Rodi was very excited because it was the first day of her vacation and she was going home.
She missed her father, mother, and older brother so much after not seeing them for so long.
Her heart was as light as a cloud as she got into the carriage after buying gifts for her family.
Well, until she arrived home.
“Goodbye.”
“Thank you!”
Rodi got out of the carriage, holding her bag, and headed to the front door. She knocked softly.
“Who is it?”
“Dad! It’s me, Rodi!”
At her words, the door swung open. Rodi greeted her father with a bright smile. But then—
“What’s with that smile? Why are you coming in like that?”
“Uh, Dad?”
“Get inside right now!”
His rough hand grabbed Rodi’s arm and pulled her into the house.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Rodi was seated in the middle of the house, completely confused. There sat her father, drunk, her mother sewing, and her brother lying on the side, eating beans.
Her father spoke first.
“Did your salary get cut?”
“Uh, yes? No?”
At that, her brother’s eyes widened as he sat up. He slammed his hands on the floor.
“Then why is the money coming in so little?!”
Rodi felt scared every time her brother raised his voice. So she spoke in a tiny voice.
“I-I need money for myself…”
Then her brother glared at her.
“You work at the duke’s residence! They provide you with meals, clothes, and a place to stay, so where do you need money for?!”
“Well, I have things I want to buy…”
At that, their father shouted.
“Look at how the household is right now! Is this the time for you to be buying what you want?!”
“I, I didn’t mean it like that…”
Rodi’s face contorted as if she were about to cry, and she bowed her head deeply. Her father sighed and said.
“We’re not a family that lives comfortably, so we need to give up on some things. We can’t live like everyone else and enjoy everything.”
“Yes…”
Rodi sniffled and made a small noise, and her brother sneered at her.
“What are you crying about? Is it nice to buy what you want with money meant for the family’s survival?”
Hearing that, Rodi suddenly thought of something: Ariadeline’s voice.
‘You should try everything you want at your age.’
For the first time, Rodi felt a surge of rebellion against her brother. Ariadeline had said that, at her age, she should do what she wanted.
Holding back her tears, Rodi muttered softly to her brother.
“…It was nice.”
“What did you say?”
“I said it was really nice!”
Rodi shouted at her brother, tears streaming down her face.
“Everyone else gets to buy pretty shoes and nice clothes, but all I have is a maid’s uniform!”
“Is that even appropriate given our family’s situation?!”
Her brother shouted back, but Rodi was angry too. So she yelled,
“But you don’t even work!”
At those words, her brother’s eyes widened. A grotesque vein bulged at the side of his head. His hand shot up. A large hand. And then—
SLAP!
Rodi’s cheek stung painfully. Ah, ah… Rodi fell to the floor, and her cheek throbbed as if it were on fire.
“Have you said everything you wanted to say?”
Rodi’s tears fell onto the wooden floor. Then she began to cry out loud.
Her father just clicked his tongue, and her brother, unable to contain his anger, kicked the door open and stormed outside.
After a while, Rodi’s mother spoke in a dull tone, still sewing.
“When your brother comes back, apologize.”
“…Why? He was in the wrong.”
“Still, just give in this time.”
Rodi realized that no one in this house was on her side. Yeah, she realized it again.
“How long do I have to keep putting up with this? Until what age? For the rest of my life?”
“Sigh…”
Rodi’s mother sighed wearily, looking tired as she gazed at Rodi.
“What have you heard so far?”
She spoke cruelly.
“We have no choice but to live like this for the rest of our lives.”
Hearing those words, Rodi burst into tears and packed her things before running out of the house again.
Everyone glanced at the sobbing young maid, but she had no time to care about that.
She wanted to escape somewhere far away. But she had nowhere to go and no money to go with. She got on a carriage without thinking.
Once she got in, the only place she could go was the Denaves mansion. Thus, the girl left home without even taking a day off.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Hearing those words, I was at a loss. No, I was angry. The treatment was over, and the child’s cheek was clean, but the scars on her heart probably remained.
“What kind of household are you from?”
When I furrowed my brows and asked, no one could answer—not even Rodi herself.
“Rodi, you might not like what I’m about to say.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Let’s cut ties with your family.”
“W-with my family?”
I nodded.
“Of course, you’re still very young. It’s too early for you to leave the safety of your family. But Rodi, that family will only harm you further instead of helping you.”
The child sniffled.
“Do you remember what I said last time?”
“W-what was it?”
“I said I would help you if someone bullies you.”
At that, Rodi’s eyes widened with tears.
“W-will you really help me?”
“Yes.”
“M-my dad is really strong…”
“I see.”
“And my brother, it hurts a lot when he hits me.”
“…I understand.”
I bitterly smiled as I listened to her. Then I had one of the maids run an errand to my room for a moment.
“Rodi.”
“Yes?”
“If you ask for help, I’ll always be here for you. But if you want to stay with your family… well, there’s not much I can do.”
I said softly as I looked at the child.
“If you want to get out of there, I’ll help you as much as you need.”
Just then, the maid returned from my room, handing me a small box. It was unfortunate that I had to give Rodi her gift this way.
I had wanted to give it to her when she could smile brightly.
“Here. Open it.”
“I-it’s mine?”
“Of course.”
Rodi carefully untied the ribbon on the box. As soon as she saw what was inside, her eyes widened.
“I was thinking about what to buy, and I thought a bracelet might get in the way while working.”
What I had given her was a simple necklace adorned with tiny pearls, forming a star. Well, it wasn’t exactly inexpensive.
“This, this….”
The child spoke in a trembling voice.
“Can… I really keep this?”
Her voice quivered, and tears began to fall again. I was startled and gently stroked her cheeks. Then I quickly embraced her.
“Well, I bought it thinking of you.”
“N-no one….”
Rodi began to sob in my arms.
“No one has ever bought me something like this….”
She eventually cried out loud. The maids knelt down to match her height, gently stroking her head and rubbing her small hands.
“Now that you have it, you should try on the necklace.”
“Yes….”
The child nodded with her eyes all red. I took the necklace and placed it around her neck. The pearls fit perfectly with her youthful face.
“It’s pretty.”
“Yes….”
After sniffing for a moment, the child seemed to have made a decision and said to me, “I don’t want to go back home.”
“Okay.”
I smiled brightly.
“I’ll help you.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Bang!
“Now you don’t even knock.”
Carlothian said flatly, looking at his papers.
Not caring about that, I confidently stepped into the office and extended my hand.
“Can you lend me some servants?”
Only then did his head, which had been buried in paperwork, lift up.
“What trouble are you planning this time?”
“I’m going to do something good this time.”
“Something good?”
“Oh, there is something like that!”
I thumped my chest and smiled confidently.
“Can you send me some strong kids?”
“I can’t even begin to guess where you’re planning to cause a commotion.”
“When have you ever seen me do something bad?”
“I’ve seen it many times before.”
Well, that leaves me with nothing to say. But it doesn’t affect me since it’s not about me!
“Anyway, will you lend them to me?”
“I’ll let the butler know, so take them with you.”
“Thank you!”
With that, I left the office like the wind and decided to change into a dress first.
The maids’ eyes were shining with excitement after hearing the news.
Rodi was the youngest in our mansion, so she received a lot of affection everywhere.
“The most extravagant dress!”
“Yes!”
“The most expensive one!”
“Of course!”
“The sparkliest one!”
To complete my refund look, I rummaged through the dress room with the maids. I probably wouldn’t get anything refunded there, but establishing dominance was important.
(TL/N: Refund Look – It refers to an outfit someone might wear to appear bold, confident, or even intimidating when they go to request a refund—essentially dressing to make a strong impression.)
“Rings!”
“I’ve prepared rings for all ten fingers!”
“Earrings!”
“I brought the biggest ones!”
“What about shoes?”
“The highest heels!”
“Great!”
Rodi watched in awe as I transformed into a radiant being.
Just then, Dolly returned from her errand, presenting a large paper bag with a serious expression.
When will it be free 🥺