C 14
"Excuse me?"
"It's nothing."
"Oh, alright. I'll be back soon."
"Yes."
When Mayla left, I crawled under the bed.
I sat on the floor, then opened the package and arranged my collection.
"I don't know the market value of these things."
The problem is that I can't trust anyone to sell these stolen goods.
"After all, these are stolen goods... So, I can't ask for help from the people in this house."
While I was pondering, I heard a voice from outside.
It surprised me, and I quickly wrapped the fabric and slid it under the bed.
"My lady, I brought you a light soup. You can eat this and the pudding first, then have some more solid ingredients in the soup for dinner."
"Mhm."
Mayla sat me at the dining table, then blew on the soup she had brought and fed me.
I ate the soup slowly, until I finally saw the bottom of the soup bowl.
"Oh, my lady eats so well. No wonder your cheeks are so chubby."
Mayla wiped the soup that had stuck to my lips and then smiled satisfactorily.
"Thank you, Mayla..."
"There's no need to thank me; I should be thankful to you. It's thanks to my lady that I can enjoy this luxury."
"Luxury?"
"Yes, I was able to get a promotion, increase my salary as well, and I get to see this lovely lady every day."
Thank you for saying that.
I've always been the ugly duckling to anyone, so I sometimes feel strange receiving this kind of affection.
"If only I could hear well..."
It's not difficult to receive love, so I know exactly what to say to please others.
"Mhm! If Mayla is happy, I will be too!"
"Oh, my lady has a kind heart too. You'll listen well from now on, won't you?"
Mayla asked while gently stroking my cheek. Anyway, I felt a strange sensation, but I nodded obediently.
"Yes!"
"Then, is my lady ready to meet the Duke?"
"Yes."
As soon as she received my consent, Mayla called another servant.
"Hello!"
"Hello, miss."
"We'll help you get dressed."
Three maids entered, each saying hello.
"Yes, thank you!"
I smiled widely and nodded.
I sat quietly and got dressed. I thought I was going to die because I wanted to move my body so badly.
"How can my lady be so mature?"
"When I worked for another noble family, I had to attract their children's attention with all sorts of toys while dressing them."
"Do I know that, right? I really want to raise a daughter like my lady."
The maids whispered quietly.
Apparently, they thought I couldn't hear them, but as I mentioned earlier, my hearing is very good.
"Fortunately, my reputation seems to be good."
Dressing up takes quite some time.
Sometimes, choosing clothes only takes about 30 minutes.
So, even if you're a child, it will take an hour, two if you cry or complain.
But anyway, I can handle it a bit better since my soul is that of an adult.
"It's okay, everything's done, my lady!"
"Yes!"
Finally, this tedious preparation was over.
I jumped up and stood in front of the mirror.
A light pink dress that matches the color of my hair sways. The ribbon hanging from my head adds another level to my cuteness.
After getting dressed, I grabbed the stuffed tiger that was on my bed.
"Come on!"
"Alright, my lady."
I headed to the Duke's office.
"Hello, gentlemen! I came to see Grandpa."
As soon as I reached the door, I smiled broadly and bowed my head. The guards' eyes widened.
A polite greeting is worth 100 points.
So, a knight crouched down and looked into my eyes.
"Haha, is the young lady talking to us?"
"Yes!"
"I see. Has the young lady already spoken to the patriarch?"
"Yes. Grandpa asked me to come."
"Very well, please wait a moment, miss. I'll inform him."
"Alright!"
The knights said something to each other before nodding.
"You may enter."
"Yes! Cheer up, knights!"
I took a deep breath and entered the office.
"Is that girl perhaps...?"
"Yes! She's... Lord Erno's current plaything."
"... What a pity, even though she's such a smart girl."
I pretended not to hear their voices before the door closed.
I had a long and difficult journey before I got here, but Duke Miriel wasn't alone in the office, as I had thought.
"Hello, Grandpa, hello, Father."
The two people who were facing each other turned their eyes toward me.
Behind Duke Miriel, there was a cute and shy girl, hiding behind his legs with a frightened expression.
"First of all..."
I ran, then I hugged Erno Etham's legs and buried my face.
It seemed I had been hired (?) by Erno Etham to play on Duke Miriel's feelings, so I showed some tenderness.
"Father!"
"... Yes."
His reaction wasn't as warm.
"Has he already lost interest in me?"
Maybe it's because he's learned about the power the heroine possesses and the suggestion of adopting that girl as his daughter.
"... Tsk, then it's all too late."
I had anticipated this, but I still felt somewhat strange seeing Erno Etham's lukewarm attitude.
"It's fine."
I'm a bit surprised it ended faster than I expected!
Of course, choosing the heroine who was born with everything is the right thing to do, rather than holding onto a useless lizard who can't even be of help.
I'm sure I would do the same.
Yes, what's good about someone like me?
I tried to convince myself, then turned to look at Duke Miriel.
"You're here, fluffy little thing."
"... Yes, Eirin woke up."
"There were flying stones where you told us. So, our business is back to normal, and we avoided headaches."
"That's a relief!"
"Then, I heard something terrifying happened while I was away, and you helped."
"Yes, I helped Father because he was sick."
Erno Etham's eyebrows furrowed at those words, and then he looked at me.
I covered my mouth in silence so sparks wouldn't fly at me.
"Right, a reward is good. I think anyone who does reasonable work should receive a fair reward."
"A reward?"
I deliberately pretended not to know. Then, Duke Miriel lightly stroked his chin.
"In summary, a wish coupon."
"A coupon?"
Those words alone made my heart beat faster.
"Tell me if there's something you want. If you want to inherit the family name, let's do it. If you want to inherit a mine or a business, that's fine too. What do you desire?"
Duke Miriel spoke extensively about what could be done in a serious tone.
I didn't really hesitate at all.
In reality, there was only one thing I wanted to take with me when I left the Etham family.
I didn't want a big business, a grand building, and certainly not a family name I would inherit in this family.
"Money."
I clasped my hands, then extended them politely.
"What did you just say?"
"Please give me money in my bank account."
"Money?"
"Yes!"
"You want money? How much do you want?"
How much do I want?
Actually, I hadn't thought that far.
After thinking for a moment, I opened my palms and stretched them forward.
"F-Five..."
"Five?"
"No... One million loste..."
"Wow, one million loste?"
In short, one million loste here is equivalent to one million won in South Korean currency.
(Note: Approximately 758 USD)
Perhaps because it's hard to calculate, the author of the novel <Adopted> equates the exchange rate with South Korean currency.
Of course, this makes it easier for me to calculate.
"One million won is a lot of money..."
Is it the same in this world?
"Even though Erno Etham gave ten million loste..."
I didn't know much about the prices of goods in this world.
"You said you wanted one million loste now?"
The Duke Miriel's question sounded somewhat unusual.
Aware of this situation, I shook my head, then lowered one hand and hid it behind my back.
"No. F-Five hundred..."
"Five hundred?"
At this point, I felt a bit challenged.
For someone holding the title of Duke, isn't this too stingy?
Contrary to what I thought, I folded two more fingers.
"T-Three hundred..."
This is a bit unfair.
Of course, I only took part of the heroine's future work and sold the information I saw in the novel.
But, aren't 300,000 won too cruel?
In fact, I would get even more rewards than now if I reported it to the newspaper.
"Is that the price you're asking for the information you gave?"
"..."
He reached out his hand.
His wrists were adorned with iridescent platinum bracelets that shimmered every time they reflected the light.
And I have a small bronze bracelet on my wrist.
This is my bank pass, which also functions as the key to my safe deposit box and account transfers.
Although platinum means VVIP, I'm just a regular customer.
By joining these bracelets, we can send and receive any amount of money desired.
Even in stores, especially if it's a "Magic Tower branch," we can pay directly with this bracelet without having to carry much cash.
However, if it's not a "Magic Tower branch," payment must be made in cash because there's no "magic payment machine."
Hesitantly, I extended the hand wearing the bracelet, and Duke Miriel placed his bracelet over mine.
Ring~
A small cluster of lights appeared, then disappeared quickly.
"I think the information you provided is worth at least this."
The light vanished, and a hologram appeared on the bracelet.
[Deposit Amount: 100,000,000 Loste
Balance: 110,000,000 Loste]
A hundred million?!
My mouth hung open wide at the amount I saw for the first time in my life.
