CH 20

“Baron Bashiron has been ambushed, Miss.”

Maya’s words, heard as soon as I woke, brought me back to yesterday’s events.

The Afinizu had been held, and I had been nearly attacked by Bashiron, the uncle of Recardo.

Just as I was beginning to wonder if Recardo, with whom he seemed conflicted to begin with, was responsible, Maya added an explanation.

“They say it involves orphans from the Rosento underworld, which is a shame. He’s got poisoned arrows in both legs and won’t be able to walk much longer.”

The note of shame in this was that he’d been attacked by a bunch of orphans.

To be weak in the Winchester family is a disgrace.

But I couldn’t help but think of something at the mention of Rosento’s orphans.

The Winchesters, as sons of a villainous family, ruled the underworld from an early age, and by the time the story really gets going, Rosento’s underworld was all under their control.

If the first contact between Jin, Othello and Rosento’s underworld was earlier than in the book…….

‘No way…… I think it’s too far-fetched. There’s no reason for that.’

I shook my head at the thought, wondering if it was because of my near-death experience with Bashiron.

Even though Jin and Othello were becoming quite close to me, unlike in the original, the brothers were still far from the type of people who would empathize or sympathize with another person.

“Milk.”

“Milk? Just a minute.”

Maya went to heat the milk, and I stared out through the blue window.

Then I reached out my hand.

My arms were still chubby and short, and my hands were still fluffy and cute.

‘When will I grow up…… it’s frustrating.’

I was already two years old.

But I still walked like a baby, and my first words seemed a long way off…….

(E/N: Developmental milestones in English dictate that babies should be speaking single words before reaching one year old. Because of how Koreans count birthdays (you’re considered “one” the year that you are born, and turn two on your first anniversary of being born), this baby might actually be closer to having lived about one year. But she already had emerging teeth for her chai berries? Questioning it makes my brain hurt so I just won’t.)

It was quite hard to live in a baby’s body with a grown-up mind.

The good news is that I sleep a lot; I spend half of the day asleep.

It’s just a matter of waking up a few times and the day goes by, so time flies.

Still, I can’t wait to…… grow up and have a little more freedom.

There are so many things I want to explore.

“Miss, here’s some milk.”

Maya handed me the heated milk and spoke.

“Would you like to wait with the newly assigned maids? There’s the matter of Robin’s assignment, and I think I need to see the butler to get an explanation of the budget allocated to the young miss.”

At the mention of Robin, I remembered what Recardo had said yesterday about assigning me a knight.

I nodded, and Maya chuckled.

“At times like this, you seem to understand everything I say.”

I watched for a moment as Maya left and two maids closed the door behind her.

One had short brown hair and freckles, the other wore her straw-coloured hair in a ponytail.

The maids, who looked a little older than Maya, gave me a quick glance and began to chatter amongst themselves.

“This is the farthest thing from the young master, so what’s the point of living here?”

“The Duke didn’t give us a second glance when we wiped the dust from his office, and the young masters aren’t any different, and Rowen is just as uptight.”

“That’s the life of maids like us – we never get to stand out from the crowd.”

Looking at their expressions, they looked like pretty bad older sisters.

Before Maya left, they had been very calm, but now that it was just me, the baby, they showed their true colors.

Judging from their conversation, they were maids from the north wing.

They must have felt demoted because they were assigned to work under me, a young girl with no influence in the family.

“This place here….. She’s not even worthy of being called ‘Master’.”

The maid looked at me and sighed openly.

I puffed up my cheeks, but the maid turned her gaze to her colleague as if I wasn’t even worth looking at.

“Why, I heard that the Afinizu were abolished because of that young lady?”

“………No way, I hate children.”

“Actually, so do I. Unless they are aspiring young masters.”

Taking advantage of Maya’s absence, she sat down on the guest sofa.

The other maid sat across from her and leaned back, neither of them seemingly intent on watching the little girl.

Well, it wasn’t incomprehensible, but I couldn’t help but not like it.

They exchanged a few more words and then dozed off.

I took advantage and slid down the bed.

I took a very careful step and looked over at them, and they had already dropped their heads down.

It had been about half an hour since Maya had left.

‘Time to explore the mansion.’

It was a clumsy gait, but I could walk now, so it was worth a try.

After all, with the Afinizu disbanded and everyone going home, there’s nothing to threaten me in this mansion with the Winchester name…….

I shouted a challenge inwardly and cautiously left the room.

* * * 

“Did you hear that the Taylors have sent a menacing letter? Oh, I wonder what the Duke will do.”

“They had better be damned by now. Winchester’s men are ready.”

I jerked my head back as I overheard the conversation between the friendly-looking maid and the armored soldier.

“All these men are a bunch of warlocks anyway.”

“It’s a shame the hypocrites shun them when they show their darker faces.”

“I’m not surprised. By the way, would you like some fish pot pie? I’ve baked plenty.”

It was all too easy to get lost in the vastness of Winchester Manor, so it wasn’t exactly my lack of a sense of direction.

‘I thought this was the way to the west.’

I muttered to myself and decided to walk forward, whatever that meant.

‘Ah…… I wish I had a map.’

I looked at the status window, but sadly, there was no map feature.

What do you expect from a system that labels a cute baby like me as “unemployed?” Hmpf!

I rounded the corner and immediately tripped over something.

“Ouch!”

I bumped my forehead lightly, tears welling up in my eyes, but I managed to hold back a cry.

It didn’t hurt much, but it’s a baby’s instinct to cry when you fall down. There was no one to help me up, so I wobbled back to my feet.

“Huh?”

Somehow, the hall felt a little darker than before I fell.

Is this the right way……?

I couldn’t hear the voices of the maid and the soldier anymore.

And I saw a path I hadn’t seen before.

“Hmm? What could be there?”

Faced with a tunnel-like corridor that didn’t seem to have people in it, I started walking straight ahead.

If I keep walking, something will come out.

Hopefully, I could escape…… No, maybe I could find an independent path ahead.

It was quite dark in the corridor, but I tried to walk bravely.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Oh, should I just turn around?

Then I turned past a pillar and saw a black door.

It was enormous, looked like it weighed a ton, and was inscribed with characters I couldn’t interpret.

“…….”

Naturally, I had no intention of entering.

I was well aware of the rules in horror films.

You don’t go into a place like this and then expect nothing bad to happen to you…….

“Eek!”

Just as I was beginning to think I should turn around and head back the way I came, the door suddenly flew open.

I blinked once, and found myself standing just inside the doorway.

[An event has occurred].

[You have entered a special area.(1/1)]

“Ugh…….”

Frozen in place by the sound of the door closing, I didn’t even have time to cry out.

I froze with a terrified look on my face and thought.

I don’t know who brought me here, but I’m a baby, and I want to just take a look at it…

[The area is unaffected by time outside].

With tears welling in my eyes, I looked back at the door, but it remained firmly closed.

[Skills cannot be used in this area].

‘What the hell is a special area…… I almost lost my nerves.’

Fortunately, it didn’t look like a room with monsters or bad guys.

They said that even if you were bitten by a tiger, you would live as long as you stay awake.

I strained my eyes and looked around the room.

It was a luxurious room, but the layout seemed different from the rest of Winchester Manor.

White marble everywhere, something Recardo would have frowned upon.

‘And that…… Taylors’ crest?’

I scratched my head and looked further around the room.

There was a bookshelf with a few books on it, and I could see a desk. I grunted, climbed onto the chair and reached for the book on the desk.

Surely this is where the crucial clue lies.

But the book was too far away to reach, and I could barely make out the title.

<Taylor’s Home>

The moment I saw it, my mind went blank. I knew it!

That’s…… I need to see that. It might be helpful, I thought.

And a moment later.

[The owner of the special area enters].

[User will automatically exit due to overcrowding].

I blinked at the new words and found myself in a darkened room.

The back of a pink-haired figure stood there, unclothed, self-disinfecting a wound on his left shoulder.

I made a small noise, and Othello turned his head to look at me.

After a few seconds, I saw the space between his eyebrows narrow.

“Kid?”