"Listen? The words of a child whose identity I don't even know?"
"Haha..."
The head deacon smiled shyly.
"It's true that it came through the red tree."
Grand Duke Illeston's silver eyes were filled with wariness as he looked at the girl in front of him.
'Age is Maybe about fifteen.'
The girl was facing him with clear eyes without any particular emotion.
Then she spoke with a slightly tired expression.
"Grand Duke, I know it's rude, but how much longer must I wait for an answer?"
Even when facing the rumored cursed Grand Duke in front of her, she spoke boldly as if she had no fear at all.
The head deacon's face crumpled.
"Wait quietly until the master speaks first."
"Ah... Yes."
A small sigh came from the girl's mouth.
However, the Grand Duke remained silent for a long time after that.
To be honest, it's true that he doesn't know what to answer.
The cursed mansion of Grand Duke llleston.
Just ten minutes ago, a commoner child he had never seen before entered this place that everyone in the Ruan Empire would avoid.
And it went right through the first curse of the mansion, [a red tree that grows by eating people], without a single scratch.
'No matter how much I think about it, it doesn't make sense.'
The main gate of the mansion, covered with dark red tree branches, has a curse so strange and dangerous that entry has been strictly prohibited since the tree suddenly appeared 300 years ago.
However, this girl got out of there unharmed, with only her clothes slightly torn.
Then, isn't this what she suddenly said to Grand Duke Illeston, who came up to her in surprise?
"I will lift the curse on the mansion."
"...What?"
At first, he thought he heard wrong. Normally, he would have kicked her out because it was dangerous.
However, there were so many things that bothered him, such as getting through the red tree without a scratch and what to say, that he ended up letting the girl into the mansion.
It was unbecoming of him.
The Grand Duke observed the girl for a while and then asked.
"Your name is..."
"This is Simone."
"Last name."
"No. I am not a nobleman."
"..."
'Even If you're not a noble, you'll still have a last name.'
He thought about it, but he decided to skip it since it wasn't important right now. First, Grand Duke Illeston examined Simone's appearance.
A skinny body and shabby clothes even for a commoner.
Even considering that her hair and clothes got tangled as she passed the red tree, it was insignificant. The smell coming from the girl was also unbearably bad.
Grand Duke Illeston asked once again.
"If you lie to me, you will die here."
There was a cool look in his gaze.
"Still, are you going to say that you can lift the family curse?"
He was planning to scare her and bring out her true feelings.
The girl's words that she would lift the curse were not very believable.
After all, how could a lowly commoner child like this break the curse that even the best wizards in the empire could not break?
Looking at her behavior, it made more sense to think that she was just lucky and passed the red tree and took advantage of it to beg for food.
Of course, if that was the purpose, it would be a defeat for Simone.
'But it's impossible to get lucky and pass the red tree...'
As Grand Duke Illeston's mood was unusual, the butler eventually came forward, asking for understanding.
"Child, if you are hungry, I will give you food and money. Still, you're not going to be honest?"
Simone's expression instantly changed at the words of the butler. She pursed her lips, stared intently at the Grand Duke Illestone, and then jumped up.
"Well, if you don't believe it, it's okay. I wanted to make a fair deal, not beg."
"...What rudeness!"
As if she had nothing to regret, Simone stopped the approaching butler with a single wave of her hand and headed for the door. Then she paused, turned around, and pointed his finger at Grand Duke Illeston.
The deacon was startled and grabbed Simone's hand.
"No matter how ignorant the world is, a commoner would dare to point a finger at his master-"
"I am certain that the Grand Duke is cursed."
"...What?"
"It's hanging on your shoulder and laughing hard. It's hard to tell if it's a man or a woman because the skin on his head has come off, but the blood is flowing and soaking the Grand Duke's shoulders."
She guess the Grand Duke can't see them.
Simone smiled meaningfully.
"It looks like they've been stuck together for quite some time, but they say they have no intention of letting go."
"What?"
"Excuse me."
Simone did not respond to the Grand Duke's words but smiled softly and turned away.
"There is no deal, so there is nothing more to talk about."
The Grand Duke's expression hardened.
For a brief moment, Simone's gaze landed on his left shoulder.
"For a moment..."
How to do that?
His left shoulder had been immobile for nearly 20 years for unknown reasons.
"Wait."
Despite the Grand Duke's call, Simone continued to walk towards the door with great strides.
The Grand Duke urgently called the butler.
“Kelle!”
His voice echoed loudly in the wide space.
"Yes, Master."
At the call of the Grand Duke of Illeston, the head of the house. Kelle quickly moved to block Simone's path.
Kelle was also unaware of the condition of Grand Duke Illeston's shoulder, so his attitude was somewhat different from before.
Simone tried to suppress the corners of her mouth that were about to rise and instead answered poignantly.
"What is it?"
The Grand Duke Illeston, whom Simone faced again, had a quite perplexed face. He didn't realize it, but unlike before, Simone was quite cocky.
"The Stories. I'd like to hear more."
Simone laughed. And she just stared at the Grand Duke like the first time and then blurted out a word.
"I will lift the curse on the mansion. I swear there is no lie in what I say."
The Grand Duke, who had wrinkled his brow again at Simone's words, looked at her with a frown on his face.
The young girl still had the appearance of a typical merchant.
"What are the conditions?"
Simone's smile deepened at Grand Duke Illeston's question. Yes, as the owner of the Illeston family, who still maintains the title of Grand Duke even after being cursed for 300 years, he seems to be very quick-witted.
Simone slowly opened her mouth.
"Please raise me."
"... What?"
When Grand Duke Illeston asked about the unexpected answer, Simone spoke clearly again.
"It's a condition. Instead of lifting the curse on the mansion, you will raise me until I come of age. Of course, I can run away with it-"
"....Eat and run?"
"I will slowly lift the curse as I reach adulthood. That's not easy. Instead, you will be able to experience it clearly. If we don't like each other in the middle, it's okay to come to an agreement and quit, and if you want, you can write a contract."
"..."
He don't know what a scam is, but for a child, she was very clever.
"Of course, since I am the underdog, I am the one who reviews the final contract. As you know, I am not saying that you should just raise me. The room is large, and the meals are the same as the ones the Grand Duke eats."
Grand Duke Illeston put aside his strangely uneasy feeling and continued to listen to Simone's words. She was a little excited.
She lives in comfort like that, but when she becomes an adult, she takes money and hair dye and lives quietly in a corner.
If she can dye my hair that expensive thing, she will be able to cover up her black hair and work at any time.
Of course, it would be even better if she could return to the original world before that.
Meanwhile, Grand Duke Illeston was silent.
This girl. Could it be that the girl in front of her, smiling insincerely, is a poor girl who lived in poverty all her life and eventually lost her mind?
Even though they are a family that is shunned by the Emperor outside the castle walls, the Illeston famil is a great noble family with the title of Grand Duke.
She probably doesn't know that, but Simone makes such a bold and shameless request in such an arrogant manner. It was an action that could not be done without going crazy.
However, Grand Duke Illeston once again suppressed his doubts. For now, it's worth listening to the girl.
Grand Duke Illeston calmly asked Simone.
"If I don't like something along the way, I can quit?"
"Of course. You don't trust me, do you? If either party doesn't like the other's behavior, they can just quit."
Even if it is an uninvited guest, there is no need to be overly cautious. Although she smelled like a young and fearless conman, Simone's proposal was clearly a deal with no losses for either party.
Also, Grand Duke Illeston really didn't have time anymore. It was time to hold on to even lies.
Grand Duke Illeston's expression when he looked at her was sharp.
"Okay, I'll do as you say. But if everything you said turns out to be false..."
Simone answered calmly even before Grand Duke Illeston finished speaking.
"Yes. I will risk my life on this deal."
A curse that gradually brought down the Illeston family over 300 years.
Because of this, even the Emperor of the empire became reluctant to the Illeston family.
Simone knew that as much as she touched this, she would be responsible for death for her words.
"... Put clean clothes on the child and bring her to me."
"Yes, Master."
The deal was done.
Simone, or rather, 25-year-old Seo Hyeon-Jeong, who was possessed by Simone, cried out in delight as she saw Grand Duke Illeston turn around after speaking briefly.
'Done!'
She was possessed by a character in this year's mass-produced fantasy novel called [When I woke up, I found out I was hiding my powers].
Simone.
An unfortunate child who was destined to become the world's strongest necromancer, but was abandoned by her parents due to the negative perception of necromancers in the world and never saw the light of day.
Originally, she lived discriminated against in an orphanage, but after being saved by the protagonist who recognized her talent, she sacrificed her life for her colleagues.
She couldn't even fully realize her abilities in the beginning.
But.
'Sacrifice route? I'm laughing.'
Seo Hyun-jung knows Simone's dark future. But would she be crazy enough to risk her life?
So she came here.
The third travel destination of the main character and her group and the stage where the first episode with Simone will unfold.
To the mansion of Leitans Or Illeston, the villain of the Ruan Empire episode.
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Interesting! Thanks for the chapters
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