《I Left the Time-limited Villainous Duke Without Saving Him》 Chapter 1 Episode 1 ¡°My whole life was dedicated to my people. I believed that my body was there to watch over them, and my intellect was there to protect them. But looking back now, I think it was only my illusion.¡± ¡¾The complaints are long. What will you give to yourself? What will you get for yourself?¡¿ ¡°I will give myself a trim and fatten myself. That alone will get me what I want.¡± ¡¾I pray for you. This time, I hope you put down a heavy and golden seat* and enjoy a trivial life. ¡¿ *** Whoo~ At the sound of the kettle boiling, I quickly grabbed a thick dishcloth and removed it from the fire. It was quite heavy for a ten-year-old child to lift, but humans are animals that adapt quickly, they have learned some tricks. After pouring the thin, steamy tea into a crude cup, I added more tea leaves to the kettle and boiled it. The richly brewed tea was poured into a beautiful porcelain cup covered with gold lining. I put it in a tray and hurriedly carried it to the servant¡¯s dining room. ¡°It¡¯s cold, so please warm up with tea.¡± ¡°Oh, Betty. Thank you.¡± ¡°Suu, suu.¡± Those who had been eating already to some extent welcomed the hot tea. The front of the table which had been noisy for a while became quiet again with the sight of the strict maid. That maid doesn¡¯t like hearing gossips during meals. The butler, who had a light breakfast as to not burden his stomach, was reading the newspaper. I pretended to be carrying tea and glanced at the newspaper he was reading. Even in a black and white picture, I could witness the dazzling beauty of a young princess. Judging from a quick glance, there must have been an accident during the coronation. I met the ¡®female lead¡¯, ¡®male lead¡¯, and ¡®villain¡¯ of this world easily. The ¡®original plot¡¯ is going smoothly regardless of me. ¡°Oh, the tea is a little cold.¡± While heading to the end of the table where my reserved seat is, the maid, Anne, who was in charge of serving guests, gave me a pint glass. She was a chef who wouldn¡¯t miss out on nagging, she cleared her throat with a cough and talked to me in a solemn voice. ¡°Betty, on a cold winter day like this, you have to brew more tea before bringing them out. It all cooled down on your way here, you should try that.¡± I took a sip with Meg¡¯s permission from the seat next to me. ¡°Haha, it really is. I¡¯m sorry, Chef Anne.¡± ¡°You boiled it like this, but it¡¯s very cold, isn¡¯t it? How would you feel from a recipient¡¯s view if you were served with cold tea like this?¡± I nodded my head as if to sympathize without any rebuke. ¡°I would be surprised at how cold the tea is. I will be more careful next time.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s your first winter here so you might have not known. Be careful next time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Usually, the chef would pull out verses 2, 3, and 4, but it ended here because the strict maid seemed to notice. I quickly glanced over the table. The castle owners almost neglected all the guests, and the servants of the castle had an overly luxurious meal. Even if there is a lot of expensive food to offer to the nobles, the superiors don¡¯t look for them, so it¡¯s all ours. No, to be precise, it is the responsibility of the servants except me. Only a few slices of bread and fruit jam were all that was left on the table as if all the food had been eaten already during my brief tea brewing period. The bread was so crumbly that I didn¡¯t know when it was baked, but I had to eat it all in a hurry. Because I need to eat well to survive the afternoon. ¡°Just throw it away. It looks like everyone already ate enough.¡± It had not been a while since I put my butt on the chair, but I had no choice but to stand up again. I was about to go out with a tower of plates that were left stacked on the table, but Meg, who works in the kitchen, was putting all kinds of fruits, desserts, and coffee on a large tray. We cautiously passed each other, familiar with the work. I went down to the kitchen and headed outside to fetch water from the well for washing dishes. This is a well-developed world with water and sewage facilities comparable to the modern world, but I still have to draw water from the well always. This is because when the chef was still in charge of washing the dishes like me, she had to draw water from the well. So no matter how good the years had passed, I still have to draw water from the well to wash dishes. If I had just been a regular ten-year-old, I might have secretly wiped my tears out of shame. But in my previous life, I was a person who learned the way of a small citizen to deal with injustice. When something like this happens, it is important to keep your mind as light and positive as possible. Even if I think about it, I might just suddenly burst out, and my blood pressure would rise. It¡¯s just like, ¡®Oh, my professor is talking nonsense again.¡¯ It can¡¯t really be helped. ¡°Betty, are you going to carry that water? Give it to me.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°How would you carry it? Give it.¡± I was carefully walking up the stairs when Gilbert, the footman in charge of servicing the guests, appeared and took my kettle. Assisting in the work of other workers was a violation of the discipline of the mansion, and it is strictly forbidden in any mansion. But Gilbert would always help me with my work while avoiding the eyes of others. It may be because I just feel sorry for the others, but I am still afraid of the other finding out because I¡¯m still new. Besides, Gilbert is a footman, so he wears an expensive uniform. On a day that he would need to go out for work then help me before that and get blemishes on his uniform¡­ I don¡¯t even want to imagine. I said in a panicky voice. ¡°Well, then, leave it in front of the back door.¡± ¡°Are you going to carry it from there?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not too far from the well anyway. Hurry up and eat some desserts.¡± ¡°Yes, Betty. Thanks for your effort.¡± Hey, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being tall and strong. If I was alone, I would have climbed a few steps and rested, then climbed a few steps and rested while going up to the back door, but Gilbert went up the stairs in just a few steps even with that large tin kettle. I dazedly admired it, then hurried to say thanks. As Gilbert was about to go upstairs, he poked his face through the railing of the stairs and smiled broadly. Gilbert is the most handsome of the Duke¡¯s footmen. Anne said that Tony with thick lines is more handsome than Gilbert, but in my opinion, Gilbert is the most handsome. How desperate I am just to see him smile like that sometimes. If I were 10 years older, I would have already attacked him. ¡®Oh, wake up! Right now I¡¯m 10 years old!¡¯ As I was salivating, I quickly woke up from my thoughts, climbed the stairs, picked up the kettle, and headed towards the well. The extras are even that pretty. How pretty are the main characters in the original story? Even from afar, I want to see their faces in person. I sighed deeply at the thought. No matter how much other people are reincarnated as extras, they hopefully get along with the original characters, but the only thing I did, was using my knowledge of the ¡®original story¡¯, was to find a job. Bernhardt Lirie Janus, who later grew up to be the darkest villain of this world, inherited the title of Duke at the young age of twelve. After that, he only went out and paid no attention to household duties. As the servants who had connections with the vassals were purged in large numbers, the Duke¡¯s Castle, which was filled with only high-quality employees, suffered from an unprecedented lack of manpower. Even if the castle was left unattended, it still needs enough basic manpower. However, to hire a large number of servants, the budget for it has to be increased and to increase the budget, you need to get the owner¡¯s permission. Taking advantage of such circumstances, I manage to become a duke¡¯s maid without any recommendation letter at such a young age. At the orphanage, I got involved with children in their mid to late teens, so I lied that I was 14 without changing a single expression on my face, but the maid closed her eyes as I was nimble and quick to move and I only need to receive a small salary. ¡®Once I build my career here, I will get a recommendation letter and work somewhere else.¡¯ Even if I survive for just 1 year, I can still work as a ¡®duke¡¯s maid¡¯. And even if the scale is small, I may be able to try to become a chef if I could find a more proper kitchen job and then build up my career there step by step. If I got married on the way, I might be able to find a nanny position. Then, while working as a nanny, I can study in my spare time and consider a job as a tutor. I had a simple but healthy plan for the future, so I didn¡¯t hesitate to wash the dishes even though my hands were full of eczema.* Look, didn¡¯t I reach the well already? I didn¡¯t even know that my hands were sore as I came up with a plan for the future that would be beneficial. I gathered my sore hands and blew hot winds with my mouth to warm them. And a wooden bucket is connected to a pulley to draw water into the kettle. ¡°Hey.¡± In an instant, a human hand protruded out of the well, like a scene from that one horror movie. Then a whitish figure appeared. Surprised, I accidentally threw the wooden bucket into the well. The boy who had been hit with it straight on the face fell down again. It was only after hearing the sound of splashing that I came to my senses. That white-haired boy I just dropped back into the well, obviously, obviously¡­ ¡®Duke Janus, the owner of this estate, and the villain of the original story.¡¯ Chapter 2 I Left The Duke Without Saving Him Episode 2 In short, ¡°SLV¡±*(1) was a fictional novel in which the protagonist, who was an ordinary Korean citizen, accidentally became a villain named ¡°Christine.¡± It has such a development that after transmigrating into the sub-villain¡¯s body, she struggled around to survive, and unexpectedly got entangled one after another with the female protagonist, male protagonist, and the grand duke of the original work. It has a good plot, but the people online said that the only flaw the story has is the age range. Here¡¯s a brief description of the story before the protagonist became Christine. Catherine (the original heroine), the imperial princess of Noah, who was born for the first time after 500 years, has a coronation ceremony at the age of 10. Christine (before the transmigration) and the main characters who gathered together at that time are caught up in an unexpected incident. The temple guide, who was ordered by someone during the banquet, deliberately refluxed the mana of the young Duke Janus (the original villain) causing an explosion. It could have turned into a serious accident, but the case was closed with the arrival of a powerful knightess, Count McEuena¡¯s daughter, Lady Christine McEuena (the original secondary villain). Afterward, Christine became a knightess to the Duke of Janus, condescendingly stacking and stacking karma, and a month before becoming an adult, suddenly committed suicide, saying she wanted to get the Duke¡¯s attention. Then, she really died, and the protagonist of ¡°SLV¡± came to transmigrate into her body. ¡®No, but why would the lord be here when he¡¯s supposed to be at the Imperial Palace!¡¯ Thirty seconds after dropping the duke into the well, my mind spun faster than ever. The man that Christine should have saved is in a well. I couldn¡¯t understand how the original work, which I believed would flow completely unrelated to me, went wrong, but now it wasn¡¯t important. ¡®I, is the lord dead?¡¯ There was no way that the great Duke Janus would have died after being hit by an empty wooden pail. Looking into the dark well, I swallowed my saliva. The gray thing in the well seemed to move slowly. ¡®Even if he didn¡¯t die, he would have gotten hurt somewhere.¡¯ I knew an old man who was imprisoned for giving a small scratch to a Baron¡¯s arm when I was living in my hometown village. He was tortured in a horrific way and died for injuring the body of a noble by a commoner. If he were alive, he would somehow crawl up from the well and try to find me. ¡®For you to never find me¡­ I have to kill you.¡¯ I held the large iron kettle and carefully tried to weigh it. ¡®Ah, my simple but sound plan for the future, goodbye¡­¡¯ I was worried for a moment. In novels with villains and extras like this, it is the norm to help the female lead, the male protagonist, or the villain. I know the original, too. Since this happened, let¡¯s help and seduce the villain like the protagonist after transmigrating into the body of Christine. Even if I can¡¯t completely accomplish it, he might let his guard down for a while until I run away. ¡®Well, the Christine after the transmigration said something to this guy.¡¯ ¡¸ I like the Duke the way he is. ¡¹ Thanks to those words, this crazy duke appeared in the middle of the night. ¡¸ You said you like me the way I am. I love you, too. You will never leave my side, right? ¡¹ Phew, he¡¯s hopeless. Just die. I closed my eyes and threw the heavy iron kettle into the well. ¡°Urg!¡± I ran fast, leaving behind the heavy sound from the well. Now I¡¯ll run away and never come back here again. It¡¯s a common name that is so common that about ten people would look back if you shouted ¡®Betty!¡¯ from behind, but I¡¯ll change the name. Meghna Ann. Something like that. I headed to the servant¡¯s passage through the back door and went straight up to the attic, the dormitory of the lower maids. It was a busy time, so no one paid attention to me. In the empty room, there were bedding and clothes that were not organized by the lazy maids. First of all, I packed the envelopes of my salary that I had saved up so far. And I searched through the clothes one by one that are scattered. You may be surprised at how I could steal other people¡¯s things, but I had to start my life again at the age of ten without any connection. I wasn¡¯t in a position to build a good sense of morality. ¡®There is a risk that jewelry will be traced later, so I should mainly take cash.¡¯ While I was taking every single coin. ¡°You¡¯re a kid with no blood or tears.¡± Somewhere, a large hand grabbed my head by the chin and pressed it. I shouted reflexively. ¡°Argh! I¡¯m sorry!¡± In an instant, an arm popped between my armpits, and my feet lift off of the ground. And his red eyes met mine. The red eyes facing him in a darkened room where the lights weren¡¯t properly turned on were already creepy, but he looked even more vicious as he was bleeding dark red blood from his head. ¡®You monstrous bastard, I should have killed him more definitely.¡¯ I was shivering, swallowing lines like a rogue villain inside, and he asked me as he looked closely at me. ¡°How old are you?¡± I swallowed my saliva and replied with a calm voice as much as possible. ¡°14¡­¡± It was a lie that wouldn¡¯t work. But there was a reason why I stuck to the number of 14 even if I died soon. According to imperial law, no matter how commoners were, children who could not exceed 14 were unable to work. The law was made with the aim of saving children from labor exploitation in its own way, but most of them were nominal laws to deceive their age and find jobs like me. However, there was no way that a noble like Duke Janus would know this situation. ¡°You¡¯re 14?¡± When he asked back sadly, I corrected it with a crawling voice. ¡°No, thi, thirteen¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°12¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ele¡­ven.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ten¡­¡± ¡°Who told you to count backward? Say it right.¡± Even though I went down to my real age, he couldn¡¯t stop doubting. I protested with a little loud voice. ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m 10 years old!¡± ¡°You¡¯re as big as a rat. What do you mean 10 years old?¡± Then Meg opened the door and nagged out of nowhere. ¡°Betty! I got scolded by the chef because of you! I sent you to bring water and this is real¡­¡± Meg¡¯s face, which was full of doubts, quickly turned blue as the boy turned his head, wiping his white hair that was clogged with blood. It had been a long time since she had seen the lord, but the situation was quickly understood. Meg quickly bowed her head. He put me on his side as if I were a pimp and walked out. While clinging to the air and struggling, I could see Meg quietly stepping back to one place and nodding. ¡°Bring the butler.¡± ¡°Ye, yes!¡± The man, who was only 15 years old, growled like a beast. ¡®It was okay to see the main characters from afar, but that¡¯s canceled.¡¯ I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t even see how pretty the main character was. With tears in my eyes, I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out my paycheck. And, in case of emergency, I quickly put the dried poisonous herb in my mouth and chewed it hard. According to the only pharmacist in my hometown, I could die as if I were just sleeping. It was better than being beaten until I died because of injuring a noble. ¡°Hey! What are you chewing? Spit it out, quickly!¡± The duke, who I thought had his visions narrowed because of anger, found me mumbling on his side and quickly put his fingers inside my mouth. ¡°Why won¡¯t you spit it out! Spit it out when I¡¯m still asking nicely. Aren¡¯t you going to spit it out?¡± ¡°No!¡± Uwehh. His fingers went deep and stimulated my tender throat, causing me to retch repeatedly. I wanted to bite the hand of the duke who came into my mouth, but it was not easy to close my mouth when the boy held both of my cheeks and forcibly opened my mouth. After enduring in tears, I finally sat down on the floor and vomited what I ate. Except for the dried poisonous herb, I only ate a piece of bread, so only gastric juices came out. If this disastrous life ends, I will go to the end of hell and kill the person who reincarnated me. I didn¡¯t have anything more to spit out, so I eventually hit my head next to my vomit and fainted. Chapter 3 Episode 3 My name is Betty, a commoner, so I don¡¯t have a family name. It¡¯s just Betty. It was only around the time when I was starting to learn how to walk that I realized that this was my second life. There was a time when I was excited, saying that I was going through something similar to the ¡°an unfamiliar ceiling when I opened my eyes¡± trope. ¡ªDirector, what name should I give this child? ¡ªWhat, just call her Betty. I¡¯m too lazy to name it. When I heard that my name is ¡®Betty¡¯, I thought that even a thunderbolt would hit the dry sky. I¡¯m Betty. Betty. I don¡¯t know which novel it came from, but there was only one name I could guess. It was clear that I would be nothing more than a maid 1, 2 or maid 1 and maid 2. Born with such a lame fate, I grew up in such an orphanage in the Dukedom of Janus. It was an orphanage with a pretty good curriculum compared to the circumstances. I learned all the basic skills to get a job as a maid, such as cleaning, sewing, and cooking, there. No one taught me letters and I didn¡¯t even have time to learn them. From the time I can walk properly, I work when the sun rises and sleep when the sun goes down. As the hard days continued, the excitement I felt at first gradually dried up. When I found out that this land I was stepping on was ¡°the celestial continent, the Noah Empire,¡± I remembered the transmigration novel ¡°SLV,¡± but what does that have to do with me? Now, even the memories of my previous life were fading. I remember what country I was from in the past, what gender I was, and what job I was in, but I quickly lost my memories of what I liked and what I hated, or who was my close friend. The only thing that I remember in detail as time goes by is . I remembered it very clearly as if it was the only important thing. ¡¸This time, I pray you to enjoy a good and trivial life.¡¹ *** ¡°Gasp.¡± My eyes lit up as if I had received some revelation. The bed that I was always crouching to overcome the early morning cold is replaced by soft yet fluffy bedding and a ray of sunshine gently wrapping my body. I slowly got up and looked around. A bedroom that is a little smaller than the room where six lower-level maidservants sleep together. A large, clean glass window that faces south and lets in warm sunlight. The feel of the carpet, touching the feet that got out of bed involuntarily. ¡®This is a guest room.¡¯ I was locked in the kitchen and was doing the dishes, but I could tell. This was the Duke¡¯s castle¡¯s guest room, which had not been used for a long time. As soon as I found out, I quickly looked at the expensive things around me. Famous paintings in front, small statues, and ceramics adorning the fireplace and tabletop. I shouldn¡¯t touch anything. In the cucumber field, do not even change your shoes, and you may wander around expensive items for nothing.* ¡®What is that fluttering thing?¡¯ A white ribbon-like thing moved above me and then I saw my reflection in the mirror when I turned around. A small freckled child, as if sprinkled brown sugar on a pale face, was wearing an expensive children¡¯s robe, which must have cost several times of my annual income. ¡®This is obviously¡­ ¡­the duke¡¯s doing.¡¯ Even when I¡¯ve read the book, I couldn¡¯t understand what that nutcase was thinking, but when I actually experienced it, it was even harder to understand what was going on in his head. I looked out the window to infer the atmosphere of the castle. And my body suddenly hardened. ¡°30 minutes left. Everyone, cheer up.¡± The brightly smiling boy had a hunting rifle on his shoulder, and scared servants sometimes appeared and moved quickly throughout the beautifully maintained garden. No matter how much I looked at it, I could only see it in the form of a hunter and its prey. The butler, who was always sitting in the upper seat and replacing the owner¡¯s vacant seat, was already lying in the corner as if he had been caught already, but he did not look alive. Crazy bastard, he¡¯s such a nutcase. ¡°Betty¡­! Y, you¡¯re awake.¡± I got startled by the sudden voice that my body, which was tense from the chilling sight, was able to move. I looked back and saw Anne. The rich blonde hair she was proud of was unruly and above all, she was barefoot. Looking around, Anne crawled under my bed. Looking at her with curious eyes, Anne put her finger to her mouth and forced her lips to smile. It couldn¡¯t have been so bizarre as she tried to smile with a frightened face. ¡®She¡¯s asking me to hide her.¡¯ I wondered if I could get more information about the outside, so I lowered my body and made eye contact with Anne under the bed. ¡°Anne, how long has it been since I collapsed?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? If you do this, I¡¯ll get caught!¡± As I approached her, she freaked out and suddenly became angry. ¡°Are you hiding from the duke?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? Betty, you filthy orphan girl¡­ Quickly get on the bed and lie down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean, do what you¡¯re told to.¡± ¡°Why should I do that?¡± Heuum. As I watched Anne trembling under the bed, I got lost in thought. As I looked at her with a confused expression on my face, she seemed to be nervous, but she quickly put on a smile and soothed me. ¡°Betty, you¡¯re a good kid, aren¡¯t you? Can you help me? We don¡¯t see each other often, but I like you the most out of all the kids who work in the kitchen. You¡¯re a nice girl, right? Go up to the bed and lie down.¡± At that, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Anne must have misunderstood something. I wasn¡¯t good, I was weak. ¡°Why should I lie on the bed and be the bait? I don¡¯t understand at all.¡± *** ¡°You two are not good enough.¡± It didn¡¯t take long to notice the presence of the escaped prey. The young Duke Janus was instantly offended. Nothing beats the fun more than breaking the rules of the game. He was a generous lord, so he gave opportunities to his negligent subordinates. He said he would let it slide if they could hide anywhere and avoid him as much as they could. However, don¡¯t go into the castle. That one constraint was placed. He was a nobleman. He¡¯s not the pimp who shoots in his own house. He kindly explained the circumstances and told them not to enter, but one of the prey had crawled into the castle. While chasing the traces, he was very displeased when he tried to pick up a pair of shoes near the back door where the servants came in and out. Thinking of going inside the house and shooting, he was already feeling a little queasy. It was the time when the boy¡¯s face, which had seemed quite easy-going so far, became scary. ¡°Ugh!¡± A groan was heard above his head, clenching his teeth and trying to contain the scream. He looked up and saw the prey he had missed hanging by the window. At the same time, the horses of the stable on the other side jumped out startled by something and sprinted across the central garden. Some of the users who had been hiding in various places in the sudden commotion raised their heads towards the running horses without realizing it. The boy¡¯s mouth widened as he pondered what had happened. He looked so happy that no one could tell that he just had his face hardened a short while ago. *** Seeing the disturbance of the central garden, Gilbert seemed to have moved as planned. And Anne, hanging outside the window by now, must be confessing to where I ran to live. She thinks I escaped on Molly, the smallest and weakest of all the horses released from the stable. Because that¡¯s what I told Gilbert as well. But even if Gilbert was captured, there would be no problem. Because I have no plans to run away from the Duke¡¯s Castle within today. As expected, I could hear Anne speaking urgently to the duke who had caught her. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth! Betty, the little girl is scared and wants to run away, so I was trying to catch her¡­¡± ¡°Did Betty wake up?¡± ¡°What? Yeah, she just woke up¡­¡± Anne¡¯s bare feet could be seen through the cracks on the board wall. Gilbert didn¡¯t seem to have been caught. ¡°¡­I think she rode Molly! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be easy to handle because Molly is the smallest and gentlest?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you dizzy?¡± The Duke, who was listening to Anne, said suddenly. Anne asked back as if embarrassed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about Betty. Dried twin grasses take a long time to detoxify, so you can feel dizzy even after you recover, your daily life becomes impossible. It means there¡¯s brain damage.¡± Listening to that, I think I¡¯m a little dizzy. However, it seemed that I would last a few days in this narrow and cozy place. The Duke won¡¯t be in the castle for long anyway, and it¡¯s ridiculous to run away while he¡¯s around. No matter how small and gentle a horse is, it is impossible to climb on top of it with a 10-year-old body and run until it escapes from the duchy. For this time, I had looked at the right space in advance. In the corner of the kitchen, there is a hole roughly blocked by a board (I don¡¯t know why it was blocked. I think it can be used as a cupboard.) The board that blocked the entrance was so sloppy that if you crumpled your body well, a small child like me could enter. Besides, the place beyond the board was originally drilled as a ventilation window, so you could look outside through the cracks in the board. As if he had no idea I was hiding, the duke continued. ¡°It¡¯s also a good way to eat decoction of Wing flowers and Temi tree fruit for a week or so. Both are easily available.¡± Eat the fruit of Wing flowers and the fruit of Temi trees. As a person who ate dried twin grass, it was very useful information, so I was listening without realizing it. But when I thought about it a little more, it was strange. ¡®You must have been quite angry about Anne, so why are you suddenly bragging your knowledge?¡¯ As if to make someone listen on purpose¡­ ¡°So it would be great to just lie down in bed and get some rest. Wouldn¡¯t it?¡± I felt something unusual and tried to look through the cracks in the boards, but I just stiffened. It was because I met his red eyes through the gaps. Chapter 4 Episode 4 ¡°Did you finish washing up?¡± In the hand of the Duke who said so, there was an unidentified instrument. The aesthetic purpose was a large iron tong that one doesn¡¯t normally see. I looked down at my clean and shiny two feet. ¡°No!¡± After answering in a loud voice, I applied a lot of perfume oil to both hands. If he comes close to me and asks why it takes so long to wash a single foot, I plan to poke his eyes with these oily hands and run away. Of course, Duke Janus wouldn¡¯t be a great man if he would just let the little child escape from his hands just because he couldn¡¯t see well. I don¡¯t jump into impossible plans. But, if it weren¡¯t for those hideous torture tools that the boy had carefully cleaned, I would have laid flat without thinking about this nonsense. But as soon as I saw those torture instruments, I had no choice. ¡®Psycho-like child. I should have completely killed him while he was in the well.¡¯ ¡°Why does it take so long to wash foot?¡± ¡°Oh, hey, w, wait¡­¡± Seeing the boy approaching, not too different from what I expected, I hurriedly washed my feet with a frightened voice. ¡°Huh? Your feet are going to swe¡­¡± Now! I stretched out my oil-stained hand toward the duke¡¯s face, which passed by the side of his shoulder. ¡°Are you trying to poke me in the eye?¡± And my last chance, which will never come back, was thwarted. I smiled awkwardly holding both hands together. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± As the boy tilted his head slightly to the side, his face drew closer. If I had only seen that smiling and questioning face, he would have looked just like a sly prankster. But I knew. The fact that this guy was smiling, was a really bad sign. I¡¯ve already drawn enough interest from him. If I act out more here, it might really turn irreversible. ¡®Let¡¯s never provoke him. Don¡¯t provoke him.¡¯ As I was looking down at the floor with my mouth closed, I got lifted. ¡°I think you¡¯ve washed your feet enough.¡± As he went to the bed with me dangling in his hands, I saw the ugly tools I had seen earlier. I feel my body losing strength as the shapes of the tools becomes clearer. The duke placed me on the bed with so much ease, and sat down next to me, pulling a tray lined with torture instruments. I just watched as he wiped the balm with a towel on his pale white hands. However, the boy¡¯s hand, pulling his lip up and smiling, turned towards the tray. My soul spat out words like a final scream. ¡°Oh my gosh, you¡¯re gonna cut my stomach with those scissors! Pull out the intestines little by little with that skewer! Tie me up so I can¡¯t escape! Use those little tweezers to pull out my nails! Just for fun! If you get tired of playing like that, then you¡¯ll use that saw to cut my skull!¡± The duke, who was listening to me blankly, quietly opened his mouth as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°¡­¡­No, I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a surgical tool. I don¡¯t have to use it if it¡¯s confirmed that there¡¯s no brain damage.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°How can such a cruel¡­¡­ What¡¯s in your head?¡± Is he lying to let my guard down? The Duke¡¯s expression is too bland to think like that. The instrument, which I had no idea what its purpose was, came up from the side table and shone brightly. The duke made sure to shine it on my face and literally just checked it out. I opened my mouth and rolled my eyes up to make an ah- sound as he told me to. The duke, who seemed to be doing some kind of inspection, lifted his hand from me. And the lights went out from the tools on the night table. After the examination, the Duke shook his head with a slightly stiff face. ¡°Betty, this isn¡¯t really good. I guess¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I think I need to open your head.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your left eye hasn¡¯t even moved. I¡¯m going to cut open your head and look at it.¡± That was so unrealistic that I feel like getting sick and just looked up at him. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯ It¡¯s not believable. Apparently, he¡¯s thinking of performing surgery himself, who¡¯s not a doctor, and that is no different between torturing people for fun. I forced my mouth shut and smiled. ¡°Hey, are you lying? To make fun of me¡­¡± Seeing her hardened face without a single smile, I was terrified. I asked more strongly. ¡°Th, that¡¯s ridiculous! There¡¯s nothing wrong with my sight¡­ I can see everything?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the optic nerve is still connected. It¡¯s going to slowly break off and then you¡¯ll go blind.¡± He¡¯s just trying to scare me for no reason because I¡¯m trying to run away. I turned my head around to find a mirror. I¡¯ll have to check for myself whether my left eye is moving or not. But there was no mirror in the room. It was a luxurious guest room as much as the room I woke up in earlier, but I couldn¡¯t find a mirror. All I could see was the boy¡¯s face looking at me with a straight face. He reached out and grabbed my cheek, fixing my face. ¡°Don¡¯t keep your head moving, look down.¡± For now, I looked down obediently as he told me to. ¡°Look to the ceiling.¡± I was raising my eyes so much that it hurt, but he gently pressed around my left eye. ¡°Can you feel me pressing it?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s normal, you should have a little bit of a dull ache. Your left eye is slowly getting necrotic.¡± Huh? My vision, which had been shaking since I had lost which way to look, changed in an instant, and a runny nose started to flow. I asked in a trembling voice. ¡°Then¡­ what will happen?¡± ¡°Fortunately, one of my numerous hobbies is medicine. Feeding, putting someone to sleep, and even performing surgery myself if you are sick, even if an angel is equipped, they can¡¯t do better than this, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Heungg¡­!¡± In the end, I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and covered my face with both hands and burst into tears. I really hate surgery. In particular, the surgery here is really scary and I hate it. The medical level of this era could be seen as staying in the transitional period from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Surgical operations such as cutting the bones, cutting the flesh, and tearing the internal organs were mainly performed, and the concept of disinfection and anesthesia had not been established for a while. One day, Uncle Bob, a retired soldier, said, ¡®I¡¯d rather be a torturer. Then I can do whatever I want and I¡¯m done.¡¯ The Duke, who was looking at me sobbing, clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Betty. I told you to wash up so I can open our head, and because you¡¯re dirty.¡± Does he really have to open my head? The Duke used his handkerchief to wipe the mixture of tears and runny nose that had run down my palms and cheeks. Even in the midst of this, this guy kept his mouth shut, holding back his laughter. ¡°Stop crying and lie down now. I¡¯m going to put anesthetic cream on your forehead.¡± There is no way that I can endure such a terrible thing as a 10-year-old. ¡®I¡¯d rather lose an eye!¡¯ I struggled desperately at the hand trying to lay my body back. ¡°Why? Stay still.¡± ¡°Will you really cut it with a saw? How about my hair?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to cut your hair. There¡¯s no one else here but you who would get a haircut because of eating poison.¡± ¡°Please¡­ please! Do I have to do it? I¡¯m just¡­.¡± The duke made a fuss at my refusal. ¡°What are you talking about, Betty? You¡¯re only 10 years old. Do you want to lose your eyes?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s not¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ Even if I don¡¯t have to go under surgery, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°What, are you serious? Is it better to go blind like this?¡± ¡°But I have two eyes¡­¡± ¡°If one goes blind, the other will soon start to go blind, too.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡®I can¡¯t get caught being scared!¡¯ I shook my head vigorously to shake off my feeling of weakness. The duke, who hesitated slightly, was lightly surprised by my logic, soon shrugged. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve decided to do the surgery anyway, and your doctor isn¡¯t that important.¡± What bullshit! The person involved said she doesn¡¯t want to get surgery! I did my best to struggle with the hope that I would interfere with the surgery even a little. ¡°Nooooo! I don¡¯t want to get surgery!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like surgery?¡± ¡°I hate it!¡± ¡°Do you really hate it?¡± ¡°Euuugh¡­!¡± ¡°Then promise me you won¡¯t run away from me.¡± The boy, who was struggling with my hand, said in a low voice as if giving in to me. I nodded, not understanding what the words meant. ¡°You have to say it yourself. ¡®I¡¯m not going to run away¡¯.¡± ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t run away!¡± ¡°What about injuring my head?¡± ¡°Sob sob¡­ ¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°What were you trying to pierce my eyes with?¡± ¡°I was wrong! I won¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huaaaah! Mom¡­ Mom¡­¡± I bawled out while calling my mom, whom I had never even seen before. The duke, who was staring at me, soon shouted in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s this? Betty! Your left eye is back to normal!¡± ¡°What¡­¡± The duke, who was trying to fix me in bed, suddenly pushed a small hand mirror in a lively voice. ¡°Look, Betty. Your eyes are as pretty as a fairy!¡± I held the mirror tightly and looked into my eyes even when my eyes were covered with tears. Both eyes moved fine and well. Hooh. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ My head, which had been frozen for fear of surgery, began to slowly return. The duke made a fuss with envy as if he were handling a 10-year-old who was easy to fool. ¡°I wonder if such a miracle can happen in the world. The world must have been moved by your sincere promise. Pray hard before going to bed.¡± Look at this punk. I¡¯m serious, but he¡¯s here pinching other people¡¯s cheeks and stretching them. ¡°You lied, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What do you mean I lied? If you doubt others recklessly, you¡¯ll be punished by the heavens, Betty.¡± I couldn¡¯t contain my anger and looked at him. I wanted to crush that smiling face so that the dimples on both of his cheeks were widened. It was only then that the Duke, who saw my gaze, gently admitted. ¡°¡­yeah, that¡¯s right. I was lying.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I was joking around to make you laugh. Wasn¡¯t it fun?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Was it not fun?¡± I stared intently without a word and he raised one eyebrow. As if reminding me to be aware of my position, I quickly lowered my eyes. I can¡¯t say anything when I¡¯m among the lowest rank maids. ¡°¡­¡­It was fun.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you laughing?¡± ¡°Ha.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the least sincere laugh I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ha.ha.ha.¡± He¡¯s a bad guy. I should have killed him properly when he was in the well. ¡°You got caught trying to run away, but you¡¯re glad everything went well thanks to your angel-like owner, right? Do you know why I kept you alive?¡± I shook my head, wiping my eyes from crying. It seems that there was more runny nose than tears, but it must be because of my mood. The duke took out another handkerchief and wiped my nose and continued to talk. ¡°Because this benevolent lord doesn¡¯t waste any talent in the territory. Especially if that talent is a rare guide.¡± What does this mean? Looking at him with my eyes wide open, he picked up a fist-sized mineral on the tray. When he put it on my forearm, a faint purple light spread from inside the mineral. ¡°It means you can at least be a C-class guide.¡± Chapter 5 Episode 5 ¡°I¡¯m a guide?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll have a closer look in the capital and we¡¯ll know exactly your class.¡± At the words of the duke, I looked down at my hand with mixed feelings. The job of a ¡®guide¡¯ was a very distant dream for commoners like me. Of course, a commoner happened to undergo an examination in the capital, and it turned out that he was an S-class guide, and the story of how he became rich is everywhere. However, rumors were only rumors, and in reality, they were nonsense. The guides were no different from ordinary people except that they could purify the power of the Transcendent, and their main task was to guard and guide a Transcendent in all kinds of risky environments. It was natural to go through as much training as most soldiers to become an ¡°official guide¡± recognized in the empire. And education to become an official guide costs a lot of money. The graduates of the guide training school were mostly nobles, with the exception of guides from commoners who occasionally appeared for publicity purposes. And even after graduating from school with difficulty, it was very difficult for the guides from commoners to enter into a fair contract due to lack of connections. Even if you know that you are a guide, the life of commoners will ultimately not change. Of course, as the rumors say, if it is a guide of S-class or higher, the nobles will sponsor it on their own to provide guide training, but the S-class guide is not the name of any house. It would be faster to be such a talented person once every 100 years.(1) That¡¯s why it was not easy for me to go to the capital city right away. *** ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You told me to prepare for a detailed guide examination in the capital. I packed my things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all your luggage?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± My luggage is not much. A few pairs of underwear, a pair of outdoor clothes, a pocket containing strings for multi-use, a handful of water, a handful of salt, and an ID card that was taken out to match the old brown briefcase. The duke was carefully examining my luggage like the director of an orphanage who conducts hygiene inspections. ¡°It sucks.¡± He only took out my ID card from it and threw the rest out of the bag. ¡®This bastard¡­¡­¡¯ I¡¯m still not used to him doing trashy things every moment, I grabbed my skirt tightly to suppress my anger. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a new one, so let¡¯s throw it all away.¡± ¡°You already threw it all away.¡± ¡°I know. Thanks to me for throwing it away, right? You don¡¯t have to separate garbage and collect it.¡± My underwear¡­ I¡¯ve only brought things I¡¯ve only worn ten times. Outing clothes were made of strong, high-quality fabrics and were worn only once in a lifetime. As I watched the duke turn, I secretly pouted my lower lip. With my hands lightened, I followed him down to the main hall. Since I was a low-level maid in charge of washing dishes, who only walked in and out of the daily use aisle, kitchen, and attic, there was no need for me to even walk in the main hall. From the murals adorning the ceiling, to the intricately carved lily patterns on the alabaster columns, to the view of the lake as you descend the elegantly curved stairs. As I passed the mansion, my eyes widened and I looked around. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡± It doesn¡¯t matter if you leave me. I hurried down the stairs at the Duke¡¯s call. In front of the portico, there was a black car with a smooth gloss instead of a carriage. As a person who had lived a life unrelated to the limousine in my previous life, I had no choice but to be discouraged. As I approached him, Gilbert, a footman, opened the door as if he were doing it to a noblewoman. After making eye contact with him, I relaxed a little. Quite a few servants, including Gilbert and Meg, survived the hunt. It was because I caught the Duke¡¯s attention on the way. It is said that Duke Janus¡¯s nature is spontaneous and fickle, so the hunt has faded as it is since he found me hiding in the kitchen. The surviving servants just listened to the nagging saying that they should pay more attention to hiring people in the future and do not bully the youngest. I was too healthy to be the reason for the blood hunt that was held.(2) ¡°Do you know that there are a lot of people in the capital?¡± As soon as Gilbert got into the car, the duke, who rode first, started a conversation. I quickly erased my smile from my face and responded with a grumpy voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Meg would be nice. Being able to live in a duke-free castle again as before. In the car that started moving, I only pinched my fingers. And feeling the unfamiliar feeling of being in a moving car, I remembered the lamentations I had been dealing with so far. ¡®That stone shined for no reason.¡¯ I am not happy even if I become a C-class guide or higher. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m that rare S-class guide, and if I do, things will get more complicated. Since I will be sponsored by Duke Janus, I will belong to the Duke after the guide training. I really don¡¯t want to get involved anymore. ¡°Duke, do I have to go to the capital?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Why did you get in the car when you didn¡¯t want to go?¡± I rode it because you told me to. His tone changed like a child because he couldn¡¯t say that and just looked up. I couldn¡¯t say that so I just looked up, his tone changed to that of a child¡¯s. ¡°Do you know the average annual salary of a guide? It¡¯s incomparable than the money you make by washing the dishes with those maple-like hands and having eczema.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It means that if you go to school and study well, you can make a lot of money. You don¡¯t like money?¡± ¡°I like it¡­¡­¡± ¡°But why do you look like you¡¯re dying?¡± There is a reason why the guide¡¯s salary is high. Of course, it is because it is a rare professional occupation, but above all, it belongs to a high-risk occupation group that has to take as much risk as a transcendent. In addition, the terrifying training until one is recognized as an official guide, and the enormous cost used for it. In this way and that way, it¡¯s not a ridiculous annual salary. ¡®I just want to build my career as a maid like the others and save even a small amount of money.¡¯ But if I say that, the Duke would be very angry. I mumbled and opened my mouth. ¡°Just¡­ The capital is large and there are many people, and when we close our eyes, we will cut our noses.¡±(3) ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± While raising my head with a puzzled look, I quickly said, ¡°Yes¨C.¡± And then I agreed with it. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s trying to comfort me so I won¡¯t be afraid.¡¯ But looking at the smile hanging around the boy¡¯s mouth, it didn¡¯t seem like it. I think he¡¯s going to die of joy because others are scared. ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t know Betty was scared.¡± I have a lot of worries and a lot of fear. However, from the Duke¡¯s point of view, it may seem that my actions have lost fear. For several days after meeting him, I was in a corner all the time, and in that state, I was scared and had nothing to hide. ¡°Then, shall we hold hands?¡± What? Suddenly, I looked at the air in one hand pushed under the shaft. I suddenly met his eyes when one hand raised my chin. ¡®The capital is scary, but why hold hands in the car?¡¯ He clapped his hands outstretched at me, who¡¯s bewildered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about whether it¡¯s gonna bother me or not. Because I¡¯m fine with it.¡±(4) ¡°Ah, yeah..¡± I feel like I have no choice, so I put one hand on top of the outstretched hand. I didn¡¯t know because I didn¡¯t pay much attention before, but when I found out that I was a guide, I felt something in contact with a transcendent. It feels like a breeze is escaping from the body. When I focused, I felt the itchy feeling from my fingertips, but it was a very subtle sensation, so I could ignore it if I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Ha¡­¡­ Good.¡± However, it must feel different from the other person. ¡®If I were to go through the Duke, guiding would not solve the problem.¡¯ Come to think of it, his guides were not even visible during the past few days when the Duke stayed in the castle. At that moment, I had an unpleasant feeling and felt like my whole body was cooling down. Perhaps he knew how I felt, but the duke muttered in a sour voice. ¡°You get free guide training and as soon as you graduate, you become my own guide.¡± I asked back pretending to know nothing, ¡°M, me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m talking about your career path, so pay attention, Betty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be your guide?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll have to spend a year as my guide. You¡¯re going to spend 10 years as a guide at the school in the capital and build your career as my guide for about a year. Is it hard to understand what I mean?¡± ¡°No.¡± As I shook my head, a faint smile appeared on his lips. In the meantime, the way he smiles like that suits him well, and he looks pretty, making him look bubbly. I asked carefully to identify the ominousness that shook my heart. ¡°Then¡­¡­ Where are the guides of the duke?¡± Duke Janus was different from any other transcendent. Janus of creation, and Gladio of extinction. As he was one of the two pillars supporting the empire, he had to bear the enormous power, and of course, that burden was not solved by the purification of just one guide. For example, Duke Gladio, who has similar power, had more than 10 dedicated guides. All of them were high-quality guides supplied by the Duke of Matthia and the Duke of Sol who were called master guides. The Duke of Janus also received that level of guides from Matthia and Sol, and the current Duke of Janus was especially unstable and powerful, requiring more guides than the Duke of Gladio. Why haven¡¯t we hired new guides so far when the empress¡¯s coronation ceremony would have gone wild a few days ago? The duke answered my question. ¡°I don¡¯t have any. I¡¯m going to need to get one again.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t they here?¡± ¡°A few days ago, I got out of control and they died.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°All of my guides died in less than six months. It¡¯s very strange.¡± The duke was truly a strange coincidence. ¡®Should I just open the door of the car and jump off?¡¯ I seriously pondered. Chapter 6 Episode 6 How many days has it been since we arrived at the Duke¡¯s residence in the capital? Upon being called by the Duke, I went to his study, and the boy sitting behind the desk looked out of the window and spoke with a leisurely voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to try putting the documents in soon.¡± ¡°Yes? Haven¡¯t you submitted the documents yet?¡± I was so surprised that my eyes widened as I looked at him, but he looked more surprised than me. ¡°I haven¡¯t done it yet. What¡¯s the urgency to submit the documents in such a hurry?¡± Normally, the guide exam was open to everyone regardless of their status. Since the temple bears all the costs of the participants¡¯ thorough examination process from beginning to end, anyone could check it out if they had the potential to be a guide. If you become a guide of Grade C or higher, you can enter a guide training boarding school, but of course, all subsequent expenses such as tuition, dormitory fees, and textbooks were to be shouldered by the student. Nevertheless, there were always many people submitting their own documents, so it was clear that it would take a few days for the temple to receive all of them if they would fill out the documents just now. Even though I knew the situation clearly, I asked with a confused face. ¡°Then¡­ How long does it take to take the guide level exam?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll probably take a few months. Why? Don¡¯t you like being in the capital? I will feed you, dress you, and put you to sleep on time.¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡°Then why is there no energy in your voice?¡± I swallowed a sigh and cried out in a hoarse voice. ¡°I am really grateful to the Duke for taking care of me!¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing the clothes that I bought you?¡± Take one at a time, you punk. I swallowed a swear word and mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s such a waste¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wearing it, but you¡¯re trying to resell it secretly, right? You can¡¯t do that. Pick something and change your clothes right now.¡± When the boy rang the bell, a maid, whose assigned to the capital mansion, came up. Contrary to being neglected, the servants in the capital mansion were clearly well oriented. Among them, it was a fairly high-level maid that served the owner. I glanced at the maid, who had a wonderful position in the career field of my choice. ¡°Cynthia, help her change her clothes and bring her back here. I¡¯ll give you 30 minutes.¡±[soul: Didn¡¯t wanna say this but sir, she doesn¡¯t want you to be her sugar daddy..stop-] ¡°Yes, master.¡± Oh, for reference, her name was Lucy, not Cynthia.[soul: WTF- Sir, are you Hitler?] This duke never remembers a person¡¯s name at once except for my name.[soul: Sounds like you are his favorite pokemon] Of course, there was no one to point that out even if he called the wrong name. Even if the original name is Lucy, if the owner calls her Cynthia, she becomes Cynthia. I calmly followed Lucy out of the study. She maintained restrained movements and expressions even without her owner. Admiring the thoroughness, I followed her to the room that was assigned to me. The Duke¡¯s mansion in the capital was much smaller than the Duke¡¯s castle, but considering the price of lands in the capital, it was very luxurious. Based on the faint memories of my past life, it would be like living in a luxurious hotel. The only difference is that the Duke and his servants are the only ones living in this luxurious hotel. Thick and soft white bedding made with cotton, and furniture were in perfect harmony with black and gold. ¡®He gave me just any room, but I like it so much that my eyes always stick out like this.¡¯ [soul: Like how? A popsocket?] I was even afraid that I, a commoner, could use a room like this. After living for a decade in this life, it seemed that the status system was already imprinted into my bones. Lucy was a high-leveled talent with an eye for styling the nobility.[soul: She strangely reminds me of Lucy from the Chronicles of Narnia] The accessories that seemed to have been chosen randomly went very well with my white dress, and my curly red hair, which didn¡¯t tidy up no matter how much I combed it, was quickly styled nicely. The skinny child with a lot of freckles in the mirror had already turned into a fairly plausible figure.[soul: This is what you call the power of money child] It was exactly 26 minutes until I finished changing and stood in front of the Duke again. ¡®The high-leveled maid from the capital is different no matter what anyone says.¡¯ I was amazed. I¡¯ll probably earn 50 Albon a year. I want to be a maid like Lucy. [chapter notes: I think Albon is their currency, but that kinda doesn¡¯t make sense if I¡¯m basing it on the sentence, it¡¯s probably more like ¡®gold¡¯ (50 gold).] ¡°Is your name just Betty?¡± Even stepping down even without the Duke needing to tell her to. Her appearance of appearing like a ghost to attend to what the owner needs, but not showing her presence. ¡®So cool.¡¯ ¡°Write Betty as written in the employment contract.¡± After Lucy had left, I was lost in staring at the door, and the Duke¡¯s gray eyebrows rose when he took his eyes off the paperwork. ¡°If you write it down, you¡¯ll be registered until you go to school. Are you sure your name is just Betty?¡±[soul: No, Her name¡¯s Lemon, Stop asking now.] Only then did I come to my senses and look at the Duke. ¡°Yes! N, no¡­ Well¡­¡± I tried to answer as it was, but I hesitated a little because it was a name that would be called even when I was in school. I was reborn and witnessed with my own eyes the moment when I was named. I managed to live satisfied with my roughly made name, but in fact, I¡¯ve always imagined what if I had a chance to change my name over the past decade. ¡°Do you not know? You don¡¯t have a fake identity, do you?¡± While looking at the Duke with a playful smile, I paused in a solemn voice. ¡°Betty is a nickname¡­ My real name is¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Beatrice.¡±[soul: Please why did I read that as ¡®Bellatrix¡¯ for a second XD] ¡°What?¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything because of the astonishment written all over the boy¡¯s face. After a suffocating silence passed, I finally gave strength to my throat and said. ¡°Be, Beatrice.¡± ¡°Your name is¡­ Beatrice? Like this?¡± He picked up an empty piece of paper around him, scribbled on it, and held it so that I could see it, too. For your information, I have not learned the text of this world. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you wrote.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Will there be a problem with the documents? As far as I know, there was no problem. A commoner orphan like me is almost always outside the system. Since I don¡¯t have any parents, I didn¡¯t have to be tied down, and since I wasn¡¯t a precious person in the first place, changing my identity was very easy. I could just write ¡®Beatrice¡¯ in the signature line. ¡°I wrote Beatrice in . Is that right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± To an unexpected question, I answered while rolling my eyes slightly. were famous fairy tales in this world. The plot was roughly similar to , but Juliet was a noble, and Beatrice was different. How popular a fairy tale is, Beatrice was a name that anyone of my age, regardless of status, would have heard of at least once. It¡¯s a name that you can literally think of as the epitome of a princess. So I said I wanted to change my name to a ¡®princess¡¯ now.[soul: Please, WTF-] However, to make an excuse, it is a common name among aristocrats. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Ha¡­ ¡­Bea, Beat¡­ Huhu¡­ Beatrice heeheeheeheehee¡­¡± [schwarzel: why do you laugh like a horse, duke?][soul: He was a Horse in his previous life, for sure] The boy, who couldn¡¯t hold back, burst into laughter and chimed. ¡°Who¡­ Who gave it?¡± Both my cheeks were as if they were burning, but I answered firmly. ¡°¡­I just created it.¡± The sight of the boy rubbing his forehead as if trying to hold back something made me very angry. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t I do that?¡± ¡°Huh? ¡­No¡­ Khm, khm. It works. Of course, If Betty wants to do it.¡± ¡°When I go to school, there are only Elizabeth and Alexandra and such people. If it¡¯s just me, Betty, I won¡¯t be fine.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Who¡­ Khm¡­ Who said that?¡± Tch. You¡¯re laughing at me. I stared at the boy whose shoulders were trembling from enduring a fierce inner fight. ¡°Change it if you want to change your name, change it. It¡¯s your name. If you want me to call you that¡­ Bea¡­Euhahahahaha! Beatriceheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!¡±[soul: Ugh¡­Imma Slap and Kick and Have a Whole fistfight with him if I could] The boy, who had been trying to hold back the sound of his laughter that was about to burst out from a while ago, finally rolled off the chair and rolled onto the floor. I stood in the middle of the study and waited for his laughter to end. *** I changed my mind and just decided to put my original name ¡®Betty¡¯ in the documents. It was because I knew that the plausible name I made to avoid being noticed was only a raincoat for the nobles. I may be intensively bullied for trying to pretend to be a noblewoman in a shallow way that doesn¡¯t even work. Surprisingly, the Duke submitted the documents as I wished, but the teasing was not over. ¡°I hope you are satisfied with my precious Beatrice. I would double the original price.¡± ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m just grateful that you appreciate our bakery.¡± I spoke in a friendly tone, but the baker¡¯s eyes were busy trying to ascertain my exact identity. He seemed to have guessed that I would at least be a noblewoman since Duke Janus even used honorifics to me. But I wasn¡¯t, and as a person whose status system has been firmly engraved on her bones over the past 10 years, it was a relief that I did not pretend right away. As I looked up with the cookie in my mouth, I made eye contact with the smiling Duke again. ¡°Why don¡¯t you drink tea? Doesn¡¯t it suit the taste of our precious Beatrice?¡±[soul: He would have died soon if it was me there instead of her, honestly] I drank the tea quickly and answered. ¡°It smells so good that it already suits my taste¡±. ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat more snacks? Did you get sick of it after eating one?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s so delicious. I wanted to save it for later¡±. That bully is bothering me again. Whether people intended to tease me properly or not, they were treating me like a VIP, calling me ¡°Beatrice.¡± Without knowing whether it went into my mouth or my nose, I stuffed myself with cookies and parfait, but the duke patted my head with a more prolific voice.[soul: DAMN, I WANNA KILL THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT-] ¡°Okay, okay, eat a lot. You can¡¯t eat things like this when you go to school.¡± Tak. I was suddenly confused by the sudden talk about school and choked. ¡°Beatrice, you are aspiring to be a guide! It is an honor to see the future of the empire.¡± The bakery owner, who didn¡¯t even know what I was doing, immediately pretended to know and flattered me. I guess the Duke really intends to raise me as a professional guide and use me as his, exclusively. I don¡¯t want to be a guide to the Duke even if I receive a million dollars, but my current situation doesn¡¯t allow that. However, there is nothing free in the world. One needs to pay a corresponding price for the sponsorship. I¡¯ve seen countless people die of indigestion due to useless greed. The best way to live is to take the easy road that everyone else is going and live in the middle. However, I hid my complicated innermost thoughts and shouted vigorously. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Is there anything else you want? Do you want me to buy you a doll?¡± The person who will be excited when receiving a doll is not me, but you. Since the time we came to the capital, he has been dragging me around as if playing with a doll. From the time we came here, I have been stuck close to him all the time, so there are not many things that I can do. I answered with all my heart. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking because I¡¯m really curious about what you think. After I finish eating, we¡¯ll go to the toy store, so think about what to buy in advance.¡± Then why are you asking? I was eating parfait in spite of the situation, and a small child rushed into the private room where only the Duke, I, and the bakery owner were located. A child wearing a red cloak decorated with rabbit fur took off his hood, revealing a blonde-haired figure. Chapter 6.1 How many days had passed since we arrived at the Duke¡¯s residence in the capital? After being called by the Duke, I went to his study and saw the boy sitting behind the desk looking out the window. He spoke in a leisurely voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to put the documents in soon.¡± ¡°What? You haven¡¯t even submitted the paperwork yet?¡± He was rather surprised when I widened my eyes in surprise at him. ¡°I haven¡¯t done it yet. Why are you in a hurry to send the documents?¡± Nominally, being a guide was open to anyone, regardless of status. Since the entire cost of the inspection from beginning to end was borne by the temple, anyone was able to see if they had potential as a guide. If you become a C-class guide or higher, you can enter the guide training boarding school. Well of course, all expenses after: tuition, dormitory, textbooks, etc. were borne by the individual. Even so, there was always an overflow of people submitting documents, so it was clear that it would take a year to submit the documents. Even though I knew the situation clearly, I asked with a confused face. ¡°Then ¡­¡­ How long will it take to report for the guide class exam?¡± ¡°It will take a few months, maybe. Why? Don¡¯t you like being in the capital? I feed, clothe, and let you live like this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­no.¡± ¡°But why is your voice so small?¡± He subtly noticed, so I swallowed a sigh and cried out in a loud voice. ¡°I¡¯m so glad the Duke took care of me!¡± ¡°But why don¡¯t you wear the clothes I bought you?¡± Just do one thing at a time, son of a b****. I swallowed the swearing and answered vaguely. ¡°That¡­¡­ It¡¯s a waste¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wearing it because you¡¯re trying to secretly sell it back, right? You can¡¯t do that. Pick something right now and change into it.¡± After the boy pressed the bell, the maid who resided in the capital¡¯s mansion came up shortly after. Unlike their nature, which was almost neglected, the servants in the capital¡¯s mansion were clearly organized. Among them, there was a high-ranking maid who served the master directly. I glanced at the maid who had a wonderful career in the field I wanted to pursue. ¡°Cynthia, change her clothes and bring her. I¡¯ll give you 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Oh, by the way, her name was Lucy, not Cynthia. This bastard duke has no way of remembering anyone¡¯s name at once, except for mine. Of course, if he called the wrong name, no one would even point it out to him. Even if their original name is Lucy, if the master calls her Cynthia, she becomes Cynthia. I calmly followed Lucy and left the study. Even in the owner¡¯s absence, she maintained restrained movements and an expressionless face. Admiring her thoroughness, I followed her to the room assigned to me. The Janus mansion in the capital was much smaller than the Duke¡¯s castle, but considering the price of land in the capital, it was luxurious. Based on the vague memories from my previous life, I think it was like a luxurious hotel getting moved. The only difference is that the Duke and his employees are the only people who live in the luxurious hotel. Thick and fluffy white bedding made of cotton, furniture in harmony with black and gold. ¡®It looks so good that my eyes pop out like this even though I expected to be given any room.¡¯ I was afraid because I didn¡¯t know if I, a commoner, could use a room like this. After 10 years in this life, it seemed that the status system was very imprinted in my bones. Lucy was a high-class talent with a good eye for decorating a la nobles. The randomly chosen accessories matched the white dress very well, and my red curly hair, which couldn¡¯t be straightened no matter how much I tried to comb it, was smoothed nicely in an instant. The skinny child with a lot of freckles reflected in the mirror had changed into a pretty plausible figure in a sudden. Exactly 26 minutes later I was standing before the Duke again after dressing up. ¡®High-ranking maids in the capital are different no matter what.¡¯ I am amazed. She¡¯d probably earn 50 albons a year. I want to be a maid like Lucy. ¡°Is your name just Betty?¡± With the Duke¡¯s hand gesture, she gave a neat curtsy and stepped away. Knowing what the master needs in a flash but without revealing her presence. ¡®Cool.¡¯ ¡°Write Betty exactly as it is written in the employment contract.¡± After Lucy had left, I was engrossed in staring at the door. The Duke then took his eyes off the papers, with his eyebrows raised. ¡°If I write it that way, you will be registered like that until you go to school. Just Betty?¡± I finally came to my senses and looked at the Duke. ¡°Yes! N, no¡­¡­. then¡­¡­.¡± I was going to answer him to write it as it was. But I hesitated a little because it was a name that I would be called with at school. Didn¡¯t I witness with my own eyes the moment I was born as a reincarnated person and got my name? I¡¯ve lived happily with my roughly made name, but in fact, over the past 10 years, I¡¯ve been imagining what it would be like if I had a chance to change my name. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Betty? I hope you don¡¯t even have a fake identity.¡± Looking at the Duke with his mischievous smile, I paused with a solemn voice. ¡°Betty is a nickname¡­¡­ My original name¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Beatrice.¡± ¡°What?¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything because of the clear surprise on the boy¡¯s face. It was only after a suffocating silence passed that I managed to clear my throat and speak. ¡°It, it is Beatrice.¡± ¡°Your name¡­¡­ is Beatrice?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± He picked up a blank piece of paper and scribbled something on it, then held up the paper so I could see it better. By the way, I haven¡¯t learned the letters of this world. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you wrote.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Could it be that there is a problem with the documents? Chapter 6.2 As far as I know, there was no problem. It was safe to say that a commoner orphan like me was almost outside the system. Since I had no separate parents, there was no need to be tied down with anything. And since I don¡¯t have a noble status in the first place, it was so easy to wash one¡¯s identity. All I had to do was write ¡®Beatrice¡¯ in the signature line. ¡°It was written like ¡®Beatrice¡¯ in , right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Yes.¡± Hearing the unexpected question, I slightly rolled my eyes and answered. was a famous fairy tale in this world. The plot was roughly similar to , but the difference was that Juliet was a noble and Beatrice was royalty. No matter how popular the fairy tale was, Beatrice was a name that all children my age would have heard at least once, regardless of status. It¡¯s literally a name that one can think of as a name for a princess. As if I would like to change my name to ¡®Princess Kim¡¯ now. However, to make an excuse, it was a common name among nobles¡¯ children. ¡°Alright¡­ Ha¡­¡­. Bea, Beat-hahaha¡­¡­ Beatri-hehehehe¡­¡­.¡± The boy who couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter finally cleared his throat. ¡°Khhm, who¡­¡­. kkhhmm¡­¡­ Who names you?¡± My cheeks were hot as if they were on fire, but I steadfastly answered. ¡°¡­¡­ me. I named myself.¡± Seeing the boy rubbing his forehead as if he was trying to hold back something, I became irritated for no reason. So my voice naturally became sullen. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t I do that?¡± ¡°What? ¡­ No, no haha¡­¡­. Hmm, Hmm. Of, of course. If Betty wants to.¡± ¡°When you go to school, there are only people like Elizabeth and Alexandra. If I was the only Betty, I would stand out.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡­. Who¡­¡­ Hmm, who said what?¡± You. You are laughing right now, aren¡¯t you. I glared at the boy whose shoulders trembled from holding back a bitter internal battle. ¡°If you want to change it, change it. It¡¯s just¡­ the name¡­¡­. If you want me to call you that¡­¡­ UAHAHAHA! Beahahahaha, Beatrice hehehehe!¡± After trying to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out for a while, the boy literally tumbled out of his chair and rolled on the floor. I stood in the middle of the study waiting for his laughter to end. *** I changed my mind to put in the guide documents under my original name, ¡®Betty¡¯. It was because I knew that a plausible name I made up to avoid being noticed would rather be more ridiculed by nobles. I may be intensively harassed for trying to pretend to be a noble with a shallow trick that does not even work. The Duke unexpectedly put in the documents as I wished, but the teasing was not over. ¡°My precious Beatrice is satisfied. I¡¯ll give you double the original price.¡± ¡°Oh no, Sir. I am grateful to you for appreciating our bakery.¡± He speaks in a friendly tone, but the baker¡¯s eyes are busy assuming my true identity. Since Duke Janus himself calls me in such a way, he seemed to guess that I would at least be a noble. But I¡¯m not. From the position of a person whose status system was firmly imprinted in my bones over the past 10 years, I felt brave not to act right away. I glanced up with the cookie in my mouth, and my eyes met with the smiling Duke again. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have the tea? Maybe it doesn¡¯t suit the taste of our noble Beatrice?¡± I quickly drank my tea and answered. ¡°It smells so good, it suits my taste buds!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat more sweets? You don¡¯t want it after only trying one?¡± ¡°No! It was so delicious that I wanted to save it!¡± This piece of s*** is bullying me. Whether or not he was determined to make fun of me, people were calling me ¡®Miss Beatrice¡¯ and treating me as an honored guest. I was stuffing the cookies and parfait, not knowing if it was going in my mouth or my nose. But the duke patted my head with a detestable friendly voice. ¡°Yes, yes, eat a lot. You won¡¯t be able to eat something like this when you go to school.¡± Choke I was suddenly disturbed by the sudden mention of the school that I got choked. ¡°Miss Beatrice is aspiring to be a guide! It is an honor to see the future of the Empire.¡± The bakery owner, who did not know my feelings, flattered me. It seems that the duke really intends to raise me as a professional guide and use me exclusively for him. I didn¡¯t want to be the duke¡¯s guide even if I was offered billions, but that was only my circumstances. Nobles sometimes sponsor children of commoners as a hobby. There¡¯s nothing like enjoying the feeling that you are a good person? But nothing is free in this world. If you receive sponsorship, you must pay the corresponding price. I¡¯ve seen countless people die from selfish greed. A life in the middle, walking the normal path that everyone else takes, is the best of all. However, I hid my complicated feelings and shouted vigorously. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Is there anything else you want? Shall I buy you something like a doll?¡± I think the person who gets excited when receiving a doll is you, not me. This guy has been dragging me around as if he was playing with a doll since he came to the capital. Ever since I came to the capital, I had been close to him, so I couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to him. I answered wholeheartedly. ¡°No, that¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask because I was really curious about your thoughts. When we finish eating, we will go to the toy store, so think about what to buy.¡± Then why the hell did you ask in the first place? I was eating parfait out of spite, when a small child burst into the private room where only the Duke, me, and the owner of the bakery were seated. A child wearing a red cape decorated with rabbit fur took off the hood to reveal beautiful blond hair. Chapter 7.1 I stared at her, mesmerized by her loveliness as if she had just come out of a fairy tale. The girl opened her mouth in a bright voice. ¡°Duke?¡± ¡°Miss Christine, this place is only accessible to those who have a reservation¡­¡­.¡± The bakery owner, who was kneeling beside him, stood up in great embarrassment. Upon being stopped by her, the girl holding the white bouquet narrowed slightly between her brows. Duke Janus raised a hand to stop the baker. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Just go.¡± After handing over a crisp rainbow-colored bill, the bakery owner immediately bowed and left. The action gave the girl courage, and her pale cheeks blushed, then she said. ¡°I saw you in the newspaper! Weren¡¯t you very sick on the day of the coronation? Are you okay now?¡± Christine McEuena, the true lead of ! She was just 12 years old. There was still a long way to go before being possessed by the main character, but she already boasted a splendid beauty befitting a villainous lady who would later be possessed by the main character. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so I¡¯m walking around here. The guide is right by my side, so don¡¯t worry, lady.¡± He gave a blunt reply, as if he found it uncomfortable to recall the coronation event. Christine, too, has the same reaction like the owner of the bakery. A quick look at me to find out which house I belong to, a wavering look in her eyes. ¡°Ah¡­¡­ Are you talking about that kid?¡± I felt the same way as Christine. ¡®Me?¡¯ Is she talking about me? The subtlety of Christine¡¯s expression facing me was exactly how I felt. Looking at me left and right, you won¡¯t see me as an official guide that the Duke can take around. ¡°She hasn¡¯t received proper professional training yet, but she is an aspiring guide with a promising future.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Christine from County McEuena. You must have come up to enroll in the coming spring, right?¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet you. I am Betty, sponsored by Duke Janus. I haven¡¯t decided on my admission plan yet, so I¡¯ve just come to the capital for a detailed examination.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± A relaxed expression immediately appeared in the child¡¯s eyes who was watching me intently. Christine already achieved tremendous results of being an S-class guide at her young age, but she was a noble lady who did not need to dwell on professional activities, so she did not go to school. In addition, she accidentally saved Duke Janus, who was running out of control, and even became his exclusive guide, so the original Christine could not help but be elated. ¡®Um, wait.¡¯ In the original story , Christine had definitely saved Duke Janus from a rampage on the day of the coronation. But Christine¡­. ¨C I saw you in the newspaper! Weren¡¯t you very sick on the day of the coronation? ¡­ she said so. It meant that she learned about what happened at the coronation through the newspaper. So she didn¡¯t even go to the coronation. If the central noble did not participate in the big event of the coronation, there must have been a serious reason for it. I don¡¯t know what it is, but somehow I have an ominous feeling. It means that there is an existence that behaves completely different from the original story, and that existence twisted my normal life as an extra. ¡°It won¡¯t help much, but¡­¡­. It would be nice if you could accept it. Passion flowers are small, but they contain purifying power.¡± Christine¡¯s cheeks turned red as she approached shyly like a doll and handed over the bouquet she was holding. Red flowers showed off their fine colors in various places in the passion flower bunch, which boasts a neat figure and a delicate yet profound scent. From the hair that looks like the first snow, the white eyelashes that cast light shadows on the white skin, and the red eyes that gleam in them. It was a bouquet with clear traces of hard work to represent Duke Janus as a bouquet of flowers. ¡®It¡¯s when you only see men¡¯s faces.¡¯ I gazed at the bouquet in awe. ¡°Thank you very much. All I have to do is¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Christine! Hold on, Christine! What kind of rashness is this?¡± There was a small commotion at the entrance, and soon a blonde girl who looked just like Christine appeared. The girl who stopped her accident-prone younger sister immediately became hesitant after checking the person who rented the private room. Then she went inside, watching anxiously. ¡°Excuse me, my younger sister ¡­¡­.¡± If she was really Christine¡¯s older sister, then Yelena McEuena would be sixteen this year. The girl standing on the border between a child and adult seemed to foreshadow what an outstanding beauty Christine would become in the future. She had her hair up, as if she were trying to imitate an adult. Although she was wearing dull colors, she had a freshness she couldn¡¯t hide. It was almost the same time that the Duke¡¯s bored eyebrow lifted and Christine¡¯s brow crumpled. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet Duke Janus. I am Yelena, the McEuena¡¯s eldest daughter.¡± ¡°Yelena. I saw you at a banquet the other day. I remember.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It was clear he wouldn¡¯t remember Yelena at all. Chapter 7.2 Being a central noble, he only knew that if he roughly said, ¡®at the banquet the other day,¡¯ he would get hit. The reason why I am so sure is that he plays with Christine and Yelena before in the same way in the original story. The Duke walked a tightrope for six years, holding Christine in one hand because she was an S-class guide and Yelena in the other because she simply suited his taste. In the end, Christine, driven into a corner by jealousy and the irreparable sisterhood, commits suicide in order to get the Duke¡¯s attention, but she really dies and ends up being possessed. ¡®Even in the original story, where the character possesses Christine, the Duke suddenly fell in love with Princess Katerina and threw her away.¡¯ However, the face of this adolescent girl, who had no way of knowing what was about to happen, turned red in an instant. Unlike her bold sister, she had a calm and timid disposition. Yelena was about to take her sister by hand and drag her out. But when a pretty boy her age expressed interest in her, she immediately panicked and flinched. ¡°Thank, thank you for remembering¡­¡­. I¡­¡­ at that time¡­¡­.¡± ¡°My sister is an idiot.¡± Christine murmured with a troubled face. It really couldn¡¯t have been more surprising. The Duke manages the playing ground, Yelena is swung around, and Christine is jealous. ¡®Hmm, maybe the term ¡®fate¡¯ is used in this world.¡¯ Even though the original story went wrong, the main characters were stepping on that emotional line somehow. ¡°Well, then¡­¡­ I will get going¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh my, Yelena! what are you doing here¡­¡­. Oh my, such a coincidence¡­. How are you feeling, Duke?¡± ¡°I am Adele, Yelena¡¯s close friend. I am the daughter of the Fabian family. When my best friend is nowhere to be found, I ask her whereabouts¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Aww, I¡¯m dizzy. Is there a place to sit¡­¡­.¡± Ladies in their mid-teens who claimed to be Yelena¡¯s close friends tried to come inside one by one. It was dazzling to see beautifully dressed girls hanging around the entrance. They had been looking for a gap the whole time, and it seemed that they gained their own courage when they saw the elder McEuena entered. I looked at the Duke, who was pushed into a corner in an instant, surrounded by the ladies and looked disapprovingly. He said that he couldn¡¯t give a dog a habit, yet the Duke had already picked two people he liked the most and put them on either side. Little Christine, who had fallen into the same situation as me, was fighting her anger alone in her corner. ¡®This, maybe Christine will come in as my motive?¡¯ It was obvious that she was trying to appeal to her usefulness, since she couldn¡¯t appeal with her perfect appearance. I looked pitifully at Christine, who was clenching her fists. ¡®Even if she becomes a guide, it wouldn¡¯t go her way.¡¯ Even after becoming the Duke¡¯s guide due to the coronation incident, the original Christine was completely abandoned. After being possessed, the first thing Christine saw was the Duke and three or four women sleeping naked in the same bed. It was the standard of the promiscuous man who is literally trash among trash, rolling around here and there to fall and regret it desperately. However, Duke Janus did not regret it until the end. ¡®That was the beginning of the downfall of .¡¯ There were people who liked every time the Duke came out, saying that he was non-redeemable trash but a decadent beauty, and there were people who watched with interest to see when the shitty guy would fall. Around the time the possessed Christine had a secret meeting with Duke Gladio in order to safely separate with Duke Janus. [¡°You like me the way I am. I love you too. You should never¡­¡­ leave my side.¡±] The final development of skipping all regrets and moving on to the scene in question began. People left comments of anger and confusion. [A novel in which the karma is accumulated by the sub-lead, but the regret is done by the reader.] [I can feel so much regret, everyone. I am deeply regretting it now. I am regretting why I read this all the way to the end.¡±] [¡°Author, I heard he was going to regret it. Is this what you call regret??] It¡¯s just a crazy obsession. ¡®And now I¡¯m on that guy¡¯s radar.¡¯ When I remembered that fact again, my heart was disturbed. The Duke, who had been listening to the young ladies chatting for a while, motioned. ¡°Xion.¡± His attendant, actually named ¡®Anton¡¯, who was standing behind the sudden rush of outsiders, recognized the signal and approached him. It probably means that he wants to be around the ladies, so take the annoying kid with him. I quickly put down the spoon I was eating the parfait from and jumped off the couch. The Duke said as he sent me away. ¡°Tell Xion if you want to buy anything while walking around, Betty.¡± ¡°Yeees.¡± ¡°I will come at night. Don¡¯t wait, have dinner first.¡± ¡°Yeees.¡± ¡°You answer well.¡± Ugh, young bastard, it¡¯s killing me if you say that. I hid my feelings and calmly followed Anton outside. I hate to see him giggling around innocent young ladies, but it was a great opportunity for me. A good opportunity to sneak away. Chapter 8.1 All the faces that I could see through the car windows were looking this way with their eyes wide open. In a world where cars are not yet common, the black sedan owned by Janus was enough to draw attention. The number of people who came along with the shopping were the driver, attendant Anton, and maid Lucy. This means that there were three people in total that I had to leave behind. ¡°Marianne¡¯s shop would be nice. It¡¯s a place with the most types of doll houses.¡± As I stayed still without answering, Anton, who was sitting in the front seat, turned to me. ¡°You choose what you want to buy.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you want more, buy that too. Anything else doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Anton¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. Since all three of them were being respectful to me, It was a burden. I couldn¡¯t even guess what kind of trouble they would be subjected to by the Duke, just because they lost me. However, in many ways, it was the right thing to end the relationship with the Duke as soon as possible. Bernhard Lilier Janus inherited his title and power at a young age through an unsavory process. And because of that, he became the most powerful yet unstable sentinel Duke Janus ever. The boy suffered from a thirst that could not be quenched by any guidance. The priests diagnosed that if he did not find a ¡®companion¡¯, he would not live to adulthood. ¡®Companion¡¯ was a term to refer to a guide whose matching rate with the sentinel exceeded 95%. It was a natural name, as once a sentinel would find such a guide, they would even go so far as to marry the guide to keep them by their side no matter what. When the matching rate exceeded 95%, the purification effect was excellent regardless of the guide¡¯s grade, so that¡¯s why the priest said, ¡®If he can¡¯t find a companion¡¯. However, finding a companion who may or may not have been born was more work than finding a needle in a haystack, so it was more correct as a death sentence. From then on, the boy relied on the finest passion flower from the temple. Passion flower concentrate also purified sentinel¡¯s powers, but the aftereffects were considerable, so it was only used in emergencies. But what do the aftereffects have to do with people who will not live long? People quietly waited for the next Duke, and the Duke himself began to live as he pleased, waiting for his own end. In the meantime, an incident occurred in the coronation ceremony and he gained a powerful guide named Christine by his side. It was already amazing just to be an S-class guide, but Christine, the true lead, was special among S-class guides of all time. She was everyone¡¯s companion with a matching rate of over 95% with any sentinel. This is the reason why the readers of unanimously say that Duke Janus is actually the real villain. The Duke was aware of Christine¡¯s special ability, but deliberately hid her and used her to the fullest as his purifier. ¡®Thinking about it again, he¡¯s truly trash.¡¯ Because he was such a person, Christine after the possession was also unaware of her special ability and quickly left in search of a new life. When she left, Duke Janus, who had escaped his time-limited life, collapsed again. It¡¯s funny that he didn¡¯t regret it until the end. But the bigger problem was that the full-grown Duke¡¯s rampage was no longer at the level of simply ending with the deaths of a few people. That¡¯s right. The ending of , which gave readers only shock, confusion, and trauma, is as follows. Due to Duke Janus¡¯ rampage, who turned from the regretful sub-male lead to the villainous mastermind: the heavenly continent, which was protected by the World Tree, collapsed. Mankind fell to the ground infested with fearsome monsters and perished. [¡°I have no regrets. It was a pleasure meeting you, Eric.¡±] [¡°I love you, Christine.¡±] The story ends with a heartfelt love conversation between Duke Gladio and Christine, while falling to the ground. Thank you for loving so far. It was a tremendous despair for those who would have been reading, waiting for the cliche. ¡®Well, I liked it in my own way. It¡¯s a sad ending with a lingering aftertaste.¡¯ Let¡¯s put aside our feelings at the time. I¡¯ve been thinking about the intention of ¡®that entity¡¯ who twisted the original story ever since. ¡®That Entity¡¯ prevented Duke Janus and Christine from meeting on the day of the coronation. What does ¡®the entity¡¯ gain by doing so? The answer was simple. ¡®That entity¡¯ wants Duke Janus to die at a young age, thus only sacrificing a few people. Unfortunately, the boy, Duke Janus, managed to control his rampage just before he died on coronation day. But for the sake of the world, the Duke must die young. If the end of the world could be prevented with the sacrifice of a few people, who wouldn¡¯t agree with it? Chapter 8.2 So, as a guide he puts a lot of effort into, all I have to do is to disappear. Until the little boy dies. ¡°Would you like a drink?¡± Inside the glass bottle Lucy held out was a homemade ade that looked refreshing just by looking at it. It is not an exaggeration to say that I was covered in chocolate, and it was exactly what I needed after eating a parfait. ¡°Thank you.¡± After taking a few sips after opening the bottle cap myself and handing it over, I took advantage of the car turning left to enter the alley and naturally dropped the bottle. The contents inside spilled onto the luxurious leather seat and my dress. I was startled and tried to wipe the sheets with the handkerchief provided on the side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I spilled everything¡­¡­. What should I do?¡± Lucy stopped me with a small sigh. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll do it. Mr. Bayern, I think we should stop the car.¡± Anton directed the car to pull over to the shoulder, and the driver looked around to the back seat and said, ¡°Anyway, a little further from here is the shopping street. Go take a look around slowly with the child. I will put it all away.¡± Everyone seemed to be distracted by the little commotion I had caused. I¡¯m really sorry for doing bad things to people who live so diligently. But I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not the kind of person who clings to kindness. I hid the money I had saved up in preparation for an emergency. As soon as I arranged my clothes, Anton opened the back door, so I quickly got out. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s all over your clothes. Let¡¯s stop by the dressing room first.¡± ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t show much anyway, and if you really need to, just buy something cheap¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°Then you will catch a cold.¡± Viscount Anton Bayern smiled and scolded me as I was fiddling with a thick green dress lined with fur. He seemed to like children quite a bit. We usually get along well as if he was not there as an attendant to the Duke. But sometimes when we were left alone, his mouth softened and he often told jokes. And to be honest, he was as handsome as Gilbert. The Duke¡¯s remark that there were many beauties like Gilbert in the capital was not an exaggeration. Messing with a beautiful person really is a heavy burden on one¡¯s conscience. Upon entering the dressing room with Duke Janus¡¯ entourage, I was immediately given a comfortable sofa, table, small snacks, and a catalog. Turning my eyes to the given snacks, dangling my feet off the floor because of the overly soft sofa, my hands roughly picked out the dress for young ladies. I wanted to order for a 10-year-old, but while the Duke was dragging me around, I realized that my body was more of a 7-year-old¡¯s size. So I gulped and asked for a 7-year-old¡¯s size. ¡°Is that all you need? Is there anything else you would like to see?¡± ¡°Yes, they are all pretty, but I need them urgently, so that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a new edition for the year-end party. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Wow. It¡¯s really pretty. I¡¯ll tell the Duke and make sure to stop by next time. Thank you, pretty sister.¡± ¡°No, thank you for being so nice. Then, I will bring only what you ordered. Please wait a minute.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± When I put my hands together and answered, people around me said that I was very good at talking. All the staff were overly friendly like those in the amusement park, probably because it is a place that deals with young children. I rolled my eyes and pretended to be worried, then whispered in a small voice to the staff sister waiting next to me. ¡°Excuse me, may I know where the powder room is here?¡± Talking about the powder room was a euphemism for wanting to go to the bathroom. It was mainly used by grown-up noble ladies, but was often used by young ladies trying to pretend to be mature. The cute sister widened her eyes, and she responded with a smile. ¡°Please, this way, Miss.¡± Ugh, I don¡¯t know why everyone I run into is so kind. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be questioned by the Duke later for letting me escape¡­¡­. Sister, I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Oh, Viscount! A Lady needs time alone.¡± Viscount Anton Bayern, who was about to follow, was stopped by another staff member. They were considerate of me because I was shy about going to the bathroom. Recognizing the staff¡¯s euphemism, Anton blushed in embarrassment and sat down again. ¡®I¡¯m really sorry, Uncle Anton, I¡¯m really sorry.¡¯ As soon as I entered the bathroom, I looked for ventilation. Fortunately, there was one window large enough for me to squeeze through. I looked outside to see where it was connected, and I saw the back of Nocturne Park, where the black conifers were thick. I was able to get out easily by stepping on the shelf installed in the bathroom. Considering that I would get hurt a little, I closed my eyes and jumped down, but for some reason the floor was soft. ¡®Eh?¡¯ When I slowly opened my eyes, I was crushing a boy with my butt. Chapter 9.1 ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt if you jump from there.¡± I nodded at the kind-hearted kid. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°Are you not hurt?¡± ¡°Um. Not hurt. Thank you.¡± I jumped up and stretched out my hand to the boy and asked him to stand up. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Me? Yus.¡± The boy who got up seemed to be 20cm taller than me. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Ten years old.¡± Maybe I¡¯m cursed with not being able to grow taller. At this point, I had to seriously think about it. As I frowned, the boy immediately asked. ¡°Why? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°No. Just thinking about something.¡± ¡°Do you think a lot? Kids who think a lot are cool.¡± I took a good look at Yus, who had no hesitation in saying that I was cool to a kid much shorter than himself. ¡®Aren¡¯t you lacking a bit?¡¯ Similarly, Yus, who was observing me, suddenly asked. ¡°Are you rich?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I think he thought that when he saw my clothes now. While I was calculating what would be a better answer, I scratched my head and thought, ¡®Should I do this to him too¡­¡­ ¡® Yus, who had been muttering something, suddenly brought out something. It was a neat business card with a white hawk on a black background. ¡°If you want to kill someone, tell me. Animals, children, the elderly, women, pregnant women. There is no target to reject, and there is no fear of being pursued because there is a poisonous stinger in the molar, so I can kill myself as soon as I get caught. Travel expenses to areas other than the capital are included. If the request is not resolved within a week, a full refund will be given.¡± It¡¯s a new feeling, but it¡¯s really great to have a world where children¡¯s rights aren¡¯t established. Knowing that the reason for my hesitation was because he was young, Yus continued with a cheerful voice. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty about anything you don¡¯t feel comfortable with. I just like killing people.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not rich¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Yus took the business card in my hand again. Then he looked at me with a puzzled face. ¡°But how did you get to wear such pretty clothes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I stole it from that dressing room, but I got caught and I¡¯m trying to escape.¡± ¡°What? Then you shouldn¡¯t be here like this!¡± Yus shouted out loud as if it were his business, took my hand and headed for the park. And he said worriedly. ¡°Are you going to keep that dress?¡± ¡°No. I am so scared that I just want to throw it away.¡± ¡°Great. Swap clothes with another kid. Give them some money and they¡¯ll change with you.¡± ¡°Money?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have money. Last year alone, I worked a lot and earned 60 albons.¡± Spending money to hide a kid he just met on the street? ¡®Are you serious.¡¯ I followed and matched Yus, who had a morality of chaos. ¡°Wow! Amazing! You are rich!¡± ¡°Do you like rich people?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± In an instant, Yus¡¯s cheeks turned red, and he muttered shyly. ¡°If you like it, I can make as much money as you like.¡± *** I switched clothes with a kid who was playing the violin in the park. I didn¡¯t even have to give money. When I asked to exchange it for my dress, which looked classy at first glance, the child quickly took off the rough navy blue dress and old coat she was wearing. In the meantime, I persistently asked about Yus in order to dig up his identity. ¡°Then you were on your way to get a request right now?¡± ¡°Yes, but it doesn¡¯t matter when I go. If you, if you want it, would you¡­¡­ like me to take you home?¡± And he asked meekly, as if he was paralyzed by his crush on me. Unlike his profession, he seemed to be a pretty naive kid. It may be hard to understand how that is possible, but the lives of neglected children are often hard to understand because they are intertwined with harsh reality and naive imagination. ¡°Where does Yus live?¡± ¡°Where do I live? But the captain told me not to say where I live¡­¡­.¡± As such, even if a child may be fascinated, when it comes to their own survival, they are bound to think clearly. I didn¡¯t expect to hear a specific answer, so I just nodded my head in agreement. It was just a question to lead the conversation. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s okay. If you don¡¯t want to talk, don¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Really, there is nothing to be sorry for. ¡°But then, is the person called the captain giving you a job?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just running errands.¡± Running errands getting people¡¯s heads, that¡¯s it. At first, I was skeptical about Yus¡¯ job, but now that I think about it, it seems like there¡¯s plenty of room for me to use it as an opportunity for a fresh start. After thinking about it, I smiled broadly and said to Yus. ¡°That¡¯s really cool! Can I follow you too?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yus¡¯s black eyes shook violently in confusion. Surprised, the boy managed to clear his mind and replied rather firmly. ¡°N, no¡­¡­. What are you going to do there?¡± ¡°I need a job that will hide me for a while and clear my identity. I will work there.¡± ¡°What?¡± The blood drained from Yus¡¯s innocent face in an instant. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°How can I make a living if I don¡¯t work?¡± ¡°You, you¡¯ll be at home. I do my job.¡± Eh? What is he talking about? Apparently, the fool Yus skipped all the steps and seemed to be lost in his own delusion. I felt the need to draw a clear line. Chapter 9.2 ¡°Who are you to tell me to stay home? If you don¡¯t want to take me, fine. I¡¯ll find a better job. Thanks for your help.¡± I turned around and walked, but without showing any presence, someone suddenly grabbed my hand. Before the goosebumps from experiencing the real feeling of being followed by an assassin had subsided, I heard Yus¡¯ crying voice. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t go¡­¡­. I was wrong.¡± I still don¡¯t know what Yus did wrong, but I decided to be brazen until the end. A hasty crush on others is no different from a weakness, and while living here, I learned how to hide my weaknesses and exploit others¡¯ weaknesses. ¡°What did you do wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really going.¡± Prompted by my cold words, Yus finally spoke urgently. ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯ll take you to the office. I¡¯ll just get the request and come out soon. Okay?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± *** There was a row of tenement houses that looked desolate because of the whitewashed walls. Streets full of unknown stench, people lying drunk in broad daylight. Whether it¡¯s the slum capital or the Janus Duchy, it¡¯s all the same. I thought. ¡°It¡¯s different from what you promised!¡± ¡°If you had fun, get out of here, don¡¯t be mean.¡± ¡°Give me 2 albons, do you think I flattered you just to get a few pennies from you?¡± ¡°Ohh, I can call the police right now.¡± The material itself was luxurious, but a noble man wearing oil-stained clothes and a skinny woman were arguing. I secretly stuffed the opal necklace, emerald brooch, and pearl hairpin that I had trouble disposing of into the man¡¯s coat pocket. Yus asked when we had moved away from them for some time. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What did you put in that old man¡¯s pocket?¡± I decided to get away from it for once. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I hate people who bully people like that. It¡¯s really bad.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you know who that woman is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But he¡¯s a bad person. I really hate people like that taking money.¡± ¡°I hate it too. They¡¯re bad.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ But why did you give him something?¡± It was a persistent question, completely different from the foolish look from before. I replied helplessly. ¡°I didn¡¯t give him anything.¡± I didn¡¯t give him jewels because he was pretty, I gave him to mess with him. The moment that man contacts the merchant to sell the jewels in his pocket, Duke Janus will come after him. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t give this jewel to the sick child who was playing the violin, but gave it to the disgusting old man. I¡¯m not sure if the duke would bother looking for me, but if he did, that disgusting fellow would be accused of taking me while I disappeared in the slums. It¡¯s not anyone else¡¯s karma, but rather the karma of that man who drew attention by acting like a bastard. Yus muttered, not knowing what was going on. ¡°If you¡¯re going to give it, give it to that older sister. She seems very sick.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ But I couldn¡¯t give it to her.¡± Because I can only screw bad people, not help weak people. Perhaps he had understood it roughly, Yus didn¡¯t bring up the story any more. We entered one of the tenement houses that were clustered close to each other. Unlike the center of the capital, where charmingly decorated townhouses lined up, slums were densely packed with people living in buildings resembling chicken coops. The office of the assassination guild that Yus belonged to occupied three rooms on the fifth floor. It was decorated with furniture that somehow matched as if it was pretending to be an ordinary home. As soon as I entered, Yus grabbed my hand and led me towards it. He opened the door shortly after and looked for people in a loud voice. ¡°Captain! Captain!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± The answer came only when the last door was opened. I peeked out from behind Yus and looked into the dark room. The fierce eyes, like those of a leopard ambushed in the dark, turned this way. Yus asked in a puzzled voice whether he could see the inside clearly. ¡°Where did the captain go?¡± ¡°How do I know, I¡¯m not a babysitter? Wait, there¡¯s one that¡¯s just right for you.¡± ¡°Is there only one? Money is urgent these days.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t frown, your head will break. Wait.¡± Listening to the conversation, the person doesn¡¯t seem like the guild captain. But he seemed like a person who was in a key position. Leading me to a chair in the living room, Yus said with a helpless expression. ¡°What can I do, the Captain, once he leaves, you don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll come back. This time, I¡¯ll take more work for you, so you can just go back.¡± He tries not to show it, but the purpose is to just for Yus to stay quiet and go back for now It was obvious. I shook my head once. ¡°I have nowhere to go back to.¡± ¡°Well, then at our house¡­¡­ Instead, you have to close your eyes until we get there.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t like to close my eyes and go somewhere I don¡¯t know where to live.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± While Yus was suffering from a severe inner conflict, the man in the dark appeared. I naturally turned my head to that side, and I was stunned for a moment. The man with an androgynous appearance and slender body was wearing only pants, and unlike his handsome face, his muscular upper body was full of ugly scars. I tried to take a closer look, but Yus covered my eyes with his hand. ¡°Nick is ugly. Dirty.¡± Chapter 10.1 ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t know today was the day to bring your girlfriend to work.¡± I quickly removed Yus¡¯ hand and jumped out of the chair. ¡°Yus and I are just friends. I came here because I wanted to work here.¡± Nick¡¯s eyes, which had widened slightly in surprise, curved seductively again. He asked slowly, lowering his body to my eye level. ¡°You want to work? Do you want to know where this is and want to work?¡± Even being a child had quite an advantage for the Assassination Guild. A child is small in size and can easily get away from investigations, so they arer well suited to take on all sorts of dirty work. That¡¯s why Yus made 60 Albons last year. He may be able to earn 100 Albons a year if he is determined and starts accepting requests earnestly. But unlike Yus, I didn¡¯t come here to work as an assassin. Pretending to be naive, I widened my eyes and asked again. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Uncle¡¯s house? I came because Yus was running errands for a very rich family. Don¡¯t you need a maid?¡± ¡°Maid? What to do? This is not Brother¡¯s house.¡± Ignoring the shamelessness of subtly calling himself ¡®older brother¡¯, I pretended to be slightly surprised. ¡°Ah, I see. However, the house is quite large, but it is not cleaned properly. The landlord is away. The police officers will think strangely if he does not hire a maid, right?¡± Even in a slum, it was strange that a person who owned three rooms had no maids. Maids, which were previously the exclusive property of the nobility, gradually spread to the lower classes as technology developed and commercialization began to accelerate. Everyone tried to hire even one maid in order to feel treated, and a maid who took care of the housework was the default even in a house with a very small level of financial resources. Nick¡¯s eyes narrowed when I hinted at police, but it was out of interest, not of threat. That¡¯s also because a commoner child like me has no right to report anything. Even if I ran right away and reported this place to the officers, they could have kicked my butt, saying that my report bothered them. Nick looked at me gently and asked in a soft voice. ¡°I wonder if your name is as cute as you are. Can I see your ID somewhere?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the ID.¡± I took out half of the money I had saved up in lieu of an ID card. It was a bribe to hide my identity as it was not clear. ¡°My name is Margaret, and my nickname is Meg. I¡¯m 16 years old, and I don¡¯t really have a place to live because I just came out of St. Ursula Orphanage and am looking for a job.¡± ¡°Aha, I see. Nice to meet you, Miss Meg.¡± ¡°I am confident that I can do housework well as long as I am fed and can sleep here. If you are not sure, you can see for a few days and then decide. I am in no hurry.¡± ¡°If you come in here, you might not be able to leave.¡± ¡°That is okay. This is a secret, but I ran away after an accident while working as a maid at the house of my former employer.¡± ¡°I mean, I want to take care of you for about a year so that you can clean up your identity. Hmm, what should I do¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I want to see Brother¡¯s pretty face often, but does Brother not want to see me?¡± When I said ¡®Brother¡¯ with particular force, the man¡¯s mouth curled slightly like a satisfied cat. ¡°Perhaps the master will arrive today or tomorrow. You can stay until then.¡± Then he took the money I gave him. It meant that he would refer a line to the guild leader. I exchanged glances with Yus and smiled broadly. *** After filling the sink with plenty of water, pouring the detergent to lather the bubbles, I soaked the old dirt-caked dishes. With just a few gentle rubs with my hands, the food residues stuck to the bowls were easily removed. The washed dishes were piled up beside the sink, one after the other. Rinse them a couple more times, dry it, and put it in the cupboard. It must have been half piled up, and Yus appeared out of nowhere again and disturbed me. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, Meg.¡± I was leading a peaceful life as Meg, not Betty. This was possible because Nick¡¯s twin sister Nina, who is the head of Black Hawk, an assassin¡¯s guild that has recently been growing in the capital, is particularly vulnerable to cute little things. It¡¯s been a week since I became the only maid of the Black Hawk Guild. It seems short, but the days here are busy and fruitful. I clean, cook, wash dishes, and help with simple first aid for the guild¡¯s assassins. Even though I was busy working all day, my hands don¡¯t seem to be enough. In the meantime, Yus brought bread or cheese, even though he hadn¡¯t come for a job, and was frantic and distraught no matter what I was doing. I gave a cold reply to the fussy Yus. ¡°You¡¯re not hurt.¡± ¡°No, give it to me. I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to do it.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I know. Here, look.¡± Yus was completely ignorant of housework. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 10.2 It wasn¡¯t just Yus. Most of the assassins, who came and went to get requests and money, including the guild leader¡¯s brother-sister, were ignorant of these things. Well, in the world of this novel, they were more of a cameo than me. The assassins usually appear to highlight the strength of the main character¡¯s party? The lines they usually say are ¡®Kuhk¡¯!¡¯, ¡®Kohk!¡¯, and ¡®Ugh!¡¯. Nina, Nick, and Yus may also be the assassins who appeared and disappeared like that in the novel. It is better not to expect a regular and sincere life from those who live such a life. I stepped back with a disapproving look, but I started nagging because I couldn¡¯t bear to watch Yus washing the dishes. ¡°Yus, what do you think of the dark red sauce on this plate here?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just that. This is my first time¡­¡­.¡± Seeing his face blushing with embarrassment and dipping the dirty dishes back into the water, I acted like the director of the orphanage and went through the other dishes. ¡°Then what do you think of the grease stains on the back of this plate here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Because of you, I have to start all over again. Come out, it¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°What are you doing? Playing house?¡± What a surprise, these assassins. It was time to get used to it, so every time I got caught, I got used to it. I rolled my eyes, frozen, and saw Nick standing behind us, approaching without making a sound like a cat. He, who has been wearing a jacket since I came, frowned when he saw the dishes were being washed away. ¡°What is with the dishwashing?¡± ¡°I have to. Because of this, bugs and mice come and the house looks messy¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s enough, Come on out. This small thing is destroying the whole house. As expected, children are annoying.¡± Nick was just as much of a hindrance to work as Yus. Even though he pretended he wasn¡¯t interested in what I was doing, he secretly intervened in every detail, meddling and trying to take away my job. I stared at Nick, who was washing the dishes in a messier way than Yus. ¡°If anyone sees it, they will think that only our house is flooded.¡± ¡°Anyway, I wiped it clean. I think some water splashed¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°The floor will all rot.¡± ¡°You can put a new one on.¡± ¡­¡­ In my family, Nina is poor and I am poor, but only Nick is rich. I wouldn¡¯t even say anything if the dishes had been cleaned. I inspected Nick¡¯s clean bowl and caught a glimpse of the brown condiment that had stuck to it. ¡°You can dip the bread with this.¡± ¡°Yus did this.¡± ¡°Uncle did it.¡± Nick, who had been groaning as if he had at least a conscience, said curtly. ¡°Where you try. How good you are.¡± Hey, I was going to do it anyway. I washed the dishes perfectly, with the two men next to me burning their eyes to find a speck of dirt in the dishes. Then, out of the bowls that I had wiped dry with a dry cloth, I took out a wide dish and sliced up the bread and cheese that Yus had bought. Seeing how I plated the sparkling water that Nina bought for me the other day, and pouring it into three chipped cups, I was proud that it had a vintage charm. ¡°Here. This.¡± I was excited about eating at the table that had been moved to the sunny window a few days before, but I was startled when Nick threw something out of the blue. What came into my hand was an ointment in a flat tube. The flower pattern engraved on the lid and the fragrant smell seemed to be different from those rolling around the office. ¡°Did you buy a new one?¡± ¡°Apply it to your hands before bed.¡± It looks very expensive. Really, Nina is poor and I am poor, but only Nick is rich. Although I was not satisfied with it, I expressed my gratitude with a kind smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± He rubbed my hair wildly like petting a dog, then took the tray I had plated on and walked away. When I went to the round dining table, Yus and Nick, who were setting the tableware, were arguing. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with Meg.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± I was listening to Yus, who was arguing with an old man in his late twenties. As I approached, Yus immediately closed his mouth tightly. Even though it was midwinter, the window sill at dusk was warm enough to give a drowsy feeling. We ate an early dinner watching the orange sky fade through purple to deep navy blue. ¡°What about your sibling?¡± ¡°He must be eating well alone. Butter is running out, so I have to buy it later.¡± When Nick asks about his younger sibling, who will be waiting for him alone at Yus¡¯s house, the boy replies as if it was no big deal. Yus was the breadwinner for his 6-year-old younger brother. Since Yus earns money, his younger brother must have already become proficient at all sorts of housework. It was common among commoner children. Nick shook his head, pulled a canteen from his bosom, and gulped vodka. I don¡¯t expect much from a life at the bottom, but anyway, they can¡¯t live without alcohol. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 11.1 ¡°Should I pour you some vodka instead of sparkling water?¡± ¡°What do you mean vodka? It¡¯s cold tea. It¡¯s expensive, so don¡¯t ask for it.¡± After Nick told such a blatant lie without blinking an eye, he gulped down the seemingly poisonous drink like a really cold tea. Nick¡¯s digression wasn¡¯t just today. Yesterday, while I was seeing Yus off, I came back from grocery shopping, and I was surprised to see smoke in the house. Nick, who was alone at home, had smoked passion flower. Overdosing of passion flower, which has fine purifying power, causes mild paralysis and hallucinations. In order to taste the feeling, there were people who were not sentinels but deliberately burned passion flower and smoked it. I can still vividly see the pitiful sight of Nick trying to open the window with his loose legs and rolling over. And Nina and Nick fought all night long. ¨C Are you out of your mind? How can you do that with a kid at home? ¨C I didn¡¯t expect her to return so early! As long as there¡¯s good ventilation, there will be no problem. ¨C Oh, if it¡¯s your wish to be paralyzed like that, let me. I¡¯ll put a poison needle in your neck. ¨C Don¡¯t talk like I¡¯m the only trash. Sister goes out, so you can drink as much as you want, buy men to play with. ¨C What is it? You should at least go out and do it. Why do you proudly take drugs at home? ¨C You don¡¯t know when the kid will come back, so what to do with that! They¡¯ll be scared to be home alone! They thought I wouldn¡¯t know because they had a fight in the next room, but since it was a house in a slum with no soundproofing, I could hear everything. I put a lot of cheese on the bread and handed it to Nick. ¡°Don¡¯t drink it on an empty stomach like that.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s tea.¡± ¡°Yes, if you just drink tea, throw it away.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ you, eat a lot. You only eat a smidge.¡± Still, I knew that the brother-sister Nina and Nick cared about me a lot. They cared for me simply because I was a child. This was pure goodwill, which is hard to expect in a slum. There was no such thing as fearing the assassins. Because I used to run into people who were engaged in contract killings in the back alleys. In my experience, most of them are quite fed up with killing people, so they usually keep quiet. There are a lot of professional chefs who don¡¯t even walk into their own kitchen at home. You can think of it like that. They are really nice people, but I can¡¯t stay in the slums forever. I¡¯ll be out of here in a year or so. ¡°Yus, are you going now?¡± ¡°Yes, I should go home.¡± ¡°Shall I see you off to Nocturne Park?¡± I managed to finish the meal with crunchy bread and hard cheese and was about to see Yus off, but the boy, who blushed at the slightest word as usual, hesitated and replied. ¡°No. It¡¯s too late. I will go alone.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that late¡­¡­ The sun sets early.¡± ¡°It is dark. The sun has set, and it is cold and dangerous.¡± After thinking about it, I changed my mind to only see him off at the front door today. I liked to clean up the dishes as soon as they were done. It would be nice to send Yus off and finish washing dishes early. ¡°Okay, then bye.¡± ¡°Okay, good evening, Meg.¡± For that simple reason, I ended up waving goodbye to the boy roughly. After the Yus, I spent the evening as usual doing the dishes and cleaning. After arguing with Nick, who grumbled that he was going around hungry after feeding him to the fullest, I might have fallen asleep? ¡°Oh my God~ My Meg washed the dishes.¡± When I woke up to a familiar voice, I was in the living room. On Nick¡¯s back, who was sleeping carelessly on the sofa, I barely opened my eyes and looked around. The captivating purple eyes and a dangerously attractive beauty were cupping my cheeks with an inappropriate smile. The Black Hawk guild leader, Nina, has returned. Nick scratched his head and said annoyedly. ¡°If you¡¯re here, go and sleep quietly.¡± ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying to your sister. That¡¯s really mean, right Meg? Didn¡¯t you miss your Sister?¡± As she kissed my cheeks and lips, the smell of alcohol wafted out. ¡°It¡¯s so cold, why are you here without a blanket, what if you catch a cold?¡± ¡°I just¡­ somehow¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Did you eat?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t catch a cold, Meg. Leave that bastard alone and go to our room and sleep, okay?¡± ¡°Yees.¡± Nina gets more bubbly when she gets drunk. She has quite the tolerance for alcohonce ¡°Look at how well you answer. Very very¡­¡­ huff, touching.¡± ¡°Are you crazy, why are you crying?¡± Except for the occasional bottomless sniffles. She was really over-emotional. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 11.2 ¡°This kid¡­¡­ she must be a gift from an angel to us¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, this whole damned house. I should go out.¡± ¡°I lived in such a mess¡­¡­ how can ¡­¡­ such a small and precious gift¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve been drinking, wash your feet and go to sleep! Don¡¯t bother the kid who is sleeping well!¡± ¡°When did I bother her! Meg washed the dishes for us, with these tiny hands!¡± Anyway, they are good people. In this kind of environment, if they have this level of goodwill, they are a good person. Nick screamed and went into his room and slammed the door shut, so Nina groaned and hugged me and went into our room. Nina, who wiped her face, hands and feet, and changed into pajamas even when she was drunk, washed and changed my clothes as well, and undid my hair that I had braided in the morning. Then she brushed my hair, trembling as if she was handling a newborn baby. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m afraid I might accidentally break your neck¡­¡­.¡± The frightening words, which did not match at all with her frightened cat-like face, was something I had already become accustomed to. I yawned for a long time, then I couldn¡¯t hold it in and fell asleep. When I opened my eyes for a moment, I was in Nina¡¯s arms, whom I had become accustomed to as well. The sweet scent tickled the tip of my nose. Then I closed my eyes once more, and the twilight light of dawn broke through her vision. ¡°Betty.¡± A voice I had not heard for the past three days quietly settled in my ear. I lost my sleep in an instant and tried to get up, but someone grabbed me tightly and laid me down again. It was incomparably softer and softer than the bed I slept on with Nina. I was taken aback, but when I finally looked forward, I heard the boy¡¯s cold voice. ¡°If you keep doing this, whether it¡¯s school or whatever, I will tie you up next to me.¡± Even in the pale dawn, Duke Janus¡¯s red eyes shone with a terrifying clarity. It was the first time I had seen such a smileless face. *** ¡°As I mentioned in advance, the grade is arbitrarily determined by the temple in consideration of purification affinity and guiding type, and the characteristics or potential of the guide is not considered in it. Just because the purification time is fast doesn¡¯t necessarily make them a competent guide, but a slow purification makes them a poor guide¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Never mind. When will I know the test results?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ We will ship it within a fortnight.¡± A high-ranking priest wearing a purple belt came out and bowed his head, but the duke didn¡¯t respond and immediately turned around. I followed him with quick steps. It¡¯s been a month and a half since I was caught by the Duke while trying to start a new life in the Black Hawk guild. It was the first outing in exactly a month and a half. He almost locked me in a room with a toilet and didn¡¯t even look at me, until the day of the guide level exam, he brought me out. Well, it wasn¡¯t bad. The food is well served, the room is warm and comfortable, and there are many toys. ¡°The child must have overworked herself while taking the test, so take some time off in the garden¡­¡­.¡± ¡°She does not need it.¡± As the priest feared, my legs were shaking and I wanted to take a rest, but the duke responded bluntly and grabbed me and dragged me like a piece of luggage. It was hard to keep my balance and I stumbled, and then his cold voice came. ¡°Walk straight.¡± ¡°I have no strength in my legs.¡± ¡°Then try to walk.¡± What nonsense is this? I hurriedly stopped waddling. ¡°You¡¯re not listening again, Betty.¡± My alter ego, who had been living in society for a long time, was sending out a warning, but the body of a 10-year-old child couldn¡¯t stand the anger and soon became furious. Although I served him as my master, it was simply a relationship between employees and employer. I am not a serf to be bound to his estate and be his property. It was not uncommon everywhere for a maid in charge of dishwashing, the lowest rank among maids, to run away from all the bullying and overwork. However, no noble would imprison decent free people just because a low-ranking maid ran away. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn and follow me. You can¡¯t even step out of the house until you enter school.¡± ¡°Do, don¡¯t, don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°What?¡± A faint gasp could be heard all around. Through the silver-rimmed monocle, red eyes shone eerily. ¡°Say it again.¡± Oh what, are you angry? But do you think you¡¯re the only one who can be angry? I¡¯m angry too, Frieza!!* I closed my eyes and cried out. ¡°I, I, said, I don¡¯t, want, want to!¡± (*Note: a nod to a scene in Dragonball 22 where Goku(?) super-saiyaned(?) and said this line.) If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 12.1 I was scared that my hamstrings would numb at the bloody momentum, but I persevered. This place is definitely inside the temple. Even if he was Duke Janus, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to people in the temple. If we get into the car like this, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be stuck with him again, so I have to fight here. ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡­ You¡¯re teasing me to the top of my head¡­¡­.¡± Hiickk! The sunken red eyes seemed to choke me even more terrifyingly at any moment. The shadow of the slowly approaching boy came vivid over my head. Only his blood-red eyes gleamed over his face hidden in light shadow. My head clamored thinking of securing a safe distance, but my body didn¡¯t listen, like a herbivore standing in front of a beast. That¡¯s right. ¡®I¡¯m going to get hit¡­¡­ !¡¯ Instinctively, I gave a lot of strength to my tightly closed teeth. Bump¨C ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll just let you go if you made such a cute face?¡± Eh? I was puzzled. The boy¡¯s big hands, which seemed like they were about to strike me down at any moment, were cupped around my cheeks. He rubbed the ten-year-old¡¯s soft, supple flesh like a rice cake. ¡°Ah, it hurts. It hurts.¡± ¡°Of course it has to hurt, you will be punished.¡± No, what kind of fifteen-year-old¡¯s hands be so rough? His hands, which looked simply long and delicate, were full of calluses that made it hard to believe they belonged to a minor. For putting such a hand on a soft child¡¯s cheek, what kind of punishment is there like kissing a father¡¯s beard? ¡°You disappeared like that, do you know how¡­¡­bothered I am?¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to look for me, ouch¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Talk back, talk back again.¡± Tears welled up as he grabbed my soft cheeks and began stretching them. My cheeks are going to fall off, you bastard! ¡°Uwaah, stop! Stop now!¡± ¡°Oh, are you the one to decide that? It¡¯s a punishment until you¡¯re not cute.¡± ¡°How is that!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, it¡¯s okay to not be cute, right?¡± This, this, freak! All the pretending to be angry up until now must have been a build-up for this moment. While I was being punished similar to kissing a father¡¯s beard, someone grabbed the Duke¡¯s arm. ¡°Stop it. The child doesn¡¯t like it.¡± A boy with dark hair and blue eyes. A beautiful appearance comparable to that of the sub male lead, Duke Janus, but the impression of a completely opposite atmosphere. Appearance of someone in their mid-teens, with the fabric itself being luxurious, but the outfit is neat and simple. I immediately realized the boy¡¯s true identity. He would later become betrothed to Princess Katerina, the female lead of the original work. He was Ernhard Ignia Gladio, the Young Duke who was connected to Christine, the real female lead in . ¡°I know. She is being punished, so she wouldn¡¯t like it, should she like it?¡± It was a sour reply, but Duke Janus¡¯ gray eyebrows furrowed, perhaps his heart was firmly twisted by the Young Duke¡¯s intervention. In any case, I was freed from the Duke¡¯s clutches. My cheeks tingled as he rubbed them so hard. The Young Duke¡¯s well-groomed brow, which glanced at my face to see if it was red and swollen, was also distorted. ¡°It is a temple. Please be aware of your identity.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean my identity?¡± The duke pointed at himself with a deliberately elegant gesture, but it was a gesture full of sarcasm. His face, which had a slight sneer on it, had something unrivaled. ¡°I forgot. I thought I became an Aunt Sally because some punk without a title started talking casually.¡± Young Duke was not a title. Strictly speaking, he is the ¡®son of a noble¡¯, not a ¡®noble¡¯ itself. It was just a courtesy for those around to call him ¡®Young Duke¡¯. In noble society, a lower ranking person was not even allowed to greet a higher ranking person first. It was only right that the conversation could start after the higher ranking person recognized the lower ranking person and decided whether to greet him or not. Young Duke Ernhard bowed his head respectfully. ¡°I have witnessed injustice towards a child, so I committed rudeness. Forgive me with your generosity.¡± Wow, that¡¯s a real talk back. I was amazed at the Young Duke, who was not at all frightened by the Duke¡¯s momentum. Duke Janus¡¯ lips curled up slowly. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t my middle name ¡®generous¡¯? If you survive the first expedition, I will forgive you.¡± The Young Duke replied with a respectful bow and headed into the temple. It seemed that he had visited the temple for something related to the ¡®first expedition¡¯ mentioned by Duke Janus. Duke Janus, who inherited the title at a young age, already had experience on going for expeditions. And before that, he had proven his ability by surviving alone in the process of selecting Janus¡¯ successor. Even in the original story, he was always sarcastic about Young Duke Ernhard, saying he had grown up too pampered, so I knew all too well the reason for Duke Janus¡¯s hostility. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Duke, feeling uncomfortable, also quickly picked me up, put me on his side, and strode out. ¡®Ah!¡¯ If I get into the car like this, I¡¯ll be stuck in the duke¡¯s house until spring, and then I¡¯ll be enrolled in guide training school. I tried to struggle, but I was already firmly held. ¡°Why? You said your leg hurts.¡± Resistance was futile. I had no choice but to quietly climb into the car. *** If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 12.2 ¡°You liked this. Don¡¯t you?¡± I silently raised the delicately feather patterned dessert spoon. No one can catch up with the Duke¡¯s whims. I thought we were going to go home right away because he was upset, but we came to the private room of the bakery we stopped by before and ordered the same food as then. I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I ate the parfait as he wanted. The eyes with white eyelashes narrowed narrowly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, don¡¯t force yourself to eat.¡± ¡°I, like it, delicious!¡± I ate even more hastily, fearing that if I said I didn¡¯t want to eat it, I would go back to the mansion right away. ¡°What is delicious about it?¡± ¡°This chocolate and fruit parfait and that brownie cookie and¡­¡­.¡± The Duke looked at me as I touched the desserts on the table one by one and suddenly asked. ¡°Are you sick?¡± ¡°Yes? What?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ If you want something to eat, order more.¡± Even after leaving the bakery, the duke did not return to the mansion right away. He took me here and there just like before I ran away. He showed me a ballet performance, bought toys, and ate dinner at an eye-poppingly expensive restaurant before returning. After we returned to the mansion, he seemed completely back to normal. During the month and a half, when I was almost confined, the servants¡¯ attitude, who had remained silent except for essential work, also changed. I found out later that the only person who saw blood horribly in the process of tracking me was that noble man who had been harassing a sick woman in the slums before. ¡®He was wondering what kind of baronet he was.¡¯ Anyway, Duke Janus thought the man had kidnapped me and sold me somewhere, so he questioned the man, and he only released the man after he heard the man complain that he didn¡¯t know anything even after all his limbs were cut off. (¡®If they say they don¡¯t know even though their limbs have been cut off, they really don¡¯t know,¡¯ the duke said, as if passing on life hacks that would be useful in the future.) After that, the duke turned the direction of his investigation and searched all over the capital to find me. Fortunately, Nina and Nick handed me over, and things went smoothly. There was nothing bad about receiving a small reward. Neither Lucy, nor Anton, nor the driver uncle received any serious disciplinary action. Still, I was sorry and couldn¡¯t face them, so I avoided the three people for a while, but rather, they first stabbed me with candy or dried fruit and suggested that we reconcile. The person who deserved to be forgiven was me, so I took it lightly. I wondered if my second escape failure was going to go over like that. ¡°Betty- Betty-.¡± From that day on, the Duke started calling me like a dog in the neighborhood and looked for me whenever I was out of sight. As I was chewing on the meat Lucy had cut to make it easy to eat, I heard ominous conversations in my ears. ¡°Where is Betty?¡± ¡°He is having a late lunch in the dining room.¡± The Duke¡¯s voice was clearly heard in front of the dining room, and Lucy, who had no strength like me, responded quickly to her master¡¯s question. ¡°She is here.¡± My mouth was full of thick beef, so I chewed hard before swallowing before I could open my mouth. ¡°You are here.¡± ¡°Of course. I went out and came back now. The owner came and you didn¡¯t see me, was the meal delicious, Betty?¡± It was true that it was the servant¡¯s ethics to greet the master of the mansion with me. But, to excuse myself, no one told me to come out the front door when the Duke came home. It was clearly revealed that the servants of the capital mansion already regarded me as something other than a servant. It¡¯s already in the past, and now there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, so I just dipped the last piece of meat with a fork and put it in my mouth. ¡°Yes, eat a lot.¡± Despite the pressure from stroking my head while speaking in a soft voice, I chewed on what was in my mouth. ¡°You¡¯re done eating?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Was it tasty?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It had no effect on me now. I smiled broadly at his sarcastic question and nodded my head. A life of luxury where nothing goes my way. ¡®I ate a good meal without labor today too, punk.¡¯ I was about to get off the chair, but my body suddenly lifted up and I found myself in the boy¡¯s arms before I knew it. The wider contact area amplified the breeze-like feeling I felt when guiding earlier. In that state, his hand lightly patted my back¡­¡­. ¡°Urgh.¡± I burped. The duke put me back on the floor as if he was done. He didn¡¯t care about my blushing face from the burp that came out of nowhere. ¡®That, that is for a newborn baby, you bastard!¡¯ If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 13.1 I realized too late that the Duke was getting his revenge for my escape. One day, he painted the entire wall of my room white, and he said right away. ¡°What do you think about it?¡± ¡°What kind of trap is this?¡± ¡°No. Tell me your honest feelings, Betty. It¡¯s all white here, what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I think it¡¯s all white here.¡± Another day, while sleeping, he moved all the furniture except the bed around the mansion. Do you know the feeling of waking up to the morning sun in a good mood as usual and only finding a bed in a large room like on a ferry? ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Eat.¡± The duke must have been happy to screw me up on a crisp morning, so he tore up the freshly baked bread himself and dipped it in tomato soup before feeding me. After eagerly accepting and eating it, I wondered what kind of madness this was again, so I hesitantly asked. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡­ The original furniture in the room¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Find it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You find it. I hid it in the mansion.¡± So, like Cinderella sorting out grains at her stepmother¡¯s behest, I wandered around the vast Duke¡¯s residence looking for the furniture he had hidden. The dresser in the middle of the garden, the small cabinet lying in the corner of the kitchen, and dresses tucked away in the corner of Anton¡¯s office. Hohohohohoho. I won¡¯t cry, crying is for fools. I swallowed my tears like that and searched for it from morning until the sun went down, but I couldn¡¯t find it all. Completely exhausted, I entered the dining room, and the Duke was sitting at the head of the table, leisurely reading the newspaper. In front of him was a well-cooked grilled fish, almost untouched. Upon seeing me, he folded the newspaper he was reading and asked neatly. ¡°Did you find them all?¡± With this, even if I hit him once, I should be acquitted. If I explained the situation before and after, the priests seemed to understand my injustice. However, hungry from walking around all day, I calmly answered while eating the grilled fish that came out in front of me. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Look for it tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ The duke gave me grace, but I dared to run away. I will never again disturb the Duke¡¯s mind with such cheeky thoughts. Forgive me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not punishing you.¡± Then why the hell are you doing this?! You crazy bastard!!! ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes, so find them all.¡± Yes, this is the price to pay for belittling the Duke¡¯s strength. That night, I made a resolution in a room with only the dresser, the cabined, and a bed. From now on, when I run away, I will be more careful and thoroughly calculated before moving. And never, never get caught. ¡®Even if there is a third escape attempt in this life, there will be no fourth escape attempt!¡¯ *** [¡°Respected Mrs. Emma. Teacher¡¯s reputation is well known. Due to complicated circumstances, I cannot disclose my identity, but I would like to borrow your wisdom. Long story short, I suddenly took over raising a child. There is a limit to reading related books alone. At the time of discovery, the child was already accustomed to all kinds of dirty work, I¡¯m belatedly trying to act as a guardian, but it seems to only add to the confusion. I heard that you have already withdrawn from the front line, but if you have time, I would like a little help.¡±] [¡°To the gracious, anonymous benefactor. I retired from caring for children a long time ago, The earnest story of a child desperately in need of help and the father¡¯s will shook me. Can you tell me exactly how old the child is? What you need is different depending on the development process, this is why I am asking straightforwardly.¡±] [¡°Dear Mrs. Emma. The child is so small and fragile that it is difficult to guess how old she is. She says she is ten years old, but it is questionable whether she is over seven years old. These small children can easily get indigestion, so these days I¡¯m patting her on the back until she burp after eating. Is this the right way?¡±] [¡°To the kind, anonymous benefactor. Although it was a hard-to-believe statement, it is very sad because I can guess the situation. Unfortunately, most of the children of this era are in such a poor environment. It¡¯s a tragedy that happened at an age when it wasn¡¯t enough for them to be loved and have fun. When I think of the pain a child of that age must have gone through, I feel sorry too, Even so, it seems that the father tends to protect the child too much. If the portion size is not too large, even a child as young as seven can digest food on their own. Rather, if the father is concerned about the child¡¯s health in everything, there is a possibility that he will grow up to be spoiled in the future. Children around the age of seven need to separate from their parents and create their own world. If you don¡¯t mind, here are some games to help develop your child¡¯s independence. You can leave one side of your child¡¯s room blank like a white drawing paper and encourage your child to decorate it however they want. It is a game that many families do not like because it spoils the aesthetics of the house, but I believe that the father will enthusiastically follow it. Please let me know if your child has developed a habit of scribbling everywhere since then.¡±] If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 13.2 [¡°Dear Mrs. Emma. Thank you for your valuable words. I changed the child¡¯s room according to the teacher¡¯s instructions. I even has all sorts of art supplies nearby and she does nothing. I didn¡¯t think it would be good if I forced it, so I asked if there was anything that inspired her, but the child just said the wall was white. She only stared at the white wall of her room. I wonder if there¡¯s anything lacking with the child? I seek your advice.¡±] [¡°To the anonymous sponsor. First of all, Father, I hope you don¡¯t get too impatient. Children¡¯s development process is very different, and each child¡¯s characteristics are inevitably different. Even if your child is lacking compared to her peers, don¡¯t be too disappointed and envelop them with love. In my opinion, it seems that the child has not yet adapted to the changed environment. She does not feel that the room belongs to her, and she is unfamiliar with it, so she cannot easily scribble on the wall. Help your child love their own space. One of the games that allows children to take care of their own room independently is hiding things. Hiding some of the items in the room and encouraging the child to find them will help them develop independence and feel a sense of ownership of their room.¡±] [¡°Dear Mrs. Emma. Thank you again for your valuable teaching. I hid some of the items in the room and the kid found it very interesting. She wandered around the entire mansion looking for it like a maniac, her pale face turned red, and at night she fell asleep without a care and looked like an angel. As expected, I would appreciate it if you could tell me a game that would be helpful for the child. P.S. The child doesn¡¯t know how to read and write yet, is this a good time to teach her?¡±[ [¡°To the anonymous sponsor. Father, what, where, and how long have you been hiding it¡­¡­ ? ¡®What is this woman prying about?¡¯ Feeling puzzled, Duke Janus stopped reading the replies of the one who had once made a name for herself as the best nanny and put them in a drawer at random. In any case, he intended to teach Betty to read. She will be going to school sooner or later, so shouldn¡¯t she know how to read before that? Originally, she was planning to teach Betty from the time he found her at the Duke¡¯s castle, but she forgot about it for a while because the child ran away not long after coming to the capital. Betty¡¯s escape from the capital became a great trauma to Duke Janus. Even when she wakes up from the dead, the spoiled little child will not know how he felt when he heard that the child had disappeared while he was hanging out with cute ladies. When the jewelry that the child was wearing at the time, such as an opal necklace and an emerald brooch, was found by a trash bastard roaming all kinds of back alleys, it literally felt like the blood in his whole body was cold. Even when he went on an expedition, he had never felt so dark and afraid. Betty, whom he found after searching the entire capital like a completely insane person, was very much loved while working as a maid in the new Assassin¡¯s Guild. It really couldn¡¯t have been more amazing. Even though he hated it to the point of wanting to pinch the cheek of the child who was sleeping without knowing who was carrying him, his lips kept going up as he watched her sleep soundly in his arms. The little child who was not even enough of being a handful played happily as much as she could. If left as it is, it was certain that sooner or later she would sit on top of his head and play. ¡°Did you call me?¡± Just then, Betty arrived. She was worried, looking like ¡®what was he calling me for?¡¯ The boy loved the way Betty¡¯s little eyebrows narrowed and formed cute wrinkles on her face, but he tapped his knee with a supposedly sullen face. ¡°Come and sit down.¡± Betty trudged over and sat on his lap. There were many times when she sat on his lap, so the reluctance disappeared, but the suspicious child rolled her peridot-colored eyes around like a fairy. No matter how good he is, she is truly a scathing kid who was always suspicious. When he thought of that, Duke Janus couldn¡¯t help but want to pick on this child. He placed the black pen in Betty¡¯s hand. The child looked back at him with wide-eyed eyes, but the boy ignored the gaze and placed his hand on top of the child¡¯s hand holding his pen. And he led her to the white paper and wrote in elegant handwriting. Betty carefully watched the flow of black ink dyeing the white paper. ¡°Is that my name?¡± He nodded his head and read the written words. ¡°Beatrice.¡± In an instant, the child¡¯s cheeks turned red like ripe plums, and her freckled nose twitched with displeasure. The boy shrugged lightly and smirked. ¡°Beatrice is your original name and Betty is your nickname, right.¡± He tried to speak naturally, but his lips were already parting in a smile. Betty¡¯s lower lip, plump like a petal soaked in morning dew, protruded disgruntledly. ¡°I will often use ¡®Betty,¡¯ so please teach me that too.¡± ¡°Yes, so come here.¡± However, if it was a prank that would end at once, he wouldn¡¯t even start it in the first place. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 14.1 I soothed the child who didn¡¯t want to give me the hand holding the pen and was looking at me with suspicious eyes. I put my hands on top of it to write on the paper. Betty, who was judging things with her eyes wide open like a small animal full of curiosity, saw that the letters were getting longer, and looked back at me again, perhaps she had roughly noticed. Who dares to glare at her master like this? She really is a cheeky kid. I held back the urge to rub her freckled cheeks and read what I had written. ¡°Bernhard Lilier Janus.¡± ¡°This is the duke¡¯s name, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°To be honest, knowing my name is more useful than yours. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± When she gets lost, it would be more helpful to say ¡°I have Bernhard Lilier Janus as my master¡± rather than ¡°I am Betty.¡± The child¡¯s lips pouted like a bird¡¯s beak, probably disapproving at not having anything to refute. Disgusted with the pouting face, I spat out on the spot. ¡°So memorize it by tomorrow.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Memorize my name by tomorrow. I¡¯m going to test you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Aren¡¯t you busy, Duke?¡± ¡°No matter how busy I am, I am not so busy that I neglect the education of the child I sponsor.¡± It was a pleasure to see Betty¡¯s disgruntled face. ¡°My precious Betty seems to have a lot to say. What do you want to say?¡± ¡°Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.¡± Despite the words of appreciation, the facial expression was saying something completely different. As I took Betty¡¯s hand holding the pen again and led it to an empty spot on the paper, the child emphasized her request. ¡°By the way, can you tell me my name too? I want to know my name.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, so don¡¯t bother me.¡± This time, I wrote short words that the child could not easily distinguish. The child, who was watching the pen gliding across the white paper, suddenly asked in a pouting voice. ¡°Did you write something weird again?¡± ¡°Fairy.¡± The child¡¯s face crumpled when I answered without knowing. But she was so cute that he couldn¡¯t stop. It¡¯s Betty¡¯s fault for being dainty and angry. ¡°Write my name.¡± ¡°Your name? If Betty wants to do it, I will have to do it.¡± I taught Betty by pulling her hand and writing all sorts of crazy names on a piece of paper. This is Cynthia, this is Anton, this is Margaret, this is Anne. As I wrote down all the names in the world except for ¡°Betty,¡± Betty was no longer paying close attention to what letters her hands were writing down on the paper. She just sighed and snorted with a pouting face. ¡°Are you teasing me?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t teased you yet. Let¡¯s see, this is John, this is Peter, this is Elizabeth, this is Eric. Why? You asked me to teach you names.¡± And again, Duke Janus, who had been listing random names on his mind, suddenly got bored and stopped his pen. ¡°Yes, it looks like I¡¯ve been teasing you now. Shall I teach you your name?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± This itty bitty¡­¡­. Starting from shouting ¡®I don¡¯t want to!¡¯ while shaking her head , Betty¡¯s parroting ¡®I don¡¯t want to¡¯ was no longer as pitiful as back then. The Duke, who suppressed his rising irritation, asked with a mischievous face. ¡°Are you going to go to school without even recognizing your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone else.¡± ¡°No. Learn from me.¡± Then, Duke Janus pulled Betty¡¯s hand, which was trying to hold on with her arm, and wrote ¡®Betty¡¯ on an empty spot on the paper. ¡®B-E-T-T-Y¡¯ As he read it, the child¡¯s small forehead slowly opened. He read once again ¡®B-E-T-T-Y¡¯ and the green eyes moved busily along his hand. ¡°Is this really my name?¡± What is so strange? Betty had a face like an old man who had been battered by all sorts of storms, but now Betty looked innocent like other kids her age. ¡°Write it yourself again.¡± As he released the hand from holding the child¡¯s, Betty concentrated and wrote her name again in the corner. It was funny to see her write with great care like she was biting her tongue. For a first timer holding a pen, her handwriting was quite neat, and she wrote it without looking at what I wrote and seemed to have memorized it. ¡°Good writing. You¡¯ll learn it fast enough to read a few novels.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He nodded his head roughly, and the child smiled brightly. ¡°It would be great if I could read a book.¡± The eyelids curled, covering the green eyes that did not lose their light even in the middle of winter. Her small cheeks were dyed a pale pink, and her freckles were like stars embroidered in the night sky. He stared at it blankly. *** If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 14.2 ¡°Ple¡­¡­ Plea, Please¡­¡­ app, approve. Please approve.¡± Ohh. it¡¯s amazing, it¡¯s amazing This is why children who have just learned Korean read everything they see. I looked around. It seemed that the Duke has still a long way from returning to his study, so I thought of reading a few more words. ¡°Exbe¡­¡­ Ah, exbedi¡­¡­ N, no. Expedition. Um, expedition bl..¡­ expedition plan, expedition plan.¡± I couldn¡¯t deny the feeling of pride welling up from the depths of my heart. In my previous life, I even edited my thesis, but learning a new language system always gives me an unknown thrill. The array of symbols engraved on paper in black ink comes to me as a meaning now. ¡®Is there anything else to read?¡¯ The only thing I could read on the Duke¡¯s desk was a stack of paperwork, and the hard, businesslike letters related to work were difficult and the contents were not interesting. ¡®Because he didn¡¯t tell me to just sit still.¡¯ After looking around the study while the Duke was away, I jumped off the chair. While snooping around for something else to read, I decided to pry open the unlocked drawer. Fortunately, there was a book right inside. I immediately read the cover. ¡°101 Necessary¡­¡­ things, for the¡­¡­ hateful¡­¡­ 7-year-old.¡± What? ¡®Why do you keep stuff like this in the drawer?¡¯ First of all, I¡¯m ten, not seven, so I¡¯m excluded from this. Does he have any other sponsors besides me? Or a relative? However, all of the Janus family, except for the very distant collateral family, were slaughtered by the current Duke Janus. Is his distant relative seven years old? Even so, why is he reading the method of educating a seven-year-old? The nobility usually left the care of the children to the nanny and tutor. When I opened it, I could see traces of diligently writing something on it. The scrawled handwriting made it even more difficult to read. ¡°What are you looking at again?¡± I, who was looking through the books in the drawer, looked towards the door in amazement. The sensitive-looking Duke Janus, all white from his roughly brushed hair to his shoes and wearing a monocle, was approaching me. I quickly closed the drawer and pointed to the letters on the desk to distract him. ¡°Viscount Bayern left a letter behind.¡± Fortunately, the boy¡¯s gaze immediately moved to the letters on the desk. The boy¡¯s hand, which had been examining the outside of the letter one by one with a sullen expression, stopped for a moment. And without a word he stretched out his other hand to me. I quickly found a paper knife decorated with a lily pattern and handed it to him. The envelope of the letter, which caught the Duke¡¯s attention, was stamped with a golden seal symbolizing the temple. ¡®It¡¯s the test result!¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect much, but I was curious about the result of pulling out my purification power until my legs were weak. I couldn¡¯t guess anything from the boy¡¯s expression as he read what was written on the paper. He had almost no facial expression except when he was making fun of me. Perhaps he had finished reading, the duke shoved the letter into a drawer and casually sat down on a chair and sat me on his lap. Are you thinking of not telling me? ¡°Did my guide grade come out?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± What are you surprised about? Through the monocle, the boy¡¯s red eyes widened slightly. He quickly answered, avoiding my gaze. ¡°Oh, it came out.¡± You don¡¯t want to talk about it? At first, I didn¡¯t think much of it, but since the duke seemed to want to hide it, I was determined to know. ¡°Can I see it too?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Then he opened the drawer again and took out the paper he had crumpled earlier. Now that I know how to read, I can read by myself. I was going to open the paper and go through it from the first page, but I didn¡¯t have to. This is because it was written at the top of the first page of the letter. [C] C-class. ¡®Well¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t have high expectations anyway¡­¡­.¡¯ Anyway, since there was a lot of sincerity in meticulously writing down what each item was, I decided to take a look at that too. The Duke, who was looking at me like that, suddenly opened his mouth and said, ¡°Betty.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°C-class is also great.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Who said that? I know that even a C-class guide is a great and valuable talent. If there are no guides for sentinels right now, the cracked continent is over. The reason why the empire was able to achieve a rapid level of civilization in a short period of time was mostly thanks to the magic tools made by processing the corpses of monsters that sentinels and guides slain. ¡®But isn¡¯t this a little too much?¡¯ It¡¯s been 10 years since I was born as ¡®Betty¡¯ in this world, and it¡¯s been a long time since I abandoned my lingering attachment of having a reincarnated buff. Even if I¡¯m a C-class guide, I¡¯m ready to accept it. Except for the purification affinity, the rest of the items are so poor that it does not even reach the F-class. The purification affinity that raised the average is almost an A-class. So, as a result of the total sum, it was only a nudge as C-class. Everything is fine. But not this! [Matching rate with Sentinel Bernhard Lilier Janus: 98%] Christine was 95%, but I was 98%, it was almost like a rejection sentence. ¡®Why is the reincarnated buff suddenly applied only here!¡¯ I reflexively crumpled the paper I was holding. If I end this life, I will chase and kill the person who reincarnated me to the end of hell. The duke, who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s bothering me, said softly. ¡°Grades are just admission criteria and are not that important in the field.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There are a lot of prospective graduates who brag about their high grades and then go to the rift.¡± So then I¡¯m going to the rift faster? No matter how hard I cling to Duke Janus, I think I¡¯ll die as soon as I step on the ground. I didn¡¯t answer, so he added hastily and snatched the paper from my hand. ¡°And you won¡¯t even go down to the ground anyway.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I won¡¯t send you down.¡± ? Why pick a guide if you¡¯re not going to take them on an expedition? If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 15.1 When the ground became uninhabitable due to the aftermath of the monsters and the great flood, Noah¡¯s empire, the continent centered on the World Tree, became the last home of mankind. The reason for the existence of transcendentals and guides was to go down to the destroyed land, create an environment for people to live in, and collect valuable resources from the corpses of dead monsters. Above all, since industrialization began in earnest, magic tools that processed the bones, hides, and organs of demons have become indispensable necessities for mankind. ¡°Why? Are you itching to go down and fight monsters?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But why do you look like you¡¯re dying again?¡± ¡°If I was going to graduate¡­¡­I have to spend at least a week on the ground.¡± Aspiring guides who were about to graduate had to go on an expedition to gain practical experience. It was literally like going on your own limb, but if you didn¡¯t get a certain score from the transcendentals you were paired with on the expedition, you couldn¡¯t become a candidate for graduation. In order to be screened for graduation, no matter how late it was, I had to go down to the ground at seventeen or eighteen. If I were to make an analogy through memories of my previous life, would it be a kind of intern? But I¡¯m not a C-class guide, I¡¯m going down as an aspiring C-class guide. To be honest, I think it¡¯s safe to say that it¡¯s a death sentence. ¡°Hmm, I heard that the S-class child from Count McEuena family is also entering this time.¡± I thought of Christine losing her temper after being pushed out by her older sisters at the bakery. At that time, I somehow guessed that I would enter a guide school, but I never thought my prediction would come true. If it was Christine, I would be anxious to be on her team as soon as we entered school. Due to the nature of the job of a ¡®guide¡¯, cooperation is more important than anything else, so I heard that guide training schools often teach in teams. But why was he suddenly talking about Christine? No way¡­¡­. ¡°If I give some mining rights to the Bloom Mine, the Count might be able to roll his eyes¡± ¡°Are you going to bribe lady Count McEuena ?¡± ¡°And later, when the team is decided, write to me. In a week everyone will be like the tongues in your mouth.¡± ¡°Are you going to buy all the nobles who are on the same team as me?¡± ¡°And if you have to go on an expedition when you grow up, I will send a letter with the assigned unit and the list of instructors who will transfer you.¡± Buying all that many people to make me suck honey? The boy said in a cheerful tone as if it had been solved very simply. ¡°Then you have completed the ground expedition safely.¡± In a word, a false graduation. As explained before, many noble children go on an expedition crying desperately to become official guides recognized by the temple, and undergo graduation screening. However, what would happen if a child who had never set foot on the ground passed the graduation examination without difficulty thanks to the influence of their superiors? As a small elite, the world of guides and transcendentals was narrow. And no matter how much money was used to keep mouths shut, rumors will spread. ¡°Then, even if I try to get a job as a guide later¡­ No one would accept¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I told you that when you graduate, I will make you my personal guide, Betty. I hate to say it twice.¡± It¡¯s a future where I graduate illegally through strong support at school, and after that, take it easy at the Duke¡¯s Castle and receive only a guide¡¯s salary. Looking at the conditions alone, there will be no one who refuses. ¡°But before, I only served as the duke¡¯s exclusive guide for one year, and then¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, sign a one-year contract, then you do it on your own.¡± ¡°Everyone should know that I graduated illegally, who will sign a contract with me?¡± ¡°Then, you have no choice but to stay by my side.¡± I see. On the surface, it is packaged in a way that shows he was giving a poor child a chance to study, but this guy is trying to make me a guide with the intention of tying me to his side forever. Now everything makes sense. He probably noticed from the first contact with me that I was a guide with a high probability of being his companion. In addition, unlike the original story¡¯s Christine McEuena, status must be insignificant, and it was no problem to raise me as a guide in the name of sponsorship or talent training, and then receive guidance when he needed it. It is understandable now why he searched the capital to find a low-class maid who had run away. It was clear that he would be obsessed with me more now that the temple had nailed me with a 98% match rate. ¡®So he was going to work hard to raise me and use me as a purifying agent?¡¯ Sensing my nervous reaction, he unfolded the test results from the temple again. ¡°Look. Even if you don¡¯t have a high level, your nature of purification itself is very suitable for me. You can stay as a dedicated guide to assist me when I am in the empire. As long as you¡¯re my guide, I¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s nothing lacking in your life.¡± I know. For targets with a high matching rate, the range of guiding increases even if the rating is not high. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 15.2 I am not a person who has a strong resistance to being used by others. I also think that if I can get some benefit from it, that¡¯s it. If I hadn¡¯t known about , I would have been content with what I would have been satisfied with. But I am someone who has already read the Duke¡¯s intentions several times. Even if he always looks so relaxed, he was actually unstable, like a ticking time bomb you are. If I make a mistake, I¡¯ll get caught up in his rampage, and I don¡¯t want to take a big risk. ¡­ I couldn¡¯t say that, so I said it with a sullen face. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Duke. I only have a slightly higher purification rate¡­ It¡¯s not even that great¡­. And because of me, no one can graduate¡­¡­. That person must have prepared hard¡­¡­. Do Ireally have to go to school?¡± Did it work? The Duke looked at me with a slightly softened expression and gently stroked my head. ¡°Oh my, Betty.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that and go if you want to go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I thought he would act like that. I didn¡¯t even expect that this would work. After I made up my mind to properly run away from the Duke, I thought a lot. And I realized that the most necessary thing to run away from him is external force. Just as Christine got rid of Janus by enlisting Duke Gladio in , I also needed to make friends with other nobles. ¡°There is no need to delay. I will send a visiting card to Count of McEuena right away. That S-class kid is probably your age. Think of it as making friends and preparing lightly.¡± First, from the next head of the County McEuena. It will serve as a very good stepping stone when expanding my influence in the noble society. In addition, since it was Christine¡¯s family, I knew everything about the family I was thinking about this and that to come up with my perfect third escape plan, and suddenly the Duke said with a little nervousness as to what he thought of me. ¡°Betty, once again, even a C-level guide is a valuable asset.¡± ¡°Yes. I know.¡± I didn¡¯t know what the hell he wanted, so I looked at him with a rather puzzled face, and a heavy sigh flowed from his mouth. ¡°Really¡­¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to do this¡­¡­.¡± What else? I was nervous because I didn¡¯t know what else was going on in that nutjob¡¯s head. Suddenly, the boy¡¯s face softened and the sensitive impression disappeared, leaving a beautiful and friendly smile that could be called a snow fairy. ¡°Regardless of your rank, I will always envelope you in love. So don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± oh my god. ¡®How can a person blush that much?¡¯ I looked at the boy¡¯s ears, which were as red as his eyes. ¡°Stop staring.¡± ¡°Yes, yeees.¡± I hastily lowered my eyes. If people were doing something that they don¡¯t usually do, they¡¯re going to die in near time. I don¡¯t know who said it, but I sincerely hope it¡¯s true. *** Maybe the World Tree be immersed in deep sorrow? The winter wind has suddenly become bitter over the past few days, and the whole world is covered in pure white due to the heavy snow that fell overnight. As the girl rushed down the stairs, she saw a carriage crossing the white snow field. An ivory chariot drawn by four handsome white horses was engraved with lilies, representing Janus. Due to the heavy snowfall last night, it seems that they arrived in a carriage rather than a sedan. She quickened her pace. Sixteen-year-old Yelena, who was serving as mistress in place of Countess McEuena, who had passed away earlier, went around the whole house and personally inspected things from top to bottom She double-checked and checked again, but she couldn¡¯t be relieved. All sorts of worries ran through her head even at this moment as she headed for the parlor. Stepping inside her, she heard Christine chattering brightly. ¡°¡­¡­ Then the Duke, Dad, Dad, the Duke gave Christine ¡®Mermaid¡¯s Tears¡¯ as a gift, right? But Christine didn¡¯t pick it up. The reason was¡­¡­.¡± Her father¡¯s disapproval fell over Yelena¡¯s head as she sneaked into the corner. ¡°Yelena! Oh my God, what is that about you? Go upstairs and tie your hair properly. If your mother saw you now, tsk tsk.¡± Hearing the mention of her mother, the girl¡¯s shoulders shook. She always insisted on dressing like a grown-up to take the place of her mother. Today, however, she was dressed up a little differently. When she stood in front of the mirror wearing a drab dress that reached all the way to her neck and her hair that didn¡¯t allow even an inch of disheveling, her already dull and ugly face looked even more gloomy. ¡®But Dad is right. I¡¯m the eldest daughter, so I have to set an example like an eldest daughter¡­¡­ Why did I act immature when an important guest came? I must have gone out of my mind for a second.¡¯ It was all done to look good to a handsome boy a year younger than him, but looking back now, she wondered if he would look at her favorably. ¡®He¡¯ll be disappointed that I¡¯m not decent.¡¯ No, in the first place, what kind of lady would jump so desperately at a single word of ¡®I remember¡¯ spoken out of courtesy. ¡®Maybe he¡¯ll see my appearance today and spread rumors in the social world.¡¯ But if she doesn¡¯t get married on time, her younger siblings¡¯ marriage will be blocked, and then her father will try to dispose of her, even for Christine¡¯s sake. Yelena shuddered as she thought of the bleak future. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 16.1 ¡°father, i, i¡­¡­.¡± ¡°ah! dad! christine didn¡¯t receive the gift from the duke. aren¡¯t you curious why i didn¡¯t get it?¡± yelena¡¯s head went blank and her stomach ached with habitual anxiety, but christine raised her voice and diverted her father¡¯s attention. christine, now 12 years old, dreamed of the duke every night and told everyone the lame story. it must have been a very exciting dream for christine, but it was a rather boring story for the listener. count mceuena replied with a tired face. ¡°i am very curious, sweetheart. please talk to me later.¡± ¡°you told me to talk later before. christine is so sad.¡± ¡°oh no, my dear rosequartz, please don¡¯t be so heartbroken. so, you didn¡¯t get the gem?¡± christine, who puffed out her cheeks, replied with a pouty face as if she would let it slide just this once. ¡°because the wounds in my heart were too great to forgive with such things. so i¡­¡­.¡± yelena couldn¡¯t even do this or that in the corner, only looking at them. apparently, her father seems to have forgotten her because of her faint presence. she took a hand mirror out and examined herself. blonde hair half-tied with a green ribbon, a white blouse with a velvet skirt the same color as the ribbon. and her mother¡¯s keepsakes, jade earrings and necklaces that she had never taken out before. maybe it was because she was wearing light makeup, it seemed that she could manage it today. ¨C yelena. i saw you at a banquet the other day. i remember. ¨C really? ¨C of course. just thinking about it made the girl¡¯s mouth go up and down. ¡°he has arrived.¡± a footman entered and announced quietly, and the parlor was enveloped in a small commotion. christine, who had been busy talking about her dreams, was also busy with keeping her mouth shut for now and tidying up her clothes once again. the nanny and ladies¡¯ maids clinging to her younger sister, who is like a flower, are in a bustle, but matthew, the only youngest son of the count, showed an uncomfortable feeling. ¡°tsk, the bitch is very talkative. but the duke will gladly take her. that bitch must not have a tongue.¡± ¡°matthew, the words and actions of nobles carry weight.¡± matthew couldn¡¯t bear to say, ¡®dad only likes christine.¡¯ ¡°but father, as the heir of the family, i am concerned about the discipline of the family.¡± it wasn¡¯t christine who should be treated for granted. the child, clinging tightly to her father¡¯s side, fired quickly. ¡°you have the count¡¯s seat, matthew. but what should christine do? if you want to properly manage the estate, you¡¯ll have to be good to christine from now on, right?¡± ¡°what? where is this shrew talking about here¡­¡­ !¡± ¡°did christine say something wrong? right, dad, is christine right?¡± with christine openly ignoring the count, his father¡¯s eyebrows narrowed slightly, but he did not shout. although there was a need to bring up the spirit of his one and only son who would succeed him, christine, an s-class guide, was the most important asset to count mceuena. the future of the second child was already decided as the duchess. an s-class guide who is born once in 100 years, but a count¡¯s daughter, who grows up like a precious jade, cannot easily form employment relationships. for that reason, he had a lot of trouble sending her to a guide training school. when the time comes, gladio and janus will fight over his second daughter, but what kind of school is that? although an unexpected benefit rolled into his feet and he decided to send christine in the end. in any case, when trouble came, as always, the count called his eldest daughter to solve the problem. ¡°yelena.¡± ¡°yes, father.¡± yelena, who was still concerned about her sloppy appearance, mediated between her younger siblings, paying attention to her father. even though matthew is his only son and therefore the heir, their father cares for christine even more after all. matthew is the child who will take over the family after his father dies, but christine is the child who will soon bring wealth and glory to her father. yelena spoke softly to the furious matthew. ¡°matthew, it¡¯s not right to call a lady, your pretty sister, a bitch. alright? even if you are this pretty, if you say such harsh things, which lady will want to marry you? ¡®oh my, you¡¯re such a wicked gentleman¡¯, they¡¯re going to run away saying that you know?¡± ¡°just do well sister. don¡¯t bother me because you¡¯re all old.¡± it was precisely the words that pierced her weakness. yelena¡¯s mouth was quivering as she struggled to keep her composure and soothed her mind. she longed to avoid weeping in front of her younger siblings. besides, after a while, the duke¡­¡­. ¡°duke janus has come to visit.¡± the people in the room were nervous at the low, clear voice of the butler introducing the distinguished guests at the parlor door. soon the boy duke entered, arguing with a child who looked less than ten years old. the complexion of the servants who followed them and waited on them was pale. ¡°¡­¡­ the positions are fixed. what about those who prepared for graduation harder than me?¡± ¡°if they don¡¯t have a classmate to graduate with, they¡¯ll have to do it next year.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°yes, it¡¯s not fair, but what¡¯s the matter? it¡¯s advantageous to you. then shut up and be still.¡± it was because the duke seemed displeased. it was a very big thing for the distinguished guest to be in a bad mood even before he arrived. furthermore¡­¡­. ¡°no, i don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°what?¡± especially if his mood is getting worse by the minute. when the duke, who was entering, came to a standstill, the faces of the people in the parlor also turned pale. Chapter 16.2 the boy lowered his posture to make eye contact with the child next to him and declared in a very stern voice. ¡°you, can¡¯t say ¡®i don¡¯t want to.¡¯¡± ¡°no, i don¡¯t want to!¡± was it betty? it was the reason why duke janus personally visited the mceuena mansion through this heavy snowfall. she is sponsored by the duke, and in the spring she will be admitted to the guide training school, but her grade was barely even c. she was in short, a child whose academic opportunity was entirely courtesy of the duke. but how could this be? yelena was terrified that the duke would strike the little child at any moment. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°if i don¡¯t like it, i will always say no.¡± ¡°fine, do whatever you want. i will do whatever i want.¡± having declared so, the duke changed his complexion in an instant, got up, and shook hands with the count in a leisurely manner. ¡°count, it¡¯s snowing a lot outside.¡± ¡°i wonder if i can repay this honor to be visited by your excellency in this kind of weather¡­¡­ please have a seat.¡± while the grown-ups had their ceremonial conversation, yelena studied betty with curious eyes. her red curly hair was sloppy, probably braided by the child herself. a pale face with a freckled nose, and a terribly small body compared to matthew, who had just turned 10 years old. although her peridot-like sparkling eyes were lovely, the child had nothing special. but yelena knew what the duke had put out for that little commoner child. 30% of mining rights in the duchy¡¯s emerald mine. it was more than enough to win the heart of christine¡¯s hesitant father. ¨C that boy duke who was still wet behind the ears, i like his hobby! haha! it seemed that her father couldn¡¯t understand why the duke would spend that much money on an orphan with no blood ties with him, but yelena knew the fact. she let her imagination run wild. in fact, her dream was to establish a nursery or school for children. she¡¯s likely to be laughed at, so she¡¯s never said it, but it¡¯s something she¡¯s dreamed of for a very long time. ¡®the duke might actually be a kind person.¡¯ thinking so, the image of the duke, who was ecstatic with the young ladies beside him, became blurry. ¡®at that time, he was just¡­¡­being kind to the young ladies who were flooding in. he¡¯s sociable. i¡¯m not the kind of woman who speculates.¡¯ while sitting down and drinking the brewed tea, her father introduced her to duke janus. ¡°this is my eldest daughter, yelena. girl, say hello.¡± ¡°it is an honor to see your unwavering spirit to the empire. i am yelena of mceuena.¡± she couldn¡¯t keep her eyes on him. if their eyes meet by chance, it¡¯ll be like that time¡­¡­. ¡°yelena. i saw you before.¡± ¡°yes yes! you really remembered.¡± ¡°of course.¡± the boy¡¯s pure white eyelids gently curved, creating a captivating eye smile. his pure white hair, shining in the light of the chandelier, shimmered as if there were hidden jewels everywhere; perhaps he caught the snow while entering the mansion after getting off the carriage. ¡°and this is my second child, christine.¡± ¡°it is an honor to see your unwavering spirit to the empire.¡± ¡°well, christine. of course i remember.¡± ¡°really? i¡¯m happy.¡± ¡°this coming spring, my rosequartz, christine, will be entering school as well, so betty and her will be classmates.¡± ¡°hi, betty. let¡¯s be friends.¡± ¡°yes. i look forward to it.¡± no words came into yelena¡¯s ears. on the surface, she seemed to be sitting still, but the girl¡¯s head was about to explode at any moment. ¡®it¡¯s not just a polite thing to say! you really remembered me!¡¯ ¡°and this child is matthew mceuena, who will succeed me.¡± ¡°it is an honor to see your unwavering spirit to the empire.¡± ¡°ah, matthew, i remember. i can¡¯t recognize you¡¯ve grown so much already.¡± ¡°thank you.¡± yelena wondered how she looked now. her hair, which she brushed hard, might have gotten a little disheveled while mediating the fight between her younger siblings. perhaps it might be all over the place. squeezing out her hand mirror to check it out, yelena managed to focus on betty. ¡°this is betty, who is under my patronage, a child with great potential. say hello.¡± ¡°i am betty. with the grace of the duke, in the coming spring, i will enter the guide training school and will take lessons. i look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± ¡°it goes without saying she has great humility.¡± ¡­ to say that, it was still vivid to see the little girl fighting back just now against the noble who had been supporting her, but everyone in the parlor just laughed and added meaningless compliments to betty one by one. even if the girl was rude, if duke janus said she was a person with humility, then she is a person with humility. christine pretended to be a good, innocent child and even had her eyes light up. ¡°i want to be friends with betty. may i guide my friend on the way to the dining room, your excellency?¡± it was definitely the butler¡¯s job to tell the guests to move from the parlor and go to the dining room. what¡¯s more, it was against etiquette to make a fuss about it when they had just warmed up in the parlor. count mceuena burst into a hearty laugh and made an excuse to duke janus instead. ¡°my child wants to get closer to her friend as soon as possible. please understand, your excellency.¡± ¡°no, the children will be hungry. please guide me to the dining room right away.¡± ¡°then i will guide you. this way.¡± before getting up and heading to the dining room, yelena gestured to the chief maid and whispered a few things. to make the refreshments that will be served in the parlor, the luncheon time to be moved forward, and the after-dinner piano player was told to check the piece again, and so on. a few of the quick-footed maids, directed by the chief maid, quickly disappeared towards the inner aisle. Chapter 17.1 the luncheon went very smoothly. she didn¡¯t know whether the food she had been preparing with all her heart and soul the other day had gone into her mouth or her nose, but yelena was just happy that the luncheon was over. with the help of the nanny, she quietly led the children out of the dining room. the duke and his father will enjoy a coffee and cigar and talk business in earnest. meanwhile, yelena¡¯s job was to take the children upstairs to the smaller parlor and play. the parlor upstairs, as checked in advance, was comfortably furnished for the children to play. desserts such as cakes, chocolates, pies, puddings, sweets, and fruits were set on the tables, firewood was burning in the fireplace, and there were toys on one side. yelena walked into the children¡¯s room and addressed betty, who had been quiet the whole time. ¡°your name¡­¡­ was it betty? did you like the meal?¡± ¡°yes, the steamed croaker and pheasant meat dishes were especially excellent.¡± ¡°how did you find out that it was a croaker?¡± ¡°before receiving the duke¡¯s favor, i did some work in the kitchen as a dishwashing maid.¡± come to think of it, the child¡¯s hands were rough for her age. yelena guessed at how the child¡¯s temper had become tough. it made her sad to think of how those thin hands would have washed the dishes from morning to sunset and scrubbed off the oil stains. she quickly recommended the desserts laid out on the fine tablecloth. ¡°i see. would you like some of this pie? it¡¯s made from apples pickled this fall.¡± ¡°thank you.¡± yelena was keeping an eye on betty to make sure she didn¡¯t feel left out among her younger siblings, but the child, betty, seemed kinder and more polite than she thought. betty was very different from the way she was with the duke, opening her eyes wide and saying, ¡®no!¡¯ ¡®all children are angels.¡¯ it upsets her sometimes, but deep in her heart, an angel is sleeping too. her adolescent imagination drove her far. in her imagination, she becomes the amiable duchess janus, inviting orphans to the mansion to take care of them, setting up a nursery school, a normal school, and more¡­¡­. ¡°matthew!¡± it was her brother¡¯s mischief that brought yelena back from her daydreaming. matthew, who had been glancing at betty ever since her luncheon, tugged hard at betty¡¯s hair, which was in two pigtails. seeing the child¡¯s body, who was eating her apple pie, tip over in an instant, yelena screamed. despite yelena¡¯s shouting, matthew showed only a cold reaction. ¡°you scared me.¡± ¡°what kind of gentleman pulls a lady¡¯s hair, really! apologize betty.¡± ¡°what kind of lady is she?¡± ¡°that¡¯s mean, matthew. you¡¯re a bad kid.¡± ¡°why am i mean? that betty is an idiot. in the wild, all animals that are stunned like this one get eaten by the top predators.¡± matthew responded to yelena¡¯s scolding with a snort. her face instantly heated up as her authority was going to collapse even in front of a commoner¡¯s child. yelena, unable to find anything to say in response, hesitated and looked around until she realized that christine was missing. ¡®in no time¡­¡­ !¡¯ it would be obvious where christine was. she will be snooping around the dining room for sure. because the only two people christine cares about are there. yelena quickly called the nanny who had taken the children with her. ¡°jane, i can¡¯t see christine.¡± ¡°oh, really. where did she go?¡± the nanny, who had been sneaking in and eating the fruit and chocolate, suddenly raised her head and asked more in surprise. stunned by the audacity, yelena couldn¡¯t find her words. the servants of the county regarded yelena as nothing more than a high-ranking employee, on the level of a governess, the head maid, or a nanny. ¡°i think i know where she is, so i¡¯ll bring her. jane is going to say you can¡¯t bring her back anyway.¡± ¡°you understand that too, miss. how stubborn miss christine is. the ones above should be the one to say something, what could the lower one do?¡± yelena wanted to snap back at least one word, but she didn¡¯t want to raise her voice in front of the children. yelena stroked betty¡¯s hair once as she was eating an apple pie with a fork, then stood up. ¡°jane, take care of betty. matthew, betty is a guest in our house. stop talking nonsense. do you understand sister?¡± ¡°yes, miss.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not nonsense, it¡¯s natural for weak kids to suffer.¡± jane answered dryly, and matthew responded again with nonsense. ¡°i¡¯ll be fine, lady yelena. you can go ahead.¡± only the little child who came to this house for the first time today got up and looked at yelena. yelena walked out of the children¡¯s room with a weak smile in response. she didn¡¯t know that one of her mother¡¯s earrings, which she had taken out to greet duke janus, was missing. *** Chapter 17.2 tak. as soon as the door closed, matthew immediately started a quarrel with me. ¡°you are ugly.¡± yes, you¡¯re uglier. but i shouldn¡¯t entertain this guy. i just nodded my head a few times and took a sip of milk with strawberry jam and honey. while i was enjoying the sweet and sour taste that filled my mouth, matthew pulled my pigtails again. ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°it¡¯s messy. who braided your hair?¡± duke janus. it was sloppy at first glance, but there was a reason no one pointed it out. ¡°young master, can i go to the bathroom for a minute?¡± ¡°whatever.¡± ¡°please play quietly here.¡± in the meantime, the nanny left the children and left the room. ¡®i was prepared, but it¡¯s really a spectacle.¡¯ it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t understand why the nanny was in such a hurry to leave. she must want to quickly hide one of the stolen earrings from the master somewhere. maybe it won¡¯t go the way you think, but good luck, jane. i was watching jane¡¯s back disappearing, but my hair was pulled all the way again, so i turned my head nervously. ¡°ah! what else?¡± ¡°are these all freckles? ugh, dirty.¡± this kid is really, i¡¯m trying to be nice. matthew pressed my cheek with his index finger and smiled when our eyes met. in , he had a somewhat attractive tsundere concept, but excluding him as christine¡¯s younger brother, it was a dislike that only aroused deep irritation. ¡°if it¡¯s dirty, don¡¯t touch it.¡± ¡°nope.¡± it seemed that he had been glaring at me badly from before, and was very eager. ¡®christine and yelena are still being moderately good, but why is this guy like this?¡¯ stupid idiot. ¡°oh, what are you looking at? are you angry?¡± ¡°no, i¡¯m annoyed.¡± ¡°ha? annoyed? what to do if you are annoyed? are you going to treat me like that? you don¡¯t even know your place? ha. come on.¡± ah. he pulled my hair again. should i do this to a kid who is smaller than me? matthew grabbed my cheek right away and thrust his ugly face into me not long after having a full lunch. ¡°stupid. you don¡¯t even know how to be grateful¡­¡­.¡± hmm? what did this kid grow up watching? why do you close your eyes? i punched this crazy 10-year-old in the forehead with all my might. ¡°ack! th, this¡­¡­!¡± the one who was talking about predators fell out in one fist. i kicked out the door and ran out into the hallway. in the distance, matthew could be heard running wild. ¡°hey! come back here! you can¡¯t even do a proper fist!¡± it¡¯s a good way to wipe out the dust while the bread is eaten, but i wanted to mess with matthew in a simpler and more perfect way. i got up one more floor, turned left, and ran straight until i saw a closet with a sliding door. the place where christine, possessed in , hid for a while to avoid duke janus who invaded her house. i glanced back at matthew, who was running after me eagerly, panting. *** matthew ran after the red hair of a crazy girl who had come to his house. something like a squirrel is so nimble¡­¡­. but she didn¡¯t go far. matthew chased the fleeing child upstairs and stood in front of a closet where betty was supposed to be hiding. ¡®it¡¯s true that all commoners are stupid and arrogant.¡¯ if she ran away from someone else¡¯s house, would she be able to escape properly? she was stupid enough to provoke him into something so pointless. it felt good to think that she would hide inside and see him approaching and tremble in fear. he has to beat her until tears flow from her big, round eyes. ¡°huh?¡± but when he opened the closet door, all he could see was musty cleaning tools. before the doubts even went away, someone pushed matthew from behind and slammed the closet door shut. he tried to open the door, but the sliding door was held at an angle to prevent it from opening, so it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°hey! open it!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± there was no answer, but matthew was sure. the one who locked him in the closet must be that ugly, cheeky kid. ¡°won¡¯t you open it? open quickly! open up when i¡¯m still nice! you¡¯re so mean¡­¡­.¡± ¡°why am i mean?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°lord matthew, who was beaten, is an idiot.¡± ¡°hey, this crazy girl! aaaagh! idiot!¡± betty left the rampaging mathhew in the closet and leisurely went downstairs. she had just arrived at the parlor and was about to try the apple pie she was eating, but the door burst open and jane, the count¡¯s nanny, came in and asked, ¡°oh, why are you alone? what about the young master?¡± ¡°ah¡­¡­ lord matthew?¡± betty, who was looking at jane with a fierce face, smiled slightly. Chapter 18.1 yelena hurriedly headed toward the dining room. she saw christine snooping through the arched dining room entrance. yelena hurried over to her and grabbed her sister¡¯s hand fiercely. ¡°christine!¡± she tried to keep her voice as low as possible, but the pent-up anger burst out. ¡°it is immodest to eavesdrop on a gentleman¡¯s conversation. do you want to show the duke something like this?¡± ¡°christine is the main character, so it¡¯s okay. sister, be good to me.¡± ¡°christine! come with me right away.¡± as she tried to stand up holding the struggling christine in her arms, two thick shadows cast over her head. she looked up and saw duke janus and her father standing at the door. the expression of the boy wearing the monocle was so insensitive that she couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking, and her father behind him shook his head with contempt. a look as if asking what the hell is her use. yes, the nursery school or whatever were all empty dreams. yelena was an ugly 16-year-old girl who couldn¡¯t even take care of herself and was wondering if she could get married in time. ¡°father! christine missed you!¡± ¡°hoho, christine. it hasn¡¯t been a while since we separated.¡± ¡°christine still wanted to see you.¡± christine hurriedly ran up to her father and came to his arm, and the count¡¯s face became a kind and benevolent father again. ¡°it¡¯s because you¡¯re so childish¡­¡­ i don¡¯t know what to do with you, christine.¡± ¡°can i stay with my father, duke? i¡¯ll be quiet so i won¡¯t disturb you when you talk, okay?¡± as the count and daughter looked at him as if asking for his permission, duke janus lightly nodded his head. ¡°it¡¯s a request from my favorite christine, so of course i have to grant it.¡± in an instant, christine¡¯s cheeks flushed beautifully like a ripe peach. with the granted permission, the father took his beautiful daughter in his arms and walked into the dining room. it was a good place for the lovely 12-year-old to join for a while. yelena quickly picked up the right words for the situation and bowed. ¡°i made a lot of discourtesy. then i¡¯ll just¡­¡­.¡± ¡°lady.¡± the boy who was looking at her pointed to her left ear as he followed the count into the dining room. yelena was horrified when she touched her own ear, like looking in the mirror and copying it. ¡®my earring¡­¡­ !¡¯ she hurriedly checked her other ear, and there was the jade earring her mother had left behind. the duke was puzzled by her appearance, wearing a large jade earring on only one side. ¡°ah, thanks for letting me know¡­¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°it was nothing.¡± when was the last time she checked her earrings? when she glanced in the hand mirror for a moment in the downstairs parlor, it was clearly on both ears. ¡®maybe it felt from when i ran here from the children¡¯s room.¡¯ she hoped that was the case, so yelena meticulously retraced her steps. from the dining room, christine¡¯s giggles and laughter broke out faintly. -my favorite christine. ¡®why does that word come to my mind in the midst of this, stupid.¡¯ the duke came here to make connections with the child he is sponsoring. he can¡¯t help but take pity on christine, who will be entering the school next spring. and christine is yelena¡¯s younger sister, and yelena is the eldest daughter, so she has to be the model for the household. but she¡¯s not grown-up enough to not show jealousy towards her younger sister. the jade earrings that her mother had left her never appeared. ¡®then where did i lose it?¡¯ she does not know. when she looked in the hand mirror in the parlor now, she wasn¡¯t even sure if she really had both earrings. she was out of her mind at all today. ¡®that¡¯s why i lost mother¡¯s belongings.¡¯ what had happened to her? how much time had she wasted wandering the hallways and going up and down the stairs? yelena suddenly came to her senses, her face pale with another worry. ¡®i must be crazy. i shouldn¡¯t have been away for a long time, even for betty¡¯s sake. but i accidentally lost my earring¡­¡­.¡¯ yelena almost jumped to the parlor where the children were waiting. ¡°matthew, betty, did you listen to jane and kept quiet?¡± yelena, who entered with a bright voice, panicked once more. it was because there was only betty who was looking at her with round eyes while eating the dessert alone. ¡°betty, betty? where is matthew? what about jane?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know. miss jane was away for a while, but after a while, lord matthew too¡­¡­.¡± at least it was obvious. not once or twice did the nanny abandon the children when yelena neglected the watch a little. she must be sleeping in her room or giggling with the other maids. even if she scolds jane saying, ¡®jane, what the hell are you doing here?¡¯ she would act brazenly and say, ¡®oh, i didn¡¯t know it has been this long, miss,¡¯ and matthew also doesn¡¯t have a watcher, so he must be doing stupid things as he pleases. he must be running around the mansion in all directions looking for the two of them, only to raise a vase. yelena felt ashamed when she realized the troubles in her family. ¡®betty doesn¡¯t know anything now, but what will she think later when she grows up and recalls county mceuena?¡¯ is yelena really the only one in this house who knows shame? still, it was fortunate that betty, who had been left alone, was quiet in the room. if yelena couldn¡¯t find betty as well, yelena might have lost her mind out of worries. Chapter 18.2 she couldn¡¯t properly take care of the child sponsored by the duke, and if she lost her¡­¡­. just imagining it made her feel like she would pass out. ¡°i see. are you bored by yourself?¡± ¡°it hasn¡¯t been long since matthew and jane left, so i wasn¡¯t bored.¡± no way. they would be excited as soon as yelena moves away from her, and they must have left betty behind for long. yelena felt sorry for the child who lied to cover up those who abandoned her. she asked in a sweet voice. ¡°here are toys and children¡¯s books. is there anything you want to play with?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ what is this?¡± ¡°well, these are train rails. the train must be here somewhere¡­¡­ wait a minute.¡± although small in size, it was a toy that worked almost like a real steam-powered train. matthew bought it as soon as it was first released in the store, and the child didn¡¯t even look at it, saying he got tired of playing with it a few times. yelena had betty make a relatively simple rail track, and she assembled the model train herself. betty¡¯s eyes sparkled with delight as yelena briefly explained how it worked. betty and yelena watched from the corner and applauded as the toy train steamed along the small track that betty had laid herself. ¡°can i do it one more time?¡± ¡°sure, so this time betty wants to try it yourself? if you don¡¯t know anything, i¡¯ll help you.¡± yelena called the servant to bring more treats while betty was preoccupied with winding up the toy train. as a result, the problems that had been bothering her just a moment ago had gone far away. in this room, there were no scolding father, lost mother¡¯s keepsakes, ignoring nanny, violent younger brother, or nasty younger sister. it was all about the quiet kid with freckles and a toy train chugging along the tracks. *** acting as a gentle child, i was cozying up to yelena, the next head of count mceuena, when christine ran into the room with a bright face. ¡°sister, matthew! take betty and come downstairs to hear the piano!¡± when asked where she had gone after eating, it seemed that she was with duke janus and count mceuena. christine was very excited. ¡°you know, the duke said that christine is the best in the world.¡± in my previous life, on christmas eve, my younger sibling cried when i said, ¡°there is no santa claus!¡± in order not to be in the same situation as that time, i matched the excited christine¡¯s rhythm. ¡°wow, i envy you. lady.¡± ¡°what? you envy me?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°heh, cheeky. but christine is nice and i will be good to you at school. i¡¯ll take you around every day like my personal maid sophie.¡± ¡°thank you.¡± proud, christine immediately looked around the room. then she frowned slightly and asked yelena without hesitation. ¡°where is it, sister?¡± ¡°huh? what?¡± ¡°oh my!¡± the pale pink dress, which looked just like christine¡¯s eyes, moved as she headed towards the table. after dealing with matthew and jane, i enjoyed my own relaxation and happiness. christine¡¯s eyes grew fiercer as she scanned the table left with only empty plates and glasses. ¡®don¡¯t tell me she would say that i ate it all by myself when they left me here.¡¯ ah, please. even though they¡¯re a county, to be cheap with food¡­¡­. ¡°what are you looking for, christine?¡± christine¡¯s eyes instantly became fierce at yelena¡¯s question. it was a change of attitude that fit the setting value of the original small-fry villain. ¡°i mean, this! who ate all this chocolate?! i told the kitchen to give it to the duke separately.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°the one i put in this paper box. i told you about my dream today! i gave chocolates to the duke in my dream! i told the chef and ordered the same one i gave him in my dream!¡± oh, that. i think i know what christine is looking for. a paper box wrapped in a ribbon of pale pink colored chocolate. and delicately carved chocolate artifacts inside. but yelena didn¡¯t seem to remember. ¡°christine, the food on this table is for everyone to eat. and if it was that important, tell sister or jane in advance. or you could have just quietly followed me out of the dining room.¡± yelena put her hands on her waist and made a stern voice, but her eyes were shaking aimlessly. ¡°sophie said she would tell jane. where did jane and sophie go?¡± it seems that jane, who hadn¡¯t heard anything from sophie, ate it all at once. somehow the nanny liked the kids¡¯ snacks so much. ¡°no, first of all, who ate all of this?¡± ¡°how do i know, maybe matthew ate it. christine, stop talking nonsense¡­¡­.¡± ¡°shh.¡± despite yelena¡¯s dissuade, christine, who had already started the investigation, overpowered yelena with a single word and then scanned the table with a hawk¡¯s eye. the small tyrant of mceuena¡¯s family, who had hidden her image, revealed her true colors. ¡°looking at the tableware placed here, only two people ate eagerly. the other two didn¡¯t even lift a fork at all.¡± it was a sharp reasoning that was really unexpected. as christine guessed, the two who ate the most were jane and me, and yelena and matthew were the two who didn¡¯t even lift a fork. yelena protested in a bewildered voice as christine looked like she wouldn¡¯t let go. ¡°christine! can you really tell what¡¯s going on just by looking at the tableware? it¡¯s not just one or two chocolate desserts¡­¡­ don¡¯t catch someone for nothing, let¡¯s go down quickly. i heard that father and the duke are waiting for you.¡± ¡°i mixed pink coloring on the ribbon for the chocolate, so if you see it on the tableware, that person ate my chocolate. what¡¯s wrong with sister all of a sudden? if you¡¯re not the culprit, you don¡¯t have to worry. right?¡± damn. she really won¡¯t get over it. now that this is the case, the culprit who ate the chocolate must be jane. Chapter 19.1 ¡°tell me, betty. do you remember what you ate? if you don¡¯t remember, you could be at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°i only ate apple pie, strawberry milk, caramel pudding, and waffles with syrup.¡± oops, the sparks are flying this way. i secretly slipped on mentions of jane, who was not here, to escape the narrowing investigation. ¡°i remember that the nanny really liked chocolate.¡± christine asked coldly, raising one eyebrow. ¡°can you take responsibility for what you said?¡± ¡°yes, of course.¡± ¡°stop it, christine. who cares who ate that chocolate, really?¡± ¡°what did you eat, sister? tell me.¡± ¡°this¡­¡­ this child really¡­¡­.¡± christine interrogated her eldest sister and at the same time rang the bell and called for a servant. ¡°yes, miss. did you find it?¡± ¡°bring jane and sophie.¡± for a moment, i thought about whether i should give credit to christine rather than yelena for that enormous charisma, but i changed my mind again. even if she reigns as a family tyrant, christine will be possessed anyway at the age of 18. therefore, the position of the next head of the county mceuena was supposed to go to yelena. ¡°to me, matthew and yelena seem to be the owners of this clean fork, am i right?¡± i responded in the most polite tone possible to the sudden question. ¡°yes, that¡¯s right, lady. only me and the nanny touched the food on the table.¡± ¡°i guess so. when you commoners see something like this, they rush in crazy.¡± ¡°wow, you are very wise, lady. that¡­¡­ genible? genity?¡± ¡°genius.¡± ¡°ah right. you must be a genius.¡± christine¡¯s eyes were scanning my flattery up and down, perhaps wary of it. but her lips couldn¡¯t bear the coming ¡®huht¡¯ laughter. living as a tyrant of the county, she must have heard enough compliments, but when one sees what they like, wouldn¡¯t compliments only aggravate their thirst the more they drink them, like salt water? just in time, the maid who was supposed to bring jane hurriedly came up again and reported. ¡°oh, miss, i¡¯ve been looking all over the mansion, but i can¡¯t find jane.¡± ¡°really? what about sophie?¡± ¡°sophie¡­¡­.¡± when the maid gestured, the lady¡¯s maid who had been pale beside her made excuses in gibberish words. ¡°miss, i¡¯m sorry! i was really going to tell jane about what miss said, but mary told me to bring miss¡¯ dress that she left¡­¡­.¡± ¡°sophie, do i have to listen to you?¡± ¡°hup. i¡¯m sorry, miss.¡± ¡°i have to go down and listen to the piano, so go find jane. got it?¡± now christine had a good idea who was the real culprit who ate her chocolate. yelena and i were able to leave the room only after being given permission. ¡°shall we go down?¡± on the way to the dining room, christine continued to complain. ¡°i knew it. jane needs to be enlightened on food. anyway, she chooses only the embarrassing things to show to others.¡± ¡°in my hometown, they say that eating well brings good luck.¡± ¡°what do you know? i¡¯m telling you this in advance, but you shouldn¡¯t do that with foods at school, okay? don¡¯t embarrass me.¡± ¡°ah, no matter how humble i am, it will damage lady¡¯s reputation.¡± christine, who had laughed at my special flattery, suddenly had a straight face. i was nervous about what she would say, but soon she opened her sharp eyes and looked at me. ¡°are you doing the same to the duke as you are doing to me now?¡± at that moment, i was so shocked that the words ¡®please help me!¡¯ almost came out of my mouth, but i kept my calm expression and asked back. ¡°yes? what did i do?¡± ¡°you don¡¯t know what that is?¡± ¡°yes, sorry. please teach me.¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay to pretend to be naive in front of me, to pretend you don¡¯t understand. but the rest is up to you. if it were you, shouldn¡¯t you understand enough if i said this much?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°well, it¡¯s better to be overly crafty than to be stupid. i like you right now. and i don¡¯t like just anyone.¡± ¡°tha, thank you.¡± in any case, following yelena, it was clearly seen in christine¡¯s eyes. she will be possessed later, but her temper is enormous, so there was nothing wrong with being seen well right away. when i came downstairs, i heard a beautiful piano melody from the hallway. we followed the sound of the piano into the room where the duke and count were waiting. upon entering, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a musician was playing a large piano in the center, and a log fire was burning in a large fireplace on one wall. and among the seven chairs surrounding the piano in a semicircle, the count and the duke were sitting in the center. ¡°father!¡± as soon as she entered the room, christine, who had returned to being a cheerful and lovely child, fluttering her radiant blonde hair, ran and landed on her father¡¯s lap. Chapter 19.2 ¡°why are you so late?¡± ¡°father, christine is really upset. the chocolate christine wanted to give to the duke disappeared.¡± i already knew count mceuena¡¯s true color through the original story. even so, the image of him wiping the tears welling up in his daughter¡¯s eyes seemed like the perfect father. but that look is all fake. he is the one who tailors all of his children according to need and use, and among them, he only sets the highest value on christine, an s-class guide. ¡®because of that man, i suffered a lot in the beginning.¡¯ however, young christine, who only knew that her father¡¯s affection was true, immediately held on to her father and duke janus to complain. yelena and i sat in a seat that would not interfere with their eyes. ¡°¡­¡­ christine made a ribbon out of pale pink chocolate. but when christine came upstairs, someone ate all of it.¡± ¡°who did?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know. but i was really surprised.¡± ¡°hmm, you must have been surprised.¡± ¡°and i was very, very upset.¡± ¡°right, you must have been upset.¡± duke janus only repeated christine¡¯s words like a parrot. he looked as if nothing had happened. i too wanted to go back. my main purpose today was to sway yelena, and so far it¡¯s been going pretty well. ¡®the atmosphere is pretty good, so i think we can eat until dinner, but how can i hold on until then?¡¯ as i was idly appreciating the piano melody mixed with christine¡¯s chatter, i saw the boy duke¡¯s red eyes glinting at me. his mouth seems to twitch, but i believe it¡¯s just my illusion. ¡°betty.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°what is this?¡± he reached out and lifted my palm, revealing a pale, indistinguishable pink chocolate mark. christine, yelena, and the other attendants were watching me before, so i couldn¡¯t wipe it. but i knew i could safely pass it on because no one would look at my hand this closely. i asked in the calmest voice possible. ¡°what?¡± ¡°no, i just¡­¡­ i wondered what our betty ate.¡± he smirked and removed the dried pink chocolate from my hair. it was almost like crumbs, but christine, who clearly saw the powder scattering in his fingers, gave a betrayed feeling and shouted ¡®hooooh!¡¯. this duke¡­¡­ it would have been a perfect crime without you. ¡°hey, this is a ruse! to trap me!¡± first of all, i jumped up and spat out whatever came out. but it was to no avail, christine¡¯s pink eyes flashed. ¡°this, this, ungrateful rat¡­¡­ i treated you well, so you dare to play with me?!¡± ¡°christine!¡± ¡°no! christine!¡± in a flash, i saw christine leaping toward me like an angry cat, and the count and yelena running in fright on either side, very slooooowly. to see christine showing her true colors in a crowd of people who she wanted to be adored by, meant that she was really upset. i could understand why she was angry. christine must have thought that everyone was at her feet all this time. she¡¯s talented, she¡¯s pretty, she¡¯s noble. but what a mess it would be if a commoner with freckles, moreover, a commoner who was trying to favor her, stabbed her in the back. i almost threw myself toward the door when i heard a thud behind me. i glanced around and saw christine shouting wildly while duke janus held onto her. ¡°uwaaahh! let me go¡­¡­ ! don¡¯t run away, you ugly, cheeky, beggar! i will beat you!¡± even the duke, who held her tightly to a formidable momentum, was a little dazed. i barely got up, opened the door, and ran out into the hallway without looking back. i ran down the hallway with no one. then i had no choice but to turn around and run to the room where the piano was. ¡°you¡­¡­ this crazy, idiot¡­¡­.¡± it was because i saw matthew, who had come out of the closet where he was locked up, squirming on the other side. i thought he would be locked up for half a day more, but he seems to be more energetic than i thought. ¡°where are you running away! come here?¡± ¡°young, young master! be careful!¡± the butler, who happened to run into him, rushed over and blocked matthew¡¯s path to snatch him away. to stand in front of a tyrant no less than christine with a gray-haired body. unknown butler, i will never forget your sacrifice¡­¡­. ¡°let go! i¡¯ll punish you! totally insane girl¡­ ¡­ ! you dare¡­¡­ to me!¡± however, the result of the unknown butler¡¯s sacrifice was insignificant. the boy immediately shook off the slender old butler, like a sheet of paper, and closed the distance enough to grab my hair. while avoiding him, i hurriedly opened the door to the room with the piano, but someone pulled the door open from the inside. ¡°urgh.¡± a flash flickered in front of my eyes as my nose hit something like a stone, then went out. ¡°come here, you insolent¡­¡­ !¡± when i came to my senses, i was caught in the duke¡¯s side and dangling. ¡°what is this again?¡± the duke¡¯s red eyes as i looked up, were giving off a terrifying force. at first glance, he seemed to be just as pissed off as when he caught me running away. Chapter 20.1 as if all the commotion before never even happened, only chilly silence filled the mansion. the first to break the silence was matthew, who was unaware of the situation before. ¡°it¡¯s unfair. that, that kid locked me in the closet first. in a place where even employees do not come and go¡­ i was really scared¡­¡­. this can definitely be regarded as a crime of injuring the nobility¡­¡­.¡± ¡°can¡¯t you shut up right now, matthew! what do you have to say after acting like a scoundrel!¡± count mceuna scolded his son to keep his mouth shut. i took a peek inside the room and found that all the musicians were standing upright, frozen and unable to do anything. in the midst of that, the boy duke started speaking in a calm voice. ¡°i didn¡¯t know my child was hated so much. i thought we could be good friends.¡± ¡°your excellency, christine has a bit of a temper, so she definitely didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°yes, yes! i wasn¡¯t sincere. i thought betty was making fun of me¡­¡­.¡± christine seemed to have completely come to her senses. she was back to her sweet, good child-self. ¡°as far as i know, eating the dessert set up seems to be all betty did wrong. i apologize for making the people of this house so uncomfortable as betty¡¯s guardian. are you satisfied?¡± when the duke gave the apology with a cold expression, count mceuena shook his hand with a pale face. ¡°don¡¯t, don¡¯t say such a thing, your excellency.¡± ¡°and that boy has bad words, i can¡¯t listen to what he is saying. well, since you¡¯re talking about being guilty, i¡¯ll find out later if you file a formal complaint.¡± ¡°it¡¯s because this lowly man has no virtue! i-i raised my children too pampered.¡± ¡°as an excuse, i didn¡¯t know you weren¡¯t supposed to eat the food that were set up to eat in mceuena.¡± ¡°no, never, never¡­¡­.¡± i realized the duke¡¯s power again. even though so many people were flustered, he did not raise an eyebrow and kept throwing his tantrum. the duke looked down at christine and said nonchalantly. ¡°if you are so upset, please send the bill, lady. you can send it with your brother¡¯s when he files a complaint.¡± his tone was polite, but looking at the content inside, it meant ¡®if you have a complaint, send a bill or a complaint.¡¯ christine, who was as blue as her father, replied with a forced smile. ¡°no, i am not upset at all. i¡¯m glad betty enjoyed it.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be relieved if i scrape off all the sweets in the capital and send them to you. what, you¡¯re not even a beggar.¡± the face of the count¡¯s family turned blue at the stark insult. if i had to find out the cause, it was the atmosphere i had ruined. i looked at the frozen yelena. she quietly opened the door and left, as if she could not stand the situation. ¡®sister, you must not hate me. i¡¯ve prepared a surprise for sister.¡¯ but i wasn¡¯t sure. there was no doubt that count mceuena would only scold the innocent yelena after sending us away. then poor yelena would write in her diary alone, ¡®it¡¯s ruined, it¡¯s ruined!¡¯ and drown in sorrow. i glanced at yelena¡¯s empty spot, but the boy duke let out a light sigh and started to walk while hugging me. ¡°the performance was great. it¡¯s cold, so i¡¯ll have to go.¡± i could catch a glimpse of the butler noticeably directing the servants to help us get ready to go out. i was a little tired of the messy atmosphere, but when our eyes met, the duke smiled and whispered. ¡°your nose is red.¡± then he carefully examined my reddened nose when i bumped into him. ¡°never mind, i will find a better friend. i¡¯ll bring you a bunch, so choose whichever you like.¡± yes, what¡¯s there for you to care about? the world revolves around you. i grumbled in my heart what i couldn¡¯t bear to say to the duke. as we got closer to the front door, the servants moved around busily and brought out the coats, hats, bonnet, and cane we had been wearing. count mceuena hurriedly went out, with christine and matthew. ¡°your, your excellency¡­ so, about that mining right¡­¡­. maybe i can go to the bank and cash it in first¡­¡­.¡± the boy, who was fixing my bonnet after tightening my coat, said without looking at the flustered count behind him. ¡°i¡¯ll send someone else later.¡± it meant he wanted to pretend that everything didn¡¯t happen. the count barely managed to smile and greeted with a contemplative face. ¡°yes, i will wait for your words, your excellency.¡± ¡°it was a pleasant meeting, count. and miss gloria and mister petros¡­¡­.¡± also, since he proudly brought up the wrong name, i corrected it with a small whisper. ¡°miss christine and mister matthew.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ whatever. be careful of the winter wind.¡± ¡°no, please be careful, your excellency. thank you for making the house shine.¡± ¡°thank you, count. goodbye.¡± ¡°go with caution, miss betty.¡± we went outside and were escorted by the footmen to get into the carriage, when i saw jane, who had been wandering in the snow looking for matthew all this time, trembling and trying to go into the mansion. by the way, it was me who informed jane that matthew was out there. Chapter 20.2 *** [¡°it¡¯s ruined, it¡¯s ruined! my house is in complete ruin!¡±] yelena fell into despair as she wrote down the events of the day in mournful handwriting. today she lost the earring left by her mother, her father was out of favor with duke janus, and the little and fragile child was greatly devastated. yelena still vividly remembered the little child trying her best to please her little sibling. yelena couldn¡¯t even protect the child, who couldn¡¯t even eat a handful, and she couldn¡¯t even protect herself! it was a disgrace. ¡®because we behaved so meanly, the capital will turn away from my house.¡¯ in her deep sorrow, yelena looked at herself in the mirror. she had thought until this morning that she was pretty, with blonde hair hanging out and relatively light colored clothes out. but now, in the mirror, she saw only an ugly, parched person with all sorts of troubles and worries. her hair is loose and scattered like that of a child, and her earrings are only one-sided. by all accounts, she was not the eldest daughter of a dignified count family. she was about to call someone to change into comfortable clothes when she suddenly felt something in her pocket. yelena, who took it out, opened her mouth in surprise. [a gift in advance by the flower fairy.] it contained a note written in crooked handwriting and one of yelena¡¯s missing jade earrings. in noah¡¯s empire, there was a legend that on the eve of the new year, flower fairies who were awakened by the children¡¯s pure hearts visited the children and granted their wishes to repay them. it is commonly known that if they dream of a present they want, the flower fairy will bring it to them. a smile grew on yelena¡¯s lips as she fidgeted with her earring that came back to her. ¡®i see.¡¯ she was still a child too. she was still at the age of wishing for a gift from the flower fairy. unlike her smiling lips, the tears that had been welling in her eyes ran very slowly down her cheeks. *** [dear respected anonymous benefactor. i am glad to hear that your child is very interested in learning how to write. it may be that she like the sincere interest and affection of the teacher rather than the learning itself. (i asked you repeatedly, that you should not show off the affection you received from your child, father.) i apologize if asking for your child¡¯s gender made you uncomfortable. it was something i had to ask for the future direction of education. in father¡¯s eyes, you may think she¡¯s still an immature baby, but in fact, if she¡¯s a girl over the age of 7, it¡¯s the perfect time for her to learn the courtesy and refinement of a lady. accordingly, i recommended that you prepare a ¡®doll house¡¯ for your child first. playing with dolls will help children understand the differences and roles of men and women in the home. p.s. if your child already has a ¡®doll house¡¯ to play with, she doesn¡¯t need to buy one.] *** the capital was really a place where rumors circulated quickly. since dawn, all bakeries in the capital have put up notices stating that they will be closed for this day, and sweets swept from those bakeries were piled up in front of count mceuena¡¯s mansion. there weren¡¯t many people in the empire who could wield such tyranny. people immediately thought of duke janus and soon found out everything in detail, as if they had been invited to the count¡¯s house that day in person. within a day rumors had circulated that count mceuena had been ousted from janus. unlike the people who whispered as if something big had happened, the duke was calm. ¡°you¡¯re up.¡± this morning, too, the day started with the boy duke looking down at me with an arrogant expression. my eyes were blinking, so he lightly tapped something with his cane as if he was trying to reassure me. ¡°aren¡¯t you going to ask me what? there¡¯s something in your room.¡± elaborately recreated rooms and furniture, stables, and even miniature teacup sets on the tables in the drawing room. when i woke up, there was a ¡®doll house¡¯ in one corner of the room, boasting the size of two dog houses combined, a cute appearance like a wedding cake, and delicate sophistication. it¡¯s pretty, but my age for playing with dolls dried up a long time ago. ¡°what is this?¡± ¡°your toy. i said i¡¯ll buy you a doll¡¯s house before. but i couldn¡¯t buy it because someone ran away.¡± well, i remember that too. ¡®i ran away on my way to the toy store to buy a doll¡¯s house.¡¯ the boy¡¯s face stiffened a little, perhaps he was getting angry again just thinking that thought. ah damn. he¡¯s really someone who¡¯s obsessed with the bag of candy he used to eat. i hurriedly got off the bed and started fiddling with the doll¡¯s house. ¡°wow, woooow, it¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°is it that good?¡± ¡°yes, i am really happy.¡± not long after i woke up, i made a reaction without a single soul, like a new employee laughing at the manager¡¯s humor. fortunately, the duke didn¡¯t point that out. ¡°what are you doing with the house? now, here are your dolls.¡± phew, he¡¯s a tricky guy anyway. Chapter 21.1 ¡°you should also name the people.¡± while i was touching and admiring the cute and precisely made dolls, duke janus, who was watching me play, suddenly said, ¡°me?¡± ¡°it¡¯s yours, who¡¯s going to name it but you?¡± of course, i, who has memories from my previous life, can¡¯t play like real 10-year-olds. i don¡¯t have a lot of imagination like kids at that age, so i¡¯m really bad at games like naming and roles and talking with dolls. if i let yus, christine, or at least matthew sit here, they would name the doll by themselves and have them talk to each other while playing. ¡®still, the person who bought it is sincere, so i have to please him in moderation.¡¯ hmm, let¡¯s see. ¡°if you have a townhouse this big in the capital, they would be at least a count, right?¡± ¡°well¡­¡­ i suppose?¡± ¡°marquis? i think a marquis would be just right.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ really? why?¡± why, what do you mean? shouldn¡¯t it be something that¡¯s decided? i didn¡¯t know what to explain, so i roughly said it. ¡°because duke is too burdensome and count is too common?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to settle for a marquis valentina couple. they started construction on the mansion near violet garden this time.¡± ¡°the marquis couple are mean and servile.¡± you asked me to play with it, so why are you arguing again? looking straight at me, the boy subtly withdrew his words. ¡°okay, let¡¯s continue for now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ no, i don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°this punk¡¯s ¡®don¡¯t wan¡¯t to.¡¯ really¡­¡­ !¡± ¡°don¡¯t want, don¡¯t want, don¡¯t want!¡± the duke, who had been staring at me with his red eyes wide open as if his stomach was bubbling, changed his expression and tone to a sweet one in an instant. and then he said calmly. ¡°¡­¡­ i made a rude mistake in the middle of an interesting story. please go on, miss beatrice.¡± the gentle smile on his face, like a sailing boat floating on the shore of a calm lake, was so beautiful enough to make people fall in love at first sight, but i knew his bottom too well to fall for that smile. i pointed out and explained the dolls that i had arranged without letting go of my guard. ¡°this is a butler because he is neatly dressed. so, he¡¯s cleaning expensive silverware by himself in the pantry. and since this one has been wearing an afternoon dress since the morning and has a bunch of keys on her waist, she¡¯s the head maid. i¡¯ll put her in the head maid¡¯s office.¡± while we were talking, lucy knocked on the door and came in, leaving a crepe, fruit, jam, milk and ointment next to me. i guess we¡¯ll settle for breakfast here today. the duke cut up the breakfast and served it to me. ¡°ah.¡± ¡°ah¨C the one in the black suit is the tutor and the one wearing the bonnet is the nanny. the children¡¯s room and study room will be located on the third floor, which is less frequented by outsiders. hmm¡­¡­ here. oh, and this downstairs is the marquis couple¡¯s bedroom.¡± in the middle of the explanation, the duke continued to feed me, so the explanation was cut off in the middle as i mumbled. ¡°milk too¡­¡­ good girl.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ and this small room next to the marquis¡¯ couple¡¯s bedroom is the dressing room. i¡¯m going to put a ladies¡¯ maid here. they¡¯re picking out clothes for the master who will soon appear.¡± ladies¡¯ maids are servants that nobles take with them when they go out, so they are always dressed up pretty and neatly. even the clothes they wear are not worn by normal maids, but they are dressed up to the extent that they look similar to those of nobles. afterwards, i placed the parlor maids and cleaning maids in order, who were in charge of serving guests while receiving the crepes and milk the duke fed me. the duke listened to my explanation with one ear and let it out through the other, smearing the medicine on my nose. it was slightly swollen from bumping into the duke at count mceuena¡¯s residence before. ¡°these are laundry maids, so they are in the laundry room, and they are kitchen maids. since this one is the smallest, she is the dishwashing maid.¡± ¡°why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t even know they were bullying you, and i thought you were having a good time.¡± i was wondering what kind of nonsense he was talking about, but turns out it was about an incident that happened at count mceuena¡¯s residence. it¡¯s all in the past, so i don¡¯t know why he¡¯s suddenly bringing it up again now. but in the head of a madman, you shouldn¡¯t wonder for a long time. ¡°duke, you weren¡¯t listening to me, were you?¡± ¡°i heard you. this is betty.¡± i was slightly embarrassed when he pinpointed the maid in charge of the dishes. yes, he has been listening. ¡°other than that, tell me about the couple who owns this house. what¡­¡­the lady¡¯s maid is picking out clothes. breakfast is over, but what is the marchioness doing?¡± well, it depends on what the marquis is doing. there was no need to use imagination or creativity, so i roughly decided to use the setting of the marquis valentina couple from a chapter of . Chapter 21.2 ¡°marchioness valentina gets up secretly so that her husband doesn¡¯t wake up and starts tidying up the house. mornings are usually the busiest. she went to the kitchen to see if the meal was ready, went to the pantry to check if the utensils were in good condition, and checked the horses in the stable¡­¡­.¡± the duke, who had been quietly listening to my words, asked again with his eyes bubbling and boiling. ¡°then what is that bastard marquis doing?¡± you can just ask, why are you cursing? there wasn¡¯t a single thing i liked, but i answered patiently. ¡°the marquis is still sleeping. he lives on the income from the estate, so he has nowhere to go to work.¡± ¡°what? doesn¡¯t he have a decent job?¡± ¡°huh?¡± uh. what¡¯s so dissatisfying about not having a decent job? it was enough to receive the income from the estate, job what job? even in my previous life, the life of an ¡®unemployed building owner¡¯ was considered the best life. ¡®well, you¡¯re not marxist, why are you suddenly obsessed with labor?¡¯ rather, this world tended to look down on physical labor. in the first place, the duke himself was the landlord who governed the duchy, so why was he arguing about the marquis? of course, in addition to the income from the estate, the duke had a job as a sentinel, as he went on an expedition to the ground to slaughter monsters, so he had a job. ¡°the job is¡­¡­ should there be one? the income from the estate should be enough to make a living.¡± ¡°what are you talking about? no lazy men. pick any job, quickly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ lawyer.¡± ¡°no, i¡¯m losing face.¡± ¡°doctor?¡± ¡°do you like a punk who goes around other people¡¯s houses and bows their heads?¡± he doesn¡¯t know anything. even if the world is ruined, it is a professional job. ¡°then a sentinel or guide¡­¡­.¡± ¡°what would you do if he went out on an expedition and didn¡¯t come back right after?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± as i stared at it with a hard heart, the duke let out a deep sigh. ¡°betty, your eyes on choosing men are really bad. don¡¯t be offended.¡± my eyes for choosing men may not be up to the top 0.1%, but at least i¡¯m proud that this guy is better than the person who is chasing me. ¡°then what kind of job do you like?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯d rather they have more money. even if it¡¯s a little short, it¡¯s better to have someone who can control it. all right, betty. this is why you should keep your job after you get married.¡± ¡°what are you talking about?¡± ¡°no, keep talking. i want to hear more about this couple.¡± i have a strong feeling- but first, i finished reciting the background of the marquis valentina couple in . ¡°they have two children, the first is a 10-year-old boy and the second is an 8-year-old daughter. they¡¯re both quiet and gentle, so they¡¯re not difficult kids to take care of. the marquis couple are in their late 20s. originally, they couldn¡¯t even set foot in the capital even if there was a townhouse in the capital because they lived with strict predecessors¡­¡­.¡± ¡°what? why would you listen to the lacking elderly!¡± ¡°what? why are we minding the elderly?¡± ¡°kuhm. kuhm. continue. why.¡± if you don¡¯t want to hear it, don¡¯t make me do this. he asked me to make up the background of this house, but when i made it up (copied it) and recited it, the duke looked very upset. i kept my eyes on him and continued. ¡°¡­¡­ recently, the predecessor passed away, so they just came to the capital after finishing the construction according to the style that suits the trend these days. since they came last month, not many people know the marquis in the capital¡¯s social world.¡± ¡°then, from now on, they will have to make acquaintances in the social world.¡± ¡°i guess so. but the marquis doesn¡¯t like that, so the marchioness is mostly at home.¡± ¡°does she really like living like that?¡± why is this guy so immersed in playing house at 15? i didn¡¯t deny or affirm it, but as i stared at him, the duke who interpreted my gaze at will asked again. ¡°while the husband is sleeping, she runs around like a maid from morning to night, taking care of the house and feeding her family. does she think anyone will notice? it¡¯s all made up by people like me to pamper kids like you.¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t ask anyone to find out, you just told me to make up the story of this couple. i made it up on my own.¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay. anyway, it¡¯s not possible for both parents to be alive. not with a lot of siblings too. just¡­¡­ fine. i will recognize the man, so you just study hard and meet the person i ask you to meet.¡± ¡°who am i meeting?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll let you know when you¡¯re bigger.¡± let me know when i¡¯m bigger. i¡¯m sure he¡¯ll bring a man easy to manipulate, plant him as my husband, and try to take control of me. ¡®hng, i won¡¯t even be by your side until then.¡¯ i swallowed the words and only put on a fierce face. Chapter 22.1 a long time ago, there were twins, prima and ultima. when the sins of mankind overflowed and a great flood occurred, ultima disappeared. the tree of life grew from prima¡¯s body as she searched for her lost sister. four angels came to her in her sorrow. the raging sea is encroaching on human land day by day. the tree you grow will save people who are devastated in the future. the angel biting the olive branch told her how to grow the tree into the world tree. the guardian angel of the pure moon gave eternal sleep to prima who was engulfed in the world tree. the tree of life rescued the continent from being submerged in the sea and led it above the clouds. the monsters remaining on the continent were purified by the black flame created by the angel of destruction. humanity rejoiced in the ground they gained at prima¡¯s sacrifice, but the tree of life only withered day by day as prima longed for her missing sister. at this time, the sun-bright blonde angel broke the silence it had always adhered to and said. you who support the world. just as you were destined to build a new world, your sister is destined to take on new lives. in the future, you will meet and part countless times, so take away your sorrow. hearing this, the world tree abandoned its lingering feelings and sent a messenger with a flower to inspect noah¡¯s empire built in the sky. that person is ursula, the first princess born by the world tree. born from the flower of the world tree, ursula, who was always silent, opened her mouth when she was 10 years old. ¡°on the day blood flows from the angels¡¯ eyes, my mother will wake up again. until then, never take her sacrifice for granted.¡± she told the prophecy of the world tree. since then, the world tree has blossomed whenever a crisis strikes the sky continent and sends her own messenger, and people have followed that will and served the world tree as the emperor and main god of noah¡¯s empire. and her children, whom she blossomed with her flowers, were highly regarded as the imperial family and saviors. the four angels took care of the people on behalf of the emperor who became the world tree. *** the crests of the four ducal families were engraved with large illustrations. a sword engulfed in black flame, gladio. the sun behind the scales symbolizing fairness, sol. a dove with an olive branch in its mouth, mattia. and the lily and moon symbolizing purity and fidelity were used as the crest. ¡°is it fun?¡± ¡­¡­ janus, the least innocent and most unfaithful in the world. ¡°yes.¡± at the same time as i answered, i slightly raised the book i was holding and roughly covered my eyes. perhaps dissatisfied with that, the duke asked. ¡°are you going to read a book later in the banquet hall?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°why?¡± ¡°then people will think i don¡¯t like to talk.¡± ¡°but why do you read books when you are with me?¡± yes, i don¡¯t want to talk to you. but i calmly raised my eyebrows and made up a frightened expression. ¡°can¡¯t i read a book when i¡¯m with the duke?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ who said no?¡± lately i¡¯ve been learning more and more of how the duke works. he would respond with all sorts of mischief when i challenged him, but when i lay down flat and put on a frightened look, he would stop. i opened the book i was reading again, keeping a sad face. i studied writing diligently, and now i have no problem with reading and writing. i was about to read and contemplate again, but the duke¡¯s hand, who had been watching me with his eyes narrowed, suddenly came up and forcibly closed the book. ¡°you¡¯ve been doing more and more nasty things lately.¡± ¡°me?¡± i was caught, but i didn¡¯t panic and asked back with eyes that looked like they would shed tears any moment. sad thoughts, sad thoughts, sad and unfair thoughts¡­¡­ i tried to recall it, but i didn¡¯t shed tears often. he looked at me and said dumbfoundedly. ¡°yes, you. squeeze your tears, squeeze them.¡± ack, i failed it must have been really annoying, he put his hand inside my bonnet and messed with my hair. ¡°my hair will be ruined!¡± ¡°cecile, fix her hair.¡± after i was barely freed from the duke¡¯s hands, lucy straightened my hair and fixed the ribbon that held my bonnet. after a heavy snowfall once, the day suddenly got colder and the snow continued to fall calmly, so we rode the carriage again to the imperial palace. i was on my way to attend the flower fairy ball, which is always held on new year¡¯s eve. this day, when the flower fairy awakened by the innocent child¡¯s heart grants children¡¯s wishes, was kind of like children¡¯s day in this world. it was a very old tradition to hold a ball at the imperial palace for children who had not made their debut. it was also famous as the first informal social stage for children entering the guide training school next semester. the duke, who was trying to build up my luxury network, starting with christine, the s-class guide, changed his strategy to an offensive after knocking out count mceuena. it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. it was because rumors circulated widely in the capital about what happened to count mceuena, and that the duke was putting great effort into the child he was sponsoring. perhaps the sons of nobles i will meet at the ball will not be so cold to me. Chapter 22.2 ¡°tell me whenever you feel sleepy. you can go right away.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°if you receive a dance request, write it down on the dance card. the order should not be messed up.¡± ¡°yes.¡± i¡¯ve been seriously beat deaf since my previous life. my singing was at the level of creating a new song, and the dancing was somewhere between a creaking wooden doll and an anguished performance artist. ¡®the duke told me not to worry too much about the other kids anyway, since their dancing skills are similar¡­¡­.¡¯ seeing as he allowed me time every time i said i wanted to practice dancing, there was no doubt that he was secretly paying attention. regardless of my worries, janus¡¯ carriage stopped in front of the portico of the imperial palace. ¡°this way.¡± there were many footmen to help me get out of the carriage, but the duke dared to carry me. following the attendants¡¯ composed of low ranking priests, i went into the cloak room, left my coat and bonnet, and came out to see several high-ranking priests who had come out to greet guests. ¡°may miss betty¡¯s wishes blossom.¡± the priest, who confirmed my name through the list, bent his knees at eye level and held out a flower that was still in its bud. ¡®¡­¡­ !¡¯ i was thinking of bending my knees and accepting the flowers as a thank you, but the insensitive face of the priest who handed me the flower felt somewhat shocking. it wasn¡¯t that his appearance was shockingly ugly. rather, he had a very decent appearance. i could not guess his age. priests who support the tree of life do not age after they sacrifice their souls to the world tree. but they did not become something immortal. like ordinary people, they go through minor illnesses and die when their life span is over. they are simply free from all emotions and desires. it is the result of the world tree, concerned that their own will will be distorted by people, taking away their free will. ¡°why? don¡¯t you like flowers?¡± ¡°n, no¡­¡­.¡± i quickly shook off my shock at the duke¡¯s question, took the flower from the priest, and moved on. as i passed, he held out another flower to the child behind me with a very insensitive face repeating the same words. while i was guided by the attendants to the throne room, i pondered the shock i had felt earlier. ¡®what does that feel like?¡¯ it felt like my heart was about to drop. why was that? ¡°duke.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°the person who gave me this flower is a great person?¡± ¡°do you remember that he was wearing a purple belt, right? then it means cardinal.¡± ¡°um, i see.¡± ¡°by the way, priests cannot get married. there are things they can do, but they can¡¯t.¡± i was not that curious about it, but i nodded roughly and induced a conversation. ¡°why?¡± ¡°they are just human skin. they have no emotion or desire other than to serve the world tree. if someone cut off their arm, they¡¯d just stare blankly at the severed arm. it¡¯s hard to call it a person.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°ambrosio is the most creepy among them, the priest who gave you flowers. did you notice anything on his face? i thought you were scared by that.¡± the empty expressionless face was certainly almost grotesque. did that surprise me? sometimes it seemed like it could be explained, yet sometimes it didn¡¯t. ¡®the name¡­¡­ did he say ambrosio?¡¯ it is also a name that appears in . ambrosio, a high-ranking priest who is closest to princess katerina, emerged from the flower that the world tree bloomed after 500 years. as princess katerina appears as the female lead in the original story, her importance was ambiguous, and the priests who assisted her had almost no importance. among them, the scene where ambrosio appears were roughly like this. [¡°princess, this is a letter from count mceuena.¡±] [¡°it¡¯s time for the meeting.¡±] [¡°her majesty does not want visitors right now.¡±] it¡¯s safe to say that he¡¯s almost an npc. however, there was one point that was different from . ¡°but, duke.¡± ¡°what else?¡± ¡°is a cardinal different from a pope?¡± ¡°different. the pope wears a red belt and the cardinals wear a purple belt.¡± ambrosio was originally a pope. because he was the pope, who is also called the first servant of the world tree, he was able to take care of the original female lead, princess katerina, since she was a baby. however, ambrosio was wearing a purple belt now, and he seemed to be in a position that had nothing to do with the princess. it was in a completely different position from what is depicted in . *** the throne room of the empire with the world tree as its emperor was a kind of large greenhouse. as soon as we entered it, the priest at the entrance announced in a loud voice. ¡°this is duke janus, who will dedicate his fidelity to you, and miss betty, who is sponsored by him.¡± the voices that had been heard in the greenhouse suddenly disappeared, and the people who had lined up to have an audience with the world tree split into sides in an orderly manner. it¡¯s nothing, but at the same time, it was somewhat embarrassing to walk by the duke¡¯s side and follow him. as people lowered their heads, i could feel the quick glances at me from all sides. before i had time to adjust to that gaze, i lost my five senses as i was bewitched by the majestic appearance of the world tree. the tree of life that supports the sky continent, the end of which cannot be seen even if one lifts their head until their neck hurts. and bushes of pure white flowers blooming profusely around the trees. it was only then that i realized that i was surrounded by the sweet fragrance of the passion flower. it was a burst of pure wonder, like seeing the world¡¯s largest waterfall, endless desert, or lush, untouched forest. Chapter 23.1 ¡°betty.¡± if duke janus hadn¡¯t called in a small voice, i would have stood there blankly. i trotted to duke janus¡¯s side and bowed as he did. ¡°your noble sacrifice for humanity has not been forgotten.¡± ¡°your noble sacrifice for humanity has not been forgotten.¡± we were greeting the tree, but i was helplessly nervous because of the situation. the boy duke¡¯s eyes met mine for a moment, and as his lips curled slightly, he smiled softly. still, that smile relieved my tension a little, for i had been stuck with him almost all winter. around the roots of the world tree, among the fragrant passion flowers, i could see the flowers that the children had planted sloppily. i planted the flower i received from the priest in an appropriate place and tapped the soil well. it was then. ¡°huh? it¡¯s snowing.¡± something small, white, fell from above, and i secretly muttered then quickly closed my mouth. it was pollen, not snow. the world tree has given a kind of grace, but i muttered, ¡®it¡¯s snowing¡¯ without thinking. i hurriedly looked around and checked, but everyone seemed not to care about what i muttered unknowingly. before i knew it, the priest who had been by my side held out a silver dish filled with clean water to me. after wiping my hands there, i was ushered into the inner garden. unlike the place where the world tree is located, the atmosphere was much more breathable here. children gathered in groups and were chatting with each other in the garden. ¡°is she that ugly?¡± ¡°she¡¯s really ugly. her hair is completely curly and looks like cotton candy, and she has so many freckles that it looks like someone has sprinkled sugar on her face. she has big eyes and big front teeth, she looks like a frightened squirrel.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ that ugly?¡± ¡°ah, th, there¡­¡­ !¡± as i entered, i saw matthew on the other side, but i ignored him and passed by. there were quite a few boys around matthew, but they looked bad even by the looks of them. he has been scolded enough that even an amoeba could understand, so he probably won¡¯t be openly messing around around me. we were guided to the innermost part of the high-ranking nobles and sat at a round table at one of them. it was the seat where duchy gladio and duchy mattia were already sitting. since it was a banquet where children were the main characters, there was plenty of food to eat. it would end before midnight, so there was no need to worry about enduring sleepiness. ¡°keep your dance card safe.¡± ¡°yes.¡± a dance card in the shape of a butterfly with the order of dance songs written on it was given. i quickly put it on my wrist. it even came with a small pencil, so when someone asked to dance, they could write their name on the spot. without it, i can¡¯t remember which song to dance with and with who. then someone spoke to me. ¡°i see you again.¡± ¡°ah, yes, i see. young duke gladio, it¡¯s nice to see you again in a place like this.¡± was it too business-like? the eloquent greeting that came out by reflex drew several people¡¯s eyes to me. ¡°a very brilliant child, duke janus.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve heard so many things like that, that my mouth now hurts to answer, duke mattia.¡± what is wrong with him really? if someone compliments you, you should say ¡®yes, thank you¡¯ and compliment duke mattia¡¯s daughter. what is he bragging about? i endured the shame given to me alone. the son of the sol family, who was sitting across from me, crept over here and asked duke gladio to introduce him to me. ¡°eric, if you¡¯ll excuse me, i¡¯d like to have a chat with the lady sitting next to me. could you help me?¡± it was a very good sign for me, who needed the help of other nobles to get away from duke janus. a noblesse oblige spirit, rich sensitivity, thoughtful and altruistic character carved into the bone. lord lucifer sol, a typical fairy tale prince with dazzling platinum hair, was a person who never refused a hand from anyone who asked for help. he is already involved in all sorts of charity work and poor relief policies at such a young age, so it would be very easy to draw sympathy from him. as proof of that, he first extended his hand to me so that a commoner child who knew nothing could adapt to the banquet. in a word, he is very suitable as a connection that will help me escape in the future. i nodded my head as hard as i could to young duke gladio, who was looking at me, asking for my permission. ¡°miss betty, this is lucifer, the eldest son of the sol family. luci, this is miss betty, who is being sponsored by his grace, duke janus.¡± ¡°it is an honor to meet you, lord lucifer.¡± ¡°i am more honored to be able to meet such a great lady. are there any empty spots on the card?¡± to go straight to asking me for a dance like this. as expected, lucifer was the perfect gentleman who was kind and friendly to everyone. i replied, hurriedly trying to get the dance card off my wrist. ¡°it¡¯s all empty.¡± ¡°then will you give me the honor of the first dance?¡± ¡°yes, of course.¡± oh, it¡¯s finally out. i held out the card, thinking that i should loosen the string a little, when i put the dance card on my wrist again later. but lucifer¡¯s hand, which was trying to write his name next to the first dance, was blocked. ¡°no, the first dance has already been taken, lord lucifer. please find another song.¡± it was duke janus. Chapter 23.2 the docile lord lucifer smiled a little, haha, and tried to write his name under it, but apart from that, i was annoyed and couldn¡¯t move on without saying a word. ¡°lord lucifer applied first.¡± ¡°the first dance is, of course, mine.¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t hear that?¡± ¡°it was so obvious even if i didn¡¯t say anything. now stop talking back, betty.¡± this duke thinks that when he says it with a sweet smile like that, it¡¯s not coercion. where the hell did this human being go wrong? a pacifist as good as a capybara, lucifer quickly wrote down his name next to the second dance and said, ¡°see you at the venue, miss betty.¡± and hurried away. i had to express my anger by taking advantage of the duke¡¯s conversation with someone by secretly saying, ¡®yes~yes~i understand~¡¯. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ kuhmm, hmm.¡± then, i made eye contact with duke gladio, who had been sitting expressionless the whole time. right away, i lowered my head and watched the seafood pasta in front of me, but why was it that i could see duke gladio¡¯s blue eyes narrowing and having an earthquake from the other side? ¡°why are you so picky? does it not taste good?¡± ¡°no, it is really good.¡± even in the original story, he was taciturn, so he wouldn¡¯t go around arguing everywhere, right? i¡¯m still nervous as i covered my face with one hand and pretended to be deep in thought. even in the middle of it, the duke was impatient to nag me. ¡°eat this too. eat it with green salad and chew slowly.¡± ¡°yes. eat a lot too, duke. it is delicious.¡± don¡¯t tell me to eat this or that, even though i¡¯m not on a diet or i don¡¯t eat much. however, the duke, who had no way of knowing the meaning of my words, replied indifferently. ¡°you, eat a lot.¡± ¡°thank you.¡± *** i managed to get out with a full stomach. as soon as i entered the garden where the common nobles were, i saw children my age running to one side. i felt the need to build friendships for the sake of my school life that was just around the corner, so i followed them diligently and arrived at a corner of the greenhouse. as expected, the nobles my age were playing around with clumsy manners. ¡°you¡¯re really brave, miss roxy, to eat all your carrots.¡± ¡°it is overrated. alex also ate all but a couple of pieces.¡± ¡°it¡¯s an overstatement.¡± needless to say, i have the lowest status, so i shouldn¡¯t join the conversation until someone speaks first. i was just hanging around and overhearing the children¡¯s cute conversations, when someone put a crown on my head. confused, i turned my head and saw a young lady as tall as me, startled. ¡°oh, sorry. i thought it was someone i knew.¡± i quickly took off the crown that was on my head and held it out to the young lady. ¡°no. the crown is really pretty.¡± the young lady accepted the daisy flower crown that i had offered her and asked with hesitation. ¡°thank you. what is your name, by any chance?¡± ¡°my name is betty, who is sponsored by duke janus.¡± ¡°nice to meet you, miss betty. well, i am elizabeth of valentina.¡± ¡°nice to meet you, miss elizabeth.¡± it wasn¡¯t difficult to make friends with the children. elizabeth introduced me to her brother, alex, who introduced me to his childhood friend, alexandra, who also introduced me to her older sister, roselia. and roselia, who was making a bouquet of roses in a corner of the garden where children could freely run around, introduced me to her close friend. ¡°oh, miss betty! how have you been?¡± ¡°yes! lady!¡± it was none other than yelena. ¡°miss betty, since we met in an equal social setting, you should address me as miss yelena.¡± judging by the kind face as she corrected my title, she seemed to still like me even after my visit to county mceuena, ended in disarray. i got shy and answered politely. ¡°yes, thank you for the advice, miss yelena.¡± ¡°before the flower fairy ball, it is customary for close friends to decorate each other with flowers. can you sit here, miss betty? i want you to accept my decoration.¡± ¡°yes.¡± so we all sat around the gazebo and made ornaments out of the flowers. if i wanted to use a flower with thorns like a rose, i had to ask the older roselia and yelena to cut and trim it. i was able to make flower rings and flower bracelets by copying them after looking over my shoulder. but it was difficult to make something like a crown, so i had to learn from my friends for a while. in the meantime, i naturally got to know new friends. elizabeth, youngest daughter of marquisate valentina and her brother alex were introverted and shy children. unlike them, alexandra was a child of her own will. if the older sisters try to push flowers that she doesn¡¯t like even a little bit, she¡¯ll be firm. ¡°thank you very much, but i don¡¯t think those flowers fit the concept of my outfit today.¡± ¡­ i knew she would refuse. i peeked in carefully selected purple and yellow pansies. because it seemed really pretty to put this one by one between her finely braided hair. ¡°excuse me, miss alexandra, how about putting these flowers in your braids?¡± alexandra meticulously inspected the flowers i had picked and asked back. ¡°i really like the purple pansy, miss betty. but will these yellow pansies suit me? i think it¡¯s weird that it looks similar to my hair color.¡± alexandra had no pretentiousness in what she said. she wasn¡¯t being sarcastic, but it seemed like she was really asking because she wasn¡¯t sure if it would really suit her hair. i told her the result of my hard thinking. ¡°i chose it while thinking about miss alexandra¡¯s dress. i think it would go very well with purple and gold embroidery.¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡­.¡± alexandra nodded her head, thinking it made sense.