Edited

6. Willing to go crazy to escape the prologue.

“I don’t know if it’s all right on your noble tongue. You even said that you didn’t like the meal I made and threw it away.”

When I looked up, I saw the head maid. I was told that all of the maids who had grabbed my arm the other day had been banished. It seems that she managed to survive the chaos.

“Thanks to Young Lady, the blood task force that disappeared will soon be revived. All the maids have been kicked out, so I think my position, which has been in the middle, will be restored. I heard you asked for a position… That position must have been mine.”

She smiled low. Her twisted mouth was fierce.

“Lady, if you ask for forgiveness now, I will speak well to the Duke. You should have followed our lead like before. You’ve gone crazy all of a sudden and this is what happened. As if there’s something you must believe.”

It was an obvious mockery.

“Why don’t you go and act cute instead? Just in case.”

She continued, looking up and down at my shabby attire.

“Isn’t there a famous tale? The tale of a princess who survived by fawning over the tyrannical king of the neighboring country. Even though she had a hard time surviving, in her later years she was happy to take over power.”

“… you’re talking about a long time ago.”

“Wouldn’t that be such a lame trick? for a young Lady now.”

“The maid.”

I caught my breath and said.

“Is that the power you gained? I don’t know what the difference is between a dog that listens well. It’s a power that will disappear if you get on his nerves even a little.”

“What, what?”

Her face was red as if she hadn’t even dreamed that I would attack her.

“Your place is what you make it. As for the head maid, her self-made position is that of a beloved puppy.”

At those words, the head maid’s face distorted.

“Let’s see how long you can keep that lofty attitude. Soon, the young lady will live a worse life than a prisoner. I will make it.”

She grabbed the hem of her dress and jerked away. Even for that brief moment, the wind blew, and her body shivered from the cold.

No, that’s not it

I guess I’m feeling better now.

“What on earth do you believe in? I don’t know why you’ve been quiet until now, and then suddenly go to the duke.”

The maid’s voice was heard in the distance.

“Could that… Could it be because of that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t we draw too much blood that day?”

“What?”

“Once the blood had been drawn, it was replenished, and it made me ponder if the mind was also affected. Isn’t there an age-old saying that resonates with this notion? Blood holds the essence of our humanity, so when the entire body is drained of it…

“Say something that makes sense! I can’t believe I’m talking to you and hearing such nonsense!”

Oh, sharp. Half right and half wrong.

I didn’t go around in circles, but I became possessed by Leonie.

And the maid’s words were half right.

A place to believe in me. Some cards haven’t been turned over yet.

After she disappeared, I called the soldier standing guard at the door.

“The Duke…”

The soldier at the door leaned toward me.

“Yes?”

“Bring in the duke. Tell him I need to talk to him.”

He hesitated at my words.

“The Duke is patrolling the territory.”

“What? Then when is he coming down?”

“I don’t know that.”

Oh, My God. Amid the confusion, a sentry slightly opened the prison door and pushed a bowl in.

It was a thin oatmeal porridge.

“Young lady, you haven’t eaten yet. If you don’t eat now, there will be no next meal today. In prison, you are paid only two meals a day.”

“Never mind. Tell him I’m starving.”

I pushed the bowl towards the door.

Time passed slowly.

No light came through, but I could see through the grate above the top of the cell that it was getting dark.

In the north, there is only winter, so the days are short. It must have been around 6 o’clock.

Little by little, I felt impatience.

I called the sentry again.

“Are you still there?”

“The Duke and his party return late at night.”

It’s too late.

I bit my nails.

Maybe my calculations are going wrong. Should have swallowed it a little later.

I had already swallowed poison.

It was a gamble.

After becoming a clerk, I opened Leonie’s luggage bag under the bed.

Inside the bag were miscellaneous items brought from the barony.

As befits a young lady of a poor baron, the bag was full of insignificant things.

Out-of-fashion dresses, worn-out shoes, shabby and almost useless accessories… And inside the small pouch was a wad of paper.

Carefully opening the wad of paper, two vials the size of a thumb were revealed.

A greenish liquid glistened in the sunlight.

I could tell from Leonie’s unconscious memories.

That this is poison.

And next to it were the antidotes.

‘Why did she bring it? To kill herself?’

Wasn’t Leonie just happy to go to the Duke?’

Was it a terrible feeling before you loved him?

Maybe that’s why she considered the situation of being sold to the Duke’s house miserable and intended to swallow it.

At first, I wondered if she had brought it to feed the monstrous duke, but it wasn’t.

The drug had little effect on those who were strong and developed tolerance to the poison.

This was only for Leonie.

It could be used by women who do not go out of the territory.

The poison that noble ladies drink when their family is in danger of extinction.

Perhaps she came here with a lot of thoughts and lived her life enduring only looking at the Duke.

Anyway, I can’t believe the day will come when Leonie’s going to help me move forward.

I put the bottle in my inside pocket.

Thinking of using it at the right time.

I didn’t know the day would come when I would be using it soon.

As soon as the dungeon door closed, I poured the medicine into my mouth without hesitation.

Eighteen hours from now.

You go through an incubation period, and after 18 hours, you vomit blood.

Let’s negotiate again, then.

The Duke, who thought of the state of blood, thought that if I didn’t eat two meals, he’d come down to prison soon.

However, it was unexpected that the Duke went out on patrol in the middle of it.

It seemed that the effect of the drug did not appear immediately after eighteen hours.

Little by little, my vision blurred and I lost my energy. I was dizzy because I was starving.

How long has it been?

As I leaned against the wall weakly, I smelled the smell of winter right in front of me.

When I gently opened my eyes, I saw a duke looking down at me with a cold gaze.

There was snow on his shoulders.

“I heard you were starving.”

The Duke opened his mouth. His tone was cold enough to freeze the air.

“Is this a protest now? I don’t know the young lady’s heart at all. What the hell are you thinking with this little head?”

If it had been the enemy, he would have slit his throat without thinking.

I laughed weakly at those words. He stopped stroking my face.

“Are you crazy?”

“Duke.”

I managed to open my mouth, my tongue ached, and my throat was sore.

“It was wrong.”

“Are you admitting your fault now?”

“No. The Duke must keep his guests from committing such disrespect. It is wrong from the very beginning.”

“… what?”

“Duke.”

I took a deep breath and answered again.

“Recover the money you gave to the baron. And from there we start again. By making a deal with me, not the baron.”

Little by little I was out of breath. The medicine was tightening all over my body.

Clearing my throat, I went on.

“It’s not a deal where the Duke loses money. I will give blood as I do now. Ten gold coins in a pack. If you pull it out for about 5 years, it will be as much as the money you gave to the baron. Either I die sooner or the Duke becomes emperor.”

“What’s the bottom line? Picking a card was a fair rule. It wasn’t a trick. Didn’t the Young Lady pick it herself?”

“It was not the right choice to choose my place among the four cards in the first place. I already have some decent cards in my hand. Do I need to choose my seat from the given card?”

“Leonie” is a card that you can use well.

Do I need to follow the fate of the blood bag, where I have to lie flat?

“I will be by your side, Duke. Instead, I will be there whenever and wherever you want. I’ll be there to make my place.”

The Duke looked at me with an incomprehensible expression.

“Young lady… You can’t always threaten.”

“And doesn’t the Duke fall for the temptation?”

I barely swallowed my saliva. I felt my throat swelling.

“Let’s negotiate again.”

At the same time, beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

He squatted down in front of me. There was a great shade at the bedside.

He raised one hand. His hands were large and brawny.

‘Are you going to hit me?’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Contrary to my expectations, he put his hand on my forehead.

I felt a cool touch on my hot forehead.

“Why do you have such a fever? Did you eat something wrong?”

Ha. I’ve lost my spirits.

“… You’d better bring the contract quickly.”

“I don’t see why I should listen to this. If you’re unhappy with the contract, talk to Viter again later.”

“Duke, bring the contract. And…”

It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. She took a deep breath and chose her words.

“Run. If you walk, you will be late. I swallowed poison.”

“… what?”

“You all know that I’ve been acting recklessly without supervision. I’ve hidden the antidote in this spacious mansion… I’ll tell you the location of the antidote once we finish the contract.”

Only then did an expression form on his cold face.

“Leonie, playing around with your life. You’re out of your mind.”

A grinding sound was heard.

“Isn’t the Duke the one who needs my life more than anyone else?”

I burst out laughing.

The Clown is the lowest rank card, but when it is with other higher cards, it is treated the same as that card.

I made up my mind.

Crazy woman willing to get out of this crazy prologue.

To be his clown.