Chapter 03
I think I was five years old at the time.
That was when my forgotten memories of my past life suddenly, faintly, started to seep into my mind.
When I realized this was a world inside a novel, I kicked my short legs wildly and cried.
Until my mother lightly patted my butt and told me to be quiet.
“Keep doing that and the old lady next door will come and scold you for being noisy.”
“She won’t come!”
“Why are you talking like that?”
“She definitely won’t come!”
“Why is my ugly one acting like this today?”
I stared for a long time into my mother Mago Peril’s eyes.
My mother, the most beautiful person in the world. A little mischievous, but still the mother I loved most.
“Mom, you won’t abandon Bella, right?”
“…I told you to call yourself Anna.”
“Yes, Anna. You won’t abandon Anna, right?”
When I urged her again, my mother hugged me tightly without answering.
In that warm, comforting embrace, I think I realized it.
There was no miracle that would make my mother change her mind.
But that didn’t mean I hated her for sending me here.
I don’t really remember much from when I was “Jeong Green,” my past life.
Not even exactly how old I was or how I died.
All I remember is that I lived with a father who didn’t care about me, a stepmother, and a half-sibling.
I was always alone, always lonely.
The sight of my father—my only family—suddenly changing after remarrying and only taking the stepfamily’s side was a huge shock to my young self.
No matter how much I said I was innocent, he never believed me.
At least my mother here—no matter how immature or poor she was—never abandoned me completely.
Well… she was actually too bothersome, that was the problem.
“Ugly one. What are you doing now?”
I wondered if I might have magic, since I was the daughter of the Second Prince Xabier, who inherited dragon power. And my mother was from a shaman family of the Kingdom of Lienna!
Magic users in noble society earned good money, so I thought maybe I should learn magic theory.
I had borrowed a book on magic theory from the bookstore and was reading it.
My mother, curious, poked my side.
“Mom. Can’t you see I’m studying?”
“I can see. What kind of studying is a tiny kid doing?”
I sighed and closed the book. My mother looked at it with a strange expression, probably wondering what I was up to.
“Kids should just go outside and play without thinking.”
“Am I doing this just for me? I need to make money so you can live well too!”
After all, being a mage is a paid job!
I tapped the book and spoke firmly. My mother laughed brightly, like sunlight pouring over my head.
“You’re so cute, my ugly one!”
How can “cute” and “ugly one” be in the same sentence?
I tried to glare at her for calling me ugly, but seeing her bright smile made all my anger melt away like snow in sunlight.
“…So don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make so much money you’ll get sick of it.”
“Really? Or should we just live happily together, just you and me?”
If I gave her enough reassurance like this, maybe she would just live quietly with me instead of doing revenge or anything like that.
Even though I only had faint memories of my past life, I was still just an ordinary child.
But I knew the future because I had read the original story.
Wouldn’t that be enough for just the two of us to live peacefully?
Sometimes my mother would hug me tightly with an exhausted expression. I thought I was slowly melting her heart.
Because I was her little trickster.
I practiced little dances and cute gestures until my mother came home from work.
Because I liked seeing her smile.
Sometimes she would look surprised and say, “Where did this even come from?”
Well, I came from her belly.
Still, she often said things like, “I can survive because of you.”
So I thought maybe she would forget revenge and just live normally.
But that was only my naive hope.
In the end, she sent me to the palace—to support the leader of the secret organization.
‘That’s all in the past.’
I fiddled with the pocket watch in my hand.
It was the watch my mother gave me the day we parted in front of the palace gates.
It was small enough for my tiny hands, but its meaning was enormous.
“Because it’s the last thing Mom gave me.”
But unlike my mother and Maria, who had taken care of me, I had no intention of helping the reconstruction of the Kingdom of Lienna.
I didn’t want to get involved in dangerous things.
Right now, hanging the curtains on the clothesline was more urgent.
I brought a ladder and struggled to hang them up.
“Ugh, damn it…”
Just as I was about to curse, someone suddenly lifted the curtain and hung it up easily.
“Kid, are you working?”
It was Lewell, a trainee knight of the Imperial Knights.
Even without my answer, he just smiled and casually helped by taking curtains from my basket and hanging them neatly on the line.
If someone saw this, I might get scolded…
But I’ll think about that later.
Susan had given me this task because she thought I couldn’t handle it.
But I did it anyway, so I had no reason to be scolded. I should actually be praised!
“You were trying to do all this alone?”
Was it that surprising for someone doing chores to do chores?
Even though I knew he meant it kindly, I still felt a bit annoyed.
Though still a squire, Lewell had joined the knights at the youngest age of thirteen. He was kind to everyone, but especially attentive to me.
Ah… I think I understand why Susan dislikes me.
Maybe it’s because Lewell is kind to me.
He’s basically like an idol here.
“Thank you.”
“Who told you to do this?”
“Susan.”
I immediately snitched. Not because I wanted him to punish her—just so he’d know.
Maybe that was too much.
“Who’s that?”
Not knowing her name felt even worse somehow.
I just shrugged.
I didn’t want to badmouth someone I couldn’t even properly describe.
With Lewell finishing the work, I suddenly had a lot of free time.
I went under a tree and sat down.
Soon, Lewell came over and bent down to talk to me.
“Don’t just sit anywhere like that.”
“……”
“But is it okay for you to rest like this?”
I only work as much as I’m paid for.
Too annoyed to talk, I waved my hand like I was shooing away bugs.
Lewell kept showing interest in me.
I was grateful when he helped, but it was still uncomfortable.
“Can I sit next to you?”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Would it be a problem?”
“No, I mean aren’t you busy?”
He probably earned way more than I did. He should work for his pay too.
Knights from the imperial order didn’t usually come here, but Lewell came often. Clearly, he was coming to see me, which made me uncomfortable.
As if reading my wish for him to leave quickly, he said “wait a moment” and rummaged in his pocket.
“I brought some baked snacks from the knights’ guild today.”
“Wait a moment, Sir Lewell.”
I pulled out a handkerchief and spread it next to me. I brushed off the dust carefully and pointed at it with both hands.
“Hah.”
“Please sit.”
Am I being too materialistic?
Still, for a lowly worker like me, sweets like this were not something I could easily get.
The knights really are different. They get snacks like this?
Maybe I should train and join the knights… being a knight is basically a fake job anyway.
Lewell handed me the baked goods and laughed like I was ridiculous.
“You only act like this when I give you food, don’t you? And if you had something like this, you should be the one sitting on it.”
“No, no. Someone of your status should not sit in such a humble place.”
“What is with that way of speaking…”
Lewell shook his head, amused, and reached out his hand to help me up.
Just as I grabbed his hand to stand—
“ANNABELLA!”
Someone called my name.
I didn’t know what kind of person shouts my name instead of screaming, but I was already annoyed from hearing it all day.
When I turned my head, Susan was there, staring at me like an angry dragon.
“I should go.”
I quickly grabbed the snacks and handkerchief and ran.
Lewell tried to stop me, but when I gave him a “you’ll get me in trouble” look, he just nodded.
‘I hope this is the last time.’
Lewell was kind, but I didn’t want to get too close to him.
He was a descendant of Lienna nobility and a close aide to the First Prince.
He was probably just paying attention to me because I was also from Lienna.
“Did you talk to Sir Lewell?”
I didn’t want misunderstandings like this either.
Susan grabbed my arm tightly, her face tense.
It was almost pitiful how anxious she looked.
But—
“It’s a secret.”
Who here isn’t pitiful?
