I Am the 5-Year-Old Spy Who Kidnapped the Villain - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 148】

For the past 10 years, he had been trapped in the Kingdom of Doctia, exploited for his poison abilities in place of the dead Pose Duke.

At first, he thought it was okay.

At least it was much better than living like an outsider in the Pose Duchy, treated worse than vermin.

After all, wasn’t it that someone wanted him?

He, who had unconsciously craved recognition and belonging from others since childhood, finally began to pack what seemed like affection into his empty heart.

‘Am I finally being loved like Aisha now?’

But.

‘That means you’re easy to use.’

Aebin admitted that the advice Aisha had once given him was true.

The twisted affection he had forcibly stuffed in crumbled like a sandcastle in an instant.

The Kingdom of Doctia only pretended to acknowledge and care for him while exploiting him. The emptiness he thought would be filled quickly grew larger, seeming to eat away at his heart.

He needed someone who would give him real affection.

Someone he could genuinely crave affection from as well.

So he disguised himself as Count Rowan and approached Aisha.

Of course, it was also an order from the royal side, but he had many things he wanted to ask when he met her.

Aisha. Then how should I live?

If I don’t want to be used, should I use others first?

Would it be okay if that person were you?

It was while he was continuing these thoughts.

“Orders came down from above. They’ve decided you’re inadequate to fulfill the role of Count Rowan, so they’re replacing you with me.”

“They don’t trust me? The royal court has no sense.”

Aebin frowned as he awakened from his contemplation at the emotionless report.

The sense of belonging he had yearned for and achieved was beginning to feel suffocating.

‘If they’re going to use a tool well, they should at least let me do what I want. Isn’t the interference too excessive?’

He felt like running away from the marquis’ estate to the north right now.

But now wasn’t the time.

He knew that to do what he wanted freely, he needed a certain amount of money and power.

Currently, the Doctia royal court had been in a state of collapsed support since losing the Pose Duke’s family 10 years ago.

The imperial citizens had turned their backs, and the nobles didn’t want to help the royal court either.

‘Probably someday they’ll have to present a figure with abilities to restore public sentiment.’

Aebin wanted that to be himself.

So until then, he had to obey well.

‘It’s regrettable, but it would be better not to meet Aisha. Because of Aisha, my focus keeps getting scattered.’

“Fine. I understand. You’ll play Count Rowan’s role from now on.”

He obediently accepted the order and took out a bottle from his pocket, pouring the liquid inside over his head.

As the dripping water flowed down, Count Rowan’s features and blonde hair peeled away, revealing porcelain-like white skin and black hair.

“….”

Dean, who saw this, also took out a potion from his pocket and applied it from his scalp down.

In the decorative mirror, the ordinary aide Dean’s features began to melt away smoothly.

Where the liquid stream had passed, a man with an emotionlessly vacant face remained.

Blood-red eyes and black hair reminiscent of Duke Calips.

Especially his characteristic cold atmosphere and deep eyes so closely resembled his early twenties appearance that anyone who knew him might feel the illusion of having regressed to the past.

The man stared at his reflection in the mirror.

Perhaps because he had lived as aide Dean for over two months already, the red eyes reflected in the mirror somehow seemed unfamiliar.

He recalled what Ariena had said while watching him grow up in his childhood.

‘It’s going to be quite difficult from now on.’

She had examined his red eyes and black hair once and made a tsk sound.

‘It’s fine now since you only live within the castle, but when you do spy activities later, hiding will be a problem. Your appearance is too conspicuous.’

That’s right.

His appearance was too conspicuous for secretly operating as a spy.

Because he kept reminding people of someone.

The bloodline that had made him think of himself as a failure for a while.

The duke who was nothing more, nothing less than that.

He put on a mask modeled after Rowan’s face without hesitation.

Finally, after drinking the eye transformation potion, when he looked in the mirror again, there stood the unmistakable Count Rowan.

Aebin, who had been watching this, made a regretful sound.

“It was nice to see Sedric’s real face after so long, but you’re disguising yourself as Rowan right away?”

Sedric?

“Whose name is that?”

Having a name was a luxury for a spy.

Since he always had to wear someone else’s mask anyway.

Sedric, who had perfectly transformed into Rowan, turned his head toward Aebin and asked.

“You didn’t confuse me with a friend of yours, did you?”

Seeing this, Aebin inwardly clicked his tongue.

Good heavens. This guy has no break time.

Should I say it’s amazing? Or should I say it’s scary?

“…Haha… Really,”

Aebin, who had burst into an awkward laugh in confusion, meekly accepted his correction.

“…I’m sorry. I misspoke.”

“What’s the schedule for this afternoon?”

“Hmm… Well.”

Swoosh-

The tightly closed curtains were drawn back, and sunlight poured into the room that had been like a dark chamber, illuminating the two men.

Aebin, who had opened the window and was looking at the sky, turned his head.

“If you’re Count Rowan, on such a clear day like this, you’d probably think of Princess Aisha… Since you couldn’t give proper farewells at the banquet, wouldn’t it be proper etiquette to visit her once?”

“I see.”

Sedric was already sitting with perfect posture and dignity.

It was a perfect resemblance to Count Rowan, who always maintained tension with his ingrained knightly spirit.

In this state, even Leila wouldn’t recognize him.

“I’ll send a letter to Princess Aisha. Saying I want to finish the conversation we couldn’t complete last time.”

“Understood.”

* * *

Leila, thinking that Count Rowan might find it strange if she continued staying here, sent a letter saying she would rest at the ducal palace for a while.

Rowan’s reply arrived quickly.

To summarize roughly, it went like this.

He had read Leila’s letter. Thank you for letting his sister stay at the ducal palace.

And since they couldn’t have a proper conversation at the banquet, how about he come to the ducal palace himself so they could finish their remaining conversation.

“He took the bait.”

“Indeed. He took the bait.”

In Lucas’s study.

Lucas and I, huddled together at the luxurious mahogany desk, nodded seriously.

Rowan’s letter lay on the desk like a trap.

Brother, who had been staring intently at the letter with his hands in his pockets, let out a dry laugh.

“The reply is so predictable that I’m wondering if this is really a spy?”

Oh my. You still have a long way to go, young man.

“Brother. That could be a trap.”

Suspicion. More suspicion!

“Aha.”

Though I advised him with sparkling eyes, he nodded indifferently and sat down in his chair.

“Let’s invite the Count as soon as possible. Since this guy wants to walk into the tiger’s den himself, we should welcome him.”

“Welcome him?”

“Why?”

Why?

“You want to welcome him?”

“If you don’t like welcoming him, should we intimidate him instead? Should we establish discipline from the moment that Count bastard enters the castle?”

No. That’s not what I meant…

“…”

I closed my mouth like a clam for a moment.

I couldn’t let things go awry from the very beginning of our operation.

I felt like I needed to carefully explain my thoughts first.

“Brother. Isn’t the current situation dangerous since the enemy is infiltrating our stronghold?”

“When I’m here?”

Of course, Lucas, who feared nothing, shrugged his shoulders and leisurely crossed his arms.

“Our castle has me and the Croste guards. Not to mention the Peri are also stationed and waiting. You think it’s dangerous?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

As I always felt, Brother was truly someone who had established the blind trust that was the Croste Family’s pride.

However, I too believed in and loved the Croste Family no less than Lucas.

That’s precisely why I had no choice but to seriously consider this problem.

“…It might be better for us to go to the Count’s estate.”

“What? You want us to walk into the tiger’s den ourselves?”

Lucas frowned at my words.

“No. We’re ability users. So it would be more like cats raiding a mouse house. Setting aside everything else, there are too many risks we’d have to accept if we invite the Count to the ducal palace.”

Fortunately, Brother didn’t talk back this time.

I felt slightly nervous as I carefully continued speaking.

“If the Count is a spy, impurities will definitely come mixed in.”

“Impurities?”

“Yes. Unofficial members he hasn’t introduced to us. Spies might infiltrate when our guard is lowered due to a guest’s visit.”

Perhaps they might have already been sent along with Leila.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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