Chapter 5

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

Startled, I sprang upright—but for some reason, my side felt warm.

Ah, right.

I had been patting Rus to sleep last night, and after running around all day, I ended up falling asleep just like that.

“Rus, why did you sleep like that over there? Without even using a pillow?”

“Mmm… I just fell asleep like that…”

“Oh, honestly.”

I gently squished Rus’s cheek, which still had marks from the blanket.

It felt warm and soft—nice to the touch.

Rus didn’t resist and simply accepted my touch.

“Oh right. Where’s Bella? She must’ve come to wake me this morning. Ugh, how long did I sleep? I totally overslept.”

“She came, but I sent her away. You slept late yesterday, so I told her to let you sleep more, noona.”

As I stretched, my body felt stiff.

It had been a while since I moved around so much, and every muscle in my body protested in pain.

When I got out of bed, Rus followed me.

We found Bella cleaning my room.

After eating the meal she prepared, I sat in front of the vanity.

Today, no matter what, I would deal with Prug.

I already had the male lead’s permission, so there was nothing holding me back now.

While brushing my hair, Bella spoke as she stared into the mirror with unusual intensity.

“Milady, how is your hair so soft? Did you know? Everyone’s fighting over who gets to serve you.”

“Serve me? Why?”

“Why? Because you’re so adorable! When you walk around holding hands with the young duke, everyone secretly holds back tears from how cute you both are. I’m so proud that I’m the only one this close to you!”

“Really?”

“Yes! So… you won’t replace me with another maid, right?”

“If you make me look pretty today, I’ll consider it.”

“But you look beautiful no matter what, milady. What should I do… hmm.”

Bella looked genuinely troubled.

Then, while I was distracted thinking about how to deal with Prug, she tied my hair into two pigtails.

It felt extremely awkward—I hadn’t worn my hair like this in decades, including my past life.

“Doesn’t it look weird?”

I asked, fiddling with the ends of my hair. Bella shook her head firmly.

“Not at all! You look so adorable! If you go out like this, people might faint from how cute you are!”

“Really…? Rus, what do you think?”

I asked Rus, who had been waiting beside me.

He cupped his cheeks with both hands and said,

“You’re really pretty.”

This kid already knows how to make people happy.

Listening to both of them, it actually didn’t seem bad.

Right—I’m still young, and this body is pretty.

If not now, when would I ever wear my hair like this?

Alright. Today, it’s pigtails.

Smiling in satisfaction, I headed to the office with Rus.

Prug was there as usual, sitting arrogantly in a chair, watching us enter.

“What brings you here, Your Grace?”

“What do you mean? From now on, I’ll be in charge of managing the estate.”

And I’m here to make you spit out the money you embezzled.

Prug chuckled as if he thought I was just a childish brat.

“Managing an estate is very complicated. A child like you cannot handle it, milady.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“But milady, you’ve only just married into the family. You’d also need the duke’s permission.”

“Rus, can I manage the estate?”

I asked, looking at Rus, who was tightly holding my hand.

“Yeah! If you want to, you should!”

“You heard him. The duke said I can do it if I want.”

“But Your Grace, milady is still an outsider—”

Rus cut him off.

“Prug. She’s not an outsider. Are you defying the duke’s command right now?”

So sharp and decisive.

As expected of my kid.

“Your Grace, I’m only concerned for our family. You know how difficult managing the estate is. The only reason things are running at all is thanks to me. I don’t mind handing it over to milady. But what happens if everything collapses afterward?”

Prug played the part of a loyal retainer quite well.

I stepped forward and asked,

“So what you’re saying is that I don’t have the ability.”

“Yes.”

“Then I just need to prove that I do, right? How should I prove it?”

I pretended to think for a moment, then said,

“How about I earn one million marks within a week?”

One million marks was an enormous sum—something an average commoner would need an entire year to earn.

“One million marks?”

A smirk spread across Prug’s face.

It was obvious he thought I was bluffing like a child.

“Very well. Let’s do that.”

Prug accepted readily.

Go ahead and laugh now.

In a week, you won’t even be able to smile—you’ll be begging for your life.

How dare you covet my kid’s money?

“Milady! Tomorrow is already the last day of the week you promised!”

I stopped reading to Rus and looked at Bella.

Rus, who had been glued to my side, followed my gaze.

“Yeah. I know.”

During the entire week I had promised Prug, I had done absolutely nothing.

I just read to Rus, explored the castle, and greeted the servants as usual.

Seeing my calm reaction, Bella grew even more frustrated.

“Milady! After selling the jewel, we only have fifty thousand marks left! At this rate, you’ll lose!”

She shouted, almost in tears.

“Then that Prug guy will bully you terribly! Should I go out and try to earn at least something? Everyone knows one million marks is impossible, but we can’t go in with nothing!”

“Thank you, Bella. But it’s really okay.”

“But milady!”

“Oh my, look at the time! Rus! It’s time for our walk!”

If I stayed any longer, I felt like I might accidentally reveal my entire plan, so I quickly left with Rus.

“Whew. Bella worries too much, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

I exchanged a mischievous smile with Rus, who knew my entire plan.

Then he reached out and held my hand.

“Hm? Rus, why?”

“Even if something goes wrong, don’t worry too much, noona. I’ll just kick him out.”

I chuckled and lightly flicked the bridge of his nose.

“You’re the one who doesn’t need to worry about me.”

“But still…”

Even so, his sincere support was comforting.

“Anyway, let’s focus on our walk. Where should we go today? We went east last time, so maybe west today?”

We walked hand in hand around the castle grounds.

Eventually, we arrived at a large hall.

It must have once been filled with luxurious items, but now it was empty and felt hollow.

“Milady! Your Grace!”

A maid cleaning the area greeted us happily.

“Hello.”

“What brings you here? I heard! You made a bet with Mr. Prug!”

She asked excitedly.

“Where did you hear that?”

“From Mr. Prug!”

He must have spread it to humiliate me.

Though, it actually worked in my favor.

“I’m totally on your side, milady! Good luck!”

“Thank you.”

I looked at the massive family crest hanging in the center of the hall.

It was so large that you had to tilt your head all the way back to see it.

The sword symbol running across it was both noble and beautifully intricate.

“It symbolizes how the family’s founder helped the first emperor defeat the Demon King who was throwing the world into chaos.”

Rus explained, noticing my interest.

“The Demon King?”

“Yeah. About a thousand years ago. He was incredibly powerful and almost destroyed the world. The first emperor and the Duke of Valfruga defeated him.”

“I see.”

I nodded and, as if entranced, reached out to touch the crest.

“Ouch!”

“Ah! Milady! Are you okay? You’re bleeding!”

My skin scraped against the rough surface, and blood seeped out.

“I’m fine. More importantly, what if blood got on it?”

Found it.

“Now is not the time to worry about that—!”

Rus grabbed my hand and shouted.

Huh… something feels strange.

Why does Rus sound so far away?

My vision began to blur.

Come here.

Someone was calling me.

Come here. Quickly.

Rus’s voice grew distant, while the strange voice became clearer.

Low, grand, and powerful.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I could hear my heartbeat.

I’ve been waiting.

With those words, I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was inside a dark cave.

“Where… is this?”

The cave was tall enough to fit a small mountain, but the front was completely blocked by a massive wall of ice.

I tried to touch it, but even before getting close, the cold was overwhelming, so I quickly pulled my hand back.

If I touched it, I’d definitely get frostbite.

Where am I?

Is this a place prepared for the male lead?

Then should I bring Rus here?

How would I even do that?

This wasn’t in the original story.

How do I get out of here?

Wait a second.

This isn’t stone!

It was so massive I thought it was rock, but looking closer, I could see faint reptilian scales.

It was a curled-up dragon.

As I slowly moved closer, I saw its head—eyes closed.

It was just so enormous that I had mistaken it for a wall.

Its body was white and translucent like ice, yet carried a deep, ocean-like darkness within.

What is going on? What should I do? Do I have to pass by it to get out? If I do, I might touch it…

It looked asleep, but if I disturbed it, I might become its meal.

At that moment, the voice I heard earlier spoke again.

“Touching it would be dangerous.”