Chapter 4

Tami asked it back as if she couldn't believe it, but Iberin nodded with a firm expression.

"It's not a whim. I mean it."

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"

Apparently the dismissed maids had grown close in their shared misery, because Tami was so overcome she practically pressed her forehead to the ground. Iberin had been a little put off by her earlier, but now decided to give it some time and see, and she patted the shoulder of the prostrating Tami.

"Walk..."

That was when Ether mumbled something small.

"Hm?"

"Walk... with Ether..."

He didn't seem to like how long Iberin had been talking with Tami—in his own way, he was nudging for attention.

But he couldn't even push for it properly, just fidgeting where he stood, and it was so cute that Iberin clutched at her chest.

It was a pure reflex.

"M-m-my lady! Are you in pain?!"

"Ugh, ahh... hwaaaaa."

Tami was in a complete panic.

When Tami practically shouted, Ether got so startled that he burst into tears.

"N-no!"

Iberin waved her hands frantically and even jumped up from her spot, bouncing on her feet to prove it.

"I'm not in pain, Ether was just so cute it was a reflex!"

"Hic..."

"Are you really alright?"

"Yes, completely fine. Nothing's wrong."

Honestly—for someone supposedly under a terminal diagnosis, her body felt so normal it was almost suspicious.

What is this, really? Could it actually be a fake illness? But she does die in the original story, doesn't she? I just don't know when.

She'd need to call the doctor and have her body checked over properly.

In any case, after all that fuss, they finally got to take their walk. But sure enough, it was so gloomy that the walk did nothing for her mood.

If every day was weather like this, anyone would have a fair excuse to be depressed.

"Ether, are you having fun?"

At least Ether looked happy, and that was something to be grateful for.

"Yes."

"Should we go on walks together again next time?"

"Yes!"

After getting beaten and neglected every day, just being able to step out and move around like this had to be enough on its own.

And he'd been put to work too, apparently.

Iberin pictured those short, adorable arms and legs tearing through the underbrush faster than Tami, and the color drained from her face.

"Um, my lady. I think it might be best if you headed back to rest."

Tami, following behind, looked worried that Iberin might collapse at any moment.

Ether just nodded along. She doubted a five-year-old really understood what 'terminal' meant, but—

Either way, he seemed to grasp the equation: sick = hurting.

"Are you tired?"

"I'm fine."

"Ether's done with the walk now. Let's go back."

She really was fine, but it felt wrong to push for more, so she turned around.

---

Apparently Ether usually spent his time in the west tower, under the pretext of being confined for misbehavior.

It was far from the main castle where Iberin had been living. The original Iberin had probably stuffed him away in the corner so she wouldn't have to look at him.

That Iberin was gone now, so Iberin had Ether's quarters moved to the room next to hers.

She figured Ether would need an attendant of his own, and when she asked if there was something like a résumé available, Tami said they did have employment records.

"By the way, who handles managing the castle?"

"...The head butler used to."

Tami's expression darkened in an instant.

"Where is the head butler now?"

"He passed away not long ago."

"What? How?"

"Old age."

"So is there no one who's taken over his duties?"

"He has a son, but the son lives up in the capital. There's a Lecashe estate in the capital too. He would've been notified, so he should be coming down soon."

"I wasn't involved in the household management?"

"You weren't really interested. You were given a household allowance, but you didn't have anywhere to spend it, so you lost interest quickly—that's what the butler used to say."

"I see. Then who's managing things at the moment?"

"The servants have been taking turns."

"From now on, I'll do it."

Tami nodded with an ambiguous expression. As the lady of the house, she had to be allowed to do it if she wanted to, but Tami clearly worried whether Iberin actually knew how.

Whatever. Iberin was burning with motivation.

This was the castle where her Ether would grow up. She couldn't leave it like this.

The weather was beyond her control, but the castle itself was so old it had a musty smell to it.

"Spring cleaning, starting right now!"

"Yes, my lady."

"Gather all the servants!"

Iberin called out at the top of her lungs.

Of course, that didn't summon every scattered servant out of thin air like magic.

Only Tami scurried off, pretending things were running like clockwork.

---

Before long, Tami had managed to gather every servant in the castle.

They all looked puzzled at Iberin's sudden summons.

Most filed in with hollow, uninterested eyes—what fresh hell is she cooking up now—while a few of Iberin's former personal maids hovered uncertainly, unsure how to act.

Tami had told them the lady had changed and it would be fine, but did people really change that suddenly?

Iberin had expected this kind of reaction from the maids, so she smiled as brightly as she could to make a good impression.

For now, the only way to repair her image was to interact with them as much as possible.

In that sense, ordering a thorough cleaning was actually pretty well-timed.

Before calling everyone in, Iberin had skimmed the employment records Tami had given her.

Most of them were people who'd drifted here because life had gotten too hard elsewhere.

Of course—who else would willingly want to work in a place this rough?

Iberin scanned the assembled servants, then raised her hand and spoke.

"Who has the most years of service here?"

At her question, an older maid slowly raised her hand.

The butler position was empty. Managing this huge castle alone wasn't realistic—she needed someone to help her.

"Your name?"

"Rotte, my lady."

Rotte Eshib.

Rotte was apparently from a fallen noble house.

How she'd ended up here, Iberin had no idea.

"Will you be able to assist me from now on?"

"...Of course."

After everything the original Iberin had done, she'd been worried Rotte might refuse, but Rotte agreed surprisingly easily.

"You don't even know what I'll have you do?"

That seemed like the most obvious question, but Rotte didn't ask, and didn't look like she was going to.

"Whatever you ask, I'll simply do, my lady."

It was pure obedience.

No—it wasn't even obedience so much as a complete lack of expectation.

As long as the servants weren't openly hostile, Iberin didn't care what attitude they carried.

So she didn't point any of it out.

"I intend to do a thorough cleaning of the castle."

"Yes. I'll give the instructions to the staff below."

"Good. Then shall I look over the duties the lady of the house is supposed to handle?"

She was just thinking she'd do the work that would help Ether, going forward.

---

Rotte brought over stacks of paperwork. With the butler position vacant for about a month, the backlog was enormous.

Iberin pulled aside the servants who could read and got started.

Or tried to.

"Oh. What's this."

"Is something the matter?"

The black bits were letters and the white bits were paper. Iberin doubted her own eyes.

The page was covered in squiggly script, and she couldn't read a single word of it.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"My lady?"

Wasn't it supposed to work that when you transmigrated, the body's memories let you handle anything naturally?

Iberin grabbed her hair in despair. It was looking like she'd be more useful out there cleaning with the maids.

"Rotte."

"Yes. Please go ahead."

Rotte was staring at her intently.

"I can't read."

"Ah, I se—what?"

Iberin gave an awkward laugh.

"I didn't know I couldn't read either."

"...What does that mean?"

"It is what it is."

Rotte was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then how would you like to handle the paperwork?"

The brief moment of surprise, and then straight to the practical question—she really was a veteran maid.

Iberin considered just dumping the work on someone else, then shook her head.

She'd said she was going to do this properly, and going that route would mean starting over.

"Teach me how to read."

"What?"

"I'll learn along with Ether."

"What?"

Rotte dropped the file she was holding onto the floor.

Her whole posture said she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The idea of Iberin learning to read from a mere maid was unthinkable enough, but doing it together with Ether?

"Um, my lady."

"Yes."

"...What I'm about to say is very delicate, so please don't take it the wrong way."

"Go ahead."

"I think we need to call the doctor."

"Hm?"

"The effects of the curse..."

Rotte trailed off without finishing.

But Iberin caught her meaning perfectly.

In short, Rotte was trying to ask if the curse had finally driven her completely off the rails.

"I was examined recently—the doctor said it's amnesia."

"..."

"I'd like a lot of help from you."

Rotte looked like she'd lost the will to say anything else.

---

The servants of the Grand Duke's house had always lived like they were walking on thin ice.

The Grand Duke was cursed and had to wander the Forest of the World Tree every day for the killing he needed to survive, while his wife had been handed a death sentence as the price for bearing his child.

She hadn't had a great personality to begin with, but after learning she could die at any moment, her cruelty became something else entirely.

She refused to even look at the child she'd torn her own body open to bring into the world, and she heaped verbal abuse and violence on him constantly.

And then, whenever he touched her, she'd shriek and have a fit.

Most of the servants had already been through hell out in the world before coming here, so resignations were rare—but the urge to bolt did hit them now and then.

And then, the lady had changed.

It started the day she suddenly called all the servants together and ordered a thorough cleaning.

People said when someone changed completely, they didn't have long to live. Maybe she really doesn't have much time left—every servant was thinking the same thing.

If Iberin—who was busy resolving to hang on as long as she could to make Ether happy before going—had known what they were thinking, she would have glared a hole through someone.

And that wasn't the only thing that shocked them.

Iberin had started caring for Ether.

At first, they thought they were dreaming.

Then they wondered if she was losing her mind.

By now, they'd accepted it.

"What?"

And then, into the unexpectedly peaceful Grand Duke's estate, another shocking rumor began to spread.

"They say my lady lost her memory and that's why she's become kind!"

"Who told you that?"

"Tami."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And you know what's even more shocking?"

"What?"

"Apparently my lady lost the imperial language along with her memories—completely gone."

"Oh my goodness."

There were plenty of commoners who couldn't read, but no nobles.

Iberin had only been a viscount's daughter, but even she could handle imperial script.

Always on edge, Iberin had often made cutting remarks about the commoner servants.

Among them had been things like Filthy things who can't even read.

"Well, she must feel just lovely now—turned into the very commoner she used to look down on."

The servant said it with bite, but the one who'd brought the rumor shook her head firmly.

"No."