Chapter 122

TL : Zimming

Me and the chairman immediately headed to Vallua’s mansion.

In front of the mansion Dad, Henry, Nos, and the investigator of the Imperial Palace were there.

It was because I owned the Vallua mansion, and the notice of the house search was delivered to dad, my guardian.

Henry seemed to have come with dad because he was the one who took Vallua’s mansion on my behalf.

The investigator had a large parchment in his hand.

‘It’s a blueprint of the place.’

“If you have any other spaces than those indicated on the blueprint, please inform us in advance. If they are found during the search, you cannot avoid punishment.”

“I didn’t get notice of the extension when dealing with the mansion.”

Nos handed in a document signed by the Duke of Vallua saying that there was no extra space.

The search has begun.

I followed the investigators around pretending to be watching the search.

Vallua’s mansion is a huge-sized mansion with three-story main house, four separate houses, a servant quarter, a military barracks for the knights and a huge study in the private quarters.

It was built more than a hundred years ago, but it is very well-managed, so no place has been damaged.

I walked carefully along the courtyard.

“Oh my God, Niel. You run around so I bump into it. Let’s see, my baby. …what are you looking at, rat! You can’t go in here! You’re such an ugly little girl.”

“S, sorry, mother…”

I was eight years old when I had a fever and couldn’t even control my body. When I sneaked down to get a pill, the Duchess was looking carefully at Niel, whose forehead was slightly red.

I remember my heavy and hot body, as I tried hard to move.

“There’s nothing unusual about the courtyard to the south of the 1st floor.”

“Let’s go to the dining room.”

The investigator went to the old cupboard in the dining room.

It was the dining room that I often sneak into because I was so hungry.

When I was six-years-old, I hid under the cupboard as I ate dry and stale bread cautiously.

My body was trembling.

The memory was still vivid in my mind.

I blankly looked around the mansion and I saw an illusion.

There was the young me with curly hair holding a glass of water as I sneaked through the corridor covered with old carpets.

The seven-year-old me breaking a vase and picking up a piece of glass with my bare hands.

A little bit older than that, I curled up and trembled in a narrow corner next to the cabinet.

I lowered my head holding the hem of the dress tightly. I nearly ran out of breath.

When my eyes were moist,

“……miss.”

“…….”

“Little miss.”

I could hear someone calling me.

As I raised my head, I saw Lea bending her knees and looking at me.

Smiling affectionately, she lightly rubbed my cheek with the back of her hand.

“Why does my baby look sad?”

Lea asked me.

That was what the poor Lebaline in my second life had always wanted to hear.

“Are you sick?”

“……no.”

When I shook my head, Lea stood up holding me and gently patted me on the back.

“If you’re sick, don’t hide it. Even your sneezing makes me worried.”

“……Yes.”

I buried my face on her chest.

Lea is a strange person. She always holds my hand when I need it, when I’m scared and doesn’t know what to do.

Like a mother.

I whispered with my hand at my chest.

“You know, Lea.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not scared at all when Lea is around. It’s weird.”

“…….”

“When I’m next to Lea, I feel happy and warm. This is love, right?”

Lea kissed me on the cheek and laughed.

“I love you too.”

I hugged Lea’s neck tightly.

When we were laughing, someone was coughing.

It was the chairman.

I got out of Lea’s arms, and as she moved away a little, the chairman whispered.

“The investigation is nearly completed, but they haven’t found it yet.”

“Those idiot.”

I hurried down the hallway.

The head of the investigation, who was looking at the internal blueprint in the library, said, “Hmm…….”

‘Bookcase, bookcase.’

Sir, look over there!

Although I shouted inwardly, the investigator’s eyes were still fixed on the blueprint.

Then, other investigators came into the study.

“There’s nothing wrong with servant accommodation and barracks.”

“The same goes for the third floor. All that’s been found is the Duchess’s secret book.”

‘Fools, there’s a secret space behind your back!’

I felt frustrated and wanted to shout it out.

This can’t go on.

I pulled a book on the bookshelf randomly.

“This!”

The investigator shouted at me, my father, Nos and Henry, who were with him, looked at me.

I shouted cheerfully, pretending to be childish.

“I’m going to play with the books. I’m gonna build it as high as my dad’s height!”

An investigator glanced at the Dubbleds as if asking them to take care of me.

Then Nos came to me.

“It’s very thoughtful of you not to run around, but to pile up the books, little miss!”

Nos picked up the book I threw and brought it back to me. The investigators’ facial expressions changed.

“Your Excellency, this is a space under investigation. Let the child go back.”

When one of the investigators spoke politely, father, who was sitting solemnly on the sofa alone, replied.

“My daughter wants to stack books.”

When Dad opened his eyes, the Dubbled people which came with him glared at the investigators.

An investigator could not speak up to the Duke of Dubbled.

I threw the book with all my might.

‘There must be a button to open the passage somewhere in this bookcase.’

“Little miss.”

The chairman called me and glanced at the clock. as if telling me that we’re running out of time.

Investigators were preparing to leave the mansion one by one.

I searched the bookshelf impatiently.

Strange.

‘Why isn’t it here?’

The same bookcase was definitely in Vallua’s secret warehouse, but no matter how hard I searched, there was no button to open the entrance.

‘Isn’t there a basement in the mansion? No, knowing Duke Vallua, there must be a place for ritual in the mansion!’

“Thank you for your cooperation. We’ve finished the search, so we’ll go back now.”

The investigators bowed to my father.

The chairman whispered urgently.

“If this is the case, please reveal the secret warehouse. Vallua’s experiment was done there as well.”

“It’s already been more than ten days. Even the trace mana in the air would be gone. The summoners are almost wiped out, so they are not perfect evidence.”

Only when the ritual space in Vallua’s mansion, the secret warehouse, and the devil I called are revealed, will it be the perfect evidence.

“But there’s no other way. If we miss this opportunity, we can’t drive Duke Vallua forever.”

I bit my lips hard.

‘What should I do?’

***

The investigation of Vallua’s mansion has been completed.

The Duke of Vallua grinned.

“Yes, they couldn’t find it after all. In the end…!”

The Duke was worried the whole time. Fortunately, the investigation team eventually withdrew without finding anything.

“I’m glad it ended safely.”

When the man wearing a glove smiled as the Duke of Vallua slumped on the sofa and shook his glass.

“Yes.”

“Now that you’ve eased your worries, you’ll have to move on. What are you going to do now?”

The Duke of Vallua grinned.

“Theodore, the heartless man, seems quite absorbed in the role of being a father. I want to destroy his most precious thing.”

“Then……?”

The Duke of Vallua leaned over and lifted his eyebrows.

“I’m going to beat the little girl to death.”

“You mean the child of fate? But her escorts are strong…”

“I know an easy and fast way.”

When the Duke of Vallua pulled the rope, the butler dragged someone with a cloth on his head.

“Sa, save me. Help me! Aaah! Please…!”

The boy covered in cloth cried and begged, but the men sitting did not move an inch.

“I’ll use the gold liquor again.”

“……like 9 years ago.”

“I see.”

At that moment,

Boom!

After kicking the door, the Imperial knights came in.

“Surround him!”

The Duke of Vallua was confused and looked around.

“What……how dare you……!”

“Arrest the sinner who threatened the palace with witchcraft!”

What?

“Nothing was found at the mansion that belonged to me. But why would you……!”

A little girl walked in between the imperial knights.

“Child of fate? What are you doing here……!”

The Duke was stiff as Leblaine smiled brightly.

“I’m here to watch you being taken away!”

‘They thought I couldn’t find it huh? Even if you hide it thoroughly, there are many ways to do it.’

“The mansion’s basement.”

“……What?”

“You wonder how I find it?”

Leblaine glanced behind her back, and someone came inside.

The Duke of Vallua’s eyes widened when he saw the man who came in.

“How, how could you……!”

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