Chapter 6

　　Part 2: My Villainous Family

　　When Duke Ivan and I arrived at the ducal estate, a line of people stood waiting at the entrance. My jaw went slack at the sight.

　　Is that a fountain in front of the main door? And what are those flashy stairs leading up to it? No, what kind of private home is this big? Is this a house or an art museum? I’ve totally hit the jackpot!

　　To think I would be living here from now on. I had to fight to keep my lips from curling into a grin.

　　In stark contrast to my excitement, however, Ivan’s mood was anything but cheerful.

　　He stepped out of the carriage and addressed an elderly gentleman who could only be the butler.

　　“Where is Katherine?”

　　“The Madam is not feeling well and is resting, Your Grace. Her headaches have flared up again. The Young Lady is looking after her.”

　　Ivan clicked his tongue in disapproval.

　　I knew exactly what was happening.

　　The Duchess was using a headache as an excuse to avoid me.

　　In the novel, the Duchess, Katherine, and her daughter, Isabella, had vehemently opposed adopting Fredia.

　　Isabella wanted to renounce the ducal title to marry Harace, and she and her father were in the middle of a cold war over the issue.

　　And now, Ivan had gone and adopted some orphan girl to set her up as Harace’s partner.

　　So, just like in the novel, she’ll probably torment me behind the Duke’s back. I need to be ready for it.

　　“Follow me. I will show you to your room,” Ivan said with a gesture.

　　I thought he would just hand me off to the butler and go about his business, so this was unexpected.

　　I practically skipped behind him, eager to explore the magnificent estate.

　　I was told the family’s living quarters were on the third floor of the main building. The first was a common area, the second housed guest bedrooms, and the fourth was for the servants.

　　The Duke and Duchess’s rooms were at the far end of the hall, and my bedroom was not far from the stairs.

　　Ivan, it seemed, had no intention of entering with me. He turned to the butler trailing behind us.

　　“Show the child to her room.”

　　“Yes, Your Grace.”

　　Ivan watched just long enough to see me follow the butler inside, then walked off toward Katherine’s room.

　　With a pounding heart, I waited for the butler to open the door. How wonderful would a room in such a magnificent house be?

　　“This is where you will be staying from now on, Miss.”

　　The butler threw the door open. The first thing I saw was a window flooded with sunlight, and the scene that unfolded within that light was…

　　A single tear escaped.

　　“Ah, Miss?” the butler, who had been standing by with a stoic expression, asked in a flustered tone.

　　“Why are you crying? Are you alright?”

　　Tears had begun to stream down my face without warning.

　　Wow, hold on, Mr. Butler. Am I dreaming right now?

　　“I’m okay! It’s just… it’s too…!”

　　It’s too good to be true!

　　I choked on a sob before I could finish.

　　I thought a room was just a space where you could sleep, but what on earth was this pleasant and beautiful sanctuary?

　　The room, which looked to be about 700 square feet, held a bed the size of my old 200-square-foot apartment, a table with exquisite carvings, two cozy armchairs upholstered in floral fabric, a wide window seat perfect for reading in the sunlight, and an enormous vanity.

　　Every single item was of such high quality that my eyes went wide.

　　The moment I stepped inside, my destitute life flashed before my eyes, and I couldn’t stop the tears.

　　My tiny apartment, which I could only afford because of the low deposit.

　　It had cockroaches that crawled up the water pipes, always eyeing my cramped space—perhaps because the first floor was a barbecue restaurant. It had unexplained ceiling leaks, and because of those leaks, a colony of mold that covered an entire wall.

　　My room was always cold, the drafts piercing through the thirty-year-old rusty window sash, and the worn-out boiler groaning like it was about to explode while only racking up heating bills.

　　On top of all that, I was three months behind on rent, so I had to grovel before my landlord, unable to even ask him to fix the broken motion sensor light or the detached bathroom door hinge.

　　Living like that, I couldn’t even dream of owning my own home—something I might have achieved if I breathed nothing but air and wore rags for twenty years.

　　Goodbye to my weary, destitute life! I want to live in this world and be reincarnated here forever!

　　I’d be grateful even if I were reborn as an earthworm in this place. Having been gilded before my death, I’d at least be born as a golden earthworm. An earthworm who experienced the silver-spoon life in a past life would have no regrets.

　　As I stood there, fat tears rolling down my cheeks, Ivan returned, likely having heard the butler’s flustered voice.

　　A voice, sounding as sweet as honey thanks to the ‘rich stepfather’ buff now applied to my ears, broke through my sobs.

　　“What is the matter?”

　　“Well, the Young Lady suddenly started crying… I do not know the reason.”

　　At the butler’s words, the Duke tilted his head and asked me, “Is there something you do not like?”

　　“No!”

　　I shook my head vigorously. As if!

　　“I’m jus’ sho happy, fank you sho much,” I sobbed, my pronunciation mercilessly mangled.

　　At the same time, I busied myself running around the room, touching and stroking the ornately crafted furniture with my tiny, delicate hands, even rubbing my face against the fine wood.

　　All the while, a stream of what must have sounded like an alien language flowed from my mouth.

　　“WHOA! The bed is huge and pretty, and there are two wide windows, WOW! Why is the vanity so pretty? Even the door is pretty! Um, only rich people have carpets like this. What’s that? Whoaaa, a dressing room? Um, it’s a dressing room. Is this for real?”

　　Roughly translating my sobs, that’s what I was saying.

　　There wasn’t a single thing in the room left untouched by my tears. It might have looked a bit bizarre to an onlooker, but I was truly, deeply happy.

　　It felt like casually checking a forgotten lottery ticket and discovering I’d won the grand prize.

　　What’s the point of explaining? Only those who’ve been there can understand.

　　After marking my territory everywhere with tears of joy, I approached my gracious adoptive father to express my gratitude for bestowing all this upon me.

　　Overcome with emotion, I hiccuped, lifted the hem of my skirt, and curtsied.

　　“Really, I’m so, hic! Thankful… thank you!” I sobbed.

　　Then, to my confusion, the Duke covered his face and turned away.

　　…Huh?

　　What? Is he laughing?

* * *

　　Lying in the BIG! BEAUTIFUL! LUXURIOUS! BED! in MY! ROOM!, I made a vow.

　　I’ll be on my best behavior for the Duke while I’m here.

　　To show my gratitude for this incredible room, I should treat Katherine and Isabella well, too.

　　Sister Isabella, no matter how evil you are to me, I will demonstrate the true spirit of Korean customer service!

　　I steeled my resolve.

　　“For now, I’m eating well and living comfortably, so I’ll worry about the future later. Time for some sleep.”

　　Worrying too much just keeps you from moving forward.

　　Now was the time to pour my energy into adapting to my new environment while enjoying the first taste of luxury in my entire existence.

　　After licking clean the bowl of food a servant brought to my room, I snuggled under the cloud-like silk blanket and drifted off to sleep.

　　“Ooh, how comfortable.”

　　The next day, my diligent, commoner body and mind, long optimized for labor, snapped awake as soon as the sun rose.

　　“First day of my debut as a rich girl!”

　　Filled with excitement, I lightly washed my face in the en-suite bathroom. The water the servants had fetched yesterday was still there. It had been warm when they brought it, but it had turned cold overnight.

　　“Ah, that’s refreshing.”

　　Morning face washes should be done with cold water anyway.

　　Perhaps because I used to wash with cold water year-round to save on gas bills, washing my face with warm water now felt a bit like using snot.

　　“That woke me right up.”

　　Having shaken off the last vestiges of sleep, I hummed to myself and got dressed, bright-eyed and ready for the day.

　　I layered the skirt I had taken off yesterday over the petticoat that doubled as pajamas and neatly combed my blonde hair, a feature I still wasn’t quite used to.

　　“I’m hungry. I wonder if someone will come wake me for breakfast.”

　　In romance fantasy novels, that’s usually what happens right after the protagonist wakes up, isn’t it?

　　A maid comes to wake the young lady, helps her get ready, and takes her to the dining hall.

　　I was curious if everyone else was awake and wanted to ask about breakfast time, but since it was my first day, I decided not to make a fuss and to wait for the maid.

　　“Better to get a feel of the mood before I do anything.”

　　When will the door open?

　　I sat on the edge of the bed, swinging my legs and waiting.

　　After a considerable wait, I sensed a presence outside, followed by a soft knock.

　　Unless someone had accidentally brushed against the door while passing, it was definitely a knock. It was just that faint.