.
I knew how to send the letter—
but what should I say?
The biggest problem was obvious:
I was only four years old.
What could a four-year-old possibly write to a noble lord
that would sound believable?
But I had to make Sharon Abner curious enough to come to the orphanage.
So what should I write?
What could I say to make her want to save me?
No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t find the perfect answer.
In the end, I reached one conclusion.
‘At least, don’t lie.’
If I made things up, I’d only trip myself later.
And if I wasn’t careful, she might mistake me for one of Longton’s spies.
So, there was only one safe path—
Become a child who could keep secrets.
It was better to sound mysterious and honest
than to fill the page with fake, childish lies.
That’s why I wrote it clearly: “Don’t ask me anything.”
And then I began.
***
“You—”
Sharon’s cold voice snapped me back to the present.
“Do you even understand who I am?”
Her tone was low, sharp as a blade.
“The Ivhill Youth Research Club. Alley No. 2. The fabric shop. Hans’ Fruit Store.”
She listed every place I had mentioned in my letter.
“All of them,” she said slowly,
“are locations used by Longton’s spies.
And that fruit shop worker you mentioned?
He was one of their top agents—sent personally by the Longton leadership.”
“…”
“And the one who provided me with all this information—”
Her eyes narrowed.
“—is a four-year-old orphan from a provincial orphanage.
So tell me—how could I not be curious?”
Cold sweat trickled down my palms.
“B-but…”
The reason I knew those details was simple.
In my previous life, I had once crossed back into the Ivhill region.
That was when I discovered—by chance—
that Longton’s spies were hiding all over the area.
‘I didn’t think much of it at the time…’
But now, that information had turned out to be priceless.
Especially for Sharon Abner—
Longton’s greatest rival.
‘It was also the fastest way to earn her trust.’
Sharon Abner was an ambitious woman.
She wanted to see her family rise to the very top of the Empire—
which meant she had to crush the Longtons first.
My voice shook as I spoke again.
“B-but a promise is a promise…”
Sharon said nothing.
I forced a nervous laugh and pressed on.
“If you send me away now, it’ll be a loss for you too!
I’m really, really smart!
Everyone says I’m a genius! Honest!”
