With the full-scale start of mining operations, Seraphie became even busier.
“Master, a letter has arrived from the site.”
“Can you put it on my office desk?”
“Master! People from the merchant guild have arrived.”
“Are they the ones we were expecting?”
“No!”
“Then leave them be.”
Despite the chaos, the expressions of the mansion’s servants were filled with energy. For the first time—perhaps ever—they were happily experiencing such busyness. Compared to the days when the mansion was filled with drunken violence and endless cursing, this was nothing short of paradise. The busier they were, the more they felt the joys of life. And their respect for Seraphie only grew stronger.
…Why are they looking at me like that again? Seraphie, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable with their admiration.
What was more concerning was how the days were passing by even busier than she had anticipated. This wasn’t what she wanted.
When will I achieve my goal?
Her plan was simple: earn a lot of money, gain a respectable reputation, and then find a way back to her original world. But she had no time to do that at all. Even though she wasn’t on the same level as the Felicia family, influential figures were inviting her everywhere, and she couldn’t refuse. She also couldn’t attend such events in just anything, so she had to call a tailor to order countless new outfits and buy shoes, jewelry, and accessories like a madwoman.
This isn’t what I wanted…
The more famous Vallidus became, the more anxious Seraphie felt. She feared she might never return to her original home. Despite all her efforts, she had a growing sense of unease that it could all come crashing down in an instant. But what scared her even more was—What if my heart changes?
Lately, her biggest fear was that she would become so accustomed to her busy days that she would forget her original goal. In fact, there had already been a few moments like that. She would lie in bed, exhausted, only to suddenly sit up in alarm.
Why am I working so hard again?
Then, she would stay up the entire night. She had a suspicion about something.
“…”
Seraphie stared at her desk drawer with a wary expression. Carefully, as if handling something forbidden, she used her fingers like pincers to open it. Inside lay a single pure white feather.
“What is this?”
“It came from the gallery…”
A few days after the mining started, Indira, the owner of the gallery, had sent her a congratulatory gift and an invitation to an upcoming exhibition. Along with it was a long-forgotten sketch of Bia, neatly rewrapped, and there was also a pure white feather.
The enclosed letter read: [While repacking the sketch, this feather was found on top.]
In the Ortus Empire, flowers and plants were deeply revered. This was most evident in their religion, which taught that when the god spread flora across the world, an angel in the form of a bird had assisted them. Because of this, bird feathers were sometimes considered lucky charms.
At first, Seraphie dismissed it as mere flattery. But after the feather came into her possession, she found herself forgetting her goal of returning home more and more often. Initially, she thought it was just a coincidence. But feeling uneasy, she eventually decided to burn the feather. Yet when she returned to her office, the very same feather was sitting on her desk. Terrified, she threw it away and burned it multiple times—even buried it in the ground. But no matter what she did, the feather kept reappearing in front of her. Worn out by the futile struggle, she gave up and simply stored it in her drawer.
Is this some kind of curse?
Betrayal flickered in Seraphie’s heart as she recalled her last meeting with Indira. Had their last encounter been so terrible that he had cursed her? But we had a great time though? Yet she couldn’t deny the sincerity of Indira’s kindness.
After staring at the feather for a long time, Seraphie finally gave up, blinking in defeat and standing from her chair. She needed to clear her mind. So, as she always did to maintain her stamina, she headed to the garden for a walk.
“The weather is nice…” She wandered aimlessly, gazing blankly at the clear sky.
When the sunlight became too blinding, she lowered her gaze—only to find that she had unknowingly walked all the way to the mansion’s outer wall. Considering the large land of the mansion, the outer wall could only be seen when you were either at the main entrance or outside the mansion.
Is it because of what happened back then?
She crouched down near the wall, noticing a patch of earth that was a slightly different color than the rest.
“Bury these around your mansion.”
On the first day of mining, Orkis handed her small god’s treasures, smaller than pebbles. When Seraphie had looked at him in confusion, he had simply explained.
“It’s for your protection.”
“These tiny things?”
“Just trust me.”
All she had to do was bury them in a circle around the mansion.
More than that, Seraphie had been concerned about handling god’s treasures so carelessly. But she trusted Orkis, so that same night, she personally buried the stones throughout the mansion’s garden. And then, she immediately passed out from exhaustion. But by the next morning—
“Master!”
“My goodness, outside! Outside!”
The butler and a few servants who had gone out to greet the morning had discovered a pool of blood near the mansion’s outer wall. And it was in the direction to Seraphie’s bedroom.
If I hadn’t done as Lord Felicia said, then I really…Even recalling it now, Seraphie shuddered and hugged her arms.
Later, Orkis confirmed that the blood had belonged to an assassin who had been targeting her. Unfortunately, they never found out who had sent the assassin. But from that day on—
So this isn’t just some harmless treasure.
Owning The Land Abandoned by God, Seraphie felt a little scared of the god’s treasures. She had thought they were just expensive, valuable gemstones. But they had the terrifying ability to turn people into puddles of blood.
“…As expected, it’s strange.”
Seraphie pressed her foot against the spot where she had buried the stones. As she did, the necklace around her neck swayed slightly. It had been made from a god’s treasure that Orkis had secretly taken from the mine—of course, only with her permission.
How was this never mentioned in the original story? Such a powerful and dangerous force, yet not a single word about it in the original plot? It even has the power to kill people. With that level of destruction, it should be worth far more than just a pricey commodity.
The more she thought about it, the more questions flooded her mind. The mystery of the god’s treasures seemed far stranger than even the downfall of Felicia.
Slowly, the gap between the original story and the reality grows wider…
“…Uaaaah!” Lost in thought, Seraphie suddenly let out a scream.
The birds bathing in the newly installed fountain flapped their wings in fright and took off into the sky.
“Why do I even care!”
Her voice was loud and full of frustration as if trying to shake off her growing doubts.
“Marine!”
Returning to the mansion, Seraphie called for her personal maid as she headed back to her office. Waiting for her was a mountain of paperwork—on the right, reports from the estate, and on the left, documents related to the mining operation.
Why do I have to work so hard? For a moment, she was tempted to abandon it all.
“…”
However, being naturally diligent and always finding work to do, Seraphie quickly processed a few documents before Marine arrived.
“Master, did you call for me?” Marine entered.
“Could you help me get ready to go out?”
“You’re going out?” Marine’s voice beamed with excitement.
“…”
Seraphie wondered what kind of person she appeared to be in Marine’s eyes, but she hid her reluctance and stood up.
“You’ve been so busy lately that you haven’t gone anywhere besides walking around the mansion.”
That was partly because of the pool of blood they had discovered outside the mansion. Seraphie only responded inwardly, but she didn’t mind Marine’s enthusiastic preparations.
The outfit Marine carefully selected for today was a soft pink dress, perfectly suited for the warm spring weather. Paired with white accessories, it brightened up Seraphie’s otherwise dull complexion.
“Um, Master,” Marine spoke as she skillfully combed Seraphie’s short hair. “Your short hair…”
“What is it? Are you going to nag me to grow it out again?”
“No. It actually suits you very well.”
Despite her words, Marine’s expression was slightly pouty.
“Then why do you look like that?” Seraphie laughed at the reflection in the mirror.
“I feel like I’ve been too ignorant and arrogant towards you, Master…”
“Who said that to you?” Startled, Seraphie quickly turned around.
Marine shook her head slowly, not looking as discouraged as she claimed. “Lately, I’ve been hearing people say that Master’s short hair is beautiful.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?”
“I’m supposed to be your personal maid, but I kept insisting you should grow it out without realizing your foresight…”
The noble maids had their own networks for sharing information. As a dedicated maid serving her master, Marine had been doing her best to navigate that world. Lately, she had grown closer to the servants of the Felicia family, thanks to the connection between their respective masters. If Marine was saying something like this, it meant Seraphie’s short hair had made a more positive impact than expected.
“I’m happy to be acknowledged by you, of all people.” Seraphie’s mood improved slightly.
“By the way, where will you be going?” Marine, now in a better mood herself, asked while finishing up the preparations.
“Hmm…”
Seraphie’s deliberation ended quickly. There was, in fact, a place that had come to mind.
“I suddenly want to see some paintings.”
“Shall I take you to the gallery?”
“No.” Seraphie smiled. “To my sponsored artist.”
* * *
Once aboard the carriage, Seraphie and Marine set off for their destination. Along the way, they stopped by the square and bought ten sandwiches stuffed generously with meat and vegetables. The thick meat sauce seeped through the yellow paper wrappers, filling the carriage with a mouthwatering aroma. Even though they weren’t particularly hungry, the scent was enough to make their mouths water.
But rather than thinking about the food, both Seraphie and Marine seemed more preoccupied with the person they were about to meet.
“I wonder if the artist is doing well?”
“She should be.”
After all, that’s what sponsorship was for.
Seraphie recalled the first time she had visited Bia’s home. It had been such an absurd moment, even in hindsight.
If today turns out to be the same… She would need to brace herself.
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