CH 42

“There was an imperial emblem on the front of the case.”

‘Actually, I saw you dropping it while you were killing the high priest.’

If I said so—, would my throat be sliced too?

So the lies I am about to tell have to be very plausible.

I went on with surprisingly calmness.

“That’s how I knew it belonged to the imperial family.”

But Gerard was not the only member of the imperial family who attended the banquet that day.

If he thought I had found the answer with this alone, my logic would be weak. Therefore, I must add on.

“So I reduced the scope by eliminating the options, Prince.”

[How?]

I continued answering without hesitation.

“First of all, the lady and madam of El Dorado are excluded because they do not like to smoke. And it is known that His Majesty the Emperor quit smoking.’

(TL/N: I’m pretty convinced it’s ‘lady and madam’ rather than Annette trying to sound cute by saying ‘lady madam’, still, we don’t know much about the imperial family at the moment so let’s see…)

[……]

“Among the princes, the 3rd and 4th princes are still underage, so they are not old enough to smoke under the Imperial Law. The 2nd prince is not in good health, so he often gets medical treatment. If one has asthma, one can’t be the owner of a cigarette case.”

I said with my eyes open.

“Crucially, when the Prince stroked my hair… There was a faint cigarette smell.”

Then I smiled broadly.

“But again, I wasn’t 100% sure with that alone. I gambled, and it was only after I saw the crow that the Prince had sent me early in the morning that I was convinced!”

After I finished my explanation, I looked at the parchment with wide eyes.

Emulating the look of a pure and clever model student.

‘There were no holes.’

The ‘flow of thoughts of how I found the owner’ that I told Gerard was quite plausible.

If I had actually picked up the cigarette case without knowing the owner, I would have used the same method.

[…Right.]

Also, his reaction was as expected.

“Yes! Prince.”

I laughed softly.

‘Let’s manage my facial expressions well.’

On my side, I could hear Gerard’s voice and see his writing, but there was no guarantee that it was the same for him.

‘You’ll never know, yes…?’

‘Can he see my face right now?’

I hadn’t figured out the exact function of the parchment yet, so I must be careful.

[Then I’ll ask you another question. How did you know that cigarette case was important to me?]

“……!”

For a moment, my expression almost slipped, but I managed to maintain it.

Ah, a sharp question!

[You suggested this deal with me because you determined that the item was worth the trade-off for withdrawing adoption. What is the basis for such conviction?]

‘The Prince is smarter than I expected!’

Usually, in a situation where you’re frantic to find something valuable to you, you cannot be so closely suspicious of the other person.

However, Gerard was thoroughly inquiring for information that I could not have from his point of view.

‘He’s not an easy person.’

[Answer me.]

“That…”

How did I know—

‘You were obsessed with the case like a madman in the original, Prince?’

If I said that, I was sure that it would be a win.

“I knew it when I saw the cigarette case.”

I answered calmly.

‘He’s tough, but I’m not an easy 12-year-old either.’

‘It was as if my answer had been decided from the beginning.’

There was no other option.

Because in the first place, all I had was a cigarette case.

‘I told him the right answer… Shall I put some weight on it now?’

I put an image of the cigarette case in my mind.

Then I began to ruminate through the information I had observed and obtained.

It was true that he cherished the cigarette case anyway. Thus, it was clear that the traces would remain on the actual object.

Oh, I knew it—

Found it.

“The leather on the edge of the case had a lot of oil stains on it. It must be something well used. But to my surprise, there were no small scratches on the chrome body.”

A cheerful voice continued to answer.

“It means that the owner treated it with great care, Prince.”

Or, there was a high probability it was treated very obsessively. Because the case was often used.

‘The owner is either perverse or paranoid.’

Or paranoid pervert.

“Above all, that black jewel.”

[……!]

In an instant, the sound of breathing over the communication port was slightly disturbed.

I didn’t miss the reaction.

‘As expected, the value of the case was in that black gem.’

It was neither a magic stone nor an ordinary gem. What the hell was that?

I was thinking, but I wasn’t so foolish to give off the nuance of knowing such an important thing.

It was a moment when socialization training, which required me to act two years younger than I am, was helpful.

I said, blushing.

“…That pretty jewel looked ridiculously expensive!”

[……]

Then I bowed my head and wiggled my hands in front of my modest dress.

“So, I thought it might be worth much more than a useless orphan girl like me, Prince…”

Gerard on the other side was silent for a long time after hearing all of my answers. Then he quietly opened his mouth.

[You are a very clever child, Annette.]

“Thank you!”

I replied in a friendly way, but somehow, when I heard it, it didn’t sound like a compliment.

It was certainly a compliment, but it seemed that Gerard was not pleased.

He was a man with a very strange atmosphere.

He seemed to be kind to me, a child, yet he was merciless; and while he was using a gentle tone of voice, I felt a chill when I listened a little more carefully.

He gave off a more dangerous atmosphere than any adult I had ever dealt with.

‘I’m risking my life to make a deal with this crazy guy…’

Was he just going to adopt me now?

‘It doesn’t matter if it’s a little scary, it’s ‘Living with a scary but rich dad VS Parting with my head—’. Heuk-heuk.’

[But a fundamental question still remains.]

“……!”

‘I’m going to ask you another question.’

I looked up slightly in nervousness.

‘The questions I was asked during the socialization training weren’t even difficult.’

I thought it was tricky at the time, but every time Gerard asked me a question, I felt like I was putting my head out on the guillotine.

If I make a mistake and give the wrong answer, the blade of the guillotine would… bam! I felt like it was going to hit me.

Not surprisingly, Gerard planted a large mine under my feet.

[Why are you denying my adoption request?]

‘It’s here.’

I closed my eyes for a moment. Definitely, this was the most difficult question.

In fact, the ultimate goal of the Trees was to be adopted, and being adopted by an ‘imperial’ was the greatest success for any Tree.

So, to be honest, this situation itself was absurd.

Reasons for refusing adoption requests… 

Suddenly, a soft voice rushed into my ear like a warm breeze in early summer.

“We…”

“Let’s never part and live happily ever after.”

As soon as I remembered that voice, it became vivid.

The tender warmth that enveloped me.

“Sister…”

“Let’s go out on my birthday in winter.”

“It’s like being covered by a blanket and watching it snow all day long.”

‘Heinrich, I want to keep that promise.’

‘I really want to be with him on this birthday.’

My heart throbbed a little at the thought of leaving my two children behind.

[Is it because of the children?]

“……!”

I lifted my head at the sharp voice that broke my thoughts.

Then I answered right away.

“No, that’s not the reason. Prince.”

I didn’t want to make that scary man even the slightest bit interested in the children of the Forest.

I answered, standing upright in front of the children of the Forest, as if protecting them from danger.

“There is another reason.”

Now it was time to mix the truth.

The most sophisticated lies were only complete when credible truths were mixed.

“Of course, if I were adopted, I would have a rich and prosperous life as the daughter of the imperial family. Maybe a life that all the trees envy.”

[But.]

“Nevertheless, the reason for refusing—”

I lowered my eyes, then resolutely raised my eyes and said,

“The Prince…”

[……]

“It’s because you don’t seem like a good man at all.”

[……!!!]

Gerard was silent for a moment as it was terribly unexpected.

It was probably the first time. Such a direct and honest evaluation.

All of El Dorado was praising Gerard’s talents as well as his virtues.

Gerard, who had been silent for quite a while, as if in embarrassment, quickly asked me.

It was with a very gentle voice. But he couldn’t hide his deep curiosity.

[Why do you think so, Annette? I think I’ve been kind to you.]

I humbly bowed my head.

“The weaker herbivores are, the more sensitive they are to the smell of fear and danger.”

When a lion chases, the deer runs away from a distance of several tens of meters.

“I… I had a feeling that the Prince is not as generous with children as he seemed.”

It was a pretty poor evaluation.

‘Is he going to get mad?’

Gerard’s acting skills were really excellent, but I spoke so recklessly.

Besides, Gerard was surrounded by a lot of nobles who tried to kiss his ass (?), so his personality must have been praised a lot.

But it was like throwing a fastball saying, ‘I don’t think your personality is that good!’

A mere orphan, a 12-year-old kid.

But then. Unexpectedly, a low laugh erupted from the scroll.