CH 03
Count Clasta was quite spirited.
As soon as he received the adoption certificate with my name on it.
“Well, now that you’re my daughter, you deserve a congratulatory gift for the adoption.” (Count said)
Saying that, he promptly sent the orphanage director to jail that very day.
Seeing the director being led away in handcuffs, I turned to Count Clasta in disbelief.
In response to my gaze, Count Clasta, with his hand on my head, said,
“Since someone dared to lay a hand on the child who’s becoming Countess Clasta, they must be punished. What they did to you was just assault, but let’s entangle embezzlement and misappropriation, and I’ll make sure they spend at least 50 years in prison.” (Count said)
As I continued to stare at the count, he, realizing my intentions, spoke with a thoughtful expression,
“Oh, by the way, the guy Brown, who was planning to adopt you, is scheduled for execution the day after tomorrow. If you want, we can go watch together.” (Count said)
That wasn’t what I meant.
After a moment of contemplation, the count said,
“Would you prefer a gallows or an execution by beheading?” (Count said)
It seemed that Count Clasta wasn’t particularly good at reading the atmosphere.
With the orphanage director sent to jail, someone from Count Clasta’s side took charge of the orphanage.
Thanks to the count’s sponsorship, the children could now eat soft, white bread instead of bread with insects.
I moved to Count Clasta’s residence that day.
Count Clasta’s castle was surrounded by a massive cliff, and one had to descend from the castle to enter.
Moreover, the cliff was so high that even tilting my head back, I couldn’t see its end.
As soon as we arrived at the castle, Count Clasta handed me over to a neatly dressed maid and disappeared.
“He said he wouldn’t bother, and he really meant it.” (Alteira said)
I had no expectations that the count would take care of me, so there was no disappointment.
“Hello, miss. I’m Mary, who will be taking care of you from today.”
“Hello.”
I bowed my head politely in greeting.
There was nothing wrong with making a good impression on someone I would be spending time with.
Mary kindly said, “You don’t need to bow to me. Now you are my mistress.”
“Yes.”
“Did you have a tiring journey? You must be tired, so it’s better to wash up and rest.”
“Okay.”
I followed Mary into the bathroom.
After taking off my clothes and entering the bathtub, Mary poured warm water for me.
Surprisingly, when Mary put a round ball into the water, the ball dissolved instantly, and pink bubbles bubbled up from the water.
“Wow.”
I had never seen anything so fascinating and beautiful.
When I lived with the evil dragon, bathing itself was a luxury, and under Regan’s rule, even having warm water was heaven.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s so beautiful.”
As Mary stirred the water, a sweet fragrance filled the air.
“Dear, you’re so cute. Would you like to see something else?”
Looking at Mary’s expression, she didn’t seem bothered while smiling.
As I nodded, Mary took out a basket from the bathroom cabinet.
The basket was filled with colorful balls of various shapes, including stars, hearts, and flowers.
“These are bath bombs. They not only make the water smell nice when you wash but also have various effects. What I’ve given you has a healing effect.” (Mary said)
I had heard about it but seeing it for the first time.
Thanks to the bath bombs, bathing became an enjoyable experience.
After washing up, Mary dressed me in a soft, yellow pajama.
It was the first time I wore such comfortable clothes.
Moreover, Mary applied lotion all over my body, and the pleasant scent made me sniff my arms continuously.
Indeed, becoming Countess Clasta was a good decision.
Experiencing such luxury for the first time in my life, my eyes were wide open with astonishment.
Next, Mary brought a medicine kit.
It was to treat the wounds left on my arms and legs.
There were still bruises, and some areas had scabs from where the skin was scraped.
“It might sting a bit. Please bear with it for a moment.” (Mary said)
“Yes.”
“Why are you so polite? But you can feel free to speak up if it hurts.”
Mary delicately applied ointment to my wounds as if I were a newborn baby.
Feeling a bit itchy, I hunched my body, and Mary hurriedly asked, “Does it hurt?“
“No.”
Having faced the brink of death, even dealing with wounds like this was bearable.
Once the treatment was finished, Mary handed me a candy wrapped in a round piece of paper.
“It’s a little gift for enduring the treatment.”
I carefully stashed the candy in my pocket.
I wanted to save it for a time when I couldn’t resist the temptation, as I didn’t know when I’d receive another one.
After expressing my gratitude with a bow, I thanked Mary.
“Thank you.”
“Why are you so polite? But you can speak casually to me. I am your servant, after all.”
Although I was aware of it, it wasn’t easy.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t used casual language much in my life.
There hadn’t been many occasions to speak casually with someone.
As I hesitated, Mary’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Call me Mary, miss.”
“Um.”
“Mary.”
It’s Mary, not Mary.
I couldn’t say it easily and glanced at Mary.
But now that I’ve become a noble lady, it would be strange to continue using formal language with a servant.
“Me-Mary….”
At my call, Mary smiled brightly.
“You did well. How come your voice is so soft? Please continue to call me Mary from now on?”
“Yes, no, um…”
Already amazed by the bath bombs and pajamas alone, this wasn’t the end.
“Okay, say ‘Ah.'”
I could have eaten it alone, but I decided to listen to Mary, who treated me kindly.
As I obediently opened my mouth, Mary scooped up some lukewarm porridge and fed it to me.
“…It’s delicious!”
The porridge didn’t smell foul, nor did it have any grittiness.
“Porridge doesn’t have much flavor, but today is your first day, and you’re not fully recovered yet. Once you’re better, I’ll prepare delicious dishes for you. Do you like steak?”
If the porridge tasted this good, how much better would meat dishes be?
Indeed, it was a good choice to become the daughter of Count Clastra.
“I could die, but it’s not so bad here, after all.”
I wanted to live like this for the rest of my life.
But how long I could stay in this castle depended entirely on Count Clastra.
“I need to become stronger quickly.”
Count Clastra may be showing me kindness now, but I didn’t know when his feelings might change and he would chase me away.
Even Reagan, who treated me so well, betrayed me in the end.
I needed to grow stronger to protect myself, and even to kill Reagan if necessary.
—
The next day, I woke up as soon as it turned 4 a.m.
Despite feeling groggy from yesterday’s long carriage ride and still not fully healed from my injuries…
“No, I can’t. If I sleep longer here, I’ll be treated like a parasite.”
I shook my head and rubbed my sleepy eyes with both fists.
It was really hard to get out of the warm, cozy blanket that had been heated all night.
It felt like someone was pulling me back into the blanket, but I stood up from the bed with determination.
“Stop being lazy. Everyone is suffering because of the evil dragon, so I need to work harder and defeat it quickly.”
I remembered Reagan’s words as I tidied up the blanket.
“But what should I do now?”
I woke up at my usual time, but no one gave me any tasks.
When I was growing up under Reagan’s care, I used to wake up at 4 a.m. every day to clean the training grounds, followed by swordsmanship training, monster hunting, and other tasks until midnight.
“Should I go to the training grounds?”
I opened the door and stepped outside the room.
The castle at 4 a.m. was still dark as the sun hadn’t risen yet.
I walked for a while, but the castle was so vast that I couldn’t find the training grounds.
“I should have asked Mary yesterday if I knew it would be like this. Maybe they’ll kick me out for not doing anything?”
I quickened my pace, but a man with hair as blue as the early morning sky was walking towards me from the opposite direction.
It was Count Clastra.
Whether he had just woken up or not, Count Clastra’s shirt was looser than usual, and his hair hung down.
“Good morning, Your Excellency.” (Altiera said)
I stepped aside to not obstruct the Count’s path and bowed my head.
“Isn’t the title of ‘Your Excellency’ a bit too formal for a lady?” (Count said)
Count Clastra playfully asked. Confused by his words, I blinked and looked at him, and he gestured with his hand.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. So why are you out at this hour?”
“I’m going to clean the training grounds.”
“Cleaning? Ah, is it a habit from the orphanage days? Forget it. The servants can handle that, and you don’t have to do it with a body that hasn’t fully recovered.”
“But I can move now. If there’s nothing to clean, can I do something else?”
As I clenched my small fist and spoke, the Count lowered my shoulder with his index finger.
He didn’t press too hard, but I collapsed on the spot.
“Seeing you suddenly collapse, you need more rest.“
I glared at the Count, full of injustice.
‘You infused magic and pressed me down!’
Even a sturdy adult man wouldn’t be able to resist the Count’s gesture.
“Well, then, the kid should go back and get more sleep.”
Count Clastra waved his hand as if it was a bother and passed by me.
Initially, I intended to return to my room since it seemed like the Count didn’t like me wandering around. However, my knees buckled.
It seemed like I had hit the floor wrong when the Count made me collapse earlier.
Limping and inspecting, I found that both of my knees were torn, and blood was flowing out.
Walking like this would undoubtedly make me limp.
‘He might find it distasteful to see me like this, so I should move when he leaves.’
However, suddenly, a long shadow was cast in front of me.
When I raised my head, Count Clastra, who I thought had left, was stooped down to my waist, looking down at me.
“Why are you not leaving and sitting down…”
With an unsatisfied expression, the Count glanced at my knees.
Hastily, I pulled down my skirt to conceal the wounds on my knees and cautiously observed the Count’s reaction.
In situations like this, the evil dragon would test how much it could endure, and Reagan would scold me, calling me a fool who couldn’t properly protect myself.
‘What about Count Clastra? It might hurt to get hit by someone as skilled as a count, but maybe he’ll just end it by scolding me.’
I gently gauged the Count’s reaction, and he raised both hands.
‘He’s going to hit me!’
I closed both eyes tightly and crouched down.
