Episode 1- Ingord

Only the surrounding environment changed, but my job at Ingord’s place was no different from that at Triviache.

I was a maid there and still a maid here. One of the numerous employees who do chores for a noble family.

Like the first day I fell into this book, everything felt unrealistic and seemed like a dream.

I was dragged by the maid with swollen eyes and thrown into a corner room.

But nothing has changed. I was still an ordinary supporting character who did not appear even once in the book.

Opportunities always exist. When enough time had passed and the whims of the Duke of Richton had subsided, I would be able to escape again.

This time, I am going to a very far place without bringing anyone.

Ever since I made up my mind, I have been secretive and acted furtively. I just concentrated on doing the chores my superiors told me to do.

Even after a week, the duke did not pay any attention to me.

‘After all, it was a fleeting whim that he brought me here.’

Or so I thought.

I felt deeply relieved thinking that, until yesterday…

“You, red hair.”

I got up and looked, cold sweat flowing down her neck.

“Your name is ‘Susan’ from now on.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. When His Excellency asks for your name, your answer should be Susan.”

The black-haired man, who just spoke coldly, slowly opened the door.

Susan.

My name will be Susan, not Agrane.

I was told my new name while being brought to the Duke’s office as soon as the evening work was over.

‘If you only let me know now, it would be more confusing in my head.’

The door to the office opened. Following the man’s steps, I carefully entered.

Duke Richton called me in after a week. It was difficult to imagine what it was going to be like.

Was he trying to cheer me up? Even a madman might be kind to the people in his employ.

My heart trembled with unnecessary expectations but the tremors immediately disappeared like smoke when I saw the panoramic view of the office.

A heavy-shaking lamp, the shadow of a beast that seems to raise its body and reveal its teeth at any moment, and nearby an unidentifiable person was crouching on the floor.

“Greetings?”

Duke Richton Ingord boasted his unrivaled presence in the dim room. His famous beauty seemed so alien compared to his brutal nature.

The smell of blood pierced my nose, but I couldn’t show any signs of discomfort. I couldn’t even make eye contact with Duke Richton and bowed down.

From this point on, it would be a battle of wits for my survival.

“Hello, Sir, I am Susan. I heard you called for me.”

Why is that body here now?

I felt ridiculous because I expected words of encouragement from him. It would have been more productive to think about what tomorrow’s lunch would be like.

I waited for the Duke’s answer, keeping my eyes on the luxurious velvet carpeted floor. I felt like she could only hear the heartbeat from my chest in that large space.

“Do you know who this is?”

The man behind her back struck her shoulder and she looked at him while swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

(T/N: him refers to the body here.)

‘This’ the duke pointed to.

It’s impossible not to know.

I had endured the past three years with tact under him. However, my lips trembled upon seeing his appearance beyond recognition.

I looked down at the man’s back, which was like a chunk of meat, and answered with difficulty.

“Tri…Triviache’s youngest son.”

“The youngest? That’s too embarrassing for a group of rebels.”

The Duke’s voice contained light ridicule, contempt, and an indescribable interest.

I squeezed out my courage and made eye contact with the duke. The insensitive blue-gray eyes were colored with a red light. I understood the source of his interest.

To be precise, from the moment the decorative sword on the wall he held was handed out to me.

“You can’t just be a snitch, ’cause it’s time to open the gift I’ve been looking forward to…..Catch the sword, Susan.”

My mouth opened to ask why and then closed again. I couldn’t make a sound.

He looked down at me as he walked softly and went near my back.

The duke held the decorative sword in my hand. A voice that was hazy like a dream and faint like a breath came from towards the back of her ear.

“I’ve become your new owner, so I’ll have to blow up this kind of celebration in commemoration. I give you the only thing of the Triviache owned by Richton Ingord.”

“I… I don’t know how to use a sword.”

I could sense his shaking shoulders and felt his laughter against her cheek. It was a smile of pure pleasure, and the cruelty in it gave me goosebumps.

“I am a very merciful Lord, Susan. For my lovely dog, I can wait for the sun to rise again.”

He tightened the grip on my hand holding the sword.

Kill? That man? The man I’ve been serving for three years?

“Of course the wait is something else than boring.”

The kind and affable voice made me grit her teeth, I gave strength to her sword-held hand.

He brought him here, killing people, and now he’s threatening me without giving me a chance to come to my senses.

He was crazy. He was a crazy guy.

The duke gently stroked my trembling finger.

“Take a deep breath. The sword doesn’t wield against you, you wield the sword.”

I was holding the sword, but my hand was being swung by him.

The weight applied on my back pushed me towards the youngest son, who was crouching on the floor.

“For a maid who worked in a noble family, you’re very handy, which means you haven’t helped with household chores since you were young. Weren’t you born a commoner?”

I didn’t answer.

“The record says your birthplace is southern, but your accent is not southern. There is a mix of local accents and at the level I just learned, the Triviache employees must have come from so many different origins. Did you learn the right language from them?”

His palms wrapped around the back of my hand were as cold as an ice field. On the contrary, his voice was as calm as a small paper boat drifting down the water.

“That was all there was about you. It was as if you fell from the sky.”

Why was he so interested in me? What does this man have in his head? And he sees through Triviache in a few words?

Before long, the duke touched the back of my hand with neat nails as if he was playing the flute.

It was done to relax my nerves but was impossible to be able to do so without being insane.

Unconsciously, I bit my lips and tasted blood.

“This is sort of fun getting to know each other.”

With laughter, the Duke’s other hand climbed up to my chin and wandered near my lips.

As the blood on the lips was being wiped away, the tension made me forget to breathe.

What? How did I chew my lips and without seeing my face…

I didn’t know what would happen if I yielded more to the Duke here.

No. I can’t kill that man.

The youngest son always had a light smile and was easy going unless you made a big mistake.

I didn’t want to hurt him, I wanted to preserve my humanity even if I had to crawl on the floor on all four limbs and lick his shoes with my tongue. No matter how bad the other person is.

“No.” (She said)

“What a surprise. Did the dog grow a tongue to refute me?”

Yes, I am a dog.

After much deliberation, I tried to confront him as much as possible and opened her mouth again.

“…Master.”

It’s not that difficult to get the other person to feel better by lowering yourself. I was already trained in it during her service in the Triviache family.

In order for her to live, it seemed that she really had to cross the line and stand up on the other side. Then, she just has to be the cuddly dog he wanted.

“This man is already dead. He is not breathing, his body has already hardened.”

The pressure on the back of my hand became a little lighter. Soon afterward, the black-haired man who checked the condition of the crouched man said in a quiet voice.

“Susan is right. He bled to death.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Even though Wilhelm’s watchdog had kicked the bucket, he was still helpful, wasn’t he?”

Along with the handle, the Duke stretched out her fingers one by one and took away the sword I was holding.

It was weird. All the parts of my hand that came in contact with him felt like it had experienced frostbite.

The same was true to his breath lingering near my hair and the cold hand pressing on my back. As soon as she stepped out of the duke’s arms, my swallowed a sigh, which seemed to pop out, into my throat.

“While talking with him, I had time to check whether the heir was alive or dead…”

The sword, which was as heavy as a thousand bricks, was held with just one hand. The gaze that was staring at the sword turned to her.

“I’ll give you something to do soon, Susan. Until then, do not cause problems and wait quietly.”

As if I were a prize, the bluish-gray gaze gently swept my face.

Unlike the first impression when I was scared, his thinning eyes were absolutely beautiful.

The difference between his conduct and looks could not be greater than this.

“Get out.”

That was the end of ny second meeting with the duke.

When I woke up from the daze, I was already out of the office and walking behind a black-haired man.

Her mind was dizzy, endlessly springing mischief and the misconception ended up with only one conclusion.

Richton Ingord was really, really, crazy.

“You look pretty good but you are stupid. You know there’s nothing good about it because it makes you stand out.”

So don’t you have to advise me not to stand out? There was no reason for dragging and trying to make me a murderer in a week.

I glared at the back of a man as big as the duke.

“So I’ll tell you now, Susan. This is my only advice for you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s better to give up the thought of running away. At least if you want to live your life with your limbs intact. Even your kind Sir becomes cruel when it comes to a hunt.”

The black-haired man said those words and went down the stairs and disappeared. I stood behind him for a while and quietly stared at it.

I didn’t know which part to believe.

In the description of the duke being kind?

Or should I be upset about whether that is advice?

Either way, the words were unlikely to go through with him.

The fear and pressure that I was about to commit murder faded, leaving only a trace.

It was natural. The youngest son died in vain, but I was still breathing here.

“…There is no choice but to aim for a break.”

My opponent was the mighty duke. A man who plays with noble families on the back of his palm.

Duke Richton Ingord was an innate conqueror who makes a person coldly sweat just by making eye contact, and feel naked with just a few words of conversation.

I roughly cleared up my complicated feelings and slowly descended the stairs.

I can’t help it.

I had to dedicate my life to pretending to be loyal and when the Duke was off guard, she would run away without looking back.

‘Is it possible?’

There were doubts about the success, but there was no other best option.