Successful Breakup

In my previous life, I was just an ordinary college student who lacked in job opportunities and suffered as a result. I admit that I read novels in my spare time, but other than that I lived rather diligently. I worked part-time, gained the relevant experience required for my dream career, and obtained various certificates for programming. I also did a bunch of random things that would’ve qualified me for a job as a tea sommelier or bakery technician.

However, all of that had been in vain. If I had known that I would’ve been hit by a car on my way to my part-time job, I would’ve invested a little more time for myself.

Actually, I had often daydreamed about being reincarnated as a character belonging to the upper class. Those fantasies never involved becoming a villainess, though. Especially not one destined to have a short life like Jubelian.

In the past, when I read about people who had reincarnated, they would usually try to avoid their untimely death as soon as possible. However, in my ignorance, I had been faithful to the original work so far. It would’ve been nice if I had realized I was in this specific novel earlier.

I had only remembered the details of Jubelian’s fate later on. Three days ago, on my second anniversary with Mikhail, Jubelian’s one-sided love, I suddenly remembered how she used to badger him. I recalled how that behavior had only served to corroborate others’ accusations, which had ultimately led to her death.

Jubelian used to persistently harass anyone who approached Mikhail. Before, she threw tantrums and cursed at people who simply tried to strike a conversation with him. There had been numerous instances where she had even threatened others through the use of her family name.

It definitely wasn’t normal behavior. That was how I realized I had a lot of enemies now that I had reincarnated into her.

Fortunately, I was at a point in the novel where I had yet to collide with any of the other important characters like the princess or the crown prince. Now that I was aware of everything ahead of me, I just needed to fix my behavior.

Faced with my grim future, I sighed.

A deep voice riddled with annoyance displaced me from my reverie. “Are you angry because I’m late?” Mikhail asked.

His question puzzled me. Had I ever been angry with him? I didn’t think so. Mikhail was the love of my life and the novel’s male lead. Now that I saw him again, however, my heart felt terribly still. A despondent feeling arose within me.

I used to be so infatuated with him, but now I felt nothing.

In the past, Jubelian treated Mikhail like he was her savior. She longed for his love and hung onto his every word. Upon the slightest shift in his expression, she became anxious and instantly feared he would leave her.

However, my experiences in the modern world changed Jubelian’s personality completely. I had to take care of tuition costs, keep my grades up, look for jobs, and handle all my living expenses myself. I didn’t need someone to be my savior. I could change my own future.

After coming to this conclusion, I opened my mouth to speak. “I’m not angry,” I said. I simply didn’t want to waste any more of my heart or my time on him.

Mikhail stared at me, still obviously bothered. “Jubelian,” he said once more. “If you cavil over small matters like this, wouldn’t our relationship have problems?”

Although our relationship had been forced, it still lasted for two whole years. I could understand the weight of his words just by listening to the tone of his voice. He wasn’t making a request; he was offering me a thinly-veiled warning. He was telling me to stop pestering him.

I smiled innocently like I always did. Except this time, I was being sincere. “I’m really not angry. I was joking when I scolded you for being late,” I said pleasantly. I had wanted to lighten the mood, but my response seemed to displease him.

His expression grew serious. “A joke? That doesn’t seem like something you would do.” He huffed, observing me with weary eyes. “So, again: why did you call me here?”

I sighed at the sight of the blatant displeasure on his face. Well, I guess he couldn’t help getting upset. The Jubelian of the past used to interfere with his training a lot, after all. I decided to let his attitude off the hook this time because of my past mistakes.

“Mikhail, could you please—”

He cut me off before I could even finish talking. “You said you only needed to see me for a brief moment.” I laughed at that, but he didn’t look amused. “If it isn't anything important, I’ll be going,” he glowered.

He was going to leave first, as usual. He was pretty eager to be rid of me. Despite his rudeness, I knew that nothing good would come out of making enemies with the novel’s male lead, so I kept cordial.

“It will only take a minute,” I said.

He shook his head. “I have to go now. There’s an important training session I have to attend.”

When I met his icy gaze, I felt irritated. Ugh, how pathetic! He didn’t think I was worth even five minutes of his time!

Three days ago, I had taken care to ask when he would be free to meet since I was afraid of getting in the way of his training. I wanted to prevent this exact situation from playing out. When our promised appointment came today, however, I ended up sitting in the imperial knights’ waiting room for three hours. No matter what I did, he would always ignore my efforts. He valued his own time. Never mine.

I had no reason to endure this any longer. I set the mood by lowering my voice, adopting a more serious air. “Sit down, please. It’ll only take a second.”

“I’m pretty sure I already refused.”

His tone took on a threatening aura, as if conveying how he was the superior one of us in this relationship. I felt the urge to break that delusion of his.

“Father knows that we’re meeting today. Wouldn’t it be odd if you returned early?”

His expression stiffened when I mentioned Father, who was his boss. Mikhail both feared and respected him.

“Five minutes,” Mikhail conceded, sitting down obediently. He was the strongest knight around, but it seemed that even he was afraid of the empire’s only Sword Master. Maybe I should’ve mentioned the duke sooner.

I chuckled, thinking back on how I used to struggle to do everything I could to please the man before me. My efforts had all been in vain. To think that there was an easy way out of my suffering this entire time…

“What’s so funny?”

Although his mood had failed to lighten, it didn’t matter to me now that I didn’t need his goodwill anymore. I started off by opening with something sentimental. “For the past two years, we’ve spent quite a bit of time together—”

“Did you call me here just to say that?”

Wow, he lost patience so quickly. Again. He didn’t even let me finish what I had to say. He must’ve hated being with me. Unfortunate, since I was about to give him a gift, too.

His demeanor disgruntled me, but I gave him a smile nevertheless. It was an insincere one I had perfected from working at my part-time job, though.

“You won’t be as busy anymore,” I said.

“What are you talking about?” he asked. Even this was conveyed with a nasty attitude. I frowned. I understood being frustrated due to Jubelian’s history, but I was trying to be civil. He was simply too much.

I honestly wanted to threaten him a bit, saying that I’d report all this to Father, and that Father would fire him. It would definitely cow him since he knew about my family background. It would teach him a lesson on what power could really do. Truthfully, however, Father would never fire a subordinate he cared about. If Mikhail and I came to actively despise and oppose each other, it would just end badly for me.

I didn’t want to make enemies anymore. My goal was to live a long life.

In my mind, I reaffirmed this decision. “I’m saying that I’ll let you go,” I said slowly, really letting it out there.

At that, his eyes widened for a moment before he composed himself once more. A corner of his lips quirked up in disbelief. “You’re bluffing,” he scoffed. “Do you really think I’ll believe that?”

I sighed at his wariness. Well then, it’d be a waste of time to say much more, wouldn’t it?

“It’s up to you whether or not you’ll believe me. I already said what I needed to say.”

I got up, turning around to leave, but then his cold voice stopped me in my tracks. “Fine. I’ll trust you,” he said. “Just never show yourself around me ever again.”

Now it was my turn to smirk a bit. How unexpected. I guess the breakup could be considered a success with that? Whatever his reasons might’ve been, he accepted it in the end.

What a relief.

Now, my goal was to enjoy life to the fullest. Although Father regarded me apathetically, he didn't mind supporting my luxurious status as his daughter. Spending his money and using it to live happily didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

My spirits lifted as I imagined a bright future ahead of me. I glanced back at Mikhail and smiled. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened until now,” I told him. “I wish you happiness.”

After sincerely bidding him farewell, I left.

Whenever I used to meet up with him, I wore pretty, yet uncomfortable, shoes so I could look my best. The ones I wore today were plain and low-heeled. Pleasant. Was my comfort what enabled me to walk away without regrets?

 

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Mikhail scoffed as he stared at Jubelian’s retreating figure.

She said she was sorry for everything? Bullshit. It must’ve been a ploy to get his attention.

He was certain that she would turn around and come rushing back to him at any second. Contrary to his expectations, however, she continued to walk away without sparing him another glance. When she vacated the waiting room entirely, he clenched his fists.

Was she really being serious?

Jubelian Eloy Floyen. Despite being ill of mind, she was undoubtedly beautiful. He had endured her behavior, which she had justified in the name of love, for the past two years. She followed him wherever he went, treated anyone he spoke to with hostility, and became overjoyed at the slightest bit of attention he would spare her. Like a dog. A stupid dog who wagged her tail even when he pushed her away, lavishing him with affection the likes of which he, her master, would never afford her.

It was incredibly annoying, but he tolerated her because of the attention he received from her father and his idol, Duke Floyen. Her presence seemed to drive away other potentially annoying women, too.

So, why did she suddenly change her mind? Plagued with uncertainty, Mikhail stiffened. Unexpectedly, now that she was completely out of sight, he felt strange instead of victorious. It should be reassuring that he wouldn’t have to deal with such a troublesome woman anymore, so he tried to shake away his conflicting thoughts, but…

“Damn it,” he cursed. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her words continued to play out in his mind.

She said she was sorry. She said she wished him happiness. She had smiled.

He couldn’t forget that smile, because she had even looked a little relieved.

 

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Ah, it felt like a knot in the pit of my stomach had unraveled. I had just come home from parting with Mikhail. On my way to my room for a bit of rest, I accidentally ran into a handsome man by the front door.

Father.

I had inherited his silver hair and blue eyes, but not his striking appearance. He was, in essence, a transcendent being who aged slowly. In fact, it even looked like we could be siblings.

There might come a day when I’ll even look older than him.

“Father, how was your day?” I greeted. I spoke with an upbeat tone, the complete opposite of how I felt inside.

He stared at me, unchangingly aloof. Although we were family, it had been many years since I had greeted him like this. “Do not come here again,” he had told me once. After being turned away, I only talked to him about important business. However, now I had a reason to feign friendliness.

I just wanted to live happily.

After remembering my previous life, I had come to learn of an important fact: no matter how much I begged for his love, Father would eventually abandon me. In addition to how lacking I was in many ways, I was nothing more to him than a shameful thing he never mentioned to others. Since I was never going to have his love, I decided to give up and find happiness elsewhere.

Yes, precisely: happiness in money!

Of course, I still had a conscience, so I didn’t intend to be greedy. A small estate on the outskirts of the city, some money from Father, and a job handling one of his countless responsibilities would be enough for me. In fact, I’d still be living a luxurious life with those things alone.

I had no intention of begging for Father's love anymore, but as long as I needed his money, it was important to maintain a proper relationship with him. If I stayed on the original novel’s path and alienate myself from him, I might not end up with a single penny.

I gave him the same fake smile I learned from working in retail. “You must be tired from supervising training operations all day,” I said.

Once again, he didn’t answer. I mean, my god! Would it kill him to speak to me? His behavior tanked my mood like it would for any other rational human being, but I was used to such treatment from him by now.

“You should go and relax,” I suggested hurriedly. I wanted to finish this one-sided conversation. “I’ll go up, too.”

Immediately, I started climbing the stairs to the second floor. That was when I finally heard him speak.

“There had been no training today,” he said.

His voice was unfamiliar to me. I doubted my ears. Huh? Did he really respond? It had been a long time since I last heard him speak. I was taken aback for a second before coming to my senses. When I realized what he had just said, I grit my teeth.

Mikhail, that bastard! He said he had to hurry back because he had some training to do. He lied to me! Upon realizing this, I became even more irritated. I wanted to curse at him for how he treated me, but I quickly schooled my emotions.

“Calm down, Jubelian,” I silently told myself. “He’s no longer in your life. Let’s be cool about this.”

Although this was my second life, my experiences in retail from my first life had taught me that I shouldn’t get worked up so quickly. I recalled a time I had to deal with an annoying customer and controlled the expression my face.

“You came early today,” Father continued.

Ah, about that… Now that I think about it, in the past, I used to come home late because I busied myself with following Mikhail around. However, since I had broken up with him today, coming straight home afterwards, I returned much earlier than usual.

Should I tell him the truth?

Similar to the original story, Father seemed to hold Mikhail in high regard. He often made things convenient for him and treated him with relative kindness. Since I was useless as his only child, he might’ve been thinking about making Mikhail his successor.

I couldn’t help but laugh. If I was anything like the Jubelian of the past, I wouldn’t have considered telling Father anything. I would’ve been too afraid that he would hate me for making such a mistake. I had come to learn something, though: it didn’t matter. Earning his love was a futile endeavor, and he already hated me anyway.

I looked into his cool blue eyes, which were similar to mine. “I parted ways with him,” I spit out.

Although I hadn’t mentioned Mikhail’s name, Father probably knew who I was referring to. The newfound creases on his face proved this, expressing his consternation.

“Why?”

The short question was laden with discontent, but I understood the reason for it. If Mikhail became his son-in-law, he wouldn’t have to worry about fretting over succession rights, but now that we had broken up, those plans were ruined. Even so, a relationship is composed of two people, and I had to take care of myself.

“I didn’t want to spend my life with someone who didn't have feelings for me,” I explained.

As soon as I finished speaking, his face crumpled with horror. He was probably astonished that I had broken up with a man of such talent just because of my pride. The way his eyes narrowed seemed to be in reproach of me. Although my heart constricted at the sight of it, it didn’t ache. I wasn't a child to be hurt by him anymore.

“I simply want to get married to someone who will love me, Father. I want to be happy.”

Truthfully, I was planning on staying single for the rest of my life, but I figured it’d be better to hide my intentions. If I offended him even more, he might slip me a dagger like he did back in the novel. I didn’t realize this before, but I knew now: continuous neglect was better than cruel abandonment.

“I’ll live quietly without bothering you,” I promised him silently, “so please leave me alone like you always did.”

Such a thought would’ve driven me to tears in the past, but now I didn’t feel the slightest bit of sorrow. It was as if all of my emotions had dried up in the wake of my newfound knowledge. I watched Father for a response, but he turned away wordlessly.

Did that mean that he didn’t want to talk to this pathetic daughter of his anymore?

He had ignored me plenty of times before, so I wasn’t offended. I stared at his retreating back, breathing a sigh in relief.

Now, to my room for some rest. A lot of things had happened today and I was really tired.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Jubelian’s maid, Merilyn, gulped nervously. The reins that used to keep Lady Floyen occupied were now gone.

Merilyn had been able to breathe easily these past few days because Jubelian had been in a good mood, but now that she had broken up with Mikhail, things were definitely going to be different. The news was both sudden and unexpected.

“I’m in trouble now,” Merilyn lamented to herself.

Lady Floyen was a very beautiful woman, so adorning her in flattering clothes and accessories was a rewarding task, but her emotional ups and downs made Merilyn’s job very difficult. Whenever she felt upset, she would scream and curse freely, breaking expensive tea sets and ripping her clothes in anger. Terrified they would be treated in much the same way one day, the maids would become extremely anxious upon witnessing her tantrums.

To avoid provoking Jubelian, Merilyn spoke cautiously. “I will help you change out of your clothes, Lady Floyen.”

Jubelian’s bright eyes, shining like sapphires, looked upon Merilyn with indifference. Merilyn gulped nervously. Did she say something wrong? Already?

At that moment, however, a subtle smile began to manifest upon Jubelian’s face in greeting, immediately drawing Merilyn’s gaze. She fixated on it, thoroughly charmed.

Lady Floyen was so beautiful when she smiled.

Merilyn was still staring blankly when Jubelian next spoke. “Why are you just standing there, Merilyn?” she asked. “I thought you said you would help me change out of my clothes.”

Lady Floyen’s smile had disappeared while Merilyn was occupied. Merilyn snapped back to her senses, and, realizing what she had done, turned pale with fear. If she hadn’t before, she probably got on Jubelian’s nerves somehow now! She erupted into a nervous sweat, her blood running cold. She couldn’t find the courage to lift her head.

“Actually, Merilyn,” Jubelian’s clear voice rang out, “you don’t have to help me. Just prepare a bath for me, please.”

Jubelian’s tone made Merilyn doubt herself. It didn’t seem like her lady was irritated or angry… She regarded the beautiful woman before her with suspicion. When their eyes met once more, a brilliant smile blossomed like a flower on Jubelian’s face, looking even more lovely than the last.

“Ah, and please prepare some products that’ll help me sleep for the bath. I’m tired and I want to go to bed early,” Jubelian added.

“Y-Yes,” Merilyn said. Although she stuttered, she was able to compose herself and reply in time. “I will prepare lavender scented ones.”

Why was Lady Floyen suddenly acting like this, Merilyn wondered? She couldn’t get used to it… if anyone had asked her what she thought of the lady, she would’ve said that she was an unfavorable person to serve, replying without hesitation. Although Lady Floyen had never physically abused her maids, she had done plenty of psychological harm.

“I’ll be waiting for the bath, then. Thank you,” Jubelian said, ending their brief conversation with grace. She walked past Merilyn and entered her room. Rather than a spiteful remark, she had given Merilyn an encouraging one.

Glancing back at the door her lady had left through, Merilyn staggered, her legs losing the strength within them. Sella, an assistant maid, rushed toward her. “Merilyn!” she cried. “Are you okay?”

Merilyn refused her help. “I’m fine. I will prepare a bath for Lady Floyen as she had requested.” In an attempt to calm herself, she began to give Sella instructions. “Please prepare some clothes for her.”

She had assumed Jubelian would be angry or upset… her lady was acting very strange today. The Jubelian she knew would throw tantrums when she wasn’t in a good mood, ruining everyone else’s mood in turn. It was as if she had become a completely different person.

The moment Merilyn had thought this, goosebumps began to dot her skin. She strove to compose herself once more. She shouldn’t think such useless thoughts. She just needed to her job well.

Nevertheless, Jubelian’s smiling face continued to plague her. Was it because she didn’t seem particularly energetic? Merilyn had even felt a little sorry for her.

Merilyn sighed at that, slapping herself in the face. Who was she kidding? “Wake up, Merilyn,” she scolded herself. She needed to stay vigilant before her lady.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Taking a bath was always an enjoyable experience because useless, bothersome thoughts would scatter the moment I soaked myself in some warm, fragrant water. Unfortunately, today’s events had tired me out so much that a bath didn’t really seem all that appealing.

Should I just skip it? I had been thinking about simply going to sleep for a while now, but…

I quickly decided against it. I couldn’t skip it. The servants were probably doing their best to prepare it for me. Changing my mind at the last minute would be very inconvenient.

After realizing that I had been cruel to the maids in the past, I had wished I could start over from the beginning, but I knew it was already too late. Even if I began to shower them with kindness now, they would probably be wary, believing me insincere.

Nevertheless, since I decided to be at least a little nicer going forward, I continued to wait for my bath to be ready. Despite my determination, however, I couldn’t stop yawning.

I was honestly about to pass out. What could I do?

After waiting for another five minutes, I began to rethink cancelling the bath, but then I heard a knock at my door.

“The bath is ready, Lady Floyen,” a maid announced.

“Alright.”

I rose from my chair to head to the washroom. I was so sleepy that I kept resisting the urge to yawn, though, and when I finally gave in, tears began to flow down my cheeks at the force of it.

Ah, I was really, really sleepy. I doubted my capability to take a bath in this condition…

I raised my hand to wipe my eyes and gently rub the tears away. Suddenly, a voice called out to me.

“Lady Floyen!” Merilyn gasped. She was here with me, watching me in astonishment. It was quite an unusual look on her.

Oh no. Did she see me yawn? I probably looked like a hippo with my mouth gaping wide open like that. Well, that was embarrassing. I smiled as gracefully as I could while trying my best to keep my lips shut, compensating for my mistake.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “Did I look bad?”

Like a professional, Merilyn didn’t say anything about me yawning. Instead, she just adopted a careful, concerned tone, asking, “Are you okay?”

It was better to be honest with her since she was asking me like that. I guess I must’ve looked exhausted, so she was discreetly asking if I was still alright with taking a bath.

A few tears leaked from the corners of my eyes once more as I suppressed another yawn. “Actually, I’m really tired, so I’ll take a bath tomorrow. Could you help me change into some sleepwear?”

Merilyn nodded silently and began helping me into my clothes. For some reason, she wore a sullen expression.

Maybe she was upset that I made her prepare a bath for no reason and regretted the wasted effort... I had heard that it was easier to see things from someone else’s perspective if you had been in similar situations before. It might’ve been because of what I had experienced at my part-time jobs in the past, but I felt sorry for Merilyn since she had suffered all this time beneath what had been my influence.

I tried to explain further, hoping it would soften things up a bit. “It’s because… I’m very tired right now,” I said gently. “I really am.”

Her eyes widened at my excuse. She hurriedly lowered her head in deference. “It’s not a problem. Please rest.” She was probably still upset despite pretending that everything was okay.

“Thank you, Merilyn.”

Her legs seemed to wobble for a second, but I was so tired that I must’ve just been seeing things. As soon as Merilyn left the room, I collapsed onto my bed.

Ah, wow. Did I really end things with Mikhail today? I felt giddy and my body shook lightly with laughter. What a relief!

Although I felt sorry for Merilyn since I had probably upset her, I had at least done something good earlier. Because of that, I slept soundly.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Late into the night, long after the moon had risen in the sky, the maids were chatting secretly in a garden full of white roses.

“Ah, I had a difficult day today,” one of them sighed.

“Same here…” nodded another. “Oh, but where’s Merilyn, by the way?”

“She’s probably being scolded by Lady Floyen.”

At that moment, the person in question appeared in front of them. “Merilyn!” they cried. The maids approached her with anxious expressions and bombarded her with questions.

“How was your day?”

“Are you okay?”

At Sella’s question, Merilyn recalled what happened recently and sighed. Jubelian had pretended to be okay… but… Merilyn had seen the tears brimming in her indigo eyes no matter how hard she tried to conceal them. She had worn an awkward expression and a forced, almost embarrassed smile. Jubelian used to bully the maids frequently, but seeing her reduced to something like that had Merilyn sympathizing with her nonetheless.

“No, there was some crying,” Merilyn eventually supplied.

The maids widened their eyes, astonished. Then, criticisms regarding Jubelian began to flow from their lips.

“Lady Floyen is really too much!”

“That’s right! She should’ve taken it out on Sir Mikhail, not you, Merilyn.”

Merilyn massaged her temples. It seemed like the maids had misunderstood her, seeing as they were trying to console her. “No, not me,” she corrected. “Lady Floyen was the one crying.”

One of the maids that had asked if Jubelian had thrown something at Merilyn amidst the clamor of criticisms, became startled by her claim. Her rabbit-like eyes widened with surprise. “What?”

“I went into her room after preparing a bath and saw her crying in secret.”

All of the maids frowned, suspicious. They knew what kind of person Jubelian was, so it was difficult to believe what Merilyn had just said.

“Did she really?”

Merilyn nodded. “It seems like the breakup affected her greatly. She looked very lethargic as well.”

Silence pervaded the solemn atmosphere before a man’s voice eventually broke it.

“She cried?”

At his sudden interruption, all the maids jumped in surprise. “M-Master!” they cried.

Duke Floyen, the owner of the estate, leveled them with a stony expression, making them tremble with fear. After being caught red-handed gossiping about Jubelian, there was no way they could provide a decent enough excuse that would spare them punishment.

Instead, however, the duke’s peacock-blue eyes fell on Merilyn. “You,” he commanded coldly. Merilyn held her breath. “Tell me in detail what you saw.”

✤ ✤ ✤

 

When I woke up, my body felt lighter than it had yesterday. Ah, today’s going to be a good day, I had thought. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to spend a few days as a homebody. My plan was to eat a lot of delicious food and live in seclusion for a while.

Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. For some reason, Father asked to have breakfast with me this morning.

“How is the food?” he asked.

“The food is good, of course. It’s your presence that’s making me sick, Father,” I wanted to tell him, but I kept quiet. There was no way I could express the truth like that. “It’s great,” I said instead, eating quickly. The faster I finished my meal, the sooner I could return to my room.

I practically inhaled the food despite finding it a bit burdensome for a light breakfast.

“Eat slowly. You’ll get sick.”

Father looked at me like how one would look at something pathetic. Again, I’d sooner fall ill from having to endure his company. The food’s nothing compared to him. I had already been shocked by the sudden breakfast invitation, but his staring was making things worse.

Why was he doing this? Was he silently scolding me for breaking up with Mikhail?

I wanted to leave the dining room as soon as possible, but doing so would only reveal my discomfort. I continued to force my food down my throat. Before long, Father looked away from me and sighed, doubtlessly disappointed by my behavior.

Indeed. The fact that he probably thought I was pathetic made plenty of sense. He bore the grand title of a duke and led an elite group of imperial knights along with the entire central army. Twenty years ago, after leading the war to a great victory, he became the empire’s most revered hero. The strongest swordsman.

Father had everything. He was handsome, too. Even now, he still received marriage proposals on occasion.

His opinion on me couldn’t be helped. Compared to him, I wasn’t just mediocre. I was truly pathetic. My transgressions didn’t stop at being untalented, either; I also dragged my reputation into the ground after chasing Mikhail around. I didn’t have any friends because I was bad at socializing.

In other novels, villainesses were still popular within their social circles no matter how outrageously they behaved. Jubelian’s character was a bit more realistic in this sense.

I had unconsciously began to sulk at the thought when I made eye contact with Father once more.

“Do you want this?” he asked. He must’ve thought I was looking at the plate of food in front of him. I shook my head, but he was already tossing a large chunk of meat onto my plate. “Eat.”

Despite being full, I couldn’t refuse. Why was he doing this to me?

As I silently suffered from overeating, he suddenly called out to me. “Jubelian.”

“Yes?”

“What is your ideal type?”

I dropped my fork at the unexpected question. Why on earth was he asking me this? A servant in the dining room quickly replaced my fork with a new one, but I was so shocked that I felt like I was just going to drop it again if I picked it up.

“I’m just curious,” he supplied.

Although it was a simple question, it didn’t make sense coming from him, considering how he had been treating me the past eighteen years. He had never been interested in me before, so why was he asking me this now?

An uneasy thought suddenly occurred to me. No way… was he trying to marry me off to someone else?

He must’ve really wanted a successor.

The more I thought about it, the likelier it seemed. It was a credible hypothesis, really. Despite being his only child, I didn’t qualify as a successor to whom he could pass down his title. I’d rather have a stepmother and half-brother than get married, though!

After quickly mulling over the intentions behind his questioning, I mentioned something that suddenly came to mind. Something completely impossible.

“I’m not sure. Maybe a man stronger than you, Father?” I proposed innocently.

He murmured something to himself. Then, his gaze returned to me. “Are you serious?” he asked, voice still cold.

Upon hearing his tone and meeting his icy eyes, I realized that I had made a mistake. After all, there could be no man stronger than Father within the empire. To avoid annoying him any further, I hurriedly amended my answer. “I mean, that would be nice, but no such person exists, right? Father is the empire’s strongest swordsman!”

His expression softened at my praise. Ah, it was really hard to stay on his good side…

“So, what’s your final answer?”

I had hoped to move on to a different topic by now, but it seemed that he had no intention of doing so. To avoid getting matched up, I needed to list some near-impossible conditions no one would ever meet. All without annoying him.

No other family possessed higher prestige than the Floyen household. Even if he introduced a man for me to marry, I could just say that he didn’t fit our family’s standards and dismiss him.

Having cleared up my thoughts, I looked up at Father, determined. “I’m not going to marry a man unless he has everything. I want the most wealthy, famous, and competent guy there is.”

I snuck in the insinuation that I wasn’t going to marry at all and observed his expression for any changes. His face stayed the same, making it hard for me to guess what he was thinking about.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“I see.”

It seemed like I had convinced him. I sighed in relief. I was so tired all of a sudden. I only needed to keep enduring this for a little while longer, then I could go back to my room. Spending time with Father made me deeply uncomfortable, so I desperately waited for breakfast to end.

“Jubelian.”

“Yes?” I was a little nervous about what he might say next, but this time, I was ready to answer. No matter what he wanted to ask me, I was prepared to come up with something.

His lips slowly parted. “Let’s go somewhere together.”

I dropped my fork for the second time, startled by his out-of-the-blue question.

“Go somewhere?” I echoed, disbelieving. I searched through eighteen years of my memories to see if I had ever accompanied Father anywhere, but nothing came up. “Why?”

He spoke calmly. “Just because.”

Bewildered by his brief answer, I felt a dull ache rise in my head. Why were you doing this to me, Father?

✤ ✤ ✤

 

We ended up going to Arcade Street. There was a high-end shopping mall here, similar to modern shopping malls where several stores gathered under one roof.

Father pointed to a strange-looking owl watch. “That.”

The clerk guiding us called out to someone. “Neil, add the owl watch!”

I sighed with frustration. My head throbbed, so I briefly closed my eyes. I didn’t get it. Why the hell was he doing this?

When I opened my eyes, I tried to not let my gaze linger on any one object for too long, but as I walked past a myriad of stores, a porcelain rabbit caught my eye. It was really expensive.

In my previous life, ceramics were a common thing, but in this world, it was a high-quality item that only a few people could afford. That was why ceramic figures in the form of animals, flowers, and people were envied by many. It was a shame. I didn’t even consider it all that lovely…

Around us, onlookers seemed to rave about its beauty, but the various pigments that were made to color the rabbit’s smooth veneer just looked messy and bizarre to me. I couldn’t understand why someone would pay so much money for something like this.

At that moment, I felt a burdensome gaze behind me and quickly directed my attention elsewhere. Ugh, not again…

Although I had been determined not to look at any one object for too long, I had been staring at this bizarre thing for a while. As I dwelled on my mistake, I heard Father say something.

“That one as well.”

Right on cue, he pointed at the porcelain rabbit.

I frowned, frustrated. Why did he keep buying things that I glanced at? I thought this would just be a simple outing, but he was buying everything I laid my eyes on. This was really uncomfortable.

Shopping might’ve been an inevitable part of my new life, but I didn’t want to lavishly waste money without careful consideration like this. I liked to buy things that were actually to my liking. Was he testing me to see how I would behave once I ran out of patience?

All I wanted to do was to return home, but the reality of it was that I was the duke’s daughter. My dependence on Father meant that I couldn’t rebel against his will, otherwise I’d just end up in trouble. This was all my fault for failing to gain any independence from him.

I sighed. At that moment, something suddenly appeared in front of me. It was the bizarre porcelain rabbit I saw. If I broke it and pretended I had slipped by mistake… would I be scolded?

Without a choice, I accepted the rabbit. Father looked at me.

“Let’s go.”

For some reason, his expression was more relaxed than before. If someone he knew had seen him, they might’ve even asked if he had heard some good news.

I didn’t think that he was pleased with annoying me… or was he?

I sighed and glanced at all the things he bought. Maybe he was the type to relieve stress by shopping. I followed him without a word, careful not to plunge him into a bad mood.

Then, something caught my eye again. This time, it was a person. She was carrying a sword. The empire had clear-cut gender roles, so it was difficult to find swordswomen. As such, she couldn’t help but stand out. I knew that the steady stream of swordswomen stopped coming after Sir Yulia, the first empress’s captain of the guard, went missing, though…

People around us began murmuring, but I thought that it would be nice to see more women wielding swords again. At that moment, Father also caught sight of the swordswoman and stopped in his tracks.

“Wait here for a minute,” he told me. Then, he approached the woman everyone was looking at.

Did he know her?

When they disappeared into the crowd, people’s conversations shifted. “Was that person Duke Floyen?” I heard someone wonder. The people were whispering, but I could still hear them. I felt awkward with all the unwelcome gazes on me.

I just wanted to rest at a quiet place…

I cautiously stepped away from the crowd, but my movements were noticed by Geraldine, my escort knight and my older cousin.

“Where do you think you’re going, Jubelian?” he asked.

I frowned at Geraldine, who met my gaze with suspicion. He must’ve thought I was planning on making some mischief.

“There are a lot of people here. You should speak to me with respect, Sir Geraldine,” I said.

He sulked at my remark, embarrassed, but then quickly composed himself. “So, where are you going, Lady Jubelian?” he asked more respectfully this time.

“I want to buy something from that shop.”

Geraldine’s expression hardened when I carelessly pointed to a lonesome shop at the corner of the street. He spoke haltingly. “Is that… really… where you want to go?” The strange tone he adopted confused me, so I turned around to get a better look at the place and flinched.

The sign advertised it as the ‘Growling Bear Armor Specialty Shop.’

Ugh… why did I have to point at a place like that? I was starting to regret my actions.

“I will respect the lady’s wishes,” Geraldine said sarcastically.

Unable to change my decision now, I simply nodded. “Thank you.”

I entered the store with Geraldine and was greeted by an owner who was built like a bear. How fitting.

“Welcome to… huh? Is an angel arriving at our store?”

Although the shop was mostly empty, I was still embarrassed by his exaggerated praise. “Oh, I…” I trailed off.

“What do you need?”

I couldn’t say that I didn’t need anything if I was already here… I glanced at Geraldine for some aid, but he was already distracted by something else. “Oh, I love this gauntlet!” he gushed.

Wow. He was here to protect me, but he just started shopping for his own stuff.

“Price?” a new voice suddenly asked.

I peeked at the source, and I found a man wearing a black cloak that draped over the length of his entire body standing to the side, his face concealed by a hood. Although he had only spoken a single word, his frigid and saturnine voice made me tremble.

He looked a little suspicious…

“Ten silver coins, sir!”

In response to the owner’s lively statement, the man searched through his pocket. He was so tall. I could tell he was handsome just from the glimpse I got of his nose…

At that moment, his eyes—red, a shade that I could barely make out from under his hood—swerved over to me. I hurriedly avoided his gaze but not before our eyes briefly met.

Well, that was embarrassing… I probably needed to apologize, right?

Then, I heard him speak up, his tone incredibly distasteful. “What are you looking at?” he sneered.

Wow. Rude.

It was true that I stole a glance at him, being the first to display some bad manners, but I didn’t want to apologize to someone who spoke so impolitely to a stranger.

“Oh, um… I was looking for the thing you’re buying right now,” I answered, making up an excuse.

The owner stiffened at my claim.

“Miss, you want to… buy this?”

Wait a minute. Was that armor polish?

I tried to maintain a serious expression after realizing what I was looking at. Knights were usually associated with armor, but in reality, they didn’t have to wear any unless they were fighting in a war. In other words, armor polish was functionally useless to me.

Nevertheless, I made a firm declaration. “Yes, I need it!” I didn’t want to admit that I had been secretly looking at the cloaked man instead. “It’s a shame, but the decorative armor sets in my house have lost their luster.”

The owner nodded. “Of course, but one would not be enough to shine everything in a house.”

“What? No, I just need one…”

I tried to refuse him, but it seemed like the owner didn’t hear me. He continued to speak. “Wait here. I’ll go through the warehouse to find some more!”

After the owner had disappeared, it sunk in that I had purchased something wholly unnecessary out of impulse.

I… I just bought some useless polish… I couldn’t criticize Father for his thoughtless spending when I had just done the same…

I sighed. I had dug my own grave. The man next to me placed a gold coin on the table, picked up his polish, and turned around.

I would’ve ignored him if he had just placed a small amount of money down, but a gold coin held enormous value. This amount could feed a commoner’s family for two weeks.

“Hey, what about the change?” I shouted after him loudly and clearly, but he didn’t respond, so I followed him and shouted even louder so he wouldn’t miss it. “Your change!”

He should’ve been able to hear me, so I began to wonder if he was a little hard of hearing. Maybe he had heard the wrong amount from the owner. Suddenly, I felt sorry for him.

“Hey, can you hear me?” I asked again.

At that moment, the man stopped in his tracks. He turned around and stared at me.

His hearing was fine, apparently.

Despite my embarrassment for having caused a commotion, I said, “I think you heard the shopkeeper wrong. The amount you paid is ten times the price.”

While I was explaining this to the man, I heard Geraldine call for me. “My lady, what’s going on?”

“Um… this guy…”

I tried to explain what was happening, but the man took my distraction as an opportunity to leave the shop. Was he just that rich or something? I was frowning, more than a little embarrassed, when I heard the owner of the shop’s voice return.

He laughed. “Miss! It turns out that we have ten more of these.”

“No, I don’t need ten…”

I tried telling him that I didn’t need that much, but the owner wouldn’t listen to me.

“One gold coin for all of these!” he paused. “Oh, you’ve already done the math!”

One gold coin. It was the same amount that the man in the hood had paid before leaving.

I tried to clear the shopkeeper’s misunderstanding, but he continued to make his own assumptions.

“By the way, did that guy take my stuff without paying?”

“No, you’re mistaken—”

“That damned bastard!”

The owner began to curse at the man. Despite my attempts to interject, I wasn’t able to get a word in until he was finished.

“He paid you that gold coin!” I finally burst out.

The owner of the shop became sheepish. “Is that so? You should have told me earlier.”

Was he really trying to blame me for this? I had been trying to tell him this entire time!

In my exasperation, I decided I’d never step foot into this shop ever again.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Next to a carriage parked in a vacant lot, a short-haired woman was anxiously waiting for someone.

Where was he?

She was nervous, but when the man she had been waiting for arrived, she sighed in relief. “My Lord, I have informed Duke Floyen of your appointment,” she reported.

“Good.”

Although his voice was as cold as usual, he sounded somewhat annoyed. The woman took notice of this and asked, “Did something happen?”

The man was thinking about the lady he had encountered in the shop. He recalled how she had called out to him repeatedly. “Hey, can you hear me?” he remembered her saying, her voice echoing in his mind.

She had no fear, even around someone like him, a vicious dog who bared its teeth to warn people around it to stay away. He had been annoyed for a second, but the moment he turned around and met her eyes that last time, all of his hostility had disappeared. Reminiscing, the young man frowned.

“Nothing happened,” he said.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Ah, I was so tired. I left the shop frustrated, and as I walked away, I tried to brainstorm ways I could recover from what had just happened.

“Where have you been, Jubelian?” Father asked me. For some reason, he looked displeased. I quickly answered him.

“Oh, I bought something.”

Father turned to Geraldine, who was carrying the bought goods.

“And what is that?”

“It’s armor polish,” Geraldine replied.

At Geraldine’s answer, Father glanced at me with a slight frown. Then, he sighed. “Let’s go.”

I knew I had bought something useless, but there was no way he could berate me. If he had a conscience, that is.

I resumed following Father for who knows how long. When an obstacle appeared before my eyes, my composure threatened to crumble.

Ugh, stairs!

I had been following him for several hours today, so my feet were throbbing, but I needed to get through this. I only needed to endure for a little while longer. I tried to ignore the pain I felt by imagining the bright future I was going to have after inheriting Father’s wealth.

Wait, what was happening?

I suddenly felt a tingling sensation in the back of my head and my vision began to obscure, blotting up with specks of black dots. My legs also lost their strength and I struggled to take another step.

“Help!” I cried.

Fortunately, I hadn’t fallen because I grabbed onto something in front of me.

Phew. I survived.

As soon as my eyesight came back, I looked up to see what I was holding onto and the sight had me stiffening in fear. I had latched onto Father’s arm.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” To avoid ruining Father’s mood, I hurriedly apologized and tried to back away from him, but he held onto my wrist.

“Stay still.”

My field of vision swayed violently as he spoke. The next thing I knew, I was in a princess carry. I choked in embarrassment. “F-Father?” I usually never stuttered but I ended up doing so because of the embarrassing display we made in front of everyone.

Instead of acknowledging my inquiry, he continued to walk while holding me in his arms. “We’re going back to the carriage,” he told me.

I looked up at him, surprised by what he had just said. Icy blue eyes and a twisted expression met my markedly more harried ones. It looked like he was annoyed that I had gotten in his way.

“I’m fine, Father.” I tried to convince him to put me down, but he ignored me, and his voice was a harsh winter’s night upon his next command.

“Quiet.”

As he continued to hold me in this embarrassing position, I somehow gathered enough of my wits to swallow my shame. Why was he acting like this today? He had also acted strange when we were shopping. Maybe it was due to the stress, but my head was throbbing. I was in so much pain that when Father sat me down on the carriage seat and took off my shoes, I couldn’t say anything.

It hurt. I felt a stinging sensation around the back of my feet; I must’ve chafed my heels. I decided to apply some medicine and get some rest after I arrive home.

While I was concentrating on enduring the pain, I heard a stern voice.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. He was in a bad mood because I had ruined his day, wasn’t he? Well, he insisted on coming to the carriage despite my protests.

I tried not to reveal my heightening stress. “Because it’s really not a big deal,” I answered calmly. “Let’s just finish shopping.” If I pretended to be okay, maybe he wouldn’t treat me like I was useless. That ought to do it, right?

Contrary to my expectations, however, his response was uncompromising. “We’re going home.”

“What? But…”

“Don’t say anything useless and stay still.”

At those words, I clamped my mouth shut. Then, I let out a small sigh. Although I had listened to him all day and behaved nicely, he still looked so displeased. It was incredibly difficult to make him happy.

I could feel my forehead becoming warmer and my headache worsening. What was this? I felt sick. As soon as I became conscious of how strange I felt, Father began speaking once more.

“Jubelian.” I turned to him. He sighed. “Sooner or later, I’ll… a good one… shopping… your thoughts…”

How strange. Father’s voice kept cutting off and I couldn’t concentrate on his words properly because of my pounding headache. Oh well. I’ll just agree to whatever he said. I nodded along even though I couldn’t hear him very well. I didn’t want to keep ruining his mood, after all.

My head began to feel awfully heavy. In fact, it got so bad that I couldn’t sit upright anymore.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. Fortunately, I could hear him clearly this time.

“It’s nothing. You don’t have to worry about me,” I tried to say, but nothing came out. His eyes widened as if something startled him.

“Jubelian?”

Him calling my name was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

A carriage adorned with a crest that bore a lily and sword, thus symbolizing the Floyen house, emerged in the distance. A butler came outside to greet the approaching carriage and smiled to himself, wondering if Duke Floyen’s date with his daughter went well. He had been excited about it.

The butler recalled his master’s serious expression as the imposing man questioned the other servants about Lady Floyen’s preferences, and tried to suppress his amusement at the memory. He had almost succeeded, but he couldn’t help the laughter that spilled from his lips.

When the carriage arrived at the mansion and the door opened, he bowed to greet his lord. “Welcome, Master,” he began, but after he rose once more, his smile immediately fell from his lips. Eyes widening in shock, he cried, “L-Lady Floyen!”

Jubelian, deathly pale in the arms of her father, looked like a wax doll.

The butler stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. “Wh-What is—”

“Derrick,” Dyke Floyen snapped, cutting the butler short with a fierce voice. Panic reflected in his eyes despite the ice-cold steel he wore upon his face. “Summon Allen. Right now.”

✤ ✤ ✤

 

In the past, I had fallen sick a few times, but it was never severe enough for Father to show up. I used to be sad about this, but now I felt nothing.

However, a voice was murmuring in my ears. “Wake… up…” it told me.

Out of annoyance, I tried to open my eyes to spot the culprit, but I could barely make out the blurry, distorted face of the man before me. The fact that my body was floating in the clouds, devoid of any sense of reality, certainly didn’t help.

“Jubel!”

It was strange. Was this Father? No, he had no reason to call for me like that, or gaze at me with such tearful eyes…

“No, this can’t be. If you’re gone, I…”

It is said that dreams are unconscious expressions of what the dreamer desperately wants.

“Please wake up…”

What a terrible dream.

As soon as that thought ran through my mind, I sank back into darkness.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

When I gained consciousness, I was lying on my bed. The first person I saw was Allen, the Floyen family’s personal doctor. That was when I realized I hadn’t fallen asleep but passed out instead.

“Are you feeling okay, Lady Floyen?”

“How long have I been out, Allen?”

“Three days, my lady.”

I observed my surroundings. Some maids looked back at me with anxious expressions. I counted the maids in my room: Merilyn, Julia, and Sella. Father, meanwhile, was nowhere in sight. Well, I didn’t expect him to be here in the first place. He hadn’t even shown up to my debutante ball.

“Are you feeling okay, Lady Floyen?” Allen repeated. I didn’t answer right away because at that moment, the door opened. Allen brightened and ushered the person who had arrived inside.

Turning around, I checked to see if it was Derrick, our butler, but I ended up with a surprise instead. Wide-eyed, I witnessed as Father stepped closer.

Why was he here? I stared at him, unable to reconcile his presence with reality. He gently placed a hand on my head.

“You’re awake,” he said. Unlike his flat, emotionless tone, his large hand felt warm. Was I dreaming? I couldn’t believe what was happening. As I continued to thoughtlessly stare, he withdrew his hand. “Rest.”

Then, he began to retreat. I watched him go. Regaining my senses, I laughed at myself. “Don’t be fooled, Jubelian,” I thought to myself, reproachful. Ever since I was a kid, his heart had always proven cold when it came to me. He had even gone as far as detaining me himself back in the novel we were written in.

He only checked up on me because he didn’t want to look like a heartless father who neglected his bedridden daughter.

To avoid developing worthless expectations, I destroyed any lingering attachments I might’ve had.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

“You’ve overexerted yourself recently,” Allen had explained to me. “Please rest well.”

As he advised, I decided to rest by reading a book in bed, but… It was boring. A novel would’ve been more entertaining, but this book was about human resources and estate management.

I guess this is what I got for neglecting my studies up until now.

Some people might wonder why the duke’s only daughter would even bother studying, but the reality of the situation wasn’t that simple. Father wouldn’t dare pass his title down to an incompetent like me, so he would probably remarry and produce another heir. In that case, I would have to get married too, or become independent and obtain a small share of my inheritance to support myself with. I had no intention to choose the former option. Getting married would be too risky.

In a conservative society such as ours, married women’s ventures were limited to fulfilling their responsibilities as dictated by and for their families. They were expected to diligently uphold their families’ reputations while also maintaining their dignities as hostesses. If their husbands were their only source of income, they could be shackled with monetary limitations and have to forego any hopes of living lavishly. All of this would oppose my goal of spending money on what I want, whenever I want.

Therefore, that left me with only one real solution. If I got a bit of an inheritance and became independent, I could use that money to make myself some more money. If I got lucky, I might even be able to acquire a bigger share of the inheritance than what I’d originally expect. Maybe some titles under Father’s jurisdiction, too.

Unfortunately, however, the biggest stumbling block would come after getting my hands on what I could. In this new life, all I had learned were some manners and the basic literacy skills required of a noble lady. With such a meager skill selection, it would be difficult to survive on my own. I could try building a source of income on my own power alone, but I knew better than that. Starting a business isn’t for everyone.

Although I possessed knowledge of a more modern civilization, I didn’t know how to make many things. I didn’t have excellent oratory or entrepreneurial skills and nor did I make any connections. There was a high probability that I would fail and end up saddled with debt.

Currently, all I could do right now was try and ensure I obtained the maximum amount I could from Father—the issue being, of course, that I had no idea how to.

I sighed at this unpleasant conclusion. Then, I heard a knock at my door.

“Some letters have arrived for you, Lady Floyen,” Merilyn announced.

I sat up. They had come, just as I had expected. Although my reputation in society lay in shambles, my notoriety was nothing compared to Father’s prestige. He was a living hero and people revered him.

“Please bring them here,” I said.

Merilyn carried in a silver tray stacked with a pile of correspondence. “Here they are,” she said, presenting them to me.

I skimmed through them one by one, unable to resist the urge to laugh each time. Although there were dozens of letters, none of them felt sincere. It was as if they were telling me that I had lived my life in vain.

Although this left a bitter taste in my mouth, I wasn’t upset. After all, I was to blame.

In the past, I never cared about what other people thought of me because I was too busy trying to win Mikhail’s affection. I lashed at anyone who offended me while I showered him with favor regardless of how he treated me. Consequentially, I became a loner. I had brought this upon myself and I had no one else to blame for it.

“Do you want me to put these letters away, Lady Floyen?”

I suddenly heard Merilyn speak, and I looked up at her. Since I was done skimming through them, she probably thought I wanted to put them away.

“No, I will reply to them all myself.”

“Are you sure… you want to reply to these letters?” she asked haltingly, her eyes growing large.

I chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure. They sent them to me out of concern, so I must personally reply to them.”

I knew very well that these people didn’t send me letters because they were worried about me. However, there were several reasons why I couldn’t just ignore them like I usually did. A lot of them had grown resentful toward me for ignoring them and I had to show them that I wasn’t that kind of person anymore. No matter how poorly they used to perceive me, their opinions would certainly change after showing them my subtle, yet clear transformation.

Writing replies was a part of my plan, but then I ran into another obstacle before I could even start: I had no idea what to write.

Since I had been extremely uninterested in the lives of others, I was ignorant of their preferences, much less how to maintain correspondence. I didn’t even know anyone well enough to come up with some shallow compliments.

When I glanced at Merilyn, however, something came to mind. Merilyn must’ve been writing replies to these letters this entire time.

When one thinks of a maid, they usually think of someone who does the laundry or cleans the house, but unlike ordinary maids, maids-in-waiting were expected to be eloquent and possess ample knowledge of social affairs. Because they were tasked with assisting aristocrats, they usually hailed from fallen noble families or middle-class families that could afford an education. In other words, Merilyn was like my secretary.

“I have a request, Merilyn,” I began.

“Please, do tell.”

“Could you help me reply to these letters?”

She gaped at me, bewildered. This wasn’t a strange reaction because I had never asked for her help before. Things were changing, though. I wasn’t the same stupidly prideful girl I used to be anymore.

“I just need to know a little bit more about the families we usually interact with,” I explained.

She nodded. “Yes. I will do my best.”

“Thank you,” I said, smiling at her compliance. “Your help is reassuring to have.”

Following that admission, Merilyn shot me an odd look for a brief moment before quickly schooling her expression once more. “I’ll bring you a pen and some paper, then,” she said.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Merilyn stood outside the door of the duke’s office with a stiff look on her face. Madam Perez, the head of housekeeping, glanced at her before making her announcement.

“This is the girl who serves Lady Jubelian, Master,” she said.

There came no answer, but the door opened nevertheless. Merilyn gulped nervously and stepped inside.

The sight that manifested before her quickly turned her fear into admiration. The duke was standing in front of a large window, his silver hair stained red with the crimson light of the setting sun. He looked picturesque, like a painting brought to life.

His voice promptly brought Merilyn back to reality. “What did Jubelian do today?”

“A-after reading a book, she replied to the letters she received,” Merilyn answered.

The duke’s stony expression began to shift. “She read a book?” he asked. He seemed surprised, but the look left as quickly as it came.

Merilyn glanced at his blue eyes and tried her best to keep herself together. They reminded her of a vast, unfathomable sea.

He continued his line of questioning. “What kind of book?”

“Its main topic was about estate management.”

The duke gave a slight frown. “Why?”

Jubelian had never read any books before, which explained the duke’s reaction. Contemplating her reply, Merilyn recalled what Lady Floyen had said when requesting the book in the first place: “I’ll be a nuisance to Father if I can’t even grasp the basics.”

“She told me she doesn’t want to be a nuisance to you…”

“I still don’t understand why she would read something like that.”

He sounded annoyed, but Merilyn could feel that it was markedly different from when he talked to her. She ended up speaking without a second thought. “Perhaps… she wants to converse with you,” she suggested.

The duke stiffened, making Merilyn gulp nervously. Did she just say something stupid?

“She doesn’t have to know anything like that to talk to me,” he said, his voice lowered. Contrary to the indifference he spoke with, however, he was smiling. It was such a dazzling sight that Merilyn couldn’t help but regress back into staring blankly at his face again.

“Take good care of my daughter,” he commanded with a soft voice. Then, his face became solemn once more. It was as if he had never smiled in the first place.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

Four days had passed since I secluded myself in my room. During that time, I finished reading everything I borrowed from the library. Now, I needed a new book…

Merilyn had gone out to do some errands, so Sella took her place in my room as a substitute. I looked at her.

“Is there something that you need, Lady Floyen?” she asked, prompted by my gaze.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t ask Sella to bring me any books because unlike Merilyn, Sella could only read some basic words. She hadn’t received the same education. It would’ve been better if I went to the library myself.

I didn’t want Sella to feel bad if she knew the reason why I didn’t send her to the library, so I decided to send her elsewhere. “Can you bring me some chocolate cookies and tea, Sella?”

“Yes, of course!” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

When she left, I told another maid that I would be getting books from the library and ventured outside my room. When I reached my destination, I was lost in thought. It always proved to be quite a hassle trying to find the right book to read every time…

Opening the library doors, I gasped when I saw who stood behind them.

“Oh, F-Father! G-Good morning!” I stuttered, astonished. I greeted him, but I didn’t expect him to give me an answer. To my surprise, he proved me wrong.

“It’s not morning, but the afternoon,” he corrected.

He found fault with something I said, which tempered my surprise a bit, but it wouldn’t do me any good to get hurt by his response.

“Yes, it is indeed. That was my mistake,” I agreed calmly, hoping that it meant the end of our conversation.

I walked towards the bookshelf. Noticing, his stare burnt holes into the book I picked up. “That’s… estate management theory.”

His stony expression gave away his thoughts. He hadn’t asked, but I could tell he was wondering why I was reading something like this. I hurriedly placed the book back on the shelf.

“Yes. I was simply curious about what kind of duties Father performs as a lord.”

His expression hardened at my excuses. “Why were you curious about that?”

Oh. What if he thought I was getting greedy? I didn’t want him to misunderstand me, so I replied dryly to avoid sounding materialistic or ambitious. “I was just curious,” I said. “I had no other motives.”

Although I tried to avoid offending him, he still frowned slightly. I gulped nervously and added, “I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll be going now.”

I ended the conversation and sneakily tried to leave the library.

“Jubelian.” Hearing my name spoken so coldly, I turned back again. Father was staring at me with a stony face. “Sit down.”

Did he have something to say to me? My head was starting to ache with all the effort it took to try and figure out his intentions. Allen had advised me to relax my mind and body… still, I couldn’t ignore Father’s burdensome gaze no matter how afraid I was of falling ill again.

I guess this was unavoidable.

I settled myself on the couch across from him. The soft, fluffy cushion relaxed my body, but I was still on the edge about what he had to say.

“Jubelian,” he began, and I forced myself to listen to him attentively. “Do you know the three elements that make up an estate?”

For a moment, I doubted that such a question left his lips. I hadn’t expected him to quiz me. Nevertheless, I responded as promptly as I could, not missing a beat.

“The land is the foundation of an estate, the lord establishes and protects order, and the people are responsible for the production of resources,” I explained.

“You have learned well.”

“Yes, I read an entire book on the subject.”

Thinking that this was all he had to say, I was about to ask him if I could go back to my room, but then he asked me something else. “Then, do you know this as well?”

He moved on, quizzing me further. Father’s pop quiz hadn’t ended with just that first inquiry, and he continued to go over information as if to check whether or not I had thoroughly read the book.

When was this going to end? Eventually, I checked the time, and it was already three o’clock—two hours after I had left my room. I usually had teatime at this hour.

Oh, those chocolate cookies I told Sella to bring…

I was still thinking about them when I heard a knock at the door.

“The guest has arrived, Master,” Derrick announced.

Father stood up. Was the test finally over? I observed him with tentative relief. “Please, please leave me alone,” I begged him silently.

However, Father continued to defy my expectations and walked in front of a bookshelf instead of out the door. I suppressed the urge to sigh.

“Master,” Derrick called again.

Father didn't answer. Why was he looking for a book instead of replying?

Before my curiosity could continue to swallow me up, he walked towards me with two books he had just picked out. “Read these,” he ordered, handing them to me. Then, he left the library.

I looked after his tall profile with trembling eyes before checking the titles of the books he gave me. I could scarcely believe what I saw.

Father, why would you ever want an ordinary lady like me to read about military strategy and tactics? It would've been helpful if he had given me books on agriculture or commerce, but these books contained information that I was never going to use in life.

However, since he told me to read them, I needed to try at least. Right?

I had already planned to read a lot of books to aid my goal of becoming independent. It was rather troublesome that he added more to my growing list, though.

I was sighing at the thought of the growing list of things I had to do when something caught my eye.

A pendant?

Before me sat a familiar-looking pendant inlaid with a large blue gemstone. Now, where had I seen this before? Oh! It was similar to the necklace that Father always wore around his neck. It must be his.

He must’ve forgotten about it, leaving it behind. After deciding that I would return it to him later, I tucked it into my pocket.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

When I came back to my room, Merilyn had also returned from her errand.

“Did it go well?” I asked.

She nodded politely. “Yes, Lady Floyen. As requested, the letters were delivered to their respective noble families.”

“Thank you for going through all that trouble.”

When I commended Merilyn for her work, a strange expression crossed her face again. Hm… Did it seem like I was being too petty? Well, come to think of it, I used to hate having to do more work than usual.

I decided to give her a bonus later. For now, I’d just give her some sweets.

I handed Merilyn a plate of chocolate cookies. “Take this,” I said.

“I’m sorry?”

“I haven’t touched it yet,” I assured her, just in case she thought I was giving her leftovers. “They’re new.”

Merilyn continued to gape at me with that same strange look in her eye, but she took the cookies and bowed regardless. “Thank you.”

“Of course. You can leave now.”

I began to sip my tea when she left the room. Responses to my letters would be coming soon.

Until now, I had never replied to anyone, so the noble houses I sent out letters to certainly wouldn’t be expecting anything personally handwritten by me. So, when they finally read them, they would be obligated to write back. Now all I had to do was wait patiently. It was a cumbersome but necessary process for the sake of my future.

I could only live peacefully after I subdued the hostility others felt toward me.

✤ ✤ ✤

 

As always, the royal family was a topic of concern amongst the nobles.

“The borders are stable now, so why doesn’t His Majesty the Emperor bring His Highness the Prince back to the palace?”

“Her Highness the Princess is also coming of age soon. Will they ever grace us with their presence?”

The prince and princess had never shown their faces at any society events, so the nobility had grown rather curious about them.

“Didn’t you say your cousin was serving at the northern border, Lord Luigi?”

“I heard from him that His Highness the Prince is always wearing a helmet, so he has never seen his face.”

“Is there a reason why he’s always wearing a helmet?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he has a scar on his face or—”

Everyone tensed, so the person who had previously led the conversation prevented the other noble from making such a bold claim. “That may be the case, but we don’t know unless we see him in person, right?”

After that, someone quickly brought up something else to talk about. “By the way, did you receive any letters from Lady Floyen?”

Following immediately after the royal family was the ducal family in terms of gossip, and faced with another topic of interest, people gladly began to join in and voice their thoughts.

“Yes, it seems like she has finally matured,” a noble answered pridefully. He had been one of the few families who received a reply.

However, a new, grating voice wasn’t afraid to voice some criticism. “There’s no way a person like her could have changed.”

“He’s right! You can’t just forget about all the things she did in the past! The letters must have been written by someone else.”

Among the many nobles who didn’t receive a reply from Jubelian, those who resented her didn’t hold back on condemning her.

“It’s weird that someone who used to do whatever she wanted so brazenly would suddenly do something like this.”

Those who neither received a reply nor resented her also expressed their doubts. Lady Floyen’s change of behavior was inevitably a concern in the social world due to her powerful position and beauty. Although they gossiped about her, they were subtly envious of the people she had replied to.

“This is sickening,” a man attending the banquet thought. He felt disappointed by all the things he heard.

“What do you think about this incident, sir?” someone asked him.

In response to the noble’s question, the man glared at him with cold eyes. His lips twisted into a frown. “I think you’re very rude to ask something like that,” he said. Then, after speaking his mind, he turned around

“S-Sir Mikhail!” The noble desperately called after him, but he was already gone.

After leaving the banquet hall, Mikhail clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. What did he think about this? A certain woman's pale face came to mind. In an instant, a cold smile graced his lips.

Her intentions were obvious. This was just another scheme to get his attention.

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