The children next to Erilot hastily unfolded the scattered notes piled on the table.

21st place, 17th place, 16th place, 15th place... 4th place?!

“There’s even a 4th place note!”

“Found it in the library.”

At that moment, Balzac dropped a note on the table, and Joshua followed.

Balzac scratched his head, sounding annoyed.

“Is it even meaningful to call out more ranks? I found 3rd place.”

“I’m the 2nd place.”

He said, having found it while entering the library with Erilot.

You have to pass the Needle Alley to get to the library, so no one can go alone.

Everyone was stunned, glancing back and forth between Erilot and the twins.

Then Joffrey, fuming, shouted,

“This is ridiculous! You have them all, so we can’t find any! This is cheating! It’s cheating!”

Unable to contain his anger, Joffrey pointed his finger at Erilot and yelled.

Even some adults nodded in agreement — parents whose kids couldn’t find notes.

“This test wasn’t conducted properly. One kid monopolized all the notes, so others lost their chance.”

Fueled by agreement, Joffrey jumped up.

“The Marquis never said you could find multiple notes!”

Erilot tilted her head innocently and said,

“If the Marquis didn’t tell me to, is it all cheating? But then why...?”

She glanced around and continued.

“The Marquis never told us to get help from our parents, yet everyone called their mothers and fathers?”

Joffrey’s shoulders twitched.

Erilot smiled sweetly.

“It’s weird if I’m the only one cheating, right?”

That smile so resembled the Duke’s it sent chills down my spine.

A soft chuckle came from somewhere.

Everyone turned their attention to the source.

The Duke was smiling at Erilot, lips curled up.

“Erilot is right.”

“F-Father!”

“Grandfather...”

The Duke slammed his fist heavily on the table.

“Did your father teach you it’s alright to make a scene in front of me, Joffrey?”

Joffrey and his father Balderic went pale.

Joffrey answered in a small voice,

“N-No, Grandfather...”

The Duke waved his hand dismissively.

“From where I stand, there’s no one like three-year-old Erilot. The test is over.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The faces of the 3rd generation’s parents instantly hardened.

Erilot, previously ignored, had suddenly surged ahead.

And Father was smiling?

“What on earth is that kid...”

Someone muttered, and Daymond replied lightly.

“What do you mean? She’s my daughter.”

His face was calm, but his smile stretched to the skies and showed no sign of fading.

After the banquet, the twins and I left the hall.

We were told that room assignments had finished during the meal, and servants had moved all our luggage.

I was ecstatic to hear the location of my room from Marquis Debussy.

‘Of course the 4th place room would be this one!’

Balzac looked puzzled at my skipping steps.

“Baby, are you happy?”

“Yes!”

“But you didn’t get the 1st place room?”

Debussy seemed to be debating whether to give me the first place room, but I said I liked the 4th place room.

‘It’s exactly the one I was aiming for.’

“Great!”

I answered, and Joshua chuckled.

“That’s good. Our room is right next to yours.”

I already knew.

I had planned this arrangement when I helped find the 2nd and 3rd place notes.

Knowing the notes were near the library, I slyly pulled in the twins.

‘Balzac and Joshua are sensitive to any noise — if someone tries to sneak into my room, they’ll help.’

“By the way, aren’t you going to say hi to Baby?”

“After the banquet, the 2nd generation and Grandfather have tea time.”

Joshua said, and Balzac added,

“They call it tea time, but it’s basically a briefing. I tell them what big things I’ve done and what’s happening in the capital...”

“They’re desperate to please Grandfather.”

“I didn’t expect the General to stay for tea time, though. Right, Joshua?”

“I think...”

Joshua muttered and then chuckled.

“Wow, your kids are impressive. Balzac and Joshua found some high-ranked notes, didn’t they?”

“Eh, it’s nothing.”

“But isn’t it 5th and 4th?”

“3rd and 2nd.”

Father acted casual but snapped his eyes wide open correcting the twins’ ranking mistake.

“Erilot found ten notes.”

“Fourteen.”

“Oh...”

“21st, 17th, 16th, 15th... (omitted) ...and even 4th.”

“Haha...”

He corrected me almost like firing laser beams when I got the note count wrong.

Joshua glanced toward the banquet hall.

“He wants to show off.”

Balzac chuckled.

“A few days ago, he said we didn’t have to struggle so hard for good results.”

‘Probably so I wouldn’t get pressured.’

The twins just barely got along with Father. They might be anxious about keeping this harmony through grades.

But which parent dislikes their child getting good grades?

‘I made Father happy.’

I smiled even more brightly.

As we talked, we quickly reached the annex.

The annex rooms each had different colored doors.

Balzac’s room was red, Joshua’s blue, and mine black.

“Baby, if you’re scared to sleep alone, you can come to my room—”

I darted straight into my room.

“...”

“Dummy.”

I thought I heard Joshua’s voice from behind.

Soon, I heard the sounds of the twins opening their assigned rooms.

Inside my room, I gasped.

The furniture was dignified, well-aged with deep hues.

The wallpaper had a classic pattern.

The chandelier was a bizarre shape, like a wild bunch of golden pins tangled together.

‘Exactly as described in the novel.’

This was the room where Erilot from had lived.

Erilot, once powerless, had desperately tried to keep 4th place.

While looking around, I found the terrace.

‘Wow, there it is!’

I’d seen that too in the novel.

I opened the door and stepped out onto the terrace.

The shadow of a crescent moon floated over the lake, visible only from this room.

‘It really feels like drinking moon tea.’

The moon tea was said to be the only gift the world gave to a god forsaken like herself.

I felt strange.

My chest hurt and my heart ached...

After staring at the moon tea for a long time, I gasped sharply.

‘Now’s not the time.’

Another reason Erilot had tried to keep this room was to find something here.

I dashed to the dressing room.

‘Hmm, the third one from the left...’

I walked quickly and found the third wardrobe from the left.

Opening it, I cautiously touched the floor inside.

Something caught my fingertips.

Pressing it, a wall inside the closet slid open with a creak.

‘It’s here. It really is!’

I carefully closed the wardrobe door and slipped inside, wary someone might find me.

This annex where the 3rd gens lived was converted from the previous Duke’s “experiment chamber.”

The former Duke was obsessed with Gaho.

He made this huge lab and conducted all kinds of dreadful experiments.

Grandfather demolished this horrible lab as soon as he became Duke.

‘Grandfather probably was here too...’

The thought sent chills down my spine, and I shook my head.

A musty smell typical of underground rooms filled the air.

I carefully descended the dusty laboratory stairs.

At the bottom, my hands found a wall in the dark.

Suddenly the basement lit up, revealing itself.

“Wow!”

I covered my mouth with both hands.

This basement was the experiment storage.

It was filled with all sorts of ancient relics and crystallized Gaho stones.

I held my cheeks and silently screamed in awe.

“Glory!”

Gaho stones of .

Gaho stones of .

Gaho stones of .

There were countless varieties.

‘If someone wanted to collect all of these...’

Gaho stones come from people when they die.

You can extract Gaho from living people too, but that requires a crystallized Gaho.

Even these hard-to-get stones weren’t usable forever.

They have limited uses, but unlike a phone battery gauge, you just reach a point when they no longer work.

I threw several Gaho stones lightly to check their colors.

‘Light green, light green diamond shape... found it!’

I rubbed a palm-sized Gaho stone against my cheek.

‘Ah, such a precious Gaho stone wasted ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) in this shabby place.’

Now I’ll use it well.

As I was about to stand, something hit my foot.

‘A chalice?’

It was a heavily worn chalice, the gilding almost all peeled off.

Touching it, I felt like my hand would rust too.

‘They said there are even things like this in the basement?’

I tilted my head.

‘Well, it’s possible.’

Not everything in here would have been described in the novel.

I took the light green Gaho stone and happily left the basement.

At night, I secretly summoned Han Jihyeok.

Before leaving the manor, we made one promise.

“If the owl statue in the first floor display case is turned halfway, come to my room?”

“Okay!”

Han Jihyeok came into my room.

His eyes were hollow, half out of it.

“Still cleaning helmets?”

He shook his head.

“No. But this place is worse hell.”

“Why?”

“The servants don’t say a word. Then if someone makes a mistake, they just watch. I thought they’d overlook it, but the steward reports everything and deducts pay!”

Han Jihyeok was already down 20 silver, clutching his head in agony.

The manor was infamous as a scary place.

If you reported someone else’s mistake to the steward, you got paid.

The person who made the mistake lost money, half of which went to the snitch.

So everyone worked with wide eyes, but watched for others’ mistakes.

Some even made mistakes on purpose.

“You’re not going to get ahead here anyway.”

“Still, 20 silver!”

“It’s millions of gold, you know.”

“Ah... right. I forgot I became wealthy because I lived poor preparing for exile.”

“...”

Maybe it’s better to replace my hands and feet now.

I sighed deeply looking at Han Jihyeok’s tired eyes.

“Here. Take this.”

I handed him the light green Gaho stone I found earlier in the basement.

“What is this?”

I grinned.

Han Jihyeok squinted at me.

“You know you look really mean every time you do that?”

“I’m supposed to be the villain anyway.”

“Anyway, what is it?”

“It’s a duplication Gaho stone.”

“Dupli... cation?”

Han Jihyeok’s eyes widened.

“Duplicate what? Gaho stones too?”

“Such a grand technique was only possible for the ancients.”

Gaho was most powerful in ancient times.

Over time, it gradually weakened, and nowadays even 5% of the ancients’ power can’t be imitated.

‘They say back then didn’t just strengthen the body.’

It was said you could even strengthen others’ Gaho, like enhancement stones.

Anyway, this duplication Gaho stone can copy objects.

If it’s an ancient relic, it can only copy the shell, not the mysterious powers.

“Use this stone to spread rumors.”

“Rumors again? Why?”

“So people with valuable things will come looking.”

“...Are you looking for something?”

I nodded firmly.

“A painting.”

“A painting?”

The painting the Empress Dowager inherited from her mother.

It was lost by someone in her youth.

‘The Empress Dowager is still spending huge sums tracking it down.’

We don’t know who currently holds the painting, but one thing’s clear.

‘They’re an art lover.’

The painting, the last work of a genius, is something no one would easily part with no matter the money.

‘But if it can be duplicated?’

They’d want to copy it for the money.

They’d keep the original and give the copy to the Empress Dowager.

‘In , they hire a painter to forge copies, but if they know about duplication, they’d come this way.’

I explained this to Han Jihyeok, and he nodded.

“If you find it, the Empress Dowager will be very grateful. But... why are you trying to win her favor? You have the Duke of Astra as your grandfather, so why bother?”

“Fool. You have to be friendly with the powerful.”

Nara Lee, about to be promoted as youngest deputy just by rubbing her hands, said this.

‘You have to make powerful friends outside.’

I smiled slyly.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

Han Jihyeok pocketed the duplication Gaho stone and headed to the door.

Just as he was leaving, he turned back and said,

“But...”

“Yeah?”

“You better be careful.”

What did he mean?

Han Jihyeok came to me quickly, lowering his voice.

“Someone was by your door, but ran when they sensed me. It was too dark to see clearly, but the figure was pretty big.”

“...”

Han Jihyeok pinched my nose lightly.

“Don’t get hurt. You’re my lifeline.”

“Go.”

I pushed Han Jihyeok’s back and sent him off quickly.

Then I jumped onto the bed.

Ah, so soft.

‘One of the direct heirs probably ordered this.’

Since I did so well today, they must be pissed.

Lying in bed, sleep came quickly.

Probably because I ran around so much looking for notes.

I soon fell into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a ballroom.

Huh? What is this?

Looking at my body, I was suddenly a grown adult.

I tried to move my fingers but not even a twitch.

‘Another dream.’

I was probably watching a scene in someone else’s body.

I stood quietly in a corner, following the owner’s movements.

No one spoke to me.

While the music changed countless times, I remained standing alone.

‘Why aren’t you going?’

Everyone blatantly ignored me.

Then a loud voice came from outside the door.

“Lady Dalia of Grimie’s domain!”

Dalia?

I was startled to hear the protagonist’s name.

Dalia entered the ballroom arm in arm with Uncle Grimie.

Everyone rushed to her as if by agreement.

“Oh my. I heard you manifested your third Gaho as an adult?”

“Wonderful. They say she’s truly blessed by the gods.”

The cousins all looked at Dalia with kind expressions.

“Happy twentieth birthday, Dalia.”

“Here’s my gift.”

Dalia accepted the gift with a very happy expression.

‘What the heck?’

Dalia’s twentieth birthday party?

The party was mentioned in passing...

Dalia recalled her first birthday since returning to the manor. Her twentieth birthday party was described as wonderfully beautiful.

‘I’ve never read a scene like this.’

Dalia shone brilliantly at the center.

The brighter she shone, the darker the corner where the body owner stood became.

“Oh... sister!”

Dalia approached the body owner.

The owner flinched, hiding something behind their back.

I sensed it was a letter.

‘Did she write a birthday card?’

“Thank you for coming, Sister Erilot.”

Erilot?

‘Is this body owner Erilot?’

Erilot hated Dalia terribly, so why was she at the party?

And she even wrote a letter.