Episode 32

* * *

The next day.

The one greeting me when I opened my eyes was not Edwin but Tara.

“Oh my! Where did you get this adorable and lovely tiara, Miss?!”

Tara, who brought breakfast, exclaimed as she saw the tiara dangling between my hair.

“Just stay still for a moment, I’ll untangle your hair!”

While I slept, Tara carefully untangled the hair caught in the tiara.

And she properly put the tiara back on.

“Ta-da! Wow! It’s so cute and lovely! It suits you perfectly, Miss!”

“Thank you, Tara.”

“Did the rich fairy give it to you as a gift overnight?”

‘A rich fairy?’

I chuckled at Tara’s words.

Why add ‘rich’ in front if it’s just a fairy?

“Yes! Look at this, unbelievable. Diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies…”

Tara recited the jewels embedded in the tiara with sparkling eyes.

‘Indeed, there’s quite a variety.’

They packed so many into this small thing.

Even if they sold just one jewel at the end of the crown, it would fetch quite a sum.

Seemingly sharing the same thought, Tara murmured with an ecstatic expression.

“Miss, you’ll become rich in no time!”

“Hmm… Well, I’m already rich in my own way!”

But since I had no intention of selling the tiara, I firmly rejected Tara’s futile illusion.

She looked puzzled at my words.

“Rich?”

“Yes! I’ve found a promising business idea!”

“A business idea…?”

I nodded vigorously.

Gordon Inspiration, who went to find herbs, said he’d be back this afternoon.

‘I can finally talk to him about it!’

As I chuckled, Tara, who was looking bewildered, laughed along.

“You’re admirable… Whatever it is, don’t forget about me once you make a lot of money, okay?”

“Yes! Count on it, Tara!”

I was moved to the table where food was prepared, with Tara’s embrace.

Looking at the breakfast menu, I widened my eyes.

‘Wow… Whose birthday is it today?’

There were already plenty of delicious items at the mansion, but today seemed particularly splendid.

‘Steak for breakfast…?’

I would have preferred medicine instead.

Duck confit, porgyta, bouillabaisse…

Plus, various desserts.

It was an abundance of dishes that could be found at any banquet hall.

“Tara, whose birthday is it today?”

“No? Why, Miss?”

“Hmm… There’s just a lot of food today!”

“True. Did the head chef finally escape from being single? Oh, please, Miss.”

Tara seemed clueless about the exact reason.

‘Somewhat strange.’

As far as I remembered, there wasn’t any special anniversary around this time.

But oh well, thanks to that, I got to eat a lot of delicious food!

After devouring melon sherbet, with Tara’s help, I changed into a cute yellow dress.

“Wow! You look like a winged chick just descended from the sky!”

Tara’s chatter continued today as well.

Wearing the tiara Edwin gave me, I saw a tiny, dazzling figure reflected in the mirror.

‘…This should be enough to avoid being ignored, right?!’

Small but dazzling, the tiara sparkled like a formidable weapon.

‘Alright. Bring it on!’

I clenched my fist and shouted vigorously.

“I’ll be back soon!”

“Yes! Take care, Miss!”

Strange occurrences didn’t cease even as I walked to the first floor where Joshua’s room was located.

“Hello, Miss!”

“This area hasn’t been cleaned yet, it might be slippery. Please be careful, Miss!”

“Miss! I’m Kona. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me! Got it?”

Starting from the maid cleaning and passing by all the servants, everyone greeted me respectfully.

‘What’s going on? Why are they all like this?’

Just yesterday, no one even bothered to greet me, let alone bow to me.

Or they would give me unpleasant looks like Emma did.

“Hello, Miss!”

“Uh… Thanks.”

“The tiara looks so lovely with today’s outfit!”

Once again, I watched the maid rushing over to greet me with unease.

‘Is there some kind of magic on the tiara?’

The accessory on my head felt even more substantial.

Who would have thought that just by wearing this one thing, people would treat me like a noble lady overnight?

In a dazed state, I arrived at Joshua’s room.

“Huh? It’s the gauze monster!”

Joshua, who was the same age as me, welcomed me warmly again today.

Today, only Joshua and the butler were in the room.

As soon as I entered, the two of them stopped whispering and turned their attention to me.

‘What secret were they discussing?’

I greeted them with a smile and looked around the room.

‘Emma isn’t here.’

For once, it was a rare piece of good news.

At that moment, the butler approached me and respectfully bowed.

“Hello, Miss. We met before. I’m the butler, Anderson.”

“Yes, hello.”

“Today, both His Lordship and Mr. Gordon are out, so I have the healing session with you.”

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded.

‘Anyone is better than Emma.’

Butler Anderson, who was in charge of the mansion, had never clashed with me in my previous life. Although he was displeased whenever I caused trouble and occasionally prevented the servants from crossing the line with me…

Still, he didn’t ignore me like others, and sometimes intervened to stop Emma’s excessive behavior.

Suddenly, his gaze reached my head.

“The tiara suits you very well, Miss.”

He said with a strangely proud expression.

“Last night, I rescued the tiara you were urgently looking for, My Lord.”

“Ah…”

“Now it’s a tiara made by the 7th king of the fallen Tir Taran Kingdom, celebrating the birth of the granddaughter.”

“Tir Taran?”

“Yes, the news spread that it was auctioned, and it was the first time, so the competition was quite fierce.”

“Wow…”

“But who am I? With the Duke’s favor, I’ve been serving for about 25 years! Like piranhas, those scoundrels followed me to the end, but at a dramatic moment, I just…!”

Perhaps reminiscing about the moment of winning the bid, Anderson clenched his fists, excitedly recounting the adventure.

Just for a moment.

Looking at me, who pretended not to understand, he awkwardly smiled.

“Ahem. Seeing you wear it, I feel that the old man’s suffering was worth it.”

It felt strange to have someone who had been indifferent to me in my previous life solicitously obtaining something for me.

Uncertain of what to say, I just bowed my head.

“Thank you!”

“Speak comfortably. If not, it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Uh, alright.”

Then, Joshua appeared.

“Sis! They say you became a hero?”

“A hero…?”

“Yeah! The rumor is spreading that you bravely tore apart the villain’s leg in danger!”

“Wow! Is Sis a dog now? Woof woof!”

“It seems like I have dust in my eyes making you look like a star!”

“…Enough!”

I retorted angrily.

“…I’m a lion.”

A one-day-old puppy.

Honestly, considering my performance yesterday, shouldn’t I be given at least the title of the King of the Jungle?

“And not ‘woof woof,’ but ‘roar.'”

Still, I didn’t point it out.

Joshua, clapping his hands like a rabbit, was quite cute.

They would become precious memories in his dark history later.

“Now I get it… That’s why.”

Thanks to that, I understood why the situation had persisted since morning.

“But how did the rumor spread so quickly overnight?”

I asked, puzzled.

“Well, the truth has a way of not staying hidden, Miss.”

Anderson replied with a serious expression.

‘This old man is the culprit.’

I immediately realized that the butler was the mastermind behind the rumor.

Joshua added, like driving a nail into the coffin, “Anderson told me!”

‘Ahem! It’s time for healing, young master.’

As expected.

I stared at the butler with narrowed eyes.

“Edwin will be embarrassed…”

Edwin had a strong sense of pride.

He wouldn’t appreciate rumors circulating about him almost losing to a fencing master or receiving help from a common orphan.

“Well…”

However, whether it was just my concern, the butler’s expression subtly changed.

“Although I don’t think so seeing His Lordship and Mr. Gordon leaving early in the morning…”

“Leaving?”

As I looked at the smiling butler, Joshua suddenly exclaimed cheerfully,

“Let’s finish breakfast quickly and play heroes today!”

And so, a new day at the Duke’s manor began.

* * *

“Ah―!”

Healing was smooth.

Once again, the orange energy of the crest disappeared as if it had been chewed up a bit.

I immediately withdrew the magic power.

I could have done more, but Joshua was still suffering without painkillers.

“Haah, phew….”

“Huh, huff….”

The room was filled with our rough breathing.

“Please drink some water quickly, Miss, Young Master.”

The butler handed me a cup filled with water at the right moment.

After sipping it amicably, I raised my thumb to the energetic Joshua.

“Good job today too, Josh!”

“Yeah! Me too, Ara, whew. Don’t fall too hard for me, sister.”

“Ung….”

The butler, who had been watching us warmly, left the room.

“I have some work to attend to. If you need anything, please feel free to call.”

With a soft click, the door closed, and I immediately asked what I was curious about.

“But really, why is the auntie not working today?”

I was referring to Emma’s absence.

‘Acting like she’s the mother or something….’

Of course, it’s better without her.

It was puzzling that she wasn’t present during the healing session. However, Joshua’s unexpected response surprised me.

“Umm… I said I didn’t want to see the nanny in front of my dad!”

“Why? Because of your brother?”

“Well, that’s part of it….”

After hesitating for a moment, Joshua shyly continued.

“She keeps saying that the girl who came before is better than sister!”

“The girl who came before?”

“Yeah! I think sister is better, though….”

I blinked blankly at Joshua’s words.

‘The girl who came before’ could only refer to one person.

‘…Diana.’

While I was deeply moved by Joshua’s positive opinion of me, it was a bit surprising.

‘But he must have seen her for several months.’

I cautiously asked,

“Why do you like me more than that girl?”

“She said Josh, stop pretending to be sick.”

“Pretending to be sick?”

“Yeah! Because she thinks I’m sicker because I keep acting stupid….”