MLOMH 02

Chapter 2

There was no miracle that appeared when I called out the status window.

“So I prepared it myself.”

Name: Arellin Sigria Halbern.

Status: The only daughter of the Halbern Ducal House, one of the Five Great Ducal Houses of the Albrecht Empire.

The legitimate firstborn daughter of House Halbern, the heir.

And the successor.

That’s me.

“Wow, a diamond spoon!”

There was a time when I liked hearing that.

The moment I stood up, my body staggered. My head spun. My body was garbage again today.

“So this… is what it feels like to have your physical stats nerfed.”

Would it feel like this if you went from riding a top-class luxury sedan to driving a 50-year-old beat-up compact car?

“Why am I being tested like this?”

Was it because I was too exceptional that the world had to give me trials?

Apparently, being terminally ill didn’t just mean a countdown like [Time until death: 3,205 hours].

“What am I supposed to do with a trash body like this?”

In novels, even if the female lead is a baby, she gathers loyal retainers, starts businesses, receives divine blessings, and does it all. I can’t. I give up.

“Ah, maybe it’s because I’m not the protagonist.”

A character with no benefits and only penalties stacked up—I never wanted this either.

I was sure it wasn’t possession, but reincarnation, because my memories of living as Arellin the second time around were so vivid and detailed.

So was that a good thing?

Not really.

When I didn’t have those memories, I didn’t know. But now that they’ve returned and I’ve mentally matured a bit, I can see things I didn’t notice before.

“Ah… That person was…”

Those piercing stares that made me shrink every time I went outside.

Back then, I didn’t know what they meant.

“She’s the daughter the Duke of Halbern picked up from somewhere.”

“No one even knows who the mother is, right?”

“Even if she’s illegitimate, she was officially named heir, so she’ll inherit Halbern.”

“An illegitimate child as the next head of Halbern? The world’s ending.”

Now I get it.

“The Duke of Halbern suddenly brought back a baby from outside. No one knows if she’s his real daughter. The Duke immediately left for the northern front, leaving her with a guardian, and her backstory remained a mystery. Then Arellin died before even turning ten, and the truth was buried forever.”

After Arellin’s death, House Halbern falls into ruin.

The novel focused mostly on the main characters, so the future of Halbern was unclear.

Wow. Hopeless.

A new life isn’t easy.

“Sigh…”

I don’t know if I was physically exhausted or mentally worn out from the returning memories. I just wanted to give up and rest.

I should be activating survival mode, curing my illness, and stopping the downfall of my family, right? But I had zero motivation.

Whether I died or not.

Humans die anyway.

Maybe I’d been laying around too long.

“I heard you’ve been staying in your room, so I stopped by.”

He appeared. My guardian.

* * *

A sharply handsome man with fine, smooth beige hair and green eyes that looked golden under the sun.

“Mehen.”

But if you underestimated this man, you couldn’t survive in House Halbern.

In this mansion, he was a predator.

The Duke of Halbern’s agent.

The Duke’s chief aide.

Manager of the capital estate.

And—

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

My poor guardian.

Pressing his temples, Mehen spoke in a tired voice.

“If there’s anything troubling you, please let me know…”

What’s with the tone, like a civil servant worn down by complaints?

When I didn’t have my past life’s memories, his sharp and stiff demeanor scared me. It felt like he’d get mad at me any second.

But now I saw it—he was just a poor corporate drone in a black company.

‘Poor guy. He can’t even go home.’

Yeah, it’s not your fault. You just got stuck with a terrible boss.

Or in this case, a terrible lord.

Mehen Rebohgen.

He was picked up by the Duke when both were children and followed him into House Halbern. Despite being a commoner, he chewed through all limits with sheer talent.

Even now, as the Duke’s right-hand man, he had secured a name in the aristocratic council.

‘But he lost the right to go home.’

He even bought a townhouse and mansion under his name in the capital, but couldn’t live there because he never got off work. Poor guy.

And then I was dumped on him too.

I suddenly felt guilty.

Making a perfectly normal 25-year-old man do childcare? Honestly, this was my biological father’s fault.

I thought it was only natural if Mehen hated me.

“It’s been a while.”

“Pardon? Uh, yes.”

Mehen, replying out of habit, tilted his head when he finally looked at me.

Why the weird reaction?

Oh. Right. I used to be scared of him.

“Uh… I mean…”

Maybe he was surprised I greeted him, so Mehen cleared his throat awkwardly.

“There’s nothing wrong. You don’t need to worry.”

“I… see.”

“Yeah.”

I spoke before he could, stealing his thunder, and silence fell like death.

“……”

“……”

Mehen’s eyes narrowed.

As if he was trying to read something from me.

“But, my lady… I heard from the childcare team that you haven’t been going out lately.”

“I didn’t like going out anyway.”

“……”

Mehen’s expression twisted oddly.

“It strains my heart.”

“That… that’s true. Hmm. Yes.”

“I’ll behave and stay put.”

Mehen hummed. I thought I’d given him the answer he wanted, but the silence lingered strangely long.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“No. Not at all.”

A quick denial. But Mehen’s expression was still complicated.

“Well…”

He looked at me like he didn’t know what to say.

After a long pause—

“…Understood.”

That was his answer.

“Then, please rest.”

“Okay.”

Mehen left with a puzzled look.

I laid back down on the bed.

* * *

After leaving Arellin’s room, Mehen kept tilting his head.

Something felt off—he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was stuck in his mind like a thorn.

“Sigh…”

It had been three months since he’d seen her, with all the work he had to do.

Was that the problem?

‘No… something’s definitely different.’

Even someone as emotionally dull as Mehen couldn’t miss it.

“Sir Mehen?”

“Dylan.”

After a few rounds of internal debate, Mehen summoned the childcare team.

“Tell everyone to gather.”

* * *

It happened six years ago.

One day, without warning, the Duke of Halbern reappeared after being gone for weeks—holding a baby.

“Whose child is this?”

The Duke handed over the newborn with no explanation.

“She’s my daughter. Raise her well.”

“Pardon?”

Then he went straight to the Imperial Palace—and then immediately to the northern front lines.

At just 19, though a renowned genius, Mehen knew nothing about childcare. It was like being struck by lightning on a clear day.

“What do you want me to do, you crazy lord?”

He sent a polite letter full of polite frustration, and the reply was simply, “Her name is Arellin. Raise her well.”

Mehen snapped and sent back a letter full of curses. The reply?

“I believe in you.”

How shameless.

Suppressing the urge to commit insubordination, Mehen faced his harsh new reality.

He was overwhelmed.

Even if he was called a genius, it was only in business and management.

His final decision: Leave it to the experts. He misappropriated the lord’s funds and gathered the best.

Graduates from the renowned Ernst International Butler and Maid Academy. Experts with perfect theoretical knowledge.

Thus formed the Arellin Exclusive Care Team.

A.k.a., the childcare team.

They were professionals. In theory.

“As expected.”

“She seems off, right?”

“She seems oddly lifeless. Her usual bright eyes are dull,” said Lena, the head maid, looking worried.

“She won’t come out of her room,” someone added.

“But she still eats well,” said Ern, the head butler.

“She doesn’t smile as much anymore. She used to laugh a lot when we made jokes…”

“Did something happen?”

“If something did, we’d know, wouldn’t we?”

Tap. Tap.

As the team exchanged thoughts, Mehen sat at the head table, silently tapping the desk.

“Her health?”

Mehen’s question was quickly answered by Yuni, the maid in charge of health.

“We moved up her check-up by a few days.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“No major issues. Her body’s always been weak, so no new abnormalities were found.”

Everyone grew quiet.

Even with all of Halbern’s wealth, curing Arellin’s body felt like an impossible dream.

“She’s never holed herself up like this before.”

“She always wanted to go outside…”

“She should be running and playing at her age. We used to struggle to hold her back.”

Now it was the opposite.

“If we want to see her, she has to come out of the room…”

“Is there a reason for her to do that…?”

Just as everyone fell into serious thought—

“Oh! Come to think of it, tomorrow is that day!”

A solution appeared.

* * *

Today was that day.

The day to meet the male lead.

“…Well, technically, it’s a gathering of the Crown Prince and the Empire’s elite children for friendship.”

But for me right now, it was the day I got to see the male lead.

“Welcome, Lady Halbern. Thank you for coming. Your friends are waiting. I’ll guide you.”

“Have fun, my lady.”

With Ern the butler’s bright send-off, I entered the Crown Prince’s palace.

This world ran on highly advanced magical engineering.

It was like Earth’s late modern period transitioning into a true modern era.

So the capital, where all capital and technology gathered, was dazzling beyond belief.

The Imperial Palace was the pinnacle of that splendor.

“Feels like I’m on a vacation to a neighboring country.”

All that money, huh?

I was in awe at the fantastical, artistic, and highly sophisticated architecture.

My eyes were having a feast.

“In a world like this, maybe starting a business wouldn’t have been so bad…”

Not that it mattered—I wouldn’t live long anyway.

Even as I thought this, I was already out of breath from a short walk.

…My body really is garbage.

Just walking a bit and this happens?

“My lady?”

“I’m fine.”

Whether in my past life or this one, I was familiar with pain.

“Here we are.”

The reception room was already full of children.

When the palace maid opened the door and I entered, they glanced at me for a second and then ignored me.

Hmm. Familiar.

You’re probably supposed to feel insulted or humiliated by this kind of social exclusion, but I actually felt more comfortable.

I like being alone.

I didn’t have to force a smile and socialize with six-year-olds.

I slumped into a corner seat and scanned the room.

“So these are Albrecht’s future elites.”

Personally selected by Empress Azeny as the Crown Prince’s childhood friends.

Over there were the notorious twin troublemakers of another great house.

A marquess’s son who would later become the prince’s personal knight.

It felt like watching celebrities.

Seeing all these famous novel characters in person?

“So, that kid becomes the legendary playboy who breaks girls’ hearts, and that one turns into the mad sword master, right?”

Knowing someone’s future was kind of thrilling.

Even if I wasn’t part of that future.

“Too bad I won’t get to witness the love triangle that shook the Empire.”

While lazily resting my chin on my hand, the door suddenly grew noisy.

“Pession!”

“Your Highness!”

He’s here.

All the kids rushed to the door, eyes sparkling.

“Hello, everyone!”

With a commotion, today’s star made his grand entrance.

“Oh…”

I gasped without thinking.

Was that really a seven-year-old’s face?