# 11
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"How was the evidence stolen? How did you know what it was, and what was the director doing?"
“...I found out by chance because I was responsible for cleaning the principal’s office. Sometimes people come to the orphanage with children, and after listening to what they said, I know what happened to the children who followed the principal.”
Duke Elad looked at Leia silently for a long time, perhaps to gauge her true intentions.
Leia swallowed at the thought of lying to Duke Elad, but she tried to be confident.
This is because the director's crime and the evidence were not lies.
At that moment, the Duke's mouth opened again.
“You seem to have some very bad habits.”
Leah winces.
Since joining the Information Guild, I have lived without feeling much guilt about eavesdropping on other people's stories.
When this was unexpectedly pointed out to me, my face became hot.
However, the Duke actually held Leia in high esteem.
Since the principal was not a proper trustee anyway, there was no trust he could hold.
She started out like a quick-witted, smart kid, and Diana, who was very shy, followed her everywhere, so I thought it would be helpful to have her around.
But Leia, unaware of the Duke's thoughts, sighed inwardly.
'I think you're disappointed in me, well then, what if you think I shouldn't collect it?'
Well, my life has always been like this.
There is no way you can get favor from others that easily.
Leah became a little gloomy, but reminded herf of her role in returning Jack to his original place, stiffened, and lowered her head.
So I couldn't see Leah.
The Duke of Elad smiled faintly.
* * *
On his way to the duchy, Duke Elad stopped at an inn in a nearby village, as we mentioned before.
This was to wash and feed Diana properly.
When I got out of the carriage, the sun had already set.
“You better wash first.”
The Duke managed to calm Diana, who was complaining that she was hungry, and sent the two children to their room first, then ordered the knights to cloy guard the front door.
Then he called the innkeeper to wash the children and provide them with temporary clothes to wear, and the servants would bring them.
Two maids who looked to be in their late teens quickly bowed their heads.
It was a small village, and there were no signs of martial arts training, so there seemed to be no reason to worry.
However, after experiencing such a great tragedy, the Duke was very concerned about leaving the children in the care of a stranger.
Duke Elad, who was worried, called out the only woman among those currently sent and someone he could definitely trust.
“Your Highness, have you requested my presence?”
“Hmm, it may be a bit late, but thank you for coming from the Duchy, Countess Marietta, and please also convey my greetings to His Highness the Archduke.”
"You're welcome."
Bianca continued to speak with a face full of sincerity.
“I am very glad that I found the princess. If we cannot find her by today, the Archduke will move the matter himf.”
“His Highness?”
“Yes, since this case is serious...”
While Bianca laughed awkwardly, trailing off, Duke Elad also closed his mouth with a stern look on his face.
After a while, Bianca asked cheerfully, as if to change the mood.
“Then why did you request my presence? Are you going to send me away without offering me a proper meal even before I arrive at the Duchy?”
“That can't be the reason, when we return to the duchy, we'll give you a big dinner, instead...”
Duke Elad spoke in a way that was unusual for him.
Although her status was lower than that of Bianca Marietta, she was a noblewoman of the duchy and a proud leader of the Grand Duchy's knights.
Moreover, he knew that coming to the outskirts of the empire was completely out of good faith and without any political reasons, so he asked very politely.
“I would like you to watch the children while they are being washed.”
"Yes?"
Bianca, who seemed puzzled for a moment, quickly realized the Duke's concerns.
She also thought that the children's safety was her top priority, so she nodded and willingly added.
“If you're really worried, how about I cast a cleanliness spell on the kids?”
The Duke shook his head at Bianca's suggestion.
“It must have been a few days since it hadn't been washed, so even though I washed it with water several times, it seemed like all the stains wouldn't be removed, and even a single cleansing spell or spell wouldn't work.”
At those words, Bianca, remembering the children's chaotic situation again, nodded.
She was an excellent swordsman and mage, but that didn't mean she was overflowing with mana.
I was a bit tired because I had consumed more mana than I expected to find Duke Elad's daughter, and more than anything else, I had used magic that was not my specialty while preventing the mana from increasing.
“Then I will keep an eye on the princess and the child. Now that I think about it, it turns out that it is actually good. There was also something I wanted to check...”
“Hmm?”
“No, nothing.”
Bianca shrugged with a strange smile, bowed lightly, and headed to the second floor where the children were staying with the maids.
* * *
To satisfy my hunger before washing, the Duke sent me two glasses of warm milk mixed with honey.
“Milk alone is great, but milk mixed with honey!”
Wondering how good this was, I held the cup tightly with both hands and drank the milk next to Diana.
Then, suddenly, I saw a round milk spot around the corner of Diana's mouth.
“Diana, there's a stain on your mouth here.”
Diana smiled and said while carefully wiping her mouth with her sleeve.
“I removed it!”
“Huh?”
I was surprised by these words, I touched the corner of my mouth and the milk actually came out.
I quickly wiped my mouth, but felt embarrassed that I had pretended to be an adult without even noticing the stain on my face.
My body, which was young and weak compared to my mind, wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
Diana seemed to sense my embarrassment and laughed.
While I was laughing in embarrassment, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching my door.
“Is he the Duke of Elade?”
As soon as I got up to leave, the door opened.
“Oh...”
The person who opened the door and entered was not the Duke.
The one I saw when I barely opened my eyes after I passed out after jumping from the attic.
After the woman with her hair tied up high, she was followed by maids carrying a bathtub filled with warm bath water.
“Hello little girls.”
She did not know the identity of the woman who greeted me with a cheerful voice.
'She is not a member of the Lexion Knights.'
The uniform showing through the black robes was not the blue uniform they were wearing, and I had never heard of a female knight in the Rixian Knights before.
Diana looked at her to see if there was anything, but she didn't seem to know it either.
Since the Duke of Elad treated his daughter terribly, he must have sent Diana to him as someone he could trust.
I felt a faint magical power, so I wondered if he was a magician, but the momentum he released was like the power of an invincible knight, so I became more and more confused.
But even in the midst of all that, it's strange that I didn't hate her.
'On the contrary...'
“Okay, so who should we wash first? Whoever washes quickly eats first!”
"food !"
As soon as the woman finished speaking, Diana took off the clothes she was wearing and rushed into the bathtub.
The woman burst out laughing and looked at me with kind eyes.
For some reason, I felt a tickle in the corner of my heart, so I averted my eyes.
This feeling was extremely embarrassing and unfamiliar.
Fortunately, this feeling did not last long.
That was because my attention quickly turned elsewhere.
As soon as Diana jumped into the bathtub, the maids began washing her hair and smoothing it with a soft sponge, as if they were waiting for her. It was surprising to see Diana accepting their touches without any sign of embarrassment.
When I saw Diana innocently enjoying a bath, splashing bubbles, I thought she was a gentlewoman accustomed to being served.
After a while, when I saw Diana, who had taken off all the dirty spots and turned into shiny silver hair and pale skin, I took an involuntary breath.
“Diana, you are really beautiful.”
Not that I wasn't aware of Duke Elad's unique appearance, but rather that I saw the adult Diana at close range.
My heart ached at the sight of the 4-year-old's plump limbs and soft, milk-filled cheeks, a cuteness and beauty that could only be described as devastating.
then.
“Hehe, Nouna Leia is prettier!”
At Diana's sudden remark, not only the maids but also the woman who was preparing the clothes earlier turned their heads to look at me.
Aside from my messy and dirty appearance, my face turned red because I knew better than anyone else that I had unsightly split hair, a thin body, and even a faint presence when I was next to Diana.
“Your name is...Leah?”
Then the woman asked in a slightly calm voice.
I nodded quickly as if to hide my embarrassment and looked at Diana who wiped away all the moisture and changed her clothes.
Although she was wearing a dress worn by the common people, as if she had acquired it in a hurry, Diana looked as gentle as a princess who had gone out to see the world.
“Noona, come on, wash up and come back!”
And the princess, as if unable to overcome her hunger, jumped up and ran straight outside.
I tilted my head.
This was because the maids and the woman, who I thought would soon finish cleaning and leave the room, were staring at me.
I was hungry too, so I washed myf with the water left in the bathtub and tried to get out quickly, but why were they just watching me and not letting me go out to wash?
Then the woman asked in a puzzled voice.
“My little girl, I changed the water to new water, so take off your clothes and come in. The water will cool down.”
"Yes?"
“Everyone is waiting to wash you.”
“Um, are you going to wash me too?”
When I asked, I couldn't hide my embarrassment, the woman looked like I was asking something very obvious.
“I can do it on my own!”
The woman suddenly burst out laughing, as if my words seemed interesting.
“Yes, yes, now that you're older, you can do it yourf, but it will be faster with help, you won't be so hungry.”
My ears warmed from the calm tone of the voice.
“I'm not a child!”
. ...My body is a child!