I'm running through the *Lost Mine of Phandelver* Starter Set adventure with a new group of players. The backstory of one character was that they were born to a noble family but were abandoned at birth (because they are a tiefling). Because the character was abandoned early, they do not know that they have this heritage.

The [nothic](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/nothic) that the characters can face in Tresendar Manor has the Weird Insight action, which states:

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> The nothic targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must contest its Charisma (Deception) check against the nothic’s Wisdom (Insight) check. If the nothic wins, it magically learns one fact or secret about the target. The target automatically wins if it is immune to being charmed. 
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The ability contest suggests to me that the nothic is looking into the character's mind, but there is nothing stating that the fact or secret has to be known by the character themselves. 

Can the nothic use Weird Insight to learn a secret about the target that the target doesn't know themselves?