《The Merit of the Villain》 Chapter 1 The Villain¡¯s Merit 0. Prologue I sat down on the expensive tapestry that adorned the floor so that the hem of my dress swelled up like a round loaf of bread. I also didn¡¯t forget to cross one leg over the other, so that the shiny enamel shoes and lace socks could be seen slightly out of the skirt. Then, I took out a white piece of paper in front of me, which had only 8 verses, and grabbed the crayons I brought. ¡¯Shall we start?¡¯ My cheekbones were barely visible when I looked at the paper on the floor with my head stiffened so that my golden hair, which had been curled up in perfect shape, didn¡¯t fall too much. ¡®Your face needs to be pretty.¡¯ Looking at the blank white space, I sighed without realizing it. He told me not to stop smiling brightly, so I smiled roughly as I was told, and the wind suddenly blew at my open lips. ¡®Good posture, perfect angle. Let¡¯s see, what do 14-year-old girls usually draw?¡¯ I¡¯m not sure because I was 14 years old seven years ago. I opened my eyes and drew a chicken leg with yellow crayons on a piece of paper. ¡®Okay, it¡¯s a chicken leg stuffed with gourds.¡¯ With a positive attitude, I picked up orange crayons this time. I was thinking of drawing a pizza. Draw a distorted circle and squeak four lines into 8 pieces??. Well, since there were 6 intersections of straight lines, 11 slices of pizza were unintentionally made with different shapes. ¡®Pizza slices are more than enough!¡¯ As I was trying to draw with crayons carelessly, flashes were fired here and there. A large, antique-looking camera was taking pictures of the fat man sitting on the sofa in the parlor, with me sitting like a porcelain doll at his feet, and the director of the orphanage. The man who sat me down like a studio prop and took several shots of the orphanage director having a conversation with a perfectly ideal composition, gestures, and expressions finally turned his head to me. ¡®I think it¡¯s going to end soon.¡¯ Now it was the last act of the show. My legs were numb, but I kept my perfect pose like a statue hoping this time would go by quickly. Like a politician who came out of a campaign, a man came with an overly friendly smile. ¡°Did you say your name is Freddia?¡± ¡°Yes, Count.¡± ¡°Is there anything you lacked in the orphanage?¡± ¡°Thanks to the Count¡¯s constant support, I am doing well without any shortcomings.¡± As I recited the lines that the director had informed me beforehand, the man smiled in satisfaction and pointed at my drawing with his finger. ¡°Your drawing skills are really good!¡± ¡°??.¡± I glanced down at my drawing, which can¡¯t be called wonderful even in empty words. ¡®I guess I¡¯m not the only one trying to end this quickly.¡¯ ¡°Freddia, what¡¯s your dream?¡± I looked at the picture I had drawn with uninterested eyes and smiled sweetly at the Count. ¡°My dream is to be an artist!¡± The moment I said that the camera flashed once again toward us. Tomorrow¡¯s newspaper would have articles like¡´An orphan girl, who wants to be an artist said, ¡°I am happy to be able to dream with the support of Count.¡±¡µ. ¡®I feel like an elephant painting with a nose.¡¯ I glanced at the orphanage director, smiling as kindly as the count. The director¡¯s expression was bright. It was because I did a pretty good show in front of the sponsors. ¡®Okay, I can have a full dinner tonight.¡¯ I felt a little better knowing that I could put something into my empty stomach soon. I was very hungry because the director had been starving me since yesterday. After all, I had to look pretty in the picture. ¡®Heuk-heuk, it¡¯s my duty.¡¯ How did it become like this? ¡®I was an orphan even before coming into this novel, but I never went hungry in a real orphanage!¡¯ Yes, this is a world of a romance fantasy novel called, ¡°Suspicious Princess¡±, and it may sound absurd, but I possessed a character. My role here is a punishment. 1. Possessing a Character of a Novel. At first, I thought I was dreaming. After reading the novel and sleeping, I thought I had a strange dream. A new body, new scenery, new people. I was excited as if I was traveling abroad. I went around diligently and said hi and hello to everyone I met, but I was treated like a crazy person. Then the orphanage director found me and gave me a mop. He diligently commanded me to wipe the stairs, so I roughly sprayed water and stirred around. ¡°Because I work so hard cleaning, I developed chapped hands. What should I do in this dream?¡± But, when I got hit with a stick because of an accident, where someone fell because I sprayed the stairs with water, I suddenly realized that this was not a dream. ¡°Did I go into a real novel???¡± It hurt so much. How could I have such a genuine dream? From then on, things became a little confusing. It was easier to think of it as a dream rather than to believe it as a reality. ¡°If I¡¯m not going crazy, this was a dream. When I wake up, I¡¯ll buy a lottery ticket, since it¡¯s an unusual dream.¡± That evening, the director locked me in the room, saying he would not give me a meal as a punishment for laziness. ¡°Wow, the attic! It¡¯s like the kind of place you¡¯d only find in a wealthy foreigner¡¯s house. It was my dream to live in a place like this.¡± The room was littered with blankets, a pair of clothes, and all sorts of things that I didn¡¯t know were trash. I found the name ¡®Freddia¡¯ inside the ragged clothes. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the name of the main character inside the novel I read before sleeping?¡± Often, the contents of a book I read before going to bed appeared in my dreams, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°It¡¯s interesting. Even in the novel, the story begins when the modern protagonist possessed Freddia¡¯s body.¡± ¡´The Suspicious Princess¡µ was the story of a modern protagonist, who possessed an orphan girl, Freddia, and gradually changes the contents of the original novel. I had to go to my part-time job early in the morning, so I read it quickly, and it was a good book to read without much thinking needed. ¡°I skipped most of the description, but the dream is so vivid. I¡¯m very imaginative, haha.¡± I lay down on the bed feeling comfortable in the low ceiling and narrow space. I felt pleasant by the smell of the wooden frames from the walls that were not painted. ¡°When I wake up, a beggar-like reality awaits me. It would be better if I never wake up.¡± I left my regrets behind and went to sleep. Until then, I never dreamed that my last words would come true. The next day, contrary to what I thought, I slept and woke up, but I did not wake up from the dream. I was wondering if I still looked like Freddia, a 14-year-old blonde girl who looked surprisingly pretty. ¡°What? Why won¡¯t I wake up? Am I sleeping too deeply? Or has time not passed much in real life?¡± Or maybe I went crazy overnight and thought that reality looked like a fictional world. In reality, I might be wandering around like an insane patient. If so, someone who finds me walking around will report me whether it¡¯s the police or 119, and since I don¡¯t have any family, a social worker or someone will collect me on their own. I decided to think about the future when I become sane again. But after a few days, my mind didn¡¯t get saner, and I had to accept the reality. ¡°So??. This is a fictional world, and I am in the novel just like the main character of the novel? So, did I become the main character?¡± At that moment, a thought I once had came back and resounded in my mind. ¡®I now have a new life as Freddia??!¡¯ Yes! Life was becoming burdensome, but now I got a chance to live a new life. In reality, I was born an orphan and went through child care and orphanage. After leaving the orphanage, I was thrown into a harsh society from place to place without being able to settle down. After leaving the orphanage, I was getting paid like a passionate dog for working at a factory, but I stopped to find a new job because I didn¡¯t want to do that for a living. I haven¡¯t had a part-time job since then. I was twenty-one years old with a part-time job that paid me once a day so I could eat once a day. Recently, my rent was pushed back because I already used my last paycheck, making my landlord uncomfortable. It was truly a life without tomorrow. Wanting to escape from reality, I started a part-time job at a manga cafe and read novels and comic books whenever I could. That was my only way out. ¡°But I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m pretending to be in a novel! Isn¡¯t that a successful escape? Okay, I¡¯ll just start anew in this fantasy world. I think it¡¯d be better to live here.¡± Until then, colorful flower fields were spread out in my mind. (Idiom for happy thoughts in her head) ¡°What should I do now?¡± What does the main character inside the novels usually do? Trying to survive? Make a loyal male lead by purifying the villain? Abandoning the villainess family? ¡°I¡¯m confident in everything!¡± This is definitely the flower road life that God has given me. So, I wasn¡¯t an extra, I¡¯ll pretend to be the main character. That¡¯s what I thought ??. ¡°Freddia, I¡¯ve been watching you for a few days and I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± The forgotten orphanage director summoned me with a very angry face. It was the result of me acting like a free spirit for several days without realizing that I was inside a novel. ¡°You know that you are already too old to stay here, right? Up until now, I was going to leave you as a maid because you helped out with the orphanage, but looking at your behavior these days, I think it would be a good idea to send you somewhere else as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Somewhere else?¡± ¡°When you turn 14, you can work as a maid, so go to Hamel¡¯s house as a maid.¡± ¡°If by Hamel??.¡± The owner of the farm who supplies food to the kitchen! He was a middle-aged man who I avoided every day because he asked me to kiss him on the cheek with him saying, ¡°I have a daughter like you¡± and ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m like his child.¡± Seeing my face turn white, the director smiled cruelly. ¡°They said they need someone to live and work on their farm. Moreover, it¡¯s perfect for you. So, be polite to Mr. Hamel.¡± ¡®You knew everything and try to push me there!¡¯ Unable to bear it, I jumped up from my seat and shouted. ¡°Master!¡± Then I fell flat on the floor. ¡°From now on, I will work twice as hard as I did before. Please give me another chance. Heuk heuk.¡± Fredia¡¯s current main job is as an orphanage maid and a donor. The protagonists in novels usually try to change the future, but as soon as I became Freddia, I started working as a punishment. Credits Chapter 2 The Villain¡¯s Merit, Chapter 2 ¡°I used to have a part-time job, but now I work because of punishments even though I¡¯m in a novel!¡± The reason why I¡¯m working at Curtis orphanage, where I am staying, is because I don¡¯t have enough money. Rather, the finances are overflowing compared to other orphanages. Curtis is a so-called ¡®noble orphanage¡¯ that has been closely affiliated with the nobles. All the children here are dressed in pretty dresses and suits and receive a high-quality education like aristocrats. That¡¯s because they are illegitimate children of noble lineage. The Curtis Orphanage is a place where the debauched nobles, who enjoy luxury and pleasure, take care of the unwanted children. They can keep a good conscience by saying they sent their illegitimate child to a good place, or they can easily relieve their guilt through donations. In addition, they¡¯ll be praised as philanthropists by people who don¡¯t know the circumstances. ¡®How can you care so warmly for the lowest class orphans? So merciful!¡¯ As a result, some nobles use Curtis as a means of image marketing. It¡¯s a charity project, so you go to the orphanage, take a photo, and have it on¡´People¡¯s Daily¡µ, a private newspaper of the people who usually don¡¯t even look at it. ¡®This is how they practice Noblesse Oblige by visiting and sponsoring an orphanage. Look, we build good buildings for orphans and put good clothes on them.¡¯ (Noblesse Oblige- The responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged) At this time, the prettier and brighter the orphan next to you in the proof shot, the better the publicity effect. ¡°It¡¯s like politicians who only come to the market during an election campaign and get votes with a few handshakes.¡± That¡¯s the perfect set of examples. Curtis has a child used to increase its image marketing effect. Not one of the aristocratic illegitimate children the director cherishes, but a pretty orphan who can be taken from another orphanage and dealt with. That¡¯s Freddia. ¡°I¡¯m not an illegitimate child but an imported orphan??.¡± Freddia was chosen because of her beautiful, doll-like blonde hair, big clear blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. It meets the appearance conditions that target the tastes of the aristocrats. On the day when high-ranking people visit Curtis, this living porcelain doll smiles and raise donations. ¡®I took a pretty and pitiful photo for you, so please give us more donations. Please support us generously.¡¯ I mean ??. On days when there is no punishment, I wear rags and clean up after other children. This is Freddia¡¯s true duty. In other words, the things that I did while in Fredia¡¯s body. ¡°Are orphans divided into different orphan groups? Golden spoon orphans if they are abandoned by their aristocratic parents, and dirt spoon orphans if they are abandoned by their peasant parents.¡± I¡¯m going to die of embarrassment, starving and cleaning their rooms while the other kids are eating sumptuous meals. At the orphanage where I lived before I came to the novel, everyone cleaned their room by themselves. ¡°I liked that I got a new life??. But I¡¯m a worker, and they¡¯re noble orphans.¡± I sigh deeply. However, the situation is not very hopeless, so I try to hold out. I already know the story of this novel. ¡°You¡¯ll see. The ugly duckling soon becomes a swan??.¡± Wait a minute. ¡°Didn¡¯t the heroine leave the orphanage and become a swan?¡± Shortly after coming into the novel, the main character went to be adopted by the Duke¡¯s family. But of all things, the family was the villain family. The protagonist, who had a strong sense of justice, had conflicts with the villains since the beginning and went through various troubles. As the family collapsed, she fell in love with the prince, the male protagonist, and became the princess. ¡°But even after that, I still suffer from my mother-in-law and get stabbed by the male lead¡¯s half-brother, ugh.¡± The main character may have a happy ending, but the process is very painful. When I was a reader, I liked the story that the protagonist went through because it was spectacular, but when I thought I was going to have to go through it, I sweated a lot. ¡°Besides, if I become an empress later, the politics??.¡± Empress. Politics. As a small citizen, no matter how much she fell in love with the male protagonist, the original heroine, who willingly decided to become the mother of the country, is just amazing. To become the mother of the country, they have to take care of people they don¡¯t know well as their children. In a country where people throw their children away because it is burdensome to be the parent of their children, like my parents. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I¡¯m dead and awake, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do.¡± Should I just get out of here before I get adopted? What if I leave the orphanage and twist the original work? Since I have modern knowledge, I think I can easily succeed in this novel world if I use my brain. ¡°In other novels, the heroine succeeds in selling chicken and the popcorn business.¡± It would not be bad to earn a little money by working as a maid until you get older, and then grab a big item and gradually develop your business from a stall. ¡°It would have been absurd to think like this in real life, but since the world has changed, such a plan is plausible. The difficulty of surviving is about one star.¡± Even though this seems to be the case, I am someone who had a part-time job but has never had a full-time job. Wouldn¡¯t it be impossible to do anything in this medieval-style world where food culture was underdeveloped without following the original story? ¡°Okay! What adoption? I¡¯m gonna live my own life!¡± Oh, pink future again! (Pink future- Suggesting hope for the future) I thought it was ??, but there was an unexpected difficulty. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Why do you want to leave?¡± The director pushed the glasses on the tip of his nose and looked at me through the frames as if he was frustrated. I just asked, ¡®What will happen if I suddenly leave?¡¯ to see his reaction, but I can¡¯t believe this reaction. ¡°Do you know how much it costs to feed and dress you? Thankfully, Mr. Hamel promised to pay that much money and take you in. The condition is that you work there without pay for 5 years. Be grateful.¡± What nonsense is this? ¡°Isn¡¯t the fund of the orphanage covered by donations? In addition, I wore clothes thrown away by other children, and I spent time eating leftovers from other children. Even cleaning, laundry, and punishments. I think I¡¯ve paid enough for the meal.¡± I couldn¡¯t accept this as it is ??, but I just nodded as if I understand and walked out of the room. ¡®Have you been thinking of selling me as a slave since the beginning?¡¯ If I don¡¯t become an empress, I am destined to become a slave. I have to run away from this fate. But the next day, the director asked me to go out to the market and buy something. ¡°What is this? A chance?¡±¡® If I ran away, I would be chased by him to the ends of the earth, but why is he leaving a fish to a cat? (¡®Leaving a fish to a cat¡¯- Giving something so desirable to someone) ¡®I didn¡¯t prepare anything.¡¯ But soon I learned that the director wasn¡¯t an idiot and that I walked around like an idiot. ¡°She¡¯s the orphan~!¡± ¡°Her mom and dad don¡¯t exist~.¡± As soon as I went to the market, the children who were playing at the entrance of the alley suddenly flocked to me. ¡°Oh no, isn¡¯t that Freddia? Hey guys! Don¡¯t bother her!¡± Sometimes people who passed by greeted me as if they knew me well and followed the children. ¡®Oh, my picture was in the newspaper!¡¯ I forgot that. Everyone knew my face because the picture taken during the donation was published in the newspaper. ¡´People¡¯s Daily¡µis a newspaper for commoners in the region, reporting petty details about who got married, who opened a store, and how much vegetable prices have risen today. The nobles don¡¯t even look at it, but the commoners do. ¡®That¡¯s why the director sent me on an errand. Even if I run away, I¡¯ll be found through a rumor.¡¯ It¡¯s not easy to twist the original. While sighing, the voices of the market children were constantly stuck in the back of my head. ¡°Hey, did you get paid to paint?¡± ¡°Living in a good place for orphans. What about our shabby place?¡± Judging by the jealous voice, it seems that I, an orphan, seem to be living in a better environment than them. You don¡¯t even know about the truth. ¡®It reminds me of the past.¡¯ I used to be teased like this when I was in school. -She¡¯s an orphan? She lives in an orphanage. -No wonder. That¡¯s why it¡¯s tacky. Who uses pencil cases like that these days? -Did you wash up properly? Isn¡¯t that a hand-me-down school uniform? It looks like it. -If you¡¯re an orphan, you can¡¯t go to college because you don¡¯t have money, right? You get good grades, why are you working so hard? The children, who were watching with pointed gazes, became easily jealous or disparaged me if I had something better than others. -Did you see she won a book review award? -She got it because they thought she was pitiful. After all, the first line of the book was ¡°Do I have parents?¡± -If it were me, I would avoid talking about my parents even if I was ashamed. When I was late last time, my teacher let me go because my younger brother in the orphanage was sick or whatever. He seems to be the type to fill up with sympathy. People can¡¯t stand it when someone inferior to them is treated better, or when they have something good. Children are honest and only express it directly. ¡°Don¡¯t show off when you¡¯re an orphan!¡± ¡°Hey! Hey! Are you ignoring me? Don¡¯t pretend to be an aristocrat just because you took a picture with nobility.¡± They say life is a repetition. Phew! Human life is the same here. ¡°Hey, throw that.¡± I just walked pretending I didn¡¯t hear anything, and something flew from the back. ¡°Ah!¡± It was a stone. When I looked back, the boy laughed and scattered. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± The kids annoy me. ¡°Hey, ignore them. Ignore them.¡± I went my way because I thought it would only look ridiculous if I got angry, but not long after, I heard another murmur. ¡°I guess she¡¯s leaving.¡± ¡°Leaving?¡± I entered a crowded place, thinking, ¡°They can¡¯t throw anything if I go into a crowded place.¡± That wasn¡¯t true. ¡°Is there anything bigger?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s throw it.¡± As long as they could bother me, it didn¡¯t seem to matter if they hurt others. ¡°You??!¡± I turned around and tried to scare myself off, but it was too late. ¡°Dirty orphan!¡± ¡°Dogs of nobles!¡± (Idiom for someone that suck up to nobles) ¡°Your mom¡¯s not here~ Your dad¡¯s not here~.¡± All sorts of rubbish and stones were seen flying with the voices of ridicule. I reflexively shrank and closed my eyes. ¡°???¡± But nothing hit me. ¡°Uh??.¡± Instead, the hem of someone¡¯s clothes was held in my hand, and a light shined on the back of them. I soon heard a voice. ¡°?? Judging from the looks of it, the presence or absence of parents doesn¡¯t matter in someone¡¯s personality.¡± Credits Chapter 3 The Villain¡¯s Merit, Chapter 3 It was a young voice, but that voice made me shrink. The surroundings then became quiet. I felt the same as when I realized I am living inside the novel. ¡°Ha.¡± The young person ruffled his black hair. I saw a glimpse of the silhouette of his face, which looked like a boy about my age. However, compared to the other children, he was about a head taller and had a more intimidating atmosphere. The market child shuddered at his light gesture. ¡®What is this atmosphere?¡¯ Even just by standing behind him, my heart was pounding like a warning signal. ¡®I understand that they feel scared because of what they did to me, but why do I feel so afraid?¡¯ Strange feelings. Not only that, along with fear, I felt a faint pain as if I had been stabbed in the stomach by a sharp object. Thanks to him blocking the objects being thrown, nothing touched me, but I felt like something did. ¡®It¡¯s strange.¡¯ Then, the boy asked the child. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°You, who are you?!¡± ¡°What differences will it make if you know?¡± At the boy¡¯s words, the market children clenched their teeth, ready to pick up the objects they once had. Swing! Punch! ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Blood!¡± However, the boy¡¯s hand moved once, and the dagger slid across the child¡¯s neck, who was the leader of the group. The head hit the board behind the group, and the boys¡¯ faces turned white. ¡°Get lost.¡± Before he finished his sentence, the children ran away. ¡®What¡¯s going on? That was really dangerous.¡¯ Coming into a fantasy world, and a fantasy-like thing happened??! Do all the people in the world have at least one skill like that? I was scared too, but I licked my lips and thanked him anyway. ¡°Thank you for your help??.¡± ¡°Why are you still here?¡± He ruffled the hem of his clothes in annoyance. My hands fall like dust at that cold action. It was a moment of gratitude as well. ¡°There is nothing wrong with attracting others from your work. If it¡¯s your job, don¡¯t hide and attack them directly. Against those young children?? Tsk.¡± The boy coldly said and walked away. ¡®He didn¡¯t help, he was caught up in this because of me.¡¯ I was embarrassed and muttered to myself behind his back. ¡°Huh, and I almost thanked you.¡± Then he quickly jumped away as if flying. ¡°Honestly, who was that guy? He had such an overwhelming presence.¡± Somehow I finished my errands and came back to my room to reflect on my memories. Was there a scene like this in ¡´Suspicious Princess¡µ? But no matter how much I think about it, I couldn¡¯t think of any scene like this or a character like that scary boy. ¡°I only saw the back of his head, but he looked really cool. I guess he was just a normal person that passed by. But anyone who saw him would¡¯ve thought that he was the main character.¡± I shrugged off the thought of the boy. But one of his words stood out and shook my heart. -If it¡¯s your job, don¡¯t hide and attack them directly. Why does it bother me so much? ¡°Adoption might be a good opportunity, but am I really just going to run away?¡± Suddenly, a revelation came to me without any connection, like some sort of fate. I¡¯ve never been the main character in my life. If I were to divide the people who receive a lot of spotlight in their groups A, B, C, and D, would I be the last one in group C? The reason I¡¯m not in group D was that I was loved by my bosses while I worked all kinds of part-time jobs. I am a reliable worker, a worker who doesn¡¯t waste money! ¡°I¡¯m used to being noticed as a slave to the world, but how am I the main character of this world???¡± No, maybe God felt so sorry for me that he gave me a chance to become the main character through possession. At least it was obvious that he gave me the chance to live as a daughter of a wealthy family! ¡°That must be it??!¡± When I thought about it that way, it felt like adoption was my destiny. Freddia¡¯s face was so well known that it would be difficult to find a way to escape right away. ¡°I get adopted by a duke, enjoy some luxury, and receive love from a great male lead! When would I ever get an experience like that besides here?¡± Could it be the boy earlier was a messenger of God that came to give me this kind of realization? After being inside the main character¡¯s body, it seems as if the world began to revolve around me. My heart was relieved ¡°Plans have changed.¡± Let¡¯s attack it as the boy said. ¡°I will try to become an aristocrat.¡± Back then, I didn¡¯t know. That the boy was closer to the devil than being the messenger of God. Only later will I look back on this and lament that I didn¡¯t receive a divine revelation, but that I have met the devil. *** A few days later, the orphanage was excited. This was because the Imperial family has notified them that they will visit. ¡°Director! I want to meet the Prince too!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too much for a kid like Freddia to meet the Imperial family.¡± ¡°Me, me! I would like to see Her Majesty, the Empress, instead of Freddia!¡± ¡°Guys, you guys are all well-behaved. You all know the rule that you don¡¯t come into the director¡¯s office unless the director calls you, right?¡± The orphanage children were in a frenzy. However, the director smiled kindly and sent the children out, and turned around and looked at me fiercely. ¡°The First Prince and Her Majesty want to see you. You have to be more polite and modest than ever before.¡± ¡°Yes, director.¡± I was nervous at the thought that I would be chewed alive if I caused any trouble. ¡®How will I act more polite and modest when I¡¯m this nervous?¡¯ Empress Iana, an active philanthropist, visits Curtis orphanage regularly once a year. However, this time, the First Prince pointed out and begged Iana to take him to the orphanage, saying he wanted to meet Freddia. The First Prince, who has a gracious and kind personality, was always on the ¡´People¡¯s Daily¡µin which the Emperor, who looks after the people, doesn¡¯t even read. While reading¡´People¡¯s Daily¡µwith the mindset that he can only become a good leader if he knows about how the people live, he saw a picture of Freddia drawing something. From there, the First Prince learned about Freddia¡¯s orphanage life, future hopes, and hobbies. Of course, she was impactful because it was all made-up stories to help the aristocrats¡¯ image marketing. The story was made up interestingly to catch the sympathy of other subscribers, and the First Prince was caught out of nowhere. The first prince, who was tricked by Freddia¡¯s story, visits Curtis as a big fan of hers that supported her since the beginning. However, as a buff of the heroine, the First Prince fell in love with the heroine, at first sight, this was a part of ¡°Suspicious Princess.¡± ¡®Honestly, it seemed like a forced setting.¡¯ Originally, Freddia was an extra in the original story of ¡°Suspicious Princess¡±, but that was the story¡¯s content before the main character came into the novel. The author gave the main character a buff because they wanted to use the theme of the main character being an extra. When I was a reader, I complained about the ridiculous story development, but when it became my story, I had to sleep well tonight and use that as an opportunity to be adopted into a rich family. I just hope that this buff will work well. A few days later, the Empress and the First Prince finally visited. I greeted the Empress and her party with the director, who was dressed differently than usual. There were also reporters from the Imperial family. ¡°I see your Majesty the Empress and Your Majesty the First Prince.¡± As I learned, I bent my knees to greet the Empress and the First Prince. The Empress smiled kindly and stroked my hair, and flashes went off three or four times. ¡°You are such a pretty kid.¡± I put my hand on my head and glanced at the empress who spoke softly. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m meeting someone I¡¯ve only heard of in a novel. That¡¯s so cool.¡¯ Of course, the characters felt different compared to my imagination, but when I looked at them closely, they didn¡¯t look much different from what was depicted in the novel. The Empress was a very good-looking person. Her soft drooping eyes and faint smile made a gentle impression that caused her to look fragile. Her black hair and eyes that seemed to brighten made her look calmer. I looked at her as if possessed. ¡®She¡¯s acting. I almost fell for it even though I knew the truth.¡¯¡¯ She was known for being a frugal philanthropist and was praised for her compassionate and gentle nature. ¡®A thorough opportunist.¡¯ In the novel, she is portrayed as a character who moves solely for her benefit. However, she was a character who had the strongest desire for power compared to anyone else in the novel. She sacrificed her children without hesitation for herself. ¡®So, even now, the Second Prince, who was her biological child, was abandoned, she stayed on the side of whoever was closest to the throne.¡¯ I sneakily rolled my eyes and looked at the First Prince. Herace Allen von Arsel. The male protagonist of this novel had curly silver hair, warm green eyes, and a friendly expression on his face. The 15-year-old boy seemed about two or three years older than his age because of his height and broad shoulders compared to his young face. Maybe because he felt me staring at him, for Herace looked at me with a genuine expression which was different from Iana, who had a fake smile. It was then, the moment I looked into his curiosity and energy-filled green eyes, my heart pounds. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Suddenly my face turned red. ¡®Uh ???¡¯ What? It felt like I was falling in love out of nowhere. As if some invisible force was compelling me to fall in love with him. ¡®Am I being influenced by the novel? It¡¯s strange.¡¯ Then I suddenly remembered that I had experienced a similar feeling before. ¡®When I met the boy with the bad personality in the market.¡¯ At that time, it felt similar to this, but it was fear, not excitement. ¡®?? Ah let¡¯s not go overboard. He¡¯s not even a main character of the novel.¡¯ Fortunately, my heart soon calmed down. I looked at Herace again. Then he suddenly smiled at me. ¡°???¡± Was this meeting originally meant to start so sudden, active, and comfortable? Credits Chapter 4 The Villain¡¯s Merit, Chapter 4 ¡®Is the main character buff already in use?¡¯ As a test, I opened my eyes threateningly to him. I wanted to see how effective the main character buff was. ¡®Are you still in love with me? Will you still fall in love with me?¡¯ But when he saw my opened eyes, his eyes widened and he suddenly burst into laughter. An ordinary orphan opened her eyes to the prince, which made him laugh??. ¡®The buff effect is huge!¡¯ In this kind of social status system, wouldn¡¯t my head be cut off if I talked back to the Imperial family? At this rate, I could expect the male protagonist to fall in love at a glance, saying, ¡®You¡¯re the first person to be this funny,¡¯ even though the female protagonist didn¡¯t do much. A by-product could be him saying, ¡®You¡¯re the first one to slap me in the face.¡¯ and he¡¯ll still like me. It¡¯s gotten a little fun. ¡®Are you going to fall for me even if I act strangely?¡¯ I got curious. At that moment, he escaped from the midst of adults, who were talking with each other, and approached me. He apologized for bursting into laughter at me a while ago. ¡°Haha. Excuse me, it wasn¡¯t an intentional laugh just now.¡± What? I opened my eyes and saw him looking at me. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Are you Freddia? I saw you in the newspaper. You said it¡¯s your dream to become an artist.¡± ¡°It is an honor for Your Highness to recognize me.¡± Herace¡¯s eyes stared at me with sparkling curiosity. I quickly intercepted the topic of conversation because if I didn¡¯t, I think he would continue asking more and more. ¡°Your Highness, there¡¯s something I really want to tell you, if it¡¯s not rude.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I was nervous because I wondered how he would react to my strange question. Thump, thump. ¡°I looked in the mirror today and my hair was yellow. Can you see the color? Do you know why?¡± Herace¡¯s face was filled with a puzzled look. I said in a calm voice without changing my expression. ¡°I have blonde hair.¡± ¡°???¡± ¡°I am blonde.¡± ¡°??.¡± Herace¡¯s expression became even more serious. He looked worried about whether there was any hidden meaning in my words. I bit my upper and lower lips. I looked like I was going to burst into laughter. ¡®Dia, you have to be patient! I could be decapitated for teasing the Imperial family!¡¯ I thought, but honestly, I believed I would lose my head because of a little pun. ¡®I¡¯m only 14 years old now, and the first prince is a nice boy in the novel, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ After barely holding back my laughter, I looked at him, who was still struggling and said. ¡°Your highness, did you have breakfast? I had bread and soup this morning??.¡± When I spoke with a proud face, he seemed to be wondering what kind of connection there was between what I said before and what I just said. ¡°It was delicious.¡± Yea, sorry. There¡¯s no connection between the two. ¡°??.¡± ¡°It was really good.¡± His forehead is knitted. I bit my lips. ¡®How strange am I? This is fun.¡¯ I tried to hold back my laughter and close my eyes and thought of something sad. ¡®A part-time job I quit, moldy wallpaper that I paid monthly rent for??.¡¯ But suddenly, a really sad thought ran through my head. ¡®If this goes wrong and Herace says, ¡®I¡¯m not interested in such a strange kid!¡¯, then I¡¯m going to be a maid in Mr. Hamel¡¯s farm, who is a pedophile.¡¯ Goosebumps. ¡®No. Let¡¯s not act like I don¡¯t have tomorrow.¡¯ I looked into Herace¡¯s eyes, his forehead still frowned. ¡®The effect of the main character¡¯s buff must¡¯ve only affected our first sight with each other??. Oh my God, I went too far.¡¯ I was joking because I wanted to make him laugh, but it didn¡¯t go my way, so I tried to apologize, in a hurry to change my situation, so I can see his highness in the future. But when he glanced at me, who didn¡¯t know how to fix the situation, he burst into laughter again. ¡°Haha, you really are a funny kid.¡± He smiled, his shoulders shaking from laughter, then looked at me and said, ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t going to laugh, but you were so funny.¡± ??What, he¡¯s weirder than me??. *** It was a piece of cake to be liked by a person who was destined to fall in love with me. Herace enjoyed everything I said and acted as if it were just the two of us. Just like when Herace and the heroine first met in the original novel. The heroine, who came into an unfamiliar world and was an outcast and struggled in the orphanage, fell in love with his kindness immediately. But I was different. ¡°He was really weird??.¡± I tried to be the weird kid, but on the contrary, I realized that Herace was the weird kid. Anyway, thanks to his enthusiastic interest in me, my adoption seemed to proceed smoothly. This was because the photo of Herace and I smiling broadly together was in the ¡´Imperial Newsletter¡µ, which contained the news of the Imperial Family, just like in the original novel. Seeing this, my future adoptive father, the Duke of Weiss, would soon come to visit me. *** A few days later, a carriage finally appeared at the entrance of the orphanage. The director welcomed the person who got off the carriage, talked for a while in his office, and saw him off with a complex and subtle expression. ¡®You¡¯re here!¡¯ Intuitively, I noticed that the Duke came. He must have come to ask for personal information about me and about my parents, in case I was already a spare child that a noble family will use when in need of an extra child for political reasons. Soon after seeing off the carriage, the director called me and came up the stairs to where I was sweeping. ¡°Freddia! Where¡¯s Freddia?¡± His voice was softer than usual. ¡°Yes, Director! I am here!¡± I wasn¡¯t very tired, but my voice sounded exhausted from work. Then the director ran up to me, took the broom from me, and smiled warmly. ¡°You worked hard. You must be tired, right? Stop working now and go up and pack up right away. I had no choice but to have you use the attic because I didn¡¯t have any beds left, but thanks to Marianne and Jane¡¯s desire to use the same bed, I got you a room.¡± Poor Marianne and Jane. I trembled with anxiety, knowing that the director wanted to look good to the Duke. ¡°Didn¡¯t the director say that the most worn out and coldest room suits me well? How dare I use the downstairs room?¡± ¡°Oh my, when did I say that? If someone hears that they will think that¡¯s true.¡± The director smiled awkwardly and laughed. I tilted my head with an innocent face. ¡°But don¡¯t the other children know that you said that? You always spoke like that to me in front of everyone.¡± The director, who heard me insult him by saying that he usually rudely treats her, took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°Ho-ho, Fredia, go up and pack your bags.¡± Contrary to his wishes, I didn¡¯t stop and said in a lamentable tone, because his reaction by changing the subject was funny. ¡°My luggage is all the trash of other children, so it¡¯ll look messy if I move it to a new room.¡± When I spoke sullenly, the director made a prickly face. ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t pay too much attention. I¡¯m sorry, Freddia. If you ever need anything, just tell me. I¡¯ll get you some new things.¡± ¡°Really? Then, I¡¯ll need pretty new clothes.¡± ¡°What ??? Sorry?¡± The director seemed embarrassed by my bold behavior of asking for pretty clothes in a way like I had been waiting for this opportunity. I said without hesitation, ¡°Pretty clothes! With lots of laces, please! I want some pretty buttons too!¡± The veins on the director¡¯s forehead slightly popped out. However, the director smiled with patience. As expected, he doesn¡¯t break easily because he was someone who always manipulated children. ¡°But don¡¯t you already have a dress that other kids envy?¡± Oh, the outfit that I wore when I had to smile brightly in front of aristocratic people? Do you mean the dress I wore for 5 years, by constantly sewing the sleeves with many fabrics to fix it? The same dress where I sewed more fabrics to the ends of the skirt to lengthen it? Are you talking about the outfit that I had to carefully wear to make sure it didn¡¯t get worn out? The outfit I had to return to you right after the meetings were over? Really, that dress? I smiled brightly at the director and said with a face that he didn¡¯t expect, ¡°Well, as I said before, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to be that nice to me.¡± ¡°Oh, Freddia! What is wrong with you today? Don¡¯t say nonsense, hurry up, get your stuff, and come down, can¡¯t you?¡± The director clenched his teeth. If it were usual, I would have been beaten by him with a whip, but he was patient today. Just before he exploded with anger, my shoulders drooped and I started pretending to cry. ¡°Hmph! I hate you, director! I¡¯m the only one who doesn¡¯t have pretty new clothes!¡± Then I ran up the stairs and slipped into the attic. The director probably thought I was crazy. But my craziness was only just beginning. *** The closer the time to when the Duke will come to the orphanage to take me, the more the director tried to be nice to me, and the more arrogant I became. ¡°The room is too cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too hot right now.¡± ¡°The blanket is damp.¡± ¡°The meat is overcooked, could you cook it again to medium-rare?¡± At my request to scratch my stomach, the director seemed to be furious at every moment, but he seemed to endure it. It was bound to be like this. As long as the Duke said he was adopting me, I was already considered a member of the duke¡¯s family. I was as cheeky as I could be to the director. ¡®It was said that if a caregiver changes his or her attitude completely, a child will be confused. That is abuse. Child abuse.¡¯ I¡¯m just a poor child, who was always verbally and physically abused, but my caregiver suddenly became generous and soft one day, causing me to have a mental breakdown and be in confusion, making me be mentally abused without knowing. There¡¯s nothing wrong with the kid, but the caregiver¡¯s actions! ¡®Sue me, director.¡¯ Considering the way you angered me, caused me to be attacked for no reason, and insulted me as a game in front of other kids, the satisfactory revenge was still far away. The director seemed to soon notice that I became arrogant after noticing my adoption, but what can he do? Even though it¡¯s true I¡¯ve become arrogant! Hahahaha! In the end, I succeeded in bugging the director to get me a dress with pretty buttons and lace. And around that time, the Duke of Weiss finally visited the orphanage. Credits Chapter 5 The Villain¡¯s Merit, Chapter 5 There¡¯s only been a few times in my life when I had a day like today. A day when I wear pretty clothes, even if it¡¯s not a special day. A day when I receive lots of attention from orphanage workers. I had an intuition. ¡®I might get parents today.¡¯ As a child, I was desperate. I struggled to appeal to others that I was a good addition to someone¡¯s family. Be more polite, be kinder, be gentler. I¡¯ve always longed for someone to be my parent. But I never had parents. But today, this time, I¡¯m getting a family. I stared at the door of the director¡¯s room where I heard a loud voice. ¡®Don¡¯t fall for fake sentiments. This is a fixed story, and that person is only here to take advantage of you.¡¯ I put my hand on my heart, trying to calm down. ¡®Why am I excited? Let¡¯s keep in mind that I¡¯m going to be used and thrown away.¡¯ Although it was a short memory of the old days, I quickly cleared my mind and knocked on the door of the director¡¯s office. ¡°Come in.¡± I opened the door as soon as the director gave his permission and immediately saw a man sitting down. A gentleman in his mid to late forties with black hair resembling Empress Iana¡¯s, and an elegant, upright posture, looked at me. ¡°Say hello, Freddia. This is Duke Weiss.¡± Ivan Weiss. He is the one who put Iana, an important member of the Weiss family, in the position of Empress. As a maternal relative of Iana, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with just putting her in the Empress¡¯s position. He also wanted to get the First Prince under his control. So, the Duke tried to tie one of his people to the First Prince. However, he only had one daughter, who would later have to inherit the Dukedom. So, he looked for a suitable girl among his relatives. However, it was an orphan girl standing next to Herace in the¡´Imperial Newsletter¡µwho caught his attention. The Duke probably came up with the idea that it would be better for him to use an orphan girl who didn¡¯t have any troublesome family ties. ¡°Hello, Duke.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The Duke nodded calmly and looked me up and down. He asked the director as if he didn¡¯t want to talk to me. ¡°Is the child smart?¡± ¡°Of course she is. You have no idea how smart she is.¡± These were the words of the director, who lived with headaches and stomachaches because of me for several days. The director clenched his teeth behind his smile. I wanted to help the director because of my pure and beautiful heart full of goodness, so I quickly intervened in their conversation. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to meet you like this. It¡¯s always been my dream to have a family, so I can¡¯t believe it. I heard from the director that the Duke has a daughter. Is that true?¡± The director poked my side to prevent me from interfering any further, but I smiled brightly and ignored him. The Duke nodded his head. ¡°Yes, I have a daughter. She¡¯s 15 years old, so I guess she¡¯s a little older than you.¡± ¡°She is older than me! I would like to give the princess a gift.¡± ¡°Gift?¡± I slowly pulled out the ribbon I kept in my pocket. ¡°This is a ribbon that the First Prince gave me a while ago. I wanted to give the Duke a present, but the Duke doesn¡¯t seem like he would want to use this, so I wanted to give it to the Princess instead. This is the only valuable thing I have.¡± When the Duke heard the words that came out of my mouth, his eyes lit up. I¡¯ve certainly succeeded in gaining his attention. ¡°Why would you give your most prized possession to someone else?¡± I recalled the thoughts I had from my childhood when I was still innocent and naive. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to have a family. The only thing I¡¯ve ever wanted is to have a family. If the Duke takes me in, I will not be greedy for anything else.¡± My thoughts were like that when I was young. If I have a family, I will love them forever. I¡¯m going to share my best things with them and live without greed for anything more. ¡®I was naive. Family is just a nuisance.¡¯ The Duke seemed to like my words that I wouldn¡¯t be greedy for anything. I¡¯m sure he felt this way. There are many greedy people around him like Iana, so I acted like this on purpose. Of course, I don¡¯t think the Duke would blindly believe in anything I say. After all, people¡¯s minds are different when they enter and leave the bathroom. But it was enough to give him a good impression right now. ¡°Can you keep your word? I can provide you with what you need as long as you¡¯re not greedy. As long as you are satisfied with what I have given you and do not stretch yourself too far, you will be able to live a happy life.¡± I smiled confidently as if I was trying to reassure him. ¡°Duke, I know the First Prince.¡± What I¡¯m trying to say is that handing this ribbon over to you is by no means a pure act. I know my place well, so I know how valuable this item is for me. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something I can give to anyone at will, but I¡¯ll still give it to you. The Duke understood what I was trying to say and stared at me with the most amazing and beautiful golden eyes I¡¯ve ever seen in this world. I didn¡¯t avoid his sharp gaze and directly faced him. The Duke burst into laughter. ¡°You seem to be good at math for a child.¡± ¡°Thank you for thinking that way.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better to be a person who is good at math than to be an idiot.¡± Um, I think Duke is more satisfied than I expected. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Duke. My goal is to eat and live well in your house, and later become worthless and be abandoned by you.¡¯ So, please expect a lot from me now. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. When I changed my approach to adoption, I did it intending to get abandoned. ¡®I¡¯ll remain obedient as I grow up and get abandoned when I become useless later on.¡¯ When I get adopted, I have to save up my pocket money and start a business, like the chicken business that I thought of last time. I haven¡¯t completely given up on my dream of starting a business just yet. Of course, Ivan wouldn¡¯t give up a child he purposefully adopted. So I came up with something. ¡®Contract marriage!¡¯ Hehe, I¡¯m glad I read a lot of romance-fantasy novels. Usually, when the heroine leaves their house, don¡¯t they have a contract marriage? ¡°If I live a life with a gold spoon, I¡¯ll go to tea parties or something like that to gather information, and then I¡¯ll marry the person who meets my requirements.¡± I know the content of the novel, so we can make a contract where the male recipient will receive information of future events as an agreement term. Other romance fantasy female protagonists do the same. When the contract is over, I will ask for a divorce and leave with the gold I saved up and enjoy this new life. ¡®Okay, perfect!¡¯ I hid my greedy heart under a pretty and cute face and smiled softly. ¡°I like this child.¡± The Duke spoke as if he was praising the director. It felt unfair to hear that. ¡®The only thing that he did to me and Freddia was abuse!¡¯ Even now, I don¡¯t know how many times he jabbed my side trying to shut me up. I tried to hold it in, but I shouted in resentment. So far, I¡¯ve only taken revenge in small ways, so on the last day, I hated how I didn¡¯t do anything even though I tried to disappear quietly. ¡°Ah! Director, it hurts! Stop pinching me!¡± At my words, the Duke looked at the director, wondering what I was talking about. The director, who didn¡¯t think that I would dare to expose him in such a place, hurriedly made an excuse. ¡°When did I pinch you? Duke, in fact, Freddia sometimes lies like this. Children are usually good at lying at this age. You don¡¯t have to believe everything children say. The smarter a child is, the more realistic their lies are.¡± Oh, I wondered why the director kept boldly pinching me, even though I¡¯ve been tormenting him for the past few days. He was trying to make me out to be a liar! ¡®He¡¯s afraid I¡¯ll tell the Duke that I¡¯ve been bullied in the orphanage.¡¯ Director, do you know? This is the Korean Call Center Part-Time Student¡¯s Unstoppable Quickness! I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever heard of it before. The center of the service industry, the call center, pays a high hourly wage. I needed the hourly wage, and coincidentally, the call center needed a hardworking employee. ¡®What do you take me as?¡¯¡¯ I admired the director¡¯s ingenious lie and proceeded to deny his words while trembling instead of being cunning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director. I must have been mistaken. The director brought me here and took good care of me during my time here. I will miss you very much if I leave.¡± My gentle apology made the director¡¯s smiling face stiffen a little. If you¡¯ve seen my actions so far, you wouldn¡¯t expect me to be acting like this. The Duke asked me with a suspicious look. ¡°Did the director treat you well?¡± ¡°Yes, of course! He gave me a special room, the attic! While the other children shared bedrooms on the second and third floor with two or three other people, I was able to use the attic alone since it was too narrow for two children to use.¡± I felt the director flinch. I continued speaking with a happy face so that he had no time to make excuses. ¡°I used a one-person bedroom, and what else could this mean other than the love that the director has for me? Of course, the cold nights made me shiver, but it made me think that I was the little match girl, freezing to death in the middle of winter. Isn¡¯t it romantic? I felt like the main character of a fairy tale.¡± I put my hands together and made a dreamy look. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s a fairy tale like ¡°The Little Match Girl¡± in this world too, but I¡¯m sure they understand. The story of a poor, pitiful, but good child suffering is a common major topic across the world. The Duke frowned at my words. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a lie.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± You have to solidify the details for credibility! ¡°On one occasion, I imagined the thin and old blanket that covered me was a pile of straws, and that I was a valiant hero who was on an adventure and had to sleep in a barn overnight. Cool, right? This is all thanks to the director¡¯s special consideration. I am always grateful to the director.¡± The Duke touched his forehead when he saw my sparkling eyes. ¡°No matter how much you like it, you won¡¯t be able to use such a room in the Duke¡¯s residence.¡± Then, he sharply glared at the director. ¡°I know that orphanages get a lot of donations, but I wonder where all that money goes. I¡¯m going to send an auditor soon, so just be aware of that, Director.¡± The director¡¯s face turned blue. He must have developed wrinkles. The Duke instructed me to only take a few items that I wanted to have immediately and get in the carriage when I finished. I asked the Duke to wait a moment and took the new dress that I tormented the director to get. Then, I folded it well and placed it in front of his office. ¡®I¡¯ll give this back. From now on, I¡¯m going to be wearing better clothes than this. You looked so pale, director, so eat well and live well.¡¯ Chapter 6 The Villain¡¯s Merit, Chapter 6 2. My Villain(?) Family When Duke Ivan and I arrived at the Duke¡¯s residence, I saw people lined up in front of the entrance. My jaw dropped when I saw the scenery. ¡®Why is there a fountain in front of the entrance? What¡¯s that fancy staircase leading up to the doorway? What kind of house is this big? Is this a house or an art center? I totally won the lottery!¡¯ Will I be living here in the future? My smile kept getting bigger. But unlike me, who was excited, Ivan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good. He got off the carriage and asked an old gentleman, who seemed to be the butler. ¡°Where is Catherine?¡± ¡°The Madam is resting because she isn¡¯t feeling well, she must have had another headache. The Young Lady is taking care of her.¡± Ivan clicked his tongue in disdain. I understood the situation. ¡®The Duchess doesn¡¯t want to see me and she¡¯s using her headache as an excuse.¡¯ In the novel, Duchess Catherine and her daughter, Isabella, objected to Freddia¡¯s adoption. It was because Isabella wanted to give up her right to be the future Duchess and get married to Herace, causing the cold war between her and Ivan. But Ivan adopted a girl to become Herace¡¯s partner. Honestly, I understood why Catherine and Isabella felt like that. They believed that nobles and commoners were two different species and that they, as nobles, were superior. They probably detested Ivan¡¯s decision to bring in an orphan, who was considered to be at the bottom rung of society, into their family. ¡®So, they will harass me without the Duke¡¯s knowledge, just like they did in the novel. I have to prepare myself mentally.¡¯ ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll show you the room you¡¯ll be staying in.¡± Ivan beckoned to me. I thought he would leave me to the butler and take care of his business, so this was unexpected. I quickly followed him, wanting to take a quick tour of the nice house. He told me that the third floor is exclusively used by the Duke¡¯s family. The first floor is a communal space, the second floor has guest bedrooms, and the fourth floor is used by employees. The Duke and Duchess¡¯ bedroom was at the end of the hallway, while mine was not far from the stairs. The Duke turned to the butler, who was following us, and said, ¡°Show the child her room.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ivan walked towards Catherine¡¯s bedroom after watching me follow the butler into my bedroom. I waited for the butler to open the door with a pounding heart. How nice it would be to have a room inside this magnificent house. ¡°This is where the Young Lady will be staying.¡± The butler swung the door wide open. The first thing I saw was the sunlight pouring in from the window. I also had a view of the scenery outside. The scenery was??. Drip. ¡°Oh, my lady.¡± I heard the butler, who had a robotic expression, ask with a bewildered voice. ¡°Why are you crying? Are you okay?¡± I suddenly burst into tears. Haa, just give me a minute, butler. I feel like I¡¯m dreaming right now. ¡°It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m just, too, wah!¡± This bedroom was just so unbelievably gorgeous! I couldn¡¯t finish my words and cried. I thought a bedroom was just a place to sleep, but what is this cozy and beautiful space? In my new bedroom that looked to be around 712 sq ft, there was a bed the size of my old 213 sq ft rented room that I used to live in. There was also a table adorned with intricate decorations, two cozy one-person sofas covered in floral patterns, a bay window you can read in while basking in the sunlight, and a large dressing table. (PR/N: For those who use the metric system, 712 sq ft¡Ö66 sq m) All these amazing things were enough to make my eyes widen. As soon as I stepped into the room, my poverty-filled life passed through my mind and disappeared in a flash, and I couldn¡¯t help but cry. In my previous life, I was able to afford my 213 sq ft room thanks to the cheap rent. I don¡¯t know if it was because the first floor was a meat restaurant, but my rented room had cockroaches coming up through the water pipes. The ceiling also leaked, causing mold to grow and eventually cover up an entire wall. There was also a boiler in the room, but I barely used it because the heating cost was double that of other houses. So, I had to live with a cold draft coming in through my 30-year-old rusty sash during the winter. I had already delayed my monthly rent payments for three months, so I didn¡¯t want to ask the landlord to fix the broken entrance sensor or the hinges of the bathroom door. Living in a rented room like that for 20 years, I couldn¡¯t even dream of owning a house, because the only way I could afford it was if I lived in rags and only ate air instead of food or water. ¡®Goodbye to my difficult life! I want to live in this world forever!¡¯ Even if I die now and be reborn in this world as a worm, I would still be grateful. At least I would be a worm who has experienced a golden spoon life. I would have no regrets being a worm, except that I wouldn¡¯t be able to experience a nice life like this again. I was still shedding tears when Ivan returned after hearing the butler¡¯s bewildered voice. I heard a voice that sounded as sweet as honey due to the buff of having a rich adoptive father. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The lady started to cry??. Though I don¡¯t understand why.¡± The Duke tilted his head at the butler¡¯s words and asked me, ¡°What don¡¯t you like?¡± ¡°No!¡± I vigorously shook my head. It was nothing like that! ¡°I¡¯m so hawappy. Thawnk yowu so mulch.¡± (I¡¯m so happy. Thank you so much.) I sobbed nonstop and talked in a muffled voice. During that moment, I wandered around touching each ornately crafted piece of furniture, and rubbed my face. Meanwhile, incoherent words kept coming out of my mouth. ¡°Heuk-heuk, wow, the bed is very big and pretty, and there¡¯s two wide windows! The door is beautiful too! Heuk, the carpets here are for the rich. This, that, and those too. What is this? Is this a dressing room?¡± My words roughly translated to that. There¡¯s nothing in this room that my tears didn¡¯t touch. I may look weird to the people looking at me, but I was genuinely happy. It was like buying three lottery tickets for three weeks that cost 1,000 won per ticket, and not checking on them since you weren¡¯t expecting anything, but when you did check, you found out that you won for three consecutive weeks. What¡¯s the point of explaining this? Never mind, people who haven¡¯t experienced this won¡¯t understand how I feel right now. (PR/N: she didn¡¯t have to call us poor like that TwT ) So I went around marking my territory with tears of joy and went to my adoptive father to thank him for all of these things. (Ghost: ¡®Marking my territory¡¯ sounds so weird, it cracks me up xD) I raised my skirt and bent my knees while sobbing and overflowing with emotion. ¡°Really, really, heuk, kkeup! Thank you, thank you!¡± The Duke abruptly covered his face and turned around. ¡°???¡± What? Why are you laughing? *** This is all mine! The bed! The goods and luxuries! That¡¯s what I told myself as I lay on the bed. ¡®I should listen to the Duke while I¡¯m here.¡¯ Thank you for giving me such a luxurious room. I should also be good to Catherine and Isabella, seeing as they will try to torment me in the future. I was debating on whether I should get close to them or just pretend to be close with them, but I now decided to actually get along with them for the sake of Ivan, who brought me into this luxurious life. ¡®Big sister Isabella, no matter how evil you act, I¡¯ll show you the welcoming spirit of Korean service employees.¡¯ I made up my mind. ¡°Now that I¡¯m going to be eating and living well, I¡¯ll just sleep for a bit and think about the future later.¡± When people worry too much, they can¡¯t move forward. I should focus on adapting to the new environment while enjoying my first taste of a luxurious life. After gulping down the bowl of rice that the servant brought to the room, I slept under the cloud-like blanket. ¡°So comfortable.¡± When I lived in an orphanage in Korea, I moved from one room to another, depending on the situation. Once I became an adult, I left the orphanage and lived in a terrible environment. But as a result of my hard life, I could sleep in any environment. I don¡¯t ever want to go back to that kind of life! The next day, my diligent commoner body that was built for labor, woke up as soon as the sun rose. ¡°My first day as an aristocrat!¡± I was filled with excitement and gently washed my face in the bathroom attached to my bedroom. There was still water leftover in the basin that the servants brought yesterday. It was warm when they brought it, but it turned cold throughout the night. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool.¡± I was used to washing my face in the morning with cold water. I never turned on the boiler even when it was winter to save money on the gas bill, and so I washed my face with cold water all year round. ¡°My mind is awake.¡± After shaking off my lingering sleepiness by washing my face, I happily put on my clothes by myself. I wore the outer skirt from yesterday on top of my inner skirt, which I also used for sleepwear, and combed my blonde hair that I still haven¡¯t gotten used to. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. When will they come to wake me up to eat?¡± In normal romance fantasy novels, there are usually scenes like that right after the female protagonist wakes up. The maid comes to wake the lady up, prepares her for the day, and takes her to the dining room. I was curious to know if anyone else was awake at this time. I wanted to go out to the hallway and ask someone when breakfast would be served. However, since it was my first day here, I didn¡¯t want to be rude and decided to wait for the maid to come. ¡°I have to learn more about my surroundings before making any moves.¡± When will the door open? I dangled my legs off the bed, waiting. Knock knock~ After a while, there was a sound at the door and I heard someone knock. The knock sounded like someone accidentally bumped into the door while passing by. It was such a soft knock that I wouldn¡¯t have heard it if I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Chapter 7 The Villian¡¯s Merit, Chapter 7 ¡®A sparrow¡¯s yawn must be louder than that.¡¯ I only heard it since I was paying attention, and if I had been doing anything else, I wouldn¡¯t have heard it. The maid would have just assumed that I was asleep and left. For a modern person like me, every minute and every second felt like billions of eons without a cell phone. If that was a knock, then I was going to leave. I didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. I was so bored and hungry! Do only late-risers live here? Why are you picking me up so late? ¡°Come in.¡± But no one came in. ¡°???¡± I poked my head out of the door and saw the back of a maid who had already walked a long distance away from my room. ¡°I woke up! Come on in!¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± I guess she didn¡¯t expect me to poke my head out. The maid turned around, surprised. She yelled overdramatically in a way that could only ever be done in novels. She said in an informal yet subtle tone, ¡°You¡¯re awake? I didn¡¯t know you woke up, I had no clue.¡± I was right about the little knock. The maid came to pick me up, so that means I get to eat soon! While thinking about rice, I gestured for her to come closer with a smile and asked, ¡°Come on in, I woke up early because I couldn¡¯t sleep. Are you holding a basin of water?¡± The maid hesitated and entered the room. ¡°Wash up and get ready, my lady.¡± The maid¡¯s hands holding the handles of the brass bowl were frozen red, perhaps because the water was directly drawn from a well outside. Although it was spring, there was a wide range in temperature, so the water drawn from the well in the morning was as cold as ice. I knew this because I had drawn a lot of water during the few days I stayed at the orphanage. I like washing in cold water, but this is too much. The water in the bathroom was closer to room temperature than this. ¡®Ah, could this be ???¡¯ As I stared at the water, something flashed in my mind. ¡®Just like in the novel, when the protagonist arrived at the Duke¡¯s residence, the temperature of the water was a joke.¡¯ Aren¡¯t maids who torment protagonists common in fantasy and romance novels? Nobles were the only ones who received warm water. The maids in those novels must have read a book like ¡´101 Ways to Bully My Lady¡µ, to find ways to ridicule the protagonist. ¡®The maids who tormented Freddia in the novel were Isabella¡¯s maids.¡¯ In¡´The Suspicious Princess¡µ, the female protagonist took revenge on Isabella¡¯s maid, who was temporarily in charge of her, for the cold water incident. This was the first event of the declared war between Isabella and the main character. ¡®Well, I¡¯m going to skip the revenge because of my pride as a hard-working commoner.¡¯ I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction. The maid flinched as if she was stabbed. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯ While looking at the maid in confusion, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the mirror behind her. When I saw a stern-faced child, I quickly erased my serious expression and replaced it with a smile. ¡°There was water left in the bathroom from yesterday, so I already washed my face. I¡¯m all done getting ready.¡± ¡°Already? Why did you do it alone???¡± The maid looked unhappy since things didn¡¯t go as planned. ¡®What¡¯s wrong? You brought more water today, but it¡¯s even colder than the water from yesterday.¡¯ However, the maid didn¡¯t like that I woke up and prepared myself even before she woke me up. ¡°It took a long time getting you water??.¡± Okay? That was a waste of time, I guess? ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. It was a struggle to get the water, but it would be a waste to throw it away, right? Well then, I¡¯ll wash the dust off the nail of my index finger. It¡¯s been bothering me for a while.¡± Then, I dipped my index finger just deep enough to submerge my fingernail and stirred the water. ¡°Oh, this is cold. I didn¡¯t even wash my face with water this cold back in the orphanage, but I guess it makes sense. The Duke must be saving his firewood. Anyone who sees you bring such cold water would think that you¡¯re trying to torture someone. Haha, I¡¯m just joking, you know?¡± I smiled brightly and raised my finger, making sure a lot of water droplets remained, and shook my whole body, as if I was cold. The maid gulped nervously. ¡°Since you¡¯re wearing such thin clothes, the water will feel colder!¡± Wow, look at that ability to cope with crises. You¡¯re so talented. ¡°Your clothes are too thin for this type of weather. I¡¯ll bring you formal wear and thicker clothes after breakfast.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but the maid¡¯s ability to be polite instantly improved. She¡¯s suddenly being very kind. It¡¯s suspicious. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Lady Isabella if she has any dresses that have become too small for her to wear. Although, I don¡¯t know if she immediately throws those clothes away and replaces them with new ones.¡± Really? You¡¯re giving me the clothes of a Duke¡¯s daughter? ¡®You¡¯re not going to raise my expectations and disappoint me by saying that the clothes were already thrown away?¡¯ Then I know it won¡¯t be fun. I won¡¯t get a chance to cry. I couldn¡¯t trust the maid¡¯s expression, which seemed to be hiding something, but I couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the new outfit. This is because the clothes I wore now were too beggar-like, even from a commoner¡¯s perspective. No matter how poor I was, I didn¡¯t wear ragged clothes, but now I have to wear sleeves and skirts. I regretted returning the pretty dress I tricked the director to get for me. ¡°Am I ready for breakfast now?¡± ¡°Yes, the Duke is waiting in the dining room.¡± ¡°Already?¡± But why did you just now come and wake me up? If a child woke up and prepared themselves before the maid came to wake them up, the child might have already left because they couldn¡¯t wait for the maid any longer. ¡®No wonder she didn¡¯t come earlier, it was intentional.¡¯ It¡¯s like how senior employees act territorial when a new employee joins their company. There are as many employees in this mansion as there were in a small company, so I basically have a work-life at home. If I think of the mansion as a company, getting a luxurious life would be like doing a parachute landing on a fast-track promotion, if Ivan, who is like a company CEO, acknowledges me. And this maid has her boss, Isabella, backing her up. She¡¯s trying to look good to Isabella by keeping me in check. The corners of my lips slowly rose in curiosity¡ªrather than pity¡ªtowards the maid. ¡®I¡¯m on a parachute!¡¯ How did I get on a parachute, when I could barely put food in my mouth before! Parachutes get dropped down at a high speed anyway, so I don¡¯t have to worry about a passing maid. Stop trying to impress your superiors. ¡®Bosses originally wanted people who worked hard, but now they prefer people who work without causing trouble to others around them.¡¯ There¡¯s no need to make a fuss and waste energy on useless things. That would only attract Ivan¡¯s attention in a bad way. Instead of arguing with the maid, I ran while rushing her to guide me to the dining room. Ivan was the only one in the dining room. He decided to eat first because he couldn¡¯t wait, so he already had food in his hands. ¡°Duke, how are you?¡± ¡°Welcome. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± The servant led me to the seat closest to Ivan, who sat at the head of the table. Seeing that I¡¯m supposed to sit there, I assumed that no one else was coming. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late. I took a long time getting prepared since I¡¯m not used to being served by someone??.¡± Before I could get scolded, I quickly told Ivan why I was late, and he nodded his head without asking any more questions. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sit down.¡± ¡°Is there anyone else coming?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just you and me today.¡± I sat down without asking further questions. I guess they didn¡¯t come because they don¡¯t like me. ¡®Then, this feast is all mine!¡¯ I drooled at the food on the big table. As soon as I sat on the chair, the servant brought me soup with a fresh mushroom scent. After that, I saw a whole roast duck being cut into slices. Just looking at the steaming-hot multicolored vegetables, the appetizing salads, and the freshly baked bread with butter and cheese, made my mouth water. ¡®You mean I can eat breakfast like this every day? Oh, rich people live such a good life.¡¯ As I looked around the table, not knowing what to eat first, Ivan said bluntly, ¡°Eat like how you used to eat before. You never learned etiquette, so you don¡¯t have to feel embarrassed.¡± That wasn¡¯t why I hadn¡¯t started eating. ¡°Oh, okay??.¡± Even though I learned western dining etiquette from working part-time at a slightly fancy restaurant, I grabbed the duck leg with my hand, pulled the meat off, and ate it without hesitation. As expected, the duck¡¯s legs are the best part! ¡°??You eat well.¡± ¡°Hehe, people say that I¡¯m at the age to chew stone.¡± It was an idiom, but Ivan¡¯s expression stiffened, perhaps because he misunderstood it. ¡°A stone??. Did the director feed you stones?¡± ¡°What? No, uh?? yes??.¡± Feeling embarrassed, I avoided eye contact and hastily nodded. ¡®They gave me bread that was as hard as stone, so it¡¯s similar.¡¯ Seeing my darting eyes, Ivan clicked his tongue at the servants, signaling them to do something. The servant, who couldn¡¯t hide his astonished face when he saw me eating a whole duck leg, hurriedly pushed the food in front of me. After hearing our conversation, the servant¡¯s expression changed from astonishment to pity. I didn¡¯t say anything and let them continue to misunderstand. ¡®The rice tastes good.¡¯ Ivan was looking at me in a somewhat burdensome way, so I felt like I had to rush to eat. I held two duck legs in both hands and began to tear them off with all my heart and soul, like a child who has been starved for a few days. When I finished eating the legs, Ivan asked, ¡°Remember the last time you said you knew who the First Prince was?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then do you know who I am?¡± I swallowed the duck meat in my mouth and told him what I knew. ¡°Yes. Duke Weiss. I heard that there is no one on this land who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Duke except for the Emperor. You are a wonderful person.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± I am the author of this novel. But I couldn¡¯t tell him that, so I gave an answer roughly similar to the truth. ¡°I read it in a book.¡± ¡°You know how to read?¡± ¡°I learned how to read by watching the other children at the orphanage read.¡± Actually, that never happened because the kids at the orphanage bullied me. The reason why I know this world¡¯s writing is because this world uses the Korean language. After entering the book, I became a westerner with golden hair and lived among westerners who wrote in Korean. The language I am speaking now is Korean, and the characters I read and write are also Korean. The Duke, who was unaware of this fact, looked satisfied as if he was thinking about me not being an ordinary child. This is my cheat. Haha! ¡°Do you know why I adopted you as my daughter?¡± Chapter 8 The Villain¡¯s Merit, Chapter 8 ¡°Yes.¡± The Duke raised a brow in interest. ¡°Tell me what you know.¡± ¡°I understand that high-ranking people like the Duke need children for various reasons. For example, children who will succeed the family, children who will be used to forming ties with other families, etc.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Since the Duke only has one daughter, you must have adopted me because you needed another child to fulfill your needs.¡± ¡°Did the director tell you that?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then how did you know about those things?¡± Instead of blatantly saying that I read it in a novel like a crazy person, I made myself look a little smarter. ¡°I found out on my own while I was at the orphanage.¡± ¡°On your own?¡± ¡°All the children at the Curtis orphanage are in situations like that. It¡¯s rough for them because they¡¯re unwanted illegitimate children kept hidden in case of an emergency. If the nobles need another child for any reason, they¡¯ll come to take their illegitimate child, but otherwise, the child will be abandoned.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He seemed uncomfortable when the unpleasant stories of nobility smoothly flowed out of a child¡¯s mouth. I pretended not to notice and kept talking. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why, unlike other orphanages, they teach children aristocratic manners? I moved there from another orphanage, so I knew how different Curtis Orphanage was from other places. That¡¯s how I noticed these things.¡± I don¡¯t actually know what other orphanages are like, since I possessed Freddia after she came to Curtis Orphanage. I only learned that it was different from other orphanages when I read about it in the book. But to Ivan, my words seemed quite plausible. ¡°You¡¯re smart, but you¡¯re not my illegitimate child. Still, do you have any idea why I brought you here?¡± I know all about his situation, but the Duke made his plan all by himself, so I would¡¯ve been misunderstood if I said I knew all of that. ¡®Should I say I don¡¯t know much? And should I make a guess that it has something to do with Herace?¡¯ While I was contemplating my response, a chef suddenly appeared from the kitchen with dessert. He seemed to have served dessert after noticing the change in mood, which seemed to signal that the meal was almost over. The chef picked up a knife and cut it into the center of the cake. A silver knife dipped in the elaborate whipped cream decorations and cut through the soft cake. I was instantly mesmerized by the cake. ¡°Uh??. So, I¡¯m guessing that it has something to do with the cake. His Highness, the First Prince, likes cakes??.¡± I said something strange, so I stopped myself. ¡®How long have my eyes been on the cake?¡¯ When I turned my head and looked at Ivan, I could see him biting his lips. ¡°Sorry, sorry, the cake looked delicious??.¡± ¡°The First Prince.¡± ¡°Oh, yes! His Highness, the First Prince, is a cake.¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°Yes, no, that¡¯s me.¡± Oh, I¡¯m so embarrassed. This freaking cake! I was pretending to be smart and extraordinary but it distracted me. Heat rose on my face. When I glanced at Ivan, he was covering his face with his hands, and for some reason, was pressing down the space between his eyebrows. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Cake??. Hmmm, eat the cake first.¡± Ivan beckoned the chef to bring the cake in front of me. ¡°A child is a child.¡± The corners of his lips twitched as he mumbled to himself. What is it? I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s saying, but I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything. The chef put a large piece of cake on a plate and brought it to me. ¡°Eat it, my lady. This is a cake topped with whipped cream made with freshly squeezed milk from this morning.¡± There was faint happiness in the chef¡¯s voice as he explained. When I looked at Ivan, he nodded, as if he was permitting me to eat. Then, after having the chef and servants retreat, he said. ¡°Listen while eating.¡± I quickly picked up the fork and cut the cake into large chunks. Ivan said to me as I munched on the soft cake. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know everything from the beginning. For the time being, all you have to do here is learn etiquette. I¡¯ll give you a teacher, so from tomorrow on, work hard.¡± I answered with horrible pronunciation because my cheeks were full of cake. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Ivan said that in a firm voice, but since he had an easygoing expression, it didn¡¯t sound too heavy. ¡°Since I gave you a nice room and a decent meal, you should study your manners well.¡± I nodded with a serious face, with my mouth still full of cake. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright then. I have work to do, so I¡¯ll get up first. If you want more dessert, you can ask them to bring the leftovers to your room.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± As I bowed my head, the Duke suddenly stared at me as he stood up from his seat, raised his index finger, and pressed on my chubby cheeks full of cake. ¡°???¡± When I looked at him in curiosity, the Duke took his finger off my cheek. ¡°Well, there¡¯s something I need to do, so I¡¯ll go now.¡± He hurriedly disappeared from the dining room. I think your eyes were sparkling just now. But why? *** Someone knocked on my door shortly after I returned to my bedroom. It was the maid from this morning. She brought clothes for me to wear temporarily so that I could change out of the rags I was currently wearing. She was holding a dress in her arms. ¡°I looked around and found a dress that I was going to throw away because it was too small for Lady Isabella.¡± Freddia¡¯s stature was on the smaller side for a 14-year-old, perhaps because she didn¡¯t eat well. So, a small outfit from Isabella, who was a year older than her, would fit Freddia¡¯s body. However, the maid had a subtle expression as she put the dress down. ¡°Is there any problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can wear it because the skirt is a little torn. What should I do?¡± When I checked it, there was a hole big enough for my head through, even though I said that there was only ¡®a little¡¯ tear. Have your clothes ever been torn like this? What did you do? ¡°Is there anything else I can wear?¡± The maid cut me off and answered. ¡°No, we don¡¯t have anything else, but you could continue wearing your current outfit for the time being. Otherwise, the madam will have to browse for new clothes later and decide on what to order, but she¡¯s not feeling well right now.¡± This meant that I could have new clothes with Catherine¡¯s permission. She was laying down in her room because she didn¡¯t like me. I didn¡¯t know when Catherine would leave her bedroom, and even if she did, I doubt she would be willing to buy clothes for me. ¡°Then, will there be no problem if I wear this?¡± ¡°Are you going to wear it? I can¡¯t mend it for you. I¡¯m not good with my hands. The maids in charge of sewing are already busy with the madam¡¯s orders. I¡¯m sorry, but if you want to wear this dress, you will have to do the mending yourself.¡± It seems like the maid was aiming for this. ¡®To be disrespectful to a child.¡¯ I sighed once, lifted the dress, and looked at it. The thick fabric looked very warm and seemed like it could keep me warm from the chilly winds throughout the day. It also felt light. And most importantly, it looked beautiful. I was adopted by a rich family, yet I still have to wear clothes like the ones from the orphanage. With a slightly sullen look, the maid sighed once more time and asked, ¡°I can¡¯t help you, but can you really mend it and wear it? Are sure you have nothing else to ask for or to say? Actually, this was the princess¡¯s favorite dress.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± I looked at the dress with suspicious eyes. The clothes did seem like they were meant to be thrown away. But if Isabella really liked the dress, she wouldn¡¯t have let it become so dusty. With every sway of my skirt, I made my way to the dress covered in dust and carefully held it up, and nodded in feigned reluctance. ¡°I¡¯m not confident in my skills, but I¡¯ll fix it myself.¡± As if she was satisfied with the situation, the maid gave me the sewing box and left. Her expression showed her anticipation to see me fail, and her face would definitely make me smugly laugh when she sees that I succeeded in mending the dress. ¡°Did Isabella do this, or did the maid act on her own? It¡¯s a little different from the original plot, so I don¡¯t know?? But first, let¡¯s mend this dress.¡± I went to the window and opened it, stuck my dress out, and shook it. The dust was blown away by the wind. I brushed off the remaining dust on the dress and neatly spread it out on the bed. It was a pretty dress. Delicate lace, luxurious fabric, and moderately colorful decorations that were neither childish nor modest. ¡®Okay, I¡¯m satisfied.¡¯ When I closely inspected the tear, it was torn diagonally, not horizontally, so it would look noticeable if I simply sewed it together. ¡°Hmmm??.¡± Did Isabella intentionally rip up the worn-out clothes she wanted to throw away? ¡°Wherever you go, there are bound to be territorial people. I used to be very territorial when I was working in a factory. It¡¯s because people don¡¯t mature even when they get older.¡± A sigh came out. ¡°Indeed, if everyone is an adult, why are there young adults who have no brains, and why are there old people who can¡¯t distinguish between praise and sexual harassment?¡± I clicked my tongue and covered the thread with saliva. I squinted my eyes, looking down at the eye of the needle. Then, when I could clearly see the eye of the needle, I corrected my slouching posture, which looked like an old grandmother¡¯s back. ¡°My eyesight has gotten better.¡± Oh my god, this posture makes me mumble like an old man with bad eyesight. Freddia has good eyesight, probably because she never looked at her smartphone in bed at night with the lights turned off. This was the first change I noticed as soon as I possessed Freddia¡¯s body. Oh, all this time, I was seeing the world so blindly. How can she see the world so well without lenses or glasses? At first, I felt like I had done LASIK. The more I think about it, the luckier I feel to have possessed a character in a book. ¡°Live well~ Live well~ Live life well ~.¡± I inserted a thread into the eye of the needle while humming. At that moment, the concentration of the whole universe was gathered in my eyes and hands. Dajie needling method. The first step, tacking. ¡°Ura-cha-cha!¡± With a loud shout, the needle was inserted into the hem. Wriggle. Tacking, also known as basting. ?? Sewing was a fixed activity, and I was bored, so I tried to excite myself. ¡°Now, let¡¯s blind stitch! New stitch! On with the stitching! Now backstitching!¡± Actually, I¡¯m a sewing master. With this talent, I had a side job of making clothes for dolls, which I did at home. I was good with my hands, so I made quite a bit of pocket money. There is nothing I can¡¯t do with sewing, embroidery, and needles. ¡°Lululala.¡± The maid must have been trying to make me wear funny-looking clothes by sloppily sewing the hem. But unfortunately for her, two hours later, I wore a beautiful dress that was torn, fixed, sewn together, and given a completely new look. ¡°There¡¯s no difference between making dresses for dolls and dresses for humans. Haha.¡±