TSKSML 05

Chapter 5

The next morning.

The old Helene would’ve slept in until the sun was high in the sky, but the new Helene had a lot to do from the early morning.

As she stepped out of her room, she saw Lilliana heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

“It’s fine. Starting today, I’ll cook.”

Helene snatched the apron from Lilliana and put it on.

After all, Han Yena had lived alone for over seven years.

Unfortunately, it was a shame that she couldn’t show off her specialty—kimchi fried rice—since kimchi didn’t exist in this world.

At least there was rice—that was a relief.

She made a mental note to try making some white kimchi when she had the time.

Helene quickly trimmed away any spoiled parts of the vegetables, chopped the rest finely, and stir-fried them with rice.

It was her first time in the Emeldia estate’s kitchen, and the sheer size of it initially left her bewildered. But since it was so tidy, she quickly got used to it.

Drawn by the unfamiliar smell, Jayna and April trudged down from the second floor.

On the table were fried rice and egg soup—meals they had never seen before.

But what was even more unbelievable was that the one who had cooked it… was Helene.

More shocking than a drunken, half-naked Helene was the sight of her wearing an apron.

Even Lilliana had been frozen in place since the moment her apron was taken, staring blankly at Helene as if wondering, “Am I dreaming?”

“It’ll get cold. Eat quickly.”

Frustratingly, the food smelled good. Still, Jayna and April didn’t sit down.

How could they eat food Helene made without knowing what she might’ve put in it?

“There’s nothing weird in it. You three are my only assets. Why would I do something strange?”

Helene sat at the table with the largest portion of fried rice and egg soup.

Then, to prove it was safe, she began to eat large spoonfuls of the food.

After watching Helene eat for a while, Lilliana was the first to pick up her spoon.

Jayna and April followed hesitantly afterward.

Though Lilliana was great at cleaning and laundry, her cooking skills were terrible.

This was the first decent meal they’d had in a while, and the sisters’ spoons grew increasingly fast.

Helene drank some egg soup and smiled to herself.

“I’ll be going now…”

Lilliana, who had quickly finished her meal, stood up to attend the morning prayer at the temple.

Helene handed her an umbrella.

She’d looked at the sky earlier and thought it might rain.

“The sky looks like it’ll rain. Take an umbrella.”

“Th-thank you…”

Lilliana took the umbrella and walked out the mansion door.

Now that she thought about it, that was the first time Lilliana had thanked her.

Lilliana was so polite she’d probably say thank you even if someone just picked up something she dropped, but for some reason, Helene felt genuinely pleased.

Jayna and April also finished eating and got up.

Jayna’s plate was spotless—she seemed to like the food enough to leave nothing behind. April, on the other hand, had pushed all her onions to one side of the plate.

“April, why did you leave all the onions like this?”

The words slipped out of Helene’s mouth before she realized it.

She wasn’t normally the type to care about what others did or didn’t eat.

April frowned, thinking “Wow, just because you made one meal, you think you’re my mom now?” and replied:

“What does it matter to you if I eat onions or not?”

Apparently, yesterday’s scolding had no effect.

Raising kids was hard—that much was clear even from watching TV when she was Han Yena.

It bothered her that the dish she’d worked hard on was left uneaten, and that April was picky even though she was still growing.

But she didn’t want to nag and risk being hated.

“Oh, it’s just that I like onions. If I’d known you didn’t like them, I would’ve eaten them all myself.”

Helene began clearing the dishes as she continued.

“It’s a shame you don’t know how good onions taste. I’ll just eat them all from now on.”

She turned on the water and began washing the dishes.

She really meant it. Helene loved onions—both now and in her previous life.

She might’ve disliked them as a child, but when did that change?

She made a mental note not to put onions in April’s portions anymore.

“….”

April stood in place, as if she had something to say.

When Helene looked at her with a puzzled expression, April abruptly turned and walked away.

Kids were really hard to understand.

Helene lingered in front of the wardrobe for a long time.

“There’s really nothing decent to wear…”

Now that her memories from her previous life had returned, she couldn’t bring herself to wear Helene’s old clothes.

How could they all be so flashy and bold?

They were all outfits meant to show off her voluptuous figure.

In her past life, Han Yena preferred casual fashion.

Their tastes couldn’t have been more different.

Caught between these two extremes, she couldn’t pick anything.

After much deliberation, Helene settled on the darkest green dress she could find and draped a black cashmere shawl over her chest.

She checked her appearance in the mirror.

Helene truly was a stunning beauty—so much so that she had risen from commoner to countess.

Her eyes slanted up like a cat’s, with captivating red irises. Her nose was straight and refined.

She had a wide, expressive mouth and lips plump enough to make Hollywood actresses jealous.

Her flowing red hair was as mesmerizing as her striking features.

The only problem: she looked like a textbook villainess.

Her blank expression was frightening, her smile looked like a sneer, and even her sadness appeared insincere.

She tried hiding her face with a wide-brimmed hat once—but that only made her look even more flamboyant.

There was just no way to make this face look gentle.

Still, there was a reason she was putting this much effort in.

The person she was going to meet today was far tougher than Shakia or the three sisters.

“Is this a castle or a mansion?”

As she stood before her destination, Helene was at a loss for words.

The estate was grand and beautiful, comparable even to the imperial palace or the grand dukes’ residences in the Herthen Empire. As expected of the world’s richest man.

Guards with imposing builds stood at the gates.

They began to panic at the sight of such an unexpected visitor.

Helene didn’t hesitate. Her heels clicked on the stone path as she strode up and announced,

“I’m Helene Emeldia. I’m here to see my daughters’ godfather.”

Blaine was a war orphan.

At the age of five, he was caught stealing from the Emeldia family’s fields. Abandoned by his group, he was badly beaten by the farmers.

Impressed by the child’s resilience—he didn’t cry no matter how much they beat him—the farmers introduced Blaine to the former Count of Emeldia.

Thin but well-proportioned, upright posture, sharp and delicate features, and cold sapphire eyes that never averted gaze.

As the empire’s top gem appraiser, the former count immediately sensed the boy was no ordinary child.

Intrigued, the count brought him home, cleaned him up, and dressed him in new clothes.

Even wearing servant’s attire, Blaine looked like a young master of the estate.

There was a real young master in the house.

Raoul Emeldia, thirteen at the time.

Although he would later serve as a knight, Raoul had been a sickly child plagued by constant illnesses.

Blaine’s main duty was to serve young Raoul.

“I always wished I had a younger brother…”

Kind and affectionate, Raoul treated Blaine like a real sibling.

He’d slip rare sweets into Blaine’s pockets and take him to the library every day, knowing Blaine loved to read.

It was Raoul who gave Blaine the surname “Diarc,” taken from “Emeldia.”

Other servants grew jealous and resentful, feeding Blaine overly salted food or locking him in the stables. But Blaine, thanks to Raoul, felt happiness for the first time in his life.

While cleaning the count’s office, Blaine once spotted an error in a cost estimate and reported it.

Impressed by the servant’s keen mind, the count appointed him the youngest aide in history.

Under Blaine’s guidance, the Emeldia household grew more prosperous than ever.

But when the former count died, Blaine was forced to return to being a servant.

The abuse from the other staff worsened, and when he heard that Raoul had left for the battlefield, Blaine left the estate without hesitation.

With the money he had saved, he bought barren northern land and started a real estate business.

Through sheer determination, Blaine rose to become the world’s wealthiest man and a renowned businessman.

Only then did he meet Raoul again, after over a decade.

Unlike Blaine, who had been consumed by money, Raoul had married and had children—but had fallen into grief after losing his beloved wife.

Eventually, Raoul introduced Blaine to the one woman who had brought a smile back to his face.

Helene—a woman as intense as fire.

Blaine, with his sharp instincts, immediately recognized her as a toxic person.

But he couldn’t ruin the happiness Raoul had finally found.

And Blaine was right.

After marrying Helene, not only did Raoul die, but everything he left behind was lost.

Even then, Blaine had stepped in several times to help Helene for the sake of the three sisters.

But she had used their connection to scam others, causing Blaine to come under royal investigation.

He wanted to sue her—but held back for Raoul and the girls’ sake.

His only condition for not pressing charges: she was never to appear before him again.

And yet, six months later, Helene was standing at his doorstep.

“A-A woman calling herself Helene Emeldia is here, saying you’re her daughters’ godfather…”

“Please… be the godfather to my three daughters.”

Raoul’s first and last request before his death.

Though Blaine knew he wasn’t suited to care for others, he couldn’t refuse Raoul’s final wish and swore to the sun god to become their godfather.

Now that woman dared to use that title and come to him.

Blaine was so stunned he wondered if he was dreaming.

Known as the “Iron Mask” of the business world, Blaine was a cold and rational man.

He only ever moved for profit and gain.

But he had truly liked and respected Raoul, and having sworn to be godfather, he felt indebted to the three sisters.

He had never shown it, but he harbored affection for them in his own way.

Maybe Helene had come to talk about them.

“…Let her in.”

Blaine decided—for now—to hear what Helene had to say.