The atmosphere in the courtyard froze.

Rachel’s face went pale and she stiffened like a statue.

The servants didn’t know what to do either, and the soldiers...

“Has she lost it?”

“Never heard such nonsense in my life.”

“Rachel had that kind of personality? That’s creepy.”

“Miss, are you alright?”

The last voice was Enzo’s.

He rushed over to me as I clung to Heidi and Betty.

After carefully checking me over, he looked toward Father.

“You’re unharmed.”

At that, Rachel flinched. She stretched out trembling hands toward Father and hurriedly tried to explain.

“General, this is—well... if you hear me out, you’ll understand—”

“Shut that mouth—”

Thud—!

It felt like a mountain pressing down.

Father had activated his Blessing.

The flower vases scattered around the courtyard cracked with sharp noises.

“—Close it.”

Rachel, the servants, and even the soldiers froze as if rooted to the ground.

Father slowly walked past Rachel.

Then he reached out his hand toward me.

‘Me? To be held?’

What if the Blessing’s influence tore me apart?

Monsters dissolved by Father’s Blessing on Hardix Mountain flashed through my mind, making my heart pound.

Though this was planned and deliberate, I was scared out of my mind.

But it would be worse to avoid this moment.

I timidly hugged Father.

“Tell me yourself. What happened?”

Rachel’s face turned as pale as death.

“General—”

“Rachel Buing-i-yo. She abused the maids. The maids were kind to me, so Rachel Buing got angry.”

“So?”

“I’m going to save the maids. Because I’m the mistress. But Rachel Buing spoke badly.”

“...”

“She said we’re dirty blood!”

I pointed at Rachel with my finger stretched out.

“...!”

Rachel was flustered and could only open her mouth slightly.

The soldiers chuckled.

“She really is crazy.”

That was Mosco, the huge three-meter man.

Enzo glared at her.

“For all the general’s mercy letting her in as steward for her late husband’s merits, she dares say that to the young lady?”

“I, I—General, I—!”

A thin, model-like man chuckled.

“They say the way the general looked at her was unusual.”

Mosco snorted.

“As far as I remember, that look was the same when he killed people on the battlefield.”

The soldiers and managers muttered.

“Clearly out of it...”

“How dare she not know her place...”

“Creepy...”

Rachel’s face flared red at the murmurs. She looked like she wanted to hide in a hole.

Father said,

“I permit opening the punishment room.”

“Y-Your Excellency—!”

“Let her engrave respect for my daughter deep into her bones.”

“P-Please spare me! I beg you! Remember my bond with my late husband... Your Excellency! Your Excellency!”

The servants dragged her away.

‘Oh...’

Clinging to Father’s neck, I watched Rachel scream her head off.

The punishment room was for when servants caused great harm to the household.

The master did not participate; only the servants judged each other.

‘She whipped the servants so much, she won’t come out alive.’

I secretly waved my hand at the screaming Rachel.

‘Bye!’

Night.

After dinner, I found medicine prepared in my room.

“What’s this?”

I asked Heidi, who giggled.

“The master told me to prepare it. I think she was worried you might be very scared after everything.”

“...”

I fiddled with the medicine’s packaging.

‘Father might be a good person after all. Or maybe... Gasp.’

What am I thinking!

I slapped my own cheek with both hands.

“Oh my, young lady! Why hit such a precious cheek...!”

“Better hit Sir Enzo instead!”

“Right!”

While the maids scrambled, I thought,

‘Trying to expect family affection again. I almost became a hopeless fool.’

Wishing for love without conditions turns you into a tail-wagging dog.

Haven’t I experienced that hoping Mom and stepfather would love me like my half-sibling?

‘And even when I was sick...’

“Our Hyemin’s struggling. Mom’s been too hard on you, like she’s the cause ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) of your illness.”

I leaned on my crying mom on sick days.

I also had hopes for the stepfather who always drove Mom to the hospital on weekends.

‘Maybe I existed in their hearts,’ I thought.

I used to think being sick wasn’t always bad.

“So how many life insurances did you take out?”

“Let’s talk about that in the car.”

“The kid is sick, that’s true, but the important stuff needs to be heard. How much has my business declined? Our Saeun might not even study abroad.”

“I think quite a few. She’s meticulous about those things.”

—Until I overheard their secret conversation.

I don’t know how much I cried when I heard it.

‘It was so frustrating.’

After that, I canceled all life insurance.

Of course, Mom and stepfather were shocked.

“How can a person be that cruel!”

“Die with you? Yeah? Would that make it easier? The living must live!”

“Sis, you’re really mean.”

I was so numb to affection that those words didn’t hurt.

So I waved bundles of bills around and teased them.

“If you’re done talking, please leave. The door’s that way.”

Anyway, I don’t believe in unconditional parental love.

It was a realization born from experience.

‘I have to try to keep a good relationship with Father.’

I clenched my fist, tiny as a rice cake ball, and made a resolution.

“Miss.”

Just then, Heidi spoke.

I looked at her, “Mm?”

“Lady Rachel was chased out. It’s all thanks to you. Really, truly, thank you.”

“Yes, Miss! She embezzled so much political money. The general tracked every last speck and made it a debt.”

“She did terrible things to the maids in the punishment room. Right?”

“She hit people so much she got what she deserved.”

I nodded to their words.

“Who will be the steward now?”

“Well... I guess the most experienced servant will take over?”

Betty shook her head at that.

“Maurice was just crying and getting kicked out. Rachel’s minions are all being ousted.”

“Then half will be gone.”

“Half is better than all. It’ll get busy.”

“Yeah, it will.”

But Heidi and Betty were smiling.

Better to be busy than correct, they said.

‘Steward, huh.’

Finding someone new wouldn’t be easy.

With so many servants kicked out, handover wouldn’t be proper.

‘Unless they’re really capable... Ah!’

I got a good idea.

I giggled while looking at the garden.

The next day.

I came to the garden early morning and looked around.

‘Is there anyone?’

While looking hard, I saw an old man carrying a sack from afar.

‘Michelan.’

I ran over to him.

“Hello!”

“Hello, young lady.”

Michelan greeted me with a friendly smile.

“Grandpa, you’re here. That’s a relief!”

“Yes?”

“The servants have left a lot. Grandpa, you mustn’t go out either.”

Michelan’s eyes widened slightly, but he laughed and said, “Thank you.”

‘Seems like he knows something.’

Michelan wasn’t an official servant of the jurisdictional castle.

He was a temporary odd-job worker from outside.

He didn’t seem close to the other servants, yet did he already know the estate’s inside story?

“Grandpa, have you gone inside?”

I asked. Michelan smiled and answered.

“No, I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“Do you know why so many servants have left?”

“Look over there.”

I turned my head toward where Michelan pointed.

There was a dragged mark on the floor.

“By size and shape, it looks like a luggage bag was dragged.”

“Mm.”

“Someone must have dragged their luggage out yesterday. Not a noble, of course. Servants wouldn’t manage noble luggage like that. So it must be the servants leaving themselves...”

“Mm.”

“The master wouldn’t like seeing such marks, so they should be erased quickly. But the marks remain till dawn.”

“...”

“So I thought the shortage of labor was because so many servants were kicked out.”

I almost gaped.

Detective or what.

This is only something you see in animation with tranquilizer guns.

‘Truly the most favored former head servant of the late Empress Dowager!’

With such quick wits, he could play defense when the Empress Dowager tried to frame the late Empress.

‘He’s exactly the kind of person this jurisdiction needs.’

Someone needed in times of chaos.

Loyal, capable.

The perfect chief steward.

‘Should I drop a hint?’

My eyes sparkled.

“If grandpa becomes steward, that would be great.”

“Yes?”

“He knows noble language. Smart too. Very polite.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

‘Doesn’t seem very interested in steward work.’

But judging by his appearance, he seemed to need work.

“Don’t like stewarding?”

“Miss, may I speak presumptuously?”

“Yes.”

“Poor people don’t take the job. When they urgently need money, they get greedy.”

It seemed he couldn’t work fearing that greed.

But that made me like Michelan even more.

‘Honest, honest!’

Look at this beautiful loyalty.

With someone like him, I could leave the jurisdiction with peace of mind.

I blinked like a child.

“Poor...?”

“It means poor.”

“Why?”

“That is...”

Michelan’s eyes darkened for a moment, but soon returned to his usual friendly expression.

“Sorry, young lady. I have to get going now.”

“Mm...”

“Have a good day.”

He bowed perfectly and left.

Watching Michelan’s back, I thought,

He doesn’t seem to dislike steward work itself.

Instead of saying yes or no, he advised poor people shouldn’t take it.

‘Then I just have to remove the worries.’

I grinned and entered the inner castle, running toward the dining hall.

When I arrived at the first-floor dining hall, I saw Father eating with Enzo beside him.

“Hello.”

I greeted and Enzo bowed his head.

“Good morning, young lady. You’re already up.”

I nodded and sat down. Immediately, a servant hurried over.

“Shall I bring your meal?”

“...”

I stared at the servant, who then glanced at me nervously.

“Yes. Please.”

The servant hurried toward the kitchen.

‘So polite.’

He was trembling nearly uncontrollably.

Seeing so many servants kicked out yesterday, he seemed worried he’d be next.

Thinking about it, every servant I met this morning looked pale and ran here.

“G-good morning, young lady.”

“Is there anything you need?”

The effort to chase out Lady Rachel had paid off.

‘Now all I need is a perfect steward.’

With Michelan, we might recruit good workers when filling the shortage.

Father glanced at me from behind his newspaper.

“Where were you this morning?”

“The garden.”

“What for?”

The conversation started going the way I wanted.

Pretending to be an innocent child, I said,

“The garden. There’s a working grandpa.”

Suddenly Father got quiet.

I blinked, and Enzo called, “General?”

Father frowned and said,

“I don’t like the word ‘grandpa.’ Nor the word ‘duke.’”

“...”

“...”

Apparently, Father hated his father more than he did people.

“Then, not grandpa, but Michelan!”

“Michelan?”

“Yes! The grandpa in the garden is named Michelan. He knows noble language, is smart, and greets very well!”

Enzo asked, “Greeting?”

I thought this was my chance and stood up.

Putting one arm between my sternum and navel and stepping back,

“This!”

Enzo looked confused.

“What kind of greeting is that?”

Even a soldier like Enzo might not know. As I was about to answer, Father’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s a greeting for nobles. Now only used by elderly high nobles or in the royal family.”

“How would a gardener know that?”

“...Michelan.”

Right, Michelan, the former head servant of the late Empress Dowager.

‘Father will notice.’

Just then, my meal arrived. I took a spoon pretending to know nothing.

Father pondered for a long moment.

Then chuckled.

“If that Michelan is real, then it seems my estate has a goldmine.”

“Yes?”

Enzo asked again, but I chuckled inside.

Right.

Michelan was capable and well-informed about the palace.

If he becomes steward here, it’s like holding an endless joker card.

“You go to the garden and find this Michelan—”

But then—

“Ugh.”

A sudden nausea surged.

I hurriedly covered my mouth, but something dripped between my short fingers.

‘Blood...?’

The liquid soaking my clothes was bright red blood.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t been well for days.

“Erilot?”

“Fa-Father, I—”

I wanted to say something, but the world flipped.

“Erilot!”

I collapsed from the chair.

The last thing I saw was Father shouting.