Episode 13: A Twisted Constitution (4)
Gratitude is gratitude, no matter how small. I nodded lightly and carefully wrapped the shawl around myself before standing up. It was when I was about to follow Percy.
“Wait.”
He grabbed my arm but then quickly let go, looking somewhat surprised. I tilted my head.
‘Why is he doing this?’
But what surprised me more was what happened next. He suddenly knelt down in front of me.
“Huh?”
I was so surprised that I almost made an odd sound but quickly suppressed it with my hand. I remembered that making noise would result in penalties.
‘Why is he kneeling like this?’
When a handsome man kneels in front of you, it feels like the breath is being squeezed out of you. I bit my lip and looked down at him.
His large hand gently swept over my ankle. A tingling sensation seemed to spread throughout my body from that touch.
“Your ankle seems to hurt a lot.”
▶ Looks like there’s time to spare, don’t waste it on trivial matters.
▶ Why? Do you want to break it completely?
What am I even saying to a man who is kneeling in front of me?
‘Ugh, I’m hopeless.’
This incredibly handsome man was carefully caressing me as if he were touching fragile glass while kneeling down. I shouldn’t be uttering nonsense like this.
I sighed deeply and spoke reluctantly. I frowned as I said words I didn’t want to say.
“Why, do you want to break it completely?”
At my words, Percy looked up. His pure ruby-red eyes met mine without any hint of emotion. Did he want to scold me? Would he be disappointed by my turning his favor into criticism? I didn’t intend to say that. I shrank back and nervously met his gaze.
His long fingers pressed firmly on my lips.
“You don’t need to try so hard to amuse me.”
“…?”
This guy seems to enjoy it when I scold him. Why does he like it every time I say something harsh?
‘I feel like I’ve become a foul-mouthed grandma.’
I furrowed my brows, feeling bewildered. Percy removed his hand and began to touch my ankle again.
“So, you’re barefoot. Considering your current condition, it would be unreasonable to wear any other shoes. Slippers are not visible.”
Honestly, in South Korea, it’s common for everyone to be barefoot at home, so I hadn’t paid much attention to it. But when this man suddenly mentioned it, I felt embarrassed about my bare feet.
My cheeks turned slightly red, and he whispered in a low voice.
“I apologize.”
Without giving me a chance to nod or say anything else, he suddenly hugged me.
“…!!”
I instinctively blocked my mouth with both hands to prevent a scream from escaping. He held me tightly as if my weight didn’t matter, and we walked out. A maid, who had rushed out belatedly to accompany me, stared wide-eyed at Percy when she saw us.
Percy spoke emotionlessly.
“Guide us.”
The maid obediently nodded as if the emperor himself were before her.
❀❀❀❀
After taking over the body of the Villain sister, the thing that shocked me the most was the open disregard and mockery I received from the maids who were supposed to serve me.
Even though my mother, who would have supported me, had passed away, and even though I was a legitimate princess, the nobles openly ignored and ridiculed me.
‘Maybe it was like this all the time.’
The main tasks of the maids were to help me dress and undress, serve meals, and accompany me when I went out. But when I went to visit the Cont Bohan or even when I went to the Imperial Palace upon the Emperor’s summons, not a single one of them accompanied me.
‘Are these people properly informed about my status? Maybe they didn’t believe Percy’s arrival.’
I was hesitant, but I shook my head. The maids would have been told that Percy Stewart, the Duke of Stewart, was here. They wouldn’t behave like this even if they didn’t believe it.
But when Percy and I entered the restaurant attached to my palace, I realized something.
‘They must have ignored the maid’s words. Or maybe they didn’t believe her.’
The food on the table was extremely lacking. It seemed like they had just made a half-hearted effort to prepare something. There was no steam rising from any of the dishes, and even the vegetables didn’t look fresh.
Percy’s eyebrows twitched unpleasantly.
He said sternly, “The meal is inadequate.”
When I was in the room, the maids who hadn’t even glanced at me were now standing there, shoulders trembling. Percy stared at them with a cold gaze and reprimanded them.
“How dare you serve such a meal to the first princess of this country? Your duty is to serve the princess, how could you have been so careless?”
“Duke St-Stewart, this is what happened…”
The maids exchanged glances and silently shifted blame onto each other. Finally, the weakest among them spoke with a tearful expression.
“The princess usually doesn’t eat much. Even when she does eat, she only takes a bite or two and leaves it. Besides, it hasn’t been that long since the last meal.”
Ah, my Villain sister must have caused trouble during meal times as well.
‘Even so, she barely eats one meal a day and still has the energy to wield a whip. Is she naturally robust?’
While I was absentmindedly touching my slender wrist, Percy, who had briefly glanced at me, scolded the maids again.
“Do you think the culinary staff and palace servants who work in this palace are so incompetent that they would serve such an inadequate meal after the mealtime has passed? Do you realize that the more you speak, the more you hinder yourselves?”
“…We apologize. It’s all our fault.”
Watching Percy patiently scolding them, I couldn’t help but feel touched. Since my reincarnation, no one had taken my side.
‘I guess this guy is much better than Daniel Bohan’s empty sweet words.’
As my emotions flowed towards Percy so easily, something he said snapped me back to my senses.
Percy got up from his seat and said, “The crime of insulting the nobility is punishable by death.”
“Y-Your Grace!”
“Please spare us!”
Death penalty? I was so startled that I tried to get up from my seat, but my ankle hurt, so I held onto it and sat back down.
Percy’s words were no joke or bluff. You could tell from the terrified expressions of the maids. I blinked in confusion.
‘I don’t particularly like those maids, but to jump straight to the death penalty?’
The eyes of the maids turned towards me. Their eyes were filled with resentment and fear, and it felt like they were accusing me. I bit my lip.
‘I must be dreaming. I must be dreaming.’
If I just left them to their fate like this, I would feel guilty as if I had killed them. Percy, unaware of my inner turmoil, continued to look at the maids with icy eyes and began to speak.
“Summon the guards…”
‘No!’
In a hurry, I dropped the fork that was in front of me. Percy turned to look at me at the clinking sound.
I wanted to say, ‘It’s not too late to observe a bit more before handing out punishments.’ But my words got stuck, and two options came to mind.
▶ It’s an incident that occurred in my palace. Duke, don’t worry about it.
▶ Just cutting the throat seems too boring. I want to keep hitting until they die.
Ugh, why are they blocking my words even at a time like this? What am I supposed to choose between these two? Either way, it’s a dead end.
“At this point, maybe I should grab the system administrator by the collar, slam them into the ground, and give them a beating.”
If I chose the first option, Percy, who tried to help me, might be hurt. But if I chose the second option, I might actually end up beating someone to death and I was scared.
‘It’s a deepening of the trauma, seriously.’
However, even in this moment of hesitation, time was passing. It felt like thorns were growing in my throat, but still, I had to make a choice.
I chose the first option, which I thought was the lesser evil.
“It’s an incident that occurred in my palace…”
“As expected.”
“Don’t w-worry?”
My line was cut off halfway. I blinked.
‘As expected? What’s ‘as expected’?’
I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I stared blankly. Percy walked slowly towards me and pressed my cheek firmly with his finger.
“It seems you can’t speak of your own will, is that correct?”
“…!”
What did I do wrong again? What’s the reason this man has come to this conclusion?
I looked at Percy with trembling eyes.
“Th-that is…”
But in my messed-up mind, there was no plausible explanation.
As I stumbled, a message appeared:
※ The villainess does not stumble in her speech.
※Despite giving warnings several times, you continued to respond in a way that contradicts your character.
※A penalty will be imposed.
‘A penalty, you say?’
I was about to retort,’What nonsense,” when suddenly the world went dark. Then, as if a bee were buzzing loudly, the noise filled the world.
– Look at this lowly creature.
Those were voices I had heard a very long time ago, voices that were not clear.
– She was happy when I called her ‘sister’ and followed her. Her intelligence is undoubtedly lacking.
– Do you really think we consider someone like you as a real sister?
– You fit in there, Fake Princess Sienna.
Mocking laughter poured into my head.
※One trauma memory has been unlocked as a penalty.
Looking at my status window, I slowly blinked my eyes.
Then, I fell backward. It was a blackout.
