Chapter 6
After breakfast, I’d already figured out Lady Remeny’s daily schedule.
She made one round through the mansion every morning, then headed into her private study, where she worked for the rest of the day.
I’d never once seen her take a break.
She always worked later than anyone else.
Meanwhile, Leverage takes breaks by sparring with the knights…
Lady Remeny was the very definition of a workaholic.
Completely obsessed with work.
I’d always assumed noble ladies just spent their days gossiping and taking care of their children.
I sincerely apologize for my pitiful knowledge and stereotypes…
Right now was her daily mansion inspection.
I timed it perfectly, joining her entourage just as they finished checking the first floor and began climbing the stairs.
“Haha…”
I approached with a friendly smile.
The moment she noticed me, she deliberately looked away, as though she’d seen something she wished she hadn’t.
Come on.
I’m still your daughter.
Well, the one asking for favors has to bend first.
She was a completely different personality type from Leverage.
If I had to compare them…
Leverage was like a sloth that found everything in life bothersome.
Lady Remeny was like an AI plotting humanity’s extinction.
That might sound absurd to say about a person.
But it honestly fit.
“No.”
“Don’t.”
“Rejected.”
Not only did she reject every suggestion the head maid made…
She also had enough courage to tell Leverage himself, bluntly,
“Changing an already finalized decision twice violates protocol. Surely you’re aware of that.”
Then she’d calmly present evidence—usually a mountain of documents as tall as an elementary school student.
Even Leverage eventually surrendered under that relentless logic.
I kind of admired it.
Of course…
The only reason I knew all this was because I’d been secretly eavesdropping like a little rat in the walls, following them around like an investigative journalist chasing a scoop.
…
Or maybe I wasn’t even hiding.
Given my terrible reputation, I’d practically done it out in the open.
“G-Goodness, Miss! What are you doing here…?”
“Shh.”
The servants had looked at me like I was insane whenever they caught me pressing my ear against a door.
But whatever.
“Ahem!”
I greeted her cheerfully, almost singing the words.
“Good morning, Mother!”
“Morning has long since passed, Reta.”
“Has it? I guess I overslept a little. That’s our wonderful mother for you~”
I gave her a thumbs-up.
“…”
She stared at me in complete shock.
You can’t push back against people like this.
If I did, it’d either become an argument I couldn’t win…
Or she’d simply ignore me with icy indifference.
Better to stick with the,
“Mother is always right~”
approach.
If I remained cheerful and sincere long enough…
Eventually she’d find me adorable.
Lady Remeny… you’ll open your heart to me eventually.
I smiled brightly.
“Mother, isn’t the weather lovely today?”
“It is.”
“Wouldn’t you like to go for a walk?”
“Not particularly. As you can see, I’m busy. Go by yourself.”
Seriously…
She answered so quickly it was like she’d activated a pre-programmed rejection routine for unexpected requests.
Hmm.
That’s two rejections in a row from the married couple.
One rejected me because I was a nuisance.
The other rejected me without the slightest interest.
Time to retreat for now.
“Yesterday I made a new friend.”
“Congratulations.”
“So I want to throw a party! It’d be even more fun if lots of people came!”
She stopped walking.
An unmistakably troubled expression crossed Lady Remeny’s face.
“You intend to host a party… in your current condition?”
I answered with an innocent smile.
I’d heard noble ladies threw parties all the time, so I’d naturally assumed it would be allowed.
As I’d expected…
I failed.
I’d wanted to celebrate becoming friends with Pell.
And maybe lighten the stiff atmosphere of the Count’s household.
What a shame.
There was no point insisting.
I’d retreat for now.
Maybe I could at least gain something else.
“Then let’s go for a walk together sometime!”
“Very well. Another time.”
“Oh! Then how about tomorrow morning?”
Just like how Koreans say,
“Let’s have a meal together sometime,”
without actually meaning it…
Apparently,
“Let’s go for a walk sometime,”
worked the same way here.
Except…
I was an amnesiac who didn’t know that sort of common sense.
Back in my old world, I was exactly the kind of person who’d latch onto that sentence and eventually turn it into a real appointment.
A friend once told me,
“You’re the worst. Seriously—the devil of introverts. Introverts’ curse. Introverts’ personal hell. You know that?”
“Wow! What’s that supposed to mean? Did you come up with it? That’s hilarious!”
“…”
The Devil of Introverts…
Or whatever she’d called me.
I actually liked the nickname.
It was hard to remember, but an introverted friend had gone through the trouble of giving it to me.
I ought to treasure it.
Though…
Once I eventually understood what she’d really meant…
I felt a little wronged.
How else are you supposed to coax introverts out into the world?
Letting relationships happen naturally only works so many times.
If you want chance encounters to become lasting connections…
You have to keep making plans, even if they feel a little forced.
Maybe not in elementary, middle, or high school.
But once you’re in college?
If you don’t, it’s surprisingly hard to maintain friendships.
It was fine.
Maybe a little unfair.
But I never found it bothersome.
If anything…
I enjoyed it.
Finding all those friends who hid away because they couldn’t…
Or wouldn’t…
Or didn’t want to…
Or saw no need to…
Or simply found it troublesome…
That was one of life’s greatest joys.
Aside from a few genuine jerks…
They’d all eventually become precious friends I’d laugh with at my retirement home.
Lady Remeny stood frozen for a moment, like a robot that had briefly malfunctioned.
Then, without missing a beat, she answered,
“I’m occupied all tomorrow morning.”
“Huh? I never told you what time.”
For just a split second…
Her elegant composure cracked.
Haha.
Got you.
Lady Remeny…
I’ve heard that excuse from Minyoung, Jihye, and plenty of others before.
I already knew exactly how to counter it.
Smiling inwardly, I watched as she avoided my eyes and turned to the head maid.
“…My schedule remains full throughout the morning.”
Come on.
Did she really think I hadn’t expected that?
“Then the day after tomorrow?”
“The day after…”
“I really want to take a walk with you. Is there really no time this week?”
I unleashed my saddest puppy-dog eyes.
No matter what…
I was still her daughter.
She couldn’t possibly be that heartless.
Who cared if I was supposed to become a villainess?
The fact that both of them, despite being adults, affectionately called Reta “Reta” instead of her full name already told me everything.
It was like calling someone named Kim Su-bak,
“Our little Su-bak~.”
And if my memory was correct…
These two loved their daughter.
They simply weren’t good at expressing it.
Game over.
I’d already figured it out.
The real Reta might not have noticed…
But I’m the one who transmigrated here.
Well…
Maybe I’d actually been reincarnated.
But thinking about that got too philosophical.
Too religious.
And imagining my retirement home disappearing made me sad.
So I wasn’t going there.
Anyway…
It’s unfortunate I’m not really your daughter…
But let’s just treat this like a midsummer night’s dream and get along.
Sooner or later…
The Devil of Introverts—or whatever they called me—
would probably be exorcised.
Meaning…
I’d return to my original world.
Until then…
Let’s all make every day interesting and get along happily.
At last…
Lady Remeny surrendered.
“I’ve cleared my schedule tomorrow from 7:31 until 7:41 in the morning.”
“Really? Wow! That’s great!”
“I shall now—”
She tried to end the conversation and leave.
Hold on.
Where do you think you’re going?
I lightly skipped down several steps and blocked her path.
Smiling like an angel.
“Then while we’re taking our walk… how about the whole family has breakfast together? Father too!”
She definitely hadn’t seen that coming.
Did she really think I’d be satisfied with only a ten-minute walk?
That’s not how negotiations work.
Once someone gives you one thing…
You ask for two.
Then three.
The corner of Lady Remeny’s eye twitched.
“Ask your father separately.”
“I already did! He said he’d love to!”
“…Did he?”
This was strategy.
Leverage and I hadn’t actually had a proper conversation yesterday.
Or today.
He kept refusing to talk to me.
I’d simply chased after him nonstop.
Still…
Think about it.
If I got Lady Remeny’s approval…
Then ran over to Leverage and truthfully said,
“Mother seemed positive about it,”
that wasn’t technically a lie.
In the end…
Both of them would have agreed.
This family is far too cold, anyway.
I’m doing this for domestic harmony.
Accept it, Lady Remeny.
Her lips trembled slightly before she finally gave in.
“Very well. Thirty minutes for breakfast and ten minutes for the walk. Forty minutes in total. Beyond that, I cannot spare any additional time for you.”
“That’s okay! I’m happy with that. Mother, do your best today!”
I even threw in a cheerful wink.
As she continued climbing the stairs…
Lady Remeny stumbled ever so slightly.
Thankfully, she didn’t fall.
Hmm.
Satisfied.
Soon I’d have three people I was close to.
As I slowly wandered back down the stairs, content as a well-fed animal…
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Wait…
Do I really have to go through all this just to eat one meal with my family?
Aren’t we supposed to be family?
Seriously?
I have to work this hard just to have breakfast with my own parents?
