CH 3.1

Chapter 3: I think I’m out of it for now…

It’s been 10 months since she was grounded. Lila hoped that the day her confinement would begin would pass quickly, but at the same time, she was a little resentful.

She didn’t think it would be like this…

“How come I haven’t gotten any marriage proposals?”

Not that she wanted to get married, of course.

But still.

She never thought that it would be completely silent. Lila, who was sitting on the couch by the window embroidering, blurted out.

“I’m not getting anywhere, I swear!”

Lila turned 20, when early spring had come, and winter was just coming to an end.

“It’s fun to do some embroidery. If a proposal came in, I could use that as an excuse to go out for a while…”

The reason for not wanting a proposal was simple. It’s because she wanted to leave the capital. If the most important event in May passed this year, Lila wanted to leave the capital and live freely in a quiet village.

She didn’t need to be a noble. She didn’t want the hassle of attending the monthly banquets, and she was afraid she’d end up going down the path of the original story by remaining a noblewoman.

If she becomes a wealthy commoner, she would have no problem living alone as a woman. And by that time, she wanted to have a relationship, make friends, and meet a lot of people.

People who don’t need to hide, who can be themselves.

Lila had Yoon Seol’s makeup box.

The makeup box that the Reaper had placed in her pouch had become a mysterious object. She could use the cosmetics in it over and over again, and it would still be exactly the same as what she had put in when she was Yoon Seol.

Of course, it wasn’t so much a mystery as a pouch.

Because, although she hadn’t realized it when the Reaper placed the makeup box in the pouch, there was magic in this place.

She hadn’t seen a mage since she possessed this body, but she remembered that the crown prince used magic in the original story.

Even if he didn’t, her pouch wouldn’t be that special if it was made by a magical engineer.

Lost in thought, Lila groped for the bundle of cotton around her body. She had hidden her mother’s mementos and her pouch in the bundle.

Recently, Becky had been coveting her pouch. Now that she was a baroness, she would bully Lila into giving it to her, and every time she did, Louie would look pleased.

Becky quickly realized her husband’s fondness for her and became even meaner to Lila.

She kept telling her what a money-grubber she was, what a worthless noblewoman she was, even when she covered her ears to avoid hearing it.

If she screamed, Becky would go to Louie with tears in her eyes, as if she’d been waiting for him, and he’d come running, shouting abuse at Lila and punching her in the face.

He didn’t hit her directly, but the sight of his big fist moving back and forth in front of her like he was going to punch her was something she couldn’t get used to.

She was getting thinner and thinner, though no one else could tell because she was wearing a thick layer of makeup every day.

One day, when she was bored out of her mind, Louie found her.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Sitting on the couch by the window, Lila replied weakly.

“My lady, the Baron calls for you.”

The new maid told her. She chewed on her lip, wondering why she was being called in today and what he was going to say.

With a deep sigh, Lila rose to her feet and followed the maid.

She stood in front of the office she had often visited when her father was alive. It had been a long time, and she hesitantly stepped through the crack in the door the maid held open for her.

When Louie saw Lila enter, he welcomed her with an uncharacteristically bright smile.

“My sister, Lila.”

Lila froze in her tracks at the sight of him, so different from the man who had been so busy making faces and cursing at her lately.

Louie, who was already approaching, patted her shoulder and offered her a seat.

Once they were seated and facing each other on the entertaining couch in the drawing room, the maid filled her teacup.

“Lila, you have a proposal, at last.”

Louie said nonchalantly, raising his teacup. Lila, who had been stirring the red tea in her glass, looked at Louie in surprise.

“Yes?”

Sip. Louie, who drank tea loudly, continued.

“Do you know the Duke of Montefeltra?”

Her eyes widened even more at the unfamiliar name of the Duke, as she had only known the story from the original.

Seeing her looking so cute today, Louie was puzzled, but he spoke cheerfully.

“The Duke of the North, and one of the two great ducal families of the Empire, you should be honored to know that he has sent a proposal of marriage to our Baron of Este.”

Relief washed over Lila that it wasn’t one of the three lords she knew, but the disruption to her original plan left her perplexed.

“Well, in a way, Lila, it’s good for you. I heard that the Duke of Montefeltra was banned from society by the Crown Prince because he was ugly, and he looks just like you, so you’ll make an ugly couple.”

I wanted to pour tea on Louie, who didn’t seem to care that he was a duke, and who was blurting out words that I couldn’t tell were words or farts.

But now I didn’t even want to say anything about his behavior. He’d been nice to me for a while when I was younger, but his manners ended when he left this house.

He reached for the refreshments that came with the tea, shoveled them into his mouth, and grunted.

“They say no preparations are necessary, so be ready to leave immediately tomorrow.”

“What do you mean, immediately tomorrow?”

Even if no preparations are necessary, it’s really too soon. Louie made a face and said in an eager voice.

“Good! It’s your way of repaying Baron Este. You’ll have to stop eating and get out of here! I’m sick of it!”

Another punch and she ducked her head down, eyes narrowing. She’d never been punched before, but the sight of a thick fist rising and falling before her eyes were enough to make her stomach clench.

“Okay.”

“Well, if I say it nicely, I won’t listen to me.”

She lowered her balled fist and waved her hand in the air as she popped the refreshment into her mouth. At the words ‘get out,’ Lila stood up and took a quick step out of the office.

But for the last time, she looked around the office. Lila’s eyes took in every detail of the room, remembering when her father was alive.

‘It’s really the last time.’

…For a moment, she thought. She glanced over at Louie, who was eating a cookie with his cheeks bulging and turned away.

When she returned to her room, it was a bit cluttered. Becky, who was moving around like she was looking for something, saw Lila but pretended not to.