Chapter 2
“In the original story, it is briefly mentioned that Rachel spent several years in a rural village during her childhood.’’
‘That village is our village.’
Even though the two lived in the same village, it was natural that they had no contact.
Vivian was a commoner, while Rachel was the only daughter of the Earl of Edelbain.
Anyway, the fact that the two lived in the same village during their childhood was fortunate for me.
‘The problem is that I have to get close to Rachel…’
Rachel had the opposite constitution from mine, suffering from mana overdose.
‘Exactly, a constitution that absorbs mana from the surroundings.’
Every human generates a certain amount of mana in their body, and the heart serves as a vessel for that mana.
Rachel inherited the power of the great sorcerer ancestor, so her vessel’s containment ability was tremendous compared to others.
Furthermore, she had the ability to absorb mana from the surroundings and make it her own.
‘By utilizing Rachel’s constitution, I can alleviate my incurable disease.’
To do that, I need to approach Rachel, so first, I have to create as many opportunities as possible to make contact.
”Then I’ll be chosen as a companion and have frequent contact with Rachel.”
However, Rachel is a precious noblewoman, and she won’t leave her mansion unless necessary.
And I’m a commoner, so I can’t enter the Earl’s mansion without permission.
‘So the first step of the plan is…’
Arriving in front of the mansion, I first observed the inside of the mansion.
It hadn’t been long since I arrived, and the servants were busy carrying luggage.
It seemed that Rachel had already entered the mansion, but it didn’t matter.
‘Today, my target is those people.’
The first step of the plan, known as ‘Twist the Sad Ending and Survive!’
‘I’ll get close to the servants and gather information about Rachel and the Earl.’
The servants are like the ears and mouths of that house.
I could hear most of the stories about the Earl and Rachel from them.
‘As I gather information about Rachel, I’ll have the opportunity to make contact with her.’
And then, using that information, I’ll naturally encounter Rachel.
‘Alright, let’s go!’
As I surveyed today’s targets, I quietly entered the mansion.
The people busy carrying luggage began to notice my presence and turned around one by one.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and greeted them cheerfully.
“Hello!”
However, most people ignored or wary of me.
But I didn’t back down.
“Well, it’s a natural reaction.”
Even a child would be seen as suspicious when approached by a stranger out of the blue. Especially with so many thieves around.
Seeing through that, I revealed my identity first.
“I’m Vivian, the daughter of Dias Hessen who runs the Vivid Bakery in town. I’m nine years old.”
“……”
“I came to visit because it seemed like you moved in today. I’ve always seen this huge mansion passing by, so I was curious!”
Most of them ignored me, but some glanced my way.
Just not being chased out was already a success.
“Then maybe I should bring up something actually helpful this time.”
I smiled with conviction as I pulled out my secret weapon.
That was none other than…
“If you’re curious about our village, feel free to ask me. I’ve lived here for half my life.”
Information about the village.
As a young child, I couldn’t offer much physical help, but information was different.
“I know more about this village than they do. I’ve lived here longer than they have, and I know things they don’t.”
But just claiming to know everything wouldn’t be convincing, so maybe I should give them a taste of it?
My first target was the female servants.
“If you go to the general store in the village square, they sell a really effective face lotion. The neighbor next door uses it all the time, and her hands are incredibly soft.”
“How much does it cost?”
As expected, some of the female servants showed interest and asked.
I didn’t miss that opportunity and quickly went into sales mode.
“It’s one silver per piece, but they’re currently running a promotion where you get two for the price of one. It should last about three days.”
Then the female servants murmured that they should go check it out tonight.
With a positive response, I flashed a smile of acknowledgment and moved on to the next target.
The male servants, that is.
“And Mr. Pierre’s inn, the liquor there is amazing.”
“How do you know it’s good? Have you tried it?”
This time, one of the knights asked in a playful tone.
“No, I haven’t. But there’s this man who always drinks, and he always says he won’t drink anymore starting tomorrow, but then the next day he’s back there drinking again.”
My words elicited laughter from the servants.
‘Good, the atmosphere is nice.’
Just as the servants who were starting to take an interest in me were about to strike up a conversation with me, a clattering voice of a girl interrupted the atmosphere.
“Who’s that? Who’s here?”
Turning to where the voice came from, I saw a girl of about the same age, wearing a rather luxurious dress.
She narrowed her light green eyes into a triangle shape and looked me up and down.
Feeling uncomfortable with her gaze, I shot one back without flinching.
‘Who is she? Rachel’s only family in this mansion is her grandfather, Duke Edelvine.’
While trying to figure out who the girl was, one of the male servants stepped forward.
“She’s a local girl. She came to visit. Since you’re around the same age, how about getting along, Sally?”
Sally, as she was called, looked me up and down before disdainfully replying.
“Huh! Are you suggesting that I play with that country bumpkin? I’d rather play alone.”
With that, she swiftly went inside the mansion.
I unexpectedly received insults and glared at Sally’s retreating figure.
‘What’s she saying? She’s uglier than me!’
Perhaps worried about me, one of the servant ladies patted my shoulder.
“She’s the daughter of the governess, but even though she’s common, she acts like a noble lady. Seems like she thinks she’s become a noble just because she’s treated well by the governess. Tsk tsk…”
“I’m fine! Thank you for your concern.”
It seemed like Sally didn’t have a good reputation even within the duke’s household.
I smiled inwardly with a sense of satisfaction.
“They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
As Sally, with her bad reputation, criticized me, the other servants who witnessed the situation grew closer to me.
“Sally helped with my plan.”
Today seemed like enough.
I decided to withdraw at this point.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. If you have any questions about the village, feel free to come find me anytime!”
I exchanged farewells with the servants and left the mansion.
“It’s a bit regrettable that I couldn’t even greet Rachel.”
As I tried to console myself, my gaze absentmindedly drifted up to the mansion, and at that moment, our eyes met through the balcony window.
“Who’s that…?”
With her stark white skin contrasting with her black hair, and her winter-lake blue eyes set in a petite face, I recognized her at a glance.
She was none other than Rachel, the one I had been so eager to meet.
“Wow, unbelievable! How can someone look like that?”
While her otherworldly appearance played a role, her unreadable, cold expression also contributed to making her seem less human.
Yet, that aloofness only added to her mysterious aura.
Enthralled, I raised my hand slightly in greeting.
But…
“Huh?”
Rachel turned abruptly and disappeared into the room without acknowledging my greeting.
“Did I come on too strong for a first encounter?”
I lowered my hand with a sense of disappointment.
“Well, I’ll just have to get to know her better in the future!”
I had greeted her safely and even gotten my face recognized!
With the achievement of today’s goal, I looked forward to tomorrow with light steps.
It was a smooth start.
The next day, having finished preparing to go to the Edelvein Villa, I descended to the first floor and surveyed the surroundings.
As expected, I saw my dad’s back in the bakery kitchen.
Our house consisted of the first floor, where my dad ran the bakery, and the second floor, where my dad and I lived.
The reason I was checking on my dad’s mood right now was because…
You must never go near that villa. Do you understand?
Since I heard the news that the Edelvein aristocrat was coming to this villa a few days ago, my dad had been nagging me incessantly.
He was unusually serious and stern, even wearing a stern expression.
“He’ll definitely ask where you’ve been and who you’ve been with.”
Then inevitably, I’d have to lie.
“Ugh, I hate lying after all.”
Honest nine-year-old Vivian chose evasion over lies.
But as she quietly approached the door, trying to muffle her footsteps…
“Where are you going, Viv?”
I heard a familiar voice from behind.
