IWPU 02

Chapter 2

“What? The nanny? Did the nanny send you here?”

“Sp… spare me… please?”

I clicked my tongue as I watched Marie sobbing grotesquely, snot and all.

‘I haven’t even done anything yet, and she already looks like that. If I had shown my usual nasty temper, she would’ve fainted on the spot.’

Despite her pitiful appearance, I didn’t feel particularly angry. I was just curious as to why she had come here to serve me.

‘Consider yourself lucky. You survived by just a day’s difference.’

“I asked if the nanny sent you.”

“Y-yes… hic!”

Marie hiccupped now, on top of crying. I clicked my tongue again. Her excessive reaction clearly showed how awful my personality had been up to now.

Not that I was planning to become any more generous, but continuing to behave as I had wouldn’t do, either. If things kept going this way, pain and despair were surely waiting for me down the line.

“Why did the nanny send you?”

“Hic… I… I don’t really… hic…”

Marie tried to cover her mouth to stop the hiccups. Her red face and desperate struggle were quite pitiful.

Anyone who’s experienced it knows — the pain of a lingering hiccup!

The longer it goes on, the worse the aching in your belly becomes. I waved my hand.

“Get out.”

“Hic… huh?”

“Don’t just stand there hiccuping. Go out and take care of yourself.”

“Hic… but…”

“You’re going to serve me in that state?”

Marie, who had sunk to the floor covering her mouth, lowered her head. Her ears, visible through her hair, were flushed red. She probably thought I was refusing her service because she was a mere chores maid.

Frankly, I didn’t care whether it was a maid or a lady-in-waiting serving me — but I just didn’t want Marie attending me. It wasn’t because she usually did menial tasks, but because she clearly had no experience with personal care.

She was obviously clumsy. I had no desire to endure such awkward service.

“Go drink some water and calm those hiccups. You’ll choke at this rate.”

Marie lifted her head and looked at me, eyes teary and glistening like a puppy’s. I gave her one more bit of kindness.

“If you bend over and drink water from the opposite side of the cup, your hiccups will stop.”

“….”

Judging by her face, she didn’t understand what I meant. That’s as far as my kindness goes.

“Go out and call another maid. Quickly!”

When I raised my voice, Marie finally jumped to her feet and hurried out the room. She didn’t even bother to bow. I watched her disappear.

“Is she a little slow in the head?”

Marie should be thanking the heavens that she met today’s me, not the yesterday version.

Not long after, two maids entered my room — probably because Marie at least completed her errand properly. Unlike her frantic self, these maids were composed and polite. I recognized them; they had served me before. Aside from the nanny, my attendants weren’t fixed. She would select a few from among the maids whenever I needed someone.

I’d always thought of maids like furniture — never questioned the rotation. But thinking about it now, it was a bit odd.

‘Isn’t it normal to have one or two regular maids? Or… maybe not?’

I wasn’t very attentive to my surroundings, so I had no clue how others did things. Not that I cared to find out now.

Without my saying anything, the maids helped me dress and fixed my hair, getting me ready.

If I’d let Marie handle that, I would’ve had to instruct her through every little step or just do it myself. The thought alone was exhausting.

The nanny, who knew Bionne’s personality better than anyone, would never have sent a chores maid to me in her right mind. Which meant something serious had happened — enough to panic her into not realizing Marie’s inexperience.

“Where’s the nanny?”

“She’s in the Madame’s quarters.”

The maid answered smoothly, as if she’d been waiting for the question. A complete contrast to Marie. She even watched my expression, knowing her answer might displease me.

The “Madame” referred only to one person in this household — the Marchioness.

My nanny had been the Marchioness’s wet nurse. Her mother had been the wet nurse of the previous generation, so the two women were practically sisters. Even while raising me, the nanny never neglected the Marchioness. She frequently dropped by her chambers.

Bionne didn’t like that. She thought of the nanny as hers. So the fact that the nanny cared about someone else irritated her deeply.

Whenever the nanny went to the Marchioness’s chambers, Bionne would take it out on the maids.

Knowing how awful Bionne could be, the nanny usually acted discreetly. Days like today, where she blatantly went to the Marchioness, were rare. If she was willing to leave me unattended like this, there could be only one reason.

When I stood up, the maids flinched. Though well-trained and expressionless, they couldn’t hide the anxiety in their eyes.

They were probably picturing me throwing a tantrum. Considering my past, there was a good chance they’d leave today with hair missing from their heads. I wasn’t just ill-tempered — I was violent, too.

I was still the Bionne they knew, but also someone different now. If I felt displeased, I wouldn’t hesitate to lash out and grab their hair.

But what they didn’t know was — I wasn’t actually displeased.

It was true the nanny was someone special to Bionne. Unlike the indifferent Marquess and Marchioness, she had actually raised her.

One could say she was the only one in this household who cared for Bionne. Naturally, Bionne grew attached to her. The nanny spoiled her and gave her everything she wanted. She even molded Bionne’s self-centered, imperious nature.

Still, the nanny’s priority was always the Marchioness. Bionne never accepted that. Every time the nanny showed it, she’d fly into a rage and lash out.

That’s why I wasn’t angry now. The current me… didn’t feel any deep attachment to the nanny anymore. Her actions no longer stirred my emotions. Even her clear preference for the Marchioness didn’t upset me the way it used to.

Maybe it was because I knew the future, or because I had Lee Jia’s memories. I didn’t know the reason. All I knew was — my emotions were far more subdued than expected.

“Young Lady?”

When I didn’t say anything, the maids looked puzzled. I had no intention of clearing up their confusion, so I ignored them and left the room. Startled, they hurried after me.

“M-Miss, where are you going?”

I didn’t want to deal with them, so I just waved my hand without looking back — a signal to go mind their own business.

But they kept following me. I didn’t really mind, so I continued walking toward my destination.

“Ah—ahh!”

CRASH!

“Madam!”

Screams and the sound of something breaking rang out loudly through the corridor. Even without seeing it, I could tell what had made the nanny abandon me to rush to the Marchioness.

The maids standing near the Marchioness’s room turned pale when they saw me. I understood how they felt, but their blatant expressions annoyed me.

As I’ve said before, I don’t have a pleasant personality. I’ve never had any noble, storybook thoughts like, “I know the tragic future, so I must be kind and change it!” That was never my mindset, nor did it suit me.

Besides, I doubted kindness would change anything anyway.

‘As long as I don’t get an ulcer from bottling it all up, I’ll consider myself lucky.’

Wasting your life on something with no clear reward is foolish. And honestly, dying again didn’t scare me much.

I just thought — if I could, I’d like to live an ordinary life like Lee Jia’s. That wouldn’t be so bad.

“Open the door.”

Despite my order, the maids hesitated and only glanced at each other nervously.

I understood their dilemma. Regardless of my command, they couldn’t just open the Marchioness’s door at will. But understanding and forgiving their disobedience were two very different things.

‘Should I just punish them all? Ugh, what a hassle.’

I shook the thought away. I wanted to get inside quickly, and punishing them would take time and effort.

“Tch.”

I shoved the maids aside and opened the door myself. They hadn’t expected me to act personally, and cried out in alarm. Even if they had, they wouldn’t have dared to stop me.

Honestly, I didn’t understand my own actions either. I had no fondness for the Marchioness, and no business with the nanny. Bionne had visited this room maybe five times in her whole life.

And yet, right now, I wanted to see the Marchioness.

Even while claiming to hate them, Bionne had always craved her parents’ affection. Perhaps my sudden visit was because I still harbored some of that longing.

BANG!

The door burst open with a loud noise, and three pairs of eyes in the room immediately turned toward me.