Chapter 21
The Lois family was incredibly wealthy.
And Berndt Lois was the heir to this family.
Even though he had helped kick her out, he was still rich. And in any case, ever since young Anette came here, they had lived together.
She was still annoyed about him grabbing her chin and shaking her, but maybe taking some money would make her feel better.
“How much can you give me?”
It sounded like a cliché line, but she was too curious to hold back.
“As much as you want. Tomorrow, I’ll have my steward show you my entire list of assets. Take as much as you like.”
Berndt let out a deep sigh after saying that, looking frustrated as if he couldn’t understand her.
He stood up and walked over to a large cabinet in the room.
It was an ornate cabinet, decorated in gold.
Berndt opened the drawers and randomly pulled things out, bringing them to the bed.
Jewels. Huge, dazzling jewels—necklaces and earrings—poured out before her eyes.
“I don’t get it. All of these jewels are already yours. So how much money could you possibly want that you’re so obsessed with it?”
Berndt was starting to get annoyed.
Just how much money could it be?
He recalled how Anette had insisted on becoming the crown princess of a neighboring country.
It was an unpleasant memory.
Whatever amount she wanted, he had already decided to keep her here.
“Oh.”
Anette’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the luxurious jewels.
She discreetly stuffed one or two small gems into her pocket and replied,
“Still… These jewels can’t compare to my money!”
Her money was something she had worked hard for, while these were just bonuses.
She also found it suspicious that he would show her his list of assets and let her take anything.
Anette was a commoner through and through—skeptical and with small dreams.
She had a feeling that if she accepted a large sum from him, she would have to give something in return.
His gaze felt dangerous.
Still, pocketing a few small jewels made her feel a little better.
No matter how low the market price of jewels had fallen, they had to be worth more than her weekly wages.
Well, at least she hadn’t been physically harmed, right?
Weekly wages, not even monthly. Sure, it was frustrating, but at least she had rescued those kidnapped children! Like a hero!
Even though she hadn’t done it directly, sometimes things just worked out unexpectedly.
People here probably didn’t know that saying, but it still applied.
Looking on the bright side made everything seem better.
Anette wiped away her tears and checked her body.
Now that her emotional wounds were somewhat healed, she needed to see if she had any physical injuries.
“What? I’m hurt!”
She had thought she was fine, but there was a small wound on her ankle.
It wasn’t big, just a little scratch with dried blood.
Was this Edwin’s fault?
It was a reasonable suspicion.
Berndt also looked down at her ankle with concern.
“I’ve already sent for a physician. They’ll be here soon. Why don’t you lie down a little longer?”
“A doctor? No thanks. The temple has healing priests anyway. And this will heal on its own soon.”
It was small enough that she could just say she got it while cleaning.
It even made her seem hardworking.
A win-win.
Thinking positively, even this little wound seemed like a good thing.
Of course, that was only because it didn’t hurt much.
If it had been serious, she would have already made a huge fuss.
“The temple? A healing priest?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Their gazes locked in mid-air.
What’s his problem?
“Are you saying you’re going back to the temple?”
Berndt’s expression turned strange.
Like he had lost his mind.
Of course, she was going back. What kind of nonsense was he talking about?
The temple was her workplace.
What else was she supposed to do here?
She couldn’t work as a maid—she had her pride.
“Of course, I’m going back.”
“Are you completely insane, Anette?”
“…?”
What the hell? That was offensive.
His expression looked crazier than hers, yet he was calling her crazy.
Anette frowned and glared at him.
“Why would you go back to the temple? Heine is already the crown princess.
You can’t just take her place anymore! Damn it. If you’re going to protest, do it here.
Stay in this house—I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Berndt gritted his teeth as he spoke, trying hard to keep his voice down.
He didn’t want to shout at Anette again.
‘Oh, so this is about that?’
In the original novel, Anette had thrown a massive fit about going to the neighboring kingdom as the crown princess instead of Heine.
And it made sense.
The male lead of that novel was so good in bed.
It was an endless series of steamy scenes.
Yeah… No wonder she fought for that position.
But that had nothing to do with her now.
The original novel was a 19+ romance fantasy, but she was just… the villainess.
And since she had only read the beginning, she didn’t even know if Anette died or not.
‘But one thing’s for sure—I wasn’t working part-time jobs.’
Whatever. She’d just write her own story of romance—with money.
Heine had her life, and she had hers.
She needed to stay positive.
If she lost her optimism, her mental state would completely collapse.
Even if she never found love in this life, at least she could make money.
That was something she could control.
‘But yeah, love is probably out of the question.’
Unfortunately, romance seemed impossible.
All the men here were crazy.
“Answer me, Anette. What do you want? You don’t have to be a crown princess—I can treat you like a princess here.”
This guy was just as crazy as the rest.
Crown princess? No, no.
What Anette had lost wasn’t just a title.
Heine had won a very attractive, strong, 19+ rated husband.
And Berndt wasn’t offering that.
“I’m fine.”
“What?”
“I’m… fine.”
Anette held up both hands and spoke in a calm voice.
Besides, being treated like a princess sounded exhausting.
If she stayed here, she’d probably just get slapped and yelled at again.
Anette valued efficiency and safety above all else.
She couldn’t sleep peacefully in a house that drained her energy.
Ugh… Berndt’s eyes were full of intensity.
“Anette?”
“So, I’ll just… head back to the temple now.”
Anette stood up abruptly.
Berndt grabbed her shoulders.
“Ah! You scared me!”
“You’re not going anywhere, Anette.”
What the hell?
Why was he acting so scary?
Anette lowered her gaze for a moment, startled.
Then she carefully pulled his hands off her shoulders.
At least this time, he wasn’t gripping her painfully like when he had grabbed her chin.
Also… Wow. His hand veins were… impressive.
“Why are you trying so hard to go back to that damn temple?”
Anette, who had been distracted by his hand veins, quickly looked up in alarm.
“Because it’s my job…”
“Are you seriously telling me you’ve been working as a maid?”
Did he think she was just playing around?
Being a maid was no joke.
Anette was a hardworking, well-respected employee.
Berndt’s eyes darkened.
“Anette, why are you acting like a different person? What are you plotting?”
“…”
“Who are you?”
He had said it in frustration, not expecting an answer.
But Anette felt a chill run down her spine.
He had a point. She was acting differently.
Anette hesitated.
‘If I suddenly say, “Forget the old me! I’m just here to make money!” It’ll sound crazy.’
Not realizing she already sounded crazy, Anette came up with a brilliant solution.
The classic excuse.
“I lost my memory.”
Really? Out of nowhere?
“…What?”
“I don’t remember anything after being kicked out. So, I need to see a healing priest. Bye now.”
Berndt’s grip on her shoulders tightened slightly.
“You don’t remember? You don’t remember me?”
He seemed more upset about that than anything else.
“I know who you are, but… my head… hurts…”
Anette clutched her forehead dramatically, faking pain.
She felt Berndt’s grip loosen.
Then the door suddenly opened.
“Anette… Anette Etheled.”
Oh, shit.
