Tag: Selling the Main Character’s Shares

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Do things ever go well from the start?

I think it’s natural for anyone to go through trial and error, whether it be big or small, when they try something they’ve never encountered before such as engaging in trade or running a business. 

So the first thing to keep in mind in this sort of situation is that there’s no need to be frustrated, and the second would be that you need to sever the right thread to ensure it doesn’t trip you up before the business is actually ruined… ah, this isn’t working.

Hmm.

Well, in any case, I had just completed my preparations for the opening and sat by the window seat in the morning sun, elegantly refreshing myself with my morning caffeine. 

The sound of the patissier, Leah, diligently preparing for our new menu today was in full swing in the back kitchen.

Even though I had also said that I’d come over earlier, she seemed to have come over even earlier by a few hours. She was so diligent and sincere that I couldn’t help but think that she was the best partner I could have.

Listening to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, I opened my notebook that I had used to jot down my notes.

1. Croffle: Failed due to the inability to overcome customers’ reluctance to eat flattened bread. X

2. Fatcaron: An epic fail since it’s too hard to eat in one bite. XX

3. Yangnyeom¹ Chicken: To be honest, I don’t know why this failed. Anyway, this was a total failure. XXX

4. Spicy Chicken Cream Rice Cake²: Even I thought this was rather reckless. People will think they’ve been poisoned if I attempt this again. XXXX

That’s right, I’ve tried a variety of things, but the results for all of them were the same. Failure.

“Huuuu…”

At K-food’s hundred battles and hundred defeats³, I let out a sigh at the situation I could have never expected.

But it’s too early for me to despair! Because we prepared our secret weapon today!

If even this doesn’t work, it’ll be equivalent to having lived my whole previous life in vain.

I just so happened to catch a whiff of a delectable fragrance from somewhere. Turning around to look at the smell behind me, I saw Leah coming out with a large tray in her hands.

The tray was filled with small and round balls that shone with a golden light.

I approached it quickly and put a freshly-fried crispy ball in my mouth. I chewed on it carefully so that the inside of my mouth wouldn’t burn due to its heat, as a sweet, yet savoury and soft cheese exploded in my mouth,the chewy dough bursting open.

It was a cheese ball that was so delicious that I wouldn’t have even known that the person next to me had died while I was eating it. I wanted to let out a scream internally.

Yes, this is the one!

“I’m not sure if I made it properly…” Leah still seemed to lack confidence due to her repeated failures, even after making the perfect cheese ball.

In order to console her, I raised my thumb in an exaggerated manner. In actual fact, I was able to praise it sincerely since it even tasted several times better than the ones I had in my previous life. 

It may taste better since it had just been freshly made, but Leah’s natural talent in handling the dough and filling all played a great role in influencing the final product as well.

“Leah.”

“Yes, Ms. Lorella.”

“Is the biggest burlap sack in this store the one that contains flour?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why do you ask?”

I popped another cheese ball into my mouth and hugged her shoulders tightly. 

Then, I whispered the following words into her ears, “Get ready to sweep the money in there.”

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

The sun had set and the streets were already dark before I knew it. 

From the streetlights at the square’s fountain, to all the birds that were singing incessantly, our store was the only one that was lit up at this dark hour of rest that was a promise for tomorrow.

“What should we do, Ms. Lorella?” Leah cried out in a weak voice, an untouched cup of tea in front of her.

Instead of answering her, I lowered my gaze and glanced at the notebook that was open on the table. 

Cheese ball: Rejected because the sensation of cheese flowing out like hot sauce feels weird. Fail.

No, I’m not sure about anything else, but I was sure that this would work. 

At this point, do the people here just not have any taste?! How could you say this isn’t good?

“I prepared all the ingredients of the highest quality since you made such a generous investment, but we couldn’t even sell one of them… It must be because of my inadequate abilities…”

Although I, too, was about to sigh out of resignation, I held it in by biting my lips. Yes, the thing to do now was to urgently console my business partner whose confidence had hit rock bottom. 

“That isn’t true. The things Leah makes are the best in the world. Even better than the K-Food… oh, no, the foreign food that I’m familiar with.”

“Really…?”

“Absolutely.”

It was a fact that was devoid of even a grain of falsity. Not only regarding the cheese balls that I had made today, but also the croffles that had been made on the first day, that I still constantly dreamed about these days.

“Heuheuk… but the ones we make keep ending up as failures…”

I approached Leah, who had eventually started to cry and handed her a handkerchief, patting her back. “Don’t worry. Since we still have a secret weapon left.”

Her eyes welling up with tears again, she pointed at the seemingly mountainous mound of cheese balls over at the display window. “But the one we made this morning was obviously our last secret weapon…”

Th-That’s true, but…

“No, this one is the real deal.”

“And what’s that?” Leah’s wet eyes began to shine with hope before I knew it.

I lowered my voice sharply, as if I were conveying the secrets of the family business that had been handed down from generation to generation. “Let’s sell drinks.”

I should’ve taken this route from the start. Most of all, it’s an item that can reduce the manufacturing cost. It would be much less burdensome than having to dispose of piles of food when they haven’t been sold.

Yes, I also thought it was strange for K-food to sell well in rofan. But drinks are a different story!

“If you’re talking about drinks… then do you mean tea?” Leah thought for a moment before murmuring, “A normal tea salon could work too.”

But I shook my head firmly. 

“We shouldn’t go in the same direction as others. We should add our own unique flair to it.”

She wrinkled her nose once again at the words, ‘unique flair’. “But Ms. Lorella, I don’t think we should be too experimental based on the results we have so far.”

Her trust in me already seemed to have run out. It’s no wonder we’ve been doomed even whilst coming up with new ideas. 

In this sort of case, just having one bite can trump explaining a hundred times. 

I quickly wrote down the ingredients I needed and handed them to Leah. 

“We already have the base ingredients we need in the store, so you just need to buy these.”

“Starch powder and black sugar…?”

“There have been many female leads… no, women, who have made a fortune with this, but since Leah is a little suspicious, why don’t we try and make it ourselves for once?”

The next day.

Leah, who personally tasted it herself, nodded her head and gave a big thumbs up. “The texture of it is so fascinating. I feel quite full, and it’s also my first time tasting such a classy sweetness!”

I smiled smugly and rubbed my nose. I know what the taste is like, even if you don’t tell me…

But was bubble tea K-food?

I don’t know. I’ll just call it however I want and call it K-food here.

t/n: lorella sweetie, bubble tea is taiwanese HALSKDJFDJFS

“I think we’ll definitely succeed with this one!”

Anyway, this unprecedented response seemed to have relieved all of my fatigue and stress.

I could feel it clearly this time. It’s the undeniable sound of hitting the jackpot! 

* * * 

Bubble tea: Failed because children were scared of it and said it looked like frog eggs.

Jackpot? What a load of bullshit!

I hurled my notebook that was full of angry scrawlings onto the floor of the store.

I never would’ve been able to behave like this if Leah were still in the store, but she had gone home early today. Thanks to this, I was able to express my feelings as much as I wanted since I was the only person in the store. 

My hand trembling in anger, I drank a few glasses of water, but my anger hardly subsided at all.

“My money, my moneyyy…!”

In addition to having given Leah a deposit, I had also spent a considerable amount of money on the ingredients and packaging. Some ingredients in particular were also quite rare here, so I had to pay extra to get them here. 

Thanks to all of this, before I even knew it, I had already reduced my stash by quite a lot of gold coins. When I thought of the box whose bottom was already starting to become visible, tears of blood flowed out of my heart.

“Everyone else succeeded, so why am I the only one who has failed?”

Leah had clearly said that the bubble tea was good as well!

No matter how much I kept thinking about it, this strategy was clearly not working. However, my memories from reading rofan weren’t fake either. 

I had even read over a dozen copies of just business management rofan!

Then why? Why isn’t it working?

I didn’t even want you to compliment me by saying something like, ‘No, how could there be such a fascinating thing in this world?’ All I wanted to do was just make some money…!

It was when I had my forehead on the table, struggling to control my anger as I tore at my innocent hair.

Ding dong!

Suddenly, the bell rang.

I raised my head almost instinctively. It seemed like someone had bought shares for some reason.

Yeah. I’ll still need to sell a lot of shares anyway, even if I end up like this. That way, even if I become a beggar, I’ll feel a little less wronged.

However…

「‘I quit’ has purchased one of your shares.」

What appeared next in the window was completely beyond my expectations.

「This low quality mass produced main character is so fucking boring. Bye, I quit.」

“What…?”

N-No way, don’t tell me, you’re talking about me…?

My vision turned white, and my blood started flowing backwards at the same time.

“What did you just say?!”

I was so heated I thought I would be able to breathe fire out of my mouth right this instant. Huffing, I searched through the system window, but for some strange reason, I couldn’t find the message I saw just now.

“What the hell, where did it go?”

Wait. Is this perhaps… the ‘deleting a comment and running away’ that I’ve only heard of?

You shouldn’t have shown me if you were going to erase it this quickly then! You should’ve erased my memory too then!

“You’re wrong if you thought I’d be hurt by this sort of thing.”

I took a deep breath to somehow find my composure. And continued to repeat this in my heart.

Hate comments are better than no comments, that’s right, hate comments are better than no comments, hate comments…

‘Low quality main character.’

“Arrrgghhh!”

I let out a roar and leapt out of my seat again.

“What does making money have to do with my quality?! Do you know about commerce?! Do you even know how to run a business?!”

Better than no comments my ass! I had already lost my nerve, yet now there was also a hate comment that was sent to extinguish my last remaining drop of motivation?! 

The damage inflicted by the hate comments, which I was receiving for the first time in my life, was simply beyond my imagination. I tried to forget about it, but I just couldn’t.

“…Just what the hell have I done that was so wrong?!”

I couldn’t make money, and I also received hate comments!

At my dismal heart, I ended up shedding tears without even realising it.

* * *

My money, my ideas, and my motivation; all of it was gone. So what was the last thing I had left? It was using my hands and feet for manual labour. 

This is seriously the last time.

The only ingredients needed were milk, sugar, water, and instant coffee.

I also added condensed milk as per Leah’s suggestion. Since we still had a lot of condensed milk left over from making the bubble tea. 

The customer’s had all stopped coming now, so we had plenty of time anyways.

Whisk, whisk.

In the quiet store, the only sound that could be heard was the diligent sound of stirring by a wooden spoon.

“Ms. Lorella, how many times have you stirred?”

“Sixty times. What about you, Leah?”

“I’ve stirred it ninety-two times.

“It’ll be done soon.”

Sure enough, the inside of Leah’s cup was filled with soft looking froth.

Unlike me, who had stirred, then taken a break, then stirred, then taken another break since my arm was sore, she continuously used the small whisk to beat the foam.

That’s when the door of the store opened and a young woman walked in, wiping the sweat off of her forehead.

“Welcome.”

“It’s quite hot today. Could I have a refreshing yet sweet cup of coffee please?”

Leah winked at me and stood up with her cup at her words. 

She poured milk cold enough to make your teeth ache into a small and pretty glass, and to express her gratitude to the only customer who was sitting in the empty shop, she heaped plenty of premium quality condensed milk onto it as well.

When I finished it with the coffee foam on top, the glass of coffee that was pretty enough for me to drool was completed. After the coffee was served to the customer, Leah and I watched her reaction with bated breath. 

“Thank you for the drink.”

However, the customer finished drinking the coffee quickly, perhaps because she had been very thirsty. Then, she left right away without staying for very long. There was no review or feedback about whether or not the coffee tasted good.

The streets turned dark not long after the customer had left. Due to a series of continuous failures in the new menus, the regulars of the bakery didn’t step into the store very often these days.

We packed away the chairs since we didn’t think we’d be getting anymore customers. 

…Maybe it was a failure this time as well.

“Still, I’m very happy to have met Ms. Lorella.” Leah, who had been silently cleaning up the store, shut the curtains and said suddenly.

I was both apologetic and grateful toward her, so I also replied with a big smile, “Me too.”

“Come and visit often if you aren’t too busy. It’d be nice to have a meal and a glass of wine together.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll definitely do that then.”

Although neither of us said it, we both knew it was going to come to an end soon.

The very next day.

I entered the store while thinking about what gift I should give to Leah to express my thanks. We had always only talked about work, and I realised that I had never asked her about her personal hobbies or preferences.

Whisk, whisk, whisk.

We started our day by sitting and stirring the coffee a hundred times in a quiet store once again. 

I opened my mouth slightly as I tried to read the room. “Um, Leah… what sorts of things do you like? Do you have any hobbies?”

“Me? I like gardening. I’m currently growing flowers and herbs in my spare time.”

Gardening huh… Then she’d probably like a pretty flower pot as a gift.

It was when I stirred the coffee for the seventy-seventh time while I was absorbed in my thoughts.

Ring! Ring!

The bell shook somewhat violently, as if the door had been slammed open. Then, someone dashed in almost as urgently as that sound.

“Excuse me! Are you guys open?”

“Yes, welcome.”

Leah, who stood up to greet the customer, winked at me after glancing at the woman’s face. 

It was a face that I also remembered. It was the customer who had that cup of dalgona⁴ coffee yesterday. 

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Give me coffee, the coffee that I drank yesterday! Oh my, are you perhaps making it right now?” 

She approached us in delight, discovering the coffee in our hands that was halfway through the whipping process.

Furthermore, the customer wasn’t alone this time. 

“Does it… really work?”

“That’s right, madam.”

At those words, the eyes of other similar aged women standing beside her started to sparkle. 

“Give me a glass of that too! No, make that two!”

“Please make me two glasses of the same thing.”

“Oh, yes. Would you like to sit for a moment?” 

As Leah guided the guests to the seats, I swung my wrists hurriedly as if I had a motor in them.

However, questions that couldn’t be answered continued to pop up in my mind. 

What’s with this passionate response all of a sudden?

It didn’t seem to be because the coffee was delicious or because it was a new type that you had never drank before. If that had been the case, then you would’ve told me briefly when you left yesterday.

As I was logically sorting through this and that reasoning by myself, the sound of whispering caught my attention. 

“I really hope it works. If it fails this time as well, I’ll…”

“Don’t worry, since you’ll definitely succeed this time, madam.”

I snuck a glance at them and saw three pairs of eyes shining brightly at me. 

Both hands of theirs were on their chest, and their cheeks were flushed beautifully, making them seem somewhat excited.

I smiled awkwardly and whipped my arm that was so sore it seemed like it was about to fall off even more vigorously.

Six glasses of dalgona coffee, where even making one glass was difficult. Although I was dizzy just thinking about it, I couldn’t possibly miss out on a customer who was visiting for the first time. With that sort of resolve in my mind, I constantly moved the hand that was holding the whisk. 

 However, I could hear a small voice intermittently through the quick whisking sound.

“In just five days… in the bathroom… I…”

It was a secretive voice, as if they were talking about a great secret that shouldn’t be heard by anyone.

…What?

[1] korean fried chicken with a sweet and spicy marinade

[2] cross between the flavours of the fire noodle (chicken flavour) and cream rice cake

[3] parody on the idiom 백전백승 (you may not win 100 battles but you won’t be at risk even if you fight 100 battles) so instead of 100 battles & 100 wins, it’s 100 battles & 100 losses

[4] dalgona coffee is also known as whipped coffee (i hate that name) and attributes its name to the dalgona candy that tastes like honeycomb.

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author’s note

i got ptsd while writing this chapter ;ㅅ;

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naver comments

harry portarr (bsy6****)
yep… i see… mmhm… by any chance… do you know how to make that coffee…? i-i never get constipation, it’s my friend’s friend’s friend that is constipated… i’ll say it again but i never get constipation!!!!

(sko7****)
um… m-ms. author… did you get ptsd from the hate comments… or from constipation…??

chis****
does dalgona coffee actually work for constipation? @.@

HELPPPP i’m dying at the fact that her business might blow up, not bc of the great ideas for food she tried, but bc it helps constipation hAGLKDSDFJ protect our main character fr HGHAHDSFFD

i love how unpredictable this story is fr gGHSDFLKFJ but also i have to say wtf ???? this world has no taste fr like ok i get not liking croffles or fatcarons bc ok, maybe u don’t like savoury things but YANGNYEOM CHICKEN ??? FRIED CHICKEN ???? HUH ????? and it’s the way NONE of them worked too like bro i would’ve thought at least SOME worked bc sure some ppl might not like savoury or sweet, but they have to like SOMETHING ghsdfldkfjdfs LMAOOO and comparing the pearls in bubble tea to frogs’ eggs GSDLFKFDSJFD (psa but bubble tea is in fact from taiwan, not korea GHSDLKFJDFS)

also a reminder to be nice in comments bc u never know if a character of that novel is reading it 😡

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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The joy of finally selling 10,000 shares lasted even shorter than I expected. To be more precise, emotions that were greater than joy kept rushing into my mind.

Late at night, when everyone had already fallen asleep. I sat alone in my bedroom and messed up my innocent hair once again.

“What the hell, seriously!”

No matter how much I mulled over it, the absurdity of it was endless. It wasn’t just happy about selling 10,000 shares for the first time, but also at the reward that was given. Without even a sense of shame, I had answered loudly in front of Leonon. 

But what was important was what the reward contained. Wasn’t a reward literally a ‘prize’ or something that had a corresponding value to it? It had always been like that, so of course I thought it’d be like that this time as well. 

But to think that it was a sudden kiss. It used such an unreasonable way to direct it too.

“It’s ridiculous. What sort of reward is that…”

I was speechless at my memory of that moment that vividly came to my mind. That unbelievably soft feeling, that long golden hair that gently brushed against my forehead, and that refreshing scent that permeated the tip of my nose…

“Ah, why do I keep thinking about it?!” I frantically shook my head and tried to cut off my thoughts quickly, but my heart was already pounding loudly, as if it were a beating drum. 

I was just sitting, but I felt hot somehow. I stormed over to the windows and turned the handles, opening the shutters. Then, a cool wind blew in, as if it had just been waiting.

“Haa…” I finally calmed down after some cold air.

‘Now that I think about it, he only said that cookies would be given as a reward, and didn’t mention the way they worked how it would be decided.’

Staring at the particularly bright moon in the night sky today, I became lost in thought. The reason I didn’t have many questions about cookies so far was because I thought it was just a reward for selling a lot of stocks. And every time I used it, it helped me a lot. But I wouldn’t have used it so easily if I had known that such an absurd situation could also be given as a reward.

“It’s fortunate that this only happened with the Commander, if this happened with someone else, then obviously…” I was shocked at the words I had unknowingly uttered and closed my mouth hurriedly.

“You must be crazy! Words can turn into seeds¹!” I was taken aback and flicked my hand back and forth violently in the empty air. After struggling like that for a while, I was finally able to catch my breath.

In any case, there’s no way that this situation won’t happen again. So what exactly is a cookie, and will it affect my selling of shares if I don’t use it? It didn’t matter whether or not I could use them whenever I wanted to. Right now, my first priority was to find the answers to these questions. 

And there was only one person who could tell me. 

“Winnard.” I said his name quietly. But nothing happened for some reason. 

What, why is it still so quiet? Did you not hear me because I said you name too softly?

“Winnard!” I called out quite loudly this time, but I couldn’t even see a baby ant.

The same thing happened again, no matter how many times I called out. Although it hadn’t even been more than a few times yet, I obviously thought he would come since he used to show up every time I called him previously. 

“No way, don’t tell me… did something happen to him?”

My mind was filled with anxiety and uneasiness. Perhaps that was also something that was natural. 

Last night, he had said that it was possible to take a look at another main character candidate, ‘Sable Lilly’, because her guide had received disciplinary action and was currently under probation. What if that became a problem and Winnard also received disciplinary action…?

I turned around quickly. I looked in every corner of the room, but there was no sign of suspicion anywhere. Nevertheless, I still kept feeling nervous. It seemed like there were other candidates that were holding their breath and spying on me from somewhere. What if one of them had bad intentions…?

“Winnard…!” It was when I called out his name in earnest once again.

“Oh, my bad.” An urgent voice sounded from behind me. 

I turned my head in delight, and sure enough, Winnard was there, standing where there had been no one before. 

“What the hell, why’d you come so late?” I rushed to his side with a smile. The tension that was weighing down on my body melted away miraculously. This was the first time I had been so happy.

“Tada!”

「Total shares sold: 24,000 shares.」

I immediately opened the system window that I had been planning to show him when he came. Perhaps it was because he was the only one I could brag to, but every time I saw his face now, I would immediately start showing off how many shares I had sold.

“How is it, huh? How do you like that?”

I was very proud of myself when I saw the change in the first digit of the total number. I was so proud my shoulders ended up trembling from narcissistic laughter. 

“Good, very good.” 

At the seemingly satisfied voice, my back straightened unconsciously. “Ha, don’t ask me how I earned it. Just know that I went through a lot.”

As soon as I began to shake my hand in resignation and talk too much, a hypothesis flashed through my head for some reason. 

“Heok, no way…!” A bewildered scream popped out of my mouth. “D-Did you perhaps see it too?!”

Instead of answering me, he avoided my eyes for no reason with an awkward expression on his face. Seeing that, I knew instantly without even having to hear it directly from him. 

Unable to overcome the embarrassment, I stomped my feet and covered my red face with both hands as I heard his nonchalant voice sound out. “It’s okay, I don’t care.”

But it’s not okay! It’s me that cares, me! Damn it! So this is how my dark history is being repeated today.

“By the way, what did you call me over for today?” Whether or not it was because he was actually being considerate of me, who was suppressing this bitter medicine that had been given to me, or whether he was actually busy or not, his tone was crisp and businesslike.

It was only then that I actually had a good look at him. A white shirt made of silk and a gold jacket with garnet buttons, as well as a kravat that had a large ruby accessory on it. Although he was normally well dressed as well, he seemed to be dressed even better today. Are you going to a party or something…?

“Oh, I have something I’m curious about. You know about the bonus cookies, right? Do I need to use it right away if I receive it? This isn’t a question that meddles in a candidate’s affairs, right? If it’s alright, please answer me…”

“No.” His reply was so short that it made my meticulously formulated additional reasoning completely insignificant. “You can use it whenever you want to.” 

Winnard added with a light nod, “Since it’s a bonus cookie, just like its name. You’ve already used it before, right?”

I then remembered the time when I had fled from the Duke’s mansion. When I had used the cookies later, smoke had suddenly risen from the mansion. 

“Any other questions?”

Suddenly completely conscious of his words, I cautiously scrutinised him. Staring silently at those emerald eyes of his that were always filled with curiosity and mischief, I opened my mouth. “Where are you normally when you come here?”

It was a rather impulsive question. But it was also something I had been curious about all along. How do you pass your time when I don’t call for you, do you have a separate residence, where do you get so many clothes and accessories from to the extent where they’ve never overlapped, whether you even sleep and eat regularly like me, et cetera. Truthfully, I had a lot of questions about him.

Winnard’s eyebrows furrowed faintly for a moment at the sudden question before I glimpsed a brief ghost of a smile on his lips. “Is this really the time for you to be curious about something like that, Lorella? If it were me, I’d be busy just paying attention to selling shares.”

The reply that came back to me was a frigidly simple answer. It seemed to be a very clear confirmation that even though we shared the same goal, apart from that, there should be a clear and definitive distance between the two of us.

As I stood there blankly and blinked both eyes, Winnard straightened his body which had been leaning against the door previously. 

“May I leave if you don’t have any other questions for me?” he whispered softly with a bright smile. “You did well this time as well, Lorella. Call me again whenever you need me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind suddenly blew in, which was a complete contrast to his amiable tone. Somehow having been left alone at some point, I looked around the empty room for a moment before taking a big breath in. 

For some reason, I felt like the inside of me was filled with an awkward and unpleasant feeling.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

‘I’ll be the one to invite you next time.’

In what right mind did I make such a promise to Commander Leonon? It was only later that I realised I had made such a ridiculous suggestion.

“Who the hell can I invite to a house like this…?!”

Because I had to settle the debt, there were holes here and there all over the wall, all of the tableware had chips in them, and there wasn’t even a sofa where you could comfortably sit on.

“Regardless of shares or anything else, I have to make money first!” 

To think that I had to worry about my livelihood when selling shares was already too much. The main characters of other transmigration novels were able to live quite luxuriously without having to worry about their livelihood, but why did only I have to go through this sort of trouble? 

However, it’s too early for me to fall into despair. Since I also had a plan.

Just how many times had I seen how main characters that were penniless made money, and how they had uplifted their household and made them known? Fufu, now it’s my turn to show you all!

As soon as day broke, I called for the butler and asked for two things. The first was to be prepared to greet visitors in the morning, and the second was to make preparations to go out to the city after that.

The guest arrived with good timing, after I had enjoyed a leisurely bath and finished a late breakfast. He was a dealer who specialises in collecting jewels. He had become an acquaintance since he was the one I had sold back the luxury goods to in order to pay off our debt. 

I sat across from him and silently held out a heavy silk pouch. The man removed his circular glasses and slid them to the tip of his nose. Then, he poured out the contents of the pouch onto a white cloth and carefully examined each one. After a while, a bright smile bloomed on his face.

“These are of superb quality. I’ll buy them right away.”

Those had been the accessories I had been wearing when I had escaped from the Duke’s mansion. It was my entire fortune that I had hidden until the end.

Although it had been a gift from other nobles from when I had gotten married, I was rather fed up with it, since rather than having good memories of it, just having it with me reminded me of the past two years. However, since the gift was given to the ‘Duchess’ despite me only being one in name, it was still a good item, so the transaction was carried out quickly. The empty wooden safe was soon filled with gold coins.

“No matter where you go, it’ll be hard for you to come by the price I’ve given you again. Please call me again next time, since I gave you such a generous price.” The man left with a polite farewell and returned.

Although my ears and neck felt rather empty, a fairly satisfactory amount of money was in my hands instead. I held the box of gold coins in my arms and looked around the needlessly spacious room. Although I could buy a luxurious tableware set or decorate the drawing room exquisitely with the gold coins I had now, that still wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem. 

“Miss, the carriage is ready for you.” The butler’s voice was heard from outside the drawing room just in time. 

I picked up my outdoor shawl, raising up the corners of my mouth. This would be the first step of my greatest plan yet.

* * *

After getting on the carriage, I headed to a small bakery located in the corner of the city. I had once eaten a cake here when I had stayed in the temple and it had been so delicious that I had even asked the priest for the name of the bakery. There was no other place that was more perfect than here for my plan.

When I opened the door and entered the shop, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron rushed out to greet me. “Welcome.”

I nodded at her and glanced around the store. There were only six tables. It seemed like the inside of the shop was small since there were many customers who ordered the food to-go.

Well, to be fair, everyone, even the employees of the Mayred County who were located quite far from here, was aware of the bakery’s ability, so the interior didn’t matter very much. The simple interior that wasn’t fancy at all seemed to be a reflection of the patissier’s skills.

Looking around, I said with a smile, “I actually came to find the patissier of this place.”

“That’s me. What seems to be the problem…?” she asked cautiously, looking at my clothes. 

I knew it. From baking the bread to serving the customers, she did everything by herself. 

That was when the woman’s hand which had severe calluses on it caught my eye. There were also a few severe scars that remained on the back of her hand, as if it had been burned by something from somewhere. It was obviously the hand of a master artisan. It would be a scam if this wasn’t a good restaurant!

I held out my pouch of gold coins with a friendly smile in an attempt to diminish her vigilance. “I came because I wanted to make an investment in this place.”

“What?!”

“I’ve tasted the dessert here before, and the taste is absolutely unforgettable.” Her ears quickly turned red when I praised her with a thumbs up. 

At this point, I also didn’t forget to grab onto the opportunity and quickly poured out my next words. “I’ll just quickly cut to the chase. With the money I’ve invested, I hope that Mrs. Patissier is able to make a new menu and sell it. With the condition that the net profit is divided between the two of us by exactly one half. What do you think? It doesn’t sound too bad, right?”

The patissier stood there and listened to me, then pointed me to an empty seat first. Then, she said with a bewildered expression on her face, “I’m grateful for the offer, but it’s just too sudden.” She even shook her head violently side to side. It was clear to anyone who saw that this was a person who was saying no.  

“As you can see, our store is small and the location isn’t very good. Besides, I can’t afford to release a new menu, even if you invest now.” 

But you wouldn’t have directed me to a chair if it wasn’t even the slightest bit tempting. 

“Naturally… I’m confident in my skills though.”

That last comment she made gave me even more hope. 

“That’s alright, since that’s more than enough.”

I took out the papers I had brought from the mansion. Although the picture didn’t look very similar to the actual thing, it was a dessert design that I had worked diligently on last night. “I’ll give your skills wings.”

She stared at the designs with wide eyes and asked in a trembling voice, “W-What is all this? Will this sort of thing… really sell?”

“Of course it will sell.”

“I’ve worked in this industry for a long time, but I’ve never heard or seen this sort of dessert before.”

Eyes full of doubt and an uneasy voice. But I was just that full of confidence. 

“Don’t worry. Since I’ve seen a few sisters suddenly get rich with this.”

“Are there really people like that…? Oh, are you perhaps from abroad?”

“Well, you could see it like that! Anyways, just trust me!”

Wasn’t this just groundless confidence? No, far from it. Since I had a buff that no one else had. It’s a buff that’s called ‘being a transmigrator’. No one knows as much as I do about how to make money in Rofan² novels! I could already picture myself raking in the money. 

“Fufufu.” 

A laugh that couldn’t be held back still kept leaking out despite the hand that was covering my mouth.

* * *

The so-called <Making money is the easiest in Rofan!> project was launched in no time. It didn’t even take very long since I had invested in someone who had excellent skills. 

The morning sunlight was pouring in brilliantly on the day the new menu was to be introduced. The inside of the store was already bursting with a sweet smell. The beautiful sight of the white vanilla ice cream melting on the steaming flat croissant was enough to make my mouth water. Next to it were large macarons, each one beautifully packaged and displayed like jewels.

Just one bite. Yeah, just one bite and it’ll be a hit!

I clenched my fists and personally opened the store’s door. First, I planned for it to go viral with the regular customers of the bakery. Since not only the commoners, but also the nobles were apparently quite fond of visiting here, I had a chance to make it big this way.

Shortly after opening, the bell on the door shook with a cheerful diriring sound. The first person to visit the bakery was an elegant old lady who was also accompanied by a maid.

“Welcome!” I rushed over and greeted them with a big smile. 

“Oh my, it’s someone I haven’t seen before!”

“Yes, I’ve come to help with the new dessert that just came out. Would you like to try a taste?” And quickly placed a small plate in front of her. “This is a croffle³ that’s famous abroad…”

“Goodness, what is this?” But contrary to my expectations, she frowned and cut me off. “Bread that’s been pressed flat, was this a result of an error in the baking process?”

“What? N-No. If you just take a bite first, it’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside…”

“Furthermore, the cream on top is melting all over it… My apologies, but I don’t feel like eating it at all.”

Huh? I-It’s not supposed to go like this though?

Flustered, I hurriedly put down the plate of croffle. This time, quickly picking up a packaged fat macaron. “Then how about this one? This is a fatcaron⁴ that can only be eaten in a faraway country…”

But somehow, the frown on the old madam’s face got even deeper. “It seems to be intended as finger food judging by the individual packing, but it’s not easy for someone who’s old like me to take a bite if it’s that big. I don’t like it when my mouth and hands are messy when I eat either.” She shook her head.

Th-This can’t be happening! There’s no way K-food can fail! All the other main characters in Rofan were clearly successful though! I saw it several times, over and over again!

“I-It may look like that, but you’ll definitely change your mind after eating it. So could you just give it a little taste?” 

I followed her around and begged her. But the old madam only chose the products she wanted, completed the transaction, and left quickly. 

After that, customers have been streaming steadily into the store. There was a couple on a date, as well as a mother with a child.

“Mr. Customer, you’ll definitely change your mind after taking a bite. Please.” I begged, following after the little brat. “Just one bite, okay?”

But the brat was too cruel. “Mom! This noona⁵ keeps telling me to eat bread that looks like the bottom of my shoe!”

Looking at the back view of the child who had turned his back to me coldly and ran back to his mom, I let out a mournful cry, “Please, just one bite~!”

[1] 말이 씨가 된다 = words said without any intention can sometimes lead to unexpected results 

[2] recap but rofan is an abbreviation of the genres ‘romance + fantasy’ and usually refer to novels that are in that european historical nobility setting with magic in that world as well (so most transmigration stories like this)

[3] flattened croissant with a waffle press served with either ice cream or cream on top.

[4] macaron with extra thick filling

[5] used to refer to older females (used by males)

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author’s note

one bite fairy

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naver comments

끄댕이 (timi****)
haa, look at our lorella… she’s crying because a kid isn’t eating it… don’t cry unnie, if unnie’s the one that made it, then i’ll definitely eat it, even if it tastes like the bottom of my shoe…

dryadalis (jane****)
it’s not obvious… i love it so much ahGLKDSJFDFJSDSJF

the truth of pure, cute, sexy, and decadence (love***)
haa… there’s no way winnard isn’t a male lead candidate!!! no matter how i look at it, he’s definitely a male lead candidate if the female lead’s heart hurts!!!!?

lorella is giving me second hand embarrassment but i highkey love her shamelessness GHSDLFKJDS girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to survive in a transmigration elimination novel hGSLKFJDSF

also i like how this didn’t go how it typically would with the fl being able to earn money with food and what not lmAOOOOOO HALSDFKJDSJ
ALSO not the kid comparing a croffle to the bottom of a shoe hELPPPPPP i mean with the illustration i can sort of see it bc of the icecream melting like hGLSDKDFSJ pls someone help lorella with plating and presentation fr hALSDFKDFSJ

ALSO I’VE GONE ALL IN WITH WINNARD STOCKS FROM THE START HE’S DEFINITELY THE MALE LEAD MARK MY WORDS GHSDLFKDFJ

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

t/n
hi, so some clarification with what it means to buy shares/stocks: readers often ‘invest’ in a certain character who they want the male lead to be and in a sense, buy that character’s stocks.

so for example: god i’m a whore for the cold and obsessive male lead trope periot is! i’m going to go all in and invest everything into periot QAQ my cold duke of the north, let’s only have a happy road ahead from now on, i will only buy periot stock from now on ❤

---

It bothers you? 

My heart started to beat to its fastest. My muddled mind struggled by itself to somehow come to the most plausible conclusion. 

No way, is that why you had such a vague expression on your face when you took the cloak… no, no. He does know what circumstances I’m in, so it could bother him if I might have run into Periot and his subordinates again. If we’re talking about Leonon’s nature, then it’s definitely a possibility. How could he be so thoughtful?

It was just when I was about to tell him not to worry and that it wouldn’t happen for a while. 

Again, Leonon whispered deeply, “And…”

As I lifted my head to follow his voice, my vision was filled with his eyes that were blue like the sky.

“It also worries me that you might not have anyone you can trust and reveal your true feelings to in the County.”

“Uh…”

…There’s a maid, Joy. However, my face was so hot that I couldn’t find it in me to reply and simply bowed my head instead. 

I wanted to continue the conversation naturally somehow, but the inside of my throat was slightly ticklish, as if someone was brushing against it with a feather. The feverish heat that originated from my heart started to spread to every corner of my body.

The swing was still swinging at a pleasant pace. In the midst of the silence, a pleasant scent wafted to the tip of my nose as the swing moved back and forth.

After a moment of silence, Leonon was the one who opened his mouth first.

“I’m sorry for saying something so pointless.”

When I turned my head again, he was staring straight ahead with his face stained completely red. I was a bit disappointed for some reason at the fact that his gentle gaze toward me had already disappeared. 

I quickly shook my head. “No, you managed to cheer me up.”

“That’s very good news.”

Only then did Leonon’s eyes turn to me again. I smiled broadly as our eyes met. My heart began to pound much louder than before.

Ding dong!

「‘This area’s hype king’ purchases 500 of Lorella’s shares out of sheer frustration.」

「Please! Make! Out! Already!」

And as if it had only been waiting for the right moment… the system window suddenly went wild. 

Ding dong!

「‘This area’s hype king’ refuses to stop and purchases an additional 700 of Lorella’s shares.」

「Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out! Make out!」

It was a message that was almost completely insane. The same message was sent over and over again, as if they couldn’t get enough just by sending it once. 

You want me to make out with him? In this sort of situation?!

I clenched my fists so hard that they turned white and let out a scream in my head internally, ‘I can’t do it! I really can’t do it!’

I might’ve been able to rush in and act crazy if I didn’t have any positive feelings toward Leonon. But I didn’t want to take advantage of the person who had truly comforted me, and furthermore… even I’m having a hard time right now! I feel like my heart is going to explode! 

But my mind soon began to waver like the swing that was still shaking back and forth. Can… I really not do it? Even though my life is at stake? I just saw a rival selling 50,000 shares at once. Is there really a reason not to do it?

A trick came to my mind in a flash as I was repeatedly mulling over my internal discord with complex feelings.

‘If I truly can’t do it, I just have to pretend to do it, right?’ 

Wouldn’t he catch me if I fell off the swing? At that time, if I just got a bit closer, and if I leaned just a bit closer, wouldn’t my lips touch his chin? If my lips landed there, then I could probably cover it up as a mistake. 

In addition, it was a great location for ‘the hype king’ to go wild over. It would look like a kiss from that angle if I went a little further, so it’d be a shame if it failed. They would definitely not be able to endure not buying shares over something like this! 

The smile on my face suddenly seemed to transform into one that was filled with malicious intent. I sneaked a glance at Leonon. …However, contrary to my feelings, my face flushed an insane hue of red when our eyes met once again.

“Are you getting off now?”

My actions in playing on the swing had gotten more sluggish as I strengthened my resolve. The quick-witted Leonon had noticed this and grabbed the swing to stop it.

“Yes…” But only a voice so soft that no one else but me could hear came out of my mouth, perhaps because I was nervous. 

I took another breath as I watched him tilt his head slightly, as if he didn’t hear me.

That’s when it happened.

Ding dong! 

「‘This area’s hype king’ purchases 10,000 of Lorella’s shares by going all in with coins! It’s a new record! A cookie has been backed as a reward.
Would you like to receive it now?
1. Yes. 2. No.」

1, 10,000 shares?!

“Yes!!!”

I was so surprised that I answered in a voice that was loud enough to resonate from every corner of the greenhouse…

Ding dong!

「The cookie has been used.」

Huh? Without even any time for me to spare being flustered, a resounding crack suddenly sounded from above my head.

“Ahhhh!” 

“Lorella…!”

My body plummeted toward the ground in an instant. At that moment, I could see Leonon stretching his arms out towards me urgently. I almost instinctively jumped into his arms. And then…

“…!”

…Something warm and soft was then pressed against my lips.

The sound of a bell seemed to be ringing from somewhere faraway, and the square window that was emitting light began to flash incessantly before my eyes. 

But none of that seemed to register in my mind. 

The only thing I could focus on was the ticklish and warm feeling of his breath through the gap of our lips that touched softly.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Wait a moment.

…Wait a moment!!!

“Ah!” 

The moment both of our lips touched each other, a brief exclamation escaped from my lips out of sheer shock. At the same time, I quickly retreated from the firm torso that had been supporting my body earlier. 

My whole body seemed to be burning red, and I felt as if my heart was not only beating in my chest, but also in my fingertips and toes too. I bent my waist forward so frantically to the point where my forehead nearly touched the ground.

“I’m so sorry…!”

Even though it was an unexpected accident, I still couldn’t lift my head up righteously since I had technically premeditated it too. It really felt like I had committed treason. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t mean to attack you like this!

“I-It’s fine.”

“I will try not to make any more mistakes…!”

“It’s okay. It was just an accident.”

However, contrary to his words, Leonon’s face, which had already turned as red as a ripe apple, did not look as if it were okay at all.

“I’m still very sorry though!”

“I’ll be even more sorry if you keep acting like this.”

Both my trembling voice, and his voice which had already subsided completely, came out one after the other, as if we were singing a duet. 

That’s when it happened.

Ding dong!

I was startled by the sound of the bell. And then what unfolded in front of me… was an unbelievable sight.

「‘This area’s hype king’ rubs their nose as they smile proudly. It was the most precious cookie in the world.」

「‘Banned¹ HODLer² purchases 3,000 shares while becoming a menace. Green window³, please look away.」

What’s going on here right now…? Banned HODLer? Who the hell are you?!

As my shaking pupils skimmed over the system window, at that very moment, I saw Leonon standing stiffly like a statue behind the window and holding his lips to the back of his hand.

Argh! 

As soon as I saw his face burning like scorching hot charcoal, the red on his face the exact colour of a ripe apple, I let out a silent scream.

At that moment, the greenhouse door suddenly swung wide open as a number of knights rushed in.

“Commander, are you alright?”

“We suddenly heard a scream…!”

They rushed over and began to scour the greenhouse, as if they were searching for something. It didn’t take them very long to find the white branch that had fallen where Leonon and I were standing. A brief silence followed after that for some reason.

“No way… it’s broken?”

“How could this…”

When someone cautiously brought up that issue, the other knights couldn’t say anything, as if they couldn’t believe it. All they could do was alternate looks between the branch that had been broken in two, and me, with their eyes wide open. 

I couldn’t do anything but stare at the floor at their overwhelming gazes. I wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. No, I’d actually rather die!

But then, Leonon, who had been looking down at the ground, suddenly knelt down on one knee.

“…No matter what, it’s strange.”

He carefully picked up the fallen branch off the ground. His eyes were shining so sharply that it was hard to believe that this was the person who had until now, been blushing with shame. 

Feeling nervous for no reason, my gaze also turned to the end of the branch.

…The cut was neat, as if it had been slashed off with a sword. 

I felt like cold sweat was trickling down my back for a moment.

“Are you sure you aren’t hurt anywhere?”

Leonon got up from where he was and approached me. Even if it was only for a moment, the sharp light in his eyes disappeared, his gaze overflowing with concern and tenderness.

“I’m fine…!” I shouted loudly for no reason in an attempt to distract myself. 

He was extremely affectionate, thoughtful, and naive as well, but above all of that, he was even the Commander of the Imperial Holy Knights. As a skilled prosecutor, he was quick witted, with all five of his senses fully developed as well. It would be a huge problem if he examined the branch and found out that I was a bit different to other people. 

For now, it seemed like my first priority should be to avoid this place first. I opened my mouth hurriedly. 

“Oh, th-that’s right. Should we just have tea next time? I think I should take my leave now…”

Leonon looked at me for a moment, then nodded his head. “I’ll go and see you off.”

We stepped out of the greenhouse, leaving the bewildered knights behind us. I tried to be as reticent as I could as we walked back through the hallway. Fortunately, Leonon didn’t bring up anything in particular either. 

When I exited the building, there was already a carriage waiting for me by the curb. It was the carriage I had rode in. The coachman also seemed to recognise me and began to prepare to depart.

“Thank you so much for today. And…” I stood in front of him and bowed my waist. “…I’m sorry!”

Alright, it’s time for me to escape in a legitimate manner! I bit my lip and turned around in a hurry, but then I suddenly heard someone call out my name, ‘Lorella’.

“Please wait for a moment.” 

I had no choice but to stop my foot from descending onto the foothold of the carriage at his urgent tone.

“W-What is it?”

The moment I slowly turned around without being able to conceal my anxiety, the parts of Leonon’s determined face which I had tried not to picture filled my eyes. Those good looking lips that were pressed together neatly. 

Had my lips really been on top of them just then… No, what sort of thoughts are you having in this sort of situation?!

As I swallowed dryly and tried to control my facial expressions, lest Leonon find out what was going on in my head, he quietly opened his mouth. “Will we meet again?”

Even though what he said wasn’t that big of a deal, his face still turned red again.

“What? Oh, of course.”

With a big smile, I nodded in unison with Leonon. Only then did his face seem to glow. 

“I’ll be the one to invite you next time.”

To be honest… I didn’t think I’d be able to come to the Holy Knights’ Headquarters for a while. Maybe after around a hundred years, when the legend of a woman breaking ‘a branch that won’t break, even if a dozen elephants trample over it’ in one go disappears…

“I don’t mind either way, so please decide on whichever one is more convenient for you.”

“Thank you, then see you next time.” I smiled gratefully at his kind consideration and nodded lightly at him.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Following his own words, Leonon reached out toward me as if he intended to escort me. I gently placed my hand over it. But for some reason, he held my hand tightly and didn’t have any intention to release it.

“Commander…?”

The moment the shadow of a cloud drifting by slowly hung over his brightly shining blond hair. A light kiss fell on the back of my hand.

“I’ll be waiting.”

[1] 빨간 딱지 (literal translation is ‘red label’) refers to labels that signify foreclosure, bans, etc. in this case i’m guessing it refers to when an account gets banned or restricted on social media.

[2] 존버단 is a slang word that has been used a lot in the stock market and pubg especially with the approximate meaning of ‘tough it out’, or ‘hold on for dear life’, thus the abbreviation HODL. another example could be kdrama fans who have endured X years of waiting for another season (SCARLET HEART QAQ)

[3] the green window refers to naver, and the ‘red label’ or ‘banned account’ can refer to an account naver has restricted because of their age. so assuming this account isn’t allowed to technically view this since it’s ‘age restricted’ (e.g. r15, etc), it’s telling naver to turn a blind eye and close their eyes.

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author’s note

the hype king returning the favour

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naver comments

yebin (dks2****)
no, there’s no way this person can be the second male lead, that can’t happen, you have to make him the male lead

hyein (henn****)
i’ll cry if he’s the second male lead

kim seok jin’s team won’t lose (cind****)
i will buy all of this man’s stock, please be happy with this man

tutu (take****)
if my beautiful blond who is like a gift from the sun to me is a second male lead… i’ll shit myself

everyone say thank you hype king !!!!!!! rlly sacrificed some coin for progression of the plot SLAYYYYY thanks for ur sacrifice soldier HGLDSKFJDFS

also banned hodler’s name was a literal ASSCRACK to figure out how to tl there was like three slang words in it and i literally scoured namuwiki for it i almost cried

ne ways, i’ll be including some of the korean comments i found funny in every chapter from now on (until the story ends and the author locks the whole story GHLSDFKJDF QAQ)

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

When I hesitated and stood frozen to the spot, blushing and unable to say anything, Leonon had a look of realisation on his face shortly and moved to the side.

“Let’s talk comfortably inside instead of standing like this. Come on in, Lorella.”

“Oh, right.”

But there was still nowhere I could look. It was all because… I felt like I’d only keep looking at him if I even took so much as a glance at him.

I cautiously held out the cloak I had in my hand after agonising over it for a moment. “If you’re okay with this…”

The cloak Winnard had draped over me at dawn was very long, perhaps because it was made for men, and also extremely luxurious. It would probably suit Leonon too.

“Huh? What’s this for…?”

“It’s quite windy today.” I raised my hand to point at his open shirt that was fluttering in the wind at that very moment.

“This…” Leonon looked down and hurriedly buttoned up his shirt. But his sweat-soaked shirt still stuck against his firm chest, so there was still nowhere for me to look.

“I apologise for showing you such a discourteous appearance.” Completely flustered, the entire area around his neck was dyed red as he hastily gifted me an apology. “I’ve even ended up showing you this sort of disrespect since I’m only used to dealing with unruly knights…”

“What disrespect, this much is nothing.”

I shook my head lightly, smiling as naturally as possible so as not to embarrass Leonon any further.

Ding dong!

「‘This area’s hype king’ is seized by terror and shock and purchases 600 of Ms Lorella’s shares.」

「Sister, what exactly do you think you’re doing right now? Why the hell are you trying to cover up such a good thing? I’m in front of your house right now. Just open the door for a bit, okay?」

I quietly took a deep breath in at the sudden message. I wouldn’t have known which point had sold the share if I saw this yesterday, but I could guess what the reason was now.

‘As expected, it’s that.’

I received an extremely big tip from these messages that were ‘comments’. Because it played a decisive hand in helping me infer the identity of ‘them’, which I had previously only been able to form a conjecture on. Now, their existence felt closer to me than anyone else, for me, who had shouted ‘next chapter!’ at the tense push and pull and playing hard to get of a chapter.

A reader knows a reader’s heart the best. What they wanted was as clear as if they had raised their hand. The me today was not the same as the me of yesterday who would be easily swayed by these messages!

I closed the window quickly and smiled brightly at Leonon. “Were you in the middle of training just now? I heard the sound of training when I was walking around earlier.”

“Yes, that’s right. I always go and observe their training as long as I’m free, but in the end, I’m unable to just observe them without getting involved…”

“Feel free to use it if you don’t despise it.”

I draped the cloak over the arm of Leonon, who was standing there as if he were insensitive to the weather. It was an act that had nothing to do with selling shares. Even if he had already buttoned up his shirt, I was still concerned that he might catch a cold from the chilly early morning air since he was still sweaty.

“Thank you.”

But contrary to his own words, Leonon did not wear the cloak. He just looked at it being draped over half his hand. The change in his expression was subtle, as if something had happened.

“What’s wrong?”

I was a bit flustered. Although I had already checked it over in advance before handing it over to him, it seemed to still have some dirt on it that had remained undiscovered by me.

“…it’s nothing.”

Leonon handed me the cloak back after a while and smiled softly.

“It’s not that cold.” Despite his beautiful smile, his voice was unusually stiff.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

Although the hand that escorted me was just as friendly as always, I couldn’t help but doubt the peculiar appearance he had just shown me.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Tilting my head once more, I quietly followed him inside.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“Wow…”

Although I had also been inside the Headquarters of the Holy Knights during my stay in the temple, it was my first time entering into such a deep part of it. The interior of the Holy Knights’ Headquarters was just as splendid and sacred looking as the temple. It was so neat and tidy that it was hard for me to believe that this was a place where knights were living together.

The most important among them all was the hall of the main building where the Knights’ Commander’s office was located. Even though I knew it was a place not just anyone could enter, Leonon willingly guided me there and asked me to wait there for him to change his clothes and come out. 

The hall was constructed in a wide fan-like shape, with a heavy mahogany door behind it underneath a luxurious chandelier. Endless rows of tall decorative cabinets were lined up along both walls, and inside of them were a countless number of swords that felt as if they had seen time flow through the ages. From the colourful jewels embedded in the handles and scabbard, to the freshly sharpened blades that seemed to be able to cut you if you just so much as brushed against it. 

Even someone like me, who was an outsider, could feel the tremendous energy coming from these swords that were clearly more than just decorative ones. I kept staring at them for a long time before I heard the door opening behind me.

“You’ve waited quite a while, Lorella.” 

Strolling up to me was Leonon, who had changed back into his usual uniform. Seeing a refreshing smile on his lips, just like usual, I ascertained what I had felt earlier just to my mood. 

“This is where we keep all the family heirlooms that have been handed down from generation to generation in the Berhardt family.” 

He kindly provided an explanation, as if he had seen me snooping around the cabinets earlier. 

“You’ve come after much trouble, so would you like to take a closer look inside? I’ll show you around.”

“Yes, that sounds good!” I nodded quickly, my eyes twinkling.

“How about having tea together after that as well?”

“Yes, that sounds good as well…!”

Nod, nod, nod. Like a wooden doll with a bobble head constantly moving its head up and down, I nodded continuously at his words.

‘At first, I only came here because of panic, but coming here seems like a good decision in the end.’

I had that thought since my heart seemed to be incredibly at ease. The gap between me and my rival, which made me depressed just by thinking about it, the fatigue of pulling an all nighter, and the worries that made my head throb all melted away in front of his gentle smile.

“If you exit this hall and cut across the hallway at the end, you’ll see a large greenhouse. It’s an extremely beautiful sight, so let’s start the tour from there.” 

After he said that, Leonon led me around slowly after dismissing the guards around the area. There were only the two of us walking in the wide hallway. I couldn’t even hear any footsteps due to the soft carpet in the hallway. 

As I walked along the majestic pillars engraved with the sculptures of brave knights, I heard a low yet warm voice in my ear, “…are you sure you’re alright?”

“Oh, yes.” I quickly flashed a smile at him upon realising the actual meaning behind his question. 

“Thank you for your letter. To be honest, I was going to send you a reply first, but… when I came to my senses, I ended up making the mistake of coming to visit you so discourteously. I just wanted to tell you that I was very thankful for your concern.” 

“What discourtesy, it’s not like that at all. After all, I did tell you that you could come and find me any time. It’s just that…” Leonon paused and continued with an even graver expression on his face. “Your face is still filled with anxiety, so your heart must ache even more. You don’t seem to have slept properly either.”

“Oh, that’s…” 

I couldn’t find the words to reply to his sharp observations. Was it that obvious? I pinched my own face unconsciously.

“I heard that Periot not only led his own soldiers into the mansion, but also detained Count Mayred in the North. How audacious must he have been, to even use your own family as hostages…” 

Leonon’s voice became even deeper. In addition to that, I could see a blue tendon protruding from the back of his hand from him clenching his fist so tightly. 

“So, how about speaking directly to His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Speaking about it to who… what?!”

Unlike me, who was simply shocked by the unexpected name that had popped up, Leonon was extremely serious. 

“I will arrange for you to have an audience with him. If you tell him the whole story, Uncle will definitely take action.”

“N-No, that…”

“I tried to just endure it and watch since I could tell that you didn’t particularly want to go down that route, but it’s gone too far now.”

N-No! There’s no need for the Emperor to personally take out trash like that!

“Commander! Well, the thing is…”

It was clear that Leonon was only aware of the fact that Periot had come to the County, and not what had happened within it. I hurriedly told him the details of what had occurred. Everything, about how I was locked up and then released. 

“Then the debt collectors came to the mansion…”

I couldn’t bear to elaborate on what happened after that, so I lowered my head. My face was flushed red with embarrassment. 

“No way, to think that Count Mayred was that sort of person…” Leonon looked at me for a moment with a look of disbelief, then nodded calmly. “It must have been hard for you.”

“So what I’m saying is… Although I don’t know when that time is, I don’t want to face my brother until the wound in my heart heals.” I added, deliberately lowering my eyes. My voice was even trembling now.

“You might think I’m being weak, but…”

“What do you mean, weak? You’re not, Lorella.” Leonon placed some emphasis on my name. 

“It’s not your fault. There is no one who can criticise you. No, rather, they would think that you were incredible for persevering in such a difficult situation.”

“Do you really think so…?”

“At least that’s what I think. If you really were a weak person, you would have been in a hurry to run away to avoid it.”

His firm answer made my heart flutter. 

Yeah, that’s right, I’m not running away. Rather, I was far from running away, and was trying my utmost best to survive by trying to sell shares in some way or another. 

When I bit my lips and couldn’t continue to speak, Leonon whispered in a voice that didn’t even tremble, “Everything will be fine. No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side.”

His firm but sweet form of consolation touched me greatly. It might’ve escaped my notice at first, but I guess what happened last night had hit me with quite a big shock. Seeing as my eyes were starting to fill up with tears, even at this sort of simple consolation.

I had believed that all of ‘them’ who had bought my shares would be on my side. But they weren’t. They weren’t on anyone’s side, and compared to Sable, I was nothing short of not even worth looking at for them. 

I became furious as I shouted out that they were all traitors, but on the other hand, I felt sad. I even felt like I was an abandoned child. 

But Leonon’s consolation covered all of those feelings. My expectations had been raised to the extent where I thought that even if everyone else turned their back on me, this person wouldn’t do so.

I burst into tears at my indescribable gratitude and emotions. I secretly tried to wipe away the tears around my eyes, but before I could do so, I felt a warm body touch my face.

“When you feel like crying, you should cry as much as you want.”

A friendly smile greeted my face when I looked up. Leonon, who was carefully and tenderly rubbing the area under my eyes for a moment, soon pulled my head gently into his embrace. 

Suddenly, a strong beat coiled around my ears. Seeing as the same vibrations were resounding within me as well, it must’ve been the sound of my heart. 

“N-No… I’m not crying anymore…”

My face became exceedingly hot. Even if I didn’t see it myself, it was obvious my face would’ve been coloured a bright shade of scarlet radish. 

I didn’t want him to see that sort of face of mine, so I pretended not to know and burrowed my face deeper into his arms. 

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

The bell rang like crazy, but I only focused on accepting his patting hand without even glancing at the screen.

* * *

“Wow…”

My jaw dropped again as soon as I entered the greenhouse. Just like Leonon had said, it was a place so beautiful it was enough to make my eyes widen. 

The sight of tender, verdant shoots of greenery that sparkled and emitted a green light from all directions was so refreshing it seemed like my heart was washed anew just by looking at it while the rare and colourful flowers that I had never seen before were in full bloom, as if they were showing off their elegant appearance. However, the most eye-catching of them all was an old tree that was nestled in the middle of the greenhouse. 

“Do you like it?”

“Yes! It’s my first time seeing such a beautiful place.”

As I was swinging my head back and forth, immersed in the sights, I spotted an inconspicuous swing hanging underneath the old tree. As if he had noticed where I was looking, Leonon smiled and led me there. 

“It’s the Knights’ Sacred Tree. It was originally a pair of trees, but one day, one of them was struck by lightning, and only one remained. The swing is made from the burnt lumber that remained from the other tree. With the hope that they could be together, even if it’s only possible with this method.”

So it’s like that. The swing that hung from the white branch that stretched out to the side was as if the tree had only been there since it was born. 

But what was really fascinating was actually the branch rather than the swing. The branch, which was white enough to be mistaken for marble, was especially thick, and shiny, more so than the rest.

“Would you like to have a go?”

“I do, but…”

I became a little anxious when I looked up at the swing hanging from the branch, no matter how thick and strong it may be, but Leonon said confidently, “Don’t worry, it won’t break. I check it regularly every time, so it’s safe.”

At his words, I approached the swing hesitantly. However, it wasn’t easy to get on the swing with a dress on since it was higher than I expected, so I hesitated at what I should do. 

“Pardon me.”

My body suddenly floated in the air. Without even giving me time to scream, my body was already on the swing before I even knew it. I quickly grabbed onto the rope of the swing as my body tilted backwards. 

Leonon coughed shyly and quietly changed the subject. “There’s a legend that says that this white branch is actually a unicorn horn instead.”

“A unicorn?”

“Yes. It’s a legendary creature whose horns can withstand the force of dozens of elephants stepping on it and not break. When the first Knights’ Commander cut off its horn and planted it under this tree, the tree then sprouted surprisingly beautiful white branches. Of course, it’s only a legend, but…”

Leonon continued to speak as he gently pushed the swing. “I don’t know if it’s because I grew up using this place as a playground ever since I was young, but I believed the story to be true for quite some time…”

But then he eventually shut up. “I was young back then.”

I could see Leonon’s face turn red as he gave a vague explanation.

“That’s a wonderful legend. I think I’d even believe it too.” 

When I responded with a deliberately big smile, Leonon scratched his temple with an awkward smile still on his face and pretended not to know. 

His appearance was so amusing that I burst into laughter once again. The more I got to know him, the more friendly he seemed to be, yet on the other hand, he also seemed rather boyish. 

But… to think that he was the Emperor’s nephew. Today was the first time I found out that the Berhardt family was actually an imperial household. 

I was far from the high society scene since I was confined in the Duke’s mansion, and no one would tell those sorts of things to someone who was only the Duchess in name. 

Although I was rather curious about the details, I wanted to focus on this moment right now more than anything else. 

This space that only held the two of us. 

There was a strong fragrance that came from the flowers everywhere, a temperature that was neither too hot nor too cold, and a swing that was swinging joyfully back and forth. Being upset all night seemed like a lie all of a sudden. 

…And of course, apart from all that, the system window was also ringing noisily.

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

The bell rang so incessantly that it felt like there was an earthquake.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?” Then, through the clamour of bells, I heard Leonon’s voice.

Again, sensing his somewhat stiff tone, I immediately stopped thinking and quickly answered, “Yes, of course.”

“Who does that cloak belong to? It looks like it’s made for men…” He pointed to the bench on the other side of us. On top of it was the cloak that I had folded up nicely before getting on the swing.

“That… I borrowed it from the coachman.” I answered quickly after a short deliberation. “Since I thought the wind was rather chilly today.”

Although it was something that was too luxurious for a coachman to use, I couldn’t exactly say that it was a cloak that my secret guide gave me, so I simply gave an appropriate answer.

“Oh, I see.” 

In an instant, a smile that resembled a flower in full bloom soon appeared on Leonon’s face. And on top of that, I thought I could see the nape of his neck turning red, just for a moment. 

“…”

There was suddenly an awkward silence. I glanced at him to gauge his reaction, but Leonon’s mouth remained closed and showed no signs of opening, simply continuing to push the swing. 

“It couldn’t have possibly bothered you if it belonged to another man, right?” 

Unable to stand the awkwardness, I ended up speaking first, an exaggerated smile on my face. But the reply that came back to me was rather unexpected.

“…it bothered me.”

“What?”

“I said, it bothers me.”

---

JEALOUS LEONON MWAHAHHAHAHAHA

also are they rlly not gonna talk abt how the first knights commander allegedly cut off a unicorn’s horn,,, ???? like wtHFDSLKFJDFSJ

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

The cry of the owl, which seemed to have sounded out piercingly the whole night, had already subsided at some point in the late night.

Fog began to seep through the dense forest path lined with fir trees. With every step I took, the lower hem of my dress would be dampened by the evening dew from the leaves.

However, it wasn’t long before I had no choice but to stop abruptly again.

Then Winnard, who had been walking by my side without a word, also had to stop as well. He took a few glances at the side of my face before asking in a very cautious voice.

“Should we stop and call the carriage now?”

Instead of replying to him, I sighed heavily…

“Lorella, just how long are we going to keep walking…”

“AHHHHHH!”

I ended up letting out a loud scream at the sky, just like that. As I cut Winnard off, I went even further.

“This bit-”

My anger started to flare up again. However, I was still worried that ‘they’ would hear me if I started to pour out my curses to the sky.

With my pride trampled and unable to voice out my miseries, I became frustrated due to my restrictive circumstances. After looking up at the cloudless night sky in thought with my hands on my waist, I finally settled on kicking an innocent tree with my feet.

“Seriously! I’m so pissed off!”

“Calm down, okay? Of course, I understand why you’re doing this, but you should still settle your emotions right now.”

Winnard continued to comfort me tirelessly. I couldn’t even count how many times this situation had repeated itself anymore.

Although it was a dark forest road that could rely on the moonlight to light the way, I was the one who had suggested that we get some fresh air before getting on the carriage. Otherwise, there would be no way for me to extinguish this blazing anger.

However, instead of calming down, my anger continued to rise without any signs of stopping. We hadn’t even been walking for that long before I’d repeatedly walk a few steps, then kick a tree, then walk another few steps, then kick a tree again. 

I opened the system window and looked at my small, cute, and insignificant amount of shares. The more I did so, the more I kept thinking of the shares of the other candidate that Winnard had shown me.

“50,000 shares? Someone’s gone through such a damn hard time for a few hundred shares, but 50,000 shares?!”

Was it because it wasn’t mine? I didn’t know why it looked so big. No… it was actually a really large amount. Every time I thought about it, my lips would twitch and I would feel a stifling sensation on the inside of my throat.

“Now, now, you’re now not allowed to look at the system window. Why do you keep opening it when you know you’re just going to get even angrier?”

Winnard spoke softly while closing the system window in front of me. However, my anger had already reached its peak.

“What? My sister is so cool? Do everything you want to do?!”

t/n: i changed the tl from ‘has so much style’ to ‘so cool’ bc it just makes more sense. can be interchangeable w/ ‘badass’ too.

Saying they were the hype king, they didn’t even forget to leave out these sort of hype comments!

Besides, to think that even ‘That bastard isn’t the male lead, right’, who I haven’t even seen a trace off, bought 10,000 shares!

Is this how it would feel if I witnessed the betrayal of a loved one? I trembled from the unbearable feeling of jealousy and betrayal.

However, the most shocking thing was ‘A Mansour in cider’, the new name that I had never even met before, had bought a lot of her shares.

If you want, I can also put an IV drip of cider into your blood vessels…!

Bam bam!

Every time I kicked the tree trunk, dry leaves would fall on top of my head.

“She’s fooling everyone. She’s clearly just fabricating a favourable situation that allows her to sell shares!”

Why did she get the man to kneel before at a collapsed building in the middle of the night? What was the point of hiding such a beautiful appearance under a ragged cloak, just to throw it back to powerfully reveal her beauty?!

That was when Winnard muttered softly under his breath to himself.

“I don’t think you’re in the position to say that about other people…”

“What did you say?”

The kick that I had tried to release in a burst of anger stopped momentarily.

He’s… right?

But my embarrassment because of that only lasted momentarily.

“Oi!”

I turned around and gave him a fierce look.

Even if other people don’t know, you shouldn’t say that!

However, this damn guide, whose quick wittedness was second to no one, had already backed too far away for me to even grab ahold of his collar anymore.

“Ah, right. Would you like me to tell you something?”

Annoying people as much as they could bear and then skillfully changing the topic was also one of Winnard’s talents. 

“What is it.”

Go on, give me some useless information! I really won’t let you get away with it this time.

I quietly rolled up my sleeves, measuring the distance between me and him.

“The messages that pop up when shares are sold. They’re called ‘comments’.”

Smiling confidently, Winnard had a look on his face that seemed to say, ‘You didn’t know this, did you?’. On the other hand, upon hearing the familiar word, I even stopped rolling up my sleeves just to stare blankly at him.

“What? Comments…?”

“Such a thing exists. To put it simply, just think of it as a short article in which you express your feelings and opinions.”

No, if you’re talking about comments, then I’ve regularly posted them before…?

My head went blank for a moment at the unexpected words.

They look down at the situation, buy shares, and write comments. The more I repeated those words, the more I could see it overlapping with someone else’s appearance.

…That being me in my previous life.

“Let’s go now. You’ll catch a cold.”

Something warm was draped over my shoulders. When I lifted my head, my eyes met the eyes of Winnard, who had taken off his cloak and put his arms around me, smiling softly.

“S-So…”

So looking at a handsome face right in front of you really won’t offer you any comfort when you’ve really fallen into despair, huh. With such random thoughts in my head, I hesitated before opening my mouth.

“So that villainess who’s my rival didn’t actually sell 50,000 shares… instead, it was all because of the ‘My sister is so cool’ comment…?”

“That’s right.”

The moment I heard such a simple and clear answer, it felt as if a huge shock had been dealt to my brain.

A moan escaped my frozen lips.

“…Huh.”

“Lorella?”

I flopped down and released a cry mixed with despair just as Winnard tilted his head in question.

“Huuu… Uwahhhh!”

My shoulders automatically started shaking due to the cold night air. Although my wet dress stuck to my ankle like an ice sheet, my heart felt even colder than that.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

A bewildered Winnard followed me in dropping to the floor on his knees.

“This is insane…! How am I meant to beat that?!”

“Why are you pretending to cry again… No, wait, are you actually crying?”

Although I could feel a hand struggling to help me up, I couldn’t find the strength to get up. Instead, all I could do was let out a cry that was mixed with frustration.

“Unlike me, she actually feels like a female lead…! Even I would buy her shares if I was a reader!”

“What?”

I realised how big of a mistake it was to think that it was simply a competition in the number of shares sold, and also that other candidates would be people similar to me.

Most of the messages that I had received so far had only been about Commander Leonon or Periot. There had never been a single word about me. Seriously, not even once! 

However, Sable Lilly was different. They said, ‘My sister is so cool’. This means it doesn’t rely on whichever guy she sticks herself to. No, maybe they even think she’s better off without a male lead!

Judging from my experience as a reader and her actions, Sable Lilly was probably… a villainess with a story. Since it’s rare to be a fan of an actual villain.

Perhaps it was the villainess main character cliche, wielding a blade of revenge without shedding any blood or tears, trying to break away from her life where she had only been taken advantage of? Crazy, even I’d binge-read this!

In any case, when I put it all together, I came to the conclusion that she felt like an actual main character. She wasn’t like me, who was only earning shares through my clumsy acting.

First of all, there’s a difference in intensity between an ordinary woman who’s taken over someone else’s body and a villainess with a story!

Someone who feels like a main character and me, who only acts as the main character. Just which side would win?

“Uwahhh…!”

I started to cry again when I asked myself such an obvious question.

Then, I felt a gentle hand patting my shoulder.

“It’s alright, Lorella. You’ve been doing well so far.”

It was all the more depressing for me to hear the warm comfort I normally couldn’t have even imagined to hear. 

“It’s because my shares look so tiny in comparison… Huuuu.”

“Well, I can understand why. The first rival we saw was just that powerful.”

I heard him click his tongue for a moment, as if it were a shame.

“So… you’re going to give up?”

“What?”

“If you think it’s really that hard, then it’s not like I can force you to do it…”

There was a sullen light evident in Winnard’s eyes, which normally always shone with confidence. Heat rose to my face in an instant.

“Giving up, who’s giving up? I don’t have any choice but to do it, no matter what! Anyway, you said I’d die if I didn’t…!”

My pounding heart now felt as if it were about to burst.

Jealousy, envy, sorrow, and even fear. All sorts of emotions that couldn’t be easily defined rushed in like a tidal wave.

“Yes, that’s right.”

A quiet yet low voice landed in my ears once again.

“So, what does my main character want to do?”

I slowly raised my head at his words.

Winnard was looking down at me with his cane tucked inside his arm. The moment my gaze landed on those slightly upturned lips, I suddenly came to my senses.

I shouted while looking at him with burning eyes.

“I can’t give up like this. I’ll show them everything my rivals won’t be able to show! Acting or whatever, I’ll exhaust every one of my means and methods!”

I want to live. I didn’t want to die!

“If I can satisfy all of their different tastes, I’ll certainly be able to earn hundreds, or even tens of thousands of shares!”

Huh? I seem to have heard this from somewhere before though.

However, that sense of dejavu was momentary, an incredibly friendly voice sounding out after that.

“I was just waiting for you to say that. Let’s go somewhere warm for now. It’ll be a big deal if my precious main character gets sick.”

Before I knew it, a large carriage suddenly appeared in front of me. It was the same carriage we were in before.

Fastening the oversized cloak that was about to fall off, I jumped up. Yeah, just being frustrated like this won’t do anything.

“Please don’t forget the resolve you just had. You can definitely become the main character, Lorella.”

Winnard, who was holding my hand as I stepped into the carriage, whispered softly.

“Until that day comes, I’ll never leave you.”

It was a voice so earnest I had never heard it before. However, there was a smile on his lips that was just as sweet as usual, wait no, maybe even more so than usual.

Although it was a smile so charming, it seemed as if it could captivate you, I didn’t have the energy to think anymore.

So I just held his hand tightly and nodded slowly. 

* * * 

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

By the time we finally returned to the mansion, it was already well past dawn.

Winnard disappeared as he always did. Not before saying that he’d erase the coachman’s memory so there was no need for me to worry.

When I arrived at the front door and opened it carefully, I spotted someone rushing out.

“Miss!”

A face that looked particularly haggard due to lack of sleep. It was Joy.

“Just where have you been without telling anyone…!”

Seeing the teary faced Joy, I had the thought that I’d just ask Winnard to teleport next time.

There’d also be times in the future where I wouldn’t be able to tell them where we were going, so I couldn’t make up that many excuses to the servants every time.

“Why are you so pale? Don’t tell me, something bad happened…”

“No. I couldn’t sleep so I just went out to get some air.”

While I gave a dodgy answer, I spotted a luxurious gold envelope sticking out of Joy’s apron pocket.

“What’s that?”

I tried to shift the subject as naturally as I could.

“Oh, the delivery man just came and left. It’s a letter for you, miss.”

“A letter? To me?”

I took the letter she handed me, wondering if there was anyone that could send me this other than those who were urging me to pay back my debt.

I’m pretty sure I’ve paid off all the debt though…

But you never know. Swallowing my rising anxiety, I tore the envelope carelessly without a letter knife.

And not long after reading the letter, my eyes widened.

The letter was sent by Leonon.

The letter, which began with his subordinates telling him that Duke Periot had led his men to the Mayred Country, ended with concern for my safety. With the words, ‘If you’re alright, I’ll be waiting for your reply.’

“Miss, are you alright…?”

As I raised my head at Joy’s worried tone, I spotted a carriage about to depart just over her shoulder.

I ran quickly in front of it to block it. As the startled coachman hurriedly pulled the reins, the two horses reared onto their hind legs, neighing violently.

“It’s dangerous!”

Disregarding Joy’s screams, I opened the door to the carriage and shouted loudly.

“To the Holy Knights of Ecrestus, quickly!”

“Pardon…?”

“M-Miss?”

This time, the bewildered voices of the coachman and Joy sounded in unison. However, I banged my fist against the carriage wall and shouted, brief and loud.

“Set off!”

Soon, the carriage began to move with a rattle. Listening to the sound of the horses’ hooves galloping faster and faster, I clenched my fists so tightly that my palms started to hurt.

* * *

In front of the large front gate of the white marble building, so beautiful that it felt sacred.

I rubbed my face with a feeling of dismay. It was because it was only then that I had remembered that I had come without making an appointment.

As if I had been possessed by something, I had gotten into the carriage without any plans. Although I didn’t know if Commander Leonon was even inside or not, was I even actually allowed to come at such an early time?

I had the thought of asking one of the soldiers standing by the front gate, but then I immediately shook my head at that thought. It was because I had the sudden thought that as expected, it just wasn’t polite to turn up so out of the blue.

Although I had been told that I was welcome to come at any time, no matter what, it was still beyond common sense for me to come and call for him like this all of a sudden.

Just why on earth had I come all the way here without any plans or anything? It was ridiculous. 

Maybe it was because I had just witnessed my rival, Sable Lilly’s performance. Anyway, it was my mistake for not being able to think deeply since I was in a hurry.

However, still not being able to give up my lingering feelings, I asked the coachman to wait around for a moment before wandering around the Knights headquarters for no reason.

From the inside of the walls came a fierce shout. It seemed to be training time.

It was when I had eventually finished my short walk with no gains and was just about to move toward the waiting bay for carriages.

“Lorella, wait…!”

The door opened with a bang from behind as someone urgently called out my name.

Looking back in surprise, I spotted loosely tied blond hair.

“Wait a minute… haa.”

Commander Leonon ran to my side in the blink of an eye. Breathing heavily, he asked for my understanding and put his hands on his waist, bending his body slightly. 

His breath hadn’t been disturbed in the slightest, even when he had been swinging his sword against several assailants. I tilted my head without realising it.

After catching his breath for a while, he smiled in embarrassment and said softly.

“It’s been a while, Lorella.”

“…What? Oh, yes. Hello, Commander.”

Staring at his face in a daze, I greeted him a beat later after receiving his greeting. I was both happy and shocked that he’d appear right as I was about to give up and go back home.

“How did you know I was here…”

“The soldier standing guard at the door saw you and informed me.”

At my cautious question, a smile as bright as the blinding sun poured in along with his answer.

“You came all the way here already, so why did you just want to leave?”

“Ah, that’s…”

My eyes darted back and forth quietly in order to find the words to answer the question that was asked innocently. Thanks to this, I found that the appearance of Commander Leonon was a little different from usual.

Today, instead of his usual white uniform that was devoid of wrinkles, he was wearing black trousers and boots that wrapped snugly around his calves.

As expected, he must have been training too. Given that the buttons on his white shirt at the bottom of his neck area were somewhat loose.

Of all places, my gaze happened to land on his sweaty collarbone that was conveniently right in front of my eyes. Beneath it were… well-sculpted muscles.

His arms, which were exposed under his sleeves that were rolled up, looked equally just as firm.

“W-Well, that’s…”

I lowered my head and parted my lips. But no words came to my mind.

---

a few things this chapter:
idk i love leonon but i always feel like him and lorella’s interactions are always a bit bland. actually nah, i feel that way with periot too.
maybe i’m just biased toward winnard bc i feel like she gets to act the most natural with him GHSDIJDSFDJ

also mood when lorella went a bit crazy over the competition bc ngl if i was in her position i’d be threatened by sable too bc she is actually girlbossing a bit too hard HGSDLKJFSSFD
also the fact that she doesn’t even have a choice too ;-;

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

A large carriage ran non-stop down the road that was soaked with evening dew. In the dark streets at night, there was nothing but the sound of horseshoes and wheels.

With my entire body still within the swaying carriage, I stared out of the window where there was only darkness. And as I gazed at the red hair that was reflected in the glass, I silently rolled the word that had been in my mind since earlier on my tongue.

Rival.

My palms were soaked with sweat once again. When I heard that I was going to meet my rival, I was more anxious than calm, and more fearful than expectant.

It was already expected that I wasn’t the only candidate.

It was a fact that could be seen just by looking at the message that flew through the system window, ‘Sell more shares than anyone else and beat the other candidates to become the main character.’

However, meeting the competition in person was another story. What sort of person were they? Could it be that they were possessed just like me as well?

What was certain was that I’d have to sell more shares than that person, no matter who it was. If I fell behind in the competition, I’d ‘cease to exist’, and I wanted to avoid that ending at all costs.

As I was twisting the hem of my innocent dress for no reason, I suddenly felt a stinging gaze. It was because Winnard, who was sitting across from me, was looking at me.

“Don’t be too nervous.”

He said with a smile as soon as our eyes met.

…How did you know I was nervous? It couldn’t be more like a ghostly intuition.

“Well, it’s because I’m not interested in anything apart from you.”

What the hell. Are you reading my mind too?!

I would have been shy if someone else had said it, but it was suspicious because Winnard was the one who said it.

Come to think of it, I followed him out of curiosity of what kind of person my rival would be, but I still don’t know where our destination is yet.

In order not to let this opportunity slip by me, my questions quickly poured out like rapid fire.

“Where are we going right now? Just who the hell are we going to meet? And… how much did that person sell…?”

“Who knows. You’ll find out when you get there anyways, right?”

However, Winnard just shook his head and gave a vague answer while smiling.

“I can’t tell you because of the rules, Lorella. But of course, I don’t know everything either.”

Again, again with that bastard’s rules!

The only thing that hurts when I bring it up is my mouth. I grumbled for no reason because I felt sulky.

“You don’t even have anything to tell me, and you still call yourself a guide. Just how far are you going to bring people this late at night? Wouldn’t it be better if you just took me straight to our destination in the blink of an eye like last time?”

“At a time like this, I wanted you to get some fresh air, but was it actually pointless in the end?”

The corners of his lips were still curved in a smooth arc as ever before, but something was still a bit suspicious to me.

“We’ll arrive there in a little while. Why don’t you close your eyes if you’re tired?”

…Just look at this. Doesn’t it feel like you’re changing the subject a bit too obviously?

However, instead of questioning him, I just quietly closed my eyes. And while I pretended to sleep, I thought carefully over what he had said.

I wasn’t sure how much of Winnard’s words I should believe. Was it true that guides couldn’t intervene in a candidate’s affairs?

What if he could help me, but just found it to be too bothersome? Are you just trying to turn me into a share selling machine, just like a dog rolling around and doing tricks?!

The suspicion that had emerged once, ended up snowballing in size.

Still, even if that wasn’t the case, there were still a lot of questionable points. Wait no, the truth was that my trust in Winnard had already hit rock bottom, ever since he had pretended not to see me in prison and disappeared.

A handsome face that was flowing with elegance, a charming eye smile, and red lips that were always painted in a smirk. The face that I had praised as being a savior rather than just a guide in my eyes, only looked suspicious now.

‘I guess I just looked like a pushover…’

I gritted my teeth inwardly and took a deep breath.

“Heup…!”

Then, I immediately held my breath and leaned forward, clutching the front of my dress. No, I pretended to fall flat on my face.

“Lorella…?”

I could feel his embarrassment just from his voice which was calling my name. I purposely wept and lowered my head even more.

“I-I can’t breathe… all of a sudden…!”

“What…?”

“To think that I have to be rivals with someone. And with someone I don’t even know as well! Heuk…!”

Surprisingly enough, he, who was normally composed and relaxed, looked startled and carefully placed his hand on my shoulder. Although it seemed like he was about to help me get up so he could get a closer look at my face, I kept my head down forcefully.

“H-Hey, are you alright?! Why are you like this all of a sudden?”

“What do I do if my rival is actually a really good person? What if I finally met my soulmate, but it turns out that they’re my rival…!”

“Why are you imagining such nonsense all of a sudden, Lorella?”

“Actually, I could do it! I mean, I’m an INFP after all, huhuuu…”

“Now what else is this? I can’t do this anymore. Just raise your head up first, alright?”

“Don’t you know about INFP? Timid attention seekers!”

I talked about whatever I wanted, even bringing up MBTIs, which I had been obsessed with in my previous life.

“Heuk, do we have to meet in person? You… hic, can’t you just help me this one time, hmm…?”

It was me who recited embarrassing lines, even in front of Periot, who I didn’t even want to associate with. Compared to that, this much was nothing to me!

Then, a deep sigh came from Winnard’s mouth.

“Listen to me, Lorella. I’ve already said it over and over again, but I can’t. If a guide directly intervenes with a candidate’s behavior, he or she will be disciplined.”

“R-Really?”

…At least it now seemed like rules really did exist.

I focused my concentration on not missing even a single word of his, even as I was producing tears and snot.

“Really. That’s why I’m keeping a low profile now, because the guide of the candidate we’re going to watch has broken the rules. Thanks to you, I can go and watch it secretly like this. Without a guide, the candidate will be exposed to multiple dangers, Lorella.”

“What?”

I lifted my head involuntarily for a moment.

Oops. Tears, tears!

I quickly buried my face in my palms and shook my shoulders again.

“That’s ridiculous…”

“So there’s no choice but for us to follow the rules. Since I have a duty to protect you.”

“Ha… but no one would care about an ordinary candidate like me…”

Winnard tried to soothe me, patting me on the shoulder.

“Ordinary you say? No way. If that were the case, do you really think I would have come to be your guide? As soon as you sold your shares, you were the first to get a cookie reward.”

“Really…? Out of all the hundreds of candidates, am I really the first one…?”

“Of course. And for there to be hundreds of candidates, there’s no way there can be that many.”

“Then how many are there?”

“About that, even I’m not too sure, but what I am sure of is…”

It was then.

As soon as he stopped talking, the hand that was patting my shoulder also stopped.

‘Did I get caught already?’

I had the thought that it was already a complete failure, but I kept on pretending to cry shamelessly without showing it. However, Winnard no longer comforted me, nor patted me on the shoulder.

After a short period of time had passed like this.

“…Ha.”

A low laugh escaped from his mouth.

“Lorella.”

However, the voice saying my name was somehow even lower. Don’t tell me… you’re angry?

“…You’re smart.”

As expected, I got caught. Would I have had to do this if you had just told me sooner?

Wow, aren’t you so quick-witted!

“I look forward to you generously using that brilliant brain of yours to sell shares.”

Is it just my delusion or can I feel a subtle thorn behind those sly words?

“Anyway, you’ve already been caught, so you can lift your head up now, right?”

“…”

“Even if you don’t like it, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Winnard said sarcastically, but I kept my face buried in my hands and remained stubborn.

Only a deep sense of regret filled my throat.

So just what the hell was it that you were so sure of! Can’t you just finish what you were going to say?!

My lips opened and closed by themselves with the urge to pester him for an answer.

The sound of sad sighs constantly leaked out from the gaps in my hands.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Fortunately, that uncomfortable and awkward period of time didn’t last for very long. That was thanks to the carriage soon coming to a stop, not long after.

Winnard, who opened the door and stepped out first, silently held his hand out to me. As soon as he escorted me out of the carriage, he snapped his fingers with a flick. At the same time, the large carriage disappeared without a trace.

After a moment of surprise, I looked at our surroundings and asked.

“Where are we?”

It was a forest devoid of any light. Only the faint sound of an owl’s chilling cry from somewhere brushed past my ears. It seemed like something would pop out of the dense forest.

“Shh, this way.”

Winnard, who put his index finger to his lips in a pretense to tell me to be quiet, took the lead cautiously. We proceeded carefully in the darkness, where we couldn’t even see an inch ahead of us.

I wonder just how long it took for us to walk through such a small forest. The ruins of a small building lay in front of me.

I relied on the pale white moonlight to examine it more closely.

Dome-shaped ceilings with holes here and there, a crumbling wall, and arched doors lined with dried ivy. Did I have a rival in a place like this?

As I looked around the collapsed building, I heard footsteps from inside the building.

“You’ve finally appeared.

Winnard whispered quietly. The tension within me rose once again. I crouched behind the bushes and swallowed dryly.

Just in time, the clouds lifted as the moonlight poured in.

And underneath that, I saw someone of small stature, covered in a large cloak.

‘That woman must be my rival…’

I couldn’t see the silhouette of her body very clearly thanks to the cloak, but I could be certain that she was a woman. That was because every time she’d move her foot, the toe of a red high-heeled shoe would slip out from beneath the hem of her long cloak which was narrowly dragging against the floor.

“You’re here early, Sable.”

I didn’t know when they had been there, but someone suddenly appeared from the bushes near me. Although the woman didn’t even flinch at all, I ended up being even more startled than the woman, and almost screamed.

Had it not been for the large hand that gently covered my mouth, I would have.

“Shh.”

The man approached the woman at the same time when winnard gave me a soft warning. She also turned around slowly, as if she was expecting him.

“Marquis.”

It was then I got a glimpse of her red lips painted in a coy smile through her large hood.

The cloak then fell to the floor, revealing her face.

“…!”

Without realizing it, my lips parted.

The first thing that caught my eye was her long hair that fell down to her waist. Her enviable luscious black hair rippled gently under the soft moonlight.

Her eyes were a mysterious purple. As if an amethyst had been taken and embedded in them, the dazzling appearance catching one’s gaze in an instant.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her at all… no, she was so beautiful that I almost lost my mind.

Moreover, contrary to her elegant countenance, she was wearing an alluring black dress filled with luxurious rubies and clung nicely to her figure. Even I, as a woman, was mesmerized by her figure.

‘Wow…’

Silent exclamations continued to burst forth from me.

It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who had been distracted by her appearance. Hot desire and passion swirled nakedly in the eyes of the young marquis standing in front of the woman.

“I did everything perfectly, just like I promised you.”

“You mean… everything?”

“Yeah, it’s all been burned to a crisp.”

The marquis said and raised his chin arrogantly.

“There’s only a heap of ashes left. No matter how hard they try to dig through it, they won’t find anything.”

“…I see.”

A beautiful smile, just like that of a flower, bloomed on the woman’s lips, who just nodded her head slightly. Just then, a gust of wind from the dark forest caused the long black hair that was covering her slender neck to disappear.

There seemed to be a dark bruise on her white skin. I got goosebumps since it looked like traces of a beheaded head being stuck back together.

“Sable, you’re mine now.”

As if seduced by her smile, the marquis strode up toward her and ran an arrogant hand through her long hair. Then, he tried to kiss her.

Just as the lips of the two of them were about to touch each other.

Someone emerged from the darkness and pointed a large sword at the marquis’ neck. Although the sharp sword neither pierced nor penetrated his neck, it threatened him from such a position where it wouldn’t be strange if his head was completely lopped off, just by moving a little.

Unlike the marquis, who stiffened up in embarrassment, the woman just looked at him without any change in her expression.

“Sable…?”

“You did well, Marquis.”

She, who had just been smiling quietly beforehand, now smiled broadly, revealing her pearly white teeth. However, the eyes that were staring at the marquis seemed to be somewhat indifferent.

As I clutched onto Winnard’s arm tightly, I felt like I couldn’t even breathe.

It felt like I was watching the climax of a horror movie that I had always been curious about. Although it was extremely frightening, I couldn’t turn my eyes away since I was still curious about the ending!

“Sable! How dare you…!”

An angry shout reverberated through the air.

“I killed them all, as promised! And in the most brutal way possible, just like you wished for!”

“Did I… ever make such a promise?”

“Wh-What did you say?!”

“All of that, that was all the Marquis’ doing.”

“Are you going to betray me now, Sable? Betray me, who knows everything about you…!”

At that moment, the eyes of the woman, who had been calm this whole time, suddenly lit up.

As if that were a signal, the man who was pointing the sword quickly subdued the marquis so that he was kneeling in front of her. There wasn’t even time for him to fight back and resist.

With the blade against his own neck again, the marquis bit his trembling lips until they bled.

There was a moment of silence. The woman was still looking down at the marquis with an indifferent gaze, while the marquis had his forehead resting against the floor, seemingly as if he were thinking about something.

Eventually, the marquis raised his head and pleaded with her in a voice full of tears.

“I-I don’t care if you betray me. Sable, I’ve dedicated everything to loving you. So please…”

“…”

“Tell me you love me…”

His voice was extremely pathetic, as if he had overcome the fury. It was such a desperate confession that even my own heart ached while listening to it.

However, the woman standing in front of him answered his plea with a smile.

“I’m sorry.”

She leaned forward toward him slowly with her hair tucked behind her ear. And after making eye contact with the marquis, she smiled beautifully, just like painting.

“I’ve never once loved you.”

“Sable…”

“Goodbye, Marquis.”

The creepy laughter that was added along with that last greeting seemed to cling to my ears.

Evil! What the hell? What’s with that woman?!

I raised my hand and rubbed my entire ear. I think I’m going to have nightmares tonight!

Then, she turned around. The steady sound of high heels faded away without a single bit of trembling.

The marquis, who was banging his head on the ground and crying in despair, as well as the man who grabbed him and forcibly dragged him away, both disappeared before I even knew it.

In the night sky, the only sound that could be heard was an owl’s intermittent hooting.

Just how much time had passed already? I couldn’t come to my senses for a long time and just stared in the direction that she disappeared in.

“How do you feel after seeing your rival?”

Just like usual. No, a little more laughter than usual seemed to permeate the voice of Winnard as I moved my head to it. 

“My lady still doesn’t seem to have very much trust in me, so I’ll especially show this to you, just this once.”

Probably because this didn’t count as a direct intervention of my actions. As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of snapping fingers rang in my ear.

Ding dong!

And with that familiar bell sound, the system window appeared in front of me once again…

「‘That bastard isn’t the male lead, right?’ claps and buys 10,000 of Ms Sable Lilly’s shares!」

「‘A Mansour¹ in cider²’ shakes the cider to buy 20,000 of Ms Sable Lilly’s shares!」

「‘This area’s hype king’ squanders away their family’s fortune to buy 20,000 of Ms Sable Lilly’s shares!」

That wasn’t mine.

“…Wh-What?!”

It was when the nape of my neck became stiff at the first number I saw.

Ding dong.

A message appeared again with the sound of the bell.

「This area’s hype king recites a poem shyly.」

「My sister (于里言尼) has such good style (槪幹支拿),
Do everything (河鼓風去) you want to do (削多海 蘿),
I acknowledge (左虜人正) all of this (右虜人正),
Roll forward (狎鷗漏器), over and over (大窟 大窟).」³

“Th-This…”

My fists were trembling before I knew it. Like a person naked in a cold place, the sound of my molars grinding against one another came out through my teeth in succession.

“Traitors—!

It was a rage that I had never experienced before, nor in my past nor present life.

[1] 만수르 refers to the name of emerati prince Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan whose name has become synonymous in internet slang to ‘a fabulously rich person’ and by extension can be used to describe someone who has an abundance of something, in this case, a person who has an abundance of refreshingness.

[2] 사이더 is internet slang for a refreshing/satisfying situation.

[3] korean wordplay that mimics ​​사자성어 (four character idioms). basically fake phrases that have the same homophonetical sounds as their hanja (chinese character) counterparts.

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a few things this chapter:
can we give it up for lorella’s a+ acting skills in the beginning bc SIS NEEDS A GRAMMY FOR NOT ONLY THE ACTING BUT ALSO THE LEVEL OF SHAMELESSNESS SHE HAS LMAOIHSDJISDF PLS i could never

ALSO NOT LORELLA LOWKEY GOING YURI ROUTE SHGDLFIJSDF sis legit could not pull her eyes off of sable and i do not blame her for that bc same sis we are the same we no better than a man fr ;-;

ALSO OMG SLAYYYY i’m one of those few that may have been swayed by our newly introduced main character candidate now HGLKDSSFDJ I DO LOVE MYSELF A GOOD GIRLBOSS THO GHDSLFKSDFJ
like girl fr i didn’t even need to be fully introduced to the marquis to know i wouldn’t like him fuck him LMAOOOO
also some intrigue on our girl sable bc whats that mark on her neck ???? interesting hmmmm and so the pLO T THICKENS

ALSO this chapter is SO LONG WTH plus the slang goodnight, esp after this chapter bc wtf was that poem at the end i wanted to kill myself after trying to find all the definitions and stuff HGDSLKFFJ

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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The bitter north wind constantly howled across the other side of the thickly frozen river. Every time the bare branches knocked on the shutters of the window, a loud rattling sound would echo throughout the mansion, as if an uninvited guest was knocking on the door.

The warmest place in this eerie mansion was the drawing room, which had a large fireplace. Firewood was constantly being put into the fireplace which was large enough for six or seven children to lie side by side in it.

The Duke of Periot leaned back comfortably on the large comfortable leather sofa in front of it, silently rifling through a thick pile of papers.

He looked a bit more languid, unlike he normally was, with his sleeves rolled up and several buttons that had always been buttoned to his neck were left loose.

Thanks to that, his subordinate, who was always by his side, noticed that Periot was in a considerably good mood right now, but unfortunately, the guest who had his head bowed on the other side, was completely unaware of that fact.

“Is it… to your liking?”

The guest who had set foot into the duke’s residence, which rarely had guests, was an interior designer. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was due to the constant cold sweat that was sweeping through his whole body.

He was widely rumored to be able to transform an old mansion into one that seemed completely new, no matter how old it was before. Thanks to that, he has dealt with all kinds of nobles who were known as the best in the empire, but it was the first time in his life being this nervous.

He thought he had already experienced all sorts of hardships, but his voice trembled just from standing in front of him.

It was probably all because of the Duke of Periot, who was still looking at the papers with an expressionless face.

Although he was also surprised when he had received a commission from a duke who was more notorious for being a hero who had led the war to victory, it wasn’t as much as when he had confirmed the bizarre request he had entrusted to him.

At first glance, it was a seemingly ordinary request to change the interior decoration of the Duke’s mansion that had been neglected for a long time. The problem was with the details in it.

It said that it wanted him to build a mansion so beautiful that once you set foot in it, you’ll never want to leave again. It was such an obscure request, he didn’t know what the hell he should do.

Although he couldn’t really understand it anyway, his safety was at risk. So he had really done his best as a contractor.

First of all, starting from the exterior, he had decided to decorate the interior in a beautiful and luxurious way, to the point where it could even be seen just from a quick glimpse outside the window. Where your gaze is stolen from just a glance.

He had also put a lot of effort into filling the mansion with a warm and gentle feeling that could suppress the atmosphere of the barren northern territories.

That wasn’t all. Next, a sofa that was rumored to feel as if your body was melting just by sitting on it, a bed that was widely praised to be as soft as if it were made from clouds in the sky, and a legendary pillow that could make even the most insomniac patients snore in their slumber the moment they lay down on it; he planned to change all the furniture in the whole house. All so that no matter where you lean your body against, you’ll never want to get up again…!

As a result, a luxurious and beautiful interior that was comparable to that of the imperial palace, a house that was like a comfortable cradle, second to none in the world was created. Of course, the price was also beyond imagination too.

However, the long silence made the contractor uneasy. His shoulders continued to droop under the weight of the pressure.

“Duke…?”

He cautiously attempted to call out, but Periot’s eyes were still on the papers. He swallowed dryly.

Maybe he thought it was too expensive. But he only did it according to the Duke’s instructions… 

The longer the silence, the more complicated his mind was, filled with all sorts of conclusions.

“…Good.”

At that moment, Periot’s mouth opened after a while.

“Is this sofa the one that’s written here?”

Only then did the interior designer, who had been frozen by the tension, finally exhale the breath he had been holding in.

“Th-That’s right!”

“It’s definitely comfortable. Alright, let’s proceed like this then.”

“Yes! Just leave it to me!”

The contractor, who had bowed to 90 degrees, retreated from the room as if he were fleeing.

After the door of the drawing room shut, Periot slowly got up from his seat, moving the thick paperwork to one side with an indifferent hand.

“That should be enough for the maintenance of the mansion… Is there only one more thing left to do now?”

A knock sounded on the door, as if in response to his mumbling to himself. The door swung open as soon as he briefly gave his permission.

The knights who entered immediately saluted him at once.

At their feet was a woman who had sunk down onto her knees.

“Periot!”

Her shrill voice echoed in the quiet drawing room

“H-How could you do this to me…?!”

It was none other than his mother, Emma Chambers, who was wailing loudly with bloodshot eyes.

Periot stared vacantly at her, and asked in a horrifyingly calm and indifferent voice.

“Why did you lie?”

“I did it all for our family…!”

“What does lying about Lorella having an affair with another man have to do with our family?”

“Because I wanted you to do better! Any mother who has children would understand me-!”

“And, you’ve also pocketed the Duchy’s fortune. Even firing and changing out employees for no reason. Do I need to continue?”

At those words, Emma’s mouth closed like magic. In the freezing drawing room, the only things that were furiously moving were her eyes which were darting around, and her heart, which was beating like crazy.

When had her son, who had left for the battlefield, become like this…?

But Emma Chambers’s thoughts weren’t able to continue. Because at Periot’s brief nod, the knights then forced her to stand up.

“Let go of me! How dare you do this to me…! Periot, Periot!”

Emma called out her son’s name in a pitiful voice the whole time she was being dragged away.

But he didn’t even bat an eye. It had been a long time since he had heard something like his mother’s voice.

Instead, there was only one voice in his ear.

“In any case, m-maybe it’s not that I dislike being by your side, but rather… maybe it’s because I dislike that house…”

The sight of her blushing without being able to finish her sentence was extremely vivid in his mind. Each movement of her kicking the ground sheepishly with her toes, perhaps because those words had been difficult for her to say, rushed freshly into his mind.

This decision of his to transform the Duke Mansion on a large scale was because he had taken her words literally.

Periot stared out of the window expressionlessly, as if nothing had happened.

Since the mansion was on a hill, the particularly harsh and barren state of the territory was able to be seen at a glance. He frowned momentarily.

…He almost forgot that she had to go through the territory in order to get to the house.

He ordered his subordinate to call for Baron Ketton immediately. He was an administrative noble who was in charge of the overall facilities and maintenance of the northern territories. The subordinate withdrew, replying that he would bring him right away.

He had been negligent in managing his territories since he had been restricted to the battlefield. However, even the desolate and barren North would be able to come back to life after several repairs.

It was only then that the figure of Lorella, who had returned to the completely transformed mansion of her own free will, was vividly appearing before his eyes.

“…Ha.”

How troublesome.

A deep laugh escaped his tightly shut lips momentarily. The shoulders of his aide, who had been standing at a distance from him, flinched in surprise, but Periot paid no attention to him.

He just murmured to himself in a low voice.

“Let’s see who wins, Duchess.”

After a long time, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Ever since the day Periot had left, I had been so busy I didn’t even have enough time to eat.

The first thing I did was find a list of people who had been present as guests on the bride’s side at my wedding. Then, I contacted everyone who I could technically call my relatives.

Although I didn’t know what Periot would do with Louis, in any case, I would have to be in charge of the Mayred household while my brother was away. I didn’t know if there would be people who held animosity toward me, so I had to check it all in advance.

I had the thought that they might harass me if any of them were in cahoots with Louis.

However, the results were rather unexpected. None of them even brought up the syllable ‘Lou’ in Louis, and I didn’t discover there to be a particularly close relationship between us during that time, so the standard sentiments to maintain the relationship and get along well were politely gifted and returned.

Although they tried not to make it obvious, everyone seemed to feel uncomfortable… no, they seemed to feel a bit scared around me. Even though I didn’t really know why, in any case, it still seemed to have taken some of the burden off me.

However, the situation surrounding me was still grim. It was because of the second ordeal that followed.

As I sat in Louis’s study reading the list of names, I tried to hide my trembling hands as I looked up at the butler standing in front of me.

“There’s… this many?”

“My apologies, Miss Lorella.”

The butler bowed his head, as if it were his fault.

But how could it be his crime to shoulder? I forcibly pulled up the corners of my lips to comfort him.

“It’s alright. It’s what I expected anyways.”

…Damn it! Even though I had said that, I actually wanted to cry!

What I was actually holding was a list of the people who wanted to retire from the mansion’s employees.

From now on, I hadn’t wanted to spend a lot of manpower on a mansion where I’d be living alone. I didn’t have the money for that either. So I had just told them that if there was anyone who wanted to quit, to just speak up comfortably, but…

I didn’t know that the majority of them would want to quit!

Wouldn’t I go bankrupt from paying for their severance pay?

But a promise is a promise. Even if the road ahead seems hopeless, I had no choice but to keep my word.

With tears threatening to overflow and trembling hands, I stamped dozens of resignation letters, one after another.

The reasons for their retirement were mostly the same. Habitual overdue wages, excessive amounts of overwork, an excess amount of profanity directed at the character and personality of the previous employer…

Louis, you dog shit bastard, bastard not even worth killing!

A constant slew of swear words kept coming out of my mouth throughout the stamping. The more the amount of severance pay I had to pay increased, the more the level of insults increased.

In the end, I cautiously called out to the butler who was next to me, diligently helping me organize the paperwork.

“Excuse me, butler…”

“Yes, Miss Lorella. What’s the matter?”

“That over there, sell it all.”

The old butler, whose gaze followed my fingertip pointing at the wall, asked back in surprise.

“You mean the decorations on the wall? But gems like that will be hard to find again. Besides, there will be an ugly hole in its place once you’ve taken it all off…”

“Well, we don’t have enough money, so…”

The butler quietly shut his mouth at my tearful words. Then, he nodded silently, his white eyebrows drooping.

By the time the paperwork for the employees was finally concluded, the contractors that had been called in by the butler had arrived. Like a swarm of locusts sweeping through a grassy plain, they swept away everything that shone, leaving nothing in their wake.

“Ha, haha…”

Looking around at the interior which had become devoid of color in an instant, I rubbed my eyes that were prickling with tears.

Despite that, the only reason I was still able to laugh against my will was thanks to the large decorative cabinet occupying one side of the drawing room. It was filled with expensive ceramics, crystal fountain pens, and even gold tableware.

That’s right, it’s fine, even if there’s only this much left! The peeling walls could be covered with wallpaper. And I can just commission a painter to paint a mural over the really unsightly places.

How about titling it, ‘The Consequences of Greed’, or ‘Consumption Within One’s Limits’?

It was when I was hiding my upset feelings with trivial thoughts. Another ominous knock rang out.

“Miss Lorella…”

The butler, who looked like he was going to die compared to earlier, had come to see me again.

“Wh-What’s the matter?”

“The contractors who built the mansion came to visit.”

“What?”

“They’ve come to ask for the overdue payment…”

He quietly held out the paperwork to me with both of his eyes tightly shut. It was an estimation of the construction for this mansion.

My mouth dropped open as I counted the zeroes in the number written at the bottom. It was an amount that I had never seen in my previous life, nor even when I had been in the wealthy Duke’s residence.

“This bit…!”

Bam!

The latter part of that harsh swear word was replaced by my fist hitting the table. A numbing sensation spread from the edge of my hand to my elbow, but I didn’t notice it at all.

I ended up collapsing in a corner of the sofa, as if I had passed out.

“Kurk.”

“M-Miss Lorella…!”

The face of the butler, who had rushed toward me in a flurry from the shock, was blurry, as if it had been obscured by fog. 

Heavens, he hadn’t paid for even half of the construction costs yet.

There’s actually a lunatic who starts interior work before he even pays off the construction price!

My whole body trembled as tears of anger filled my eyes.

Damn it, Louis, you bastard. Even though I had hit him on the head several times, if only I could wring his next for the last time! I even regretted that I might have handed him over to Periot too obediently.

But what could I do? Things had already happened like this, and it was my job to fix them.

I pointed to the cabinet with a shaky hand.

“Then we should sell all of that too…”

“Yes…”

The butler didn’t question me this time. He simply quietly opened the cabinet door, carefully packed the luxurious items into a box with his white gloved hands, and retreated from the drawing room.

At some point, the beautiful sunset seeped to the empty decorative cabinet. As I gazed at the golden sunlight that quietly spread over empty glass, a single line of tears slid down my cheek unknowingly.

“Ahem.”

However, I quickly raised my head, suppressing my short bout of muddle headedness. Then, I shouted in a brave voice.

“It’s fine!”

I still have a lot of things left! For example, this luxurious sofa in the drawing room! Antique furniture that’s been made by famous craftsmen! Vintage antiques!

That’s right, the walls that were plastered from top to bottom with glittering gold or the decorative cabinet that was lined with all sorts of jewels seemed too much like a nouveau riche.

Although there were no ornaments, an antique mansion with an elegant style would suit the main character much more.

As I tried to console myself, with another knock, someone else cautiously poked their head out from behind the wide opened door.

“What is it now!”

I screamed unconsciously, the sound of a knock on the door almost provoking neurosis.

“M-My apologies, Miss…”

In front of the door stood a pale looking Joy. She continued tearfully with a face that seemed as if she were about to run away at any moment.

“The maids who decided to continue working here were wondering when their six months worth of wages would be paid…”

Oh, right.

I jumped to my feet and hurriedly walked over to Joy.

In the midst of a series of employees retiring, there were some people who had chosen to stay in the mansion, refusing my lump sum of severance pay.

How grateful I felt towards them. Their words were like a ray of light to me, who was at a loss in a dark reality.

So… drunk with emotion, I made a promise that no one forced me to make. And that was an impulsive promise to pay them six months worth of wages all at once!

“Miss, the only reason we said we wanted to stay was because we like being by your side. So don’t overdo yourself…”

Joy, who was looking around the drawing room which had been transformed into a barren landscape, cautiously suggested. However, I couldn’t make an empty promise.

“It’s fine, Joy. I should keep my promise. It’s alright.”

Then whispered quietly in her ear.

“…We can just sell the furniture.”

I clenched my teeth harder than ever after I finished speaking.

No, but oh my god. To think that the main character would be broke!

However, I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of people who believed in me and would be by my side. Especially in front of Joy, who had been put in such a tough situation just to help me.

* * *

The furniture that was packed away was loaded into carriages lined up in front of the mansion, one after another. The laborers, who had been cautiously handling the expensive furniture to avoid any damages to it, all only returned well past midnight.

All that was left in the study, which had been full of antique furniture and expensive books, was a table with a shaky leg and an old chair that Joy had picked up somewhere in the past.

“This fucking world!”

I let out a gasp and swiftly pulled out a pen and paper. There was only one good thing left for me to vent my fury on.

It was to write a letter about the invalidity of my marriage to Periot.

Thanks to this, a petition filled with anger that made you want to vomit blood was completed. I even had the thought that a princess who was deposed just before taking over the position as queen couldn’t be more angry than this.

“Haa…”

I lost all my strength after finishing the matter with lightning speed. All that was left to do now was to receive the testimony of Commander Leonon.

Leonon. That name reminded me of another concern that I had put off due to the urgent situation. I quietly opened the system window in the empty study.

「Total shares sold: 12,900 shares」

Perhaps thanks to all my labor and efforts, the shares had already surpassed 10,000. However, the system window had remained silent during the time when Periot had left and I had struggled alone in the mansion.

I muttered to myself as I alternated between looking at the transparent window and white paper.

“Should I… ask the Commander to meet up with me?”

Right, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to meet up and complain about what had happened to me so far.

The kind Leonon would definitely console me. And I could also grasp this opportunity and sell some shares too!

It was when I had made my decision, sitting down on the creaky chair and grabbing my pen again.

“Although I don’t know the details about anything else, how about you get a new chair first?”

Suddenly, a voice filled with pity sounded from behind me. Although it sounded friendly at first, the somewhat playful voice sounded very familiar.

After looking back in surprise for a while, I sprang up from my seat.

“Nice to finally meet you again!”

Then, I grabbed the collar  of Winnard, who had suddenly appeared behind me when no one was there and was standing there as if nothing had happened.

“You pretended you didn’t know me and just walked away when I was locked up, didn’t you?! I begged you so much, and you just ignored it?!”

“W-Wait, Lorella. Because of the regulations, I had no choice-”

“Shut up! You bastard!”

The sight of his brown hair fluttering before my eyes made me even more angry.

“You said you were a guide! You said that you’d help me!

I grabbed him by the collar and shook him with all my might.

“Keok, heup…! S-So, I…”

Winnard began to talk intermittently while choking.

“I came here… to help you, urk… and came all the way here…”

“Help me?! What help? Now you come?!”

“Since I thought you’d be curious… about who your rival is…”

At that moment, my hand, which was about to strangle him, stopped.

“Rival…?”

Winnard quickly stepped away from me while I was repeating what he said without realizing it.

“That’s right, your rival.”

A sly smile graced his mouth as he readjusted his extravagant silk cravat.

“Isn’t there apparently a saying in some Eastern country that says, if you know your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle? It’ll help you if you know what kind of people the other main character candidates are. Do you want to go look with me?”

In my mind, I wanted to swing my fist at least once at his cheeky face, but my body moved against my wishes.

I had no choice but to grab onto his hand that was stretched out toward me.

---

3.7k words ;-;

review and rate the novel on novelupdates if you haven’t <333

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

“Urk, heuk…”

Louis crawled across the floor, moaning like a dying animal, perhaps because the impact of being thrown against the wall was too great. 

However, Periot merely brushed past him without even sparing him a glance. Periot’s fluttering black cloak drew closer and closer to me.

“…”

I couldn’t even avert my eyes, let alone run away. All I could do was swallow dryly and stay sitting on the floor, as if I had been nailed down to it. 

The moment his feet stopped in front of me was the moment I shut my eyes tightly.

‘It’s really over for me now.’

The energy that was just as terrifying and brutal as I thought it’d be weighed down on my body before I even knew it. I felt like I would faint straight away if we made eye contact. It hadn’t been like this when we talked about getting a divorce, or when I had verbally abused him at the lakeside. 

He must be really pissed off this time. 

I got goosebumps when I combined the stereotype of the ‘Grand Duke of the North’ and ‘really pissed off’, since I knew better than anyone else what was going to happen. I had even shouted, ‘please do more!’, when I read such incidents in novels! I must have been crazy!

Then, the sound of clothes brushing together near me. Although it was only a soft sound, I could hear it very clearly since my eyes were closed.

The image of Louis, who flew through the air and crashed into the wall consistently came to my mind over and over again. My fear grew bigger and bigger when I thought that I’d also end up like that too. I might even fly further in the air. Or maybe I’d be dragged away like a mutt…

My sense of fear became more and more intense without my sight. I couldn’t stand it anymore and slowly opened my eyes. 

I could see a hand in black gloves drawing closer to my face. My shoulders started to tremble unconsciously. I couldn’t do anything but shrink back in fear.

…W-What? Are you perhaps going to hit me?!

However, Periot only gently tucked my disheveled hair behind my ear. Although his touch was cautious, the eyes that were looking straight at me were still filled with a harsh light. He even resembled that of an angry beast. 

His eyes roamed my face, as if he were trying to search for something. The eyes that had been wandering around for a while finally stopped at the top of my neck. His expressionless face, which had been as calm as the surface of a lake, distorted in an instant.

“…how dare you.”

Periot muttered in a low voice and slowly rose to his feet.

Clomp clomp.

The sound of his footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway. The direction he was walking in was to Louis, who was staggering and struggling to raise himself upright. Louis, who had spotted Periot, immediately tried to escape, but it was to no avail. His head fell to the floor with another loud noise.

“Ahhhh!”

“How dare you lay a hand on my wife? You seem to have no sense of fear, Count Mayred.”

A voice as cold as ice suffocated the painful scream. Louis shed painful tears as he fell to the floor like a dead bug and begged.

“D-Duke…! I apologize, I apologize! Urk, please spare my life!”

“I should take this opportunity to make you aware of what happens when you touch something that’s mine.”

The atmosphere was so tense that I couldn’t even remind him that I was no longer his wife. The air was so cold that even the Duke’s servants could only swallow dryly and wait with bated breath.

Periot pressed down his foot which was resting on Louis’ head and whispered grimly.

“I’m sure your soldiers are now fully aware of it.”

“Pardon…?”

“Go and ask them, since you’ll be meeting them soon.”

“W-Wait…!”

Upon recognising the meaning behind those curt words, Louis started to struggle wildly in an attempt to break free from underneath Periot’s foot. But of course, it was useless for him to struggle.

The knights approached in perfect formation with just one glance from Periot and grabbed a hold of both of his arms.

“Duke! Dukeee!”

Louis was dragged out without even being able to put up a single bit of resistance, screaming. I still couldn’t find the words to say, even after he had been dragged so far away I couldn’t even hear his voice anymore.

Silence soon descended upon us. 

The only people left by the door were now only me and Periot. He came back to my side and opened his mouth.

“Get up.”

“…”

“So the reason why you ran away was to suffer like this instead?”

Wait, no, what are you talking about right now? Just who do you think is to blame for all this?!

Periot reached his hand out with a low sigh as I curled up in silence, with only a pout on my lips as an answer. Although I didn’t want to grab onto it, my legs had honestly gone numb already. 

I finally grabbed his hand reluctantly and slowly got to my feet. 

As he led the way, a hallway leading to an unknown destination suddenly appeared. I didn’t even know where the hell Louis and the knights had disappeared to, not even a hair of theirs was in sight.

It was a moment after walking across the hallway silently in the suffocating atmosphere.

In the distance, I could see the servants huddled together with frightened faces. As soon as they spotted Periot and I, they quickly dispersed.

“Young Miss…!”

The only person who had come running toward us in tears was Joy, the maid who had helped me earlier. But even she instinctively shrank back, her shoulders trembling as she made eye contact with Periot who was standing beside me. 

However, he merely whispered a few words to his subordinate, who was standing beside him, as if he were already used to this sort of situation. Then, he looked at me before slowly parting his lips.

“I’ll take care of the matter regarding Count Mayred. He won’t show up here again, so don’t worry.”

What? I doubted my ears for a second.

Even though it was Periot, he still couldn’t deal with Louis, who was the ‘Count’ recklessly, so I didn’t know what he was planning to do.

However, before I could even question him on anything, Periot turned to look coldly at the servants who were still staring at us. And then he warned in an extremely heavy and harsh voice.

“If anyone secretly helps him or even makes contact with him without permission, I’ll take that as a sign of directly defying my orders.”

The servants couldn’t even answer and merely bowed their heads even lower. 

I guess it was probably because they knew that if they even said one word out of turn in this situation, their neck may very well be on the chopping block.

But just what on earth was this situation.

Naturally, I had never been curious about how he’d deal with my bastard brother. I just wanted to know how he’d deal with me from now on. 

As I lifted my head in bewilderment, our eyes met.

However, at that moment, Periot suddenly turned around.

“W-Wait!”

I hurriedly ran after him across the hallway. However, he neither slowed down, nor turned to look back at me, and merely just kept walking.

“Periot…!”

He was walking so fast that even though we had started off right next to each other at first, the distance between us had gradually increased. I thought I’d lose him completely at this rate, so I called out his name urgently, and only then did I stop walking.

“What is it?”

Periot finally stopped walking and turned to look at me. His cold face was expressionless and indiscernible, just like it had been when he was furious.

“Did you finally change your mind and want to return to the dukedom?”

“Unless I’m crazy, it’s impossible.”

He frowned lightly as I waved my hand to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Then why did you call me?”

“You need to explain what this is all about. You knew I was here, didn’t you? Didn’t you cooperate with my brother? So why did you suddenly…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Periot let out a small sigh and gave his men a look. At that, they quickly moved away. 

I took a step forward and shot back sharply.

“There’s no use pretending. You clearly ordered him to lock me up!”

Taking into account what Louis had said and the situation, it was a reasonable suspicion to have. Otherwise, how else would Periot have known that I was here?

Periot, who stared at me for a moment without answering, erased the expression on his face and shook his head with a gruff face.

“I never did that. I just sent him a letter telling him to let me know when you drop by.”

“What?”

You’re telling me to believe that now…? I was shocked by the ridiculous excuse given.

I stared intently at him with wide eyes. Only then did I notice a completely different image from the day I had seen him by the side of the lake.

The neat black robe adorned with elaborate embroidery that gave off an austere yet luxurious feeling. Those wide shoulders which looked so firm they seemed to be sculpted out of actual stone, seemed to emit a great sense of pressure just by looking at them.

I lifted my eyes slightly, trying not to feel intimidated.

Then came a sharp jawline, a straight nose bridge, and black eyes that seemed unusually serious today. It was a handsome face that I would have liked to admire if not for the situation right now. 

Although I deliberately showed my hostility and made direct eye contact with him, he didn’t shy away. 

…In any case, he didn’t seem to be lying. But I couldn’t let my guard down.

Upon scanning my surroundings again, I spotted a life-sized knight holding a wooden spear.

“No matter what, I still don’t believe you.”

I rushed in that direction and grabbed the spear, exclaiming triumphantly.

“What the hell are you going to do with me? If you’re planning on taking me by force, then give up!”

No, wait a second. Why isn’t this moving?! It was a complete fail. 

I tried to hide my embarrassment by using both hands to shake the spear free, but it didn’t budge.

“Ha…”

As I grunted, Periot’s tightly closed lips opened slightly as he let out a short sigh. Periot rubbed his face and merely shook his head quietly.

“I had no thoughts of doing that, so don’t worry, Lorella.”

“…What?”

“Of course, I thought of taking you by force at first, but I changed my mind.”

“W-Why?!”

I asked back, flabbergasted. Not because I didn’t hear the answer that I had expected, but because it was a completely unbelievable reply.

“Because…”

His mouth, which had been tightly closed, drew a slight arc. Even though it was clearly a smile that looked as if it had been drawn, it still felt cold like first rather than warm.

“I thought it’d be better to make you come back of your own free will.”

“What…?”

“I think that would satisfy me.”

“Huh!”

It was so absurd that I had let out a sound unconsciously. I didn’t even know what to say in reply to that. 

Even though he’s a crazy bastard, this is crazy in so many ways. Why did I have to get involved with such an actual psycho…

Ding-dong!

「‘Trying a taste of the obsessive maniac’ has bought 300 shares while inhaling roughly and burping.」

「Very delicious, very delicious, very delicious¹.」

The completely absurd message that appeared in the air caused my eyebrows to furrow mercilessly.

“No. You must be crazy, seriously.”

I was so overwhelmed that I ended up blurting something out. 

Do you seriously mean that? What’s so delicious about that, huh?! Are you crazy in so many ways, just like him? How else was I meant to understand why people would eat something like that if that weren’t the case? N-Naturally, I had also enjoyed eating that stuff up before, but… 

In any case, I didn’t feel any happiness at all despite selling those shares. It felt quite different from when it happened with Leonon. 

No matter how pressing my situation is, I will absolutely not sell these shares. I… I mean, lions won’t graze on grass, even if they’re starving²!

“Yeah, I might be crazy. But Lorella.”

As if he had misunderstood the words I had uttered to myself to be directed at him, Periot approached me, one step at a time and quietly opened his mouth.

“I don’t need a doll that does exactly what I want it to do. I only need a wife who is within my sight, within my reach, and by my side.”

Ding-dong, ding-dong!

As if it had merely been waiting for its cue, the bell began to ring one after the other, but I had no time to concern myself with that. It was because all my attention was focused on Periot, who had come to stand right in front of me, and had lifted my chin slightly with a single long finger.

“So, what I want right now, is for you to be somewhere within my sight. Otherwise…”

Periot’s low voice sank softly into my ear, as if it were echoing in a cave.

“I might end up thinking that a doll that does exactly what I want it to do would be better.”

“Wh-What?!”

I slapped his hand away and raised the end of my sentence sharply. 

He’s seriously crooked to the structure of his cells! It was seriously an obsession that I couldn’t understand, and didn’t want to understand either. I couldn’t even remember why I was so fanatic about reading novels about obsessive men. As expected, no matter how hungry you are, never graze…

Ding-dong!

「‘Trying a taste of the obsessive maniac’ buys 9,000 shares with a nosebleed! It’s a new record!」

“On gra-ahhhh!”

Or maybe I should eat it!

I unconsciously let out a scream for a moment. 9,000?! Crazy, it’s seriously 9,000 shares? …This master seriously means it!

I stomped my feet in excitement, not even minding Periot’s strange gaze on me.

“Lorella?”

Periot lifted my chin again. He was gazing down at me, who was breathing heavily.

However, this time, I didn’t slap his hand away. Instead, I swallowed dryly and clumsily parted my lips before stuttering.

“W-Well, the truth is…”

My words seemed to flow out freely as I stared into those fathomless black eyes that seemed to suck me in.

“You were trying to drag me away against my will, so… of course I hated it. If you hadn’t treated me like that, maybe I wouldn’t have tried to hide or disappear…”

“What…?”

Yeah, what can a lion do when it’s hungry?! Grass, and even flowers could be edible too!

It was an absurdly fast change of mentality that I couldn’t have even imagined, but I was already a slave to shares. I just couldn’t let this big investor go.

“But now… I really don’t want to go back to the dukedom, even if I die.”

Periot’s eyes shook violently. Wait, no, it wasn’t just his eyes. I could feel a slight tremor in his hand, which was gently grabbing my chin.

However, I was just dying to make up words I didn’t even mean.

“In any case, m-maybe it’s not that I dislike being by your side, but rather… maybe it’s because I dislike that house…”

How can every line be such… a masterpiece. I couldn’t stand it anymore so the end of my sentence trailed off on its own. 

Not only did both my fingers and toes curl from the cringe, but tears naturally welled up in my eyes as I said those disgraceful words I couldn’t even repeat twice. It was also mortifying that I had to go to this extent just to survive.

“Heuk…”

I lowered my head in order to hide my tears.

Yes, that’s right, shares are your enemy. Seriously, if it weren’t for the shares³!

As I was clenching my jaw, something approached my eyes which were brimming with tears. It was Periot’s gloveless hand.

However, his hand stopped just before it touched my face. But instead of touching my face, he just brushed the air, as if he were hesitating. 

It was silent for a moment. 

After a while, it was Periot who retracted his hand first and turned his back toward me.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Turning around, he sounded just as cold as usual. It was hard for me to believe that voice had come from someone who had been looking at me with a complicated expression on his face just a while ago. 

After he had finished speaking, the sound of his footsteps moving away quickly echoed through the quiet hallway. The knights who had been watching from afar also followed after him. 

It wasn’t until that black cape and all that black armor had disappeared, only then was I able to breathe comfortably again.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Joy, the Mayred County’s maid, was consumed all day with the feeling that her soul had floated away. Even though it had been a while since she had started working here, it was the first time something so shocking like today’s incident had happened.

Although it was shocking that the Young Miss who had become a noble persona had dropped by without even informing the Count beforehand, she had almost fainted when the Count had suddenly imprisoned her in the dungeon. 

And as if that wasn’t enough, the Duke of Chambers, who had suddenly stormed in, had even hauled the Count and his soldiers away as soon as he had broken the Young Miss out of prison. Indeed, everything, from the beginning to the end, seemed hard to believe.

But of course, Joy naturally wasn’t the only one who was shocked. 

Despite it being so late in the night, the servants of the mansion had not gone to bed yet, but had instead gathered in groups of three to five to talk constantly about the events of the day.

What was the reason behind why the Duke of Chambers had come, and what on earth had happened with the Duchess. There was also a lot of talk about where on earth the Count had been taken. 

However, Joy didn’t get caught up in all of it. And that was because she had a bigger concern ahead of her.

In front of a tightly shut bedroom door. She paced in front of it for a long time while holding a steaming cup of tea. 

As soon as the Duke of Chambers had left, Miss Lorella had staggered straight up to the bedroom. Then, in a very weak voice, she closed the door, saying that she wanted to rest. Since then, not once had she come out, nor called for anyone either. 

She must have been tired, so naturally, Joy wanted to give her a good rest, but… she had been so worried by that pale and bloodless face of hers.

‘My poor Miss.’

When she thought of Lorella, she felt like she was going to cry again. It was Miss Lorella who had been the first one to treat her, who always did chores, with warmth and kindness. That gentle Miss was always kind to the servants of the mansion, unlike the violent Count.

“But how many times did the Young Miss hit the Count’s head like that?”

She remembered the words of the butler, who had said that her personality had changed due to the harsh environment of the north. 

To some extent, Joy also agreed with that. But she believed that her innate nature hadn’t changed. The soft-hearted Young Miss could now be trembling and soaking her pillow with her tears, all by herself. 

When she thought of that, Joy couldn’t stand it anymore.

“…Miss.”

Joy carefully knocked on the door. But no answer came.

‘She must be sleeping.’

She stared at the teacup in her own hand. It was Lorella’s favorite tea that she had said always helped her sleep. She had planned to pour her a cup of warm tea and comfort her by her side, but it was also a relief if she was sleeping and resting well.

‘I’ll just go in quietly in order not to wake up the Young Miss and put it on the table next to her bed.’

Having made up her mind, she turned the doorknob extremely cautiously.

But at that moment.

“Aish! Fuck!”

A screech burst out from the open door. At the same time, she could see a silk cushion flying in the air by the bed in the distance.

…Miss Lorella was awake. Only, she was throwing a cushion madly against the wall. When there were no more cushions remaining in her vicinity, she then picked up an expensive duck-down pillow this time instead.

“Fuckkkkk!”

Thwack! Thwack! 

She’s not swearing while violently pelting the bedpost with her pillow, is she…?

“Please stop eating up the obsessive maniac trope! I said not to give me 9,000 shares of this!”

Joy just turned as stiff as a rock on the spot.

“It’s not that I dislike being by your side. Rather, what I dislike is… ahhhhhh!”

Scattered red hair, bloodshot eyes, and a constantly exploding hostility. 

Tea eventually overflowed onto her tray due to her trembling hands. However, Joy didn’t even notice it.

“This damn mouth! This crazy capitalist mouth! Go to hell!”

With a thwack, white feathers burst out of the pillow and embroidered the air like large snowflakes.

Joy hastily covered her mouth which was about to let out a scream.

[1] 존맛, 베리 딜리셔쓰, 하 오츠 very delicious in korean, english and chinese

[2] refers to protecting [sb] pride and face. the fact that a lion will not eat grass even if they’re starving means that they are intent on preserving their pride, even to the point of death.

[3] this is said with her teeth clenched together

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our girl rlly on survival mode rn, even if it means giving up her pride and dignity GHSDILFKJFDS QAQ

on the other hand, i think there’s something wrong with me bc i’d be that person buying shares for periot bc cold obsessive grand duke of the north trope is legit right up my alley HGSDLFIJFDSJDFSL

i still want lorella to end up with winnard tho my guy only got two chapters of screentime pls i need more ;-;

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

“Mmph!”

My arms were already trembling. Then, before I knew it, sweat was already gathering profusely by my forehead. 

But I didn’t give up, and with all my might, I tried to wrench the bars apart in the opposite direction. 

“Urk…!”

I used so much strength that I could hear the sound of my teeth clenching together.

Hot blood rushed to my head in an instant. It felt as if my face was about to burst. 

I tried everything, but… it was just impossible. The ignorantly tough iron bars remained motionless, far from being opened.

“It’s impossible, I can’t do it!”

In the end, I eventually let out a huge breath and sank to my knees. I didn’t even have the strength to stand because of my weak legs. And even so, I wasn’t even able to sit comfortably due to the sticky filth on the floor.

“How in the world am I supposed to get out of here?”

I couldn’t even sell any shares since I was stuck in here all by myself! Didn’t I still need to sell shares or something in order to get cookies?!

But what? I believe in you? Good luck?!

The more I thought about it, the more I started to seethe with anger.

“What sort of guide is that?!”

He was no help, no help at all!

I hunched my shoulders as I gritted my teeth. My body trembled from the cold air that seeped in between the gaps in the wall.

Just how long had I already been imprisoned here for? It felt as if my sense of time itself was disappearing since I couldn’t even tell whether it was day or night. 

Being isolated alone in the dark seemed to make a person even more helpless than I could have ever imagined.

“…if only there were cookies.”

I sniffled and muttered to myself, the sadness surging up within me all of a sudden. 

And to make matters worse, my stomach made a rumbling sound at the thought of cookies.

But it was at that moment when I heard the sound of the door being opened from a distance. Then, the sound of footsteps walking quickly in my direction. 

In any case, it was an unusual sensation.

‘…what is it?’

I instinctively held my breath and listened tensely. Since there wouldn’t be many people who could go in and out of the place I was confined in.

Wait, no, it could just be one person. The very person I wouldn’t be delighted to meet right now.

The shadow of a light pierced through the darkness that was the basement. The light came closer and closer, and soon, the owner of those footsteps was soon revealed.

My guess was exactly right. 

Red hair which was softly illuminated by the candlelight and dim lighting of the lamp. The ridiculous sight of a round bag of ice laying on top of a head that was hit by a vase.

“Tch. Just what sort of situation is this, Lorella.”

Louis, who had approached closer to the barred room with a candle, clicked his tongue while looking down at me.

Upon seeing the detestable face of the person who was right in front of me, I started to tremble with anger all the way down to my fingertips.

“Since it’s even come to this, you should’ve also come to realize it by now.”

“What realization? The realization that my only family is trash?”

When I retorted back, as if I had been waiting for that moment, the bastard’s face turned purple with rage.

“I had hoped that you had reflected on yourself, but to think that you’re still talking like that…!”

Louis pointed his finger at me as he raised his voice.

“Are you rich or are you just thoughtless? You married into a duchy that could’ve allowed you to live luxuriously for a lifetime, yet you’re going to kick that good fortune away to the curb? It seems like your head really is just a decoration¹.”

“A comfortable life? Are you kidding me? How can you have the shameless face to comment on that when you walk around wearing a head that can’t think of anything but that topic?!”

Now, rather than anger, a deep regret came over me instead. 

I should’ve hit him with a rock from the beginning. No, rather, I should’ve broken his two legs instead! If I had done that, at least he wouldn’t have been able to walk around with that shameless face of his!

It was then Louis rolled his eyes and said in a gloomy voice.

“I wouldn’t have let you get away with it if you weren’t worth using. Does this seem like a joke too?”

“Try it and you’ll see.”

Eyes that seemed to catch and kill each other collided fiercely in the air. At this point, it was not an exaggeration to say that we were not siblings, but worse than enemies right now.

It was Louis who broke the silence first.

“On the topic of living comfortably all this while in the luxurious Duke’s mansion, I don’t know why you’re complaining about it.”

He rebuked me in a stern tone, as if he were dealing with an immature child.

“Sure, you’ve cried because it’s been tough once or twice, but are you only going to come to your senses when you’re living on the streets?”

“What…? Living comfortably?”

It was so ridiculous that both my eyelids and voice trembled at the same time.

“Are you asking me since you really don’t know…? The treatment I received while I lived in that house?”

But of course, you may not have cared about your younger sister. Since I certainly didn’t consider him as family either anymore.

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“Even if you receive poor treatment, what’s the big deal in that? If you endure one thing, you’ll have the opportunity to securely grab onto a portion of good fortune.”

However, this crazy pig bastard couldn’t help but run wild with his own vain delusions.

“Think about it, now is the right time since Duke Periot has done a meritorious deed on the battlefield. Are you really going to miss out on this great opportunity just because of your petty pride?”

Louis shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t really understand what I was doing and went on.

“No matter what people around you say, you can just say ‘yes, yes’, and smile like a doll. Where else in the world can you find such an easy job to do? It’s a no-brainer. I’d do it for the rest of my life if it were me.”

I thought my molars would be the first to break if I just continued to listen. 

To think that I couldn’t even let a punch loose after hearing this sort of bullshit. I grinded my teeth to the point where I was almost plagued with a disorder from my repressed anger.

Just smile like a doll? An easy job that I could do for the rest of my life?

I suddenly remembered the days I spent in the dukedom.

Emma Chambers would always crumple her face whenever she saw me. Even though she usually meticulously managed her expressions for fear of wrinkles on her forehead and nose, it was to the extent where she couldn’t when she saw me. 

The gaze that ran down me from head to toe was always filled with contempt and ridicule. As if she was looking at a tiny bug.

As if receiving such glances for two years wasn’t enough, my every move was also monitored.

She interfered with everything I wore and ate, and on days when she was in a bad mood, would even go and pester me for hours on end, asking why I had drank coffee instead of black tea. 

The days where I couldn’t even drink a cup of tea when I wanted to were like hell. If I didn’t even have the goal of getting a divorce, then I probably would’ve gone insane. Seriously, even the mere thought of it made my blood boil.

“In any case, you still seem to be out of your mind. This is the perfect place for you to reflect on it, so do more of it while you’re here!”

“Wait!”

I urgently grabbed onto Louis, who tried to turn around with a click of his tongue.

“You only seem to know one side of the story. A great opportunity you say, do you really think that’s the case here? Do you not know why I ran away from that house, even at the risk of my life? Who doesn’t want to live a comfortable life?”

Right, my first priority should be getting out of jail first. Then the next should be… having this bastard die!

With that thought alone filling my mind, I struggled to maintain my rationality and quickly threw out a bunch of nonsense.

“If you don’t hurry and submit a petition for the annulment of my marriage to the palace, the Mayred household will be finished! You mustn’t miss this opportunity, since we have witnesses as well.”

“What…?” 

Louis’s eyebrows jumped up.

“Wh-What? A witness? Who is it? Who dares to interfere with the duke’s affairs…!”

That half-witted thing annoyingly couldn’t follow what I was saying! That’s clearly not the point here!

“What’s so important about that? The Duke of Chambers is about to be completely ruined. If you don’t cut me off soon, not only will I be finished, but you will be too!”

I kicked the iron bars hard enough for it to make a loud bang. It was such a strong kick that even Louis stepped back instinctively. Although it was in a fit of anger, it was thanks to that a believable atmosphere was created.

“Wh-What the hell are you talking about…”

Louis’s pupils shook violently in confusion, but he soon came to his senses again and snorted.

“The Duke making a great contribution in this war is something that the entire empire knows. But you’re saying that the Dukedom is going to be ruined? Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Of course that’s what the citizens of the empire know. But who knows more about what happens in that family than I do?”

I grabbed the iron bars tightly and lowered my voice secretively.

“He did make that contribution. However, the problem is that he also made a huge mistake that can’t be overlooked. Furthermore, it’s related to the imperial family too…”

“What sort of nonsense are you spouting…”

“I’m sure it wasn’t only one or two people who saw me cursing by the lake. Then I’m guessing they didn’t tell you the state Periot appeared in? Just why did the duke search for me so frantically, and not anyone else?”

If Louis knew about what happened at the lake, then it meant that the events of that day had already spread in high society. I’m sure there’s also rumors about Commander Leonon and I, but Louis was probably only interested in the ones that concerned Periot and I.

The gossips of the social world would have talked as much about Periot’s appearance as I did. Since he had looked shockingly haggard on that day, even to me.

As expected, my prediction seemed to have hit its mark again. Louis’ pupils shook briefly, but clearly.

“The reason I’ve been making such a fuss was because I thought that you were completely on Periot’s side, but now, that doesn’t seem to be the case…Brother².”

I hastily pasted³ on honorifics with a shallow smile. Anyone would’ve been able to tell that it was an awkward change, but Louis didn’t seem to mind as he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

“He isn’t just pursuing me because I ran away from home. This is all because I have a hold of his ‘weakness’…”

And when I continued to speak, I deliberately emphasized a specific word and pretended to be surprised and covered my mouth. When I did so…

“Weakness…? What is it?”

Louis took the bait. The space between his eyebrows was still wrinkled, but it seemed to be out of frustration now instead of malice. I could also tell from his voice, which was much calmer than before.

“Just tell me first! I need to know what it is so I can use it… no, so I can help you, of course!”

I slowly raised my hand and pointed to the lock on my prison cell.

“If you let me out, I’ll tell you everything.”

“What…?”

“The conditions aren’t equal, you know. How can I be sure that you’re not working with him just to find out how much I know? What should I do if you just steal the information and keep me locked up here?!”

Louis sighed briefly at my words. Then, he winked toward somewhere as a signal. Although I couldn’t see very well since it was far away and dark, it was probably in the direction with a door.

“Don’t have any unnecessary thoughts. There are soldiers guarding the front so escaping from here is useless.”

“I didn’t think of that.”

The sound of the lock being unlocked and the chains being lifted from it echoed quietly in the silence. 

The door finally opened with a clank. Louis approached me cautiously.

“Now, tell me.”

However, instead of answering, I repeatedly raised one knee at a right angle and then put it back down.

“What are you doing? Come on, just hurry up and tell me.”

“Ah, wait a minute. I’m just getting into position.”

I had no choice but to bring Louis down if I wanted to get out of here, which would be impossible just from biting his ear. Besides, there was nothing here for me to hit his head with. So all that was left… was just one place.

“Position? What position?”

It was when the punk had his head cocked to one side.

“I think it’s… here!”

Hoping I wouldn’t miss, I raised my knee and kicked him as hard as I could in his crucial place.

With a thud, the color faded from Louis’ face in an instant.

“Mmph… urgh…!”

Far from the screams of someone facing imminent death, a short groan leaked out of his trembling lips.

Louis eventually fell forward as a heavy thud rang out.

“Keo…heok.”

Louis lay meekly on the floor with both hands and knees, as if he were prostrating himself, and let out a breathless exhale. 

I took the opportunity to pull back the front sole of a high heel and kick him in the ribs once again. 

Thud!

“Gasp!”

“You bastard older brother! What? Good fortune? Just smile like a doll?!”

Thud!

“If you like the duke so much, then you go live with him instead!”

I continued to kick him, one after another, but Louis remained motionless, as if he was a dead mouse. I stopped kicking him and listened, but couldn’t even hear the slightest moan from him. 

I hurriedly turned around and ran out of the prison, leaving him on the floor behind me. Although I had to hit him for a long time in order to properly vent out my anger, I was now in a hurry.

If I missed this opportunity, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to escape. However, I still had one more obstacle left in my way.

And that was the soldiers at the door.

“Stop right there!”

They shouted in dismay as soon as they saw me pop out from the dark. Then, they reached out to grab me.

“Where do you think you’re putting your hands?”

I spoke coldly before they could even touch me.

“How dare you touch me, the duchess? All right, Periot will be here soon anyway and my escapade will be over. Since I can’t do this, I’ll need at least one person to resolve my anger anyways.”

The Duchess.

That one word stopped the soldiers’ movements in their tracks. It seemed as if they hadn’t thought that far since they were only following Louis’ orders.

“I’ve remembered all of your faces, so you’d better look forward to it. As soon as I return to the dukedom, I’ll call you all in and make you pay for this!”

“S-Sorry!”

“If you understand, then get out of my way!”

The soldiers shrank back in fear. 

I raised my chin as haughtily as I could, trying to conceal my anxious state of mind. Then, at a natural pace, but faster than ever, I brushed past them.

It was when I finally grabbed the doorknob leading to the outside.

I could hear the sound of fierce footsteps from afar, approaching like a monster.

“Where do you think you’re going…?!”

I tried to open the door to leave, but a hand suddenly stretched out from behind me and violently grabbed my neck.

“Ack!”

Surprised by the unexpected incident, I struggled to escape, but his solid arm didn’t budge. My body was roughly spun around 180 degrees. Louis, with bloodshot eyes, was breathing heavily in front of me, as if he had been chasing after me in a frenzy.

“L-Let go of me!”

“You thought you’d be okay after touching me twice, huh?”

Louis tightened his grip around me with an even more dangerous smile. 

The pressure on my neck made it harder and harder for me to breathe. I twisted my body with all my might, but it was all in vain. 

Although he didn’t have a very large build and had small hands, I still couldn’t beat the strength of a man who was using all his might.

“What were you saying to me earlier? Repeat it one more time.”

“You bastard older brother… heup, if you like the duke so much, then you go live with him instead…” 

Although I was being choked to the point where I couldn’t even breathe properly, I still recited word for word what I had said as he asked.

“This bitch really said it again, huh.”

Then, there came a force as violent as those words that were spat out.

However, I was already so exhausted that I couldn’t even manage to kick my legs.

“Count…!”

I could see the soldiers rushing in in confusion and grabbing his arm.

Right, since they’re here, at least I’m not going to die… right?

However, there was still no sign of the grip on my neck slacking at all.

“Urk…”

It was when my airways were being blocked and I unknowingly opened my mouth again.

Bang!

The wooden door, which was the only way out, suddenly broke open with a loud noise.

…wait, it really broke.

Only then did the hand that was gripping me tightly fall away.

I sank to the floor as my shoulders trembled. I could feel my narrow throat struggling to breathe still.

A shattered piece of wood appeared in front of me. As I stared blankly at it, the sound of controlled footsteps caught my ears.

The moment I turned my gaze in the direction of that sound, a large, threatening black shadow suddenly appeared in front of me.

‘Who…’

I blinked and stared blankly at the person standing with their back to the light. The man slowly moved between the knights who were lined up on either side.

It was when he completely emerged from the darkness.

“Duke Periot!”

Contrary to the welcoming cry of Louis, I closed my eyes with despair, pessimism, and resignation.

“You’re here just in time!”

The bastard shouted triumphantly.

However, Periot still remained silent. He just stood there and took turns alternating looks between Louis, and me, who was still on my knees.

Then, he slowly raised his black gloved hand and lightly beckoned his index finger toward Louis.

Despite his extremely overbearing attitude, Louis swiftly ran towards him, as if he had just been graced by him.

“What do you think? My active role in…!”

It was then.

“Keuk! W-Why… are you…!”

The body of Louis, who let out a suppressed moan, as if in pain, floated in the air.

…in the dark, by itself? No, it can’t be, there’s no way. 

I blinked my eyes and looked again.

Periot, who was clothed in black from head to toe, held Louis by the collar and had lifted him up. As if he wasn’t even heavy, and without even frowning. Louis’ feet, unable to touch the ground, were dangling pitifully in the air. And…

“Argh!”

His body flew away like a scarecrow and struck the wall. A cold voice sounded from behind the dull thud.

“…how dare you forcibly imprison my wife in such a place?”

I couldn’t help but laugh when the familiar sound of grinding teeth pierced my ears again.

Excuse me, but you did that too!

…You did that as well!

[1] 머리는 장식으로 들고다니다: ‘do you only carry your head around as a decoration?’ basically an insult that implies that your head is useless and that it’s only there for decoration.

[2] she switches from informal to formal speech here

[3] the difference between informal and formal speech is only one character at the end so she literally just ‘pastes it on’ to the end of her sentence

---

periot: how dare you imprison my wife in a dirty filthy jail cell ?!!!!
also periot: clearly has short term memory loss and has forgotten what he did in ch2,,,

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

“Ha, ha…!”

I quickly became out of breath. But I clenched my teeth and continued to run like crazy. 

The harsh sound of his footsteps followed closely behind me. But I didn’t even have time to look back. Even when the sound of his footsteps grew louder and louder behind me.

“Young Miss! Stop right there!”

Yeah, wouldn’t you like it if I just stopped right here?

I quickly darted around the corner of the corridor as a staircase appeared in front of me. Although I didn’t know where it led to, it would be better to head down that direction first.

“Phew, ha…!”

My foot, which had been injured whilst running on that forest trail, was still full of blisters here and there, so I was extremely bitter everytime I ran. And on top of that, the mansion seemed to be vast beyond belief.

In the end, I gradually became more and more exhausted. However, as soon as I stopped to catch my breath, I couldn’t help but think that someone was going to grab me from behind. 

I used my body to push aside the people I encountered in the middle and descended to the first floor, but the exit was still nowhere in sight. 

Just where the hell is this? Which way should I go?

It was when I was looking around anxiously.

“Young Miss, over here! This way!”

I could see a garden in full bloom just over her shoulder. Anyhow, it seemed to be the exit leading out of the mansion. I sprinted with all my might in that direction. 

However, there were already soldiers that had come running from the opposite side. They too, had heard Joy’s voice, and had already closed in at a rapid pace. There was no way I could run faster than professionally trained soldiers in a long dress and high heels.

In the end, Joy, who had been trying to block their way and buy me some time, was thrown to the floor by the soldiers.

“Ahhh!”

Joy sprang back up on her wet like a roly poly and desperately tried to block them, but there was no way a skinny maid could deal with a bunch of burly men.

“N-No!”

Before I could even take a whiff of the air outside, the door had close with a thud. At the same time, my shoulders had been firmly grasped.

“Let go of me!”

I tried to resist them with all my might, but it was useless. As I was trying to free myself from their grasp, I heard the sound of footsteps rushing in from behind me.

It was Louis, who had been left behind, still struggling to catch his breath.

“You ungrateful bitch…!”

He raised his hand as he glared alternately at Joy and I. 

A sharp sound echoed for a moment as Joy’s head whips to the side abruptly.

“How dare you betray me when I fed you and gave you a place to stay?”

Joy covered her face, her whole body shaking without making a sound.

“What the hell are you doing?! Try raising your hand one more time and you’ll see what happens!”

I shouted and struggled desperately. However, I didn’t even have any time to worry about here, the strength behind the hands that gripped my shoulders growing stronger and stronger.

“Let go! I said let go of me!”

“Hey, you guys. Even if no one will know, you should still take it a bit easier on my little sister,” Louis ordered. “I haven’t even paid off all the construction costs yet, so it will be rather troublesome for me if the Duchess gets hurt. If it’s rumored that she’s been seriously injured, the people that have put their faith in the Chambers’ name and lent me money will disappear.”

Only then did the soldiers who were applying pressure on my shoulders fall back. 

However my body still remained stiff.

“W-What did you say?”

I asked while glaring at him.

“Don’t tell me, did you take advantage of my name for your own benefits?”

“I’m sure I can enjoy at least that much as an older brother. Besides, now that Duke Periot is the hero of the Empire, he’s no different to a goose that only lays golden eggs.”

Louis grinned and rubbed his chin. It was a wicked laugh.

At that moment, I suddenly felt as if I were going to faint. 

I had only fully grasped the whole situation now. Just how the poor Count Mayred had been able to afford to buy such a splendid mansion, and why he had locked me inside a room and prevented me from going out.

“More importantly, Lorella, to think that you ran away when your marriage pledge, which is more important than your life, was burnt to a crisp…”

His flippant mouth flattened in an instant. A ferocious look came over him as he slowly approached me.

“Are you insane? If you marry someone with a more noble status than you, you should live with gratitude until the day you die, how dare you do such a thing!”

I felt suffocated by his absurd remark. 

This fucker… I thought he was just a sunfish who couldn’t even make a peep in front of Periot, but turns out he’s a piece of trash who is the type to only act arrogantly in front of people weaker than him.

I felt lightheaded from the burst of anger that I couldn’t seem to suppress. I barely managed to support myself by grabbing on to the decorative table that was lined with antique pottery.

“And what’s with that scandal by the lake? I heard that it wasn’t just one or two people who witnessed you swearing at Duke Periot. To think that you’d stain my reputation like this…”

Louis cast a disapproving glance at me and clicked his tongue.

“Just know that you won’t ever be leaving this house until you’ve re-stamped the papers. If not for the Duke, you, who would’ve been married off as the second wife to an old man would’ve had no idea of any of this… tch.”

Oh, that’s it. There’s no reason for me to continue listening to such vulgar words.

“Shut up, you fucker! You’re full of shit!”

I shouted, my veins in my neck protruding as I clenched my fists so tightly my nails made marks in my skin.

“To think that I actually believed this piece of trash was my family! I must’ve been crazy!”

“Wh-What did you say…?”

Louis rubbed his deathly pale face with his hands harshly, as if he was shocked by what I had said. Rings with large jewels on them lined the fingers of both his hands. The sight of that stirred up the intense fury I felt inside even more.

“You seem to really think that you’re something since I’ve let you have your way. I was just going to go over it nicely but I didn’t think that you’d become this arrogant…!”

Louis approached with heavy footsteps, seemingly extremely worked up. It was an extremely intimidating stance.

“I’ll make you get down on your knees like a dog and beg!”

Then, a large hand stretched out toward me, as if trying to grab ahold of my hair. I quickly dodged the hand and grabbed the handle of a piece of china off the decorative table.

“What a fucking joke!”

“Aren’t you going to hurry up and apolog-ahhh!”

A loud scream erupted from Louis’s mouth, along with a large bang. The piece of china, which had boasted an elegant appearance, shattered unattractively on his head.

“U-Urgh…”

That bastard ended up falling to his knees instead of me, clutching at his head.

The soldiers let out a quick breath for a moment and firmly grabbed onto my arms again. However, whether it was thanks to Louis ordering them to not take it too rough on me or the fury of either one of us, I was still able to shake them off rather easily.

“I… I won’t let you get away with this.”

I gritted my teeth and looked around for my next potential weapon(?). What soon caught my eye was a large vase which was made of marble.

“Heup…!”

As I picked it up with a grunt, the bastard suddenly rose to his feet, as if he were startled.

“Wh-What the hell are you guys all doing?!”

The bastard, Louis, desperately clutched at his head as he shouted with tears in his eyes.

“Get this bitch back in her room right now… no, just throw her in the dungeon!”

Double the amount of the soldiers from earlier suddenly surrounded me again. I tried not to get caught, but it was rather difficult since I was still carrying a heavy vase.

I threw the vase with all my might. I had intended for the throw to break Louis’s head, but it was too heavy to fly that far. 

The sound of the thick pottery shattering echoed loudly, followed by the cry of me, who was being dragged away by the soldiers.

“If I… become the main character, I’ll definitely make it so that a bastard like you won’t be able to set foot on this land and survive!”

“…What?”

That punk muttered with a pale face as I made a racket while leaving the mansion.

“Did she… perhaps go insane?”

“Even if we’re all wiped out, I’ll still make sure to send your bastards to hell!”

A voice filled with anger echoed in the wide hallway.

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

***

The soldiers pushed me behind iron bars. The floor was littered with filthy water, and to its side was a pile of damp straw, its purpose unknown.

It was clear to anyone that it was a commendable prison, completely isolated from the outside world to the extent that the only light there came from the lamp on the wall. 

How could there be such an unbecoming prison inside such a dazzling, luxurious mansion?

The soldiers, who wrapped a chain around the iron door and even secured it with a large padlock, quickly disappeared without even leaving a single hair behind, as if they already had a prior engagement.

When I was finally left alone, a hushed silence came to the prison. The only thing I was able to hear from time to time was just the sound of water dripping from somewhere.

You won’t get away with this, you damn red-head count bastard.

I had no other choice but to grind my teeth while thinking of dozens of ways to smash Louis’s head in.

However, even though it was just for a moment, an indescribable sense of despondency suddenly flooded in.

“So that’s why I had a bad feeling…”

I slammed my innocent head against the wall in an effort to quell my anger. 

When I had read novels as a reader, the main character’s brother always had dozens of comments claiming that the bastard was suspicious, even if he had only dome something slightly abnormal.

Why couldn’t a person act like that when they were actually in that situation? I suddenly remembered the comments on all kinds of novels and comics claiming that the main character was stupid. 

Writers, I’m sorry. 

Those female protagonists, they were all smart… at least a lot more than me.

But the regretful event has already happened. Being like this wouldn’t change anything. 

I let out a long sigh and looked around. I finally saw my surroundings, perhaps because I had finally adapted to the dark of the prison. 

There was a perch full of cobwebs that seemed to pop out of the gap in the dirty wall. Even half of that seemed to have decayed, seeming as if it would fall apart with just the slightest brush.

I didn’t even know where this was, or which side of the mansion this even was.

If I knew this would’ve happened, I should have paid more attention when I was being dragged in.

“Tsk.”

I approached the door as I clicked my tongue. 

As I swept my hands over the iron bar, I felt the rough and cold touch of iron on my fingertips.

“This is almost like child’s play compared to the iron door that was broken last time.”

Although of course, it was thanks to the power of cookies back then. 

Now there were no cookies, nor was it a situation where I could sell shares to get them. Nevertheless, my mouth flattened into a straight line before I knew it.

Because I had something I believed in. 

I took a deep breath and cried out loudly.

“Winnard!”

Although I didn’t have a bonus cookie, I had a guide who could control time and space at his will instead!

“Winnard Veldrian!”

There was no mistaking it, the guide must have been assigned for this very occasion, I’m sure of it! I shouted again at the top of my voice with that belief in mind.

“Help! Guide!”

“…my ears are about to fall off.”

Then, a low voice came from behind me.

“Ah!”

I was delighted to find that when I looked back, a tall man leaning against the wall with a luxurious cane was standing before my eyes.

“As expected, you did come after all!”

I stood before him with a sigh of relief. It didn’t matter where on earth he came from or how he had come into an enclosed prison. Anyway, the only thing that was important was that he had answered my call.

“Help me, alright?”

The corners of his mouth which seemed spiteful at first glance now seemed to be mischievous.

“You want me to help you? For what?”

“Stop joking around. I’m not in the mood for that right now.”

I hurriedly opened the system window.

「Total shares sold: 8,600 shares.」

“Now, look at this.”

Gloatingly smug, my eyes glittered at Winnard, whose gaze was fixed upon the window.

“Just look at this shocking progress.”

“That’s right, I’ve also been monitoring your performance.”

Winnard’s smile became deeper, as if he was satisfied. He added with a nod.

“You did a great job.”

I asked him with excitement, elated by his praise. No, rather than asking for a favor, it was almost as if I was just telling him instead.

“First, I need to get out of this place right now. Can you break me out of here? And prepare a horse for me too. There’s no one behind the mansion, so… no, no.”

I corrected myself quickly. 

What if I got caught riding a horse? Rather than that, I’d rather…

“Can you just send me to the official headquarters of the Paladins right now?”

Since there would be someone there to help me. And that person was Commander Leonon!

Although I was rather ashamed to say that not only was my ex-husband someone I couldn’t associate myself with, but also my biological older brother. However, I had the thought that he would treat me without any prejudice. 

When I’ve established a safe place for me to stay, I’ll meticulously plan out what to do. 

How should I gruesomely and effectively beat up that bastard Louis, who deceived me? If I get rid of him, then naturally, I’ll also get the County back as well. Wasn’t that just like killing two birds with one stone?

“Hmm.”

However, Winnard just stood there and reacted rather ambiguously.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and get me out of here.”

“Of course I want to get you out as well. Yeah, I’d really like to do that, but…” he continued, scratching his temples as if he were troubled.

“It’s strictly forbidden for a guide to directly intervene with a candidate’s situation.”

“Huh?”

“You have no choice but to escape on your own. Whether it’s through receiving a bonus, whatever it is, you’ll need to work it out on your own.”

“What? Wait, I’m calling you because I clearly can’t do that right now!”

“Ah, I have to go now. I have something urgent to do after all.”

“Hey, hey, wait a minute…!”

“I’m sure you’ll do a good job, Lorella.”

Winnard patted me on the shoulder, nodded, and gave me a smile so beautiful it seemed like a painting.

“Good luck.”

And with those last words, he disappeared before my eyes with a slight breeze. Before i knew it, I was left alone in the prison, looking around in the dark once again.

However, Winnard was nowhere to be found. The person who had just been in front of me had disappeared once again.

“Hey…!”

I let out a sigh at the bewildering situation without even realizing it.

What do you mean urgent business? What could be more urgent than getting me out of here?!

I searched outside of my cell with my face forcibly squished between the bars, but I couldn’t even see a trace of an ant.

“Winnard! No, what the hell? Did you really leave?!”

My voice echoed in the dark prison, as if it were a huge cave instead. 

Of course, there was no reply either.

“Damn it, you can’t just leave! Come back!”

I finally grabbed onto the iron bars and shook them violently.

“Hey, you bastard!”

No matter how many times I shouted, my surroundings remained deadly quiet, with only the sound of water droplets dripping from the ceiling onto the stone floor to break the silence.

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sorry for the long wait, uni hit me like a truck ;-;