Chapter 02
The climate of Bruggen Castle, situated on a plateau, was remarkably mild.
Roana skipped lunch and spent the entire day lounging in a comfortable armchair.
From time to time, maids came by the annex to organize her belongings. Once they finished their work, they didn’t linger and immediately returned to the main castle.
From what she heard, the maids traveled back and forth between the main building and the annex. Only one personal attendant would be assigned exclusively to Roana and stay in the annex with her.
That alone could be considered a form of neglect.
Well, I prefer having fewer people around anyway.
Roana thought casually.
Around evening, the one and only maid assigned to her finally appeared.
“H-Hello, my lady.”
The maid who would be attending Roana was a young, frail girl with red hair.
Holding a tray with dinner in both hands, the girl greeted her nervously.
“My name is Isabella. You can call me Iz for short.”
Iz carefully set the tray down on the table in front of Roana. Warm steam rose from the freshly baked bread.
“Thank you, Iz.”
Roana smiled as she picked up a piece of bread.
However, Iz’s expression didn’t look good. Her body was trembling nonstop.
“Are you perhaps afraid of me? I guess silver hair can be a bit unsettling?”
“N-No, not at all! I don’t think you’re a witch, my lady!”
The moment Roana asked, Iz shook her head vigorously.
She definitely looks scared though.
Roana set the bread down and observed Iz carefully. Iz fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, watching Roana cautiously.
“Then… did you not want to come here? Were you forced to?”
At Roana’s question, Iz’s face turned pale.
“N-Not at all!”
She shook her head again.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to come… it’s just…”
“Just?”
“There was no one else who would come besides me.”
“Ah.”
With that one sentence, Roana understood the situation.
Well, I am an unwelcome guest.
There was probably no maid who wanted to stay by the side of someone disliked by both the council of elders and Klaus.
Most likely, the maids had been pushing the responsibility onto one another, and timid, weak-willed Iz ended up being chosen.
“What do people say about me?”
Roana suddenly asked out of curiosity.
Back at the Count Lius household, Roana had been treated as if she didn’t exist. But here, she was a person of interest.
Even if it’s in a negative way.
Still, having a presence wasn’t entirely bad.
“Go on, tell me.”
Encouraged by Roana’s gentle tone, Iz let her guard down and spoke.
“They said… since you’re from the North, you’d be harsh and irritable… and that even if someone served you, they’d just end up being treated poorly along with you.”
After finishing, Iz nervously glanced at Roana.
Roana smiled warmly to reassure her.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Iz realized her mistake and panicked, worried that she might have hurt Roana.
But Roana actually liked Iz.
She could tell that Iz was pure-hearted and kind.
“It’s okay. Really, it’s okay.”
Even after repeated reassurance, Iz couldn’t relax.
“I-I’ll bring you something to drink.”
Iz hurried out as if fleeing, then returned shortly after with a bottle filled with red liquid and a glass.
It was a light fruit wine, commonly consumed by ladies.
Alcohol again…
Roana let out a faint sigh.
Aside from the existence of magic, this world was similar to the modern era in most aspects—except for one thing: drinking culture.
People here didn’t drink tea. There wasn’t any coffee either. And since clean water wasn’t abundant, most beverages were replaced with alcohol.
Other than alcohol, the only options were fruit juice or a few types of herbal tea, and even those were looked down upon as childish drinks.
For Roana, who had once run her own café as a barista and enjoyed all kinds of beverages, this was deeply disappointing.
Well, it’s not like coffee will magically appear just because I want it.
Resigned, Roana reached out to take the glass.
Iz, still trembling, carefully poured the drink.
At that moment—
Her hand slipped.
The glass she was holding fell and shattered on the floor with a loud crash.
“Ah—!”
Iz let out a small scream.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
In a panic, she reached down with her bare hands to clean up the broken shards.
“Iz, stop!”
Roana shouted and stopped her.
Iz looked up at her in confusion, but soon her eyes filled with fear. She thought she was about to be scolded.
What do I do… I’ve angered a noble lady…
But Roana’s reaction was the complete opposite.
“You’re bleeding!”
Roana knelt in front of Iz and wrapped her injured finger with a handkerchief.
Iz stared at her in a daze.
“My lady…?”
“I’ll call someone else to clean this up. You sit down and calm yourself. You might get hurt again.”
Roana gently but firmly led the frozen Iz to a chair and made her sit.
Then she rang a bell connected to the main building to summon the maids.
Soon, one attendant and several maids arrived.
“What happened?”
“The glass broke. Could you clean it up?”
“You can have your personal maid Isabella handle this. That’s what she’s assigned for.”
The maid at the front spoke with clear reluctance.
Roana’s expression hardened.
I don’t want pointless power struggles… but I won’t live being ignored either.
She wanted a quiet and peaceful life—not one where she was looked down on.
It seemed she needed to establish at least a minimum level of authority.
“I know. But Iz is not in a condition to work right now. She’s injured.”
“How badly could she possibly be—”
“I will judge the condition of my maid. Or… are you suggesting that I clean it myself?”
At Roana’s cold tone, the maids tensed.
“Please clean up the glass.”
She repeated calmly.
Unable to say anything further, they cleaned up the shards and wiped the floor.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
Iz kept murmuring apologies in a small voice the entire time.
Once everyone left, Roana sat across from Iz and spoke.
“Iz, you’re my maid. You don’t need to apologize to anyone for something like this.”
She said firmly.
“I know my position in this household isn’t strong. But I can still protect at least one person. And even if I can’t yet, I will make sure I can.”
Iz lowered her head, clearly moved.
After a moment, she looked up again, her eyes filled with both emotion and confusion.
“Why are you so kind to me?”
Roana paused.
Why?
Even she hadn’t expected to grow fond of Iz so quickly.
Why did I?
She thought back.
At the Count Lius household, she had been treated like a ghost. The maids and attendants had completely ignored her.
Iz was the first person who had approached her sincerely and shown genuine concern.
Even with memories of her past life, Roana had been worn down by her current one. That small kindness had meant more than she realized.
“You’re my person now.”
Iz flinched at those words.
“My lady…”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
After that, the two shared dinner and talked for a long time.
Iz revealed that she was the eldest daughter of the fallen minor noble Paynan Viscount family. She had come to Bruggen Castle to support her family, but because of her low status, she was often looked down upon by other servants.
“But as long as I can send money home, it’s okay. And now I’ll be serving you, my lady…”
Having both grown up in difficult circumstances, the two found they had much in common.
“You don’t seem like someone from the North, my lady. You’re warm and gentle… more like someone from the South.”
Iz came to genuinely like Roana. Roana felt the same.
“I’m glad you were assigned to me, Iz.”
Iz blushed at her words.
“It’s late. You should rest now. I’ll prepare your bed.”
Iz helped Roana change into her nightwear and made sure everything was ready.
“If you need anything, just pull the bell cord.”
After finishing her duties, Iz said this before heading down to the servants’ quarters.
That wasn’t a bad day.
For the first time in a long while, Roana lay down on a spacious, comfortable bed and fell asleep peacefully.
From that day on, Roana began to enjoy small but certain happiness.
She would sleep in, eat sweet bread and jam prepared by Iz, spend the afternoon reading, take walks near the annex, and enjoy delicious dinners before resting comfortably.
Klaus, who had told her not to act like a wife and to live as if she didn’t exist, never came to see her even after a month of marriage.
This is heaven. Except for the fact that the only drinks are alcohol…
But as people say, too much happiness breeds desire.
As her body relaxed and her mind grew at ease, Roana began to miss the comforts of her previous life.
Above all, she missed coffee.
If I could just have a cup of coffee at times like this…
She thought this while enjoying the afternoon sun and reading.
And then—
The very next day, Roana would miraculously encounter coffee in this world.
