The trembling girl looked up and down at me with a still shaky voice.
Her gaze was so obvious that when I turned my head, the girl was staring at me fiercely.
Despite being a child, her eyes were so poisonous that I stiffened, and Diana blocked my path in front of me.
“Why are you bothering my sister, you ugly thing!”
“Oh, Miss! I…!”
The girl couldn’t continue her words due to her flustered expression.
Since the girl did not threaten me, I desperately held onto Diana and said, “Miss, I’m okay! Nothing happened.”
“But!”
“It’s true. Let’s go and play over there.”
“Huh!”
Diana reluctantly looked at the girl I pointed to with a pleading expression, and tossed the ball towards her.
Then she turned her head and took my hand.
As we walked, I glanced back and saw the girl looking at me with a suspicious expression.
‘It feels ominous.’
I was uncomfortable because I had no intention of causing a disturbance.
In addition, I was concerned that Diana, who was holding my hand and walking quietly, was too quiet.
“Miss, are you angry?”
When I asked the sullen-looking Diana, she looked up at me with a small mouth.
“I wanted to protect you, sister.”
“…”
“I don’t like people who ask sister to do bad things. That’s why I tried to scold them.”
However, Diana’s eyes drooped down as if she was disappointed that she couldn’t do it because I stopped her.
Trying to suppress my heavy heart, I raised my voice.
“What are you talking about? Dana has already protected me?”
“Dana did?”
“Yes, you blocked the person in front of me earlier. I don’t know how brave and cool you were.”
“Really?”
As I assured Diana, who cautiously asked with sparkling eyes and suspicion, her small shoulders that were once hunched in disappointment, trembled with joy.
As I looked at the small and lovely Diana, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Will there be another cool hero who will protect me in such a small and lovely way?
Feeling proud for no reason, I straightened my shoulders and headed towards the garden where the children gathered.
I was worried that it would be cold since it was outdoors, but thanks to the magic that controlled the temperature, the air was quite warm.
It felt like the gaze that was pouring towards me was even colder.
“Did she bring the lady with her?”
“What, she’s not even pretty.”
“Look at that. She’s wearing the same clothes as the lady.”
It was a very small sound, but as someone who was always on guard for unexpected situations, I heard it very clearly.
I was a little taken aback. I expected everyone to only pay attention to Diana.
‘Of course, it’s probably because I’ve monopolized Diana’s affection.’
The children all had similar eyes.
Some curiosity and mostly contempt.
As if I were manipulating young Diana and indulging her with favors.
‘It’s like Sid Valerii’s expression.’
It was uncomfortable, but I wasn’t hurt. It was not incomprehensible.
In fact, I thought that way a little bit myself.
If Diana’s affection were to cool, I would become a mediocre figure in the aristocracy.
So when I go to the capital, even if I have to be stubborn, I thought I should wear a maid’s outfit and do my share firmly.
‘To truly become independent after leaving the dukedom, I needed to gather funds’
In that sense, although it was a small amount of money, it was fortunate that I could save some pocket money by receiving a maid’s salary every month.
In reality, although I had decided to confidently live a new life, there were also times when vague fears arose.
Sometimes I wondered if it would be better to simply utilize my skills and experience and return to the Information Guild comfortably.
However, when I thought a little more deeply, the conclusion was that it was not the best choice.
There were various reasons for this, but the most decisive one was the possibility of encountering my former colleagues in Tarenchium’s industry again.
If I met my former master or superiors again, I didn’t know how I would react, especially if I met Jade, I might want revenge.
I didn’t want that.
‘Even though we can no longer call ourselves colleagues…’
Furthermore, if I turned Tarenchium into an enemy, my life would be even more difficult than before.
“Sure. Just living my life without caring is the best.”
I reaffirmed my resolution to make a lot of money and live my life comfortably while scratching my head as I looked at the problem that needed to be solved immediately.
It was the words of a rebellious boy who was emitting an aura warning others not to approach him while he was contemplating his solitude in the distance.
Unlike usual, Allen was not sticking close to Diana but rather standing alone, kicking the ground with his foot. Even if the children wanted to approach him, they couldn’t because of the many eyes watching them.
‘I don’t think he’ll accept my apology if we go over there now.’
I was worried that we might cause a disturbance for no reason.
As I was contemplating, I whispered in Diana’s ear as I bent my knee.
After a while, Diana, with her face as determined as an experienced warrior facing a battle, walked up to Allen and extended her hand toward him.
As soon as I noticed Diana approaching my way, I froze, pretending to be indifferent, while Allen, who had been doing the same, eventually lifted the corners of his mouth and embraced Diana.
“You two are so cute together.”
The sight of the two adorable siblings made everyone feel happy.
Now that the atmosphere had warmed up a bit, I thought I should squeeze in between them and apologize.
As promised to Diana, I looked around to grab some snacks.
I spotted a table on one side of the garden with a collection of dainty tea foods.
As I approached that place, I was surprised by the sight in front of me and stopped in my tracks.
“A chocolate heaven…?”
How can I describe it?
There was a magnificent king-sized chocolate fountain cascading like a staircase waterfall, and next to it were chocolate mousse cake, chocolate macarons, chocolate cookies, chocolate cream pudding, and even raw chocolate!
Looking at the enormous pile of chocolates, I thought to myself, “No wonder chocolates are so popular among the children living in the Elad dukedom, even if they are nobles.”
But even though they were children, none of them seemed to be snacking or picking anything from the table.
‘Well, it’s good for me to enjoy it comfortably.’
Trying to calm my pounding heart, I picked up a plate.
Diana prefers chicken legs over desserts, but unfortunately, there were none, so I had to choose from the available food.
“Ha-ha. Look at you trying to steal and eat like a little rat!”
A mocking voice pierced my ears.
Since Diana wasn’t around, the children must have gained some courage and started to approach me more boldly, mumbling louder than before.
Although everyone seemed to hope that I would shed tears or get hurt by their words, I was not that weak as to be affected by them.
‘I’ve experienced much worse insults and mockery than this.’
However, being insulted regardless of the intensity or frequency still felt shameful and humiliating.
Especially since the child’s reactions were so genuine, my ears quickly turned hot.
I managed to calm myself down and pretended not to hear anything, then gathered up all the food and even grabbed the drinks tightly.
I can just go to Diana like this.
If I stay by that child’s side, I will forget all this embarrassment and bitterness.
“How shameless. As expected, commoners have no self-respect.”
“No matter how good the clothes are, you can’t hide your background.”
“….”
Just as I was about to ignore the mockery ringing in my ears and turn my body, it happened.
Thud!
My body tilted and I fell onto the table as if someone had pushed me from behind.
As a result, the food that I was enjoying spilled all over the ground, and the shattered fragments of the dish scattered in all directions.
The drink I spilled while falling dripped down from my head.
“Puhaha!”
The surroundings, which were quiet for a moment, quickly became noisy.
Some laughed, while others frowned because their clothes were ruined because of me.
Among them, I saw a girl standing far away, covering her mouth with a fan.
I sensed that she was the one who had pushed me onto the table, so I clenched my fist.
‘Thought it was okay, but it was a lie.’
How could I not have been paying attention and fallen for this child’s prank?
Many eyes were fixed on the dress and the scattered food on the floor, glass fragments, and me in between.
In an instant, I became a spectacle and stood frozen.
Among the children surrounding me, I returned to the beggar on the streets who had been helpless in the past.
Then, suddenly, my scalp tingled and my heart grew hot.
I unconsciously held the necklace in my hand and thought, ‘Would it be a big problem if I used magic here?’
‘Of course not.’
I didn’t want to cause any trouble for the Duke and wanted to let things pass without any disturbance.
But now that the table had overturned and chaos had broken out, quietly letting things pass was no longer an option.
In this situation, just as I had fought with Jade over a meal or tormented Jack, I would have to punish that girl…
It was a moment when the line between impulse and reason was stretched thin.
“Kyaaa! Sister!”
“Don’t come here, miss! The plate is broken and it’s dangerous.”
As soon as I heard Diana’s voice, I instinctively shouted.
The commotion in the garden must have been heard inside, as the adults started coming out.
I didn’t want to show myself in such a mess in front of so many people, but there was nothing I could do.
“Lia? What in the world is this?!”
The Duchess who came out looked at me in shock and urgently shouted for the maids to clean up the surroundings. While she was shouting, Diana was crying and unable to come close to me, as she was being held back by Allen.
Seeing her like that, my anger that had been raging just a moment ago subsided, and my tense body relaxed.
‘Yeah, let’s just let this pass quietly…’
“Mum! She pushed Lia!”
At that moment, I snapped my head up.
Allen was pointing to the girl holding the fan, and grumbling with a red face.
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
Next chapter will be released on June, 30. To read chapters in advance support us on Patreon!!
