ã€ŠLost in Loveã€‹


 Prologue

    Her life was over.

    Emma had served the Halesworths for close to a year now, so she knew that mistakes weren¡¯t tolerated in this household. The head maid smacked them with a rod if they left even a speck of dust anywhere. She was lucky enough to avoid getting whipped or worse so far, but this was no ordinary blunder - Emma had harmed the young master¡¯s beloved fianc¨¦e!

    Her hands shook while refilling the teacup, causing some of the hot liquid to spill onto the lady¡¯s wrist. It was only a few drops, but their reactions were instantaneous.

    ¡°Aaah! YOU!¡±

    ¡°Damned rat, look what you¡¯ve done now! Ces, are you hurt!?¡±

    Tableware clattered and chairs fell over as both people shot to their feet. Alexander quickly rushed to Francesca¡¯s side, gently holding her hand with a concerned look on his face.

    ¡°Darling, it scalded me. And oh god, it¡¯ll leave a stain! What do we do!?¡±

    ¡°There there, poor girl.¡±

    While the two acted sweetly, Emma felt her entire body grow cold.

    Fear.

    Panic.

    Despair.

    A mess of emotions rose up inside her, knowing that she well and truly messed up this time. One maid had been flogged and sent away from the mansion just for sneezing in the lady¡¯s presence! What would they do to her!?

    Both nobles turned to Emma, who could only stand in place, trembling. Francesca¡¯s eyes were filled with hate as she stepped forward. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Clumsy bitch!¡±

    SLAP!

    The vicious slap almost knocked Emma unconscious, but she grit her teeth and quickly dropped to her knees.

    ¡°Forgive me, my lady!¡± The maid begged pitifully, bowing to the two angry nobles. ¡°It was an accident, I-KYAH!¡±

    Not listening at all to her cries, Francesca pulled the maid up by her hair. She did it with so much force that a few strands were ripped out completely. Emma whimpered in pain, but didn¡¯t dare protest.

    ¡°Alex. Show her what happens to servants who injure their betters,¡± she snarled.

    The young master beckoned, and a guard walked over to him carrying a black whip. While the mansion¡¯s head maid was officially in charge of punishments, Alexander occasionally doled them out himself whenever the fancy struck him. And this time it was personal.

    ¡°Daring to hurt my Ces, you¡¯ve got guts peasant! I¡¯ll teach you a lesson you won¡¯t soon forget.¡±

    ¡°Young master, please, no!¡± Emma said in a panicked voice.

    Alexander smirked and brandished the whip. ¡°Shut up!¡±

    CRACK!

    ¡°AAAaaaAAAHHH!¡±

    It drew a long red line across her cheek. Emma shrieked more out of fright than actual pain, however when blood started to flow from her wound, she finally broke down into loud sobs. The maid covered her face with both hands; this was just too much. What scared her the most was knowing it wouldn¡¯t end with just a few lashes.

    ¡°Quiet!¡± Francesca practically spat out. Then she looked at her sleeve with a mournful expression. ¡°My dress is ruined, this stain will never come out. Ugh, Alex! I¡¯m so mad! Let¡¯s have a knight cut off one of her arms.¡±

    Alexander shook his head with a sly grin as he raised the whip again. ¡°That¡¯s boring, Ces. Why don¡¯t we-¡±

    The young master stopped talking.

    For an instant, the light disappeared from his eyes, and his body swayed like he was about to fall over. But Alexander righted himself at the last moment and shook his head several times to get rid of his dizziness. When he looked up, there was no anger or sadistic delight on his face, only confusion.

    ¡°Alex?¡± Francesca asked impatiently.

    However, the young man didn¡¯t answer. He just stared at everyone around him, looking completely lost.

 Chapter 1 - A Fake Noble Awakens

    ¡°Alex! What will it be?¡±

    Eh?

    I blinked a few times in confusion. As my dizziness faded away, I saw a disturbing scene.

    The surroundings were unfamiliar to me, but I can only describe it as the most luxurious room I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. From the gold framed paintings and velvet carpets to the crystal chandelier hanging overhead, everything just screamed ¡°old money¡± to me. Any random item here would cost more than my life¡¯s savings. Not that that¡¯s saying much.

    But despite all this luxury, what was in front of me totally ruined the room¡¯s pleasantness. There were two women - one was a young lady dressed in a fine silk dress, with long, fiery red hair styled into extravagant ringlets. She was beautiful enough to be a celebrity, with an outrageously hot hourglass figure to boot, but the smirk on her face sent chills down my spine.

    Kneeling next to her was the other woman, a thin maid looking up at me with watery eyes. She was shivering in terror, one hand gingerly touching a cut on her cheek. Blood slowly dripped from it and mixed with her falling tears.

    And that was when I noticed that I was holding a whip. Did¡­ did I do this to her? A deep sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach at the thought.

    There were other people here as well. Stone faced guards stood imposingly near the doorway, as if to prevent anyone from trying to leave, while some maids dressed identically to the kneeling girl were huddled up fearfully at the far side of the room. When I made eye contact with one of them, she let out a tiny squeak and hurriedly stared at the floor, looking just like a frightened mouse.

    I realized that everyone seemed to be waiting for me to say something. But I didn¡¯t even know how I got here, so all I could do was look at them blankly.

    ¡°Hic¡­ please, young master! Have mercy on me- GUHA!!!¡±

    ¡°Silence worm. How dare you speak without permission, especially after what you just did. Say another word and I¡¯ll have your tongue ripped out.¡±

    Damn! The noble girl viciously kicked the maid¡¯s ribs, causing her to cry out in pain. But the latter didn¡¯t even try to fight back. She just shielded her face from the kicks that continued to land on her frail body. ¡°Hua¡­ ghk¡­!¡± Even her cries were muffled, like she was terrified of really losing her tongue if she made too much noise.

    This was going way too far. ¡°Stop it!¡± I said angrily, reaching out and grabbing the violent girl¡¯s arm. I pulled her away before she could do anything else.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She seemed confused at my interruption, but soon nodded in understanding. ¡°Oh sorry Alex, it¡¯s inappropriate for me to punish one of your family¡¯s servants. So what will it be? Should we just have her arm chopped off like I suggested, or do you have something else in mind?¡±

    The maid trembled. Not daring to look up or speak any longer, she thumped her head on the ground, begging silently. I glanced at the other maids watching quietly from the sidelines. No one dared to meet our eyes, and I suspected they were deeply afraid of being dragged into this.

    This was really messed up. My memories seemed to be covered in a haze, so I didn¡¯t know who this crazy bitch thought I was or how I got caught up in this, but the details could wait. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to just watch.

    ¡°No! Absolutely not, no cutting off limbs! What did she even do to deserve this treatment?¡±

    Crazy girl raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Ha? What kind of question is that!? You saw it! This clumsy idiot spilled tea on me,¡± she spat. Every word was dripping with malice. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous, dear Alex. Your family has trained, fed, and sheltered this woman for who knows how long now, yet she repays your kindness by harming a guest. Taking one of her arms would be a light punishment! But she doesn¡¯t look bad for a commoner, she might fetch a good price¡­¡±

    The maid choked back a frightened sob.

    Looking at little miss lunatic, there really was a small stain on her sleeve where the tea must have spilled, but it was so tiny that I doubt she felt it at all.

    That¡¯s it? Is that really why you¡¯re tormenting the poor girl? How can someone be so petty, so callous?

    She¡¯s pure evil. This girl was a psychopath who can casually talk about chopping arms off and selling people into slavery. Maybe pissing her off any further wasn¡¯t the smartest idea... let¡¯s try to talk her down and reach a peaceful solution, one that didn¡¯t involve grievous bodily harm.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t on purpose. Right?¡± I asked, turning to the crying maid. Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Young master, I swear on my life that it was an accident!¡± The girl said, practically slamming her forehead onto the floor again. Ouch, just watching it made my head hurt. ¡°Please have mercy on me, never in my dreams would I mean to harm Lady Francesca.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that your life means anything, girl?¡± Crazy bitch - apparently also known as Francesca - snapped. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re acting weird. Just have her punished and let¡¯s be done with it!¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡± The terrified maid was fighting back sobs again.

    I pretended to stroke my chin in contemplation. Everyone was convinced that I¡¯m this Alex person and they were leaving her punishment up to me.

    Something was seriously wrong here.

    Now, I was tempted to just say that they had the wrong guy, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of my head, telling me to keep playing along. So I decided to just give the maid a harmless punishment that would hopefully be enough to placate this crazy bitch.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it like this,¡± I said in a fed up tone before turning back to the maid. ¡°First, apologize sincerely to her. After that you must clean this room until it is spotless, and you will also have no dinner tonight. That is all.¡±

    Taking the opportunity, I threw away the whip in my hand and plopped down on one of the nearby chairs.

    The maid, Francesca, and the other servants in the room all looked at me in shock.

    ¡°Alex!?¡±

    Francesca was the first to snap out of it. She grabbed my arm, looking both livid and completely baffled. For a second I seriously thought that she was going to stab me. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? Don¡¯t you understand? She stained my dress! My. Dress. You bought this for me on our last trip to the capital!¡±

    I don¡¯t care if she spilled the entire pot over your head, you damn psycho. That¡¯s not something you ruin someone¡¯s life over.

    I shrugged, trying to look as casual as possible. ¡°Decent help is getting harder to find these days, and I just happen to be in a good mood. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep her on a tight leash from now on. Can you let it go with this? Please?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, but¡­ she¡¯s just a¡­ bah, FINE! If that¡¯s what you want!¡± Francesca gave up reluctantly. Then after glaring venomously one more time at the maid, she stomped towards the door. She didn¡¯t even wait for the apology that I ordered. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room!¡±

    SLAM!

    There was silence for a few seconds after she left. Then suddenly, the maid scrambled forward while still kneeling.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you young master!¡± She wailed, tears overflowing. Before I could stop her she lifted my boot and placed her head under it. ¡°I swear that this foolish servant will serve you faithfully and diligently from now on. I will never fail you again.¡±

    It was the relief of someone who got pardoned after thinking for sure that her life was over.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far,¡± I said feeling mortified, and quickly took my foot off her head. All of this was too weird.

    ¡°Young master Halesworth is truly gracious and merciful.¡±

    ¡°He is as broad-minded as the great saints!¡±

    ¡°We are fortunate to serve such a magnificent person.¡±

    There was a chorus of embarrassingly over the top flattery from the peanut gallery too. With Francesca gone, they had mustered up the courage to speak again.

    ...Wait.

    Did that first one just say young master Halesworth?

    Oh.

    Oh no.

    Nooo way. No, no, god damn it no! An intense feeling of dread washed over me at that moment as the pieces finally clicked. It was an insane theory, but...

    Without thinking, I stood up and helped the maid to her feet. She stared at me blankly.

    Now that I got a good look, I realized that this girl was actually pretty cute. Her short black hair was a mess thanks to Francesca, but her features were delicate and attractive despite wearing no makeup. There was a bright red mark on her forehead from her earlier thumping though, not to mention the bleeding cut on her cheek. Anyway, the gears in my head started turning rapidly¡­ I needed answers, and this girl I just ¡°saved¡± would be the safest person to talk to.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Emma, young master," she answered with a tiny sniffle.

    If it was strange for me to not know her name, she certainly didn¡¯t show it. Good, this might work out.

    ¡°Emma. Work hard and be more careful from now on, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, young master! Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Also, I¡¯m feeling a bit tired, so please take me to my room.¡±

    First things first, let¡¯s get away from this place before anyone becomes suspicious. I¡¯ll press her for information once we¡¯re in private and find out if my suspicions are correct.

    But for some reason Emma¡¯s face paled. She then nodded while avoiding my gaze.

    ¡°U...understood, young master.¡±

    The other servants had complicated expressions too. Weird. While wondering what was wrong, I left the opulent room with Emma in tow. The guards at the door bowed as I passed by, as expressionless as they were in the beginning.

    ¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it? Alexander isn¡¯t satisfied with just touching us anymore, he¡¯s really going to do it now.¡±

    ¡°No wonder he was acting so strangely and went against Lady Ettrick¡¯s wishes. Poor Emma! But I guess it¡¯s better than what the bitch had planned for her.¡±

    ¡°Shh! If anyone hears you two gossiping about the young master, we¡¯re dead! Come on, we¡¯ve gotta get back to the quarters before he decides that one girl isn¡¯t enough.¡±

    ¡°How can you just leave her!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but there¡¯s nothing we can do. Trying to save her would just make things worse.¡±

 Chapter 2 - Why This One!?

    When we were a fair distance away from the tea room, I stopped walking and turned towards Emma.

    She looked at me uneasily. ¡°Young master?¡±

    I rummaged around in my pockets. Ah, there we go. Pulling out a white handkerchief, I moved closer to her and lightly dabbed on the bloody cut on her cheek. Even if Alexander was the one who did it, I had to at least take this much responsibility. Hurting a defenseless girl, especially on her face, was an unforgivable sin.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°...Eh?¡±

    ¡°This cut, I did it earlier, right? I¡¯m sorry for acting like such a brute, and I promise that I¡¯ll make it up to you somehow.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ahh!? Young master, whaaa-!?¡±

    Rather than being happy or touched, it seemed like my sincere apology short-circuited her brain. Emma panicked and bowed at a steep angle.

    ¡°Young master Halesworth, please! This one is unworthy of your concern, it was only right for you to punish this foolish and clumsy servant!¡± She cried out in a high pitched voice. ¡°Please do not take it to heart, I deserved much worse.¡±

    My heart felt stifled seeing her reaction. She was terrified of me, to the extent that a simple apology had her fearing for her life again. The other maids looked pretty scared of me too. If my guess was right, then I had my work cut out for me.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± I sighed. Insisting right now would only have the opposite effect. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    From then on, we walked in silence while heading to my room, except when Emma had to steer me back in the right direction.

    ¡°Not that way, young master.¡±

    ¡°That path leads to the kitchen, young master. Are you hungry?¡±

    She looked very puzzled every time I made a mistake, but accepted my half-assed explanation of simply being tired. Though she should be much more exhausted than me after what she just went through. Eventually we went up a grand staircase and headed down the mansion¡¯s left wing, where Alexander¡¯s room was apparently located.

    This place was honestly way too big! If I didn¡¯t have a guide, it would have taken me forever to navigate these hallways. However, I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by how luxurious everything was at the same time. With all of the paintings and decorations, plus the massive great hall that we passed by earlier, it really did feel like the home of an ancient noble family.

    ¡°We are here, young master,¡± Emma finally said, stopping outside a door.

    I nodded. ¡°Please come inside with me. There are some things I want to talk to you about.¡±

    Not noticing how tense she became with those few words, I opened the door and went in.

    __________________________________________________________

    I stared at the mirror in dumbfounded amazement, then pinched my cheek as hard as I could. Ow, it hurt pretty bad. This was definitely not a dream. That much I was forced to admit, but it really was unbelievable.

    The first thing I did when I entered the bedroom was rush over to the large mirror hanging on the wall. Unfortunately, it only confirmed my suspicions. My flowing golden hair, the striking azure color of my eyes, the delicate jawline and pretty-boy good looks that would put most women to shame, everything was completely different! The person in the mirror wasn¡¯t me¡­ but someone vaguely familiar.

    Alexander Halesworth. The infamous secondary antagonist in a game I finished a few months ago.

    At that exact moment of realization, the fog covering my memories finally lifted. I remembered how I was heading home, exhausted after a long day at work... but as I crossed the street, a Porsche came screaming towards me¡­ the young driver¡¯s horrified expression as his car slammed into my body¡­ crunching sounds, immense pain, then a fade to black...Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, suppressing the urge to swear up a storm. This was that setting, wasn¡¯t it?

    Look, I¡¯m sure that everyone has fantasized about being transported to or reincarnated in a game world before, and I¡¯m no exception. By all rights I should be thrilled at the prospect. But why did it have to pick this one? Lost in Love, fucking really!? God, if you did this, then I demand a proper explanation!

    I¡¯ve played THOUSANDS of games, even if you had to pick something from the Romance genre, there were at least two dozen better choices! And what¡¯s with this character selection!? Why couldn¡¯t I be one of the capture targets like the Knight Captain, the Professor, or even the Prince? Well, that would be pretty bad in its own way too, but a villain is just...

    Ahhhh! Damn it, how annoying!

    Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. Settle down, me, we can still make this work. Lalala, happy thoughts~

    ¡°Listen, Emma¡­¡± I said, turning back to face the maid that I brought with me. She was hiding in a corner of the room, trying to make herself look as small as possible.

    ¡°Yes!?¡± She jumped at the sound of my voice.

    I gestured to a chair next to the bed. ¡°Sit down, this is going to take a while.¡±

    She nodded and robotically made her way over.

    Then for some reason, instead of sitting down, Emma bit her lip and slowly started to undress.

    ¡°!?¡±

    I watched in dumbfounded amazement as bits of her maid outfit fell to the floor, revealing a delicate body with surprisingly ample curves. Her soft pale skin, flushed cheeks, and teary eyes made for a devastating combination. If I wasn¡¯t thinking clearly, I¡¯d surely have pushed her down. When she was down to her underwear (and after I got a good eyeful), I finally managed to speak up.

    ¡°Hey. Not that I mind, but what in god¡¯s name are you doing?¡±

    From how scared she acted until now, I was positive that she wasn¡¯t actually coming on to me.

    ¡°Wah!? T-this... young master, isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡± Her face was as red as a tomato, and she kept trying to cover her chest with her arms. The girl¡¯s shy, trembling appearance kinda reminded me of a rabbit I saw once at the local pet store.

    Oh.

    Now that I think about it, telling a maid to come with me to my bedroom does sound like that, huh? Especially considering who I¡¯m supposed to be. She must have thought that I was forcing her to ¡®repay¡¯ me for sparing her life.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± I sighed wearily, rubbing my forehead. ¡°Put your clothes back on if you want, silly girl. We¡¯re only going to talk.¡±

    ¡°Ehh!? I¡¯m sorry, please forgive me for assuming-!¡± She said in a panicked voice while bending over to pick up her clothes from the floor, unintentionally giving me a great view. But I also noticed her expression crumple up in pain.

    ¡°Please wait.¡± I grabbed her arm and took a closer look at her body. The marks from Francesca¡¯s earlier beating clearly stood out. They¡¯ll definitely leave some nasty bruises.

    Compared to the lash on her cheek, it seemed like that bitch did way more damage.

    ¡°It hurts, doesn¡¯t it? She really didn¡¯t hold back when kicking you. Tsk, what a vicious girl,¡± I said disapprovingly while looking at the spots where she was kicked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to stop her faster.¡±

    ¡°Y-young master!¡± Emma blushed furiously. ¡°Um, it doesn¡¯t really hurt that much! Please don¡¯t mind, it was my fault to begin with.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, I saw you wince just now. Anyone would be in pain after getting hit like that.¡± I was going to pat her on the shoulder, but then coughed and politely averted my eyes when I finally remembered that she was half-naked. ¡°Take it easy until you recover, find someone to cover for your share of the work and tell them that it¡¯s an order from me. And forget about the punishment I mentioned back there, that was just for show. Eat whatever you want.¡±

    Emma sniffled and nodded while looking at the floor. She muttered something under her breath.

    ¡°...being so kind¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no! It¡¯s nothing, young master.¡± She said while quickly wiping her eyes.

    A few moments later, when the girl was fully dressed again, I bade her to sit across me. She did so and looked at me with the utmost seriousness, obviously eager to help with whatever I needed. Such an earnest girl, she really was the perfect choice. And so I began my questioning.

    ¡°Emma, tell me seriously. What year is it? Also, how old am I?¡±

    The silence was deafening.

    ¡°......Young master, do you happen to have a fever?¡±

    ¡°Just answer the question!¡±

    ¡°Eeek! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!!!¡±

    I sighed. This was to be expected, I suppose. Anyone would feel doubtful after getting asked something like that.

    ¡°Look, don¡¯t tell anyone about this,¡± I said in a serious voice, ¡°but I actually fell and hit my head earlier today. A lot of my memories have become fuzzy as a result.¡±

    Yeah. We¡¯re going with that excuse. Got a problem?

    Emma¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and she quickly rose from her seat. ¡°Oh my god! Young master, are you okay? We should call the doc-¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    My voice came out much harsher than I meant it to be. I coughed, ¡°Emma. I forbid you from mentioning this to anyone else, understand? It would be a disaster if rumors spread about the duke¡¯s son being mentally unwell. I am fine, I just need you to clear up a few things.¡±

    She looked a bit unconvinced, but soon nodded. ¡°If that is what you wish, young master.¡±

 Chapter 3 - The Worst Game

    Boredom leads to experimentation. When you¡¯ve played just about everything, you start dabbling in genres that you would normally have nothing to do with. That¡¯s how I got started with Otome games.

    Otome games, if you¡¯re unaware, are story-driven games marketed towards young girls. Usually you play as a female protagonist in a dating sim, and have to make choices at important parts of the story which will determine what ending you get. Romance is a central theme, and the goal is to end up with your desired ¡°capture target¡± (love interest), whether that¡¯s a powerful wizard or a charming student council president.

    I enjoyed rooting for the underdog protagonists and ¡°helping¡± them find their own happiness. Everyone likes a love story with a happy ending, right? Sometimes I want to take a break from saving the world or fighting monsters and just play matchmaker in some fluffy slice of life.

    But then one day, a friend sent me an Otome game called ¡°Lost in Love: A Heart Throbbing Romance in a Fantasy World~!¡± It had the typical setting of a commoner girl (named Mary by default, you could input whatever you wanted) developing magic powers and entering a Magic Academy, where the noble students bully her. There were four capture targets:

    The Second Prince, Jonathan Lancaster - A white haired, enigmatic figure with a smile that no one can see through. Has very few ¡®real¡¯ friends, but adored by pretty much everyone. Caught in a not-so-secret power struggle with his older brother.

    The Knight Captain, Ethan Loch - Serious to a fault and skilled enough to become a captain at 18 years old. A prodigy with the sword, yet woefully out of his element in the magic academy. Tall, dark haired, and strong bodied, Sir Loch is the type of guy who gives everyone near him a sense of security.

    The Professor, Gabriel Kingsley - Gentle and kind, the smart (if a bit timid) professor is idolized by many of the more bookish girls in the academy. The typical intellectual type with aqua colored hair and glasses. An aggressive kindergartener could probably bully him.

    The Troublemaker, Jay Fulton - As you might expect from his nickname, this guy is childish, always up to no good but fun to be around. The most surprising thing is that he also happens to be Alexander¡¯s best friend. Lord knows how the fuck that happened.

    Anyway, sounds like an interesting cast right?

    Too bad.

    I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say this - Lost in Love is trash. Pure, unadulterated garbage. The Mona Lisa of rubbish. It took me three days to play it again after finishing the first route since I kept walking away from my computer in disgust. There was no sense of pride or accomplishment when I finished the True Route and reached 100% completion either, only numbness¡­ plus a deep pit of regret. So I immediately deleted my copy of the game and flamed my friend for inflicting that evil on me.

    What made it so bad? Oh dear, my sweet summer child, where do I even begin.

    You could say that it¡¯s the incredibly flat setting - we never get to explore much of the world beyond the academy, most of it is only mentioned in passing. The background may as well not even exist. It might also be the tragically dumb protagonist who causes most of the plot¡¯s problems through her naivety and ignorance. Or maybe you could blame the poor writing and characters whose ¡°best¡± lines were shamelessly ripped from other games.

    All of that might have been pardonable, however, if not for the game¡¯s endings.

    As if the developers were determined to add insult to injury, there is not one happy ending in the entire game. It doesn¡¯t matter what choices you make or who Mary ends up with, they get royally screwed nonetheless. Their fates simply vary from ¡°bittersweet¡± to ¡°terrible¡±.

    Look, I¡¯m not one to get mad at an unhappy end, okay? Tragedy has its place and can be beautiful. But the way Lost in Love did it was profoundly insulting. The ¡°twist¡± always comes out of nowhere - nameless assassins poisoning the prince on his wedding day, the knight captain getting crippled by a falling tree, the troublemaker losing his memories, or worst of all, the professor getting possessed by a cursed necklace he just happened to find lying around. There was no setup or warning, it just slapped you in the face with more drama right when everything was finally over! And these were the so-called ¡°good¡± endings! Mary just straight up dies in most of the bad ends! Were they trying to traumatize the players!?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    So I persisted, knowing that there was a True Route that you could unlock after seeing everyone¡¯s good endings. Surely this would redeem the game, right? There was no way they¡¯d do the same thing here, right? Our little heroine and her friends will finally be happy, right?

    ¡­

    Two words: demon invasion.

    I¡¯ll spare you the gory details. After spending dozens of hours to get 100% completion, you were treated to the sight of all four capture targets sacrificing their lives one after another to close the demon portal and save what was left of the kingdom. The protagonist spends the rest of her life in crippling guilt and solitude (because, I forgot to mention, she accidentally opened the portal in the first place with her colossal stupidity).

    I watched the credits roll in disbelief, not moving until they finished and I was sent back to the main menu. That, ladies and gentlemen, marked the end of Lost in Love.

    And you wonder why I was so distraught at finding myself in this game world?

    __________________________________________________________

    Let¡¯s talk about my character then.

    There are several antagonists and love rivals in Lost in Love, and the most infamous is Christine Halesworth. She is everything the protagonist is not: rich, refined, and one of the most powerful blue bloods in the kingdom, being engaged to the second prince. Her (or rather, our) family is a ducal house with a long history and far reaching influence.

    She is also a massive bitch.

    Christine acts as the ringleader of the girls who bully the protagonist throughout the story. Everything from dropping a bucket of dirty water on Mary to sabotaging her tests, you name it, she tried it. And if the player chooses to go after the prince, she obviously becomes the main love rival. This ends up raising her nastiness to a whole new level.

    Alexander Halesworth, meanwhile, is Christine¡¯s big brother. He only features prominently in one route (the troublemaker¡¯s), but his appearance is so memorable that some ¡°fans¡± of the game hate him more than his sister. To put it simply, Alex is a complete scumbag.

    However terrible Christine might be towards the protagonist, it pales in comparison to how Alexander treats everyone of a lesser status than him. He doesn¡¯t even see commoners and his servants as human beings. The guy is convinced that nobility are born with God given authority to rule and be served¡­ and as the heir to Lancaster Kingdom''s most powerful duchy, there are few people with more authority than him.

    I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯re like, but I believe Duke and Duchess Halesworth must share this sentiment too, since the game mentions that their province is poorly managed despite its immense natural wealth. Corruption and abuse of power is rampant, while commoners always get the short end of the stick.

    Really, I think that the game¡¯s writers went a bit overboard portraying the Halesworth family as evil, but that¡¯s how it goes unfortunately.

    So what happens to the Halesworths in the game?

    Well, like I said, there¡¯s no such thing as a purely happy ending in Lost in Love. Not even for the villains.

    The Halesworth family always falls to ruin, though the exact fate depends on the route picked. At best, we are reduced to the level of a petty merchant clan, forced to live out our days being ridiculed by our former peers and subjects. At worst, in the prince¡¯s bad ending, my parents are executed, Alexander is literally torn apart by an angry mob, and Christine¡­ well, the second prince prepares a ¡°fate worse than death¡± for her to avenge the protagonist. The game leaves that one to your imagination.

    Seriously, isn¡¯t this way too dark for an Otome game!? What the hell writers!

    Now I have found myself in the body of that very same Alexander Halesworth. I¡¯m honestly feeling really bitter about this, the way everyone looked at me earlier was the worst feeling in the world. Their thinly veiled fear and contempt made it clear just how badly they thought of this young master, and I¡¯m sure that some of them have fantasized about killing me.

    Should I run away? I know that there are other countries in this setting. I could just pocket some gold, travel far across the ocean, and disappear forever. Change my identity and live a simple life in a small medieval town. That might not be such a bad idea.

    But then again¡­ sigh.

    I also feel responsible. Even if this situation was forced on me, I¡¯ve got the chance to make a difference, you know? There are people in this mansion and in our territory just like Emma, suffering because of the Halesworths¡¯ cruelty. It¡¯s hard to ignore that. If I can make things better for them, it will ease my conscience.

    And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not tempted by Alexander¡¯s status. Being a rich young noble sounds fantastic, I could leave the hard work to my subordinates while I eat delicious food and play with-

    Oh, excuse me, my motivations leaked out for a bit there. Ahaha~

    Anyway, escaping can just be my backup plan. For the sake of the people and my comfortable life, I¡¯ll try to avert the terrible fate awaiting the Halesworth family. Even if my new relatives are a bunch of unpleasant elitist twits.

    Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll even be able to create a happy ending to this steaming pile of garbage.

 Chapter 4 - Treasures in Plain Sight

    ¡°I will return when it¡¯s time for dinner, young master. Please rest well.¡±

    Emma bowed once more and left the room. Her expression was a little strange, but who could blame her? I spent the last hour interrogating her on things that should be common knowledge in this world. Hopefully she just accepts my explanation of memory loss. Though even if she suspected something, she won¡¯t dare tell anyone for now. That would be suicide.

    But man, Alexander was even more of a scumbag than I thought. The bastard enjoyed bullying people for the tiniest reasons. Usually this meant kicking or slapping them, but he was also fond of more humiliating punishments. For example, making them get on their hands and knees then using them as a footrest while he drank tea. Worst of all, he sometimes even groped the maids! Unforgivable! Emma had a hard time talking about it, but finally spit it out after enough prodding. At that moment I really wished there was a nearby pit I could just bury myself in.

    Fortunately, Alexander never crossed the final line. But I¡¯m sure that¡¯s only because he thought it was beneath him to sleep with a commoner.

    Sigh¡­ thanks to my chat with Emma, I now had a much better idea of my situation, and even learned some things that weren¡¯t mentioned in the game. The most important of which was that Lady Francesca Ettrick was actually my fianc¨¦e. Our engagement was decided by our parents long ago, but the two of us were supposedly a very lovey-dovey couple. Bah!

    I felt a headache just thinking about spending the rest of my life with that psycho. Doesn¡¯t matter how hot she is or how amazing her curves are, or the way her chest practically spills out of her dr- *ehem*, as I was saying! That girl is pure trouble.

    Anyway, the game¡¯s story will start in three years when my little sister and the protagonist enter the kingdom¡¯s Magic Academy. As for me, I¡¯m currently sixteen, and will enter a full year ahead of them. There¡¯s a lot I need to do before that happens.

    ...

    First things first. Let¡¯s take stock of my possessions, shall we?

    My bedroom was absurdly large. If this were my previous life, I could host a great party here. Anyway, the first thing that caught my eye was a glass case near my desk, which contained jewelry made of gold and precious gems. Almost everything was decorated with a distinctive crest¡­ my family¡¯s coat of arms.

    This jewelry case did have a lock, incidentally, but a useless one considering that the key was left in its hole. Maybe Alexander believed that no one would ever dare steal from him? I curiously picked up and opened an elegant heart shaped locket near the center of the display.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Pictures of me and Francesca. Nauseating.

    I hastily shut the locket and placed it back in the case.

    The next thing that caught my attention was a sword hanging off the wall. It also had the Halesworth insignia on its crossguard. I went over to pick it up.

    Oof, this thing was way heavier than I expected. With its length, I suppose it¡¯s a two handed weapon? I carefully drew it out of its scabbard, and was immediately awed by how shiny the blade was. Hmm. I plucked a stray hair off my clothes and dropped it on the blade.

    The hair slowly fluttered to the ground, and as it reached the blade, it was cut in half without even the slightest hint of resistance.

    ¡°Scary.¡±

    This thing was sharp.

    Unfortunately, I had absolutely no experience with fighting of any kind other than the rare schoolyard scuffle, so this sword may as well be a prop on me. No, it was a self-amputation waiting to happen. I placed it back on the hook without another thought. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Then I began rummaging around my drawers for anything else that might be useful. My curses and disbelieving exclamations filled the room for the next hour. I found a lot of stuff, but let me summarize it with this:

    Alexander was filthy rich. Like, ¡°I¡¯m shocked that no one has ransacked this bedroom yet¡± rich.

    All of the gold and silver coins I found just lying around in random places was enough to fill a pillowcase (yes, that is now a unit of measurement). There were several gems too like rubies, opals, and even a few multicolored stones that I¡¯ve never seen before. Why wasn¡¯t this locked up in a safe!? Was he pretending to be a dragon sleeping in the middle of a treasure hoard!?

    I had a rough perspective of Lost in Love¡¯s economy, thanks to all the scenes of Mary getting taunted by rich kids with their extravagant spending. This was a staggering amount of wealth for any commoner, and even for most noble houses it wasn¡¯t something you could scoff at.

    Now the scariest thing was that someone of Alexander¡¯s status didn¡¯t even need to carry money on him. The household would get him anything he wanted with just a word. In the game, Christine Halesworth was known for going on huge shopping sprees and leaving a butler to deal with the aftermath. So all of this gold wasn¡¯t his life¡¯s savings or anything like that¡­ it was just loose change.

    Pocket money.

    I knew House Halesworth was rolling in dough, but damn. For a while all I could do was arrange my hoard of coins and gems into neat stacks. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about my travel funds if I ever decided to escape from this place.

    Other than that, I didn¡¯t find anything else important. I was hoping that Alexander had a journal or something for me to read, but it seemed like that was too optimistic. With a sigh, I accepted that I would just have to rely on my memories of the game and any information I can safely dig up.

    Best to write this down then before I start forgetting.

    ...

    ¡°Here we go.¡±

    I sat down in front of a desk and tried to recall as much of the game¡¯s story as I could, compared it with what I learned from Emma, then wrote it down on a notebook. It¡¯s been a while since I finished Lost in Love, but fortunately I could still remember the major plot points. Most it would only happen once the protagonist shows up, since the game opens with her entrance ceremony.

    It¡¯s too bad I don¡¯t know where she¡¯s from though. The game never mentioned where Mary lived before awakening to her magic powers. With a slight feeling of regret, I continued writing and making plans.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ as expected, my sister will be the biggest problem,¡± I muttered.

    Christine Halesworth was a ticking time bomb. Her persistent bullying of the protagonist will disgust the capture targets, earning us some very powerful enemies and giving other noble families opportunities to attack us. I needed to find a way to reform her or else we were 100% doomed. This goal was priority one.

    However, my sister¡¯s not the only factor that could drive us towards a bad end. Our destruction is caused by different things depending on the route. Sometimes it¡¯s the servants feeding confidential information to our noble rivals, sometimes we get trapped in a plot. My parents even had a bunch of illicit dealings that would be very hard to explain away if they ever came to light. I needed to reduce the chances of my family getting ruined as much as possible, while preparing a way for me to survive and escape if everything still goes wrong.

    I also had to fix my own image. I¡¯d rather not be known as a sadistic, maid-molesting jerk forever, thank you very much! This was going to be an uphill battle, but I¡¯ll show everyone that Alexander is now a respectable human being. Oh, and there¡¯s the engagement with Francesca to worry about... breaking it off was easier said than done, since my parents would never agree to it. Medieval marriage alliances were no joke.

    ¡°And I can¡¯t be too reckless either,¡± I sighed while rubbing my forehead. ¡°Not for now, anyway.¡±

    These first few days would be dangerous. Without Alexander¡¯s memories, it won¡¯t take much to make my family suspicious, and who knows what that would lead to? They might drag me off to a dozen different doctors to get my head checked. If I was unlucky, I may even get locked up in an asylum or brought to a church to be exorcised. Shudder.

    Last but definitely not least, there was the ever present threat of the True Ending. If Mary somehow manages to open the demon portal in this timeline, then in the best case scenario a lot of people will die before it is closed, including the four capture targets. In the worst case? We¡¯re all fucked.

    Going on a journey was looking more and more appealing every second.

    Time passed like that as I scribbled away, and before I knew it the sun was already about to set. While I was watching the gardens outside slowly get dyed in the sun¡¯s orange light, several knocks sounded on the door.

    ¡°Young master? Dinner is ready. The lord and madame have requested your presence.¡±

    It was Emma¡¯s voice. Looks like it was finally time for me to meet the Halesworths.

 Chapter 5 - Being Nice is Hard

    As I thought, this mansion was just too huge. It¡¯s impractical! Who would want to walk this much just to get to the dining room? As someone who spent the last five years living alone in a ¡°cozy¡± one bedroom apartment, my new home felt like a gigantic waste of space.

    Emma was trailing behind me, and it looked like she had already gotten used to her role as my guide. Whenever I was about to make a wrong turn, she¡¯d cough and I¡¯d promptly change direction. The two of us made for a very good team. Should I just ask her to escort me everywhere until I got used to the mansion¡¯s layout?

    ¡°Greetings, young master.¡±

    We passed by a maid cleaning the windows along the way. She stopped what she was doing to bow to me. Her voice was emotionless, yet not the least bit disrespectful.

    ¡°Mm, good evening,¡± I replied with a friendly smile.

    ¡°Hiii-!?¡±

    The maid¡¯s face contorted and her skin paled by several shades. She lowered her head again, but I¡¯m pretty sure that I saw her tremble.

    ¡­Hey.

    Isn¡¯t this supposed to be the part where she blushes after being warmly greeted by the out-of-character noble? Why does she look like a cockroach just crawled up her skirt?

    Feeling slightly bothered by it, we continued on our way. But when we passed by two kitchen workers, I tried greeting them cheerfully as well. They looked like they saw a ghost and hurried away as fast as possible, almost dropping the sacks they carried in the process. Does my face get scarier when I smile!? Gah, maybe I should practice it in front of a mirror later.

    Lastly, we came across another maid who was hanging up fresh curtains. She was startled when she saw me, and in her haste to get down, the girl actually slipped and fell from her stepladder. From the angle, there was a good chance she¡¯d hit her head, so I immediately moved forward.

    ¡°HUGYAAAH!¡±

    The maid let out a high pitched shriek.

    No, not because she fell.

    Because I caught her.

    ¡°Are you alright? Be more careful, you could have hurt yourself,¡± I said, trying my best to look and sound non-threatening. It didn¡¯t work.

    ¡°ForgivemeyoungmasteritwasanaccidentpleaseIwon¡¯tdoitagain-!¡± She blabbered off at a machine gun pace, tears welling up in her eyes.

    Suppressing my steadily growing annoyance, I helped her to a standing position. Then before I could say anything else Emma walked forward and whispered something into the panicking maid¡¯s ear. The girl seemed to come to her senses, and immediately bowed, thanking me for saving her. I just halfheartedly accepted her gratitude and brought Emma along.

    When we were a fair distance away, I asked her a question If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Emma, tell me. Why does everyone react like that when I¡¯m being so nice towards them?¡±

    The girl hesitated. But when I stared intently at her, she finally talked.

    ¡°Young master, it¡¯s because you¡¯re acting nice. They¡¯re not used to it. I believe... they¡¯re afraid that you have sinister intentions. I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t get mad!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    I was pretty depressed though.

    Soon we reached a large pair of double doors. More guards were stationed outside, and they saluted as we approached. However, Emma suddenly tugged on my sleeve.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Um, young master,¡± Emma said quietly, ¡°Lady Francesca is inside. Could I¡­?¡±

    The girl looked extremely reluctant to go any further, and I understood why. ¡°Of course. Go on then, I¡¯ll be fine on my own from here.¡±

    Relief flooded her face. ¡°Thank you, young master!¡±

    I watched with a wry grin as she hurried away. If only I could escape from here too.

    __________________________________________________________

    Woooooow. Color me impressed.

    Even though I was already shocked by the extravagance of our mansion¡¯s tea room, the dining hall was on a whole other level. It was truly fitting for the most powerful duke¡¯s household. This place was probably designed so that it would suit even the king¡¯s entourage if they decided to visit. Yet within that massive hall, only four people were currently seated.

    Those two middle-aged aristocrats were probably my parents. They looked so stereotypically snobbish, but at the same time they were surrounded by a strange aura of power. It was as if the air around them was being visibly distorted if you looked carefully. Could that be magic?

    ¡°Father, mother. Good evening.¡± I greeted them as I approached.

    ¡°Ah, there you are boy. Sit down and eat!¡± Duke Halesworth waved a chicken drumstick at me. His fat body and thick moustache really made him look like a walrus. Thank goodness I didn¡¯t inherit his looks.

    Duchess Halesworth smiled warmly at me from beside him. ¡°Good, we were starting to wonder when you would show up.¡±

    The two of them were seated at the head of the table. My breath caught in my throat for a moment when I had a good look at the girls with them, though.

    One was Francesca, of course. Her earlier viciousness seemed like a complete lie, as she ate with refined sophistication and a shy smile. She had transformed into the very picture of a perfect young lady. If this was our first meeting, I might have been completely fooled and had my heart stolen.

    And the other was someone I¡¯d recognize from a mile away. Christine Halesworth, my younger sister and the tormentor of Lost in Love¡¯s protagonist. A prideful face, blond hair done up in an elegant bun, and sharp blue eyes just like mine, that appearance was unmistakable. Her petite body looked as delicate as glass, completely at odds with the cruelty I knew she was capable of. She was a beauty, but still looked a little immature compared to her in-game self. Right, she¡¯s only fifteen right now, so that¡¯s a given. Please don¡¯t be evil yet sis.

    ¡°Elder brother.¡±

    ¡°Alex!¡±

    Both of them greeted me, one indifferently and the other affectionately. Francesca¡¯s sweet voice only gave me the creeps though.

    I smiled and sat down next to Christine without really thinking about it. But everyone suddenly stopped eating.

    ¡°Elder brother?¡± She looked at me warily.

    Ah. Judging by the surprised looks on their faces, did I usually sit next to the psycho? Whoops. Sorry, but I¡¯d immediately lose my appetite. Rot on that side of the table by yourself for all I care.

    ¡°What, I can¡¯t eat next to my little sister?¡± I teased her, trying to play it off.

    Christine just glared at me and turned away. ¡°I don¡¯t really care what you do.¡±

    Our father chuckled heartily. ¡°Hoho, it¡¯s good to see you two getting along for once. Now eat up boy, or we won¡¯t leave anything for you.¡± He took another chicken leg and resumed eating noisily. This glutton, what do you mean we? You could probably finish everything here on your own.

    Thanks to that, the awkward atmosphere lifted somewhat. But I noticed that Francesca¡¯s smile seemed a bit forced now.

 Chapter 6 - Is Dinner Always This Awkward?

    Dinner conversation was difficult for me to keep up with. Whenever something came up that I didn¡¯t know about, I could only BS along with some vague answers. Fortunately, I was pretty good at improvising and managed to get through with only a few raised eyebrows.

    ¡°How are your lessons, Alexander?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, well, they¡¯re mostly fine. I¡¯m learning a lot.¡±

    My parents looked surprised. ¡°Good!¡± Father exclaimed. ¡°With how much you¡¯ve been complaining about old Albert, I thought it was time to look for a new tutor again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not him that¡¯s the problem¡­¡± Christine grumbled, in an indignant voice so quiet that I almost didn¡¯t hear.

    For the next few minutes, I somehow managed to avoid giving myself away by deflecting questions whenever I could. It was nerve wracking. But one weird thing I noticed was that my parents talked to Francesca much more than my little sister. Christine ate silently, only mumbling a few words whenever someone asked her something. She barely even looked at us.

    Strange. I couldn¡¯t reconcile my memories of the haughty, loud Christine Halesworth with this little ice princess. In the game she would take any chance to brag about herself, and I haven¡¯t even heard her trademark ¡°Ohohoho!¡± laugh once tonight. Maybe she¡¯s shy when among family? I filed that tidbit away. It could be an important clue to rehabilitating her.

    As for the food, it was delicious! I half-expected it to be bland since this was a medieval setting, but realism and historical accuracy were never Lost in Love¡¯s strong points. Then again, you could just explain away most of the anachronisms with ¡®magic¡¯ and you probably wouldn¡¯t be too far off¡­ it¡¯s a pretty huge wild card. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if teleportation, earth magic, or even just the differences in geography made spices and foreign cuisines far more accessible in this world.

    Anyway, I wasn¡¯t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Everything was full of flavor and wouldn¡¯t lose at all to most restaurant food I¡¯ve tried in my past life. Father even praised my appetite as I put away plate after plate, while mother¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously, but I was too hungry to care. I made sure to go easy on the wine though¡­ who knows what I¡¯d say if I got drunk?

    When I reached for the last sausage, my fork hit someone else¡¯s.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Christine sighed and pulled her fork back. ¡°You can have- wait, I said you can have it!!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you should eat more anyway sister,¡± I said with a smile as I put it on her plate. ¡°You¡¯re still growing.¡±

    The girl scowled, then reluctantly nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said in a low voice.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right way to do it, but I needed to decrease the distance between us if I¡¯m going to change this girl¡¯s rotten personality in the three years we have left. I¡¯ll do my best to become the perfect older brother and guide her back to the path of a decent human being!

    Then suddenly, a bit of sausage was thrust in front of my face.

    ¡°Here, you can have half of mine!¡± Francesca said happily while reaching across the table. She looked really eager to feed it to me. Damn, were Alexander and this girl really such a stupid couple? She had no shame even though we were in front of my parents.

    I plucked the meat off her fork before eating it. ¡°Thanks, Francesca.¡±

    When those words left my mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet several degrees. Francesca stood up with a terrible expression on her face.

    ¡°Like I thought, you¡¯re mad at me for some reason.¡± She said with a wavering voice. Glaring at me with tear-filled eyes, Francesca turned around and stomped away. ¡°I¡¯m full, please excuse me!¡±

    What the hell¡¯s up with her? I thought while chewing on the sausage. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Alexander. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on between the two of you, but resolve it before she goes back home tomorrow.¡± Mother said in a disapproving voice.

    ¡°Indeed! And don¡¯t bring your disagreements to the dinner table, it¡¯s poor etiquette.¡± My father added in between munches. Hey fatty, you shouldn¡¯t be the one to talk about table manners.

    Seeing my confused expression, Christine rolled her eyes. She muttered, ¡°You called her Francesca. Anyone would notice that something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    I almost slapped my own forehead. Right, that was something Emma mentioned too, I had a pet name for her (Ces) and never called her by anything else. It totally slipped my mind. Combined with the way I kept my distance from her, it¡¯s no surprise that she and everyone else assumed that I was angry.

    Well, who cares?

    My goal was to end this relationship anyway. If I wasn¡¯t worried about being outed as a fraud or insane, I¡¯d be even ruder to her. I planned to keep straining our relationship, then find a way to break the engagement as soon as my footing in this world became more stable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her later, father, mother.¡± I bowed my head apologetically towards the two. They seemed to be satisfied with that and dinner continued.

    Discussion turned towards other nobles. Mother complained about a viscount¡¯s wife having larger earrings than her in the last party they attended, while father promised to get her something that would outshine ¡®that upstart¡¯. They also talked about politics, like how the crown prince was currently on a diplomatic visit to the neighboring country of Mislan. It was fascinating to hear about a large, vibrant world out there when the setting of Lost in Love was so sparse.

    ¡°What is Mislan like?¡± I asked curiously. That was a mistake.

    Father stared at me with an odd expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t you travel there last year?¡±

    I coughed while internally panicking. ¡°I mean, what is it like these days? It¡¯s been a while, after all.¡±

    Damn. Not having Alexander¡¯s memories was really screwing me over. I should be more careful with my questions. But fortunately, my father just snorted and kept talking.

    ¡°Probably as hot and uncomfortable as always. I don¡¯t understand why you even wanted to go there in the first place. Aside from their food, nothing there is worth a damn.¡±

    ¡°Husband, you say that about half the countries on this continent.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s bloody well true!¡±

    I forced a smile while listening to them banter. The conversation quickly turned in a pointless direction, so after a few minutes I decided to just leave before I slipped up again.

    ¡°Please excuse me for tonight. I¡¯m quite full.¡±

    ¡°Go on then. And don¡¯t forget to see your fianc¨¦e off in the morning.¡±

    I nodded obediently and stood up. As I walked away, I noticed that Christine was just silently looking at her plate. She didn¡¯t even react as I passed by, like something was on her mind.

    Tomorrow I¡¯m going to have to find some time to chat with her, I thought while leaving the dining hall. But my steps suddenly came to a halt.

    ¡­

    Wait.

    How do I get back to my room again?

    __________________________________________________________

    Some minutes later, Christine Halesworth was still staring at her empty plate. She wasn¡¯t hungry anymore, but the girl couldn¡¯t bring herself to stand up yet. Her parents continued to chatter and gossip away, not noticing their daughter¡¯s odd state at all. Finally making up her mind, she looked up with a determined expression.

    ¡°Um, mother¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes sweetheart?¡±

    The duchess smiled, which filled her daughter with more confidence.

    ¡°Albert praised me during our lessons today,¡± Christine said excitedly with upturned eyes. ¡°He said that I¡¯m years ahead of most students my age, and that I¡¯d even fit in among the capital¡¯s academia.¡±

    The pride in her voice was obvious.

    ¡°That¡¯s nice dear.¡± Duchess Halesworth said, losing interest. ¡°But what about your etiquette and dance practice?¡±

    Christine visibly deflated. ¡°Err, Ms. Perrins says I¡¯m passable.¡±

    A total lie, it had been months since she¡¯d heard anything resembling praise from her instructor in that regard.

    ¡°Hmph. It is not enough for a Halesworth to merely be ¡®passable¡¯, my daughter.¡± Duke Halesworth said with a frown. ¡°The competition for the second prince¡¯s attention is fierce, you cannot afford to be overshadowed! We are doing all we can to secure the engagement, but you must put in effort as well. The royal family¡¯s standards are extremely high.¡±

    ¡°And you are a lady, not a scholar,¡± the duchess added, ignoring Christine¡¯s gloomy expression. ¡°You only need enough knowledge to not embarrass yourself. If you¡¯re doing as well as you claim, then perhaps it is time to put an end to your studies so that you can focus on more important things¡­¡±

    ¡°No! I mean,¡± Christine said hurriedly, forcing a smile. ¡°There are still many areas where I am lacking. I do not want to appear ignorant in front of others.¡±

    ¡°Mm, very well. But go to sleep now, staying up late is bad for your skin.¡±

    ¡°...Yes, mother.¡±

 Chapter 7 - Two Types of Troubling Tangles

    It took a few detours, but I was able to find my way back to my bedroom without incident. And so my first night in this strange new world came to an end.

    When I sat up in bed the next morning, my first reaction was to sigh heavily. I was hoping that I would wake up in my old apartment, or at least in the setting of a more reasonable game, but nope, this was still Alexander Halesworth¡¯s room. The reincarnation wasn¡¯t a dream after all.

    ¡°Screw it. Let¡¯s get ready.¡± I muttered as I clambered out of bed, rubbing my eyes.

    Mother mentioned that Francesca was going to leave today. Wonderful. Unfortunately, she also ordered me to see her off. As much as I would like to just stay in my super comfy bed all morning, that would probably bring me more trouble than it¡¯s worth. Better to just get this over with as quickly as possible.

    Putting my slippers on, I made my way to the bathroom to wash my face and freshen up.

    ¡­

    When I stepped out of my room, Emma was coincidentally passing by with a full laundry basket in her hands. There was a thin gauze bandage stuck on her right cheek, covering up the lash wound that ¡°I¡± inflicted on her yesterday. My heart twinged with guilt when I saw it no matter how much I tried to tell myself that Alexander¡¯s actions weren¡¯t my fault.

    ¡°Good morning Emma.¡± I greeted her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be resting? You¡¯re still injured.¡±

    The maid was startled, but hastily returned my greeting with a forced smile.

    ¡°G-good morning, young master Halesworth. I¡¯m fine, please don¡¯t worry. My body can handle this much.¡±

    She still seemed to be a little scared of me, and looked like she wanted to run off as soon as possible. I was about to say something to reassure her when I noticed that her face had warped into an odd expression. Emma was staring at me, hard.

    ¡°Umm, young master?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    For a few seconds the girl was at a loss. When she finally spoke, it was in a hesitant tone. ¡°Forgive me, but were you planning to walk around in¡­ that condition?¡±

    I tilted my head in puzzlement. ¡°Is there something wrong with how I look?¡±

    Emma¡¯s face visibly paled. ¡°Worse than I thought¡­¡± the girl said under her breath. She then looked at me with a troubled expression. ¡°Please allow me to speak impudently, young master. Your hair is untidy and you¡¯re still dressed in yesterday¡¯s wear. If anyone were to see you like this, it would cause quite a commotion.¡± Her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped. ¡°Wait, young master, did you actually sleep in those clothes!?¡±

    ¡°......Yes?¡±

    I was pretty tired last night so I just crashed right into bed without changing. But for some reason, the very idea seemed to horrify Emma.

    She bit her lip, as if struggling internally. Then she bowed deeply and spoke. ¡°Young master, I understand that you hate having servants assist you in the morning, but would you please allow me to step in just this once?¡±

    Eh?

    ¡°Er, sure. I¡¯ll be in your care then.¡± I said, feeling a bit taken aback by her sudden burst of assertiveness.

    ...

    The two of us were once again in my room. This time I was seated in front of the mirror, and Emma was diligently brushing my hair.

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t want to be tamed¡­¡± She muttered, her brows furrowed while working on an especially stubborn tangle. ¡°Oh! Forgive me, young master, I did not mean to complain.¡±

    Apparently my hair was the type that had a will of its own. How troublesome.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I should thank you for putting up with this.¡±

    Our eyes met in the mirror¡¯s reflection, and her cheeks flushed as I smiled at her.

    Through some light conversation, I was able to determine why Emma was so shocked. Alexander was the type to pay meticulous attention to his appearance, and wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in public with a single thread out of place. Me looking so sloppy would have sent the entire mansion into an uproar, and in the worst case, the servants might even be punished for ¡®allowing¡¯ it to happen. Man, it¡¯s not like I was about to do anything important, I just wanted to eat breakfast and say good riddance to my scary fianc¨¦e.

    I was somehow able to pass it off as absent-mindedness caused by my memory loss, but no matter how innocent Emma might be, even she must have her doubts by now. Thank goodness she was still willing to help me out. This girl was a lifesaver.

    ¡°There. All done, young master, though I am not sure if I did it as well as you would have.¡±

    My hair flowed neatly down to my shoulders like a golden waterfall. There were no stray locks or tangles in sight. I wasn¡¯t used to keeping my hair this long, but looking at it now, I had to admit that it did have its appeal. Alexander¡¯s pretty boy stats were completely maxed out. Shame that my eyes were too intense, it made my face kind of intimidating... though very fitting of a villain.

    ¡°It looks great, thank you!¡± I said, beaming.

    The maid returned my smile. ¡°Please do not mention it, young master. This is my duty. Now then, would you also permit me to offer advice on your outfit for today?¡±

    Apparently she had no confidence that I¡¯d be able to dress myself competently. How low had my stock fallen? But then again, she was probably right, so I had better just accept to avoid making yet another ridiculous noble faux pas.

    ¡°That would be much appreciated.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Emma wasted no time in moving to my dresser. She opened it, and began picking through my wardrobe with enthusiasm.

    ¡°This would be nice¡­ but it¡¯s a bit cold today, and these tones are perfect for spring¡­ wah! What a cute scarf! Young master, please try this and this on.¡± She turned around and passed a few things over to me, humming a happy tune.

    ...Was she actually enjoying this? And here I thought she only offered out of a sense of obligation.

    Over the next few minutes, we decided on what I should wear today. I had to veto the scarf suggestion though, much to Emma¡¯s disappointment. It felt way too showy, and like I said, I wasn¡¯t even planning to leave the mansion.

    ¡°But if I remember correctly, this is a gift from Lady Francesca¡­ she would be delighted if you wore it while seeing her off!¡±

    All the more reason not to then.

    __________________________________________________________

    I emerged from my bedroom, dressed in fresh set of clothes and looking much better put together than before.

    ¡°Well?¡± I asked with a grin.

    Emma seemed to be taken aback when she saw me.

    ¡°You look wonderful, young master!¡± She blurted out, eyes wide. ¡°I mean, even more so than usual. Ah, not that I usually stare at you or anything, b-but it¡¯s not as if I dislike looking at you, I just-!¡±

    As the flustered girl continued to dig herself deeper into a hole, I laughed and shook my head.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Emma¡¯s cheeks were tinged red out of embarrassment. But soon she was distracted by something.

    ¡°Umm, pardon me.¡± She said, reaching up to fix my collar. ¡°There. It was slightly ruffled.¡±

    Seeing her satisfied smile, I got the feeling that she was pretty used to looking after others. What made me happiest though was that her apprehension towards me had already been significantly diminished. There was no way that the pitiful, cowering Emma from yesterday would do something like that of her own volition.

    I was about to thank her again, but the sound of approaching footsteps startled us both. Emma immediately put some distance between us as we turned our gazes down the hallway.

    A tall maid wearing black rimmed glasses was headed towards us. Her hair was done up in a bun and she was wearing a headband with white ruffles. The woman gave off the impression of a very strict librarian despite her young age. She was probably in her late twenties at most, and was quite beautiful. Strangely enough, there was a thin black rod strapped to her waist.

    ¡°Young master.¡± The bespectacled maid said, performing a polite bow.

    Emma respectfully called out from behind me. ¡°Greetings, head maid Ophelia.¡±

    Whether that was intentional or not, thanks for the hint. So this was the infamous woman in charge of keeping the mansion¡¯s maids in line, huh? One of the three most important staff in our employ - the others being the head butler and the head guard. That stick should be what she used to beat people who didn¡¯t live up to her unreasonable standards.

    According to Emma, this woman had been our family¡¯s head maid for almost four years now. She had started out as just an ordinary servant, but managed to earn my parents¡¯ favor and was chosen to be one of Christine¡¯s handmaidens. After some time, she rose up to become the head maid. This was when she showed her true colors. The formerly taciturn Ophelia became a brutal taskmaster who enjoyed making life difficult for her former colleagues. A typical case of power getting to one¡¯s head.

    Ophelia gave Emma a cold glance and I heard a tiny, frightened ¡°eep!¡± from behind me. As if losing interest, the head maid turned to me again.

    ¡°You woke up quite late today, young master. Everyone has already finished eating, and House Ettrick¡¯s carriage will soon depart. Your immediate presence is requested outside.¡±

    Ugh, really? What a pain. Looks like I had to postpone breakfast then.

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll head there soon,¡± I answered, trying not to let my weariness slip out.

    Ophelia nodded, then her gaze hardened as she turned towards Emma. ¡°You. Pick up that damn basket and follow me.¡± Her voice was filled with undisguised hostility.

    Emma was dumbstruck, and I noticed that her hands trembled slightly when she picked up the laundry basket. Her head was bowed low as she stepped forward, and it was obvious that she did not want to go with this woman.

    Seems like I needed to intervene. What would Alexander do in this situation?

    I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and put on a cold, unforgiving expression.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    The head maid flinched under the intensity of my glare, and even Emma seemed a little frightened as she unconsciously took a step back.

    ¡°Ophelia, find someone else to help you. I still have business with this maid,¡± I said firmly, staring her down.

    The head maid appeared confused and upset. Her eyebrows knit together as if she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Young master-¡± Ophelia began, protesting.

    With an impatient wave of my hand, I cut her words off.

    ¡°I dislike repeating myself. Stop wasting my time and go!¡± The irritation in my voice surprised even myself. I totally had a future in acting, didn¡¯t I?

    At any rate, that seemed to do it. Ophelia swallowed, and quickly bowed in submission. ¡°...Very well. Please excuse me.¡± She walked away at a hurried pace, not looking back.

    When she was safely out of sight, Emma let out a sigh of relief while patting her chest. ¡°Thank you, young master.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did she want with you?¡±

    ¡°I am not too sure. But perhaps¡­ she was planning to punish me for yesterday¡¯s event.¡± Emma said in a quiet voice.

    Hm. It wasn¡¯t a far fetched idea. From what I¡¯ve heard about the head maid, she was a bit too enthusiastic about maintaining discipline in the mansion. Ophelia certainly wouldn¡¯t ignore such a huge blunder like spilling tea on an important guest, even if Emma had already been ¡®punished¡¯ by Alexander himself. If anything, that naked display of hostility towards Emma may have been an attempt to curry favor with me, which would explain her confusion.

    I stroked my chin thoughtfully. ¡°If she tries something later, you have permission to use my name. Tell her that I said you have been appropriately disciplined already, and she should not overstep her bounds. Wait, there¡¯s no need to bow, just think of this as me paying you back for your help this morning.¡± I added hastily, seeing that the teary eyed girl was about to bow in thanks again. ¡°However, there is something I need to ask of you¡­¡±

    __________________________________________________________

    The head maid balled her hands into fists as she walked, thinking back to that earlier incident. Young master Alexander had actually scolded her. His frosty eyes would not leave her mind, and those dismissive words kept ringing in her ears.

    It can¡¯t be, I was so close! He¡¯s been treating me differently these days, and I thought that it was just a matter of time before he succumbed, but¡­ did that harlot manage to bed him before me!?

    Ophelia shook her head. No, she shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions. Surely the young master was just in a bad mood today and his interest in her hadn¡¯t dimmed. That girl was too clumsy, too plain to catch his eye. Alexander enjoyed the thrill of the chase, or else why would he have played along with her games for so long? Perhaps this was just a childish attempt at making her jealous. A way to take back the initiative.

    Hmph, clever boy, but I¡¯ll have you wrapped around my finger soon enough, Ophelia swore to herself. Alexander might have a proud and domineering personality, but all men were ultimately slaves to their desires. As soon as he got a taste, he¡¯d never be able to give her up.

    And if that idiot really did manage to charm him, well, there were plenty of ways to deal with a minor obstruction like that.

    She¡¯d be damned before she relinquished her ambitions.

 Chapter 8 - Good Riddance, Girl

    The entire Halesworth estate was bustling with activity. Many servants filed outside while carrying bags marked with the Ettrick family¡¯s crest.

    A large, elegantly decorated carriage was parked in front of the mansion. Several knights on horseback surrounded it, looking like a wall of steel; these men were Francesca¡¯s personal guards who had escorted her on this visit.

    ¡°Take care now, Francesca. Do send us a letter when you get back home.¡±

    ¡°I will! Thank you, Duchess Halesworth.¡±

    ¡°Now now dear, I¡¯ve already told you, call me mother.¡±

    Francesca and my mother continued chatting while servants loaded the last of the bags onto the carriage. I just watched disinterestedly from several feet away, itching to go back inside the mansion. Finally, the two women hugged each other and said their goodbyes. Francesca climbed into the carriage and the duchess walked back to my side.

    But when I tried to turn and walk away, my mother gripped me on the shoulder. Hard.

    ¡°She wants to speak with you before she leaves.¡±

    Without any choice, I forced down my sigh and approached the Ettrick carriage. The guardian knights surrounding it glanced at me as I passed, but went right back to keeping a lookout - they really were way too dedicated to their job.

    Inside, Francesca was sitting next to a young maid, who I assumed was her handmaiden.

    The bitch glared at me as I sat down across her.

    ¡°I waited for you last night. Why didn¡¯t you come to my room?¡±

    Her handmaiden visibly stiffened. ¡°My lady¡­ such words¡­¡± She whispered.

    You¡¯re going to cause a misunderstanding here! But Francesca just irritably waved the girl back, and didn¡¯t stop glaring at me. ¡°Well?¡± She crossed her arms, unintentionally propping up that outrageous chest of hers. Oh damn, that¡¯s not fair.

    Tearing my eyes away from the deadly double distractions, I nonchalantly asked, ¡°Was I supposed to visit?¡±

    ¡°Of course, to apologize!¡± She snapped. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to forgive you unless you give me a proper explanation too, Alex. You need to make this up to me or I won¡¯t talk to you for a month. How could you treat me like that in front of your entire family? Oh, and we still need to go shopping for a new dress, I¡¯ve already had the one ruined by your clumsy maid thrown away. Well? Don¡¯t just sit there, say something!¡±

    Her tone was extremely demanding and arrogant. Just like a spoiled princess throwing a tantrum after losing her favorite toy. She was making this big of a deal over the way I called her in public? How the hell did the original Alexander put up with this? From what I knew of his personality, there¡¯s no way that pompous bastard would ever let anyone speak to him like this. Guess love really does make people blind.

    The sigh that I was holding back finally came out then. This was probably a bad idea, but I really couldn¡¯t help it anymore.

    My brows furrowed as I replied in the coldest voice I could manage, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady Ettrick. But I¡¯m unaware of what exactly I did wrong.¡±

    ¡°A, Alex-!¡±

    Francesca stuttered in disbelief, while her handmaiden couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp.

    ¡°Please excuse me, I must head back now,¡± I said while getting off the carriage. ¡°Oh, and do have a safe trip.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Relishing the stunned look on her face, I closed the carriage door and signaled to the driver. He nodded respectfully, and the carriage with all of its accompanying knights began to move out. I made my way back into the mansion without bothering to watch them leave, my chest light as it could be. Good riddance!Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Perhaps that was too reckless. But even if Francesca raises a stink back home, it should take a while before my parents hear about it. I¡¯ll just figure something out when that happens.

    __________________________________________________________

    My petty satisfaction, however, was very short-lived.

    ¡°Young master Halesworth, we discussed this just two days ago! There is no need to play games. If you are no longer interested, then just say so and we will end it here.¡±

    Albert said exasperatedly while shutting his book. I couldn¡¯t help but wince. I¡¯m sorry, okay! I¡¯m not making fun of you! I really don¡¯t know anything!

    Yes, I was currently in the middle of my lessons, and they were going terribly.

    This old man wearing thick glasses and a gray coat was my tutor, the one my parents mentioned last night. We were in a private study, surrounded on all sides by bookshelves, chalkboards, maps, and strange diagrams. The desk between us was covered in books and journals as well.

    Like any proper noble family, House Halesworth employed a private tutor to educate its children in the academics. My lessons were usually in the morning, while Christine¡¯s were in the afternoon.

    Anyway, as luck would have it, my first lesson with Albert today was history. How the hell was I supposed to know anything about a fantasy world¡¯s history!? Damn it, I¡¯m 100% sure that even the game¡¯s creators would have no idea about any of this stuff. All his questions about Uther the Conqueror and the Drying of the Shimmering River completely went over my head. At this rate people really will begin to suspect that something¡¯s wrong with ¡°Alexander¡¯s¡± brain.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have no excuse. I truly don¡¯t remember this part. Can we please go over it again?¡±

    I bowed apologetically to him. There was no choice but to work as hard as possible from now on to catch up.

    He looked stunned, and for a few seconds Albert didn¡¯t say a word. I suddenly realized that apologizing for anything must be completely out of character for Alexander, leave alone to a tutor that he wasn¡¯t on good terms with. That bow was probably improper too, considering our respective statuses. Maintaining a noble¡¯s mindset was so much trouble.

    Thankfully he didn¡¯t press the issue. ¡°Then¡­ very well, young master. From the beginning.¡± He coughed, opening the book again and flipping several pages back.

    I listened with rapt attention as Albert discussed the founding story of several neighboring kingdoms. Less than two hundred years ago, one city declared a war of independence, and it set off a chain reaction that ended with a great empire fracturing into three different nations. Our country, Lancaster, stayed out of that mess and just watched from the sidelines without offering support to any side.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t try to take advantage of the fighting to snatch territory?¡± I asked curiously while scribbling notes.

    Albert shook his head. ¡°Lancaster¡¯s situation was too delicate at the time to consider invading anyone. This was during the succession crisis we talked about two weeks ago.¡± What succession crisis!? ¡°Regardless, the result ended up being favorable to us. The Eternal Empire was one of the greatest threats to our country¡¯s existence; its dissolution provided no small relief.¡±

    ¡°How are our relations with the three kingdoms today then?¡±

    ¡°Quite good, we are trading partners with all three. Hostilities occasionally still break out among them, but Lancaster simply watches these conflicts without interfering directly.¡±

    ¡°Directly?¡±

    ¡°They have to buy food and supplies from someone.¡±

    I smirked. ¡°It sounds like our national policy is to profit off war rather than wage it ourselves.¡±

    Reminds me of a certain country from my world.

    ¡°Hahaha! A good observation, young master Halesworth, and not at all inaccurate.¡±

    Albert seemed very pleased at how engaged I was in the lesson. He talked with much more vigor than before, and went off on long tangents about this person and that thing, to the point that I had to drag it back to the original topic. But I was really impressed at just how knowledgeable my tutor was; he barely even looked at the books, and seemed to know all of these events like the back of his hand. House Halesworth must have spent a small fortune to hire this man.

    Yet from what my father said last night, the previous Alexander wanted him fired? Geez.

    Minutes passed in the blink of an eye. There were times when I embarrassed myself by not knowing the answer to ¡°basic¡± questions, but I still learned a lot and my tutor was very patient (if a bit confused by my ignorance). I had already filled up several pages worth of notes when Albert suddenly closed the book he was holding.

    ¡°This is a good stopping point. Let us move on to our next subject then, young master.¡±

 Chapter 9 - Arguing with an Old Man

    Hours flew by and our discussion shifted into strange directions. We ended up talking about trade, worker rights, and the way our society functioned - all valuable knowledge to an outsider like me. Eventually we even segued into philosophy, a subject I was a hopeless amateur in, but I still remembered a few things from my classes. I particularly enjoyed Albert¡¯s reaction to Theseus¡¯ paradox.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say there¡¯s a ship. Over the years, it suffers damage multiple times and parts of it have to be replaced with new, stronger timber. When every part has been replaced at least once, is it still the same ship? If not, at one point did it cease to be? And what if we took all of the old broken parts and formed them into a ship as well? Which deserves to be called the real one?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡­ hm. Huh.¡±

    The old man pondered it for several minutes before he shrugged, claiming that there was no objectively correct answer. As if annoyed, he countered with a medieval variant of the ¡®trolley problem¡¯ - was it ethical to kill one innocent person if it will save five others? Albert was firmly in the utilitarian camp, and said that it was not only acceptable, but morally imperative to save the greatest number of lives. Not taking action would be cowardice.

    It was hard for me to agree, though. Would you let a doctor kill a perfectly healthy patient so that he could use his organs to save five others? Violation of the Hippocratic Oath aside, this would have the same result, but I have never met anyone who can easily support the doctor¡¯s actions.

    Or take this as an example. If I could get away with killing the protagonist of Lost in Love, all but ensuring that the demonic invasion in the True Ending never happens, should I do so? No. That would be trading one life for potentially thousands of innocents, but I don¡¯t even want to consider it.

    Mary might have been a dolt in the game, but she was also a sweetheart who brought happiness to everyone around her. I needed to find some other way to prevent that crisis.

    So we argued about that for a while, discussing whether it was appropriate to ¡®weigh¡¯ the value of human lives and the ethics of murder versus letting people die. It became a fairly heated exchange.

    Time continued to pass with neither of us noticing.

    __________________________________________________________

    Tip, tap, tip, tap.

    A steady rhythm of tapping sounds echoed in the hallway as Christine Halesworth made her way to old Albert¡¯s study. Her usually cold expression was a bit softer today, and one could say that she was in a good mood. Then again, this wasn¡¯t too strange.

    If Alexander was a sadistic, perverted beast, then Christine was an ice princess with an unpredictable temper. One day she would be aloof or even somewhat friendly, then the next morning she¡¯d be taking her anger out on a random maid. Her favorite hobby was making the servants run pointless errands and scolding them regardless of results.

    ¡°Useless! Why didn¡¯t you arrange them alphabetically!? Do it again, and then get out of my sight!¡±

    But at the very least, this type of abuse was the lightest that the staff had to deal with, so nobody truly hated the young miss.

    In Christine¡¯s hands was a binder stuffed full of notes, illustrations, and lesson materials. A tiny smile played at her lips as she thought about how fun and relaxing the next few hours would be. Nothing to worry about, no appearances to maintain. If only it was always like that. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    She spotted something odd. A maid was standing outside Albert¡¯s study. She wasn¡¯t cleaning, nor did she have any papers in her hands to be delivered - the girl was simply waiting there looking somewhat restless. A square bandage was on her cheek, which she occasionally touched in an absent minded fashion.

    Are the servants so free now that they can just idle around like this? Feeling irritated, Christine drew closer. The maid didn¡¯t even notice her approach until she spoke.

    ¡°You. What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Awawa-!"

    The maid panicked as she turned around, but quickly collected herself and bowed when she realized who had called out to her.

    ¡°Um, good afternoon young miss! As young master Alexander ordered, I am waiting for him to finish his lessons.¡±

    Hah?

    Christine was baffled. My brother should have left thirty minutes ago! And what was the deal with him having a maid wait for him here?

    She impatiently pushed past the maid and rapped her knuckles on the door.

    __________________________________________________________

    Albert stroked his beard while lost in thought.

    ¡°While that method does have merits, the execution is too difficult. You would have to-¡±

    Knock knock knock!

    His words were interrupted by a series of knocks, surprising both of us.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    The door opened and a pretty head of golden hair peeked in. When she saw me, her expression instantly soured.

    ¡°Albert? Elder brother?¡± Christine asked in a voice full of displeasure. ¡°Your lessons should be done by now.¡±

    The old man apologized while awkwardly scratching his head. ¡°I am sorry, young miss. I must have lost track of the time.¡±

    I laughed and stood up, not forgetting to take my notes with me. ¡°It was my fault for asking so many questions. Come on in Christine, I was just about to leave. Until tomorrow, teacher.¡±

    ¡°Young master.¡± Albert bowed politely.

    My younger sister¡¯s nose wrinkled as I passed by. I think I even heard a snort as I closed the door behind me. While I did get the feeling that she disliked me last night, the problem seemed to be worse than I thought. What in the world did Alexander do to piss this girl off?

    Shaking my head, I decided to investigate the specifics of our relationship later.

    I turned towards the maid who was patiently waiting for me outside the study, and gave her a sheepish grin. I had asked her to pick me up once my lessons were over, yet completely forgot about it. If Christine hadn¡¯t arrived, I wonder how long this poor girl would have stood here.

    ¡°Emma. So sorry, have you been waiting here long?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, young master! Please do not mind it.¡± She said politely. I noticed that although she was still a little wary of me, she was no longer afraid of making eye contact.

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go have lunch, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    And there¡¯s something we need to talk about.

    __________________________________________________________

    Within Albert¡¯s study, the atmosphere became much lighter after Alexander left.

    ¡°Goodness, Albert. If he cannot learn, there¡¯s no need for you to try so hard.¡± Christine sighed dramatically as she sank into the plush chair. ¡°I feel sorry for you; Alexander is hopeless, he¡¯s not interested in anything other than swordsmanship! Such a typical boy.¡±

    Albert let out a guffaw as he poured two new cups of tea.

    ¡°My lady, you would be surprised. Do not be so quick to judge him.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, the young master was brilliant today! It was a shocking difference from his usual apathy and - forgive me for the term - ignorance. I felt like I was talking to a peer, not a youth without a scholarly background. Such a diamond in the rough, he might even be more gifted than you are! Now that he is taking his education seriously, I cannot wait to see how high he¡¯ll soar. For instance, while I don¡¯t agree with his thoughts on...¡±

    Albert excitedly blabbered about his earlier lesson with Alexander.

    But he didn¡¯t notice that with every word, Christine¡¯s expression grew darker.

 Chapter 10 - An Offer You Cant Refuse

    Have you ever eaten alone at a crowded restaurant? It¡¯s always a bit of an awkward feeling. A place packed with couples, families, friends having fun¡­ you inevitably stick out like a sore thumb. Even if no one actually pays attention to you, there¡¯s that self-conscious feeling at the back of your head that you¡¯re being judged. Oh, look at that loner, how sad. How dare he take up an entire table by himself when so many people want to eat here. What an inconsiderate guy.

    Now if there¡¯s anything worse than that, it¡¯s eating by yourself in a massive dining hall that can fit literally hundreds of people.

    For several minutes I half-heartedly picked away at the loaded plates in front of me. The food was delicious but I could hardly enjoy it, since I felt like the countless empty chairs in the room were mocking me. My overactive imagination even gave birth to specters who hurled insults at me from the sidelines.

    Look, everyone, at this awe inspiring sight!

    The duke¡¯s heir is such a lofty and esteemed personage that nobody is worthy of dining with him!

    What a display of power, monopolizing this grand place just to stuff his maw!

    ...

    Eventually it became too much for me to bear, so I did the obvious thing to fix this problem.

    ¡°Young master, I¡¯m really not sure about this.¡±

    Emma was fidgeting nervously. Her eyes darted around, and it seemed like she would immediately move if the doors to the dining hall opened.

    ¡°Relax, I already told you that it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take responsibility if anyone gives you grief over this. Just say that I forced you.¡±

    Needless to say, she was now sitting across me and sharing my meal. There was too much food for one person to finish, and Emma hadn¡¯t eaten yet either, so this was the perfect solution to my issue. I felt much more at ease now that I wasn¡¯t dining alone.

    Poor Emma was really on edge though. Was it really such a big deal for a maid to eat at the same table as the noble she served? Yeah, don¡¯t answer that question.

    ¡°Go ahead and eat. Or would you like me to spoon feed you instead?¡± I teased her.

    Not a second later, the girl picked up her knife and fork and began to cut into the roast chicken. The look on her face basically said anything but that please.

    ...I wasn¡¯t being serious though.

    When she had eaten a bit more and calmed down, I decided to move on to the main topic.

    ¡°Emma, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot since yesterday. And I want to apologize.¡±

    She looked up at me, surprised. Her hand unconsciously went up to the thin gauze bandage on her cheek.

    ¡°Young master! You have already apologized for this wound, and it is-¡±

    ¡°Not just that,¡± I interrupted her, shaking my head, ¡°I want to apologize for everything I did.¡±

    Or to be more exact, the things Alexander did before I took over his body. He made life difficult for a lot of the staff and even caused a few girls to run away from the mansion in tears. To be honest, I hate cleaning up other people¡¯s messes. But if I¡¯m going to fix my reputation (and regain everyone¡¯s loyalty), I need to make amends for the bastard¡¯s sins, so I¡¯ve got no choice.

    Emma stared blankly at me. Since it seemed like she didn¡¯t understand, I kept talking.

    ¡°That knock on the head seems to have woken me up to just how badly I treated you and the other staff before. The beatings, the insults, and the¡­ well, harassment¡­ I¡¯m horrified now whenever I think about what I did. To clear my conscience, I want to apologize to those I hurt, and make things better for them in any way I can.¡±

    The girl¡¯s face changed from disbelief into wonder, and then turned into a conflicted expression.

    ¡°Young master¡­¡± She said quietly, as if hesitating. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re thinking about our wellbeing, but that might not be appropriate. Your intentions are more than enough, especially if you truly mean to treat us kindly in the future. It is far more than we deserve.¡±

    Is she worried about my dignity as a noble or something? I shook my head.

    ¡°This is something I must do and I need your help, Emma.¡±

    ¡°M-me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I want to make amends, but as much as it shames me to admit, I don¡¯t even know where to start. Hell, I only know a handful of your names. There is no one else I can ask either, since everyone is too scared of me.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Her voice was quiet, as if she was unsure how to respond.

    ¡°You know the other maids better than anyone and they trust you. More importantly, I trust you. Will you help me?¡±

    I stretched my hand out across the table. A few seconds passed as I gave her the warmest smile I could muster. God I hope it didn¡¯t look creepy.

    ¡°...If that is what you wish, young master. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    With a determined expression, she took my hand and we shook. It was the start of a wonderful partnership.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± I said with a deeply satisfied laugh. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s also best if you became my personal attendant from now on. It¡¯ll give you a good excuse for spending so much time with me.¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡±

    ¡°I know that Alex- *cough*, I used to insist on not having one, but you¡¯re perfect for the job. Your help earlier this morning was greatly appreciated.¡±

    ¡°...Wait, no, I didn¡¯t, that wasn¡¯t part of-!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll talk to Ophelia about it tomorrow and make sure that she reduces your workload accordingly. In fact, it would be best if you had nothing to do except follow me around.¡±

    ¡°Listen to meee!¡±

    Sorry Emma, but this fake noble needs you. Obediently accept your fate.

    __________________________________________________________

    Several hours later...

    Within the servants¡¯ quarters, a few maids were huddled in a circle around one of their own. The girl in the center had a bandage plastered on her right cheek, and she smiled contentedly while eating sweet bread her friends had smuggled from the kitchens.

    ¡°Emma, how are you feeling?¡± A maid with caramel colored pigtails asked with a worried voice.

    ¡°Mm! I¡¯m okay now,¡± Emma replied happily, ¡°There are bruises where Lady Francesca kicked me, but they don¡¯t hurt that much.¡±

    A chorus of sighs came from the surrounding girls, both pitying and relieved.

    One of them couldn¡¯t help it and hugged Emma tightly. ¡°Oh you poor girl! Not only did you get beaten by that bitch, the beast even-¡±

    ¡°Shhh! Don¡¯t bring it up!¡± Another one snapped, seemingly panicked.

    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to remind you of it. But we¡¯re all here for you, okay?¡±

    Emma¡¯s cheeks flushed as she realized why everyone was being so nice to her. ¡°Umm, I think you¡¯re all misunderstanding something? Young master Alexander didn¡¯t do anything to me yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Ehhh?¡±

    The group of maids all exclaimed in surprise.

    ¡°What a relief!¡± The pigtailed maid sighed. ¡°We feared the worst when you didn¡¯t return for so long¡­ and he even called for you multiple times after that, so we thought¡­ we¡¯re really sorry we couldn¡¯t help.¡±

    Emma shook her head strongly. ¡°It¡¯s fine Loraine, spilling tea on the lady was my mistake to begin with. And the young master was exceptionally kind to me.¡±

    ¡°That vicious brat being kind? No way! I really can¡¯t imagine that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true! He only wanted me to answer a few questions.¡±

    Their interest was instantly piqued. ¡°Oh? What kind of questions?¡±

    Realizing that she slipped up, Emma covered her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to talk about it. He said that if I did...¡± She shuddered in fear.

    Everyone¡¯s gazes became more understanding. ¡°Now that sounds more like the young master we know,¡± one of the girls said with a laugh.

    Since the misunderstanding had been cleared up, everyone¡¯s mood became noticeably lighter and they stopped fussing over Emma. Soon the maids were gossiping about normal topics again, like handsome knights and budding love rivalries among noble youths. Emma listened to all of this with interest, but her eyes kept glancing towards one particular maid in their circle. She was a gentle looking woman in her mid thirties with brown hair and a calm, soothing smile.

    It didn¡¯t take long before this woman stood up.

    ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sorry but I have to leave now if I want to make it home before dark.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going back to the village today too, Ruth?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My son still isn¡¯t feeling too well. His fever has gone down but the doctor says he needs to stay in bed.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s terrible. I hope he gets better soon. Let us know if you need anything, okay?¡±

    A few other maids expressed words of sympathy. Ruth thanked them, and soon left the servant¡¯s quarters, carrying a small basket covered in a white cloth.

    Emma didn¡¯t waste any time. She made up an excuse and left the room as well, chasing after the maid.

    __________________________________________________________

    Halesworth mansion paid its servants well, but few maids ever worked there for more than three or four years. The conditions were just that terrible. No matter how careful one was, there was always the risk of being punished on a whim by the head maid or one of the masters. And if someone messed up as badly as Emma did that time¡­ the consequences were truly dire. Who would choose to work in a place like that for very long? They all left as soon as a better opportunity presented itself, or when the abuse became too much to bear.

    Ruth was one of the rare exceptions.

    Having been a Halesworth maid for more than ten years now, she had seen countless girls come and go, but she remained steadfastly dedicated to her work. If it wasn¡¯t for her gentle and reserved personality, she could have become the head maid long ago. Most of the maids looked up to her as an older sister, and she took care of them without fail.

    ¡°Wait, Ruth!¡±

    Emma called out as she caught up to her.

    The senior maid turned around, and flashed her a warm smile.

    ¡°My, what is it, Emma?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s, er, something important I have to tell you.¡± Emma said, avoiding eye contact. She couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty even though she knew that she wasn¡¯t doing anything wrong. ¡°But I can¡¯t say it here. Will you follow me?¡±

    Ruth obviously hesitated. ¡°Um, but¡­¡±

    Her family was waiting, and she still had to prepare dinner. The basket she held contained leftover ingredients from the mansion¡¯s kitchen, which the chef had graciously allowed her to take home.

    ¡°I promise it won¡¯t take long.¡± Emma insisted. Her voice was uncharacteristically serious.

    Could Emma be in trouble? Ruth thought.

    In the end the older maid couldn¡¯t resist her protective instincts. ¡°Very well then. Lead the way.¡±

    Emma smiled, and led her in the direction of the tea room.

 Chapter 11 - Gifts of the Seraph

    ¡°!!!?¡±

    Inside the tea room was the last person Ruth expected to see.

    Alexander Halesworth sat on a plush couch, teacup in hand and a disgustingly calm smile on his face. Bathed in the sun¡¯s orange rays, the duke¡¯s heir looked like a golden haired seraph descended from the heavens, untouched by worries of this mundane world. Ruth cursed under her breath as her heart skipped a beat. Life was unfair, giving such angelic looks to this vile person.

    As the big sister that all of the maids looked up to, Ruth knew just how heartless this man was. There were many times when other maids would come to her crying after being hurt by the young master. She also took the blame for mistakes made by her juniors whenever possible, so she ended up suffering Alexander¡¯s wrath multiple times as a result.

    The worst was when he ¡®took interest¡¯ in her. She could still remember how it felt when the bastard pinned her against a wall, pawing at every inch of her skin. One hand running up her thigh, while the other snaked under her blouse... she endured for almost ten minutes before it finally ended, praying the entire time that no one would enter the room to witness her humiliation.

    For an old hag, you¡¯ve got a pretty nice body, hahaha!

    Blood boiled in her head when she recalled his parting words that day. A brat who hadn¡¯t even come of age yet, saying that to her face after violating her¡­!

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived,¡± Alexander said, putting down his teacup after taking one final sip.

    ¡°Greetings, young master Halesworth.¡± Ruth bowed deeply, her face betraying none of the disgust and anger she felt inside. ¡°May I ask why you have called for me? If I have erred somehow, then this maid begs for forgiveness.¡±

    Ruth braced herself for a torrent of verbal abuse. The only time this bastard paid attention to the mansion¡¯s staff was when he wanted to make them suffer. If she was lucky, she¡¯d get out of this with nothing more than hurt feelings and ringing ears.

    ¡°Please calm down, Ms. Ruth. This isn¡¯t an interrogation or anything like that.¡±

    Surprisingly, the young master didn¡¯t seem to be mad at her and even spoke politely. She had never seen such a warm, cordial smile on his face before. But this only made Ruth more nervous.

    What does the young master want? And why did Emma bring me here without saying anything?

    She looked at Emma with a questioning glance, but the latter just smiled awkwardly, as if trying to apologize.

    A wild theory came to her mind. Emma said that nothing happened between her and the young master, but what if she was lying? Perhaps she earned his favor, and was now trying to please him in other ways...

    ¡°He only wanted me to answer a few questions.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to talk about it. He said that if I did¡­¡±

    Ruth almost stopped breathing. Could it be!? Did she sell out the other maids? None of them had secrets to be ashamed of, but their private grumblings and occasional laxness was still enough to land them in hot water. Emma didn¡¯t seem like the type to betray their trust, but Ruth had long since learned that people often hid their true natures well. If this girl was another Ophelia in the making, then it was a terrible problem.

    Her thoughts were interrupted by Alexander coughing.

    ¡°Let me get to the point then. Emma tells me that you have a seriously ill son,¡± Alexander said, interlocking his fingers.

    Ruth¡¯s frown only deepened. ¡°That is correct, young master. But I have not let it affect my work, so I do not understand why it is a cause for concern?¡±

    She felt betrayed. To think that even her personal life was being dragged into this¡­! Ruth sent her a hurt look, but Emma avoided making eye contact, infuriating the older maid further.

    ¡°She also said that you are having trouble making ends meet on your own. The medicine and the doctor¡¯s fees must be expensive.¡±

    This puzzled Ruth a bit. She expected him to criticize her in some way, not bring up her hardships. What game was Alexander playing? ¡°It is merely a small issue, young master. Through the grace of the heavens and House Halesworth¡¯s generosity, this lowly one is managing.¡±

    ¡®Managing¡¯ was about the most optimistic term she could use though. Her savings were quickly running dry, and since her husband died more than a year ago, her job was the family¡¯s only source of income. She even had two elderly parents to worry about. Things were hard enough already without this bastard making it worse. Ruth silently prayed that she wasn¡¯t about to get fired.

    ¡°Regardless, it must not have been easy.¡± Alexander sighed, in a voice so convincingly sympathetic that Ruth almost snorted. ¡°Being the sole provider for your family at such a young age¡­ that¡¯s a heavy burden for anyone to bear. I deeply admire you for having such resilience.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Him of all people calling her ¡°young¡± was a blatant insult. Blood rushed to Ruth¡¯s head again and she almost lost control of herself.

    How could you possibly understand what we commoners go through, you spoiled piece of sh- ¡°This is a small gift, Ms. Ruth. Hopefully it will be enough to relieve your family¡¯s difficulties.¡± He pulled out a small pouch from somewhere, and stretched out his hand, offering it to her.

    Feeling suspicious, Ruth maintained a calm facade as she stepped forward and received it, muttering an emotionless ¡°thank you¡± as she did. But any attempts at a poker face were immediately forgotten when she loosened the string and saw the glittering pile of gold and silver coins inside. This was more than what she earned in a year.

    No. Wait. Was this a trap? ¡°Young master, I can¡¯t possibly accept this.¡± Her voice was shaking, though she didn¡¯t understand if it was due to fright, excitement, or relief.

    ¡°Please do not refuse, Ms. Ruth.¡± Alexander said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve served the household for most of my life, this is nothing more than a paltry token. If that isn¡¯t enough, just let me know and I¡¯ll see what I can do. Also, it is not good for a mother to be apart from her child at a time like this. I will ask the head maid to grant you a one week leave of absence so that you may wholeheartedly attend to your son¡¯s needs.¡±

    Ruth trembled. This was exactly what she needed. Even if the young master did have nefarious intentions, how could she say no at this point?

    ¡°This humble servant thanks young master.¡± She said, kneeling down and taking a deep bow, her head pressed to the floor. ¡°If there is anything I can do to repay your kindness, then please say the word.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, thank Emma. I wouldn¡¯t have even known about your difficulties if this girl hadn¡¯t told me. She was half-crying when she described how bad your situation was.¡±

    ¡°Young master!¡± Emma complained, but there was a playful smile on her lips too.

    Ruth was stunned by this lighthearted interaction, and the theory she had earlier was instantly transformed. Perhaps Emma bewitched the young master and now had him wrapped around her little finger. Was she whispering sweet words into his ear to convince him to do this? How skilled! But seducing nobility was a dangerous game. If Alexander ever grew bored of her, or if she offended him, there was only one fate awaiting her.

    This poor girl, becoming his plaything and putting her life at risk, all for the sake of her friends. Ruth¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, which the other two mistook for tears of gratitude.

    Unfortunately, Ruth¡¯s image of Alexander Halesworth was just too terrible. There was no way she would accept that he had turned into a generous, empathic person overnight. Combined with her addiction to trashy romance novels, this was the most ¡®realistic¡¯ explanation she could come up with. She did feel slightly grateful towards him, but she believed that Emma¡¯s sacrifice was the only reason he truly bothered.

    If Alexander knew what ridiculous conclusions she had jumped to, he¡¯d be frustrated beyond belief and would have probably lectured her for hours on trusting other people¡¯s kindness.

    The surprises weren¡¯t quite over yet, however. At that moment the young master stood up and raised her to her feet. When their eyes met at such a close distance, Ruth¡¯s heart rate sped up once again as she was hit with the full force of his charm.

    ¡°I know that this is not enough to make up for what I did to you in the past, and I won¡¯t ask you to immediately forgive me either.¡± Alexander said in a solemn voice. ¡°All I want to say is that I¡¯m sorry and that I deeply regret my past behavior.¡±

    Ruth¡¯s mind blanked.

    This was unthinkable. Never in a million years she would have imagined that the young master would one day apologize to her like this. A high nobleman lowering his head to a mere servant - if word of this got out, he would become a total laughingstock. She subtly dug her nail into her palm, and the pain confirmed that she wasn¡¯t dreaming. But how!?

    While she was standing there in mute shock, Alexander patted her on the hand.

    ¡°Please go on then, Ms. Ruth. I won¡¯t keep you any longer. I¡¯m sure your family is waiting anxiously for you to come home.¡±

    The young man gave her a warm, satisfied smile.

    ...

    A short while later.

    ¡°Ehehe, I¡¯m glad that everything worked out.¡± Emma said happily.

    ¡°Mm. Thank you, Emma, I can¡¯t tell you how much this means to me.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything though! The young master was the one who helped you.¡±

    The two maids were walking side-by-side towards the servant¡¯s quarters. Ruth needed to make some last-minute arrangements since she would be gone from the mansion for a week, so she didn¡¯t head home immediately. Plus, this was a good chance for her to speak to Emma in private.

    When she was sure that there was no one around to overhear, Ruth stopped and placed her hands on Emma¡¯s shoulders. The younger maid tilted her head questioningly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough. If it ever gets too hard to bear, just tell me and I will do whatever it takes to protect you.¡± Ruth said in a determined voice. ¡°I can get you out of the mansion and find a place for you to settle down.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    Emma had no idea what she was talking about. Ruth just smiled and didn''t elaborate further.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± The older maid held her hand and they kept walking.

    __________________________________________________________

    I refilled my tea cup. One down, an entire duchy to go, I guess?

    It was fortunate that the last thing House Halesworth lacked was money. Just the coins I found in my bedroom drawers was considered a sizable fortune, and I had plenty more to spare. When Emma described Ruth¡¯s difficulties, I realized that this was both a pressing issue and one that could easily be fixed, so we decided to make hers the first one we tackled. So far, so good.

    Not all problems can be solved by throwing money at them though. And come to think of it, no matter how rich my House was, it¡¯ll be hard to ask my parents for gold without explaining what I¡¯m using it for. They would probably be appalled if they found out I was just ¡®spoiling¡¯ the servants. I had to think of a more acceptable excuse, or come up with my own funds once the coins in my room ran out.

    Also, I kind of wish Ruth had stayed. She knew even more than Emma about how the mansion functioned, and I had my own plans for her, but... well, it¡¯s only for a week, so it can wait until she gets back. Hopefully her son will get better soon.

    Sip. Yum, this tea really was delicious. Could use a little honey though.

    At any rate, the sun was going to set soon. I better get going.

 Chapter 12 - Wait, I Forgot What?

    ¡°Please pass the steamed potatoes, Alexander.¡±

    ¡°Yes mother. How about you, sis? Is there anything you want?¡±

    ¡°...No.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Then could you hand me the salt?¡±

    ¡°Get it yourself.¡±

    It was dinner time, and I was once again seated next to Christine.

    She glared daggers at me when I pulled the chair back earlier, but I ignored her silent protest and sat down beside her anyway. In the end she just sighed and must have decided that it wasn¡¯t worth arguing about.

    Now the sullen girl was picking away at her salad, doing her best to snub my attempts at conversation. Every time she¡¯d act annoyed that I was even breathing the same air.

    My plan to get closer to her wasn¡¯t progressing much at all.

    ¡°Christine, what has you in such a terrible mood tonight?¡± Our father said while frowning. Look, even the walrus has noticed that you¡¯re mistreating your poor older brother. ¡°Such behavior is unacceptable.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me, father. I am just not feeling very well.¡± Christine apologized, though I think I heard a tiny bit of irritation in her voice. She then stood up and performed a quick curtsy. ¡°Please excuse me, I think I must rest for a while.¡±

    The girl walked away, leaving her plate half-full. Sis, eating so poorly will stunt your growth, you know? Then again, even in the game she was on the petite side. Perhaps it¡¯s in her genetics.

    Mother looked dissatisfied, but merely called out after her. ¡°Make sure not to keep Ms. Perrins waiting!¡±

    When Christine didn¡¯t answer as she left the hall, mother let out a small ¡°tsk¡±.

    ¡°That girl is becoming more and more willful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry love, all children go through that stage. Christine understands what¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, or else we¡¯ll have to confine her for a while to make her reflect. We can¡¯t allow her to develop any unbecoming habits.¡±

    I refused to participate in their conversation. As rude as Christine was, they were much worse in my eyes. They showed no concern despite Christine saying that she didn¡¯t feel well, and even considered punishing her. Was that how parents should act?

    Father laughed as he noticed me silently eating. ¡°Dinner really is much quieter without Francesca around, isn¡¯t it? I suppose you miss her already, my boy?¡±

    I practically choked on my food. Swallowing it down with difficulty, I forced a smile and shrugged. ¡°It certainly feels different, yes.¡±

    For one thing, I¡¯m a lot more relaxed.

    Mother sighed. ¡°If only Christine could learn from her example. Alexander, you must make sure to treat her with the care she deserves.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, mother. Even without you saying so, that is my intention.¡±

    ...

    Dinner soon came to an end. When I exited the dining hall, I found my brand new personal attendant waiting.

    ¡°Young master.¡± Emma hurriedly approached me and bowed.

    I waved my hand, signalling her to be at ease. ¡°Emma. Have you eaten yet?¡±

    The girl nodded and flashed me a cheerful smile. I could somewhat feel that the guards by the dining hall¡¯s entrance were watching us with curious gazes, so I decided to leave quickly.

    ¡°Good. Let us be off then.¡±

    Maybe I should tuck in early tonight. It¡¯s been a pretty long day after all.

    ¡°Of course, young master. Shall we head straight for the ballroom, or would you prefer to rest in your room until it is time?¡±

    Hearing her words, I asked curiously ¡°Time for what?¡±

    Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Emma¡¯s face paled as she turned to me, realizing that I had no idea what she was talking about.

    __________________________________________________________

    Within my bedroom, two idiots were currently panicking.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so sorry! I never thought that you would have forgotten that as well!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s not your fault Emma, but¡­ what do we do now?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t knooow!¡±

    Of course, we were the said idiots. Emma was pacing around in circles and wringing her hands anxiously, while I sat on my bed in a depressed funk. The two of us were trying to think of a way out of this absurd predicament.

    See, tonight I had a dance lesson scheduled with someone named Ms. Perrins. The last time I danced was years ago at my high school prom and that probably wasn¡¯t good enough to be a reference. I had no idea what noble dances were like, especially since this was a different world. I could manage a simple waltz perhaps, but anything more complicated and I would definitely just make a fool out of myself.

    And the worst part was I only had an hour to prepare.

    ¡°Emma, any chance that you could at least teach me the basics?¡± I asked hopefully.

    She stared at me with a doubtful expression. ¡°Young master, how in the world would I possibly know how? I am but a novice maid. My training isn¡¯t even over yet.¡±

    ¡°You should have been to at least one party by now, right? Surely you would have observed the nobles at it. I just need a refresher course.¡±

    ¡°Well yes, I have served at two events organized by House Halesworth before, so I have a faint idea. But wait, are you saying that you do not remember a single party you¡¯ve attended, young master!? This is even more serious than forgetting how to dance! Just how many memories have you lost because of that fall? Please reconsider seeing a doctor, perhaps it is not too late to-!¡±

    ¡°Out of the question,¡± I said flatly. There were no memories to bring back in the first place. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on getting through tonight in one piece.¡±

    The black haired maid bit her finger while lost in thought. ¡°Perhaps Ms. Perrins would agree if you said that you only wanted to practice one thing today, but what?¡±

    Hmm.

    ¡°Okay, so the truth is I actually somewhat remember how to waltz.¡± I admitted.

    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± Emma sighed in relief. Great, it looked like she was familiar with the term. ¡°That might be enough then.¡±

    ¡°However, I am not sure if I can still do it right. Please help me practice for a bit.¡±

    ¡°...Hah?¡±

    ...

    After some convincing, Emma reluctantly agreed to be my dance partner.

    ¡°Then, please excuse my clumsiness. This will be my first time, so I will be in your care.¡± She said with flushed cheeks.

    The girl stood in front of me. She was as stiff as a plank and had her head lowered so that I couldn¡¯t see her eyes. How adorably shy. I got the urge to tease her but this wasn¡¯t the right time.

    I dug deep into my knowledge of romance games and what I¡¯ve seen in movies. At a time like this, the man was supposed to invite the girl, right? I stepped forward, took a quick bow, and held my hand out with my palm facing upwards.

    ¡°May I have this dance, my lady?¡±

    Emma was stunned for a second before she hurriedly responded with an awkward curtsy.

    ¡°I, I would be honored!¡±

    In that dimly lit room, I took her hand, gently placed an arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to me. She timidly placed her free hand on my right shoulder, completing the closed position. The only thing that could be heard in the room was the sound of two people breathing.

    ¡°Wah, young master, you¡¯re too close¡­!¡± She whispered in a nervous voice.

    Our faces were just inches away from each other. Her hot breath brushed against my skin, and I felt my cheeks redden in spite of myself. An errant thought ran through my head at that moment: I could easily kiss her right now.

    ¡°It, It goes like this right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I think so.¡±

    The mismatch of my noble clothing and her maid outfit was glaringly obvious thanks to our close proximity. But for some reason, it didn¡¯t feel wrong at all. After fumbling through the first few steps, we managed to settle into a relaxed rhythm.

    ...

    One, two, three. One, two, three.

    ...

    One, two, three. One, two, three.

    ...

    That night we shared a waltz without any music. There was no such thing as social status to divide us or propriety to worry about. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, giving our surroundings an almost dreamlike feeling. It was an unforgettable experience, and time seemed to stop as our figures slowly melded together, far away from any prying eyes.

    Yet all too soon, our first dance came to an end.

    The verdict?

    ¡°Completely hopeless.¡± I sighed, dropping heavily down on my bed.

    ¡°Indeed, young master.¡± Emma sighed too as she sat down beside me. ¡°Like this, Ms. Perrins will be able to see through it immediately.¡±

    Waltzing with Emma was fun. My cheeks still felt a little hot remembering it. However, both of us could tell that I was at the level of a total amateur. Even if the waltz was the only thing we did tonight at my lesson, it would still blow my cover.

    ¡°Sorry again for stepping on you, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Please do not mind. I am ashamed to say this, but I made many more blunders than you did, young master. Forgive me for not being of more use.¡±

    ¡°No, asking someone with no experience was an unreasonable request anyway. Thank you for putting up with it.¡±

    ¡°I would be happy to do it again at any time. Ah, not that I would presume-!¡±

    The original problem still remained, and our time was quickly running out. I clicked my tongue as I wondered if I had no choice but to ditch the lesson after all. That would definitely piss my parents off and it would only work once or twice. Ugh, whatever! If it comes down to it, I¡¯ll just deal with the consequences.

    ¡°Emma, I have an idea.¡± I said with a resigned smile. ¡°But it¡¯s not a very good one.¡±

    __________________________________________________________

    Shortly afterwards, a young maid emerged from Alexander Halesworth¡¯s bedroom.

    She headed towards the mansion¡¯s ballroom to accomplish her mission, but the girl was distracted. Her mind tirelessly replayed that magical moment she had just shared with the young master. Now that she was alone, it seemed even more unbelievable.

    Alexander was clumsy and inexperienced, yes. But the way he held her was so gentle that it didn¡¯t matter. He even smiled to reassure her whenever she felt tense or worried about her own inadequacies. His golden hair had turned almost silver underneath the moonlight, making him breathtakingly beautiful. Emma¡¯s only complaint was that it was over too quickly.

    ¡°Was it all a dream¡­?¡±

    Emma whispered. She covered her face, feeling her cheeks burn.

    Don¡¯t you even dare, she chastised herself. You live in different worlds, and he even has a fianc¨¦e whom he loves dearly. It is completely impossible. Forget it!

    Yet no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts would not stop wandering back to that person¡¯s smile.

 Chapter 13 - A Tiny Overreaction

    The Halesworth mansion¡¯s ballroom was the kind of place you would see in a fairytale. It could only be described by the word ¡®magnificent¡¯. Known as one of the premier locations in the kingdom, events held here never failed to live up to people¡¯s expectations.

    Right now though there were only three women inside. One was a frumpy lady with graying hair. Her brows were furrowed and she had a deeply concerned expression on her face.

    ¡°A leg cramp? Goodness! Is he alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The young master apologizes for not being able to attend tonight, and asks for your understanding.¡±

    Emma bowed, struggling to maintain her calm facade. Lying was not one of her strong points.

    ¡°No apologies are needed, dearie. Just tell the boy to rest up and be gentle on that leg until it fully recovers. I¡¯ll see him once he gets better then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Perrins. I will be sure to relay your message.¡±

    The maid wasted no time and left. Now there were only two people left in the ballroom.

    Ms. Perrins sighed, then turned to Christine, who was sulking a fair distance away. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and she refused to look at the middle aged woman. Seeing this Ms. Perrins¡¯ eyes narrowed in anger.

    ¡°Well, this may be for the best. Tonight I will be able to focus all of my attention on you, young miss. Perhaps we¡¯ll actually be able to make some progress for once.¡±

    The woman¡¯s sarcastic tone was unmistakable.

    Christine bit back her retort. Anything she said would just earn her another scolding from her parents.

    So the girl just nodded with reluctance.

    ¡°Now, from the beginning!¡±

    __________________________________________________________

    Yaaaaaaaawn.

    I stretched, sat up, and blinked a few times like a lazy house cat.

    ¡°Good morning world~¡±

    Today marked my third day in Lost in Love. While there was a mountain of things left to do, at least I woke up feeling completely refreshed.

    Honestly, I haven¡¯t slept this well in ages. My bed was absurdly comfortable! I wonder what material the sheets were made out of? It felt like I was resting on a bunch of fluffy clouds.

    This new life really wasn¡¯t that bad. Although I was still bitter over dying so unexpectedly, and I sorely missed my games, this luxury was way beyond what I was used to. Perhaps the most satisfying thing was the thought that I was now richer than all of the snooty customers I had to deal with in my previous job. Going from clerk to esteemed high noble - pretty damn big leap in social status, yeah?

    Now if only this wealth didn¡¯t come with a hundred strings attached.

    Well then, time to take a bath. I¡¯ve got a long day ahead of me.

    Oh, I forgot to mention. My bathroom actually had two doors. One connected to my bedroom, and one leading to the hallway. The latter was used by servants who clean and fill the tub with warm water in the mornings. That way they never needed to disturb my sleep; it was a pretty convenient setup. Both of the doors had deadbolt locks on the inside, so there was no risk of someone accidentally entering while I was using it either, much to my relief.

    ...

    After a quick bath, I was drying my hair with a towel when someone gently knocked on my bedroom door.

    ¡°Young master, are you awake? It¡¯s Emma.¡±

    The familiar voice was a little quiet. Perhaps she was afraid that I was still in bed, and didn¡¯t want to wake me up prematurely. I wondered for a second why she was here, until I remembered that I had ¡®asked¡¯ her to be my personal attendant yesterday. Her showing up in the morning was only natural then.

    ¡°Go ahead and enter, the door isn¡¯t locked.¡± I carelessly answered.

    The door opened and Emma came in with her head respectfully lowered.

    ¡°Excuse my intrus- kyaaaah!?!?¡±

    Her eyes widened and she let out a weird sound the moment she saw me.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, my brows furrowed.

    This was the second morning in a row that she was picking on my appearance. And her reaction was even worse this time; yesterday she just stared in disapproval, now she screamed the moment she saw me? It was starting to hurt my self-esteem.

    Emma was desperately looking at anything except me. Her face was dyed crimson, and her voice came out in stammers.

    ¡°Y-y-y-young master, you¡¯re¡­ undressed...¡±

    It was like she would faint at any second.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°...¡±

    Hold on.

    Let me make this clear.

    By no means am I a sick pervert who would invite a maid into my room while being completely naked. I would never stoop to that level of harassment. If you even considered for a moment that this was the case, then I am greatly offended. Please apologize for doubting my integrity.

    ¡°Emma. I¡¯m wearing a bathrobe.¡± I said. Then I looked down to make sure that everything important really was covered up. Whew, okay, no problems there.

    ¡°Yes, but¡­!¡± She said, still blushing furiously. ¡°For a mere servant to see you in such a state, forgive me young master!¡±

    Huh. Maybe this prudishness was also part of the Lost in Love world¡¯s culture. But no, wait, that doesn¡¯t make any sense! It was specifically mentioned in the game that some nobles (including Christine) always had their servants bathe and dress them, just to highlight how pampered they were compared to commoners. This was nothing compared to that.

    When I pointed this fact out, Emma¡¯s face turned even more red.

    Her head bowed in shame, the girl tried to speak. ¡°Uu¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I understand that, young master. I know that this should be nothing, but it¡¯s just, I¡¯ve never¡­¡±

    Through her embarrassed mutters, she explained to me that she has had very limited contact with the opposite sex until now. Situations like these weren¡¯t covered in her training. Seeing me fresh out of the bath, my hair still wet and wearing only a blue robe, must have been too much stimulation for her, hence her panicking like a scandalized nun.

    In case you forgot, this was the girl who stripped down to her underwear the first time she came into my room. I think there¡¯s a problem with priorities here.

    ¡°...A, and when I imagined t-that you weren¡¯t wearing anything underneath, I just couldn¡¯t help-!¡±

    Emma clamped her hand over her mouth with a horrified expression. I mercifully decided to ignore that slip of the tongue, since even I was starting to feel embarrassed now.

    ¡°Well then, I guess there¡¯s no chance of you washing my back in the future?¡± I said, trying to lighten the atmosphere with a joke.

    ¡°Haaaau¡­¡±

    Judging by the way she slumped to the floor, the answer was a resounding ¡®no¡¯.

    __________________________________________________________

    She waited outside my room while I got dressed. Okay, done, take two.

    ¡°Please excuse me, young master.¡±

    The door opened and my personal attendant entered, her cheeks still slightly red. I noticed her breathe a tiny sigh of relief when she saw me this time. Hm? Wait a minute.

    ¡°What¡¯s that you¡¯re holding behind you?¡± I asked curiously.

    Emma smiled and brought it out. A long piece of wood with a crosspiece at the top. If I¡¯m not mistaken, this should be...

    ¡°A crutch?¡±

    Emma nodded eagerly. ¡°I was able to borrow it from the head butler. Since you said that you got a leg cramp last night, I thought that using a crutch would make it more convincing!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Well, she had a point. They would definitely be suspicious if I walked fine the day after a cramp bad enough to keep me from dance practice. But the thought of limping around with a crutch was just so uncool. Ugh, why did I have to pick such a troublesome excuse?

    I sighed, knowing that I had no choice. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll use it. Thank you for going through that much trouble.¡±

    ¡°It was no trouble at all, young master! Mr. Hudson was very understanding, and wished you a fast recovery. He said to let him know if you needed any pain remedies or a doctor.¡±

    That was obviously unnecessary.

    ...

    Emma proceeded to help brush my hair again - which was as stubbornly high maintenance as always - and I decided to make sure that there were no more ¡®surprises¡¯ in my schedule.

    ¡°So today I¡¯m completely free, correct? I don¡¯t have any lessons?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, young master. Was there something in particular you wanted to do today?¡±

    I pondered it for a moment.

    ¡°Not really, so we can continue with our plans.¡±

    It sounded so suspicious when phrased like that, but considering that the plans¡¯ goals could be summarized as ¡°make everyone hate me less¡±, it was actually kind of sad. This was like the unpopular guy in class trying to come up with ways to get everyone to like him.

    Bad, suppressed childhood memories. Bad! Go away.

    Anyway, I prepared quite a few things last night before going to sleep.

    ¡°Here¡¯s something for Grace, that should be enough to cover her house¡¯s emergency repairs. If she¡¯s reluctant to accept then just say that she should consider it a congratulatory gift for her wedding. And here¡¯s a letter for Amy, marked with my personal seal. I can¡¯t just have her little brother released since he really did steal from that shop, but at least the jail guards won¡¯t mistreat him while he¡¯s there. As for Hilda¡­ ugh. There¡¯s not much I can do about that, it¡¯s not like I can tell the household guards to join the search, but take this. It¡¯s a bounty notice, offering a reward to anyone who can find and safely bring back her dog. Maybe that will get more people to pitch in.¡±

    ¡°Wa, thank you, young master, this will definitely take a load off their minds!¡± Emma beamed with delight, but it quickly turned into a troubled expression. ¡°Umm, it may be hypocritical of me to say this, since I was the one to bring up their problems in the first place¡­ but is it really okay for you to be doing this much for us?¡± She looked at me anxiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s really nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Like I said before, the money I was using was just a tiny fraction of the ¡®spare change¡¯ I had lying around in my room, it would be a long, long time before I even needed to ask my parents for more. ¡°So that¡¯s it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, young master. For now I can¡¯t think of anyone else who might need your help.¡± She bowed deeply to me.

    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s a lot less than I was expecting. So I guess it¡¯s time for something a bit more broad.¡±

    Not everyone was like Ms. Ruth who had an issue they badly needed help with. The majority of the servants were doing fine - it¡¯s just that they were unhappy with how harsh their treatment was, and lived in constant fear of being punished for small mistakes by the head maid. From the stories Emma told me, her viciousness was something else.

    So the best way to help them was by improving the working conditions at the mansion. But this was a bit complicated - as much as I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t just straight up fire Ophelia since she was appointed by my father. My parents still liked her so I had to find a decent justification if I wanted that bespectacled tyrant gone. Maybe I could just selfishly demand it and they¡¯d give in, but I didn¡¯t like the chances, so I would leave that as a last resort.

    First, I¡¯ll talk to my parents about forbidding corporal punishment in the mansion entirely. That will just be a stopgap measure though, leaving a sadist like Ophelia in charge of the maids was still unacceptable. She¡¯d sooner or later find a different way to torment them.

    Hmm, what to do...

    ¡°I feel bad for saying this, young master, but quite a few people would rejoice if that happened.¡± Emma giggled when I asked her if she wanted the head maid replaced. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell her I said that though.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Brush, brush, brush~

    Mmm. I had to admit that having my hair brushed like this felt great, but wasn¡¯t it kind of¡­ maidenly? Maybe that¡¯s why the old Alexander insisted on doing it himself. Well, Emma seemed to be having fun, so I¡¯ll just keep quiet.

    Soon my appearance was in order, and we decided to head to the dining hall

 Chapter 14 - Cake Makes Everything Better

    There was an extra treat with breakfast today. It was a splendid looking slice of chocolate cake, topped with a plump strawberry. My mouth almost dropped when it was brought out. I mean, serving cake with breakfast was pretty weird, but so what! It looked fantastic!

    The Halesworth family apparently got to enjoy special desserts every Sunday morning. Cake was just one of the possibilities - we sometimes got cookies, sugared fruit, and pastries too, all prepared by our mansion¡¯s expert chefs. As for why we only ate dessert once a week, that was mother¡¯s decision. She probably didn¡¯t want me and Christine to end up as fat as our dad.

    Emma explained this to me (sans the last highly disrespectful conjecture of course) while digging into her omelette and some corn muffins. This time she didn¡¯t protest when I asked her to eat with me, but her eyes still kept glancing towards the doors, and her body was tense as if she was ready to shoot to her feet at any moment.

    ¡°Have you ever tried this before?¡± I asked her while poking the soft, spongy cake with my fork.

    The girl gave me an odd glance. Okay, stupid question. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, young master.¡±

    Then that¡¯s settled. There¡¯s only one slice, but if I cut it like thiiis¡­ there we go. I placed half of the cake, including the strawberry, on a separate plate and pushed it towards Emma.

    ¡°Enjoy,¡± I said with a smile.

    Emma immediately became flustered, which was a sight that I had grown remarkably used to over these past few days. ¡°Young master, I can¡¯t possibly take-!¡±

    ¡°By your own words, I¡¯ve been eating sweets every week for my entire life.¡± I interrupted her while rolling my eyes. ¡°Sharing half with you isn¡¯t going to kill me. Come on, try it.¡±

    I had to insist a few more times, but the girl finally gave up. ¡°Thank you for your kindness.¡± She said, still looking guilty.

    Emma lifted a small forkful to her mouth and ate it.

    I really wish I had a camera at that moment to record the way her face lit up in amazement. It was the purest expression of delight I¡¯ve ever seen. Afterwards, Emma just closed her eyes for several seconds, as if savoring the taste.

    ¡°So delicious¡­!¡± She finally gasped.

    I decided to try it myself. Mmm! Yup, it was extremely good as far as chocolate cakes go. I¡¯ve had better in my previous life, being an unrepentant glutton, but House Halesworth was already impressive to produce something of this level.

    ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯ve heard that there are some caf¨¦s in the capital that serve even better cakes.¡± I said with a wry grin.

    Emma couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Really? It¡¯s hard for me to imagine anything more delicious than this!¡±

    I wasn¡¯t making it up. There was a scene in Lost in Love where the troublemaker dragged Mary off to eat at one of those super famous cake shops, but other academy students spotted them in the act. Predictably, this caused the bullying to intensify. There were even rumors going around that she was freeloading off him, and forced Jay to treat her to everything on the menu. I mean, she did eat a lot, but that wasn¡¯t her fault! He offered! This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    As I recalled that scene though, I felt a bit of heaviness in my chest. The magic academy. In two years, I would have to enroll in it myself. Could I really learn how to wield magic and cast spells just like the characters in the game? The thought was both exciting and scary. Lost in Love implied that Alexander was a gifted mage, but not too amazing - he was below the second prince in raw talent, and didn¡¯t work nearly as hard, so he was always in the middle of the pack. Not that his mediocre academy ranking ever affected his ego.

    What I was worried about was the possibility of magical aptitude being tied to one¡¯s soul. That was a common setting in games like these, right? Since I reincarnated over from a world without magic, what if I turned out to be a total dunce? Wouldn¡¯t I be bullied or at least shunned too!? My thoughts began to run wild as I imagined a bunch of faceless academy students whisper to each other...

    Man, to think that a duke¡¯s son could be so worthless.

    What an embarrassment! All of the resources in the world, and he¡¯s still this bad?

    The Halesworths aren¡¯t much after all if this guy¡¯s going to be their next head.

    Maybe Duke Halesworth isn¡¯t actually his father¡­ hehe, what a scandal that would be.

    Elder brother, how could you!? I can¡¯t even show my face in public anymore!

    Ugh. There was no use thinking about it now though. All I could do was wait for my magic to awaken, then practice as hard as possible so that I¡¯ll at least be average.

    I strictly chose to ignore the possibility of not having any magic at all. Should that happen, my only choice would be to disappear.

    ¡°Young master? Do you feel unwell?¡±

    Apparently my unease was showing on my face, since Emma looked at me with concern.

    ¡°No, I was just thinking... when I start studying at the Academy, we should try one of those cake shops,¡± I mused. ¡°That is if you¡¯re willing to accompany me to the capital. I¡¯ll still need an attendant there, and I would be relieved to have a familiar face with me.¡±

    Emma¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Her cheeks reddened, and she looked down to the floor. Finally, there was a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.

    I smiled while wondering if this counted as asking a girl out on a date.

    __________________________________________________________

    The Halesworth mansion¡¯s garden was a paradise of tranquility. Large stretches of green were dotted with red, lilac, yellow, and all the other vibrant hues of spring flowers. A magnificent statue of House Halesworth¡¯s founder was located in the center of the gardens, along with stone benches that allowed one to rest while surrounded by nature¡¯s majesty.

    But there was one person who wasn¡¯t in the mood to appreciate this place¡¯s beauty at all.

    It was a young boy of around ten years old, dressed in simple dirt-stained clothing. He was on his hands and knees, with a worried look on his face as he peered under several thick bushes.

    ¡°Floofbottom, where in the world are you?¡± He whispered anxiously.

    If Jordan wasn¡¯t worried about being found out, he would have raised his voice and called out the name at the top of his lungs. It had been almost an hour now!

    Stupid kitten! Leave a door open for one second and it darts out without a care in the world.

    Jordan needed to find it before someone else did. If not, being punished was the least of the boy¡¯s concerns - Floofbottom would be put down, and it might cost his father his job. Keeping a pet wasn¡¯t exactly allowed in this place.

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t yell at you too much, so please please please come out now!¡±

    The boy was on the verge of tears as he knelt down next to another shrub.

    ¡°Hello, are you looking for something? Perhaps we can help.¡±

    Jordan froze. He hadn''t noticed the person approach at all.

    He turned around, and saw a beautiful young man with silky blond hair that reached past his shoulders. He was dressed in luxurious clothing and smiling gently, leaning on a simple wooden crutch that clashed with the rest of his distinguished appearance. But Jordan didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to pay attention to that detail, for he had already realized the man¡¯s identity.

    His luck today could not possibly get any worse.

 Chapter 15 - Cats Make Everything Better

    ¡°Young master, this boy is Jordan. His father is one of the mansion¡¯s gardeners.¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that so? Good to meet you.¡±

    So that¡¯s why he¡¯s covered in dirt. The kid must have been working hard, how admirable. I wonder if he lost a tool or something though, he looked pretty troubled earlier.

    ¡°G-greetings, young master Halesworth!¡±

    Jordan bowed at a 90 degree angle, his face totally stiff. However, he bowed so fast that he actually lost balance and almost tipped over with a tiny ¡°wah!¡±.

    ¡°No need for formalities.¡± I laughed, grabbing his shoulders to steady him. ¡°Anyway, you were searching for something earlier right? We¡¯ve got nothing to do, so we¡¯ll help.¡±

    Rather than being relieved or thankful, the boy looked up at me with a horrified expression.

    ¡°T-that, I wasn¡¯t, really looking for anything, hahaha.¡± Jordan stammered, his eyes swimming. ¡°I was just, err, p-playing? Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I said flatly.

    This boy was probably the worst liar I¡¯ve ever seen. If he had just smiled and told us not to worry about it, we wouldn¡¯t have paid much attention, but now he was absurdly suspicious. What on earth was he hiding?

    ¡°Please allow me, young master.¡±

    While I was wondering how to get him to spill the beans, Emma suddenly spoke up. She walked over to my side then placed a hand on the boy¡¯s head as if patting him affectionately. Jordan looked at her with clear nervousness in his eyes.

    ¡°Jordan. What. Were. You. Looking for?¡±

    Her uncharacteristically stern voice made it clear that there was no way he was gonna be weaseling out of this.

    Jordan shivered, and as if our combined pressure was too much for him to bear, the boy burst into tears.

    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±

    ¡­

    A few moments later.

    In between pitiful sobs, the boy confessed his ¡®crime¡¯. So he was actually keeping a pet in secret, huh? And it managed to run away from him during a moment of carelessness, leading to the current situation. I did something similar when I was a kid so I immediately sympathized, and had zero intention of scolding him.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t fire my dad, it¡¯s all my fault!¡± He blubbered.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need to cry, I¡¯m not mad at all.¡± I said in as gentle a voice as I could manage, patting his head while crouched down to his eye level. ¡°I promise that nothing bad is going to happen to you or your father.¡±

    Seriously though, please stop crying. My reputation was bad enough as it was. I don¡¯t want to become known as a guy who bullies children and makes them cry! In the first place, it was Emma who scared him to tears, but who would believe that! The maid in question was just looking on with a satisfied smile like it had nothing to do with her.

    ¡°Uu¡­¡± He sniffled.

    ¡°Come on, kids your age shouldn¡¯t shed tears lightly.¡± I said while pulling out a handkerchief. ¡°Use this.¡±

    Jordan received the handkerchief, wiped his eyes, then blew his nose on it.

    ¡°BFFFFTTTTT!¡±

    My mouth twitched a bit. ¡°You can keep it, I have a spare.¡±

    Emma held back a giggle. ¡°Well then, young master, what should we do now?¡± She said, bringing the conversation back on track. ¡°You said that he would not be punished, but keeping a pet without permission isn¡¯t something we can ignore. Sooner or later someone else - like the madame - will find out.¡±

    The boy quivered, then looked up at me with a pleading expression.

    I sighed. One problem after another, these days.

    ¡°Let¡¯s figure that out later. First things first, we can¡¯t do anything until we find it.¡± I said helplessly. ¡°What does the kitten look like?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Umm, Floofbottom has dark gray fur with black stripes¡­ and he¡¯s a little fat, I guess?¡±

    Floofbottom.

    Really.

    I struggled to keep a straight face as I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s look for¡­ Floofbottom then.¡±

    ¡°Sniff¡­ thank you, young master!¡± Jordan said gratefully. ¡°You¡¯re a lot nicer than they say.¡±

    Damn right I am. Make sure to tell everyone you know, kid.

    The three of us split up, combing the gardens for any sign of the gray critter. Emma was a little reluctant to leave me alone, but I insisted that it would be fine. It¡¯s not like I was actually limping. This crutch was more of an inconvenient fashion statement than anything else.

    I decided to head over to a secluded little path that led to the kitchen¡¯s back entrance. My guess was that the kitten might have been drawn over there by the smell of food. It was better than wandering around aimlessly, right? And if Floofbottom had gotten into the kitchen itself, I¡¯d definitely hear the resulting commotion.

    Hmm.

    ¡°Nothing here. Drat.¡±

    Before I knew it the stone paved path came to an end I was standing in front of a wooden door. Behind it lay the mansion¡¯s kitchen, which I had never actually seen before. Feeling a little curious, and thinking that it was better to rule this place out now, I pushed open the door.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I called out while entering. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a-!?¡±

    ¡­

    What I saw inside rendered me speechless.

    ¡°Meeew! Mew?¡±

    Imagine that, the damn cat really was inside the kitchen. Living up to his name, Floofbottom was a gray ball of fluff and cuteness, with big blue eyes and large ears. He was currently sitting on a kitchen counter, mewling sadly while pawing at the air with his adorable jellybean toes. But finding him here wasn¡¯t the most surprising part.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Chocolate isn¡¯t good for you, so even if I wanted to share, I couldn¡¯t. Go away already!¡±

    My sister was protectively holding a plate of chocolate cake away from the crying Floofbottom. It was the same as the one Emma and I tried this morning. After giving another warning glare to the kitten, she stuffed a large forkful of the cake into her mouth, and her eyes narrowed into happy crescent moons. ¡°Mm, delicious!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t believe it. The Christine Halesworth was sneaking food and arguing with a kitten. Everything I knew about the game was crumbling around me.

    I mean, the chocolate cake really was good, so I understood wanting more than a slice, but that didn¡¯t make this sight any less surreal.

    ¡°Meeeew.¡±

    Floofbottom let out a heartbreaking whimper while watching her eat. It looked like he wouldn¡¯t give up until he got a taste.

    ¡°Ugh, so annoying!¡± Christine huffed angrily. She put her fork down and snapped. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll look for something you can eat, just be quiet and stay there.¡±

    ¡°Let me help. Maybe we still have some of that smoked cod from last night stashed away somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Ugwa!?¡±

    My little sister jumped to her feet the moment I spoke up. She turned to me, looking shocked and - for some reason - furious. ¡°How long have you been standing there!?¡± She demanded, pointing a finger at me accusingly.

    ¡°A while. No need to be embarrassed, talking to cute animals is perfectly normal.¡± I laughed, half-hobbling over to the counter. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right Floofbottom?¡±

    Upon hearing his name, the fat kitten immediately reacted and tottered over to me. ¡°Mew!¡± He sniffed me once or twice, then brushed up against my arm. Awww, what a friendly guy.

    I picked him up and the kitten settled down in my arms without even a hint of resistance. Floofbottom let out a purr as I gently scratched under his chin, closing his eyes in blissful satisfaction. Okay, I¡¯m usually more of a dog person, but this little guy was winning me over fast. No wonder Jordan couldn¡¯t bear to part with him.

    ¡°Floofbottom?¡± Christine raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ¡°Wait, no, that cat is yours!?¡±

    ¡°N- err, yes. Yes he is.¡± I was about to deny it but quickly thought better. Wasn¡¯t this the perfect solution? ¡°It was a spur of the moment thing. Our parents don¡¯t know yet, but I¡¯ll tell them later. So far I¡¯ve been getting the gardener¡¯s boy to look after him for me.¡±

    Such was my oh so brilliant plan. I would claim ownership of Floofbottom so that nobody could say anything, then let Jordan continue to take care of the fat kitten ¡®on my behalf¡¯. Pretty simple, but probably our best shot at this point since keeping it secret was no longer an option. Christine had seen everything.

    You could even say that the cat was out of the bag.

    That was terrible. I¡¯m sorry for being born.

    Christine bit her lip. There was a complicated look on her face as she gazed at Floofbottom. ¡°They never let me¡­¡± I heard her mutter under her breath.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!¡± She snapped angrily. The girl crossed her arms while glaring at me. ¡°Hmph, good luck getting permission from mother. She¡¯ll definitely have you get rid of it, you know how she feels about keeping animals in the house. It¡¯ll serve you right too for being so impulsive!¡±

    I smiled helplessly. Floofbottom, as if feeling threatened, let out a tiny mewl and snuggled deeper into my arms. Kitten and sister stared at each other for a while in awkward silence.

    ...

    ¡°You can pet him if you want. He¡¯s nice.¡± I offered helpfully.

    For a moment Christine¡¯s hand twitched, as if she really was about to do so.

    ¡°Mew?¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    But then she just turned and ran off. It was so sudden that I didn¡¯t get the chance to stop her.

    ¡°Wait, sis! You haven¡¯t finished your cake yet!¡± I called out after her in alarm.

    There was no response as she disappeared behind the kitchen doors.

 Chapter 16 - Why Her, Indeed

    That could have gone better.

    I got to see a rare side of Christine, but she acted even more hostile than usual towards me. Probably because our parents weren¡¯t around this time so her unfiltered attitude came out. No idea what set her off, but I think I should get her some kind of peace offering. I¡¯ll ask Emma later what would be a good gift for a girl her age.

    Perhaps we were too noisy, but it didn¡¯t take long before someone knocked on the back entrance.

    ¡°Young master? Are you in there?¡± Emma¡¯s muffled voice came from behind the door.

    ¡°Yes, come in.¡±

    The door swung open, and two people entered. The other was Jordan, whose eyes lit up the moment he saw the kitten lazily resting in my arms.

    ¡°Floofbottom!¡±

    He ran over to me, teary eyed with relief.

    ¡°Mroow!¡±

    Floofbottom vocally protested at being taken from his comfy spot in my arms, but didn¡¯t struggle as he was picked up and hugged.

    ¡°Aww, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay! You made me so worried!¡±

    ¡°Mew?¡±

    Jordan then looked up at me with a bright smile. ¡°Thank you so much for finding him, young master Halesworth. You¡¯re the best!¡±

    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± I answered as I ruffled his hair.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Emma was staring at the half-eaten plate of chocolate cake on the kitchen counter. She looked at it, then at me, then back at the plate, then at me again. For some reason she seemed both amused and apologetic.

    Wait, don¡¯t tell me she thinks I was-

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young master. It looks like half a slice wasn¡¯t enough for you after all¡­¡± She giggled with a teasing look.

    Yep.

    God damn it Christine.

    Before I could defend my good name though, the kitchen¡¯s main doors opened. At first I thought it was my sister coming back to finish her cake, but the frilly black and white outfit quickly proved otherwise.

    ¡°H-head maid¡­¡± Emma whispered, her face paling slightly. Jordan also looked terrified, and even the kitten in his hands seemed to be feeling a little anxious.

    Ophelia walked in and I swear I could totally hear the boss music playing in my head. Something has to be said for a person who still manages to look extremely intimidating while bowing deeply to me. There was nothing wrong with her actions or appearance, but her very nature put me on guard, like I was caught in front of a coiling viper.

    A shame too. She pulled off the strict librarian look perfectly with those glasses of hers. Why do the evil ones have to be so hot?

    ¡°Greetings, young master Halesworth,¡± she said before lifting her head.

    The woman¡¯s arresting gaze swept over Emma and the boy before finally settling on the furry bundle in Jordan¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Dear me. A cat? How did it get in here?¡± She said, her glacial expression finally cracking as her brows furrowed. ¡°Please keep your distance from it young master, I shall dispose of it immediately. Hand it over, child.¡±

    There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she reached towards the pair. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Okay then, time to see if we can get away with this impromptu plan of mine.

    ¡°You will do no such thing. This creature is my pet.¡± Switching to my ¡®Alexander mode¡¯, I held a hand up to stop her from getting any closer to Jordan.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s yours?¡± She sounded shocked and more than a little suspicious.

    I suppose it was hard to imagine the original Alexander caring for anything other than himself, leave alone keeping a pet.

    ¡°Mmhmm. I found it wandering around and decided to keep it,¡± I said in as bored of a tone as I could manage. ¡°He is quite cute, yes? And cats are excellent for keeping rodents out of the mansion, it¡¯ll be perfect for guarding the granary.¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡± Ophelia said with a tiny frown. ¡°But young master, we do not have a mouse problem, and you know how the madame feels about animals. Furthermore a stray like that must be covered in-¡±

    ¡°However,¡± I continued, ignoring the head maid¡¯s perfectly logical protests which I had no answer for, ¡°I have no time to take care of a pet myself, so this boy will look after Floofbottom on my behalf. Jordan, do not slack off on this responsibility, understand? I expect to be able to see him whenever I want, so he must grow up healthily. If you aren¡¯t up to the task, then say so now and I¡¯ll find someone else.¡±

    Thankfully the boy was quick on the uptake. He furiously nodded, holding the kitten to his chest protectively.

    ¡°U-understood, young master! I would be happy to take care of him for you!¡±

    ¡°Mew?¡±

    ¡°Good. Talk to Mr. Hudson about whatever you need. Food, bedding, and toys maybe? Tell him not to be stingy, my pet deserves only the best. I will look for you at a later time, so leave us for now.¡±

    I gave him a light push on the back towards the door. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Jordan bowed and quickly ran out of the kitchen while carrying a very confused cat.

    The head maid scrunched her nose in distaste as she watched them go but didn¡¯t protest any further. ¡°If that is your decision, young master, then I will not say anything. Please do not forget to inform your parents however.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± I answered her, suppressing my sigh. That was one conversation I was not looking forward to. Then I remembered something important. ¡°Right, Ophelia, there is something else I want to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡­

    Ophelia was not exactly pleased when I told her that I granted Ruth an entire week off, but in the end she merely nodded since the woman had already left. Complaining to me would be pointless. She only cautioned that being so soft hearted towards the servants might cause them to take advantage of me. It would be reasonable advice if it came from pretty much anyone else; I had a feeling her definition of ¡®soft-hearted¡¯ was very different from mine.

    However, her reaction to me making Emma my personal attendant was surprisingly extreme.

    ¡°Her!?¡±

    The head maid raised her voice for the first time and pointed at Emma in disbelief.

    ¡°Yes, her. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Young master, that girl is far too inexperienced, not to mention she offended you and Lady Francesca just recently!¡± Ophelia insisted. ¡°How could she be worthy of such an honor? If you want an attendant, I would be more than happy to offer a few suggestions, or-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision.¡± I said firmly, interrupting her. No way in hell I¡¯m replacing the only person who knows about my so-called amnesia with someone from her little faction. ¡°Just handle the arrangements and pass her former duties off to the other girls. Also, I will personally be in charge of disciplining her for any mistakes. You no longer have to pay attention to what Emma does.¡±

    In other words, I was trying to tell her that she had no authority to scold, hurt, or even order this girl around from now on.

    Ophelia wanted to say more, but thought better of it. There was a flash of anger in her eyes which almost instantly cooled down, so fast that I half-suspected it was just my imagination.

    ¡°...Understood, young master Halesworth.¡± The head maid said in her customary polite tone. She glanced at Emma, prompting the girl to hide behind my back.

    Feeling somewhat unnerved, I just half-limped away while leaning on my crutch for support. ¡°Come Emma. Let¡¯s leave.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes, young master.¡± She said, hurriedly following after me while avoiding Ophelia¡¯s gaze.

    __________________________________________________________

    So it wasn¡¯t just a passing fancy of his after all. No wonder his gaze didn¡¯t stray towards her assets this time.

    Ophelia reflected on her earlier actions and frowned, realizing that she made the same mistake twice: opposing the young master. First, she shouldn¡¯t have tried to convince him to get rid of the cat, the madame would order him to do that regardless. All it did was serve to drive a wedge between them.

    And second, criticizing the young master¡¯s choice of a personal attendant was the height of foolishness. If that girl really was his favorite, she did herself no favors by pitting herself directly against her. Even if she wasn¡¯t, what kind of servant would say such a thing to his face? She wasn¡¯t his mistress yet, she couldn¡¯t overstep her bounds lest she lose any chance she had left. Ophelia chastised herself for letting her temper get the better of her.

    Still, this setback wasn¡¯t enough to discourage her. The head maid weighed her options for a while before nodding as she came to a decision. It looked like she needed to make a trip to Cassador soon.

 Chapter 17 - Boats or White Horses?

    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯ve gotten that over with.¡± I laughed as soon as we were out of earshot.

    Emma sighed, looking exhausted. ¡°That was nerve wracking, young master. I do not know why the head maid seems to dislike me so much.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I, but don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let her make things difficult for you.¡±

    She nodded, somewhat calmer now.

    Afterwards, I mentioned that I was thinking of getting Christine a gift since she always seemed to be mad at me these days. Emma didn¡¯t know why that was the case either unfortunately, but she did approve of my idea. She furrowed her brows a little while thinking.

    ¡°A gift for the young miss¡­ perhaps you might be able to find something in the town of Cassador.¡±

    Ooooh, a town?

    Excitement welled up inside me. Ever since reincarnating, I¡¯ve been cooped up in this (admittedly massive and comfortable) estate, a private, fortified sanctuary away from the bustle of medieval urban life. I¡¯ve never gone beyond the walls surrounding our home, and it was high time for me to explore the world outside. If there was a nearby town, then that was the perfect place to start.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. Let¡¯s go the next time we¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Truthfully, I even wanted to go there right away. But since I was supposed to be injured, that was out of the question. The trip would have to wait until my leg had fully ¡®recovered¡¯.

    Then I noticed that Emma was stifling a yawn.

    ¡°...You¡¯re tired, aren¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you rest for a while?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine young master! You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be doing much today anyway. I¡¯ll just call for you if I need something, so go ahead and take a break.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you insist. I suppose I could use a quick nap. Thank you very much.¡±

    And with that, the two of us went our separate ways. This would turn out to be a bad idea for two reasons.

    First, it made the rest of my day pretty unproductive. I spent the next few hours trying to make a good impression on the people in the mansion by casually chatting them up or offering to help with whatever they were doing. Without Emma to calm them down, it all went¡­ rather poorly.

    Basically whenever I offered to help out, they turned pale with fright as if I had just told them you suck so much at this job that I, a limping young nobleman, must show you how to do it. What do you have to say for yourself? It led to a lot of frantic apologizing until I reassured them that I was just bored and trying to find something to do.

    In hindsight, there was no one in the mansion who would ever let me help out with chores, even if I wasn¡¯t going around with a crutch.

    Then when I tried to talk to them about stuff like their hobbies, interests, or past, they¡¯d stick to safe answers or tell me things like ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare bore the young master with such trivial nonsense.¡± Instead of a conversation, it almost felt like I was an interrogator waiting for them to slip up. The guards were the worst about it. Those guys would only ever answer with one or two words. I appreciated their professionalism, but god damn it, talking is free! I¡¯m genuinely interested in what you all have to say.

    Well, my day wasn¡¯t a total wipe.

    ¡°Oho? Young master, it is good to see you. How is your leg?¡± An old man with neatly combed white hair greeted me. He was dressed in a butler¡¯s outfit, and had an immaculate moustache that covered most of his upper lip.

    Yeah, I finally met Mr. Hudson the head butler, who thankfully turned out to be much more sociable than the other staff. After bringing me to his office for tea, the old man regaled me with stories about his family in the countryside, and especially enjoyed bragging about his three cute grandchildren. I told him that I would love to meet them someday. That made the man beam with delight and he began rambling on about how much ¡®trouble¡¯ they were to look after, and that one of them was a musical prodigy.

    ¡°You should see the way little Joshua plays the violin! You¡¯d swear the heavens themselves were accompanying him,¡± he boasted shamelessly.

    I planned to just listen politely then find an excuse to run away or change the topic, but before I knew it, the sun was about to set. I can confidently say that I now knew more about Mr. Hudson¡¯s family than my own. Good grief.

    As for the second reason splitting up was a bad idea, well, I¡¯d only find out much later. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    __________________________________________________________

    Within the servant¡¯s quarters...

    ¡°You¡¯ve become his WHAT!?¡±

    Emma desperately gestured for Loraine to hush. ¡°Please, not so loud!¡±

    The pigtailed girl shook her head. ¡°Sorry, but say it again! There¡¯s no way I can stay calm!¡± All of the other maids around them nodded enthusiastically.

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve become the young master¡¯s personal attendant.¡± Emma said, blushing.

    ¡°...¡±

    Everyone just stared at her in disbelief.

    It was an unavoidable conversation. They noticed that Emma left the quarters earlier than normal this morning, yet no one had seen her at any of her usual duties. And since the head maid would soon redistribute her share of the work, it¡¯s not like she could keep it secret for long. So she confessed and told them about her new role. Of course, she didn¡¯t mention anything about Alexander¡¯s lost memories or that she was helping him make up for his past behavior.

    Loraine was the one to break the silence. ¡°Our innocent lamb has been taken by a big bad wolf!¡± She cried out while wrapping her arms around Emma in a tight hug. ¡°I knew this was gonna happen!¡±

    Most of the other maids were on the verge of tears too, or were outright panicking.

    ¡°Poor Emmaaa!¡±

    ¡°How can he do this to her!? Is she really his type? Well, she¡¯s the closest one to his age, but...¡±

    ¡°Wait, more importantly! I doubt the young master is being ¡®responsible¡¯, we need to get her contra-¡±

    ¡°IT¡¯S NOT LIKE THAAAT!¡±

    After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, things somehow calmed down enough for Emma to make herself heard.

    ¡°All I¡¯ve done is comb his hair and help him get dressed!¡± She insisted strongly. ¡°That¡¯s it! He¡¯s actually really nice to me! I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but the Alexander now is a complete gentleman!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    That was still plenty intimate, you know?

    The more experienced maids held strange expressions. It would not be a big deal for just about any other noble, but this was Alexander they were talking about. The man was notoriously fussy about his appearance and hated being touched by anyone other than Lady Francesca, yet that vain little twerp trusted her enough to let her do his hair? And he was acting like a gentleman? Before today, none of them would have believed it.

    Therefore, they could only come to one conclusion.

    He¡¯s totally fallen for her!

    And judging by the way Emma was fiercely defending him, the feeling was mutual. With that, the matter became a lot more complicated.

    There was a world of difference in this society between ¡®being used by a noble as a plaything¡¯, and ¡®being loved and cherished by a noble¡¯. The former was relatively commonplace. The latter was a scandal that could get your head chopped off if things got ugly. Or rather, when things got ugly.

    Not even the most tolerant of noblewomen would be willing to share her husband¡¯s love with a common girl. And Lady Francesca Ettrick was as far from tolerant as you could get. They shuddered to think what would happen if that spiteful bitch learned about this ¡®disgrace¡¯.

    ¡°So you mean he hasn¡¯t lain a hand on you?¡± Loraine demanded.

    ¡°Of course n-!¡± Emma was about to deny it furiously, but stopped when she remembered the way he held her during that moonlit dance. His hand resting on her lower back, it was impossible to pass that off as just a casual touch...

    Her face turned bright red at the memory. That, plus her hesitation, was all the answer the other maids needed.

    ¡°Wait, wait! No! It¡¯s not what you think! We didn¡¯t¡­!¡±

    ¡°Shhh. It¡¯s fine, Emma.¡± One of the maids said reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯re not going to pry. It seems like he¡¯s not treating you badly, and that¡¯s all we care about.¡±

    In their minds, Emma¡¯s position had already been upgraded from ¡®unwilling bed warmer¡¯ to ¡®secret mistress¡¯. Again, it was hard to say which one was worse, considering the dangers of an engaged nobleman¡¯s affections. But if this was what Emma wanted, they would all support her. Everyone here was as close as sisters and their loyalty to each other was unquestionable.

    They¡¯d just have to hide the true nature of their relationship from the young master¡¯s family, his fianc¨¦e, Ophelia and her backstabbing sycophants, the entirety of Lancaster Kingdom¡¯s upper class¡­ easy enough.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be cheering for your happiness, okay? Just be careful, that¡¯s a thorny path you¡¯re going to walk.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°Oooh, if you two ever want to elope, we can help! We¡¯ll smuggle you out in a vegetable cart, then you could catch a ship at the port and get off at-¡±

    ¡°A ship!? No no no Loraine, if it¡¯s eloping, it¡¯s gotta be on a white horse!¡±

    ¡°Be practical, damn it! They¡¯ll be chased by knights at every step! While the young master will valiantly defend her, there needs to be a limit or else it¡¯ll be a tragic ending...¡±

    ¡°I would like to remind everyone again about ¡®responsibility¡¯! If that happens, there¡¯s no way they can keep it hidden for more than a few months.¡±

    Their big sister Ruth was not a unique case. All of these Halesworth maids were afflicted with the strange disease known as ¡®romance novel poisoning¡¯, and they had already dreamt up a star-crossed love story between the young master and his servant. A few of the girls were actually blushing, and some held a slight bit of envy in their eyes as their imaginations ran wild.

    Even if Alexander was trash, wasn¡¯t this kind of passionate forbidden love the dream of every maiden? Despite the obstacles and risks involved, they admired Emma who was living life to the fullest.

    ¡°You all have the wrong ideaaa! Please stop before someone hears, I beg you!¡±

    The poor girl¡¯s desperate cries finally put an end to the chaos after much difficulty. Emma sighed with relief when everyone quieted down.

    Unfortunately, she foolishly began another uproar with her next sentence.

    ¡°Umm, by the way. Hilda, Grace, Amy? I¡¯ve got something for you three¡­ these are gifts from the young master.¡±

 Chapter 18 - Old and New Wounds

    ¡°A cat? Goodness, Alexander. What in the world were you thinking?¡±

    Mother scowled at me disapprovingly, while my father refused to join the conversation. He kept eating with a face that clearly said ¡®I will have nothing to do with this¡¯.

    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±

    I nervously stroked the kitten in my lap.

    Yes, I had brought Floofbottom over to the dinner table. This was a bit of a gamble, but I felt that the chances of my parents agreeing to let him stay would increase if they saw how nice and adorable he was. The way that my mother looked at him with utter revulsion was discouraging though. Guess the rumors about her hating animals weren¡¯t exaggerated.

    ¡°Please get rid of that filthy beast this instant! Who knows what diseases it might carry?¡±

    From across the table, Christine was smirking at me. She totally enjoyed seeing me get scolded.

    ¡°But mother¡­¡±

    I raised the kitten up to chest level. He blinked at me in confusion, then just curiously looked around.

    ¡°Look, he¡¯s really well-behaved. I won¡¯t let him wander around the mansion unsupervised either, he¡¯ll be looked after by someone I chose. It¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Mew?¡±

    With perfect timing, Floofbottom let out an adorable mewl at my mother. I could see her eyes soften; looks like even she wasn¡¯t immune to this little guy¡¯s charms.

    ¡°Even if you say that, it¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Please, mother? I promise that I¡¯ll take responsibility for him. If I can¡¯t even look after one pet, how can I possibly govern this duchy in the future?¡±

    ¡°¡­That is completely irrelevant, but fine. I suppose it can stay for now. But it goes the moment it makes a mess!¡± She finally relented.

    ¡°Wha-! MOTHER!¡±

    Christine jumped to her feet, startling Floofbottom into hiding in my coat.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never let me keep any pets! Why does Alex get to have one!? It¡¯s not faaair!¡±

    Tears were welling up in her eyes as she complained.

    I¡¯ve always thought that she was strangely mature and cool headed compared to her in-game self, but finally, here was one of Christine Halesworth¡¯s famous temper tantrums. My sister pouted, stamped her feet, and glowered at me with incredible resentment.

    ¡°Enough, Christine.¡± Duchess Halesworth sighed in annoyance. ¡°I don¡¯t have the energy to deal with two selfish children in one night, and your brother will probably get bored of it eventually. Also, we can¡¯t let a dainty girl like you handle something so feral. What if it were to scratch you and leave a scar?¡±

    ¡°Mrow.¡±

    As if it understood the slight, Floofbottom let out a dissatisfied grumble.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not fair! I¡¯ve been asking for a pet ever since I was a kid! How come Alexander gets to keep one when he didn¡¯t even ask for permission first!?¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry. I admit that I was wrong to do that. But just think of him as your pet too sis. You can play with him whenever you want!¡± I offered amicably. Seeing mother about to speak up, I hastily added, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t try to bite or scratch you either.¡±

    That didn¡¯t help. Christine just glared spitefully at me, then went back to eating. She didn¡¯t say another word to me for the rest of the meal, no matter what I tried.

    ...Did I just make her opinion of me worse than before I reincarnated?

    God damn it. This was going to be harder than I thought.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    __________________________________________________________

    Christine left the dining hall while choking back tears.

    This was too much.

    She thought that she had grown numb to their blatant favoritism, but tonight proved that notion wrong. Years of begging and bargaining failed to move them when the request came from her, yet tonight they pretty much gave in immediately. Even though Alexander - the disrespectful worm - brought that fleabag into their home as if mother''s permission was an afterthought.

    And her mother had the nerve to call her selfish!

    Which of their children once set the kitchen on fire and caused hundreds of gold in damage!? Which one mocked and drove Count Elsinore¡¯s daughter to tears during last year¡¯s gala? Who was it that got drunk and made a fool of himself while vacationing in Mislan? Her useless fop of an older brother! But did mother and father care? No, of course not, they barely batted an eye, justifying his actions as the folly of youth.

    Meanwhile Christine had never caused any such trouble. She strived to be the child they could be proud of and did her best to follow their wishes. Yet what was her reward? Disappointed scolding whenever she failed, demands to do better next time if she succeeded. And as the years passed she found it harder and harder to keep up with the weight of their expectations, so even the latter was rare now.

    The two of them were treated so differently and their parents made no attempts to hide it. Why?

    A bitter smile broke out on Christine¡¯s face. The answer was obvious to anyone with half a brain, but it didn¡¯t make it any easier to stomach.

    Once again Christine felt an overwhelming urge to find someone and force them to listen as she cried out her grievances, but her mind drew a blank. There was no one she felt comfortable talking to about this. Her handmaidens? Polite and reliable as they were, they were ultimately strangers and she didn¡¯t trust them with such sensitive matters. Albert? Already asleep, and it¡¯s not like she could visit his room at this hour even if he wasn¡¯t.

    ...Her big brother?

    Hah. Good joke.

    As if she¡¯d ever make that mistake again.

    Wiping her eyes, the young girl trudged towards the ballroom with heavy footsteps.

    __________________________________________________________

    The next few days passed by peacefully. Every morning Emma would come to my room, help me make myself presentable, and then we¡¯d eat breakfast together. At night we¡¯d practice dancing with the help of a few manuals I found in the library. I didn¡¯t make too much progress, but at least I wasn¡¯t completely clueless now. Better than nothing, right?

    And I might be terrible for thinking this, but it was always fun watching Emma devolve into a squirming puddle of stutters and blushes every time I took her hand. So. Freaking. Adorable.

    Fortunately, I was also quickly acclimatizing to my new life and learning the ¡®common sense¡¯ of this world. Albert was very cooperative whenever I wanted to learn anything how nobility and society functioned, so that filled up a lot of my gaps in knowledge. Currently I think I can fake it well enough that the only risk of me being exposed would be at a gathering of other high nobles, since I barely knew any of their faces. It would be offensive at best if I didn¡¯t recognize someone of a comparable status to me, so I still needed to avoid balls and the like until I figured out a way around this.

    My sister also continued to give me the cold shoulder whenever we met. She was still mad about me getting to keep Floofbottom. Whenever I borrowed the cat from Jordan and brought him over to her, she¡¯d just stomp away while yelling ¡°It¡¯s your pet! You play with it!¡±, even though I could tell she really wanted to touch him.

    I even tried asking Albert for help, but it was no use.

    ¡°She will not listen to me, young master. On the contrary, if I ever bring up how good of a student you are now, or if I suggest that she ask you about the parts that she finds difficult, she sulks for the rest of the lesson. It¡¯s quite troubling.¡±

    That¡¯s how it went. Honestly sis, please give your poor older brother a break. Let me make up with you! I just want to make sure you don¡¯t grow up to be all evil and petty!

    There was some good news though. I was able to convince my parents that beating the servants was ¡®beneath¡¯ us. I said some rubbish about how serving House Halesworth was an honor, and if other noble families could discipline their servants without resorting to violence, we should be more than able to do it too. Thus, I and Mr. Hudson worked hard to come up with a fair demerit system to replace the punishments Ophelia was so fond of. Depending on the number of demerits one accrued, penalties ranged from getting stuck with the least desirable shifts up to docked wages and suspensions for more serious offenses. It wasn''t perfect and still abusable, but it was much better than letting Ophelia play judge, jury, and executioner.

    And maybe because of that, quite a few of the maids have been acting a little friendlier towards me recently. Before they¡¯d just greet me flatly or even look scared, but now they smiled and said ¡°Good morning!¡± to me with enthusiasm. I¡¯m not sure why their eyes seemed to gleam whenever they did so, but I¡¯m just glad that our efforts were paying off. When I mentioned these changes to Emma, she laughed hollowly

    ¡°All of them¡­ idiots¡­¡± She muttered.

    The hell was that about? I tried asking her, but she just shook her head while looking like she was about to cry, so I was forced to drop the subject.

    Oh right. I ended up receiving one hell of a surprise on the third day. There were so many servants in the mansion that it¡¯s only natural that I haven¡¯t met everyone yet, but I can¡¯t believe I forgot about her of all people. Given her role in the game, it wasn¡¯t strange that she was already working here, though I don''t know why she''s not - wait, sorry, I¡¯m getting ahead of myself again. Let me explain.

    To put it simply, I ran into somebody familiar.

    Someone I ¡®recognized¡¯.

 Chapter 19 - Loraine

    ¡°Hm¡­¡±

    ¡°Mrow?¡±

    A tiny paw nudged me, urging me to play.

    ¡°Not now, clingy kitty. Let me finish this chapter first.¡±

    ¡°Miao!¡±

    Looking dissatisfied, Floofbottom settled down on my chest again. He yawned and closed his eyes while I flipped to the next page.

    My lessons with Albert were over for the day, but I had borrowed this book on magical theory from him. I was relaxing in the tea room, lying down on a couch and still trying to catch up on my studies. This room had quickly become my favorite place to hang out in the entire mansion; it was cozy, quiet, and there was never any shortage of great tea leaves to sample.

    Today I had to prepare it myself though. Emma was covering for a girl who fell sick, so I haven¡¯t seen her since this morning. Well, even though it¡¯s kind of lonely without her, this was a pretty nice change of pace too. I can behave as slovenly as I want without feeling embarrassed.

    Anyway, regarding magic.

    It has existed in various forms throughout all of recorded history, so there¡¯s no way to tell what the origin of magic is or who ¡®discovered¡¯ it first. However, there¡¯s been thousands of years of research on it, so the people of this world have a pretty good idea of how it works. Some of the most important confirmed truths include the following:

    <ol>

    <li> The gift of magic cannot be gained through artificial means. No exceptions. You either have it or you don¡¯t, and you only find out on your day of awakening. Awakening takes place on a random day between your 16th and 18th birthdays, so mine might come any time now. </li>

    </ol>

    <ol start="2">

    <li> Every mage can use most magic types, but being competent at it is another matter. Mages lean towards a certain affinity; someone with the Fire affinity will be best at casting fire type spells, while being terrible or mediocre at pretty much anything else. There are a rare few exceptions to this rule however. </li>

    </ol>

    <ol start="3">

    <li> Bloodline is a crucial factor. By and large, the children of powerful mages will inherit their parents¡¯ talents. Even if they don¡¯t, the ¡®mana¡¯ remains dormant in their blood, so their future descendants still have a large chance of inheriting the gift. As you can imagine, this means that nobles pay close attention to the pedigrees of potential marriage candidates. </li>

    </ol>

    <ol start="4">

    <li> Occasionally though, someone with no magic at all in their family tree will awaken. The official term for these people is ¡°progenitors¡±, but I¡¯ve internally nicknamed them ¡°fresh blood¡±. </li>

    </ol>

    Mary was one such example, born with the extremely rare Light affinity and a massive amount of mana. It¡¯s actually the reason she was even able to marry the Second Prince in his route - normally, it would be unthinkable for royalty to break off an engagement with a ducal house in favor of a commoner girl (no matter how terrible Christine¡¯s attitude may have been), but things change when magic is involved. For the sake of enriching the bloodline, it is acceptable for nobles to ¡®marry down¡¯ and bring a talented mage into their family.

    Yaaaaawn.

    I love this couch, but it was getting harder to focus on the words on the page, since I felt like I was melting into the soft cushions. The warm sunlight certainly wasn¡¯t helping.

    Maybe I can just rest my eyes for a little while.

    Yeah, just a few minutes¡­ then I¡¯ll get right back to reading.

    ...

    I don¡¯t know how long I was out when I was awoken by a few hissing voices. My eyes opened, yet only saw darkness; it was then I realized that the textbook on magic was covering most of my face.

    ¡°And what if he gets a cold? The madame will be furious...¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m not waking him up, you do it if you want!¡±

    So noisy. They were trying to whisper, but they were too lost in their argument to notice that their voices had already risen. Sound traveled easily in this room too, so they may as well have been talking by my ear. While I was debating whether or not to get their attention, one of them spoke again.

    ¡°But you know... looking at him sleeping like this with that kitten on his chest, it¡¯s hard to imagine that he can be such an ass.¡±

    Hey. Don¡¯t talk trash about someone right in front of them. I was tempted to sit up right then, but a mischievous urge to keep listening won out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled. He may be a little sweet on Emma for now, but we all know what he¡¯s really like. People don¡¯t change that easily. We can¡¯t let our guard down around him!¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    You¡¯re letting your guard down plenty right now, miss.

    A soft sigh followed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I still wonder if she¡¯s being forced, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°No, I think she¡¯s actually pretty happy, but there¡¯s no telling how long that will last. Nobles get bored easily. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the sadistic bastard cast her aside tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I would never do that. Emma¡¯s really helpful and I owe her a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you- hm? Eh¡­ WAAAH!?¡±

    A shrill cry answered my nonchalant attempt to join their conversation.

    I sat up and pulled the book off, while also taking care to gently move the sleeping kitten. ¡°Good afternoon. I seem to have dozed off because of the fine weather. Were you three about to clean this room?¡±

    The maids were staring at me with fear and panic in their eyes. The one in the middle, a short haired, slightly tomboyish girl, stuttered as she pointed a finger at me.

    ¡°H-h-h-h-how much d-did you¡­¡±

    I recognized her voice as the one warning the others not to trust me so easily. Even now, shocked after being caught off guard, she still sounded a little defiant.

    ¡°How much did I hear? Oh, not much at all. I definitely didn¡¯t hear anything about me being an ass or a sadistic bastard."

    My sarcastic voice caused all color to drain from their faces.

    I¡¯m sorry for being so immature. I know it¡¯s mean to mess with them like this, since for all they knew I could order them executed for their ¡®crimes¡¯, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Let¡¯s just consider it as payback.

    ¡°Lord Halesworth, please forgive us! We have no excuse for our rudeness!¡±

    ¡°...Ugh, please forgive us!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re really sorry~!¡±

    The girl on the left, a timid looking woman with braided hair, was the first to bow and frantically apologize. Tomboy only hesitated for a second before doing it too, and was followed by-

    Wait.

    I did a double take as I stared at the girl on the right.

    I only caught a glimpse of her face as she bowed, but that caramel colored hair tied into two loose pigtails reminded me of someone...

    ¡°Loraine?¡±

    Surprise filled her face as she looked up. ¡°Young master knows who I am?¡±

    Her curious green eyes stared at me.

    There was no mistaking it.

    ¡°Err, yes. I¡¯ve heard about you from Emma,¡± I answered carelessly while lost in thought.

    That was a lie, I actually knew her from the game. This girl was a minor character in Lost in Love and served as Christine¡¯s handmaiden while studying at the academy. She was what you would call a dark horse favorite; the poor girl suffered a lot because of her unreasonable, sometimes hysterical mistress, so despite her small role Loraine had a pretty large fanbase.

    There were even some petitions for a secret Loraine route, but considering the nature of Lost in Love¡¯s endings... I¡¯d say she was better off not having one. Being a background character in this game was a hidden blessing.

    As for the other two? If they were ever mentioned, I don''t remember it. They definitely didn''t have their own wiki pages or anything.

    Loraine laughed nervously. ¡°Well, we are her friends after all. So um, young master, could you please forget what we said earlier? We really didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    She batted her long eyelashes at me. The timid girl and tomboy both clasped their hands with hopeful expressions too.

    A sigh unconsciously leaked out of my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not actually mad.¡± I said while smiling. ¡°Given how I¡¯ve acted until now, it¡¯s normal for me to be resented.¡±

    The three stared at me, unsure how to react to my self deprecation.

    ¡°At any rate, drinking tea on my own is a bit lonely.¡± I said, and gestured to the numerous empty seats. ¡°Would you care to join me for a while?¡±

    An awkward silence followed as the girls seemed to be struggling for words. Loraine was the first to break it.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± She plopped down on one of the seats and gave me a relaxed smile.

    ¡°Loraine!?¡± The timid maid gasped in horror.

    ¡°What? The young master offered, so it would be rude to turn him down. Come on!¡±

    Unable to refute her, the hesitant girl and the tomboy sat down as well. ¡°P-please excuse me¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know your names yet.¡± I said to the two while Loraine poured tea for everyone.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m Megan. Thank you for your leniency, young master.¡±

    ¡°...Sam. I¡¯m sorry about what I said earlier.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, and like I said, don¡¯t mind it.¡± I said while taking a sip. Wait, crap, it¡¯s gone cold, I must have been asleep longer than I thought. Oh well, might as well brew up a new batch. ¡°This is a good chance, I¡¯ve been meaning to get to know Emma¡¯s friends better anyway.¡±

    They exchanged strange glances. Yet again, Loraine was the first to talk.

    ¡°Young master seems to care about Emma a lot.¡± She said cautiously, but there was an excited gleam in her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s fortunate to have been chosen by you.¡±

    I laughed and shook my head. ¡°No no, I¡¯m the lucky one. I couldn¡¯t ask for a better attendant, and she¡¯s a wonderful friend as well."

    I wanted to emphasize that the two of us got along well, but their reactions were a bit more dramatic than I expected. Loraine grinned with a face that just screamed Aha!, while Sam and Megan looked shellshocked.

    ¡°You¡¯re not just stringing her along right?¡± Sam blurted out.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Loraine fiercely clamped a hand over the other girl¡¯s mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, young master, Sam has a habit of talking rubbish sometimes, hahaha! So you¡¯re really, um, ¡®friends¡¯ then?¡±

    I smiled helplessly.

    Even if I was a thousand times more clueless, I¡¯d be able to understand what they were getting at by now. So they thought that I was in that kind of relationship with Emma? No wonder she looked so exasperated when I told her about the other maids¡¯ strange behavior.

    Ah screw it, let them think what they want. Denying it would probably only convince them further.

    Besides¡­ as far as misunderstandings go, this one honestly didn¡¯t sound so bad.

 Chapter 20 - Loraine II

    Hm?

    It was then that I noticed something sticking out of Sam¡¯s pocket.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Her eyes widened and she quickly covered it. ¡°Nothing, young master!¡±

    I gave her a wry look.

    Megan seemed really nervous, while Loraine sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve been caught, Sam, just hand it over.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­ fiiiine.¡±

    The tomboyish girl reluctantly pulled it out and laid it on the table. ¡°I promise that we don¡¯t play during work hours, young master, and we¡¯ve never gambled for anything other than snacks and chores. So please don¡¯t get too mad at us!¡± She said in a pitiful voice.

    ¡°Playing cards?¡± I asked, pleasantly surprised while picking them up. These exist here too? Wonderful!

    Yep, it was a standard 52 card deck. The edges were a little worn, but they were still perfectly usable.

    Hehehe...

    I shuffled the deck with practiced ease, feeling my competitive spirit rising dangerously fast. ¡°What games do you girls know? Let¡¯s play a few rounds.¡±

    The three of them stared at me, then at each other. A silent consensus was made.

    Much later¡­

    There was a five of hearts on the table. Sam looked at me with watery eyes.

    ¡°Young master, don¡¯t! Please don¡¯t do it! I need to get rid of this six, it¡¯s been stuck in my hand forever! Just pass your tuuuurn!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no choice.¡±

    With an apologetic smile, I laid an eight down on the pile. It was the lowest card I had.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaah! Young master, you jerk! Bully! Harem building pervert!¡± Sam cried in despair. I¡¯ve always believed that there¡¯s no better bonding activity than games where you can mess with each other. The girl¡¯s wariness towards me was completely non-existent now, to the extent that she could say stuff like that without batting an-

    No, wait a minute.

    ¡°What the hell was that last one!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± She countered. ¡°We know about the favors you did for Ruth, Grace, and the others. You¡¯re obviously trying to seduce every maid in the mansion! Even going after a widow and an engaged woman¡­ geez, young master, there¡¯s a limit to wolfishness. I¡¯m telling you right now that I won¡¯t fall for it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong on so many levels! Damn harpy, just you wait, I¡¯m not going to go easy on you anymore.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wah, no, I take it back, it was just a joke!¡± She shook my arm.

    Loraine giggled while stroking Floofbottom. The fat, lazy kitten had settled down on her lap and was watching the game with disinterest, or occasionally bat at her pigtails. ¡°Looks like Sam¡¯s going to be last place this time too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sammy, you¡¯ll win the next one.¡± Megan said, trying to console her.

    That wasn¡¯t convincing at all coming from the person with the most wins at this table though. Her draw luck was insane. When we played poker earlier she dominated us without even trying. I made a mental note to never, ever bet against this woman.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m only losing since there¡¯s nothing serious on the line! I do a lot better when we¡¯ve got real stakes!¡±

    I seriously doubted that. ¡°No gambling with money, alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, young master,¡± Megan said with an enigmatic smile. ¡°But in many of our games, we like to set penalties for the loser.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Usually things like back rubs, or switching shifts¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh hey, I have the perfect idea.¡± Loraine suddenly said with shining eyes. ¡°Have you ever heard of strip po-¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Knock knock!

    Our game was interrupted by two rapt knocks on the door. All of us froze like deer in headlights as the door swung open without any regard for the situation we were in.

    ¡°Young master, are you here? I have-¡±

    Emma walked in with a bundle of papers in her hands, which promptly fell to the floor and scattered everywhere.

    The scene inside the tea room was pretty surreal, so I couldn¡¯t blame her for being shocked.

    First, the table was a total mess. It was covered in haphazardly stacked cards, pastry plates, and white porcelain tea cups, like some kind of overly posh and dainty gambling den.

    Sam was clinging tightly to my arm, still trying to convince me to team up with her so that she could finally get her first win. Loraine was busy scratching the kitten, while Megan had an impressive stack of cookies in front of her, the placeholder we used for ¡°chips¡± in our earlier games.

    ¡°Hey there Emma. Care to join us?¡± Loraine laughed, breaking the awkward silence. She fanned herself using the cards in her hand without a care in the world.

    My attendant crossed her arms with a remarkably stern expression on her face.

    ¡°You three.¡± Emma said, her voice cold as ice. ¡°What are you doing? Do you have any idea how much trouble we went through because you suddenly disappeared? It¡¯s like you want to give Head Maid Ophelia an excuse to punish you!¡±

    ¡°Ah, damn, it¡¯s already this late!?¡± Sam cried in shock as she checked the sun¡¯s position outside. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice!¡±

    Loraine shrugged. ¡°We can just tell the head maid that the young master ¡®played¡¯ with us for a few hours, so we weren¡¯t able to leave. I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t ask any questions.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± I immediately shot her down. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not untrue, but don¡¯t phrase it in such a misleading way!¡±

    ¡°Aww, come on, young master. After enjoying yourself with us, you¡¯re going to pretend that nothing happened? How awful.¡±

    A vein popped on Emma¡¯s forehead. ¡°How long do you girls plan to sit around!? The others are only halfway through with the great hall. Get up and go help them out!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but¡­ we haven¡¯t started cleaning the tea room yet.¡± Meg said awkwardly.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll take care of it! Now move!¡± She started tugging on Loraine¡¯s hand, trying to get her to stand up.

    The three were clearly reluctant to go, however. They turned to me for help.

    ¡°But what if the head maid really asks where we¡¯ve been? Ms. Ophelia can be super scary when she¡¯s mad and she¡¯s been in an especially awful mood lately. I don¡¯t want to get yelled at~¡± Loraine said, batting her eyelashes at me in mock helplessness.

    "And I''m one demerit away from getting my pay docked..." Sam muttered under her breath. What a talent, considering the system''s only been around for half a week.

    I sighed heavily. ¡°Fine. If you have to, then just tell her I had something for you three to do. But I¡¯ll be confiscating this deck.¡±

    ¡°Wha-! Young masteeer!¡± Sam protested, looking outraged.

    ¡°Consider this as punishment for neglecting your duties and causing Emma distress,¡± I said, hypocritically ignoring the fact that I was the one who suggested we play in the first place. ¡°This also ensures that you three don¡¯t slack off. If you want it back, see me during your next break.¡±

    Loraine looked at me, bemused. ¡°You can just say that you want to play with these three beauties again, young master. There¡¯s no need to be so indirect. Ahaha, it¡¯s just a joke, Emma! Don¡¯t glare so hard, you¡¯re making me shiver!¡±

    ¡°Just go already!¡±

    Emma half-pushed the trio out of the tea room.

    ¡°Um, goodbye young master, thank you for spending so much time with us today.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose next time, just you watch!¡±

    ¡°See you, young master! Have fun with Emma~!¡±

    Even as they left they were noisy. Good grief.

    My attendant heaved a sigh as she closed the door. She brushed the front of her skirt, then turned towards me with an apologetic expression.

    ¡°Please forgive them for behaving so rudely towards you.¡± Emma lowered her head to me. ¡°Those three have always been too lax, but it¡¯s inexcusable that they treated you with such disrespect.¡±

    Aww. Despite getting that mad at them, the first thing she does is apologize on their behalf.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I actually like it better this way. Having to maintain decorum and all that stuff gets exhausting, so this is a nice change of pace. I¡¯m glad that I can be myself around them,¡± I said while chuckling.

    My answer made Emma unhappy though.

    ¡°Hmph...¡± She puffed her cheeks out and refused to meet my eyes. ¡°Then perhaps you¡¯d rather have Loraine or one of the others as your attendant then. Since you get along so well with them already. I apologize for being a stick in the mud, unable to relax around you like they do, casually touching you and saying whatever they want.¡±

    The last sentence sounded really heated and full of resentment. She half-turned away from me with a sulking expression. Oh wow, was she pouting? This was too cute for words. I resisted the urge to pat her head, since I¡¯m sure that would have just made her furious.

    ¡°Well, I do like them. They¡¯re definitely fun to hang out with.¡±

    She winced, then shot me a worried look. ¡°Then, do you want to...?¡±

    ¡°But be that as it may, none of them could ever take your place, Emma.¡± I continued with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re the one I feel most comfortable with, and the only one I trust to keep my condition a secret. I want you to be my attendant for as long as you¡¯re willing.¡±

    Hitting on her was fast becoming my favorite habit. The way her cheeks burned every time was so precious. No matter how embarrassing those lines might be, it was worth it every time just to see her reaction. Ah no, it was bad to toy with a girl¡¯s emotions, gotta rein it in.

    ¡°U-understood.¡± She murmured. Then her eyes turned to the scattered playing cards on the table. Right, we should start cleaning up before it gets any later.

    ¡°Young master.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°...Could you teach me how to play as well?¡±

    I didn¡¯t get much studying done that day.

 Chapter 21 - Boiling Point

    It was the moment of truth.

    I had bought myself as much time as humanly possible, but ¡°leg pains¡± can only last for so long before people get suspicious. Tonight was the night I¡¯d have to attend my dance lessons.

    ¡°Um, good luck, young master.¡± Emma said, looking at me worriedly.

    ¡°Any chance you could go in with me?¡±

    She shook her head. Decisively.

    ¡°Thought so,¡± I sighed. ¡°Fine, fine, you should go get some sleep. I¡¯ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.¡±

    My attendant bowed one last time, and I opened the doors to the ballroom.

    It took some serious effort to keep my jaw from dropping to the ground. I thought that I had become thoroughly desensitized to the mansion¡¯s grandeur and opulence by now but apparently I was mistaken. This ballroom was amazing! The sheer number of magic crystals lighting up the place were enough to bankrupt a lesser noble house, and the- oh wait, stop, don¡¯t gawk like a lost tourist. Alexander must have already seen this place enough times to memorize the number of tiles. I forced myself to look ahead while keeping my face neutral.

    As I entered, I was immediately greeted by a sullen blonde teenager.

    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Christine muttered. Tonight the little grump was dressed in a sky blue dress which showed off her shoulders, making her look like a delicate fairy. She also looked tired and her voice was more subdued than usual. I had to admit that she was a lot cuter when she wasn¡¯t glaring at me though.

    Before I could answer, a plump woman with graying hair and dressed in exotic foreign clothing bounded over to me, smiling as wide as possible.

    ¡°My, young master. You look positively dashing! Let¡¯s get started right away, shall we?¡±

    So this was Ms. Perrins. Aside from her eye catching clothes, the woman¡¯s appearance was unremarkable - she looked just like any other friendly neighborhood aunt. Most people would unconsciously feel at ease in her presence. From what Emma told me, this woman was a famous dance tutor from a foreign kingdom, invited over by my family at great expense. I heard she even taught royalty before and was a master of over thirty different styles.

    Not even giving me any time to collect myself, she pulled on my sleeve to drag me to the center of the ballroom.

    ¡°Missing so many lessons, tut tut. Such a shame. Don¡¯t worry though, we¡¯ll make up for it! I trust you¡¯ve warmed up? Good!¡± She said cheerfully, not giving me any window to respond. The woman snapped her fingers and a strange, box-shaped device (much like a gem studded phonograph) started playing music. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the Swan¡¯s Court. Now one, two, three...¡±

    The two of us moved along with the music. Even with the abrupt start, I was able to more or less keep up at first. But it didn¡¯t take long before we stopped.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Ms. Perrin¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Is your leg perhaps still hurting, young master? You¡¯re¡­¡±

    Terrible. She didn¡¯t say it out loud, but the implied meaning was obvious. My practice sessions with Emma ensured that I at least knew the steps to the most common dances of our kingdom, but that was pretty much it. I moved with the grace and confidence of a floundering tuna.

    ¡°Sorry, I feel somewhat rusty.¡± I scratched the back of my head sheepishly while trying to think up an excuse. ¡°Can we take it slow today?¡±

    Ms. Perrins heaved a large sigh. Her earlier enthusiasm was nowhere to be seen. ¡°I must say I¡¯m disappointed, young master. I¡¯ve never seen a student regress this much after just a few days without practice. Has your sister been rubbing off on you?¡±

    Christine bristled at the remark. ¡°How is any of this my fault!?¡± I had to agree, that jab was totally uncalled for.

    ¡°Hmph, is it not because of your lax attitude infecting the young master that this has happened? He¡¯s shown himself to be a marvelous talent, unlike you.¡±

    ¡°LAX!? I¡¯ve been practicing as hard as I can!¡±

    ¡°Well I am certainly not seeing any results,¡± Ms. Perrins said, rolling her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve taught dozens of noble children over the course of my career, yet none of them have been as thick skulled as you. ¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Ms. Perrins, my mistakes are my own. Do not bring Christine into this.¡±

    This was absurd. She was blatantly trying to rile up my sister with her barbed words. Was this the famed instructor¡¯s way of doing things? Lavish praise on the good student while childishly mocking the one who failed to meet her expectations? Maybe that approach does work and can light a fire under some people, but I still felt it was little more than bullying.

    What really upset me though was her complete lack of hesitation in insulting Christine.

    No matter how well connected and renowned she might be, Ms. Perrins wouldn¡¯t dare speak to a duke¡¯s child so rudely without my parents¡¯ tacit approval. She wouldn¡¯t have lasted for more than a week in our employ otherwise. Perhaps our mom and dad even encouraged it, thinking that it was the best way to motivate Christine into doing better.

    And if she didn¡¯t hesitate to say such things in front of me, the old Alexander must have been completely fine with it too.

    Damned idiots.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Suddenly she clapped her hands together. ¡°I understand now, young master must be pretending! It¡¯s very kind of you to go so far just to make your sister feel better about herself, but coddling her in such a way is counterpro- my word!¡±

    Ms. Perrins¡¯ words were interrupted by a balled up handkerchief being thrown at her face.

    ¡°Go to hell, you old windbag.¡± Christine snarled, looking outright murderous. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough!¡±

    ...

    SLAM!

    So stunned by her outburst, I wasn¡¯t able to react until she had already left, the doors shutting behind her tiny frame.

    ¡°Tsk, that¡¯s another thing we¡¯ll have to work on. The girl will never make it in high society with a temper like that. Poor manners, terribly clumsy, and the charm of a wood block¡­ such a mess.¡° Ms. Perins tutted disapprovingly.

    My anger flared, but I didn¡¯t even bother trying to refute her. There was something more important for me to do.

    ¡°This lesson is over. I can¡¯t believe you would speak to her that way! We will talk about this tomorrow.¡±

    Throwing the confused woman one last scowl, I left the ballroom and chased after my sister.

 Chapter 22 - Shattered Silence

    The library was completely deserted except for a single hunched figure. She was sitting on the floor with a book in her hands, not reacting at all to my approach. She was either too immersed in the text to notice my arrival or was intentionally ignoring me.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d find you here.¡±

    Christine didn¡¯t respond. Ignoring me it is then. Not put off, I made my way over to her.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked her gently. My sister flipped to the next page with her typical ice princess nonchalance. ¡°That woman¡¯s behavior was unacceptable. If you want, you can talk to your big brother about it.¡±

    The girl continued to ignore me.

    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t want to talk yet, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just read with you and keep you company.¡±

    I finally got a reaction, but not the one I was hoping for. Her breath froze and the fingers holding on to the next page twitched.

    Slowly, she looked up from the book.

    I unconsciously gulped as I saw the smoldering embers of fury in her eyes. It was like all of the world¡¯s hate was contained within those two azure orbs, so much like the ones I saw staring back at me in the mirror every morning.

    Sis, you¡¯re not going to kill me, are you?

    Christine took a deep breath, then flung her book to the side. A few pages separated from its spine and scattered in the wind.

    ¡°...!¡±

    The girl rose to her feet. She barely reached my shoulders, but right then I felt as if I was in front of Mount Vesuvius right before-

    ¡°ISN¡¯T IT ENOUGH!?¡±

    It erupted.

    I stared at her in mute shock as she launched into a rage filled, teary rant.

    ¡°Even here? Do you have to take away the last place where I can feel at ease!? You already stole the only person who listens to me without expectations or judgement! What did I ever do to you!? Driving away Albert didn¡¯t work, so you decided to just show him how much smarter you are without even trying, is that it!? So what if you¡¯re better than me at everything, don¡¯t you think I feel terrible enough about it!? Ugh!¡±

    ¡°Do you have to rub my nose in your freedom!? The fact that you can keep a pet or skip Ms. Perrins¡¯ lessons using such a stupidly obvious lie without our parents giving you hell over it!? Leaving me alone with that woman when you know how she much she despises me, giving her more opportunities to¡­¡± The girl shivered and her clenched fists shook. ¡°Every time I make a mistake she calls me a worthless excuse for a lady, but I never asked for any of this!!!¡±

    ¡°You, you¡¯ve already, you have EVERYTHING! What did I ever do to deserve this? No matter what you do, our parents have never said¡­ they don¡¯t¡­! The way they look at you, the way they treat you, it¡¯s completely different! Why? Aren¡¯t we both their children? Aren¡¯t we only a year apart? Why is there such a huge gulf between us!? TELL ME! All my life they¡¯ve treated me like a chess piece or something to be traded off! The only thing they see when they look at me is a connection to the royal family! No matter how hard I work, that¡¯s all I¡¯m worth to them!¡±

    Her last few words were barely intelligible. She was almost hysterical while screaming at me, and tears steadily flowed down her face.

    ¡°I HATE YOU!¡±

    That, however, was said with perfect clarity.

    She turned on her heel and I knew that she was about to run away again. If I let her go now that would be the end. No matter what I did in the future, I¡¯d never be able to fix my relationship with her, and there would be no escaping our family¡¯s destruction. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Time seemed to slow down as the gears turned rapidly in my head. This was terrible, she truly hated me down to her bones. At this rate, instead of being rehabilitated, Christine will end up even more twisted than her original self! There was only one chance to salvage this, I had to bet it all on one move, the most powerful attack in this genre!

    With speed I didn¡¯t know I was capable of, I reached out and grabbed her arm. She glared at me with a furious expression.

    ¡°Let go! I¡¯ve had enough! Leave me-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    And I pulled her into a tight hug.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really, really sorry.¡±

    Her momentum disappeared. As if the wind had been taken out of her sails, Christine stopped thrashing around. She looked at me with a dumbfounded, but still mad expression.

    ¡°What¡­ what do you think you¡¯re doing? Let go of me.¡±

    ¡°I am so sorry Christine. That was never my intention. I¡¯ve been a failure of a big brother, never realizing how much pain you were in or that you felt so alone.¡±

    She shivered. The girl tried to push me away, but I didn¡¯t let her go. Her hands frantically clawed and dug at me, causing pain to shoot up my arms, but I still held fast.

    ¡°You¡­ stop lying! How could you not know, I asked you! Back then I went to you so many times! I knocked on your door, I cried outside your room, and you told me to go away! You never cared at all! Why now!?¡±

    Her frustrated voice made it obvious that she was on the verge of tears again.

    Fucking Alexander. Son of a¡­ I heaped a million curses on the bastard¡¯s soul, wherever it might be. No wonder this child became so twisted.

    Why only now? A valid question sis, but I can¡¯t exactly tell you truth.

    It¡¯s because your real brother was an irredeemable jackass who didn¡¯t care about you, and I¡¯m a blind idiot who somehow made things worse. I thought making up with her was just a matter of treating her more nicely than Alexander would have and time would do the rest, never realizing just how deep her wounds ran. While I was fooling around with maids without a care in the world, this poor girl was struggling under a mountain of pressure and unrealistic expectations. Tonight must have strained her past the breaking point.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You might never be able to forgive me for pushing you away, but I was a child back then too and I didn¡¯t understand anything.¡± I hugged her tighter. ¡°If I could turn back time I would. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    ¡°...Stop. I don¡¯t want to hear it, it¡¯s too late for that!¡±

    ¡°I should have been there for you. Please forgive your foolish brother.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­no! Shut up, just let go¡­¡±

    I loosened my hug. Instead, I grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.

    ¡°Christine. Sis. I let you down, but I promise that from now on, I¡¯ll always be on your side. Whether you want help standing up to our parents, or just someone to vent to, I¡¯ll always be here. And the first thing I¡¯ll do is give that bitch Ms. Perrins a piece of my mind.¡±

    How dare she bully my cute little sister. If I had known how bad it was earlier, I would have chased her out no matter what the cost.

    ¡°Stop. Stop lying.¡± Her voice was trembling uncontrollably. ¡°You¡¯re trying to hurt me. You can¡¯t actually mean¡­¡±

    ¡°I mean it, and I love you. We¡¯re family.¡±

    ...

    Her body shook, and the dam finally burst.

    Christine let out a loud wail and buried her face in my chest. The girl who had always put up a strong front was now crying like a helpless baby. With every sob her frail body seemed like it was letting out years of pent-up resentment, loneliness, and anger.

    As I held the crying young lady in my arms, patting her on the back from time to time, a single thought ran through my head.

    This was baaad.

    No, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m glad that I¡¯ve finally reconciled with my sister and most likely prevented her fall to darkness. But this was baaad.

    Before this, I could have just left at any time I wanted. Even if saving House Halesworth didn¡¯t work out or if it became too troublesome, there was always the option to drop everything and sail overseas. Wandering the world was a perfectly reasonable backup plan. Since I thought of all this as a ¡®transaction¡¯, with Alexander¡¯s lifestyle as my payment, I was willing to cut my losses at any time. But now¡­

    I¡¯ve gotten attached. To the villainess of Lost in Love, no less.

    I don¡¯t know how much I meant those earlier words, spoken in my panicked, desperate haste to calm her down. I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m even capable of understanding the weight of family, having been estranged from my own for most of my previous life. But I did know that Christine was definitely more than just a character in a game to me now.

    How was I supposed to abandon everything after I promised to always be there for her?

    Well. It¡¯s not all bad, I suppose.

    If the situation ever gets to the point that I have to run for my life, I just need bring this little sister with me. And Emma too if she¡¯s willing to come along. How hard could it be?

 Chapter 23 - What are Brothers for?

    It took almost half an hour for Christine to calm down enough to speak.

    ¡°...Excuse me for that shameful outburst.¡±

    Those were her first words. She was sitting beside me on a couch, her body turned away while leaning against my arm. It was like she was too embarrassed to face me directly but still wanted to stick close as we talked.

    There was a bit of an awkward air around us, but I was willing to sit here and wait. The poor girl¡¯s pain has gone unheard for long enough. After several false starts, where she opened her mouth just to sigh and close it again a few seconds later, my little sis finally began talking.

    ¡°I was never good enough.¡± Christine mumbled. ¡°Even before Ms. Perrins, the other teachers simply did a better job of hiding their dissatisfaction. I tried as hard as I could but there were just so many pointless rules to remember¡­ which fork to use first, how to greet this noble compared to that one, when to just smile and keep my mouth shut, it always felt like I was a trained monkey putting on a performance. Albert was the first one to really let me study what I wanted and answer my questions about the world. Everyone else would just brush me off, saying that those things were ¡®irrelevant¡¯ and ¡®unnecessary¡¯ for a lady of my stature.¡±

    The girl sullenly tugged at a loose thread sticking out from the couch''s seam.

    ¡°I hated the way mother and father always compared me to their friends¡¯ daughters¡­ as if growing up was a contest and I was falling behind. Meanwhile you got into all sorts of trouble and never took anything seriously, but they treated you like a priceless jewel. It would have been fine if they at least tried to hide it. But they never did! It was like they didn¡¯t care what I thought of them as long as I followed their orders like an obedient child.¡±

    Christine sighed and continued speaking sadly. ¡°Deep down, I always knew that it wasn¡¯t your fault. You didn¡¯t ask our parents to treat us so differently. It was just so much easier to get mad at you, because I was still hoping that they would change one day.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No matter how you look at it, I was in the wrong too.¡±

    Or rather the bastard that owned this body was in the wrong. I felt a distinct headache as I wondered how long I would have to keep cleaning up Alexander¡¯s messes.

    Christine was silent for a while longer, then mumbled something I was barely able to catch.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°Of what?¡± I asked, doing my best to sound gentle lest she clam up again.

    ¡°...I¡¯m scared that I¡¯m not good enough for him. Ms. Perrins said that Prince Jonathan will never be happy with me as I am now.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Perrins can shove a stick up her¡­ nose.¡± I said angrily, censoring myself just in time. ¡°You¡¯re a wonderful young lady and anyone would be lucky to be with you. Even a prince.¡±

    I patted her head. She flinched, as if unused to the sensation, but didn¡¯t complain or ask me to stop.

    If anything, being too much of a ¡®proper lady¡¯ was a disadvantage. Jonathan fell in love with a clueless (and often borderline incompetent) country bumpkin for crying out loud! He¡¯s not exactly the type to care about things like manners or upbringing. Fall out of a tree onto his lap and you¡¯ll be all he can think about for the next two weeks. Huh, maybe I can actually arrange that somehow¡­

    However, sensing that Christine wasn¡¯t reassured by my words, I suddenly thought of something different.

    ¡°Do you want to get married to him?¡± I asked. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    She shuddered. It looked like my guess was right on the mark.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone, promise. You can speak freely.¡±

    It was a while before she worked up the nerve to answer me.

    ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡± Christine said hesitantly. ¡°For years that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been working towards. Mother and father expect so much from this engagement that my opinion has never mattered and I¡¯ve never thought about any other path. Prince Jonathan is a good person, but...¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t feel anything for him.¡±

    Another lengthy silence. Then a tiny nod.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with him, I just wish I had a choice. I want something like what you have with Francesca!¡± A sigh escaped her lips, and luckily she didn¡¯t notice my grimace. The girl continued speaking in a resigned tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know that we have roles to play. I¡¯m not selfish enough to ignore our family¡¯s needs. And almost nobody in our position marries for love, right brother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hogwash.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I made her turn to face me. Her still slightly red and swollen eyes looked at me in confusion.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯ll always be on your side? No one can ever make you do anything as long as I¡¯m here.¡± I stuck my chest out proudly. ¡°I am the next head of House Halesworth, and I say that my sister can marry whoever she wants. Our parents¡¯ ambitions be damned!¡±

    Lost in Love¡¯s Christine must have felt completely trapped. Her only hope of ever gaining her parents¡¯ approval was by marrying Prince Jonathan, someone she did not even like, and they made her feel like this was her entire reason to exist. Imagine a lonely young girl doing her best to live up to her parents¡¯ ideals of a perfect lady. Imagine the countless hours - years - she devoted to fulfilling that twisted goal, ignoring her own wants or dreams, until finally her hard work paid off and she was engaged to him.

    Now imagine some random lass from the countryside, the exact opposite of what she trained to become, swoops in and steals Jonathan¡¯s heart in a matter of weeks.

    Everything Christine sacrificed up to that point was under threat. The approval she desperately sought from her parents would morph into scorn and blame. ¡°How could you let a common mutt snatch him from you!? You disgraceful waste of a girl!¡± She¡¯d become the biggest laughingstock of the academy and the upper class, unwelcome even in her own home. All sorts of terrifying scenarios must have played out in her mind and she had no one to turn to for help.

    How pitiful¡­ while it doesn¡¯t excuse her bullying of Mary, I¡¯m not surprised that she ended up going a little nuts in the game. But I will never let that happen in this lifetime.

    Christine was still staring at me blankly, so I smiled and tried to fix her tousled hair. I only succeeded at messing it up even more, but thankfully she had yet to notice. Damn buns, how do they work?

    ¡°Marry whoever you want. You don¡¯t have to worry about anyone¡¯s happiness other than your own, understand? And if anyone tries to say otherwise, leave it to me. That¡¯s what big brothers are for.¡±

    Finally the girl¡¯s expression gave way to a tiny smile. She sniffled and pulled out a handkerchief again.

    ¡°You know,¡± Christine said, turning away from me to hide her slightly watery eyes, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking this since earlier, but you¡¯re really good at spouting really embarrassing lines without flinching. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so thick-skinned.¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up.¡± I reached around and lightly flicked her on the forehead.

    ¡°...But thank you. I feel a lot better now.¡±

    And for the very first time since coming into this world, I heard her laugh.

    It was nothing like her cruel, sardonic laughter in the game. This was a beautiful and incredibly gratifying sound, the kind of innocent girlish giggle I would have never expected to hear from her just a short while ago.

    Ahh, so cuuute! How could this little sweetheart ever be a villainess?

    Barely resisting the urge to smother her with another hug, I thought about what I should do from now on. Cathartic as this heart to heart may have been for her, we¡¯ve got years of neglect and loneliness to make up for. I can''t waste this chance or she might retreat back into her shell. But how should I begin cheering this girl up? After thinking about it for a while, I smiled as the perfect idea came to me.

    ¡°Right, how do you feel about going to Cassador with me sometime this week?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Christine looked utterly puzzled as she tilted her head.

    ¡°I was planning to get you a gift from there, actually, but it might be more fun if we just shop for something together. It¡¯ll be a fun brother-sister outing!¡±

    The girl sank into thought for a few seconds, before smiling and nodding with genuine anticipation.

    ¡°Yes... I think I¡¯d like that.¡±

 Chapter 24 - Good Morning, and Goodbye

    I think I¡¯ve been going about all of this the wrong way.

    Keep your head down, I told myself, take it slow and easy lest someone suspects that you¡¯re not the real Alexander. Just bide your time, smile, and don¡¯t step on any toes until you get used to this place.

    Last night¡¯s conversation with Christine showed me just how silly that line of thinking was.

    Alexander Halesworth would never be so quiet and well-behaved. No no no, he was the kind of brat who caused at least one major incident a month, knowing he¡¯d get away with it thanks to his status. There was never any risk of me being locked up or forced to undergo an exorcism because of one simple fact: the Halesworths didn¡¯t have any other sons.

    I was untouchable.

    It was something I ¡°knew¡±, but didn¡¯t truly understand the weight of until last night when Christine recounted Alexander¡¯s misdeeds. Having only one heir means that the future of this family rests entirely upon my shoulders. What can my parents even do if they learn that their precious son is gone forever and an errant soul has taken his place? Help cover it up to prevent our shame and downfall, most probably. And I had a feeling that as long as my last name was still Halesworth they wouldn¡¯t give a damn if I was the demon king himself.

    Thus my next course of action was set in stone. It might not do my image any favors, but there were times when the selfish brat¡¯s way of barreling along without caring for the consequences was exactly what I needed. Like right now.

    I had a score to settle with someone and didn¡¯t feel like being subtle.

    Thump, thump, thump, thump¡­.

    Heavy footsteps followed behind me, marching in perfect unison. Some of the mansion¡¯s servants shrunk back as we passed by, my armed retinue an imposing sight to behold. Others whispered to each other, trying to figure out who the hell roused Alexander¡¯s ire this time.

    The very first thing I did upon waking up was call together ten of my family¡¯s guardsmen and Mr. Hudson. Now, at the crack of dawn, our group was headed towards the guest bedrooms. I didn¡¯t even bother to wait for Emma since I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t have wanted any part in this.

    ¡°Young master, are you certain?¡± The aged butler asked me again, looking worried as he kept up with my brisk pace. ¡°Your parents will not be pleased by this, they-¡±

    ¡°No need to dissuade me, Mr. Hudson, I have made up my mind.¡± I interrupted him. My gaze was locked straight ahead. ¡°Or would you rather I go with my first suggestion? We could even make a contest of it and grant a prize to whoever can throw her possessions the farthest.¡±

    The old man still looked troubled, but didn¡¯t argue any further. Instead he sank deep into thought as if thinking of ways to minimize the damage my actions would cause or how he would explain what the hell happened to my parents. Probably a habit by now to be honest.

    It¡¯s a good thing said parents were normally late risers; by the time they woke up, it¡¯ll be too late for them to do anything except chastise me for being so impulsive. How did the saying go again? Right. Easier to ask for forgiveness than to get permission.

    Soon we arrived at our destination and one of the guards rapped his gauntleted knuckles on the door. After a brief wait, Ms. Perrins opened it with a scowl. She was dressed in a hastily thrown on robe and looked none too pleased at being disturbed so early in the day.

    Her annoyance warped into alarm however when she saw me and the numerous guards standing outside.

    ¡°What in the world is going on? Is the estate under attack, young master Alexander!?¡±

    With my lips curled up in my best attempt at a sneer, I gestured for Mr. Hudson to proceed, as if this matter was too small for me to bother with myself¡­ I may be having too much fun with this. The old man obeyed without the faintest hint of his earlier disapproval, speaking in a very courteous tone. Yet the message I had him impart was anything but diplomatic.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Lady Rosalind Perrins. Effective immediately, your contract with House Halesworth is hereby terminated. This humble butler shall arrange your transport to the city of Valencia, where you may embark on a ship to Gailan or whichever major port you wish. We will of course compensate you according to the terms of the...¡±

    And so on, yada yada. It took a few seconds for the woman to recover from her shock and process Hudson¡¯s blunt words.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°You heard the man, you¡¯re fired,¡± I said while faking a yawn. ¡°And it shouldn¡¯t be too hard for you to figure out why. If you need any help vacating the premises, ask Mr. Hudson.¡±

    Perhaps I was being unfair. Ms. Perrins was a symptom, not the problem itself. Most of the fault lay with our parents, whose absurd expectations and callous treatment of Christine led to this mess in the first place. But I didn¡¯t particularly care. All that mattered was that my little sister didn¡¯t want to see this woman ever again, so out she goes. Bye bye~

    As I turned to leave though, the woman protested.

    ¡°Is this about the young miss¡¯ petty tantrum from last night? Young master, you should know better than to indulge her like this. She¡¯s merely going through her rebellious phase, it¡¯s nothing a little, ehem, tough love won¡¯t fix.¡±

    ...Hoh. Maybe I was actually being too lenient.

    Well Mr. Hudson, I¡¯m sorry but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t try to end things peacefully.

    ¡°It seems you still don¡¯t understand. Very well,¡± I said, flashing her a brilliant smile. ¡°Then let me explain.¡±

    __________________________________________________________

    Tip, tap, tip, tap.

    The little lady of House Halesworth was walking aimlessly throughout the mansion. She had barely gotten a wink of sleep last night, spending hours just tossing and turning in bed. Even now her thoughts were still going over that talk with Alexander. Her cheeks burned as she remembered how absurd and spoiled she acted¡­ if anyone else had seen that, she¡¯d never be able to show her face in public again.

    Though she still had a hard time believing that it even happened in the first place. Had she just dreamt everything? Maybe later when they ate breakfast her older brother would be back to normal, acting with complete disinterest or scorn towards her.

    However, her pessimistic thoughts were soon rudely interrupted.

    CRASH!

    Christine frowned; did one of the maids break something so early in the morning? She crossed out that possibility as soon as she heard another shattering sound, along with a faint voice. The girl could barely make it out from this distance, but it sounded very familiar and very angry.

    Is that¡­ brother?

    She hurried over in the direction of the din. As she approached, the words gradually became clearer.

    ¡°-incompetent old hag with an inflated reputation, coasting by on your previous accomplishments! A pathetic excuse for a teacher who only knows how to work with the gifted and flounders at the first real challenge to your skills!¡±

    SMASH!

    ¡°Your methods are outdated, excessively rigid, and downright barbaric. Not only that, your personality is rotten to the core, taking cruel delight in making a young lady suffer under the guise of ¡®discipline¡¯. Calling scum like you an educator would be an insult to the profession!¡±

    CLANG!

    At this point Christine had an inkling of what was going on. Her brother said he¡¯d do something last night, but never would she have expected this. The girl froze in place, unsure whether to try to stop him or pull up a chair and enjoy the chaos.

    How unfortunate though... it was too late for her to do either.

    ¡°Guards! ¡®Assist¡¯ her with packing and make sure she leaves within the hour. That woman is no longer welcome here.¡±

    Footsteps approached her and soon Alexander appeared from around the corner.

    His face instantly went from an annoyed scowl to a bright, sunny smile. The gentle warmth in his eyes showed just how happy he was to see her.

    ¡°Ah, sis! You missed the show, but it¡¯s all been taken care of now. Told you, didn¡¯t I? Easy as pie.¡±

    Seeing him acting so carefree, Christine wondered if he was even aware of the potential fallout of his actions. While Perrins herself was nothing to worry about, the woman was still in essence a distinguished guest from Gailan, with connections to multiple noble houses and their royal family too... there was no telling if they¡¯d be offended on her behalf. At the very least relations would be awkward between them for a while.

    Christine didn¡¯t mention this though. In the end, she just smiled and said one thing.

    ¡°Thank you, big brother.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Also, your hair looks ridiculous. It¡¯s as if you gave up on combing it halfway through.¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up. There were circumstances.¡±

 Chapter 25 - Blood Ties

    Staring contests are hard to win when it¡¯s two on one.

    Within my father¡¯s study, the fat duke rhythmically tapped a pen on his desk while observing me. His face - which up until now I¡¯ve only really seen inhaling food - was for the first time serious and unreadable. I resisted the urge to squirm or look away, calmly meeting his eyes while waiting for him to speak. I had nothing to feel guilty about and that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to show him.

    My mother sat beside him. She was much less subtle, her disapproving glare making it clear that she was unhappy with my actions.

    ¡°You certainly picked a bad time to do this,¡± Duke Halesworth finally sighed. ¡°One of our merchant companies has been trying to make headway into Gailan, this will complicate matters once rumors spread. Those bastards are a petty and prideful lot.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve talked to you about your temper before,¡± Mother added with a tut. ¡°Acting out like that is embarrassing for us - not to mention problematic. If you wanted her gone, there were cleaner ways to go about it. Now it¡¯s far too late to arrange something since everyone knows you bear a grudge against her. If you are to bare your fangs then do it properly, foolish boy.¡±

    I blinked, caught off guard by how casually she suggested having someone murdered. Before I could retort though my father spoke.

    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. I know that you had your reasons, however do try to be a bit more discreet in the future. This is an important time not only for you but also for our entire family.¡±

    Wait, what?

    Seriously? That¡¯s it? Christine really wasn¡¯t exaggerating when she said they let me get away with anything. This was favoritism taken to a whole new level. Maybe they¡¯ll even approve of breaking the engagement with Fran-

    Nah. Who am I kidding. I¡¯ve run the scenario in my head many times and I can¡¯t seriously expect them to allow it, judging by how they treat Christine¡¯s own marriage. My guess is that they don¡¯t mind cleaning up after a little mischief - ¡°boys will be boys¡± and all that - but will surely draw the line at anything that damages the family¡¯s interests that much.

    ¡°Now before you leave, can you tell me why? I was not aware that your relationship with Perrins had deteriorated to such an extent.¡±

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it had something to do with your sister as well?¡±

    Ah, there we go. I was starting to wonder if they¡¯d even bother asking that. After taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I broke my silence.

    ¡°She was ruining Christine. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re both aware of how awful her words could be, and it was starting to destroy what little self confidence my sister had left. You should have seen the way that hag acted during our last lesson, and Christine says that was still mild by her standards! Any longer and-¡±

    ¡°Come now, dear, you¡¯re exaggerating. A few harsh words, some smacks on the wrist that won¡¯t leave any lasting marks, it¡¯s hardly as awful as you make it sound.¡± Mother interrupted me dismissively. She practically rolled her eyes. ¡°Every respectable noblewoman goes through such training, it not only teaches them the skills they need but also builds character¡­ that girl will be royalty one day, knowing how to hide her anger behind a smile is vital. How could she possibly navigate the courts, being the clumsy, slow-witted open book that she is now? Perrins was only doing her job.¡±

    That might be a fair argument if you cared nothing for your daughter¡¯s freedom of choice or happiness. Just ruthless pragmatism. Shaking my head, I continued.

    ¡°Maybe that was true at first, but she certainly wasn¡¯t doing it for Christine¡¯s sake by the time I stepped in. Her methods were getting no results but she stubbornly insisted on tearing sis down over and over - I can¡¯t interpret that as anything other than for her sadistic self-satisfaction.¡±

    ¡°Sis? Nevermind, then why not bring this up to her? Ask her to change and I am certain she would have.¡±

    ¡°Even if she was willing, do you think we¡¯d get anywhere? I¡¯ve seen the way they look at each other, it¡¯s not pretty. The bad blood won¡¯t go away just because that woman reluctantly starts treating Christine nicer.¡±

    I don¡¯t know what happened to Perrins in the original storyline, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Christine eventually snapped and shanked a bitch. It¡¯s easier to replace that woman than try to fix their relationship, especially when neither party even wants to reconcile.

    Mother thought about it for a while and then nodded. ¡°Fine, it is true that the results of their lessons have been less than satisfactory. Perhaps it is time for us to find a more suitable teacher. It won¡¯t be long before your entrance into the Academy and we must ensure that Christine is ready to interact with high society when we are not there to hold her hands.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I gripped my chair¡¯s armrest. It¡¯s finally time to get to the crux of the matter.

    ¡°Glad you mentioned that... there¡¯s actually something important we need to talk about. This entire mess is just part of a larger problem, one that I would like to address right now.¡±

    Feigning indifference in front of their curiosity, I attempted to speak in the most neutral and diplomatic tone possible.

    ¡°All of it can be traced back to one issue: you two have done a terrible job raising your daughter, and frankly I am disgusted by the way you have treated her.¡±

    Attempt failed. Critical miss. Rolled a 1.

    Just a fraction of a second later, the aura of magical power that I¡¯ve gotten used to seeing around my two parents fluctuated. The air seemed to shimmer and twist malevolently, and I thought I was seeing things when I saw a few slivers of fire materialize in mid-air. Soon I realized that my eyes were working just fine when the temperature in the room soared and what felt like an invisible, heavy wool blanket wrapped around every part of my body, constricting my movements.

    ...I¡¯ve done it now, haven¡¯t I?

    Struggling to keep her composure, mother damn near hissed at me. ¡°How dare you? Go to your room, this discussion is o-¡±

    ¡°Now now, dear. Let¡¯s hear the boy out. Alexander, explain.¡±

    I felt suffocated by the alien sensation of magical power pressing down on me, their angry gazes nailing me to the chair as my nose breathed in scorching hot air. But then I recalled Christine¡¯s tear streaked face from that night, those eyes filled with self-derision and longing, and the pressure gradually became more tolerable.

    Look, my own parents weren¡¯t exactly the nurturing type either. I wasn¡¯t beaten or starved, but they were very¡­ hands off, so to speak. Honestly I¡¯m pretty sure a child was never in their plans and they only raised me out of a grudging sense of obligation.

    Birthdays? Forgotten constantly. Hobbies? They didn¡¯t even know what I did in the house, let alone outside of it. School? My only photo at my graduation ceremony was with my homeroom teacher since both mom and dad thought that the other was going to show up. Shit, if I was kidnapped or something I¡¯d put 50-50 odds on them reporting it to the police!

    But that frigid indifference was still far better than what these two have shown towards Christine. At this rate she wouldn¡¯t even be given the chance to fend for herself, stumbling along life figuring things out the hard way like I did. From birth to death she would exist in a gilded cage.

    ¡°You treat her like a goddamn race horse.¡± I said through clenched teeth, still enduring the magical pressure. A tiny, childish part of my brain noted that I should ask Albert how long it takes to learn this, smothering people with a look was way too cool. ¡°You dangle your approval in front of her like a carrot, using it to drive her towards increasingly unrealistic expectations. Not once have you ever asked what she wanted, deciding every aspect of her life for her instead. Perhaps you have even chosen the epitaph for her gravestone? She is your daughter, your flesh and blood, not a fucking tool to be used for whatever political plans you have!¡±

    ¡°Language, Alexander.¡± Duchess Halesworth harrumphed, though her earlier anger seems to have abated. Instead disappointment was now etched across her features. ¡°Really? This is what this is about? How surprising, I never took you to be one of those naive dreamers.¡±

    Meanwhile my father just shook his head. ¡°Better we learn of it now, dear, before he started mouthing off to outsiders about these absurd thoughts. Alexander¡­ you must understand that everything we do is for the sake of our family. If the Halesworth name is to maintain its prestige even a thousand years into the future, we cannot allow selfishness to fester.¡±

    I opened my mouth but it was forced shut by the same uncomfortably hot magic that was pressing down on me.

    ¡°Just listen. Do you think our family reached these heights by prizing the desires of the individual over the needs of the many? Complacency is a poison whose effects will only be seen generations down the line. You will know this in time when you become duke, boy, that all of us have roles we must play.¡±

    How convenient then that your ¡®role¡¯ involves stuffing your face constantly, going on pleasure trips, and leaving all the boring administrative tasks to Hudson. I¡¯d like to see you live up to half the standards you impose on your daughter.

    ...Yes, I might be a little jealous of such a lifestyle, but that¡¯s besides the point.

    ¡°And you complain about us paving her way towards becoming a monarch, yet do you not realize that the greatest beneficiary would be you? I am sure you know this, but the second prince stands a good chance of taking the throne, the crown prince being his lesser in all things except birth. With any luck, you will have the ear of this country¡¯s ruler¡­ things that were difficult even for me to accomplish shall be effortless for you. House Halesworth will reach new heights, and the other two dukes will no longer be able to compare!¡±

    If only you knew, old man. If only you knew. The chessboard has been set, but in a few years the pieces you placed shall be this family¡¯s undoing.

    Think, self. Trying to appeal to their sentimentality or morals would never work, it is obvious now that there is a fundamental difference in our beliefs which cannot be overcome. Then I have no choice but to speak their language. If they are so concerned over the family¡¯s interests, I only have to show that I am no naive dreamer, as mother put it, but someone competent enough to not get us all killed.

    Finally able to talk again, my voice came out in a lazy but very quiet drawl.

    ¡°By ¡®things difficult even for you¡¯... do you mean the brown dust trafficking overseen by Baron Rhodes? Or how we smuggle weapons grade magical crystals to the underground auction? Or perhaps how Duke Braemar¡¯s nephew was, ehem, killed by bandits on his way home?¡±

    As I continued to list out some of our family¡¯s most damning secrets, I relished the stunned looks on both of their faces.

 Chapter 26 - Departure

    My father¡¯s eyes narrowed at me. I¡¯m convinced that if it was just about anyone else who spoke those words, there would be a charred corpse in my seat right now.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I actually wasn¡¯t sure before seeing your reaction. Most of those were conjectures I pieced together from a few seemingly unrelated clues,¡° I said, splendidly bullshitting. ¡°Just know that if I could stumble upon the truth, so can our rivals.¡±

    My parents exchanged a look. For a while there was silence... I¡¯m sure they were going over their arrangements and trying to figure out where the leaks might be. I planned to tell them whatever I could to help them cover it up of course; while I wanted to see them pay for their crimes, right now we were all in the same boat so it would have to wait. I''ll still try to convince them that the drug trade and other stuff carried far too big of a risk and should be discontinued, no matter how lucrative.

    If they refused to listen? Then I would simply have to stop it myself.

    ¡°Hm, so you haven¡¯t been wasting your time after all. It seems you have an impressive information network established.¡±

    ¡°...Something like that.¡±

    Not like I could say how I really learned everything. Their previous anger had vanished without a trace, and there was an approving gleam in my father¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Good, very good. You are finally starting to take your future duties seriously. Now tell us about these clues you discovered.¡±

    ¡°Before that, let¡¯s settle the discussion about Christine,¡± I said, then hurriedly continued before they could get mad again. Time to cut my losses. ¡°Forget everything else I¡¯ve said, isn¡¯t it obvious that she does not respond well to harsh methods? She needs a gentle, patient teacher¡­ and to be free from your constant nagging. Pressuring the girl only makes things worse.¡±

    ¡°Be that as it may, though,¡± Mother said, tapping her fan on the desk, ¡°It is not as if we can ignore her training. She still has much to learn and is far behind schedule as it is.¡±

    ¡°Let me worry about that. I promise to take responsibility, and I¡¯ll make sure she stays motivated.¡±

    They exchanged another look, then finally agreed.

    Great, I didn¡¯t have to resort to blackmail after all.

    This should be good enough for the time being. At least they won¡¯t be breathing down Christine¡¯s neck or getting her another psycho instructor, so her home life should be a lot more comfortable until she¡¯s old enough to go to the Academy. I wish I could have moved them into realizing that they¡¯ve been awful parents, enough that they¡¯d apologize to Christine and treat her with love and affection from here on out, but that was wishful thinking. These snakes did not care one whit about their own daughter aside from her political value.

    I forcibly suppressed the anger in my heart. They wanted to treat her like a tool instead of family? Fine. Just wait, we¡¯ll be sure to return the favor. Any hopes of reconciliation or forgiveness have disappeared after this conversation.

    As for her engagement to the second prince? Heh. I never had any hope of changing their minds about that, but it wouldn¡¯t matter if I could get Jonathan himself to nullify it. All I had to do was make him a good enough offer in exchange¡­ or y¡¯know, set him up with Mary. It¡¯s not as if he even likes Christine, so there¡¯s no reason for him to refuse.

    Unless... he does it to spite me. Knowing his personality, I can¡¯t really rule that out.

    Whatever. That¡¯s a problem for tomorrow¡¯s me. Right now, I had a trip to prepare for!

    __________________________________________________________

    A day passed, and the mansion quickly returned to normalcy. At least on the surface.

    In reality the rumors were growing out of control, and through repeated retellings, the story of how Alexander chased out yet another tutor was soon known by everyone.

    Emma shivered as she recalled yesterday¡¯s events. While she wasn¡¯t present for it, she helped clean up the aftermath. The wreckage of Rosalind Perrins¡¯ room told a terrifying story. Shattered vases, broken windows, a bookshelf that had been ripped clean off the wall¡­ this was worse than the time Alexander freaked out after finding a bat in his bathroom. Everyone was sure that his stint of acting well-behaved was over and the tyrannical young master was back.

    ¡°Hmm hmm hm~ ba di~ daa~¡±

    Yet here was that so-called tyrant, cheerfully humming an unfamiliar melody as he swayed in his chair. Probably out of boredom since brushing his hair took a lot of time. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Emma shook her head. It¡¯s been over a week now since she became his attendant and he has never once treated her badly. She had nothing to fear from him.

    ...No, shouldn¡¯t she be saying ¡®it¡¯s only been a week¡¯? Who knows until when this blissful peace would really last. Her worries and anxiety started clawing at her insides again.

    Just when she was starting to feel comfortable around him, believing that the cruel Alexander was gone for good, this happened. He was acting normally now, true, but for how long? Were his lost memories and personality returning bit by bit? She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he¡¯d ever direct that rage at her again, like during that incident with Lady Francesca-

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    A concerned voice knocked her out of her daze, and Emma realized that she had stopped brushing.

    ¡°Ah! Apologies, young master. I was simply lost in thought for a while.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize for that. But care to share what you were thinking about?¡±

    ¡°It was nothing serious,¡± Emma hurriedly said, forcing a smile. ¡°I was just wondering what Ms. Perrins did for you to¡­ ah.¡±

    Did she really just say that!? She was so concerned about not looking scared that she ended up poking the hornet¡¯s nest! Her and her stupid mouth, this was a disaster, he¡¯s totally going to-!

    ¡°Hm? Oh, that woman was being really mean to my sister, so I got mad and kicked her out.¡±

    ¡°I, I see.¡±

    Emma inwardly swore to treat the young miss like her ancestor from now on. She would never, ever get on her bad side for as long as she lived.

    Alexander laughed and continued. ¡°My parents weren¡¯t very happy, but I¡¯d still do the same for anyone I care about. Including you, of course, so just let me know if anyone even tries to mistreat you.¡±

    ...

    She really was overthinking it after all.

    The old Alexander was gone. Although this new one may have a temper too, he would never erupt at someone who didn¡¯t deserve it. Finally able to give him a genuine smile again, she went back to work, her earlier anxiety disappearing like the mist.

    For better or worse, she was his attendant, and trusting him was her most basic duty.

    ¡­

    A few hours later, the preparations for their trip to Cassador were complete. They would be taking a carriage there, and would be escorted by ten elite guards on horseback - ten being the lowest Alexander managed to bargain Mr. Hudson down to.

    ¡°Huf,¡± the young master climbed into the carriage, then reached out a hand to help Emma up. ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°Young master, I can do it myself,¡± she answered, though in the end she grabbed his arm anyway.

    Emma smiled bitterly, seeing Loraine giving her an excited thumbs up out of the corner of her eye. Her friends would grill her as soon as she returned. No doubt there would be plenty of questions about what they did in the carriage. This will fuel their sordid fantasies for weeks!

    Speaking of which, she couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp when she climbed inside. The interior of the carriage was roomy and luxurious, with cushioned red seats easily large enough to sleep on. There was even a small table in the center for placing tea sets or board games. Most amazing of all, though, was that a cool breeze seemed to be flowing around inside the carriage. Did it have some kind of magical enchantment to regulate temperature? How wonderful. As expected of House Halesworth, truly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the lord and madame use this carriage before, but I never thought I¡¯d ever get to ride it myself,¡± she marveled, looking around with wide eyes. ¡°Is this truly fine?¡±

    ¡°Would you rather walk?¡± Alexander asked with a teasing smile.

    ¡°Um, if that¡¯s what you want, I can-¡±

    ¡°It was a joke! Please don¡¯t take it seriously, I feel terrible!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but giggle at his panicked and guilty expression. Her delight, however, was short-lived. Just a few moments later someone else climbed into the carriage, and it was probably the last person she expected.

    Christine Halesworth was wearing a shorter and simpler dress than usual, chosen for practicality as she would be spending much time on foot within Cassador. That did not detract from her elegance at all though. Her gorgeous blonde hair was as usual styled in a bun, and she wore a pair of sapphire earrings that nevertheless lost out in luster against their owner¡¯s eyes.

    Beautiful, Emma thought in a moment of distraction. But wait, weren¡¯t they going to buy a gift for Christine? Has there been a change of plans?

    The doll-like young miss lit up the instant she saw Alexander, yet her eyes narrowed as soon as she spotted the maid beside him.

    ¡°Elder brother, who is this woman riding with us?¡±

    ¡°Be nice, sis,¡± Alexander gently scolded with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s Emma, my personal attendant. Is this the first time you¡¯ve met?¡±

    ¡°...No, but it is the first I¡¯m hearing about her position.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a recent thing. She¡¯s been very helpful though. I don¡¯t know how I was able to get ready in the mornings without her.¡±

    Christine glared somewhat unhappily at Emma, prompting the latter to sink further into her seat. ¡°Elder brother, I didn¡¯t bring my handmaidens, so...¡± why is she with us? That was obviously her unspoken question.

    Oh no. She didn¡¯t want her here. Staying would definitely cause the young miss to hold a grudge. No, no, she had to excuse herself now and-

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing I asked her to come along.¡± Alexander said with a grin. Emma would normally find his obliviousness cute but this time it was no laughing matter! ¡°We have too many guards as it is, so just her will be perfect. The three of us are going to have a ton of fun.¡±

    ¡°Um, young master-¡±

    ¡°Come on, time¡¯s a-wastin¡¯ and we have the entire town of Cassador to explore. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Without waiting another second, he closed the carriage door and gave the signal for the carriage to move, heartlessly extinguishing any chances Emma had of escaping from this predicament. Christine opened her mouth but just sighed before shooting another resentful glare at the maid intruding on her first ever trip with her brother.

    Emma felt like her soul was leaving her body.

    She would be stuck with them like this. For an entire day.

    Merciful heavens... why?