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Even after being reborn as Reshia, I had been coldly treated in the duchy, barely scraping by with what little I could manage. So it had been a long time since I received any kindness from others. The unfamiliar warmth filled me with an unexplainable sense of awkwardness, but also with a surge of confidence that I hadn’t felt in a long while.

A harmless-looking child with a gentle impression—perhaps this was a great opportunity. People tend to open their hearts easily to small and harmless creatures, and Reshia fit that image perfectly. Moreover, as someone officially recognized as a saint by the church, my background was impeccable.

‘Great! With this momentum, I might even be able to win over the cold-hearted Duke more easily than I thought!’

With newfound determination, I clenched my small fists and spoke to the trio named after flowers.

“I want to meet the Duke. I have something to say to him.”

“The Duke… you want to meet him?”

Their eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting such words from me.

* * *

“The Duke has agreed to spare some time for you.”

Lily, who seemed extremely nervous, carefully adjusted my outfit. Rose and Daisy, standing behind her, were also visibly tense.

‘They’ve been working for the Elpinard family for over ten years, haven’t they?’

Even for people like them, meeting the Duke must be a nerve-wracking experience.

‘Just how terrifying is the Duke of Elpinard…’

The confidence that had filled me earlier began to wane slightly. I swallowed hard, and Lily, noticing my hesitation, spoke with a determined tone.

“Don’t worry, Miss. I’ll be with you, so you don’t need to be so nervous.”

‘But it seems like Lily is more nervous than I am…’

Though she didn’t seem particularly reassuring, I appreciated her effort to support me.

“Mm-hmm. I’m not nervous.”

I nodded, and a slight smile appeared on Lily’s face.

“Then, shall we go?”

After exchanging glances with Rose and Daisy, Lily led the way out into the corridor, with me following closely behind. The Elpinard Duke’s mansion was enormous. The Duke’s office was located in the main building at the center of the estate, while my room was tucked away in an outbuilding, so we had to walk quite a distance to get there.

Perhaps because I was wearing new shoes, my feet started to hurt almost immediately. But I couldn’t afford to whine about my aching feet like a real child, so I bit my lip and kept walking.

Thankfully, before I could no longer bear it and toss my shoes aside, Lily finally came to a stop.

“This is the Duke’s office.”

Standing before the enormous door, Lily took a deep breath. As a small child, the already large door felt even more imposing. It was as if the door was pressing down on me.

I hadn’t felt anything while walking here, but suddenly, my heart began to pound. Reshia’s timid nature was starting to kick in. Habits ingrained in the body were truly troublesome.

“Please, this way, Miss.”

With my gaze fixed on Lily’s kind back, I followed her closely. My heart was beating so fast and loud that my vision started to narrow, and I couldn’t take in any of the surroundings.

“The Duke, I have brought the young lady,” Lily announced, bowing her head as she stopped in front of the large desk.

‘The person sitting at the desk must be the Duke,’ I thought. I was so captivated by the sight that I forgot to bow and simply stared at the Duke’s face between the towering stacks of documents.

‘Wow.’

My first impression was one of awe. It was hard to believe that the Duke of Elpinard had a son as old as Axel; he looked so young. ‘At most, early forties?’ Most would probably guess he was in his late thirties. 

It wasn’t surprising, though, since Swordmasters aged slower than ordinary people, which explained why he appeared so youthful. His shining blond hair and cool blue eyes resembled Axel’s so closely.

‘No, that’s not right.’

If you think about it, it’s Axel who resembled the Duke, not the other way around. ‘So that handsome face was inherited from his father…’

Given the rumors about how terrifying he was, I had never imagined that he would be so good-looking. The image of a bear-like swordsman that I had pictured in my mind shattered instantly. If I had to compare him to an animal, the Duke was more like a sleek leopard—large and incredibly striking.

“What’s your business?”

The Duke spoke without lifting his eyes from the documents, casually twirling his pen. Even though I knew the question was directed at me, I found it difficult to open my mouth.

“Uh… um… so, well…”

My mind went blank as my heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst. ‘I- I need to greet him!’ Yes! First impressions are important, so I had to present myself as a well-mannered child. I barely managed to pull myself together and bowed deeply to the Duke.

“Hi! I’m Reshia!”

The constant scratching sound of the pen stopped. The Duke’s hand, busy with paperwork, came to a halt. I could feel a powerful gaze bearing down on me, as if it were splitting my skull in two.

‘Oh no, what have I done…!’

Cold sweat trickled down my back. In my head, I had intended to say, “Hello, Duke. My name is Reshia,” in a composed manner. But what came out of my mouth was such a ridiculous greeting.

Even if the Duke thought the church had brought him a fool instead of a saint, I couldn’t blame him. Desperate to prove I wasn’t an idiot, I hurriedly opened my mouth again.

“I… I’m a dolphin!”

But the words that spilled out were just as nonsensical, making things even worse.

Thump.

Thump thump.

My heart pounded so violently from the back-to-back blunders that my vision started to blur.

“…A dolphin?” the Duke asked, setting his pen down with a ‘thud.’

The sound of the pen hitting the desk echoed like thunder in the room, making my shoulders involuntarily twitch.

“What do you mean by that?” the Duke asked, his voice calm but stern.

“Phff,” came a familiar stifled laugh right after the Duke spoke, causing me to lift my head in surprise. Standing beside the Duke was Axel. In my narrowed focus, I hadn’t even noticed anyone else in the room.

‘He saw all of my embarrassing mistakes!’ I realized, mortified. Of all people, it had to be Axel!

My face flushed with embarrassment. Axel, struggling to suppress his laughter, addressed the Duke with a mockingly thoughtful expression. 

“It seems she has a fondness for dolphins. Perhaps she came here to ask for a dolphin toy.”

Axel tilted his head in feigned confusion, despite knowing full well that wasn’t the case. His teasing demeanor, however, helped calm my wildly beating heart just a little. Determined to ignore Axel’s mocking, I turned back to the Duke.

The Duke’s icy gaze, worthy of his nickname “Ghost Duke,” bore into me. Yet, now that I was aware of his resemblance to Axel, he didn’t seem quite as terrifying. My heart, which had been racing with anxiety, began to settle down.

I bowed again, determined to speak clearly this time. “Hello. I’m here because I have a request.”

Though my pronunciation wavered slightly, at least I wasn’t spewing nonsense like before.

“A request?” the Duke asked.

“Yes. I want to meet Hannah.”

“Hannah…?” The Duke glanced at Axel with a look of surprise, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Axel frowned in confusion, clearly not understanding what I was talking about. “Hannah is the maid who was assigned to look after her. She’s currently in the punishment room.”

“…You want to meet that maid? Why?” The Duke folded his arms and looked down at me, his gaze sharp and scrutinizing. His piercing eyes scanned me from head to toe, making me flinch.

“Y-Yes. Because…”

Just as I was about to explain my reason, the Duke’s expression darkened, and he suddenly stepped forward. In an instant, he was towering over me, his large shadow casting a dark veil above my head. His hand reached out toward my face, and instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘Is he going to hit me? Is that it?’ I panicked. Sure, I had mispronounced a few words, but was that really enough to warrant a punishment?

Before I could protest my innocence, the Duke’s hand grabbed the nape of my neck. Suddenly, I felt my body lift off the ground, my legs dangling helplessly in the air.

“Huh?”

Startled, I opened my eyes wide, finding the Duke’s face mere inches from mine. But his gaze wasn’t focused on me…