Chapter 04
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Sienna ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
At that moment.
“Sweetie!”
With a creak, the greenhouse door swung open, and a woman I had never seen before hugged me tightly and called me using a term of endearment.
“Are you okay? Hmm? Are you hurt anywhere?” She said, squeezing me down with great force.
‘I can’t breathe!’ As I struggled, she finally let go. I gasped for air and looked at her.
She was a middle-aged woman with striking features, vivid red lips, and piercing eyes. With a sad expression, she asked. “Do you recognize me?”
“Who…”
“How can you not remember me? I’m your favorite teacher, Flora.”
Flora. The moment I heard her name, memories of Daphne flooded into my mind.
‘Flora Salertale.’
She was Daphne’s governess. Putting together what I know from the original work–
She was the one who accused Daphne of making poison and reported her to the imperial family. There was a reason she accused her student, Daphne.
She was the Empress Dowager’s pawn.
The imperial family was one of the four hero families and had amicable relations with other hero families, but their relationship with the Duke of Peregrine wasn’t so good.
Peregrine was the most powerful and wealthy of the four, due to their exceptional magical abilities.
Although they didn’t openly show it, tension rose between them because something happened that put them at odds…
The Empress Dowager, the mother of the Emperor.
Empress Hella wanted to marry the current Duke of Peregrine when they were still young, but he refused.
‘I have someone else I love.’ He admitted, but it was a bitter response that made her resent him.
Empress Dowager Hela vowed to seek revenge even after becoming a grandmother. As luck would have it, her only granddaughter, Daphne, gave an opportunity.
A lady had collapsed after ingesting poison at a party hosted by the Imperial family that Daphne attended. Moreover, that woman recently became close to Roderick, Daphne’s fiancé.
Everyone suspected her. Daphne claimed innocence, but her sudden interest in herbalism was a well-known fact.
Empress Dowager Hela raged about how such an incident could occur at a party she hosted.
And then, as if waiting for it, she ordered Daphne to be taken into custody. The Peregrine side argued vehemently, stating that they can’t do that without clear evidence. Still, there was no proof that Daphne hadn’t done it either. The tide had already turned.
The imperial family set a condition. To prevent such incidents in the future, they assigned someone they trust.
That person was Flora Salertale.
She was an orphan and served as a teacher at an orphanage run by a temple. As an adult, she has spent her life serving the temple because she wants to help children.
All the children she taught thrived, even receiving sponsorship from high-ranking nobles. Even troublesome kids turned into angels in her presence, making her methods seem miraculous.
When asked how she raised the children, she responded like this.
“It’s all thanks to the Empress Dowager and the love of the temple.”
Quite a hypocritical statement, but it subtly resonates well with public opinion.
That’s how Flora, known as the “Angel of the temple,” was able to become Daphne’s teacher even though she was an orphan. Of course, her real intention was likely to spy on Peregrine and find their weaknesses.
However, Peregrine couldn’t refuse.
Even if Daphne was a troublemaker, she was still a lady of the Duchy of Peregrine and had to be kept out of prison. So Flora came to the duchy as Daphne’s governess.
An imperial rascal was walking around the duchy freely because of Daphne but she didn’t seem to mind. She was a teacher at the temple, after all…
Roderick is clearly in love with you.
It’s okay. He may wander a bit, but he’ll find his way back.
I will help you.
You can become a saint if you do as I say.
She kept whispering these sweet words to Daphne.
What a fool you are to fall for such words. Aren’t you really stupid.
Daphne was betrayed by Flora when she gave in. Flora accused Daphne of making poison, and provided evidence to prove Daphne’s wrongdoing.
Duke Peregrine could no longer protect Daphne.
Enraged at the loss of everything, Daphne tried to kill the heroine and the saint, Maria, and was eventually imprisoned in a dungeon where she never saw daylight.
In the side story, she faced torture from the main characters. Truly a horrifying tale…
…No, wait.
I’m Daphne now.
So you’re telling me I might go to jail for something I didn’t do?
This is crazy!
I barely held back the urge to curse. I’ve lived my life with so much integrity, and now I’m going to prison!
I stood there in shock and dumbfounded.
“Oh, dear.” Flora said, and stroked my shoulder and arm in a comforting way.
“Normally, you’d be happy to see me, but you’re looking so groggy. Seems like your body still hasn’t fully recovered.”
She hugged me as if comforting me.
“Yes, I understand. It must have been a shock to you, having Lord Roderick unexpectedly request the termination of your engagement.” Flora, interpreting my emotions as if she understood them, patted my back.
“But don’t let it bother you. After all, each man has his own way when it comes to women. Let me help you.”
While she comforted me, she lifted my head and looked at my face.
I, preoccupied with the ordeal that had befallen me, and hadn’t paid much attention to Flora’s words.
I just remained silent, letting her embrace and comfort me.
When I finally snapped out of it, Flora, examining my face, said, “Fortunately, your face isn’t injured.”
You still have a chance.
I couldn’t help but frown at her words.
…What did she just say?
To say she was glad that my face wasn’t injured in front of me who had just been poisoned and barely survived.
I couldn’t believe it and asked, “My face?”
“Yes, Daphne. I mean, your beauty is unmatched, so I’m relieved your face is unharmed.”
“…”
“Visual appeal is also one of the things men like.”
So maybe you can get Roderick to change his mind. Flora chuckled while caressing my cheek.
At that moment, I realized. Instead of worrying about me surviving the poison, she was more concerned about whether the merchandise had any flaws.
The past Daphne would have responded positively to Flora, saying, ‘Exactly! Roderick’s feelings can change, right?’
But I wasn’t her. I’ve had enough of trying to please others. Especially when it’s someone who’s trying to use me.
I stepped away from her as she stroked my cheek, like she was stroking something pretty. Then I said, “Perhaps you should pay more attention too, Grandma.”
“…what?”
“I thought you said visual appeal was one of the things men like?” As I said this with a smirk, Flora’s face contorted.
“Grandma? Daphne, what are you saying!”
“Oh, are you not my Grandma?” I widened my eyes, pretending to be surprised.
“Sorry. I woke up not long ago, and my head hurts a bit. You’ve given me so much advice that it lingered in my memory, so I thought you might be my grandma.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. In my past life, my grandmother often critiqued my appearance…
“Go get married somewhere nice before your face withers away.” She used to say that, nailing it into my ears.
What’s the difference between a grandma like that and the Flora I have now?
“What…!” Flora’s face started turning red.
It was understandable. Though Flora is old, she wasn’t at the age to be called grandma, and she was still unmarried. For someone like her to suddenly be referred to as a grandma, implying she should worry about her appearance, it must have hurt her pride considerably.
Moreover, Daphne, who she thought oblivious to her past compliments, had actually been thinking of her as a ‘grandmother’ figure.
Her insides were probably bubbling like an active volcano.
But she can’t be mad at me.
I had just escaped from the brink of death. It wasn’t a strange thing for me to be distraught. Getting angry here would only make herself look ridiculous.
“Really… It seems you’re not fully recovered yet.”
As expected, Flora, who was struggling to control her emotions, spoke in a calm voice.
“You should really pull yourself together soon.” But the anger in her voice was not entirely concealed.
Just looking at the way her mouth is twitching, it’s obvious.
Even the present servants were holding back their laughter. However, they couldn’t stop the sound of suppressed laughter from escaping.
Eventually, cracks began to appear in Flora’s façade of kindness.
If someone were to face Flora’s now, they might have trembled in fear.
But I didn’t.
With years of experience working odd jobs and interacting with people of all ages, to me, this expression was merely cute.
It’s actually my specialty to play along and laugh it off. I confidently opened my mouth, smiling brightly.
