SWS CH 29

Chapter 29

I returned to the annex with a bright smile.

On the way, I stopped by the main house kitchen and asked them to prepare food that was easy to digest and nutritious. They didn’t seem to know who I was, but since it was for Docep’s meal, I figured they’d take care of it properly on their own.

It was already quite late, so I decided to prepare my own breakfast tomorrow.

“Where the hell have you been wandering around?”

As soon as I returned to the annex, Geti, who had been waiting in my room, shouted at me.

“I went to see the young master. You said it was fine for me to rest.”

“I said you could rest. When did I say you could roam around however you wanted?”

“Do I need permission just to see the young master?”

“Of course you do! Did you think you could wander around freely?”

In the morning, she’d acted completely hands-off, and now she’d suddenly switched to being controlling.

“Then I’ll get permission. You said I had nothing to do but rest anyway, so I’ll just quietly walk around the estate.”

If permission was the issue, then fine.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Rest time is over. From now on, you’ll study proper etiquette suitable for Bloodymary.”

Etiquette?

She didn’t mean that romance-fantasy etiquette stuff… did she?

Uh…

“No. I hate studying.”

I refused outright.

“Refuse? R-refuse?!”

“Yeah. I’m not going to debut into high society or anything. What’s the point? Like you said, I’m just a commoner, not a noble.”

I’d never even heard of women who possessed romance-fantasy heroines actually studying that stuff.

“Because you’re a commoner, you need to try even harder not to disgrace the family!”

“I’ll just accept that I already disgraced it.”

Because of that, Docep even went into Kern Hall.

“And maybe the family’s honor will fall a bit. I came here to help a family that’s going to fall anyway, you know?”

Whether I was actually helping or not was another matter.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Looking at Geti glaring at me fiercely, I let out a quiet sigh.

I didn’t want to fight with her. If possible, I wanted to maintain a friendly relationship.

“But if I weren’t in my right mind, Geti, would I really let this slide? Even if I’m a commoner, I entered as Docep’s wife in name. You’re my personal maid.”

I needed to say this at least once.

I had no intention of living through in-law hell.

“Wouldn’t you have already corrected my speech, my attitude, everything, claiming it violated etiquette?”

For someone who talked about etiquette so much, Geti herself had none toward me.

That wasn’t me demanding to be properly served.

“What? Who do you think you are, trying to teach me?”

“I’m not trying to teach you. I’m saying let’s both be comfortable and get along.”

“So you came here to live an easy life.”

We weren’t communicating at all.

“Did the duchess hire a tutor or something?”

“Does it make sense to hire a noble tutor just to teach you?”

“That’s a relief. I won’t behave terribly either, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

Geti looked frustrated, like she was talking to a wall.

Then she let out a hollow, humorless laugh.

“If you won’t learn, do as you please. But if you say you won’t even do that much, then I won’t bring you wash water, clothes, or meals either.”

“You don’t have to.”

I never needed someone to wait on me in the first place.

Honestly, having someone fetch even wash water felt burdensome.

“I’m not joking. Feed yourself. The kitchen’s on the first floor, so you’ll probably get something if you go there.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

“Hmph! Let’s see how long you last.”

Geti stormed out of the room.

Her angry footsteps echoed before quickly fading away.

***

Nikolai returned to the mansion.

He removed his armor and placed his sword back in its stand.

His face was filled with confusion.

“How… did he awaken?”

Escaping Kern Hall was shocking enough, but the fact that someone who’d been stuck at one star for twenty-four years awakened was even more bewildering.

His head hurt.

“Nikolai, Docep really came back alive, didn’t he?”

Francesca entered. She had briefly fainted earlier. Her face was completely drained of color, and she hadn’t even dared to go see Docep, coming here instead.

“…Yes.”

“And the awakening?”

She asked about what she’d heard from the head butler, who had rushed over in complete disregard of decorum to report it.

“You mean… he awakened? That child?”

A moan slipped from between her dry lips.

“…Yes.”

“My goodness!”

Francesca covered her mouth and collapsed in place.

This was something she had longed for for so many years.

“This miracle… it’s a miracle!”

She cried.

Hot tears streamed down her face.

“I must inform the duke at once!”

With a flushed face, she hurried out.

Left alone again, Nikolai slammed his fist on the desk.

“Why does everyone keep protecting that bastard?”

It was practically a family celebration, yet instead of joy, he felt irritation.

Just days ago, Docep had been acting recklessly and impregnated a common woman.

Could awakening really erase everything?

“Was my letter even delivered to Father? Why is there still no reply?”

And Nilsen hadn’t returned.

The longer the time passed, the more anxious Nikolai became.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell his overjoyed mother that Docep hadn’t awakened to just two stars.

That he had jumped straight to four.

Nikolai’s insides felt completely rotten.

***

Meanwhile, in the border region left desolate by the winds of war—

“What is the meaning of this?! Untie me at once!”

Nilsen shouted at the man before him, hanging upside down from a tree.

“Hm. Should I… or shouldn’t I?”

The man pondering this with his sword stuck into the ground was Helbern.

At his feet lay a crushed letter taken from Nilsen.

He had chased Nilsen all the way to the border.

He’d actually caught him earlier, but Nilsen had escaped after slipping free for a moment.

Because he’d already escaped once, Helbern had hung him upside down this time.

And now he was hesitating.

“I told you I wouldn’t run away!”

“Whether you run or not isn’t the issue.”

“Then what is?!”

“If you return to the family, my brother will send another letter to Father. That’s the problem.”

Docep being expelled or removed from the family register didn’t matter to him.

But Halara was different.

“I’ll definitely uncover what kind of power that woman used on me.”

His body still ached where he’d been struck by that power.

The only people who had ever been able to counter his aura with sheer force were his father, the duke, and Nikolai.

To surpass them, Helbern trained daily with his sword.

If he defeated those two, he’d be the strongest in the world.

And now he was being told there was another person like that?

And a woman, at that?

“This makes no sense.”

Now all he could think about was keeping that woman tied to the family and uncovering her true nature.

“Why are you doing this? Didn’t you hate Young Master Docep too?”

“Hate? I want to kill him, but I can’t. That’s all!”

“Then why are you stopping me?”

Nilsen pressed in frustration, but Helbern only cursed.

“Damn it!”

He couldn’t bring himself to say he’d been overpowered by a woman.

As Nilsen sighed in disbelief, Helbern drew his sword.

“Nilsen, just die already!”

“What?! Why should I die?!”

“This is the border region anyway. I’ll say you were killed by remnants while delivering the letter! I’ll even give you a grand funeral!”

“Nooooo!!!”

Nilsen’s desperate cry echoed through the area.

***

“Why do you keep disappearing?”

Early dawn, before the sun even rose.

In the annex kitchen, where no one should have been around at that hour, Hatsen was waiting for me.

“Oh, you’re here early.”

Good thing I’d changed into a maid uniform, just in case.

“Early? I came right on time for work.”

It was only 5:30 a.m.

Behind Hatsen, the maids began arriving one by one, greeting him as they clocked in.

Seriously—when do these people ever rest?

Watching them, it felt like servants had absolutely no concept of work-life balance at all.