Episode 4
“My goodness, Milady!!”
Anna, who had been nervously biting her nails beside the carriage, spotted me and immediately rushed over in a flurry.
“What on earth happened?! Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I got the news that you suddenly collapsed?!”
I shook my head weakly, too drained even to speak. At that, Estellin stepped forward.
“I-I’m sorry. There was a minor accident at the party… I told her it would be better to stay here today, but Milady insisted on returning anyway.”
“Oh my… I see.”
Anna examined my pale face, clearly relieved, and spoke.
She looked at me and Estellin holding hands as if she couldn’t believe it.
Feeling self-conscious, I spoke carefully.
“Um… Estellin, could you let go of my hand for now?”
“Oh! Sorry!” Estellin exclaimed, quickly releasing my hand. Fidgeting with her sleeve, she added,
“As I mentioned earlier, I really want to properly repay you for what happened today. So… would it be alright if I sent you a letter soon?”
“Of course. Anytime.”
“And… also… maybe… um…”
She trailed off, looking embarrassed.
I understood immediately what she was trying to say and whispered softly so Anna couldn’t hear.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about today. If people found out, it would just cause unnecessary trouble, right?”
Estellin nodded, her eyes wide with surprise.
The Laurent family’s influence was enormous—and naturally, they had plenty of enemies.
Those who wanted to tarnish the Duke’s reputation would have jumped at the chance to spread the news of a poisoning at today’s party.
If word of today’s incident got out…
Rumors would fly in an instant: the Duke’s prestige has fallen, security is too lax, his retainers are incompetent—you name it.
Even in the original story, this had happened.
Right after Aria’s death, malicious rumors circulated to tarnish the Laurent family’s reputation. Estellin had to endure emotional strain despite grieving her sister.
Of course, the original Selenia would have enjoyed that cruelty.
I clicked my tongue at the thought, then came up with an idea.
“Estellin, how about we just say I fainted from anemia?”
Estellin’s eyes went wide.
“Huh? B-but… is that really alright?”
“Of course. Anemia isn’t exactly fatal.”
After almost killing her sister, this was nothing.
Still, Estellin bit her lip and muttered in a trembling voice,
“Selenia… thank you so much.”
I shook my head as if to brush it off, when Anna’s voice called from a distance.
“Milady, it’s cold. You should get in the carriage.”
She had obviously been waiting for our conversation to end.
I nodded and approached Anna. Once inside the carriage, I turned to Estellin.
“Let’s get going, Estellin. Thank you for today.”
“Oh, no! I should be the one thanking you. And…”
Blushing, she fiddled with her earlobe and added softly,
“…I guess I misunderstood you before. I’m sorry.”
I laughed awkwardly, closing my mouth.
“Ah, no need to apologize.”
Just then, the coachman cracked the whip, and the carriage slowly started moving.
Estellin’s figure gradually shrank outside the window. When she was almost out of sight, I lowered my head from the window and whispered to Anna.
“…Anna. The maid who delivered the medicine—I assume you know who she is, right?”
“Oh, yes. I already noted her affiliation. Why?”
“Let’s send her into exile. Immediately.”
We needed a perfect crime, for now.
“Haah…”
I let out a deep sigh, staring at the ceiling. Dawn light was already seeping through the curtains.
I had arrived at the mansion around midnight with Anna and hadn’t slept a moment since.
My mind was far too chaotic.
The thing bothering me the most…
Why did I even collapse?
God’s Tears shouldn’t affect anyone who isn’t a Manifestor.
But I collapsed. And it hurt like hell.
The lingering pain in my chest hadn’t entirely gone away. Though it was improving quickly.
…But things worked out, at least.
The Duke would investigate further, but there was nothing incriminating here. No one would ever find evidence I had done this.
The situation had made it impossible to suspect me, and the only witness—the Laurent family maid—was probably long gone from the city.
What if we say she had to return home urgently because a family member was ill?
Thanks to Anna, I had a plausible excuse. No evidence, no witnesses.
But…
The future is still the problem.
Even though I knew the world from the novel, I had still dropped into it overnight.
No matter how composed I tried to be, everything was strange and frightening.
And the most troubling part was the lack of information.
No wonder I confused character names at first.
Understandable. Who studies a web novel like a textbook? Most people just skim along.
And Selenia wasn’t even a major character. Just a minor villain that appeared briefly to inflate the protagonist’s story.
I let out a small sigh and rubbed my forehead.
A major crisis down, a minor one remains…
Life really is the same everywhere, it seems.
My eyes ached from lack of sleep, a dull headache forming. I shook my head.
…I’ll figure it out tomorrow.
By habit, I glanced at the wall clock. Already past five.
Crap… I’ll barely get an hour of sleep… wait.
Then I paused, suddenly realizing something. My eyes widened.
I didn’t actually need to wake up at six. I didn’t have a job in this world.
A stiff smile slowly crept across my face.
No matter how dirty or miserable my old life had been, I had gone to that job every day, clutching my resignation and my paycheck.
And now…
I’m a full-time lazy noble? Really?
“…Amazing.”
I muttered, sinking back into the bed. The soft blankets hugged my skin.
Finally, I understood.
No wonder this is a noble daughter’s life.
The bed was plush, the blanket warm. No comparison to the ten-thousand-won bargain blanket I had back in my past life.
Everything was huge—the room, the windows, the bed. Probably king-sized.
“…So this is why everyone goes crazy over reincarnation and possession.”
It was thrilling. Life felt electric.
I closed my eyes, still in disbelief.
Through the dim morning light, I could hear birds chirping. Dawn was breaking.
Scary to fall asleep now.
I hoped it wasn’t all just a dream.
But the worry didn’t last long. I soon fell into a deep, sound sleep.
When I woke, the sun was high in the sky.
Sitting by the blazing fireplace was Anna, knitting.
“Anna.”
I called in a hoarse voice. She looked up, concern written across her face.
“Milady, are you alright? You were sleeping so deeply I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I’m fine.”
Anna smiled, relieved, and tidied my disheveled hair.
So Selenia never really troubled Anna before.
If she had, Anna wouldn’t be so kind. Or maybe our relationship hadn’t soured yet.
I decided not to worry. At least it was good to be on friendly terms with someone I’d be spending a lot of time with.
“Are you feeling alright? The rumors about your collapse have already spread across the city.”
Her green eyes were filled with concern.
“You have anemia? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“…Ah, it’s nothing serious.”
Anna sighed, pretending to scold me.
“Milady, your health comes first. You should see a physician, even now.”
“It was temporary.”
Anna muttered, Still…, then suddenly looked alarmed.
“Oh, what about that laxative?”
I flinched.
“…Uh, what?”
“The one you insisted Estellin drink.”
I quickly averted my eyes, blinking.
“Ah, that’s… taken care of! I changed my mind midway and removed it before Estellin could drink it.”
Anna’s mouth dropped in surprise.
“Then why did you send that maid back home yesterday?”
“Well… just in case…?”
Her green eyes narrowed suspiciously. She let out a small Hmm and said,
“But you really hated Estellin, didn’t you?”
“……”
“And you insisted on forcing things even though I strongly objected… then suddenly your feelings changed, and you stopped?”
I tried to act nonchalant.
“I… don’t really dislike Estellin anymore.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, she’s not that bad… and honestly, I’ve been a bit harsh too, haven’t I?”
“…Milady. Are you feeling unwell?”
When someone suddenly changes, people here notice too.
I cleared my throat, leaned back, and shook my head.
“No. I’m perfectly fine.”
Anna stared at me, then reluctantly nodded.
“…If Milady says so.”
She slapped her palm and exclaimed, My, my!
I looked at her, bewildered.
