《Perfect Ending Plan for the Villainess in a Fairy Tale》 Chapter 1 -It¡¯s hurt¡­ help me¡­ hurt¡­ A thin sound like a chest piercing. My head was sore. -Again? Please stop. Someone else cried out in my head. I desperately tried to make excuses. No, now that¡¯s not what I said. It wasn¡¯t my will. But the body didn¡¯t move according to will. In the meantime, the voice in my head continued uninterruptedly. -Stop it. Stop it, stop it!! -It hurts¡­ it hurts¡­ The moment I realized that the owner of the thin voice was a young woman¡¯s self, I opened my eyes. ¡°Seo Yeon-a!¡± My lovely nephew, my sister¡¯s daughter. I shouted the name of my nephew and looked around quickly. But there was no one beside me. My sister and my nephew also came and disappeared. As I looked around, I moved my head a little, but my body aches and hurts. The place where I was lying was a bed. A big bed I¡¯ve never seen before. Apparently, I was in the car my older sister was driving a while ago. ¡®And¡­¡¯ I heard my sister¡¯s scream and remembered that there was a big shock as if the car was flipping over. There must have been an accident. ¡®Then¡­ is this a hospital?¡¯ By the way, the bed and its surroundings are not like a hospital. I got up in a hurry. No, I tried to get up. ¡°Ahhh!¡± At the moment, it hurt so much that the scream came out. I have a headache that seems to break my head. I grabbed the head with both hands. It seemed as if someone was pouring a whole blast furnace in my head. At the same time, strange memories flowed in. The place I¡¯ve never seen, unfamiliar people¡­ It was someone else¡¯s memory. I am a student who goes to an interview hard to prepare for a job in the last semester of college 4th grade. It is me, a girl who wraps her whole body with jewels and attends all the parties every night, and drinks alcohol until dawn. It is also me that I want to carry my nephew with my one and only sister every day because she is so pretty cute. It was me that I didn¡¯t even want to meet my brother or sister in the house because I hate my brother, my sister, and my family. The self of two people in my body. Both were me. Me and I clashed fiercely in one body. It seemed to pour water and oil into one cup and stir it up. The two egos collided violently but did not mix. When neither of me was able to take control of the body, a convulsion arose. It was then. ¡°Lady Marcia!¡± I heard a maid¡¯s voice from the bedside. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± At the same time, a solution of water and oil, which had been struck by the waves, quietly sank. And as oil rises above the water, my ego slowly rises. Oh, I realized at that moment. Another my name is Marcia Blick, 17 years old. I just insisted to read a fairy tale book to my nephew some time ago. Then I got into a car accident while riding in the back seat of my sister¡¯s car. At the same time, while returning to this mansion in the pouring rain, I had a wagon accident. I could just know. The two events took place at the exact same time without any deviation. The moment I got into a car accident, I was sitting in the backseat and reading a fairy tale book to my nephew. It was Seo Yeon¡¯s favorite fairy tale book. With her short tongue, ¡°Aunt, read this¡±, I read it again and again. Even if I closed my eyes, I was able to do not make a single letter wrong. I am the character of the fairy tale book now. ¡®It¡¯s a bad sister who bothers the protagonist.¡¯ The fairy tale book did not include the name of the protagonist¡¯s sister. But I could see that she was me. ¡®First I have to check it with my own eyes. Now, this is where the fairy tale fits.¡¯ The fastest and surest way is to go to the basement. I quickly searched through Marcia¡¯s memories. ¡®How do you get down to the basement?¡¯ The stimulating memories of her floated to the surface of a drop. ¡®Oh, it is. I need a hidden key.¡¯ I, Marcia got my body up in bed. ¡°Ahh.¡± A groan came out. My body in a wagon accident creaked. ¡°Oh, lady, you have to lie down a little longer.¡± ¡°Move.¡± Marcia inside me struck the maid who tried to stop her from getting up. The maid fell on the floor in the room. ¡®Wow, that¡¯s a surprise.¡¯ I quickly lifted my arm, moving at Marcia¡¯s will. Luckily, my arms moved again the way I wanted. Our souls were partially mingled, but it seemed that we were not completely mingled together. ¡®No matter how it is, can you push the person who cares about you like that?¡¯ Marcia¡¯s displeasure has been passed on. She was so unpleasant to me, that I couldn¡¯t say the apology. Meanwhile, the maid quickly got up and stood with her hands together on her apron. Maybe it¡¯s a frequent thing, and the maid didn¡¯t even look very shocked. She bowed her head towards me. ¡°Who told you to come in as you please? Get out now.¡± I hated it, but it was too late. Marcia rebuked the maid with her harsh tone and threw her out. The maid obeyed with her polite attitude. Soon I was left alone in the room. It was really weird to feel like words I didn¡¯t mean to go out of my mouth. Uh. When I was forced to get out of bed, my legs fluttered. It hurt as if it was beaten, but I held back and headed to the next room connected to the bedroom. It is a private study and reception room. Marcia never reads the books, but she had a decorative bookshelf there. As seen in Marcia¡¯s memory, I carefully pulled out the third book in the bottommost compartment from the bookshelf in the farthest corner. I put my hand in the empty spot, and the little handle was touched. I clicked the handle on the other compartment of the bookshelf and heard the sound of a secret drawer opening. I quickly pulled out what was in the drawer. There were two finely woven keys on the handkerchief. It was the key to the basement. ¡®¡­You really do.¡¯ It has been a long time since I used this key myself. Marcia hasn¡¯t been down to the basement for years already. She was afraid of the basement. Marcia¡¯s room was on top of the mansion. Usually, employees live on the top floor or in the attic. But she took her stubbornness even though she was this house lady and she occupied the uppermost room of the mansion. Because she needed the farthest room from the basement. Thanks to that, the way down the stairs was endlessly long. Usually, the stairs going up to the top floor had no decoration and no lighting, so it was cold and dark. This house was still the way to the lady¡¯s room, so the stairs were carpeted. Every step of the way, there was a crackling sound from the key I had in my pocket. The heartbeat gradually accelerated accordingly. It was because of Marcia. -Do I have to do this? Is there any way to check without going down to the basement! I hate it there! Marcia screamed in my head. I ignored the sound and continued striving down the stairs. If this is right in the fairy tale, I had to check it with my own eyes. The most important thing. I can see it simply by going down to the basement. The first basement floor was a warehouse that was not different. However, if I go down one more floor after passing the warehouse, the end of the stairs appears. My heart jumped so hard that I couldn¡¯t control it. Because of the tense Marcia, a cold sweat flowed from my back. ¡°Whoo.¡± I tried to breathe and went through my pocket and pulled out the key. When I put the key in the keyhole of the door and turned it, the door opened with a squeak and an unpleasant sound. There was another door inside the door, and whips were neatly hung on the wall, hung in the short corridor between the door and the other door. In all, the color of the handle was faded or the end was worn, and the traces of bitterness were remarkable. I shuddered and approached the second door. The second door could also be opened easily with a key. The inside of the door was dark, and somewhere there was a fishy and disgusting smell. I pushed the lamp I brought forward and stepped into the door. It was the beautifully decorated aristocratic girl¡¯s bedroom that was exposed in the flickering light. ¡®It¡¯s probably the last time I decorated it almost ten years ago.¡¯ Thanks to that, everything that decorated the room was somewhere old and faded. As I looked around and carefully stepped in a few more steps, I felt a presence in one corner. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I swallowed dry saliva and reached out my hand holding the lamp. In the corner of the room, behind a wooden chair, a small girl crouched and hid. When the light hits, I checked who the person holding the lamp was, and my eyes widened. ¡®Wow, crazy¡­¡¯ The appearance came out. The girl was so beautiful that she was not like a person in this world. The dazzling silver hair that sways and flows down her shoulders, dark green eyes like the fresh green of summer in sunlight. The features were arranged neatly on flawless skin in perfect harmony. However, the skin that never seen of sunlight was pale, and her face, which had lived in a basement room, was full of despair. Dried blood stains were on her shoulders and arms. I was sure. This child is Marcia¡¯s younger sister. Only thirteen, Larissa Blick. She was the protagonist of this fairy tale. I sighed inside and grabbed my head. ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯ Three years. My life now has only 3 years left. Chapter 2 Part 1 ¨C A Happy Ending Is Also Necessary For the Villain in a Fairy Tale I was memorizing the original work without leaving a single letter, but I couldn¡¯t figure out if that would be of great help. Why? That¡¯s because the original is a fairy tale. Since it is a book for young children, the contents are very simple. It is so simple. Even the characters didn¡¯t have names. Instead, very pretty illustrations were drawn in the book. It was a short book, but the picture drawn on every page was so beautiful. I narrowed my eyes as I recalled the picture of the heroine in the book. The little girl in front of my eyes resembles the picture in my memory. In particular, she has silver hair and green eyes. ¡®There is a way to know for sure if you really are the heroine of that fairy tale.¡¯ But I didn¡¯t have the courage to do it myself. I shrugged my shoulders. Marcia hated her brother. It was also because that she hated coming to the basement. Because she hated her brother, and she hated coming to the basement several times more, Marcia went out of the house for a break. She attended all parties, drank, and she struggled to forget this family vibe. ¡®The result is like this.¡¯ I chewed my mouth while thinking of the ending of a fairy tale book. It was then. The outside of the basement became noisy. Someone was coming this way with a thumping footstep. It was obvious who it was. There were only three people in this house with double keys to this secret basement room. Marcia, her father, and her brother. The one who opened the door soon afterward was a middle-aged man who had a normal body and appearance. ¡°Marcia?¡± As I guessed, my father, Igor Blick. ¡°Why are you here?¡± As he walked into the room with a tow in his hand, Igor asked in amazement to see an unexpected person. ¡®Uh? How was Marcia usually with her father?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I just pulled up the tail of my mouth. ¡®It would look like I was grinning rudely.¡¯ Igor stepped over and he patted me on the shoulder. ¡°I heard that you were in a wagon accident, but it looks like you wasn¡¯t seriously injured when I saw you down here. Even so, it is not good to move immediately after an accident. Go to lie down and rest.¡± His tone was soft, but the movement of pointing at the door with the tip of a tow was firm. ¡°Stay out.¡± I went out of the basement as soon as I was told. The basement door closed heavily behind my back. But I couldn¡¯t go right back to the top room of the mansion. An unexpected sound came from inside the closed door. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of you that my business is ruined again? Because you didn¡¯t cry in time!¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it was coming from my father¡¯s mouth over and over again. It seemed like a thin scream was mixed in the meantime. Goosebumps sprung up on my back. ¡®¡­Wait a minute.¡¯ If it were the usual Marcia, she would have already returned to her room at the top of the mansion and remained. But now Marcia¡¯s body contained me. I couldn¡¯t even keep listening. I opened the door and ran back into the basement. Igor glanced back, but his arm with his tow did not stop. I almost screamed. ¡°Father!¡± Only then Igor stopped his hand and stretched his waist. He gasped his breath a little. ¡°My Marcia, this father tells you to go back to your room and rest. I¡¯ll send you a senator soon.¡± Wow, look at his soft voice. It was totally different from the voice that screamed at his youngest daughter just before. Hearing only that, he sounded like a benevolent father. ¡°Now I¡¯ve run out of money to call a senator for a very short time, but it¡¯s going to come back soon. As long as that girl cries.¡± Turning back, saying so, Igor¡¯s face quickly became cruel. Marcia and Larissa were clearly his own daughters, but he treated one with a soft tone and the other was beaten violently. It is also in front of each other¡¯s eyes. ¡®Was it this much? You mean he was so cruel?¡¯ I got nervous. Marcia forgot what it felt like to go down to the basement. No, she desperately tried to forget. It was then. The sparkling thing from Larissa¡¯s eyes, drooping to one side without strength, drove down a few drops of tears. The tears that fell on the dry cheek line and formed at the tip of the chin for a while, struck the clothes and fell to the floor. As Larissa¡¯s tears hit the floor and rolled, there was a small but bright sound. I was startled and turned to the side where Larissa was sitting. It was before I even moved my feet there. Igor made a grotesque sound and rushed to the floor like a beast. He knelt down on his knees and swept through the dirty floor with his bare palm. After a while, three drops of Larissa¡¯s tears were contained in his hand, standing up with a face full of joy. The tears in his hand reflected the light brilliantly in all directions, even in the light of the dark lamp. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was a diamond. It is not just a diamond either. Tears of the fairy, it was the finest diamond. ¡°You should have cried earlier.¡± Igor quickly pulled out a small pocket from inside his vest and carefully put the diamonds in it. ¡°Make sure to drink a lot of water on a regular basis, and I¡¯ll send someone to treat your wound immediately. Marcia, haven¡¯t you run out of money too? ¡° Igor patted me lightly on my shoulder, then went out of the basement. I was frozen in place. The twinkling tears I had just seen shimmered in front of my eyes. ¡®It was a diamond. All the tears have really turned into diamonds.¡¯ It¡¯s right in the fairy tale. The main character of the fairy tale was a girl whose tears turn into diamonds when she cries. Her family has locked the girl up since she was a child and prevented her from stepping out of the house. At first, when the girl cried, she was embarrassed and took the diamond. But after her ability is known, she was beaten until she cried. In the meantime, the girl grew up so beautifully. When the girl turns sixteen, a young prince who accidentally passes through the province stays at the girl¡¯s house. The moment the prince sees the girl, he falls in love at a glance. Thus, the prince punished the girl¡¯s family and saved the girl who was being abused. The two married and lived happily ever after. It was such a story. The innocent girl and her greedy family who turned her tears into precious jewels. ¡®It¡¯s a long common story. Except for the jewelry part.¡¯ I frowned. In the book, the heroine is treated as a money bag, but later abused and sheds endless tears. The details of Marcia¡¯s memories, which were not written in the book, were not very different. After her mother gave birth to the youngest, Larissa, and passed away, her father generously poured jewels on gambling and drugs on a hopeless business. There was no problem though. ¡®Because he will have any amount of money.¡¯ For them, Larissa was a bottomless vein of diamonds. So did Marcia. She was in luxury. The difference was that when she needed money, she didn¡¯t go down to the basement herself but sent her nanny. What is the end of the fairy tale? It is a happy ending. The savior appears. Of course, he is a young and handsome prince. The vicious family who harassed the protagonist could not escape the extreme punishment. Larissa was 13 years old now. I once again confirmed that I had three years left until the prince came to Larissa¡¯s rescue and killed all of her family, then married her. ¡®I have to pick up everything as soon as possible and bounce from this corner of the house.¡¯ That way, I¡¯ll be able to save her life. ¡®No, since there are still 3 years left, would it be better to hold on to a little more and collect more money to go out?¡¯ Then I heard the sound of another footstep approaching the basement. ¡°Lady Marcia? What are you doing here?¡± It was the nanny who entered the basement. The nanny was the only one who could enter this room except for the Blick Family. Igor said he would send someone to take care of her wounds as he went out, so he must have given the keys to the nanny. As evidence, the nanny was holding a basin of clean water and a medicine box in her hand. I was surprised, but I was calm and folded my arms. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t I come here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. I was just surprised to find someone who couldn¡¯t even walk a few days ago. Are you going to do it yourself today?¡± Are you going to do it yourself? Are you asking if I¡¯m going to hit her myself right now? ¡®Crazy¡­¡¯ ¡°No, I don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Then, excuse me.¡± The nanny gently bowed her head and then approached Larissa. I stared for a moment as the nanny took care of her. The nanny began to disinfect Larissa¡¯s wound and apply for the medicine. When the medicine touched, the small body fluttered, but that was all the reaction was. Despite such cruel abuse, it did not touch Larissa¡¯s face. It was a tacit rule. The stunningly beautiful and neat girl¡¯s neck was full of old scars. Her limbs became thin like spider legs. ¡®If not right now, I just need to leave this house within three years to survive.¡¯ I thought so a little while ago. ¡®How can I leave her alone?¡¯ Is that better? 3 years? I felt like I had committed a crime. I bite my lips. ¡®She is only 13 years old now.¡¯ Chapter 3 I thought of life over there. I remembered my nephew¡¯s face Seo-yeon, who can¡¯t stop loving me with her soft face. I read the fairy tale book that she asked for until the book was worn out. ¡®But no one would have read a fairy tale book to Larissa.¡¯ What did Larissa think about while always being beaten like that? Will she be waiting for a knight who will one day save herself from this hellish house? ¡®No, I don¡¯t think she had the basis for thinking about such girlish dreams¡­¡¯ In the fairy tale, the female lead was trapped, so it was not stated what she was thinking. In the book, it is written about how beautiful she was and how high the value of the jewels made of her tears. She was simply rescued by a wonderful prince, and there was almost no such thing as a psychological description of her. The only description was that she looked at the moon every night and said, ¡®Save me¡¯ and begged. ¡®But this secret basement room doesn¡¯t even have a window to look at the moon.¡¯ I get closer with a bitter feeling. Without a word, I picked up the bandage from the medicine box and handed it to the nanny. The nanny said in a panic. ¡°Oh, Lady. You don¡¯t need to do this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve always been doing it alone. And don¡¯t get your hands dirty like this.¡± Like this? Don¡¯t get your hands dirty? ¡®That child must be the lady of this house too.¡¯ I frowned my eyebrows. The nanny, who hadn¡¯t seen it, put down the medicines and bandages and raised her body. ¡°Now, go back to your room. Marcia lady¡¯s body is uncomfortable, and the master told you to be careful. If you¡¯re here for a long time, you will get sick.¡± She pushed me out the door and quickly closed the basement door. Even if I remained, it wasn¡¯t helpful. Without being able to do it, I slowly climbed the stairs. The body in the wagon accident ached and creaked here and there. ¡®I¡¯ll have to recover my body first. That way I¡¯ll run away or not.¡¯ As I went up to the room, I heard a loud noise from the front. I narrowed my eyes. Two maids were approaching this way, chatting loudly. And they were late to find me. ¡°Oh, my, ah¡­ Young Lady!¡± ¡°Lady Marcia!¡± As soon as they found me, they were very surprised. They stopped their feet and stepped back towards the wall, holding their hands politely and bowing their heads. The maids¡¯ faces were full of blue. Usually, Marcia was relentless to the employees. Whenever there was a corner that bothered her even a little, she would immediately swear and slap them on the cheek. Even if they have done nothing wrong, when she wasn¡¯t feeling very good, she even got angry with the maids passing by. It was natural that they were frightened because they were caught talking and gosipping. ¡®Let¡¯s not do that anymore, huh?.¡¯ I muttered quickly inside. It is to persuade another me who shows reluctance. In the corner of my heart, I felt Marcia wanting to slap the maids on the cheeks. I whispered to myself trying to subdue Marcia¡¯s feelings. ¡®Let¡¯s just leave it alone. If the relationship is bad, you may have a gritty thing when you run away from this mansion later on.¡¯ I don¡¯t even need to be kind to the maids. It will look weird. Instead, I bowed my head and threw my gaze at the maids, and without saying anything, I stepped on the stairs to the upper floor. -What is she doing? I thought she was hit hard. Do you think she is in a good mood today? -It said that she had an accident yesterday, maybe she actually hurt her head? The maids whispered in my backs. They seemed to think I couldn¡¯t hear it. Looking back, the maids hurriedly bowed their heads, pretending not to know. ¡®That¡¯s weird.¡¯ I was already up the middle of the stairs. ¡®How did I hear them whispering when they were far away?¡¯ Did they say loudly on purpose? The maids exchanged their eyes with each other, then quickly disappeared into the other corridor. I shrugged and stepped up the stairs again. Soon after, the leg that had an accident came back in pain. Because of that, I had to go up on the railing while in pain. ¡°Ugh. Why is my room on the top floor?¡± It was when I finally reached near the railing on this floor with a grunt. The entrance to the mansion opened with a loud sound. It was still raining outside. A cold wind mixed with rainwater blew into the lobby on the first floor. ¡°Fuck it!¡± Marcia¡¯s older brother and the eldest son of the house, Villain Blick, came in with a blasphemous swear word. (T/N: What? His name is Villain, lol) Even today, he was drunk without a doubt. ¡®No, it might be drug, not alcohol. ¡® If it were usual, I would have ignored it and went up to the room, but I was suddenly curious. ¡®What would he look like.¡¯ If you look into Marcia¡¯s memory, you will know how he looks, but I still want to check it with my own eyes. It¡¯s my first time seeing him. So I leaned on the railing and looked down quietly. I didn¡¯t want to say hello. The fact that siblings were bad was quickly understood by the body¡¯s response. ¡°Welcome, Young Master.¡± The servant quickly approached and closed the open front door and bowed his back and said hello. Villain took off his wet coat and threw it over the servant¡¯s head. ¡®What a personality.¡¯ The blond hair was soaked upon his face and the green eyes glowed softly even though he was drunk. He had a beautiful face, resembling his mother who passed away. None of the three siblings resembled their father. All three have excellent looks and green eyes. The most beautiful is Larissa, the youngest. He annoyedly unbuttoned a few of his shirts, leaving the servant behind him. Then our eyes met. As I didn¡¯t avoid my eyes, it was Villain who frowned first. ¡°What do you look at?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± I raised my chin and turned my head gracefully back to the stairs. It was Marcia¡¯s influence. Then Villain groaned behind me. ¡°You walk well even after rolling in the wagon. How poor you are, had an accident right after your fianc¨¦ broke up with you.¡± -Broke up? How dare you say that? Marcia¡¯s anger immediately felt. Her blood ran into my head. At the same time, her memory came to me as well. It was only a month ago. Her father¡¯s business sickness and her brother¡¯s gamble caused her fianc¨¦ to break off the engagement. She didn¡¯t particularly like her fianc¨¦. ¡®She just met him a few times in the first place.¡¯ It was just an engagement suited to the class of her family. However, Marcia did not accept the fact that she is labeled a devastated woman who was abandoned by her fianc¨¦. ¡®Thanks to him, Marcia couldn¡¯t go to the party for a while.¡¯ The contempt that she felt the day she accepted the breakup was vividly felt to me. I turned around, grabbed the railing, and shot Villain. Marcia, furious, spits out her words. ¡°So you were beaten by debtors and you haven¡¯t hurt anywhere? Seeing you rambling on so well, are you still all right? It must be great to take the money and destroy your family and even go out to gamble.¡± Villain was three years older than Marcia, but she didn¡¯t treat him as her brother. When the insults were returned as they were, a tired expression as if fighting again emerged on the face of the servant who followed Villain with his coat. Then the servant quickly stepped back from the distance. ¡°Fuck it. It¡¯s because my side has more potential than the business of my father. Gambling is fun, but the merchant ship was drowned? Is he even capable of doing business?¡± He spoke without hesitation. ¡®By the way, the merchant ship was drowned?¡¯ It turned out that Igor said that a while ago in the basement. It wasn¡¯t once or twice that Igor fell into business and ruined. Something quickly ruined as long as he put his hand on it. Whether he didn¡¯t have eyes to see or he didn¡¯t have the talent for business. Marcia didn¡¯t know, and she didn¡¯t want to know. Suddenly Villain stepped toward the stairs. ¡°Money comes out once you go to the basement. Why do you only swear to me? Didn¡¯t you also use to spend money like water, huh?¡± Wow, look at the way you speak. I shrugged and spat out Marcia¡¯s words. ¡°So you said that it¡¯s just because father¡¯s business crashed while your gambling has more potential? Nonsense! And do you only drink alcohol? You even put some medicine on it. Is your life long enough?¡± Marcia, taking control of this body, spit out with excitement. ¡°What do you do if you purify it with the power of a fairy, and pour it out to the point where it¡¯s useless. My mother also picked and passed down only really useless abilities.¡± At that moment, I was amazed at what went out of my mouth. ¡®My mother was a fairy.¡¯ What Villain inherited from his mother is an ability that used to purify his body. ¡®Then it seems that Larissa¡¯s tears turn into jewels is an ability inherited from her mother.¡¯ When the story about his mother came out, Villain¡¯s eyes changed. His face suddenly turned red. ¡°Shut up! Shut up and go back to your room right away.¡± Villain glared at me once, then turned around and headed for the basement. Wait, the basement? Chapter 4 I cried out in a hurry. ¡°Where are you going? Leave her alone today! Father has already been there once.¡± Instead of stopping, Villain put his hands together and was about to leave. I limped my legs and ran down the stairs and grabbed Villain¡¯s arm. ¡°Leave her alone!¡± ¡°How dare¡­¡± Villain¡¯s green eyes, looking back at me, seemed on fire. He raised his arm as if he wanted to slap my cheek now. ¡®Do you really want to hit me?¡¯ I shouted into his face, shrugging my shoulders. ¡°She might die! Even more if you are going to hit her too, she¡¯ll die!¡± It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. She would really die if she was beaten more often. Villain stopped. I did not miss that time and quickly took out an earring from my ear. It was an emerald earring that matched my eyes. ¡°Take this. It will be a month¡¯s worth of alcohol.¡± Villain stared at me for a moment with an astonishment look and caught the earring. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll only see you today.¡± He staggered and turned his steps toward his room. I took a deep breath looking at his back. When I talked to him, I ran out of breath. So instead of going up to my room at the top of the mansion, I headed to the nearby parlor. It¡¯s just like there¡¯s no one there anyway. The parlor was hot because the maids I just saw had enough firewood. ¡®I mean, even if the whole house is in a riot, they are still able to set a fire in an empty room.¡¯ I smiled bitterly and sat close to the fireplace. There is always a corner of money. This premise made them debauchery. A father who does not admit that he is not talented in the business. Even though finances were tight, if he went straight down to the basement, there was always money. It never occurred to him to save money by reducing the number of employees. ¡®Thanks to that, my jewels are safe too.¡¯ I remembered Marcia¡¯s memory of all kinds of jewelry and trinkets placed in the dressing room. These are the things Marcia has accumulated over the years for her extravagance. If you use it sparingly, there will be no obstacles for roughly one person to eat and live. But what about two people? ¡®If you are two people, you should save a lot.¡¯ I muttered inside, rummaging the fireplace with a skewer. All right. I decided to take Larissa and run away together. I can¡¯t let a thirteen-year-old kid get beaten until she cries. ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy? How do you treat a little child like that¡­¡¯ As I read the fairy tale to my nephew, I always thought of this. ¡®If you just need her tears, do you have to beat her?¡¯ There are many ways to shed tears. Tears shed when you distressed and sad, tears can also come out if you laugh out loud. Even if you yawn, tears come out too. You can go to the kitchen and chop the onions together. ¡®Or maybe you can tell a story that is touching enough to cry.¡¯ I thought that way, but because it was a fairy tale, I went over it without thinking deeply. ¡°Back then, I didn¡¯t even dream that it would be the situation I was facing.¡± If I arrived early, I would somehow save Larissa before she was trapped in the basement, but now it¡¯s too late. ¡®When I take her out, I should see the doctor right away.¡¯ Is there a psychiatrist here too? To heal her injured heart, it wouldn¡¯t take a year or two. Considering the cost of treatment¡­ it seemed to be difficult just with the jewelry I had. Larissa is a walking diamond mine, but I don¡¯t want to lean on her. ¡®Let¡¯s grow up and don¡¯t starve!¡¯ The appearance of a little girl covered in blood kept coming to my eyes. No matter what, I won¡¯t force you to shed tears. ¡®Ah, but if we run away together, won¡¯t Larisaa be able to meet the prince who saved her?¡¯ After three more years in this mansion, the prince who accidentally passes by will fall in love with her at first sight and save her. If it were me, I would have chosen to run away immediately, but would that be the best for Larissa? Wouldn¡¯t you like to choose to marry the prince and take revenge on the family that tortured you after being beaten for several more years? When I think of it, my body trembled. ¡®How¡­ isn¡¯t this how the fairy tale ends?¡¯ No way, I can¡¯t change the ending. I held my head with both hands. At that moment, an idea came up. ¡°Wait, can I go find the prince myself?¡± Yes, Larissa gets married after 3 years anyway, can she meet earlier? She just has to meet in advance so that she can get engaged first. ¡®There is no problem with the original story. As soon as the prince sees her, he will fall in love at a glance.¡¯ It is the ending that the two married and lived happily, so the prince will surely take care of Larissa. I really liked this plan. No matter how much Larissa hates me, I took her out of this mansion, and I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t let the prince execute me. ¡°Very well.¡± I woke up from the parlor chair with a satisfying smile. There were a few things to check before implementing the plan. * * * ¡°Unbelievable.¡± I squeezed my head and fell down on my study desk. Thanks to that, the royal family tree and the nobles¡¯ directory that I read a while ago were a mess. ¡°No, it¡¯s in a fairy tale but there is no prince, where is he?¡± Shockingly, there was no prince in this country. To be precise, the unmarried young prince. I became sad and knocked on the book. Strictly speaking, there was one prince. But he was over thirty and already married. He even had a child with his mistress. This kind of person can¡¯t be the prince of fairy tales. And the prince¡¯s son was only two years old. He was too young to be a prince Larissa was destined for. ¡®How could Marcia not even know this?¡¯ I blamed Marcia¡¯s memory for nothing. In fact, it doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t understand. Far from studying normally, she didn¡¯t even read. In addition, House Blick only dealt with nobles without titles. She wasn¡¯t even invited to a party hosted by a high-ranking noble above the Count. It means that the royal family and the high-ranking aristocracy did not even think about recognizing House Blick because they never met each other. Dazzling blonde, alluring green eyes, and pretty face. But that was all of Marcia¡¯s virtues. She was so criticized as a girl with an empty head and a bad personality. ¡°What should I do?¡± Without the prince from the fairy tale, there is nowhere to go even if I take Larisa and escape safely. I lie down on the book and bite my lips tightly. At that time, there was a letter that caught my eye. I jumped up and read through the part I just saw. [Prince Laurent] ¡°Found it!¡± It was the title of Prince, that is, the Grand Duke. The words here were the same when referring to the title of the Grand Duke and the Prince. It seems a bit suitable. But if it¡¯s a grand duke, it deserves to be called the male protagonist of the fairy tale, the prince. There was just one grandmaster in this country. It is the Laurent family. I checked the end of the family tree of House Laurent. And I found hope at the end of a branch that stretched out quite intricately. ¡®This is it!¡¯ The last name is Fabian Laurent, 21 years old. It was definitely a man¡¯s name and he was unmarried. ¡®He is 8 years older than Larissa, but this age difference is quite common in this world.¡¯ Looking up one space, it seems that his parents had already passed away a long time ago. Then he must have become a grand duke at a pretty young age. ¡°This is Fabian Laurent.¡± I got the name in my mind. Laurent¡¯s family tree was written over several pages, and at the top was the crest of the family. ¡®Huh¡­? I think I saw it somewhere.¡¯ I frowned and looked closely. It was a very antique crest with a red and white colored shield wrapped around a thorny vine, and two swords crossed behind it. ¡°Where did I see this?¡± Marcia couldn¡¯t have seen it in the social world. I chewed my lips and searched my memories eagerly. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± I remembered it. It was the last page of the original fairy tale. [They lived happily ever after.] A magnificent wedding was drawn with such a sentence. A number of guests were seen behind the bride and groom who smiled brightly, and the castle was painted in a blur at the back. The little flag was hung on the top of the castle, and that was this coat of arms drawn there. ¡®The original fairy tale is a picture book. The hint wasn¡¯t just in writing!¡¯ Chapter 5 I got goosebumps. Then, would the prince also look like he was drawn in the illustration? The female lead depicted in the illustration, Larisa, and the nasty older sister, Marcia were moderately similar but did not look the same. Particularly, the older sister, whose heart is nasty, was drawn with only the features of pure white skin, blonde, and others were simplified. It couldn¡¯t be seen as a portrait of Marcia. ¡°The prince was obviously tall and black-haired.¡± It would have been nice if there were even portraits on the family tree. It doesn¡¯t mean that even the characteristics of the person are written on it. In the family tree, only names, years of birth and death, marital status, spouses, and children were written down honestly. Still, this was a great result. At least I figured out which family the prince is from and what his name is. I was satisfied and covered the directory. Take Larissa and escape, then take her to the Laurent family. I would only leave her there and I would sell my jewels and survive. ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Of course, it won¡¯t be that simple if you go into a detailed plan. In any case, it would be better for Larissa than to be trapped in the basement and be beaten every day. ¡®It¡¯ll take at least a week for her legs to heal. Let¡¯s make an escape plan in a week. I put the books I took out and left the study. * * * ¡°¡­Why can¡¯t I make a plan?¡± It was the same in the last world and in the fairy tale. This incident happened on the fourth day since I was in a fairy tale. It took a long time to realize, but my soul and Marcia¡¯s spirit were getting mixed up little by little. At first, it was different. Marcia¡¯s will and memory were revealed to the surface only when stimulated from the outside. When I wanted to know what had happened in the past, I had to ask Marcia a question in my mind. However, as the days passed, it decreased. What had happened in the past, and how Marcia would have behaved, these things began to be remembered right away. On the third day, Marcia¡¯s memory almost completely became my memory. ¡®So, it feels like it¡¯s slowly absorbed into me¡­¡¯ Just as my soul was absorbed into Marcia¡¯s body, Marcia¡¯s memory was absorbed into my soul. I don¡¯t know where Marcia¡¯s soul has gone. While taking over Marcia¡¯s memory, it was the fourth day that I realized with my whole body what kind of abilities the fairy mother gave Marcia. Until then, I simply thought that Marcia had a good hearing ability. This is because I could hear the sound of a small shudder of the maids passing through the corridor. Strangely, I couldn¡¯t hear their footsteps, but only their speech was clearly audible. But the sound I heard on the fourth day wasn¡¯t like the maids complaining. It was a creepy sound. -Please save me, I did it wrong. It hurts, it hurts¡­ Please stop¡­ The voice of a young girl begging for a bitterly. ¡°¡­..!¡± I was sitting in this common room, and I was frightened and opened the door of the common room. There was nobody in the hallway. The room connected to the common room was a reception room and was empty as well. I muttered. ¡°Is it a hallucination?¡± While I was thinking, the voice continued to be heard. It was a voice that made me scared just by listening. If it was Marcia, she would have tried to escape from that sound right away. Either run away to her room on the top of the mansion, or run out of the house, and go to any party and drink. But I was different from Marcia. Contrary to her, I did not run away but moved my steps toward the side where the sound was heard. Where would it have been? Apparently, it was a basement. Realistically, the sound from the second floor underground could not be heard up to the second floor above the ground. In addition, the basement where Larissa was trapped was thoroughly soundproofed. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ I stopped in front of the entrance to the basement. The door was locked from the inside, and I left the key to the basement in my room while rushing down to find the source of the sound. ¡®What should I do? Should I go back and get the key?¡¯ While hesitating, the door of the basement opened. It was my brother, Villain, who came out. When he made eye contact, he opened his eyes wide and soon stained his face with a laugh. ¡°Who is this? Are you going to do it yourself now?¡± Looks like he thought I was here to beat up Larissa. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His sarcastic way of speaking was unpleasant. ¡®Rather than that, to come out of here¡­¡¯ I quickly looked at him from top to bottom. Not surprisingly, there were a few drops of blood splattered on the ends of the sleeves. ¡°Is there anything else to do here?¡± I couldn¡¯t stand it and raised my voice. ¡°I gave you earrings a few days ago. It was emerald.¡± The earrings were quite expensive. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that it would be a month¡¯s worth of alcohol. It¡¯s a month¡¯s worth of liquor prices for Villain who drinks alcohol and a pair could buy a small house. By the way, why did he go to the basement again? ¡®No way¡­¡¯ ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite expensive. It¡¯s a shame I lost it.¡± ¡°Did you even gamble that? How much did you think it was?¡± Villain strides toward me. When a man with a bigger head looked down in front of my nose, I was overwhelmed. ¡°So what? Those well-off emerald earrings were eventually paid for with tears.¡± Villain pricked my shoulder with his index finger. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re clean just because you send a servant to hit her? All the luxuries you eat and wear comes from here.¡± I know, I know. ¡®So I¡¯m trying to stop it from now on!¡¯ Of course, I can¡¯t say that. I reached out and pushed Villain hard. But he didn¡¯t even budge. Instead, he lifted his hand that poked me in the shoulder and turns to my cheek. ¡°I haven¡¯t destroyed that diamond mine, I¡¯ll never kill her until my life is full of wealth.¡± My face frowns more. I struck Villain¡¯s hand and pushed him away, looking at him. Villain looked down at me for a moment and then laughed, pulling the tail of his mouth. ¡°Stop your hypocrisy.¡± He took his key out of his pocket and locked the door of the basement room securely. When he heard the clacking sound of the iron clasp, he grabbed the door handle and shaken it to make sure it was locked. Villain took a look at me and left the basement leaving me alone. The same desperate voice was no longer heard inside the door. The inside was quiet. Instead, Villain¡¯s voice came from the top of the stairs. -That¡¯s funny, crazy bitch. I realized at that moment. The ability the fairy mother gave to Marcia was to heard people¡¯s hearts. To be precise, only negative sounds. There is no sound of joy. Sounds of complaining or swearing were heard without exception. It was clearer if that was the voice-directed at Marcia herself. ¡®I can see why Marcia¡¯s personality has come to this point.¡¯ I can hear the hearts of people around me, but all of them are negative sounds. Even when I was still, I heard complaints from everywhere. The more she heard, the worse her character Marcia deteriorated, and the employees were more complaining about her. Moreover, the painful voice could be heard from a distance. ¡®That¡¯s why Marcia¡¯s room is on top of the mansion.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t withstand Larissa¡¯s screams from the basement. So her room should be the furthest from the basement. On days she could not stand, she ran out of the mansion. She wasn¡¯t as good as Larissa, but she was very beautiful. People at the party said only good things to her. She was sixteen years old, and she fell into the booze after she was able to drink when she reached adulthood. So she went to parties every night, drank the liquor, and returned home at dawn. I bite my lips, recalling my memories of Marcia¡¯s past. ¡®I already know by reading from her memory. I thought, but I just knew it with my head.¡¯ It would be like this to hear someone else¡¯s heart. Now I am Marcia. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s hard, I don¡¯t avoid it, I¡¯ll solve the problem.¡¯ If you hear the sound of the pain, don¡¯t you just have to get rid of the source? The voice of Larissa¡¯s heart bothers me. Then I can leave the house or get Larissa out of the basement. ¡°The most obvious thing is to do both.¡± I take Larissa and escape from here, leaving her to her future husband. ¡°Perfect ¡° I had three days left when I decided to escape. I leaned against the heavy basement door. The iron door was so cold that it shuddered. I put my cheek to it and said quietly. ¡°Just be patient, just three more days.¡± But it wasn¡¯t three days later that I started packing, but exactly two hours later. As soon as Igor, who had been out, returned to the mansion, Larissa screamed again. ¡®Let¡¯s go out tonight.¡¯ I took out my bag and swept all the jewelry and accessories I had. * * * Late that night, I went to the basement secretly. Chapter 6 When I stepped inside the second iron gate, what I saw was a messy blanket on the bed. I sighed once and said quietly toward the blanket. ¡°Larissa?¡± I couldn¡¯t even remember when Marcia last called the name. I slowly approached the bed and put down the lamp I had in my hand and a small package wrapped in a handkerchief on the bedside table. As I went closer, the blanket was shaking so much. ¡°I¡¯m not holding anything. Now, look.¡± To show that I wasn¡¯t holding a weapon or anything, I spread my palms out and stretched them out towards the blanket. However, there was no change. I took a few steps back. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be standing far away. I promise I¡¯m not moving there, so can you show me your face?¡± I stood quietly for a few minutes like that. Finally, the blanket moved a little. In the meantime, I could see a little bit of silver hair. As I waited with patience, the blanket went down to her shoulders and a small head came out of the gap. The face was pale and there was no blood. The wet green eyes looked at me. It is natural because they are sisters, so they were eyes of the same color. It somehow made me feel a little deeper compassion. ¡°¡­ Hi?¡± I said hello awkwardly. Green eyes surrounded by blankets flickered several times. It turns out that I have never shared a conversation with Larissa. It was the same when I searched Marcia¡¯s memory. Not only that, I had never heard of Larissa¡¯s voice. All I have heard is the sound of pain. I said carefully. ¡°Um¡­ do you understand me? Do you know how to speak?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not because I thought you couldn¡¯t speak. I¡¯ve never heard your voice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I have never seen you say anything¡­ If you¡¯re trapped alone, you might hate to talk¡­, sorry.¡± I apologized while talking about gibberish and bowed my head. Larissa stared at me and nodded a little. Good. I was relieved inside. At least she can understand my words. Well, so she¡¯ll marry the prince in three years. The ending was that they lived happily ever after and the two of them could have communicated. I raised my hand to point to the bedside table. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Then Larissa was startled and hid under the blanket again. Oops, I made a mistake. Seeing that she was scared to even by my small gestures, my heart ached. I lowered my hand and said cautiously. ¡°Sorry, are you surprised? I left my handkerchief on the table, and there are ginger cookies on it. I brought it to eat if you ever wanted it.¡± The dissert that came out at dinner was taken away a little. Because the best thing to get along with is to buy goodwill with something delicious. In fact, at first I didn¡¯t think of what to bring, but when I saw the cookies on the plate, I changed my mind. It was a cookie drawn in the shape of a cute person and even a face. Seeing that, I thought it would be okay to bring it to Larissa. ¡®I thought she was too young, but she is still a child.¡¯ Larissa pulled her eyes out of the blanket, rolled only her eyes and glanced at the handkerchief. The green eyes quickly came back to me. ¡®She looks like a normal child. Isn¡¯t she cute?¡¯ Larissa said nothing, but curiosity was still in her eyes. It was a good sign. At least I think you have the intention of listening to me. ¡°You know, I have something I¡¯d like to suggest.¡± I smiled and pulled out her body. * * * It was dawn, just before the sun rose. I took a breath. Now, let¡¯s be in possession of a crazy bitch. From now on I am a crazy bitch. I am a crazy bitch. I am¡­ ¡°Aaaahhh!!¡± I screamed as hard as I could. With my hand, I pulled the string connected directly to the maids¡¯ room. It must have made a loud noise in the maids¡¯ room. -Oh, why are you doing that again from dawn? -I can¡¯t even sleep, really! I heard the grunts of the maids on the same floor. I kept screaming and pulling a fluttering string without worrying about it. Within a few minutes, a maid appeared with the sound of knocking on the dressing room door. The maid was forced to wake up in the early morning and pour swear words, but in front of her owner, she was very polite. ¡°Did you call, Lady Marcia?¡± The maid asked. I pointed to the floor of the room. ¡°What the hell is in my dress! I have an important party tonight and I have nothing to wear!¡± The maid raised her head slightly and looked around the room. Marcia¡¯s clothes were scattered all over the bedroom floor. I took a lot of care to make it look like the room was turned upside down. ¡°Lady, do you dress up from this early morning? Besides, if it¡¯s a dress, there must be something you matched just a few days ago.¡± The maid skillfully concealed her feelings and spoke politely. But it was of little use. Because I can hear the sound of her heart. -This bitch, just ask someone else to sort this out. Well, whatever you think inside, it¡¯s your freedom. It¡¯s common to be inaudible to others. ¡®It¡¯s a problem because it can be heard by me.¡¯ Well, Marcia was originally like this. She works, messes up, gets angry, and blames others. Then go drunk to calm her mind. ¡°That¡¯s all like this!¡± I got angry and picked it up a dress off the floor. At that time, there was a sound of torn. It was the sound of the lace near the neck collar being torn somewhere. Of course, I made it torn on purpose, but the maid¡¯s face becomes pale. I saw the maid¡¯s reaction and deliberately screamed at her louder. ¡°Gosh, it¡¯s torn! How are you going to do with this!¡± ¡°Oh, young lady¡­!¡± -What do you do, you just tore it! ¡°Do you want to be kicked out of the mansion? You can¡¯t live out there even with your one-year salary!¡± -It was torn because of you! I didn¡¯t even move a step here! I stepped up to the maid. Then the maid flinched her shoulder. Probably she thought I was going to do a hand-poke sword. Marcia will probably do that. ¡°Lady, please do not kick me out! I¡¯ll try to fix it somehow, so please¡­¡± -Crazy bitch, you¡¯re really crazy! Wow, you¡¯re good at acting. The voice of her heart and the words coming out of her mouth were completely different, so I laughing quietly. I didn¡¯t laugh because it was funny. I laughed because it was amazing. ¡®If I went through this every day, I would have gone crazy.¡¯ I laughed and said coldly, pushing a dress in front of the maid¡¯s nose. ¡°Fix it? How? Do you know how to sew, huh?¡± It would be nice if I prick her shoulder or cheek with my finger. Like Villain did to me. But soon I remembered how dirty I felt at that time. ¡®All right, well. I don¡¯t have to do that.¡¯ Even if not, the maid was already in the moment to fall under my feet. So I have achieved my goal. ¡°Call Miss Nora right now.¡± I deliberately mentioned the name of the owner of the dressing room, then shook my head right away. ¡°No, wrap it all in a bag. Quickly!¡± Then I threw the torn dress on the maid¡¯s chest. Suddenly, the maid took a dress and held it in her arms, making a stupid expression. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah? Is your ear hole blocked? Put it in the bag!¡± I screamed with irritation. The maid took out all the dresses in the wardrobe ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the dressing room right now and ask them to fix it. Ah, this and that one too.¡± -You stupid bitch. Would the dressing room be opened at this time? ¡°Except that! Are your eyes sprained? It¡¯s been out of fashion! ¡° ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady.¡± -Uh, why the hell is such a kid is a noble lady? It¡¯s because my parents are nobles. My lips were plump because I wanted to answer something. It was surprisingly not easy not to respond to the words in the maid¡¯s heart. So I deliberately leaned away from the sofa and watched the maid pack the luggage. Then, when the maid looked to the other side, I pushed the bag of the trinkets and jewels with my feet and slipped between the other bags. ¡°I put all the dresses you mentioned in the bag, Lady.¡± There were six big and small bags in total. The small one was about twice the size of a hat bag, and the big one was comfortable enough to fit into one child. I pointed at the bag with a gesture of my head. ¡°Put them all on the first floor and send the other maids to my room. I have to change my clothes. I¡¯m leaving within 30 minutes, so prepare the wagon and I don¡¯t need breakfast.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Lady.¡± I called up a maid who was going to go out. ¡°Take the bag by yourself.¡± The blood disappeared from the maid¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, Lady, this is on the 5th floor.¡± ¡°So what?¡± I raised my head and looked down at her with my arrogant expression. ¡°I have six bags, so hold one in each hand. You only have to come and go three times, right?¡± -How to hold that one in both hands! Pack a little less luggage! The maid began to pour the swear words into me. Later, when I get older, I can open a restaurant. Something like the swearing restaurant. I quietly added a word. ¡°When you¡¯re done carrying, organize this room as well. Of course by yourself.¡± The maid glanced through the dressing room with a chewed face. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t even manage her facial expression anymore. ¡®Yes, this is what Marcia was supposed to do.¡¯ I laughed deeply. Chapter 7 The maid was forced to take one of the bags and disappeared outside. Within a few minutes she showed up, two other maids appeared, and she quickly dressed me up lightly. When I was ready, I went down to the first floor, and the bag that sent down the stairs was lined up. ¡°Lady Marcia, the carriage is also ready. Shall we load the luggage?¡± I said so with a glance without a word. Like a proud lady who doesn¡¯t like to talk with a filthy servant. The servant who ran took the bag and went out to the front door. I looked through the open door, and it seemed that the sun had just risen and all directions were starting to brighten. It was as expected. I didn¡¯t see anyone in the early morning like this. Igor wouldn¡¯t get out of bed even if he heard me scream, and Villain would not have heard anything because he was drunk. I was a little worried about the nanny, but she didn¡¯t even come out. Marcia was always on her whims, and the nanny had a headache to soothe herself. So, even if she had heard all the fuss, it was obvious that she left it to the maids and she was pretending not to know in the room. ¡®You did a good job hitting it from dawn.¡¯ I was staring at the servant carrying the bag out, and as soon as the servant went out the door and became invisible, I hurried to the back of the stairs. There was a large brown leather bag. I carefully held the handle and lifted it as hard as I could. It is heavy, but it is enough to be lifted by me. Before the servant returned, I was able to safely put the bag down the stairs. The servant didn¡¯t notice that one bag had been increased, and he took all of it and loaded it into the carriage. Though he complained in his heart about what was so heavy. Even though the lady went out alone in the carriage, one of the maids did not come out. No one wants to go out with angry Marcia. It¡¯s enough to think that it¡¯s better to get scolded later than to go together. Anyway, I was trying to make it impossible for anyone to come along with any excuses. ¡°Phew. It was successful until here.¡± In the carriage heading to the downtown area, I sighed with relief. The leg that was broken in a carriage accident a few days ago has not yet been fully recovered. Because of that, I had to walk with a slight limp. I didn¡¯t know how to ride a horse. So I had to get on a carriage to leave the house. ¡®Especially if you want to take a person out secretly.¡¯ It was usually late at night for Igor and Villain to enter the basement, and it was more than ten o¡¯clock in the morning for the nanny to bring meals. There are only three people who have the keys to the basement. Igor, Villain, and Marcia. So, in order for the nanny to bring the meal to Larissa, she had to get the keys from Igor. By the way, Igor is the first of the three to get up. Naturally, Larissa¡¯s mealtime came after Igor¡¯s wake-up time, ten o¡¯clock. I took a little pocket watch out of my handbag. It was still less than eight o¡¯clock in the morning. ¡®There are roughly two hours left. The dressing room should be opened early¡­¡¯ The dressing room must be open at 9:30 at the latest. I haven¡¯t really thought about plan B yet. ¡®If Villain hadn¡¯t gone down so abruptly and into the basement yesterday, I would have had a few more days to make plans.¡¯ I looked out the window of the carriage with anxiety. It was about 30 minutes by carriage from the mansion to the dressing room by downtown street. The 30 minutes felt endlessly long. I wondered why I was so anxious, and soon realized it. ¡®That¡¯s right, I was in a carriage accident¡­¡¯ To be precise, ¡®I¡¯ was in a car accident and Marcia in the past had a carriage accident. The memory of the carriage accident is engraved on my body. It is a frightening memory. One in the car and the other in the carriage. I breathed deeply and said to myself, ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything is okay.¡± There is no other option other than the carriage now. ¡®You just have to hold on for a little bit.¡¯ And finally, the carriage stopped in front of the dressing room. I wanted to jump out of the carriage right now, but I endured. As a lady with a high arrogancy, ??I have to wait for the servant to speak up. ¡°Lady Marcia, there seems to be someone inside, but the dressing room doesn¡¯t seem to be open yet.¡± Well, I seem to have done enough to imitate an arrogant lady. I opened the door of the carriage. ¡°Are you going to get off?¡± The servant hurriedly took the footstool and laid it down. ¡°Go and knock on the door until someone comes out.¡± ¡°Yes? ¡­yes.¡± As told, the servant knocked on the door vigorously. Shortly thereafter, the door of the dressing room opened completely. In the meantime, I heard a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s not yet open. Come in an hour¡­¡± ¡°Move!¡± I pushed the servant and forcefully opened the door and came into the dressing room. ¡°What are you doing!¡± The protesting woman¡¯s face was familiar. It was someone Marcia had met several times. She was Nora, the owner of the dressing room. Nora, who made eye contact with me, must have found out who I am in no time. Because her expression has changed. When I looked inside quickly, there was only Nora in the store. ¡®Phew, that¡¯s perfect.¡¯ ¡°Bring all the bags from the carriage.¡± Of course, t is a business disruption. However, although I have no title in the outskirts of the province, I was certainly the daughter of a nobleman. ¡®And Nora is a commoner.¡¯ She was in a situation where she had no choice but to bow her head. -This woman has been making a fuss from the morning! A voice of astonishment was heard. I spoke out loud enough to be heard by the servant carrying the luggage. ¡°Hello, Miss Nora. My stupid maid dares to tear up the laces of my new dress and mess it up. Do I have to wear it to the party tonight? Of course, you will fix it, right?¡± ¡°Yes? That, of course. First of all, I have to look at that dress, Lady Blick.¡± -What the hell did the dress look like, so you didn¡¯t have an employee and you came directly? While Nora was anxious, the servant steadily took the bags and put it inside the door. Soon her complexion turned pale. ¡°Well, by the way, there seems to be a lot of bags?¡± ¡°Why the hell would I have come in person? Isn¡¯t it obvious at first glance? I came because I need someone to get my dress to fit me properly.¡± I shook my bag with an arrogant look. ¡°While I was here, I brought all the dresses I didn¡¯t like. I¡¯d like to fix them all according to the fashion.¡± In the meantime, the servant continued to carry the other bags. Finally, seven bags came into the dressing room. I said to the servant. ¡°I need to do some shopping, so go back. You don¡¯t need to pick me up.¡± The servant didn¡¯t have to wait and he soon drove the carriage and disappeared. As soon as I confirmed that the carriage was no longer visible from the window, I swung back toward Nora. Nora looked at the stacked bags and had a confused expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Nora. Because I made a fuss like this in the morning.¡± I first apologized with sincerity. Nora was amazed and opened her eyes wide. I couldn¡¯t hear the sound of her heart, but I think I know from the reaction. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t do this¡­ there really was no other way. Well, actually, I just ran away from home.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Nora couldn¡¯t shut her mouth. -What the hell are you talking about suddenly? Oh, sometimes it¡¯s good to hear what you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s easy to know when to make slow adjustments. Now was the time to beg. I knelt down on the floor and hung to Nora. ¡°Please, please, please help me.¡± ¡°Lady, this, don¡¯t do this! What if someone sees you¡­¡± The effect was awesome! Nora was scared by the fact that the nobleman knelt down. I laid out the story I prepared quickly. By the way, the surveillance was so severe that I couldn¡¯t even come out unless it was an excuse for a broken dress. Earlier, the servant also returned to the mansion, but in fact, he will be monitoring around here. It was roughly like that. I lowered my head for a moment and bite firmly on my tongue. Tears came out from the pain. I deliberately wiped the tears so that Nora could see them. Nora stood still and stared at me for a long time. There was no voice of her heart from before. So I was rather relieved. At least she doesn¡¯t have negative feelings. ¡°If someone comes to find me, please tell them that I went shopping and left my clothes here. And this is for you¡­¡± I took a small pocket out of my handbag. There were gold coins inside. It was a fair amount to make a new dress. The gold coin was held in Nora¡¯s hand. ¡°Take this as a sign of my gratitude.¡± She flinched, but did not remove her hand. It looked like she is hesitating. ¡®You must have already noticed how much the coin was by the pocket¡¯s weight.¡¯ I took the ring off my finger. It was a slender gold ring with a small ruby ??studded in it. I stroked the ring, turning it slightly to reflect the light and sparkle. ¡°Miss Nora, your fingers are very long and pretty. I think ruby will suit you well.¡± Exactly 30 minutes later, an old rental carriage arrived through the back door of the dressing room. Chapter 8 Meanwhile, Nora brought out an inconspicuous cheap dress and help me to changed my clothes. I had only two of the largest and smallest bags loaded in the carriage. ¡°Thank you for accepting all of my demanding requests in the meantime, Miss Nora.¡± Nora kindly closed the carriage door directly. -They say that when the time comes for people to die, they change¡­ The time for me to die will come in three years, but I¡¯m trying to live. I laughed in vain. I took a carriage and went to the downtown area next door a little away, and then changed to another carriage and repeated it. The third carriage deliberately got off in an alley some distance from the downtown area. After the carriage left, I checked that no one was around and opened a big bag. I saw shiny silver hair through the open bag. ¡°Are you okay? Wasn¡¯t it hard?¡± I pulled out Larissa¡¯s face from inside the bag. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t move properly, she was crouching for a long time, so her body was stiff. Larissa can barely stand up without my help. She stretched her legs and raised her body. As soon as she came out of the bag, she covered her eyes with her hands. Her little shoulders went up and down sharply. ¡®Oh, it must be dazzling.¡¯ After a while, your eyes will adjust slowly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, so breathe. Inhale, exhale.¡± I took a deep breath together while making a sound deliberately from the side. ¡°This place is safe, in the woods with no one else. Look, it sounds soft and crunchy under your feet, right? Now we are standing on old leaves.¡± After about five minutes, Larissa¡¯s breath subsided visibly. She slowly removed her hand from her eyes. She was still unable to properly open her eyes, but at least her breath seemed to have calmed down to some extent. She has been trapped in a narrow bag for hours already from dawn. In addition, the place where she was hit last night would still be painful, but I couldn¡¯t even hear the sound of any heart, let alone the murmur. All I can hear are negative thoughts. In other words, Larissa is neither anxious nor complaining now. ¡®Wow, how is this little child¡­¡¯ What Larissa was wearing was what Marcia wore when he was a child. It seems that her father didn¡¯t want to waste his money by buying her new clothes for Larissa. It was good clothes at first, but now it is old and mottled. In addition to being out of fashion, the sleeves were short, revealing all of her skinny arms. ¡®You don¡¯t look like a noble lady at all.¡¯ Thanks to this, it won¡¯t stand out that much. I took off the bonnet I was wearing and put it on Larissa¡¯s head. It was a little big for Larissa, who was small in size, so the head fits comfortably and the face is covered. The visor of the bonnet made a shade on the face. ¡®It would be nice to have some sunglasses or something.¡¯ Larissa put her eyes down, stood quietly like a doll, and stood still as I did. I gave Larissa my bonnet and covered her face with my scarf on her exposed head. ¡°Can you walk?¡± Larissa nodded her head to my question. I carefully grasped Larissa¡¯s hand. * * * As I walked for about an hour, a downtown area appeared. It was a small city as I checked the map continuously from the carriage. And from here on, it is the territory of the Grand Duke Laurent. Almost at the end. If you change the carriage once more, you can go to the railway station heading to Laurent street. The train was a new invention that was just beginning to spread. In the corner of the countryside like the estate of Blick Street, the train is a new culture that cannot be found even in dreams. It takes three days to get to the mansion of the Grand Duke by carriage, but it takes three hours to get on the train. So my goal was to take the train. ¡®But it¡¯s better to fill the stomach first.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t eat anything because I was struggling from dawn. It was the same with Larissa. Larissa¡¯s complexion, which wasn¡¯t very good though, was getting worse and worse. Oh, is it difficult to walk by her own feet that had been trapped almost all her life? I quickly looked around to find a restaurant we could go to. There is also a way to buy food and eat it in a carriage. However, I decided to take a rest and eat properly. I chose the restaurant in the corner. It was shabby and the signboard was not very conspicuous, so I didn¡¯t even know it was a restaurant at first. I¡¯m running away, so if I don¡¯t want to be noticed, I should eat somewhere like this, right? ¡°Let¡¯s fill your stomach first.¡± I took the lead and opened the door of the restaurant and went inside. Holding the door and waiting, Larissa came in, hesitantly. ¡°Welcome! Please sit anywhere.¡± A woman, who looks like a mid-thirty, greeted us with her hands on her apron. The restaurant was very small. There were only three tables inside, so I had to sit anywhere, but I had only two options. At the innermost table, two men were sitting and eating. ¡®It would have been better if there were no customers at all.¡¯ I quickly turned my head to the other side, pretending not to know, so that I did not make eye contact with other customers even with a side glance. We left the table in the middle and chose a seat far away from the men. The table slanted to one side was covered with tablecloths that reached the floor. The tables are old and even a little mottled. But it¡¯s not the time to complain. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± As I sat down, I asked Larissa. There were only two menus on the wooden board on the wall. Still, I was deliberately trying to add a word to Larissa. She believed in her older sister whom she rarely met and went away with her. ¡®How anxious is her?¡¯ Probably not because she can¡¯t speak. However, that she had been trapped alone in the basement for a long time, she wouldn¡¯t have much opportunity to talk to anyone, so maybe she couldn¡¯t talk more. Whether she still hears my question, she sits in a chair without moving, looking down only at the corner of the table. If left alone, she would look like a doll. The face that was glimpsed under the bonnet was so pretty, if she changed into something luxurious, I thought it would look like a living doll. ¡°Then shall I order all of them one by one?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Well¡­ I feel like I¡¯m talking to myself. The woman who took the order soon disappeared into the kitchen. The kitchen was an open structure, so I could see it from here. She also seemed to cook herself. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if you could set up a shop by yourself?¡¯ After I bring Larissa to the Grand Duke, I have to survive alone. If I sell jewelry and set up a shop, I think it would be nice to have a shop that runs by myself. With that thought, I continued to talk to Larissa. ¡°Roasted chicken and potato dish. It will be delicious, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Larissa still didn¡¯t answer me. At least you don¡¯t hate chickens because I can¡¯t hear the voice of your heart, right? ¡°First of all, you have to eat well, so try to eat as much as you can. Oh, I like chicken. I think fried chicken is the most delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡± Oh, but has he tried chicken? It was the nanny who always brought the meals to Larissa. Until now, Marcia had never been interested in Larissa, so she knew nothing about her diet. All I remember was that among the double doors in the basement, there was something like a small window under the inner door. It¡¯s to push the food plate in. ¡®Still, I¡¯m sure the diet wasn¡¯t bad.¡¯ At least I want to believe that¡­ Why is this child so dry and small as if she couldn¡¯t get a single piece of bread properly and ate it? My eyes became hot for no reason. ¡°It may seem like I¡¯m running out of nowhere, but our final destination is Laurent Dukedom.¡± I lowered my voice a little and continued talking. ¡°There is someone out there who will save you.¡± Chapter 9 I added an explanation of the words with a little self-confidence. ¡°Well¡­ maybe there is. If you meet that person, you don¡¯t have to worry about eating anymore. You can choose only what you want to eat for your life.¡± As I talked, I got more serious about it. Larissa¡¯s husband must be a rich man. Not just a rich man, but a tremendously rich man. And he also had titles, so his self-esteem had to be high as well. ¡®He also shouldn¡¯t be needing a few diamond grains.¡¯ So he wouldn¡¯t even have to beat his wife. ¡°And that person was different from our family, who has no title¡­¡± Huh? As I talked, the side of my face was very itchy for some reason. I stopped talking and looked back. The men sitting at the table next to me were staring at me. As soon as they made eye contact with me, they looked at their plates and started eating again as if nothing had happened. But in that short moment, I could see the other person¡¯s face. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re so handsome¡­! Are you a statue?¡¯ They were all messy as if rolling in a dust pit. However, the man¡¯s appearance in the corner was not covered by a dirty outfit. ¡®If a statue gets dirty, it¡¯s a statue.¡¯ Through the dust-covered in the face, a good appearance is seen. The features were neat and the line was thick, but there was an intense and thrilling atmosphere that cooled the opponent¡¯s back somewhere. Ah, I really don¡¯t want to say this, but I am not immune to intolerable appearances. Thanks to the blood of a fairy, I have a beauty that is hard to find a person to compare myself with, and my brother, Villain, is just that good-looking. It wasn¡¯t easy to find the appearance that fits my eyes because the faces I always see were like that. But that man looks good in my eyes! Even though it¡¯s covered in dirt. Thanks to this, I forgot what I was talking about for a while. ¡®By the way, is it correct that we just made eye contact?¡¯ Why did you look? I tried to ask him what he saw, then I changed my mind and just turned my head. At that moment, the voice of someone¡¯s heart came. -This crazy bitch¡­ I flinched my shoulder and looked back at the men¡¯s table. The two of them just ate quietly. At that time, the sound of heart came again. -Damn, where did this ungrateful thing go! Just wait till I catch you¡­! It wasn¡¯t the sound of heart coming from inside the restaurant. It is a sound I¡¯ve ever heard. It was Igor. ¡®Why is he so fast?¡¯ My blood seemed to go out of the body. To hear the voice of the heart meant that Igor was not far away. Not surprisingly, urgent footsteps were heard outside the door. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t escape through the door. The door to the kitchen is too far. There was no time to think. ¡°Larissa, come here!¡± I grabbed Larissa and hid under the table. I hugged Larissa tightly, hoping the dirty tablecloth would cover us. At the same time as we hid under the table, the bell on the door rang. The sound of footsteps rumbling came into the restaurant. It seems to be trampling my heart every step of the way. The men at the table next to us have seen all of us like this. But there was no other corner to run away. ¡°Welcome! Please wait a minute!¡± In the kitchen, I heard a rattle and shouts all in a hurry. It seemed that the woman couldn¡¯t come out now because she was busy because of the dishes I ordered. ¡°The gentlemen there.¡± It was a rough man¡¯s voice. That familiar voice belongs to Igor. He was gasping for breath as if running in a hurry. ¡°Have you ever seen two girls? One is thirteen years old and the other is about seventeen. The little one is this tall with silver hair, and the eldest one is blonde, they are my daughters. The two went missing together.¡± My heart seems to be popping out of my chest. Larissa¡¯s body began to tremble. Just listening to her father¡¯s voice makes her body tremble reflexively. I held my breath and energized my arm holding Larissa. ¡°Especially the little one¡­ her life is at risk if she doesn¡¯t take the medicine the doctor prescribes. I have to find her as soon as possible.¡± Prescription medicines? It was the first time I heard it. I looked at Larissa. Larissa shook her head violently. It is a lie. Igor¡¯s voice sounded quite pathetic. I quickly started to think about what to do. Judging by the footsteps, Igor will probably be alone. But even so, he is an adult man. ¡®He can¡¯t be beaten by his physique, what should I do?¡¯ At least can Larissa get some time to run alone? You¡¯re not going to kill me just because I set Larissa free, are you? ¡®No, he might really kill me.¡¯ When you see diamond mines flee before your eyes, there is no way you will let me live. Even if Larissa escaped safely like that, there was no way she could survive alone from then on. Because she¡¯s been trapped all her life. I laughed in vain. ¡®If Igor lifted the tablecloth, it would be better to shout that it¡¯s all a lie at the moment and ask for alive.¡¯ If I take a handful of jewelry out of my bag and throw it at the messy-handsome men over there, maybe they will help us. Because few people stay sane in front of money. Sorry to Larissa, but it might have worked a little more if I rolled up her sleeves to show signs of abuse and complained that he was trying to beat us and kill us. ¡®Even people who don¡¯t move with money can move ethically.¡¯ I reached out and pulled a bag of trinkets and jewelry closer. ¡°If it¡¯s such girls¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it.¡± Two voices a little high and low were heard at the same time. Silence flowed for a while. The lower voice said firmly once again. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it, we are the only ones here.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen it outside this restaurant? People say they¡¯ve come this way. Think carefully. Haven¡¯t you really seen it?¡± Igor asked persistently. The man replied the same as before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that. But I didn¡¯t see it.¡± The man¡¯s answer sounded very convincing. ¡®Why are you helping us?¡¯ Thanks but- I relaxed a little and gently swept Larissa¡¯s back. It was then. The smell of food blew up. The smell of roast chicken and potatoes. ¡°Oh?¡± There was a voice of a woman that sounded confused. I held my breath. The dish we ordered just came out. But the customers who ordered the food disappeared, and the new customer seemed to be having a quarrel with other customers rather than sitting down. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ I closed my eyes tightly. ¡°Would you like to bring it here?¡± At that time, the other man speaking to the woman and said in a hard tone. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s finally out, it was hard to wait. Here, put it next to my plate.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What are you doing without bringing it?¡± Soon there was a clink of plates. The owner brought the food to the men¡¯s table. ¡°Isn¡¯t there already a dish on the gentlemen¡¯s table?¡± Igor made a suspicious voice. Another man kicked his tongue. ¡°Hey, look at our size. We placed an additional order because we wouldn¡¯t fill up with a single serving.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. These people ordered more food.¡± The woman¡¯s voice struck a quick match. A low voice followed. ¡°Instead of wasting time here now, why don¡¯t you go out quickly? You¡¯ll have to find your daughters quickly, but you don¡¯t know what this neighborhood is like?¡± It was a lowly threatening tone. ¡°I see¡­ If you see my daughters later, please contact me right away. I¡¯ll give you a very generous case, Igor from the Blick family from the North.¡± Igor left the men and went out. As the footsteps were no longer heard, the voice of a heavy man continued. ¡°Ladies, you can come out now.¡± Larissa was still trembling. As I patted her back, she held the hem of my dress with one hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± After whispering a little, I looked outside by slightly lifting the tablecloth. Then I slowly went out under the table. The two men sitting on the other side and the restaurant owner standing next to them looked at me at the same time. The handsome man opened his mouth. Chapter 10 ¡°Here, I haven¡¯t touched on the food you ordered, so you can take it and eat it.¡± Then the owner quickly picked up a plate with chicken and potatoes and brought it to our table. ¡®It was the handsome man who helped us.¡¯ It is a natural world that women belong to men. The wife belongs to the husband, and the daughter belongs to the father. ¡®But you¡¯re on the side of women you don¡¯t know well.¡¯ I was a little impressed. It looks like a statue with a good-looking face and a kind heart. Seeing like this, it seemed to me to look better. I felt that they were tall and had long arms and legs even when they were sitting. How about those broad shoulders that can¡¯t be covered with torn clothes in several places, and a firm chest? They were handsome in any way, but that one man couldn¡¯t be described with words. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I sincerely thanked them and bowed down lightly. Then the man looked at me with cold eyes for a moment, then said, turning his head to his plate. ¡°I just hated the fuss. I didn¡¯t even want to see the kids who will be dragged in front of me, so don¡¯t wander around and go home after a meal.¡± ¡°¡­ I beg your pardon?¡± What have I heard now? ¡®Did you just say that you just hated being noisy?¡¯ Besides, he treated me as a child. Not only one or two young men who have already held my hand! ¡°If you are noisy, I will call the man again. Sit quietly and have a meal.¡± He started threatening me without even looking at this side. Then the man in glasses sitting across from him quietly began to eat his share again. ¡®What the hell are these guys?¡¯ I calmed down at my anger and looked back. Larissa still couldn¡¯t even get out from under the table. ¡°Then call me if you need anything.¡± The owner said calmly as if nothing had happened and disappeared into the kitchen. I sighed and took Larissa out of the table. Then she held the fork in her little hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat quickly. When we finish eating, we will get on the carriage again, because we have to take the train inside today.¡± I was also surprised that my appetite disappeared as well. But if you want to get away well, you have to eat well. I cut the chicken leg with a knife and placed it on Larissa¡¯s plate and put a bite of a potato in my mouth as well. While we were eating, the men disappeared after eating. No other guests came in until we were finished. I asked the owner if she could bring a carriage. ¡°At the end of this road, there is a rental carriage place. Maybe you can rent a covered carriage if you go there. I can¡¯t empty the store, so¡­¡± The owner pointed to the end of the road with her hand and said, as if sorry. As a sign of gratitude, I paid three times the price of the food and left the store. All Igor explained about us was height, age, and hair color. I couldn¡¯t hide my height, but I could hide it if it was my hair color. Before leaving the restaurant, I put a handkerchief on Larissa¡¯s head and put a bonnet over it to secure it. I wore a scarf on my head like a woman who usually goes to the market. ¡®If the other person doesn¡¯t look at us first, it will be fine.¡¯ I can hear people around me thinking, so if I was lucky, I could have prepared ahead of time. Of course only for negative thoughts. I listened to the sounds around me and walked toward my destination without looking around as much as possible. I held the bag in one hand and held Larissa¡¯s hand in the other. I was walking for a long time like that. ¨C I¡¯m scared. Can I really do this? Huh? I opened my eyes wide at an unexpected sound. It was the voice of someone¡¯s heart. Not Larissa¡¯s. By any chance, when I looked down at it, Larissa was walking hard with her legs without expression. The sound of the heart is different for each person, it was difficult to distinguish at once. ¡®It sounds like someone I don¡¯t know, so I don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡¯ Still, I was busy on the way to go. I ignored the sound and tried to rush my step. By the way, even though I didn¡¯t know who it was, the voice of the heart came from the same person as before. -It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to kill him, so I won¡¯t be punished. All I have to do is stick the knife slightly to his body. It was an extremely disturbing sound. It was the voice of the heart made out of anxiety and fear. I frowned. I had never heard such an extreme sound when I lived in the mansion or at parties. As soon as I came out of the house, it looked like this. If you didn¡¯t hear anything, you could just pass by it quietly, but after hearing the sound of killing people, you couldn¡¯t even pretend you didn¡¯t know. I unintentionally glanced at the side where I heard the sound. It was just a child Larissa¡¯s age over there. With one hand holding a wooden bowl for begging, the other hand in his pocket, looking through one of the places. -I don¡¯t need to poke deeply, just a few stabs. He just needed to bleed a little. I¡¯m not trying to kill him. So can I avoid starvation today? It¡¯s okay, it; s okay. But why am I so scared? The boy muttered in his heart as if constantly trying to comfort himself. My life is ruined by paying attention to the voices of people¡¯s hearts. Marcia became a villainess that way, and she was alive in my memory too. So I just pretended not to know and tried to pass. But there were two men who saved us earlier at the restaurant. ¡®Why¡­¡¯ I squeezed my temples. What the boy was looking at was definitely those two men. I couldn¡¯t see it wrong. Two giant men in torn clothes in several places. One of them seems to emit light from his muddy face, and the other wears glasses. The two men were talking about a carriage or something. When I saw the carriage in front of the men, I doubted my eyes at the moment. ¡®Uh, is that a car¡­?¡¯ I rubbed my eyes. You mean there are cars in this world? It was something that looked like a two-seated carriage without a roof, but there was no such thing as a horse even after I rubbed my eyes. And there was something like a steering wheel. It looks like an ancestor of a car. ¡®Well, there¡¯s a train, too, but it¡¯s a little bit fast if it¡¯s a car. I guess there¡¯s an accident after getting on that.¡¯ At first glance, it was obvious that the car crashed after an accident or something, and the two men were torn clothes and covered in dirt. ¡®So after the accident, you went into the restaurant and ate first?¡¯ Well, even though the clothes were torn, they looked fine without any damage. That¡¯s that, and looking at the way the two were talking without paying attention to their surroundings, if that beggar boy decided to run and injure him, he could not avoid it. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s pretend to pay back the grace.¡¯ ¡°There you!¡± The boy was a little surprised, but still ignored me. ¡°You, you, the striped hat. You heard me now. You can see me, right? Come and see me.¡± I deliberately mentioned his characteristics. That way he can¡¯t pretend he doesn¡¯t know. The boy hesitated and looked at me. ¡°What are you doing, come here!¡± I raised my voice. The men standing next to the car or something stopped talking and looked over to this side. The beggar boy seemed to have seen it too. The boy drooped his shoulders and slowly approached me. I hid Larissa behind my back and stepped forward. ¡°Buy a piece of bread with this.¡± As I took a little copper coin from my wallet, the boy made a repressed sound. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± ¡°Okay. By the way, are you going to receive the coin with one hand in your pocket? Huh? You¡¯re too cheeky as a beggar.¡± While holding a coin as if he was looking forward to it, I used the sarcasm that Marcia liked to use for work. ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking your hand out of your pocket? You don¡¯t want to eat bread, huh?¡± I deliberately emphasized the word ¡®pocket¡¯. ¡®By this point, you would have understood.¡¯ This boy and the men over there. The boy slowly took his hand out of his pocket and held the wooden bowl with both hands. I dropped a coin there. There was a clinking sound. I felt sorry for the boy and took out one more coin. And the men¡¯s gaze turned away. At this level, the grace of the previous job was paid back. I was fortunate to be able to pay it back quickly. Because I hate what I owe. By the way, the back of the head was sore. Someone cursed me again. -You screwed up everything! I tried to get rid of that little boy after it was done safely, damn it. He must be the one who handed the knife to the beggar boy. It looks like he was watching from somewhere. Maybe the boy will be beaten by saying that he can¡¯t do such a simple thing. Oh, swearing came from the boy as well. ¡®Damn little boy, I¡¯ve saved your life.¡¯ If you had done that ridiculous plan, you would have been killed by those big men, or you would have been killed in silence by the man who held the knife to you. Chapter 11 I shook my head. Curse is just a curse. ¡®No matter how much you talk inside you can¡¯t hurt me.¡¯ Rather, I had to take care of my life and Larissa¡¯s life now. I made sure that Larissa¡¯s face or her hair was well covered by the bonnet. I stepped quickly hoping that Igor couldn¡¯t see us. * * * The train station which I saw after getting off the carriage was small. Huge and beautiful buildings, black steam locomotives that emit smoke, busy people. I was expecting such a scene but this was an ordinary small rural train station. ¡®There are fewer people than I thought.¡¯ I was worried that Igor might be hiding somewhere and watching, so I looked around. There seemed to be nobody looking at us in particular. I quickly approached the ticket counter. ¡°Please give me two, the earliest departure.¡± ¡°Today the ticket is sold out.¡± ¡°Is it sold out?¡± I was surprised by unexpected words and raised my voice. The employee sitting at the ticket office said, yawning. ¡°Originally, it is a station where trains didn¡¯t stop frequently, so tickets ran out quickly. There are still tickets for departure at this hour tomorrow, do you want that one?¡± Is it tomorrow afternoon? You might get caught if you¡¯re still here one day sooner or later. ¡®Would I rather take a carriage and go to the next station?¡¯ But the carriage cannot keep up with the speed of the train. ¡®Is there any guarantee that a seat not at this station will be at the next station?¡¯ I frowned my eyebrows. At that time, a voice came from behind my back. ¡°There is no need to do that.¡± I looked back in surprise. It was a man¡¯s chest that blocked my eyes. As I lifted my head, a little familiar face from the top looked down at me. It was the man I met at the restaurant earlier. His face wasn¡¯t as badly soiled as before. Black coriander hair, noble forehead line, sharp nose, and strong jawline exudes masculine beauty. Two eyes shining in red light in the middle looked at me as if piercing me. ¡®Huh? Red eyes?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know it when I saw him in the restaurant before. Maybe because he was sitting in a dark corner? It was definitely red eyes when I saw it under such bright sunlight. It is also bright red. ¡®Could human eyes be red?¡¯ But did it look red because the light shined through his eyes? I was speechless for a while. The man looked down at me and opened his mouth. ¡°You seem to be looking for a train ticket to Dieppe station, right?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°Come with us.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± How do I go without a ticket? I need some time to understand. I blinked my eyes. Then the man wearing glasses standing next to the red-eyed man added an explanation. ¡°By chance, the tickets we bought are first class. We are renting a room, so there¡¯s plenty of room for both of you to sit. Usually, up to six people can sit.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a coincidence, but we also go to Dieppe station.¡± The red-eyed man nodded his head, quickly agreeing to what the glasses man said. ¡°Since there is room left, why don¡¯t you go with us?¡± The two emphasized the word ¡®coincidence¡¯. What is it, why is it suspicious? ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m thinking of renting a carriage and going to the next station.¡± I stepped back and said. With one hand holding Larissa¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Mr. Igor Blick from the North.¡± The red-eyed man quietly said my father¡¯s full name. Larissa froze in an instant. ¡°¡­ are you not being chased by him? You won¡¯t be able to afford to go to other stations.¡± What is it, blackmail? ¡®But for what?¡¯ I bite my lips. Then the man wearing glasses hit the man¡¯s side with his elbow. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. You scared her.¡± At the words of the man with glasses, the red-eyed man coughed, then changed his tone and asked again politely. ¡°I am very grateful that you saved us earlier. Can¡¯t you think of it as a sign of gratitude?¡± Are you talking about that beggar boy? Although I gave you a hint, it seemed like you were very quick to notice. Maybe¡­ you¡¯re used to it because ¡®such a thing¡¯ happened often. I watched the men in front of me quietly. I was blinded by the beauty of the red-eyed man, so I couldn¡¯t see it properly, but the man wearing glasses was also a pretty man. He has smooth brown hair and brown eyes. His height was also close to the red-eyed man. Even though wearing glasses, a good-looking person was still good-looking. Two handsome men politely offered to help me, and my heart melted a little. More than anything, no negative heart sounds were heard from both of them. ¡®You can assume that you have no intention of harming us.¡¯ Besides, there was no other way. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be grateful for it.¡± They said it was first class, and the room I was entered of was quite luxurious. In one large room, there were large seats that could accommodate six people, and even a small table was placed. I sat by the window with Larissa. The curtain was rolled up after the train departed and the station became invisible. Larissa couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the window. I smiled with a peek and turned my gaze to the opposite seat. ¡°Thank you for your help. I didn¡¯t even hear the name of the benefactor. I am Marcia and she is my sister, Larissa.¡± I thanked the two men once again. I didn¡¯t say the last name on purpose. Igor said his name anyway, so you might have noticed our last name is Blick. ¡®If you believe what Igor said.¡¯ The men looked at each other for a moment. Then the red-eyed man said first. ¡°This is Arno.¡± It was concise. Likewise, he didn¡¯t say his last name. ¡°Please call me Poe.¡± Even a man wearing glasses said a weird name. I stared at them for a moment. It¡¯s me who didn¡¯t tell my last name first, but it seemed to be somehow not polite to ask the other person¡¯s full name. So I just looked down and sat down next to Larissa. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soon the silence fell in the room. But nobody showed any signs of discomfort. Larissa didn¡¯t move in a position looking out the window, and Poe took a small book out of his bag and started reading. Arno closed his eyes. It doesn¡¯t seem like he wants to sleep, but he doesn¡¯t even want to have a conversation. ¡®No one is talking, so it seems that I¡¯m the only one who is awkward.¡¯ Anyway, the train was very comfortable. Is it because we are in the first-class room, or is it because we were accompanied by two big men who helped us? It couldn¡¯t be compared to the carriage that was rattled throughout the ride. Thanks to this, I was able to observe the new companions leisurely. I narrowed my eyes and opened them. The clothes Arno and Poe wore were torn and dirty, but they were quite expensive. It was a bit lagging behind in the latest fashion, but even though both were very tall, the sleeves and shoulders were fit together. Besides, you were able to buy first-class tickets. Not just anyone can do that. ¡®And the destination is the F Station, which is closest to Laurent Street¡­¡¯ Even if you didn¡¯t tell me your names, I roughly figured out what kind of people you were. Like the capital of the kingdom, social circles were formed near the co-residence of Grand Duke Laurent. The high-ranked nobles will be gathered there. ¡®Sure they¡¯re one of those nobles.¡¯ Considering that the attire is not the finest, is it perhaps a middle-class noble or an emerging nobleman? When I recall, Arno used casual words and Poe used honorifics when they talked with each other. Maybe Arno is a person with a higher status than Poe. ¡®It may be that he didn¡¯t reveal his name because he was embarrassed to look tattered at this point.¡¯ It must have been that he wasn¡¯t trying to help us because there was something bad intention. If he did, he would say something and try to dig up information. ¡®You said you helped me because you didn¡¯t like being noisy at the restaurant, huh?¡¯ Well, you really don¡¯t seem to have any willingness to talk. ¡°What do you look at like that?¡± I was amazed at the sudden low voice I heard. Arno suddenly opened his eyes and was looking at me. Eyes shining red like ruby as if piercing me. I realized it belatedly, and unwittingly, I was watching him slowly with my hand under my chin. Chapter 12 ¡®Oh my God, I must have looked like a person with no politeness.¡¯ I quickly pulled my hand down and put it on my lap. I should be polite to my benefactor. ¡°You seem to be a nobleman, but I was thinking about whether or not you had an accident because your clothes were so dirty. Was it a car accident too?¡± There was a dull sound from the side. Poe, who has never taken his gaze from the book so far, suddenly covered the book. He asked me back, saying he couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°¡­ a car?¡± ¡°¡­ is it not?¡± Likewise, Arno, looking at me with his eyes wide open, said to Poe. ¡°That¡¯s a good name. Because the car goes silently and automatically.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s easy to understand at once, and it would be okay to use the product name as a car.¡± ¡°As long as you succeed.¡± The voices of the two somewhat excited people rose. Arno looked at me and explained the situation. ¡°The object doesn¡¯t have a name yet, but if you¡¯ve seen it before, I think you¡¯re right. Excuse me, how did you know what it was?¡± ¡®¡­ do you mean it was an object that didn¡¯t even have a name until now?¡¯ I just reiterated what Arno had to say a little bit differently. ¡°¡­ it looked like a carriage, but there was no horse.¡± ¡°So you mean you¡¯re just guessing?¡± Arno narrowed his eyes. Did I look like an industrial spy? ¡°Well, you can say that. You said ¡®If it succeeds¡¯ earlier, so is it still in the development stage? Is the success unclear?¡± I rolled my eyes and quickly turned away. Poe shut his mouth tight, but Arno looked at him once and opened his mouth. ¡°Yes, now it¡¯s just a novel invention, that¡¯s just that. Actually, that thing¡­ so, I¡¯m interested in car development, so I personally paid for some money.¡± He said ¡®car¡¯ and gently pulled the tip of his mouth. When he smiles, his face looked several times brighter. The scary atmosphere that was covering the whole body disappeared suddenly. ¡°I came to test the car today but it had no brakes, so we fell on the ground.¡± Poe frowned on his eyebrows and nodded. As I look now, his forehead has a blue bruise. After a car accident, he was fell on the ground, and his clothes were torn. I trembled as I remembered the accident I had been in. Poe grumbled. ¡°It is said that the car could run faster than most carriages, but this is what happened. So does it make sense to spend money on something like that? I don¡¯t know how much to trust the inventor and invest in it.¡± ¡°You have to invest unconditionally!¡± Oh, I was excited without knowing and the words popped out. Both men¡¯s eyes looked at me at the same time. Thanks to the memory of the world over there, I knew very well how big industry could be. It is also an invention that helps the world. ¡°Rather, it is the feeling that I want to invest.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right.¡± Arno folded his arms and leaned against the back. He took a defensive stance and glanced above and below me. ¡°It¡¯s interesting.¡± Oops, is it a mistake? Things like business and investment in this world were utterly in the domain of men. I made excuses in a hurry. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not because I know the business very well, I just thought it was worth investing in something that wasn¡¯t in the world yet.¡± ¡°Why are you going to the Laurent Dukedom? ¡° Arno suddenly replied with an unexpected question. He raised his chin and sat in a rather lazy chair and looked down at me. I said softly. ¡°I never said I was going to the Laurent Dukedom.¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°When am I?¡± ¡°At the restaurant earlier.¡± When did I say that? I frowned my eyebrows and tried to remember what I said. ¡®¡­ oh, I briefly told Larissa my plans for the future.¡¯ But I must have lowered my voice. I rebuked him with a sharp tone. ¡°You are not like a gentleman. Overhearing a private conversation. Isn¡¯t it a virtue to pretend you don¡¯t know even if you¡¯ve heard it?¡± ¡°So you mean no? Where are you going if not to Laurent Dukedom?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡­¡± I was speechless. I couldn¡¯t think that other people would ask for my destination, so I couldn¡¯t even think of an excuse. Uh, let¡¯s just smile roughly. I laughed out loud on purpose. ¡°It is true. I¡¯m going to meet the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Do you mean Grand Duke Laurent? What¡¯s going on?¡± What does that matter? Anyway, even if I tell the truth, you won¡¯t believe it, so I said to pretend it as a joke in a very light tone. ¡°My sister, Larissa is here, because she will be His Majesty¡¯s fiancee in the future. With this appearance, he¡¯ll fall in love with her at first sight.¡± The Prince that is the Grand Duke will fall in love with Larissa at first sight in three years. Arno opened his eyes wide and soon began to laugh out loud. It was a laugh that seemed to be really fun. An awkward smile appeared on Poe¡¯s face who was sitting next to him. ¡°Is that so?¡± He didn¡¯t say much about it, but it sounds like a very funny joke. Arno laughed happily, looked back and forth at Poe and me. The three were smiling, but Larissa wasn¡¯t moving in the same position she looked out the window before. Even though her name was mentioned during the conversation. Is it so interesting to look outside the window? ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± I ended the conversation with the two men and turned to Larissa. ¡°Larissa, how are you feeling?¡± Fortunately, Larisa didn¡¯t ignore me. As she lowered her arms that were on the window, she slowly turned her head toward me. ¡°Do your head hurt or feel nauseous?¡± Larissa rolled her eyes and looked at me. She blinks her eyes a couple of times, and she turns her gaze back out of the window. ¡®Well¡­ I have to get used to this reaction.¡¯ Still, it will be fine as long as I can¡¯t hear her heart. I whispered softly, adding. ¡°If you ever want to go to the bathroom, tell me right away, if it¡¯s hard to say, just tap my arm and I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Larissa¡¯s face, reflected in the window, seemed to be frozen and expressionless. I sighed lightly as I watched Larissa¡¯s back with her head covered by a bonnet. ¡®I want to stroke her hair, but I can¡¯t.¡¯ She may be surprised or frightened if I touched her suddenly. It was only last night when I just raised my hand to point to a handkerchief with cookies, but she was terrified and trembled. ¡°It looks like you care for your younger sister a lot.¡± Suddenly Poe said. When I turned around, there was warm energy in his brown eyes that can be seen through his glasses. I couldn¡¯t figure out what to answer. Maybe my expression was a little weird. Marcia never cared for Larissa. In fact, she hardly ever met her. ¡®She sent someone to hit her until she shed tears.¡¯ Originally, my plan was to escape by myself and to eat and live well by myself. However, it was so pitiful and regrettable that this young child would be abused for three more years, so I just brought her out impulsively. ¡®And I am going to leave her to her future husband¡­¡¯ When I didn¡¯t answer, Poe said while looking at Larissa with a gentle glance. ¡°You seem to be a child who hides a lot of thoughts.¡± ¡°She is not feeling well.¡± I added the lie Igor had said earlier. ¡°It¡¯s not like an incurable disease of having to take medicine every day. She just got a big shock in her heart¡­ so she just needs a little care¡­ she¡¯ll be fine.¡± I have no idea how many years or decades it will take to get out of serious trauma. In the end, all I could believe was the ending of the original. ¡®In the end, she will live happily ever after marrying the prince.¡¯ It was like that in a fairy tale. So it won¡¯t take up to several decades. ¡®Perhaps what Larissa needs is the love of the prince.¡¯ As in the original, Grand Duke Laurent will cover it well. At least I wanted to believe so. ¡°Anyway, she¡¯ll get better soon if she meets the Grand Duke.¡± I added it as a joke. ¡°I¡¯ll help you get inside the Grand Duke¡¯s mansion when you get to the Dukedom.¡± The end of his voice trembled a little as if holding back laughter. ¡°Ha ha ha, thank you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not kidding, I¡¯ll really be there.¡± Huh? Did you hear the guess I made earlier? ¡®Are they people who work for the Grand Duke?¡¯ Chapter 13 ¡°You speak very easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in charge of a key job at the Grand Duke¡¯s mansion. I can make it through the front door.¡± Wow, I can relax. ¡®I wish that was true.¡¯ I only thought about going to the Laurent Dukedom, but I didn¡¯t really think about how to get inside or how to meet the grand duke. It is because I didn¡¯t have time to set up a plan properly. ¡°Then you two must have met the Grand Duke, who are you?¡± Then Poe looked at Arno. Arno replied, rolling his red eyes, stuttering a little. ¡°Well, who am I¡­ basically I am a good person.¡± ¡®Basically¡¯ a good person. Does he tend to be tricky with the people below? Then it turned out that there was one thing I was worried about. ¡°Did you often go on a trip with the Grand Duke and visited many villas that the Laurent family owns?¡± According to the original fairy tale, the prince met Larissa three years later while traveling near the Blick estate. It was purely a coincidence that the prince stopped by our mansion. Arno shook his head. ¡°Traveling isn¡¯t always fun, and it seems like it¡¯s been years since the Grand Duke hasn¡¯t been there. By the way, are you going to meet the Grand Duke without any plans?¡± ¡°I have a situation.¡± If you meet Larissa, you¡¯ll fall in love with her at first sight, so the game is over and it¡¯s a happy ending. I smiled lightly. Then Arno laughed again. What is so funny. ¡®By the way, it¡¯s amazing.¡¯ The Grand Duke seemed to be a person who doesn¡¯t enjoy traveling right now. So what happens in three years that he suddenly go on a trip? I looked out the window and fell in thought. * * * The scenery was beautiful. The train crossed a long forest. ¡°They are all hunting grounds owned by the Grand Duke. You cannot enter without permission.¡± Poe, who said so, added a small explanation afterward. In fact, no one dared to even think of getting permission, so it¡¯s actually a forest where almost no one enters. Other than that, we didn¡¯t have any more conversations. ¡®Since Arno entered the forest, he shut his mouth.¡¯ In the end, I spent time looking at the grocery store or sometimes looking to see if Larissa was okay. Arriving at Dieppe station, a carriage with a coat of crest of the Grand Duke was waiting for the two men. A red and white shield, two swords behind it, and a thorn vine surrounding the shield. It was the same picture I saw in a fairy tale book. ¡®You¡¯re going right!¡¯ I was secretly excited. For reference, the crest of the Blick family is truly simple, just boring wheat and barley. Arno and Poe silently put us in the Grand Duke¡¯s carriage. ¡®Oh my god, the carriage is also the best.¡¯ On a soft and fluffy cushion that had never been seen before, the two men sat with their dirt-covered clothes attached to them. Was it since then? The feeling that something is going wrong. After a while, the co-residence, which began to be seen from a distance, was huge compared to the Blick family mansion. Passing through the front door of such a mansion, the carriage moved without slowing down and went through several doors. ¡®Are these people higher than I think?¡¯ By the time I had such a thought, Arno opened his mouth. ¡°You are here, and welcome to Laurent Mansion.¡± Huh? Welcome? Before I even asking anything, he got off the carriage right away. Poe escorted us and helped us get out of the carriage. ¡®Ouch¡­¡¯ As I got off the carriage, I frowned a little because my leg was sore. ¡®I¡¯m still sick so I have to be careful.¡¯ Fortunately, Poe held my hand so I could stand on the ground well. After Arno confirmed that I and Larissa were coming down, he walked first and headed to the mansion building. But aren¡¯t the people waiting at the door bow down to Arno and say hello? Despite receiving such a greeting, he went inside with his head raised naturally. ¡®No, no way¡­¡¯ Arno isn¡¯t supposed to be the Grand Duke, right¡­? I closed my mouth with one hand. What I said on the train came to mind. ¡°¡­ because she will be His Majesty¡¯s fiancee in the future¡­¡± Is it why that Arno laughed so out loud? My head was full of confusion. ¡®Even though I thought that both were pseudonyms!¡¯ Then, Poe said to us. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside.¡± I have to go in and see it first, right? Under his guidance, I held Larissa¡¯s hand tightly and climbed the stairs at the entrance of the mansion. At the end of the stairs, an elderly man dressed neatly in a black suit stood waiting for us. ¡°Lady Marcia, Lady Larissa. Welcome to Laurent Mansion. You came to see His Majesty, right? I will guide you to the reception room.¡± Arno suddenly disappeared somewhere in the mansion and did not appear. I opened my eyes wide and looked around. ¡°¡­ is Arno the Grand Duke?¡± Poe bites his lips. His shoulders rattled. ¡°Hmm, excuse me, to answer the question¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No? Then, is it Poe?¡± ¡°¡­ you will find out soon. Follow the butler.¡± Poe took a step back with a weird face while holding back laughter. Now, the butler beckoned us with a stern expression. ¡°This way.¡± On the side I was facing, there was a staircase leading upstairs. It looked like the reception room was on this floor. On both sides of the red-carpeted staircase, marble sculptures boasted majesty. ¡®As expected, the level of wealth is different when it comes to being a grandmaster.¡¯ While walking around, I tried to follow the butler to move my feet, but my hands were somewhat empty. Looking back, Larissa was nailed in place without thinking of walking along. ¡°What happened?¡± As I quickly approached, Larissa was trembling with her face turned blue. The back of her hand was white, and her gaze was fixed somewhere. As I turned my head following Larissa¡¯s gaze, I saw a staircase leading downstairs. Someone was going up the stairs, and he was a blonde man. ¡®Oh my God.¡¯ Even I stopped at a moment. Is he Villain? The moment I took in my breath, I heard Larissa¡¯s heart. ¨C No. I hate it. I¡¯m scared. Don¡¯t hit me. Please stop, don¡¯t hit me. It hurts, it hurts¡­ A howling sound stabbed my head. As soon as Larissa saw a man who resembled Villain, the memory of the basement came to mind. I hurriedly squatted in front of Larissa and set the eye level, blocking her view with my face. ¡°No. Larissa, we are not going that way. Look at me.¡± Larissa¡¯s swaying eyes turned to me. Marcia does not usually go down to the basement room on her own, so I should be said to be fortunate. At least my face on her would not have to be remembered as the abuser. ¡°Larissa, I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll be with you. We¡¯ll go upstairs, not downstairs. There¡¯s someone we need to meet.¡± There is no whip there and no one to hit you. I said so only in my mind. If you say something like that, it might irritate this little child more. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Hold my hand. I will hold your hand tightly.¡± It took quite a while for Larissa to take my hand and start walking together. The butler waited without saying anything. Fortunately, the living room had a large window on one side. It was quite late, so the sunlight of the lowered sun came in through the window and filled the whole reception room. I secretly sighed with relief. ¡°Oh, look, it¡¯s a sunny place. Shall we sit in a chair over there?¡± I drew Larissa¡¯s attention as I treat my two-year-old nephew. ¡°His Majesty asked you two to wait. Would you like something to drink?¡± The butler waited for Larissa to sit down and he asked me politely. And soon after, hot tea and soft-sweet sweets were brought to the reception room. ¡®Is Arno really the Grand Duke?¡¯ I mean, he knew that we were running away, but why did he let us in without any prevention? With that thought, I looked back at Larissa who sat next to me. Larissa was still trembling and looking down only at her knees. After sighing, I picked up the snacks on the plate and ate a bite. ¡°Well! It¡¯s really good! Does it melt in my mouth? Ugh, it¡¯s delicious. Larissa, try some too.¡± Then I placed the cookie in Larissa¡¯s hand. After a while, Larissa¡¯s trembling stopped. She grabbed the cookie with both her hands and began to gnaw it a little by little as she noticed my gaze. Chapter 14 ¡®Phew. It¡¯s hard to feed a baby.¡¯ I poured the tea into Larissa¡¯s cup. ¡°Now, you must try to drink the tea.¡± Did you ever eat snacks or cookies while you were trapped? All I knew about Larissa was that she shed diamond tears. Because she inherited fairy blood. Our mother was a fairy. The mother passed away as soon as she gave birth to Larissa, so she had no memory of her mother. ¡®Even if she actually had a memory, it couldn¡¯t be a good memory.¡¯ Because Marcia¡¯s ability is to hear only the sound of pain, dissatisfaction, and anguish, I grew up resentful of the mother. ¡®That¡¯s probably the same for this kid¡­?¡¯ I drank my share of tea and looked at the side face of the pale Larissa. I didn¡¯t see any of the innocence as a child on that face. No, innocence wasn¡¯t the problem, she seemed like she wasn¡¯t even a human being because there was no expression at all. ¡®Poor kid¡­¡¯ I heard that the fairies shed tears of diamonds. It was a long time ago that the fairy became extinct because of human greed. ¡®The surviving fairies said they left the human world.¡¯ In fact, the tears that afflicted Larissa were evidence that she had inherited the darkest blood of the fairies. Thanks to that, this little child was repeating the lives of poor fairies. ¡®If we weren¡¯t related by fairy blood, we might have been very close to each other by now.¡¯ Then I heard a knock. Soon the butler came into the reception room. ¡°The Grand Duke has come.¡± I jumped up from my seat. It was finally the appearance of the prince who would save Larissa. It was two people who followed after the butler. One was a servant, who pushed in a wheelchair. My gaze naturally turned to the person sitting in the wheelchair. The person sitting in a wheelchair was an old man with gray hair. ¡®Ugh? An old man¡­?¡¯ I forgot the manners and only blinked my eyes with my mouth a little open. The stern-looking old man soon opened his mouth. ¡°Was it you who asked to see me?¡± ¡­ no way. ¡°The great¡­ Grand Duke? Are you the Grand Duke?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Why is everything I do like this? ¡®Crazy¡­ who is the writer?¡¯ What kind of fairy tale is this! Larissa is only 13 years old now! I screamed silently. ¡®It can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be! I¡¯m sure that I was possessing in a fairy tale¡­¡¯ Surely I saw Larissa¡¯s tears falling into diamonds with my own eyes! What am I thinking wrong? It is certain that the prince appears and saves Larissa. By the way, the prince of this country was a married man and even had a child with his mistress. ¡®Such a man can¡¯t be the ¡®Prince¡¯ of a fairy tale book.¡¯ Other than that, the only person with the title of Prince is Grand Duke of Laurent¡­ So, do you mean this grandfather really is Larissa¡¯s future husband? ¡®No. I can¡¯t allow it!¡¯ It is only 5 days since I¡ªnot Marcia, who lived in Marcia¡¯s body, became Larissa¡¯s older sister. But no matter how many days it has been, as her older sister, I can¡¯t let this marriage happen! The age difference is not eight, but eighty years old. It is not a fairy tale no matter where I look! ¡®I can¡¯t allow it, I can¡¯t!¡¯ No way the Grand Duke is such an old man. I looked straight at the old man in the wheelchair. He was definitely a handsome man, even though he was too old to stand on his legs. Although the face was full of wrinkles, the eyes were cool. His eyes were deep and his hands with thick joints were large. If it were fifty years ago¡ªno, even if he went back thirty years ago, he would have been the most handsome man in the empire. Well, yes, if you¡¯re a prince, that should happen. That¡¯s because age is the problem! ¡®¡­ however, it was clearly written on the family tree that he was twenty-one years old.¡¯ Is he a prince who has become an old man because of any curse? Maybe if he gets a kiss like a frog prince, he will return to his youthful and handsome appearance¡­? ¡°Well, curse¡­¡± I tried to ask if he was cursed but I quickly bite my mouth. No matter how much I can tell, I know how to tell apart what I can¡¯t say. ¡°Huh?¡± The Grand Duke raised one eyebrow. I once again confirmed with despair in the storm that struck me in my head. ¡°Grand Duke Fabian Laurent¡­?¡± ¡°What did you say? Fabian Laurent?¡± ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you?¡± I stuttered. The old man, who was thinking about something for a moment, said to the servant who was standing behind the wheelchair. ¡°Bring Fabian here.¡± The servant ran out of the reception room. The wet eyes peculiar to the old man looked at me sharply. ¡°He isn¡¯t a grand duke, it won¡¯t be until I die, but what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Oh, my name is Marcia Blick. She is my younger sister, Larissa Blick.¡± I hurriedly grabbed the hem of the dress with both hands and bowed my knees lightly to say hello. ¡°I brought the Young Master.¡± The servant quickly returned. I turned my head to the entrance of the reception room. There stood a young man who resembled an old man. Black coriander hair, red eyes, slightly wet. White and clean skin like white jade. He washed and changed his clothes, now he looks like a different person. A dazzlingly handsome man looked at me with a laughable smile. ¡°Arno!¡± Arno¡ªno, a man who was Arno replied in a calm manner. ¡°My full name is Fabian Laurent, but Arno is definitely one of my names. It¡¯s my childhood name. For my personal business that is not related to the Dukedom, I prefer using that nickname, Lady Marcia.¡± He called me Marcia, not Lady Blick. ¡®No, that¡¯s not the case!¡¯ Fabian Laurent, Fabian Laurent was Arno. Enlightenment passed as if I was hit by a lightning moment. ¡®Yes, this man was a real prince!¡¯ In the end, I came to the right place. A young grand duke who will turn twenty-four in three years. A man with the title of Prince, handsome, and wealthy. This man has the qualifications of a prince in a fairy tale. He just hasn¡¯t inherited the title yet. ¡®Because the former Grand Duke¡ªno, the present Grand Duke lives.¡¯ I soon realized what was the mistake I had made. When I looked at the nobles¡¯ directory, after seeing the death of Fabian¡¯s parents, I didn¡¯t know whether his grandfather was alive or dead. ¡®No, who would think his parents died and his grandfather would be alive?¡¯ But I should have checked thoroughly. Because there are a lot of such things in reality. ¡®Oh, you idiot.¡¯ I barely put up with wanting to squeeze my head off. Arno¡ªno, Fabian laughed and strode toward the wheelchair. ¡°Did you call me, Grandpa?¡± ¡°Come on Fabian, this is your guest.¡± The Grand Duke raised his hand. Then the servant quickly approached and began to push the wheel control. ¡°Excuse me first because I¡¯m tired, Lady Blick. Then, enjoy your time.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡± I nodded to the Grand Duke. I could feel Fabian laughing and watching me. As soon as the Grand Duke¡¯s wheelchair disappeared from view, I turned around and stared at him. ¡°Did you hide your real name on purpose?¡± ¡°I did.¡± He laughed and admitted softly. Hearing that we are going to the Grand Duke¡¯s mansion at the restaurant, you must have been interested. That¡¯s why you saw us back then. It must have looked very suspicious because two young girls said they were going to his house. Yeah, if it was me, I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to reveal my identity to strangers too. But why am I so angry? Though I was angry, I suppressed the feeling in my heart. ¡®Don¡¯t forget that this is in a fairy tale.¡¯ The prince and the beautiful girl who fell in love with each other at first sight will be happy forever now. That is the ending of the fairy tale, and I just pushed the ending a little earlier. Now it was time to hand over Larissa¡¯s hand to the prince. ¡®Then I can go live my life.¡¯ I looked back at Larissa, frozen and not moving, and then again looked at Fabian. ¡®Well¡­¡¯ ¡­ no matter how much I look at it, that face isn¡¯t the one in love. Chapter 15 He asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°When we were on the train, you were joking, right?¡± Yeah, I was joking, but¡­ How do I say that you will fall in love with Larissa in the future? Not the current Grand Duke, but you who will become the Grand Duke in the near future. I hesitated and did not answer properly. Then Fabian¡¯s eyes looking at me became cold little by little. All of a sudden, the atmosphere felt like when I first saw him in the restaurant. -Are you really trying to sell your little sister to my grandfather? Isn¡¯t that a bad joke? Oh, I heard it. I heard the voice of his heart. I was frustrated. It was the voice of Fabian¡¯s heart that I had never heard even after going through all sorts of things today. It sounds contemptuous to me. ¡®Is three years such a long time¡­?¡¯ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have come here. I should have fed Larissa for three years further, dressed her well, and play with her. But, it is already too late to regret it. I couldn¡¯t leave her in the basement after hearing her cry out in pain. ¡®But¡­ it¡¯s like this in the end.¡¯ I don¡¯t know anyone in this world. Still, I comforted myself. Because I came out with a bunch of jewels. There is nothing that cannot be done with money. ¡®But where are we going now?¡¯ When I was thinking about where I should run to, Fabian said quietly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hurt your leg? I will give you a room, so you can stay here for a few days.¡± ¡°¡­ pardon?¡± What? Why is this man suddenly friendly? How else did he know my leg is hurt? Fabian looked at me and frowned slightly. Oh, this handsome man had a grimace. ¡°I knew what your father had said was a lie. You can leave here if you want him to find and catch you right away.¡± It was a very kind offer for sending me a sound of contempt. ¡°How did you know he was lying?¡± ¡°I know that just by looking at him.¡± He answered as if he were affirming, then glanced at Larissa. He chuckled and lightly clicked his tongue. His facial muscles seemed to loosen a little. It was a gaze of compassion. ¡®¡­ oh hey.¡¯ It can start with compassion and become love. I felt the embers of hope come alive. But the hope just for a while. -What a pity child with such a strange older sister. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s not that I¡¯m weird, it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t read the original fairy tale! Fabian glanced at me as if he felt I was looking at him. He said with a hard expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not like I fell in love at first sight. When your leg healed, you can leave this place.¡± *** We were provided with everything from a sumptuous dinner and two interconnected bedrooms to a bathtub and a change of clothes. There was a separate bedroom, but Larissa didn¡¯t want to sleep alone, so I changed into my pajamas and went to sleep in Larissa¡¯s bedroom. We¡¯re not even close, but sleeping together in the same bed does seem like a good idea¡­? ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard today, Larissa. I was worried that we might end up staying homeless, but I¡¯m glad we were able to sleep comfortably in this bed. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course, there was no reply from Larissa, but I quietly said goodnight and closed my eyes. My body was tired, but I couldn¡¯t sleep easily. I kept thinking about the Grand Duke whom I had met for a while. ¡®Will the Grand Duke¡¯s seat be overtaken within the next three years?¡¯ The point is that after three years, Arno- no, Fabian will be the Grand Duke. What will happen to the present Grand Duke? ¡®¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ It¡¯s not like I can do anything though. I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep. I slept so long, it was already midnight when I woke up to noise from outside. Outside the bedroom, footsteps could be heard running around, and the whole house was in commotion. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ I rubbed my eyes and walked towards the door. Then, the sound of someone calling out from afar was faintly heard. ¡°Your Majesty the Grand Duke is in critical condition! Come on, bring the doctor!¡± The Grand Duke, who was sitting in the wheelchair? 2. The Perfect Wedding Present is Divorce Papers Fabian groaned and opened his eyes. ¡®Did I fall asleep?¡¯ He must have been dreaming a little while ago, but he can¡¯t remember at all. The only thing left was the unpleasant feeling at the end of the nightmare. He caught sight of the maid waiting by the bed, changing the ice pack on the Grand Duke¡¯s forehead. The doctor looked down at the Grand Duke with a serious expression on his face and was writing something in his notebook. ¡°Velleman, how is my grandfather¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°The seizures have stopped, but the fever is still severe. I just sent an assistant to bring my medicine box¡­ just¡­¡± The doctor shook his head slowly. ¡°If he has another seizure, then you will have to prepare your heart.¡± Fabian rubbed his face with one hand, feeling frustrated. Last night, the Grand Duke suddenly fell into a seizure and has been in a coma since then. Fabian ran right away, put his grandfather on the bed, and called the doctor. He stayed by his side all night, hoping his grandfather to wake up safely, but the doctor could not even find out the cause of the Grand Duke¡¯s fall and gave only basic treatment. The Grand Duke was also old, and the leg he had injured in his youth had deteriorated. But his health was not so bad that he suddenly collapsed like this. At least Fabian thought so. He kept thinking that someone might have written something. ¡®But there is no evidence.¡¯ In the end, all he could do was keep on the Grand Duke¡¯s side. The day began to slowly brighten, Fabian had to bring a pile of papers and start handling urgent tasks. He had been acting as the Grand Duke¡¯s deputy for quite some time, so he was able to handle it skillfully. He didn¡¯t even step out of the room and continued to watch the Grand Duke with one glance. In the afternoon, the butler appeared with not-so-pleasant news. ¡°Marchioness Conrad and Count Laurent are here.¡± ¡°My aunt and uncle?¡± Before Fabian could get up from his seat, the door to the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom opened. His sharp gaze turned to the doorway. ¡®It must be among them.¡¯ Those who tried to harm the Grand Duke. The current Grand Duke Frederick of Laurent had three children. The two most suspicious were Valerie and Dominic, excluding Fabian¡¯s father who passed away. Of course, their children could not be easily excluded from suspicion as well. Fabian watched his relatives come in with suspicion. No one greeted each other warmly. ¡°Oh, Mr. Velleman. It looks like my father just fell asleep. He¡¯s fine, right?¡± The middle-aged woman approaching the bed and making a fuss was the Marchioness Valerie Conrad, the daughter of the Grand Duke and Fabian¡¯s aunt. Following Valerie, a girl with her fine brown hair curled up and dressed beautifully came in. She was Valerie¡¯s daughter Heloise Conrad. Heloise didn¡¯t even look at the bed on which the Grand Duke was lying, but she approached Fabian straight away. ¡°How are you, Brother Fabian?¡± She greeted him with her rosy cheeks blushing. When she was 18, her beauty was rising. As if she knew it well, she wore a dress full of jewels to accentuate her beauty. At first glance, she did not look like a person visiting a patient. Before Fabian could respond to her greeting, a voice interrupted him. ¡°How did you come to our father¡¯s bedroom without me?¡± It was the Grand Duke¡¯s youngest son, Fabian¡¯s uncle, Count Dominic Laurent. Fabian furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°You are in front of someone who is ill. Please lower your voice.¡± Chapter 16 Dominic ignored Fabian and headed to the bed. ¡°Uncle Dominic always seems to be ignorant of politeness. I don¡¯t know how such a figure came from the historic House of Grand Duke Laurent.¡± Heloise patted the fan and whispered to Fabian. A strong perfume scent was carried by the fan, and Fabian turned his head and spoke to his aunt and uncle. ¡°How did you get here so quickly?¡± ¡°As soon as I heard the news last night, I went straight to the station. These days, it is easy to get on the train.¡± Valerie said mixedly annoyed. ¡°I thought I would run out of breath because I was in such a hurry.¡± Fabian grinned. ¡°How did you hear the news so soon?¡± It was Dominic who answered instead of Valerie. ¡°I am also the son of this family. There are plenty of people who reported to me about urgent news like this. Father is about to die, so shouldn¡¯t the one remaining son take care of this position?¡± It was an arrogant tone. But to Fabian, his intention was clearly visible. He must have rushed to get the inheritance. When the Grand Duke dies, they are the ones who will check the will before closing the coffin lid. ¡°Is that so?¡± Fabian smiled, raising one corner of his mouth. Dominic said, ¡°The old man who had been well cared for suddenly collapsed like this, didn¡¯t he get poison in his food?¡± ¡°Stop guessing useless things.¡± As Fabian hardened his face, Heloise quickly crossed her arms and intervened in a charming tone. ¡°Mother, uncle. Why would Brother Fabian do such a thing? If grandfather dies, uncle will become the Grand Duke anyway, so there¡¯s no point in Brother Fabian doing that.¡± Fabian frowned. Valerie rushed to grabbed Heloise and dragged her. ¡°Heloise, didn¡¯t I tell you not to go near a person who is not even a real noble? Since your socialite debut is over, now you are a full-fledged lady, so watch your words.¡± ¡°But mother, we are cousins??. My brother Fabian is offended.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even call him brother.¡± Fabian didn¡¯t even blink an eye even though he was talked about by the people in front of him as if they were ignoring him. Because it wasn¡¯t just once or twice. He just wondered if these annoying relatives would quickly shut up and be quiet. Valerie sat Heloise in the chair far away from Fabian and muttered in a passing tone. ¡°By the way, what about the will?¡± Dominic¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard those words. He said to the butler who was standing quietly in the corner. ¡°Butler, can I read the will now? It doesn¡¯t look like the old man will ever get back up so don¡¯t waste your time needlessly, reveal it quickly and drive out that bastard Fabian.¡± Dominic without hesitation called the Grand Duke an old man. His loud voice resounded in the bedroom. However, the butler¡¯s answer was different from Dominic¡¯s expectations. ¡°His Majesty the Grand Duke has recently rewritten his will. As usual, we cannot disclose the contents of the matter until it is confirmed that he has passed away.¡± In an instant, the room became quiet. Fabian was surprised as well. He, too, had no idea that the will was recently rewritten. At the time that people are speechless, the doctor who was watching the Grand Duke carefully exclaimed. ¡°Excuse me, when you¡¯re done, please leave this room. The same goes for Young Master Fabian. His Majesty the Grand Duke absolutely needs rest.¡± All the relatives went out, and Fabian was the last to get out of the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom. Outside the bedroom, a familiar man was waiting for him. ¡°Fortus.¡± When Fabian called, Poe, or Fortus, quickly approached. Fabian handed him a pile of papers. ¡°Please take care of this for now. I guess I¡¯ll have to go see my lovely relatives.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Fabian thanked him with a wink of his eyes. Just as he was about to go to the parlor, Fortus opened his mouth. ¡°I thought you were out of your mind so I didn¡¯t tell you, but I think you should know. Lady Blick asked for bandages and medicine, so I gave them away.¡± Fabian raised one of his eyebrows. Bandages and medicine? ¡°Is it for Lady Marcia? There was a slight lameness in her leg, but it didn¡¯t seem like a serious injury, or is it her sister?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t say who it was. She didn¡¯t even ask me to call the doctor but the amount of medicine and bandages she asked for was too much.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that unusual? What medicine did she ask for?¡± ¡°She asked for anything for trauma treatment.¡± Fabian wrinkled lightly between his eyebrows. Whether it was the older sister or the younger sister who was injured, it seems that they were seriously injured. You mean you got hurt overnight? ¡®Otherwise, you have been enduring the pain.¡¯ The reason you didn¡¯t ask for a doctor was probably that you heard that the life of the owner of this mansion was at stake. You must have guessed that all the medical staff would stick to prolonging the life of the Grand Duke. Fabian bit his tongue lightly and asked. ¡°Are there any other special items?¡± Fortus shook his head. ¡°According to the maids who took care of them, neither of the two girls came out of the guest room. The maids only brought bandages and medicine when they delivered breakfast to the room. There was no suspicious movement at all.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± For a moment, Fabian, who was suspicious of Marcia, frowned. In fact, he offered a bed to a stranger, out of pure goodwill but also out of suspicion. Marcia¡¯s words and actions were questionable and her purpose was also unclear. Rather than just sending her away, he tried to investigate her with his kindness as an excuse. But she is a woman who didn¡¯t even know who the Grand Duke was until yesterday. She had no way of being involved in this. ¡°Mr. Velleman will have a hard time. Tell him to call another doctor from outside.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°And do a follow-up just in case.¡± ¡°I have already sent someone.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± Fortus bowed his head lightly and backed away. Fabian also took a step back. But a man was standing in his way at the front of the hallway leading to the parlor. It was Richard Laurent. The son of his uncle Dominic, he had just turned fifteen, a handsome boy with black coriander hair and blue eyes. He must have inherited Laurent¡¯s blood thickly. His straight limbs and his height, despite being quite large for his age, were evidence of that. ¡°Hello? Those bright red eyes that don¡¯t even look like humans are still there.¡± Richard started talking while holding back his laughter. Fabian glanced at him once and ignored him. ¡°It still looks like a witch¡¯s child pretending to be a real grandson. If you have magical power or something, you can put it to good use for other things.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Richard scolded him on the back. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know your intention to obtain the title of Grand Duke which should belong to my father? It seems that you persuaded the old man to rewrite his will as well.¡± Fabian said without looking back. ¡°When you¡¯ve finished talking, shut your mouth and go in quietly and look at your grandfather¡¯s face one more time. In the future, there may not even be a chance.¡± Richard shrugged his shoulders, looking at Fabian¡¯s back as he strode forward and disappeared toward the parlor. *** Grand Duke Laurent did not make it through the night after all. He luckily fell asleep surrounded by his children and grandchildren, but no one worried or felt sorry for him. All attention was focused on who the next Grand Duke would be and how the inheritance would be distributed. ¡°The Will will be presented tomorrow morning by the family¡¯s lawyer.¡± At the butler¡¯s words, the relatives left the room. Fabian was the only one who had his heart warmed for a while as he looked down at the face of the deceased Grand Duke. He hated his grandfather for a long time, but at the same time, he realized that he had loved him. ¡®Grandpa, I am sorry, but I will become the Grand Duke at any cost and destroy this family.¡¯ He looked at the calm face of the deceased Grand Duke for a moment and then added words. ¡°Even if I get blood on my hands.¡± *** The next day, as soon as the family¡¯s lawyer arrived at the mansion, all the Laurents gathered in the Grand Duke¡¯s office. It was the place to announce the will of the deceased Grand Duke. Chapter 17 Valerie sat next to her daughter Heloise, fanning her face over and over again. Dominic¡¯s wife, Countess Emma Laurent, also occupied a seat. She was always not feeling well, and as soon as she arrived yesterday, she said she was tired and didn¡¯t even show her nose in the Grand Duke¡¯s bedroom. The son of Count Laurent, Richard, did not have the right to be here because he was not yet a legal adult, but he sat proudly between his parents. It was because his father, Dominic, insisted that he come into the office because he was the eldest son of the family. Fabian leaned against one wall and watched as his relatives were all seated in their chairs. All of his relatives, except for Heloise, were just nervous. ¡°It was a mistake to let him go to the academy in the first place. I thought he would never come back¡­¡± Dominic murmured. His eyes were on his wife, Emma, but he was actually talking to himself because Emma didn¡¯t listen to him. There were no problems a decade ago when Fabian was not accepted as a member of the Laurent family. But when he graduated from the academy and returned to the Laurent family, everything changed. There was no longer the Grand Duke scolding Fabian out loud, there was only a grandfather who took pride in everything his grandson did. All his relatives knew it. That¡¯s why everyone is paying attention. Dominic was nervous because he did not know what the contents of the new will would be. Fabian glanced at the lawyer. The family lawyer even brought the policeman and left him waiting outside the office. That made everyone more anxious. Soon the lawyer took an envelope out of his bag. He assured everyone that the wax seal that sealed the envelope belonged to the deceased Grand Duke had never been opened. Then he took the will from the envelope and began to read it. ¡°I, Frederick Laurent, the 17th Grand Duke of Laurent, hereby declare that this document is my last will. Everything was written before this document is null and void, and in this document I declare¡­ The lawyer¡¯s voice echoed through the office. The nervous faces of the Laurents stared intently at the paper the lawyer was holding. No one looked tired of the pouring legal terms. After a while, the reading of the will came to a part that everyone was curious about. ¡°¡­ The 18th Grand Duke¡¯s position is passed on to Fabian, the son of his eldest son Vie.¡± ¡°What!¡± Dominic cried out and stood up from his seat. It was because the previous will had his name in place of Fabian¡¯s for the position of the next Grand Duke. ¡°This is invalid! The nonsense of an old man with dementia¡­¡± ¡°Be quiet. I haven¡¯t read it all yet.¡± The lawyer put Dominic back in the chair in a word. Dominic wheezes and shuts his mouth tightly. ¡°However, only if Fabian gets married within one year of the issuance of this will, and the woman must be a noble. If this condition is not met, the position of the Grand Duke shall be succeeded by my second son, Dominic.¡± It was something no one could have guessed. Dominic threw the chair over and got up from his seat and looked at Fabian. His face turned red, and veins grew from his neck. ¡°You bastard, what have you done to my father! You are just a subject born of such a filthy bloodline, do you dare to look over the position of a Grand Duke and even a noblewoman?¡± The lawyer warned Dominic with a tired voice as if he knew this. ¡°Count Laurent, if you wake up one more time, I will call the police out the door. If you want to listen to the end, please sit still.¡± But the lawyer¡¯s warning was to no avail. Even before calling the police, Dominic swung his fist at Fabian. Fabian avoided Dominic¡¯s fist. A giant fist grazed Fabian¡¯s hair and went into the piece of furniture behind him. There is a hole in the old-fashioned furniture. ¡°You bastard!¡± Dominic, who had only broken the furniture, looked back at him, shaking his bloody fists. Far from stopping his own father, Richard was laughing aloud from a few steps away. Heloise watched as she sat still. With a smile on her lips, she said, ¡°I have a good idea. If you marry me, everything will be resolved, Brother Fabian.¡± ¡°What, what did you mean, Heloise!¡± This time Valerie raised her voice. ¡°I have no intention of marrying you off to a half-nobleman! And you two are cousins!¡± ¡°But, for nobles, marriage between cousins isn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary. Besides, is there anyone else suitable beside me?¡± Heloise smiled at her mother and looked at Fabian. ¡°The only daughter of the Marchioness of Conrad is perfectly suited to be the future Grand Duchess. Later, your grandson will take over the title of Grand Duke, mother.¡± Valerie seemed to be speechless for a moment. Her anger was poured out on Fabian, not on her daughter. ¡°Nephew, you must be careful with your life. Don¡¯t think I will leave it alone.¡± ¡°Of course, Aunt Valerie. That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± It was Richard who answered Valerie¡¯s threats. He was sitting in an arrogant position, with his legs crossed and one of his arms placed on the backrest at an angle, looking this way. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be enough if Brother Fabian can¡¯t get married for the next year? If she were a sane noblewoman, it would be an insult for her to have an affair with a witch¡¯s child.¡± A smirk appeared on Richard¡¯s face. Heloise turned around and looked at him. ¡°Do you dare say to me now that I am crazy, Richard?¡± ¡°Ha, were you serious then? Now, are you going to embarrass not only the Laurent family but also the Conrad family?¡± The inside of the Grand Duke¡¯s office became a mess with swearing and intimidation. Fabian put one hand on his forehead. He didn¡¯t know that he would not be able to hear all of his grandfather¡¯s will. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the most important part. Send me a copy of the will later, and I¡¯ll read it slowly.¡± Fabian left the office. ¡®In just three years¡­¡¯ It was only three years that Fabian entered the Laurent estate and lived with his grandfather. Those three years have changed the stubborn Grand Duke to the point of writing a new will. He was about to win the grand duke¡¯s seat, even if he had blood on his hands anyway. ¡®¡­ but what about marriage?¡¯ The condition that he must marry a noblewoman. Blood was Fabian¡¯s only weakness. His father was the eldest son of the Grand Duke, but his mother was a commoner without a family, let alone aristocrats. No, it was not just a commoner. His mother was a so-called witch. A witch who disturbs the minds of good people with her special magic. There¡¯s no nobleman who wanted to marry off his daughter to a man who had inherited the blood of a witch. Even more so, the deceased Grand Duke had left a command to marry a noblewoman in his will. He hoped that the troubled grandson would marry a powerful family and consolidate his position as grand duke. Fabian wiped his face down with one hand. ¡®First of all, whoever it is, I have to get married.¡¯ He was given a chance to get what he wanted without seeing blood. Of course, he had no intention of marrying his cousin. He felt uncomfortable in his stomach just thinking about Heloise. ¡®It is better to avoid annoying things in the first place.¡¯ As he was walking down the hallway in thought, he suddenly stopped and saw that he was standing in front of the portrait of the Grand Duke. Fabian looked up at the portrait of the Grand Duke in his youth. Next to him were several portraits of his brothers, all of whom had been slain at the hands of the Grand Duke. Frederick also had a history of killing his brothers in order to gain the position of Grand Duke. ¡®Do not be hostile to each other, and marry quietly.¡¯ Guessing his grandfather¡¯s obvious intentions, Fabian ridiculed him. ¡®Grand Duke, I have no intention of obeying your will. What should I do?¡¯ He wanted to become the Grand Duke, but he didn¡¯t want to continue this damn family. He wanted to make the Grand Duchess have scandals. His purpose was to defile that noble lineage. Fabian stood for a moment before the portrait of the Grand Duke, then he bowed his head slightly and returned to his study. Soon, Fortus appeared in his study. ¡°Did you call?¡± ¡°My grandfather told me to sit on the throne of the Grand Duke.¡± At the shocking words that came out at first, Fortus swallowed his saliva. He also knew roughly the contents of the previous will. After a moment of silence, he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a natural result. Count Dominic is hot-tempered and dull, so he¡¯s not a good fit for a Grand Duke.¡± ¡°There is a condition attached.¡± ¡°A condition?¡± ¡°He told me to marry a noblewoman within a year.¡± Fortus also quickly guessed the intentions of the Grand Duke. A smile appeared on his lips. ¡°Then you should do it.¡± Chapter 18 ¡°Right.¡± Fabian smiled bitterly. He leaned against the armrest of the chair and spoke helplessly. ¡°I need to find a woman who wants to marry me. A woman with just a noble descent. No title required.¡± Fabian thought for a moment, then corrected his words. ¡°No, I¡¯d rather like a weak and penniless noblewoman.¡± Fortus furrowed his eyebrows and pushed up his glasses. ¡°It will be a little difficult.¡± ¡°Yeah. Uncle Dominic won¡¯t sit still. But I need to find a woman to be the Grand Duchess at all costs. As soon as possible.¡± At Fabian¡¯s words, Fortus kept his mouth shut. He rolled his eyes for a moment and thought about something, then said with a grin. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a woman with the condition you mentioned earlier?¡± Fabian widened his eyes. ¡°Who? Oh¡­!¡± The woman who claimed that the Grand Duke would fall in love with her sister at first sight was now staying in this mansion. ¡°Because there is a surname called Blick, she must be a noblewoman.¡± Fabian remembered her sister, who hastily hid in the dining room. ¡°¡­ she seems to have run away from home after being abused, and she has nowhere to go, and she is interested in the position of the Grand Duchess.¡± Fabian muttered softly in thought. *** I was sitting in front of the mirror drying Larissa¡¯s wet hair with a towel. Through the mirror, Larissa¡¯s face that looked exactly like mine was reflected. Both were so beautiful that I was ecstatic to see them. But Larissa¡¯s eyes stared into the air without focus. I carefully wrapped her fine silver hair that came down to her waist and dried it well with several towels to avoid catching a cold. And I continued to talk to her. Although it was one-sided, it was not bad to chat like this and have someone to take care of. It¡¯s boring because I¡¯m just in the room. From this morning on, I washed Larissa¡¯s face and washed her hair as if washing my two-year-old nephew. ¡°How are you, Larissa? Don¡¯t you feel good? If you get better soon, you can do more fun things.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know how good it is to soak yourself in a warm bath? Sometimes I fall asleep when I get tired.¡± The truth is unknown because she does not speak, but if I dare to guess, Larissa would never have been in a large bathtub before. I can¡¯t even imagine that Igor or Villain would go down to the basement with warm bathwater. In addition, there were too many wounds on Larissa¡¯s body. Once a wound is formed, it must not come into contact with water until it has healed. Of course, a bath would have been even more difficult because another wound would have formed on it before it healed. ¡®Come to think of it, yesterday the doctor treated Larissa¡¯s wound quite suspiciously.¡¯ When I asked for bandages and medicine to take care of Larissa¡¯s wounds, the maid sent a doctor to me instead. Still, it said that the owner of the house was in critical condition, so I was very careful to ask for medicine. I decided to thank him for his kindness. When the doctor pulled off Larissa¡¯s clothes saying he was going to look at the wounds, it wasn¡¯t just the doctor who was surprised. So did I. I guessed that the bottom of the clothes would be full of scars, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this much. The night before I escaped, Larissa¡¯s clothes were covered with bandages by the nanny. Even the bandage was stained with blood from the wound. Carefully removing the bandages, I could only see the scars covering her small body. Shocked, the doctor asked me. ¡°¡­ is she a slave? It¡¯s a shame. Are you aware that slavery was outlawed?¡± ¡°No. This is my younger sister.¡± ¡°But no matter how you look at it, it¡¯s a beating mark¡­¡± The doctor took turns looking at me and Larissa with a suspicious look. I just didn¡¯t say anything. Only Larissa was calm. She reflexively flinched whenever the medicine touched her, but she showed no other reaction. After the treatment, the doctor urged me to never let the water come into contact with her wounds. He said he would come every day and take care of the wounds. I made an appointment with Larissa yesterday as soon as the doctor left. ¡°I¡¯ll wash your hair until you get better. Even if you can¡¯t take a bath for a while, you¡¯ll be fine to wipe your skin with a warm wet towel when you get better.¡± Since then, Larissa has been completely kept out of the water. ¡°Come here. If you sit by the window and brush your hair while in the sun, it¡¯ll be dry soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Getting in the sun every day is very important. Vitamin D is also necessary for your body, and it makes you feel much better. When you are depressed, you should do something like this.¡± It was the first time in my life that I talked to myself so much. I sat Larissa on the sofa by the window and stood behind her, then started brushing her hair slowly. The moist hair was really soft like silk. The more I combed her shiny silver hair, the more ecstatic I felt. ¡®How can your hair look so good?¡¯ From now on, I will have to get her in the sun every day and take care of her diet. At some point, I was lost in thought and my hand slowed down little by little. ¡®I thought that if I met the Grand Duke, everything would be solved in an instant¡­¡¯ The very night we came here, the Grand Duke suddenly became in critical condition. And the next day, that is yesterday, he passed away. ¡®What if I escaped only a day late?¡¯ Because of the sudden death of the Grand Duke, the whole mansion must have been in chaos. It was really good until I came here a day early to find out who the prince in the fairy tale was and to get lucky enough to stay for a while. Although I stumbled a bit in the middle. But who would have known that the Grand Duke would lose his life the very next day? No one explained the situation to us, but I heard the voice coming from outside and knew that the Grand Duke had passed away. And at the same time, I gave up on winning Fabian¡¯s heart. Who in the world is enjoying a romantic relationship after his grandfather has passed away? ¡°You know, Larissa. Maybe I was wrong. I thought you¡¯d be happy right away if you just came here.¡± I said softly as I slowly combed Larissa¡¯s hair. Larissa¡¯s hair shimmered in the sunlight. Her hair was almost dry now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. I¡¯ll take care of you until you become an adult.¡± If she had been locked up in the basement, she would have met the prince three years later, when she was a 16-year-old. It¡¯s not just meeting the prince. The prince executes all of the family members who know the secret of Larissa. ¡®But since we ran away before Larissa met the prince, Igor and Villain will surely chase after us even to the end of the world to find Larissa.¡¯ Everything got complicated because of me. ¡®So I have to take responsibility.¡¯ When I thought of Igor and Villain, goosebumps appeared on my back. I quickly brushed Larissa¡¯s hair again and said in a bright voice. ¡°I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll find us here. Let¡¯s go somewhere far away. Is there any place you¡¯d like to visit?¡± Larissa still did not answer. Then I heard a knock. ¡®Who is it? Is it time for the doctor to come?¡¯ I laid down the comb and went to open the door. It was Fabian standing outside the door. ¡°Excuse me. Can I come in for a moment?¡± At the unexpected visit, I nodded in embarrassment. Fabian¡¯s expression as he entered the room was unexpectedly calm. After a few days of hardship, his face looked a little bad, but that was all. ¡°Lady Blick, how is your injury?¡± Before I could even say condolences to his grandfather, he asked how I was doing. ¡°Thank you for sending a doctor even though you may be having a hard time¡­ also we have heard of it. You must be heartbroken. We would like to express our condolences.¡± I bowed lightly. It was a sign of gratitude and condolences. ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± Fabian also bowed his head. When he looked up after a while, his expression had changed somehow. He looked like he had a tense expression on his face. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Is there anything? He didn¡¯t seem to have come to check on my well-being, but as if he had come to say something. Sure enough, he asked me in a cautious tone. ¡°I have something to tell you, would you mind?¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°It is difficult to talk about here. Can we move to another place?¡± Chapter 19 Is this something Larissa shouldn¡¯t have heard of? I glanced back. Larissa¡¯s gaze was blank as she sat by the window and looked out. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, can we go to the next room? I don¡¯t want to be far from my sister.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Leaving Larissa alone was a bit unsettling, but I was only in the next room connected to the door, so I thought it would be fine. I approached Larissa and said briefly, ¡°Larissa, I have to talk to him for a while, so I¡¯ll go to the next room. Nothing will happen, but if you are still anxious or if something happens, you can come to the next room right away. Okay?¡± Larissa was motionless, but I was sure she heard me. ¡®Will there come a day when we can communicate in two ways?¡¯ After staring at Larissa for a moment, I walked over to the next room. Fabian also came along. He carefully closed the door between the two rooms. ¡®What the hell are you going to talk about?¡¯ I have a somewhat ominous feeling¡­¡­ I asked carefully, ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Fabian was standing only three or four steps from me, looking down at me. I¡¯m not short either, but Fabian is really tall. He stood so close that I had to raise my head to see his face. ¡®Huh? His face is going down¡­¡­?¡¯ My gaze that had been looking into his eyes went down at the same time. Fabian is kneeling before me! An ominous feeling ran down my spine as if I had been electrocuted. ¡®No way, this is¡­¡­¡¯ I froze. As far as I know, there is only one thing for a man of high rank to kneel on one knee to a woman of lower rank than him. ¡°Lady Blick, will you¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± I almost screamed out loud. No, this is not. Your partner is not me, but Larissa! Fabian knelt down on one knee and burst out laughing. ¡°You haven¡¯t even heard to the end.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear it to the end.¡± Now is that the problem? You chose the wrong person to propose! ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be the Grand Duchess?¡± ¡°No. Not at all!¡± I never thought of putting myself there in the first place, and I¡¯m not a fairy-tale-person enough to make up my mind to marry a man I¡¯ve only met for three days. I admit that he is terribly handsome. And have a lot of money¡­ I shook my head vigorously. And I said firmly. Fabian stared at me for a moment, then got up and stood up. ¡°I need a wife right now. Whatever your conditions, I will grant you all. You will become the only Grand Duchess in this country.¡± Fabian¡¯s eyes as he spoke those words as if he were nervous, had disappeared. I think this is more of a businessman¡¯s tone than a shy young man applying for marriage? ¡®Are we going to negotiate now?¡¯ I folded my arms. ¡°Conditions? It doesn¡¯t seem like the right attitude to propose. And it seems like it doesn¡¯t have to be me. If you¡¯re in such a hurry, how about looking for someone else?¡± ¡°You are free to spend as much money as you like. You can indulge in luxury you can¡¯t even imagine. You can do whatever you want.¡± Fabian¡¯s lips curled up lightly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if the Grand Duchess¡¯s name is defiled.¡± His tone sounded more like he was asking me to do whatever I wanted than to take responsibility for my position. However, I was not interested at all. All I want is that my neck is still attached to my body even after three years. ¡®Above all else, it is the man in front of me who is killing me after marrying Larissa.¡¯ So from now on, I¡¯m trying to look good to Larissa as much as possible, but don¡¯t try to fish me with your money! ¡°I have enough money to live on my own.¡± I said coldly. Then Fabian raised both hands lightly. ¡°Sure. I give up. Can I tell you about my situation instead?¡± I thought for a moment and then nodded. Let¡¯s hear what the heck is and why the ¡®prince¡¯ comes to me and proposes to me as soon as the Grand Duke leaves this world. ¡°The will of the Grand Duke was announced this morning. To put it simply, I will become the next Grand Duke as long as I meet one condition.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to be marriage?¡± ¡°Yes. All I need is a woman of noble descent. We have to get married within a year from today.¡± ¡°What if I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°The position of Grand Duke passes to my uncle.¡± I opened my mouth. It is my first time hearing about it. ¡®Wait, if someone else can become the Grand Duke¡­¡¯ The prince may not be Fabian, can he? ¡°Uncle?¡± ¡°Count Dominic Laurent, the second son of the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Excuse me, but how old is he?¡± Fabian laughed at my question. He answered exactly what I wanted to know. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be¡­ forty-one this year. By the way, he got married a long time ago, and he has a son who will come of age next year.¡± Wait a minute. This is not! A married man with a child is far away from the prince¡¯s conditions. ¡®Then again, is the prince is Fabian?¡¯ Oh, wait. There were other possibilities. If this man in front of me can¡¯t get married, so a year later, a man named Uncle becomes a great prince, and if something happens within two years after that, and the Uncle loses his life¡­ ¡®Will the uncle¡¯s son who is Fabian¡¯s cousin, will soon come of age and take over the Grand Duke¡¯s position?¡¯ Three years later, Larissa is 16, and Fabian¡¯s cousin is 18. ¡®Isn¡¯t this enough for a prince in a fairy tale?¡¯ After thinking about it, I raised my eyes and looked at the man standing in front of me. ¡®There is no way a man who looks like that can¡¯t get married.¡¯ It looks like my heart will melt just by making eye contact. Not only was he handsome, but he was also young and wealthy, and he had a very high level of status. However, if Fabian got married within a year from now, that was a problem. The age to get married is from the age of 16. ¡®But Larissa isn¡¯t even an adult yet.¡¯ Finding a fairy tale prince for Larissa is so difficult. I sighed. ¡°Why the hell is it me? Isn¡¯t it easy to marry anyone if you put your mind to it? Our family is a noble with no titles.¡± Fabian smiled at the desperate words I spit out. ¡°That¡¯s the point. That¡¯s what I liked the most. As I said before. It is okay to defile the name of the Grand Duchess, I do not want a girl of a strong family.¡± Fabian¡¯s eyes looked particularly red. It fluttered bright red like a ruby, like a flame. It was a seductive color. ¡°Anything. You can do whatever you want.¡± I swallowed dry saliva without realizing it. I could roughly guess what he couldn¡¯t say. He wants to make sure his family is in his hands. In the process, the wife¡¯s family with strong powers only gets in the way. ¡®So, marriage is just a waste of energy for him.¡¯ It¡¯s just a means to becoming a Grand Duke. And then I was just lucky to be there. If marriage was a means to him, so if I was the right person for him, there were at least one means that I could become. I looked straight into his eyes and asked, ¡°Then how about a divorce? Can I do that too?¡± Larissa will be able to get married in three years. However, Fabian should be married within a year. Then, getting married to someone temporarily and then getting a divorce can be one way, right? Fabian didn¡¯t raise an eyebrow at my bold question. ¡°If necessary, I will sign the divorce papers in advance. You can use it whenever you want.¡± ¡°Really? Anytime I want?¡± ¡°Yes, but not for one year. There is a condition in the will that the marriage must be maintained for at least one year.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that part, because I plan to keep it for three years. If only I did.¡± I am sure this world is inside the fairy tale book I read. Because the Larissa I saw was no different from the female heroine in the fairy tale book. A girl who has spent her whole life being trapped in the basement as her tears turn into diamonds. Therefore, if Fabian was the prince of this world, it could not be that he did not fall in love with Larissa. It¡¯s the same as the original development. ¡®But I ditched the original a bit.¡¯ I want to survive. And I feel sorry for Larissa. Chapter 20 Of course, I had no regrets about it. Fabian and Larissa met three years earlier because the storyline and development were different, so maybe Fabian may not be in love with Larissa later. Then, even if I divorced him, he might not have married Larissa. I thought so while biting my lip. ¡®I don¡¯t mind it.¡¯ Three years. If I take good care of Larissa during that time, she will recover a lot. And as the Grand Duchess, I can save up a fortune, get everything after the divorce and leave this mansion with Larissa. It is difficult for two people to make a living with just the jewels I have now, but if I keep money diligently while living as the Grand Duchess, I will be able to live without any problems for the rest of my life. Maybe I could hire an escort to protect Larissa from Igor and Villain. ¡®If Larissa doesn¡¯t want to live with me, I¡¯ll give her enough of the fortune that I¡¯ve accumulated over the years.¡¯ Of course, it would be great if Larissa married Fabian after my divorce. Larissa is happy to be married to her prince, and I will be happy because of the wealth I have accumulated. ¡®It¡¯s an ending that makes everyone happy.¡¯ Either way, I can survive. ¡°There is one more thing I want to tell you.¡± Suddenly, I heard Fabian¡¯s low voice, and I stopped thinking and looked up at him. ¡°It¡¯s about my ancestry.¡± Fabian spoke calmly about his ancestry. The explanation was brief, but the content was quite shocking. Although he inherited the blood of the Grand Duke, he was not a perfect noble. That his mother was a commoner, and that she was a witch, not an ordinary commoner. ¡°The color of my eyes is proof of that. Red eyes are witch eyes.¡± He said while tapping his finger around his eyes. His red eyes were filled with emotions that were difficult to describe. If his mother was a witch, then maybe she should be burned at the stake¡­? I remembered the aristocratic directory I had seen before. Both Fabian¡¯s parents were supposed to have died at a fairly young age. I don¡¯t know about his father, but maybe his mother¡¯s life didn¡¯t end well. The fact that the blood of a witch is revealed in his eyes that cannot be dyed or covered up¡­ ¡®It must have been hard.¡¯ He grew up surrounded by enemies. I understand why there was a cold and scary atmosphere. ¡®Just as Marcia, who grew up listening to all kinds of swearing and complaints, became a villainess in Blick¡¯s mansion.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s why you came to me.¡± What Fabian had said earlier made sense. Those obsessed with a pedigree will not want to recognize Fabian as Grand Duke. As soon as the will was announced, he came to me right away and proposed to me. After the contents of the will spread to the people, if he marries a powerful family, he may become involved in the family over bloodline issues. ¡°Give me time to think.¡± ¡°All right. I will come back tomorrow at this time.¡± He nodded lightly and left the room. I stood there with my arms crossed and pondered. I was still not sure if he was the prince in the fairy tale. ¡®If it was just based on his face, I¡¯d be sure.¡¯ I sighed and crossed over to the next room. Whether Larissa understands or not, I have to tell her what happened. Larissa was sitting on the sofa in the same posture I had brushed her hair earlier, staring blankly into the air. Larissa was sitting there doing nothing while I was talking with Fabian. ¡®What is this child thinking?¡¯ I don¡¯t know why my two-year-old nephew, who never stood still, keeps overlapping with Larissa. ¡®Even though there is no resemblance at all.¡¯ I sighed and sat across from Larissa. ¡°You know, Larissa, do you know what just happened in that room?¡± Larissa stayed still with her eyes closed. I started explaining slowly from the beginning. ¡°Did I say that I had to bring you to the House of Grand Duke Laurent, uhm¡­¡­it was because I had a foresight?¡± Sorry, Larissa. Even so, I don¡¯t have the courage to tell you that you are an artificial fairy tale heroine, sob sob. By the way, I thought seeing it in a dream would be the best, so I said so. ¡°¡­¡­and that¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking of getting a divorce when you become an adult¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡­¡± Oh my gosh, that was absolutely ridiculous even when I heard it. ¡°Larissa, what do you think of Fabian? Did you feel something the first time you saw him? In my dream, you two fell in love at first sight as soon as you saw each other.¡± I looked into Larissa¡¯s green eyes that looked just like mine. She clenched her fists and placed them on her lap, lifted her head, and looked at me. His eyes shook for a moment and then she looked down again. ¡®It seems that Fabian is not the only one who did not fall in love at first sight.¡¯ Looking at Larissa¡¯s reaction, it was hard to think that she probably liked him. ¡°I won¡¯t do it if you don¡¯t like it. Then we can just stay here for a few days and then run away to another place.¡± Just in case you don¡¯t know, you might be able to come back to this mansion again in three years. I got up from my chair and moved closer slowly so as not to irritate Larissa. I crouched in front of Larissa, looked at her face, continued my speech. With sincerity. ¡°If you like it, maybe I¡¯ll accept the proposal. Of course, in three years, when you become an adult, I¡¯ll divorce him, and that is my opinion. But considering your future, it is hard to find a better place than Laurent estate.¡± I really think so. If you leave here with me, you will not be as wealthy as living here. I will have to work whatever it takes to make a living for the two of us. But here, I only have to worry about getting a divorce safely. ¡®The Laurent duchy is the wealthiest and most powerful family right after the royal family.¡¯ Until the divorce, Larissa just has to live comfortably as the Grand Duchess¡¯s little sister. I couldn¡¯t think of any better conditions than this. But Larissa did not answer. I stared at that expressionless face for a while, then sighed and looked down. At that time, Larissa¡¯s hand reached the end of my gaze. Two hands clenched into her fists, resting on her knees. I thought she was empty-handed, but upon closer inspection, Larissa was holding something in her hand. When I looked at the slightly protruding ends, it looked like a piece of cloth. I glanced at Larissa¡¯s hand. ¡°What is it?¡± Then Larissa was startled and pulled both of her hands to her chest. She seemed to shudder for fear of getting beaten up. The piece of cloth that could be seen between her fingers was covered with dust. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but it is dirty. Can you give me this? I will wash it clean.¡± As I reached out my hand, Larissa¡¯s eyes fluttered. I said cautiously, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to take it away. I won¡¯t leave it to the maid or anyone else. There is a water fountain in the room, so I can wash it myself with soap. You can stand next to me and watch it.¡± Larissa looked at my hand and stayed still for a while. Is it something that doesn¡¯t matter if it gets dirty or is it something you don¡¯t want others to know about? ¡®Then I can¡¯t do it.¡¯ I don¡¯t really want to force anything. I took the outstretched hand. I was just about to give up and get up. Larissa slowly lowered her hands with a gesture of caution as if hesitating. Laying on the two small palms was a wrinkled handkerchief that had been clenched for a long time. The edges were dirty with dust, and there was small debris on the inside. ¡°Ah, this is¡­¡­¡± I took a breath. That¡¯s¡­¡­it was my handkerchief. The handkerchief that I used to carry some ginger cookies when I went down to the basement to convince Larissa the night before we escaped. That day, I said to Larissa, ¡®Don¡¯t you want to get out of this basement?¡¯ Chapter 21 After waiting for a while, Larissa didn¡¯t even move, let alone answer. So I just did what I was thinking. ¡®I will leave the mansion early tomorrow morning and never come back. If Larissa wants to go with me, there is only one way.¡¯ I glanced around the heavy iron gate. When I returned to my room after a while, I purposely didn¡¯t lock the basement door. ¡®Come out at dawn. Go through the two doors and go up the stairs, and you¡¯ll find a large bag in the corner. Go inside and hide. No matter what, never say anything. Can you do it?¡¯ Still, Larissa did not move. She just stared at me with her round eyes. ¡®Oh, if you really want to take something, you can bring one or two.¡¯ I said so. Although it was old and worn out in the basement, there were quite a few things. Among them, there must have been something that she loved. ¡®But Larissa didn¡¯t come out with anything¡­¡­¡¯ Larissa had to hold her breath for hours, barely crumpling herself in a bag and not knowing where she was going. From inside of the bag until today, what Larissa had been holding in her hand for three days was the handkerchief that contained the cookies I had given her. It was the only thing she brought out of the basement that dominated Larissa¡¯s entire short life. The dirt on the edges must have come from walking out of the bag to the nearby village. ¡®Because we walked on a dirt road for a long time.¡¯ She was on the road following a person called older sister, whom she did not know well. As she walked holding the hand of an unknown person, she risked her life for the warmth of just a few pieces of sweets. My throat got hot. Did you eat all the gingerbread that night? Or leave some to eat while in the bag? In the stuffy room without a single ray of light, did Larisa smell the sweet smell of gingerbread leftover in the handkerchief? I realized then. How courageous this little girl was. And how much she depended on me. This child risked her life while escaping from that hellish cellar. ¡°Larissa¡­¡­!¡± Larissa in front of me was not just a pretty fairy tale character. She was a self-willed, living person. My eyes were hot. I blinked my eyes, holding back the moment I wanted to hug Larissa. Instead, I reached out and gently grabbed Larissa¡¯s hands. Larissa¡¯s shoulders shrugged again, but she didn¡¯t pull my hand away. Until now, Larissa¡¯s face had only been expressionless or frightened. She didn¡¯t even say a single word. But I felt like I had finally heard Larissa¡¯s voice. The two small hands that fit snugly into my hands were very warm. ¡®No matter what happens, I will protect you.¡¯ So that there will never be another person who exploits you and squeezes your tears again. I let go of my hand and took the handkerchief from Larissa. I stood up and held out my hand. ¡°Come here, Larissa. I¡¯ll show you how to wash a handkerchief. It doesn¡¯t take long.¡± Larissa took turns looking at my handkerchief and face over and over, and finally took my hand. We headed to the bathroom together. *** Fabian came the next day at the same time as promised. We moved to the next room just like yesterday. I said bluntly, ¡°I will accept the offer. Instead, I have conditions.¡± I handed him a piece of paper. I wrote this after thinking all night long. ¡º ¨C Never make Larissa cry. ¨C Be sure to keep Larissa and not reveal her whereabouts to other family members, both Blick and Laurent. ¨C Do not touch Marcia¡¯s body. ¨C If you ask for a divorce, do it immediately. ¨C Even if you get a divorce, you won¡¯t hurt Larissa and Marcia. ¡» Fabian¡¯s expression as he took the paper became strange. It was neither a smiling nor an absurd expression, but it was a subtle expression somewhere in the middle. ¡°There are more entries for Miss Larissa.¡± ¡°I wrote the most important thing.¡± Actually, I wanted to add one more condition. ¡®After divorce from Marcia, Fabian will marry Larissa.¡¯ I thought about it until the very end and finally decided to take it out. ¡®Just in case Larissa may not like Fabian.¡¯ I said while raising my chin up and looking straight into Fabian¡¯s eyes. ¡°If what is written here is not followed, I will get a divorce right away, whether it¡¯s after a year or not.¡± Then Fabian won¡¯t be able to maintain the Grand Duke position. ¡°What if it was made into a contract? How about it? If there is a condition that you want, please write it below.¡± Fabian looked at me for a moment, then looked down at the paper again. He seemed to re-read what I had written several times, and soon he picked up a fountain pen and began to write. He added only two lines. ¡º ¨C If all of the above are met, Marcia must remain married for at least one year. ¨C Act as the Grand Duchess who shows no intelligence. ¡» Are you saying that it really doesn¡¯t matter? ¡®It seems to be true that it doesn¡¯t matter if his family¡¯s name is tarnished.¡¯ Fabian looked down at the contract and opened his mouth. ¡°I have one more thing to tell you. I have no intention of having children in the future. I¡¯m thinking of taking a clever kid from outside and adopting him.¡± He pointed out one part of the contract. That¡¯s what I wrote. ¡º ¨C Do not touch Marcia¡¯s body. ¡» ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry about this. One of my goals is to end the lineage of the Grand Duke.¡± I looked up at Fabian. He must have been the prince from the fairy tale who was just plain and dignified. He is seemingly perfect, but he has an inside that is unknown somewhere. That is why fairy tales are written short and concise. Because if the characters¡¯ inner circumstances seem absurd, it can¡¯t be a fairy tale anymore. Because it¡¯s not a story worth reading to children. ¡®Whether in a fairy tale or not, it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡¯ I will survive. With Larissa. ¡®Larissa, this older sister is taking care of your husband and I will return him to you someday.¡¯ Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t touch a single finger of him. ¡°All right. I accept it.¡± Then Fabian looked down at the contract and raised his head. He made eye contact with mine and slowly knelt down on one of his knees. Then he pulled out a small box from his pocket. ¡°Lady Marcia Blick.¡± He called my name in a low voice. ¡®You have a very nice voice.¡¯ My heart fluttered needlessly. Staring at the red eyes that sank silently, I waited for the next line. ¡°Will you marry me?¡± He opened the lid of the little box. What was inside was a truly dazzling diamond ring. ¡®Every time I look at this diamond ring, I think of Larissa.¡¯ It¡¯s probably not intentional, but it¡¯s really a proper ring for her. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Swallowing dry saliva, I took the ring and put it on my finger. It felt snug in my hand as if it had deliberately adjusted to my size. ¡°It is the ring of the Grand Duchess that has been passed down from generation to generation.¡± Fabian stood up. ¡°Excuse me for a moment. May I let my aide come in?¡± Since it was a contract marriage for each other¡¯s purpose, the romantic scene ended there. As I nodded, he opened the door leading to the hallway. Fortus was waiting in front of the door. He came in and held out what he was wearing around his side to Fabian. It was a briefcase. Fabian took an envelope and pulled out what was inside. One was marriage papers and the other was divorce papers. Fabian signed the divorce papers right in front of me and handed them to me. ¡°It¡¯s a wedding present.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I accepted the divorce papers with a smile. This is the most important thing to me in this marriage. I could feel my hand holding the documents heavy. Maybe it¡¯s because of the large diamond ring on my finger. Soon after, Fabian also signed the marriage papers. ¡®A marriage in which the divorce papers are signed before the marriage papers.¡¯ I smiled bitterly and wrote my name under his name. After signing, Fabian put the documents back in the envelope and handed it to Fortus. ¡°Come back alive.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in three days.¡± ¡®Is Fortus going somewhere?¡¯ Fortus took the envelope and put it in the briefcase. I could see something metallic light reflecting inside his coat. It was a pistol. It felt like my heart was getting colder for some reason. He bowed his head slightly to me as well and left the room. Fabian looked at me and said, ¡°Lady Blick, now you are my future wife. When Fortus returns with the signature of His Majesty the King, you will become my wife officially.¡± I swallowed my saliva. Could it be that I have done everything too hastily now? Can¡¯t I turn it back now? Suddenly, I started thinking about it. Fabian may know I¡¯m a little frightened, then he said slowly, in a low voice, but firmly. ¡°I will protect you until the end of this marriage.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wow, for a moment I almost forgot that this guy wasn¡¯t mine. Chapter 22 When I heard people talking about protecting me or saying that I was his woman, I would laugh at them saying, ¡®What are you going to protect?¡¯, but this man¡¯s words had a different meaning. His eyes were sincere. Besides, Larissa and I were actually being chased by our scary father and crazy brother. That is why I heard the words that he would protect me more desperately. ¡°From now on until Fortus returns, it might be dangerous for your presence here to be known. You must wait until His Majesty the King¡¯s signature on the marriage papers arrives.¡± When His Majesty the King was mentioned, suddenly everything began to feel too real. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but would you mind not coming out of the room for the next three days?¡± I nodded obediently. *** Being locked up in a room was a bit boring, but it was bearable. Fabian ordered someone to bring me some interesting-looking books, so I spent some time reading them aloud to Larissa. Reading a book to a small child made me feel at ease. ¡®I remember reading a children¡¯s book to my nephew.¡¯ Larissa looked like she was dead emotionally, but she had a good meal nonetheless. I seemed to know a little bit about her favorite food. Larissa likes things sweet and sour. She reacted more with her tongue than seeing and hearing. I thought as I watched Larissa eat peach jelly. Larissa ate the sweets slowly, little by little. She had been eating a cup of jelly for thirty minutes. ¡°Don¡¯t eat too much, it¡¯s lunchtime soon. The maid will be here.¡± I said so, but there was a happy smile on my lips. ¡®Maybe it¡¯ll be okay if I go down to the kitchen later and try making simple things myself.¡¯ It¡¯s not at all aristocratic to cook by yourself. Still, I thought it would be a good stimulus because I had to use both hands. Oh, I hope everything will be over quickly so that we can go out together. The forest that I had seen on the train journey shimmered before my eyes. I am sure that walking in the beautiful natural scenery will give Larissa good treatment. ¡®She will be happy too.¡¯ ¨C Oh, damn it! I couldn¡¯t even curse in front of him. At that moment, I was awakened by a sound coming from outside the door. It was the voice of someone¡¯s heart. ¨C He¡¯s not even our master, how about you just ignore him? ¨C If I do that, my neck will fall. Damn it! I thought it was a little more peaceful these days, but who would have known that the Grand Duke would suddenly die, and the relatives would come to visit? It was time for the maid to bring the food. ¡®Who is the troubled master who is not your master?¡¯ I have a feeling that something very bad is about to happen. Without time to think, I jumped out of my seat. Larissa flinched at the sudden movement. Perhaps she thought I was going to hit her. ¡°No, Larissa. It¡¯s not like that.¡± I approached cautiously, but hurriedly, and took Larissa¡¯s hand. ¡°I have a somewhat ominous feeling. Larissa, can you go to the next room for a minute?¡± I felt Larissa¡¯s hands tremble, but she did not resist. I quickly brought her to the next room, sat her down, and placed a cup of peach jelly in her hand. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, just eat slowly. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± As soon as I patted her hand holding the jelly and hurriedly returned to the room, a knock was heard outside the door. ¡°My lady, it¡¯s dinner.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± As the door opened, I saw a maid pushing a serving cart. She was the maid who kept bringing me and Larissa meals throughout our stay in this room. She looked back with an anxious expression on her face. Naturally, my gaze also turned in that direction. A man was walking into the room behind the maid. He was a tall, black-haired boy, one span taller than the maid. The boy, who appeared to be in his mid-teens, had white skin and blue eyes. He rolled his eyes and looked around the room. ¡®You look a little like Fabian?¡¯ Maybe a brother? Because Fabian never said he was the only child. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Then I realized that the intruder couldn¡¯t possibly be Fabian¡¯s real brother. Fabian¡¯s brother was not recorded in the nobility directory. ¡®I thought red eyes with black hair were the best, but blue eyes aren¡¯t bad either.¡¯ Then he made eye contact with me. The blue eyes of a pretty handsome boy looked over me, went down, and then came back up. ¡°What? What kind of old-fashioned clothes are you wearing? Is this Fabian¡¯s taste? Just looking at her, she doesn¡¯t seem like a noble lady.¡± Those words came out of his mouth before he even asked who I was. I thought this bastard was handsome up until ten seconds ago, so he¡¯s openly arguing? And his mind was thinking like this, ¨C Tch! He didn¡¯t have good eyes because he was mixed with low blood. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m very fancy now.¡¯ Except for the pajamas and dressing gowns that were given to me by the Grand Duke, all I had left was the dress I wore when I came to the Grand Duke¡¯s house. The old yellow dress that Nora gave me in the dressing room. Arguments that come along have to be dealt with properly, but I suppressed my sarcastic skill that was about to burst out. It was because this cheeky little boy knew that I was Fabian¡¯s guest. ¡®If he finds out that I am not just a guest but his fiancee, and that we even signed the wedding papers, the entire mansion will be overturned.¡¯ So for now, I had to keep it a secret. At least until Fortus returns with His Majesty the King¡¯s signature on the marriage papers. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked in a stern tone, as politely as possible. ¡°I am the grandson of this house, and I came to drive you out?¡± The boy twisted the tip of his lips and said with a smile. That expression was very funny. ¡®Besides, it¡¯s kind of familiar.¡¯ A smiling expression of a handsome face. This was what my brother, Villain, always did. At that moment, I put aside my sassy attitude. ¡°You are the grandson of this house, what a strange name.¡± ¡°What? You idiot. That can¡¯t be a name!¡± Look at your answer, you look like a middle schooler. I giggled on the inside and spoke softly on the outside. ¡°The Grand Duke¡¯s grandson is Fabian Laurent, but no matter how I look at you, you¡¯re not Lord Fabian.¡± When I made fun of him by mentioning Fabian¡¯s name, he frowned and shouted, ¡°Is that child the grandson of this house? I am the only real grandson. My name is Richard Laurent.¡± Oh, is this the child Fabian was talking about, the son of his uncle? ¡®Was him fifteen this year?¡¯ I put a smile on my lips with satisfaction. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with Fabian?¡± Richard glared at me with a smile and spouted lines like a morning drama. ¡®We got engaged.¡¯ ¡­¡­I can¡¯t say that. ¡®How could he have known that Fabian had brought me?¡¯ Fabian could not have said it with his own mouth, so this child must have heard it from the employees. Perhaps the employees that saw me and Larissa getting off the Grand Duke¡¯s carriage. I don¡¯t want to say that I am Fabian¡¯s guest. ¡°I have nothing to do with Lord Fabian. My aunt¡¯s mother-in-law¡¯s in-law¡¯s grandson is his assistant. Do you know? His name is Fortus.¡± Richard tilted his head slightly as if he was not interested in Fortus, and made a mysterious expression. ¡®He looked like a boy his age.¡¯ I spoke casually, ¡°I came to see my relative, Fortus. I didn¡¯t come to see Lord Fabian. We met by chance, and we all rode a carriage together.¡± I used Fortus¡¯s name. He did not say his last name, so there is a high probability that he will be a commoner. Because commoners generally have no surnames. ¡®A distant relative of a commoner is, of course, a commoner.¡¯ Or it could be an untitled lower aristocrat. I smiled and added, ¡°And since the Grand Duke gave me permission to stay here for a while. Even if you are the grandson of this house, you would not be able to drive me out of your own accord.¡± Hearing this, Richard took a few steps closer, with both hands in his pockets, thrusting his face in front of my nose and growling. ¡°His Highness the Grand Duke is dead. You don¡¯t know? The funeral is two days later. It would be better for those who are not members of the family to go out.¡± I glared at the blue eyes that were only half a span taller than me. However, Richard¡¯s expression subtly changed. He narrowed his eyes, and said, ¡°Hmm¡­ I didn¡¯t know because the clothes were so old-fashioned. But your face is pretty good.¡± Huh, do I have to hear this from a two-year-old? And my face is more than pretty good. I mean, I¡¯ve only seen one person prettier than me. Then I heard Richard¡¯s inner voice. ¨C It is understandable to see that he brought this commoner woman and hid her. Doing things without honor¡­¡­ I mean, he can¡¯t hide his blood. What are you talking about? How the heck were you educated? The face I thought was handsome before was no longer so. I was stunned, so I muttered a small mumble on purpose. ¡°What do you mean, squid?¡± [1] [1] If someone calls you a squid, it means you are ugly. Chapter 23 He must be the type of person who insults others without thinking about them, and on the other hand, he himself was shocked when he was the one who was insulted. He opened his eyes wide under his frown brows and opened his mouth. ¡°Are you cursing to me now?¡± He had a very angry expression on his face, but to me, who had been dealing with Villain¡¯s temper, he was just a bad boy. ¡°¡­¡­but what is a squid?¡± This is a little funny. ¡°It is an eight-legged fish.¡± ¡°What? Are you stupid? Why do fish have legs?¡± I turned to the table in the room so as not to show a smiling face. While we quarreled, the maid left the serving of food on the table and disappeared. It was a wise choice. ¡®I wish this person leaves soon.¡¯ I began to worry about Larissa who was sitting alone in the next room. I want to eat with her before the food cools down. ¡°What the hell?¡± Richard¡¯s voice came from behind. He must have seen the food on the table. ¡°Is there anyone else here?¡± Oh, it¡¯s annoying. ¡°I have to eat a lot because I¡¯m growing up.¡± ¡°How old are you?¡ªNo, that¡¯s not the point. There are two sets of cutlery!¡± ¡°Oh my, are you asking a lady how old she is now? And I¡¯m an ambidexter.¡± (T/N: Ambidexter is someone who is able to use both hands with equal ease or dexterity) ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean you will eat with both hands!¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I eat. Go away.¡± Although I was blatantly annoyed and gave him a rough answer, Richard hardly showed any sign of leaving the room. ¡®How do I get rid of him? Should I spill food on his clothes and pretend it was a mistake?¡¯ There was also a knife on the table¡­ but I ignored it. Even though he is two years younger than me, a man is a man. I was physically unable to win. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be safer for me to spill the food rather than using a knife clumsily?¡¯ As I glanced at the food placed on the table, I started to think what should I spill? ¡®Spilling the thick soup on his crotch¡­?¡¯ I was thinking about what food to throw at Richard, but suddenly I felt a strange feeling. I turned around. He was still there with his eyes fixed on one spot. Standing with his blue eyes wide open. Ah, why has my ominous premonition never been wrong? At the end of his gaze was Larissa. She held a peach jelly cup in one hand and a small silver spoon in the other. ¡°Larissa!¡± Were you scared of being left alone in the room? Or maybe you were hungry? Maybe she just ate all the jelly. Larissa stood at the doorway and stopped moving. She glanced at me and then shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. ¡°Is your name Larissa? Hmm¡­¡­you two look alike.¡± I heard an indifferent voice from behind. I turned around and stood between Larissa and Richard. ¡°She is my sister. I¡¯m sorry, Sir Richard, but would you mind leaving? My sister has a bad cold right now, so she can¡¯t even speak. If you do not want to get infected, it would be better to leave immediately.¡± ¡°Tsk. Dirty commoners are very easy to catch colds¡­¡­¡± Even nobles would catch a cold! ¡°So, please go out now. If you don¡¯t want to catch a cold that common people get, suffer from a high fever, lie down ill for several days and lose your voice.¡± I strode past him and resolutely opened the door to the hallway. ¡°Come on, hurry up.¡± ¡°Judging by your clothes, I can see that you have no manners. If someone comes to visit you, don¡¯t you have to tell them to sit down first, huh? Or, if someone is sick, tell them to come later.¡± I didn¡¯t ask you to come in in the first place, so what do you say after you come in as you please? ¡®Aren¡¯t you ignorant of manners?¡¯ Fortunately, he walked out the door. The funny thing is that I didn¡¯t even hear his heart at all. ¡®This is the first time this has happened. It¡¯s pretty fresh.¡¯ Before I closed the door, he turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you a doctor. So¡­¡± ¡°There is already a doctor who visits once a day. Then, bye.¡± I closed the door in front of Richard¡¯s nose. Surprisingly, he left without knocking on the door again or trying to come in. We were able to finish lunch peacefully. I thought it would end safely, but it wasn¡¯t. An hour later, Richard had sent a letter through a maid. ¡ºMiss Larissa and her sister are invited to dinner tomorrow evening. Attendance is required.¡» He invites me to dinner without knowing my name. *** ¡°You don¡¯t have to attend it.¡± Fabian said as if to convince Marcia. ¡°But I have to. I will go alone. I have no intention of letting Larissa go either. But if we both don¡¯t go, I think he will come to this room tonight.¡± In the first place, it was an invitation that did not give me a choice. ¡®I can¡¯t ask to put an escort on the door. It will look even more suspicious¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll give you another room.¡± I shook my head at Fabian¡¯s suggestion. ¡°He has already figured out that we are staying in this mansion.¡± Even if we moved to another room, the maids could not do it without his knowledge. Preparing to welcome guests to another room, moving the luggage to that room, and delivering meals to that room are all the work of the maids. Richard will surely find out which room we were in. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just sit at the end of the table and have a quiet meal before coming out? Besides, you would be there as well, right?¡± Fabian nodded lightly. I smiled and continued, ¡°If I get a difficult question, you can appropriately turn the topic over.¡± The day after tomorrow is the third day since Fortus left. If he arrived safely, the marriage papers with the king¡¯s signature would arrive as well. Fabian will become the Grand Duke. After that, Richard won¡¯t bother me or Larissa again. Fabian replied, ¡°Okay. Instead, if you feel even the slightest discomfort, please get up immediately with the excuse that you are not feeling well. I will take care of the rest.¡± It looked like he didn¡¯t want to show it, but Fabian¡¯s under eyes were dark. Are you sleeping properly? ¡°Do you have a lot of work to do?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You look tired.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Fabian quickly wiped his face with one of his hands. He soon returned to his usual expression and there was no sign of tiredness anymore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to get you involved in this. I tried to crack down on the maids, but it seems I couldn¡¯t do it myself yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I only need Larissa to be safe.¡± He raised one eyebrow as if asking if I was serious. Don¡¯t be too serious. ¡®Besides, that cheeky boy named Richard isn¡¯t even that scary.¡¯ I¡¯m a little sorry for Larissa, who has to have dinner alone. But I thought it was all right. In a few days, Fabian¡¯s relatives become my family too. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to take a look in advance to see who they are. I smiled brightly. Fabian looked at my face and lowered his gaze slightly. His gaze rested on my upper body for a moment. He looked like he was thinking of something with a firm expression on his face, then looked into my eyes again and said, ¡°The day after tomorrow, Fortus will come back. Please be patient until then.¡± He should come back safely. Just before leaving, I remembered Fabian¡¯s words that told him to come back alive. ¡®Hopefully, nothing will happen.¡¯ After Fabian left, I changed into my pajamas and lay down on the couch next to Larissa¡¯s bed, thinking. ¡®I have no dress to wear.¡¯ The fact that there was no evening dress to wear to the dinner party was something that the real Marcia would be furious about. If it¡¯s dinner with close relatives, it¡¯s a battlefield, and in such a place, the dress is like armor. I had neither armor nor weapons. ¡®The only thing I can rely on now is my face.¡¯ I smiled and pulled the blanket up to my chin. After all, the goal of dinner tomorrow is not to stand out. Besides, they will see me as nothing but a commoner, without knowing that I am the future Grand Duchess. ¡®In that sense, the dress Nora gave me is just fine.¡¯ Chapter 24 I was just going to go out in that old-fashioned dress. However, around lunchtime the next day the situation changed. Because several large boxes had been sent to my room. It was from Fabian. A card was placed on top of the pile of boxes. ¡º I haven¡¯t paid much attention until now. This is a small favor from the Grand Duke to Fortus¡¯ relatives. Please accept it. ¡» A pretty ribbon was tied to the box, and the ribbon was divided into two colors. The box with my name on it was decorated with gold, and the box with Larissa¡¯s name was decorated with a silver ribbon. I opened one of the smallest boxes tied with a gold ribbon. Inside were soft leather gloves. The design was simple but the leather itself was of high quality. How soft and comfortable¡­ I put on the gloves and was amazed by the soft touch on my hands. The things in the other boxes were roughly guessed as well. ¡®I didn¡¯t even know you were thinking about my clothes.¡¯ I just remembered that there was something strange about Fabian¡¯s gaze yesterday. ¡°Larissa, look at this. It was sent by Fabian. This is yours.¡± I took Larissa to the front of the box with the silver ribbon. ¡°Open it, it¡¯s yours.¡± What was in the box were clothes, shoes, hats, gloves, and accessories. Like the clothes and shoes, the designs were simple and less fashionable, but the materials were all of the highest quality. Fabian stopped by after dinner yesterday. It¡¯s quite late, but where the hell did he go to get these? ¡®A gift to his subordinates¡¯ relatives.¡¯ If that¡¯s the purpose, it was a perfect gift. It is a modest design that will not stand out when you wear it, but if you look closely, you can see that each one is a great luxury product. ¡®I can wear this to dinner later.¡¯ I was relieved inwardly that I did not have to wear Nora¡¯s old-fashioned dress. I was about to take the dress out of the box to try it on¡­ ¡­¡­someone knocked on the door. What followed was another pile of boxes. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you bring them all at once?¡¯ It was when I went all the way to the box with that in mind. The moment I saw the card on the box, I was stunned. ¡º Gift. ¡» The card with just one seed was from Richard. Unlike Fabian¡¯s box, where the recipient was carefully identified by the color of the ribbon, the box that Richard sent had no markings other than a card. Reluctantly, I opened a few of them, and they were also clothes sent to me and Larissa. I picked up a dress that was supposed to be mine when I saw the size. This was also a dress that seemed to cost quite a bit. It was an unconventional dress made of pink and dark green satin. Besides, this great lace¡­¡­ ¡®It must have cost a lot of money¡­¡­¡¯ Where the hell did he get this dress from? It was surprising that there were people who made this dress. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be a clown at a dinner party wearing this. If it was intended to be a spectacle and ridiculed, it was a very successful gift. I threw the dress back into the box. Then I pushed the boxes from Richard with my feet into the corner of the room. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t buy a dress because I don¡¯t have money! I¡¯d rather wear Nora¡¯s old-fashioned dress again than go out in front of other people in that dress. ¡®I¡¯ll have to send it back later.¡¯ Sending it back right now might be a problem for nothing, at least after tomorrow¡¯s funeral. ¡°Larissa, you can ignore the new boxes. Open only the one with the silver ribbon.¡± Larissa stood still in front of the pile of boxes until then. So I put the ribbon in Larissa¡¯s hand and let her pull it herself. As with my present, Larissa¡¯s box contained everything from her head to toes. What is different from mine is that it is not a simple and elegant design, but rather a design that emphasizes loveliness and cuteness. ¡°Oh my God, look at this! Let¡¯s try it on, Larissa! ¡± I put my box aside and quickly changed Larissa¡¯s clothes first. ¡°Oh my¡­¡­¡± Looking at Larissa in the mirror, my heart ached. ¡®You are so cute!¡¯ Heavenly cloth gently wrapped around her small body. Considering her activity, the skirt that reached near her calves fluttered with every step, and her legs were clad in silk stockings with delicate embroidery. Her cute round-nose boots were made of calfskin and dyed in a pale rose color to give it a more youthful look. The cashmere coat, perfect for still chilly weather, was lined with soft rabbit fur around the neck, and light rose-colored leather gloves to pair with the boots were also perfect. The hat decorated with feathers and ribbons has the same design as mine, and the ribbon ends are treated with lace to make it a little cuter. The ends of Larissa¡¯s silver hair were curling under the hat and running down her shoulders naturally. Larissa was really just a doll herself. ¡°Look at this, this is you. You are so pretty, Larissa.¡± I pointed to the mirror and smiled at Larissa. Larissa looked into the mirror, but she didn¡¯t react, as she always did. ¡°You have other clothes. Oh my gosh, this is pretty too. Would you like to try it on now?¡± I turned around and stood in front of Larissa. And I lightly bowed my back to meet her eye level. Larissa immediately rolled her eyes down and stepped back a little behind. This time, my heart ached in a different way. I bit my lip for a moment, then released it and spoke slowly, ¡°These clothes are all yours. It¡¯s not like the old clothes that you wore before. Fabian sent them for you. Larissa, you will have a lot of yours in the future.¡± I squatted in front of Larissa and continued speaking with my elbows on my knees. ¡°You just have to get used to it slowly.¡± I hope Larissa has a desire. I wish I could hear what she wants. And I hope that day will come. Chapter 25 In time for dinner, I went down to the dining room wearing the dress Fabian sent me. Before leaving the room, I looked at myself in the mirror. It gave me an elegant feeling without being too conspicuous. I didn¡¯t wear any jewelry and my gorgeous blonde hair was pulled tight and tied up to make it less conspicuous. ¡®Come to think of it, this is the first time I¡¯ve eaten in a place other than my room.¡¯ What I envisioned was a place where I sit at the far end of a long, endless table, and communicate only by yelling at the person sitting at the other end. However, the dining room I was guided into was dazzlingly splendid but smaller than I expected. It would be good for only twelve people at most. I swallowed dry saliva at the atmosphere that was too intimate than I thought. As people entered one by one, they were guided to their respective seats. Since Fabian had told me briefly about his relatives in advance last evening, I was able to guess who was seated. My seat was at the end of the table, but it was across from Richard. Richard, who came first, was already seated in his seat. The thought of making eye contact with Richard throughout the meal already makes me feel uneasy. Before I was seated, Fabian showed up at the dinner table just in time. He was wearing a black suit that fit his body, making him look taller and more dashing than usual. Fabian made eye contact with me and he greeted me lightly. Between me and Fabian, a gorgeously dressed brunette girl sat first. She glanced at me and gave me a slight polite smile. ¡®Heloise Conrad. Fabian¡¯s cousin.¡¯ It is said that we are only one year apart, so if we got along, we might become friends. I also smiled slightly at her. As I sat down, the face of Richard sitting in front of me naturally caught my eye. He brushed his dark hair with oil like adults, and exposed his forehead, but it was not a style suitable for a boy who was still growing up. Like a kid pretending to be an adult, I had to bite my lip to hold back my laughter. As soon as I sat down, Richard immediately spoke to me, ¡°What, what about the dress I¡¯ve sent?¡± It was an annoyed tone. We haven¡¯t even said hello yet. I gave a common-sense answer like an adult. ¡°Hello. Sir Richard. Thank you for inviting me to the dinner.¡± ¡°I must have sent you a present, right?¡± He cut my greeting and furrowed his eyebrows. ¡®Weren¡¯t you sent it to insult me?¡¯ I glanced at the outfits of the women at the table. Except for me, there were three women. No one wore an overly fancy dress. ¡®If I think about it, of course not. It¡¯s a family dinner.¡¯ I answered with a smile, ¡°Thank you for the generous gift, Sir Richard. But was that for dinner tonight? They¡¯re too expensive for me¡­¡­how dare I wear something like that.¡± ¡°Then you told me to wear it, or what?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it back. As I said, it¡¯s too much for me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything useless. There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°Then, should I keep it well and sell it when I get home to help the household?¡± ¡°What? Do you know why I sent you that?¡± I joked a little, but immediately Richard¡¯s voice rose. ¨C I sent it on purpose because the lace matches your eye color¡­¡­ Besides, girls love pink! But instead of wearing it, how can you even think of selling it! I could hear his inner voice as if he was resentful. What? You really sent that tacky dress for me to wear? ¡®Are you blind?¡¯ I just grinned and glanced at Richard. Then the food was placed one by one in front of the people. The supper had begun. ¡°Richard.¡± People¡¯s eyes turned to the woman sitting at the other end of the table. She was a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her forties. She must be Fabian¡¯s aunt, Marchioness Valery Conrad, I guessed. ¡°There¡¯s someone I haven¡¯t seen. Who is that lady?¡± Valerie said, dipping the silver spoon into her own soup bowl with her graceful movements. As with her movements, her tone of voice was also graceful. ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± ¡°This is my guest. Aunt¡­¡­ The aunt of Fabian¡¯s aide¡­¡­¡± As Richard answered Valerie, he looked at me. I chuckled. ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to know my name yet.¡¯ Instead of Richard, Fabian said calmly in a low voice. ¡°This is Miss Marcia, a distant relative of my aide, Aunt.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you.¡± Valerie turned her gaze towards me. She clenched her lips a little annoyed and wrinkled her eyebrows. It was Heloise who asked instead of Valerie. ¡°Brother Fabian¡¯s aide¡¯s distant relative?¡± She was looking at me with her curious face. I answered politely. ¡°Yes, Young Lady. My aunt¡¯s in-law¡¯s cousin¡¯s nephew is Fortus, who is Sir Fabian¡¯s aide.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s nothing.¡± Heloise didn¡¯t listen, but she cut my words off. She still had a smile on her face. At first glance, her expression was soft, but her eyes were cold. She looked at me for a moment, then she turned her face towards Fabian. ¡°Brother Fabian, it¡¯s unimaginable for me, but when I heard about it, there were many people in the world who tried to suck blood by clinging to a living relative.¡± ¡®¡­ what? Now, are you talking about me?¡¯ I was just about to eat my soup, ¡°There are people who come to me even though they are distant relatives who cannot be respected and they say that they are working as an aide in a great estate.¡± ¨C Ugly, just flirt with Fabian. I almost vomited the soup I ate at the sound of Richard¡¯s heart heard in an instant. ¡°No matter that Richard invited you, you dared to appear at the Grand Duke¡¯s family dinner.¡± Even though Heloise said such a thing, the way she spoke was cute. I saw Richard wrinkle his expression from the other side of me. The corner of one of his lips raised up, there is a smile on his face. ¨C That stupid even talk nonsense. Did you think it would catch Fabian¡¯s attention? If your head is empty, keep your mouth shut. Sure enough, I heard his heart as it is. He must have felt that way when he saw the person he invited curse right in front of his eyes. ¡®Or is it that they ??don¡¯t get along?¡¯ Fabian was sitting upright without even looking at Heloise, who was leaning on him. He said, picking up the wine glass in front of him. ¡°Clinging to a living relative¡­¡­ That¡¯s what happens regardless of your status. Laurent is no exception.¡± A soft smile appeared on his lips as he spoke lowly, and soon red wine as the color of his eyes flowed between his lips. As his neck moved and swallowed the wine, Heloise lost her words for a moment, as if in embarrassment. ¡°Oh my, Brother, such things happen only among those who have neither knowledge nor manners. It is a different world from people born of noble blood like us.¡± Laughter crossed the faces of some at the mention of noble blood. ¨C Noble blood, even half a piece of shit is noble? A middle-aged man sitting across from Valerie put the spoon down on the table with a clattering sound. ¡°Half right and half wrong, Heloise. If that dirty blood spilled around, it would contaminate Laurent¡¯s blood.¡± His voice was so loud that it echoed through the dining room. I glanced at him. ¡®This must be Count Dominic Laurent, who was originally going to be the next Grand Duke.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know whose son he invited a low-ranking person to a family dinner without even thinking about it.¡± Valerie spoke to him in an elegant tone. Dominic growled. ¡°Uncle Dominic, when I and Brother Fabian get married, Laurent¡¯s blood will grow that much.¡± Heloise added with a groan. Meanwhile, the pale-faced woman sitting between Dominic and Richard didn¡¯t say a word. ¨C Huff, I¡¯m tired. Her inner voice was not different from her expression. Maybe that woman is Dominic¡¯s wife, Emma Laurent. The age difference between Emma and Dominic was ten years. She must have given birth to Richard at a young age. My eyes turned from Dominic to Emma, ??and from Emma to Richard. Richard was staring at me. He said, ¡°I invited two people. Why did you come alone?¡± Chapter 26 Does he have a bad memory? I obviously said Larissa had a bad cold yesterday. Although, of course, she didn¡¯t have a real cold. ¡°She¡¯s not feeling well. She still has to lie down.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a doctor who visits every day? I saw her standing yesterday, but why is she lying down today?¡± ¡°A cold does not get better in one day. Seeing that, I also¡­¡­.¡± cough cough. Because Richard kept trying to force me, I purposely coughed a little. ¡®It will be easier to leave later with the excuse that I am not feeling well.¡¯ Upon hearing me coughing, Richard closed his mouth and wrinkled his face. Heloise, who was sitting next to me, took her chair, and she moved slightly away from me. ¨C Ugh, it¡¯s dirty, I¡¯m going to lose my appetite, I guess she doesn¡¯t even know table manners. Lowly thing. I took a deep breath and picked up the spoon. ¡®I did a great job of not bringing Larissa.¡¯ The soup, the first order of the dinner course, had not even been finished yet. Larissa was eating alone in the room, but she was rather fortunate. These people were having dinner together but they were talking nonsense to each other. They spoke in an elegant tone, but in their mind, they only used more primitive words. Among the sarcastic and slanderous conversations, Fabian was the one who was criticized the most. Perhaps it was familiar to him, even though he heard all kinds of insults, he ate casually without changing his face. Sometimes, when he heard excessive words, he gave them back with a sharp tone. If by any chance the interest of the conversation sprung to me, he savvily threw a word. Then, invariably, they forgot about me and rebuked Fabian, or started cursing each other again. I sighed and poked the rabbit meat sausage. The oily sausages looked delicious at first glance, but when I heard the inner voices, I lose my appetite. ¡®I can¡¯t do this.¡¯ I gave up the meal and glanced at Richard, sipping the wine. He asked me about Larissa for a while and seemed to lose interest when I didn¡¯t give him the answer he wanted. After a long meal, all that was left was dessert. ¡®I think it¡¯ll be okay if I get up slowly now¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, but I¡¯m not feeling well, so I¡¯ll get up first.¡± I covered my mouth with a napkin, deliberately coughed once more, and then stood up. No one cared for me. Even Richard just nodded his head once with a sullen face. I deliberately retreated from the table without paying attention to Fabian. Just then, the maids began to deliver dessert plates. ¡®Phew, I woke up just in time.¡¯ Thinking that I could rest for a while away from those damn inner voices, I wanted to run and go out. But the situation betrayed my expectations. I¡¯ve always had bad luck. ¨C Put it in front of Young Master Fabian, in front of Young Master Fabian. As natural as possible¡­¡­in front of Young Master Fabian. Among the three maids who carried food, one of them was constantly murmuring anxiously. Of course, in her mind. ¨C I have to ask Madam to pay me more. I¡¯m so nervous¡­¡­what if I get caught? I clicked my tongue. If it was Madam, there were two people at the dinner table. ¡®Marchioness Valerie Conrad and Countess Emma Laurent. It must be one of them.¡¯ I quickly looked at their faces. Emma sat blankly, still with a weary face, and Valerie stared with her burning eyes at the dessert plate in the maid¡¯s hands. That face. The culprit was Valerie. I didn¡¯t know it before, but after listening to the maid¡¯s anxious heart, I understand. An expression stained with tension and ecstasy. She had a masked smile on her face and brought a glass to her lips, hiding her true expression. ¡®I wish Fabian had sat next to me.¡¯ Then I could have just told him not to touch the dessert. ¡®I can¡¯t help it, really¡­¡¯ I don¡¯t know what was in the dessert, but I couldn¡¯t let Fabian eat it. I stumbled as if I had stepped on a skirt on purpose. Then I fell to the maid who was carrying dessert and clung to her. ¡°Aww, Lady!¡± The maid, who was carrying the dessert with her trembling hands, was so nervous that her face turned pale. She did not fall over while holding the plate, but she spilled all the dessert on the plate. A gooey caramel sauce and bright red raspberry syrup dripped onto the ivory dress. ¡®Oh, my dress.¡¯ It was a long dress that I would only wear today and tomorrow, but I really liked it. The maid, holding the plate, was bewildered and did not know what to do. No, she seemed terrified. To the extent that even if I fell, she could not even think of supporting me. I heard laughter behind my back. Before I could even guess who was laughing, I heard a voice in front of me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± It was Fabian. There was no smile on his face. Fabian reached out to me. As I grabbed his hand, he lifted me up with one hand. His dark hair came as close to my forehead as I got up. The chance was now. At that moment, I quickly whispered inconspicuously. ¡°From now on, don¡¯t eat anything. Someone did something about the dessert.¡± Red eyes stared into my eyes for a moment. When I stood up balancing, he released my hand and took a step back. As if nothing had happened, he asked calmly. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Excuse me first.¡± I bowed lightly and said goodbye. Fabian blinked, and another maid standing in the corner quickly approached. ¡°Bring Miss Marcia to the room and bring some dessert from the kitchen.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± Following the maid, I glanced back. It was quite a sight to behold. Richard frowned as he stood up half-slumped. Valerie and Heloise looked at me with hateful faces. Dominic was still giggling at my dress. Those people will become my family from tomorrow. ¡®Can I last three years¡­¡­¡¯ *** I changed my clothes as soon as I got back to my room. No more inner voices could be heard. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to live a little now.¡± Larissa sat alone in front of the table blankly. She looked like she was about to start eating, as there was still untouched food on the table. I breathed a single big sigh of relief, sat across from Larissa, and watched her slowly eat her food. My thoughts flew to the dining room a few minutes ago. ¡®It must have been poison, right?¡¯ Otherwise, there would be no reason for the maid to be so nervous while carrying food. ¡®Oh, come to think of it, something like this has happened before.¡¯ I remembered one thing I had forgotten. It was the first day I met Fabian. There was one assassin who was after him. He must have been on an order from someone, that beggar boy. ¨C I don¡¯t have to pierce deeply. Just blood¡­¡­ ¡­¡­and come to think of it, he said it was okay to just scrape the blade. Was the blade also poisoned? ¡®Then, was it Valery¡¯s order as well?¡¯ No, even if it wasn¡¯t Valerie, there were other people who wanted to kill Fabian and take the place of Grand Duke. ¡®The most desperate person must be Dominic.¡¯ Will this continue to happen in the future? Or will Fabian be sure to become Grand Duke and then he will be fine? ¡®Sigh¡­¡­¡¯ I sighed lightly and rested my chin on the table. Larissa was playing with the fork to put the food in her mouth. ¡°Do you like it?¡± I just asked, knowing I would not get an answer. Larissa¡¯s reaction was as expected. I mean, she didn¡¯t respond. ¡®Now I¡¯m going to take the place of Larissa, and it seems to have gone well.¡¯ I looked at Larissa and thought. Today I was with Fabian, so I could keep him from poison. A prince in a fairy tale will not be easy to eat poison and fall. At least until he married Larissa. ¡®I will be able to prevent assassins in the future. Because I can immediately recognize a person with malice or hostility.¡¯ Now was the first time I thought I was lucky to have this terrible ability. I have to use it to the fullest for the next three years. Until the day of divorce. Chapter 27 The next day was the funeral day. The rain was pouring down and the air was cold. Since morning, people have been busy preparing for the funeral of the Grand Duke. The funeral was to be held in the church inside the mansion with the priest and guests. I sat in a corner, wearing a black dress and veiled, watching the others. Of course, I didn¡¯t know any of the guests who must have been very high-ranking aristocrats. When I heard the name, I couldn¡¯t even guess who it was. ¡®Living in a rural area, I didn¡¯t even know who the only grand duke of this kingdom was.¡¯ The only people I know are the Laurent family who had dinner with me yesterday, but none of them pretended to know me. ¡®Except for Richard.¡¯ When Richard saw me at the funeral mass, he asked, ¡°You?¡± and made a scornful expression on his face. The next question was, ¡°Where the hell did that luxurious and elegant black dress come from?¡± ¡°This was given by Fabian.¡± He looked around me all the time, asking about the dress. He was looking for something. The question about the dress was obviously an excuse. I laughed and said, ¡°Larissa did not come with me. She hasn¡¯t recovered enough yet to get out of bed.¡± ¡°Geez, when did I ask that? I¡¯m not interested in something like that.¡± Richard answered with annoyance and went to the family seat far ahead. ¡®You are not interested?¡¯ I don¡¯t even want to laugh. Larissa already has a predestined husband. She didn¡¯t have time to get entangled with other men before then. ¡®And even worse if it¡¯s a spoiled Richard.¡¯ I shrugged and looked towards the family seat. Fabian¡¯s head protruded above the people standing around the family seat. ¡®It¡¯s easy to find him.¡¯ He stood out for his looks and also for his height. If you look closely, red eyes that you can¡¯t find in other people are stuck in your mind. ¡®He is a man who stands out in many ways.¡¯ But even though he was such a prominent person, no one spoke to Fabian. People were more interested in Dominic, not Fabian. The mourners continued to offer their condolences to Dominic and Valerie, saying how heartbroken they were. They talked to Heloise or even Richard, but not to Fabian. ¡®It seems that the contents of the will have not yet spread outside.¡¯ Fabian also doesn¡¯t seem to care whether other people talk to him or not. Instead, he stood, looking at the Grand Duke¡¯s corpse in the coffin. He had his back turned, so I couldn¡¯t see his expression. ¡®What are you thinking?¡¯ Come to think of it, I don¡¯t know much about Fabian. So far, he¡¯s only told me what I need to know about him, and he hasn¡¯t talked much about anything else. ¨C How dare you to come to my grandfather¡¯s funeral? It¡¯s a surprise. Hearing someone¡¯s sudden inner voice, I glanced around and saw that Heloise turned around and looked at me in the family seat. When our eyes met, she smiled at me. It was a perfect smile without a single spot. But the smile showed no sign of criticizing me. ¨C You even stare at Brother Fabian so intensely. Lowly thing. ¡®Haha. I¡¯ve never crossed the line. And your cousin proposed to me first.¡¯ I thought so only inside and forced myself to raise the corners of my lips. Heloise looked away and faced forward again. I sighed and turned my gaze back to Fabian. He had been standing alone in front of the coffin until a while ago, and suddenly was talking to someone. He is a man with red hair stretching out in all directions, just like a lion¡¯s mane. The red-haired man who was talking to Fabian suddenly laughed out loud. Then the other mourners in the church looked at him with cold eyes. Laughing so loudly at a funeral. The man shrugged and covered his mouth with one hand. Fabian continued the conversation with a smiling face. ¡°You seem to be close friends.¡± I thought my future husband was surrounded by enemies, but it wasn¡¯t like that. Seeing the two of them chatting without hesitation, I was a little curious about the red-haired man. Seeing that he came to condolences today, he couldn¡¯t have been a low-status aristocrat. ¡®What kind of person are you?¡¯ Maybe I¡¯ll get a chance to talk to him later. Then I might know more about Fabian. After a while, a heavy bell rang and the mass began. The mass lasted for about two hours in a solemn atmosphere, and at the end of the day, mourners went to the front of the pavilion one by one to say their final goodbyes to the deceased. It¡¯s my turn now. When I said I wanted to attend the funeral, Fabian looked into my eyes for a moment without saying a word. He answered only when his gaze was so long that it was starting to make me hard to breathe. ¡°Do as you please.¡± He didn¡¯t even ask why. So I was able to arrange a seat for myself in a corner of the funeral home. I slowly went to the front of the coffin and looked down at the deceased. ¡®Hello, Grand Duke. I¡¯m sorry, I took advantage of your will. But please be relieved that your real granddaughter-in-law is already in this mansion.¡¯ The Grand Duke¡¯s face, buried in fragrant flowers, looked like a different person from a few days ago. I prayed for his repose and said in my heart, ¡®I will take good care of both of them until Fabian gets married to my sister. Please rest in peace.¡¯ The last order was relatives and family members. When the greeting was finished, the coffin lid was closed. After that, we all ate together, and when the meal was over, everyone moved to the large parlor. People smoked cigars or drank alcohol or tea according to their taste, and chatted. As I drank my tea, I glanced towards Fabian. He was still talking to the red-haired man from earlier. Now that I have accomplished the purpose of attending the funeral, I don¡¯t mind going back to my room. ¡®Still, I want to say hello to that person.¡¯ Because you¡¯re the only person who talked with Fabian here. ¡®Well¡­¡­ I guess I¡¯m in a situation where I have to go and talk to him first?¡¯ I was a little perplexed and looked down at the teacup for nothing. At the local prom in my village, the men came to me first and tried to talk to me. Thanks to that, I was not used to the situation where I had to talk to someone first. I took a sip of tea and looked carefully at the people around me. In contrast to the prom where all you have to do is empty your head, drink, dance, and have fun, all kinds of voices came and went at the funeral. ¡®Let¡¯s just stay still.¡¯ I think it would be better to be quiet now. It¡¯s annoying to move on to a serious story and start asking which family you¡¯re from. ¡®I¡¯ll take a look and see if there¡¯s an opportunity to talk, otherwise, I¡¯ll just go back to my room.¡¯ With that thought in mind, I fiddled with the teacup. In the meantime, the inner voices continued to be heard. My chest began to feel stuffy little by little. I could see the balcony connected to the parlor just in time. ¡®I can¡¯t do this anymore. I¡¯m going to get some fresh air.¡¯ I put down my teacup and went out to the balcony. Going out to the balcony didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t hear other people¡¯s inner voices, but at least the cold outside air touched my cheeks, so it was a little cooler. I leaned against the balcony railing and watched the rain. There was a huge garden under the balcony. Unlike forests that were left to grow freely, trees that were planted separately by type and trimmed in shape showed off their understated beauty and looked more grandiose. ¡®When the rain stops, I want to take Larissa out for a walk¡­¡­¡¯ As I took a deep breath, I heard the sound of the balcony glass door opening behind my back. ¡°You¡¯ll get wet.¡± It was a low-pitched voice that I was getting used to little by little. When I turned around, Fabian was standing there. Wearing a mourning coat, he was all black from his hair to his feet. It was a cloudy day and it was raining, so his face was pale and bloodless, and only his eyes were shining red in the meantime. ¡®He looks like a vampire.¡¯ A monster that sucks blood by bewitching people with his deadly beauty. When I had that thought, goosebumps ran down my spine. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not raining too much either. It can change your mood, too.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Fabian walked over and leaned next to me. He placed his hands on the railing, closed his eyes toward the garden, and took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± A soft voice came out. Indeed, it was Fabian who desperately needed a change of mood. He took a deep breath and inhaled cold air. After a while, he turned to me. He looked tired but also looked drowsy. ¡°I left you alone. I¡¯m sorry, but I will continue to do so today. If you are tired, you can go back to your room.¡± I beg your pardon? Is that what you call an apology? He said he was sorry, but he didn¡¯t look sorry at all. Well, it makes sense. For now, I¡¯m just a distant relative of his aide. It¡¯s strange that I attended the funeral, and if he introduces me to others, it will look more suspicious. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Rather, did you get a call from Poe?¡± I purposely used his pseudonym. Fabian nodded and answered, ¡°I got a telegram yesterday. It¡¯s time to arrive soon.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I will just wait here. No, would you rather not have me here? When and how do you plan to make the announcement?¡± He announced that he was married, and his wife was Marcia Blick, thus establishing herself as Grand Duchess. That¡¯s the plan. I wondered how he would reveal it to people. ¡®I think it would be convenient and good in many ways to make an announcement right now when the mourners are here.¡¯ ¡°The announcement¡­¡­¡± Fabian, who was leaning against the railing and staring at me, was startled without continuing his words. The gaze that was looking at me with languid eyes changed sharply in an instant and scattered into the air. You look like you¡¯re listening to something. ¡®What?¡¯ I didn¡¯t hear anything. It was the moment I thought his red eyes were shaking. He suddenly jumped on me. Chapter 28 ¡°Ahhh!¡± Hey, what is this? My body tilted and lost balance. I fell on the balcony floor. Even before the shock of falling came, the heavyweight of a man was felt on top of my body. ¡®I told you not to touch my body!¡¯ At the same time, a loud bang was heard. Fabian¡¯s face came close to mine. Until the tip of our nose rubbed. Before I could say anything, he convulsed his shoulders. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Fabian¡¯s face was distorted. A small groan came out of his mouth. Was that the gun sound? Did you get shot? ¡®Fabian?¡¯ I felt like I was out of breath. Fabian raised his body halfway above me and tucked his left hand inside his black coat. A pistol was held in his hand. He turned his head toward a spot outside the balcony. Fabian¡¯s right arm wrapped around the back of my head in an instant. ¡°Wa, wait¡­¡­¡± Without knowing the situation, both my ears were blocked by his forearm and hand, and I was trapped in his chest. ¡®The smell of blood¡­¡­¡¯ He smelled of blood. I felt like I was going to lose my mind. At that time, Fabian¡¯s upper body shook and a bang sound was heard. My forehead slammed against his chest. The recoil of the gun was evident. Fabian had pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the mark. I could tell without looking. Because I heard the inner voice of someone in pain. I grabbed his robe unconsciously. ¡°What was that sound? A gunshot?¡± The door to the balcony opened, and someone shouted. Soon after, the sound of urgent footsteps was heard. Mourners rushed to and fro at the sudden and unexpected sound of gunshots, pouring out their frightened hearts. I felt like I was about to suffocate at the inner voices that overlapped like a waterfall. ¡°Fabian! Are you okay?¡± While everyone was terrified and hid, someone ran straight into the balcony. He was the red-haired man. Fabian looked at him and said hurriedly, ¡°Leonid, take care of this lady.¡± He patted my shoulder once and let me go. Before he could hear the man¡¯s answer, Fabian placed one hand on the balcony railing, jumped lightly, and disappeared into the rain. This bloodstain remained where he passed by. I sat down on the balcony floor, tired of seeing the blood splattered on the floor. Where did Fabian get shot¡­¡­? It is clear that he was injured when I saw him bleeding, but he looked fine when he moved. ¡®You run like that even though you got hurt.¡¯ What if there are more shooters? ¡°Are you okay? Don¡¯t worry about him, he¡¯ll be fine even if he jumps off the roof of this mansion.¡± The red-haired man came up to me. He stood with his back to the outside of the balcony, covered me with his body, and held out his hand. ¡°My name is Leonid Orlov. What is your name?¡± I looked at Leonid, taking my eyes off the bloodstains. He was a man as big as Fabian. If Fabian had a sleek style like a black panther, Leonid was huge like a red bear. The contrast between his bright red hair and olive-colored eyes gave a strong impression, and his freckles were scattered on the back of his nose. ¡°Ah, I¡­¡­¡± I reached out to his hand and tried to say my name. But my hand could not reach it. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± In an instant, an indescribable sound was heard. It was the inner voice that I heard from the other side of the garden. Fear, suffering, despair, a scream that all mixed together. It was the sound of death. The last sound of a life being cut off. My head was pounding and I was short of breath. My vision went white and I heard a tinnitus in my ear. I felt as if the blood all over my body was being swept. *** When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a long chair in the parlor. A maid was watching me. ¡°You¡¯re awake! That¡¯s a relief.¡± It seemed that I have fainted. I could taste the strong brandy in my mouth. I guess she made me drink to wake me up. ¡®But why did I faint?¡¯ Ah, I remembered Fabian running to an unidentified shooter. ¡°Fabian¡­¡­how about Fabian?¡± ¡°He just received treatment.¡± I hurriedly turned my gaze to where the maid was pointing. Fabian was sitting on the chair. He was wearing a shirt, a half-naked. A doctor put a bandage on his half-exposed upper body. He grimaced at the pain coming on. Even so, he was calm in his tone of voice. ¡°When I ran, he was already dead. My bullet hit his leg. Since it was not fatal, I think he may have committed suicide.¡± A man in uniform with a mustache was listening intently with a sharp expression on his face. The man wrote something in the notebook and asked, ¡°You shot his leg? He must have killed himself because he could not escape. Did you see his face? Was he an acquaintance?¡± Fabian shook his head. As I listened to the conversation, I gradually remembered the situation just before I fainted. I had never heard such a terrible sound in my life. It must have been the shooter¡¯s inner voice just before taking his own life. Remembering it again, I felt goosebumps and my hair stood up. ¡°Brandy¡­¡­give me more brandy.¡± I said to the maid in a trembling voice. The maid looked at my face and handed me a half-filled glass of brandy. I took the glass and drank it all the way. As the strong alcohol burned my esophagus, I felt a bit more awake. Then a question came to my mind. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I hear anything before I heard the gunshot?¡¯ The flurry of death was heard. That is to say, it was not a place where the inner voice could not be heard. ¡®How was it when I just went out to the balcony?¡¯ Obviously, I could hear several people¡¯s inner voices. Were there any special voices that sounded like they were trying to kill Fabian? I bit my lip. ¡®I do not know.¡¯ There were too many inner voices at once to separate them one by one. In the first place, I went out to the balcony to get away from it. I tried not to listen, I tried to ignore it. If I hear too many inner voices around me, can I tell which ones are really dangerous? It¡¯s all just malicious voices. If not¡­¡­ ¡®Ah!¡¯ There was one thing I overlooked. The only inner voice I can hear is negative. It only comes from a heart that contains malice. Other thoughts are unheard of. The beggar boy who was about to stab Fabian with a knife or the maid who was carrying the suspiciously sweet dessert was anxious and afraid. Because it¡¯s not something they usually do. Because they weren¡¯t used to hurting others and getting paid. So I could hear them. ¡®But what if the person targeting Fabian today is a professional assassin?¡¯ A person who does not particularly dislike the targeted person and is not afraid of harming people. In that case, I would not be able to hear his inner voice. Perhaps in the future, there will be other people who are aiming for Fabian¡¯s life. ¡®I will never know if they try to kill him without any anxiety or hatred.¡¯ The operation to listen to the inner voices of the suspicious hearts in advance to protect Fabian was a failure. Suddenly, I was thirsty. With trembling hands, I took another sip of the brandy. Heat rose to my face. I looked at Fabian over the glass. The doctor seemed to have finished the treatment. Fabian was putting his shirt back on and buttoning it up. Is it okay to move already? Fabian buttoned his shirt from below and lifted his chin to button the last button at the end of his neck. He lifted his head and lowered his eyes, looking at me. ¡®Ah, I think our eyes just met.¡¯ It was at that moment when I thought that the red eyes seemed to shine more strangely. He finished his last button and stood up from the seat. ¡°Wife, you¡¯re awake.¡± Fabian came straight up to me. Didn¡¯t you say that you will continue to ignore me today? ¡®Has the plan changed?¡¯ Besides, you just called me ¡®wife¡¯. Not Lady Marcia, not even Lady Blick, but ¡®wife¡¯. Guessing what would happen from now on, I swallowed dry saliva with a nervous mind. ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± Fabian¡¯s voice was strangely loud. I quickly matched the beat and answered, ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about Fabian? How about your wound?¡± ¡°This wound is not a big deal. It is just a scratch. I¡¯m fine as long as you are safe.¡± Saying that, Fabian raised his gaze and glanced around the parlor. I followed his gaze at the same time. Almost all of the guests remained in the parlor. Besides the mustachioed police officer who was talking to Fabian, there were two other men in uniform. They seemed to listen to the guests. I looked around and saw a person I hadn¡¯t seen before. A tall man with glasses. It was a familiar face. He made eye contact with me and bowed lightly. My eyes lit up. ¡®Poe! You¡¯re back¡­¡­¡¯ I quickly looked at Fabian. He was smiling. But it was a strange smile that seemed a little creepy. ¡°Everyone, I have something to announce to all of you.¡± Chapter 29 The eyes of the mourners were focused. ¡°Thank you for being here today. Until now, you have been busy delivering your deepest condolences to my uncle Count Laurent and aunt Marchioness Conrad, so I haven¡¯t had a chance to meet and talk to each of you.¡± Fabian looked around once. He spoke in a relaxed manner, ¡°So, I would like to say this at once, even now, despite the excuses.¡± I heard someone swearing. Of course, I was the only one who heard it. Fabian spoke without hesitation, ¡°I know that my uncle and aunt did not tell you this ahead of time because of their grief over the loss of the Grand Duke. It concerns the will of the deceased His Highness the Grand Duke.¡± As soon as he heard the word ¡®the will¡¯, Dominic ran out screaming. ¡°Shut that mouth of yours. How dare you put my father¡¯s will in your dirty mouth?¡± ¡°Ri-right, do you have to bring up such an extremely private story now?¡± (the aunt) ¡°Uncle, aunt, if you wanted me to shut up, you should have used a more skilled shooter. Maybe that¡¯s why you spare gold coins for your own?¡± Fabian said with a soft smile. The eyes of the police have changed. It was because the person who had been shot a while ago suddenly pointed out the culprit. ¡°What are you talking about, Fabian? What do you mean by a shooter? Why would we do that? Watch your words, you have to be polite in front of the mourners. Oh my God, that¡¯s why people should have a good education,¡± Valerie shouted again. But as the mustachioed police officer turned to look at her, her complexion quickly turned white. ¨C He must have done it, idiot Dominic. He had kept the gold coins to run away. You have a knack for ruining things! It was an inner voice that was close to certainty. At least this time, it doesn¡¯t seem to have been done by Valerie. Because she was suspicious of Dominic. Dominic clenched his fists and tried to run to Fabian, but two police quickly rushed at him. He was lightly suppressed and placed on a chair. ¡°Count Laurent, no violence. Can you sit quietly?¡± one of the police pressed Dominic on the shoulder and said threateningly. Fabian smiled and took a step closer to him. ¡°Judging by uncle Dominic¡¯s reaction, I think some of you have guessed it. That¡¯s right. Ladies and gentlemen, it wasn¡¯t my uncle who mentioned in the will of the deceased Grand Duke, but¡­¡­¡± After Fabian deliberately sighed, he spoke dramatically with a smile, ¡°¡ªI was the one who was appointed as the next Grand Duke.¡± People mumbled in surprise. Dominic screamed and was about to stand up immediately, but the police officer forcefully grabbed him and pressed him down. Instead, Dominic shouted out loud, ¡°There is a condition!¡± ¡°It was,¡± Fabian said leisurely. ¡°It was that I had to marry a noblewoman within a year.¡± ¡°Right! Do you think any parent would give their daughter to someone like you? A person with a sane mind wouldn¡¯t marry off his daughter to a witch¡¯s son!¡± said Dominic. Among the mourners, there were a few people who nodded as if possessed. Some looked at Fabian. Ignoring them, Fabian answered, ¡°Unfortunately, I have already met that requirement.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dominic opened his mouth. There was also a little shock on Valerie¡¯s face. clang. Next to Valerie, a teacup fell and shattered on the floor of the parlor. Heloise, who had been quietly drinking tea next to her mother, dropped her teacup. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Heloise asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Did you meet the condition? Are you saying that you are already married? I mean, are you married? Brother?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The person standing next to Fortus took a step forward. [T/N: Fortus is Poe/the aide] It was clear that he knew the purpose of this stage very well. ¡°I am the lawyer of the Laurent family. I swear by the Bible, everything lord Fabian said now is true.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Fabian had already married an aristocratic woman three days ago. At the same time, he became the legitimate Grand Duke of the Laurent according to the deceased Grand Duke¡¯s will.¡± Before the lawyer could finish speaking, screams shrouded in confusion erupted. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡± ¡°Who the hell is your partner?¡± ¡°Perjury is a crime!¡± At the same time, there was one person who looked surprised but happy. It was Leonid. He opened his eyes wide and folded his arms to watch the crowd clamor. ¡®Seeing you smile, you really are Fabian¡¯s friend.¡¯ I gently set the brandy glass in my hand down on the table next to me. Then I sat up straight and straightened my dress. I took out the ring I had kept in the pocket just in case and put it on the ring finger of my left hand. It was the ring that Fabian handed while proposing to me and passed down from generation to generation to the Grand Duchess of Laurent. My black veil lay on the table, perhaps the maid had taken it off when I lost consciousness. I quickly picked it up and put it back on my head. Make sure my face is completely covered. Fabian was standing leisurely looking around. A few minutes later he reached out and the lawyer took the papers from his pocket. Fabian said as he took the papers. ¡°Here is my marriage certificate. It is signed by His Majesty the King.¡± The king¡¯s signature on the nobility¡¯s marriage certificate. It was proof that the state recognized the marriage. ¡°I have already confirmed the authenticity,¡± The lawyer nodded seriously. Fabian opened the papers to the people. That doesn¡¯t mean people can read the details in detail, but it was an action that was effective in itself. However, I caught a glimpse of a small dark red stain on one corner of the document. ¡®Blood¡­¡­?¡¯ I looked at Fortus in surprise. Three days ago, Fabian told him to come back alive. ¡®No way¡­¡­did you get hurt?¡¯ But on the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong. The eyes looking through the glasses were just calm. Then Fabian walked up to me and held out his hand. All eyes were on me. ¡®The time has come.¡¯ I bit my lip under the veil and placed my hand on his hand. He lifted me up lightly. ¡°She is my wife. Miss Marcia Blick¡ªno, she is Grand Duchess Marcia Laurent.¡± I took Fabian¡¯s hand, closed my eyes tightly, and took a slow, deep breath. Soon, voices of astonishment and condemnation poured out from both mouth and heart. Someone asked, ¡°Blick? This is a family unheard of, are you sure it¡¯s a noble family?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± (the lawyer) Marcia added, ¡°His Majesty Herman III, the then king, conferred a baron title to my great-great-grandfather. If you look further, the name Blick is definitely on the list of contributions to the founding of the kingdom.¡± This kingdom was founded several hundred years ago. So, it was said that our family has inherited the blood of aristocrats from then on. It must have met the terms of the will. It was something Igor used to say when he was drunk, so I remembered it very well. ¡°She is a relative of the aide! An aide without a surname! Then she is a commoner!¡± I heard the voice of a boy who seemed to have just gone through puberty. Richard had his face flushed with anger. ¡°Be careful with what you say, Young Lord Richard. You didn¡¯t even ask my name when you came into my room¡ªa lady¡¯s room¡ªwithout an invitation,¡± I replied with a smile. Anyway, my smile was covered by a black veil, so it wouldn¡¯t be visible. Until then, Fabian was holding my hand. I tried to gently pull my hand out. Then the power came into his grasp. In the end, holding his hand, I lifted my head and looked at him. Fabian looked around without even looking at me and said, ¡°As the owner of this house, I welcome all who come to pay tribute to former Grand Duke Frederick Laurent. You are welcome to stay as long as you want. But, I can¡¯t keep disrespectful guests under my roof.¡± The corners of his lips rose slowly. His red eyes narrowed, and he smiled as he raised his chin. It was a deadly smile that seemed to be captivating. ¡°Uncle, aunt, I would like you to leave the Laurent estate right away. Oh, but before that, the charges of trying to assassinate Grand Duke Laurent must be cleared. The police authorities are out to investigate after a long time, so you couldn¡¯t defend yourself at this point.¡± He turned to the mustachioed police officer he was talking to earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a room if you need it. Feel free to use it as an investigation room.¡± Dominic¡¯s face turned from red to black. He shouted loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly! I can¡¯t admit it!¡± Dominic twisted his body as two police grabbed him by the shoulders. Fabian stared at him silently before he turned his back and left the parlor. Holding my hand tightly, I walked down the hallway. He has big hands considering his tall stature, so my hand was almost buried. ¡®Why won¡¯t you let go of my hand?¡¯ When I looked around quickly, there was no one coming and going, so I quickly pulled my hand. He let go of my hand this time. ¡°I said don¡¯t touch my body.¡± Fabian raised his eyebrow. ¡°Is it because of the contract that says no physical contact? Do I have to cross my arms while escorting? What if we have to dance?¡± ¡°That, that¡­¡­ That¡¯s different. That¡¯s a category of courtesy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s different?¡± ¡°A little while ago¡­¡­¡± A while ago, we were holding hands to show that we were married. Chapter 30 But before I could even finish speaking, Fabian opened his mouth. ¡°A little while ago I reached out to raise you up. It was you who put your hand in mine. I remember the same thing happened at dinner last night.¡± ¡­¡­It wasn¡¯t wrong. He is right that he touched me, but when I wrote it in the contract, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. It was kind of a metaphor. ¡°Sigh, but today didn¡¯t end there, you held my hand and didn¡¯t let go until a while ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think holding hands is out of the category of courtesy. If you¡¯re having trouble holding hands, what do you think of the previous contact?¡± ¡°The previous contact¡­¡­¡± Fabian jumped on me, knocked me to the floor, and fell on top of me. He even hugged me before shooting¡­¡­ ¡®¡­¡­I was wrong.¡¯ When he saved my life, I didn¡¯t say anything, and I was pissed off with just holding hands. However, thinking about it, I could not guarantee that there would be no such kind of contact in the future. ¡°That¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Please pretend I didn¡¯t say anything a while ago.¡± First of all, I sincerely apologized. Fabian looked down at me and said, ¡°Let me set the range.¡± ¡°The range?¡± ¡°The range of physical contact. The extent to which I can touch your body.¡± He spoke in a cool and businesslike tone, but somehow it sounded a bit strange. As I rolled my eyes to the side, one of Fabian¡¯s mouths seemed to rise a little. ¡°Let¡¯s not make physical contact to the limit of married life at night. Would you be okay with that?¡± Married life at night. Am I the only one embarrassed to hear this, even if my face is hidden by a veil? ¡°Good, good.¡± ¡°If you have anything to add, say it now. Don¡¯t grumble later.¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s enough.¡± Then he nodded his head with a firm expression and turned his body. ¡°You¡¯re hurt¡­¡­are you okay?¡± I asked behind his back. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a scratch.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I am not lying.¡± He answered without looking back, strode down the hallway, and disappeared. *** After Fabian left the room as the new Grand Duke, holding hands with his wife, Heloise took a seat in the parlor. She watched with blank eyes as Dominic and Valerie were taken by the police¡¯s hand and moved into the next room. ¡®Brother Fabian, how could you do this to me?¡¯ Heloise clenched her fan to break. The only daughter of Marquis Conrad, she had everything she wanted as she grew up, and she grew up to be as precious as a princess. It was Fabian who had so far rejected her. He was the grandson of the Grand Duke Laurent, but at the same time, Fabian was also the son of a lowly witch. No one thought that he would be able to succeed the Grand Duke. I myself also thought the same. For a half-aristocrat to ignore the only daughter of a prestigious marquis family, Heloise was furious at that fact. Heloise thought that if she showed favor and affection for Fabian, he would go away immediately. But even though she waited patiently, she was still rejected. ¡®How dare you reject me!¡¯ Even though you can inherit the title of marquis after you marry me. ¡®Despite my mother¡¯s objection, I said I would accept you.¡¯ It had been a long time since Heloise had opened her heart to Fabian for the first time. She did not give up despite his continued rejection of her. Because she thought that one day he would have no choice but to accept her offer. Like a noble lady, she gracefully waited with patience. I didn¡¯t know that waiting would hit the back of my head like this. ¡°He really is already married. Oops, what are you going to do, sister Heloise?¡± A sarcastic voice came from the side. It was a familiar boy¡¯s voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t even know that the Grand Duchess was there, and at last night¡¯s dinner, you flirted with Fabian like that.¡± In front of Heloise, Richard giggled. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about you, Richard. Didn¡¯t you see my uncle being dragged to the next room?¡± ¡°That was the same for my aunt.¡± ¡°If a boy is born between brother Fabian and that woman, you will lose your position as Grand Duke. Is this the time for you to laugh like that?¡± The smile on Richard¡¯s lips slowly turned into a smirk. He looked straight at Heloise and said, ¡°You look very nervous, sister. Well, I understand.¡± In fact, she wasn¡¯t just nervous. She wants to hold onto anything that has the potential to break that marriage. But she knew what Richard had to say. ¡°I¡¯ve never had any interest in becoming a grand duke since I was born. After all, I was born to Grand Duke Frederick¡¯s second son.¡± It was as expected. He was furious at Fabian becoming Grand Duke, but he didn¡¯t think of putting himself in his place. It was funny. After the eldest son, Xavier, passed away, the second son, Dominic, acted as if he had already taken the place of the next grand duke, but Dominic¡¯s son, Richard, not greedy at all. Heloise could not understand. He gave up on a position that she couldn¡¯t even dream of because she was a woman, and that he was born as a man without even trying. Richard shrugged his shoulders. He got to see Fabian again for a bit. As soon as the will was announced, he married the woman who was right next to him. He deserved recognition for his determination and action. ¡®Whether it is a good thing or not remains to be seen.¡¯ ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have any regrets¡­¡­but I¡¯d like to say that I¡¯m done with this today. Well then, sister.¡± Heloise suddenly raised her head. ¡®What is that?¡¯ But Richard ignored her gaze and turned his back. He went to his mother, Emma. ¡°Mother, please go back to the mansion first. Father will go home after the investigation is over. I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Emma sat with a fly-faced face, and then she raised her head to look at her son. She asked in a weary voice, ¡°Are you going to stay here?¡± ¡°What the new owner of the mansion asked to stay here was all the guests other than my father and Aunt Valerie.¡± Richard shrugged his shoulders and held out his hand. Emma looked at her son¡¯s hand for a moment and then stood up from the seat as soon as she took the hand. Without saying goodbye to any of the guests, she immediately left the parlor. Heloise looked at Richard and Emma leaving the parlor like that and then stood up. A squeaking sound came from under her feet. She looked down and found a fragment of the teacup she had dropped earlier. It seemed that the clumsy maid didn¡¯t clean it properly. ¡®Brother, do you think I will accept this situation?¡¯ She gave strength to her feet, as she stepped on the shards. The small pottery breaking into finer pieces represented her feeling well. 3. Love at First Sight? The funeral ended like that. Fabian asked to stay as long as he could, but the mourners did not stay overnight and left, giving various excuses. He returned to the mansion and called his staff for a meeting. They need to come up with a quick response to this shocking incident. Among the mourners, only two were left in the mansion. One was Richard Laurent and the other was Marquis Leonid Orlov. Leonid said that he volunteered to help Fabian and stayed. Seeing that Fabian didn¡¯t even bother with it, he seems to be a big help. I don¡¯t know why Richard was here. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t really want to know.¡¯ If he gets in the way, Fabian will kick him out. Like he kicked out Dominic and Valerie. The mustachioed police ambitiously arrested Dominic and took him away, but the case ended when he obediently rode into the police carriage. He had been released before being interrogated. Maybe he paid a lot of gold to the top-rank police. Who it was, of course, was not known. In the end, it was not decided who was trying to harm Fabian, and it was left in the dark. Valerie was not even taken away. Because I had stopped her attempt to poison Fabian before it even happened. It¡¯s good that no damage was done, but would it have been better to just let her do some minor damage? ¡®Had she done that, she might have been taken by the police and shuddered in fear.¡¯ No, even then, she would have paid the top-rank police with gold. Like Dominic was released without charges. ¡®What if there are more shooters or assassins in the future?¡¯ I was in the middle of a thought when I heard someone knocking. ¡°The letters have come for you, Grand Duchess.¡± Chapter 31 I was a bit late in responding to that unfamiliar title. I said awkwardly, ¡°Thank you, Alfred.¡± Butler Alfred brought a mountain of letters on a tray. He was the one who greeted me and Larissa at the front door when we came here on the first day. After the funeral, Fabian called the butler, maids, and chefs from various fields and briefly introduced them to me. ¡®No, was it me who was introduced to them?¡¯ The surprised expressions that spread among the employees and the inner voices that were even more startled than that were vivid. ¨C G-Grand Duchess? Who? That girl who was locked up in the guest room until then in a dirty dress? ¨C Let alone the wedding, I didn¡¯t even hear about the engagement. ¨C As soon as His Highness the Grand Duke passed away¡­¡­what the hell is this? One day without notice, the hostess suddenly appeared. Everyone was only confused in their minds, and no one spoke much with their mouths. Among them, it was Alfred who did not raise an eyebrow. He showed me the inside of the mansion with the utmost respect. In the meantime, there was no voice from his heart. ¡®Truly a man worthy of the butler of the Grand Duke.¡¯ He brought the letters today very politely as if it had always happened. ¡°Ha¡­¡­¡± I sighed as I looked at the pile of letters. There is nothing to tear off. Because all the letters that come to me these days are all the same. ¡®At least it¡¯s an invitation, or a letter asking for permission to visit.¡¯ ¡°It seems that rumors have already spread in the social world.¡± I flipped through the envelope and read only the name written on the outside. I don¡¯t know these people. Fortunately, they sent the title after their name. Thanks to this, even though I have a little knowledge of social circles, I was able to get a rough guess by looking at the titles. ¡°All of them are low-ranking nobles.¡± Even within the social circles, they were of the lower ranks. ¡®It seems that the high-ranking nobles are still looking at the situation.¡¯ They did not want to believe that Fabian became the Grand Duke. ¡®Or maybe they think he¡¯ll be overthrown soon.¡¯ I took out a box in the corner of the room. Inside were the other letters I had received so far. I collected all the letters I received today and put them in it. I¡¯m going to decline all invitations, but it¡¯s better to show them to Fabian just in case. I would be in trouble if I turned down a really important invitation by mistake. ¡°Larissa, I¡¯m leaving for a while.¡± I waved to Larissa, then took the box of letters and left the room. We were still staying in the guest room given to us by the late Grand Duke on the first day. The mansion was still busy adjusting to the sudden death of the Grand Duke. Fabian did the same. He was not staying in the Grand Duke¡¯s room, but in his old room. The policemen are also using a temporary office. ¡®Indeed, it would be very uncomfortable to move into his grandfather¡¯s room just a few days after he passed away.¡¯ I knocked lightly on the makeshift office door, and I heard his voice from inside. ¡°Come in.¡± When I opened the door, I saw Fabian with his eyes fixed on the desk without looking up. The fountain pen was constantly moving. ¡®You look very busy.¡¯ I glanced around waiting for him to stop taking notes. The interior was really simple. There was only a desk and chair full of documents that Fabian uses, and there is no place for anyone else to sit. ¡®Is this his original personality?¡¯ Even in a temporary office, it¡¯s a good idea to bring some frequently used or cherished items. Is there not even an object that he is attached to? Or is his work completely separate from his personal life? I stared still at the top of his head, who had been bent over taking notes. A strange thing caught my eyes. ¡®There are two hair whorls.¡¯ One hair whorl is visible near the top of the head and the other a little further away from it. ¡®Where did I hear that? There is a saying that you are destined to marry twice if you have two hair whorls.¡¯ It really is perfect for this situation, huh? I giggled inwardly. After a few minutes, he showed no sign of stopping his work. Reluctantly, I spoke first. ¡°Your Highness, good morning.¡± Fabian¡¯s hand suddenly stopped. Then he raised his head. As if he didn¡¯t expect that I was the one who came, his red eyes widened a little. ¡°Wife, what¡¯s wrong?¡± There was no greeting even if it was just for pleasantries. He didn¡¯t even pretend to get up from his seat. It was not a conversation between newlyweds, but more like a boss asking a lieutenant. ¡®Still, I¡¯m glad that he used respectful words.¡¯ Well, we are a contracting couple with different purposes. ¡®You don¡¯t have to change your attitude just because you¡¯re married.¡¯ I convinced myself and took out the matter. ¡°I have something to tell you, can you spare a moment?¡± He frowned slightly at my question and glanced at the wall clock. ¡®Do you not have time to talk for a moment?¡¯ Fortunately, he put the fountain pen down and placed his hands on the desk. Oh, looking at it again, your hands are so big. ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just for a moment. Please speak.¡± For a moment, I turned my gaze away from his hand movements and set the box I brought with me down on the corner to the desk. ¡°These are the letters I have received so far. I ripped open the first fifty envelopes and read them all, and they all had similar contents.¡± ¡®So?¡¯ he looked at me with those eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t read the rest of it because I thought it would be the same. I brought all the letters here because I thought I might have missed a letter from an important person among them.¡± ¡°Are you saying you want me to check if there is an important letter?¡± ¡°No.¡± If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d better ask the butler. He must have been serving the Grand Duke for a long time, so he must know which family letter is important. I took a deep breath, ¡°From now on, can you please receive the letters too?¡± As expected, his eyes frowned slightly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I am saying that I do not want to play the role of the Grand Duchess.¡± Then Fabian opened his eyes wide. What? Why? I can do whatever I want. You said I can taint the Grand Duchess¡¯s name, and just do what I want. ¡®I¡¯m not really trying to taint it though.¡¯ It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not the real Grand Duchess, so I don¡¯t want to assume any obligations. I didn¡¯t even want to go outside and impress people that I¡¯m the Grand Duchess. I want to avoid as much noise as possible when Larissa becomes the Grand Duchess later. I will just go out with only the pocket money I get. ¡°I heard that it has been a long time since the former Grand Duchess passed away.¡± The wife of Grand Duke Frederic Laurent, Fabian¡¯s grandmother, died of an illness more than a decade ago. After losing his wife, Frederick did not remarry. In other words, there was no Grand Duchess for a long time. ¡°So far, the Laurent duchy has been running well without a hostess. Do I really need to mess it up?¡± ¡°Mess it up you say?¡± His eyes narrowed. I bit my lip and nodded. Had it not been me in this position, but the real Marcia, she would have done the same. Because¡­¡­ ¡°Until now, I have never learned what a hostess does. It¡¯s okay to call me stupid. That¡¯s right. All I did was go to the party, dance, and drink.¡± I¡¯m not educated, so if I tried to tinker with it, I might really mess it up. So, it was not because I didn¡¯t want to do it, but more importantly, because I didn¡¯t know how to do it. Even as I spoke, my face burned with embarrassment. Still, I did not try to hide it. It was going to be revealed soon anyway. ¡°If I start working on it, everything that has been rolling with stability for a long time will come crashing down. Since I¡¯m temporary anyway, I think it¡¯s better to just leave it as it is.¡± Besides, if you are going to teach the hostess, it is correct to teach Larissa, not me. Teaching me is just a waste of time. ¡®I will disappear from this mansion in three years, and Larissa will be the real hostess.¡¯ Although of course there are more serious problems before the hostess education. ¡°And there is one more thing I would like to ask you.¡± I swallowed dry saliva. ¡°I need a doctor who has good skills and has a heavy mouth.¡± Fabian smirked. ¡°Is it because of Miss Larissa again this time?¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± I quickly waved my hand. ¡°Do not misunderstand. Of course, the person taking care of her now is a great doctor, and I am very grateful.¡± Thanks to the doctor, Larissa¡¯s wounds began to heal little by little. Fortunately, she was still a child, so her wounds healed quickly. He was obviously a good doctor. But the problem was that all he did was treat her wounds, not her trauma. ¡°Larissa needs another good doctor¡­¡­a doctor who can heal deep wounds of the heart.¡± Chapter 32 Larissa needs a psychiatrist. I could treat her like my niece, but I don¡¯t even know what else I can do for her. I really need the advice of a psychiatrist. Fabian loosened his clenched fists, then tapped the table a few times with his finger. ¡°I don¡¯t know if there is such a doctor. A doctor who treats heart wounds, I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± Ah¡­¡­ As expected, the medical science of this world was not developed enough. ¨C Maybe a witch rather than a doctor¡­¡­? Fabian looked into the air as if thinking about something and murmured. No, his mouth did not move. It was his inner voice. But he looked like he felt a deep sense of disgust as he thought about it. My heart was pounding. A witch? A witch rather than a doctor? ¡°If it is such a doctor, I¡¯ll look for him first. Until then, I will appoint the doctor of the Laurent family.¡± He said in a business tone. He didn¡¯t even let out the word ¡®witch¡¯ that he had previously thought of. ¡®Come to think of it, it was said that his mother who died early was a witch.¡¯ Perhaps he knew something about a witch. But what made his life difficult is also the witch¡¯s bloodline. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t ask.¡¯ I swallowed back the excitement that rose to my throat. It was self-evident that he did not think positively about witchcraft. So, at this point, there was no point in poking out his wounds. ¡®More than anything else, I can¡¯t talk about what he thinks but he doesn¡¯t say.¡¯ It is an unwritten rule that Marcia has kept until now. ¡®When we get to know each other a little later, shall we talk a little bit?¡¯ But will such a day ever come¡­¡­? I sighed lightly and said, ¡°It has to be someone with a heavy mouth.¡± ¡°Mr. Bellman is a trustworthy person.¡± It¡¯s just not enough to be a trustworthy person. Even if Larissa showed tears during the treatment, he had to be someone who would keep it a secret. ¡°Can you swear?¡± When I asked to confirm, he kept silent. Then he looked at me as if to guess something. As he tilted his head slightly, the sunlight from the window shone in his eyes. He said in a low voice, ¡°What are you hiding?¡± I thought I would stop breathing for a moment. ¡°What? Why do I have to hide something?¡± I answered as calmly as possible, not even moving. Was it obvious that I was hiding something? I didn¡¯t reply too quickly, did I? Should I laugh? If I laugh, will it seem like I¡¯m not hiding anything? ¡®No, that would be even more awkward¡­¡­¡¯ Fabian stared at me and then sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. I¡¯m not interrogating you.¡± Nervous? ¡­¡­did I get nervous? Realizing that his shoulders were full of strength, he exhaled and stretched his arms. He rubbed his temple with one hand. Then he ruffled his black hair. His eyes still had a business-like light. Fabian tidied up the scattered documents on the table and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next room. This room is not suitable for talking with a lady.¡± My title went one step further from wife to lady. As if to prove that, he politely escorted me to the next room. It¡¯s the perfect manner to treat a lady you meet for the first time in a social world. The connected room was a small drawing-room. He seated me on a comfy chair and then called the maid to bring tea and refreshments. After creating a comfortable atmosphere, he said overbearingly, ¡°Now, tell me.¡± ¡°Tell what?¡± I have nothing to hide except for one thing. One thing that will never come out of my mouth. What should I do? I have no choice but to pretend I have nothing to hide. Fabian laughed, raising one corner of his mouth. His mouth smiled, but his eyes were cold. ¡®You¡¯re not laughing at me right now, are you?¡¯ ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it, but I do need to point out one thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing about Miss Larissa¡¯s secret.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I managed not to drop the teacup. I had to buy time to answer. I took a sip of the tea as casually as I could and carefully put it down. But before I could say anything, Fabian spoke quietly, ¡°Abuse, right?¡± Oh. I was secretly relieved. Of course, abuse is a very serious matter, and it¡¯s better to keep it a secret, but it¡¯s not as bad as a fairy¡¯s tears. ¡®Did you hear this from the doctor who took care of Larissa?¡¯ After all, a young child had bruises all over her body, there was no way he could not talk to his master. ¡°That¡¯s why I want someone with a heavy mouth.¡± As I spoke carefully, Fabian shook his head. ¡°The doctor didn¡¯t tell me, I knew from the first time I saw her.¡± ¡­¡­from the first time? ¡°A father who lies when he opens his mouth and daughters who run away from him. The younger sister was shaking so badly that she couldn¡¯t even speak a word, and the first thing the older sister did as soon as she had a place to rest was to get medicine for trauma treatment.¡± Was it something that could be summarized in a few words so easily? ¡®It was a runaway that risked our lives in our own way.¡¯ I felt frustrated. I got thirsty and reached for the teacup again. Fabian continued, casting a deep shadow between his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to believe me. If it¡¯s a secret you don¡¯t want to tell, you can keep it. But¡­¡­¡± He looked straight at me. ¡°It¡¯s helpful to be open about things you can¡¯t handle on your own.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the kind of person who can provide practical help.¡± I looked at his face again and again. He had a beautiful face that would make people go crazy. White skin contrasting with black hair, eyes of a beautiful color somewhere inhuman. A jawline that looks like a sculpture of masculinity and a broad and firm shoulder. ¡®Since when did beauty equal persuasion?¡¯ When Fabian looked at me with serious eyes, it made me want to trust him and tell him everything. In the end, I asked as if possessed, ¡°Are you saying that if it¡¯s practical help, you¡¯ll do more than just provide a doctor?¡± ¡°You are now my wife. I will do the duties of a husband.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°A husband should be ready to do anything for his wife.¡± Whoa, why is this guy like this? I forgot to drink tea for a moment and swallowed dry saliva. It was a very romantic line, but there was no affection on his face. Unsurprisingly, the words that came out of his mouth in the next moment were extremely businesslike, ¡°You must not have forgotten our contract.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ah.¡± A contract to remain married to Fabian for at least one year. I nodded. ¡°I am trying to make sure that there is no threat to your life during the contract period.¡± Haha. What? Well, that¡¯s true. I was nervous for no reason. So when Fabian said he would do anything for his wife, he meant that he would do anything to keep me alive for the next year. That way, his status will be guaranteed. ¡®I was almost swayed by a single word by him.¡¯ Then I felt much more at ease. He simply said the solution, ¡°I will deal with those who abused Miss Larissa.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± It was a very tempting offer. Doesn¡¯t that mean that Larissa no longer needs to be afraid of Igor and Villain? It was enough to imprison the two of them, or at least prevent them from coming to the Laurent estate. Then I won¡¯t have to wait until the next three years, right? I got a little excited and asked, ¡°How do you deal with it?¡± He leaned back and crossed his legs. His right leg, which rested on his left knee, stretched out in a long diagonal line. ¡°I can clean it up without any fuss. I won¡¯t make it as sloppy as someone else did on the day of the funeral.¡± It had been a few days since he was shot, and he calmly spoke as if it were someone else¡¯s business. It was a very confident attitude. ¡®But why suddenly bring up the attempted murder case at the funeral back then?¡¯ My heart froze in an instant and fell to the bottom of the cliff. No way¡­¡­ ¡°What do you¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an assassination.¡± Oh my God. No! You can¡¯t! Of course, personally, I want to agree immediately. Someone who torments a young child like that, by my standards, deserves the death penalty. But even if they are sentenced to death, they have to face it in a public trial, and I shouldn¡¯t let people¡¯s lives be dictated by my personal thoughts. Besides, there was another scary thing. ¡®If you¡¯re going to send an assassin to the family that abused Larissa, won¡¯t that assassin come to me as well?¡¯ Chapter 33 I didn¡¯t hit Larissa directly, but I sent the nanny down from time to time to make her cry. Could it be that the judgment time, which is scheduled for three years later, has been pushed forward? I held the teacup with both hands. It was so unfair. Marcia is in me, but what Marcia did back then wasn¡¯t something I could prevent. No matter what I do, I won¡¯t be able to fully pay for the crime of abusing a young child, but can I have a little chance to make amends? ¡®Assassination?¡¯ I looked at the teacup and then suddenly looked up, Fabian was looking at my face carefully. He frowned. ¡°Was Miss Larissa not the only one who was abused?¡± Oh man, it seems you misunderstood my reaction. I quickly waved my hand. ¡°Oh, no!¡± ¡°You can be honest with me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± I spoke quickly before he thought of anything else. ¡°Please follow the contract details. The provision that Larissa will never be given away to other members of the family. And I would be grateful if you could find a doctor who can treat her heart¡¯s wounds¡± ¡°All right. Again, Mr. Bellman is a very reliable person. Don¡¯t worry about something leaking out of his mouth.¡± I nodded my head slightly, indicating that I understood. Then I took a sip of the tea left in the teacup. The tea was still warm. ¡°Hey, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Me? Fabian narrowed his eyes as if he didn¡¯t know what I was talking about. ¡°You were shot at the funeral.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°You look pale.¡± Then he furrowed his brows and rubbed his chin and cheek with one hand. ¡°¡­¡­this is my real color.¡± I wonder if a man¡¯s skin can be that white. I don¡¯t think he looked like a vampire for no reason. I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t because he was not feeling well. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I was okay? If you don¡¯t believe me, should I rather show you?¡± He spoke firmly and then pulled the cravat loose. ¡®Is it supposed to be that easy to untie?¡¯ Soon after I saw his finger pointing towards the button of his shirt, I screamed, ¡°Oh, my God! No! Don¡¯t take it off!¡± Fabian flinched and lowered his hand. He chuckled and put the cravat down next to the teacup. I hurried to hide my embarrassment. ¡°Thank you and sorry. You got shot because you were covering me¡­¡­¡± ¡°No. I am the one they were aiming for from the beginning. If I hadn¡¯t gone out to the balcony, they would have sneaked in the other direction and shot me. I¡¯m the one who should be sorry. I got you involved.¡± ¡°Oh, no. I wasn¡¯t hurt anywhere.¡¯ Fabian frowned. ¡°Weren¡¯t you so shocked that you fainted?¡± ¡­¡­oh, yes, indeed. The moment I remembered the situation, I shuddered for a moment. On the balcony where Fabian¡¯s blood was dripping down, in the pouring rain, that terrifying sound of death came to mind again. I bit my lip and lifted my head to see Fabian looking at me with a subtle expression. I lowered my gaze to the teacup and murmured, ¡°There was so much blood¡­¡­¡± ¡°The bullet didn¡¯t go through, it just hurt my skin a little. The doctor sewed it well, so it¡¯ll get better soon. No organs were injured¡­¡­¡± Fabian stopped his words as if he had suddenly realized something. He then sighed lightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, It¡¯s not something to say to a lady.¡± ¡°No. It is better to listen carefully.¡± I was a little surprised. ¡®You¡¯ve been hurt so badly that you have to stitch up the wound.¡¯ ¡°I thought that the reason that Your Highness didn¡¯t come out of the office was that you were deeply hurt.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is really nothing.¡± Really? No matter what, he got shot and even had to stitch up the wound. I looked up at him with blurred eyes and remembered our first meeting. After he had an accident, the car shattered and rolled to the point where his clothes were torn, but his body was still intact. His face is a bit pale, but his body must be really strong. ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded quietly and reached for the teacup. I drank the rest of the tea and was about to get up, but Fabian opened his mouth, ¡°And what you said before¡­¡­¡± ¡°What did I say before? Ah¡­¡­¡± I forgot while we were talking about something else. Come to think of it, I came here to declare that I have no intention of fulfilling my duty as a Grand Duchess. ¡°Do whatever you want. Because that was my condition. You are free to do whatever you want in the mansion. You just have to pay a little attention to the external activities that we must attend together as a couple.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will keep my promise.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to receive letters in person? There will definitely be personal correspondence, so what if there is a letter you don¡¯t want to show me?¡± It was a sense statement. I can¡¯t believe that he was the one who calmly said that he was going to send an assassin just a moment ago. But I shook my head. ¡°There¡¯s no one to send personal correspondence to me.¡± Marcia had never had a close friend. Moreover, it would take some time for the rumors that I had become the Grand Duchess of Laurent to spread to the North, the Blick family¡¯s territory, which was a very remote place, and there were only people who didn¡¯t really care about the gossip of high-ranking nobles. It was a neighborhood where it was common for newspapers published every day in the capital to be delivered in bundles of one month each, and to be thrown into a white stove without even reading it. Well, Marcia only read articles about fashion in the capital and threw it away. Fabian raised an eyebrow in response to my answer. The thought that it could be so, seemed to be written on your face. Yes, I have no friends. Do you think I¡¯m the only one without friends in the world? ¡°You¡¯re busy, so I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡± I stood up quickly before hearing his useless inner voice. ¡®Later, I should call the butler and tell him to deliver all the letters that come to me to Fabian.¡¯ For the time being, I¡¯ll just focus on Larissa. I¡¯m the only one who can take care of her. *** Larissa¡¯s face brightened up in no time when I returned to the room. I found out about this recently. When Larissa was alone, she didn¡¯t even drink water, let alone eat. At first, I thought she might be used to living in the basement where she ate under the surveillance of the nanny. So the day before yesterday, when I was away during mealtime, I deliberately left a maid in the room. I asked Larissa to leave the door open in case she was scared. When I returned to the room an hour later, the maid was still in the room. She said to me awkwardly, ¡°I offered Miss Larissa to eat several times, but she just kept quiet.¡± Larissa was sitting in front of the table, and when she made eye contact with me, she quickly avoided my eyes. And she soon began to eat the cooled food slowly. I only found out then. She ate only when I was next to her. ¡°Do you feel relieved when you¡¯re with me?¡± Wouldn¡¯t it be a sign that your heart is a little open to me? She still can¡¯t make eye contact and doesn¡¯t say a word, but she eats only when I¡¯m with her. A corner of my chest pierced. ¡®How can I leave her alone?¡¯ She is my sister. It was so touching, but on the other hand, she closed her heart to everyone but me. It¡¯s not like I can be with Larissa for the rest of my life, but people cannot live alone. Little by little, I need to help you get your feet on this world and open your heart. ¡®Now that I have refused my duty as Grand Duchess, I don¡¯t have anything to do.¡¯ I should go for a walk with Larissa. Even though I¡¯m in the mansion, I often go outside, but Larissa has really only been indoors so far. But there¡¯s no need to do that anymore. From now on, I should give her a variety of experiences. ¡®First of all, let¡¯s get out of the room.¡¯ I heard a rough explanation from the butler about the structure of the mansion, but I haven¡¯t looked back properly yet. The thought of going out with Larissa made me happy. As soon as I got to the room, I quickly opened the door and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk, Larissa!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Huh, did I go too far? Surprised, Larissa¡¯s eyes quickly turned to the floor and her shoulders shrunk. ¡°Are you surprised? I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡± I felt awkward, apologized, and approached her carefully. By the way, Larissa was sitting by the window. In her hand, she still holds the handkerchief I gave her. I glanced out the window. Outside the window, a small fountain in the garden could be seen. I smiled and pointed my finger over the window. ¡°Don¡¯t just look from here, go out and see for yourself.¡± Chapter 34 ¡®This is going to be Larissa¡¯s house, so from now on, it would be good to find out what¡¯s in the house, right?¡¯ Because she doesn¡¯t have to be locked up in a room anymore. Larissa didn¡¯t show any dislike either. With courage, I grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand and ambitiously left the room. When we finally arrived, the fountain was much wider than when we looked down from above. The lawn spread out among the neatly arranged beautiful trees, and flower beds and statues were arranged in harmony with each other. It was still a bit chilly and early in the season, so no butterflies or bees could be seen, but the chirping of birds could be heard through the trees. It was beautiful and peaceful. ¡®Unfortunately, the weather is a little cloudy.¡¯ Still, it didn¡¯t look like it was going to rain as the blue sky was shining through the clouds. ¡°On cloudy days, you don¡¯t have to wear a parasol or hat, so it¡¯s less troublesome and good, isn¡¯t it?¡± I walked with Larissa and kept talking. Larissa followed me, but she kept staring at her feet as she walked, not knowing where to put her eyes. Every time she did, I deliberately pointed my finger around. ¡°Wow, look at that. How did they trim the tree so well? It¡¯s really square, huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a statue too! It must be a baby angel. How pretty.¡± As if talking to a two-year-old, I pointed at the surroundings with my finger. Every time I did, Larissa looked carefully at the place I was pointing at. That means she¡¯s listening to me right? The lips that had been tightly closed at first started to open slightly. ¡®Cute! Looks like you¡¯re concentrating.¡¯ I became more chatty. ¡°The daffodils are blooming. It is said that spring has come. Look at this, Larissa. At first glance, the leaves look like green onions, but they are not green onion flowers. Green onion flowers are white and round, and the stem looks like a needle stick.¡± In front of the daffodils garden, she didn¡¯t just look at them, but her steps got slower! Do you like flowers? I smiled and walked slowly at Larissa¡¯s pace. ¡°You can touch it. It smells good too.¡± As I whispered, Larissa¡¯s steps slowed even further. Her eyes could not fall from the yellow petals of the daffodil. ¡®Ahhh, cute.¡¯ I let go of Larissa¡¯s hand and squatted in front of the flowerbed. Then, I inhaled the scent of daffodils with exaggerated movements. When I sat in front of the flowerbed and didn¡¯t get up, Larissa approached me with hesitation. ¡°Smell it too. Here you go.¡± When I gestured to the seat next to me, Larissa sat down on her knees quietly. And she slowly lowered her head over the yellow buds. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± After a while, Larissa looked up and her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wide open. It¡¯s like smelling the scent of a flower for the first time in your life. ¡®It¡¯s worth bringing her out.¡¯ I smiled happily and realized what Larissa¡¯s reaction meant. Is this really your first time seeing flowers? ¡®Somehow, it was like trying to eat sweets for the first time.¡¯ I don¡¯t know how old Larissa was when she was locked up in the basement. Oh my gosh. What has she ever done? ¡®Are you sure you haven¡¯t done anything that normal people would have experienced?¡¯ I bit my lip. Looking sideways, Larissa was quietly smelling the flowers and carefully touching the petals with her fingertips. Long silver eyelashes cast a shadow over the green eyes gazed at the daffodils. The eyes that looked like they were dead were more alive than usual. After escaping from that hellish basement, Larissa changed a bit. Perhaps it was because she ate well, her slender cheeks became a little plump, and her face began to turn red. She was a young child who had soft fluffy cheeks. ¡®I still have a long way to go. I have to feed her more to look like her age.¡¯ I smiled and imagined pinching Larissa¡¯s plump cheeks. ¡®I have to feed her well until her cheeks are plump and warm like winter buns.¡¯ Seeing Larissa carefully burying the tip of her nose among the yellow spring flowers, it felt like seeing a chick just hatched from an egg. A cute, soft, little creature that only follows me. A small bird that is too weak and needs to be cared for so as not to get hurt. I waited for the cute chick to finish observing the daffodils, then stood up. ¡®I¡¯ll ask the gardener to cut some flower stalks so I can put them in our room later.¡¯ Crocuses were planted in the next flowerbed. Small purple flowers were in full bloom, like a purple carpet. Larissa also squatted in front of the flowerbed and watched for a while. She stopped at each flowerbed and walked around, and when she arrived at the fountain at the end of the garden, quite a bit of time had passed. It was a small fountain with a statue of a small girl holding a water bottle high in the middle. ¡°Shall we sit here for a while?¡± We sat on the edge of the fountain. As I looked up at the sky, the previously thick clouds were gradually dissipating. The sun began to fall over the trees. ¡®I should have brought some snacks.¡¯ I regret it a little now. ¡®If we had stopped by the kitchen while coming, we would have been able to shake our legs and enjoy the sunshine while eating apples.¡¯ I sighed and dipped my fingers into the fountain. A cool sensation came up through my fingers. Watching me dip my fingers, Larissa also gently slipped her fingers into the water. After a while, she began to dip both hands at the same time and squirm through the water. What¡¯s that? My chest swelled with a sense of exaltation. It must have been nothing, but I was happy. ¡®Did you get attached to me in just 15 days?¡¯ Come to think of it, three weeks have passed since I was in Marcia¡¯s body. ¡®It was the most stormy three weeks of my life.¡¯ I brushed the water off my cold fingers. I guess this is enough. It¡¯s getting colder. If you catch a cold after being outside for too long, it¡¯s a big deal. I got up from the fountain. ¡°Would you like to go back to our room now? Are you not hungry?¡± But then, I heard a voice pretending to know me from behind. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Your Highness the Grand Duchess?¡± The voice that seems to have just passed puberty. It was obvious who the owner was. Richard. ¡®I was having a great time with Larissa for the first time in a long time.¡¯ I closed my eyes tightly, sighed, and looked back with a smile. A boy with black hair, with both hands in his pockets, was walking towards this side. ¡°I thought I¡¯d never see you again. I thought you weren¡¯t coming out a step because you were stuck in your room, but that wasn¡¯t it.¡± I didn¡¯t want to respond much, but it was too late to ignore him. Because he already saw me from the other side and talked to me. Larissa, who was about to get up from the fountain, sat slumped and looked at Richard with her round eyes, then she looked at me. I said with my eyes, ¡®It¡¯s okay, Larissa. This sister of yours will take care of it.¡¯ I turned around from the fountain and stopped in front of Richard. Richard looked at me with a sneering expression. But when it comes to sneering, I¡¯m pretty good at it too. I smiled and spoke very kindly, ¡°Oh my, who is this? Richard? What are you doing here after the funeral is over? Both of your parents have already left, so why are you here?¡± Richard frowned. ¡°I¡¯m paying tribute to my grandfather. Can you see this black tie?¡± ¡°Oh, I see. For that kind of thing, you hadn¡¯t even shed a single tear at the funeral. Besides, I heard that the body of Grand Duke Frederick was transported to the castle. Why not go there instead?¡± As I said with a broad smile, Richard responded with a smirk, ¡°What are you doing with a lot of guest rooms left? Do you want to wield whatever you want because you become the hostess of this mansion?¡± ¡°If you are quiet and behave like a guest, I won¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°I met you by chance in this garden and wanted to greet you. Why are you so mean?¡± I held back the desire to turn to Larissa. Richard continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t plan on staying forever. I have to go back to the academy in a few days anyway. The Laurent estate is closer to the train station than my house. I want to save time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good excuse. Well, anyway, then. Please rest well for the rest of the time, Richard.¡± I nodded my head lightly to say goodbye, turned around, and headed towards Larissa. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Larissa.¡± I reached out to Larissa. Larisa took my hand hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to your room.¡± Ah, I¡¯m surprised! Richard suddenly came in front of us. How could he move so fast with his hands in his pockets? ¡°Why? This is my house now, so you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± ¡°You probably don¡¯t know the structure of the mansion yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so kind. But, now I know roughly because the butler guided me.¡± ¡°This place is so spacious. I know it roughly¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can you get out of the way?¡± Although I spoke outright, Richard stood with his chest sticking out as if he had no intention of moving away. Won¡¯t you move? ¡®I¡¯ll just go then.¡¯ I took Larissa¡¯s hand and stepped to Richard¡¯s side. Just before I passed him, Richard said hastily, ¡°So you¡¯re just going back to your room? There must be something to do before that.¡± ¡°What is that? There is no such thing.¡± Why the hell are you being so annoying? I narrowed my eyes, annoyed. Then Richard grunted. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you formally introduce yourself?¡± Who? ¡®¡­¡­is it Larissa?¡¯ Richard didn¡¯t even look at Larissa. Instead, he stared at me with blue eyes, and spoke again and again, ¡°We are now relatives. I hate to admit that a woman from an untitled family is my relative, but I¡¯m facing the reality.¡± ¡°The relationship between relatives is not easily broken, and now we are going to see each other for the rest of our lives. Your younger sister, too, so it¡¯s okay to introduce her formally.¡± You¡¯re saying something surprisingly ridiculous. ¡®Our poor Larissa. She has to be a relative with such a kid.¡¯ I shook my head and looked back at Larissa slightly. ¡®¡­¡­what?¡¯ Larissa stood expressionless, holding my hand tightly. Somehow she didn¡¯t seem very nervous. Rather, she rolled her eyes and even glanced at Richard. Chapter 35 ¡®Aren¡¯t you shy? Are you okay now?¡¯ Well, it¡¯s true that there¡¯s no need to give a bad impression since we¡¯re about to become relatives. ¡°Okay, let me introduce you.¡± I turned to Richard. Whoa, look at that guy¡¯s dazzling eyes. ¡°But before that, be polite.¡± ¡°What?¡± As if Richard was caught off guard, he looked at me with round eyes. I straightened my shoulders and raised my chin. ¡°As you said. We became relatives. But you forgot that I¡¯m older than you.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°You know that Grand Duke Laurent isn¡¯t the kind of person who treats someone rude, right? Of course, the same goes for the only younger sister of the Grand Duchess. I don¡¯t want to even say hello to a guy who doesn¡¯t have manners.¡± ¨CWhat the hell is this woman¡­¡­ Richard confided in his dissatisfaction. Of course in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s because you, I mean, Your Highness was wearing such clothes in the first place. If you had been Fabian¡¯s fiancee, you should have worn a dress that befits your status! Then I wouldn¡¯t have misunderstood.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame others. It¡¯s your fault that you didn¡¯t have eyes to see,¡± I said sternly. ¡°I am the same person wearing the old dress from that day and this fancy dress now.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± Richard, who was speechless, bit his lip. His blue eyes shook relentlessly. After a while, he looked at me once, looked up at the sky and sighed once, then placed a hand on his chest. And he bowed his head to me. ¡°I apologize for ignoring you until now. I was wrong.¡± He meekly changed his tone. I couldn¡¯t hear his inner voice.. Are you apologizing sincerely? Well, this is enough. I grinned. Then I pointed to Richard and looked back at Larissa. ¡°Larissa, this boy here is Young Lord, Count Richard Laurent, the cousin of the Grand Duke. He said he would return to the academy soon, so you won¡¯t be seeing him for a while. Rest assured.¡± Larissa blinked a few times and looked at Richard. ¡°Young Lord Richard, this cute little girl here is my precious little sister, Larissa Blick.¡± That¡¯s enough right? I was about to bring Larissa back in, but when I saw Richard, I opened my mouth. ¡®Oh my.¡¯ Richard¡¯s entire face had turned bright red. Can a person¡¯s face turn so red like that? ¡°H-Hello Y-Young Lady Blick. I, I am Richard Laurent. Please feel free to call me Richard.¡± Both hands had been removed from their pockets for a long time, and he even stammered. He even used honorifics on Larissa, who was younger than him. He stood stiffly, unable to breathe properly, waiting for Larissa¡¯s answer. Larissa blinked her big eyes, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Of course. At least, as far as I know, Larissa never said a word even to me. But Richard doesn¡¯t know that Larissa doesn¡¯t speak. Richard frowned as he watched Larissa silently stare at him. I decided to have a little pity on Richard. ¡°Larissa¡¯s voice hasn¡¯t come back yet.¡± Then Richard said in surprise, ¡°Was a cold such a big disease¡­¡­?¡± ¨C Ha, haha, I¡¯ve heard that some people from the lower classes die from a cold. Still, no matter how low the rank is, she is still a young girl from a noble family¡­¡­ An inner voice of confusion was heard. ¡®That¡¯s about the poor who can¡¯t get treatment on time¡­¡­¡¯ That¡¯s not the case with Larissa. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t explain it, right?¡¯ I really don¡¯t like it when other people, especially Richard, look at Larissa with such pitiful eyes! I really hate it, but I can¡¯t help it. I have no choice but to get out of here quickly. ¡°Okay then, it is done, right? I have to go inside. It¡¯s not good for Larissa to get the wind blow more cold than this,¡± I said firmly. Whether he has a conscience or not, Richard no longer holds us back. ¡®I don¡¯t want to see you again in the future.¡¯ Today, I happened to see the cute side of a boy his age, but I still haven¡¯t forgotten that Richard looked down on us with a cheeky tone. It gives me goosebumps to think of such a guy hovering around our Larissa. I stepped fast for no reason. *** The next day, doctor Bellman came to visit. It seems that Fabian had been talking to him for a while. He was a middle-aged man with gray hair to his temples. He had been serving as the Grand Duke¡¯s doctor for a long time, and he had a serious atmosphere. I explained the situation before Bellman met Larissa in person. She was imprisoned for almost her entire life and was often severely punished. ¡°What I want you to look at is actually the wounds on her heart rather than the wounds on her body. This kid is really deep¡­¡­deeply wounded.¡± As if he had been told beforehand, he nodded his head with a serious face. ¡°You must keep it a secret. No matter what.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Even if something unexpected happens during treatment, please keep it a secret¡­¡­from His Highness too.¡± He raised his eyebrows when I told him that he had to keep it a secret from Fabian. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. The Duke is Miss Larissa¡¯s family and protector, and in the case of a serious illness that¡¯s life-threatening, I will go and tell him right away,¡± he said stubbornly. I nodded helplessly. ¡°Okay. An exception is made when her life is at risk. Otherwise, promise to keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I heard his inner voice of dissatisfaction asking, ¨C What the hell did you do to a young child that you are doing something like this? His inner voice turned into astonishment as soon as he started the examination. ¨C I didn¡¯t know it would be this¡­¡­ Bellman controlled his expression and swore in his heart. He took care of Larissa¡¯s wounds first and then started the examination. He lit a candle one by one around Larisa¡¯s eyes to look into it, and even made her stick out her tongue. He even instructed her to do simple movements. After the treatment, Bellman spoke to me, ¡°She seems to have no problem with her cognitive abilities. All you have to do is to make her eat well and go for walks, even if it¡¯s a little tough.¡± ¡°I keep talking to her on purpose even if she doesn¡¯t answer,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, too. It may be helpful to take her around and give her as much experience as possible.¡± I could do that. I nodded. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not sure, but she may show abnormal behavior in the future,¡± Bellman continued his explanation. ¡°What do you mean abnormal behavior?¡± Bellman explained in a slightly unconfident tone, ¡°I have some experience with similar patients. I do not know the exact reason, but if someone is severely abused, there are cases where he abuses himself even after he gets out of the situation.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± No way. I felt uneasy. ¡°¡­¡­In some cases, self-harm. Sometimes they torture themselves physically, or they show a tendency to violence towards others.¡± How could such a little kid be able to injure herself? Besides, she will hit others or swear at them? ¡®Nonsense.¡¯ I remembered the horrible basement scene. Even after getting out of such an environment, is Larissa still feeling anxious and not at ease? I didn¡¯t think that the old wounds would heal so easily, but I had the hope that it would get better after she got out of the Blick family. Bellman added in a businesslike tone, ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily happen. I¡¯m just saying just in case.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I know¡± He got up with his medical tools in his bag and said, ¡°This is just my opinion, but it may be necessary to constantly confirm that the past is the past and the present is different from the past.¡± The past is just the past. Somehow, it felt like a comfortable word. After a long time, the wounds on the body may heal and the scars may fade, but what about the wounds on the heart? Every time you look down at your body, you will be reminded of it. Will there ever come a day when you will be able to easily move on and say that the past is just the past? ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you once a day.¡± Bellman bowed his head lightly, then picked up his hat and left the room. ¡®The past is just the past.¡¯ I planted those words in my head and looked at Larissa who was sitting by the window. Larissa was still sitting in the same position, looking down at her toes. But if I look closely, today is a little different. She had a rosy color on her cheeks, perhaps because she had a lot of experience going out to get some fresh air. She had pale cheeks until yesterday. ¡®All right. I can help you to stop the past in the past and build the present together.¡¯ I straightened my shoulders. Whether it works or not, I have to try first. In the next three years or so. Chapter 36 The next day, I decided to take Larissa to the kitchen as part of the treatment. Chef Hannah Baker was waiting with her hands clasped in her spotless apron. ¡°Madam, please come.¡± I nodded with an awkward smile. Mrs. Baker was polite as if she had a mask on her face, yet she had other thoughts in her mind. ¨C She wants to give her sister a kitchen tour? Are you trying to use that as an excuse to spy on it? ¡®No, it¡¯s not like that.¡¯ I was itching to correct the misunderstanding. However, I knew very well from Marcia¡¯s many years of experience that answering according to the voice of heart would lead to a deeper misunderstanding. So I just let the misunderstanding go on. ¡®Even if I don¡¯t have to explain it, if I show it in action, the misunderstanding will gradually disappear.¡¯ It will take some time. In fact, I came with the intention of showing Larissa every corner of the kitchen. But I changed my mind after hearing the chef¡¯s heart voice. ¡®For now, I will return to my room after listening to the chef¡¯s explanation quietly without disturbing the kitchen work.¡¯ Well, if the employer suddenly comes and looks at you when you¡¯re busy working, you will surely hate it. Especially if it was a new employer a few days ago. ¡°Come over here. I¡¯ll show you the inside detail,¡± Mrs. Baker beckoned. I quickly spoke in a soft tone, ¡°You must be busy, but you don¡¯t have to guide me. I came here to show Larissa how to make dessert. She likes sweet things.¡± I looked down at Larissa and said, ¡°Right, Larissa?¡± Mrs. Baker¡¯s gaze turned to Larissa. Larissa nervously shrugged her shoulders and clutched the hem of her skirt with one hand, then rolled her green eyes again and looked at us. For a moment, Larissa immediately blushed her cheeks and lowered her gaze to her toes. She was incredibly adorable in her gestures, which seemed to be shy. Is it only in my eyes? ¡®¡­¡­No, I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Mrs. Baker¡¯s expression changed in an instant when she saw Larissa. Her stone-like expression from a while ago was nowhere to be found, and it immediately began to melt like butter on a frying pan. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s right. Of course, any young girl this age likes sweets. Come on in. It¡¯s time to bake matcha pies.¡± All of a sudden, the way she spoke changed like a kind neighborhood aunt. Our Larissa is cute. Even if she doesn¡¯t say anything and doesn¡¯t have any facial expressions, but with her appearance, she¡¯s literally like a fairy. I winked at her and took her hand. Mrs. Baker opened the door to the kitchen, and we followed her inside. The kitchen was incredibly spacious. It was indeed a space worthy of taking responsibility for the family of the mansion. There were dozens of people working, shouting loudly to each other. In the meantime, a servant running small errands diligently carried ingredients, washed dishes, and cleaned the floor. Larissa shuddered a little at the loud noise. But when she saw the fires blazing here and there, and the cooks who handled them without hesitation, her eyes widened. A smile spread across Mrs. Baker¡¯s face when she saw it. ¡°Come here. I¡¯ll show you around.¡± She clapped her hands and shouted loudly, ¡°Madam is here! And this is her younger sister, Young Lady Larissa Blick. She wants to see the kitchen, so say hello!¡± And Mrs. Baker strode inside. Larissa hesitatingly followed her. I pat Larissa¡¯s back lightly, and quietly stood in the back as if I was not there. Mrs. Baker began to explain to Larissa. ¡°She is Mary Anne in charge of the broth. Marry Anne, come and say hello to Lady Larissa.¡± ¡°Oh, hello, Lady.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you have mushroom cream soup for breakfast? Mary Anne made it. That big pot is the soup pot. Oh, this is for employees, and of course, we make it separately.¡± ¡®Is it all soup in such a big pot?¡¯ It was written on Larissa¡¯s face as she looked at the pot. Mary Anne smiled slightly and opened the lid of the soup pot. The smell of chicken broth spreads with a bubbling sound. ¡°The chicken soup will be served tonight.¡± Larissa tiptoed and stretched her head out, peeking carefully inside the pot. But she was short and couldn¡¯t see the inside. Her eyebrows were curved down. Mary Anne¡¯s laughter grew louder. She quickly stirred the pot with a ladle and scooped out some soup. ¡°Come on, this is it.¡± As Mary Anne held out the ladle of soup, Larissa looked curiously into it. I could see her swallowing saliva. ¡°It has to be boiled for a long time to get the taste. Please look forward to dinner.¡± Mrs. Baker, who watched with satisfaction as Larissa blinked her eyes and nodded her head, moved to the next counter. ¡°Philip, say hello to Madam and Lady! Philip is in charge of the meat.¡± A man named Phillip chuckled, and he suddenly poured alcohol into the skillet. When the blue flame rose sharply in the pan, Larissa opened her mouth and hid behind me. ¡°You idiot! Don¡¯t do anything useless. The Lady is surprised.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Do not be surprised. It¡¯s not dangerous at all. That way, the fishy smell will disappear.¡± Both Mrs. Baker who complained and Philip who apologized had only smiles on their faces. A similar thing happened every time she introduced the kitchen people one by one. At first, I heard a grunt as if I was going to monitor what the kitchen people were doing. But when Larissa walked in with a twinkle in her curious eyes, Mrs. Baker quickly smiled and started showing her what she was doing. Then, she took the food she was making and asked her to taste it, and she put it in Larissa¡¯s mouth. When Larissa¡¯s cheeks became convex and her eyes widened in surprise, another burst of laughter erupted. This was Larissa¡¯s first time doing something with someone else. It was so lovely to see a pretty child show a pure reaction. Even if she didn¡¯t say anything, the kitchen people fell in love with her amazing reaction as if she was a two-year-old. The last was the person in charge of dessert, Hayes. As he rubbed his flour-covered hand on the dishcloth, he nodded and bowed his head. Of course not to me, but to Larissa. ¡°I was just baking a pie. Please wait a moment. It¡¯s coming out of the oven soon.¡± He smiled and pointed to the basket in the corner. The large basket was half full of apples. ¡°Now that spring is here, we¡¯re getting rid of all the old apples. The fresh fruit will soon be pouring in. The apples harvested last year are being made into jam or pies.¡± As Hayes opened the oven, the heat spread out. Larissa¡¯s gaze turned to the oven. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s apple pie. It is well-baked.¡± As he said, what came out of it was two slices of apple pie. One was a simple one with sugar-coated dough with a shiny light brown, and the other was a colorful one with dough woven in the shape of a net with a green ripe piece of apple glistened under the well-baked net. The smell of fragrant and sweet apples, the smell of savory butter, and the pungent cinnamon smell on top of it. Larisa¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the pie on the counter. Not only Larissa¡¯s, but my eyes were also on the apple pie. ¡°Your skills are amazing. It looks really delicious.¡± Hayes scratched the back of the head at my praise. ¡°What should I do? I want to cut a piece right away, but I still need to cool it down a bit. You¡¯ll have to wait half an hour¡­¡­¡± After all, if we waited for a little, it would come up to our room on a dessert plate with tea. I was about to say it was okay, but suddenly something else caught my eye. On the countertop he was using, there was a dough. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Oh! This is ginger cookie dough. Um, Young Lady, would you like to make some cookies?¡± Hayes bowed down to meet Larissa¡¯s eye level and smiled. Mrs. Baker shouted, ¡°Hayes! How dare you think about putting flour on Lady¡¯s hand? I¡¯m sorry, Madam¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. That would be fun,¡± I smiled and waved my hand. ¡°Larissa loves ginger cookies.¡± From the beginning, I wanted Larissa to make simple sweets herself, so I was rather happy that he suggested it first. ¡°Then can you help her?¡± Hayes laughed and rolled up his sleeves. He even rolled the dough with a rolling pin to make it flat and then laid out several molds on the countertop. ¡°This is how you press it on the dough, and then remove it. Then you get various shapes of cookies. Now, what shape would you like to try?¡± The molds he handed over were various shapes such as hearts, stars, dogs, sticks, and humans. Larissa looked at them for a while and then touched one with her finger. It was a human-shaped mold. ¡®Look at our Larissa! Everyone! Our Larisa chose the shaping mold herself!¡¯ I was moved and danced inside. It was the first time that a child who did not say a word directly expressed her opinion like this. Whatever it was, Larissa made her own choice! This was the second time Larissa made her own choice. The first was the decision to run away from the basement with me. ¡®But it was a half forced choice.¡¯ Who would refuse an opportunity to escape from a hell that never comes again? This time it was a trivial matter, but finally, Larissa began to give her opinions little by little. Besides, she even communicated with other people by nodding her head. It was an amazing change that happened in a short period of just a few days. I put my hand on my chest as I watched Larissa clench her small lips and carefully press the mold on the dough with her hands. ¡®I did a great job bringing her to the kitchen today.¡¯ Chapter 37 ¡°You did a great job! It looks great. It¡¯s not easy to get it all right the first time. You have talent, Young Lady.¡± Hayes was making a fuss. It¡¯s just pressing the mold on the dough, how could that be so great? But Mrs. Baker and I looked at that with a happy smile, and Hayes clapped. Larissa rolled her eyes, still holding the mold in her hand. When she gets compliments, she doesn¡¯t know what to do. Larissa was restless and quietly picked up another mold on the countertop. Then she bowed her head and offered it to me. ¡°Huh? Me? Are you giving me this? Me too?¡± I was embarrassed and took the mold from Larissa¡¯s hand. It was a star-shaped mold. Larissa gently lifted her head and looked at me with moist green eyes. The corner of her mouth was hardened, and she looked a bit nervous. Whoa, Larissa! Are you even thinking of me? ¡°Thank you, Larissa. Should I try it, too?¡± I rolled up my sleeves with an exaggerated gesture. Then I put a mold on top of the cookie dough and press and release it. When the star shape appeared, Larissa gave a relieved expression. We worked hard to mold the cookie dough. Hayes diligently gathered them up and put them in the oven. ¡°When making cookies, this is the most important part.¡± Taking advantage of Hayes¡¯ absence for a while, I took off the cookie dough very little and put it in Larissa¡¯s mouth. Larissa opened her eyes and pursed her lips. ¡®Sweet and crunchy, it will melt in your mouth.¡¯ I smiled and put my index finger in front of my mouth. Eating a little is fine. ¡®So it¡¯s a secret, Larissa.¡¯ Hayes put the last cookie in the oven and closed the door. ¡°Alright, the pie should be cold now. What do you think, Young Lady Larissa? Do you want me to cut you a piece?¡± He posed a question but before he could get an answer he was already cutting the pie with a knife. Mrs. Baker¡¯s eyes widened and said with a smile, ¡°How dare you let her eat at the corner of the kitchen?¡± ¡°You have to wait for the cookies to be baked anyway. It¡¯s better to wait while eating something.¡± I heard that too. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea. Since there were two pies, why don¡¯t all the cooks eat a piece?¡± As I smiled, Mrs. Baker, unable to refuse the Grand Duchess¡¯s words, sighed a little and blinked at Hayes. He laughed loudly and cut the pie into pieces. ¡°Everyone takes a break and take each piece of the pie.¡± Fortunately, everyone enjoyed the untimely break. They gathered together in moderation, savored each piece of apple pie, and began to chat carefully. When I first entered the kitchen, the distasteful eyes on me were everywhere to be seen. ¡®Awww, this is all thanks to our cute Larissa.¡¯ It was obvious that everyone wanted to pinch Larissa¡¯s cheek as if they were looking at their own niece. Larissa kept bowing her head as if it was burdensome to see people pouring on her, but she did not run away. She just ate the pie slowly, as she always did. By the time the pie was almost finished, Hayes opened the oven. ¡°Here comes the cookies!¡± The smell of sweet ginger cookies spread. Larissa put down the plate of the pie she was eating and quickly approached. ¡°Here, this is the first one you made.¡± Hayes pointed to the human-shaped cookie in the corner. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little bit and draw your face on it when it cools down. You have to do everything until the end. You can do it, right?¡± Larissa looked down at the cookies with a sullen face and nodded her head slightly. She forgot to finish the pie, and she stared at the cookies until they cooled down. ¡®Is it that fascinating?¡¯ Hayes took the colorful sugar paste from the pastry bag and held it in Larissa¡¯s hand. With her trembling hands, Larissa drew crooked eyes and mouth on the ginger cookie. She also sprinkled coarsely powdered sugar on it. After she had nicely drawn three buttons on top of the human-shaped cookie, Larissa sighed a little and sat down on the small stool next to her. ¡®It must have been very difficult.¡¯ It looks like she really put all her energy into decorating the cookie. I¡¯m going to die of her cuteness. I almost pulled all my facial muscles by smiling consistently from start to finish. Hayes sighed and shoved a bunch of cookies into the little basket. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring it to your room. And here, I think you might want to take this yourself.¡± Hayes handed Larissa¡¯s own decorated cookie wrapped in a separate napkin. Larissa took the cookie with her two hands carefully. *** I decided to go down to the dining room for dinner too. Until now, we ate alone in the room, but we would have to leave the room someday anyway. You will have to get used to the mansion, and you should be friendly with Fabian. ¡®Larissa¡¯s house is here now.¡¯ But I don¡¯t need to say that. I have no doubts that Larissa and Fabian will eventually get married. Because I know the original fairy tale. However, apart from that, the decision lies with Larissa herself. So I am trying not to infuse my thoughts too much. ¡®With that thought in mind, the contract did not include the clause that he would marry Larissa unconditionally after divorce.¡¯ Anyway, recovering from trauma is my top priority right now. I thought it would be helpful for Larissa to eat with someone else. It was obvious that someone would eat in this dining room anyway. ¡®Maybe Fabian will come down to eat?¡¯ When I briefly stopped by the office yesterday morning, I remembered a husband I had never met since then. We are a married couple on paper, but in reality, we have no relation. ¡®It feels like I¡¯m only giving my name to someone else¡¯s business and receiving a fee in return.¡¯ Still, if Larissa was going to have dinner with someone else, it would be nice if that person was Fabian. He should be friends with Larissa, and if I eat while looking at his handsome face, my appetite will change. But I¡¯m not close enough to send someone and tell him to eat together yet, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Going to a dining room like this today is also an impulsive decision. ¡®I hope one day we will be able to eat together naturally.¡¯ As we got closer to the dining room, I heard a voice from inside. ¡°No way! He was the student president? That guy?¡± ¡°Was it because he was a recognized student even in a place crowded with the elites of each family? By the way, I am also the student council president¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ha, that he was the student president, it¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­are you listening?¡± There were two people sitting around the large table. A huge man with bright red hair stretched out like a lion¡¯s mane, and a slender man with dark hair. ¡®The red-haired is Marquis Orlov, the black-haired is¡­¡­no way.¡¯ It was a familiar back view. My heart was pounding. Fabian¡­¡­? ¡®No way. Judging by his voice, it can¡¯t be him.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a low-pitched voice, but an unstable voice characteristic of a boy who had just passed puberty. Looking closely again, he was definitely small in size as well as his shoulders. I understood it in my head, but my heart pounded arbitrarily without a sign of calming down. ¡®Am I surprised? ¡­¡­Why the hell am I surprised?¡¯ Was it because I kept thinking about Fabian until a while ago? It¡¯s embarrassing. I put my hand on my chest and calmed my startled heart. Anyway, they really are blood-related cousins. I only looked at his back, but he looks pretty similar to him. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t people who don¡¯t know think you¡¯re brothers?¡¯ Leonid, who saw me standing through the door, put down his tableware and stood up from his seat. ¡°Oh my¡­¡­ Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°Hello, Marquis Orlov.¡± As I said hello, the black-haired boy who had been seen from behind looked back. ¡°Hello, Grand¡­¡­Duchess?¡± Richard¡¯s face suddenly turned pale as he stood up from his seat. ¡°Young Lady Blick.¡± In fact, he can just call her ¡®Larissa¡¯ instead of ¡®Young Lady Blick¡¯ but he behaved strangely. ¡®Well, it¡¯s good if you have the manners to keep your distance.¡¯ I greeted them both with a light smile. Fortunately, as soon as I saw Richard¡¯s face, my heart that had been pounding erratically until a while ago calmed down. ¡®They look alike, but they have different personalities.¡¯ On the table were clean cutlery and freshly filled wine glasses. They seemed to be having an aperitif before starting dinner. ¡°It is an honor to have dinner with the Grand Duchess,¡± Leonid said with a nice smile. I also introduced Larissa with a smile, ¡°She is my sister Larissa Blick. Larissa, he is Marquis Leonid Orlov. He is the Grand Duke¡¯s friend.¡± Larissa glanced at him, then quickly bowed her head. It was the expected reaction, but for Leonid who would be bewildered, I offered a light apology. ¡°Sorry. Larissa is very shy.¡± ¡°No. Never mind.¡± ¡°Ehm, ehmm.¡± Richard suddenly coughed ¡®What do you want me to do? I introduced her to you before, right?¡¯ I turned my head to him and smiled soullessly, then took Larissa to the farthest place from Richard. ¡°Why are you alone?¡± ¡°Alone? Hey, I¡¯m here too,¡± Richard responded angrily. Leonid and Richard, it was a really strange combination. Do they both have anything in common other than being guests? Even so, isn¡¯t Leonid Fabian¡¯s friend? Never mind. Even though they are friends, they are guests after all, but they eat on their own. ¡®Oh, I am the hostess of this mansion, should I take care of the guests¡¯ meals?¡¯ It¡¯s none of my business, but I was a little guilty. Chapter 38 Leonid only sat down after making sure I was seated. ¡°Fabi¡­.. The Grand Duke must be so busy that he doesn¡¯t even have time to have dinner with the Grand Duchess.¡± He tried to call him Fabian at ease but hastily changed his words. ¡°Even now, there is still work to be done in a hurry, so I came alone first.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­ is that so?¡± Richard, who had already sat back in his seat, muttered, ¡°Hmm, he doesn¡¯t even know how important dinner is. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s stuck behind his desk and chewing a slice of bread while looking at the documents.¡± ¡°What kind of era it is these days, even if you¡¯re a noble, you shouldn¡¯t just play and eat like before, Richard.¡± ¡°Yeah, but isn¡¯t there some kind of dignity and etiquette that a noble has to keep?¡± What? You¡¯re not trying to provoke a fight, are you? ¡®I brought Larissa down for the first time in a while!¡¯ I quickly intervened before the atmosphere became awkward. ¡°By the way, Marquis Orlov. I was thankful at that time.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°On the day of the funeral. You tried to help me when there was a shooting incident. I haven¡¯t been able to say thank you properly.¡± ¡°Haha, no worries.¡± He smiled like it was nothing. The soup came out just in time. It was chicken soup with lots of spices. It must be what they were making when I stopped by the kitchen earlier. ¡°Larissa, it¡¯s chicken soup!¡± Larissa¡¯s eyes were twinkling as she looked down at the soup plate. Larissa took a spoon and tasted it very carefully. Soon her green eyes widened and a faint blush appeared on both cheeks. ¡®It must be delicious.¡¯ I smiled and also took a spoon. ¡°The soup tastes very good. You have a great cook.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The soup was soft and thick, and the salty taste felt at the tip of the tongue naturally aroused appetite. ¡®I should dip bread in the soup.¡¯ I reached for the basket of bread. At that moment, Richard, who was sitting behind the basket, caught my eye. Richard raised the spoon in the air and stared blankly at one place. At the end of his gaze, there was Larissa. ¡®Geez¡­¡­ I know How cute our Larissa is.¡¯ The problem is that even such a guy can fall in love at first sight. Maybe Larissa¡¯s life is going to get harder in the future. All kinds of flying flies should not be entangled with her. I wanted to kick the shin of this fly under the table. But the dining table of the Grand Duke was too large and wide, and it was covered with tablecloths that reached to the floor, so it was impossible to see below the waist of the other party. Reluctantly, I looked at Richard and said, ¡°Would you like to get me a basket of bread over there?¡± Richard looked at me in surprise. I looked at him with more intense eyes. Don¡¯t look at our Larisa. Richard sighed, shook his head, and slid the bread basket toward me. ¡°Here. Now don¡¯t look at me with desperate eyes. I¡¯m not going to steal it.¡± What the hell is this guy? It wasn¡¯t the bread I was looking at but you! And it wasn¡¯t a desperate look, it was a murder ray! I glanced at his untouched soup plate. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sir Richard is too hungry. I see you don¡¯t touch the food at all. Or have you stayed in the Duchy for too long and now you miss the County¡¯s food?¡± Richard¡¯s pupils trembled slightly. It is very rude not to touch the food the host has provided. Because it means you can¡¯t trust the host. It was the guests¡¯ duty to even pretend to eat. Richard started to put the spoon in his mouth. ¡°I am eating.¡± ¡°Oh, really? How does it taste?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s delicious.¡± It was a very insincere response no matter who heard it. Anyway, instead of staring blankly at Larissa, he started moving his spoon diligently, stirring the soup. I smiled and changed the topic. ¡°So, what were you two talking about?¡± Leonid, who had listened to Richard¡¯s conversation with me, answered with a smile, ¡°Oh, we were talking about the academy.¡± ¡°Academy?¡± The academy in the capital? I think it¡¯s famous as a place that no one could enter. You must come from a prominent family if you want to be accepted into the academy. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been a long time since I graduated. I¡¯m Richard¡¯s senior, the same goes for Fabian. So we were talking a little bit about academy life.¡± As Leonid explained kindly, Richard murmured, ¡°His Majesty the King is too generous to accept a witch¡¯s bloodline into the academy and let him graduate.¡± ¡°As a former student council president, I advise you¡¯d better not to think too much about bloodlines, Richard.¡± ¡°What? Were you also the student council president?¡± ¡°I told you before¡­¡­¡± Richard jumped out of his chair, surprised, and then he shook his head as if what he heard didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°Then why the hell are you so close with that guy?¡± Is the academy¡¯s student council president that great? Leonid simply smiled and continued speaking despite the continued rude remarks. ¡°Is there anything I can¡¯t do? Is it so strange to be close to the future Grand Duke?¡± ¡°No one knew that he would become a Grand Duke!¡± Richard turned his head and looked at me. Why? What did I do? ¨C If it wasn¡¯t because of that woman, Fabian would have been kicked out of the mansion by now! Oh, is that what you¡¯re thinking? ¡®But even if it wasn¡¯t me, he must have found another woman who met the criteria somewhere.¡¯ I mean, I¡¯m just lucky. Tearing the bread and dipping it in the soup, I said calmly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural for students to have human-to-human interactions at the academy? You¡¯re from the same academy, so what¡¯s wrong with being close?¡± ¡°Human-to-human interactions are only conducted with people of the same class.¡± In response to Richard¡¯s words, Leonid laughed out loud. ¡°Richard, didn¡¯t you know that? An academy is a place where commoners and nobles share thoughts and discussions equally.¡± ¡°Equally? If they were really equal, they wouldn¡¯t have picked only two or three people in a year as they do now. It¡¯s just a show.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know why they¡¯re trying to please the commoners in that way, Laurent County will end in four generations. Let¡¯s think carefully about why Fabian was chosen as the student council president even though he has red eyes.¡± Richard eventually frowned and bit his lip. Oh my, ho ho. This bread is so savory. After swallowing the bread soaked in soup, I asked Leonid, ¡°Then, did you meet Fabian at the Academy?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t that guy tell you?¡± Hearing Leonid calls Fabian that guy makes the atmosphere more relaxed. ¡°In the academy, one senior and one junior are randomly paired and the senior takes care of the junior. I got Fabian¡¯s name in a lottery.¡± He said with a sentimental look that seemed to be reminiscing about the past. ¡°It¡¯s a relationship that¡¯s been going on since then. Now he is a completely different person from when he just entered school.¡± ¡°Is that so? How old was Fabian at the time? What kind of kid was he?¡± He narrowed his eyes slightly at my question. Before he could open his mouth, the answer came from someone else. ¡°I was nine years old.¡± I was startled by the sudden voice from behind and turned around and saw Fabian standing there. ¡®You startled me! When the hell did you come?¡¯ He had a somewhat cold expression, and when our eyes met, he bowed slightly and turned his head toward Leonid. ¡°I was wondering where you went, and you were playing with someone else¡¯s wife here.¡± ¡°Who told you not to come down? I definitely recommended it.¡± Leonid took Fabian¡¯s cold gaze casually and chuckled. ¡°The Grand Duke has finally come.¡± Fabian completely ignored Richard¡¯s murmur and sat down. His seat was next to mine. Of course, it felt strange to sit right next to me at this wide table. As soon as he sat down, he called in a servant to bring the meal to him. ¡®Didn¡¯t you say you were going to eat in the office?¡¯ ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet?¡± When I asked calmly, he turned his head and looked at me. Red eyes soon turned to the soup in front of me, then looked back at me again. ¡°I ate a bit in the office, but when I came here, my appetite started growing.¡± What did you eat¡­¡­? Chapter 39 It must be difficult to eat meat with a knife while looking at documents. Did you eat something like a simple sandwich so you could pick it up and eat it with your hands? ¡°You must be so busy that you can¡¯t eat on time.¡± ¡°Not at all. If it bothers you, I¡¯ll come to the dining room in time to eat.¡± ¡°Oh, no. You don¡¯t have to.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to disturb your work. Fabian¡¯s work may have increased because I declared that I would do nothing. By the way, why does the Grand Duke have so many things to do? ¡®Can¡¯t you just share it with your subordinates?¡¯ I looked at him pitifully. He looked back at me and asked, ¡°How is life here?¡± Are you joking? I can¡¯t find a better place than here! ¡°Great. Larissa seems to be getting used to it little by little.¡± He nodded in satisfaction at my answer. Soon, the servants took the soup plates and served the next course. It was quality venison made with old wine. ¡°It looks really delicious. You came just in time.¡± I picked up a silver knife and fork. And as always, from the other side, Richard said sarcastically, ¡°That¡¯s right, coming in time for the main course of dinner, coming to the mansion just in time when my grandfather was about to die and getting married just in time¡­¡­¡± Richard continued, ¡°How did you two meet?¡± Startled by the unexpected question, I looked at Richard. ¡°Who? He and I?¡± ¡°Then who else? Looks like you two haven¡¯t known each other for a long time.¡± ¨C Since when did they plan all of this? Since the wedding? Or since the will was announced? He looked at me and Fabian as he twirled the meat fork with his fingertips. ¨C Hmph¡­¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be strange if anyone in this crazy family had touched my grandfather¡¯s medicine bottle. Richard gave me a suspicious look. ¡®This kid was also thinking that the Grand Duke might have been murdered.¡¯ And he doesn¡¯t seem to know who the culprit is. At least this cheeky boy did not seem to have anything to do with the sudden death of the former Grand Duke. That was good information. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean I can let my guard down.¡¯ If Fabian is removed from the post of Grand Duke, it will be Dominic and his son Richard who will benefit the most. ¡®I thought he was just a cheeky boy¡­¡­¡¯ Could it be that the people who have stayed in the mansion until now are trying to find fault with our marriage and somehow cancel the marriage or take advantage of other weaknesses? ¡®I have to be careful with my answer.¡¯ My answer will be delivered to Dominic immediately. It¡¯s better to equivocate moderately here. With such thoughts, I was about to answer. ¡°She saved my life on the way by chance when I left the estate for a while.¡± But Fabian was one step faster than me. Oh! I looked at him with a little admiration. It¡¯s not wrong. It was a neat explanation, omitting useless information. Then he added in a nonchalant tone, ¡°At that time, I fell in love with her at first sight. So I brought her here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± Leonid and I shouted in astonishment at the same time, and Richard frowned. What? What does that mean? Then I heard an insulting question, ¡°Are you sure she didn¡¯t try to sell Larissa?¡± I pretended to wipe my mouth with a napkin to cover my shocked face. And I quickly looked at Larissa without realizing it. She must have heard the conversation from a while ago, but she sat quietly like a doll. After seeing her unchanging expression, I was able to quickly calm down. ¡®Yes??, that¡¯s right. If you say it like you¡¯re in love at first sight, then the sudden marriage would be more understandable.¡¯ But even so, how can you suddenly say things that you can¡¯t handle! Fabian cut the meat and put it in his mouth with a nonchalant expression. There was no slight shaking in his eyes. Even though he had told such an obvious lie a while ago, I couldn¡¯t hear a single word from his heart. It was probably a lie that didn¡¯t matter to him. It must be a lie with nothing to worry about. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t nervous and didn¡¯t even think that it was wrong. He doesn¡¯t feel guilty even though he lied about how he fell in love with me. That¡¯s how he probably felt. I picked up my glass and looked at Fabian, pretending to be drinking to cover my face. Leonid opened his eyes wide, looked at Fabian, and asked me, ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Uh, that, that, um¡­¡­ yes, yes!¡± This is force majeure. It is not my will¡­¡­ However, the smile on Leonid¡¯s lips faded away. He continued, ¡°What happened to you that she saved your life? You¡¯re not so weak that you owe your life to a woman you meet for the first time¡­¡­¡± ¡°An assassin disguised as a beggar chased me, and my wife talked to him in a loud voice and he was caught by me.¡± Fabian said as he sliced ??the meat on the plate. ¡°Oh, what a great coincidence. That¡¯s great. Was it a woman¡¯s intuition?¡± No, it was not my intuition, it was my ability. ¡°As you said, it was just a coincidence. It was fortunate that His Highness was able to recognize his identity quickly.¡± ¡°The word coincidence refers to something unexpected, but even so, it was a really cool coincidence.¡± Fabian said, ¡°She insisted on having the beggar take his hand out of his pocket, but really, a poisoned dagger came out of it.¡± Leonid looked at me in surprise. ¡®Why are you looking at me?¡¯ ¡­¡­wait, did Fabian tell me about it before? No, I don¡¯t think he did. ¡®Then, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of that poisoned dagger¡­¡­¡¯ So, is this kind of reaction appropriate? ¡°¡­¡­Oh my God, there was a poisoned dagger in the beggar¡¯s pocket?¡± I pretended to be surprised. A dagger aimed at Fabian, and that it was poisoned. Dude, I had no idea. ¨CYou¡¯re really bad at acting¡­¡­ A voice of heart could be heard from the side where Leonid was sitting. Maybe¡­¡­ Fabian doesn¡¯t think the same thing, does he¡­¡­? Before I could even hear Fabian¡¯s heart, Richard asked sarcastically, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a self-made drama?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­¡­?¡± ¡°How did you know there was a poisoned dagger in the beggar¡¯s pocket?¡± No, I don¡¯t know. I just found out. Why don¡¯t you believe me? ¡°Isn¡¯t it a trick to make a connection with the Grand Duke of Laurent by giving someone a few pennies and having him put on a play?¡± Look at him. His words were sharp. It¡¯s true that I was trying to make a connection with the Grand Duke. But it was for the purpose of getting Larissa married. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± I smiled and responded kindly. ¡°I just didn¡¯t like the fact that the beggar didn¡¯t politely extend his hands to accept my gift.¡± I raised my head proudly and added, ¡°How did I know what was in the beggar¡¯s pocket? Besides, I didn¡¯t know that the Grand Duke was a member of the Laurent family until I came here.¡± ¡°So you mean you followed someone you didn¡¯t even know?¡± To the question that Richard asked with anger, I answered confidently, ¡°I did that because he was handsome.¡± clang- pop- There were strange noises everywhere. Leonid quickly picked up a napkin and wiped the spot where he had just spilled the wine. ¡°Ex-excuse me.¡± The servant came quickly and picked up the knife Fabian had dropped on the floor and brought a new one. Larissa rolled her eyes and looked at the two adult men, and Richard narrowed his eyes in disbelief. Why does everyone react like this? It¡¯s true that he¡¯s handsome. ¡®It¡¯s not just that he¡¯s handsome, he is so handsome that no one can compare him.¡¯ ¡°Your Highness, if the beggar boy was an assassin, did you find out who sent him?¡± I shrugged and asked Fabian before Richard could say any more nonsense. Fabian, who had regained his composure, answered, ¡°No, but I can roughly guess who sent him.¡± He looked at Richard naturally as he spoke. Oh, nice shot. Richard frowned. ¡®It¡¯s obvious who will benefit if something bad happens to Fabian.¡¯ The most likely ones are close relatives, and Richard must have known that well. I bet that doesn¡¯t include Leonid, right? He smiled and looked at Richard for a moment, and said with a bit of exaggeration, ¡°A fate that saved a life!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± Yeah? What else? There¡¯s nothing else I¡¯ve done apart from the fact that I mistook the former Grand Duke for Fabian. Chapter 40 ¡°She knows about the business I¡¯ve been interested in lately. A carriage that doesn¡¯t have to be pulled by a horse.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­? Is the Grand Duchess interested in such an invention?¡± ¡°She could recognize what it was just by seeing it once.¡± ¡°The Grand Duchess is no ordinary lady. No wonder you fell in love with her at first sight¡­¡­¡± Leonid was constantly admiring Fabian¡¯s words. Excuse me, the person concerned is listening here. ¡°You are overreacting.¡± It was a situation that could not be denied, and it was just embarrassing to answer anything other than that. I smiled gracefully like an educated lady. And naturally, I turned my head toward Larissa. ¡°Is the food to your taste? You have to eat well to grow tall.¡± I was worried that Larissa would feel uncomfortable having someone else at the dinner table, but she seems to be fine. Larissa is chewing the meat well. Her cheeks look like hamster cheeks. ¡®So cute. As expected of our Larissa.¡¯ I¡¯m sorry that your older sister only talked about boring things with these middle-aged men. But I¡¯m happy that she¡¯s eating so well. ¡®I will focus on Larissa after this.¡¯ I carefully wiped the sauce around Larissa¡¯s lips with a napkin. *** ¡®I ate too much. I didn¡¯t mean to do this.¡¯ Instead of writing a letter, Fabian rubbed his bloated stomach with one hand. His stomach was tingling from overeating. It was all Leonid¡¯s fault. If he hadn¡¯t told Marcia about the academy, Fabian wouldn¡¯t have eaten twice to stay with her. The sudden death of the Grand Duke made Fabian so busy. Thankfully, Leonid helped him so he could get some sleep at night. It was only after finishing a pile of paperwork with Leonid¡¯s help that he realized that he had neglected his close friend too much under the pretext of being busy. ¡®No matter how close we are, he¡¯s still a guest and I can¡¯t let him have dinner alone.¡¯ He thought that he should go down for a while to refresh himself and treat the guest with a light dessert or tea. But when he went downstairs, he could hear faint laughter coming from inside the dining room. Rather than dine alone, Leonid is laughing and chatting happily with Marcia and Larissa. There was even Richard. Fabian paused there for a moment. It was the first time he saw Marcia laughing aloud. Of all the expressions she had made before him so far, the one closest to laughter was the smile she made to show courtesy. But now she was laughing merrily. She seemed to be enjoying the conversation very much. It was a pretty unfamiliar scene. ¡®I thought she was a woman who took care of her own interests.¡¯ I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s such a pure smile on such a woman. When he was about to enter the dining room with that thought, Leonid brought up the Academy story. Marcia immediately showed her interest. She asked, ¡°Is that so? How old was Fabian at the time? What kind of kid was he?¡± With her cheeks slightly pink, Marcia asked with her green eyes shining. What he could see from those eyes was pure curiosity. On top of that, he couldn¡¯t just let Leonid recite his childhood. Because he doesn¡¯t have any cute childhood stories. When she heard the story of his childhood, her smile would probably disappear. ¡®No, maybe she will laugh at me.¡¯ Of course, that was also not what he wanted. ¡®I have to stop him.¡¯ He had to keep an eye on Leonid not to talk nonsense to Marcia. So he went into the dining room without notice. So that he can monitor him as naturally as possible until the end of the dinner. Besides, Richard was also there. He might as well add some nonsense. Because he¡¯s quite annoying. The reason for allowing Richard to stay here right after the funeral was simple. It was to prevent Dominic from doing anything dangerous again by holding him hostage. Dominic will also be somewhat relieved if his son stays close to Fabian, and he will see an opportunity and try to take advantage. Then there was a possibility that Dominic¡¯s monitoring route would be reduced. It wasn¡¯t difficult to deal with the sloppy little boy. ¡°At that time, I fell in love with her at first sight.¡± He purposely said out loud that he fell in love at first sight. He also emphasized that there was an assassin who was after him. The beggar boy tried to kill him with a simple trick that even ordinary women could easily figure out. Richard wasn¡¯t a dumb kid. I¡¯m sure he understood. By the way¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Oh my God, there was a poisoned dagger in the beggar¡¯s pocket?¡± ¡®Pfft.¡¯ Fabian laughed a little inwardly. Because it reminded him of Marcia¡¯s sloppy acting. That rather convinced him. She knew everything and acted so. What the beggar boy was trying to do, and why did he has his hand in his pocket. ¡°Fabian.¡± Leonid¡¯s voice brought Fabian to his senses. When he looked up, Leonid was waving his hand at him. ¡°Your hand stopped.¡± He pointed to the letter Fabian was writing. ¡°You have to write it and quickly send it. Did you think of something else?¡± Fabian looked down at the letter. There was a strange word in the sentence he was writing. [According to the analysis results above, it is suspected that the reserves have decreased rapidly, so please send a correct smile as soon as possible.] ¡®I¡¯ll have to rewrite it.¡¯ He rubbed his temple with one hand and crumpled the letter paper with the other. Leonid chuckled and joked. ¡°Are you busy thinking about your wife?¡± ¡°What¡­¡­? What are you talking about?¡± Leonid was just trying to tease Fabian, but his reaction was strange. Leonid, who had known him since childhood, noticed it immediately. ¡°Huh? I guess it¡¯s true.¡± Fabian frowned and pulled out a new piece of paper. As he started writing again, Leonid grinned. ¡°If you keep thinking about her, take your time and talk to your wife. Your wife has only talked about you the whole time.¡± Did you? Did you just talk about me all the time? ¡®Why?¡¯ Fabian tried not to care, but the fountain pen moved a little slower. ¡°It¡¯s not that I interfered, but your marriage isn¡¯t even perfect yet, even though you¡¯re officially married, aren¡¯t you working too much?¡± ¡°¡­¡­what do you mean by not perfect yet?¡± ¡°I mean it¡¯s better to have a successor as soon as possible.¡± The pen point pierced the letter paper. Darn it. Fabian crumpled the second letter paper. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Leonid shrugged. ¡°Then have you spent your first night? But no matter how much I look at you, I don¡¯t see any signs of it. You two are newlyweds, but all you two do is make eye contact in the same room¡­¡­¡± ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± Fabian frowned in displeasure. ¡°Can you shut your mouth?¡± Oh, he¡¯s really mad. Leonid smiled and raised his hands. ¡®But teasing him is fun.¡¯ Fabian pulled out the third letter paper with a frown on his face. He took a deep breath and shook his head lightly once. However, the effort was in vain, and Leonid spoke to him again. ¡°By the way, is that true? Did your wife really save your life?¡± Fabian sighed. I¡¯m done with the letter. It was obvious that I would throw away several letters again. It would be better to rewrite it after the conversation is over. ¡°It is. Someone really ordered a child to assassinate me. He has a poisonous dagger that can kill a large horse in one breath. I don¡¯t know how she figured it out. ¡± ¡°Looking at her earlier, I noticed that she seemed to have known he was an assassin from the beginning.¡± Fabian nodded. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t think she was lying. She seemed to be very quick-witted.¡± It wasn¡¯t the only time Marcia noticed an assassination attempt and gave him a signal. At the family dinner, she also knew that his dessert was poisoned. How did she know? Did she know because she was related to the person who sent the killer? It was his relatives who always tried to kill him. If so, they might have sent Marcia. ¡®But it can¡¯t be.¡¯ There¡¯s no reason for Marcia to secretly tell Fabian that she¡¯s an assassin. Moreover, neither Marcia Blick nor her father Igor Blick had any contact with the people of Laurent. It was doubtful when Marcia tried to meet Archduke Laurent with Larissa. ¡°She is Larissa, the one who will become Your Highness¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡± Did she try to approach him on purpose? But she insisted on a contract marriage Judging by the conditions and her attitude towards Larissa, it seemed that she was just busy taking care of her younger sister. In other words, she did not seem to have anything to do with the assassin. ¡®But there is something strange about simply saying that she¡¯s quick-witted¡­¡­¡¯ As if she can read people¡¯s minds. Chapter 41 At the same time, in some ways, she was a completely ignorant woman. When she asked him if he had a crush on Larissa on the first day, Fabian was upset because he thought she was trying to sell her younger sister. However, when he thinks about it now, the question that did not have any sense showed her personality. ¡®You must be a dummy who thinks your sister is perfect.¡¯ He remembered a little of the time she spoke to her sister at dinner. He chuckled reflexively. ¡®Come to think of it, she doesn¡¯t have a maid of honor yet.¡¯ When a noblewoman got married, she would usually bring a maid with her. However, Marcia showed no sign of doing so. ¡®I have to send someone meticulous.¡¯ He wants Marcia to have someone who can correct her in moderation when she does something wrong. And a heavy-mouthed person who will not talk about Larissa¡¯s secret outside. Fabian suddenly forgot that he was talking to Leonid. Leonid stared at Fabian¡¯s hand which was holding the fountain pen, not moving. Fabian was looking into the air from time to time and laughing. In Leonid¡¯s eyes, both of them were quite interested in each other, considering that they had just gotten married out of necessity. ¡®Well, that¡¯s a good thing.¡¯ He picked up the folder he had been reading before, leaving Fabian, who was still thinking about his wife. *** Larissa yawned. She must have been tired. ¡®That¡¯s understandable. She has done a lot today.¡¯ Most of them she experienced for the first time in her life. She ate well, now she had to sleep well so she could grow taller and gain weight. I changed Larisa¡¯s clothes into pajamas with a happy feeling. And after seeing Larissa lying on the bed, I wandered around the room, lit candles and lamps here and there. ¡®Well, I should keep one.¡¯ I picked up a lamp near the bed and checked to see if there was enough oil, then dimmed the light. Until yesterday, I slept with a fire in the fireplace in my room, but now that the days are getting warmer, I thought it would be okay not to leave the fire on until morning. So yesterday I left the fireplace to turn off naturally before going to bed. It didn¡¯t take long for me to regret it. When the fireplace went out and darkness fell in the room, Larissa was shaking so badly that she could hardly sleep. ¡°Why, Larissa? Are you cold?¡± I quickly lit a lamp in the room to check on Larissa. When the light of the lamp began to illuminate the room, Larissa¡¯s trembling began to subside. As I patted her saying ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here¡±, her tense and frightened expression gradually eased. ¡®Did you have a bad dream after falling asleep for a while? Or was it simply cold?¡¯ I quickly lit the fire in case. Then I found her sleeping with a more peaceful face. It was before the air in the room was even warmed up again. ¡®Are you afraid of dark places?¡¯ It was not without possibility. There were no windows in the basement, so it would have been dark if the light had not been turned on. It¡¯s only been a little over a week since we got out of there and lived safely in a bright place, so it still took more time for her to shake off the fear that had built up. I put the lamp I had turned on on the table near the bed. The lamps were on until morning, and Larissa was fast asleep every time I checked on her. After going through that last night, I decided to leave the lamps on all night today as well. I picked up a lamp and carefully went to the bedside. I put it on the table and patted Larissa so she could sleep well. It was a ritual I had to do before going to bed these days. Larissa was buried in the soft feather pillow and blanket, her eyes half-closed and her face was full of drowsiness. As I looked at Larissa and smiled at her, I found something dark next to her. ¡®What is this?¡¯ I brought the lamp near the object so I could see it clearly, it was a gingerbread cookie. The cookie that Larissa personally decorated by drawing eyes and lips on its face. A small human-shaped cookie the size of a palm and half-covered by my handkerchief¨Cthat I had given to Larissa¨Clike a blanket and shared a pillow with Larissa. ¡°Oh, my¡­¡­¡± The face, drawn as if neither smiling nor crying because of clumsiness, looked strangely calm under the flickering light of the lamp. It is also covered with a blanket and sleeps on a pillow with Larissa. ¡®You didn¡¯t take anything with you when you left the basement.¡¯ I bit my lip as if I was feeling overwhelmed. This must have been the first cookie she ever made. This child will also have something precious one by one. I¡¯m going to have a lot of firsts with this child for a while. ¡®I hope it¡¯s all fun and happy things.¡¯ I kissed Larissa¡¯s round forehead while praying. Then Larissa flinched. ¡®Oh no. Did I wake you up?¡¯ Looking down, Larissa looked at me with round eyes. It was a bewildered expression. ¡°This is a goodnight kiss. Now, close your eyes. Don¡¯t worry about anything. I¡¯ll be right next to you.¡± As I smiled and spoke quietly, Larissa pulled the stiff blanket over her nose and only showed her eyes. Then she closed his eyes as she squirmed under the blanket. Under her eyelids, her pupils were still moving. Her eyelashes trembled too. ¡°Good night, Larissa.¡± I held back my laughter and patted her with my hand. Somehow I sang a lullaby without realizing it. ¡°Sleep, sleep, my baby, sleep well, my baby¡­¡­¡± Towards the end of the song, Larissa¡¯s stiff body loosened. After a while, her breathing gradually became longer and deeper. *** Larissa had a dream. She was on clouds. There was a creature lying beside her and looking at her. It was a gingerbread cookie. ¡®Since when have you been here?¡¯ Larissa tilted her head, but the gingerbread cookie naturally supported its chin with its hand as if it was natural, and sat down in a comfortable position. Its mouth, painted in red sugar, moved and spoke to her. ¡°Look at her. She put her mouth on you. Is she trying to eat you?¡± The gingerbread cookie trembled as it hugged itself. Larissa shook her head and explained to the gingerbread cookie. ¡°That¡¯s a goodnight kiss.¡± ¡°Yeah? What is that?¡± ¡°A kiss on the forehead to say goodnight so I can sleep well.¡± ¡°Why does that mean good night?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. ¡± Larissa, lying on the clouds, closed her eyes with a tense expression. However, it was a different feeling than before. Before, it was closer to fear, but now¡­¡­ ¡®What kind of feeling is this?¡¯ I was so confused. It felt like something was about to explode inside of me, and it felt like my body was being twisted. ¡®It¡¯s ticklish.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t stand it because I was worried about my forehead. Larissa rubbed her forehead with her hand for no reason. The gingerbread cookie spoke again. ¡°I told you! That person hit you! She¡¯s going to knead and bake you too.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s not hitting. She¡¯s patting.¡± ¡°Really? Who is she?¡± ¡°She is¡­¡­¡± It was dark so she couldn¡¯t see her face well. But Larissa knew her; someone who is always surrounded by warmth. ¡°She is Marcia Unnie.¡± [T/N: Unnie means older sister] The gingerbread cookie blinked its green sugar eyes. A soft song came from under the clouds. Larissa listened intently, and then she suddenly stretched her arms out below the clouds. But she couldn¡¯t reach anything. ¡®Seems like she¡¯s too far.¡¯ The gingerbread cookie was startled and grabbed Larissa¡¯s arm. ¡°She¡¯ll find out you¡¯re hiding here!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa withdrew her hand and lay on the clouds. The soft voice singing the song continued to sound. *** I felt the morning sunlight on my closed eyelids and opened my eyes spontaneously. However, something unusual caught my eye. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± It¡¯s not the ceiling that I see, but a pair of round green eyes. I blinked a few times. Larissa was looking at me, leaning her body on the sofa I was using as a bed. When I opened my eyes, Larissa¡¯s round eyes became even rounder. Our eye contact was brief. Before I could react, she rushed into the bed. Oh my God. Was Larissa watching me while I was sleeping? ¡®But why are you running away?¡¯ I rubbed my eyes and got up from the sofa. In that short time, Larissa covered herself with a blanket and hid almost completely. Except for her silver hair sticking out of the blanket. ¡®You look like a kitten.¡¯ A kitten who has just become a member of the family and is shy but can¡¯t resist curiosity. Chapter 42 It¡¯s still an unfamiliar new house for her, so she¡¯s hiding under the blanket, but will she come out if I give her a toy? ¡°Good morning, Larissa. Did you sleep well?¡± I held back my laughter and said good morning. Larissa soon stuck her head out of the blanket. My morning greeting is like a toy for catching a cat. Is it because she suddenly jumped in surprise a while ago? Her face was a ripe pink like a peach in early summer. Oh, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see that cute face smiling at me someday. ¡®Come on, Larissa, smile like this. Look, like this.¡¯ I smiled very sweetly. Of course, that didn¡¯t make Larissa smile right away, but seeing something cute in the morning made me feel really good. I had my breakfast brought to my room this morning. Larissa will also need a period of adaptation, so there¡¯s no need to go down to the dining room to eat every time. Besides, I love having breakfast in my room. There was no need to get up early and no need to get dressed. While the maids brought the perfect breakfast, all I had to do was relax and enjoy the food. We ate a warm, soft omelet with cheese and spinach with crispy bacon, and spread butter and apricot jam on the toast. While Larissa drank a glass of fresh milk with both hands, I poured the brewed black tea into the cup. The morning sun was streaming in through the window. The sky outside the window was clear without a single cloud. I don¡¯t know what bird it is, but I can hear the birds chirping, the weather is also perfect, just like a fairy tale. ¡®Today is going to be a good day.¡¯ As I savored the scent of tea, I started thinking about what to do with Larissa today. ¡°It¡¯s a good day. Should we go to the garden? Yesterday we went to the garden, how about today we go to the large garden in front of the house?¡± At my suggestion, Larissa blinked her eyes a few times and then nodded her head slightly. The milk she had just drunk left a white mustache mark around her lips. I laughed and wiped the milk mustache with a napkin. When the breakfast was over, the maid who was waiting cleared up the tableware. It was time to get ready. Until now, the maids took turns serving. But that one maid bowed her head in a respectful manner and introduced herself a little differently from the previous maids. ¡°Nice to meet you, Madam. My name is Sophia. The Master has sent me.¡± ¡°His Highness?¡± ¡°Yes, Madam. I am in charge of serving you and Young Lady Larissa from now on.¡± Standing with her hands together, Sophia seemed to be a mature and quiet woman. The neat brown hair tied around the back of her head seemed to show her personality. ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation[1], Sophia.¡± [1] Korean phrase. A kind of positive greeting when you first meet someone you will see often in the future. ¡°If you need anything, please do not hesitate to tell me.¡± Sophia smiled softly. ¡°By the way, the room used by the Grand Duchess for generations has been completely renovated. So you can move in today. Would you like to go and see yourself?¡± ¡°Renovated?¡± ¡°Yes. The room has been empty for a long time, so it took a little while to prepare. It has been renovated and can be used immediately now, but I think it would be good for you to see it once, if nothing is to your taste, we will replace it.¡± After all, I couldn¡¯t stay in the guest room forever. Because of the sudden appearance of the hostess, the maids must have suffered quite a bit taking care of this and that all of a sudden in such a short period of time. ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll stop by before going to the garden. Can you help me change?¡± ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am,¡± she replied politely. ¡°What kind of clothes would you like?¡± I remembered the clothes in my closet. I haven¡¯t had time to tidy up my clothes, so all I have in my closet are the clothes Fabian gave me a while ago. Luxurious but not flashy clothes that would suit common people. ¡®Oh, there¡¯s one more.¡¯ Nora¡¯s old dress is still hanging in the closet. I chuckled. Now that I¡¯m not going to meet anyone or attend any party, the clothes I have are enough. ¡®I have to get some new clothes soon. How much is the budget for the Grand Duchess?¡¯ It¡¯s someone else¡¯s money, so I¡¯ll spend it as much as I can. I said to Sophia with a sly smile inside, ¡°I don¡¯t have many clothes in the first place¡­¡­ First of all, I want to go for a walk in the garden, so can you choose for me the most comfortable one?¡± When Sophia heard it, she looked surprised. Is it because I, the Grand Duchess, said that I had no clothes? No, it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m frugal, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t have time to buy them. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she said, ¡°Master has instructed us to fill the wardrobes of Madam and Miss Larissa. You have a new room ready to move in. What do you want to do?¡± ¨C I thought you knew. Was it a secret? Can I say this? Master probably kept it a secret on purpose. Oh, of course, you can! ¡°Is that so? Then should I go and see what His Highness has prepared?¡± I smiled while changing into an indoor dress. After Larissa put on the dress and slippers, we followed Sophia out of the room. ¡°Here it is.¡± Sophia opened the door for us. I opened my mouth wide. ¡®¡­¡­can I call this a room?¡¯ The Grand Duchess¡¯ room occupied half of one floor of this huge mansion. Of course, the other half is the Grand Duke¡¯s room. It was a room the size of a small mansion. Bedroom, bathroom, parlor, living room, several dressing rooms, tea room, music room, personal study, baby room for future babies, even a small arcade and greenhouse. In addition, there are several more rooms that have not been decided what they will be used for. Also, each room is spacious enough to fit five of my old bedrooms. All of this is for the Grand Duchess only. ¡®She said it was prepared in a hurry, but it¡¯s perfect.¡¯ The luxurious yet antique furniture is placed in each room. Even the corridor connecting the rooms was like a small gallery, with artworks collected from generation to generation. ¡°If there is something you do not like, please let me know. We will replace it with the one you like right away.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to replace.¡± I don¡¯t know who decorated it, but he has good eyes. I have no confidence that I can decorate it more beautifully than this. It was a perfect room, but there was only one most important thing missing: Larissa¡¯s room. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to share a bedroom with Larissa for a while. I want you to put two beds in my bedroom.¡± ¡°All right, Miss Larissa¡¯s room is downstairs. What should I do?¡± I looked at Larissa standing next to me. She was holding my hand tightly. ¡°Just give her a room in this room, too.¡± I don¡¯t know later, but now I can¡¯t leave Larissa alone. It seems Larissa is afraid to sleep alone in the dark, so I¡¯ll sleep with her. What¡¯s more, it¡¯ll be easier for me to take care of her when she¡¯s near me. Plus, sharing a bedroom doesn¡¯t mean you have to stay together all the time. There are so many rooms, Larissa can use any room she wants. And when the day comes when Larissa wants to protect her privacy, she can move downstairs. ¡°Leave the downstairs room as is, so that when Larissa wants to move in, she can move right away.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I looked at Larissa. ¡°Larissa, what do you think? Do you like this room?¡± At the time, we were in the next room in the bedroom. There were several large windows at the front, so it was a very bright room. Each room has a different carpet, but the carpet in this room feels unusually cozy. Larissa also seemed to like the carpet. It was warm and cozy, so I took off my slippers and started walking barefoot. The sunlight coming through the window warmed my pale bare feet. The moment I saw Larissa¡¯s blushing cheeks through her gleaming silver hair, I made a decision right away. ¡°I¡¯m going to make this a playroom for Larissa.¡± Good, good. And let¡¯s use the next room as Larissa¡¯s study. The next room will be the living room for Larissa, just in case. All of Larissa¡¯s rooms should be decorated bright and cozy. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s good now, but just a little bit more.¡¯ Sophia nodded her head vigorously, trying to memorize everything I had said. ¡°This is the dressing room.¡± There are three large rooms in the dressing room. ¡°We have filled half the dressing room as instructed by Master, in a hurry.¡± Where the hell did all these clothes come from? I couldn¡¯t keep my mouth closed. I was also surprised when he had prepared several boxes of luxurious clothes that fit my size in one night before. But this time, many clothes were hanging in the same size as if they had been brought from an entire dressing room. Sophia simply explained in a calm tone, ¡°From here to here are the dresses for the spring outing, and from there are the coats and capes you can simply put on.¡± And the party dresses, the matching hats, and shoes¡­¡­ The brief explanation did not end there. There are so many clothes, but there are still plenty of empty spaces in the dressing room. ¡°We don¡¯t know what you like, so we prepared as many and as varied as we could. And here¡­¡­¡± Sophia pointed at the dressing table. There were several catalogs of the dressing room. ¡°We¡¯ve rounded up some of the famous dressing rooms in the estate. If you choose a place you like, I¡¯ll tell the maid to go over there and bring some sample clothes.¡± This is already a lot, but there¡¯s more? ¡®The Grand Duke¡¯s wealth is really great.¡¯ I smiled. It was a great welcome, because my determination to get a hundred dresses didn¡¯t dilute in the slightest. Chapter 43 ¡°Or, is there a dressing room that you were originally looking for?¡± I remembered the old clothes that I had left behind in Nora¡¯s dressing room. The clothes were tailored in the dressing room in the countryside, but I still liked them. But I have no regrets. I brought nothing from the Blick family. Not a single one. ¡°No, there is not.¡± Sophia politely nodded at my reply. ¡°Miss Larissa¡¯s clothes are prepared downstairs, I will have the maids move them.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± I chose a light, warm-looking outfit for the outing. Sophia quickly changed my clothes. Her movements were gentle and caring, yet very quick. Even my old maids, who had been serving me for years, couldn¡¯t do this. ¡°Which dress would you choose for Miss Larissa?¡± Sophia asked me. I raised one eyebrow. Even though it was about Larissa¡¯s clothes, she asked my opinion, not Larissa¡¯s. ¡°I will change Larissa¡¯s clothes myself. It will be the same for the time being.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Sophia answered without changing her expression. After changing Larissa¡¯s clothes, we continued the tour of the Grand Duchess¡¯ room. ¡°This is the last room.¡± Sophia pushed the gilded handle and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, I saw a huge bed in the middle of the room. The white bedding embroidered with gorgeous gold thread looked soft and neat. ¡°There is another bedroom. Is it for guests?¡± I think the guest room is too wide and glamorous. Sophia answered, ¡°This is the couple¡¯s bedroom, madam. If you open the door on the other side, you will be connected to the master¡¯s room.¡± Whoa, the couple¡¯s bedroom. As I approached, looking at the shelves neatly lined with various bottles of alcohol, I stiffened as I was. ¡°This is the shared room between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, and the one I saw earlier is my private bedroom?¡± ¡°Yes, this is the main bedroom for the two of you.¡± This is just a place for dust to accumulate. I shook my head violently in my mind. It¡¯s nice to have my own private bedroom though. If there is only a bedroom for the couple, it will feel like sleeping on a thorn bed every day. To be in bed with a stranger¡­.., the thought of it is terrifying. ¡®Even with Larissa, we still can¡¯t share the same bed yet.¡¯ I looked at Larissa and Sophia. Fortunately, neither of them seemed to think my attitude was suspicious. ¡°Do you like the bedding? If there is something you want, I will have the maids change it immediately.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s okay just like this.¡± Because I won¡¯t use it anyway. I don¡¯t have to use this room even though the bed is so big and beautiful. ¡®Besides, that liquor collection¡­¡­ I can¡¯t touch it either.¡¯ I turned my head ¡°You did a great job. Tell the others the same, and we¡¯ll move to the Grand Duchess¡¯ room as soon as Larissa¡¯s bed is ready.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Judging by the skill of preparing all of this in just a few days, Larissa¡¯s bed will probably be ready in no time. Maybe we¡¯ll move our rooms today or tomorrow? ¡°When is the Grand Duke planning to move rooms?¡± ¡°He already moved this morning. He will probably be in the office by now.¡± I looked over the bed at the opposite door. Is the office somewhere beyond that door? Even though we live in the same house, it is difficult to see each other even once. ¡°Is the office on this floor, too?¡± ¡°No, the office is downstairs. It¡¯s a more personal room.¡± I see. Suddenly, I wondered how the Grand Duke¡¯s room would be arranged. ¡®Well, as it should be, it¡¯s Fabian¡¯s personal room, so there¡¯s no need to go there. It¡¯s no use to be curious.¡¯ I shrugged and said to Sophia, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go downstairs and take a look. I also have to change Larisaa¡¯s clothes. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t follow me, so just tell me the location of her room.¡± ¡°Are you going to the garden immediately after changing Miss Larissa¡¯s clothes?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± ¡°Then I will instruct the maids to make sure everything is ready by the time you return from the garden. Do you want me to call someone to escort you?¡± At first, I was going to say no, but then I changed my mind. I don¡¯t know the structure of the mansion yet, so I might get lost in the garden. ¡°I want Sophia to come with me, is that okay?¡± ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am!¡± Sophia readily answered. While she went to pass my instructions to the other maids, I brought Larissa downstairs. Larissa¡¯s room was also spacious and decorated in various ways. ¡°Larissa, look at this. This outfit is so cute!¡± I picked out one of the cutest outfits as many as mine and put it on Larissa. When I left the room, Sophia was waiting outside the door. ¡°I told the kitchen to prepare a picnic lunch basket. If you are hungry, you can eat it right away.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sophia,¡± I replied with a smile. She already had two lace parasols in her hands and a thick piece of cloth to lay on the lawn in the garden. I took Larissa¡¯s hand with light steps and walked down the central staircase. Sophia followed one step behind us. Beautiful weather, a peaceful breakfast, a dedicated and thoughtful maid, a new room, and a mountain of new clothes. It really was such a perfect day. So I let my guard down. I have to be especially careful at times like this. Because I¡¯m always unlucky. ¨C Is this a mansion or a palace? You ungrateful girls. ¡°¡­..!¡± It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve heard such swear words. It felt like my heart was frozen. ¡®¡­¡­no way?¡¯ It was a voice I knew. ¨C How dare you to betray me when I¡¯ve fed you and raised you up to this point? Did you think I would not be able to find you? I reflexively stopped on the spot. But it¡¯s already too late. We were down to the ground floor overlooking the hall and entrance. There was Igor who had a fight ¨C almost a physical fight ¨C with the guards. Larissa, who was descending the stairs with me with light steps, froze on the spot as if she were a stone statue. ¡°You can¡¯t just walk in. Didn¡¯t I say you should wait here?¡± ¡°Get out of the way, I¡¯m the Grand Duchess¡¯ father! You¡¯re not even going to let me see my daughter?!¡± My mind went blank. ¡®How did you get here? This fast?¡¯ The Blick family¡¯s estate was in the countryside, a month or so to reach the capital. But how did you find out so quickly? ¡®¡­¡­no, I should have expected it.¡¯ He must have been looking for us desperately, so it could be. At first, I only thought about escaping. Escaping from my destiny to be executed three years later. As soon as I escaped, I felt a sense of freedom. Larissa also started to noticeably improve soon after she got out of the Blick family. And the relief in fear, from Fabian¡¯s boast, that he would kill Igor and Villain if I wanted to. Thanks to him, I let my guard down too soon. ¡®¡­¡­I thought it would be over if I just met Grand Duke Laurent.¡¯ I bit my lip. ¡®First, I have to hide Larissa.¡¯ She has barely escaped, but when she returns, she won¡¯t just be locked up in the basement of a mansion with a double door. He will really kill her. I¡¯m not going to let Larissa go back to that miserable life. Never. ¡°Go back to your room. Right Now.¡± I hurriedly turned around, whispering to Larissa and Sophia in a low voice. It was then. ¡°Larissa! Marcia! My precious treasures! Here you are.¡± Igor¡¯s voice, trembling with excitement, echoed high from behind. I closed my eyes tightly. ¨C My diamond! No one can make up the voice of the heart. When Igor made eye contact with Larissa, he called her Diamond, not her name. ¡®No, Larissa is your daughter, not your property!¡¯ She is a child who knows how to smell flowers when she sees them and likes sweet things. She is a living, breathing person. ¡°Do you know how long this father has been looking for you?¡± Igor poured out harsh language in his heart and played the role of a good father in a disgusting voice at the same time. Larissa¡¯s body trembled like an aspen. I went down one step and blocked Larissa from Igor with my body. ¡®Should I kick him out right away?¡¯ The urge to do so soared like a fire, but I held it in. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come back as soon as he¡¯s kicked out. Moreover, he might try to bring Fabian to trial for imprisoning her underage daughter. It is obvious that he will lose, and Larissa will be handed over to Igor by the hand of the law. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Dad.¡± I looked down the stairs with a sneer. Chapter 44 Hearing me call him father, the guards could no longer stop Igor. Igor immediately tried to run up the stairs. ¡°Stop there.¡± I said in a cold voice. My words echoed in the lobby of the huge mansion. Igor really stopped there. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because of my orders. ¡°¡­¡­what?¡± He stopped because he was dumbfounded. ¨C How dare you to order me! His face was distorted and wrinkles formed between his brows, he no longer had the expression of a sweet father. I spoke quickly and softly without missing the moment. ¡°Sophia, take my sister to my room right now.¡± Sophia¡¯s surprised expression quickly hardened into tension. ¡°Never leave her alone, and keep the maids waiting in the room.¡± Hurry up and take her. If Larissa shed tears in shock, it¡¯s over. Sophia looked at Igor and me in turns, then quickly grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss.¡± Sophia grabbed Larissa by hand and led her away. But Larissa, whose legs were frozen, stood still. Then Sophia hugged Larissa tightly and lifted her up with all her might. ¡°She¡­.., she is my daughter! Where are you taking her?¡± Igor ran up the stairs angrily. I stood in front of him and shouted. ¡°Father! Your eldest daughter is here. Talk to me.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of talking to me calmly. Igor stretched out his hand and tried to push me away, but I grabbed his hand tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s talk¨C¡± slap! At that moment, a flash of light flashed in front of me. My head was spinning and my legs were trembling. I reflexively hung on the railings of the stairs and almost fell. My cheek feels tingling. That¡¯s when I realized what just happened. Igor slapped me on the cheek. ¡®Did you just slap me?¡¯ It was the first time in my life that I was slapped. It felt like blood was rushing to my head. At the same time, a feeling of humiliation came over me. Now I am the Grand Duchess. Nevertheless, Igor slapped me. Even in front of employees. I raised my head. What came into my hazy vision was Igor, who suddenly escaped from my hand and ran up the stairs, and Larissa at the end of his path. ¡®Larissa!¡¯ Igor ran up the stairs two or three at a time. But Sophia, holding Larissa in her arms, still hadn¡¯t gone far. ¡®She is gonna get caught at this rate!¡¯ I grabbed the hem of my dress with one hand and ran frantically up the stairs. The high-heeled outdoor boots staggered my ankles. Someone passed me and ran across the stairs. It was the guard who tried to stop Igor a while ago. Maybe he didn¡¯t know what to do with the father of the Grand Duchess, but when he saw me being slapped, did he finally come to his senses? The guard caught up with Igor in a flash. ¡°Stop there!¡± The guard could not dare to attack and threatened him. I could hear the guard¡¯s heart confused about which of the Grand Duchess or the Grand Duchess¡¯s father was higher. Taking advantage of the guard¡¯s confusion, Igor ignored him and rushed to Larissa. His hand gripped the hem of Larissa¡¯s dress. ¨C No! Save me. Don¡¯t hit me. It hurts¡­¡­ Help me¡­¡­ The sound of a desperate heart pierced my chest like a dagger. It was something I hadn¡¯t heard of at all in the last few days. ¡°Hey! Get your hands off!¡± Sophia shouted as Igor tugged on Larissa¡¯s dress. Sophia hugged her as tight as she could but Larissa¡¯s sleeve was ripped off. Igor threw the piece of cloth in his hand on the floor. Even the friendly smile had long since disappeared from his face. ¡°Come here, Larissa. Have you forgotten what this father of yours always taught you?¡± Igor growled. Larissa did not even open her mouth but I could hear the voice of her heart. ¨C If you don¡¯t listen, you will hurt more¡­¡­ It wasn¡¯t an answer that came out after a long thought, but one that came out reflexively. Larissa clung to Sophia with her face blue. I glared at Igor. Had I nodded my head when Fabian offered to finish him off, he would have been dead already. ¡®I saved your life, you know!¡¯ Having barely reached the top of the stairs, I immediately ran towards Igor. It was clear where to aim. I knew his weakness. ¡®You slapped me in front of other people, so you must be prepared for this.¡¯ I pulled Igor¡¯s hair as hard as I could. ¡°Ahh!¡± Igor reflexively covered his head with his hands and looked back at me. The brown wig he was wearing until a moment ago had fallen into my hands. Yes. Igor is bald. ¡°Pfft.¡± The guard, who was hesitating next to him and didn¡¯t know what to do, couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Igor¡¯s sharp gaze was fixed on him. The guard looked down at the tips of his boot, trying to fix his expression. ¡®Hurry up and go!¡¯ I quickly spoke to Sophia by moving my lips only. She nodded and immediately turned around and started running. To keep Igor from coming to his senses and chasing after Sophia and Larissa, I waved the brown wig in my hand in front of his nose. ¡°Let¡¯s talk!¡± ¨C Ha! This crazy girl! Do you think I¡¯m really up to something? While swearing inside, Igor¡¯s gaze did not leave his wig. I feel like playing fishing with a stray cat. I bit my lip not to laugh. But I couldn¡¯t hold Igor¡¯s attention for long. Because from his point of view, the diamond mine is trying to escape. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later. Please wait patiently here.¡± He spoke as if commanding then looked away. Just as he was about to turn around and run after Sophia, laughter rang out from the top of the stairs. ¡°Hahaha. What¡¯s that?¡± The eyes of the people turned upwards. A slender boy is holding his stomach and laughing. The expression on his face was a half happy and half sneer. ¡°That¡¯s so funny. Are you the father of the Grand Duchess?¡± Igor took the wig from my hand with a red face. I was caught off guard for a while, so I missed it. Igor hurriedly put his wig back on his head. Even without a mirror, his hands, trained for decades, returned the wig perfectly to its original position. When he saw it, Richard burst into laughter once again. ¡°And you¡­..!¡± Igor, who was about to shout louder, changed his tone. ¡°¡­¡­who are you?¡± At first glance, Richard¡¯s outfit was very luxurious. Although it was a simple indoor coat, the luster flowing down the hem of his clothes was unusual. Igor is not one to miss such a thing. Richard giggled and made his way down the stairs. He spoke to me, ignoring Igor. ¡°Is he your father? He¡¯s not cultured at all. As expected of someone who doesn¡¯t even have a title.¡± I agree. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a title issue. Count Laurent isn¡¯t very cultured either, is he?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right.¡± Surprisingly, Richard readily agreed. Igor, who had been ignored by both Richard and me at the same time, shouted. ¡°What? There are things to say and not to say at the first meeting! And even though I¡¯m a noble without a title, I¡¯m still a nobleman¨C¡± ¡°You look like an uninvited guest, so what¡¯s the point of knowing who I am?¡± Richard leaned against the railing and cut off Igor¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re making a loud noise in front of all the employees.¡± Come to think of it, the other maids were slowly flocking to the lobby. Because something like this happened¡­¡­ ¡®It is a rare sight to see.¡¯ Igor clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. ¨C What the hell is this brat? Damn! Even if I force Larissa out of here, I might not be able to get out of here safely. Did you just realize that?