As I marveled inwardly at this peculiar combination, we found ourselves standing in front of the Duke’s office.

Sebastian knocked on the door twice with utmost politeness before speaking.

“Duke, it’s Sebastian. I have brought the young lady.”

“…Let her in.”

A low, somewhat peculiar voice with an odd sense of authority came from beyond the door.

Sebastian opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter first.

I took a deep breath, lowered my gaze, and walked into the office.

After the door closed with a thud behind me, I slowly lifted my head.

And then, without realizing it, my mouth fell open.

‘Wow.’

I wondered if such an expression was appropriate for someone who would temporarily play the role of my father, but…

‘He’s really beautiful.’

The Duke of Everdeen, Valerian Everdeen, was indeed extraordinarily handsome.

Although his skin was currently a bit pale, it was flawless and clear. His hair, neatly parted, fell across his forehead.

Behind his silver-rimmed glasses, long eyelashes fluttered with a somewhat dreamy aura.

Aside from my mother, the Duke was the first person whose beauty left me in awe.

‘Oops.’

I had been staring at the Duke’s face in a daze, but his surprised gaze snapped me back to reality.

‘A face an eight-year-old would make. A face an eight-year-old would make.’

I murmured to myself like a mantra, then put on my brightest smile.

Feeling a bit shy, I clasped my hands above my belly button and bowed politely.

“Hello, Duke! My name is Teresia Oblene. I look forward to your guidance!”

I deliberately giggled and looked at the Duke.

When there was no immediate response, I tilted my head slightly in curiosity. Only then did he blink once and pick up a quill.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Oblene. My name is Valerian Everdeen. I look forward to working with you as well.”

I was taken aback twice—first by his neat, round handwriting and second by his non-intimidating yet comforting tone and demeanor.

‘I’ve never met an adult like this before. How fascinating.’

However, I quickly tucked away my fascination and adjusted my expression.

I tried to appear as much as possible like a child who knew nothing of the world, only how to be demanding.

“But, Duke.”

“Go ahead.”

“My dad said that when I come here, I can eat lots of delicious food and wear pretty clothes as much as I want. Is that true? It didn’t seem like it on the way here!”

I tilted my head with an innocent child’s smile.

How about that, huh? Doesn’t it annoy you? Don’t you want to send me back right away?

I deliberately touched on the point that the Duke’s finances weren’t great, naturally portraying myself as a spoiled, demanding, and gluttonous child. Truly a win-win!

I eagerly waited for the Duke’s response, my eyes sparkling with expectation, but contrary to my expectations, he didn’t show any displeasure at all.

‘…Huh?’

Something felt off. Just then, with the same calm expression as before, he picked up the quill and wrote something before holding up the paper.

“I’m not sure if I can satisfy all of your desires, but I will do my best. After all, I am your guardian now.”

“Oh…”

“And if it’s okay, I’d like to call you by your name. Would you allow that?”

With a perfectly calm face, the Duke asked for my permission to call me by my name.

Taken aback by his completely unexpected demeanor, I stammered in response.

“Uh, yes. You can call me Terry…”

As I mumbled in a daze, he briefly showed a faint smile and then picked up a new piece of paper to show me.

“Alright, Terry.”

After my mother passed away, my name and nickname were things I never heard from the lips of a living person, except for the ghosts.

Of course, the Duke was half a ghost himself, so technically, he wasn’t exactly alive…

Even so, why did that single word stick in my mind so vividly?

The Duke blinked in surprise as he noticed me staring blankly at him, then spoke again.

“Are you alright? You’ve been through a lot these past few days, so it would be best for you to return to your room and rest today.”

“Yes…”

“Sebastian.”

As soon as he heard my faint reply, he called out to Sebastian.

“You called for me, sir?”

“Terry seems very tired, so please escort her to her room. You’ve done well, too.”

“It is my pleasure. I will take my leave then.”

Afterward, as I held onto Sebastian’s cautiously extended hand—more precisely, his white glove—and left the office, I couldn’t shake off a strange feeling.

This place is really peculiar…

* * *

After being shown to her room, Teresia quickly fell asleep with the maid’s help after washing up.

The maid, Mina, tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake the child.

Sebastian, who was waiting outside, spoke with a slightly serious expression as soon as the door closed.

“And the young lady?”

“I just confirmed that she fell asleep a moment ago.”

Mina replied with a face as serious as Sebastian’s.

The moment Mina finished speaking, both of them let out a deep sigh, almost simultaneously.

Sebastian, gazing at Teresia’s door with a troubled look, murmured softly.

“What on earth did she go through at the Viscount’s house…”

His voice carried a cold edge, fueled by the simmering anger within.

‘There must have been a reason why the Viscount sent the young lady here. I accepted her without thoroughly investigating due to Everdeen’s urgent situation… This was my mistake.’

The gentle-looking man hardened his expression, creating an atmosphere so chilly that it suited even a sinister look.

‘You scoundrel!’

Initially, he thought she was a remarkably brave and curious child.

Then, he found it endearing how she tried to act grown-up like a child her age, yet still displayed a blushing, excited face.

He thought her fumbling attempts to put her arms through her coat were just because the coat was too large.

But Teresia wasn’t like a child from any noble family, especially not one from the Oblene Viscount’s house, which was supposedly better off than the current Duke of Everdeen.

When she first stepped into the room, she hesitated with wide eyes, as if she was unsure.

In the Viscount’s house, which claimed to raise two children, her hair was tied so tightly that her scalp turned red. Despite wearing clothes too tight for comfort, making it hard to breathe, she never complained. Her heels were on the verge of blistering from stiff new shoes.

The child wasn’t ‘childlike.’

“I thought that Viscount was no ordinary scoundrel when I heard the rumors about him bringing a hidden mistress into the house right after his wife died…”

Mina muttered with a calm yet icy tone, gritting her teeth.

‘I can do it myself!’

Teresia would smile brightly like a child who had grown up surrounded by love, but then suddenly become wary.

She was uncomfortable with even the slightest help, often straightening her back and stiffening her neck in defiance.

To Mina, it seemed like the desperate struggle of a creature trying not to show its vulnerabilities to survive.

‘And… thank you for untying my hair.’

Mina was half-convinced that Teresia’s expression, when she finally uttered those words hesitantly before the lights went out, was the closest to genuine sincerity.

Sebastian, sharing Mina’s thoughts, spoke quietly.

“They say the new wife is devoted to caring for the two children… We need to investigate the Oblene Viscount’s house again, focusing on how the young lady has been living.”

“Yes. Please let me know once the investigation is complete. Promise me.”

“I’ll send someone. Until then, do your best to support the young lady.”

“Don’t worry.”

Mina bowed deeply.

Sebastian nodded and walked away to report this matter to Valerian.

Mina also quietly left the hallway, making sure there was no sound coming from beyond Teresia’s sleeping room.

The door opened silently when the moon hung high in the sky.