Chapter 4

Vivian’s voice grew more and more heated.

“Hey! Snap out of it! Mrs. Herot took all the accessories, so what’s the point of returning just the dress?”

“Ah… Right. She did.”

“Zenia, calm down and think. The Princess doesn’t need clothes for going out anyway. She doesn’t even know what’s in her own dressing room.”

“…No, I think things will be different now. I-I’m going to put it back, at least.”

“Are you crazy? Do you not know what happens to maids who touch their master’s belongings? I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but if you’re going to do it, you do it alone, Zenia! Don’t drag me into this!”

Vivian shouted before storming out into the drawing room.

Thump, thump! Stomping angrily, she saw me and froze on the spot.

“Princess…”

“Vivian? Vivian! Don’t do this… Gasp! P-Princess?”

Zenia, who had followed her out, also froze.

I pushed myself off the wall and asked Zenia.

“Dinner?”

“Um… It-it’s been prepared in the dining room. I’ll escort you.”

“Alright.”

“V-Vivian? Let’s go. We have to help the Princess with her meal.”

Zenia, trembling pitiably, nudged Vivian with her eyes.

Vivian, who had been glaring at me defiantly, twisted her lips.

“Princess, how old are you that you still need help with your meals? Should I get you a bib?”

“I don’t need you.”

“…What did you say?”

“I said Zenia is enough to attend to me. You just do your job.”

“I’ve already finished my work. Does that mean I can rest?”

“No, there’s one thing I need you to check.”

“Ugh, what a pain… What is it you want me to check?”

“What punishment a maid receives for laying a hand on her master’s property.”

“…!”

“Find out by tomorrow.”

Vivian’s eyes began to waver with anxiety.

It seemed she had finally noticed that my demeanor was different from usual.

Vivian licked her lips in agitation.

“P-Princess, you’re not exactly in a position to be giving such orders, are you?”

“And what position is that?”

“…”

“I asked you. Explain my position to me.”

“N-no… I just meant that you don’t really need to know such things…”

“That’s for me to judge. Not a mere employee like you.”

Vivian fell silent. I asked her quietly.

“Are you scared? Does it feel like you’re in deep trouble? Does your heart sink, and does the future look bleak?”

“…”

“You should have kept it moderate. Did you think you could just keep living the sweet life?”

“…”

“Vivian, take this opportunity to learn. Nothing in this world lasts forever.”

The drawing room went quiet.

Though the weather outside was nearly summer, the inside of the annex felt chilly.

Vivian rubbed her arms, goosebumps rising on her skin, and made an excuse.

“P-Princess, you must have misunderstood something…”

I raised a hand, cutting Vivian off, and turned my gaze away. I had no time to waste on her ridiculous excuses.

When my eyes met Zenia’s, she flinched like a herbivore encountering a predator.

“Zenia, must I wait longer?”

“N-no, no! This way, please!”

A modest meal was set up in the dining room.

‘Looks like Zenia put in some effort.’

To the usual menu of soup and a couple of pieces of bread, a salad and steak had been added. Even the tableware was proper.

I took a deep breath. A fantastic aroma flooded my nostrils.

Swallowing the saliva that pooled in my mouth, I quickly sat at the table.

I started by cutting the steak with my knife. The moderately cooked piece of meat sliced toughly.

It was by no means a quality cut of meat. Far from being juicy, it was so dry that it crumbled as I cut it.

Even with Zenia doing her best, this was the result.

The original Astell didn’t enjoy her meals. The quality of food provided to someone despised by the head of the house was, of course, abysmal.

Honestly, she was probably too plagued by anxiety to have the luxury of savoring flavors.

The happiness, joy, and satisfaction one feels when eating delicious food.

Such things were not permitted for the Mad Princess Astell.

It was the same for me. A meal was just something to fill your stomach.

I did, however, quite like desserts, but they were too expensive to eat often.

‘That’s how it was… Why am I like this today? A side effect of possession?’

It was different from before. My mouth was watering over this meager food.

‘Ah, I feel like I’m going to faint.’

I felt like I would go mad if I didn’t taste it right this instant.

As if possessed, I speared a bite-sized piece of meat with my fork.

Absurdly, my hand trembled slightly with anticipation.

Just as I was about to put it in my mouth, the dining room door burst open and someone entered.

Frank, the butler.

‘What’s the butler who manages the main estate doing here?’

I froze, mouth open with the steak poised, and just blinked.

“I have escorted the Duke. He is on his way here now, so please pause your meal for a moment.”

“…Fuck.”

Clang! I dropped the fork as if throwing it down.

— An Anonymous Constellation: She snapped!!!

— An Anonymous Constellation: lol I was wondering how long she’d last.

— An Anonymous Constellation: How can a potty-mouth stop cursing? A dog has a better chance of giving up poop.

— An Anonymous Constellation: F*ck f*ck f*ck you can’t ban her now, right?

[System: You have failed the mission <Refrain from Cursing Until Midnight Today>.]

‘Ah… I was in the middle of a mission.’

I scoffed inwardly and closed the mission failure notification window.

‘I don’t need the points anyway.’

Meanwhile, Frank gave me a stern look.

“Princess, the Duke has arrived. Please rise.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I don’t want to.”

Just as a flustered Frank was about to urge me again, a deep voice rang out.

“Leave her be.”

It was Duke Ruthius, a handsome middle-aged man with silver hair and green eyes.

‘He’s over forty? Then why does he look like that?’

Duke Ruthius looked young enough to pass for his mid-thirties.

Unlike other middle-aged men, he didn’t have a potbelly or thinning hair.

His silver hair was slicked back perfectly with pomade. He was over 180cm tall, his posture was ramrod straight, and his body was more solid than that of an active knight.

‘Look at those lats.’

The muscles of his back and waist, visible even through his vest, were simply perfect.

In Astell’s memory, Duke Ruthius hadn’t held a sword in over twenty years.

It was a mystery how he maintained such a physique.

His chilly green eyes briefly swept over the dining table. Then, he furrowed his straight brows slightly.

“Clear this away at once and prepare a new meal.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After giving the order, Duke Ruthius looked down at me, still seated.

His gaze was as dispassionate as if he were looking at an object, not his own child.

‘He probably doesn’t even think of her as his child. After all, Astell is the child who devoured her mother to be born.’

The greatest beauty in the Empire, the woman who had captured the frozen heart of Duke Axion Ruthius.

Duchess Marcella Ruthius.

Her health, already frail, had deteriorated further after giving birth to her first child.

In that state, a second birth was not a wise choice.

But Marcella insisted on giving birth and died in the process.

It happened while Duke Ruthius, a Sword Master at the time, was away at war. Upon hearing the tragic news, the Duke abandoned everything and returned home.

But Marcella’s funeral was already over. He hadn’t even been able to see the body of the woman he loved.

Duke Ruthius was completely broken.

He spent his days holed up in their bedroom, clutching Marcella’s nightgown.

When he finally came to his senses, the first thing he did was cast Astell out.

A child of only five.

From then until now, what had tormented Astell all this time wasn’t the contempt of others. It wasn’t being treated as a tragic child. It wasn’t social anxiety, nor was it the misunderstanding that she was mad.

It was the guilt of having killed her mother. The loneliness of being alone. The longing for her family. The sorrow of being unloved.

And despite it all, the fact that she still loved them.

But all that suffering ended the moment I entered this body.

Because while I am Astell, I am also different from her.

“What is the meaning of this attire? You must maintain your dignity, even if no one is watching.”

“I have nothing suitable to wear.”

“Dresses should have been arriving for you regularly.”

“I know, right? Maybe a rat chewed them all up?”

As I spoke nonchalantly, Duke Ruthius raised an eyebrow.

“Your Grace, the meal is ready. Please, be seated.”

“Mm.”

Duke Ruthius sat at the head of the six-person dining table.

I glanced at the seat he chose and let out a small laugh.

‘I can see just how much he hates me.’

He could have sat next to me, but he chose the seat furthest away.

As he lifted his wine glass, the bustling servants quietly withdrew.

I turned my attention to the newly arranged food.

There were so many dishes that the six-person table felt cramped.

And the food itself was so magnificent. It was too beautiful to eat. Like works of art.

‘I guess it’s true that what looks good, tastes good.’

I hadn’t even had a bite, yet it already tasted delicious.

‘But have I always been this gluttonous? Why am I suddenly like this? Is it because I’ve never seen such extravagant food before?’

I thought the Duke’s presence would kill my appetite, but I was wrong.

I couldn’t care less whether he was there or not. All I could see was the food. They say when you fall in love at first sight, you can only see that person. It was exactly like that.

— An Anonymous Constellation: Astell please… you’re drooling.

— An Anonymous Constellation: Who starved our girl! Who was it!

— An Anonymous Constellation: This is too pitiful to watch T-T

[System: An Anonymous Constellation has sponsored a voucher for a whole cake from <Jean Blanc’s Royal Dessert>.]

[*Note: The voucher can only be used at the corresponding store.]

I maintained a straight face and picked up my fork.

Just then, Duke Ruthius made a strange sound, a sharp intake of breath.

‘What was that? Isn’t that the sound you make when scolding an animal?’