Chapter 7 - Spring blooms in winter's pavilion (6)

It felt like death had come right in front of me.

Suddenly, I remembered him from the slave auction house.

They cast a spell in advance inside the auction house, set off explosions, ordered knights to kill everyone in the auction house, and burned all the remaining bodies.

Cool golden eyes flashing through the embers scattering in the dark.

Bloody smell, the smell of burning human flesh, and the screams scattering behind a cool, beautiful face.

Silence…..

his footsteps gradually drew closer to me.

The tip of the sword was dragged to the floor, *kaang *kang, ominous air surrounded me.

"I guess you can't get enough of it. How dare I let my castle be defiled by you."

I couldn't hear the words that he's saying because my head, which was full of fear, had hardened on its own.

Soon after he found me and met my eyes, the limit of the intelligence of a seven-year-old child could handle came.

Right away, tears burst out.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Knowing that the egg soup bowl that had been placed on my knees was pouring down and wetting my skirt, I sat still and began to beg with my hands together.

It just kept popping up in my head that I might end up like the people who died in the slave market that day.

"I'm sorry! I won't appear in your eyes from now on! I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry! I, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

I've been so comfortable that I've forgotten my situation.

The Duke will not blink an eye if he has a daughter who bothers him.

In front of such a man, what could I have done in a situation that is frightening?

I should've waited until morning even if I was hungry.

Even though my head was messed up, words of forgiveness popped out of my mouth.

I used to think it was better to be beaten than to die, but it would be much better to die neatly than to be beaten by a man who was bigger than me. That's what I've been thinking through.

So I prayed for peace in my head, hoping that he would get it done without beating me if possible.

Soon Henriette let out a sigh.

"...Why are you here?"

"Well, well, uh, uh"

"what have you been doing here?"

Do you want me to tell you what I stole and ate?

That's all I thought about right now, so I slowly lifted the bowl of soup with my trembling hands.

"T, this, this... Oh, I'm going to eat…"

"…what's that?"

Despite tears and runny nose, he desperately stuck out the bowl to make it look better.

All I was going to eat was just egg soup.

"Huh huh…."

"········."

Tears were coming out more than before because I felt sad.

It's just a bowl of water with a grain of salt and an egg. Besides, I couldn't eat it all.

And I'm still hungry ····.

Looking into a bowl of egg slices and a little salt left, Henriette somehow became speechless.

Only my cry soaked the kitchen for a long time.

***

"Oh, miss. Eat slowly ······."

How can you eat slowly in this situation?

I was now diligently eating soups and sandwiches with solid ingredients. My stomach, which was getting swollen as my empty stomach was filled, felt satisfied now.

And it was also burdensome.

To be exact, Henriette's gaze sitting across from me.

"She had a fever during the day. That's why she haven't eaten dinner and she have been sleeping. I think she came out because she were hungry. It's our responsibility for not taking good care of her, so punish us."

Peina and other maids looked deeply down to Henriette, but he had only sat there without saying a word.

The maids were all pale, as they feared him. Some of them were visibly trembling.

I was shaking a lot earlier, too.

Henriette suddenly grabbed me by the arm and finally went into this room.

I thought he would beat me but he didn't.

Rather, he made them bring a meal for me.

The sandwiches with a lot of strawberry jam and honey and a lot of ham, boiled eggs, lettuce and thick bacon were so delicious. And hot cream soup.

The sad heart had already been blown away.

"...…I wondered if an assassin who had escaped from me in the Ecliptic came all the way to my castle, but it was just a mouse. I thought I'd cut off the limbs this time if I saw the same guys again.

····· Suddenly, I felt like my appetite was falling.

It seems like my limbs might have fallen if he hadn't found me sooner. A wizard could kill a man eve without looking at him.

After putting the half-eaten sandwich down on the plate, I finally came to my senses a little bit, and I met Henriette, who was looking at me with tired eyes.

I lowered my head. I'm embarrassed that I cried a lot earlier, and I'm scared of him.

"…if you hadn't had a meal, you could have called in the maids to make something to eat. Why did you go to the kitchen yourself?"

I narrowed my shoulders when I heard that.

It was also embarrassing to find out that I cooked soup freely while stealing food, but more than that, I've been found by the one who told me not to be reckless in the castle.

On second thought, Henriette is a villain.

The villain in the original book, who has so many personality flaws can kill a child without difficulty.

Why did I put such a setting in the book? I truly regret it.

"Oh, I won't do that from now on ····."

"I didn't ask for such an answer."

He was speaking in a stiff voice, frowning.

I thought I might lose my voice this time if I answered stupidly, so I talked desperately as I did in the kitchen earlier.

"I'm sorry that I wandered around. I'm sorry. B, because I bothered the Duke….. even though you said, 'Do not be mischievous'."

Henriette's brow became more and more distorted. I bowed my head down completely.

Come to think of it, I wonder how absurd it must have been because I was stealing food from the kitchen.

At this rate, I even thought that I would be kicked out.

It was a problem being his daughter and because of that, I thought I'd rather change my role.

Since you said you don't like kids who bother you, wouldn't you like a little more useful ones?

The maids don't like me working, but Henriette may be different.

Because he liked a useful human being.

It was like that in the original novel.

"I'm….. good at a lot of things."

One side of Henriette's eyebrow wriggled briefly.

He's staring at me more and more frighteningly for some reason. I continued on with Henriette looking at me while I'm completely avoiding his gaze.

"I'm good at cleaning, I'm not good at cooking yet, but I'm really good at doing laundry. I can do poetry and errands well. I have a really good memory. I clean the windows well even if they're high."

"....."

"So if you tell me not to stand out, I'll work out of sight, so please let me stay here ····."

Would it have been too shameful? The maids were covering their mouths looking like they see my form as pitiful.

Peina even looked at me with a face that seemed to be devastated and was about to cry.

Henriette, who was speechless for a moment, frowned, saying in a low voice.

"…Did Count Semond teach you that much?"

You may not be kicked out if you appeal that you have not just grown up modestly, but are useful and know how to do many things.

And let's attribute it to Count Semond, even if it's a little unfair. I replied with a nod.

"Yes, Count Semond, he taught me how to work. So I'm good at a lot of things."

This method is limited to children's brains right now. Peina, who was listening to the story next to her, was greatly shocked this time.

"Oh, miss ······."

The other maids are now completely hardened.

Oh, maybe Henriette's angry that I'm just talking back to him? When I looked at him at that thought, my face was hardened as expectedly.

I opened my mouth in a hurry.

"S, sorry ····."

"Is that really all the Count has taught you on my behalf?"

Henriette was speaking with a powerful voice this time.

He didn't raise me, but I don't think that's a place to live as a maid and confess that I was abused, so let's just swallow it for now.

That's true, but even though it was well-known as a villain family, it was a situation where the reputation was placed on the great noble family, and now that I think about it, it appealed only to physical labor.

I had to let them know that what I learned while staying at Count Semond was not only manual labor, and patience.

"Oh, no. I learned something else."

I was lucky enough to have a good memory.

I don't think I had a good memory in my previous life, but the child's brain was big.

Although it was difficult to speak or act like an adult, it was possible to recall what I heard at least a few months ago.

Count Semond would frequently hold banquets or tea parties to invite his close peers.

I was with him every time, disguised as a foster daughter who grew up lovingly by him. It was for the external image.

He was a bat-like human being, and that's how much he liked to look around.

Anyway, at that time, I could hear the conversation the Count had with his acquaintances up close.

Most of it was difficult because it was about politics, but I just listened to it because I was bored.

After I finished thinking, I opened my mouth. To look as smart as possible, I decided to take out everything I remember.

"I know the story of Miss Lille's mine that the Emperor is hiding. Some people are going to go sneak up on the Emperor to dig it all up."

Especially, they used to talk about the emperor often.

Henriette is a wizard who assists the emperor, so wouldn't she be able to score more if she told her stories about the emperor?

I couldn't think of what context it was from, but now it's important to look smart kid.

But as soon as I brought it up, Henriette's expression hardened. I went on cautiously to read his mind.

"And again, Altar? Alphar? Oh, Marquis Alphar, uh, uh, what was it? Instead, He's going to be the crown prince….."

"That one."

Henriette suddenly cut me off.

This time he was seriously asking with a face that seemed a little far from angry.

"Say it more clearly."

I got scared again, but I tried to get my act together.

And then what did he say? For now, I tried to lay it out as I remembered.

"T, the Crown Prince is too young to be a prince, and if Marquis Alphar does well, he may become Crown Prince. To do that, we had to fight something. Elder, or elder········? They don't get along very well ·····."

"·············· Did he say that he should win the support of the Presbyterian Church first and hold the Senior Council first?"

"Oh, yes!"

That was it, but how did you know? It was kind of amazing in the mind of a child.

My adult spirit was shouting, "Let's stop talking because it's ominous," but the child's spirit suddenly got excited to see that scary Henriette was listening to me hard.

So I brought up all the stories I remember.

Count Semond tried to change the subject a little bit when the emperor was mentioned, or some aristocrat was hiding some kind of gold mine in the palace. And a few months later, he said he'd deliver some medicine to the palace through someone.

"And then ·····. Where was it? South, uh, we just have to wait in Pelermien City."

"Finally, it's where you'll be going in a little while."

At this point I decided to follow the cries of my adult mind.

The child's mind also started poking me to stop talking, as if he had sensed the ominousness.

But without a moment to shut up, Henriette asked again.

"Can you tell me the names or appearances of those who brought it up? And when did you hear that? Is the story a common theme?"

Ugh, there are so many questions. I answered a little slowly because my head got complicated.

"T, their names are············First of all, the people that talk most often with Count Semond were Marquis Damien, Count Paulford, and Marquis Endery. It was told three months ago. They've talked about the Emperor, uh, a lot."

Every time a tea party or banquet was held, the story was mostly about the emperor or the imperial family.

Some adults seemed concerned that I would hear an important story, but Count Semond thought I was stupid. Thanks to that, I could hear all kinds of stories.

I thought I'd pretend I didn't know that I cursed the emperor and burst it, but Henriette's expression, which had been bad for a while, seemed like something was about to explode.

"······Is there still less rebels left?"

Originally, the colder the person, the greater the extent of the explosion. It was just such a face.

And at this point, I had something to check, so I took my fear and spoke a little.

"Well, Duke."

Henriette's eyes turned right to me.

This time, I tried not to avoid eye contact, but I failed, so I put my eyes around his chin, swallowing dry saliva and throwing a question.

"Now, then, can I stay here? I won't bother you, Duke. Cleaning or laundry..."

"Do you think I brought you here to do such a thing?"

At first glance, he spoke sensitively in a serious voice.

I immediately curled up and lowered my head with my mouth closed, and when Henriette saw me, he clicked his tongue.

"…the food I've served is going to cool down."

It wasn't until I heard it that I found the soup in the bowl cooling down..

It sounded like finishing the food, so I spooned up the cold soup before I knew it, and Henriette kept looking at me.

"Is that all Count Semond taught you?"

No wonder I heard a voice that seemed a little more softened than just now and raised my head, then I took another bite of the sandwich. Yum yum, yum. Thinking about what to say.

Then Henriette suddenly reached out and stole a bowl of soup from me.

I hardened at once.

My, my soup! I was going to answer quickly even if you didn't take it away.

My hands trembled with injustice. How could he do that? Taking away what a child used to eat, you bastard!

But he left his hand in my soup bowl for a moment, then pushed it back in front of me.

Looking at the bowl with a mysterious face, the soup was hot again.

When I looked at him with my eyes wide open in surprise, Henriette nodded.

"Answer."

If I don't answer and eat, he might actually take it away this time.

Once the soup was pulled firmly towards me so that it wouldn't be taken away again, my mouth opened.

"Well…. I know how to write letters, add and subtract."

"That's a given at your age. Other than that."

"...….housework."

"Other than the damn housework."

He replied snarlingly. My mouth shut up on its own.

But that's really all Count Semond taught me.

Although I was following the child-like state of mind according to the child's body, I only knew a lot of things compared to learning it "only" thanks to the support of my memories as an adult.

Anyway, honestly shaking his head, Henriette's expression hardened again.

Scared, I hurried back.

"Oh, though, Count Semond was kind. Well, I can't do anything, so he taught me a lot of work, and sometimes he told me to take a break….the Countess also think of me as a daughter."

But rather, it felt like the air was sinking more. Henriette's expression was getting worse either.