Chapter 20
“Ah, m-miss….”
“Mmm.”
“You need to wake up. If you don’t start getting ready now, you’ll be late.”
At the word late, my eyes flew open. I thought evening had simply arrived, but it was already far too late. It felt like I’d only closed my eyes for a moment—yet a lot of time must have passed.
“Aah! What time is it now?”
“The party starts in thirty minutes.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?!”
At that, all the maids’ faces stiffened at once.
I could practically hear the unspoken words—We were afraid you’d snap at us if we did. They didn’t need to say it out loud; I could feel it.
“Well, that is—”
“Never mind. Let’s just get ready. Quickly.”
I didn’t want to hear excuses, and there was no time for them anyway.
So in the end, was everything going to turn out the same as before?
This was what I feared most—things repeating exactly as they had in the past.
“Yes, yes!”
At least she hadn’t forgotten my words about entrusting my hair to Melinji. The moment I said to get ready, Melinji hurried over and sat me down in front of the vanity.
“I’ll dress you after I finish your hair.”
“Okay! But be quick.”
It felt as though past time and present time were being forcibly stitched together like this.
“Should I do twin braids to make you look cute? Or should I brush out your curls nicely and add an accessory? Or maybe—”
“Mm. I’ll just leave it down.”
“Oh. Then what kind of accessory would you like? A ribbon would be nice too.”
As if someone were deliberately stretching time to make everything the same as before, things kept getting delayed.
When Melinji made a decision, the other maids objected. When I made one, they all rushed to suggest something “better.”
The thought that God might be deliberately leading me down the same path as the past made my irritation explode.
“Ah, seriously. I was trying to live nicely!”
Watching them hold various things up to my hair while deliberating, I suddenly stood up. I grabbed a jeweled hairpin from the table.
“This one. No more arguing.”
“But, miss—”
“What?”
When I snapped sharply, the maids flinched and stepped back.
“N-no, nothing.”
Having sworn not to recreate the same time and the same events as before, I shoved the pin into my hair and headed straight for the dressing room.
I had to get there as quickly as possible.
I ran toward the party hall, vowing that I would never be late like last time.
“Miss! Let’s go together!”
I heard them calling after me, but I ignored their voices and kept heading for the hall.
All the way there, the maids shouted for me to slow down and walk together, but my steps only grew faster, afraid I might be late.
Thanks to the commotion, I managed to arrive on time. The maid who had been guiding me ahead opened the doors to the party hall, looking exhausted.
The party hall I’d seen once before, in the past, spread out before my eyes.
It’s exactly the same as before.
From the decorations to every last detail—nothing had changed.
Though I was the daughter of a marquis, the party hall was smaller than expected. Back then, I’d been happy just that they were holding a party for me, too excited to even grasp what was really happening. Now, I could see it clearly.
A party held not in the marquis family’s main residence, but in the western estate.
And even there, a hall that was awkwardly small to even be called a banquet hall. A space small enough to see everything at a glance—one that clearly hinted at how poorly I was treated in this household.
Outwardly, I was a beloved granddaughter who merited a birthday party. But the people attending must have sensed it unconsciously.
Well. It doesn’t matter anymore.
Back then, I was too ignorant for it to matter.
Now, even being treated like this didn’t matter.
I walked in boldly.
A five-tier cake, lavish decorations, faint music drifting through the air, and adults who didn’t seem particularly interested in me.
I couldn’t tell whether this was my birthday party or just a social gathering.
Looking at it now, it really was a ridiculous party.
And yet, back then, I’d been foolish enough to think this atmosphere was wonderful, getting all excited over it.
In the past, I’d been thrilled by my first birthday party among the nobility. I’d rushed to greet strangers first, eagerly opening gifts without even knowing who’d given them.
I’d even acted cute toward my grandmother, who had come only out of obligation because it was my birthday.
“Miss, where are you going? Aren’t you going to open your presents over there?”
Because I knew exactly how things would unfold, my destination was already decided.
Past the gifts piled high as if they reached the sky.
Past the people gathered in small groups.
Ignoring the dazzling cake and snacks, I sat down on a chair in the corner.
My unexpected behavior left the maids visibly startled as they trailed after me.
“Miss?”
“What?”
“Well… it’s your birthday party, so you’re just going to sit here? You should be opening presents and—”
“Can’t I do what I want?”
At my firm words, the maids looked completely at a loss.
“If that’s what you want, miss, then of course. This is your birthday party. If you don’t want to do anything, then we should just stay still.”
“Melinji. You really think you’re something, don’t you?”
“Yeah. Like no one knows.”
Melinji tried to take my side, but instead it only provoked resentment from the other maids.
Why were you stepping in?
Their uncomfortable expressions toward Melinji were tinged with jealousy.
With no nanny present, all of my maids were of equal rank—ordinary maids. There were no close attendants, no chief maids.
That made the tension among them especially sharp. Those sent to me under my grandmother’s orders were careful to keep a certain line, hoping to catch my eye.
Not that I wanted their attention.
They wanted my grandmother’s favor.
They wanted even the smallest story about me to report back to her.
That was why they were trying so hard to grow close to me.
And that was likely why they felt uncomfortable with Melinji, who had recently grown closer to me.
“Why are you all acting like this all of a sudden? She’s not wrong.”
Kind but slightly lacking in tact, Melinji didn’t back down at all.
“No one said she was wrong. What we’re saying is that this isn’t the situation for you to act like you’re something special.”
“Yeah!”
“Do you think we’re idiots or something?!”
Watching the maids argue while I sat there, I let out a deep sigh.
“Seriously… does no one know who the main character of this party is?”
“Ah…”
“Are you fighting right in front of me?”
“Well, that is—”
“Do you all not see me? Am I too small or something?”
There was no way kind words were going to come out. I understood wanting to catch my grandmother’s eye—but this was going too far.
“N-no, it’s not like that.”
“If it’s not, then what do you call this? Ignoring me right in front of me? Or acting like I don’t exist?”
“I-it’s a misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding, my foot. You’re clearly ignoring me.”
That was when their faces turned pale. Sensing the tension, the guests who had been standing at a distance all turned their gazes toward us at once.
“N-no, really, it’s just—”
“That’s enough. I have no intention of making a scene. So all of you, be quiet.”
The final goal of today’s birthday party was simple: to end it quietly.
To not see anything ugly at this party I had no expectations for—to just get through it peacefully, without incident.
I’d silenced the maids for that very reason, but as if this was their cue, a few familiar faces approached me.
“So what’s this about?”
Caleb, the son of my eldest uncle Behel, and Rett and Kal, the sons of my second uncle Apel.
As if they were a matched set, they approached me one after another.
“What about it?”
“I thought you’d be causing a fuss, happily tearing open presents. What are you doing?”
“Is this your new concept?”
“Did you come here just to pick a fight?”
Each of them took turns provoking me, but none of it landed. Instead, when I pushed back sharply, the two of them flinched slightly.
“Looks like she thinks she’ll get more attention this way.”
“Oh. So that’s it. As expected of big brother Caleb—so smart.”
“Yeah, yeah. That must be it. Trying to get even a little more attention.”
No, you foolish mortals.
That’s not it at all.
