“It won’t work, no matter how cute you try to act.”
“When did I ever try to act cute...”
“Just drink it, no matter what.”
Ahwin’s unusually firm voice left no room for argument. Penelope felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Even if this potion was meant to build resistance against poisons, the idea of enduring this for a full month was utterly horrifying. More than anything, it tasted absolutely revolting—so much so that no human being should have to consume it.
At first, she had thought that drinking a potion wouldn’t be too bad. She was very wrong.
If she thought about it, it was akin to preemptively sampling poison to avoid being poisoned later. There was no way that process could be easy.
‘Should I not have agreed to this? But poison is terrifying!’
This world was a swirling chaos of schemes and conspiracies—a romance-fantasy world filled with intrigue. Poisonings were rare even in her previous life, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t happen here.
‘But seriously, this is just too awful. The taste is maddeningly bad.’
The thought of doing this for an entire month made her want to believe in humanity a little more.
Penelope tried to rationalize her situation. No matter how harsh the world might be, surely there weren’t that many people who would seriously think of killing someone with poison.
‘There’s no way the staff at the castle would betray me.’
She began to feel a flicker of hope in humanity rekindling within her.
Just then, Laura knocked and entered the office.
“Madam,” she said cautiously.
“Yes?”
“You have a visitor.”
Laura’s expression was grim. Penelope instinctively felt a surge of wariness toward the guest as she asked, “...Who is it?”
“He claims to be the Baron Halo’s fifth cousin once removed.”
“...”
Penelope sniffled quietly. She could almost hear the fragile sound of her newfound faith in humanity shattering into pieces.
Ahwin chimed in, “Are you still not going to drink it?”
“I’ll drink it, enthusiastically.”
That week alone, six visitors came to see Penelope.
Each one claimed to be the rightful heir to the Halo family and demanded Penelope’s utmost respect and hospitality.
To Penelope, they all seemed like nothing but greedy, brainless trash.
None of them even bothered to acknowledge, let alone appreciate, the effort she had put into saving the territory from the brink of collapse.
All they wanted was to inherit the wealth and power that they had done absolutely nothing to earn.
So, Penelope decided to stop holding back.
After the first polite reception, she started kicking visitors out right at the castle gate. Duke Lianel’s advice had been instrumental in this decision.
‘I wish this heir issue would just get resolved already!’
Penelope swallowed the teaspoon of potion in one gulp and prayed silently in her heart.
***
In a shabby storage room of an orphanage in Cafe Rune, a boy named Sain Eriks Halo sat curled up in the shadows.
Sain was hungry. And he missed his father terribly.
His father, a mercenary, had passed away a few months ago in an unexpected accident. His mother, he’d been told, had died giving birth to him. Just like that, Sain was left completely alone in the world.
The older boys and girls in the orphanage treated Sain harshly, calling him a burden and ostracizing him. The headmaster would beat him every time he cried.
When his legs were bruised black and blue from the punishment, Sain would sneak into the storage room to cry quietly.
“Sniff...”
He stifled his sobs as much as possible, knowing the older boys might beat him if they heard him. Their blows were far worse than the headmaster’s.
When mealtime came, Sain finally managed to compose himself. He couldn’t afford to miss a meal, especially since he hadn’t eaten properly for days and was starving.
Sitting at the dining table with his upper body hunched over, he tried to keep out of sight.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my sight, you filthy little beggar?”
It was Joseph, the boy who bullied Sain the most. Sain paled and pleaded, “Please, brother. Forgive me. I’m sorry.”
“Drag this little rat out of here.”
Joseph’s gang grabbed Sain and hauled him outside the dining hall. The beating began again.
Sain curled up as tightly as he could, enduring the blows from his tormentors.
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Joseph, three years older than Sain, seemed to live for tormenting him. Ever since he’d overheard whispers that Sain might be of noble blood, the bullying had escalated in both frequency and severity.
‘I never asked for this! Someone take this cursed name from me, please!’
With a heart full of resentment, Sain clenched his small fists. The tears that rose to his throat had to be swallowed down—crying would only make things worse.
How much time had passed like this? Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the orphanage. Someone had arrived.
“It’s that rich man from last time! He’s looking to adopt a child,” an excited voice said from above Sain’s head, brimming with anticipation.
Relieved at the prospect of not being beaten for a while, Sain let out a faint sigh.
But then, a new disturbance broke out near him. The visitor was walking directly toward Sain. The children scattered, watching the scene with curious eyes.
Too drained to stand, Sain simply sat there, hearing the approaching footsteps.
The visitor spoke. “Is this child Sain?”
“Yes, yes, my lord,” stammered the headmaster, his face pale with anxiety.
‘Of all times for a potential guardian to show up, it had to be while these little brats were beating me,’ thought the headmaster in despair.
The visitor, his expression unreadable, gazed down at Sain for a long moment before reaching out a hand. Sain flinched reflexively.
“This child is in terrible condition. Malnourished and neglected,” the visitor remarked coldly.
“Well, my lord... the orphanage simply doesn’t have the means to feed all the children adequately,” the headmaster replied nervously.
“For an orphanage claiming poverty, you seem quite well-fed. And those jewels around your neck—selling even one could feed these children for months.”
“Th-that’s...” The headmaster’s face turned crimson with shame and indignation at the visitor’s biting words.
Without another word, the visitor lifted Sain into his arms as if he weighed nothing. “I’ll take this child.”
“Then, my lord, if you would kindly follow the proper adoption procedures and make a donation—”
“A donation? Do you think I’ll pay extra when I’ll already be spending my own money to treat the child’s condition? If my employer finds out this is how the child has been treated, do you really think your orphanage will survive?”
“E-employer...?”
“He’s a noble. A very high-ranking one.”
The headmaster’s heart sank like a stone. A noble had sent someone to find Sain? If they saw the boy’s current state, there was no way they would let the headmaster escape punishment.
“M-my lord! Please, have mercy!”
The headmaster fell to his knees on the dirt floor, begging with all his might. He couldn’t let this ruin him.
The visitor looked down at him with icy disdain before letting out a faint chuckle.
“Bring me a potion to treat the child, along with clean clothes and food.”
Sain could only stare blankly, unable to comprehend the miracle unfolding before his eyes.
***
The visitor’s name was Karen. He was a tall, sturdy man who introduced himself as a member of the Valkyrie Guild.
After feeding Sain a recovery potion and dressing him in clean clothes, Karen helped the boy into a carriage. Sain followed his instructions without question.
Karen only shared the bare minimum of information with Sain.
“You’re going to Halo Territory.”
“Halo?” Sain repeated, startled. It was the same name as his own family name.
“The Lord of Halo has sent for you.”
“The Lord? Sent for me? Why?”
“I can’t disclose the specifics of the client’s request.”
Karen’s tone was curt and indifferent. Sain had many questions, but he didn’t get answers to a single one.
‘Why does the Lord of Halo want me? Is it just because I share the same surname?’
Sain began to imagine the kind face of the Lord. Perhaps, he thought, the Lord had lost a child and, longing for a relative, had decided to take him in.
However, as time went on, Sain found himself growing increasingly afraid. What if Halo wasn’t much different from the orphanage?
‘I’m just a child. I’m useless. They’ll find no value in me.’
That fear gnawed at him most of all—that the Lord of Halo might be disappointed in him and send him back to the cold, harsh orphanage.
He had seen countless children who had been adopted, only to be abandoned and returned. The more he thought about it, the more Sain lost confidence, curling into himself as his anxiety deepened.
‘I wish Karen would just keep me.’
He hunched over, swallowing his fear.
***
Meanwhile, back in Halo Territory, the steward finally shared the news he had been waiting to deliver.
“The distant relative of the Baron that the treasurer mentioned last time—he has arrived.”
“Really? That was quicker than I expected.”