Chapter 2 - Spring blooms in winter's pavilion (1)

Modern people are bound to have depression at least once in their lives.

So was I in my previous life. But in my case, the condition was a little serious.

This is all because I went through all kinds of things at small and medium-sized companies when I graduated from college and joined the company.

As a result, what I gained varied greatly from depression, lethargy and obsessive compulsive, falling self-esteem and self-hatred.

Only then did I decide to quit, but in fact there was a horrible reason.

At the last get-together, I was so drunk and the head of the department manager, who usually used to commit sexual harassment, knocked me out.

Since then, I entered the job market with no time to be treated for depression, vowing to quit drinking.

However, since I had already left home after cutting my relationship with my parents, my job preparation period was like hell for me, who had nowhere to lean on.

As a result, I died.

It was a cold winter.

After completing the 20th interview, I couldn't endure the sorrow, and after drinking three bottles of soju without snacks in the park near the studio where I lived, I fell asleep.

The cause of death was hypothermia. It was a ridiculous ending.

When I opened my eyes after I died, I was lying alone in a shabby room with a baby's body.

I thought I was born again, but when I was about two years old, I realized that this world was in my novel.

It was just, I used to write stories that I thought of when I was in high school and read them with my friends.

Who knew I would live in my novel?

***

"There are some facts that you have to follow in this castle from now on."

After seeing the slave auction house explode with the bodies of merchants and nobles, I was taken straight to the drawing room as soon as I arrived at the castle.

After that, I immediately sat alone with Henriette, the villain in my novel.

As an original writer, facing the villain in the novel was not a pleasant feeling.

I'm grateful that you saved me from being sold as a slave, but somehow I feel like I fell into a lion's den while trying to avoid the fox.

"As I said, I am your father, and you are my own daughter. But in the future, you should behave in this castle and you shouldn't act annoyingly in front of me."

And that was like not asking for affection as a biological father.

"I hate annoying children."

I didn't have any expectations in the first place, so I understood and nodded.

Henriette Cittlet Wensgrey.

He who once killed nearly hundreds of nobles and raised his authority on the present Imperial family of Zert, was far from the bottom of aristocracy.

He is the great wizard of the Zert Empire and one of the three dukes called the pillars of the Empire.

With countless families, the royal elders' association and the elders' association supported him.

None of the nobles in the empire could treat him carelessly.

Even the emperor was swayed by him, so in reality Henriette was no different from the main owner of the empire.

····· I remember always hearing it.

It must have been until he went to jail.

But that Wensgray, who is known to be dead, was still alive.

Anyway, maybe he brought me here because he thought he couldn't let me be sold as a slave or something and ruin the reputation of the family.

To the point of such speculation, he was staring at me with a grim look. He even frowned.

"...did you say you were seven this year?"

"Yes, sir."

"You're seven years old, and small…..you're too skinny."

Henriette stared at me for a long time then he wrinkled his eyebrows.

"What a sight."

*gulp

The sound of me swallowing my dry saliva seemed to resonate all over the quiet room.

While all the other servants in the room remained silent, Henriette, who tapped the handle of the chair with his fingertips, sighed.

"Take her and wash her. Dress her properly and feed her. That'll make her a little bit worth seeing."

Saying so, he stood up from his seat.

I looked casually at the tip of his head so high like a mountaintop, and bowed my head reflexively when his eyes were pointed at me.

"I will go to the yellow island from now on."

"When will you be back this time, Master?"

"It won't take long. I'll have to solve the problems while I was 'dead' and clear up the situation in the past."

As he stepped out of the drawing room, the silent sound of his feet drifted away.

"I hope you aren't doing bad things up until then."

Once again I gulped down my dry saliva.

Soon I heard the door shut completely. Boom.

"Then, my lady, from now on, I will introduce you to the people who will serve you. First of all, my name is Peina Emmel, the exclusive maid of honor who will serve you."

Henriette really left me to these people and left the castle.

You're a cold-hearted man. As an original writer, I wanted to hit myself in the past, who set up a character personality like that.

"I'm also Mary Selene, your exclusive maid of honor."

"My name is Shelia Hemelton. I will also serve you with all my heart."

"I'm Brodyne Calip, Butler of the Duchy of Wensgray. I look forward to your kind cooperation."

While many servants introduced themselves, I kept my head down with my knees tightly folded.

Henriette's existence that bothered me was already gone, but there was another difficulty left.

"…Finally, I'm Pocelli Garcien, the lady's tailor in charge. From now on, the lady will have to wear new clothes and eat at the order of the master….."

I heard the middle-age lady vaguely blurring the end of her words.

Actually, I'm not seeing their faces at all right now.

Because

"…so, can you please come out of the closet now?"

It is because I am hiding in the closet.

After Henriette left, the servants took me out of the drawing room shortly after.

However, I didn't have any good memories of the people who had the job of being servants.

Count Semond's maids used to beat, kick, or pinch me.

If you don't listen, you often starve, and even if you don't work properly, their hands will hit you right away.

So I was surprised to see many servants reaching out to me at once and ran away without realizing it.

"Lady, I apologize if I surprised you. Please come out."

Seeing that I have not been forced to leave the closet right next to the drawing room for about 30 minutes, I felt like they are people with good character, just like those who said soft words and friendly voices.

So I thought I should just go outside, but my body didn't move.

Although I remember being an adult, I wondered if it was because I'm still young, but sometimes I felt that my mental age was more tailored to be a child. It was usually when I was scared. Like now

"Lady, please come out of the closet. This is a big deal…"

A woman who introduced her name as Peina was heard sighing.

Well, if I don't go out like this, they'll be in trouble for being ordered to wash, clothe and feed me by their owner Henriette.

I knew well that I couldn't stay like this.

But I don't want to go out. Strangers are scary, and I don't know what's going to happen to me. I also thought that everyone might suddenly change their attitudes and hit me.

At that time, Peina sighed.

"This way, the hot, crispy apple pie baked by the chef will cool down. The chef even prepared it after hearing that the lady is coming."

"······"

A rumbling sound.

Just in time, a hunger-infested sound burst out of my stomach.

I hugged my stomach with my arms in a hurry, but come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday.

While I was at Count Semond's house, I thought I would be able to endure it even after a day of starvation.

Slave merchants, however, always let us eat one meal a day while traveling with the children who will become slaves.

It must be because the thing they will sell should not starve to death.

Maybe it's because I got used to eating one meal a day, but I was very hungry after starving.

"A sweet peach tart with whipped cream on it…."

A rumbling sound.

"A juice made of fresh fruit with honey, and a dish filled with baked fruit."

A rumbling sound.

"Also, we have a buttered roast chicken and a roast turkey."

"········"

"The chefs made it all for you."

I hugged the stomach that kept rumbling out and was briefly troubled.

I don't know what they'd do with me after tricking me out with those words. However, I was too hungry to hold on anymore.

Peina put one more word on it and hit the decisive blow.

"For dessert, we'll have cookies full of chocolate and lemon macarons."

"…."

*creak.

I had no choice but to open the door to the closet.

If you lose to an empty stomach like this, you will have nothing to say even if those maids or other servants suddenly change and beat me up and laugh at me.

However, how can I stay still after listening to the menus? I'm so hungry!

I closed my eyes tightly and lifted myself out of the closet. The moment I opened my eyes, I was caught up in the imagination that they would look at me with mockery and they would all laugh at me.

But what I saw at the moment I opened my eyes again was a gentle stretching touch.

"Now you're here! My lady."

The woman with her black hair tied nicely was welcoming me at the front. When I heard her voice, I thought she was Peina.

Other servants now looked at me with a relieved face.

The light from outside was so bright and blinding that I almost closed my eyes again without realizing it.

"Shall we go eat something delicious from now on?"

Peina reached out and naturally held me in her arms, and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh, I, I...."

"Yes, miss?"

I was very dirty now.

Slave merchants only served food well, but they didn't wash the children properly, so my hair was messy and there are soup spilled on my skin.

Nevertheless, Peina held me so naturally.

"I········ I, I smell."

"Lady. People always smell."

But I think Peina is smiling.

"All living life has no choice but to smell. Then, shall we go to the dining room now?"

She took me outside, answering me with a very nonchalant response, even though her statement was a little strange.

Other servants followed in a row, and each of them breathed a sigh of relief.

I looked at them with puzzled faces and bowed my head over Peina's shoulder. She had a very fragrant smell of flowers.

But before long, I could quickly realize that they had deceived me.