《Oh! My Empress》


 Chapter 1 - Break-Up

    "But why?" she asked as her eyes filled slowly with tears. She felt so pathetic. She did not want to cry right now, but her body was not listening. Shedding tears for this jerk was just not worth it at this point of time but what was she to do with this involuntary response of her body? What about this pain in her heart?


    "Why? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? Despite being pretty, you always carry yourself like a nerd. And you are always so conservative. We have been going out for two years, two! And yet you never agreed to sex. That''s not even the problem here. You cannot talk to my friends properly. You are from such a famous university, yet you act like a country bumpkin," the guy kept criticizing her, hurling hurtful words. He did not forget to give her a look from top to bottom. She was still wearing her disheveled mid-length brown hair in a ponytail. Her attire was outright plain, a comfortable brown tee and blue jeans. In the name of make-up, she had just put red lipstick. No one would have believed that they were on a date even if he had shouted the fact out loud. There was just no effort on her part.


    Her long eyelashes trembled. The lights in the bar that they were having dinner in, were hurting her eyes at this moment. The slow music felt so painful to her as if someone was stabbing her heart with a knife. She was a teetotaler throughout her life but right now, she wanted to down everything in front of her, which was, of course placed on his side of the table.


    Even if it was against her principle, she was the one treating him today and was even paying the bill for drinks. And yet, he was here to say goodbye, that too in such a cruel way? If he had so many problems with her, he could have just told her in the beginning. Why drag it out for so long?


    In the past twenty four years of her life, no one, not a single person had humiliated Kim Su Won like this. Yet, this person, whom she had been in love for two years now, had decided to shatter her heart like this.


    "You¡­ you do not have even an ounce of confidence in you. When you say the right thing, you change it as soon as someone contradicts it. You are such a fool Kim Su Won!" the guy in front of her was just not stopping today. His nostrils had flared as he took out the anger of last two years at this moment.


    Thankfully, there were not a lot of people in the restaurant and the place they were sitting at was somewhat private. However, his slightly loud voice had already attracted whispers from the sparse number of customers in there.


    Her body staggered back in the chair. She so wanted to take that cup of hot tea in her hand and pour it over his head.


    She knew she was not a confident person owing to her family circumstances. Her mother was a typical Asian mom, always pestering her to study while she herself would be out and about with the neighborhood aunties for gossiping. That old lady did not think of self improvement, nor let her do it.


    And for this reason, although Kim Su Won was a scholar student in her life, her communication skills suffered. She was not allowed to have friend with poor grade, hang out even with friends with good grades, she came off as an arrogant child. All she was supposed to do was study. She found solace in reading web novels, a hobby she could not share with anyone. If her mother found out that she was secretly spending time reading those ''trash'' novels, she would beat her daughter to death.


    Kim Su Won''s mother''s sharp tongue was enough to kill her hundred times in one sentence. She did not require a physical beating.


    Kim Su Won was utterly afraid of her mother, her upbringing was just like that. Thus, she never thought of rebelling against her mom, and her confidence took a plunge. She was so devoid of self confidence that she could cry at the drop of a hat.


    "You are actually a smart person, you know? But look where your confidence, or lack thereof, landed you? You do not even know what you want to do for future!" the guy expressed his dissatisfaction in every aspect of her all of a sudden. It was not as if it took this much time for him to discover her weak points.


    Kim Su Won wondered, if he wanted to break up, it was okay. But why did he need to point out each and every insecurity she had? She had not told him her vulnerabilities just so that he could make them public like this! And just why was his finger pointing sounding like he was saying all this for her good?


    Well, she indeed had graduated with the grades on lower spectrum, even thought her university was the most prestigious in the country and companies would reject her just on this basis during placement time in her college.


    She was an adult with nothing to show apart from her love for the web novels. She finally did get a job at a small company and ended up becoming a corporate slave. A pretty normal life, one would say.


    However, she had really become a disappointment for her parents and perhaps for herself as well, as she started her ordinary adult life.


    What remained with her was her love for web novels and her ''always in her own world'' ways. And so, it was a real shock to her when this guy in her company asked her out. She was not even aware of the guy, apart from a few get-togethers they had.


    In the end, having no experience of being in a relationship because she was always ''supposed to be studying'', she accepted his proposal just to try it out and ended up falling for him head over heels in a few months. His caring attitude towards her, and his funny side were really appealing to her.


    Even now, while he was running his slender, fair fingers through his jet black soft hair in frustration, she still was finding it attractive. That was how much she was ''in love'' with him.


    There were a lot of things she had to learn to swim smoothly into this world. However, this guy took all the pains to teach her slowly. He never ridiculed her, ever. He was just so patient with the na?ve her. What changed so suddenly?


    Who would have known that in two years, their relationship would abruptly take a dive like this, not to mention that he had harbored so much resentment against her for nothing?

 Chapter 2 - Finally Courageous

    "T-Then, did you like me even once in the past two years? Why did you even ask me out in the first place?" Kim Su Won''s voice shook as the happy memories of the past two years flowed in front of her, like a reel of her life. They all seemed blur at this point of time. Her tears would not stop. She looked at the guy with some expectation in her eyes.


    There were so many tender moments in her memories, that holding the hands shyly for the first time, that first kiss, her blushing hard every time he flirted with her.


    "Hmph! It was just a dare from another colleague. To tame the girl in the office whose IQ and EQ both seemed to be quite high. But look at you, it was all an illusion, wasn''t it? You just acted cold and professional in front of everyone. In personal life, you are just a mess," the guy replied, an arrogant look on his face. He was smirking as if he had won a battle over her. What was this, a competition of breaking apart one''s soul?


    So, it was a dare, huh? So, she just wasted two years of her youth and time on a guy who did not even like her, let alone love her. This was the moment, when for once she thought that her mother was right. She should not have ever tried for a relationship. Not to mention how messed up in her head she was because of her childhood, she should not have wasted her time and perhaps worked on getting a better job. She put up with so much just to hide her relationship from her strict mother and at this job just to be closer to him.


    He was correct in every sense. She had taken up a job that was not in her own field, not that she had studied hard enough for her own field. She had no idea what she really wanted to do in the future. Wasn''t it all because she was busy trying her best for this relationship? If she had studied, she would have been studying abroad somewhere just like all her friends.


    "Give me back¡­," she said, her face forming dark lines over it. Her face was not visible right now since she had lowered her head down once she had heard his reply. The guy had thought she was going to scream at him once again but there was this dark energy coming from the girl before him. He had never thought, the person who had never, even once, yelled at him or been mad at him, would have this menacing aura about her. She was always so sweet, so cooperative.


    "What!?" he still yelled, to show his dominance. But his heart was trembling, there was this fear creeping in.


    "I said give me back my time that I wasted on you. I could have achieved so much if I had used that time on self-improvement. I might have been fluent in one or two languages and be able to read my web novels in the native languages. I let go of all that time because dating is apparently an important part of life. But here I am, going through this pain of heartbreak for nothing in return. Compensate me for the time I lost," a switch had gone off in Kim Su Won''s mind.


    She was not strong in any sense but having read so many web novels, she had perfected the art of channeling different strong characters. Right now, she was pretending to be one of the main female leads in the recent novel she had finished. She could not stop sobbing but at least she could talk rationally. Or so she thought.


    Who could reverse the time? It was just the ridiculous tropes in the novels she read. The reality was completely different, wasn''t it? Why could she not go back into the past just like her favorite characters in transmigration and reincarnation novels and reject this guy and even take revenge?


    She laughed at the absurd thoughts she was having right now. The guy in front of her found it creepy and just fled. This woman was crazy!


    Why was he even in a relationship with her? That one dare had become a baggage of two years for him! Thankfully, this gullible girl did not suspect him at all and he was able to put wool over her eyes and even cheat with other girls. Otherwise, his own youth would have been wasted. And now she wanted her time back? It was him who should have asked for compensation! He turned around one last time, those eyes, they were of a mad woman. He was never going for a quiet nerd ever again in his life!!


    Finally, Kim Su Won somehow arrived at her rented room in the small paying guest home, completely drained of energy. Her roommate was still out. She messaged her roommate that she was going to borrow a few bottles of beers from the fridge that was exclusive to the other girl and celebrate the good riddance.


    Even after everything that had happened, she knew she should not be drinking alone at the bar, especially in the vulnerable state she was in. There were too many people waiting to take advantage of a weak woman. But now that she was at home, she could do whatever she wanted.


    Kim Su Won felt like crap right now, she was a complete mess. Her barely noticeable eyeliner had smudged because of her tears, her hair was more disheveled. She wanted to beat someone, break a few things and somehow release the pent up anger.


    She opened one bottle and then another and then another. On the side, she opened her laptop and started reading the latest chapter of the web novel she was currently interested in. The author had almost finished this book and the crazy reader she was, she did not find anything else to release her emotions.


    "Ah! Life is so cruel and unfair. At least you are having your moment, Emmeline Whittemore!" she cheered on for the female lead and gulped down another bottle. She never drank, she had not touched alcohol before in her life. And suddenly, she was chugging a few bottles down.


    While she was reading the novel, she was reminded of the embarrassing brawl with her ex. "Ahahaha, he said I was ugly. Just because I did not put on make-up like other girls. Was I in love with such a superficial person? I can''t believe it," she mockingly guffawed at herself. Running her fingers through her disheveled hair, she gulped another few sips from the bottle. With all this, there was not a moment when her tears stopped or she did not feel self despicable. She loathed herself and her upbringing, she hated her parents for what they had converted her to. Why could she not have the lovely parent that the jerk of her ex had? They were such a lovely couple and she always enjoyed their chilled and cheery company. On the other hand, she was just so ashamed and fearful to introduce the guy to her own parents.


    The fifth bottle of the beer felt good! She could forget about her worries and pain and focus on the strong female character in the novel.. That was how she was going to get over this heartbreak. Through the eyes that were blurry, not sure because of the tears or because she was so buzzed, she tried finishing the last chapter but ended up dozing off for the night¡­

 Chapter 3 - She Transmigrated

    A worried sweet gibberish filled the ears of the girl who was lying on the bed. Her head hurt badly and she was unable to open her eyes even if she really wanted to. She was drinking alcohol last night, she should have had water before sleeping.


    Was it her roommate that had come in? The bill for alcohol must be high, Kim Su Won felt another headache coming up. She mentally tried to calculate but did not remember how many bottles she had chugged down last night. How was she even alive? Damn, why did her first experience with alcohol have to be like this?


    ''Ugh! I will see to it when my roommate tells me how much I owe her now.''


    "Young miss?" Kim Su Won suddenly heard. She tossed on the other side in the bed, she did not feel like getting up. Her body was aching too.


    Wait a minute? Miss? That too archaic tongue? Was there some cosplay event going on? And how was the bed so soft? Was there an overhaul in her room overnight? Did the owners of the paying guest finally come to their senses and decide to upgrade their services? Or was she still under the influence of the alcohol? But they would not change the beds while she was in her room, that would be breach of privacy.


    It must be a dream, right? Perhaps, she was dreaming of the web novel she was reading last night. It was called ''The Villainess Seizes The Opportunity''.


    She really loved the protagonist of the story. A lady from the modern era in her early thirties transmigrated to imaginary Kingdom of Krislabet. The transmigrator was an intelligent and efficient person and could handle work of three people at a time. By working in corporates, she had acquired keen business acumen.


    The woman had died of overwork in her original world, unable to get time for herself and her hobbies. When she transmigrated to this sixteen year old girl called Emmeline Whittemore''s body, she decided to put that knowledge to use and seize the chance to fame.


    Emmeline Whittemore was the seventh miss of the famous ducal house of Whittemores in the Kingdom of Krislabet. They also served as one of the three families that balanced the power in the kingdom. Whittemores worked for the imperial Chadbourne family and the kingdom of Krislabet itself had a long rich history.


    The novel served to remind the readers that one could achieve anything they put their mind and heart to. The female protagonist, originally was a diligent lady but having transmigrated to a wealthy family opened so many avenues for her that she aced everything in life. For Kim Su Won, the lesson was more like luck needed to be on one''s side to make something out of themselves. Would the female protagonist be the same if she had ended up in some peasant or farmer family? Hah! The author needed a reality check for sure!


    Current chapter was almost at the end of the novel where the protagonist had started yet another business in jewelry. Her very fundamental designs were praised and evaluated too highly in the Kingdom of Krislabet and she was slowly gaining popularity as a designer as well. Of course, author had made the Kingdom of Krislabet a prosper yet backward place. They did not have great food, and from what she had read, they did not have teas or coffees, only alcohols.


    The protagonist''s new business was in addition to multiple ''cafes'' or tea houses she had started using the knowledge from the real world. She was about to reveal her identity as a transmigrator to her husband, the third prince of the country.


    Ah! Kim Su Won wanted to get up and read the end! What was the reaction of her husband who had pursued her for whole five years before the transmigrated Emmeline Whittemore had agreed to marry him? She could not wait! She had to snap out of this dream.


    "Su Min ah! Can you pinch me a bit?" Kim Su Won mumbled in her sleep, thinking the one speaking beside her was her roommate. It was a Saturday today so both her and her roommate Su Min were off. Su Min had a habit of talking to her boyfriend day and night, and so, Kim Su Won had to usually get up early as well, because of all the noise.


    "P-Pinch you? Miss, t-that''s¡­," the hesitant voice quivered with fear.


    "Jeez, can you stop with this miss act? Am I still in my dream? When did the lines of reality and imagination blur like this?" Kim Su Won was really annoyed right now. Her headache was killing her, her heart was still paining and then, all this weird talk. She abruptly opened her eyes. What the hell was going on?


    "M-Miss! You are awake!" the sound that was trembling with fear earlier, rejoiced, albeit a bit hesitant still.


    "I said¡­," Kim Su Won was going to yell at her roommate again when she realized she indeed was not in her room. She looked around, the bed she was in was a king sized bed! That too with a pink canopy on the top. The pink sheets and pillow covers were made of pure silk, or so she felt. The wooden bed was decorated with exquisite floral designs painted golden, both on the bed rest and the pillars supporting the canopy.


    She, did she really become Emmeline Whittemore? No Way!


    Near her bed, a girl, about eighteen to twenty years old was kneeling, her eyes full of tears, ready to fall anytime. She was sitting there, ready to be punished. Her hair was neatly combed back, without even a single hair strand out of place. Even her facial features were pleasant.


    Her ancient French maid dress was just so soothing to the eyes against all the pink she had just seen. She was wearing a black dress with a full white apron over it and there was even a garter on her head. She was wearing black flat slippers for easy movement in the house. Kim Su Won stared at her maid for some time. The poor maid trembled a bit more for she thought she had committed some grave sin and some punishment was coming in.


    Ah, yeah! Emmeline Whittemore was a little tyrant before the protagonist of the story transmigrated into her body at sixteen years of age. Did she just take place of that transmigrator? But wait, why was she so sure that she had gotten into the novel she was reading rather than some other world itself? She did not know. It was just a feeling.


    "Su Min, no wait, you should be Anna, right? Anna, fetch me a mirror?" Kim Su Won instructed the maid, who was just waiting for the next order. She remembered the name of the maid because this maid had been through thick and thin with the protagonist Emmeline Whittemore, despite the miss being a complete asshole with this maid. She had been tempted and tortured but she never gave up on her loyalty towards her miss.


    In the novel, the maid died because of some conspiracy in the later days. Kim Su Won had cried whole evening at the tragic death of this side character. She felt her heart ache suddenly, remembering that moment. Anna had been poorly treated in Emmeline''s original life too.


    "Yes, young miss," she got up from her kneeling position, tumbling a bit. It seemed that she had been sitting in that position for quite a while. Even then, the maid was super fast. She brought the shiny mirror within seconds and respectfully presented it to her miss.


    Kim Su Won checked her face in there.. She was a girl who had just crossed the threshold of adulthood now. But she did not look like a sixteen year old? What was going on?

 Chapter 4 - Twelve Years Old?

    "Anna, what is my age?" Kim Su Won asked gently. She was astonished at the fact that her skin seemed much smoother and her limbs much shorter for a sixteen year old. Plus, looking at her¡­ ahem¡­ chest, it did not seem as if it had matured enough? She touched her skin again and again to confirm but the conclusion was that she was definitely not sixteen. From the description of Emmeline, she was a beauty at sixteen years of age with a full chest and face sculpted into thin V shape. While right now, this body still had some baby fat on her face.


    As she was too used to emulate the characters, it was no problem for her to become the character in the story. However, since Emmeline Whittemore was going to change anyway, according to the novel, why not start it now?


    But, it was a bit hard to get used to the archaic way of speaking her language. It was awkward in speaking, so she decided to let go, at least with the maid.


    If she told her she was from modern world, the maid would probably go crazy right? Also, since they were still young, there was no telling how the maid would develop in this world. After all, from all the transmigration stories she had read, several characters changed their sides multiple times. She could not entrust her secret to this little maid, not just yet.


    The maid was startled at the gentle voice coming from her miss. On the top of that, she was asking her age? Was this amnesia? And what was this weird way of her speaking. Although she could understand everything, it was still not the usual way. Was it some kind of accent that young miss had acquired from somewhere without her knowledge?


    "Replying to young miss, you are twelve years old now. But miss, are you feeling alright? Should I call the physician?" Anna replied and looked at the young kid before her suspiciously. The young miss was sitting in the bed and curiously looking around, as if she had never been before in this room. Was it really possible that she had lost her memory?


    But she did remember her name! Anna could not really decide what the next course of action should be. The bright eyes of the maid darted here and there, her mind going blank.


    Kim Su Won was surprised. She transmigrated to this Emmeline Whittemore''s body four years before the start of the novel? But there was no mention of Emmeline Whittemore''s life before the time when that businesswoman transmigrated in Emmeline Whittemore''s body at sixteen years old.


    Apart from the fact that her family was quite lukewarm to her, not really caring about what happened to her and what not and that she was obsessed with the Crown Prince.


    That meant there was no advantage of having read the novel, right? From her experience, she would end up changing the course of the story anyway. What was she going to do now?


    Kim Su Won massaged her temples. She asked Anna, her maid to get some water for her. And some hangover soup.


    "H-Hangover soup? Miss, you could not have secretly drunk alcohol once again last week, right? Was that the reason why you fell into the lake? But your hangover must have gotten over by now!" the maid replied to her miss, Emmeline Whittemore. Her miss''s demeanor seemed to have changed. Her intimidating aura was completely gone. Was it the result of her being confused on waking up after a week? Could she be a little brave now and ask these questions to her?


    "Again? You mean I have been drinking alcohol at this young age?" Kim Su Won opened her eyes wide in shock. She had no idea Emmeline Whittemore had such a habit. Wait a minute. The maid said a week ago. Was there ever an incident like this in the original novel?


    If she was unconscious for a week, then it was a major event and must have been mentioned somewhere in the novel, right? Was it something related to the unreleased chapters? She had binge read two years'' worth of chapters in a week sure, but she did not remember much about Emmeline Whittemore''s childhood. Was it possible that she had lost fragments of memory, there used to be such tropes in the web novels?


    But now that she had changed the timeline, and she did not have the business acumen the original protagonist had, what was she to do?


    Kim Su Won closed her eyes. She had read this trope far too many times to know what all could be there. She looked for the past memories of original owner in her brain. Check. Those existed. A bundle of memories flowed into her mind except the night she had gotten drunk.


    Was she with someone at that time? Was it someone who pushed her in the lake? She had to recover that memory. After all, she was the seventh miss in this household and had enough enemies. It was a pity that before the transmigration of that businesswoman, Emmeline Whittemore had always liked to indulge in luxuries and not worry about learning anything.


    Now that she was inside this novel and had to live as Emmeline Whittemore, would she have the business knowledge already in the mind of this body? She tried hard to look for such a miracle, but there was nothing. Okay, not lucky in this case. Anyway, it was a farfetched possibility. She was not disheartened.


    Oh yeah, if she did not have anything, she must have inherited some magic item, right? Like a bracelet, a stone, or something like that?


    She checked her body for any additional items. No weird ornament, no marks on her body, nothing wrong with her eyes or nose. There was just nothing. Well, the novel was not magical anyway, so she did not mind it as well.


    She pouted and rustled the sheets on her bed. Was there some pen that would make her a big writer? Or a stone with power to alter the spiritual properties of everything around? Or a needle pack that would make her the best acupuncture doctor? Nothing!


    Oh well, this was not a cultivation novel either, so that was entirely normal too. But now that all the doors were slowly closing, Kim Su Won, now Emmeline Whittemore, had started panicking a bit.


    Oh yeah, she might have inherited some spiritual space then. She closed her eyes again and tried visualizing a space with a cute pet or vast riches, but nothing came up here either. Since the plot had already changed with her arrival, she should have some magical item at least! God! Why so unfair?!


    She tried one last time. Another trope for all transmigration novels, a system! Of course! Why did she not think of that earlier? She should have gotten something like that right? Something that would make her ultra powerful by making her complete tasks and allotting her points?


    She touched her ears, her hands, even tried focusing her mind once again but no weird animal popped up and no robotic voice echoed anywhere. No ranking system, nothing.


    Reality dawned on the girl. ''I am doomed!''

 Chapter 5 - Younger Brother? - I

    "Young miss, I shall call the physician anyway. I think you are a bit muddleheaded still," Anna, who had resumed her kneeling position, got up again. She looked at her miss doing all these weird actions for no rhyme or reason. Had her miss gone mad by any chance?


    "P-Physician?" Kim Su Won panicked when she heard Anna was thinking of bringing a doctor. She could not reveal herself before the public right now! She had not taken upon real Emmeline Whittemore''s mannerism!


    From what she remembered of the novel, the businesswoman lady had spent quite a few days just in adapting to how Emmeline Whittemore behaved. This was especially required for her, who was a crown princess candidate. What if the crown prince would hear of her weird behavior and break off the engagement? She could not let that happen, absolutely not!


    "I- Anna! I am sorry. I was just so scared of drowning that day, I feel like it''s a miracle that I am alive," Kin Su Won made up an excuse, making a very pitiful face. She almost face-palmed herself, how much more lame could she be?


    However, the reaction she got was in complete contrast. Anna immediately sat down by the side of her miss, grabbing her hands by force, her eyes glistening with tears. "Oh miss, I apologize. It is all my fault. Let''s not recall it if it pains you, okay?"


    Well, as long as Kim Su Won''s purpose was fulfilled. At least no doctor was coming in to check on her.


    Now, the next thing was to convince this maid that she had somehow forgotten everything. And that she needed training in becoming herself.


    "Anna! I need to tell you one more thing, I hope you''ll help me keep it a secret," Kim Su Won acted mysteriously, putting the poor maid through a lot of emotions in one moment.


    A secret? Help her miss? Of course, was that even a question? Why did it feel like her miss was about to announce something terrible though, something like a terminal illness?


    "Sooo~, I think after the incident my brain was so traumatized that I have forgotten everything," Kim Su Won revealed slowly to her unsuspecting maid.


    Anna, the poor girl, who was waiting for some extremely terrible news, heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, it''s just amnesia. I thought something big happened," she clasped her hands together, almost as a ceremony of joy.


    Kim Su Won tilted her head. Amnesia wasn''t a big thing? What was then?


    "Miss ah! Even if you forgot everything, your body would remember. Don''t worry, I will help you out. You remembered my name after all," Anna stoked her chest with confidence. She had a touched expression when she said the last sentence out. Even if her miss forgot everything, she still remembered her! She had already helped her miss learn everything from a young age. Anyway, she was just twelve years old kid. It was not like there was anything to be afraid of. The kids learned fast.


    Moreover, her young miss was the seventh miss of the household. Although she had a luxurious castle of her own in the estate, no one really cared about her. Her own mother was busy promoting her first and second born, the second young miss and first young master of the family.


    And the master of the household was busy enjoying his fortune and expanding his harem. Even at 50 years old of age, he was fathering more and more children. His two youngest concubines, both were pregnant at the moment. Anyway, she was a completely neglected child.


    Even if her mannerism changed, no one would really notice. That was a relief. So, there was no harm done. Thus, Anna was quite confident. She decided to keep this information from her young miss though. If she had forgotten everything, it would be better for the poor kid to not know that her parents did not care about her.


    Both the ladies in the room were busy thinking about the future plans when a grumble was heard. Kim Su Won looked at her stomach and coughed in embarrassment.


    "What is in the lunch?" she asked.


    Anna hit her head lightly. "My apologies miss, you must be hungry since you have not eaten anything in so long. Let me bring you chicken soup to warm you up. I will help you get ready afterwards. If you do not want a physician, it would be better for you to take a walk in the garden."


    Kim Su Won nodded. She felt the body and the muscles indeed had gone stiff. Anna left as soon as she spoke, leaving her miss alone.


    Kim Su Won still could not believe herself. She was just going through so much pain yesterday and today, she was in a completely different world, with a second chance at life. And it was going to be great because she was finally free from the influence of parents in her life. Having read the novel, she already knew that both her parents did not care about her at all.


    Then, she would not be suffocated unnecessarily by different demands and she would be free to pursue all the hobbies she ever wanted in life, without getting scolded at every point. Since she was given a second chance, she had to take full advantage of it. Since she already knew the archaic tongue of this novel, which was actually quite different from Korean, her native tongue, she could hire teachers to teach her. She just needed to plan everything.


    She took off her blanket and tried to get off the bed, only to feel dizzy and plopping back into the soft cushiony mattress. She realized she had no strength in herself at all. Well, she did not really have had anything to eat or drink for past week, of course she was bound to feel weak.


    She was about to lie down in her bed when she heard a commotion outside. Someone barged into her room loudly, "Sister! Are you okay?"

 Chapter 6 - Younger Brother? - II

    Kim Su Won wanted to feel her soft voluminous blonde hair and her smooth skin. She was quite enamored by her beautiful appearance. Her big eyes were blue in color and she had red lips. If that jerk of her ex had seen her now, would he have called her ugly again? She should have looked at herself in the mirror longer. Anyway, she was Emmeline Whittemore now, the young, spoiled miss of the noble Whittemore family. She hit a jackpot this time. Was it because she was cursing her childhood so much that God had decided to grant her wish?


    She just wanted to relax a bit in her fluffy mattress when she heard commotion outside her room. A boy, about nine years old barged into her room. This cute chubby kid had aqua blue eyes, a characteristic of Whittemore family but his hair was jet black. Duke Whittemore, the patriarch of the house himself had silver colored hair, which meant that this kid was, most probably, one of her step siblings.


    "Sister Emma! Are you alright?" the sweet kid came in and hugged his sister tightly.


    Kim Su Won was quite confused. She did not remember any of the siblings of Emmeline described in the novel apart from her immediate ones, the first young master of the house, Ivan Whittemore and the second young miss of the house, Cecilia Whittemore. They shared the features with their father rather than their mother, with blue eyes and pretty silver colored hair. She was the only one, the third and last child of the same mother who had inherited her mother''s blonde hair. Even with such resemblance, her mother had decided that she had too many kids to look after and thus, abandon her.


    According to the novel, her extended family was not much important anyway. By the time Emmeline turned sixteen, most of her father''s concubines had either died or driven out of the family. Emmeline''s mother, Audrey Lazarus, being the mother of first young master, the male heir of the family was also the Duchess. Interestingly, the author of the novel had decided to mix ancient East Asian laws with Western setting. Kim Su Won was not aware of such a weird setting in ancient Western era. But again, her only knowledge about the cultures and traditions came from the webnovels. And these were fantasy novels anyway, so the authors were free to imagine any system.


    Now, the issue was, how was she to decipher the identity of this young master here?


    From the lack of any response from his sister, the kid looked up. His sister was in a daze. With a cute pout, the kid asked her, "Sister Emma, are you still hurt? Chris is sorry that he came so late. Chris was so worried that sister would not wake up at all."


    At the last thought, his eyes became a bit teary. When he had seen his sister being carried in the stretcher, he had hugged his mother and bawled. But all his other siblings were just snickering and almost rejoicing over her misery. If he were strong enough, he would have punched them all. But being lowly born, he was not allowed to even interact with other siblings of his. He just buried his head in his sister''s lap, sniffling.


    Kim Su Won thought a bit about it. Chris? Was this kid Christopher Whittemore, a kid Emmeline doted upon because he was the son of the concubine of her dad who had raised her as her own till she was five? There was a brief mention of the mother daughter pair in the novel, so brief that she had completely forgotten about it.


    Unfortunately, she had not had time to process original Emmeline''s memories, so she could not recall the kid right away. But hearing the name brought a lot of memories back to her mind.


    She patted the head of the small kid right away. The way he behaved reminded of her beloved sister in her original world, Kim Su Jin. She also got teary eyed and sniffled a bit.


    "I am sorry Chris, this sister just woke up. I missed you so much!" she tried grabbing the kid under his armpits and help him up on the bed but she had completely forgotten that her body was quite weak and she was not twenty four years old grown woman. She was half her age now.


    Finally getting reassurance from his beloved sister, Chris helped himself on the bed. "Sister, I got you some candy. Here," he took out half crushed candy from his pocket. It was just colored sugar candy, probably in the shape of a bunny. It had melted some and the ears were broken. It looked so disgusting but how could she say no to such a cute kid? She took it from his hand and was about to put it in her mouth when Anna slapped her hand away from her.


    "Young miss!" she almost yelled. "You just woke up! What if that has poison in it?"

 Chapter 7 - Poisoned Candy?

    Chris got startled and cowered in fear, hiding behind Emmeline. The most he was afraid of in this castle was this lady, Anna.


    "I-I would not poison my own sister!" he protested in his feeble voice.


    Kim Su Won understood her maid''s intention. After all, Emmeline was one of the crown princess candidates, although only by force. Her eldest sister, Cecilia Whittemore, at eighteen, was just too old for the crown prince, who was younger than her by whole five years. There were other sisters of hers who were of similar age to hers and crown prince but she was the only one who was the daughter of Duke and Duchess, more qualified for the role.


    Which was also one of the reasons she was allowed to live. Otherwise, her mother would have banished her to some countryside castle as well. Anyway, in the end, in the novel she had started accumulating wealth at sixteen years old and the third prince, who was also sixteen, had fallen in love with her bold personality and passion with which she came up with new ideas. Emmeline had become quite free spirited too. Before her coming-of-age ceremony happened at eighteen, she had amassed so much wealth that even the king of the empire could note refute her request to cancel her engagement with the crown prince. And then she lived free before being wooed by the third prince.


    Anyway, just being a legitimate crown princess candidate made her a target of assassination attempts. And she had just gone through a week long ordeal after falling in the lake under the influence of alcohol apparently. Anna was not wrong in assuming the worst but still, Chris was just a child, without his mother too. Why would he want to harm her, the only source of his protection?


    "Anna! That was out of line," Kim Su Won could not help but chide her maid. It was one thing to warn her, but snatching the candy so ruthlessly in front of that child was too cruel. This age was the time of development for kids, such finger pointing was going to break the kid''s confidence like this. She was all too familiar with such scenario.


    In her original life, whenever she played in a group of kids and anything went wrong, she had to take the blame for it and apologize even if she was not in the wrong. Her mother had to always be the polite one to keep up appearances. But she never ever thought how sad and heartbreaking it would be for a kid to take the blame of something she did not do. And it was always the case, not just once or twice.


    Anna looked at her miss suspiciously. She sure had taken this kid under her wing out of gratitude towards his deceased mother, but she never took his side like this. It was more like she was treating him like her real brother.


    "I-I mean, he is just a kid. The candy might look filthy but he would not have bad intentions," Kim Su Won gave a sheepish look in return, she did not want her maid to think that she had changed too much. Although she had managed to convince her that she was amnesic.


    Anna accepted the softened stance of her miss. Her miss still knew to keep her in the heart. Although her miss had been very willful in the past, she, as her miss''s only maid, still enjoyed privileges. It was just that her miss''s temper was not too good and she got angry easily. However, it seemed like with her memories, she had forgotten her rage too, which was good for her.


    "I understand miss. I am not accusing young master Chris. I am just saying that young master would not know where the candy was sourced from. What if it was poisoned before it was handed to him. Young master Chris, you know what a cruel place this estate is, right?" Anna tried to teach the kid gently lest she attracted ire of her miss.


    Christopher Whittemore, although was just a nine year old kid, he had much more understanding than any other kid in the house. He was actually quite intelligent, and had talents to surpass the first young master in the family.


    However, Emmeline''s mother was just so cruel that she had ordered to kill Chris''s mother when he was just two years old and then gotten the kid killed by sending him in war at the tender age of fourteen. Unfortunately, the transmigrated businesswoman did not have any affection for the kid and he had been isolated from everyone due to strict training, the seventeen year old Emmeline only heard the news later.


    It was supposed to be a heart wrenching scene, for he was the only sibling that cared for his sister from the shadows, but it was mentioned by the author just in passing. Emmeline sighed, the author of the novel did not have any sense at all, did they? What had Chris ever done to the author?


    Chris nodded once he understood the implication of his actions. "I am sorry sister, I was careless. I did not mean to put you in danger," he apologized sincerely. He looked as cute as a puppy who was whining to ask for forgiveness from her. she could not help but squish the chubby cheeks of the cute kid.


    Kim Su Won''s stomach grumbled once again when Anna immediately put forward her meal. Her food was simple chicken soup for her to have something light and warm. She had woken up about after a week after all.


    After the meal, Kim Su Won finally felt alive.. She played with her brother a bit when a few more visitors arrived at her small castle.

 Chapter 8 - Mother

    *Chapter Warning: Trigger warning, includes a bit of child abuse and strong language*


    "I heard you woke up," a loud authoritative voice opened the huge brown door to her room, startling all three people in the room. The harmonious picture instantly froze. The kid who was sitting on the edge of the bed, waving his legs in the air back and forth in happiness, instantly hid behind his sister.


    Anna, who was sitting on the ground by the bed, laughing, immediately stood up from the ground and greeted the Duchess. Emmeline''s mother had finally arrived. Audrey Lazarus was the no. 1 beauty and third princess of the adjacent Kingdom, Kingdom of Krozia. For the political reasons, she had been married to Emmeline''s dad, Harold Whittemore.


    As soon as Audrey had stepped into the house, she had assumed the role of mistress of the house despite Harold Whittemore''s widowed mother being alive. She was a cunning lady with both beauty and brains. She had much more influence in even politics than her husband, the famous Duke Harold Whittemore. But she did everything behind the scenes.


    As expected, Kim Su Won could not take her eyes off of the face. It was not because she was taken aback by the unbelievable beauty of the lady. It was because the face largely matched the face of Kim Su Won''s mother in her original world, albeit a bit prettier and with plenty of make-up. She could not believe her eyes, one of the two humans she hated and loved the most in her life, she was present before her.


    It had been some time since Kim Su Won had gone back to her home since she was working away from her hometown. She used to talk to her family every day on video call, but she had not met them in person for a long time now. It was so weird to be seeing her mother here, in western attire, strutting in big heels.


    Audrey Lazarus had brown hair, just like her original mother. Her eyes were jet black, which when angry, would be very ominous, just like right now. This lady''s lips were a bit thinner than her mother and nose was exactly the same, perfect size on the face. It was hard to control her bubbling emotions right now. She wanted to go and hug her mom but her soul remembered he exact dread of the aura of her mother that was emanating from this lady in front of her. Having the same face as her own mom was no help at all.


    Since she had already heard the loud voice, her whole being trembled. Her face became red, as if she was ready to be scolded harshly. She could not even meet Audrey''s eyes, as if she knew she was in the wrong.


    Audrey liked the reaction, her loud voice became even louder and colder. "I thought I had told you I would not tolerate a crude behavior from you, and yet you go and jump into the lake? If you were so keen on dying, why are you not dead already?"


    Kim Su Won heard the words with eyes tightly shut. Even the voice was same as her own mom, it was all a familiar scenery for her. her head was hung low, she could not even dare to get out of the bed and stand up.


    "You wench, what is the use of educating you, where are your manners?" Audrey stepped forward and grabbed the chin of the twelve years old girl.


    Kim Su Won had no choice but to open her eyes. Her eyes were already full of tears, she had no idea why. She had heard worse from her mother but it felt like this body also remembered this mother''s cruelty.


    Audrey frowned ferociously. "Why are you not answering or coming out of bed? Has the one week coma damaged your brain or something?"


    Kim Su Won hurriedly stepped out the bed and stood on the floor. It had completely slipped out of her mind that her body was weak. She had only had that one meal Anna had brought, which probably her stomach had not processed just yet. Right now, her mind was only on how to escape from this lady.


    She still kept her head low without being able to utter a word. What else could she do? She did not remember the incident of her falling in the lake. And her past experience told her it was best to not do anything in this situation.


    However, her experience failed her when she heard a crisp loud sound of a slap echoing in the room.. What came next was something she had never imagined.

 Chapter 9 - Slap

    *Chapter Warning: Trigger warning, includes a bit of child abuse and strong language*


    There he was, the cute little nine year old kid, holding his small cheek, which now had an imprint of five long fingers, lying on the floor, as if his whole world had just turned upside down.


    He was not sure what had happened. He had just seen his sister getting out of the bed and the next moment he was flying out, like someone had punched him in the gut. One slap from that warrior like lady was strong enough to make him tumble down on the floor.


    He tried holding back his tears but his flesh was stinging so much that he could not help it. It was an involuntary action and he bawled loudly. It was not as much the physical pain as much it was hurt his heart felt. This lady before him was responsible for his mother''s death. If only he had his mother right now to console him, but there was no one. Even sister Emma was helpless and he knew it perfectly. He so wished his sister would come and pick him up in her embrace.


    "Shut up you son of a b*tch! If you so utter even a sound, I will send you to your mother in hell, do you understand?" Audrey yelled at the kid. Chris instantly muffled his sobs, he knew from the fierce eyes of this lady that she was serious. His life was in danger. He whimpered a bit and crawled back towards the bed, trying to be as far away as possible.


    Kim Su Won clutched her fists. Why was she so powerless? What was the use of having the status of whatever number miss she was of this family? This situation reminded her of back home where she used to stand like this, her tears dropping, her annoyed mom getting more irritated by the second and her sister Kim Su Jin standing on the side in fear. It was exactly the same.


    "M-Mother¡­," she uttered. Wasn''t it enough that the wench was scolding her, why did she have to hit the kid without any fault?


    "Oh, so you remember you have a mother? If you did, why did you have to something like that? Do you have any idea what people outside are saying? I am a heartless mother who does not care about her kid! Is that it? Did you want me to feel humiliation at this level? Is this what I get for giving you loving home with all the luxuries?" Audrey Lazarus clenched her teeth and spoke with very convincing humiliated tone. Her voice has choked as if her daughter had hurt her heart so much. If someone was to hear from outside, they would place all the blame on the kid.


    For God''s sake, this body was just twelve years old! Why did parents not understand that their definition of so-called love was so twisted?


    And they had a knack of making the kids feel guilty. Even at the age of twenty four, Kim Su Won felt bad inside and almost scolded Emmeline Whittemore for having jumped into the lake, even when she was not sure if that was what she had really done.


    "I-I am sorry mother," she sniffled. All her previous life, she had only apologized to her parents for no fault of her and that behavior was coming out here too.


    "What sorry? You keep doing this again and again and again! People will ultimately blame me for not bringing you up properly. No one will find fault with you! My luck must have been pretty bad to have given me such daughter. They say daughters are the flowers of the house and look at mine. When will I be able to wake up without any worries in my life?" Audrey Lazarus was pretty good at acting pitiful.


    "You¡­," everyone heard a male voice outside.


    It clicked immediately to Kim Su Won. Emmeline''s mother must have known this man was standing outside. As she had suspected, Duke Harold Whittemore was also a beautified persona of her own dad from her previous life. Aged like a fine wine, this man had silver hair slicked at the back and parted on the side and blue eyes. He had a silver moustache sitting cleanly right beneath his nose. He was tall and lean, unlike her dad who had a pot belly. It seemed this man here liked to keep fit.


    "Dear," Audrey almost flew in her husband''s arms.


    Duke Whittemore patted his wife, "Emmeline, can''t you heed to your mother''s teachings? She is putting so much effort in raising three children despite having so many responsibilities as the Duchess. Do you think it is easy to manage everything?"


    "I-I am sorry father, I promise nothing like this will happen again," Emmeline tried to keep herself composed in front of the duke. A lady should not cry but her past and present had merged so much that she was having involuntary reactions.


    Interestingly, just like her original dad, Duke Whittemore''s face softened as soon as he saw the girl''s tears. He did love his children, but perhaps did not have enough time from his duties as the duke to look after them. Or he just could not bear anyone crying in front of them.


    "Alright, alright. You¡­ what''s your name?" he asked Anna.


    "Master, my name is Anna," Anna replied shaking for she had no idea if this would be the last sentence she would ever speak.


    "Bring your miss some water. Dear, let''s go. Emmeline has already apologized, we will just keep an eye on her, okay? Don''t hurt yourself over a young kid, alright?" he spoke softly to both the ladies, stunning everyone.. This was exactly same as her dad too.

 Chapter 10 - Decision

    Kim Su Won had never compared her parents to the parents in the novel. Sure, Audrey Lazarus was cruel beyond words. The author had done a great job in making sure that Audrey was one of the most hated characters till Emmeline cut her off out of her life later, once her businesses started flourishing.


    She had found a few similarities between the two mothers at how good they were in manipulating emotions of everyone around. But she had never really compared them. Now that the faces of both set of parents were quite similar, Kim Su Won could not help but remember how her own parents were just so same, both in roles and temperaments.


    Her dad was one of the naivest and kindest soul she had seen, only to outsiders though. He was not interested in household affairs, and thus, blatantly ignored his own family. He was only interested in making meagre money from his job and being a corporate slave. He had no other interests or hobbies at all. All his work frustration was vented on his wife and sometimes, kids. This guy did not look that different.


    Anyway, the two people and their servants had got out of her face after their small skit. Kim Su Won took a sigh of relief. But her body was being too honest right now. Her trembling did not stop, even after taking deep breaths.


    Her head felt dizzy, she was struggling to breathe. What was this? Was this an effect of her having almost drowned a week ago? She could feel her heart that was beating very fast, her body was sweating profusely.


    "Miss! Miss!" Anna grabbed her arm and brought her to the bed to make her sit down. "Miss, I shall call a physician!" The maid had freaked out, her miss had never had such a reaction to her parents'' visit. This was probably because she had not recovered at all and her witch of a mother just came to increase her stress. She dashed outside to call their family doctor. Emmeline was still the legitimate third child, so she did have privileges to the family doctor, at least.


    Within a few minutes, a short grey haired person came with a medical kit in his hand with Anna. "Doctor, the miss¡­," Anna was trying to put on a brave face but her anxiousness was not letting her rest. Even though it was evening now, she had banged the door of this old man till he came out to see her. Even before explaining anything, she had just grabbed the old man''s wrist and started running. It was one of his servants that had run behind to bring the doctor''s kit.


    They saw that Kim Su Won had curled up in the bed and was sobbing incessantly. Chris who was in the young girl''s embrace was patting his sister gently. He had completely forgotten about his own pain and was busy consoling the girl. Kim Su Won was mumbling apologies.


    "Miss¡­," Anna was relieved to see that her miss was better than the state she had left her in.


    "Young miss, I am here to check on you. Miss Anna, bring her plenty of water and then I need to know her symptoms," the old man, although was the Whittemore''s family doctor, in front of him, no one was illegitimate or unfavored. His duty of being the doctor always came first which was why he had won the admiration of Duke Whittemore.


    Anna nodded and dashed once again. Since the moment her miss had woken up, she had not had a single peaceful moment. But it was still better than her seeing her lifeless body the whole time. She wiped her tears from the corner of her eyes, she had to help her miss get better.


    As soon as she brought the water, the old man asked her to feed water to young miss who could not stop sobbing. The doctor did not need to hear the full story, but he could tell that she had fought with someone, most probably her parents, yet again. It was quite common for this particular miss since she had been brandished ''willful'' by everyone. She was always being scolded for her misdemeanor as a crown princess candidate. But he, as a behavioral psychologist, knew that she was just craving for attention and love from her family, which she was always lacking.


    Once Kim Su Won calmed down, she evaluated why she was feeling so bad. She was definitely reminded of her own family here, Chris was same as her lovely sister from her original world and her parents were doppelgangers of her own parents. There was a time she had celebrated coming here, finally free from the clutches of her disdainful life in her original world. But it was not going to become free from this family either.


    Moreover, she did not possess any special skills like the businesswoman that was slated to transmigrate into the body when it reached sixteen years of age. Wait a minute, did that mean she had mere four more years to live in this world too? Where would she go after that? And what to do about her life here, what could she do to earn more money and get out of here? Her brain was now working at the speed of light to find a solution to her plight.


    She could not repeat her previous life here after all.

 Chapter 11 - Taking Action

    That day, something changed. Something broke and Kim Su Won took the decision to give her all to make use of this second chance to her life. She could not repeat her mistakes of the past. Even if she had only four years here, she was going to make the most out of them.


    "Anna, it''s been a few days but I do not see any classes for me. I feel bored. Am I not being educated?" Kim Su Won was taking a bath in the bath tub. She had gotten accustomed to Anna tending to her every need. She could not even take a bath without her. She had lazed around for around a week to recover from lack of nutrients after her new body of Emmeline Whittemore fell into the lake.


    Thankfully, in the meantime no one had come to visit her apart from Chris. She had grown quite close to the kid to the point where he was sleeping, eating and spending his whole day with her. It was not bad to have the kid around, her days were at least not filled with doing nothing.


    But she still was itching to do something productive. It really felt like a waste to her, doing nothing the whole day. She had admired her own beauty enough too. She still could not believe she was Emmeline Whittemore, her long blonde hair was till her waist, her features were so perfect that Kim Su Won had started to forget her own face from previous life.


    Her question startled the maid who was scrubbing her miss''s back. Her miss was never interested in learning, which was why she had made a big fuss and got all her teachers dismissed. No one was interested in teaching her miss anymore, she had let all the revered teachers in the capital run for their lives. How was she to answer her miss now? Anna went into a trance, to think how she could reply to her miss without offending her.


    Kim Su Won understood her maid''s predicament. She already knew the teachers had been dismissed by original Emmeline. This was mentioned in the novel, which is why everyone was shocked when it was revealed that all the new interesting ventures in the capital area were by her. Everyone thought she was an uneducated barbarian.


    "It''s okay, you can be blunt. Never mind actually, I remember I made them all run away. I need you to do two things for me. Get me a list of people I offended the least, and if there are any new scholars in the town that have not been approached to be my teacher. Could you do that for me?" Kim Su Won had made the decision to get the best education in the Kingdom, this time, on her own terms.


    In her previous life, she had always been interested in social studies rather than science. But because of pressure from her family, she had ended up taking engineering. It landed her in a completely unhappy life. But now, she could take up whatever she wanted, sports, politics, history, languages, you name it.


    She also needed to know the market and how trade worked if she were to pave the way for the soul that was to transmigrate in this body four years later. She could just learn business, right?


    Anna''s eyes sparkled and her chest swelled with pride. Her miss was finally talking some sense. Her miss had truly changed for the better, had she not? She was going to run the errand as soon as she finished with the bath.


    "Oh, and also, look into the knights for me. Now that I have decided to live a quiet life dedicated to learning, I would need to have someone protecting me. We have one of the best knights units and I know father would not say no to me getting one for myself. Get me the list of the knights deemed the second best," Kim Su Won said, as she combed her wet hair with her fingers in the tub. She really liked the feel of her silky soft hair. She never had this quality of hair ever in her life. If nothing else, at least this girl had paid attention to her body.


    "Second best?" Anna was confused. Would not everyone ask for the best of the best when it came to choosing knights for themselves? Why would her miss go for something worse than the best?


    "Of course! The best knights would obviously be reserved for my elder sister and brother. I don''t want to be competing with them and accruing their ire towards myself. Let them be. Plus, the second best knights are more motivated to compete with and achieve the best status," Kim Su Won replied nonchalantly. She was the same in her previous life. She had to strive to be the best ranker in her class because her mother pushed her so much. And when she was not able to fulfill that order, she was scolded by her mom so much. That was one different kind of motivation to be the best.


    She was not going to adopt the same tactics as her mother, she knew how harmful it was for a human''s psyche. But she could still fuel the desire in someone always being rated the second best in their lives by encouragement. Anyway, there was also a particular person she was looking for. This knight was supposed to be the best of the best but could never develop his skills because he was low born and was given fewer opportunities.


    His superiors were quite aware of his talent but did not want a commoner to surpass them, and so they suppressed him left and right. He later was chosen to serve under the third prince. She had to find this guy before the third prince, so she could develop him herself and reserve him for the Emmeline Whittemore of the future.


    "Hah! What a generous woman I am. I am going to work hard for the girl who will be taking over here four years later," Kim Su Won flicked her hair, an arrogance taking over. Yes, she really had nothing to fear. She could wreak havoc now because she was not going to be here any way in the future.. She snickered at her own ingenious plan.

 Chapter 12 - Cannot Read Or Write

    "What did you say?!" A girl with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes like a wolf got up from her seat in rage when she heard her maid.


    "That b*tch is looking for teachers and knights? She? The girl who had given up on everything and was pretending to be a fool all this time, she wants to study now?" Cecilia Whittemore paced up and down, her brows furrowed together. Her heavy pastel blue gown with the tight corset underneath was wearing her down but she had just gotten ready to go out. Now that she had just gotten this news, she did not feel like going out anymore.


    "What do you think Samantha, is she planning to take over the Duchy from me?" Cecilia, the beautiful intelligent second young miss of the Whittemore family suddenly could not make sense of the situation. From her spies she had sent to her younger sister''s place, that girl was wasting away her days. Why did she suddenly start taking interest in her studies?


    It was already a waste that she, the most beautiful girl in the Kingdom could not be a crown princess candidate just because of her age. Her fate was set to be married off to one of the heirs of the other two dukedoms. However, as the eldest legitimate child, she could at least vie for her dad''s duchy. And pray that her younger sister would not become crown princess ultimately.


    But if that idiot decided to compete for the duchy, then what about her? She would neither have the crown, nor duchy.


    Samantha Livingston, the daughter of Count Livingston under the care of Whittemore duchy and lady in waiting for Cecilia Whittemore rolled her eyes internally. She really could not understand the jealousy this lady harbored against her younger sister who could not be a threat to Cecilia in any manner.


    Even if that girl was coveting the duchy, there was still young master Whittemore. That was the kid Cecilia should worry about the most.


    On the top of that, Emmeline was already twelve. Even if she were to start studying right now, there was no way she could cover the material Cecilia has studied in a few years and catch up to her.


    Samantha was forced to serve as the lady-in-waiting for this lady, but at moments like these, she really wanted to run away. Whether she answered positively or negatively, she was going to get scolded anyway.


    She sighed and adjusted her olive green plain gown before putting forward her thoughts to the miss. She could not bear this girl pacing back and forth, it was increasing her own anxiety.


    "Lady Whittemore, I don''t think you should be worried. Her image is still the worst, she can try to repair it. But you know how the Imperial family still hate her. So, even if she is studying to leave a way out for herself, you should only focus on your education. She cannot take what is rightfully yours," the lady-in-waiting replied calmly. She was older than Cecilia, and even though Cecilia threw her tantrum often, she still listened to Samantha''s advice.


    She had chosen Samantha out of everyone in the peerage precisely because of her abilities to analyze the situations and her foresight. If she was reassuring her that there was nothing wrong in it, then probably there was not. But Cecilia still could not help but be worried.


    "R-Right? I think you are correct. I will just keep an eye for now," Cecilia heaved a sigh of relief. She had to put more spies in that part of the castle. The only problem was that Emmeline only had one maid who looked after everything. Why was everything so difficult when it came to her younger sister?


    --------------------


    In the room, Anna had put papers in front of Emmeline with the resume of scholars she was yet to offend or had offended the least. Kim Su Won did not realize but Emmeline had not even put any effort in learning the written language at all. And this was not even close to Korean, what was she going to do?


    She stared at the foreign letters in hopes that the language would come to her naturally just like the spoken one came. But she could not make any sense at all, and it was embarrassing to ask Anna about it.


    "A-Anna¡­," she contemplated a bit more before giving in. Her fingers could not help but fiddle with each other in nervousness. She would only be wasting her time by staring at these curved alphabets she had no idea about. Better to admit her fault and start learning from there.


    "Yes miss!" Anna was not sure what the problem was. She had not realized that her miss was unable to read because original Emmeline would either tell her to read and write stuff for her when it came to official communication or pretend to read books, if she ever read any.


    "I am too embarrassed to say this but I do not know how to read or write," Kim Su Won confessed. Yeah, that was a better thing to do, especially if Anna was going to be her closest confidant in the future.


    "Oh no, did you forget the alphabet with your amnesia? But you remember how to speak," Anna was even further confused. She tilted her head, not being able to make sense of what her miss was talking about.


    Kim Su Won shook her head left and right. "I am saying I never knew how to read and write in the first place." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment.


    "Say what?" Anna was shocked out of her mind to hear this!

 Chapter 13 - Learning From The Maid

    "Ahaha, I am sorry," Kim Su Won nodded, rather embarrassingly. "Can you please discreetly arrange for a teacher for me who could teach me how to read and write? I do not want anyone in the family to know." She had to tell the maid that the real Emmeline Whittemore had been playing the pretending game till now. The maid would be heartbroken but at lease she would not need to make any excuses.


    It was weird that this maid, who was so fast on her feet, was somewhat dimwit and could not tell that her original miss was just avoiding learning even the basics. Anyway, even if she did know what could she do? Emmeline was a little tyrant after all. Anna wanted to ask vast multitude of questions from her miss but this was not the time. They were having some serious discussion here.


    "Miss, it would be very hard to get a teacher without anyone knowing. How about I teach you those?" Anna thought for a bit, placing her index finger under her chin but still could not come up with a better idea. Even just gathering the names of the least offended teachers for her miss was something that had spread far and wide in the house. Even the Duke was surprised and sent a servant to inquire about it. It took her so much time to convince the servant that her miss did not have any ill intentions.


    In this house, secrecy and privacy were impossible. Plus, because of her miss''s status, her own status among the servants was not that great. Which was why she did not have many friends in the servants'' circle that could help her keep the secrets.


    "That would work too! I would love to learn from you!" Kim Su Won, who was sitting in her living room in loose clothes, clasped her hands together in excitement. Not only did she need to work on her personal skills, she had to work on her social skills too and start attending tea parties of other noble ladies in her circle. She had to make friends no matter what. And first step would be to be able to send and receive invitations from these places.


    Anna was elated hearing the response from her miss. Something had really changed after the accident, had it not? Her miss had become more amiable, she was even enlisting her help.


    A sudden fear crept into Anna''s heart suddenly. This was too good to be true. Having born her miss''s tantrums for eight years now, there was no way she could change so suddenly. What if this were all a dream? Or worse, a practical joke her miss was playing? What if, one day, she would tell her that this all was an act? Anna looked at her miss suspiciously once again. How could she make sure this was not the case?


    Kim Su Won shook her head. She could relay read what was written on Anna''s face. She was still skeptical, even after a week? Wait, what if this was her power that she gained after transmigration? What if she could read people easily? She had to test it out!


    "So, when are we starting?" the miss asked, smiling. She still had to earn the trust of her maid. Life was not easy, eh?


    "M-Miss! You want to start now? I mean, we could! I will arrange for a pen and a paper!" Anna could not hide her enthusiasm, despite her doubts. She had, in an instant, decided to see it when the time came. Right now, she could enjoy some peace, at least. She scurried off to bring a pen and paper.


    Kim Su Won placed the letter in her hand on the shiny glass table. For the past week, she had just been admiring the luxuries she was getting, a full separate wing of the whole castle was dedicated to each of the legitimate family members.


    She herself had east wing because no one was interested in getting bothered by sunrises. It was good for her because she personally enjoyed watching sunrises. West wing was given to her elder sister Cecilia Whittemore for she enjoyed watching sunsets.


    North wing was near the front of the castle and was naturally habituated by the Duke and Duchess while the south wing was occupied by her elder brother, the first young master of the house. This was some medieval period society so there were still horse carriages and stuff around. There were also no phones, no TVs, not her usual source of entertainments.. And if she really wanted to get back into her hobby and read novels, she would need to become literate.

 Chapter 14 - Pen And Paper

    Past one week had flown by just like that because Kim Su Won was still busy adjusting to her surroundings. Her meals were different from what she used to have. The food here was much blander than she was used to. The water tasted different too, albeit more tasty and less polluted. The clothes were definitely uncomfortable. She had not had a chance to go our yet but from what she had seen her mother wearing that day, this was the era of corsets.


    In the meantime, she was also evaluating where she could use her skills in. She was proficient in coding but there were no computers here. She could do something with the food and clothes. Those would be the business opportunities she could look into. But she also needed to understand the power dynamics of this time.


    The novel had largely focused on how Emmeline Whittemore had implemented the mindboggling business ideas, taking advantage of difference between her original world and here. The kingdom was free minded enough to let females run their own businesses, although they were fewer in number. Emmeline in the novel did not have to fight against any laws. The main theme of that book was the bias she faced in the society being a businesswoman. And how she crushed the people who doubted her with her successful enterprises.


    Could Kim Su Won do the same? She did not know. The only thing she could now do was be a diligent student again, from scratch. But learn everything on her own terms rather than being directed a parent or someone else.


    Anna had finally brought the pen and paper, this time without anyone''s knowledge. She had put everything away, stored safely, once she had realized her miss was not interested in doing her own chores. Those stored things were finally going to be put to use. She was just relieved that the ink had not dried out after all these years.


    She spread the paper and dipped the brush in the ink enthusiastically. "This is how we write sound ''a''," she had started. Kim Su Won paid attention fiercely for she had always loved learning languages. It was another story that her mother would not let her learn one out of interest if it was not a course in the school.


    Hah! In her original life, when she was in 10th grade, she had actually secretly copied a Spanish manual from her school''s library in a notebook to learn later. She could not keep renewing the book loan again and again and had to take drastic measures. Her mom would not buy any other book apart from a textbook after all. And she did not have enough allowance to get the whole book photocopied.


    Unfortunately, she never got time to study that book after that. Her interest had also faded when she realized she had to go to great lengths to keep the fact a secret from her mom.


    Anyway, she was in this world now and she was getting to fulfill at least one of her dreams at the moment, a completely new language! She ended up mastering the alphabet within an hour. This was what the brain of a twenty four year old could do. Her retention rate was higher for sure.


    "Oh my! Miss! Are you a genius?" Anna almost jumped in joy. Who would have thought her miss had a knack for studying? Why was she running away all this time?


    "Y-Yeah, I guess that the memories are slowly coming back. That''s why I am able to learn so fast," Kim Su Won made an excuse that would bind her illiteracy and her transmigration in a white lie. Anna seemed to accept the explanation without any suspicions.


    "I am so glad. We should move on to reading books now," Anna had not taught anyone before and since this was her other tongue, she had no idea about the steps one could use to learn a language. She recommended to get on the next step right away.


    Kim Su Won shook her head in negative. "It would be too soon. I cannot learn everything in a day. Let''s do this. Let me practice the alphabet a bit more, then we could move on to learn simple words. That will help me retain the knowledge. Then we will move on to children''s books. Do we have any in the house?" she asked, tilting her head. This was a big castle, there must be a big library somewhere here.


    Oh yes! This was another dream of hers, to own a big library! She could finally go out of her wing and check out the library. She pictured the tall shelves, touching the high roof filled with endless books. The picture of those big medieval libraries floated in her mind, more than one floor, spiral staircases, books and books and the smell. She was delighted just at the thought.


    "Miss¡­ miss!" Anna shook Kim Su Won to bring her back to the reality. "Miss, we will require Duke''s permission to access the library. You once went in and tore up a few rare books in there. Since then, you have been banned from entering the library," the maid explained, in a bit scared way. She understood that her miss had lost her memory, so she had to explain everything.


    But that was such a ruckus she had made that day that the duke had literally thrown her out of the library. Anna had never seen him that furious, he was on the verge of slapping his daughter that day. The maid had thought she had lost her job but in the end, she ended up getting flogged for her miss. It was so painful that her back hurt even now just thinking about it.


    "Wait, what?" Kim Su Won was thoroughly disappointed.

 Chapter 15 - Am I Allowed?

    Kim Su Won pouted fiercely hearing that she did not have access to the library. Why? Why did this original Emmeline have to go to such lengths to try to gain attention of her family? Why could she not be self sufficient?


    ''Kim Su Won ah! Are you forgetting this is a twelve year old we are talking about?'' The miss hit her head, she had gone mad to be scolding a little kid for acting like a kid.


    She had to think of another way. There should be something else. Some other way that she could access children''s books. It was imperative that she had them. Kim Su Won was basically going to apply the way she had learned English, thanks to her mother. Her mother had learned the language herself to teach her daughter, just so that her daughter could keep her top position in the school. Her original mother was just so dedicated to her studies that she was ready to put in the hard work herself.


    Well, at least something good came out of it. She now knew absolute way to learn a language that had different alphabet than what she knew.


    "Elder sister!" a cute voice called out to Kim Su Won who was still deep in thought. Her heart immediately brightened when she heard the familiar voice. Chris had come to meet her, he buried his face in the girl''s lap as soon as he entered the room.


    "Are you okay, Chris?" Kim Su Won could sense that there was something wrong. She ran her hand through his hair, slowly patting him.


    Chris shook his head and then looked upwards with a silly smile on his face. "I saw you, I am alright now."


    Kim Su Won noticed that the kid''s clothes were dirty and his face was full of scratched. He was even missing a tooth! Was this kid bullied again? Over the past week, since she had started paying attention to this ''motherless'' child, other kids from her dad''s concubine had started bullying him for gaining attentions from the child of legitimate bloodline. They were probably taking out their anger that it was not them and believed Chris''s life was set now. Who would tell them that this kid from the legitimate bloodline was herself out of favor and it didn''t mean shit for Chris?


    "Ah! Is that so? Anna, go help Chris in washing his face. Check for any wounds and dress them, if any," Kim Su Won instantly issued orders to her aid. Chris was just someone she considered equivalent of her lovely sister from her past life. She missed her. And Chris was a pure kid too, he did not seem to have any ill intentions or any schemes in his mind nor did he have anyone to teach him all this. His affection stemmed from pure love for his sister and Kim Su Won loved it.


    She did not ask anything because she did not want to hurt the kid''s pride. She had wished she could deal with the other kids personally but that would only mean helping her mother accelerate her plans for the ducal family. What could she do to protect Chris though?


    Her father, although kind, was also lustful. He had so many concubines and kids now. Whittemore family must really be swimming in unlimited wealth to take care of so many people. Kim Su Won tried to count everyday expense for each member, and this was just from the number she knew from the novel. There must definitely be more servants here. Her head hurt just thinking about daily expense for each person.


    She had to find a way. Did her dad not love all his children regardless of their status? She remembered Harold Whittemore lamenting once how he knew all the schemes of his wife and how it was such a waste to lose the kids just because he was powerless in front of his wife who had grown too powerful with all the support from her family.


    That meant that he would not say no if she were to put forward the idea of getting Chris educated. She could sneak in the lessons herself since Chris would be learning from scratch too. It might be slow for her for the time being but that was the easiest solution. It would certainly gain ire from her mother but right now, her dad was in charge, so she was good.


    "Anna, help me draft a letter," she ordered as soon as Anna entered with young master who had been bathed and dressed in new clothes. Chris ran towards his sister once again, thankful for her consideration towards him.


    "Say Chris, do you want to study?" Kim Su Won helped him seat in the sofa and asked tenderly. Chris looked at her his big, cute eyes opened widely. Was she for real? He had never thought about it because he had taken for granted that he was going to be sent as a soldier to the army, an illiterate soldier, just like how his other brothers were sent to the army as soon as they hit twelve years of age, of course, apart from the first young master, Ivan Whittemore.


    "But sister, am I allowed?" he asked innocently.

 Chapter 16 - Permission To Meet The Duke

    Kim Su Won was filled with guilt. She was making her younger brother study for her own gain but she did not have a choice, did she? She would kill three birds with one stone if she were able to convince her father to let this kid study. He would be able to find work better than being a soldier, she could get to study through him and he would also come under the protection of the duke unknowing to everyone.


    "O-Of course! Why would big sister ask if that were not the case? Just tell me if you want to study or not," she replied to his innocuous question, patting his cheek lightly.


    Adults just failed to understand how sensitive kids could be. This kid, despite being just nine years old, already knew what boundaries he could work in. It was heartbreaking to see for Kim Su Won. Screw those adults!


    Chris nodded furiously, his chubby cheeks jiggling with each shake. Kim Su Won could not help but pinch them a bit. "It''s decided then. You are now not allowed to go outside this wing, alright? I still need to get permission from our father but I don''t think it would be a problem." Kim Su Won patted the cute kid''s head again. How she wished she could do more for him, but she did not have any power at all and her past behavior definitely did not help.


    Ugh, she really wanted to kill the previous owner of this body once again. She had to wonder though, the transmigrated businesswoman must have had similar issues too. Why did the author never mention that the businesswoman had to learn the written language from scratch? There were so many details omitted. But again, how much the author herself could remember? It was a shame though, she could really use facts like these in advance.


    "Anna, please go and ask for permission to meet the duke. The sooner, the better," Kim Su Won ordered Anna once again. There was a determination in her eyes that really inspired Anna as well. She was very glad to see that her miss was finally thinking about her future. Moreover, she really wanted to put shame to those smug faces of the servants of elder miss and first young master. Hmph! Her miss was a genius like no other and she was going to make sure that the fact was known to everyone once her miss started her training. She hurried away to ask for permission and she did get it for the same evening.


    "Miss, let''s get you ready," Anna came back, huffing and puffing, sweat pouring from her temples. She recalled all the details of how the duke was quite shocked and disgruntled, thinking that she had made another trouble. He wanted to meet her right away, so that he could take care of it as soon as possible. But she reassured him via his servant that there was nothing wrong and her miss just wanted to have a chat.


    Kim Su Won nodded in satisfaction. "But why do I need to dress up now if we are meeting him in the evening?" she asked curiously.


    "What do you mean miss? It is already 11am. We have to put so many layers and then you also need to learn a few lessons in how you are going to walk in the heavy dress. Do you want everyone to suspect¡­," Anna was rambling on, without realizing that they were in the living room and Chris was also there. Moreover, the guards outside were also trying to gather as much information as possible, spies sent by her sister and mother. All the conversations about her so called amnesia and her illiteracy were always in hushed tones.


    Kim Su Won immediately stood up from her sofa in a panic and placed both her hands on Anna''s mouth. She realized how tiny her hands were. Moments like these really made her feel like a kid. Her simple dress fluttered and Chris was startled too.


    Anna swallowed her words back that were about to come out of her mouth instantly. She had almost landed her miss in trouble just now.


    "L-let''s get ready then. My legs do feel weak and I will certainly need to learn to walk on my two feet again with those heavy dresses, hahaha," Kim Su Won replied in a normal voice to let the outsiders know the reason for her bizarre question and her maid''s equally bizarre reply.


    They headed to the dressing room. Anna opened the huge door of the living room when Kim Su Won saw the two guards she suspected to be her family''s spies. They did not even greet her, just stood there like statues. At moments like these, she also realized that she had no standing in the family even if she was the legitimate child. Life was just so unfair for her but it was all the original owner of this body''s fault.


    Anyway, she was going to flip her image, she could not go on like this.

 Chapter 17 - Tight Clothes And Weight Gain

    For the meeting in the evening, Anna chose a pastel blue gown for her miss. It was just a meeting between the father and the daughter, so her miss did not need to dress lavishly. The duchess was the only one who would put on jewels and accessories even if she was going out of her room.


    The second miss, Cecilia, had also inherited some habits from her mother. She would put on bejeweled earrings and necklaces, sometimes even gaudy. Her dresses were chosen by their mother and they were not always the best. Audrey, despite being the duchess for so many years, was still lacking in the fashion sense of Kingdom of Krislabet.


    But Anna had to make sure that her miss did not follow in their footsteps. She had made sure that her miss kept simplest of the gowns from the hands-me-downs of Miss Cecilia. Of course, why would they buy new clothes for the second female child in the family despite swimming in money?


    So, for today, the gown was a pastel blue with white lace on the neck forming a collar and the helm of the frock. It had one white colored button with golden rim on the chest but it looked so hideous and mismatched that Anna had just removed it.


    Kim Su Won had yet to go through her wardrobe but she was not looking the look of this old worn out gown. She was a nerd in her past life but that did not mean she did not have an eye for good clothes. These clothes might have been amazing as new but right now, they were definitely past their life.


    "Anna, do we not have something better to wear?" she inquired, wanting to get into the big wooden closet in her room. It was not surprising that Emmeline Whittemore did not have a separate walk-in closet of her own. Even in the name of dressing room, this room had bare minimum supplies. A small white colored wooden vanity table with one set of eye shadow palette, face powder, a few half filled bottles of perfume, most probably discarded from Cecilia. The design was also very plan, nothing intricate like her bed. Her bed in the bedroom was, perhaps, the most detailed work she had seen in all the rooms in her wing till now. There was the small wooden closet behind her, a small white chair matching the table and just enough space to accommodate five people. Even her bedroom that she was sharing with her roommate looked bigger than this space.


    From Emmeline''s memory, Kim Su Won remembered her mother always lamented about lack of money when it came to buying things for her. At this point, she had really given up on her mother. But the resemblance of her original mother and Audrey was just too uncanny, even in temperament.


    She suddenly remembered that her mother used to do the same thing with her sister. She, herself being the eldest used to get new things but her sister usually used to her get hand-me-downs. Which was why she made sure to buy her sister as many gifts as she could when she used to visit. That was the only way she could lessen her guilt towards her sister.


    "I am sorry miss. The only other good dress is this dark green colored full gown. This is more for formal occasions, that''s why I did not take it out," Anna pointed out to the other gown that reached her ankles hanging on the door of the closet on a hanger.


    Kim Su Won looked at it and immediately dismissed it. The gown was really pretty, the color was deep green and had an emerald colored gem in the middle of the collar. But it was indeed something she would wear at a banquet.


    She sighed to herself. Perhaps, this was a good way to show her father how ill-equipped his third legitimate kid was. She really was living a life of Cinderella among her relatives, except that she did not need to work.


    However, Kim Su Won also had to wear all the layers including the corset. Unfortunately, the miss had gained some weight since she had been holed up in her part of the wing without much exercise for the past week. Plus, the delicious food was just irresistible. She had wanted to meet the chef, he or she had the magic to make the simplest of meals, especially the ones served to her, in the most relishing delicacies. Just thinking about that amazing porridge, Kim Su Won salivated.


    Anyway, no matter how much Anna tried, they could not tighten the corset beyond a certain point.


    "Miss, you need to go on a diet starting tomorrow," Anna hissed strictly. She had never felt this tired in just tightening the corset of her miss. Even now, it did not sit great on her miss''s plump body.


    For a moment, Kim Su Won felt ashamed. She had been wanting to go out but what could she do with this weirdly weak body? She needed rest, so it was not her fault that she had gained some weight. Moreover, this skeleton kind of body could really use some meat.


    "Anna, I am just twelve years old. I do not think I need to worry that much. Let''s do away with the corset," she replied. It was a sudden realization but yes, she was not the twenty four year old anymore, she did not need to sit in the society and she did not need to ''show'' her ''figure'' to anyone. She was just a kid right now.


    "B-But¡­," Anna wanted to retaliate but she shut up when Kim Su Won glared at her maid. A gown without a corset? How was that possible? How would the frock look like, all drooped down, no fluff? Would it even be called a frock then? And what about accentuating her miss''s upper body? If Audrey Lazarus were to see her daughter like this, she would definitely flip.


    "Do you trust me?" Kim Su Won said, with a lot of confidence in her eyes. She probably understood her maid''s predicament. In this era, there were no padded bras just yet, or if they existed, only rich could afford it for she had never seen Anna wear one. The other maids she had been gazing at from her room''s window also did not seem to have one.


    Anna nodded, she had absolute trust in her miss, although she was missing a screw in her head or two right now.

 Chapter 18 - Over The Top

    Anyway, Emmeline was just a kid who had not gone through puberty yet, so she did not need a bra right now. And her body could easily work without a corset, thus, Kim Su Won suggested that. When she ended up wearing the dress without the corset, she realized how out of shape the dress looked. It was probably because the dress had stretched enough in its lifetime as Cecilia''s attire.


    "Ugh, can you please arrange some pants and blouse for me Anna? This looks ridiculous," Kim Su Won turned around to see her dress in the mirror but it looked awkward from all angles. What was the use of such a beautiful face when there were no good clothes to match with the beauty?


    After a week, Anna had gotten slightly used to out of this world''s suggestion from her miss. Pants? She was a female and female only wore frocks and gowns! What did she mean pants and blouse? These kinds of crazy ideas, however, were still hard to process for the maid.


    "I am sorry miss, this is the best we can do at the moment," she gave up. Her deadpan eyes without a hint of emotion told Kim Su Won that she had crossed the line for ridiculous ideas.


    "Alright, then finish the hair and let''s go. The scheduled time is approaching," Kim Su Won replied, running her fingers through her silky hair. This was probably her favorite activity throughout her day. The hair on this new body''s head was just of such great quality that Kim Su Won touched it a hundred times in one day. Anna still could not understand her miss''s obsession with her own hair but she brushed it under the rug as usual. Since the incident, she had just accepted that her miss had changed somehow and had stopped questioning her.


    The maid styled Kim Su Won''s hair in high ponytail. She let go of putting on make-up on the young girl''s face. She was naturally beautiful and did not need any. Her milky white glistening skin was an object of envy of many, including her elder sister Cecilia Whittemore.


    Kim Su Won twirled around once again, very happy with her face. She so wished, at moments like these, that her jerk of ex was here to see her transformation. This pretty face was really a great boost to her confidence. But she really wanted to style her frock with something, otherwise, it just looked like a sack hanging on her body. No matter how much she wanted to show her poverty to her father, this would be bad for the first impression, especially since she was going to ask for a favor from him.


    "Anna, show me the wardrobe, there must be something to hide this sagging waist," Kim Su Won decided to take the matters in her hands. Anna opened the small closet. The clothes were so neatly arranged that sometimes Kim Su Won suspected of Anna having OCD.


    The gowns were lined up by color hanging on hangers on a rod. The color palette, however, was not very varied. There were only blues and greens, one purple and one yellow dress. There was no red color at all. The closet had multiple black and white frocks though. It felt more like wedding-funeral closet rather than a rich young girl''s wardrobe.


    Since the things were hands-me-downs, the accessories were more for mature girls rather than a twelve year old. There were black clutches for hair with golden and silver colored gems, even the necklaces were heavy for a kid. Kim Su Won understood that this was a society where the girls were expected to dress up all the time and jewelry and such were actually indicators of wealth. But this was just too much. Her heart throbbed with pain. She had no idea that real Emmeline Whittemore was neglected so much. She had to throw all these things away. But it would all depend on how her negotiations would go with her father. If he were more like her own dad form her original life, then he would be a reasonable man too. She just needed to give him convincing reasons. Otherwise, she would need to earn money by herself.


    On the bottom shelf, shoes were neatly arranged. Anna had already chosen matching pastel blue ballerina shoes for her miss. But most of the pairs were tasteless as well.


    In the corner, Kim Su Won spotted a few jackets and belts. Most of them had fur on the collar, deeming them rather unsuitable for the hot and humid climate in what she thought was the peak of summer. She went through the pile and finally found something that could really work here. It was a white broad belt with crisscross laces to tie it up at her back. It was probably something the maids in the house used to keep their waists in shape but it was just lying there for her. Most probably, it was deliberately placed there.


    "Ah! Miss, that is not supposed to be there! I just cleaned this closet a few months ago, who keeps putting stuff like this here?" Anna snatched the dangling belt from her miss''s hands. Every season, Cecilia''s maids would send a huge pile from her discarded clothes to this wing and Anna carefully selected and refreshed her miss''s wardrobe to the best of her ability.


    Given how willful her miss was, there were a few things she never retaliated against. For example, the orders from her mother and this was one of those. Original Emmeline had given in to her fate, and thus, did not really say anything against getting older clothes once her mother had scolded her enough to make her cry for three days straight.


    Anyway, Kim Su Won snatched the belt back. "What are you talking about? This is the exact thing I needed," she replied with a serious face. Anna looked at her miss like she had gone crazy.


    "Aiyya, don''t make such a serious face Anna. Help me put it on," Kim Su Won said. Anna was bewildered, was her miss serious? Use a maid''s accessory on her miss''s dress? Was this really to show her father how poorly she was living? Wasn''t this over the top?


    She still complied, despite wanting to protest. What was the harm? She would just take it off later, stating that it looked absurd. But once she put it on, it really helped the frock become something else. Anna had no idea that the dress would transform in such a way!


    Since maids could not wear corsets for practical purposes, in this era, they used broad belts to help support their breasts and not restrict their movements. But she had not seen a noble use them before. Neither were they used on colorful dresses. But now she was looking at this piece and her miss, both in a new light. Astounded, she gasped a little.


    "See? I told you. You need to trust me Anna. I know it sounds rich coming from me, but you will see more surprises from me from now on," Kim Su Won grinned, her eyes shining brightly. Anna, for a moment, was mesmerized by her miss''s self-confidence.. Emmeline Whittemore never had any since the day she had started serving her. Who was this girl?

 Chapter 19 - Sister - I

    Having completed her attire, Kim Su Won got up and was ready to go. She had already convinced Anna that she wanted to roam around the mansion for it might aid in her memory. In reality, she had just wanted to see how rich she or rather her family really was.


    From her experience, each room in this mansion had its own charm and definitely was made according to the tastes of their respective owners. Her own bedroom had lavender colored walls giving it very calming and relaxing feel. It must have been the work of someone who knew Emmeline Whittemore well. The other rooms had normal cream colored walls. But her bedroom also had the luxurious furniture, bare minimum but still screaming of wealth. No matter how much the duchess wanted to neglect her as a kid, she could not really have the rooms lacking. It was a matter of show off, pride and status in the society after all.


    The other rooms that she had visited, including bathroom, living room and the changing room, they were all equipped with the most modern technologies and artistry of this era. The duke''s butler, who was a big environmental enthusiast, had put all his effort into getting the structure, processes and activities to minimize waste. It was the state of art technology, even by her own world''s standards, something that the novel had not really described.


    These were some of few things she had been learning over the past week. It was interesting, there was no place to be bored. Anyway, she was excited to explore the world of the novel, finally.


    Anna and Kim Su Won roamed around in the never ending hallway. Kim Su Won was really looking at each and every statue, pillar and door in the hallway. It was super hilarious and she was also freaking out the maids and servants she came across on the way.


    "Miss¡­ I think we have looked enough. It is almost time too. Let''s not get into bad books of duke and not make him wait, alright?" Anna took out a pocket watch from her dress''s pocket and looked at it anxiously. Her brown furrowed brows and eyes urging her to hurry filled Kim Su Won''s heart with warmth.


    One, this maid worried about her a lot. Two, she would make a wonderful mother. Anna knew when to scold the kids and when to coax them. It was as if one could almost make a post on leadership with her example on LinkedIn.


    If it were Kim Su Won''s mother from the original world, she would have already heard screaming yelling ten times by now, just because she was going to apparently get late in meeting her own father, even though she would reach there ten minutes early at the slowest speed.


    But Anna used the right tone with her and she showed that it was not just her who was going to get late but everyone. In loving and caring words, she told her what would happen if they were to get late, something that was disadvantageous to her. it was not nonsense yelling without any reason. If Anna was to treat her own kids like this in future, Kim Su Won knew in her heart that those kids would turn out great. She was now looking forward to meet her maid''s future kids. She was going to make sure that Anna would not end up with a tragic end!


    She linked her arm with Anna''s and started walking, skipping steps. Anna got a bit flustered, for all the servants and maids were watching her, but she let the young miss do as she wished. Sometimes, the strong ones needed love too.


    While Kim Su Won was laughing and chatting away happily with her maid, she encountered the character she was yet to meet. The girl full of pride from head to toe, soft silver hair and blue eyes full of contempt, almost a head taller than her, no doubt this was her sister Cecilia Whittemore! What was she doing here?


    "Oh, look who is here? I heard someone wants to meet father to get permission for studying?" Cecilia glared at her younger sister with disdain. She did not say hi, she directly started with a jab.


    "Good evening to you too, sister," Kim Su Won slightly bowed to her sister, as was the custom of this place. Juniors always bowed slightly to elders in the same generation. Then there were 45 and 90 degree bows at different occasions. Anyway, Kim Su Won had no intention of getting into a fight with her sister, which irked Cecilia much.


    This response was unexpected. Original Emmeline Whittemore would have started a fight right here which was what eighteen years old Cecilia was looking for. This way, she could call her mother and tattle on her sister. Unfortunately, that did not happen.


    "Hmph! Why are you going to meet father? Is it true you are suddenly interested in studying? Did falling in the lake mess up with your brain or something?" Cecilia shot a bunch of questions left and right.


    Kim Su Won shrugged. "I think it did put my brain in the right place. If I am to be a good crown princess candidate, I need to learn, right? After all, the whole family is relying on me to get that position and support the family, I am sure you are well aware of that, right sister?" Kim Su Won had already searched her memory and knew what shitty treatment this elder sister of hers gave original Emmeline. It hurt her heart that the blood related sisters were out to kill each other. Emmeline was just too young to understand the politics. Or perhaps she understood it too well, which was why she had made a pact with her elder sister to behave like a good-for-nothing. And just remain in her own small world in the east wing.


    But Kim Su Won was not back going to back down anymore. She was going to make her sister taste her own medicine.

 Chapter 20 - Sister - II

    Kim Su Won knew that Cecilia Whittemore''s one of the biggest pain point was that she could not be a crown princess candidate, ever. The pact that the original Emmeline Whittemore and her elder sister had made was that Cecilia would leave Emmeline alone if Emmeline squashed her chances to enter the royal family herself. Cecilia even offered her protection from other siblings bullying her.


    Emmeline, seeing it as a chance to be able to mind her own business, agreed. But the poor kid had no idea that neither Cecilia ever had any plans to keep her part of the deal, nor was it any beneficial for her future in any way. Emmeline had left no stones unturned to make her teachers run away and have a negative reputation overall.


    Her reputation had become so low that even servants were not interested in serving her. At that point, who would listen to her if she ever wanted to retaliate against Cecilia for not keeping her promise? Cecilia and Ivan Whittemore would not just leave any chance of bullying her. Moreover, her mother, who only thought of her use as a crown princess candidate would lash out at every occasion on her for not living up to her part.


    Kim Su Won did not have that many details from the novel but she had the past memories of Emmeline Whittemore. She was beginning to understand the reason behind original Emmeline''s brashness.


    And now it was time to turn the tables. She could already see that Cecilia''s beautiful face had twisted with anger. How dare this unruly kid talk to her like this? She really needed to get her mother here. But Cecilia also had her own pride. How could she take such a blow from a kid who did not matter anywhere at all?


    But what else she could say anyway. It was a perfectly legit reason for this wench to start investing in herself. So, she had decided to break her agreement.


    "Hmph! As you wish. Do not expect me to stay away from you then," Cecilia flipped her long silver hair with pride and trotted away, as if she still had the upper hand here.


    "Haha, what worse could you do anyway, my dear sister?" Kim Su Won gnashed her teeth. Stay away from her? So, this poor excuse of an elder sister actually thought that she was keeping her promise all this while?


    Cecilia turned her head over her shoulder, with rage and ruthlessness seeping from her eyes, "You have not seen anything, my little sister. I was just going easy one you till now." And with that, Cecilia Whittemore headed back to her room, with a whole entourage of maids snickering behind her.


    "This kid is dead, even if she belongs to the legitimate blood line," a maid whispered, loud enough for Kim Su Won to hear.


    "I know, right? She probably has no idea who she just provoked. Half of young miss''s step siblings fell out of favor of master just like that. I am eager to see how young miss will make this miss''s downfall," another maid agreed and then laughed sheepishly.


    "Look at her attire, she is already so poor. She does not even know who has been behind it till now," another maid chimed in. This was not the first time this was happening, they could just glance at the poor target pitifully.


    As Kim Su Won heard the words, her heart starting to go cold. What kind of family was this? She was always curing her own family back home for being too strict and dysfunctional, but this family was way above that point. She did not ask for anything like this, she was better dead then!


    With clenched fists and a wounded heart, Kim Su Won finally headed towards the room of her father. She did not feel any ounce of emotions towards any of her immediate family members anymore, although she had not met her tyrant brother yet. Neither did she have any mood of exploring this big mansion anymore.


    She gently knocked on the door. She had to focus on the task at hand and worry about her elder sister and her shenanigans later. And first impression, it was very important!


    "Come in," an authoritative voice, not of her father though as she recalled from one time she had met him, called her in. Wasn''t a knight or someone supposed to escort her in? Was she so unimportant in this household that she had to open the door for herself? Even the two guards standing outside were not moving and standing like a statue.


    "Open the door," she commanded to one of the guards.


    Everyone including the servants who were roaming around just wanting to see a show were all shocked. Was this one of the usual tantrums the miss was throwing?

 Chapter 21 - Father - I

    Kim Su Won''s head was throbbing. She already had a brawl with her arrogant sister and the rage was still seething inside her, no matter how much she wanted to calm down and focus on the task before her. Which was why she just ended up wanting to scold the guard.


    There was a stale air in the hall. The servants who were pretending to clean in the hall, stopped their activities altogether and just stared at the short girl who was wearing a weird dress and was standing cross armed. Her eyes were full of authority, not a childish tantrum as would be the case usually. She, for some reason, in this moment, befitted being the legitimate kid of the duke. Was this really Emmeline Whittemore?


    While the guards were in a dilemma whether to obey this kid or not because of her fierceness, the huge door in front of Kim Su Won suddenly opened from the inside and a tall figure loomed over the girl. She looked at the person before her, who looked more intimidating than her. She could not make out the features in the dark but the ferocious eyes made her want to whimper.


    But¡­ she was also a twenty four year old woman inside. She even had given her piece of mind to that jerk of the boyfriend, why could she not take on whoever this person was? She did not back away but stared back at this tall figure, without any fear in her eyes.


    The tall man was taken aback a bit. His stance softened and he invited the young kid inside. "Miss Emmeline, I apologize for my rude behavior. I should have come myself to fetch you," he said. Now Kim Su Won knew that this guy was the owner of the voice earlier. She could guess right away that this man was Harold Whittemore''s right hand man, Isaac Laurent, the Earl of distant Laurent County in the north of Krislabet.


    The man with stark red hair and red eyes was also the protector of the duke and leader of the Order of Knights for the duke. All his sons were also part of the order and the eldest son was set to inherit the Order once Isaac Laurent retired. This was a family that even imperial family coveted, they were that famous for their combat skills. Unfortunately for them, Laurent family had served Whittemores for generations and they were going to continue that.


    But to think that the man himself was apologizing to this young lady, suddenly everyone was confused, Kim Su Won included. But she did not show it on her face and walked inside with pride, acknowledging the Earl with a nod.


    She was not very familiar with peerage system, so she was not sure if she was supposed to greet this man. However, Emmeline Whittemore had a nasty reputation to begin with, so she decided to go along with it. If she showed too much change in her personality, people would get suspicious.


    In the vast office room that she was seeing for the first time, her dad was sitting on a desk. The desk was brown, seemed made of some precious glossy wood. The chair on which his father was sitting behind the desk seemed more like a throne with more intricate designs. Atop the table, piles and piles of papers were neatly arranged on both the duke''s sides. The man was writing something with a golden ink pen in his hand, he did not raise his eyes to look at her at all.


    Behind the duke''s desk, there were huge wall to floor windows, heavy blue colored plain curtains were drawn over them. Kim Su Won was yet to look at the design or plans of the mansion, thus, she had no idea how the scene behind looked like. She was quite curious what it would look like to be staring outside when one wanted to take a break from all that paperwork.


    On the left hand side, there was a table with glass top, a three seater plain sofa on the long side and a plain love seat on the shorter side. The sofas were made of velvety navy blue material. Minimal but tasteful furniture. It was giving a great contrast against red colored carpet on the floor. Kim Su Won could not help but admire the designer''s taste. They really had taken in consideration the personalities of the owners. Her own father in her previous life was quite simple too.


    Unfortunately, on the sofa, was sitting Audrey Lazarus, her brows furrowed as usual. She was casually sipping tea.


    On the right hand side of Duke Harold Whittemore, was another small desk, which had bigger piles of paper. Perhaps, the desk belonged to Isaac Laurent. Kim Su Won had no idea but she realized she could not just be staring around all day without any greetings. Anna also nudged her from behind lightly to remind her of the work she had come here to do.


    "Sir, the young lady is here," Isaac announced.


    Audrey snorted, "For once, she is on time. I am sure not a single one of us had anticipated it," she had a mocking tone. Kim Su Won did not even pay attention to this mother. She had spent twenty four years of her past life to get used to this behavior, she knew how to handle it already.


    "Good evening Duke and Duchess," Emmeline curtsied with her frock, slowly and elegantly as if her each move was measured.


    Duke Whittemore finally put his pen down. Resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together to support his chin, he stared at the young girl.. Did she just call them ''Duke'' and ''Duchess''? Anna''s face also fell when she heard the greeting.

 Chapter 22 - Father - II

    The duke did not show his surprise on his face. He was yet to process what just happened. He admitted that he was not particularly attentive to this daughter of his in the past. But again, he had so many kids that he did not pay attention to most of his kids. For him, only his eldest son mattered for he was slated to inherit his title. He had to make sure that the family''s name and fame remained solid. He was too busy with the work to think about his kids.


    Audrey Lazarus, on the other hand, was instantly incensed by her daughter''s lack of courtesy towards her own parents.


    "Is this the way to call your parents? Is this what I have taught you?" she shouted in an exasperated tone. What image would she have in front of her husband and his aide if her rebellious daughter kept behaving like this? And if this spread outside that their own daughter was treating her parents in such a distant manner, people would only blame her as a bad mother. How could she let that happen? Her own image among the citizens needed to be impeccable.


    Kim Su Won looked at her mother dumbfounded. This old lady, she really knew how to act, eh? in front of the duke, she was the most angelic mother she could be.


    Kim Su Won really wanted to ask this lady when she had ever taught her anything personally but decided to let it go for now. Audrey was not the goal here, her studies were.


    She averted her clear gaze back to Duke Whittemore who was sitting silently, trying to gauge her reaction. Once he saw the kid not paying attention to her mother, he knew that this girl meant business and was not interested in anything else. There was slight resentment and coldness in her eyes too.


    There was something inside his heart that was stabbing him. Although he did not interact with his kids much, all the other kids in the household that he would see occasionally would have longing for his love in their eyes. They always wanted to gain his attention and try to survive in this cruel place. But this girl, she was different. She showed no love or longing for her parents.


    He dismissed his wife with a wave and gazed directly into Kim Su Won''s eyes. "I heard you wanted to talk about getting you a few teachers?" he asked directly.


    Kim Su Won hesitated before answering. She did not want Audrey Lazarus with them. It had to be kept a secret from her, although nothing was really secret in this mansion. But she also did not want to go into details how she was looking to educate Chris with her if the duke agreed to hire some instructors for her.


    Or she could just ask for instructors for that kid itself. Duke might listen to her but Audrey would never allow it. She just wanted protection for that poor kid. Thus, it was impossible for her to talk to her father in presence of her mother.


    "I have to apologize my lord, but I am sure I requested for a private audience," she replied back without any fear in her eyes. For someone who already was used to toxic environment and had died once, what else did she need to fear?


    Audrey was livid now. This was much too insulting. Her own daughter was asking their father to throw her out of the room? How could she? This was own flesh and blood! This runt was supposed to respect her as an elder and her mother. How dared she?


    "M-My lord! I will take her away and educate her properly. I apologize on her behalf. Emma, my dear child! I am so sorry I could not care after you when you were sick, but you cannot disrespect your parents like this," Audrey completely changed her tone. She looked heartbroken at her daughter''s behavior. Her eyes were the saddest Kim Su Won had ever seen through Emmeline''s memories. Of course, it was all an act. And Kim Su Won knew Audrey was almost about to pull out a handkerchief to start wiping her fake tears.


    If Audrey were to yell once more, the duke might get suspicious of how this neglected child was being treated. Again, it was going to affect her image. This kid was doing it to just gain some attention and sympathy anyway. She would give it to her for the time being and teach her a lesson later.


    Kim Su Won understood this tactic completely. These mothers, they did not change, did they? Their tricks were all the same. Audrey was portraying herself as the generous mother who was upset at her daughter''s outburst and felt ''responsible'' for not teaching her properly, while trying to ruin her daughter''s image in front of the father.


    "What is it that you want to talk about that your mother could not hear? I am sure there is no harm in your mother being here?" Duke Harold Whittemore, sitting in same position, looking handsome, was trying to corner his daughter.


    Hah! Such an old tactic again.


    At this moment, Kim Su Won knew, it was time for her acting.. She took everyone by surprise when she sat down on the floor in a kneeling position, with her eyes gone red with tears and shame.

 Chapter 23 - Kneeling Down

    Everyone in the room was startled. A twelve year old kid was kneeling down on the floor, her head looking down, as if she had committed a grave sin and was here to confess.


    Duke Harold Whittemore instantly stood up from his seat. No matter what, it was embarrassing to have such a young kid, female at that, doing this in front of him, especially because she was his own kid. He would not have batted an eye if it was an outsider, but she was his own blood.


    With such an unexpected reaction from her husband, duchess had to get up too. Her whole body trembled with rage. What was this wench trying to prove here? She really needed to get this child some kind of poison so she could not pull a stunt like this in the future. Why was she so hell bent on ruining her perfect image in the eyes of everyone?


    "Child, what are you doing?" Audrey asked clenching her teeth. The resentment in her voice was very apparent to Kim Su Won. She raised her head slightly at the right angle so that only Audrey Lazarus could see her face and curled her lips slightly upwards in a smirk. She then turned her head subtly towards the duke and his aide, with furrowed brows and reddened eyes.


    "F-forgive me duke, I did not mean to offend you or my lady. It is just that¡­," she took a dramatic pause and bit her lips, eliciting such fatherly emotions from both the stern men in the room. Her acting was tugging the strings of the hearts of both Harold Whittemore and Isaac Laurent.


    "What is it?" Duke asked in a gentle voice. Audrey looked at her husband, completely shocked. She had never heard her husband use such tender voice, even to her or her eldest daughter. How was this child doing it?


    "Having gone through such a life and death situation, I have certainly understood that I have been wrong all along. Mother has been trying to prepare me for crown princess candidature but I have been running away. I have realized my mistakes and want to make amends¡­," she took a break again and sniffled a bit.


    Even Anna could not hold back her tears. She had knelt down with her miss as soon as Kim Su Won had taken the step. As the maid, she did not have a right to stand when her master was sitting on the floor. She had no idea why her miss was being so dramatic but now it all made sense.


    "And you want to study?" Duke questioned her once again, getting quite interested in what this kid had to say. He had not interacted much with her, but he had no idea there was such a mature child in the family. As she said, life and death situation might have forced her to become one.


    It was the duty of Audrey to recognize such talent. But if the child had to come begging to him, that meant his wife had failed in her duty. And he was certainly not happy with that face. Harold''s face kept becoming darker as he pursued this line of thought. If the lady of the house was lagging in her duties, how could he work with peace of mind? The lands he helped maintain the imperial family, they would lose their trust in him if they knew of the discord between the legitimate family members. But he still kept his composure because he could not quarrel with his wife in front of the outsiders.


    Kim Su Won knew she was reaching there already and from the tone, duke had already granted her permission in his heart. But even if she said she wanted to study herself, she would never be able to find the teachers. Why? Because in the end, the responsibility of finding those teachers would come in the hands of Audrey again. And given her own reputation, her mother could always make an excuse that no one wanted to teach her.


    She had to secure a future both for herself and her little brother.


    And thus, she shook her head sideways, a few droplets had already started pouring out from her eyes, making an imprint on the thick carpet. With a choked voice, she replied, "I do want to study, but I already know that no one would be interested in teaching me by their own will. If my lord orders them, they would fulfill their duty but they might resent me. And thus, I came to petition on behalf of someone else."


    "Someone else?" the duke opened his eyes wide in surprise. Audrey also could not understand what was happening here. Who could it be when her two eldest kids were already getting top notch education and being taught by same teachers as the imperial family?


    Kim Su Won nodded, albeit her eyes shook left and right. Her lips parted and sealed quite a few times when she finally ''gathered courage'' to put forth her proposal.


    "I have been looking after my half brother since I woke up. His name is Christopher and he is nine years old. He really has great talent in studies but no desire to fight for any title. I would really like to support him for he could be a great scholar from our family," she said in one breath.


    Audrey Lazarus''s jaw dropped, this wench was really trying to ruin all her heard work till now!

 Chapter 24 - On Behalf Of An Outsider

    Audrey Lazarus wanted to slap her rebellious daughter for trying to ruin everything she had worked for thus far. Teaching a kid of a concubine would mean he would become contender to become an heir, threatening her own son''s position. She had eliminated all the male kids in the family one way or the other. Where did this ''Christopher'' creep up from? She was sure she had removed every hurdle from her son''s path. And this kid was nine years old already?


    "Christopher? Does not ring a bell," Harold Whittemore finally changed his pose, putting his arms down and opening his eyes wide in surprise.


    Kim Su Won could not get any more disgusted with this man. He did not remember his own children? On one hand, he resembled and behaved like her original dad and she would easily take advantage of that. But on the other hand, this man could not be more different than her dad. What was wrong with this man, seriously?


    "H-his mother is no more, unfortunately. He has been playing with me for quite a while now and I believe he really has talent with studies. Duke, if he gets to have teachers, I might be able to sit with him in the classes. I will try my best to show my sincerity. Plus, having a scholar from our family will be good for our reputation too, right? If he can become a helper to elder brother Ivan later, that would be the best, right?" she pleaded with her whole being, almost looking desperate.


    Audrey wanted to say something but observing her husband''s attitude, it seemed like he was really giving it a thought. To be honest, her husband was a mystery to herself too. He would fool around with so many women, even getting illegitimate kids on the way but for him, his wife and three children were the only family. Or were they? He was rather married to his work. His friends also included his work circle only. He had no acquaintances outside of his work circle, meaning the other dukes and the emperor.


    He was too busy to look after house affairs, so she was the one who was raising her kids however she wanted. He was not even surprised at this rude kid''s sudden appearance and even pleading on behalf of an outsider. Was he seriously going to consider her proposal and interfere in her ways for the first time in their lives?


    "I cannot make that decision for you Emma. You know we have clear division of responsibilities. It utterly disappoints me that you did not discuss with your mother," Harold Whittemore shrugged in helplessness. He had thought it through and he was well aware of his wife''s ways. He knew if he said yes, then his wife would be furious and then he would have more headache in life. He did not have even an ounce of time to spare for his crazy wife, he would rather be working.


    Audrey breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband did honor her after all. She glared at the girl with a glint of triumph in her eyes. Hah! This wench was being oversmart to directly go to her father. Now she would make sure that neither that bastard child nor her would get any education at all. Anyway, this girl was not fit to study.


    Kim Su Won felt a sense of urgency. She was failing real bad here and she needed to salvage the situation. Her plan to get herself and her brother educated was not going to get fulfilled at this rate.


    She tried remembering the worst memory from her previous life. She needed to produce tears and in her panic, they were not coming. She had to act even more pitiful than she was right now. Of the countless haunted memories from her past, her mind settled at one where her sister had called her, bawling one day.


    She was still in her office, far away from her home. But her sister, Kim Su Jin, was living with her family at that time. Her baby sister was still in high school, so did not have any choice. Their conversation had gone something like this:


    "Sister, mom she¡­," her sister was breathless on the phone. She had perhaps already cried for a good few minutes.


    "Why Su Jin-ah, what happened this time?" Kim Su Won had rolled her eyes. This was an everyday thing at home. Her sister was more disobedient that her and it did not sit right with their mother. She always compared the two sisters and was particularly fond of Kim Su Won, since she was the elder kid and also listened to her mother well. Su Jin, on the other hand, was more aware of her life and rights. It must have been another usual brawl between the mother and younger daughter.


    "She¡­ she called me a b*tch," Kim Su Jin dropped a bomb on her elder sister. Their mother had never used extreme curse words on her daughters ever. Kim Su Won had heard a few milder ones herself before, but not living at her own house for quite a while now, she had no idea what her mother was turning into. And that woman absolutely refused to get counseling for she did not want to be labeled as crazy.


    That was the moment when Kim Su Won had wanted to fly to her sister and hug her, comfort her, bring her to her city, away from their mother. But it was just not possible. She had never felt so helpless in her life like this. That day, she cried with her sister over their sad situation.


    The moment still brought such heartache to her. She herself was in no different situation now. It was even more heartbreaking to experience all that agony firsthand. She really wanted to see her sister once again now. How was that kid coping with her loss?


    A pool of tears inadvertently formed at the bottom of her eyes. Ah, her poor sister! And her poor brother Chris! What was she to do in this situation? How could she help them? This pain was tearing her apart.. Her head was not able to keep calm anymore and the dam finally broke.

 Chapter 25 - Cried

    The moment she was reminded of how her sister had told her that life was becoming too hard and she wanted to give up, Kim Su Won could not bear it anymore. Her tears fell freely, as if a dam had been broken. This¡­ this was what she needed exactly.


    "I¡­," she choked on her tears. She had to convince herself to control her emotions but they were overwhelming her intention. She quietly wiped her tears with her right hand and cleared her throat.


    "I just wanted to surprise the duchess. I know I have been a bad kid and I have made you two very sad with my tantrums. I really want to improve and contribute to the family. It is sad that no other miss of the house is of appropriate age to be crown princess. I have realized my mistakes and just want Whittemores to progress more. Can I not do that, my lord?" she implied that opposing her efforts was also hindering the family''s growth, something which Harold Whittemore would not allow. How could Audrey forget that her daughter''s age was her trump card? She was the only qualified lady of the house who could compete in crown princess race and very obviously, each ducal family wanted to have familial bond with the imperial family.


    It was not a household issue anymore, it related to the health of the family''s prowess. With just one sentence, she had changed the whole argument. Isaac Laurent took special note of this. Was this kid always this eloquent? From what he had seen and heard, this kid was worse than country bumpkins in temperament. But here she had convinced the duke to take decision in her favor. This kid was worth teaching. It would be foolish on duke''s part to say no at this moment.


    "Alright, I will arrange for the instructors. But it will be up to you to convince them to teach that kid and you. I will not take responsibility for that," Harold Whittemore finally nodded, glancing at Isaac who subtly agreed with his lord''s decision.


    "But, my lord-" Audrey tried to interrupt but Harold raised his hand to stop her. He had made his decision but had left enough leeway for his wife to do whatever she wanted to handle the situation.


    "Your mother will get to choose the teachers too. You cannot complain there," he further spoke, giving almost full authority to his wife. Now, she could even not contact anyone and say the people refused to show up.


    Audrey finally smiled, she realized the intent of her husband''s decision. As expected, he cared about her the most.


    "My lord, if I may¡­," Isaac Laurent interrupted the two. He could not understand why his lord would not let the girl have a chance. As his right hand man, it was his duty to know each and every affair of Whittemore household. Thus, he was naturally acquainted with Audrey Lazarus''s ways and Emmeline Whittemore''s neglect.


    In front of everyone, Audrey showed that she really cared about Emmeline and was grooming her hard to be a great crown princess candidate. But reality was something else. She only wanted an obedient puppet which Cecilia Whittemore was and a kid who could take over the family which Ivan was more than capable of. Although she came from a noble family herself, her thought process was very narrow minded. She did not see beyond the right to the ducal family and having someone who could really fulfill her own desires in her childhood. She did not care about her kid being a crown princess candidate.


    "You have something to say Isaac?" Harold''s ears perked up. His aide was a man of few words. The fact that he chose to speak at this moment meant he had made a grave mistake. But how could he go against his wife? She was already gnashing her teeth.


    "My lord, my lady, how about letting me handle the teachers? I know duchess is quite busy with the summer banquet and fall hunting competition. I could test young master Christopher and check his aptitude before we decide if we really want to bring in the teachers?" Isaac Laurent proposed, his red eyes staring at the girl still kneeling on the floor without producing even slight noise.


    Kim Su Won really had no idea what was going on. Once her father announced his decision, she really had lost all hope. She had the same thought as the duke, Audrey would never let teachers come here. Her mind had already started making plan B but thankfully this scary man interrupted on her behalf.


    She tried jogging her memory of the contribution of this man in the novel. She did not think he had been mentioned much apart from introducing him once or twice as duke''s aide. Why was he suddenly helping her?


    "But Earl Laurent, I have always been in-charge of the kids," Audrey protested. Her veins were popping on her forehead. Who was this lowly man to meddle in her affairs? And what was the relation between this old man and that kid that he was helping her?


    "I understand my lady. But you know how important this year''s summer banquet is, right? It is also 50th birthday of his majesty, so we cannot make any mistakes," Isaac reasoned. Now Audrey could not say anything against this.


    Kim Su Won was shocked. Plot armor was the best in the novels, right? Should she take it as her good luck as the protagonist of the novel? She was not sure, she only knew she was that drowning person who needed to catch at straws. And this Earl Isaac Laurent was her straw.


    "I think we could agree on that dear wife. What do you think? I am sure Isaac''s tests are not going to be easy," Harold Whittemore''s lips burst into a charming smile. As expected of his aide, he solved his problem at once.


    Now, this kid who could actually use some arguments, would probably get a chance to learn and his wife would not be able to complain. He really wanted to see what his youngest daughter would blossom into.


    "Fine, I concur. I cannot win against you two anyway. However, I would like Cecilia and Ivan to be part of judging the two kids. I am sure the two elder kids would learn through the experience too.. After all, Sir Isaac has always refused to instruct them," Audrey put forward her condition, with seething rage that was getting hard to control.

 Chapter 26 - Puffed

    "Ah miss!" Anna cried as she saw the face of Emmeline Whittemore. For some reason, her miss had cried herself to sleep after coming back from her father''s chamber. Anna wanted to comfort the young lady but she was just a maid, how could she hug her mistress?


    Young master Christopher had already slept by the time they had arrived, perhaps he got tired of waiting for the two of them. Her mistress had caressed the young kid''s cheek so lovingly but her gaze was somewhere else.


    Over the past few days, since her miss had woken up, there were so many times when Anna could not distinguish whether she or her miss was the adult between the two of them. And more often than not, her miss would just zone out for nothing, like she was not in this world any longer, like she had strayed far away, beyond the realms of this world. She had wanted to ask her miss about what she was thinking but did not want to alarm her. The young lady had had a shock of her life with the drowning incident after all.


    Last night was one such event where Anna had no idea where her miss''s strength came from. To go against Audrey Lazarus was basically waging a war against her own life. She had wanted to stop her miss so many times but again, she was just a maid. If her miss had decided to throw her life away, then she was going to accompany her miss.


    Right now, though, bigger issue was the puffed up eyes of the miss. It was hard to see Emmeline Whittemore''s pupil even.


    Kim Su Won groaned. She could not stop her emotions yesterday, remembering her sister from the past. She was quite okay after Duke Whittemore''s decision to back Isaac. She had quietly thanked the three elders, bowed in front of them and taken the leave. She had even walked proudly over to her wing, even though the servants snickered behind her back.


    But once she saw the peaceful face of the sleeping kid in her bed, she burst into tears once again. Ah, if it were her previous life, she could have blamed PMS for it. But she had not hit puberty just yet, what excuse could she make?


    She had no idea how much time had passed before sleep crept in. She only remembered feeling like someone patting her back in her groggy state.


    Anyway, she did not want to wake up, her face felt heavy and her head hurt.


    "Miss, I think you should start studying. You only have one week before the test," Anna reminded her miss, putting down the cup of tea on the table near her bed.


    "Hah! You remind me of my mom," Kim Su Won rolled around in bed, blurting out the words.


    Anna stared at her miss for ten seconds. ''Mom''? Her miss never called her mother mom. Before the accident, it was ''mother'' and recently it had turned to mere ''duchess''. When did her miss use such an intimate word for her mother? Was this some person she did not know about?


    Kim Su Won instantly realized what she had said in her sleepiness. It was a dangerous slip of tongue.


    "N-Never mind. I must still be dreaming," she sat up in the bed, flustered. However, contrary to her expectations, Anna remained calm, her clear gaze looking at her without any questions. Had this poor maid already accepted her weirdness and given up on her?


    "Anna, there were no topics decided yesterday for the exam. And now I think about it, I am getting pretty stressed out. I have no idea what Earl Laurent could test us on. What should I do?" a sudden anxiety came over Kim Su Won. She had not really thought about it when she agreed yesterday. After all, that was the last chance she could get. But she had no idea about history or politics of this world!


    If Isaac Laurent was going to test her, he would probably go to topics suitable for women, like arts and social studies. There was no mention of anything like this in the novel too! She could predict future events, but past? No way! Neither would Chris know all this! What did kids her age learn anyway?


    She ruffled her hair in frustration. She had no idea where to go from there. Even if she had access to that massive library, she could not really study and memorize the books there. Where was she supposed to start?


    "How about starting with Earl Isaac himself?" Anna suggested, helping her miss get down the bed and get ready for the day.


    "You mean learn about him or ask him questions?" Kim Su Won asked, contemplating if any of those was even possible. Learning about him would not yield what he could really ask them during the test and ask him questions? It was out of question. That man with red fiery eyes was scary! He might have given her leeway one time, but it was not like he was going to go easy on them for no reason.


    "The way he helped you out of the sticky situation yesterday, I think you should believe in him a bit, miss. How about just paying him a visit?" Anna replied, quite optimistically, as she helped the kid brush her teeth and wash her face.


    "Anna, you are too na?ve. In this world, nothing is free. He helped us yesterday, there was definitely some motive behind it. There is no guarantee that he would help us again. What if we offend him by approaching him twice? Then this one chance we have gotten, we might lose it too," Kim Su Won answered, a bit aggressively. If Anna was not this innocent, would she have died in the novel? No, it would take her some time to learn the cruel ways of the world, but it would be too late by then.


    Anna smiled gently, her smile was like a refreshing spring. Kim Su Won glanced at her maid''s pretty face through the mirror. She had not seen her maid smile so genuinely before.


    Anna, on the other hand, was just so proud of her little mistress. Such words of wisdom were pouring through her mouth these days, how could her heart not feel full at this? Her miss was really growing up.


    "If he really has a motive behind helping you once, would he not want to see it through the end and gain something out of it? Yesterday was no victory for him, but he probably will really gain something if you pass his test?" she replied, warming the atmosphere with her gentle touch and calm words.


    Kim Su Won had to really pay heed to her maid''s words. She was correct in her own sense but going to him to ask for help was too huge a risk.. But since she had no clue where to begin anyway, perhaps she should really visit him? But with what excuse or premise? Moreover, if she did visit him, it would not remain a secret and Audrey would get a chance to accuse her of cheating. Could she really do it?

 Chapter 27 - Elder Brother - I

    Before she could make a decision, Kim Su Won and Anna were startled with the door of her room open abruptly with a bang.


    "Emma!" she heard an enthusiastic and charming husky low voice.


    She looked up, this was one new character she had yet to meet.


    "What are you doing here?" she barked. She had not seen her elder brother Ivan Whittemore just yet in her almost two weeks here but she could tell right away that it was him. He had been described in great detail by the author of the novel. Moreover, he did end up becoming the next duke of the dukedom. The silver hair and deep blue ocean eyes, completed with a small handsome face and very well built body could ensnare any girl. No wonder he was a popular character on the forums although his personality was completely trash.


    Anyway, she was not interested in entertaining him. She had much more important things to do. Moreover, she was getting ready. Did this guy not have even that much decency to knock?


    Ivan Whittemore was taken aback by the cold shoulder her sister had suddenly given him. He had come here to boast how he had been appointed as a judge for some kind of test for her and see her grovel before him and beg for his help. But he had not expected that this kid, who had always been running after him and his elder sister for attention would act as if he was some sewer rat. He was speechless for a few seconds but regained his composure instantly.


    "What do you mean? I came to congratulate you on your feat and wanted to check how much you know to have accepted a challenge like that. As far as I know you don''t even know how to read and write," Ivan Whittemore''s perfect set of pearly white teeth forming a grin.


    As expected, this boy had come here to tease her. This boy was the same age as the crown prince, fourteen years old. Yet he was still bratty, thanks to their mother''s pampering and protection to him. In the novel, he inherited the dukedom but because no one had ever held him accountable for his actions in the past, he ended up destroying it. Later, because of her amazing reputation, he would run to Emmeline to help him out save the duchy.


    But the businesswoman Emmeline would not give him even an iota of attention. She was too cool and sassy and remembered all the torture original Emmeline had gone through because of this guy''s and her sister''s schemes.


    She was pretty sure that no matter what, this brother sister pair was going to try to fail her. But she also knew if she was going to be politically correct in her answers, then there was no way these two siblings could do anything. So, she had to put her faith in Isaac Laurent.


    "I am sorry brother, but it seems your information is quite outdated," Kim Su Won flicked her long hair with confidence. It was a surprise to her that she had not experienced trembling or crying apart from before Audrey.


    If it were her original world, she would have raised her voice but having self-esteem issues, she would have broken down instantly too. This had happened to her on several occasions and all the fault lied in her never having been independent. She was always following her mother''s orders, so she had no awareness of self. And thus, if she had to verbally fight with someone, whether a public official or a colleague, she would rather not face them.


    For the longest time, she had thought she was just an introvert. But breaking down due to anxiety was definitely due to lack of self confidence. And it took her so much time to understand this simple thing.


    Was it because she did not feel attached to this body and world just yet?


    Even if people were judging her here, how would it affect her? She was to be replaced in four years anyway.


    The consequences of her actions would not influence her future because she did not have one, right?


    With these thoughts, she stood up from her chair and went to sit on the sofa, glancing towards her brother. Those blue eyes, like a sapphire, were completely puzzled.


    What had happened to his sister? Had she hit her head when she was drowning or something? She was not afraid that he would fail her in the exam? Why? Why was she not begging him already?


    And what did she mean ''outdated''? He had made fun of her right on the day she jumped into the lake about how she was unable to do even the simplest of the tasks in life, including reading and writing. It could not be that she learnt it all within a week or so.


    "Ayyy, do you think you can bluff me little sister? Just the other day, before your accident¡­"


    "Before my accident?" she instantly glared at him. Did he know something about the accident? Was he there when it happened? She still had not solved the mystery because this body did not have the memories of the day. She did not know if it was a suicide attempt on Emmeline Whittemore''s part or someone pushed her in or she fell in by accident.


    But since Emmeline Whittemore was not a character who would give up on life easily, it definitely could not be a suicide attempt. Anyway, this brother of hers could be the key to finding it out!


    "Ah¡­ I mean before you accidently fell into the lake, you had come begging to me to help you out with some things. Don''t you remember?" Ivan''s eyes glinted with epiphany. He did feel that this girl had changed too much after the accident but had she lost her memories too? No wonder there was no fuss after she woke up. He had really worried over nothing.


    Kim Su Won contemplated a bit. She could not tell anyone the truth of her transmigration but she also could not hide the fact that she did not remember things around the accident forever. It would be better to fess it up.


    She rubbed her temple with her hand and frowned, "yeah, my memories around that time are a bit fuzzy."

 Chapter 28 - Elder Brother - II

    For Ivan Whittemore, this girl called Emmeline Whittemore was no more than a toy for playing pranks, ever since she was born. She was different from his elder sister and himself. She had different colored hair and their mother did not seem too fond of her. The news of their mother getting pregnant for the third time was surely celebrated, but her birth was not.


    Their mother had also gone through a difficult labor during her birth and was quite disappointed that she did not bear another son. And so, it felt like the two elder siblings had been given free rein to bully this kid as much as they wanted. Their mother did not care much after all.


    First, she cried, but no one helped. Then she tried to resist. It made the brother sister pair want to tease her more. And then it was announced that this kid would represent Whittemore household for the crown princess race. That was when everything had changed.


    Their elder sister, Cecilia, had started harboring a resentment towards this kid. In the end, he had no idea what kind of deal they made, but Emmeline had stopped coming out of her wing much. It was hard to seek her out or play pranks on her. The life did not remain as fun anymore for Ivan.


    Furthermore, he became engaged in his studies for inheriting the dukedom, so he just stopped paying attention. Through the vines, he did hear about her outrageous actions from time to time but they were always befitting a kid. It was hilarious to learn how she had made all her teachers run away.


    As an elder brother, he had wanted to help her out. No matter what, she was still his little sister. But in the blink of an eye, this girl was already twelve years old. The cute kid with always snotty nose for no one would look after her, had suddenly turned into this arrogant but meek beauty. They were not in a relationship where he could advise her or listen to her concerns. But his heart really ached for this kid who wanted nothing but attention. Although he was just two years older than her, she


    His bullying, and then neglecting, led him to believe that their relationship had become irreparable. And for the same reason, every time he met this girl by chance, he would try to talk some sense into her, albeit by insulting her more.


    But the loud callous brat this kid was, she would either beg him incessantly for something or the other or just listen to him quietly, without even a word. There were always two extremes to this kid, she was either too hyper or too depressingly quiet. He almost always thought that the kid had a bipolar disorder. She had just become an annoying existence that he was to avoid as much as possible.


    But the aura of the kid had completely changed, especially since he saw her last time. And it was right before she fell into the lake too. Now, she seemed more mature, and calmer in demeanor? It was definitely not old Emmeline for sure!


    And he had even heard about her wanting to study on her own! Truthfully, he had wanted to just see how that kid had managed such a feat and try to tease her again for old times sake, but given how surprising she had been since the beginning of their short conversation, he could not bring himself up to do anything to her.


    She had surprised him with her coldness first but then she also admitted to losing her memories on the day of the accident? What was this confusing behavior? Was this kid scheming something suddenly, like a revenge for all those times? She was not listening quietly but also not begging him for any attention. It was as if she was a proud independent person just like a Whittemore was supposed to be.


    Wait a minute! Did he just say like a Whittemore?! No, not possible! This girl was not raised to be a Whittemore. She was either a leech or a crown princess candidate. She did not have any other identity! She could not be a Whittemore!


    Hah! Ivan Whittemore suddenly clutched his head with his both hands and laughed maniacally. This was how it felt to have their own position threatened. This was what his elder sister going through! But she was just twelve years old, how could he feel threatened with just two sentences she had spoken? What had gotten into him?


    Kim Su Won had no idea she had just made her brother wary of herself. She looked at him puzzled and then started looking through a few books she had ordered Anna to bring last night.


    "Hmph! Even if you read those books, do you think Cecilia would ever pass you in the exam?" Ivan went ahead and sat down in the sofa, right beside Emmeline.


    Although this boy was fourteen years old, puberty had hit him right. He was so tall, that he had reached beside her in few strides. Kim Su Won opened her eyes wide. How dare this boy treat her room as his own property?


    "And why would she not? If I give wrong answers, I will admit them wrong. But if I am correct, then Cecilia could not brand my answer wrong of her own volition. That would make her look illiterate," Kim Su Won replied, as she started turning the pages of the book she had in her hand.


    She had just learned reading, so the book looked quite hard. It was about the history of the kingdom of Krislabet. She had read it in the novel too but it was not like she remembered it all. Moreover, the author had not fleshed it out in as much detail as she needed to learn at the daughter of the duke. Ugh! This was going to be a headache.


    Ivan Whittemore''s face was suddenly graced with a wry smile. "History of Krislabet? Let me help you out," he took the book from her hands.


    "Help? Why would you want to help me?" Kim Su Won frowned slightly. She tried reading her elder brother''s face but could not understand his emotions. Going by the novel, nothing good was to come out of her associating with this kid. But why the sudden interest in her?


    "What if I say I want to take your side this time?" his eyes suddenly gleamed with excitement.

 Chapter 29 - Taking Sides

    Kim Su Won was taken aback by her brother''s statement. Take her side? Had he lost his mind or had he realized something about her? It was not possible that people were already realizing her talent, was it? Not that she had any. All she had was willingness to throw herself into learning from scratch and some advanced knowledge from her previous life.


    But she was definitely not interested in threatening the position of Cecilia or Ivan. She just wanted to live her four years without regrets that she had in the past and then, hand over this body to the businesswoman. Since she wanted to know what was going through the mind of this kid, she scoffed lightly.


    "Take my side? Brother, what ideas are you getting in your mind? You don''t think I am vying for any position in here, do you?" she smirked provocatively. If she were to go by the novel, this elder brother of hers was easily incensed.


    Since he had never been challenged in his life before, he always thought that he was the best strategist and that his ideas were clever. But now, there was someone, the good-for-nothing younger sister at that, who was telling him he was wrong. How was he to react now?


    "Why? Aren''t you doing all this because you really are interested in becoming the crown princess? Everyone knows how head over heels you are for the crown prince!" Ivan Whittemore could not believe his ears.


    He was so very sure that she had decided to take part in power struggle. For him, it would be better to associate to the sister who was, at least, working towards becoming crown princess, than going after the one who was actually planning to threaten his position as the heir.


    In the kingdom of Krislabet, it was perfectly normal for females to inherit dukedom. However, it only happened in the cases where there was no male heir or the male was too immature, in age or mental capacity, to become the duke.


    The way the dynamics worked in the Whittemore family, Ivan was very sure that his elder sister was always scheming something against him, even though she always showed how much she loved her younger brother on the outside. Furthermore, their mother was also supportive towards him becoming the next duke.


    But if this girl was not planning to compete for crown princess, what had he even come here for? And what was she scheming by doing all this?


    "Why? Can''t I be interested in learning for myself?" Kim Su Won smiled. She knew, in this era, there was no concept of ''self'' as such, something she had struggled all her previous life as well.


    She had always worked according to the wishes for her parents. Starting from shunning her friends in favor of textbooks, not talking to classmates who were not good at studies because they were not worthy enough of her, not participating in sports, choosing engineering, going to that prestigious college, taking the first job she got just to not let her parents down, everything was for them.


    Now that she had gotten this second chance, why would she not want to live for herself? But would Ivan Whittemore understand this foreign concept?


    As expected, her elder brother''s blue eyes, stared at her in speechlessness and then they curved upwards, in mockery. Ivan was trying to gauge if this kid was joking or not. But seeing her super serious face, he guffawed, so loud that his attendant came in to see if something was wrong.


    "Bahahaha, oh my little sister. And here I thought, you really had gained some wisdom while you were drowning in the lake. I see, you are as foolish as ever. Do you think, as a daughter of a duke, you have your own rights, own life? You are just a pawn for the duchy to prosper. Your importance is restricted to you getting married for business relationships. And nothing else. I don''t even know where you got such an idea from!" he lightly hit the book in his hands on the head of Emmeline Whittemore.


    Kim Su Won was not happy with his behavior, but for some reason, it really felt like a normal conversation with a sibling. Had the original Emmeline ever tried to talk to her siblings at all? She only ever interacted with Chris out of pity. But with Ivan, she had always thought him to be on Cecilia''s side. All she ever did in front of him was cry, holler or ignore. This guy did not seem that bad, not just yet.


    "Young master," the kid on the side, who seemed the same age as Ivan looked at the two, not sure how to react. The two siblings seemed close, but he had not seen his friend and master, Ivan, talk to his younger sister like this.


    "Ah, Alex! Why are you here?" Ivan wiped the tear off the corner of his eyes. He had not had such hearty laugh in a while.


    "I am sorry. I just came to check if everything was alright," the young man replied. Kim Su Won glanced at him. The kid did not appear as someone original Emmeline knew by name but he did appear as the person who always looked at her with sympathetic eyes and was always by the side of her elder brother.


    But she did not really need to know the kid''s identity. His stark red hair and fiery red eyes were split copy of Isaac Laurent. What a gorgeous boy! His tan skin and muscular built gave him a beastly charm that was completely opposite to her elder brother who had skin so pale that she could literally see his veins through the skin.


    This guy was one of the people who had, later in the novel, switched sides to the third prince of the country, to help him with expanding Emmeline''s businesses. So, he was an ally. Or he would become one later. She had to keep an eye on this kid.


    "Young lady," Alex bowed to Kim Su Won once he realized he had not greeted the lady.


    Kim Su Won got up from her seat and curtsied perfectly towards the Earl''s son, "Nice to meet you. My name is Emmeline," taking everyone in the room by surprise with her mannerism.

 Chapter 30 - Mannerism

    "M-Miss!" Anna interjected, seeing her miss curtsying to the son of an Earl.


    "Hmm?" Kim Su Won looked back in confusion. She enjoyed reading the webnovels but she really had no idea about the manners of peerage. Nor did she try to learn about them. Did she do something out of line? Seeing the flustered face of both Alex Laurent and Anna, she had deduced that she did.


    "You are not supposed to bow to a son of an Earl. Your social standing is better than him," Anna whispered into Emmeline''s ears to not incur the wrath of this super serious young master there. His face said he had almost felt offended with her miss''s greeting to him.


    "Sir Laurent, you do not need to feel offended. You might know already, but I do not really care about hierarchies. You are a person worthy of my respect since you have achieved so much at such a young age. I, on the other hand, have not done anything in my life despite being a daughter of a duke. I hope you would not take it in a wrong way," Kim Su Won smiled. The flustered kid''s ramrod straight back straightened further on hearing her words.


    Did she just praise him? How did she know about him anyway? Wasn''t she the ignorant youngest daughter of the duke who had no idea about the outer world? He had always known what was going on behind the scenes and always felt pity towards this kid.


    But somehow, she really felt different now. Those blue colored eyes that were lighter than any of the Whittemore, were now tranquil like a clear lake unlike a raging river that used to reflect in her eyes before the accident. It was as if she really was wise beyond her years, as if she could see the future. What had changed?


    And why was she suddenly talking to him? She had never shown any interest in anyone before. Why did he feel¡­ giddy inside¡­ just because she praised him? His ears had started to turn red for some reason.


    "I-I am rather honored that you know about me, young lady," Alex Laurent bowed to the girl who was smiling very congenially. He could not figure out her intentions but it did not feel bad to be acknowledged by one of the ladies of the house. Madame Whittemore generally ignored him and the elder miss used to make fun of him, treating him like trash, just because he was from a lower house.


    Only Ivan was the one who treated him as a peer. It was also because he was better than him in both fighting skills and academics. And since he was the son of the right hand man of the duke, it was a given he would be put with one of the children of house Whittemore.


    If this girl ever got proven better than Ivan, he would not hesitate to switch sides, ever. His father had taught him to work for the citizens and be loyal to the country, not just one house. He had put those teachings to his heart.


    He knew Cecilia was a gone case. That girl had not been raised right, and she only knew how to indulge in luxury. No idea, what Madam Whittemore saw in her eldest daughter. Guess, she was raised more like the madam, just to spend the money of the house.


    And this kid, Emmeline Whittemore was too young and neglected to contribute anything towards the house. He did not have much impression about her except that pity he felt for her.


    "See? There was nothing to be worried about! Ah, elder brother, about the exam, I hope you will judge it fairly, no? Since it is a test for you too, in a roundabout way," Kim Su Won shifted her calm gaze from the red haired kid to silver hair kid. She, being twenty four years old in her previous life, felt a sense of responsibility towards all these kids who were ruining their future just because their parents were not capable enough. She was going to be their elder sister and bring them to the right path.


    Ivan Whittemore gave up on the kid, she was too unpredictable right now. There was this air of confidence that she had gained that made her kind of intimidating. He did not want to deal with her anymore. Plus, he needed to brush up his concepts if he were to be a good judge and make an impression on the earl.


    He had not really thought about it if not for this younger sister of his, but what he knew from Alex abut his father, this might as well be one of his tests to judge who was fit for inheriting the title. He should not have taken this as lightly as he was taking.


    With his thoughts traveling here, Ivan Whittemore abruptly got up from his seat, with a serious expression and marched out of Emmeline''s room.


    "Miss!!!" Anna yelled almost instantly as the two guys exited the room. As soon as her miss had any interaction with any members of the households, Anna felt a few years shaven from her life. Today was another such day, she had felt like she aged ten years or so. She was getting tired, she wanted to flip a table right now.


    Kim Su Won rubbed her ear jokingly. "Anna, calm down! You are drawing blood from my ears," she jested.


    "B-but! We need to fix your manners and everything! If you display such a thing before the earl¡­," Anna was really panicking. Although about an hour ago, she had urged her miss to go to the earl and ask for his help, now she had changed her mind. Her miss was just not fit to interact with anyone right now.


    Kim Su Won shook her head in negative. "Those are the things that everyone knows I need to learn. If I start studying them, I would be wasting my time. I need to learn the fundamentals. Go gather some information about what the earl is like. I need to know some past projects of his and see what he truly values. We will see how we should prepare for this exam after that," the kid smirked with pride.


    It seemed like she had gotten a small hint from Alex Laurent.. If Anna''s intel did not work, then that red haired kid would be the one to help her out.

 Chapter 31 - Visiting Alex - I

    In the end, Kim Su Won failed in gathering the type of information she wanted. All Anna could find was the physical traits of the earl. The maids could tell his height, weight, sizes and generic characteristics like him being stubborn and strict with the knights, but no one could really describe how he was, as a person.


    Kim Su Won had already lost a day and now only six days were left in preparation. If she kept being so clueless, she would not be able to help out herself or her little brother. Ultimately, she had to resort to the last tactic she had thought.


    The night had fallen and Kim Su Won was pacing back and worth, ridden with worry. She had no idea how she could meet Alex. Calling him to her room would mean everyone hearing about it. Should she go and ask her elder brother to be the mediator between them? But that did not sit right with her either.


    Did Alex even live in this mansion? Earl Isaac Laurent had a separate house of his own a few miles away but was the son going with his father? A few miles meant she could not go there walking. What was she to do? Anna had not come back with the information either.


    "Miss!" Anna finally arrived, breathless.


    "D-Did you find a way to contact him?" Kim Su Won held her hands together in hers and asked anxiously. Her childhood teachings of acing exams and coming on top were really making her nervous. She had to do well in Sir Laurent''s test, no matter what!


    "I managed to spot him when he was going to go back to his home. Thankfully he was alone. I gave him your letter, he is waiting for you in the garden near the main gate," Anna said. She still was not convinced it was a good idea to meet the son to know about the father.


    Although her miss was still a kid, it was not right for a female and a male to meet all alone at night. But she also knew that her miss was quite stubborn, she would not listen to her. It was as if she was hellbent to see it through the end.


    "Anna! You are the best!!" Kim Su Won immediately hugged her maid. She did her job so well! Ah, she so wished she had good jewelry that she could give to Anna in return. Right now, all she was giving her poor maid was apprehension with all her poorly laid plans. If only things were a little bit clearer in this Emmeline''s life.


    She immediately wanted to step out of her room, albeit discreetly, when Anna grabbed the miss by her collar from behind. "Miss, you can''t leave like this. You are wearing a nightdress, it is not appropriate. Let me get you something else to wear." The muscles on the maid''s forehead were twitching, so Kim Su Won had to comply. She could not make her maid mad anymore. What if she stopped cooperating with her?


    "Alright, find me something dark in color and light. I would like to move stealthily. And give me the location of the guy and you stay here. If anyone asks, just tell them I have gone to bed," Kim Su Won uttered her orders left and right.


    Anna was speechless. This miss, who had claimed amnesia, did not even know her way around the mansion, but she wanted to go outside all alone? In the dead of the night? She was okay with other things, but this¡­ this was completely unacceptable.


    "I am sorry miss, but you cannot convince me on this," Anna denied her order right away.


    "But Anna, if there is no one here to make excuses, I would be caught so easily," Kim Su Won whined a bit. She knew she was doing something outrageous, but she did not know that Anna would oppose it so much. "Moreover, we would not want Sir Alex to be waiting too much for me, right?"


    "Miss, no one comes here anyway. Why would anyone look for you in the first place?" Anna''s brows had knitted tightly. This time, no meant no.


    "Come on Anna! Please, I promise I will be careful, okay? I just don''t want both of us to get into trouble. I know the people have started trying to keep an eye on me. There might not be people right outside spying after me, but I cannot guarantee they would not come at this late hour to make a ruckus. Please!" Kim Su Won folded her hands and pleaded sincerely. She had to go out alone, even if the risk was high. Ugh, if only she could move around freely. She really needed to earn her rights as soon as possible.


    "It seems like you do not have any intention to listen to me. You can go ahead and go if you want, but you would not be hearing my voice starting tomorrow. Now the decision is up to you," Anna crossed her arms and turned her head away in anger. It was not much of an anger but worry, her yes had reddened.


    Kim Su Won felt really bad hearing this. If the situation were not dire, Anna would not have threatened her so. She knew her maid worried about her, but it was for their future. She had to take this risk. She stepped forward and opened her closet to look for clothes.


    It would be great if she could find something easy to move in. Unfortunately, the females in this era only wore large gowns. She could still wear a frock, that would be easier to handle than a gown. But pants would be the best in this situation to be honest.


    She ruffled around and found a pair of shirt and pants, perhaps hands me down of Ivan. This would do.. She donned them in the darkness and left the room in a hurry, leaving Anna all alone. The poor maid sniffled a bit at the disregard but she was still just a servant, what could she do?

 Chapter 32 - Visiting Alex - II

    Now, the major problem for Kim Su Won was finding her way. She had planned to let Anna draw a map for her. She was still not familiar with the whole freaking castle. And because of the small brawl back in the room, she did not even know where exactly Alex was waiting for her. Anna said main gate, right?


    Kim Su Won stealthily moved behind the pillars, in the darkness, to not be caught by the guards. She was thankful to all these big mansions and castles in ancient eras where there was such a leeway for her to move around.


    Interestingly, she had observed that there was not much security inside the castle. It was not like there were guards standing all around. The knights'' squad was around the duke and duchess and her two elder siblings. But she had not been assigned a knight and her wing was almost always empty.


    Issue was how to go out of the building. There was a side gate from her wing which led directly to outside gardens but each gate was stations with two guards on each side of the huge wooden doors. Even if she managed to drive away attention of one person, the other one would still be there.


    She peeked from one of the windows in the wall, as expected, both the guards were standing on each side of the door. What was she to do? How could she make them go away from their posts?


    "What are you doing here?" she heard a voice whispering in her ear behind her. Her blood went cold with fear and her body froze. Had she already been caught by someone? But it was the east wing gate, there was supposed to be no one here! Who could it be? It was such a bizarre situation that her mind had stopped working too.


    Whatever, this was not the time to look for identity of the person. With the whisper, she could not even tell the person''s voice, only that it was a male. It was more important to not get kidnapped, she had finally become a rich daughter of someone in her life.


    She was just short of screaming for help when a big hand covered her mouth. "Don''t shout, it''s me," the voice whispered again, sending shiver down her spine. Me? Someone she was familiar with?


    She nodded her head to let this person know that she understood. Curiosity got over her and she turned around immediately the moment she felt the hand loosen. Seeing the red eyes glow in the faint light and the ever serious face, she knew it was the person she was looking for. What was he doing here though?


    "You scared me so much Sir Laurent! What if I had screamed for help?" Kim Su Won pouted. This kid ah! He was going to give her a heart attack for sure!


    "I believe you are much more intelligent that that Lady Whittemore," Alex Laurent replied, a confidence in his eyes for her that she did not have for herself.


    What the! How did he know? What was wrong with this father son pair? Weren''t they expecting too much from her without even knowing anything about her at all?


    This almost reminded her of those relatives back in her original life who could not stop raving about to her parents how successful she was going to be in her adult life. Just because her grades were better than most of her cousins, her aunts would only throw jabs at her full of jealousy and mockery and her uncles would keep praising her for her talents. Wasn''t that just hyping up her hardworking as her being genius?


    Hah! That alone set her and her inflated ego up for failure. Right now, she so wished she had not listened to those ''well-meaning'' relatives of hers, just because her own parents would not appreciate her. Kim Su Won had really took those words from her relatives as validation. If only she knew better at that time!


    She was not going to fall for this trap a second time! Even if these two believed in her, she had to set realistic expectations for herself. She was operating on borrowed time here anyway.


    "Oh well! I was on the way to meet you. What are you doing here?" she whispered. The whole point of asking this kid to wait in the garden was so that no one noticed that she met the son of her examiner. Why did this kid come here looking for her?


    "Don''t worry Lady Whittemore, I made sure no one saw me. I realized there was no way for you to leave the mansion discreetly. So, I decided to greet you here. Were you not going to ask me about my father?" Alex Laurent was as serious as his father.


    He spoke with a straight face without a hint of smile. Kim Su Won rubbed her temples. This kid who could steal hearts of millions with his tall figure and handsome face wanted to pose as a mature adult? Even his demeanor was like his dad, straight back, hands clasped behind his back. Ugh, could he not act like a kid of his age? What made him act this way?


    "That is amazingly perceptive and considerate of you, Sir Laurent. Also, I am so much younger than you. Could you please not call me by my name? Consider me as a younger sister?" Kim Su Won tried to appeal to the kid. She could not directly ask about his father from him without building any connection. That would be too business-like. She had to develop a relation with him, networking of sorts.


    "H-How could I do that? You are the daughter of the duke!" Alex was finally flustered. From the novel, Kim Su Won knew that this kid was the only child of the earl. He had longed for a sibling but his father had decided not to have any more kids to avoid bloodbath between siblings for heirship.


    And Alex Laurent had been groomed with him as the heir in mind since his childhood. He did not have any chance to be a kid throughout his life. But since he was in her good books, she could give him an opportunity to have a pretend-sibling and rope him in into her circle. Two birds with one stone!


    "I-If that is too much, how about just in private? I could also call you brother Alex? What do you think?" she acted a bit cute, whining and grabbing the corner of his white sleeve. She so wished she could see his blushing face but it was too dark for that in this corner of east wing.


    How did she know he was blushing? She could tell from the way his glowing red eyes had softened and were wavering left and right.


    "A-Alright, E-E-Emmeline," the kid stuttered. Haha, so cute!


    "Thanks brother Alex! I am sorry you had to come so secretly here. I wish I could host you in my guest room but I do not want you to get in trouble for meeting me alone," Kim Su Won grinned, finally having a small success. Cute guys acting tough was so adorable, this was the first time she was experiencing this!


    Upon hearing her apology, Alex went back to his serious mode.. "I would not be the one in trouble here Emma, there are more chances of you getting in problem. Isn''t that why you wanted to meet in secret?"

 Chapter 33 - Flame In Her

    Kim Su Won''s head throbbed with pain and excitement. This guy¡­ he was a genius To have the foresight to think that far ahead and the fact that this guy did not try to expose her¡­ he wanted to test her and believe in his dad, did he not?


    "Haha¡­ hahahaha¡­," she laughed hysterically. She had hit the jackpot! If this guy and his dad were ready to give her a chance, then she had to really make sue of this opportunity. If she got the backing of Laurent household, she would have influence over not just one but two generations of Whittemore household.


    From what she remembered, this guy was the only one Ivan listened to apart from their dad and the earl. Same with her dad, he really listened to Earl Laurent and trusted him with everything, even his life. It was unfortunate that the author had not expanded much about the character of Earl Laurent in the novel. She would not need to ask this guy otherwise.


    But now that she had seen the character of the son, could she assume that Earl Laurent was a similar personality? A genius with a real foresight to analyze situations? But that was not enough for her exam. In order to understand what she could be tested on, she had to really know how the Earl was in real life.


    "Brother Alex, I am not sure why you are willing to help me like this, even sneaking back into the castle. But if you have taken the first step, then I would not be shy about it. You must have already guessed why I called you here," Kim Su Won spoke with confidence, something Alex had not seen in Ivan or Cecilia. This girl¡­ she was well tempered and measured in her speech.


    She thought before she spoke. And this was something missing from both the heir candidates of the dukedom. He had to report this immediately to his father. No wonder he was eager to give her a chance.


    But she was definitely not like this before. Wasn''t she always throwing a tantrum of some sort? What changed? Nonetheless, he nodded to her question.


    Initially, he thought she wanted to know what questions his father would ask her. But how could he know such information? It was not like his father was going to tell him the structure of the exam he was planning? But he thought about it a bit deeper. If this girl had really gained some kind of wisdom, she would know the same too. Then, directly asking him about the questions did not make sense.


    What could it be? He was curious what kind of questions she was going to ask him.


    "Great! Could you please tell me what kind of person the earl is when he is outside this mansion?" Kim Su Won smiled once again, taking aback the kid who had no idea what kind of curveball was coming towards him.


    ----------------


    "What did she ask you?" Earl Laurent had been waiting for his son to enter the house with a glass of wine in his hand and sitting on the sofa right in the drawing room of the big mansion.


    There was no reason for his son to be late and the young lord of the Whittemore castle had no idea where Alex was when he asked him. Then there was only one place he had to be. He was waiting for the girl to approach him but she chose another route, eh? This was becoming more interesting than he had thought.


    "I don''t think you need to worry. She is going to pass the exam," Alex replied as he sat down in the sofa in front of his dad. When he was there, he wanted to tell his father everything about his conversation with the young lady. But from the attitude of his father, it seemed as if he had already made up his mind to let her study.


    "Oh? To think she has piqued your interest too. I am sure the conversation must have been very amusing. Quickly tell this old man what she asked you," Isaac Laurent even kept his wine glass on the table and sat with whole attention towards his son.


    Alex had rarely seen his father this excited. His eyes were gleaming and his red beard was twitching with exhilaration and anticipation. What was it about her that was attracting both him and his dad like this towards her? He was perhaps just too young to understand it.


    "Father, I will tell you all about it. But why are you so interested in her when you have never been biased towards Ivan or Lady Cecilia?" Alex asked curiously. He had to make his decision soon as well. Who was he going to support in the heirship battle?


    "Sigh¡­ I thought you would have understood, but you are still a child. Then, I will explain it to you," Isaac Laurent crossed his legs and picked up the glass once again, leaning against the back of the sofa. He had not spoken his mind to anyone just yet, so this exercise was going to help him clear his thoughts too.


    "I have not seen her much but till now, there was this fear and death in her eyes. And yet, she is just a twelve years old kid. I know it was probably because of the neglect in her household but I always thought that there were so many unfortunate kids in this world. And that girl was sitting there, living the life of luxury but drowning in self-pity," he downed the glass of wine and poured himself another. He was in a good mood right now. That kid, he had not judged her wrong. She had taken the next step as soon as she could.


    "I never had any impression of the other two Whittemore kids either, both of them are spoilt brats and have never seen any unfortunate circumstances. Emmeline Whittemore is the only one who can remotely sympathize with the plight of our citizens. And you know what the slogan of our house is, right? We only support the heirs who think about the country and not themselves," Isaac explained his reasoning.


    Alex nodded in affirmation. It was something he had to chant every morning after getting out of his bed, before starting any of his activities.


    Isaac continued, "Harold was the kindest of all his siblings, which is why your grandpa supported him. And now I see something ablaze in her eyes, telling me that she is ready to take up the challenge. I guess, after her accident she has really understood the meaning of life. Her eyes are bright and clear with ambition, that''s what I like to see. Plus, she is young. It would be very easy to mould her as we want for the just cause of the kingdom," Isaac downed the second glass too.


    Now that he had said it aloud, his mind felt much clearer than ever. He had to gauge her properly, she was the only one who could take the dukedom after Harold Whittemore. Ivan and Cecilia Whittemore were lost causes, thanks to their parents. And Emmeline Whittemore could do it, again thanks to her parents. He could not wait to teach her personally, if he could!


    "Then, what about her status as a crown princess candidate?" Alex asked.

 Chapter 34 - Foundation

    "Ugh, that Chadbourne brat is another fool! He needs some good company to be a capable ruler. But that witch of a queen does not let him out of her sight. Every time I see the mother pair son, my heart hurts, literally," Isaac rubbed his temples. His head hurt just thinking about the two. And he was feeling giddy just now because of that kid and the change in her.


    Isaac Laurent took deep breaths and diverted his mind to Emmeline Whittemore''s grin as she had celebrated her small victory secretly with the exam. He did not know that it was not a grin but a grimace since she was not expecting this result at all.


    "So, I will not mind if she ends up becoming the empress but I would not push for it either. She needs to help the duchy first. If she becomes the empress, there is a high chance she would just be buried under the tyrant that kid Aaron is becoming. That would be a talent gone waste," Isaac Laurent was now on his third glass of wine. He sighed uncontrollably whenever his thoughts traveled to the imperial family.


    "Alright," Alex could sense the slight rage and pity in his father''s voice and understood that his father was getting annoyed. He perfectly knew his dad''s hatred towards the imperial family.


    "She wanted to know what you were as a person outside of Whittemore castle," Alex revealed to his father to uplift his mood. He had immense respect for his father and the work he did for the duchy. He wanted to follow in his footsteps and could not really see his father agitated.


    "She-She did?" Isaac''s ears and eyes, both perked up.


    "Yes. Further, she asked me about your ways of teaching me, how much involvement you had in my lessons and what you liked to do as hobby, if you had time," Alex expanded more on his encounter with the girl.


    "Puhahaha!! I was really not expecting this! What was she going to gain with this knowledge?" Isaac had a hearty laugh after a very long time. This kid, she was getting more fascinating more he got to know about her.


    "I asked her the same question. She said it would be much easier to know what kind of questions you were going to ask if she knew what you were passionate about," Alex shrugged. He got only this much answer from her. He was confused as well, what could she really know about the earl just knowing a few facts from his son?


    "Passionate? Truly¡­ truly! Alexander Laurent, we have spotted the gem! Keep it under wraps for now! The reveal will happen six days later, alright? Did you make sure no one knew you were in castle late at night? I had speculated in front of them that you had left before me," Isaac was clapping his thigh in elation. This girl was exceeding his expectations. How could he not look forward to the exam in six days?


    "I made extremely sure. There was only one tail, I believe from the duchess. I got rid of him pretty easily," Alex replied calmly. He had now seen it all. His dad now become serious about Emmeline Whittemore. He had to see for himself too what she was capable of!


    ---------------


    "Anna, get me all the books from the library on history of policies and any documentation on what our kingdom''s citizens do for a living. Oh, and a few books on international relations," Kim Su Won fired her orders as soon as she arrived back in her room. She was so elated with the information she had gathered from Alex, that she completely forgot about the fight she had with her ,aid about am hour ago.


    When she entered the room, there was only darkness and emptiness that greeted the twelve years old.


    ''Ugh, Anna is behaving like a kid,'' Kim Su Won crossed her arms and let it be. If this was something teen angsty tantrum, then it was better to leave the maid alone. She decided to retire for the night. From the next day onwards, she had to burn the midnight oil anyway.


    Tossing and turning in the bed, her mind was not at peace. How could it be? Anna was her only friend here in this familiar yet unknown world.


    "F*ck!" Kim Su Won cursed herself. She was becoming attached to this world and people here. But she literally had only four years here. Aaarghhh!


    Unable to sleep, she got out of her bed. Tucking the innocent Chris who was sleeping beside her in a cool blanket, she left to find the maid. How was she to study for next five days or so continuously, if one, her mind would all be distracted over Anna and two, she could not get her books and meals in time.


    Being a rich kid was not easy in this era if she wanted to make something out of herself. Sneaking out of her bedroom, Kim Su Won realized that the dark East wing looked spooky.


    "A-Anna?" She whispered and called out but there was no response. Kim Su Won stepped out and looked in nearby rooms. She had asked Anna to shift into one of these empty rooms because she was the only maid in East wing and the servants quarter was quite far away. But none of the rooms had any trace of human presence. This was surprising and worrying at the same time.


    Kim Su Won had a small panic attack once again. Where had the maid disappeared? No one has come into or gone out of this part of the house since she was near the beginning of her boundary with Alex the whole time!


    A bit more panic settling in, Kim Su Won really started to open each and every empty room she had which were uselessly huge in number and area for an unfavored kid to be living in.


    "Anna! Don''t scare me like this, alright? Come out! I apologize to be not listening to you but please don''t be mad like this," the girl was almost on the verge of tears once again. What if someone kidnapped the poor girl just because she had started meddling in the dukedom affairs? Anna''s end, that she was trying to change very hard, was not this soon. The novel had not even started yet!!


    "Anna? Anna!?" the weary voice was getting louder and louder. And Kim Su Won did not care of the guards heard her at this point. Finding her precious friend was much more important.


    "P-please don''t joke with me and come out Anna! I am sorry, okay? I a, so very sorry," her steps had halted and she had a mental breakdown in the middle of dark lonely corridor. Such was her life, even if someone killed her or Chris or Anna, no one would know! This fact alone was so intimidating, plus Anna, her sole support here was gone somewhere, leaving her alone.


    Sobbing, Kim Su Won melted down on the floor, putting her head between her knees, her tears not stopping once again. "Anna, my dear Anna, where are you?"


    "Miss, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" the familiar voice that Kim Su Won had been wanting to hear rung in her ears.


    "Anna!" she exclaimed, raising her head instantly towards the direction of the voice.


    "Gosh! I was gone for just a few minutes. Look at you!" Anna knelt down to wipe away the tears of her miss. Kim Su Won immediately took the maid in her embrace.


    "I am so sorry Anna! I will listen to you in the future, alright? Don''t abandon me like this ever," Ki, Su Won hugged the petite maid with her tiny body. Only she knew what kind of relief she had felt.


    "What kind of master apologizes to their servant? Miss, if you are to step into limelight, drill this rule into your head. No matter how morally or politically wrong you are, you are still always correct in front of your servants, alright? You cannot apologize to me. This is also a lesson for your upcoming exam," Anna separated herself from her adorable miss and wiped her tears with her apron.


    "What are you talking about Anna? A ruler cannot be drunk of their knowledge. The citizens are the ones who teach their ruler about their issues and needs. How can I be always correct?"


    This really became the foundation of Emmeline Whittemore''s legacy in the future years.

 Chapter 35 - Working Too Hard

    "Uh¡­ uh¡­ aaahhh¡­," a very frustrated Kim Su Won threw the book in her hand away and dropped her obviously tired head on the table, hitting her cheek on the surface. Today was the last day before the big day tomorrow.


    "Miss, are you hurt?" Anna came running as she saw the young kid just giving up. The six days had obviously flown by and Kim Su Won had kept herself cooped up in her room. Any books she had required, she had asked Anna to get them. She had even turned down any visitors including her mother on pretext of studying hard for the exam. The only company she had in her little wing was of Anna and Chris.


    She had really been studying day and night, pouring over the books relentlessly. It was too cruel for a twelve year old but Anna could not stop her miss from not studying so hard. It was actually the first time she had seen her miss invested in something so passionately, she did not have heart to stop her miss.


    The only way Anna could support Emmeline Whittemore was by providing healthy meals in a timely manner. She had even hand fed Emmeline while she was reading books and documents. After five days of this, the kid had even developed dark circles on her otherwise perfectly healthy face. Despite her trying really hard, Emmeline''s face had become gaunt and sharper too.


    "Miss, you should take some rest. You have been studying non-stop for past few days," Anna tried dragging Emmeline towards her bed.


    "Mmm¡­ If I don''t finish this, I won''t be able to answer the questions tomorrow," Kim Su Won replied, her eyes were just not opening at this moment. She wanted to gloss over this report and there was another pile she had to finish. But her tiny body was really failing her.


    "But you don''t really need to answer all his questions, do you?" Anna let Emmeline rest on the table. It would be much more efficient lest her miss wanted to read a few more papers.


    "What do you mean? My and Chris''s education are on line! You taught Chris whatever you could and everyone would understand his circumstances. But I am the third legitimate kid of Whittemore family! They will only make fun of me if I do not know something!" Kim Su Won immediately sat straight. The two hours sleep she was having everyday were all full of nightmares where either she was late for the exam or failing it in an epic manner because she was tested on math and she had only studied history, geography and politics.


    This was such a stressful period for her, she had been trained to study and study and aim for that first rank or whatever since her childhood in her original world. And she had actually been looking forward to getting back to studying. But this was not what she had in mind. It was just too much to cram in a week.


    Kingdom of Krislabet was, thankfully, not an ancient kingdom but it still had quite some history, especially with respect to policies and how ducal system was established as a means of balance of power. Unfortunately, the author had not really fleshed the history out in the novel like the books here. Nor did she remember much. She was an avid reader but it did not mean that she remembered everything about them.


    "See miss, you do not need to be perfect in the exam tomorrow! You are working too hard! I mean, sure, your future depends on it, but as I said, I believe Sir Laurent already recognizes your virtues. Otherwise, do you think young master Laurent would have helped you out like that?" Anna''s heart ached looking at the haggard state of Emma. She so wished that she could contribute to her success. But she could not really do anything, and it really upset her.


    "I-I do not need to be perfect?" something clicked inside Kim Su Won. She sat there dumbfounded, almost unable to process the statement.


    "No? Is that even something to ask? I am sure if anyone can understand young master Chris''s situation, Sir Laurent will understand yours too. And with such exhaustion, will you even be able to understand anything tomorrow? I will suggest taking a good nap today," Anna cleaned up the room a bit. There were documents and papers and books lying all around the small table which her miss had made a study corner.


    It was such a mess, but a good mess. Haizz, why did her miss not have such wisdom with respect to her own life earlier? It had saved them such a hassle. But better late than never!


    "Y-Yeah, yeah! You-you are correct! I do not need to score a hundred! Oh my God, why did I not think of this earlier?" Kim Su Won got up from her seat and twirled. Yes, this was not her original world. She had to prove herself but there was no need for her to put this much stress on herself, she did not need to show her scores to gain anyone''s affection or validation at all!


    This was her life that she had a chance to live on her own terms! Why did she forget her true purpose anyway?


    "Careful miss¡­," Anna immediately came forward to support the girl who was completely exhausted and was staggering in her steps.


    "Alright, alright, let me just sleep then," Kim Su Won plopped into her bed, only to not wake up until next morning. Even though she had a huge burden life from her shoulders due to her conversation with Anna, she could not help but be anxious. Today was such a big day! Her whole next four years were going to rest on today''s results.


    She wore the best dress she could find in the closet, a gown with combination color of black and purple, bold colors to show confidence. Even though, she did not like jewelry, she used a brooch with purple gems and similar earrings to match with her gown. She completed the look with black ballerinas. The outfit was a bit bigger than her size, the hem of the sleeves were covering the palms of her hands. Similarly, the hem of the bottom of her gown was sweeping the floor.


    But who cared? She needed to go there and use her knowledge to sway everyone to her side. Her body might be of a twelve years old, but her brain and understanding was of a twenty four year old from the modern world, after all!

 Chapter 36 - Exam - I

    "Hmph! She has finally arrived," Audrey Lazarus was very unhappy with this whole affair. She had wanted to visit the wench to persuade her to withdraw from whatever this exam was but she could not even meet her. How dare a mere kid humiliate her by not giving her audience?


    It would have saved her so much embarrassment if that kid had admitted her mistakes. But no! And that clueless husband of hers had decided to support this daughter of his? For what? Poor Cecilia had cried her eyes out for the whole week just because she was worried about her status in the high society. How could duke do this to her and their favorite daughter?


    Kim Su Won stepped into this study room type big hall where not only the people to be involved in exam were present but every servant of the house was there to see the show.


    Apparently, duke''s household was quite boring and every character in this household was just living their lives as they were supposed to. Before her arrival in this household that is. Now everyday was exciting and full of gossips, was what Anna had told her.


    Kim Su Won had shrugged over this piece of news, as long as people were getting entertainment.


    As soon as she entered the hall, everyone started whispering to each other. Most of the servants and maids of the house had not seen Emmeline Whittemore after she woke up. They had no idea how drastically the girl had changed. But now they could see. Her fashion sense seemed to have improved a lot and there was just a calm and mature demeanor about her that surprised everyone.


    Kim Su Won and Anna just looked around, flabbergasted. Both of them had no idea so many people would be ''gracing the occasion'' of potential humiliation of Emmeline Whittemore. The girl and her maid did not forget to greet the people present though, including the audience. This was not something that was a norm and the servants and maids of the house felt acknowledged for some reason.


    Kim Su Won was more awestruck of how grand the things were in Whittemore''s castle. None of the descriptions written in the novel could compare to the actual thing. This could as well be one of the audience chambers in the king''s castles as she had seen in the webtoons. How much money did this dad of hers had to afford such a spacious chamber embellished with things made of gold! She was almost blinded by the shine.


    Other than that, she swept her eyes on the people present. Duke Whittemore, her father, was sitting in the middle on the big sofa which had been mounted on a pedestal and was accessible by three steps of stairs. He had donned a short cloak in navy blue buttoned up to the neck with a matching pair of pants. Ivan Whittemore, who was sitting on the left of the duke right below the stairs had a similar attire. It seemed like this was the fashion of this era for men of high ranking.


    Earl Laurent and his son were also wearing matching jackets in olive green with same colored pants, closer to a military uniform. They were standing in one corner for the earl was going to ''host'' the exam. It seemed to Kim Su Won that this was going to be more of an interview rather than an exam. She had made Anna carry writing tools which had been taken away by other servants.


    Then, the duchess was sitting beside the duke. She was wearing a dark green colored gown and thankfully, did not have many jewels on her, at least nothing more than necessary. There were a few usual rings in her hand and a emerald green necklace with dangling earrings in shape of droplets. The beautiful lady had a black fan in her hand and a scowl adorned her face.


    Sitting on the right of the duke and duchess, right in front of Evan was Cecilia Whittemore. She had decided to match herself with her mother and was wearing similar gown with similar accessories as her mother. She smirked as soon as she felt her younger sister''s eyes on herself.


    "My lady, please sit over there," Earl Laurent pointed to the seat beside Ivan Whittemore. It was actually a desk with two seats, one for her and one for Chris. Kim Su Won swallowed her saliva nervously. She had been a consultant in her past life, she could bullshit through some of the things. But what about Chris? Would this earl be lenient with the kid?


    But she could not show her anxiety to the audience, could she? The people behind her, all the people, was still discussing fervently. Moreover, it seemed there were a few people in the crowd who did not look like they belonged to the duke household. But again, she had no idea who they were.


    Anyway, she sat down at the desk after helping Chris to sit on his seat. Chris was slightly trembling due to all the attention towards himself and his sister. He was an unknown kid who was severely abused till now. He was too young to figure out if people were anticipating today''s results or if they were cursing the two kids inside, praying for them to fail.


    "Let''s get started then," the earl announced.

 Chapter 37 - Exam - II

    "The rules are simple. Young master Christopher Whittemore will be tested on basics of reading and writing. Since he has never had formal education, we just want to evaluate whether he is ready to start now," Earl Laurent started laying down the rules. Kim Su Won heaved a sigh of relief. She had judged as much and prepared Chris accordingly. No one could be asking for unreasonable demands in his case.


    But for herself, she was half on the verge of throwing up from nervousness and half looking forward to it.


    Chris was given a sheet by Alexander Laurent which had very basic questions based on alphabets from Krislabet''s language. It was more of a test for a kindergartner in Kim Su Won''s modern world.


    She glanced at the exam sheet, satisfied. She nodded to herself, this was not a problem for Chris at all. Rather, his knowledge was far more advanced, she had applied modern techniques to teach him writing his own mother tongue. It helped that he was already nine years old.


    Kim Su Won now focused all her attention on the earl for it was her turn. What was he going to ask her?


    "For young lady Emmeline Whittemore, I will be giving you situations that pertain to everyday life in duchy. You need to think about them and provide me solutions. It will be more like a conversation between you and I, but everyone else is free to chime in. What do you think?" Earl Laurent smiled gently, to assure the young kid that he was not out to have her neck. He wanted her to feel comfortable and respond best to her abilities.


    He had wanted to keep the questions simpler for her sake. He actually wanted her to pass, there was no harm in letting a kid who was interested in learning to let her be. But duke Whittemore had decided to make the exam tougher on purpose. Earl Laurent was not sure if it was because of his wife or if he really had something in his mind regarding this child.


    Even if she failed, he was going to see it himself that she got what she desired. For some reason, he wanted to bet his entire career on this kid. She was going to do great, he just knew it.


    Kim Su Won nodded. This was also somewhat within her calculations. She was an introvert in her past life and probably would have shuddered at the thought of presenting in front of people like this. But for some reason, she felt confident today. Was it because she was sure of her experience in her past life?


    If it came to politics, she could talk about ideas from the modern world, something that would be completely new to these folks. The people in modern world were hyper aware of their rights as citizens of their respective countries. They talked politics and economics left and right. She might fumble in history here but other fields related to social sciences should be okay.


    "Any questions?" Isaac Laurent asked the girl.


    "By anyone chiming in, do you also mean that the folks who have gathered here to listen to our ideas over there can participate too?" she asked as she pointed to the crowd of servants and maids. From the novel, she knew that quite a few of them were not satisfied with how duchess Whittemore, her mother, was running the household.


    In the future, they would be the first ones to leave when Ivan would take over the duchy. It would be a mess. But if she could pull them over to her side now, she would have more servants and maids in her own wing. It would be so much easier for Anna as well.


    The crowd started discussing again. Was this girl mad? Who in their right mind would want to get into trouble by speaking for or against anyone sitting for this exam today? Why drag them in?


    "I mean, if you are going to give me realistic situations, then I reckon they would be related to our household or our duchy. That means those situations directly affect the citizens and as such, our staff. Would it not make sense to hear directly from them what they think?" Kim Su Won smiled towards the earl.


    She just wanted more support because she knew her views could contradict that of the duke and the duchess, but not the common folks. From the bottom of her heart, she belonged with them despite being the rich daughter of the duke in appearance.


    "We cannot allow that, the two judges of the exam are Ivan and Cecilia. Do not try to pull of any scheme here Emmeline," duchess rebuked her slightly. But who would hear to a woman in decisions like these?


    "I permit," duke Harold Whittemore had an eye contact with the earl and decided to go ahead. There was one duchess and so many of working class. Anyway, they would not dare to speak against their owners anyway.


    "I thank you father. But I am afraid that they would be too afraid to speak their minds. So, I would like to ask you for something. Regardless of me passing this exam or not, if you could ensure that the staff who speak out today, whether in my favor or not, are protected. And if I do pass the exam, if you could assign those staff to my wing, that would be the best," Kim Su Won spoke politely and calmly.


    Everyone was stunned. This girl¡­ not only did she put the duke in a grave predicament, she also infused some courage in the servants. They might actually end up participating.


    Duke cleared his throat and called Isaac Laurent towards himself.


    "What is this girl doing? How can we allow this? I give her an inch and she takes a mile. This is preposterous!" Duke spoke in a furious tone. The folks working in his castle were people who talked, talked to outside people. What if this girl ended up humiliating the whole Whittemore family in front of his citizens? Wasn''t she raising the stakes too much?


    "Do not worry my lord. I have made enough preparations for this. The people present have signed a non-disclosure agreement with their lives on stake. They won''t be able to say even a word about this outside," the earl assured the duke. He had to take all the precautions.


    "Y-You¡­ you knew something like this would happen?" the duke was shook.

 Chapter 38 - Exam - III

    Isaac Laurent could only smile and shrug. "I was just covering all my bases, my lord. After all, I am not the one who allowed the servants to be the witnesses. I wanted this to be a closed door evaluation," he gave a side eye to the duchess, who was the one who had granted permission to let the servants in.


    She had probably done this to embarrass her own daughter but who would have thought that the situation could be turned around by a twelve year old like this?


    "What do you suggest then?" Harold asked Isaac. He was already unhappy that he had to leave his work to be a part of this thing that could have easily been taken care of by the duchess. And now this!


    "I would advise to allow it. If you back out now, the servants will think you do not care about them. I am sure even if you permit it, they will not speak up. They fear their lives more than their rights," Isaac replied. His last sentence soothed the hearts of the couple. He was correct, they still feared for their lives. They would not do anything to lose it.


    "Alright, that is fine by us," the duke announced and the crowd cheered. Of course, if they were to give individual opinion, they could lose their lives. But they could at least agree or disagree with whatever was being said. No one would fire them all altogether. They were about two hundred strong force.


    "Thank you, father and mother. You are so magnanimous," Kim Su Won almost said it in a sarcastic tone. It was only this Isaac Laurent who could twist anything into his own favor. She was sure he would help her out. After all, his priority was the citizens and that was where his loyalty lied.


    Isaac Laurent had an eye contact with Emmeline Whittemore and his smile spread wider. This girl, she was making people dance in the palm of her hands. How did she never show such brilliance before?


    "Hah! I hope you remember that a lot of what you said depends on you passing this exam," Cecilia finally spoke up. She had been seeing this whole drama and realized she was not the center of attention anymore.


    That Isaac Laurent, the only person she had ever begged to, to be her teacher, was favoring her younger sister. What did it mean? It meant that he saw potential in her. Cecilia Whittemore was not as clueless as everyone made out her to be. And she could clearly see how heavily he was favoring that wench.


    "That is correct, my lady, a lot depends on you passing this exam. I hope you remember that," Isaac Laurent repeated with a lot of emphasis on ''you''. That added a lot of pressure on Kim Su Won. She could only agree with the two at this moment. She was already knee-deep in this whole ordeal.


    "Alright then, let''s get started!" Isaac Laurent announced.


    Chris was focusing on his assignment and was trying to finish it as fast as possible to witness his sister''s stellar performance. He had seen her studying continuously for five days straight, even sacrificing her sleep. He was very confident that she was going to crush everyone here today.


    "Your first situation is this. You are roaming around in the streets and suddenly see a carriage charging towards a kid. The kid''s leg is crushed and the mother demands a compensation. The carriage happens to be of a Marquis under his lordship. His coachman states that the kid jumped in front of the carriage precisely because he wanted to extort money. What would you do in this situation?"


    "All three young lord and ladies will write their answers down first in five minutes and then young lady Emmeline will speak up. Young lord Ivan and young lady Cecilia, then will tell us if they agree or disagree and their reasoning. If anyone else has anything to say, they can say it afterwards."


    The three kids busied themselves writing down their responses. Isaac was already standing just like an emcee of a variety show or a teacher in an exam room. He then started roaming around, peering into what the three young lord and ladies had to write.


    He was surprised to see the beautiful writing of Emmeline. He knew from his sources that this kid had never shown interest in reading or writing and thus, probably never learnt them. But she was able to do such amazing calligraphy? It was not possible to learn it within a few weeks! And he had not even seen this writing style, that meant she had developed this on her own?


    For Kim Su Won, it was a relief that although the script was quite different from Korean, the alphabets followed the same system ¨C a combination of lines, circles and arcs to be written in a particular order.


    Isaac was further impressed by her rational argument on the paper. Even from the first answer, he could tell that he had made the right choice!


    Five minutes were up and the sheets were collected by Alex who was basically helping his dad conduct this exam today.


    "Lady Emmeline, please go ahead and tell us what you think."


    "I believe that the question is incomplete. There are a lot of points that need to be investigated. First of all, why did the coachman not see that there was a kid on the street? Was he going at a speed that was not fit for that particular street? If so, then it is the fault of the Marquis and his coachman," Kim Su Won took a breath.


    "If he was not, then it might be the kid''s fault. But what about the witnesses? But again, if they are all in the same income class as the kid''s mother, they might just side with her. That is not mentioned in the question. Regardless, the marquis should cover at least the bill of treatment. He must have much money and should be magnanimous. There is a kid whose life and career just got much more difficult than they should have been had he been healthy," Kim Su Won analyzed.


    Hah! This was easier than she had thought. She was a daughter of the duke. If she were to uphold justice for either side, she needed to use the facts.


    If she only spoke in favor of the kid, the servants would have been happy but there was a chance for the duke to be offended. Losing a marquis over such a ''small matter'' would not be good.


    If she spoke in favor of the marquis, then the servants would feel offended. And anyway, the kid was a life, he needed to be treated like one.


    "What do you think young lord and young lady?" Isaac was very pleased with the reply but could see that both duke and duchess had a frown on their faces, but for different reasons. Duke was not sure how his daughter had changed so much within past few days. After all, from what he had heard, she was not like this.


    Duchess was in the state she was because the answer made sense but she knew that Cecilia would never be able to respond in such a way. Did this earl and her daughter cheat? How could she reply so eloquently if she never studied properly? It must have been like that, right?


    But if they cheated, then what was the reason for the earl to help her youngest daughter out? Was he really seeing talents in her? That would be an issue for both Ivan and Cecilia and she could not let that happen!


    "Well, I do agree with my sister that the facts are not complete. To make a sound judgement, we need to look at both the sides. Plus, if the marquis is blaming the kid to do it on purpose, does the kid and the mother have a history of doing so? I would also look into that," Ivan replied, winking towards his sister.


    To be honest, he would not have thought about it so deeply himself. He was almost glad that he was not sitting at the exam desk. What if he had said it was the marquis who was right because he couldn''t be wrong? He would have probably lost his right to heirship right then and there.


    "But how can the marquis be wrong? It must have definitely been the kid''s fault!" Cecilia spoke.

 Chapter 39 - Result - I

    Ivan almost choked on his own saliva. He was just thinking the same thing! Everyone looked at Cecilia weirdly. Having blurted out her mind and seeing a lackluster reaction from everyone, she quickly realized that she spoke wrongly.


    Her face turned red but she had no idea what she had done wrong. She had no idea how to salvage the situation.


    Why? Did her mother not say that the wealthy people were the best and knew the best? What did she say wrong? She only said what she had been taught! Why were these people looking at her in disappointment?


    "Could you please elaborate on your thoughts, lady Cecilia?" Isaac Laurent asked with a cruelty in his eyes, that sent down a shiver in Cecilia''s spine.


    This old man, he was being so generous with that punk but was treating her like an enemy.


    Hmph! This wench was just trying to curry favor with the lower caste. Cecilia Whittemore knew she was correct, her mother had taught her so! And her mother was never wrong!


    However, when she turned her head towards her mother, she saw a completely unfamiliar look in her mother''s eyes ¨C shame. Her mother¡­ she was embarrassed of her response?


    But why? She was the good daughter who always did as her mother had taught her! Why was this happening to her?


    "I¡­ I mean¡­," Cecilia fumbled for words but her mind had gone blank. Her eyes became full of tears, she felt ashamed and betrayed. Her mother should have spoken in her favor.


    And Ivan? Why was he taking her sister''s side too?


    At this moment, she and her thoughts were alone. She could not hear what was happening outside. She needed to find a rational reasoning behind her words and put this earl and that wench in their place.


    No, but still, she was technically correct. It made sense and the books said the same thing too. Historically, the people with title were always correct, and that was why they were worthy of their titles. Right?


    There was no way the marquis would be foolish enough to put false blame on a commoner. What would he gain anyway? There was no smoke without fire, so there would have been something wrong with the poor son and mother.


    She clenched her teeth and was about to say the words in her mind but Isaac Laurent had already moved on by the time. How did she miss this?


    They should have waited for her! They both were lowly people, how dare they speak over her?


    "I am very impressed with your analysis, lady Emmeline. Next question is about this area in duchy that is going through the drought¡­," Isaac Laurent had prepared about three questions for the kid.


    He had not prepared them in depth because he was in the mood to have a back and forth discussion. There were going to be a lot of follow up questions to each question he had prepared.


    However, this girl was so adept in answering and analyzing each statement, thinking in all kind of directions, including economic and sociopolitical aspects of each problem, that he was left speechless.


    He did ask her two follow up questions but Emmeline was able to outdo herself and even raise issues that he himself or the duke had not thought about.


    These problems, except the first hypothetical scenario, he had posed to her were real world problems the duchy was facing currently. But to think that this girl knew about the trades and trade routes in the duchy, he was shocked. This girl had more practical knowledge than her brother who had been studying since childhood for heirship.


    She was worth teaching after all. Ivan Whittemore was not doing bad either. He had majorly agreed with Emmeline, bringing forth one or two points of his own to complement his younger sister''s answers. And Cecilia? She had remained silent after her ''slip-up'' and only nodded her head to agree with both of them.


    At the end of the exam, the servants clapped for Emmeline, very enthusiastically at that and felt much more sympathetic towards her cause. They had no idea there was someone in the household who thought about commoners like them this much. They had only judged her based on the tantrums she had always thrown, but she had completely turned around after her accident.


    No, they had a newfound respect for this kid. Even at twelve years old, she had such a kind heart. It was as if they had instantly forgotten about her cruel ways which was why many of them had stopped tending to her on their own in the first place.


    Their faces were full of new vigor. They would not hesitate to work for this kid now.


    Commoners were really fickle minded. They believed in anyone who spoke for them, they just wanted to feel heard. Even at the cost of someone pretending to be on their side and betray them later.


    Hah! Kim Su Won almost facepalmed at their eyes shining towards her. She knew she had won over not only the commonfolk but that earl and his son too.


    Ivan was only in awe of her for the time being but she knew he was a selfish person. He would be coming to her because he would probably want her brains for himself.


    She was not even interested in the duke, the duchess or her elder sister. She knew all three of them would have a constipated look on them. As for Chris, she knew he had already passed. She just needed the official declaration from the earl.


    After checking the paper sheets in his hands from all the four kids present, the earl nodded towards the duke. Isaac Laurent had a satisfied smile. The girl was not only eloquent in her speech but articulate in writing too.. She had certainly exceeded his expectations.

 Chapter 40 - Result - II

    The duke called the earl towards himself.


    "Are you sure you want to declare her the winner? It will ruin the reputation of the firstborn here," he pointed towards Cecilia who was sitting there with her head hanging down.


    It was a relief that she had not started crying but her performance was indeed disappointing. What was the use of employing the best teachers if she did not have any real world knowledge?


    "It was not a competition, my lord. I am merely announcing that she passed my exam and that I will be teaching her personally," Isaac Laurent could not wipe off the smile on his lips. He had never been this excited to teach someone, even his own son.


    "Y-You¡­," Duchess Audrey seethed in anger. She could not say against him, the response from everyone was the proof that her younger daughter had really turned the tables. But she could not accept the fact that this guy, Isaac Laurent, one of the most learned scholar of the kingdom, who had rejected her wish for him to teach Cecilia, was going to self appoint himself as that kid''s teacher?


    Why? Why could her elder daughter not get the best but that younger kid had gotten that right? This was unfair! Ivan got to have a few lessons with the earl because he was studying to be the next duke. But why Emmeline? And why not Cecilia?


    "My lady, this was the promise for her passing the exam. I will oversee her education but there will be other teachers, one of them being Alex, my son. I would not be teaching young sir Christopher myself but I also cannot not keep my word. Please understand," Isaac Laurent had almost reached the tone of disrespect and disdain in his voice because of frustration.


    The duchess should have known what was at the stake. If they did not fulfill the promise now, they would be incurring dissatisfaction from their servants for sure. There were a few things that duchess needed to think by herself.


    "Alright, there really is nothing that we can do here. But Sir Laurent, I implore you to enroll Cecilia in your classes too. She is lacking in many ways precisely because she did not learn from the best people," Audrey rubbed her temples. She needed to rope in Cecilia in between, she could not let Emmeline be the best among her children. That was just out of question.


    "If I let lady Cecilia in my lessons, would it not be unfair to lady Emmeline? There was no need of this grueling exam then. Poor girl must have gone through so much pressure. Duchess, please think about this," Isaac Laurent took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the corner of his eyes, keeping his hand on his heart as if he could feel the pain the younger kids went through last week.


    Duchess Audrey clenched her jaw tightly. This man, he was just influencing the duke with his acting. How dare he!


    "Wife, this really is a question of Whittemore''s reputation. I think we should heed the advice from Isaac. We will get Cecilia other teachers from the imperial academy, alright? Let''s just make the announcement and be done with this affair. I am tired," Duke Harold was already not happy having spent the whole day in this nonsense.


    Now his wife was making things difficult here. They could always discuss this later. But she had to create a scene in front of everyone.


    Audrey Lazarus just turned her head haughtily. She did not have anything else to say. Poor Cecilia! She would arrange the best of the best teachers for her daughter, even if she needed to look outside of the kingdom. Surely, there would be someone better than this lowly earl.


    "Lady Emmeline Whittemore and Sir Christopher Whittemore have passed this exam. I will personally oversee their education, as promised to the lady here and their teachers will be chosen starting this week. Lady Emmeline will also be choosing her own servants and maids, so if anyone is interested, please contact her maid, miss Anna," Isaac Laurent finally announced the result. The crowd cheered for the result and then slowly dispersed.


    Emmeline heaved a big sigh of relief, it was great that all her hard work of past few days had paid off. This was a big milestone in her new life. And she had already learned so much through this one experience. Now, for the first time in her two lives, she could study for herself, without any requirements of proving herself to anyone.


    "Lady Emmeline," Alex came forward, wanting to congratulate Kim Su Won. Although he still had his serious frigid expression, there was still joy in his eyes.


    Kim Su Won looked at the handsome face. This was the only time when she wished that her soul was twelve years old too. She could fangirl over all these hot kids without feeling like a pedophile. She shook her head pensively. Such a sad situation.


    "I think you have really won the hearts of everyone. I have never seen my father this happy. He might end up taking most of your lessons himself if and when he has time," Alex said as stretched his hand out to help her stand. She had been sitting there since morning without getting up. Her body was bound to feel numb.


    Kim Su Won gratefully took his hand. She would be glad to learn from Isaac himself but wasn''t she supposed to choose the subjects herself? She would rather learn about the functioning of duchy and the kingdom so that she could look for ways to earn money for herself.


    "Ah! Do I also get to learn swordsmanship?" she asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.

 Chapter 41 - Result - III

    Kim Su Won''s big eyes shone brightly as she finally came to the realization. This was somewhere in medieval era. And she was the daughter of a duke. She could partake in martial arts, right? Even if they did not teach all this stuff to females, she was daughter of the duke. She could make extra requests to learn anything she liked, right?


    She had always wanted to learn martial arts, but did not because she had to study day in and day out. Once, in rebellion, she had decided to join softball team of her school. It did not take her parents even three months before they went ahead and talked to the principal of the school to let her out of the team.


    The wonderful bonds she had wanted to created, and all the praise she was getting from her coaches for the hard work she was putting in, all went to waste. She was not able to raise her head in front of her coaches ever in her school life after that.


    It was a memory so badly etched in her heart that every time she had taken up any sports in her adult life for self defense, she had ended up leaving them within three months. Was this what they called commitment issues?


    But now, she could really participate in athletics, right?


    "Lady Emmeline, females here do not get to learn martial arts. They are trained to run the households. You will learn politics and economics to help your future husband, hopefully the crown prince," Alex whispered to Kim Su Won, he was quite taken aback that this frail looking girl was interested in swordsmanship.


    "But Sir Alexander, who said I need to learn it in open? Won''t you teach me yourself? You are going to be one of the greatest knights of all time after all," Kim Su Won replied, looking at the guy beside her sheepishly. Today''s exam felt like she had won over two most important allies in the novel. She would try to push as hard as she could to learn what she wanted.


    Alex remained calm. He could see through this kid completely. He almost laughed at her boldness. "Lady Emmeline, just to remind you, I am an aide to Sir Ivan Whittemore, not you. Furthermore, you are a crown princess candidate. The society would not take you interacting with me kindly," Alex answered, with the cool headed tone he always had.


    Kim Su Won realized that she was indeed crossing the line with her demands. Alex was still a child, she could not ask of him stuff like this. She had to talk to Isaac Laurent himself. He was the one who was going to make her course content.


    Alex was walking Kim Su Won down when Ivan interrupted the two of them. He stood cross armed in front of his younger sister, staring at her intently.


    "W-What are you looking at elder brother?" Kim Su Won stood there flabbergasted while Alex politely dropped her hand and took his place by Ivan''s side.


    Ivan took a walk around her, checking her from every angle. "Something is different about you younger sister. I have said this to you before too, but you have changed too much," he put his hand beneath his chin, standing in a pondering pose.


    "Hey, I said I have turned over a new leaf after almost losing my life. What is so difficult to understand in that?" Kim Su Won replied, slightly furrowing her eyebrows. Her change was too obvious but people had decided to keep quiet about it or at least discuss it in hushed tone.


    But why did this guy need to keep highlighting the fact? If someone really dug deep, they would know she was not Emmeline Whittemore anymore. It was very convenient to use the excuse she was using right now, thank God there was an accident right before she woke up.


    "I sometimes doubt if you are even my sister," Ivan threw the sentence carelessly but Kim Su Won, despite her condition, jumped and put her hand over her brother''s mouth. She panicked, she really did.


    "Why would you say something like that? Do you want people to get a wrong idea and put me in jail? Just because I am now showing my hidden intelligence now, you want to use this ridiculous excuse and take me out?" she yelled at him in whispers. If this were her room or wing even, she would have blasted this kid. How dare a fourteen year old reveal her behind the mask?


    With the sudden commotion, everyone looked towards them. This was the first time in the whole day that this girl had lost her cool. Finally, she was acting like a twelve year old. So everyone normally went back to their own conversations.


    On the side, Cecilia Whittemore was the only one whose face was getting redder by the second. her younger brother was now playing with their younger sister? Jealousy burst through her heart. The no name girl who had no reputation in the household whatsoever was winning hearts left and right. She had to do something about it.


    "Uhh¡­ I did not think that far. I am sorry my sister. Let me take to your room," Ivan scratched his head. He did not realize his careless words could put his sister in a predicament. In actuality, it was weirder that this young kid could think that far ahead.. Was she really the genius of the family? Why was she hiding it till now and why did she decide to come out at this moment? So many questions were swirling his mind. And he would slowly unravel her secrets, for sure!

 Chapter 42 - Dont Care

    "There will be a few people coming in for trial classes. I want you to gauge from whom you would like to study and who clicks best with you."


    A few days had passed since the almost public exam Kim Su Won had. Suddenly, her situation had completely flipped. Her wing was now filled with more servants, Anna had help, Chris had dedicated maids and her meals had become rather extraordinary.


    The change was for good indeed, the original Emmeline Whittemore had been treated so bad till now. At least, she had gained respect of a few people, if not all.


    Meanwhile, her mother had visited her only once, immediately the next day of the exam to yell at her. She got to hear many interesting questions from her mother that day. "What are you scheming now? "If you take away my Ceci''s or Ivan''s position, I will not forgive you," "If you wanted to study, you should have just told me, why embarrass your elder sister?" etc. etc.


    And in the end, she even told her to go die somewhere. At this point of time, Kim Su Won really had an urge to ask this mother of Emmeline if she was her real daughter at all.


    But in the end, she stayed quiet. She had to, for her own peace of mind. She had learned that in her original life, her mother would eventually get tired and leave her alone once she realized that her profanities were not working on her daughter.


    And it did. Audrey Lazarus just stomped her feet on the floor on being ignored and left. She could not even touch Emmeline anymore, she so wanted to beat this little runt up though.


    Anyway, today, after a week, Isaac Laurent had finally visited her wing personally. She had made her new servants prepare a room which would be dedicated to her study time. She separated a room for Chris too. There were too many empty rooms here and the poor kid could use a few too.


    She had made this room pretty simple, just like her original room in her previous life. Since her wing was located in the east direction, she put her table near the window, so that she could watch sunrises in peace.


    She had this vision, the pure golden sunlight filtering through the window, a slow cool breeze flowing on a summer morning, the light satin curtain gliding along with it and her reading a book, probably a heart fluttering romance novel. Wasn''t this something every avid reader wanted to do once in their lifetime?


    Her table and chair were also quite simple, made out of wood with no decorations. How could she afford any distractions? She did not want any.


    Beside the chair and the table, there were only shelves against the walls. These would later be filled with books. Of course, to entertain her teachers, she had to put a sofa set and table. She did not want to initially, but Anna convinced her otherwise.


    She was not the student Kim Su Won anymore. She was the third kid of the Whittemore family and she had a reputation to maintain.


    The first thing Isaac told her was that there would be several people visiting her in the coming week. They would all be experts from different walks of life, things Isaac wanted her to learn.


    Although she was skeptical but when in her life had she got to choose her teachers? Plus, Isaac really emphasized on her and her teachers'' compatibility.


    "But Sir Laurent, how can you leave the decision to me? I am just a twelve year old," Kim Su Won asked curiously, her big round eyes blinking a few times.


    "Oh? Are you now?" Isaac Laurent, the handsome guy with those fiery red eyes adjusted his glasses, without even giving her a glance. He was fixated on the papers in his hands.


    Kim Su Won''s heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by that? Did he already suspect her to be someone else? What if they tried to find her secret? The novel did not have any magic in it but she had already created quite a few events that were never mentioned in the novel.


    She kept staring at the man in front of her. Also, how was this guy in forties? He looked like someone in his late twenties. His skin was as smooth as her, a kid. Such genes. Was Alex going to look like him too when he grew up?


    Isaac was very aware of the looks this seemingly mature kid was giving him. He slapped the papers in his hands on the table.


    "Why? It took me a week to analyze your answers in depth. At that time all the big words coming out of a twelve year old good for nothing sounded fancy. Ah, she must have really poured her heart into studying¡­"


    "¡­ But when I really sat down to think about them, they were the simplest ideas I had ever seen, yet they were all brilliant. The way you spoke, it seemed as if you had lived those situations. Are you still telling me you are a twelve year old?"


    Isaac Laurent spoke rationally but if he really suspected her to be an impostor of Emmeline Whittemore, why was he not kicking her out of the house or punishing her for impersonating a prestigious daughter of a duke? Kim Su Won could not really understand but she could not really speak anything either. She was pretty much busted.


    "Look, I don''t care who you really are. Whether you replaced original Emmeline Whittemore somehow, or if you woke up with memories of your past life after your accident. I don''t really care. You are a person who is capable of saving our country from its current plight. I will look past everything for that."


    It was as if Isaac Laurent could read her thoughts. He answered her exact doubts, taking her by surprise. Her wildly beating heart had suddenly gone cold after his last declaration. Was this it? He was just a country state maniac who would look past everything? Who did he think he was, a patriot? A nationalist?


    She scoffed. "I appreciate your sentiments towards the country Earl Isaac Laurent, but are you saying just because you see potential in me, you are ready to forgive anything? What if I was a murderer? Or a person from your enemy country who was going to betray you in the end?"


    She had thought she had found one sane person here who really thought about the people and wanted to work towards it. But this man was ready to let go of the criminals if it meant good for the country?


    "And are you not putting too much responsibility on the shoulders of a kid? Just because I suddenly found myself with this treasure of knowledge, you want me to save the whole country? I am sorry earl, I only want to study for myself," she replied to him coldly.

 Chapter 43 - Fated

    "Hah! For yourself? I am sorry my lady. You are proving me wrong by the minute in your assessment," Isaac Laurent smiled on hearing the kid''s words. She really had a long way to go.


    "There is no such thing as a free meal in this world. And even if you did commit a crime, I am only willing to hide it as long as you cooperate with me. It won''t take me even a minute to make you a witch and get you burned on stake," Isaac''s face was finally showing its true color.


    Such a sly fox this man was! He was only interested in his own agenda.


    "Look at you, flexing your adulthood on a kid by threatening her. Say earl, how are you any different from my own parents who have never looked towards my side and only forced their aspirations on the two elder kids? Just because I did not get to see that, now you are fulfilling that role. Do you do the same to Alex too?" Kim Su Won''s heart was turning colder the more she heard this man.


    She had initially thought that she had found that one person who would be forever her encouragement. He would help her learn and make a name for herself. But as he said, there was nothing for free in this world.


    "You do not need to worry about my son. He is working on himself and will become the best knight ever. And I am sure you will also work on yourself to become the best empress ever. Anyway, this is as much freedom as I can give you. Choose your teachers wisely."


    With this he flicked his robe and left the room. Kim Su Won put her hand under her chin, this man was not what he seemed. She had to be careful of him.


    ------------------


    Starting the next day, she got to meet many people. A lot of them were high ranking officials ¨C countesses, other earls, scholars, and even a few commoners. She talked with them, trying to understand their expertise and what they hoped she would learn from them.


    She had already labeled every single one of them as Isaac Laurent''s spies. She treated them all politely and distantly. She liked a few and hated most of the people.


    Was it because her reputation was not good in the social circles? Most of the people acted as if they were doing her a huge favor by even entertaining the idea of teaching her and that she should bow down to them for being so generous.


    She had listened to their obnoxious non-sense quietly, nodded her head as if in agreement and then showed them out. Even if she was not too much into the social classes and would be perfect treating them with respect, this was no way to talk to another human being.


    She was lost in her thoughts when she heard another knock on her door. This time, a handsome young face in plain clothes appeared. He was with a helper.


    At first glance, the guy, or rather kid, seemed very ordinary. He was wearing knee length brown pants and a beige colored shirt, his brown curly hair topped with a brown beret cap. But the way he walked looked refined. He bowed to her with his cap in his hands.


    "Lady Whittemore, nice to meet you. I am Jack Smith," the kid said in utmost polite manner.


    "Uhh¡­ how may I help you?" she looked at the kid, who did not look much older than herself and then shifted her gaze to the helper who was standing behind Jack, in almost reverence.


    "Ah, this is my uncle John Smith. We are here because Lord Isaac Laurent asked us to visit you with regards to your lessons," the kid was the one who was speaking, so Kim Su Won assumed that he would be the one teaching her. But why would Isaac Laurent bring a child in, that too of her age.


    She tried measuring the kid up and down once again. There was something off about him. But she could not place a finger on it. The only kids of significance in the novel that were around her age were the kids of other two dukes and the royal prince and princesses.


    A kid who was accompanied by an adult, plus such boring, plain and suspicious names, were these people moving about in disguises? Then why come here?


    "And what would you be teaching me, Mr. Jack Smith," she asked, without showing any expression on her face. Countless thoughts were running in her mind, however.


    "Ah! I have been asked to help you learn business," the kid replied, "after all, you have been given an opportunity and you need to seize it, no?"


    Kim Su Won was startled with the use of words. ''Seize''? Why? Was it a normal use in this world?


    "I am not sure if I understand. Could you please tell me your background first?" Kim Su Won hesitantly asked. She was still hung up on the use of words in earlier sentence.


    "Ah, yes of course! My uncle here has started numerous businesses and is an expert. We would like to teach you in and outs of starting a business in our kingdom so that your future is much secure once you are old enough," the kid answered.


    The words truly sent her brain into an alarm mode. This kid was treating her as a person not belonging her to this kingdom. And it felt as if he knew about her future, that she won''t become the crown princess. But that went against Isaac''s plan, so how did this kid sneak in? Something was really wrong here.


    "But you are the one doing the talking, young sir. I am not sure I understand the dynamics of your team. Plus, why would a crown princess candidate need to learn business? Economics and Finance are fine, but business?" Kim Su Won still feigned ignorance and tilted her head.


    It was hard to figure out the motivation of these two people but she had to do it. On the side, her brain was trying to find the connection between this guy and any kid of prominence.


    "Oh, is that so? Are you sure you want to fight for that title? The other contenders are quite strong and I don''t believe your fate lies there. Why not use this chance and learn some practical valuable skills?" the kid insisted.


    After this, Kim Su Won was convinced that this kid either knew the future or had read the novel. Was he a fellow transmigrator? What could she ask to get the information out of him?


    "That''s very ironical. You talk about practicality and fate in the same sentence. Thank you for visiting me today kind sirs. I would have been interested in your proposal had I had something else in my mind. I am really trying to focus on my candidature as crown princess. So, I would not be wanting to waste my time on anything else," Kim Su Won was slightly creeped out by the two and tried dismissing them.


    "Oh? That is sad for I know for sure that you are fated to the third prince. You will not become the crown princess. I was just trying to give you some avenues to earn money¡­,"


    "A-Are you cursing me right now?" Kim Su Won suddenly sobbed hearing the words of this kid.

 Chapter 44 - Prince

    "I can''t believe this! My to be mentor brought in some person who is cursing me to not become the crown princess. When I finally decided to work hard for it. Anna, call the guards from outside. These people look like some impostors to be spouting such non-sense!" Kim Su Won half sobbed and half gasped.


    She was actually exasperated right now. This kid, he knew exactly what was written in her future. Avenues to earn money, seizing the opportunity, this person definitely knew about the novel. The novel''s name was right there in his speech. How could she miss it?


    But who was this kid? There was no mention of another transmigrator in the book. Was it in the future chapters that she could not read because she transmigrated here? She needed to find out the truth but she also needed time to think and strategize.


    Her gut told her this would not be the last time she was going to see this pair. It was better to get rid of them for now. But she was also dying to know their true identity.


    Sh*t! If only there were more details written in the book about the time before actual transmigration happened, it would have been so helpful.


    Jack Smith was too generic a name, she would not be able to find them. What could she do?


    She got up from her seat and started wailing. "No, this has to be a joke. How did you two even enter the duke''s castle?"


    She started pacing around trembling a bit, as if she was in fear.


    "M-My lady¡­ Please calm down! We are not bad people, we are in the list!" the kid was flustered with such a sudden change in the attitude of the calm girl who was arguing them with her wit a few moments ago.


    "Anyone can pose as a Jack Smith. How do I know that you indeed are the people? Do you have any identity card with you?" Kim Su Won probed further for she needed to know who these bastards were.


    "I am sorry Lady Whittemore, you might be the lady of this house but you are being very disrespectful to his¡­ my nephew," the guard like uncle finally spoke up. Kim Su Won''s ears perked up. How did that little slip escape her?


    An uncle protecting a nephew from an insult like this? This was no ordinary kid. That narrowed down her scope. This was enough information for her.


    The Smith kid glared at his uncle. The uncle bowed ever so slightly and his face had an expression of apology, further proving Kim Su Won''s theory.


    "Well, I will need to apologize for my behavior too. The Whittemore House will send you the decision soon," Kim Su Won calmed down and set the two out. Anna had brought guards by the time but the two people just gave her a snarl and left in anger.


    "What weird people. It felt like they had this sense of entitlement to them," Anna huffed. For once she had thought her miss was in physical danger. Poor her miss, she cried in terror. If she had known the suspicious people were going to be this rude, she would have called the guards early on.


    "That''s because they were from the imperial family," Kim Su Won picked up the family trees of the prominent families in the kingdom and went through the names and ages of the kids.


    "I-Imperial family?" Anna was too stunned to speak. What would anyone from imperial family be doing here? It could not have been the crown prince, right? What if this was a test? Did her miss already screw up?


    "Yeah, I just needed to take off that wig off the kid but I think I know exactly who he was," Kim Su Won replied staring at this particular page in the book. But how did this kid know about the story again? Was there ever a transmigration plot for this character in the novel? She did not think so. Ugh, could her transmigration not happen after the end of the book. It was almost at the climax anyway.


    "B-But miss¡­ what if¡­," Anna''s brain was flooded with questions but her tongue was frozen. She just could not form her thoughts.


    "No, it was definitely not the crown prince. I know he is not on good terms with any of his siblings, so we should not be worrying about spies. But I still cannot figure out the motive of the kid," Kim Su Won explained, lost in her thoughts.


    Okay, so this prince was probably not the original prince like her. And they probably belonged to her world since they hinted at knowing about the novel. Since they were too convinced that her fate did not lie with the crown prince, that meat that they were going to be one of those plot obsessed fangirls/boys. This was going to be difficult.


    Especially because the third prince was indeed her future husband according to the novel. If the third prince himself became a transmigrator, then it was going to be a bit difficult. But again, she was going to die in four years anyway, right?


    "B-But miss, what if we end up offending the imperial family. Your future will be in jeopardy," Anna said, her eyes shaking. She was worried about this little kid who had finally understood her ''duty'' and was about to take the first step towards it.


    "Eyyy¡­ look at you! Using big words! Don''t worry, I have been faring well till now. I will do just fine from here onward too," Kim Su Won assured her maid.


    Now she had two things to do. Find out the motive behind what this prince did and ask that bloody Isaac Laurent why he allowed the imperial family in. He seemed to have more ulterior motives than anyone else.


    -----------


    "What did you think, Your Highness?" the guard finally took off his disguise and was helping his master do the same.


    "During the exam, I had thought that the kid had changed too much, yes. But seeing her today, I don''t believe she is an impostor. She threw a tantrum at the end like normal Emmeline Whittemore would do. I guess I will have to keep monitoring the situation," the kid replied, his golden hair and golden eyes, now clearly visible.


    "But your highness, why are you so sure that at some point of time, she will be replaced. And your prediction about her not being the crown princess?" the guard just had too many questions that annoyed the twelve year old kid.


    "Charles, did I not tell you I have divine powers and I can see the future starting four years from now? That was why we went to such length to meet that kid, are you still questioning me?" the kid''s face had turned red in anger. He was already upset at the way he was thrown out of Whittemore house and this guard of his was also being such a nuisance now.


    "N-No your highness. I apologize. I was just curious," Charles bowed his head in shame. If this got really angry, who knew he could unleash the divine power on him. His whole family could be in danger. He could not let that happen.


    "Don''t repeat the mistake then," the kid chided his guard and started walking towards his carriage. He had to find out if the plot changed somewhere other than his transmigration to this body of the third prince. He could not marry that obnoxious main character as she was now. But there was a huge change in this world already and that girl had already taken steps to change it.


    Was it possible that someone around her got transmigrated and that''s why the novel changed? As much as he would want to live out his life independently but there was a huge chance that if he did not take steps to go along with the plot, he would be killed as a part of struggle for throne. That could not happen! He had to keep the original plot!

 Chapter 45 - Same Accidents?

    "What do you mean a kid with his uncle visited you claiming to teach you business?" Isaac Laurent raised his eyebrow as soon as he heard the absurd claim by Emmeline. He had no such person on the list! Why would he bring in a 12-13 year old kid for Emmeline anyway? Even Alex was not qualified to be her teacher. They needed to be the best.


    "That is what I am saying. How could they sneak in when you were the one who made the list? Sir Laurent, I am sensing a heavy breach in our security!" Kim Su Won almost yelled at this man. He did not even know!


    She had actually recalled seeing those two during her exam too, in the crowd. But she had not questioned it then because she was not sure if they had been invited by the earl or not. Plus, it was too minor at that time to think about it.


    "I know what you mean, let me look into it," Isaac Laurent immediately called the butler of the house and gave him a few instructions.


    "So, have you decided on your teachers?" he asked after he was done with that.


    "Majority of them, yes," she replied.


    "Majority? Do you need more time or more people?"


    It was great that she was being given a choice. She had never been given one in her past life. Even if her soul was twenty four years old, she had not had exercised her freedom to choose much. So, she was grateful to this man. But she was feeling unsettles.


    If this man were to ask for outrageous things in return, she was going to be devastated.


    Weren''t all adults like this? They could only exercise absolute influence on young kids and that''s what they all did.


    "No, I have chosen the people. Here is the list. Please proceed," Kim Su Won finished the document o her table and handed it over to Isaac Laurent.


    She could trace the slow movement of his red eyes as he went through the list. Gosh, his eyes looked marbles in sunlight. Would Alex''s eyes look the same? She was so curious about it but he had not visited her after the exam, even once. Hmph! So much for friendship and such.


    "This looks good. Most of them are my first choices too. Good job my lady," Isaac Laurent patted the girls head and left in excitement at once.


    Kim Su Won was too stunned to speak. When was the last time her dad had patted her head or praised her? What was this sense of pride and giddiness in her heart? Was she lacking appreciation in her life so much that it was feeling as if thousands of sunflowers had bloomed in her heart?


    "Anna, any information?" she asked later in the day.


    "Miss, it''s terrible. It''s exactly same incident as yours. This news was not released to common folks, but in high society, there is a rumor going on saying that the third prince had been pushed into a lake by accident on the same day as you. He woke up within two days but his behavior has changed too," Anna told as she heard from different people on the streets.


    She had made friends with servants of other prominent households as instructed by her miss. There was a pub where a few of the servants gathered every night to drink and chat. The culture was rather relaxed in that sense in this era.


    "Heh! Exact accident like me and a change in behavior like me? Did they not link us two just yet?" Kim Su Won was both exasperated and worried. The guy woke up four days before her. What were people going to say? Why was there no commotion in the high society just yet?


    "Well, give your previous reputation¡­," Ana hesitated a bit. Kim Su Won threw a glance towards the maid and nodded for her to continue.


    "¡­ It seems not a lot of people know what happened to you. They just know that you suddenly wanted to study and got interested what the duke''s youngest daughter was upto," the maid shrugged.


    "Huh? Given her mouth, my elder sister must have herself spread rumors about me and the third prince. Why is she quiet? She sits among the noble children."


    "But no one wants to talk about you anyway. They don''t know you personally and you are indeed famous for being a brat. Once you start achieving success in your endeavors, the story might be different though," Anna replied.


    The maid could be quite insightful sometimes, and Kim Su Won had no idea Anna was this intelligent. She knew how the world functioned and this was hell of a skill anyone could possess.


    "So you are saying I have given a leverage unknowingly to my sister? That''s sad," Kim Su Won replied nonchalantly, startling Anna. Why was her miss always so relaxed, as if she could peek into the future?


    For Kim Su Won, her elder sister was not a problem. She was going to achieve so much success that all these rumors about her would be nothing before them.


    The problem was the third prince. He had become a variable to her plans rather than an asset, something she did not want to deal with. From what she had observed last time, that guy was hellbent on continuing the story as is.


    Was it because he felt threatened about losing his winning chip, her? Or did he want something more than running her businesses. She had to find out at any cost!

 Chapter 46 - Outing - I

    "I am here to take you out as the part of your training, lady Whittemore," Alex greeted Kim Su Won the next day, ready in his garb as her guard for the day.


    Isaac Laurent had decided that Emmeline Whittemore lacked the real world experience and needed to get out before she started her lessons to understand how the real world worked.


    He had informed the kid and her maid that his son would be taking her out for the day. They had allotted her a budget of hundred krislas, the currency of Krislabet. She were to spend the money however she see fit but had to check out at least ten different businesses and write a report about her experience.


    It was a great exercise for herself because, although she knew what innovations the originally transmigrated woman had brought about in the novel, she had far less idea on how people were living here.


    Kim Su Won wanted to make money herself, but since her years were numbered, she was also glad to be of servitude nature to the citizens. If she could raise her own reputation among the masses while helping them out raise their standard of living, would it not be the best for the original transmigrator too?


    She had readily agreed to the proposal. The only thing she did not know was that Ivan had insisted on going with them and she was now stuck with him too.


    She had wanted to be lowkey, so she was wearing one of the simplest dresses she owned. She was almost at par with what Anna was wearing. Simple gowns with no frilly skirts in pastel colors. There were no accessories or ornaments. Kim Su Won had her hair half tied in a pony and Anna was wearing a bun. The kid did not have to worry about her identity being discovered because her hair was a bit more common in the area than her siblings and Whittemores in general.


    Alex had to put on colored fake glasses to hide his eye''s color and he was wearing a cap that hid his hair color well. Ivan had to do the same. They looked like twins with matching outfits and equally handsome faces.


    The carriage had arrived, which was also not flashy like the official carriages of the duchy. There was no insignia of the dukedom on the carriage too.


    "Thank you for going along with my wish to remain anonymous, Alex," Kim Su Won smiled when she realized that the trip was going to be smoother than she thought. Except the presence of Ivan but she had decided to ignore her elder brother for the time being.


    Alex nodded. It was his duty as her guard. And he wanted her to do well on her assignment. "Please let me know if you need anything else my lady¡­ I mean E-Emmeline."


    "When did you guys go on first name basis?" Ivan shifted his gaze from one to other, his eyes full of suspicion. They had officially just met. Alex still did not call Ivan by his first name after all these years but he was already so chummy with his sister?


    To say that Ivan was unhappy was understatement. He was jealous! Of how easy it was for his younger sister to form relationships. All that kid needed to do was either smile or pout. She was a kid, a pretty one at that. And she did not need to think about her position as a Whittemore either.


    Ivan Whittemore suddenly felt like the position of the heir was not as lucrative anymore. He did not have any freedom at all.


    "Ahem, young lord, we are in disguise. So, we need to call each other by names rather than courtesy anyway," Alex''s face slowly started to match his eyes without glasses. He had to come up with an excuse!


    Emmeline was still like a younger sister to him who did not have any siblings. He could not call Ivan by his first name under any circumstance though. Ivan was his lord through and through.


    "Oh? So do you get to call me Ivan too?" Ivan asked, crossing both his arms and legs, his gaze full of anticipation.


    "Listen elder brother. He can still shorten my name to Emma and no one would know. But your name is so common. How about giving you another name? Something like¡­ like Robert! It will keep us under disguise," Kim Su Won realized that Ivan was putting Alex on the spot deliberately. Or he just wanted his friend to call him more affectionately.


    Wait a minute! Were they friends or was their relationship strictly of a knight in training and duke in training? If it was the latter case, then it was a pity. Ivan did not have that many friends as far as she remembered.


    There was rivalry between the kids of the dukes and the royalty was, well, royalty. The imperial kids only saw everyone beneath them. It was very later in their lives that they started becoming friends. But by that time, the generation had taken over as liege and his citizens, so their relationship could never blossom into great friendships.


    Hah! Such a pity indeed!


    Anyway, Alex looked at Kim Su Won gratefully. He could not call the person he was serving by his given name but alias was fine. He had almost sweat pour down his forehead. Kim Su Won could also feel his relief.


    She was happy to help. In her original world, it would be more like calling your boss by their first name, something she could not imagine in Asian culture.


    "Ehhhh? I wanted him to call me by my name. This is just so unfair," Ivan whined in cutesy voice. Kim Su Won almost choked on her own saliva.


    She had no idea that Ivan Whittemore, her handsome brother who seemed like the whole duchy''s burden was on his shoulders, could throw a tantrum like a kid. But again, he was a fourteen year old who had been forced to man up too soon too.


    She had to remember that all of them were still kids!


    "It''s okay elder brother. I think Robert suits you well. Say Alex, I am sure you could complete his wish by calling a nickname like Rob though. Does that not sound more intimate?" Kim Su Won teased the two friends while Alex coughed on the side. Ivan was still not happy, he just rolled his eyes at his sister''s lame joke.


    "Haven''t you become cheeky lately. Your success at the exam must have gotten to your head. Your troubles have just started my little sister.. You need to be careful from now on," Ivan warned.

 Chapter 47 - Outing - II

    Not that she did not know, but did her elder brother need to ruin her mood like this? She was finally breathing fresh air outside of their castle and seeing the hustle bustle of the town they were in.


    Kingdom of Krislabet had the central capital where imperial family resided and then the rest of the kingdom was governed by the three dukes under the imperial family. So, essentially, kingdom of Krislabet was divided into four parts, capital and other three regions under each duke.


    The way the agreement between the ruling parties worked was that each duke owned only one third of the land they ruled. One third of the land was owned by aristocrats under the dukes and rest third of the land was owned by the imperial family.


    The owners of the lands were free to distribute their land however they saw fit. Whittemore duchy, for past several generations, had put out tenders for common people to buy the land under Whittemore family at cheap prices.


    And with this, Whittemore family had given away more than half the share of the land they owned to common people, establishing a proper capitalistic society. People were free to establish trades and other activities as long as they did not break the rules.


    It was quite forward system of thinking, something Kim Su Won thought the author of original novel made out of convenience. Anyway, now that she was inside the novel, she could at least relate the system to the modern world.


    The horse carriage finally came to a halt. Alex got down and then helped Kim Su Won and Anna down the carriage one by one.


    "Emma, you and Anna are free to go wherever you want. I will follow you as your guard. R-Rob is also free to go wherever he wants," Alex stuttered a bit but was finally able to speak the alleged ''nickname'' of his young lord.


    Kim Su Won and Anna giggled at the side while Ivan glared at his friend.


    "Hmph! Why do you think I came here? I am going to evaluate your performance. Ten businesses, was it? I can''t even think of ten places to go off the top of my head. Why is your dad going to extra length for Emma anyway? This is ridiculous," Ivan was finding it difficult to digest that his sister was suddenly getting this much attention, especially from the ma coveted as a teacher in whole of the country.


    Why was the Laurent family so hung up on Emmeline? Her performance in the exam was indeed extraordinary but what was so special about her? Even, he himself was feeling drawn to this kid for no reason and that frustrated him.


    "Well, thankfully I was told about the assignment a night before. We will start with a boutique, then go to a grain store, a weapon store, a bakery, a restaurant, a meat store, a clock shop, a bookstore, an information guild and lastly, a theater."


    "You have already done your research, eh?" Ivan and even Alex, both were amused by her answer. She had not only thought about Isaac''s assignment, but she also had a great variety in her choice.


    "Of course! It is my first assignment after all. Anna, let''s go!" Kim Su Won grinned and then stepped into the first shop she had decided to go.


    For her trip, she had decided to go to one of the ''poorer'' parts of the town, where middle class people shopped. Since her past life, she believed that middle class people were really the backbone of an economy. She needed to understand how ''wealthy'' the ''middle class'' of this era was.


    Alex was still puzzled while Ivan was frustrated. They really had to come to this down to earth place? It did not befit their status at all. And why did it seem like Emmeline was more familiar with this environment than the noble one? They decided to follow the young lady inside.


    "Oh, hello young lady, how may I help you?" a kind matron came out from the back. Kim Su Won glanced around. A humble store with basic amenities. They had a few designs hung on a stand in the corner, same design in multiple sizes.


    There were quite a few accessories available too. All types of pretty and simple earrings and necklaces. Kim Su Won checked a few of them.


    "Have these designs been made by you?" she took out a few earrings and checked their quality. The designs were quite rudimentary but the quality was good. They included birds, flowers and other elements of nature but only things that were considered ''aesthetic''. If it were modern world, there would be cats, fruits and even skulls. She could use some of that knowledge here.


    "Uhh¡­ well¡­," the matron hesitated a bit. Kim Su Won understood that they must be cheap knock offs of high end jewelry and since her clothes probably were a dead giveaway of her status as some noble to a person who ran a boutique, the matron might be feeling threatened to tell the truth.


    "Okay, never mind that. Could you describe how the designs of those high end shops for aristocrats look like? I have never been to one but would like to know. Then I would like to strike a deal with you."


    "Deal?" the matron was confused, her eyebrows furrowed. She thought she was going to get in trouble. Her eyes were full of suspicion.


    Kim Su Won nodded. "You might be doing this right now but do you have any idea that if those high end boutiques came to know that you are making a profit off their designs, they could get your store shut down?"


    The matron swallowed her saliva and shut her eyes tightly. Those people, they had finally caught on and sent these people to arrest her, right? The two hunks behind this kid were definitely here to take her away.


    When she had started the store all those years ago and started imitating those designs, she knew she was looking for trouble. But these were also things that common people like her coveted but could not afford.


    Her store became really popular once the ladies realized that her designs were very close to what they saw in the newspapers and the books. Just because they did not have money, were they not allowed to look beautiful?


    Kim Su Won understood the state of the matron. Her original world was the same. People wanted to imitate the celebrities and went to any length to own those luxury brands like F*ndi, Pr*da, R*lls R*yce etc. just to show off, even taking loans out to buy branded things.


    Eras changed but mentality of the people did not!


    "If you are ready to work for me, I will help you with completely new designs and capital for materials. As a guarantee of my scheme, I will pay you five Krislas right now," Kim Su Won took out shiny golden coins from the pouch Anna handed her over.


    "F-Five Krislas?" the matron''s eyes went wide with shock. She had never seen such huge amount of money at once in her whole life.


    Kim Su Won had sat down with Anna yesterday to learn about the value of money of the kingdom. Anna understandably explained everything to her since original Emmeline had no idea about money. She probably had never even seen a coin with her own eyes.


    In this kingdom, the Krislas were like gold coins and then there were Bets, that were like silver coins. Each Krisla was made of thousand Bets and about hundred Bets were enough to feed a family of four in this part of the town. Five Krislas was a very big deal to anyone here.


    Kim Su Won also took out a piece of paper. It had all terms and conditions written on it. She slowly explained the terms to the matron.


    "I only want twenty percent of profit you will earn by selling these designs. I am sure they will be popular. I like that even if the designs you have are cheap knock offs, you have not used inferior material. Which is why I want to provide you with my money," Kim Su Won finished.


    "B-But, young lady, this is too generous of a deal. It''s like you are throwing this money away. What if it does not work out?" the matron was still in disbelief. She did not know how to read and write. So, she was not sure if what she was signing was legit or not.


    "Madam, I am not forcing you to sign the document right away. If you want, you can get it evaluated. I will leave my money with you as well and will return in a week. You can let me know of your decision then," Kim Su Won smiled reassuringly.


    The two guys wanted to protest but Anna stopped them. The matron teared up and knelt down in front of the girl.


    "H-How would I pay your debt young miss? This is too much for a humble person like me!" she bowed down again and again.


    Kim Su Won knelt down herself on the floor. "Madam, you are my elder. Please stand up. You are also taking a risk if you decide to go help me out. I am not going to ask you to remove your current stock right away but we will have to slowly phase it out so that you are not living in fear all the time," she helped the lady up.


    "Also, I would like to remain anonymous as your backer for the time being. You cannot describe where you got the money from and what the deal is about.. If you need to say anything, just describe him, okay?" she pointed towards Ivan as she said so, stunning everyone in the room.

 Chapter 48 - Business Dealing

    "Aren''t you being reckless? You spent 5 Krislas without batting an eye and did not get anything in return at all! What were you thinking?" Ivan scolded Kim Su Won as they came out of the shop, leaving behind a matron that was still thanking this party that had appeared out of nowhere.


    "What are you talking about elder brother? I did not lose my money, I invested it. I will be reaping the rewards in about half a year''s time," Kim Su Won smiled, she was in a good mood.


    "But you do not have anything to show for it! What if you go a week later and she refuses to acknowledge that you ever gave her the money or that agreement? Do you not know how greedy these people can get?" Ivan''s voice was raising by the minute.


    He had not thought that this girl would be so na?ve. He should have known what uncle Isaac meant by her not knowing the real world. He should have stopped her! It would have been better just to buy the whole shop in those five Krislas. She probably would have saved the money there. Alex had the same questions.


    Kim Su Won smirked. This fool, he had no idea how common man worked. She raised her hand and waved her index finger towards Ivan.


    "Elder brother, you are needlessly accusing the common folks. They work hard in their lives and want to earn honest living. Do you know why the lady was so grateful to me?" she tilted her head, glancing towards all three people in the party. No one could reply to her.


    "It was not because she would be earning more or she suddenly got so much money. It was because I gave her an avenue to live stress free. Once she is able to get rid of those counterfeit designs, her life would become much smoother. And that''s my bargaining chip. She would not be refusing me at all. She just needs time to get the agreement verified," she spoke confidently.


    The three people were completely dumbfounded. This kid had thought that far enough? And she was so convinced that the matron was not going to refuse her offer!


    "Are you going to do the same at other stores you chose?" Ivan asked, finally calming down and realizing that there was solid reasoning for this girl to do what she was doing.


    "Huh? Not really. This was a place with easy target. What could I do in a bakery? I have no knowledge about baking after all," Kim Su Won shrugged. She had just come out for fun and check where she could put her money in.


    Furthermore, not all the shops would be in this part of town anyway. There was no use of a weapon shop bring here in the first place. She would need to travel to wealthier areas too.


    After her successful dealing here, she decided to stroll around and see how people were living here. There were kids running around on the roads, without a care in the world. There were a lot of people walking or on bicycles and horse carriages were a rare sight.


    There were fruits and vegetables markets on both sides of wider streets. In general, people were happy. But the state of the infrastructure was just not that great.


    "You thief," suddenly she heard a loud voice in front of her and saw three kids running towards her. They had big oranges in their hands and a man was running behind them with a baton.


    "Those kids stole my fruits. Please someone, catch them," the man was rather old so could not catch up to them. So he shouted for help. Actually, he was looking straight towards her and her party.


    Kim Su Won signaled to Alex and he caught two kids while Anna stopped the only girl in the group.


    "L-Let us go!" the kids struggled in the strong arms of Alex but in vain.


    "T-Thank you young lady for catching them. These impudent kids have been a nuisance in the market for quite a while now. They are so fast on their feet though. We can punish them now," the man looked around for help but other vendors just did not bother coming forward.


    "Aigoo¡­ these poor kids do not have an adult to look after them. So what if they took a few oranges? Young miss, it''s okay. We do not mind them taking a few of our fruits and vegetables. Not like we sell all our stock anyway. Only this old man cares about it," an old lady with a hunched back spoke loudly and every other person nodded.


    "B-But¡­," the man felt embarrassed about being stubborn and no one taking his side in front of these wealthy looking people. It made him feel small. If these nobles were to scold him further, he would feel completely humiliated.


    Kim Su Won swept a glance towards the whole crowd and then looked at the old man. The old man had hung his head in shame.


    The kid took out a Krisla from her bag and handed it over to the man.


    "I am sorry sir. Thank you for chasing these kids. Here is a compensation for all that these kids have stolen from you."


    "N-No no, young miss. How can I take this much money? The fruits they have taken from me might not even count to a hundred Bets. I just don''t want them to learn stealing," the old man replied, handing the money back to the kid.


    "H-Hey! They have taken much more from me than the old man! Will you be paying us too?" the old lady who had spoken earlier suddenly had this bright light in her eyes as did everyone else.


    Seeing the people suddenly becoming greedy, Kim Su Won burst out in laughter. She guffawed until everyone started staring at her weirdly. What was the deal of this kid?


    "Why? I thought you guys were giving your fruits and vegetables away out of goodness of your heart?" Kim Su Won finally stopped laughing, wiping a tear off the corner of her eye. It was just so funny to see these people like these.


    "W-We did and now we should get rewarded for that. This old man is the one who has been chasing the kids away. Why should he get money for being a bad person and not us?" a rather young lady with a kid on her waist spoke from behind. Everyone agreed to her.


    "Hah! You know when a good deed is called a good deed? When you don''t expect anything in return. And you guys are not helping these kids out, you are enabling their stealing behavior. Would it be alright if they start stealing money from your stalls tomorrow?" Kim Su Won started lecturing, yelling at the top of her lungs. Did it matter at the moment that she was a twelve year old kid and was arguing with may be a thirty year old lady?


    No! The one thing she absolutely could not tolerate was adults taking advantage of the kids. She felt so furious inside, she wanted to put all of them in jail. These very adults would then curse these kids when they would start committing actual crimes without realizing their own part in that.


    "You kids, do you have a family?" she turned around and asked the kids who were flailing in the arms of two strong people.


    The three stopped right at the moment and waved their head left and right.


    Ah! These were orphans!


    "Sir, do you have a family?" she then turned to ask the old man who had been chasing after the kids.


    "I have a wife but that''s it," he replied.


    "Then it''s decided. I will take care of their expenses but I would like to appoint you as their caretaker. Would that be okay? I will of course pay you and your wife for your services separately" she asked the old man.


    The major problem with raising the kids was finance. And of course, the effort to raise them to be good human beings. If they were ready to take care of the latter, she was very happy to provide the financial support. After all, in this life, her family was capable.


    The whole crowd was shocked to hear something so ridiculous from the mouth of a kid.


    The old man''s eyes teared up. "We lost our kid to malnutrition and then we could not conceive later in fear of seeing another one go! We would be very grateful to take the kids in if we have financial means!"


    "W-We don''t want to go!" the kids protested. This old man was too stubborn and strict and he never treated them properly. How could they live with someone like that? They glared at Kim Su Won with hatred.


    Kim Su Won stepped ahead and hit the heads of the three kids. "You people are too young to determine what is right and what is wrong for yourselves, okay? Listen to this elder sister. Do you want a roof, clothes and regular meals or not?"


    The image of not going hungry and be able to sleep at night was too tempting for the kids. They stopped throwing the tantrum immediately.


    "You are too young to make the decision too!" the people protested as well.


    "If both the parties agree, I don''t believe there is anything else to discuss. Sir, before you make the decision, please discuss with you wife too. You can take the kids with you but if your wife does not agree, please contact us at this address," she handed over a small map to her estate and gave them the name of her brother yet again.


    People laughed at her thinking who in their right mind would ask for permission from their wife. But the old man agreed. He did not have any intention of leaving his business, so it would fall on her wife to raise the kids. He thanked the nobles for their generosity and took the kids with him to his humble home.


    "Alex, please make sure these people are settled properly and no one bullies them," she said to Alex with an authority in her voice that made Alex want to complete the order immediately.. He went right ahead to get a shadow guard to look after the newly formed family.

 Chapter 49 - Trouble

    "Your highness, are you really going to follow her the whole day?" the guard in the royal knight garb asked the kid in the carriage which was parked such that the people inside were able to see what was happening outside without being discovered.


    "She seems interesting enough, why not?" the kid replied, his eyes had been looking dead and bored all this while.


    What was he doing here? He was supposed to be entertaining one of the candidates to be his future wife. This girl was sitting opposite to him but he had no interest in her whatsoever.


    He just was following his imperial mother''s orders. Why did he have to be the crown prince? And why did a crown prince need to have a duty to meet someone who could or could not be his future wife. He would rather be studying somewhere.


    He had wanted this spoiled daughter of Duke Richmond to get irritated, which was why he had brought them through this downtrodden part of the town faraway from the capital. Who would have known he would stumble upon such an interesting scene?


    He recognized the two guys in the group even if they were in disguise. Alexander Laurent and Ivan Whittemore. But who was this girl whom they were guarding? She talked like an adult, even lecturing people around, that too about morals.


    Moreover, she even offered to sponsor not one but three kids, right at the spot. She had to be in the same league or above Ivan Whittemore.


    "Who do you think she is, Timothy?" the kid asked.


    "Your highness, in this situation, my only guess is that she is the youngest daughter of Duke Whittemore," the guard, called Timothy Ludwig, replied to his honored crown prince sitting there.


    "Your highness, are you interested in that girl? What if she is not from one of the ducal families?" the girl, who had been pouting in anger, finally took notice of what had captivated the attention of his royal highness, the crown prince, Aaron Chadbourne.


    "I do not believe I gave you permission to speak, miss Katherine Richmond," Aaron Chadbourne replied to her in a stern voice without sparing even a single glance. He was completely engrossed in the drama over there.


    "She did resolve it nicely. I wonder how she will keep up with the news¡­ oh, there goes one of the Laurent families shadow knights," the kid lamented while spotting a shadow running about to bring another team member back on the order of Alexander Laurent.


    How he wished he could lure the Laurent family towards his side. Alexander Laurent was the same age as him as was Ivan Whittemore. If only the imperial family and the ducal families had more cordial relationships, these two guys could have been his friends.


    He was especially interested in Alexander Laurent. And to have him in his party, he would need to entertain Ivan Whittemore first. There was a longing in the eyes of the crown prince, for comrades.


    "Why don''t you go and meet them?" the guard reminded the crown prince, seeing his lonely eyes. He had been serving his highness since he was a kid and knew all too well how the prince did not have a single person, he could call friend.


    Back at the palace, everyone was busy lusting after his crown, he could not even trust his own brothers and sisters. While outside, he had been taught to not trust anyone, especially anyone from ducal families.


    No matter how lonely the crown prince felt, he could not show his vulnerabilities to anyone but his parents. This was the life of a fourteen year old kid. The guard suddenly felt pity for his master.


    "H-How can I go and meet them? Would it not mean I was spying on them? I am the crown prince, they should come and greet me," the kid with golden hair and golden eyes replied, with an arrogance he himself was not aware of.


    "Alright, your highness. If you wish to follow them, we will do exactly so," Timothy sighed and went back to his guarding duties in front of the carriage while his highness put his arms on the window and watched the kids on the street with interest.


    The girl sitting by his side, knew that his highness was not interested in her at all. She had tried to act docile, which did not work and then she had tried to throw tantrums, that did not work either. It was just too difficult to determine the type he liked. But looking at how he was looking at the party of four, it seemed he was interested in¡­ kind people?


    Hah! Those pretentious people! What kindness was there in helping their own citizens? Not like they were working outside their duchy. They probably knew that crown prince was there and were just pretending to be nice to gain his attention. How could she let them do that?


    The girl swooped her dress and slipped out of the carriage from the other side while his highness was distracted. She clicked her tongue when she saw that the most handsome man in the kingdom did not even spare her a glance. He truly was a jerk!


    Even the guard was distracted with the bunch of shadow knights that had now arrived at the site on the order of Alexander Laurent. He himself was a knight and it was a great honor to watch the most celebrated knight squadron on the earth.


    Katherine Richmond took advantage of the situation and approached the group that was busy discussing the fate of the three kids. Unfortunately, she had failed to recognize them and had not been able to hear the conversation of Aaron and Timothy earlier. Not that they had mentioned who the four people were.


    "You people," she called out to the four of them. No one paid attention to her initially.


    She stomped her feet and yelled loudly, "You lowlifes, what lowly noble family do you belong to?"


    The four turned around and looked at her funnily. Ah, yes! They were in disguise, but from their rather higher end clothes than the common folks, she must have mistaken them as some nobles low in ranking.


    Kim Su Won sized up this girl. She had jet black hair and eyes. Even her clothes had quite much amount of black. There was only one family that existed in Kingdom of Krislabet with these features. But what was the young lady of Duke Richmond doing here?


    True to how the novel had described her, she was a top beauty of the kingdom plus, there was no rival when it came to intelligence. The only issue with this girl was her personality. This girl had been described as someone who was very good at judging people and adjusted her own attitude accordingly.


    That would mean feeling out the other person, adjusting her demeanor on the fly.


    Ivan and Alex also recognized her at once. They had met her before in noble gatherings, so they had no doubt who this personality before them was. They both, subconsciously, lowered their hats, in the hopes that she would not recognize them.


    Interestingly, she was only glaring at Kim Su Won. The only reason? She had hogged all the attention away from her companion and she was not going to have it.


    When she did not hear any greetings, Katherine''s head started spinning. Who were these rude people, who not only wasted her trip with the crown prince, but also failed to recognize her? She had given them such an opportunity to honor them with her presence. What was wrong with people these days?


    Or was it that these people were so low in ranking that they had no idea who she was at all? That must be it! She was a genius!


    "Why are you not greeting me? Do you have any idea who I am?" she opened her mouth once again. The three people who recognized her massaged the area between their eyes. Why was a person from another duchy here?


    "We greet young lady Richmond. Apologies for not greeting you earlier. We were just shocked to see you here," Kim Su Won started first. Thankfully, her etiquette classes had started right after she had her exam. They did not delay there, at least.


    "Hmph! Good that you recognized me. What have you guys been doing here? What is all the ruckus? Does Duke Whittemore know what you people are doing?" she crossed her arms and showed a proud expression, taking the name of Duke as if she knew her personally.


    The three people almost snorted at her remark while Anna was fuming. Even if this was young lady of Richmond duchy, how dare she disrespect her miss? But since no one was saying anything, she was going to be quiet too.


    Kim Su Won had noticed from the corner of her eye that her maid was feeling agitated, but holding back. She nodded inside her head with approval. Anna was learning!


    "Why did you come outside?" they heard a male voice from behind.. Aaron Chadbourne had come out of the carriage to see the people.

 Chapter 50 - Crown Prince

    Everyone looked towards the direction of the voice. There stood an ethereal being, a person who looked like no one could touch him. His golden hair and golden eyes reflected the sunlight, glimmering like precious jewels.


    His clothes were similar to what Ivan and Alex would wear on a formal occasion. He had a royal blue buttoned jacket and pants donned, complimenting his golden locks. His skin was so pale that he looked almost translucent in the sunlight.


    Even if no one had seen him ever, with the unique coloring on his body, everyone knew he belonged to the imperial family.


    The common folks immediately knelt down, so did Ivan, Alex and Anna. Lady Richmond was the only one standing there, smirking at how everyone was being so respectful to the crown prince but she did not need to kneel in front of him for now.


    Kim Su Won, on the other hand, stood there frozen. She stared at him and forgot to blink or greet his royal highness. Oh my God! He was way more beautiful than described in the novel! How could that businesswoman fall for that third prince who did not hold a candle to even her brother? This kid was going to swoon all the ladies in the kingdom and abroad when he grew up. Her jaw almost hit the floor.


    Aaron tilted his head, waiting for this impudent girl to go down on her knees, but she just stood there.


    Anna immediately pulled the dazed girl by her hand, jolting her back to reality.


    "G-Greetings your highness," Kim Su Won stuttered.


    "Ivan Whittemore! I have heard about your sister lacking etiquette, but how could she not greet this prince?" Aaron Chadbourne crossed his arms. Those clear eyes of the girl, it felt as if they could see through him. He did not like this feeling at all. He wanted to vent out his frustration of having experienced this new weird feeling.


    "I-I am sorry your highness," Ivan could only mutter this much, his head was still bowed. No one was allowed to look at his highness after all. He was also trying to win brownie points with this brand new sister of his. But he could not offend the royal prince either. He was in such a dilemma.


    Kim Su Won raised her head. What the hell! Why was he scolding her brother when she was the one in the wrong? Was he also of the patriarchal mindset and would not talk to her directly?


    "Your highness, I apologize for my mistake," she said, with extra emphasis on ''my'', looking directly towards him.


    "Hah! With your behavior, you don''t seem very sorry for your actions," Katherine Richmond spoke, taking out a fan and waving it ever so slightly in a seductive way. Had she known it was the Whittemores, she would not have been this rude. After all, Ivan Whittemore was one of the eligible bachelors too.


    Kim Su Won glanced at the girl and shook her head in pity. Poor girls, even at such young age, they had been taught to flaunt their budding assets and try to seduce young guys, only to secure a boring future for themselves.


    How she wished females understood that their worth was much more than just a trophy wife.


    Anyway, this female had crossed a line and she was not taking it.


    "I am sorry, but I was talking to his highness, the crown prince. I was not made aware of you being his representative," she replied, in a harsh and cold tone, taking aback both Katherine Richmond and Aaron Chadbourne.


    How could a twelve year old be so rude and straight to the point?


    "Pfft," the crown prince, who had been irritated by the lady Richmond anyway, was quite delighted to hear her getting insulted. He had not experienced one before, but cat fights seemed entertaining. Ah! Two girls fighting for his attention felt way better than this girl kneeling on the ground seeing through him.


    Kids could really be cruel. Katherine Richmond gnashed her teeth, especially because she could not say anything to the crown prince. He was the imperial heir, going against him would mean downfall of her family.


    She gave a death glare to Kim Su Won. She could not refute. She had spoken out of turn.


    "Ahem! Lady Whittemore, your apology is accepted. What are you guys doing here in this part of the town?" The mere fact that this kid had shut up this lady with one sentence left a favorable impression on the crown prince. He decided to steer the conversation in a different direction, also to show that it was a coincidence that they found each other.


    Kim Su Won studied the face of the prince. It was calm and pleasing to look at. But man, what a great actor this fourteen year old was. She could really tell that he was pretending. He probably had been keeping an eye on the situation for a while now. She also spotted the carriage standing far away, almost hidden behind one of the walls.


    "We were just strolling around your highness," Ivan replied. He was the representative of Whittemore house at this moment. His cover had been blown away by this prince for no reason, so he had to step up to his duty.


    "Oh? Why do I see so many town folks here though? Is there some festival going on?" he randomly walked towards a fruit stall and picked up a juicy looking apple. He bit into it, relishing the sweet taste that filled his mouth.


    "Your highness! You cannot¡­," the guard from behind immediately took the apple from the hand of the prince and threw it away.


    "Why? An apple can''t be possibly poisoned? How would they sell it otherwise?" the prince snarled at his guard. He was supposed to be the ultimate figure here, how did a mere guard dare to act like his guardian in the public?


    There was a pin drop awkward silence on the street. The commoners did not know how to behave in this situation or what to do. They were all still kneeling on the dirty ground with their heads bowed, a few of them trembling and cursing themselves to have encountered these nobles today.


    "Uncle, when we took the apple, you called us thieves. But he is doing the same. Why are you not scolding him?" one of the kids innocently ''tried'' to whisper the question in the old man''s ear but the awkward atmosphere became more uncomfortable.


    The crown prince heard it too. He felt a rage inside himself bubbling. What the heck! He had not come here to get embarrassed. What kind of joke was this? He wanted to take away the head of the kid, a pesky little commoner kid dared to insult him too? What would his reputation be when he became the king? No, he had to get rid of all these people in front of him.


    The nobles would know not to blabber about it if they wanted to keep their loves, but these town folks would gossip for sure. He had to take them all away! And erase this shameful incident from his history.


    Kim Su Won wanted to laugh, the kids were too honest. It was true, he was a thief too. He should have paid first, but who would dare ask money from this imperial brat. They would probably wear it as a badge of honor that those apples were touched by the crown prince.


    Aaron Chadbourne was actually quite amused by the changes in face expression this girl was going through by the second. He really wanted to know what was going on in her head, so much that he was slowly forgetting things that were making him angry.


    "Hey, you can''t say that. He is the crown prince of our kingdom. Everything belongs to him. He can do whatever he wants. Your highness, please forgive these kids, they have no idea about anything," the old man chided the kid in his arms and then touched his forehead on the ground. He had just gained three kids, he could not lose them now!


    The old man''s heart was beating fast. He could only touch his forehead on the ground aggressively and apologize profusely.


    Well, it did feel good that an adult was apologizing so genuinely, he did not need to be an ass about it.


    "Timothy, pay this stall owner a handsome amount since I took away an apple from here. Let''s leave after that," he started walking back, occasionally glancing at the girl sitting on the floor, almost looking bored. She¡­ she was very interesting. From the way she was dealing with these adults to the way she behaved, he had not felt this much entertained in his life before.


    "Y-Your highness! Since you are in our duchy, why not visit our humble abode? Father would be delighted to meet you after so long!" Ivan gave an invitation to the departing crown prince. The capital was not far from here but the prince had traveled all the way here. If Ivan did not bring him home, his father was going to chew him out.


    The crown prince''s ears perked up. A small detour would not matter, right? And he could spend some time with the boys and that girl, and also be away from that Richmond girl and his own home. Sounded like an amazing plan.


    "Alright, we shall go to your place then," the crown prince accepted the invitation hastily, grinning to himself as he walked back to the carriage.

 Chapter 51 - Awkward Situation

    Kim Su Won had no idea what the day was going to unfold. Her chance to do networking and make connections was robbed by this crown prince sitting in front of her. No matter how dazzling he was, he was still an as*hole.


    Not only did he insist to travel in their carriage, in hopes to leave behind the lady HE was escorting, he whined like a baby when her group decided to group lady Richmond and him in the same carriage.


    In the end, the boys went in one carriage and the girls in one.


    Kim Su Won was not very happy with this. She had read about Katherine Richmond briefly in the novel. As much as beautiful she was, she was from the raven duchy. The people with jet black eyes and hair instilled fear in people.


    And the duke and his family were very adept in taking advantage of this fear. They ruled their people with cruelty and absolute control. Since Richmond duchy shared borders with all three other regions in the kingdom, a lot of people had since fled their duchy.


    Richmond duchy was the least populated duchy in the kingdom but the duke failed to see his flaws. He was very happy where he was and was raising his kids the same. This generation of Richmond family only contained girls, so the Richmond family was slated to get the first female duke ever in the history of kingdom of Krislabet.


    "Why am I riding the same carriage with you, a kid who is not respected even in her own house?" Katherine finally snapped after glaring at Kim Su Won for almost the entire journey till now. Her maid was also present who had been travelling in a separate carriage with the crown prince''s carriage.


    Kim Su Won, who was not even paying attention to the lady of Richmond household, turned her bored glance towards the kid. She was sitting resting her cheek on her palm with the support of her elbow and her stance did not move an inch.


    Did she want to talk to this person? Not really. It was going to be a hassle. But since Katherine had taken it upon her to get humiliated, Kim Su Won was all for it.


    "Lady Richmond, if you really have a problem in riding a carriage with me, you are very welcome to get out and do one for yourself," she kept her poker face on and replied, tilting her head as if confused.


    "W-What?" Katherine was taken back by that retort. She thought this girl was dumb which was why Whittemores were not ready to reveal her to the world. But this wench''s sharp tongue was making her speechless. How could she lose?


    "Is that a way to treat your guests? Asking them to get out?" Katherine crossed her arms, frowning and smirking at the same time. She had the leverage, she was the representative of Richmond duchy at Whittemore duchy. They could not treat her like this!


    "But I don''t believe my brother invited you, lady Richmond. It was his highness that he invited," Kim Su Won reasonably argued. The guard outside, who was riding on a horse and also eavesdropping sniggered. Katherine Richmond felt even more insulted by this but could not say anything because the guard belonged to imperial family.


    "Y-You¡­," she seethed in anger.


    "Ayyy Lady Katherine Richmond. I am not sure what animosity you have towards me. We are meeting for the first time too. I did not do any wrong to you, why are you so hostile?" Kim Su Won went straight in with her questions but kept her tone light. Who had time to go round and round, beating about the bush? And she would not get an answer anyway.


    "H-Hostility? Who said I am hostile to you? I was trying to make a conversation, you are the one offending me left and right," Katherine answered, clenching her teeth. She had to win the argument. She could not lose to a girl younger than her. That would be a real insult to the Richmond family.


    "Oh, is that so? Then I apologize," Kim Su Won said, without mentioning anything about what she was sorry for. This was the last straw that broke the camel''s back. Katherine could not talk back anymore but she felt like the apology was just not enough.


    She felt defeated. This girl admitted her wrong in an instant. How was she supposed to continue and grab a chance to get back to her? There was no avenue anymore!


    The guard left and whispered the small anecdote to the prince. The crown prince heard the story and laughed heartily, startling the other males sitting in his carriage. The royal carriage was obviously bigger and he had invited both Ivan and Alex to sit with him and entertain him.


    There was, however, an awkward silence in the carriage. There would be one or two back and forth small talk regarding the well being of each other and the families and that would be it.


    But suddenly, the crown prince burst out in laughter. The other two became curious but curbed it for they knew the little Emmeline must have done something incredulous again.


    "Your sister, why was she not in the limelight all this time? I believe she is benevolent and witty. This is the first time I am meeting her," Aaron finally found a topic to talk about. He was interested in knowing this girl better. She sounded like fun, something he did not have in his life.


    "Your highness, she was a willful girl up until about a month ago. But now she has turned over a leaf and wants to study for the welfare of the people," Ivan replied solemnly. He wanted to support his sister''s ambition to become the crown prince, so it was very important that he portrayed her in good light in front of her potentially future husband.


    "Oh? She does not look willful at all. More like haughty and cunning little fox," crown prince said. The two other people could not figure out if he was making fun of her or complimenting her. They did not say anything after this.


    After a couple seconds of silence, the crown prince posed further questions, "So, what happened to her that she changed?" The curiosity in his eyes was apparent.


    Ivan and Alex both knitted their eyebrows slightly. It was really no secret that Emmeline had an ''accident'' even if details were fuzzy. This crown prince, was he trying to bring the topic up on purpose or was he just too ignorant of what was happening among the nobles?


    "We have arrived," Timothy announced.


    Ivan had already sent a messenger at home with the details and the duke and the duchess were standing outside to welcome the esteemed guest.


    "Your highness," the duke greeted as soon as Aaron came out of the carriage.


    But the crown prince turned to the opposite direction and walked to the carriage with the ladies.. He waited for Kim Su Won to deboard and stretched his hand out to help her.

 Chapter 52 - Cuteness Overload

    The moment Kim Su Won stepped out of the carriage, her head bowed down for she was still not used to these horse carriages, she saw a pale hand stretched out for her.


    The flawless skin on the hand was much better than those of idols she had visited in her past life, and those girls really took care of themselves. She raised her head in confusion, only to find the golden haired angel standing in front of her, smiling.


    She could tell that it was not a genuine smile but she also did not know his intentions. By the novel, his mother was not very fond of Emmeline Whittemore as a crown princess candidate. And since the crown prince was a complete ''mama boy'', there was no reason for him to approach her.


    What was he thinking? She stared at his face which did not have any other expression at all. Despite being the ''adult'', she could not read him.


    Reasoning that perhaps he was using her to get rid of Katherine, Kim Su Won decided to help this poor prince out. After all, he was the character she related with the most when she was reading the novel. A kid who was manipulated by his mother all throughout the novel, she empathized with him.


    She even decided to take the path of becoming the crown princess precisely because she wanted to help Aaron out. Four years was very short yet very long time. If she had already changed the fates of people, then she might as well change her favorite character''s.


    "Thank you your highness," she replied as he helped her down from the carriage. Ivan and Alex were stunned while Katherine was gnashing her teeth.


    Katherine really did not have anything against this kid. She had not even shown any interest towards the crown prince, so she had heaved a sigh of relief. At least one competitor was out. But this display, it was as if these two knew each other before.


    What if the crown prince had fallen for this stupid girl? Was it her kindness that charmed him? She needed to act upon it!


    She was, unfortunately, the first person to deboard the carriage and could not make the crown prince help her out as well.


    Kim Su Won started walking towards her brother and Alex but she realized that Aaron had not let her hand go. She looked at their hands and then at Aaron who was just standing there, smiling as before. Realizing that he was still looking for help from her, she slightly frowned.


    This was definitely the case of giving an inch and taking a mile. He had certainly realized that she had randomly helped him out at the carriage. Ugh! Fine! She started it, so she had to take it all the way¡­


    She smiled back and then wrapped her arm around his, in a very bold move. It was unheard of in this era. A girl, who was not even an officially recognized candidate just yet, was clinging on to the third highest ranking person in the kingdom, just after the king and the queen.


    "W-what are you doing?" Aaron flicked her arm in front of everyone. His face had turned red like an apple. That touch, although weird, felt nice. He suddenly felt guilty looking at Emmeline''s pitiful face.


    Katherine was finding delight, finally he was as annoyed with that Emmeline Whittemore as her. Hmph! Served her right.


    For Kim Su Won, this was a win win situation. If he continued with the fa?ade, great! He would owe her one.


    If he did not like it and embarrassed her like this, she was basically pushing him away with her attitude. The crown princess, regardless of how much crown prince liked her or not, would be someone with high level knowledge and elegance. She was not worried about Aaron hating her.


    "W-We apologize for her rudeness, your highness," Audrey stepped forward and took over the reins.


    Kim Su Won clicked her tongue. These formalities and these parents. Parents needed to let the kids handle it themselves. Were they suddenly fearful of their position as her parents and their dukedom? Hah! Talk about pretentious!


    Aaron, being in close proximity of Emmeline, heard her. Amused, he turned around to look at her. She was much too fearless! Was she not worried about her family at all?


    "Your highness the crown prince, I was just trying to bond with my new friend. I apologize if I crossed any lines," Kim Su Won pouted. She was still a kid in the eyes of everyone. Her teary eyes pricked the hearts of everyone present.


    Yes, she was just twelve years old and also was yet to get proper lessons in etiquette. It was just a beginning for her. She did not understand the boundaries between males and females just yet. And her cute demeanor made everyone want to forgive her. Everyone except the females ¨C neither Katherine nor Audrey or Cecilia were thrilled at the melting gazes of the men.


    Aaron felt a pang in his heart. He was the one who wanted to depend on the kid for shooing away Katherine Richmond but he scolded her for nothing. Plus, what did she say? New friend? Did she consider him as her friend now?


    He did not have friends at all, especially because of his position. Could he finally call one his friend? He could not deny the thrill he felt at the word.


    "Emma! How can you disrespect the crown prince like this?" Audrey grabbed her arm forcefully. Finally, a chance to admonish this girl and take some well deserved revenge on her. This girl, since the day she had woken up, had become a thorn in her flesh. Nothing was going right since that unfortunate day.


    "Ahem," Aaron Chadbourne cleared his throat. "Madam, please do not be angry. I was just flustered earlier. It is alright," he said, almost stepping in front of the kid in a protective stance.


    Kim Su Won''s smile deepened at her victory. No matter what, the genes of Emmeline Whittemore were quite great. She was pretty and cute. Even if she acted mature all the time, just one whine and people melted left and right. Could this be her power?


    "Your highness, let us go inside first. Even if she is a kid, she still needs to learn her manners. Emma, you are grounded for a month and will reflect on your actions," Harold Whittemore said sternly. He could not punish her harshly since the crown prince seemed to have forgiven her.


    But he could also not let her off the hook. She was taking too many liberties. It could really put them in trouble.


    "Thank you father, I will learn my manners properly," Kim Su Won still pouted, her slightly chubby cheeks had fluffed up. Tears loomed at the corner of her eyes and her rosy cheeks had become deep red shade. They further plucked the strings in everyone''s hearts.


    Cecilia and Katherine chewed their handkerchiefs. This lass, she could really act!


    "My lord, we should not let our guests wait. Let''s go in," Isaac whispered and then addressed the crown prince. "Your highness, everything is ready. Please have some rest here before the lunch."


    Everyone went inside the duke''s castle, Kim Su Won glad at her victory.

 Chapter 53 - Idle Chit Chat

    Harold Whittemore had ordered Ivan and Alex to accompany Aaron Chadbourne and Cecilia to entertain Katherine Richmond.


    Kim Su Won was left to her own devices, originally. However, Aaron insisted that she be included into the group with him. Everyone was left surprised, including Kim Su Won herself. She was perfectly happy with being alone.


    And of course, the other three ladies were not happy with this development. Cecilia, Audrey and Katherine, all of them glared at the little girl who was rolling her eyes at the decision of the crown prince.


    This lucky wench, even if she did not want to be in that party, why is everyone falling for her drama? Katherine was feeling an insurmountable jealousy in her heart while Audrey had rage brewing, her chest rising and sinking heavily at each step Emmeline was taking towards Aaron.


    Although Aaron Chadbourne was Kim Su Won''s favorite character in the novel and her old self, original Emmeline Whittemore was crazy about him, this was not how she had wanted to start a relationship with him.


    She was here for four years anyway, it did not make sense for her at her age to take the decision for the future Emmeline Whittemore about her future husband. She was going to live her life quietly, working on things that she had always wanted to do in her own life.


    "I heard that you have announced to your family that you are going to compete for the crown princess title," Aaron whispered to Kim Su Won. He had heard that this girl was crazy about him.


    He had received number of letters from her, requesting for an audience and whatnot. While he did feel flattered, he had no idea where this interest stemmed for. They were kids, there was no reason for a kid to like a stranger so much.


    He was baffled and irritated with the constant bombardment of such letters. He already knew of his duty, towards the country, towards the citizens and towards his parents. He knew from early on that he had to marry someone, not out of love but out of obligation. The girls were already chosen for him and he would only need to point to the one who would be the most beneficial.


    And this particular girl whom he had never met before did not seem to have etiquettes of a crown princess candidate. His esteemed mother was as frustrated and angry as him.


    But those letters, they stopped about a month ago. He did not pay much attention to it at first. His life was already full of problems, how would he have time to pay mind to such trivial thing? He did not even know the contents of the letters, he always asked his aide to burn them without reading.


    But somewhere in the back of his mind, he had started looking forward to them. They were a source of entertainment, an assurance that someone was dedicated to him, at least. And then one day, they just stopped coming in.


    He was pretty confused, he had enough power now that he could ask his trusted aides to look into it. He got to know that the girl had gotten into an accident. How he waited each day for the updates about her.


    Even if he had not met her before, those letters were enough to make his heart ache for her.


    Even today''s outing. He would not really get time otherwise to visit the duchy. He just wanted to ''coincidentally'' meet her just once. And it did happen, only if, that other girl was not with him today.


    And he was so shocked when he realized that the girl who was writing him letters every week did not act all crazy for him.


    Kim Su Won looked at the crown prince weirdly as she processed her thoughts and how to answer him. From the memories of the past, she knew how crazy original Emmeline was about this kid. She knew about the letters and how she had not received even a single reply from him.


    It should not have really come as a surprise to him that she wanted to compete for the title. She was not sure why he was asking but it made sense to her to be clear in her intentions right since the beginning.


    "Well, yes. It seems as if I was not taking my duties seriously before. However, it is just so that I can resume my studies. I have no interest in really becoming the crown princess, your highness. So, you can rest assured. I will not hinder any of your plans and will take care of it on my end," she replied calmly with a reassuring smile.


    However, it had a sudden opposite effect on Aaron. He felt hurt inside for some reason. He should have been happy. He had one less headache to deal with, he should have felt relieved. What was this pain he was feeling?


    "Oh!" was all he could mutter. He glanced at her but she had retreated to her own world. She was smiling and walking forward, seemingly a little proud even for letting him know his honest feelings.


    All that time he was chasing after even a small news about her, all that time felt vain now. What was he even doing? A sadness enveloped his face.


    Harold Whittemore was keeping an eye on the esteemed crown prince''s mood. He panicked as soon as he saw the sudden change in his expression.


    "Your highness, is there any arrangement not to your liking?" Harold immediately asked. They had been sitting in the big sofa room to entertain the guests.


    As soon as the word about his highness''s arrival had reached his ears, Harold had gotten his servants bring out the especially soft sofas he had stashed away for such royal visit.


    Harold could not have any deficiencies, especially since a representative of Richmond duchy was also here. He could not lose out on anything.


    But this stupid daughter of his! His highness had especially asked for her, why could she not keep him entertained for a few hours? He was the future king of the kingdom! And he was a child who did not interact with people a lot.


    If he was showing interest in this stupid daughter of his, she should have taken advantage of it! But she had to ruin everything for him, didn''t she? This idiot girl! He really needed to get better teachers for her.


    "No duke, everything is great! So, about the deal you sent to the royal palace¡­"


    The talks finally took a turn towards politics and business where Harold, Isaac, Ivan and Alex all participated enthusiastically with Aaron.


    Kim Su Won felt bored listening to the heavy stuff. She could understand a lot of it but there were a lot of terms and places she had no idea about. Thus, she dozed off while sitting, her head waving here and there.


    Her body was too small to not feel tired after such excursion and then this chit-chat.. In the end, losing control of herself, she ended up hitting her head on the crown prince''s shoulder, absolutely freaking out everyone in the room.

 Chapter 54 - Leaning On The Shoulder

    "Ahh! Sh*t this body has no stamina at all," Kim Su Won cursed in her mind. She had gone to a body whose previous owner was lazy and did not care about herself at all. In her original life, at this age, she was studying till midnight everyday, studying advance English and whatnot.


    But this body would get tired just after a barely two hour excursion. She needed to exercise and build some stamina.


    The voices and the faces were getting blurry as the time passed. Her eyes kept getting heavier but the only thought in her head was that she needed to exercise. She had forgotten where she was or what she was doing, just keeping her body straight was a task.


    ''Plop'' she could not take it anymore, her eyes closed involuntarily and her head drooped to the left side where prince Aaron was sitting. She was used to sleep on her left side and just did not realize what ''blasphemy'' she was doing.


    Her small head softly touched the shoulder of the crown prince, stopping the kid mid-sentence to check what had happened. When he turned his head towards her, he could hear her soft breathing. Her lashes were fluttering gently but the girl looked at peace. He was mesmerized by the view for a few moments when everyone stood up and started shouting.


    "W-We are sorry your highness! Please forgive this na?ve girl for her rudeness!" Harold and Audrey were visibly uncomfortable. They were more worried that this could be a royal offense and they were finished.


    Isaac, Alex and Ivan were rather calmer. They knew the crown prince better. He did have an arrogance in himself because he was THE crown prince, but he was also a kind soul. If they made him understood properly her condition, he would mostly understand it.


    He might explode right now, but it would not take much to calm him down.


    "Servants! Take this impudent girl away!!" Audrey ordered a few servants to bring her out when prince Aaron stopped them with his raised hand.


    He looked at the few burly men who had entered the room on Audrey''s order. Now he understood why the reports about this little girl never mentioned her parents or family. They did not really seem to care about her.


    "Madam, it is not right for men and women have contact. Even if they are servants, they are still males, unrelated by blood too," he said, as he gently removed her head from his shoulder and placed her head on the opposite side slowly.


    He was so considerate to this kid perhaps out of guilt. He had not replied to any of her letters for past three years. He owed her this much at least. This concern of his towards their daughter was especially baffling for the two parents. When did these two have a chance to meet to be so affectionate with each other?


    Prince Aaron glanced at Audrey who was standing there in daze. What had just happened?


    Ivan, being the intelligent one, took the cue and stepped forward. Also because their father was not doing anything too.


    "I will take her to her room your highness. Would you like to accompany us, your highness?" Ivan said as the princess-carried Emmeline in his arms. Kim Su Won was so exhausted, she had no idea this all was going on. She was deep in sleep.


    She adjusted herself, resting her small head against Ivan''s chest. Seeing her so comfortable, prince Aaron''s eyebrows twitched.


    He glared at the two parents, and then left with the duke''s heir apparent and his aide.


    "Did you see how she is humiliating us even in front of the royal family?" Audrey''s nostrils were flaring and her face was red.


    "I had no idea she had contacts with the crown prince," Harold rubbed his temples. If he had known that this daughter of his could be this useful, he would have paid attention to her earlier.


    He obviously knew that she was sending letters to the prince every week before her accident. He also knew he had never replied. The crown prince had even mocked him once in front of other dukes for resorting to such cheap tactics.


    He had come home and slapped the kid for the first time in his life, for she had embarrassed him in front of other dukes. It was the second highest form of humiliation he had ever experienced, only after the king scolding him in front of the court.


    That day, even though he felt guilty hearing the cries of the girl, he could not stop yelling at her until she had fainted of dehydration. He had made a huge mistake by listening to his wife and giving much more importance to the other two kids.


    "So what? Those are just kids. She is not even his age. There are so many good looking girls surrounding the crown prince, there is no way he will look at our Emmeline," Audrey laughed timidly, she was not sure who she was trying to reassure.


    "How could you say something so crass about your own child? She is just¡­ she is so young!" Harold tried to recall her age but had no idea how old she or any of his child were for that matter. He was frustrated and scared at the same time.


    "What did I say wrong? She never had any interest in studying, she has been pulling down our name since her birth. Why? Does her association with royal family suddenly wake up your love for her?" Audrey was gnashing her teeth. This man, this foolish man¡­ he was only about power and connections.


    Now he saw the behavior of crown prince, he is suddenly going to favor the girl. Ha! She would see how he was going to make her the crown princess.


    Katherine and Cecilia were also present in the room along with Isaac Laurent. Isaac adjusted his glasses without any reaction for this was very normal occurrence for him.


    However, Cecilia Whittemore was facepalming hard. Who in their right mind would air their dirty laundry in public? But once her parents started fighting, they would forget their surroundings completely. This sucked because right now, there was another person from another duchy here.


    "L-Lady Richmond, let''s go. I will show you around our castle," Cecilia hesitated but decided to try to take Katherine away. Her parents were embarrassing her and the household. She had to stop before they displayed any other shameful behavior or just speak something so nonsense that their remaining reputation would also go down the drain.


    Katherine Richmond was actually enjoying the show. She had no idea that the relationship between the duke and the duchess was so bad. Not only that, apparently, they did not have any consideration for their youngest daughter too.


    She had too many tools to use against that kid, Emmeline Whittemore, in case she really caught the fancy of the crown prince. She was too weak an opponent in her eyes.


    Katherine sipped the tea in her hands elegantly. "Why? I am enjoying this quite a bit," she replied, smirking. There were too many things she had to report to her father.. She was going to win many brownie points with her patriarch today.

 Chapter 55 - Sad And Lonely Prince

    "Your highness, I must apologize that you had to see such an embarrassing display," Ivan Whittemore finally broke the awkward silence that was brewing among the four males in the party headed towards Emmeline Whittemore''s room.


    "Oh well, it''s okay! She is just a kid. You people are making a big deal out if it all," Prince Aaron replied. As much as he hated entertaining these lowly people, there was somewhere, a special place in his heart for Emmeline Whittemore, even unknown to him.


    "Alex, you dummy, teach me swords¡­," Kim Su Won mumbled in her sleep, stunning everyone.


    Ivan and Aaron looked at Alex with puzzled eyes. What the heck?


    Alex had not told anyone that Emmeline had expressed interest in learning ''male'' skills. He thought it was supposed to be their secret! What happened to that? He had no idea she was still thinking about it so much that she was dreaming about it too. After this, he had to teach her.


    "Swords? She is interested in learning swordsmanship?" Aaron''s ears had perked up. He had not seen any female interested in the martial arts. Even in the kingdom''s knighthood, the females were not allowed. And this young female was mumbling in her sleep to learn something forbidden for her? His interest in this kid was growing more and more.


    "Your highness, it was just a kid''s thought. Please do not take it to the heart. We know girls are not allowed to learn martial arts and we will abide by the rule," Alex instantly replied. He could not put the kid in trouble when she probably did not know it was not even allowed.


    "Heh! I will give you the royal permission for you to teach he, if she can keep up with the training, that is," the corners of Aaron''s lips curved upwards. It would be fun for this girl to fumble around, flailing her weak arms. It would be a hilarious sight.


    "Your highness!" Alex almost cried in surprise. It was not right. How could this guy go against the royal orders? Was this a trap? Countless scenarios swirled in his mind, but he could not put the reason why crown prince would do this.


    "What? There are no laws in the kingdom forbidding females to participate. It is just our society that has made their status such that they can''t. Anyway, I would like to see if she can accomplish this. I think she has talent for a lot of things," Aaron looked at the girl who was sleeping in her brother''s arms soundly. She had no idea she was the topic of discussion in the whole household right now.


    "With due respect your highness, my sister will not be an experiment. I am very well aware of your tendency to be excited with new avenues but she is not your toy," Ivan interrupted the prince who was going on and on.


    Ivan was one of the people who had seen the change in his younger sister firsthand. Although he was not really interested in her before, things had been interesting in life after she woke up form her accident. What if this crown prince had started developing a similar interest in her?


    He could not lose her, not so soon. She was also going to be his ticket to consolidating his future as the duke against their sister. He had to keep this crown prince away from her. He actually scooted the girl in his arms closer towards his chest.


    He glanced at her peaceful face. This innocent but genius girl, he had to keep her close.


    "Pfft¡­ hahahhaha," the crown prince laughed, his voice ringing loud in the hallway, waking up the girl too. "Well, well, well¡­ this is interesting. From what I know about you from the academy, you are not someone who cares about anyone. What is with this display of love for your younger sister who did not even exist in the eyes of this household a few days ago?" Prince Aaron squinted his eyes and put both his hands on each hip.


    He was almost appalled by the hypocrisy here. He had heard so many stories about this girl before her accident from his aides that everything today looked fake to him.


    He was livid for some reason. But since he did not have any compelling justification for it, he had to control his temper and expressions.


    Alex and Ivan and even Timothy were looking at Aaron dumbfounded.


    "Elder brother, what is happening?" Kim Su Won rubbed her eyes and her childlike squeaky voice helped cut through the thick tension in the atmosphere.


    "Are you awake? Do you want to stand?" Ivan gently asked Kim Su Won.


    Kim Su Won eyed her brother suspiciously. His voice was especially soft today. What had happened during the time she had dozed off? He was even princess carrying her. It seemed as if he was trying to show off their sibling relationship to outsiders.


    "Brother, please put me down. This is embarrassing," she whispered to him, but the hall was just almost empty, so her small voice also reached everyone.


    Ivan''s face started turning red. He had thought this girl would take a hint and help him out but she was going to embarrass him at this rate. He put her down, still tenderly.


    Kim Su Won then went ahead and hugged her tall muscular brother with her small arms, "thank you for carrying me all the way here brother. I must have been heavy."


    Ivan was completely taken aback by this public display of affection. She raised her head to look at the shocked expression of her brother and winked slightly. Hah! Did he think she would not catch on what he was trying to do?


    Well, whatever, he was still family. She mouthed to him away from everyone''s eyes, "You owe me one."


    Aaron was not sure anymore what he was feeling. He had thought he had gotten Ivan Whittemore. He just wanted to do a healthy rivalry and may be, make some friendships with the sons of the dukes.


    But he always ended up widening the distance between them for he did not know how to behave as the top person in the chain. He had seen his father working with the dukes but there was always a respectful distance from them.


    What he really wanted was friends. However, loneliness came with his position. He sometimes cursed his fate so much. But as his mother said, he probably did not need them at an equal footing anyway. They would lose respect for him. What was he supposed to do with this loneliness then?


    "Your highness, it is my pleasure that you decided to visit the humble place of mine. Would you mind going for another round tea? We could play a few games too," Kim Su Won invited the lonely and sad looking prince to her place.. The prince''s eyes sparkled instantly at the invitation.

 Chapter 56 - Slandering

    "About your sister¡­," Katherine Richmond started the conversation once the drama of the Whittemore husband and wife was over.


    At some point, they had realized there were guests in the same room and then they scolded Cecilia Whittemore for not having enough common sense to take the guests away.


    Katherine realized what aa dysfunctional family she had stepped into and this drama could be really useful to her and her family in the near future. The ducal families were not on the best terms to begin with and there was a rivalry among them to send their daughters to be the crown princess.


    Anyway, she had been calmly sipping tea for she could not eat snacks. She had to watch her weight too. She was already on her third cup of the tea.


    "What about her?" Cecilia snapped back in an annoyed tone. The one thing she really hated was to talk about her suddenly multi-talented younger sister who was taking the limelight away from herself.


    "She is not really Emmeline Whittemore, is she? Is she some substitute or something, perhaps with the same face? She seems too different from the stories I have heard about her," Katherine said as she pondered what had happened.


    It was impossible for someone to suddenly change this much after just one accident. Could it be that the original Emmeline died and someone else took her place? But someone needed to find her first. Did that not mean someone inside was conspiring against Whittemores?


    If she could find this person, that would be for the best. And if this person controlled the fake Emmeline Whittemore then she could later bring that cunning fox to her family and let her work for them.


    Katherine was feeling too proud of herself. This was a perfect plan, something that would get approval from her dad too. She was going to win more resources for herself from her family then!


    "Are you accusing us of bringing in a fake Emmeline Whittemore and deceive the royal family, lady Richmond?" Cecilia barked. This wench, did she think she could embroil the Whittemores with her ridiculous speculations just like that?


    Emmeline could go down, but not her. She had a bright future ahead. Oh, Cecilia so wanted to throw this girl in front of her out. She clenched her fists in rage. Why was everyone so hell bent on making her angry all the time?


    "I-I did not mean it like that," Katherine fumbled. She did not realize that her words would be taken like this. It was traitorous to even think about tricking the royal family. Her eyes shifted left and right for she suddenly had no idea how to handle this situation. Had she dug her own grave?


    Cecilia smirked. This girl was four years too young than her to play the game of politics. She crossed her arms and spoke in a serious tone, "I will tell you a secret Lady Richmond. One should keep their mouth shut if they don''t know better," she sipped the tea herself, now feeling much confident. She had this Richmond chick under her thumb now.


    "I know my family must look like a bunch of clowns put together right now, but that girl you are looking down upon, she has very good chances to become the crown princess. I would suggest you put in more efforts if you want that title rather than trying to speculate on things that can never be true," she continued.


    "L-Lady Whittemore, are you not slandering me right now? I was just thinking out loud," Katherine put her cup on the table in front of her with force, clinking the porcelain crockery hard. The servants came running towards them and found that the cup had developed cracks in it.


    "Yes, and your thinking out loud could have just destroyed my family had there been any royal servants here. Anyway, if you were looking for scoops, I think you had enough findings for a day. Let''s head to the east wing and see what others are doing. You would want to keep an eye on the crown prince for yourself, would you not?" Cecilia finally found the way to get rid of this girl who had been left to her to entertain.


    Katherine immediately got up. She was also not enjoying Cecilia''s company at all. It was also a good opportunity to see why the crown prince was suddenly so interested in that kid.


    ----------


    "Elder sister!" Chris came out of nowhere suddenly when they entered Emmeline''s makeshift living room. All sweaty from his training, he hugged his sister. In a week, his body had started seeing growth. He was not the scrawny little guy anymore.


    Kim Su Won had been too busy these days to keep a watch on the little guy. Suddenly, he did not seem like the cute little kid whose cheeks she liked to squish. The baby fat was suddenly going away and his jaw had started to become chiseled.


    Kim Su Won looked at him proudly, "Look at you Chris, you have transformed in just one week," she held him by his shoulders and measured him up and down.


    Chris felt shy with such scrutiny but he was enjoying such attention. He had to work even harder in order to be able to protect his one and only sister.


    "You kid, get away from your sister. Did you even realize how dirty you are at the moment? See, you ruined her dress," Ivan put a finger on Chris''s forehead and pushed him back. The pastel colored dress of Emmeline was indeed soiled.


    "I-I am so sorry sister," Chris''s eyes teared up as he stepped forward to dust her clothes for her but was stopped by Ivan.


    "Who is this kid?" Prince Aaron asked as he titled his head. He had not heard about any other kids in the family and actually always wondered why the other concubines were not producing any kids for all these years. He had come to the conclusion that Audrey was mixing some drug in their food to make them infertile.


    And now this kid popped out of somewhere? Why was the presence of this kid not reported to him? he glared at Timothy for his incompetence.


    Timothy lowered his gaze and head in apology. He had no idea how his spies did not get information on this kid. From the looks of it, he seemed to be as neglected as Emmeline Whittemore.


    "This is Christopher Whittemore, your highness! Our younger brother," Kim Su Won introduced the kid and bowed his head forcefully in front of the crown prince.


    "Younger brother?!" Aaron acted as if he had no idea. He had already deduced everything once he saw the difference in the hair color and the kid calling Emmeline his sister.


    "Ah! Yes. He is our younger brother," Kim Su Won scratched her chin in embarrassment. How was she to explain it if the crown prince asked for details?


    "Oh well! Young man, are you practicing for knighthood? I see your uniform looks like the training clothes," Aaron stooped to Chris''s level and looked him in his eyes.


    "Your highness, I am preparing to work for the country and my sister. I hope you will provide your encouragement as the best swordsman in the kingdom," Chris knelt down on one knee, as was the custom of Krislabet, perfectly executing his etiquettes.


    "Amazing! You look rather quite young, Christopher Whittemore. I am impressed with your mannerism. I hope you will do your best to protect your sister in the future," Aaron replied, patting the shoulders of the young knight in training.


    Chris''s eyes sparkled instantly on having been touched and praised by his idol. But why did the prince not mention the kingdom? Had his duty already been decided?


    "Your highness, let''s have a seat. Anna, prepare the snacks and games!" Kim Su Won ordered her maid. Anna nodded and scurried off to get them things.


    "Games?" Ivan and Alex looked perplexed. Why would they need games here? If his highness had graced them with his presence, should they not be discussing politics or something now?


    "Yes, I have developed a few ''board games'' to pass my time.. I was wondering if you all would play with me and give me your opinion," she replied, grinning cheekily.

 Chapter 57 - Board Games

    "What are you even doing Emma?" Ivan brought Emmeline to the side and whispered in her ears in a stern tone. This girl had certainly gone mad.


    Who was that person with golden hair and eyes? He was the ruthless crown prince who only knew his own profit. He might have looked like an innocent fourteen years old by his behavior now, but he and Alex knew what kind of person that prince was.


    He was not a person to be trifled with. And here, this girl was asking him to play games with him? What were they, kids?


    What if the crown prince got offended and ordered executing her right on the spot? Did she even know she was playing with a flame?


    "It is all under control brother. Did you not see how excited he seems? His whole face is gleaming. I reckon he badly wants to make friends. He sits at the highest seat in the kingdom after his parents, I don''t think he has real friends," Kim Su Won replied with an assuring smile.


    To be honest, she really wanted the crown prince to have some good memories from his childhood. He became a tyrant because he did not trust anyone. His family never made him feel that he could trust anyone.


    She was in the same boat in her original life. She had already changed hers, why could she not help her favorite character a bit too?


    She had declared she was going to marry him but that was not her destiny according to the novel. If the next transmigrator was to end up with that jerk of third prince anyway, she could at least help the future Emmeline with a powerful ally and may be, change the fate of not only the crown prince but her future self too.


    "He is not a person to make friends with Emma! Why do you not understand? I am already reluctant for you to compete in the crown princess race. But now this?" Ivan grabbed her shoulders forcefully and shook her tiny body a bit.


    Kim Su Won did not understand what the problem with Ivan Whittemore was. Why was he suddenly so worried for her? Had he finally realized that there was an intelligent girl in the house? But her becoming the crown princess was going to benefit him as the heir of the duke. Why was he behaving in the opposite way?


    "I am sorry big brother but I don''t think that is for you to decide. I will do what I want and you cannot stop me," Kim Su Won suddenly became serious, her cheerful aura disappeared.


    Aaron Chadbourne felt the chills from behind and turned his head towards the brother-sister. He had already taken the seat on the sofa and was sitting in anticipation. The maid, Anna, had brought quite a few interesting looking things, including a few cardboard stacks, a giant wooden stack and a few folded scrolls with wooden pieces.


    He had thought they were going to ply something like chess. But these things looked completely different. There were weird colorful symbols everywhere too. He was intrigued. She said it was to pass time but he was looking forward to spending time with the whole group.


    He sensed there was something wrong there in the corner, so he got up from his seat and headed towards them.


    "Is there a problem?" he asked, a slight hint of concern in his eyes.


    "No your royal highness, everything is great," Kim Su Won went back to her cheerful self. She had been playing these games just with Anna and Chris since the time she made them which was right after her stressful exam.


    In this era, where none of the electronic devices existed, how was she to entertain herself? Thus, she ''invented'' the games including Monopoly, Jenga and Uno. She was going to develop more board games as she progressed but for now, these three were enough.


    She could also gauge the potential of marketing these after playing them with these three boys.


    "Let''s head to our seats. Let''s start the game with the cards. We can also include Sir Timothy, Chris and Anna. Your highness, do we have your permission to include everyone here?" Kim Su Won grabbed the hand of the crown prince and brought him back to his seat.


    Prince Aaron, who was not very fond of other people touching him, was very surprised. The hand was so tiny and soft that he wanted to keep it in his palm. But by the time he realized he was being dragged by a puny girl, he had already been seated.


    He nodded towards her, giving her the permission. She clasped her hands, squealing in happiness.


    "Alright people, this game is called ''Uno''. There are different types of cards here," she started explaining the rules, everyone listening to her with keen attention. They had a practice round and then started playing the game, laughing and chatting, as if, everyone was equal here.


    ----------------


    "What the heck? Why is it so loud here?" Katherine asked as she neared the entrance to Emmeline''s living room. There were two guards stationed outside the room for no one was to disturb the party inside. There was an intense game of Jenga going on.


    "I am sorry my lady. No one is allowed inside by the orders of the crown prince," one of the guards stopped the two ladies and their maids from entering the hall.


    "Do you not know who I am? How can you treat the guest of the Whittemore house and the crown prince like this?" Katherine stomped her feet.


    Cecilia did not say anything because these guards did not belong to her family. These were royal guards and she did not have permission to look down upon them. She had to give it to this girl who could still flaunt her status. Did she not know that everything would be reported later to the prince and the royal family?


    "I am sorry sir, but could you please at least let them know that we are the ladies of Richmond and Whittemore houses. I am sure, they would let us in once they know," Cecilia politely tried to convince the guards with her best behavior.


    "We are sorry but these are royal orders. Unless they come out themselves, no one is to disturb them," the other guard replied stubbornly.


    Another laughter came from inside making the two ladies even more curious. They had to get in and see what was happening. There was no way crown prince was inside for the atmosphere could never be this happy with him around.


    "What is happening here?" an authoritative voice from behind the two girls shouted as a full adult group halted in front of the door.

 Chapter 58 - Sitting On The Floor Is Such An Embarrassment

    "Hey, hey, hey! This is not fair. You did not explain this rule," Ivan was laughing while complaining about some stupid rule in the game the kids were playing.


    "Ayyy¡­ Young lord Whittemore¡­ why are you talking like a loser?" Prince Aaron took a jab jokingly and everyone laughed with the two. It was a congenial atmosphere, like spring had just bloomed.


    "Ah! If only it was not sweltering hot outside today, we could have had a tea party in the garden," Kim Su Won lamented, looking outside the window. The glaring sun was making the flowers and trees dry. It would have been great if they could play like this in the lap of nature.


    But here was as good an atmosphere as it would have been outside. The young boys here had turned into kids. There was no animosity, no ranking, just a few kids having fun. She had never imagined she would see the stone faced Alex making faces when he would forget a rule.


    Or Ivan, who was always about strategy, pout when he would fail to take her down. From the novel, the crown prince was ruthless. But here he was just a child who would smirk when he would win and whine when he would lose.


    The frowns, the concentrations, the chit-chats and not a worry about the world. They all had even sat down on the floor as the games became more intense and heated. No wonder the world in the books looked so dreary, especially the ones set in historical eras.


    There were all those intellectual games like chess and whatnot. Or there were discussions on issues over teas. When did the kids get to be kids? Modern world was becoming like this too.


    Too much pressure on kids to excel in multiple fields. Everyone wanted their kids to be better than others at at least one thing. If everyone were to be an Olympic champion, then what about normal people who could not afford to go those expensive classes?


    And what about the kids who were taking up all those extracurriculars? Where was the time for them to play?


    This was how she was going to make sure that the crown prince, her favorite character, had a few friends before she was to leave this world four years later. Should she introduce games like cricket, football etc. in the field?


    That could be her next task. She could research into what kind of outdoor games people in this era played for fun. Not swordsmanship tournaments or martial arts, something just for fun. She had to visit the knights.


    "Anna, can you go bring a few more snacks?" Kim Su Won asked her maid who instantly got up from her seat and left for the kitchen.


    "But how did you get all these ideas, lady Whittemore? These are brilliant!" Prince Aaron finally asked as they paused for Anna to come back.


    "What do you think? Am I not a genius? I just wanted something to pass my time. It gets a bit boring, just the three of us here," Kim Su Won shrugged and also dodged the question. She could always say she dreamed about them but maintaining mysterious appearance was good too.


    "Heh! You certainly have changed after your accident," the crown prince murmured. The other people in the room were still talking about strategies to beat Emmeline in the games she developed.


    She was sitting right next to the prince to help him out with the rules. He could not lose the games terribly after all. He the crown prince, he had to be somewhere in the middle, if not first.


    Since everyone was busy talking to each other, no one heard what Prince Aaron and her were talking about. But Kim Su Won was stunned to hear him blurt out something like this.


    "H-How do you know what I was like before and after? I have never met you?" she questioned him, her aqua eyes staring straight into those golden orbs.


    Crown Prince Aaron Chadbourne had never had anyone look into his eyes in such a straightforward manner. He averted his gaze instantaneously, it was a weird sensation. It was as if she could look right through him and he could drown in that blue ocean like deep hole.


    "Prince Aaron?" she called and immediately covered her mouth. She was just not used to saying ''your highness'' to him all the time. She was still a reader. "I am sorry, your highness. I did not mean to disrespect¡­"


    "It''s okay. We are all friends here. We should speak informally in such a setting, what do you think?" he smiled, his whole disposition bright as sun. Kim Su Won stared at the kid for a whole. He was indeed mesmerizing when he was happy. Why did the author have to put him through so much pain the novel that he was only described as a depressed maniac, something like a wilting flower?


    Ah! Kim Su Won felt sudden pity for this character. She, inadvertently, raised her hand and patted his straight as a rod back. It was like the two kids were in their own world.


    Prince Aaron closed his eyes, her tiny hand felt so soothing. He so wished he could take this puny girl home. She could entertain him a whole lot, they might even become friends. She did not deny that they were not really friends earlier.


    "What is happening here?" the voice that had stopped the brawl between the royal guards and the two ladies suddenly opened the door and yelled, freezing every kid in the room.


    "Emmeline Whittemore! How could you make his royal highness sit down on the floor? Where are your manners?" Harold Whittemore yelled before anyone else could blame him for not raising his kid right.


    Ugh! Why did this girl not have any manners at all? Who makes the crown prince sit on the floor? This girl was going to be death of him. In just one day she had embarrassed him enough times that he needed to ground her and suspend all the activities planned for her.


    He should have listened to his wife, she was correct in gauging their youngest daughter. They were sitting at the same level as the servants too! He was gone!


    "Uncle!" Prince Aaron got up from his seat and exclaimed as he saw the grand royal tutor and his uncle on his mother''s side, Lewis Spinster.

 Chapter 59 - Go Home

    The old man, Lewis Spinster, leveled a gaze at everyone sitting on the ground, relaxing. It was blasphemous and hilarious at the same time.


    And for the first time in his life, he had seen the crown prince with something other than coldness on his face. What an interesting development. How would his sister react once she would see him like this?


    Then his gaze rested on the girl who was sitting beside his nephew. The kid who was not fond of other human beings, was sitting with a female over there. He had had a glimpse of them talking from the back earlier when he interrupted the whole gathering.


    And look at that, his nephew was even standing in front of that little girl in a protective stance. Nothing could go past Lewis''s eagle sharp eyes. He looked at his nephew questioningly but no one was talking.


    On the top of that, this fool of a duke was yelling at this daughter in front of the crowd, humiliating her. Did he even know how to raise kids?


    Kim Su Won was not listening to anything duke Harold was saying. It did not matter. He must have thought it would make sense disciplining her first rather than anyone blaming him later for not teaching his kids properly.


    Unfortunately, for the duke, he did not understand that yelling at his own children in front of others was not good for his own image. Her parents back in her original life were the same. They were always ready to scold her even if the fault was not hers. For them, she was the only one wrong.


    However, her gaze was on the old man here. He was another important character in the story, one who would make the third prince the new crown prince later in the novel. Why would the queen''s own brother help a concubine''s son to become the crown prince?


    Well, if the plot flows the same as the novel, he would become too disappointed in the disciple he taught his whole life. His plans and ambitions for Prince Aaron would be shattered by one and only his own sister. Thus, he would decide in the future to go against his sister, the queen and do what she would hate the most.


    Kim Su Won was going to make sure that the crown prince Aaron would make out of the drama safe and sound before she was going to leave this world.


    This old man belonging to the only clan with stark purple hair and eyes, the clan shunned by others but embraced by the royal family in the previous generation, the Morades clan. The people of this clan, in ancient times, were rumored to have magical powers in the novel. This point was never expanded in the story but she could now see why people were so afraid of the clans people.


    "Uncle, what are you doing here?" Prince Aaron questioned his uncle as he stepped towards him, completely disregarding the duke and his temper.


    "That''s what I would like to ask you, your highness! You came to accompany lady Richmond but I don''t even see her anywhere near you," Lewis Spinster pointed his chin towards Emmeline while asking the prince about the lady he was originally here with.


    "Ah! I would like to make introductions. This is Lady Emmeline Whittemore, the youngest daughter of the Whittemore household. You already know young lord Ivan Whittemore and Alexander Laurent," the prince interestingly introduced the whole group, as if he was talking about his friends, much to surprise of Lewis.


    "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Lord Spinster," Kim Su Won curtsied. She impressed Lewis with her knowledge. There were not a lot of people who knew of him, even with his blatant display of Morades clan''s attributes. Furthermore, this girl was not looking at him with fear or disgust. And one had to admit, she was a cute kid.


    "Nice to make your acquaintance as well, lady Whittemore. I have heard a lot about you," Lewis smiled softly.


    Kim Su Won tilted her head again in confusion. Why did royal family people know about her so much? It was okay for the queen to know about her because she was a crown princess candidate since birth. But it did not make sense that the crown prince and even his uncle knew ''a lot'' about her.


    She was going to ask this question again from the crown prince. She was just happy to get another important person not against her, at least for now.


    "Your highness, I think it is time to go home. You have been out long enough. Your mother is worried," Lewis asserted going back to his stern teacher-like aura.


    Seeing that no one was saying anything to Emmeline, duke Harold calmed down as well. Katherine and Cecilia were snickering at the side.


    Prince Aaron looked at his uncle, and then looked at the table. They were quite deep into the game. Leaving it now would be such a waste. Although he could not show how sad he was, his face fell. Then he looked at Emmeline.


    Kim Su Won smiled. She knew he had gotten hooked on these games. "Your royal highness, I will gift these to you. I have more sets prepared for myself. So, whenever you need companions to play, why don''t you call us to the palace? Of course, you are welcome here too, any time you desire," she said.


    Immediately, prince Aaron''s face lit up. Kim Su Won chuckled, this prince could really not hide his own feelings. Anna brought a fresh set of all the games they had played today and handed them to Kim Su Won.


    "Prince, here you go. Oh, by the way, if I want to make them popular, would you help me out? I would like to establish a business out of these games," she whispered in his ears as she put them in his arms.


    Prince Aaron blinked at her for some time. Her crystal clear aqua eyes were filled with some kind of ambition. If she wanted to make a business out of the games, she could ask her own family. Why ask him? Did she need money? Business acumen? What was she looking for? Well, as long as it was giving him a chance to meet her again.


    He nodded, with a blush.. "I will send you an invite for palace visit soon," he said as he departed.

 Chapter 60 - Burn Them

    "Did I not tell you to accompany lady Richmond properly? What did you go to Whittemore duchy for?" a lady with purple hair and eyes had just slapped the kid with golden hair and eyes in front of her. Her long nails had scratched the pale white unblemished skin with red marks. A drop od blood had formed at the end of the scratch.


    The nostrils of the lady were flaring and her eyes were wide with anger. How dare this useless bastard embarrass her? She had worked so hard to establish congenial relations with those Richmonds. This idiot was going to ruin all her plans.


    A bell had rung in Prince Aaron''s ears. He was so happy to have finally made friends a few moments ago. In the carriage ride, he had already made plans when all he was going to invite Emmeline and her group to the palace and with what excuses.


    He had already known that his mother was not very fond of the Whittemore family. But her behavior just now was a reality check. Were they so bad that mother did not approve of them at all? He was going to interact with that girl at some point in his life.


    "Royal mother, I apologize for my behavior. But Lady Richmond was rude first," Prince Aaron tried to defend his visit to the Whittemores. Furthermore, he was not happy with his mother''s arrangement anyway.


    He was mature enough to understand that his mother was pushing Katherine Richmond to be his future wife. Out of all the three crown princess candidates, he had spent time with Katherine the most. She was his childhood friend and he loved her as a sister.


    But their relationship changed at some point when he started to understand his duties as the future king. She had suddenly started acting shy and talking about proper manners between men and women. On the other hand, Emmeline was so much more carefree.


    Wait a minute, why was he comparing Katherine to that kid? He had met her for the first time today! And she was indeed pesky little kid who was always annoying him by sending him the letters. No, no! This was wrong.


    Anyway, he did not want to be out and about ''dating'' at his age. He had to learn so much more! The games today were so interesting, he would rather be picking that girls brain than trying to be wooed by girls.


    "I heard all about it. So what if Katherine was trying to get close to you? That is her duty as a crown princess candidate. Why can''t you understand such a simple thing? And how dare you speak against me? I am the one who raised you when your mother died. I am the one who made you capable enough to rise as crown prince. And this is how you repay me?" the lady, the queen, kept yelling at the crown prince.


    "I am sorry, mother," the crown prince lowered his gaze in shame. He had disappointed the person who had helped him the most in his life once again. Why could he just not squish his own desires and work for this person who had given a new life to him? Had he not promised himself that he would never go against her wishes?


    It was just a marriage after all. He just had to take that one wife that mother queen wanted. He could take concubines later, if he really fell for someone, right? When he became the king in the future, he would have more freedom, right?


    "Oh my child, I know you are sorry. You are just a young na?ve kid. I should be more careful in teaching you, right? It''s all my fault," the queen hugged the prince instantly, as soon as she saw remorse in his body language.


    "No mother, it is all my fault. You are just trying to guide me," Prince Aaron''s eyes teared up with guilt. How could he let his queen mother down? He was going to treat Lady Richmond right. Yes, he was going to make her his wife if that was what queen mother wanted.


    "I know. You are the most filial to me. Timothy, throw those useless things he got as gifts out. What a lowly thing to give to crown prince. I knew there was something wrong with that girl since the beginning. Don''t associate with her, okay?" the queen ordered.


    Prince Aaron''s heart felt torn. He had to stop meeting her only friend but did he really have to part away from the only memento he had of her? He pleaded to his side with his eyes but it did not work. Tim bowed to the queen and took the games with him.


    "Make sure you dispose them off properly. You know what, I would like to see them burnt in front of my eyes. Go, make arrangements," the queen ordered, a sinister smile on her face floated.


    That wench, she had been trying to approach her son with weird letters all this while. How dared she?


    "Violet," she called her lady-in-waiting.


    "Your highness," the lady stepped forward at once from behind the cohort of maids and servants on standby to serve the queen.


    "Call that wench and her mother to the palace. I would like to see what that slut has got to have seduced such a innocent kid," she cursed out loud in front of her people.


    Violet Spinster, also her sister in law, nodded and hurried to write an invitation. As soon as she was out of sight of the queen, she shook her head and sighed.


    "Why did I have to be her lady-in-waiting? This b*tch does not even know the basics of being a queen, cursing people left and right in her crass language. Before the king and the nobles, she acts as the noblest person on the earth. But in private? Tsk tsk¡­," Lady Violet murmured under her breath.


    She, hated her sister in law, from the bottom of her heart. Just because she captured the heart of the king with her unusual beauty was why she was queen. Also, because she got lucky with the death of the original queen due to an illness.


    Hah! Queen''s own eldest son had departed the world early too, which was why she had adopted the current crown prince.


    "She is one lucky b*tch," Lady Violet cursed again.


    --------


    "Timothy, am I too selfish to think about my own happiness?" Prince Aaron''s helpless eyes wandered to the colorful flames burning before him in the courtyard. It was already hot but this fire was making him miserable.


    That little girl must have put so much effort in making those little games. Her instructions were so detailed, he had looked over them in the carriage while coming back to the palace.


    "I am sorry your highness. You just happen to have a duty towards the nation. I agree with her highness, these things will only distract you from your goal," Timothy, as stern as ever, spoke in his ice-cold tone. He was the crown prince''s aide, and he knew that the prince was suffering right now.


    But he also had a duty to keep his liege on the right path. Whether he really agreed with the queen or not, he had to abide by the palace rules.


    "What if it is not my goal?" Aaron whispered under his breath.. With the glazing particles flying in the air and the laughter of the queen and her cohort, a part of his heart died yet again.

 Chapter 61 - Palace Invite

    "W-what?" Audrey almost fainted when she heard that she had gotten an invitation to the palace the next day.


    She had chewed her youngest daughter, her maid and that bastard Chris out after the royal party had left. She knew that her husband was rather distraught because of Emmeline''s behavior and was afraid of royal wrath.


    It seemed his concerns were coming true. Otherwise, why would that witch, who had never acknowledged her in any of the noble parties, call her with her daughter?


    "Is there an invitation from the palace? I have been dying to visit the royal castle," Cecilia, who had been frolicking around her mother and listening in on the adult conversations. She was the eldest and was allowed to be with the ''adults'' to learn the societal etiquettes.


    "Shut up Cecilia. I am talking here. The invite is for me and Emmeline. You will not be able to go this time," Audrey massaged her temples. It was one headache after another. All because of that wench. She should have killed Emmeline in her womb, why did she give birth to such a nuisance?


    "But mom, I want to go, please!" Cecilia whined, she was very bad at reading the room. The spoiled brat she was, she needed to have everything that her younger siblings were going to have.


    "Can''t you see mom is busy right now? You need to learn right behavior, young lady. Go reflect on yourself and how you should not be speaking when not asked," frustrated, Audrey sent her daughter back to her room.


    Cecilia stomped her feet and left. That younger sister of hers was indeed becoming a big trouble for her. But from her mother''s reaction, it seemed that that kid was in trouble herself. It would be perfect if she did not have to lift a finger.


    She smirked at the fact, finally happy with herself and left for her own room. If only she could go to east wing and rub it in Emmeline''s face. Now that wench was grounded, it was all better. At least Cecilia did not need to look at her ugly face and mannerism.


    With light steps, Cecilia headed towards her room, only to bump into Ivan and Alex on the way.


    "Oh my! Have you come to witness the doom of your new favorite sister, little brother?" she crossed her arms and spoke so proudly, as if she had already gotten rid of Emmeline.


    "What are you talking about?" Ivan had no idea, so his curiosity was naturally piqued. A few lines of worry appeared on his forehead. Cecilia smirked with the change in her brother''s expression. He was so easy to read. While Alex was standing straight with his poker face on. It was far more difficult to read what was going in his head.


    "Oh, did you not hear? She has been invited to the palace. Not by the prince but by the queen. Everyone knows how averse the queen is to our family. She is over. Your beloved sister is now finished," Cecilia guffawed at the future misery she was going to witness. She felt much happier than when her parents would compliment her on her work.


    "W-What?!" This time it was Alex who exclaimed in loud voice. The queen invited Emmeline to the palace? This was not good news. His father must have heard already but he still needed to discuss next steps with him.


    Both of them ran to the east wing, leaving a maniacally laughing Cecilia in the middle of the hall. Her ominous laughter scared the servants working around.


    ------------


    "What''s the fuss? I will handle it," Kim Su Won shrugged her shoulders as she sat down sipping the tea calmly in her simple clothes. She had been grounded for a month, so she could not go out. She could not attend her classes either. She was using this time to recharge and think of strategies to spend next four years with fun.


    "What will you handle? You are just a kid. And you are going with mother. She will be the first to throw you under the bus," Ivan spoke in a loud voice, concern dripping from his words.


    Kim Su Won looked at her brother wide-eyed. Did he just insult their mother in favor of her? That¡­ had never happened in the novel. He used to respect their mom as did Cecilia and they used to bully her together on instigation by their mother.


    This was quite some reversal of his attitude.


    "Do you feel the same, Alex?" she asked in her cute voice, tilted her head. Alex had been standing near the door, without uttering a word. Although, the way two had burst the door open and were breathless, she could tell that Alex had followed Ivan out of worry for her.


    Her heart felt full for some reason. There were people worried about her. There were people who supported her. She felt lucky for her new life. So, she could not disappoint these people who thought about her, could she?


    "Given your capabilities, there can only be two outcomes. You will either come out of it all fine or you will be executed. I cannot think of any other results of this meeting," Alex replied in a very serious tone, sending chills through Ivan''s spine.


    Kim Su Won slapped his arm, "Come on Alex! I was asking for an honest opinion." This muscleman, why was his skin so hard? Her hand stung with pain right after.


    Ivan rolled his eyes on the banter between the two. Hmph! It seemed as if Alex had no issue being friendly and jocular around his sister. He was cold to everyone else, including him. Ugh, Ivan felt so jealous of his sister right now.


    "I agree with my friend. And given your past performance, the second outcome is more likely," Ivan wiped the frown on his face and chuckled with the two.


    "Jeez, not you too!"


    "Hehehe, laugh all you want, you three.. It''s going to be fireworks tomorrow," Cecilia, who had made her way towards the east wing and was eavesdropping on their conversation giggled to herself once again.