Episode 4
“What? What do you mean…? You must wait here until I inform the madam of your visit, my lady,” the head maid said in a baffled tone.
“Well, yes. Normally, that would be the case,” Eleonore agreed with a nod. “But what if there’s a reason the madam must see me right now?”
“What? Why would the madam have any reason like that?” The head maid, confused by Eleonore’s strange words, asked again with a blank face.
“I just heard that the Duke is on his way back to the castle.”
“That can’t be…!”
Not only the head maid but also Becky widened her eyes in shock.
Eleonore signaled to Becky with her eyes to keep quiet, then continued calmly,
“The monster that appeared in Ores was a Blue-Beaked Crow. It doesn’t take long to subjugate them. It wasn’t even a group—just a male and a female.”
All the color drained from the head maid’s face.
“I–Is that true? Where did you hear such a thing…?”
She couldn’t easily doubt Eleonore’s words. Eleonore even knew the monster’s species and how the timeline of subjugation changed depending on the number.
“I was worried because the Duke has been away all throughout our engagement, so I asked the head butler. I’m glad the monster hunt ended early.”
“…The head butler…”
She murmured with a serious face.
The head butler belonged to neither Katarina nor Simone. He rarely involved himself in household matters, but because he had the Duke’s trust, his authority was considerable.
So it wasn’t strange if he knew the Duke’s return schedule beforehand.
“Even so, I cannot allow you to enter the madam’s quarters without permission.”
The head maid spoke urgently.
“And what does the Duke’s return have anything to do with you greeting the madam?”
Eleonore noticed how the head maid kept glancing anxiously toward Katarina’s direction, as if she desperately wanted to run off.
As expected, it’s now.
She had suspected this would be the timing—the first month of engagement—but now she was certain.
“Of course it matters. The Duke should see how well I get along with my future mother-in-law, don’t you think?”
“But… Ah! My lady!”
Eleonore didn’t listen any longer. She strode forward with her long legs, almost running, easily outrunning the head maid.
Soon, Eleonore pushed open the door of the ornate tea room.
Inside was…
“Are you insane? Who bursts in without knocking?!”
Her vicious future mother-in-law from her previous life, Katarina, sat across from a man at the tea table.
Eleonore quickly looked at the man sitting opposite Katarina. As soon as he met her eyes, he hurriedly pulled his hat down to cover his face—but Eleonore had already recognized him.
Viscount Bosodi.
He had also tormented her in her previous life.
Katarina sold the rare sapphires from Vianello’s mines—part of my dowry—to him, Eleonore recalled.
It was clearly embezzlement, but her previous self never confronted them. She had lived too indulgently to care about losing a few gems—and she had been far too mentally exhausted by Katarina and Simone’s bullying to fight back.
But I’ll make them pay for it this time.
Eleonore smiled.
“Mother, what are you doing here with that man? Even if the late Duke has passed away, to be meeting a strange man alone like this…”
“You wretched girl! What nonsense are you spouting?! The viscount and I are simply meeting for a small transaction!”
“So it’s a transaction? As your future daughter-in-law, could you teach me what sort of dealings the lady of a ducal house makes?”
As she spoke, Eleonore swiftly approached and checked the documents on the table.
“You really have lost your mind! Girls, grab her arms! She needs discipline!”
Katarina snatched the contract from Eleonore and tossed it to the viscount, then barked orders to the maids.
A large maid and a skinny maid appeared and grabbed Eleonore’s arms.
“You’re like a flea—no matter how you jump around, you won’t win. Trying to trick me, were you? It won’t work.”
Katarina pulled a small leather paddle from her clothes—her everyday punishment tool, used on troublesome servants… and mainly on Eleonore.
“Let’s see if you can still act crazy after a beating!”
Just then—
“…Ha… haha… hahaha!”
Eleonore suddenly burst out laughing, feeling chills run all over her body.
Yes… that little leather paddle. That’s what made me fear Katarina so much.
Laughing to the point of tears, she recalled her past life.
She had suffered severe abuse from her uncle growing up, so “getting hit” itself was terrifying.
Once, she had begged Walter for help, but it had been pointless.
Walter scolded Katarina, yes—but he didn’t separate them.
The punishment she received afterward from Katarina was even worse.
So Eleonore stopped speaking up. She endured silently because she knew that once someone grabbed her arms, she couldn’t escape the beating.
But it’s different now.
Eleonore abruptly stopped laughing and looked at Becky, who was also being restrained and shaking.
Eleonore took a deep breath.
Before the big maid could cover her mouth, she shouted toward Becky:
“Becky! How could you spill tea on me?!”
“…?”
Silence fell in the room.
Even Becky, crying and struggling to save her, looked confused.
The die is cast. If it doesn’t trigger now, I’m finished.
Eleonore bit her lip anxiously—
[NG!]
[You must not raise your voice at someone about an event they don’t remember from another run!]
There it is.
A familiar alert sounded, her vision went dark, and a wave of intense pain hit her.
“Haa… huff…”
Eleonore opened her eyes, staring at a now-familiar ceiling for the third time.
Her heart pounded wildly, her stomach churned, but she felt overwhelming relief and excitement.
Good. I can use this.
She jumped out of bed.
“M-My lady?”
“I must go to the head butler. Right now.”
Before Becky could understand, Eleonore grabbed the tray and set it on the table.
“Where is he? Tell me!”
“H-he should be in his office right now…”
“Good. Let’s go!”
Ignoring the whispers of the servants, Eleonore ran barefoot through the halls with Becky following her. Soon, they arrived at the head butler Hekit’s office.
Eleonore took a deep breath and knocked.
“Who is it—oh. My lady?”
A handsome man with tied silver hair and a monocle stepped out.
It was the head butler, Hekit.
“What brings you here?” he asked coldly.
Ah, right. He didn’t like me much either.
She remembered.
In Pertitz, this marriage was never welcomed. He believed his master was taking a loss.
So in her past life, though he wasn’t openly hostile, Hekit kept his distance—and Eleonore did the same.
But that didn’t matter now.
“I need to speak with you.”
