Chapter 06
<You have acquired the second item. Would you like to acquire the third item next?>
As soon as I destroyed the slave trading post, a game window appeared.
‘I’ll take a bit of a break before the third one.’
No matter how much I use items to eliminate fatigue, completing three quests in a row is tough. And since this is the final possession, I also want to take my time finishing it.
On my way home, I left a written account of the slave trading post and the countess in front of the newspaper office. By tomorrow morning, everyone will be cursing the slave trading post and the countess.
Feeling proud of perfectly executing justice, I returned home.
I was worried Evan might have woken up by the time I got back, but fortunately, he was fast asleep. I carefully lifted the blanket and slipped into bed. As soon as I removed the items, sleep came to me immediately.
***
“Could you bring me today’s newspaper?”
As soon as I woke up in the morning, I rang the bell to call my maid and asked for today’s newspaper.
“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”
The maid quickly brought the newspaper. I looked at the large headline on the front page and curled my lips in satisfaction.
“Just as planned.”
The countess’s true nature was exposed in big, bold letters. It was a good decision to leave the paper detailing the countess’s crimes in front of the newspaper office on my way back to the ducal residence.
People’s thoughts are all the same. Ah, this feels great.
I stretched my body and got up from the sofa. Now that the work is done, what should I do with this child’s body until the afternoon?
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Jason much lately. Should I go see him?’
Since Evan treats me so well, I feel like I’ve been neglecting Jason, so I should visit him when I have time. For a happy ending, the relationship with the male lead is very important.
‘Evan still worked even when he became younger.’
I went to the office and opened the door. As expected, he was working diligently with his small body. I crept up and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Jason, have you been playing well by yourself? Did you miss me?”
“No.”
Jason sharply swatted my hand away without taking his eyes off his work. After not seeing him for a few days, the kid has gotten so cold. It’s probably because I haven’t come often. Now that I’ve found quite a few items, I should focus on seducing the cold Jason for a while.
“Are you sulking because I haven’t come often? I’m sorry. It’s hard to come see you when you torment me so much every night.”
I deliberately made a provocative remark to get a reaction. Sure enough, Jason was startled and his pen slipped.
“Oh my! Jason, you’ll have to sign that again.”
I smiled brightly as if I knew nothing and pushed the mis-signed document aside.
“I can’t concentrate, so leave.”
“I can help you!”
I’ve done this sort of thing so many times by now—I can finish it easily and quickly.
“I’ll help you, so let’s play together once we’re done. Playing is a child’s job, you know.”
“……”
“Huh, huh? Let’s play together!”
I clung to Jason’s arm and gave him sparkling eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh.
“Ha, fine.”
I knew he’d give in. What male lead would refuse everything?
I grinned and gestured for him to move over.
“Scoot over a little.”
“……?”
Jason blinked, looking puzzled, but soon moved as I asked. I sat down in the spot he’d vacated. He looked at me with a flustered expression, even leaning his body back slightly.
“Wh-why are you sitting here?”
“That’s the only way we can work together.”
“You could just sit on the sofa.”
“No way. This desk and chair are perfect for working.”
I picked up a nearby pen and snatched Jason’s document. Oh, right. Jason is right-handed. I switched the pen to my left hand.
“I write well with my left hand too, so don’t worry.”
I hummed a tune as I diligently worked on the documents. Jason kept glancing at me, worried about whether I could do it well. I quickly finished one document and showed it to him. He examined it carefully and let out an impressed “Wow.”
“You’re good at this.”
“I’m pretty capable, aren’t I? I’ll keep helping you from now on.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Tch.”
I pouted and grumbled. He keeps treating me coldly. But I’m not the type to give up. I’ll just use a slightly stronger tactic.
If I use that method, he’ll either treat me warmly or take a step closer to me. It’s a method that’s already worked on many male leads.
To use that method as soon as possible, I worked on the documents as quickly as I could. With my fast hands joining in, we finished all the urgent documents in just two hours.
“Now that the urgent work is done, how about we play hide and seek?”
“How childish.”
“Ah, just once! Please? Huh, huh? If we play just once, I’ll stop bothering you for today.”
“…Who’s going to be ‘it’?”
“You be it.”
Ha, Jason sighed and got up from his seat. I grabbed his hand as he showed reluctance and dragged him out of the main building. I looked around and pointed at a tree.
“You can hide anywhere in the Valentine ducal estate. The ‘it’ person waits for 5 minutes and then starts looking. Over there, stand in front of that tree, close your eyes, and count.”
Without a word, Jason went to the tree I pointed at and began counting.
I immediately used the item to eliminate my presence so Jason wouldn’t find me right away. If he found me too quickly, I wouldn’t be able to use the method I had in mind.
Then I ran toward the forest. Since it’s a child’s body, running for too long would be hard, so I used a stamina enhancement item. Thanks to that, I was able to get deep into the forest quickly and easily.
‘For a dramatic situation, a lake or a cliff would be good.’
But I couldn’t find a spot I liked, so I kept running. Finally, I came across a pond. I hid myself in the bushes near the pond. Even though I was well hidden, I didn’t remove the presence-eliminating item. I planned to stay hidden here for quite a long time.
Quite some time passed, but Jason still hadn’t found me. Which was only natural.
‘Now it’s about time to make my move.’
By evening, Evan would be searching for me like crazy, so I needed to start moving soon. That way, the situation I wanted would play out perfectly.
I deliberately fell into the pond. I was soaked from head to toe. I didn’t get out right away but stayed in the cold water for about five minutes before slowly climbing out.
If I stayed outside like this, I’d catch at least a cold. Especially as a child with a weak body—at the very least, a high fever. By tomorrow morning, I’d probably be groaning in pain, practically bedridden.
To summarize my plan: Jason, the ‘it’ person, gets tired of searching for me, gives up, and goes back. Meanwhile, I, who had been hiding trusting only Jason, am too exhausted to go back, can’t see properly, fall into the pond, and catch a bad cold. Feeling guilty and worried, Jason comes to find me, and our relationship takes a step closer.
…That’s my plan.
I sniffled and let out an evil grin. To fight the boredom, I drew pictures in the dirt and picked fruits from the bushes. Then, before I knew it, I realized my body had grown.
‘Ah, so this is why it’s hard mode? At least give me a chance to seduce him! Damn curse.’
I’d become an adult. It was already 6 PM. No wonder I was cold. I shivered and curled up. But I had to endure until the sun set for a better outcome, so I rubbed my hands together and braved the cold. There’s an item that warms you up, but using it would defeat the purpose of coming all this way.
After enduring another wave of boredom for an hour, the sun set and the sky grew dark.
‘Now I can turn off the items.’
Only then did I remove all the items.
“Leticia! Leticia, where are you?”
At the same time, I heard a desperate voice calling for me. To create a dramatic scene, I came out of the bushes and walked slowly, stumbling. I thought a fall would be a nice touch, so I tripped and fell.
“Ouch, that hurt more than I expected.”
I lifted my skirt to look at my knee. Even in the dark, I could see a fair amount of blood. I’d only intended for a slightly scraped knee, but I happened to fall on a spot with rocks! It hurts, but I thought of it as an opportunity to get even more concern from Evan, so I dusted myself off and stood up.
I took a step.
“Ugh.”
My ankle must have been sprained—a sharp pain shot through it. Truly, this novel world seems to love me. How is it making the situation I wanted even more dramatic?
I let out a helpless chuckle and stayed still. Even like this, my lovely husband will come to me.
“Leticia!”
Sure enough, he came to find me.
Evan’s expression was shocked when he saw me in such a mess. Even in the dark, the change in his expression was clearly visible.
“Leticia! What happened to you? Are you okay?”
Evan grabbed my shoulders with worried eyes and examined my body all over. I looked up at him with sad eyes and pushed him away slightly.
“…You said you’d come find me, but you didn’t.”
I said, my voice trembling. Soon, with my excellent acting skills, tears I’d forced out began to stream down my face.
“I’m sorry. I should have gone to find you. I should have searched until the end. I’m truly sorry.”
“I don’t care. I want to rest. Achoo!”
I wiped my tears and acted sulky. As if the effect of falling into the pond was showing, I started coughing and sneezing. My throat was starting to hurt too.
“Did you catch a cold? The physician! Call the physician immediately!”
Evan immediately scooped me up in a princess carry and shouted at the servants who were following behind. Watching him rush frantically toward the mansion, I secretly curled my lips in satisfaction.
Good, everything is going smoothly according to plan.
