Perhaps the current 'fake countess' who I thought was no better than me might actually be in a much better position.
"Alright, stop digging the ground."
I got up from the bed abruptly.
In times like these, it was best to move my body. Staying still would only let melancholic thoughts consume me.
I took a shawl and left the room, intending to go for a walk.
I was crossing the corridor and about to go down the stairs.
"…Miss."
Just as I was descending, I met the butler coming down from the upper floor.
He asked with a surprised look.
"Where are you going, Miss?"
"Outside the house."
"To East Hill to watch the fireworks?"
"…East Hill?"
I repeated, then immediately remembered where it was.
It was the small hill I had come down alone after being dragged there by Derrick not long ago.
Penelope must have gone out to watch the fireworks on the last day of the festival every year.
I understood why the duke had asked such a question at the dining table.
"No."
I shook my head immediately. I wasn't romantic enough to go all the way there just to see that.
"This time, why…"
"I'm bothered."
The butler looked awkward.
It might have been quite perplexing for him to see the girl who had gone out every year until last year suddenly change her attitude.
But it didn't matter. Villains are supposed to be capricious.
"The duke said that this year's festival finale will be much grander than last year's to celebrate the victory…"
"Fireworks are all the same."
I didn't understand why the butler was holding me back and talking about this.
It was awkward to face him since he was also at the luncheon earlier.
"Then, good luck."
I passed by him immediately.
"Miss Penelope."
But I couldn't go down the stairs because of the urgent voice that held me back.
"…Why?"
I stopped halfway down and turned to look at him.
The old butler hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.
"…I am on my way back from tidying up the attic on the duke's orders."
"…"
"And I was about to inform you of this fact."
"To me?"
I was puzzled as to why the butler was telling me this.
The passage to the attic was at the end of the third-floor corridor, so I had never been there.
"…Why?"
"…Didn't you often go up there in your childhood? When you first came to the duke's house, you watched the fireworks from the attic."
"…"
"Perhaps the duke remembers that, which is why he ordered me to clean the attic…"
"Speak clearly, butler."
I laughed coldly and cut him off.
"I couldn't go up even if I wanted to. Thanks to someone who found it inconvenient for me to go there often, the third floor was closed, and I couldn't even get near the attic."
"…"
His mouth closed. Normally, I wouldn't have been this aggressive.
The butler just had bad timing.
He had caught me while I was trying to calm down from a situation that eerily overlapped with the past.
The butler's forehead creased deeply at my sharp remark.
"…Mrs. Donna was immediately fired, Miss."
He opened his mouth cautiously, his face darkening.
"She was chased out without a penny of severance pay."
"…"
"Considering her long service at the duke's house and that she was from a fallen noble family, no further punishment could be given."
I opened my eyes wide at the unexpected news.
Looking at me with a bewildered face, the butler continued calmly.
"But because Master Derrick personally burned the employment contract and recommendation letter, she won't be able to find a job in any noble household."
"So? Should I raise a toast for that?"
I blinked and replied in a cold tone.
It was somewhat surprising, but not particularly joyful.
Why didn't they take action to resolve this issue immediately last time?
'What action? Derrick just threatened her to keep quiet, talking about how long Emily had worked.'
Thinking of Derrick at that time made my already bad mood even worse.
"There's no need to report such things to me. It's not my concern anyway."
"The duke was greatly saddened by today's incident. He's also worried that you skipped the meal."
So what do you want me to do?
Suppressing the words that rose to my throat, I forced a smile.
"If I go to the dining room now and eat, will my father's mood improve?"
"Miss."
At that moment.
"Today's incident is all my fault."
The butler suddenly bowed deeply in front of me.
I opened my eyes wide.
"My greatest fault is not serving you sincerely, using the excuse of being busy. If you wish to punish me, I will accept it gladly."
"…"
"But, Miss… won't you accept the duke's sincerity?"
I looked at the butler, who was pleading with his head bowed, with a strange expression.
"The duke rarely revokes an order once given, as you well know."
The butler's words were true.
Ever since a small incident shortly after Penelope was adopted, all the doors on the third floor had been locked and entry prohibited for six years.
Now, to revoke that, it must have been quite shocking to see the adopted daughter's mistreatment.
Seeing that I was silent in thought, the butler, perhaps sensing hope, bowed even deeper.
"I personally opened the closed third floor and tidied up the attic with great care. Please, Miss, let this soothe your mood."
"…"
I looked at the butler with a blank expression.
If the real Penelope were here, she would have been very pleased.
One of the people who had bullied her was fired, and the family's attention was on her.
How satisfying would it be to see the butler, whom she usually despised, bow to her?
But.
'It's too late.'
I wasn't Penelope.
Why didn't you do this once before I came into this body?
If you had, this foolish and pitiful girl might have forgiven everything, unlike me.
'It's already too late.'
For a moment, the butler's pupils dilated as he saw my face contort in a mess.
"A, Miss…?"
The flustered butler finally straightened his back.
"…Right. How can I ignore my father's sincerity?"
I quickly composed my expression.
"I was just about to go for a walk. It might not be bad to go there after so long."
And as if I had never been about to cry, I returned to the arrogant Penelope and said,
"Lead me to the attic."
It seemed that the third floor was not completely opened.
As I crossed the corridor, I saw a large double door tightly locked with a chain.
'That must be the heroine's room.'
Penelope's room was quite good, but the heroine's room stood out from the size of the door alone.
It didn't make me feel bad or disappointed.
'How can an adopted daughter and a real daughter be treated the same? One must know one's place.'
As I passed by, the butler glanced back at me frequently.
Naturally, I showed no reaction.
When I opened the small door at the end of the third-floor corridor, a spiral stone staircase appeared.
It seemed to be a tower built to guard against intruders, but it was poorly maintained compared to other areas due to lack of use.
"Be careful, Miss, the steps are high."
The butler went up first and warned me. I held up my skirt and carefully climbed the stairs.
A dusty and narrow attic at the top of the stone tower.
'Certainly a place that children would love as a secret spot.'
I climbed and climbed the endless spiral staircase.
After a while, the stairs finally ended, and an old door appeared.
The butler opened it familiarly and went inside. I followed, not really expecting much.
I thought it would just be a storage area cleaned up a bit.
'Oh.'
But the place I entered was surprisingly nice.
One side of the attic was filled with bookshelves and books, and the opposite side had a cozy couch and a fireplace.
In the center was a large, round window.
A cool breeze from the open window tickled my nose.
"Miss, do you like it?"
The butler asked with a satisfied look as I looked around. I answered honestly.
"It's nice."
"Shall I bring some refreshments?"
"No need. Rather, I want to stay here until late evening."
"Of course, you can. The duke has already given you permission to use it freely."
That was good to hear. Feeling a bit better, I spoke in a gentler tone.
"Thank you for showing me, butler."
"You're welcome. Please rest comfortably, Miss."
The butler bowed deeply and left the attic.
I looked around the now quiet interior and slowly walked inside.
"…Penelope must have come up here often."
It was cozy and quiet.
It was the perfect place for a child, adopted to the duke's house for unknown reasons and hated, to hide.
I reached the large open window and glanced outside.
The duke's estate was very large.
Therefore, unlike when I went up the hill with Derrick, I couldn't see the city streets.
Instead, with no tall buildings to obstruct the view, the endless sky and scenery were visible.
I sat on the floor in front of the window, leaving the couch with a blanket.
The sun was already setting outside the window.
As I stared blankly at the horizon where the red sunset was undulating,