For a brief moment, cold sweat broke out all over my body.
I hurriedly hid the wig I was holding even more carefully behind my back.
'It might already be too late...'
Swallowing slowly so as not to reveal my anxiety, I looked at the girl in front of me.
She was clearly around my age at a glance.
Even if there was an age difference, it couldn't be more than a year or two.
But something was off.
She didn't seem like a peer at all.
Her eyes were so hollow it was hard to gauge her emotions,
and her demeanor was heavy and composed in a way that made it hard to believe she was a child.
'Those eyes... I've definitely seen them somewhere...'
As I felt a sense of déjà vu and scrutinized the girl, she spoke up again.
This time, precisely,
pointing her finger at the wig behind my back.
"What's that?"
"...What's 'that'?"
"A wig."
She said it without hesitation, enunciating clearly.
Her gaze felt like it pierced right through me.
I took a hesitant step back.
At that moment, House Noir's ironclad rule came to mind.
No matter what happens, maintain a calm facade.
Avoiding her eyes to not show my panic,
I forced the corners of my mouth up, pretending to be completely nonchalant as I asked back.
"...Wh-what wig?"
A moment of silence followed my bizarre squeak.
...I was done for.
The cold sweat started pouring even more.
The awkward silence dragged on,
and in the meantime, my dignity as a Noir had sunk below rock bottom, straight through to the underworld.
'As expected, I'm best suited to living as the family's rice bug.'
As I thought that and wallowed in self-mockery—
the girl's lips curved up slightly, and her eyes crinkled halfway.
"Pfft."
"..."
It was a very small smile,
but when she laughed, she seemed like a surprisingly ordinary girl.
The moment my tense shoulders relaxed at her smile, she spoke again.
"How did you get that wig?"
"...Huh?"
"You just took it. From that marquis's head."
It seemed she had seen everything from start to finish.
My vision went white.
In my head, the thought 'I'm screwed' just kept repeating.
This was—
a secret House Noir absolutely had to keep hidden,
a power that must never be revealed to the outside world.
The continent's greatest magitech superpower, Ethersia.
This nation had seven Founding Houses.
One of them was our family, House Noir, symbolized by the moon.
Each house possessed unique symbols and authorities,
and those powers had been passed down through bloodlines, steadily supporting this country for generations.
House Aurel of the sun wielded powers of light and healing,
House Lumentia of nature commanded harmony with spirits and flora and fauna,
and House Eliad of metal inherited overwhelming wealth and military might.
Our House Noir, symbolized by the moon,
was in charge of foresight—glimpsing the future—and handling secrets.
...On the surface.
My grip tightened on the wig.
Even with my pathetic mana reserves, I was still a Noir.
From the day I could walk, I had learned countless times.
How to act calm.
How to speak lies as if they were truth.
And—
how to hide secrets so they were never discovered.
Even if I had squeaked ridiculously, I couldn't crumble here.
Donning my iron mask once more,
I shrugged my shoulders leisurely and spoke in my usual voice.
"Obviously? I used magic."
"Magic?"
"Yeah. Transfer magic. It's simple."
I spoke clearly without averting my eyes.
In truth, moving a wig was something any mage could do blindfolded.
'The problem is I don't have the mana to use it...'
I kept my lips curved nonchalantly, but cold sweat trickled down my back.
The girl was still staring at me silently.
Her piercing gaze felt even more ominous.
'Please buy it...'
Maintaining my smile outwardly, I pleaded desperately inside.
If my father found out I'd let an outsider discover my ability...
I'd be chased out in my underwear that very day, left to roll in the streets.
No joke, dead serious.
Fortunately, the girl nodded very slowly.
"I see."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then... could you take that headpiece the maid over there is wearing?"
"...Headpiece?"
Her intent was crystal clear.
She wanted to test my ability.
'Like hell I will.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly but smiled kindly on the surface.
"That'd be a problem. A maid's conduct reflects the family's dignity."
"...You're right."
She nodded slowly once more.
But this time, a bit faster than before.
Still, while she nodded, my liver had shrunk by more than half.
'Seriously, just leave already...'
Why the hell was this girl in our mansion?
Whatever the reason, I just wished she'd disappear from in front of me quickly.
But she didn't budge.
Far from leaving, she even took a step closer to me.
I donned my iron mask again and smiled brightly.
"Why?"
"Just... your transfer magic felt a bit different from usual."
"Different how?"
"The way you brought it was too stealthy for magic. I barely felt any mana."
Her eyes weren't piercing for nothing.
Her observation skills, unbefitting her age, made my heart skip.
But I didn't let it show, laughing it off leisurely.
"Obviously. I minimized the mana on purpose so I wouldn't get caught."
"...Really? How?"
"Hard to explain in detail. It's my modified version."
I tilted my head slightly and added an eye smile.
At times like this, glossing over with a smile was best.
Besides, it wasn't entirely a lie.
I had just slightly modified an ability any Noir could use to suit my near-zero mana.
'If only it were actual magic...'
I glanced at the chubby guy still frantically searching for his wig.
Currently, all the Founding Houses held high positions in the empire.
Two grand dukes, one duke, three marquises.
Our house was the only one stuck as counts for centuries.
The reason was simple.
...Our founder was a thief.
This was a top secret known only to the emperor and the seven house heads.
Originally, our founder was a notorious phantom thief infamous even across the neighboring continent.
On nights with a full moon, he could steal anything in the world.
Rare treasures,
ugly secrets hidden away,
even people's thoughts and futures.
With such bizarre and extraordinary thievery,
he provided decisive aid to Ethersia's first emperor in founding the nation.
In return, he received the title of Noir and a countship, ascending to nobility.
Moreover, the first emperor promised that any further contributions to the nation would earn higher ranks.
Of course, that promise was never fulfilled.
There was a condition: no more thieving.
'Our founder was a thief—where do you think that blood went?'
Noir blood was always like that.
The more you said not to have it, the more you craved it;
the more you said not to steal, the more you wanted to;
the more you said not to look, the harder you peeked.
With that maddening blood passed down generations, staying perpetual counts was actually merciful.
I subtly shifted my gaze to the girl.
She was still staring at me.
No arms crossed, no head tilted.
Just standing there with her hands clasped in front, staring intently since earlier.
'That's even scarier...'
My strict father's scoldings were less frightening than when my mother gently reprimanded me with a smile.
Why did it feel just like being caught and scolded by Mother right now?
But the real terror was something else.
Our father, despite being a Noir, unusually valued honor.
Unlike past heads, escaping perpetual count status was his top priority.
'...And in that situation, I exposed the family's shame?'
My life would be over from that day.
Unlike my brothers and sister, my mana was pathetic.
So I had to cling to the family and scrape by somehow.
'There has to be some good way out...'
The current situation was utterly disadvantageous no matter how I looked at it.
I knew nothing about her, but she had my weakness in hand.
After a moment's thought, a good idea struck me.
"I'm Celen Noir. What's your name?"
"...Me?"
I needed to pry at least one piece of info to find a way out.
Smiling brightly, I nodded.
The girl hesitated a bit before murmuring softly.
"Ruena. Ruena Eliad."
"...Eliad?"
"...Yeah."
Only then did I realize the source of the déjà vu from our first glance.
Grand Duke Eliad, whom I'd seen just moments ago.
Her eyes were so similar to his.
That gaze that pierced through others without revealing his own emotions.
But—
'No one except us Noirs knows how Noir abilities manifest.'
We had kept it hidden from everyone for ages.
This secret, guarded generation after generation, would surely save me from this crisis.
Smiling brightly, I handed her a beautifully packaged dessert.
The one I hadn't been able to give to Grand Duke Eliad earlier.
"Here, a gift only for esteemed guests."
"...What's this?"
"Dessert. Limited edition—only 50 made a day by a famous patissier."
Ruena, caught off guard, looked at the dessert placed in her hand.
A faint blush colored Ruena's face.
It was the first tiny change I'd seen after more than 10 minutes with her.
Ruena murmured in a slightly trembling voice.
"...Can I eat it now?"
"Of course."
That was exactly what I wanted most.
Fortunately, Ruena bit into the dessert without suspicion.
One bite, two bites.
Savoring it slowly.
Yet eating it somewhat hurriedly somewhere.
As if anxious someone might snatch it away.
Soon, having devoured the dessert completely, Ruena murmured softly.
"...It's delicious."
"Glad you like it."
Smiling brightly, I subtly glimpsed Ruena's future.