‘What should I do?’

Isn’t it a little strange to say that a child figured it out?

“U-Uncle said so!”

I shouted confidently.

“…Are you talking about Marquis Tarenka?”

“Yes! I saw Uncle talking to a man who was wearing really, really nice clothes and saying that my dad invested!”

It wasn’t a lie.

At the time, I didn’t know the word ‘investment’ in this world, so I didn’t really understand what was going on.

But as the situation repeated itself several times, I gradually realized what was happening.

“My uncle showed the man some evidence… I don’t know what it was, but…”

I babbled on, worried that people might not believe me because I was a child.

Even if it’s a child’s words, they become more trustworthy if they are specific.

“Evidence?”

“It was a really pretty card! It was really black and shiny… Oh, it looked like this!”

A card on the assistant’s desk caught my eye.

“This is…”

The assistant picked up the card.

“Did Marquis Tarenka really show this and say that?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

I nodded as the assistant held out the card.

This was the first time I had seen it up close, but I was sure of it.

The shiny black card sparkled with a strange pattern depending on the light, and a red formal sentence was drawn on it.

‘Let’s see… Issuer… Duke Phaeraton. Huh?’

As I read the writing on the card, my eyes widened.

‘This is like a check?!’

The amount wasn’t written because it hadn’t been issued yet, but it was clearly a check in the name of the Duke.

‘So did the Duke give money to Marquis Tarenka? Or is it a counterfeit check?’

While I was surprised, the others started to murmur.

“To call this proof of investment!”

“Are you crazy to even think that?”

“If real mana stones come out of the mine, it won’t matter, but if not, it will be a big problem.”

“Yes, there will be rumors that Duke Phaeraton was involved in fraud!”

While the office became noisy in an instant, Duke Phaeraton was strangely quiet.

‘…?’

I lifted my head slightly, feeling a bit suspicious.

Then my eyes met the Duke’s.

He was still looking down at me with his chin resting on his hand.

‘Have you been watching me since earlier?’

His red pupils flickered darkly.

I couldn’t even turn my head and just shrunk my neck.

His lips parted.

“How did you hear that?”

A low and chilly question.

It was more like an interrogation.

Oh, an interrogation?

I gasped at the sudden realization.

Is this a typical situation where a tyrannical father questions and suspects his daughter?!

My romance fantasy intuition tells me this is a very important moment.

Usually, romance fantasy heroines handle this situation well and survive.

But what about those who are not heroines?

‘I must clear his suspicion. If not, I’ll be dead the moment I’m suspected of being strange!’

Cruel and ruthless tyrants in novels.

My body shuddered. I quickly opened my mouth.

“When I was meeting Uncle, I was polishing his shoes. That’s how I heard it.”

Since I only did menial work at the Marquis Tarenka’s house, all the guests thought of me as a slave.

Most of the employees were the same way.

Only a very small number of people knew that I was the young lady of the Phaeraton Duchy.

“You heard it while polishing shoes…?”

At someone’s question, I clenched my fist.

‘Yeah, you won’t believe it. That he would commit such a fraudulent act in front of others.’

The Marquis enjoyed watching me roll around like a slave in front of others.

That’s why he often called me when he met someone at the mansion.

“He probably thought that since I had no education and was young, I wouldn’t know anything even if I heard it.”

“What! Marquis Tarenka did that…!”

“As far as I know, all the checks issued by Duke Phaeraton to Marquis Tarenka in recent years have been for… Yes, for child support.”

At those words, my eyes widened.

“Child support?”

“Yes, it’s about the youngest miss’s child support.”

I opened my mouth dumbfoundedly and shouted urgently,

“No, no! I’ve never heard of child support or anything like that!”

Then the guests frowned.

“What are you talking about? The duke has been sending astronomical amounts of money every month!”

“Didn’t the Marquis of Tarenka tell you? It’s really the money that His Excellency invested in the Marquis’s mine—’

“Yes, really!”

My lips trembled with confusion.

“I have no money, so I eat a little and do the dishes and cleaning diligently. I did everything my uncle asked me to do. So he’ll let me stay and give me food.”

The guests frowned even more.

“No matter what, how could they do that to a child…? I can’t believe it.”

“Marquis Tarenka is especially famous for being a doting father.”

Why don’t they believe me!

“My uncle told me every day. My dad left without giving me any money. I was… abandoned…”

As I spoke, I became sad and my eyes began to water, so I opened them wide.

You were even abandoned by your parents.

It was the first thing I heard that I could understand to some extent.

Perhaps I said those words before I could fully understand them.

After being reborn, my whole life has been like that.

But saying out loud how I was treated even by my own parents…

Admitting that I was abandoned is really…

“But when the duke received the report from the marquis… he diligently sent the detailed records of the expenses for raising the child.”

“No! He only gave me a little work to do and only gave me two meals a day. I couldn’t finish every work and often only ate one meal. I even went hungry for days…”

The guests who kept saying it was impossible were frustrating.

I couldn’t even face the duke.

What if this is a typical situation where a tyrannical father questions and suspects his daughter?

‘I spoke too maturely earlier! And I even cut off the duke’s words…!’

I thought it was unlikely for him to suspect a child, but in another world like a romance novel, it was definitely possible.

‘I have to speak as innocently and age-appropriate as possible.’

I clasped my hands tightly together.

“My uncle said I should be grateful to him. He said even if I did everything he asked before dawn and climbed up to the highest roof when the moon was at its highest, I could never repay this debt.”

I glanced nervously at the Duke.

His red eyes shone brighter than ever as he glared at me.

Oh dear.

I feel like I’m going to cry.

‘I don’t want to die….’

How should I survive?

Just because I said one wrong thing!

“I, it’s true!”

I hurriedly went down and started wiping the Duke’s shoes with my sleeve. His feet wrapped in the shoes made me flinch.

“At that time, when I was polishing shoes like this, my uncle, sob, said that card was evidence of his investment. He said the same thing to the other grandpas and, sniff, the red-haired man! It’s true……”

I burst into tears from the overwhelming sadness.

I was so startled that I covered my mouth with my remaining hand and bowed my head deeply.
No one likes a crying child.

The surroundings were so quiet that it felt suffocating.

Drip.

Drip.

A black, mushy drop of water formed on the Duke’s shiny shoes.

My chin trembled. I bit my lip hard to prevent even a faint sob from escaping and put all my strength into my hands as I continued to rub the shoes. It was like a lifeline.

No matter how much I wiped away the droplets, new ones kept forming and wouldn’t disappear.

Then, a low and deep voice fell quietly above my head.

“Stop.”

It was a spine-chilling voice. I looked up dazedly.

The Duke of Phaeraton was looking at me with indescribable eyes.

“Who do you dare to question?”

His words weren’t directed at me.

They were aimed at the guests.

I couldn’t understand it for a moment.

Wasn’t the Duke the first one to question me?

He asked me how I knew about it.

“Yes? We’re not questioning, we just…”

The guests’ words couldn’t continue.

A black, thick energy that was dark enough not to see even a speck of light was violently but infinitely quietly stirring up the study.

‘What is that…..’

It was like the black energy that had sealed the contract, but it wasn’t the same.

At that time, I didn’t feel overwhelmed like this.

Thump.

Without realizing it, I bit my lower lip.

In that moment, the black energy disappeared like a lie.

The guests who were frozen stiff with their breaths held in barely managed to breathe again.

“There’s no need to say any more.”

The Duke spoke to me.

As he looked up at me, he reached out his hand towards me. But soon hesitated and withdrew his hand again.

Without realizing it, I grabbed his hand.

Hesitation.

The Duke stiffened slightly before lifting me up with a firm hand. Up to his eye level.

“You remembered an unnecessary memory.”

The Duke clicked his tongue softly.

His displeasure sounded like a warning not to recall unpleasant memories.

Perhaps, the Duke didn’t interrogate me from the beginning.

‘ I wonder is he is…..worried.’

The Duke’s eyes skimmed over my face and went down to my wrist.

He frowned at my crumpled sleeve.

“Call the tailor.”

While everyone was surprised by the unexpected order, the chief butler bowed professionally.

“I understand, Your Grace.”

The Duke placed me on his lap.

As I lifted my head, the Duke’s hand pressed down on my head.

‘Ugh, it’s heavy if you press down like that’

It was a rough and rugged touch that couldn’t be called a caress. It was so rough that I couldn’t properly hold my head up.

But it was warm.

***

“Ugh…”

I tossed and turned and opened my eyes.

Huh, did I fall asleep?

My last memory was being in the Duke’s study, but I was lying on my bed with even the blanket neatly covering me.

‘Did Anna move me?’

I raised my head and looked around.

I couldn’t see the maidservants who usually noticed and came in like ghosts when I woke up. They must be busy with something else.

Then…

‘It’s my chance!’

I jumped out of bed after pushing aside the canopy.

‘My book!’

Looking around, the seal book was lying quietly on the bedside table.

I picked up the book and examined it carefully.

A book that had been with the Duke of Phaeraton throughout history.

It looked antique and definitely not a common item, but…

‘It’s too old even if it’s old!’

Honestly, it looked like garbage. It would fall apart if I opened it.

‘I’m a little worried, but I have to look at this quickly.’

The quest window that urged for quick progress did say something, but I’m a romance-fantasy novel reader.

Of course, I love fast-paced developments.

I opened the book without hesitation.

And…

Paaat!

The bookshelf turned over by itself, and starlight poured out.

“Wow…”

An exclamation escaped my lips without me realizing it.

The Milky Way flowing from the book spread out and enveloped me.

In no time, my hair was being blown by the wind that started to blow. The starlight rose higher and higher and became more magnificent.

As if possessed, I reached out to touch the starlight.

And then…

Ahhh!

As the light bulbs burst out of the stars, the world turned white.

I couldn’t stand the intensity and closed my eyes tightly.

The book I was holding shook constantly and the pages kept turning.

Parak, parak, until the last page.

Thump.

As the book closed, the light and wind disappeared.

I cautiously opened my eyes. And in front of me was…

“This, this is…”

The old book from earlier was shining so brightly that it was beyond imagination.

Soft leather that clung to my hand and gold decorations that protected the corners of the book.

A sparkling star fragment and a jewel with a delicate heart cut on the cover.

The book, which seemed like it would crumble if touched, had completely changed.

It was a summoning medium, a seal book, and a secret to the Dukes of Phaeraton. It was really an unusual book.

‘…It’s not broken, it’s just clean, so it should be okay, right?’

I murmured as I thought of the cold face of the Duke.

‘Ugh! It’s already happened. Let’s think about it later!’

What kind of content could be written in this book?

A forbidden magic or a way to borrow the power of a god?

Since it was a seal book, it could be about sealing a demon.

‘…It couldn’t be a way to summon a demon.’

As I wiped the cover, I swallowed my saliva and opened the book.

And then…

There was nothing written.

I frowned at the rising disappointment as I looked at the blank white page.

‘What is this!’

At that moment, a notification popped up.

[The seal of ?Summoning Medium? has been released.]

[Usage restrictions for the ?Rush and Cash? trait have been lifted.]

At the same time as the notification, my trait window appeared.

The previously unavailable mark and warning items were gone.

‘Wow! I can finally use it! My ability! Finally!’

[A new quest has arrived.]

?The Path of a Good Reader (1)?

Congratulations, reader!

Reader! You’ve finally got your hands on ?Summoning Medium: Book?!

Please keep your duty as a reader and read books diligently in the future.

A reader is only a reader when they read books. A reader who doesn’t read books is a bad reader.

Become a good reader.

— Condition: Use cash to summon a novel and extract abilities for use.

— Reward: 1000 cash

“Oh, for once they gave me the quest I wanted?”

Of course, the words written were still unlucky.

“Anyway, I accept.”

[You have accepted the quest.]

“Umm, but how do I summon it? Come out, come out and be summoned?! Or maybe something more fantastical….”

I rolled my eyes and coughed awkwardly.

‘It’s a little embarrassing, but since no one’s around.’

I checked the firmly closed door and adjusted my posture.

And then, like a possessed mage heroine, I began to chant.

“Oh, you who possess the blood of cold cider, I beseech thee to appear before me and crush the sweet potatoes with your strength.”

[Please tell me the ?novel? you want to summon.]

An alert popped up as if interrupting my words.

Huh, why do I feel emotions in the text? It feels like it’s mocking me….

‘How annoying.’

I checked the alert that appeared while holding my bright red cheek.

[Currently, only romance fantasy novels that the reader has read can be summoned at the ?Rush and Cash? level.]

“Well, in that case…! ?I’m a Rich Kid, But I’m Running Away?.”

I’ll get that heroine’s taming skill and take down this nobleman!

With this one skill, I won’t have to worry about when I’ll die or if I’ll be kicked out anymore!

I looked ahead with confidence.

But then…

[Not enough cash.]

Sigh.

An all-too-familiar alert appeared as if I had seen it somewhere before.

‘Even here, I’m short on cash…!’

A new alert appeared in front of me in despair.

[You currently have 1000 cash and 5000 cash draw tickets.]

[Would you like to use the 5000 cash draw tickets?]