Episode 8
The people who needed to love me were obvious.
The butler? The head maid? The servants?
No.
Only the Duke Aubrey and the Duchess.
“Wh-What are you saying…?”
“My father is the one who brought me here. Are you doubting my father?”
I cupped my cheek with one hand and tilted my head sweetly.
“I’m a genius, you know. I can go tell Father exactly what you just said.”
With my eyes curved like a crescent, looking all innocent, the three servants finally turned pale.
“S-So that really was your true nature…! If he sees you like this, the Duke will definitely be horrified!”
“And?”
“H-He… he might even kick you out!”
“Really? My mother treasures me so much—Father would throw me, his real daughter, out? And believe you instead?”
“You might not be his real—”
“Oh? You want to question Father’s judgment?”
“N-No! We’re just… worried about the Duke!”
“Great. I’ll go ask Father myself. Let’s see whether he kicks me out or you three out. Sounds fun, right?”
I walked past them casually, and they panicked and jumped in front of me.
“What’s this?”
“P-Please don’t!”
“What don’t I do?”
I blinked innocently.
“W-We were wrong. We were out of line. Please don’t tell the master…”
“Hmm? And with what compensation?”
Their faces went completely white.
“W-What should we do…?”
They were clearly too proud to admit fault to a child, but they asked anyway.
“When you apologize to someone, you know the proper way.
Am I supposed to be looking up at you forever?”
At that, the servants blushed in humiliation and slowly knelt before me.
“We’re sorry…”
“We’re truly sorry…”
“We were wrong…”
I blinked once.
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you. Guess I’ll just go tell Father—”
My murmuring sent them into panic.
“WE’RE SORRY!!”
All three shouted together.
I smiled sweetly and nodded.
“Good. Apology accepted. Now I’ll go tell Father nicely.”
“W-Wait! You said if we apologized, you wouldn’t—!”
“When did I say that?”
Still smiling innocently, I tilted my head.
“I didn’t say anything like that.”
“A-Ah…”
Their expressions twisted like they’d been hit on the back of the head.
“I just taught you the proper way to apologize.
Well, I might not tell Father for now.
It depends on how you treat me from now on.”
“W-What does that mean…?”
“I don’t like looking up at rude people.”
I grabbed the shoulder of the maid in the middle. My grip was weak, but it was threatening enough.
“From now on, whenever you see me—kneel.”
“W-What…?”
“The answer? Oh, you don’t have to answer.
But Father seems pretty scary, doesn’t he?”
I turned to leave, and the three servants immediately cried out.
“W-We will do it! Just please don’t tell the Duke…”
Hearing the answer, I simply smiled and walked away.
I wasn’t going to tattle.
I didn’t want the Duke to think I was annoying.
But they’ll behave for a while.
They’ll be terrified of being fired.
Getting kicked out of a noble house ruins your reputation permanently.
Word spreads instantly among butlers and head servants.
Reemployment becomes almost impossible.
I headed straight to the kitchen and peeked inside.
“Hello!”
All the chefs turned to look at me.
They were big, muscular people—typical of kitchen staff.
“Can I borrow the kitchen for a bit?”
They exchanged looks.
The biggest one stood up and approached me.
“I don’t know who you are, but no. It’s dangerous here. If you’re a trainee maid, you should go ba—”
“Young Lady, what brings you to the kitchen?”
Another voice cut in. I turned and saw a slim man holding a bunch of ingredients.
Brown hair, dark-brown eyes, and a tiny tear-mole under his eye.
As soon as he appeared, all the chefs jumped up.
“Deputy Chief!”
He looked young compared to the others, with round glasses and a clean white uniform.
“Y-Young Lady…?”
The chef who tried to kick me out muttered in shock.
“She’s the Young Lady who arrived yesterday. Don’t be rude.”
Despite looking soft and gentle, the deputy chief held serious authority—everyone obeyed him instantly.
“Can I borrow the kitchen?” I asked again.
“You may speak comfortably, Young Lady. We serve you.”
He smiled sweetly.
I returned the smile.
“Mm! Then can I use the kitchen?”
“No.”
He rejected me with the same gentle smile.
“Why not?”
“It’s dangerous. This isn’t a place to play.
If you want something to eat, we’ll make it for you.”
They were treating me like a baby.
But that wasn’t the point.
To gain the Duke’s favor, I needed something else—effort.
He doesn’t reject people who work hard.
I needed him for money later.
For the combination-magic-stones business.
And besides… for some reason, I felt like I needed to earn his favor now.
Like a storm was coming.
“…Alright. Time for my secret weapon.”
I raised my chin.
“Instead, I’ll teach you a new cooking technique.”
“Excuse me?”
“A method that removes all smell from meat.”
That got their attention.
“It’s simple,” a chef said. “Use quality meat and good seasoning—”
“And what if I told you I can make even cheap 100percent meat smell amazing—and taste incredibly rich?”
Flinch.
The deputy chief’s eyes widened.
He tried to hide it out of politeness, but I saw the spark.
“…May I ask what you intend to make?”
“I want to cook something for Father.”
The Duke didn’t need to love me.
But his trust and goodwill? Very useful.
Money for revenge doesn’t fall from the sky.
“Bring me the ingredients I listed,” I said brightly.
“I’ll show you. Cheap meat is fine!”
The deputy chief wrote everything down seriously and snapped his fingers.
The kitchen moved instantly.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
The Duke didn’t look up from his documents.
But the butler’s eyes widened at the sight of the little girl entering with a large covered tray in her arms.
“Master, may I suggest taking a short snack break?”
The butler nudged the Duke gently.
“Pedro, it’s not time for—… you…”
The Duke finally looked up and froze.
I beamed and held out the tray.
“Father, have a snack!”
“…A snack?”
He frowned, crossed his arms, and scoffed arrogantly.
So she came to tattle, huh.
Remembering what the servants had told him earlier,
Shacol Aubrey’s eyes narrowed sharply.
