Chapter 15
“Today, you’re not crying.”
For a moment, I thought Bambi was talking about the last moment before he died, and I flinched. But then I remembered—around this time in the past, I was always crying whenever he visited. Of course, that was almost always because of my father.
I swallowed the melted chocolate and answered casually.
“Why, do you miss it?”
Maybe my excitement about seeing Bambi again was too obvious, because he frowned and said,
“You’re acting weird today.”
“What’s weird about me?”
“You look… happy.”
Well,
“I did see you.”
As soon as I said it, I realized my mistake.
Before I returned to the past, the old Bambi would’ve smirked and teased me endlessly—“You’re happy because you saw me? Why? Tell me why?”
But the Bambi in front of me just blinked a few times, then turned bright red.
I was so surprised by this fresh reaction that my eyes widened.
Ah, now I want to tease him a little.
“Here. Take this.”
Covering part of his face with one hand, Bambi tossed me a small box, about the size of my palm. I quickly reached out and caught it.
“What’s this?”
“A birthday present.”
Wow. The Bambi I knew never cared about manners or formalities, but here he was—giving me a gift, wrapped, no less!
I was about to open it right away, but his voice stopped me.
“Don’t open it now.”
“Why not?”
“Just… don’t. Open it after I leave.”
Oh, look at him getting embarrassed.
And suddenly, I remembered what this birthday gift was.
It was an antidote—something that could cure any kind of poison. So rare that even Bambi had a hard time getting it. The tiny amount in this small container was all he had.
In my previous life, when I first got it, I thought, When would I ever get poisoned? and just tossed it aside somewhere. But in the end, this antidote saved my life at a critical moment.
‘It’s strange, experiencing this all over again.’
As I stared at the box, Bambi—still sitting on the balcony railing—asked,
“Locked up again?”
I nodded.
“And no food?”
“Yeah.”
His expression darkened as he turned to look at me.
“Then… what’s wrong with your face?”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone hit you?”
“Oh?”
Right, my father had slapped me earlier. By tomorrow, my cheek might be even more swollen. At least Bambi came before it got worse.
He pressed again,
“Who was it?”
“Oh, the Marquis. You know my father’s bad habit.”
Bambi jumped down from the railing and asked,
“Want me to kill the Marquis?”
What kind of—
Wait… would that be okay? No, no. Definitely not.
As if watching my reaction was entertaining, the red-eyed boy laughed, his black hair swaying. I got a little nervous, worried he might fall from the railing.
“You’ve changed, Sophie. Last time I said something like that, you screamed at me to get out while crying your eyes out.”
Ugh, I want to punch my past self. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and said calmly,
“I’ve decided to stop desperately trying to get my father’s love.”
“Good for you.”
“And to stop aiming to be Empress.”
“That’s good—wait, what?”
Bambi’s eyes went wide. Even now, those ruby-like eyes were beautiful. I went on.
“I’m also giving up on assassinating Leonie. We can pull back the spies and assassins I planted in the palace.”
Bambi stayed quiet for a while—which meant he didn’t like what I’d said. Maybe he was even a bit shocked by it.
Why? I thought he’d be glad. Those agents I hired to go after Leonie were skilled—it’d be better for him to use them elsewhere, right?
It was getting cold standing outside, so I stepped back into my bedroom. Bambi followed, closing the balcony door behind him.
“So that means our contract is over?”
His voice sounded unusually flat.
“What? No—you’re still my bodyguard, remember?”
The fight between me and Leonie was mutual. Even if I stopped, I had no idea what she’d do. And I still needed some kind of trump card against her.
Bambi’s expression immediately changed. He covered his mouth with one hand, then walked over to the tea table and sat down with a smug posture.
“Well, if you need me, I guess I can’t refuse.”
“I didn’t put it quite like that.”
“I’m a busy man, but I’ll make time for you. From now on, too.”
I could see that smirk creeping up his lips.
Ah, right—I had news for him. Walking toward the tea table, I said casually,
“Oh, by the way, I have a son now.”
“What?!”
His red eyes immediately flicked to my stomach under my nightgown.
What is he thinking right now?!
Before I could say anything, he beat me to it—his eyes fierce in a way I’d never seen before.
“Who’s the father? Don’t tell me it’s your fiancé.”
“No!”
What a horrifying thought.
“Then who?”
Curious, I decided not to clear up his misunderstanding right away and instead asked,
“And if you knew… what would you do?”
Bambi smirked like, Isn’t it obvious?, then pretended to think seriously.
“I’ve never considered marriage before. It’s sudden, but fine. I’ll help you forget your dead husband.”
Don’t talk like my imaginary husband’s already dead!
Before his misunderstanding got worse, I quickly explained the truth—how my sister Eloise had hired mercenaries to take a boy named Arne all the way to the Glentino Duke’s residence, along with a letter; how the boy believed I was his mother and was now staying there.
I described what Arne looked like, then said,
“Find out about this Arne boy for me, Bambi. And where Eloise is, too. I need to know what kind of trouble she’s causing.”
“And you’re just going to leave them alone? This Arne kid and the Duke?”
He meant—shouldn’t we kill them? I shook my head firmly.
Stop suggesting assassination as the go-to solution.
Bambi rested his chin on his hand, looking a little displeased. But I knew he’d agree eventually. Sure enough, he smiled after a moment.
“Alright, I’m curious now too.”
Then I gave him another job—
To dig up dirt on my father, the Marquis Bartoli. I figured I’d need leverage… I mean, grounds for negotiation with him soon.
Bambi looked especially pleased with this last request before leaving.
The next morning
It wasn’t my personal maids who woke me—it was maids I’d never seen before. Which meant they were sent by her.
“Hurry up and get up, Miss.”
The one speaking was the same orange-haired maid who’d mocked me for spitting out a brownie when I had tea with Leonie. She looked bored and annoyed as she brought over water for me to wash my face.
Splash—the cold water hit my skin. My swollen cheek was obvious, but she still scrubbed my face roughly.
Meanwhile, another maid was scanning the room like a hawk, looking for hidden food. She even peeked under the bed while straightening the sheets.
Good thing I told Bambi not to bring me food last night.
Instead, I’d stocked up on a few more chocolates and eaten them right away.
The maid washing my face spoke up.
“Your skin’s rough. Lady Leonie’s isn’t like this.”
“…What?”
“It’s only natural the Master favors Lady Leonie more. She’s prettier and more capable than you.”
Wow… this girl.
She tossed the towel she’d been using aside like it was trash.
Now I understood—she was trying to provoke me, probably on orders from the head maid, Gemma. If I lost my temper, it would make me look worse in front of my father.
But instead of getting angry, I asked quietly,
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Shima.”
“Alright, Shima. So… you think I’m easy to mess with?”
Normally, when a young lady of the house said something like that, a maid would realize she’d gone too far. But this one didn’t. In fact, she looked almost excited.
“What about me?”
Yeah, no doubt—she’d been ordered to provoke me. Since I knew her game, I decided not to play along.
“Actually… now that I look at you, I like your attitude. I should call Gemma and tell her I’m making you my personal maid. I’ll tell her I’m so moved by your devotion and loyalty. It’s hard to find a maid this dedicated.”
“What?!”
“Why, don’t you want that?”
Of course she couldn’t say no. But when I reached for the bell to summon Gemma, she panicked and reached out toward me.
I grabbed her wrist and pushed it down—straight into the washbasin.
Splash—water flew everywhere. My dress got wet, but I didn’t care.
Shima lost her balance and banged her knee on the floor. I pulled her closer and whispered—
