In the dead of winter, soaked with cold water, my body shivered uncontrollably.

The attendant who came with grandfather immediately approached me and took off his jacket, draping it over my shoulders.

“What is the matter?”

“That is...”

Baron Moro, who had been flustered looking at the Duke, gave an awkward laugh.

“I heard what happened at the main estate. I was shocked to hear about cheating. Even before that, I thought reflection was necessary, and then there was a fight with another child.”

“What did you say?”

“Do not worry. By now she must have reflected deeply, so she will never do such a thing again—”

“What nonsense is this!”

The attendant raised his voice.

Baron Moro looked at me and grandfather with a startled expression.

“The reason for the late return today due to cheating was...”

“The lady’s late return was because she manifested her Gaho!”

“...Yes?”

Grandfather looked at me.

“You were right. The area where dragon bones are buried was the old Mirten Plain.”

I thought it would take quite some time, but they found it already.

Well, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find using Gaho.

Baron Moro turned pale.

Now it seemed he was finally starting to understand the situation.

His hands trembled violently.

‘Of course.’

The thing grandfather hated most was insubordination.

I was, after all, the granddaughter of Duke Astra.

Even if once treated like a ghost, now having proven my worth, I was clearly one of Astra’s small owners.

Baron Moro opened his mouth with blue lips to make some excuse.

“Th-this is, so to speak...!”

“I ask you.”

It was grandfather’s voice.

Just one word, but it sent chills from my toes.

The night immersed in darkness, even the sound of the wind hushed.

Moonlight flowing through the window broke along his silhouette.

As his low heel steps echoed closer, Baron Moro collapsed.

Grandfather asked,

“What are you?”

There was no tone in his voice.

Only the sharp, piercing glare shone from his lowered eyes.

Baron Moro swallowed dry saliva and said,

“I-I am the 16th heir of the Moro family—”

“No.”

Grandfather lifted Moro’s chin with the tip of his staff’s support.

“You are a dog.”

“...”

“Bark when told, bite when told.”

The tip of the staff slid down Moro’s chin and touched his Adam’s apple.

“A dog that cannot recognize its master.”

Baron Moro barely murmured in a hoarse voice.

“P-please spare me.”

“...”

“P-please, please spare me. Spare me. Spare me. Spare me. Spare me. Spare me. Spare me...!”

“You know how to bark.”

Saying that, he turned his back on Baron Moro.

The attendant took care of me and followed grandfather.

Only after setting me down did Baron Moro finally exhale.

At that moment, a strange cracking sound reached my ears.

Crack—

I stiffened. Like a broken machine, I slowly tried to turn my head, but—

“Do not look back.”

The attendant stood close behind and shielded my back.

It was not hard to guess what Baron Moro’s condition was like.

I was transferred to the castle.

When I packed my things and left, the teachers and kids who had already heard the news came out.

The teachers saw me off down the corridor.

“It was truly a pleasure to have classes with you, Miss.”

“Stay strong even after going to the castle.”

“You are wise, so you will do well at anything. If you ever need anything, please contact us.”

The teachers treated me very well.

They gave me lots of candy and milk.

“Teacher, thank you. Also, if you invest in Sabong Bank, you make lots of money.”

The teachers tearfully took out their notebooks.

“Yes, Miss. Please take care. But is it Sabong or Sabon?”

“I will never forget the two years with Miss... the pen won’t come out. Could I borrow one? Sabong Bank?”

We parted with tears.

The teachers escorted me all the way to the carriage, and I waved my hand as I boarded.

The attendant on the carriage looked at the tearful teachers with a strange expression.

“Isn’t that Sir Enword and Sir Simoric?”

“Yes. Those are the teachers’ names.”

“Aren’t they the top students of the Eastern and Western Academies?”

The attendant muttered,

“Why would such talents choose to be teachers instead of taking the bureaucrat exam...”

Indeed.

The teachers were talented enough to be mentioned by name in Possessed.Villain.Granddaughter.

Why were they teachers now?

‘Because they have no money.’

The smart ones knew.

Even if they became administrators, without backing or money, they would only be worked to death.

So they became teachers at the Twelfth Tower.

To build connections with Astra nobles even in the cadet branch.

‘That’s how they planned to make backing.’

But since the kids were too young, it would take over ten years to make real allies.

That’s when I appeared.

Granddaughter of Duke Astra (backing), a kid holding jackpot information (money).

In other words, a treasure that would bring backing and money.

‘Teachers think I’m giving investment tips, but that’s not true.’

I was investing.

If I ever entered Astra Castle, I wanted to develop talents who would become my power.

The teachers were still tearfully waving to me.

I waved back lightly.

‘Hurry up and build capital, teachers!’

After a while, the carriage began to move.

I looked at the attendant in surprise.

“Gampa isn’t here!” (Grandfather isn’t here!)

It meant, can we leave without the Duke?

“The Duke stopped by briefly while going out. He will come with me to the main estate.”

I said “Yes” quietly and folded my hands.

The attendant smiled gently.

A man unexpectedly kind for the terrifying Duke’s attendant.

‘Handsome face, too.’

Soft brown hair and yellow eyes.

A gentle image.

He even had a charm that made people comfortable, so the trip to the castle was not unpleasant.

When the carriage stopped at the castle, the attendant carried me and put me down.

“Then I will guide you to your lodging for now.”

I stayed on the third floor of the annex.

He opened the door for me and said,

“The servants will unpack your luggage. Please rest.”

I grabbed the hem of his jacket as he was about to leave.

He bent down and asked,

“Do you need anything?”

“I want to know your name.”

He hesitated for a moment.

“You are truly special.”

“...?”

“Ah... no offense. None of the main branch employed people ever wanted to know their names.”

“Yes.”

“Conrad Marcial.”

He smiled with narrowed eyes, then stood.

“Sweet dreams.”

Then he left.

I couldn’t even think of closing the door, just watching his retreating back.

‘Conrad?’

Conrad Marcial?

I covered my mouth with my small hands. I almost screamed...!

‘That’s the man called Conrad.’

Many phrases referred to Conrad in the novel.

The mastermind behind the scenes.

The youngest bureaucrat exam passer.

And... the traitor.

‘He stabbed grandfather and fled.’

Then he appeared as the leader of the information guild.

The next day.

Though the morning was cool with birds chirping and breeze blowing, I was not at all refreshed.

‘Conrad appears here.’

Conrad was the protagonist Dalia’s supporter in Possessed.Villain.Granddaughter.

He betrayed the Duke and was hated for life by the Astra family.

Dalia, beloved by grandfather, would mediate.

In truth, Conrad was weary of Astra’s pursuit and became her man.

Until then, no problem.

‘The problem is that after Conrad’s attack, grandfather falls into a coma.’

If grandfather falls into a coma, this place would become a battlefield.

The Duke’s main branch were close to beasts, untamed ones.

Though now tethered by grandfather’s leash, if he were gone it would be chaos.

‘Then I would have no one to protect me...’

My heart felt like it sank into my instep.

While thinking that, a knock came.

“May I assist with your waking preparations?”

“Yes.”

Upon answering, maids entered with washing water.

They wet a towel and wiped my sleep crust and face.

They combed my hair, and even my severe curls did not hurt at all.

“What ribbon would you like? I think this yellow lace ribbon would suit you well.”

“Yes.”

“You are very gentle, Miss. It made preparations easy.”

“Yes!”

The maids chuckled as if I was cute for answering well.

After finishing preparations, they showed me a mirror.

“Do you like it?”

I opened my eyes wide and looked.

My hair, which looked like a bundle of straw, was now neat.

Truly maids of the main estate.

‘Right. Erilot was supposed to have the best looks in the world setting.’

I had forgotten because my hair was so unmanaged it looked like a sick poodle.

Now that it was well taken care of, even from the start I was different.

A very cute face.

After preparations, I ate breakfast.

It was cream soup with tender beef and fresh vegetables chopped small.

It was savory, mild, and delicious.

As I was about to eat the side garnish, I stopped at the bell pepper.

And quietly looked at the maids.

‘I hate bell pepper.’

I don’t eat bell peppers. Bell pepper was the enemy of children.

If I were still in the Twelfth Tower, I’d have secretly buried it among other vegetables, but now the maids of the castle were watching me.

My every move was reported upwards and would reach grandfather.

I really hated bell pepper, but grandfather would probably like children who eat it.

I poked the bell pepper with my fork and swallowed dry.

I bit it crisply but immediately made a sour face.

The maids giggled at the spectacle of my bell pepper war.

Fortunately, the servants seemed friendly to me as a child.

‘To keep this going, grandfather is important.’

The house could not be turned upside down by a coma.

I resolved.

Since it can’t be helped, I’ll protect grandfather.

After breakfast, I played with the maids for half a day.

Playing with the maids was fun.

“Look this way!”

“Come here, Miss. Good job!”

...It seemed the maids were enjoying themselves more than I was.

Well, what fun was there working in a terrifying Duke’s house?

‘Poor sisters.’

I played enthusiastically with the older sisters.

In the afternoon, I was summoned to grandfather’s study.

There were several scholars and retainers together.

Following what I learned from the maids in the morning, I placed my hands firmly on my belly button and bowed deeply.

“Greetings.”

The retainers’ eyes widened.

“Ah, yes. I am Debussy. It is an honor to meet you.”

He spoke hesitantly.

Used to seeing only the Duke’s main branch, who dealt harshly even as kids, my ordinary politeness seemed unusual.

Marquis Debussy smiled gently.

“Thanks to you, we were able to excavate the dragon bones.”

“Yes.”

“The Gaho to read ancient language is very fascinating. So, may I ask you to read other parts of the history book as well?”

“...”

“Today, we brought you to see how much you can read.”

“...”

“We understand that using Gaho is difficult, so you may not read that much per day.”

“...”

“Please read comfortably. Stop if it burdens your body.”

A servant brought me the book.

When I opened the cover, the adults nodded as if to say “read now.”

Grandfather, sitting at the head of the large table, focused on me.

I began reading from the first sentence.

“In the beginning, despair created the world.”

“Hm. You can handle at least one sentence...”

“The first world is the land ruled by silence and darkness. We name it Void.”

“A whole paragraph is fine...”

“In the void, life was born.”

“One page...?”

I read sentence after sentence fluently.

The retainers’ expressions, which had been nodding at first, slowly changed.

Page 1.

Page 2.

.

.

Page 13.

“...!!!”

The retainers were shocked. Even the scholars and administrators gaped at me.

“How long have you been reading aloud?”

“30 minutes.”

“Is it possible for someone that young to use Gaho for 30 minutes?”

It’s just Korean, after all.

It’s not really using Gaho, so reading isn’t difficult.

My throat was a little dry though.

“The void pitied the fragile life and bestowed Gaho. It granted gracious land to maintain powerful Gaho—”

“Gracious land?”

[Granted gracious land to maintain powerful Gaho.]

At that line, people’s eyes widened.

“There really is such land?”

Naturally, it was a commotion.

“Where is it? Is the location written?”

“No.”

“There must be a hint in the book. My goodness!”

It was almost the middle of a festival.

The Duke looked at Erilot with a strange expression.

It had already been about an hour since she started reading the book aloud.

That kid did not seem to tire.

Nor complain.

‘She could have resented tower life.’

Though retainers were shocked, whenever an amazing passage came out of the book, they looked like they wanted to dance.

After reading for a long time, Erilot coughed.

The retainers and scholars hurried to check on her.

“Perhaps it is best to stop for today.”

They looked worried she might damage her precious Gaho.

The Duke nodded.

“Summarize the book’s contents. Let’s end the meeting.”

The Duke rose from his seat.

Then he left the room with Marquis Debussy, the elder.

“Miss, you are remarkable.”

Even the harsh Marquis Debussy couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“How is progress on the dragon bone excavation?”

“Smooth. Already flies have started to swarm from hearing rumors.”

SFX: Pojjak

“The royal family seems to be eager for tribute.”

“I won’t give it easily.”

SFX: Pojjak

“You go to the capital yourself and see their reaction. It’s annoying to see them drooling.”

“Yes, I will immediately organize the administrators—”

SFX: Pojjak

‘...Pojjak?’

I felt a constant annoying presence behind me.

Glancing back, Erilot was running hurriedly holding the rabbit doll’s ears.