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The Villian’s Merit, Chapter 7
‘A sparrow’s yawn must be louder than that.’
(TL/N: An idiom indicating that the knock, from the previous chapter, is quieter than a bird’s yawn in an exaggerated way.)
I only heard it since I was paying attention, and if I had been doing anything else, I wouldn’t have heard it. The maid would have just assumed that I was asleep and left.
For a modern person like me, every minute and every second felt like billions of eons without a cell phone. If that was a knock, then I was going to leave. I didn’t want to wait any longer.
I was so bored and hungry!
Do only late-risers live here? Why are you picking me up so late?
“Come in.”
But no one came in.
“⋯⋯?”
I poked my head out of the door and saw the back of a maid who had already walked a long distance away from my room.
“I woke up! Come on in!”
“Oh my god!”
I guess she didn’t expect me to poke my head out. The maid turned around, surprised. She yelled overdramatically in a way that could only ever be done in novels.
She said in an informal yet subtle tone,
“You’re awake? I didn’t know you woke up, I had no clue.”
I was right about the little knock.
The maid came to pick me up, so that means I get to eat soon!
While thinking about rice, I gestured for her to come closer with a smile and asked,
“Come on in, I woke up early because I couldn’t sleep.  Are you holding a basin of water?”
The maid hesitated and entered the room.
“Wash up and get ready, my lady.”
The maid’s hands holding the handles of the brass bowl were frozen red, perhaps because the water was directly drawn from a well outside.
Although it was spring, there was a wide range in temperature, so the water drawn from the well in the morning was as cold as ice. I knew this because I had drawn a lot of water during the few days I stayed at the orphanage.
I like washing in cold water, but this is too much. The water in the bathroom was closer to room temperature than this.
‘Ah, could this be ⋯⋯?’
As I stared at the water, something flashed in my mind.
‘Just like in the novel, when the protagonist arrived at the Duke’s residence, the temperature of the water was a joke.’
Aren’t maids who torment protagonists common in fantasy and romance novels? Nobles were the only ones who received warm water.
The maids in those novels must have read a book like 〈101 Ways to Bully My Lady〉, to find ways to ridicule the protagonist.
‘The maids who tormented Freddia in the novel were Isabella’s maids.’
In〈The Suspicious Princess〉, the female protagonist took revenge on Isabella’s maid, who was temporarily in charge of her, for the cold water incident. This was the first event of the declared war between Isabella and the main character.
‘Well, I’m going to skip the revenge because of my pride as a hard-working commoner.’
I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction. The maid flinched as if she was stabbed.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
While looking at the maid in confusion, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the mirror behind her.
When I saw a stern-faced child, I quickly erased my serious expression and replaced it with a smile.
“There was water left in the bathroom from yesterday, so I already washed my face. I’m all done getting ready.”
“Already? Why did you do it alone⋯⋯?”
The maid looked unhappy since things didn’t go as planned.
‘What’s wrong? You brought more water today, but it’s even colder than the water from yesterday.’
However, the maid didn’t like that I woke up and prepared myself even before she woke me up.
“It took a long time getting you water⋯⋯.”
Okay? That was a waste of time, I guess?
“Oh, that’s right. It was a struggle to get the water, but it would be a waste to throw it away, right? Well then, I’ll wash the dust off the nail of my index finger. It’s been bothering me for a while.”
Then, I dipped my index finger just deep enough to submerge my fingernail and stirred the water.
“Oh, this is cold. I didn’t even wash my face with water this cold back in the orphanage, but I guess it makes sense. The Duke must be saving his firewood. Anyone who sees you bring such cold water would think that you’re trying to torture someone. Haha, I’m just joking, you know?”
I smiled brightly and raised my finger, making sure a lot of water droplets remained, and shook my whole body, as if I was cold. The maid gulped nervously.
“Since you’re wearing such thin clothes, the water will feel colder!”
Wow, look at that ability to cope with crises. You’re so talented.
“Your clothes are too thin for this type of weather. I’ll bring you formal wear and thicker clothes after breakfast.”
I don’t know why, but the maid’s ability to be polite instantly improved. She’s suddenly being very kind. It’s suspicious.
“Really?”
“I’ll ask Lady Isabella if she has any dresses that have become too small for her to wear. Although, I don’t know if she immediately throws those clothes away and replaces them with new ones.”
Really? You’re giving me the clothes of a Duke’s daughter?
‘You’re not going to raise my expectations and disappoint me by saying that the clothes were already thrown away?’
Then I know it won’t be fun. I won’t get a chance to cry.
I couldn’t trust the maid’s expression, which seemed to be hiding something, but I couldn’t help but look forward to the new outfit.
This is because the clothes I wore now were too beggar-like, even from a commoner’s perspective.
No matter how poor I was, I didn’t wear ragged clothes, but now I have to wear sleeves and skirts. I regretted returning the pretty dress I tricked the director to get for me.
“Am I ready for breakfast now?”
“Yes, the Duke is waiting in the dining room.”
“Already?”
But why did you just now come and wake me up? If a child woke up and prepared themselves before the maid came to wake them up, the child might have already left because they couldn’t wait for the maid any longer.
‘No wonder she didn’t come earlier, it was intentional.’
It’s like how senior employees act territorial when a new employee joins their company. There are as many employees in this mansion as there were in a small company, so I basically have a work-life at home.
If I think of the mansion as a company, getting a luxurious life would be like doing a parachute landing on a fast-track promotion, if Ivan, who is like a company CEO, acknowledges me.
And this maid has her boss, Isabella, backing her up. She’s trying to look good to Isabella by keeping me in check.
The corners of my lips slowly rose in curiosity—rather than pity—towards the maid.
‘I’m on a parachute!’
How did I get on a parachute, when I could barely put food in my mouth before!
Parachutes get dropped down at a high speed anyway, so I don’t have to worry about a passing maid. Stop trying to impress your superiors.
‘Bosses originally wanted people who worked hard, but now they prefer people who work without causing trouble to others around them.’
There’s no need to make a fuss and waste energy on useless things. That would only attract Ivan’s attention in a bad way.
Instead of arguing with the maid, I ran while rushing her to guide me to the dining room.
Ivan was the only one in the dining room. He decided to eat first because he couldn’t wait, so he already had food in his hands.
“Duke, how are you?”
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”
The servant led me to the seat closest to Ivan, who sat at the head of the table.
Seeing that I’m supposed to sit there, I assumed that no one else was coming.
“I’m sorry for being late. I took a long time getting prepared since I’m not used to being served by someone⋯⋯.”
Before I could get scolded, I quickly told Ivan why I was late, and he nodded his head without asking any more questions.
“It’s okay, sit down.”
“Is there anyone else coming?”
“It’s just you and me today.”
I sat down without asking further questions.
I guess they didn’t come because they don’t like me.
‘Then, this feast is all mine!’
I drooled at the food on the big table. As soon as I sat on the chair, the servant brought me soup with a fresh mushroom scent.
After that, I saw a whole roast duck being cut into slices. Just looking at the steaming-hot multicolored vegetables, the appetizing salads, and the freshly baked bread with butter and cheese, made my mouth water.
‘You mean I can eat breakfast like this every day? Oh, rich people live such a good life.’
As I looked around the table, not knowing what to eat first, Ivan said bluntly,
“Eat like how you used to eat before. You never learned etiquette, so you don’t have to feel embarrassed.”
That wasn’t why I hadn’t started eating.
“Oh, okay⋯⋯.”
Even though I learned western dining etiquette from working part-time at a slightly fancy restaurant, I grabbed the duck leg with my hand, pulled the meat off, and ate it without hesitation.
As expected, the duck’s legs are the best part!
“⋯⋯You eat well.”
“Hehe, people say that I’m at the age to chew stone.”
(TL/N: Idiom for someone powerful and young, since they are at an age where they can chew even a rock.)
It was an idiom, but Ivan’s expression stiffened, perhaps because he misunderstood it.
“A stone⋯⋯. Did the director feed you stones?”
“What? No, uh⋯⋯ yes⋯⋯.”
Feeling embarrassed, I avoided eye contact and hastily nodded.
‘They gave me bread that was as hard as stone, so it’s similar.’
Seeing my darting eyes, Ivan clicked his tongue at the servants, signaling them to do something.
The servant, who couldn’t hide his astonished face when he saw me eating a whole duck leg, hurriedly pushed the food in front of me.
After hearing our conversation, the servant’s expression changed from astonishment to pity.
I didn’t say anything and let them continue to misunderstand.
‘The rice tastes good.’
Ivan was looking at me in a somewhat burdensome way, so I felt like I had to rush to eat.
I held two duck legs in both hands and began to tear them off with all my heart and soul, like a child who has been starved for a few days.
When I finished eating the legs, Ivan asked,
“Remember the last time you said you knew who the First Prince was?”
“Yes.”
“Then do you know who I am?”
I swallowed the duck meat in my mouth and told him what I knew.
“Yes. Duke Weiss. I heard that there is no one on this land who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Duke except for the Emperor. You are a wonderful person.”
“Who told you that?”
I am the author of this novel.
But I couldn’t tell him that, so I gave an answer roughly similar to the truth.
“I read it in a book.”
“You know how to read?”
“I learned how to read by watching the other children at the orphanage read.”
Actually, that never happened because the kids at the orphanage bullied me.
The reason why I know this world’s writing is because this world uses the Korean language.
After entering the book, I became a westerner with golden hair and lived among westerners who wrote in Korean.
The language I am speaking now is Korean, and the characters I read and write are also Korean.
The Duke, who was unaware of this fact, looked satisfied as if he was thinking about me not being an ordinary child. This is my cheat. Haha!
“Do you know why I adopted you as my daughter?”