CHAPTER 39

"Well, did you come to find me on purpose?"

It was ridiculous. When i asked her if she was excited about something like that, she replied to me like she was going to disappear.

"It's exciting to know that someone cares about where you left off. isn't that right?"

The look of loneliness on Edith face was something Killian couldn't forget. However, the intention to soften towards Edith came late and hardened at Lizzy words that it would be difficult to talk about.

"Maybe it's just my imagination, but I thought I saw you at Hermenia's house earlier."

"What happened?"

"It was. . . . . that I was talking with Cliff, and I heard clearly that Count Riegelhoff's successor was telling Count Riegelhoff about the Duke of Ludwig."

"What. . . . ?"

Lizzy and wiggled her little hands and continued to talk about it in more detail. Killian requested.

"I didn't really listen closely because I just happened to see it. It was such a brief moment that Cliff didn't even see it. But. . . . .i'm pretty sure I heard the word of Duke Ludwig and Edith's name. Did he meet Edith yesterday?"

A chill of anxiety cooled my heart. A few days later, Shane brought a nasty maid in the morning to this house, and he said he had to put her next to Edith.

'Are they talking that in advance. . . . .'

He remembered Count Riegelhoff, who had been trying to attach a maid to Edith even before they married. At first glance, the maid Shane brought was not like an ordinary maid. What kind of maid could be so vicious in the presence of a duke family?

'Edith must be complained to Shane about her situation. That's why Sean, who was angry with the Duke of Ludwig, offered to send a maid on Edith side, and Edith might have been moved and poured a tears.'

Maybe the red on my cheeks was indeed from the sun, as she said. Perhaps because of such doubts, She had to refuse for many , it seemed like it was all an act. Rumors of Edith's persecution were rife, and she had no choice but to accept the maid in.

'You'll find out when you keep an eye on it. Whether that attitude of Edith is acting, or she really means it.'

From the next day, Sophia became Edith's full-time maid, while the Duke secretly increased the number of guards around them.

***

I've thought it a few times in my previous life, but there's a thought that I keep repeating to myself every day of my life as an Edith.

'I'd rather be at work.'

If it was until morning business hours that I could avoid Sophia's surveillance, I would finally take my breath away.

'Besides, when you come to Linan's office, you can at least have tea and dessert

.'

Originally, I didn't enjoy desserts when I was working, i was so hungry that i couldn't see anything. Because Sophia was starving me.

"The desserts seem to suit your taste better today."

Linan said with an unknown face, "What the hell he was thinking.

"Oh, haha, well, yeah. It's delicious today. . . . ."

I was about to eat all the cookies and madeleines on the plate, but out of conscience, I left one for Linan. But it seems that I was looking nasty at the leftovers with anxious eyes.

"You can eat it all."

"Huh? what about Linan?"

"I usually not like sweets."

Yes, that's what it looks like. It's like he purposely tries to find something to eat that does not suit his taste, but why does his face look more handsome today?

"Then. . . . .it's a waste of me to leave behind. . . . ."

With that lame excuse, I finished off the remaining cookies and madeleines.

'Ha, now I'm can live a little.'

I barely filled my hungry stomach, but I was really craving meat and bread. To be more honest, I thought I had a wish to eat a hot bowl of rice with pork soup , beef soup, bean sprout soup, sundae soup, and Oyster soup.

'Oh, I'm going crazy.'

Just thinking about it made me drool.

"Would you like some more?"

Linan asked as if he knew that I was drooling. But the time of baking sweet flour is already over now.

"No, then. . . . . Shall we work?"

But by that evening, I regretted it, recalling the cookies and madeleines that I had not refilled. I'm sure I won't be able to eat it because I'm taking a break at work for a few days starting from tomorrow.

"Isn't it too cruel to let me starve?"

I glared at Sophia and complained, but it only made her feel better.

"If you want to be fed, you have to prove yourself useful."

"You enjoyed treating people like beasts, don't you?"

"Even a beast understands when you beat it like this. but I can't believe a beast is better than you."

"That's funny. You may be my father's dog, but I'm a person. I have a will for myself."

"I can't wait to see how far that free will go in with that face of starvation."

Sophia mocked me, then suddenly walked over and grabbed my hair, shaking it wildly.

"Ah! Aah! Let go of this!"

After shaking me for a while, she let go of my head and threw it on a pillow.

"If you don't like being beaten, you should behave."

"Ugh. . . . Ugh. . . . .Who are you to told me. . . . ."

"Really, did something happen in the meantime? You wasn't this stupid. . . . . tsk."

I was beaten more in areas like the winged bone and spine, but Sofia was pressing my head against the pillow, so I couldn't even scream. But it was a strange thing. In a previous life, I would never have considered myself brave enough to stand up to this kind of violence, but now I didn't want to give in. i wanted to stand up to the violence the Riegelhoff was inflicting on Edith. I wanted to protect the self-esteem that original Edith had been forced to lose. At least I knew they couldn't kill me. In fact, there was another reason besides that.

'There's no way the Duke didn't semt a watchers around here?'

I trusted that someone was watching somewhere. Of course, no one knows what happens in this room, but mistakes happen in the meantime. I may be caught by the watchers pretending to sympathize with Sophia without being aware of it.

'I'm sure the story will reach Killian's ears. How many times do I have to try to clear up that misunderstanding?'

Killian was my lifeline. Ig he was misunderstood any further, it was unlikely she would be able to clear it up in the near future.

'. . . . . I want to see Killian.'

When i thought about Killian, I missed him again. I wanted to tell him all about my situation and beg him for help. But I felt like I heard a narration voice from somewhere.

[Edith Riegelhoff will not be able to reveal hidden settings about herself until she meets the 3rd level exception]

Now it seems like not enough to hear you in my dreams, even in my hallucinations, I could hear you.

'I know, I know!'

I flopped down on the bed, grunted, and sighed.

***

She laughed out loud after beating Edith to her heart's content.

'What really happened? doesn't it look like this person has changed?'

I believed that no one knew Edith Riegelhoff better than she did. She was the one who had been "disciplining" Edith since she was twelve years old, living as her entourage maid. But the current Edith was not the one she knew.

"Why did the kid who tremble and behaved with just one slap suddenly change?"

Edith, who grew up being severely punished by Count Riegelhoff from a young age, became infinitely weak if she faced a violent thing. If she hit her too much, she would trembled and use her hand bagged helplessly, and when it outside of Riegelhoff estate, the key was to tighten her leash by hitting her as much as she could. However, in just a few months, that person changes completely. Even after being beaten like that, she rolled her eyes and spout arrogant things.

"She was such a dumb bitch, she forgot her master. I'll have to train her more thoroughly in the future."

She muttered annoyingly, but her mouth smiled with anticipation. In fact, Sophia felt the greatest joy and pleasure after she hit Edith. How satisfied her self-esteem was, a commoner mercenary, can mercilessly beat up a noble lady.

'It's a bit annoying because i can't show it on the outside, but. . . . .'

I didn't want to be seen by the Duke of Ludwig, so I had to pick a spot that was covered by her clothes and hit her just enough not to make it bleed, but this would inevitably weaken the strength. That was a little disappointing. However, since humans have more than one vital point, there are many ways to harass them without seeing blood.

'We'll see how long you can keep that cheeky face.'

Sophia, who had finished laughing out, went down to the dining room to have a dinner, pretending to be a normal maid. Then, she passed into the rumored Lizzy Sinclair in the stairwell.

"Oh, hello? I hear you're Edith's new maid."

". . . . . Nice to meet you. I'm Sophia."

"Your name is Sophia. Nice to meet you."

Her smile was so bright. She was dazzlingly beautiful as it was rumored to be, but it made Sophia feel sick to her stomach.

'A sly fox bitch.'

For Sophia, Lizzy was the same level as Edith, or even lower.

'She ate like a lustful prostitute, luring men with your innocent face!'

Otherwise, Shane, who was always cool and rational, wouldn't be so possessed.