Chapter 11

            I had only two sets of maid's uniforms, a corset with a lace front, and a few extra pairs of undergarments.

            Perhaps they hadn't found a new chef yet, as the menu remained the same. Estelle left a note asking for an additional snack, but it was in vain.

            The memo with a list of necessities only had an effect in the first few days. During that time, I managed to obtain essential items such as a stove, cleaning tools, and a sewing kit.

            A month passed in this manner. To be precise, 30 days had gone by since Viscount Hippolyte had last visited.

            To keep track of time, we made a mark on one side of the library wall with a knife every day.

            It was late at night, so after putting Estelle to sleep, I sat quietly for a while and gazed up at the ceiling. The stars twinkling in the black sky seemed to send me a pitying smile.

            I couldn't quite comprehend why I felt so miserable and sorrowful. Maybe it was the moment when I started to realize... No, perhaps it was something I had known from the beginning.

            If it had been summer, the situation would have been even more daunting. The bed sheets and blankets we used were damp, and wearing the same outfit for several days had its limits. On the first day of the month, I did laundry for the first time since arriving here.

            In the Serpente Duchy's residence, tasks such as laundry were primarily performed by the lowest-ranking maids.

            Since I was young and treated specially in many ways, it was the first time I had ever done such a dirty job since my reincarnation.

            Filling the bathtub with water, adding powdered soap, soaking the pillowcases, sheets, and blankets, and stepping on them to remove the dirt—it was quite manageable.

            The most challenging part was, of course, washing Estelle's clothes.

            Even for a girl's dress, cleaning the expensive fabric adorned with delicate lace and jewels without causing any damage was no easy task.

            Lethias and Benya's clothes also posed a challenge. Fortunately, it seemed that each person took care of their own underwear... Ahem.

            Thinking about it now, Rapunzel, trapped in a tower, must have endured similar difficulties to Cinderella. At least Rapunzel could take care of herself, but I...

            Sweat poured down like rain, making it hard to breathe. Tears welled up in my eyes, likely due to exhaustion.

            Ugh, I wish I could have been a noble lady living without having to experience the hardships of reincarnation...

            "What are you doing?"

            Oh, what a surprise.

            I blinked and raised my head. Benya was standing by the half-open bathroom door, deliberately wearing an awkward expression on his face.

            It seemed that everyone had been confined to the library until just now, but when did he come up here?

            "Cleaning and polishing."

            I replied, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. He immediately made a face.

            "Why are you doing that?"

            "...Because it's dirty?"

            "When did you start doing this?"

            What's with this guy? How can he say he doesn't know when I started doing it? Why is he being so dismissive again?

            "It doesn't matter when I started... I also dislike dirt. While we're here..."

            "So why are you doing this now that we're stuck here? Is it because you want to be praised for being a faithful babysitter? You're always hanging around with us, whether inside or outside!"

            My jaw dropped with no force behind it. Shocked or not, Benya stared into my open eyes with dark azure eyes, then turned and walked away.

            There was a moment of silence. It's a bit funny to say that silence descended when I was left alone, but anyway, I was completely stunned.

            I sat down on the wet bathroom floor, devoid of will, for a while.

            I don't know if it was sweat or tears streaming down my face.

            That jerk. That guy who had been considerate recently. Does he feel refreshed after saying such things?

            To him, my existence was only worth that much! Hey, I don't know anymore. I really don't know! I'll just pretend I don't know, like those vile scoundrels! I'm truly angry now!

            I want to see you, Mom; dear Duke and Duchess, please forgive this pitiful girl. But this is all just too much for me...

            "Sasha."

            ...Is this guy trying to make me even sicker when I'm already feeling sick? Is he really intending to push me to my limits now?

            I sobbed like a child, sniffling as I lifted my head. The second young master, whom I suspected of having multiple personalities, continued.

            "I'm sorry. Don't cry."

            It seemed that the twisted momentum from a moment ago had dissipated. No, more than that, what did this guy just say? What, sorry? He apologized?

            Setting aside the fact that his behavior of making people feel bad and then making them feel better was reprehensible, it was the first time I had seen him act so meekly.

            Naturally, my eyes widened as I looked at him. A wry smile appeared on the boy's lips as he glanced down at me.

            "So... I apologize for venting my anger. I'll help you."

            If he can say it like that, I have nothing to say. In any case, the mere offer of help was a significant improvement.

            For a while, we both focused on the laundry in silence.

            It was only after stepping on the soaked laundry in the bathtub, carefully brushing the clothes with an old toothbrush, and wringing out the water from the finished laundry that we finally had a moment to catch our breath.

            Completely exhausted, we walked out of the bathroom and slumped against the wall.

            "Damn, I'm so tired. But how can we dry all of this?"

            "We'll hang them in the library. It's the only place."

            The library was the only space with good ventilation. It was also the only area large enough to hang this much laundry.

            Honestly, what would have happened if we hadn't cleaned the library until now?

            Benya, with his head against the wall, removed his shirt which was soaked with sweat and water as if he couldn't bear it anymore.

            It was an act far from the dignity of an aristocrat, but it was better than getting heat rash. His silver-gray hair was also wet with sweat, clinging to his temples.

            "I feel like I'm experiencing everything I would never have to do in my lifetime, now that I'm here."

            "Yeah, that's true. If we told others, they probably wouldn't believe it."

            "It would be nice if we could talk about it someday."

            It sounded meaningful. After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously asked a question.

            "You know, about apologizing for taking your anger out on me earlier... What exactly does that mean?"

            "You already know."

            Of course, I had my suspicions. I was seeking confirmation.

            While fanning him with my hand, I looked into Benya's sky-colored eyes. Strangely enough, instead of feeling hopeless or fed up, I regained a sense of calmness.

            "Your relatives..."

            I was about to ask him if he thought they had ill intentions, but I held back. Benya also didn't push the issue. We simply gazed at each other in silence.

            The bell rang, signaling prayer time.

            The sound of the large and small bells from the bell tower echoed closely. As always. As always, it felt like the entire place was vibrating.

            Today, Estelle didn't jump onto the upstairs bed or hide under the desk. Instead, she sat quietly by my side, engrossed in an old book she had been reading called "Teacup and Conversation."

            There was nothing but the sound of the bells ringing. None of us—Lethias, Benya, myself, or Estelle—were in a rush to speak. Each of us was silently searching the bookshelves as if under a spell.

            By this point, perhaps we all had the same thoughts. We must have grappled with the same suspicions and tried to come up with excuses to divert our attention from reality.

            A month and a week had passed. The collective days we spent here amounted to one month and three weeks.

            Only I knew, but by now, the plague that had swept through the imperial capital must have started to subside.

            Continuing this existence beyond this point made no sense. Yet, there was still no news.

            At the moment when the anxiety and doubt I had been desperately trying to ignore solidified into certainty, as the majestic bell gradually came to a stop, someone plunged their hand into the water, signaling the impending storm.

            It was Lethias who spoke up.

            "...Are they just toying with us?"

            It was a futile joke, one that neither the speaker nor the listener found amusing.

           Benya quickly disagreed using sarcastic remarks.

            "I think it's just the kind of prank only Hyung would come up with. It's not even fun or impressive, and he deserves to get in trouble for it—"

            "Come on, show some respect for your brother."

            "Then he should have done something worth respecting."

            "Sasha, do you know anything? If this is a well-planned prank, there's a good chance you're involved."

            "Wow, that's somewhat believable."

            Maybe they were just joking around, but it drove me crazy to see these two guys arguing so casually. I can't believe or understand how my once bright masters will turn into villains leading this empire to its downfall.

            "Sasha?"

            ... No, that's not it. But I have a bad feeling that I'll start to understand soon.

            Perhaps because of our confusion and anxiety, Estelle nervously bit her lips, unlike her older brothers. She moved closer to me and held my arms tightly.

            Estelle has always been sensitive to the atmosphere around her, given her delicate nature. During such moments, I was the only one who could comfort her, along with my late mother.

            "Sasha, do you know anything?"

            ...Eh, even Estelle?

            Anyway, I have no idea about this. Would it have been better if I had known in advance?

            The fact that the three siblings and the nanny's daughter were confined together in a specific area of this grand mansion and that the ones imprisoning them were none other than their own relatives.

            The main issue is that we don't really understand what's going on right now. No matter how much I try to recall that novel, it never explained or described this part. Not at all.

𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕍𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕞𝕖 𝟙:

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕀'𝕞 𝕒𝕟 𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕠𝕪?

<<Prev | TOC | Next>>

Updates Status & Announcements

ᵀ/ᴺ: ᵀʰⁱˢ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵒᵒᵏ'ˢ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᵒᶠ ⱽᵒˡᵘᵐᵉ ¹.

ᵀʰᵉʳᵉ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵇᵉ ⁿᵒ ᶠᵘʳᵗʰᵉʳ ᵘᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉˢ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰⁱˢ ⁿᵒᵛᵉˡ ᵗⁱˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃʸ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗᵒᵐᵒʳʳᵒʷ

⁽ᵇᵃˢⁱᶜᵃˡˡʸ ᵗⁱˡˡ ˢᵃᵗᵘʳᵈᵃʸ⁾. ᴵ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵈᵒ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ ᵛᵒˡᵘᵐᵉ ᵗᵒᵒ ˢᵒ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᵇᵉᵃʳ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ,

ᵐʸ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ⁱˢ ᵃᶜʰⁱⁿᵍ.