Chapter : 01
“The Circumstances of That Woman and That Man”
Lustrous, shimmering platinum-blonde hair was the pride of the Langston women. Their fresh green eyes and skin that remained pale even in the height of summer were dazzling to behold.
The eldest daughter of Baron Langston, Marianne, was particularly famous for being beautiful and lovely; she was, in fact, very popular. Of course, the second daughter, Haley, was just as beautiful as her sister in terms of appearance.
However, Haley was not popular. On the contrary, men who met Haley were all busy fleeing in shock. There were two reasons for this: the first was that she was a towering 175 cm tall.
The men expected a Langston daughter to be a dazzlingly beautiful, lovely “fairy.” Upon seeing Haley, who was taller than most men when wearing heels, they were often deeply disappointed.
And the second—and greatest—reason was…
“I don’t know. Shouldn’t you be wearing higher heels, Count? You’re much more… petite than I heard.” “Wh—wha—!” “Even if I took the heels off my shoes, I don’t think we’d even look similar in height, would we?”
Haley was not a woman who yielded easily to the reactions of men. She had to say what was on her mind to feel satisfied, and she never tolerated rude people.
“How can a woman be as big as an ox? What did you just say?” “Count? Count, where are you? You’re so small I can’t see you. Oh my, Count?”
After repeating such blind dates about three times, the praise for Haley’s beautiful appearance vanished. Within the capital, the name “Haley Langston” became synonymous with “that eccentric, oversized crazy woman,” and marriage proposals ceased entirely.
‘Everything is going according to plan.’
Haley was extremely satisfied with the current situation. Only the Baron and his wife, who had tried to marry Haley off into a good family to help their business, were festering with frustration. In their eyes, Haley was excessively smart, excessively well-spoken, and excessively tall. They couldn’t understand how she had grown up like that when they hadn’t raised her that way.
In truth, their daughter Haley had a secret: she remembered her past life.
In her previous life, she was an ordinary office worker in Korea who died from overwork after staying up all night at the office. Her exterior was that of an ordinary Baron’s daughter in the Kingdom of Zenobia, but her soul was that of a single South Korean woman in her 20s. Naturally, the Baron couple’s attempts at brainwashing her with their ideologies were never going to work.
“Just what on earth have you done?” “That man was too small and rude. He called me an ox. Of course, oxen are good livestock that provide us with our daily bread, but he meant it in a bad way.” “It’s a fact that you are excessively large! You were rude to a Count for just that reason?” “I have no apologies for a man who is ugly, short, and possesses nothing but useless pride. Besides, do you know how bad his breath was? I thought he had defecated through his mouth.” “Haley!”
Haley was essentially the outcast of the Langston family. While they sent the eldest, Marianne, to the Academy, they didn’t even provide Haley with a tutor for basic education, let alone school. When the Baroness and Marianne bought new dresses and jewelry, Haley wore the old, out-of-fashion clothes they had tossed aside.
Since she was a full head taller than them, the dresses were inevitably short, making her the constant laughingstock of other noble ladies her age. Furthermore, although the low-ranking Langston family was not wealthy, the Baroness was incredibly extravagant. Lacking the money to hire enough maids, she dragged Haley around like a servant.
Haley had tried to run away several times because she hated this life, but she was caught every time by people sent by her parents. Whenever she was brought back, she was locked in the attic for days as punishment.
Once her escapes repeatedly failed, Haley stopped the inefficient attempts at running and being caught. She felt bleak, wondering if the day would ever come when she could leave this house, but she planned to bide her time and find a way to escape the Baron couple. No matter how dirty or miserable it felt, she vowed to stick it out in this terrible house until then.
Things changed when Marianne, nearing her graduation from the Academy, suddenly returned to the capital mansion carrying a newborn baby. Marianne remained silent until the end regarding the identity of the child’s father.
The Baron couple, unable to give up on Marianne, did not even register the child in the family records. The child had to “not exist” for Marianne to retain her value in the marriage market.
“Haley, dear. I’ll find a way soon, so please look after the baby. The child only follows you anyway, so what can we do?” “Neither of you nor my sister looks at the child for more than five minutes a day, so of course he only follows me. Are you really saying that right now? Fine. Even if you didn’t say it, I’ll take care of him. This poor child is innocent.”
From the beginning, childcare was Haley’s responsibility. Even though she had never given birth or raised a child in her previous life, she was flustered at first but soon steeled her heart. She was the only person who could care for this pitiful child. She even gave him the name “Theodore” on behalf of Marianne, who wouldn’t even name him.
While Haley spent all day at home caring for Theo, the Baroness continued her life of luxury and parties. The only silver lining was that they no longer treated Haley like a maid because she was too busy with the baby. The Baroness was busy taking Marianne to various parties, desperate to secure a marriage proposal from a good family before Theo’s existence was discovered.
To my dear Haley, Haley, please forgive your foolish sister. I am leaving to be with the person of my destiny. I leave the child to you. -From your one and only sister who loves you dearly, Marianne.
When Theo turned three, Marianne took everything of value and fled, leaving only a single letter.
‘If you couldn’t forget that man, you should have taken the child and been happy as the three of you!’
Haley was furious. Her cold-hearted sister hadn’t even written her son’s name, Theo, in her final letter. The Baron couple searched everywhere, but Marianne’s trail was cold. In their desperation, they decided to sell Haley off instead to secure business funds.
However, Haley did not move according to their wishes.
‘I can’t leave Theo behind and go alone.’
She had planned to leave the house once she became an adult, but that was when it was just her. She couldn’t bring herself to leave just to live for herself while abandoning Theo. She thought of ways to take Theo with her, but it was clear what would happen to two women—a toddler and a poor single woman—living on the streets.
While she hesitated, time continued to flow. Two more years passed; Theo was now five, and Haley was twenty-one.
‘At this rate, Theo will spend his whole life locked away. I have to become independent with Theo.’
Watching the small silhouette of the boy pressed against the window, eyes scanning the outside world, Haley Langston clenched her fists in the cramped attic and made a vow.
“I have something to say to you both.”
After putting Theo to sleep early, Haley sought out the Baron and his wife. She hadn’t even eaten dinner yet, but that didn’t matter. She brought up something the Baron couple could never have imagined.
“I am going to leave this house with Theo.”
The Baron couple blinked blankly, looking like people who had just heard a foreign language they couldn’t understand.
“Leave the house?” “Exactly what I said. We are going to leave this house and live on our own.”
Only then did the Baroness jump up in shock. “An unmarried maiden? What on earth are you talking about?” “Provide me with my share of the dowry. I’ll give you a month. I won’t wait any longer than that.” “…Wha—what? Dowry? If you leave this house, there isn’t a single penny for you!”
End Of Chapter : 01
