Chapter – 04
Whimper.
Whimper.
I ate a cookie with tears in my eyes and a runny nose.
At that moment, my mind was completely blank.
The Duke of Dubblede is so petty.
I was only eating leftover bread.
Why was he so angry about it?
I glared resentfully at the Duke, who was sitting across from me.
Lea, who had brought me the cookies, spoke with a guilty expression.
“She went to bed early, so she missed dinner…”
“So she picked up the bread the servants had thrown away.”
“…”
Lea’s face turned pale.
She looked as though everything was her fault.
But it wasn’t.
After feeling a little fuller, I reached out toward Lea.
“I’ll gwo…”
I still wanted to finish the cookies.
But I didn’t want kind Lea to get scolded by that bad man because of me.
Just then, the Duke also reached his hand toward me.
He was about to hand me the rest of the cookies…
But his hand suddenly stopped in midair.
The atmosphere instantly turned cold.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“I think she’s still frightened after being scolded earlier.”
Lea was right.
I was terrified after being threatened by the Duke.
Just meeting his gaze made me nervous.
So I quietly said,
“I’m gwoing bwack.”
(“I’m going back.”)
Lea looked troubled as she tried to comfort me.
After a moment, she bit her lip as though she had made up her mind.
“Ma… Master!”
“…”
“Little miss still has to finish eating.”
“So… you should leave first!”
She looked like a lone knight charging into an entire army.
The Duke silently stared at me.
I quickly hid behind Lea’s arm.
A moment later, he gave a small nod.
As soon as he left, Lea carried me back to my room.
Then she hurried out.
Her face was pale, and her lips were trembling.
As one of the Duke’s servants, she had probably witnessed just how cold-hearted he could be.
Just imagining how frightened she must have been to stand up to him…
Someone like her is truly rare.
I was deeply moved.
Lea soon returned with something for me to eat.
It was warm milk porridge with chestnuts.
After finishing two bowls, I patted my stomach contentedly.
“I’m sowwy thwat I kweep gwetting hungrwy.”
(“I’m sorry that I keep getting hungry.”)
Lea hugged me tightly, tears filling her eyes.
“Don’t ever say that.”
“Little miss needs to eat well and sleep well.”
Smiling, she tucked me into bed.
“Sweet dreams, little miss.”
After eating properly, I slept peacefully through the night.
The next morning, I still felt bad about what had happened to Lea.
So I decided to cheer her up with all the cuteness I could muster.
“Nea, wike!”
(“Lea, I like you!”)
I wrapped my chubby little arms around her legs.
The maids squealed with delight.
The corners of Lea’s lips lifted into a bright smile.
Suddenly…
One maid froze while staring toward the doorway.
The others quickly wore the same expression.
Gasp.
It’s the bad guy!
The Duke of Dubblede and his lieutenant were standing there, silently watching me.
I hurriedly hid behind Lea.
“Li… Little miss…”
Both Lea and the lieutenant called out to me at the same time.
But I stubbornly shook my head.
He’s really scary…
I still hadn’t recovered from last night’s fright.
The lieutenant awkwardly wiped away his nervous sweat.
“Perhaps… try calling her name gently.”
“Maybe she’ll come out.”
“…”
The Duke remained silent.
He stared at me before slightly furrowing his brows.
Uncle…
That bad guy doesn’t even know my name.
I’d been here for ten days.
Not once had he called me by my name.
He only referred to me with strange nicknames.
He probably hadn’t even read the profile the Empress Dowager had sent.
“Leblaine.”
The Duke called my name.
…He knows my name?
I blinked in surprise.
There was even a famous story about how he couldn’t remember Mina’s name despite her living in the palace for over three months.
The fact that he remembered mine was astonishing.
Still…
It’s not like he’s actually interested in me.
The Duke spoke again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Come here.”
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on me.
Slowly, I peeked out from behind Lea.
“Are you gwoing to hit me?”
(“Are you going to hit me?”)
“I won’t.”
You already are.
You’re hitting me with your words.
I continued staring at him with obvious distrust.
The Duke reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a lollipop.
“I have plenty more.”
“…”
All reason instantly left my mind.
I ran straight toward him.
For some reason…
It looked like there was a smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Well…
He must have been surprised that a child sent by the Empress Dowager had wandered through the mansion in the middle of the night.
I had also told him stories about the Imperial Palace and the Church.
Just how many candies does he have?
He’s rich…
Maybe he has ten of them.
He carried me as he walked through the hallway.
Every servant who saw us froze in shock.
It was only natural.
Eventually, the Duke stopped in front of a room.
There must be candy inside!
Filled with anticipation, I opened the door.
The moment I stepped inside…
I froze.
The room was overflowing with candy.
I swallowed hard before glancing at the Duke.
Can I really eat all of this?
I silently asked for permission with my eyes.
The Duke answered in his usual flat tone.
“Eat as much as you want.”
Oh my God!
I rushed toward the mountain of sweets.
There was so much candy…
I could practically swim in it.
There were wrapped chocolates, marshmallows, and countless other treats.
I tore open a shiny golden wrapper and popped the chocolate into my mouth.
…It’s amazing.
The Duke frowned in surprise.
I had no time to care.
Do rich people eat delicious things like this every day?
The sweet chocolate melted on my tongue.
Rich fruit syrup burst across my mouth.
I quickly reached for another piece.
With every bite, my cheeks puffed out even more.
As soon as I finished one, I grabbed another.
This time…
It was a lollipop.
Just as I was about to put it into my mouth…
I noticed someone watching me.
I hesitated.
Then I looked at the Duke.
If I eat alone… he’ll think I’m greedy.
I’d learned that back when I was a beggar.
Even a single piece of food could bring people closer if it was shared.
So I held out one of the candies to him.
“I’ll gwive it to you.”
(“I’ll give it to you.”)
He glanced at the candy before narrowing his eyes in confusion.
“Why?”
I remained silent.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“You’re strange.”
“…”
He’s so annoying.
Maybe I’ll “accidentally” throw a piece of candy at him.
The thought crossed my mind…
But I quickly calmed myself.
If I don’t want to die miserably…
I need this bad guy’s help.
I had to build a good relationship with him.
In my previous lives, I had been inexperienced.
That was why everything had ended so badly.
This time…
I had an advantage.
Thinking that, I threw myself into his arms.
“Dyuke, twank you fow thwe candwies.”
(“Duke, thank you for the candies.”)
The Duke stared at me in shock.
Then…
He smiled.
