Chapter 3
After the moon had long risen, Elicia finally returned to the annex, just as she had promised herself earlier. As expected, a different knight was now standing guard.
Elicia carefully studied his face, then returned to her room with a satisfied look and went to sleep.
Even though she had only gone back and forth between the annex and the main building, her whole body felt sore, like she had exercised after a long time.
Thanks to that, she slept well through the night.
With effort, she forced her tired eyes open and sat up.
Elicia slowly moved her body and managed to grab the bell.
As soon as she rang it, a clear sound echoed and her bedroom door opened.
“Lady Elicia, did you call?”
Her personal maid Rachel entered. Rachel was the top candidate to be the next head maid.
“Ariel?”
Checking on Ariel was part of Elicia’s morning routine.
Even though Ariel always woke up much later, she asked anyway.
“She’s still asleep.”
Rachel answered politely, bowing deeply like she was used to this question.
She could also easily guess what Elicia would do next—head to the bathroom to wash up.
But instead, Elicia stayed in bed and asked,
“Can I see the list of knights working for the Partine family?”
“…If the Duke approves it…”
“I’d rather he didn’t know.”
Elicia hugged her knees and tilted her head. Whenever Rachel saw her like this, she seemed just like a child her age.
“I’ll do my best.”
Rachel couldn’t say no when Elicia acted cute—even though she would have done it anyway without the charm.
“Thank you.”
Rachel had once been brought in by Isabella.
Back then, Isabella wasn’t respected by the other servants. They often skipped meals and didn’t clean her room properly.
Some even mocked her openly.
If Rachel hadn’t been there, Isabella might have died even sooner.
“Did one of the knights upset you…?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Rachel, knowing a maid had been fired that morning, wondered if knights were next.
But Elicia shook her head.
“Thanks for worrying, Rachel. I’ll get ready on my own today, so you can go.”
Elicia stood up and gently hugged Rachel—something she didn’t do with other staff.
Rachel smiled, relieved. Everyone else said Elicia was just like her cold father, but Rachel knew better.
Elicia wasn’t weak, but she was capable of love.
At the very least, Elicia was someone who could love others.
Elicia wasn’t unaware of how others saw her.
She never hid her painful past or her belief in giving back what she received.
‘I guess people might see me as a villain too.’
But she never attacked others first. She simply refused to stay quiet like when she was younger.
The original Elicia from the novel was different.
“You broke this when you pushed me. Do you know how much it costs?”
“Did you wash the blankets properly? Then what’s this stain?”
“You’re slow, clumsy, and useless at work too?”
She nitpicked the staff daily.
She was the one who broke the wine glass and made the stains—but she blamed them.
And the staff would always talk back to her.
Even the head maid confronted her.
“Lady Elicia, please act with dignity. How can a noble lady from the Partine house lie so easily…!”
‘How little they must have respected her—even though she was a noble.’
Reading the novel again, Elicia scoffed at how the staff behaved.
The original Elicia had no real power in the mansion. The current Elicia only gained authority by acting like the perfect daughter her father wanted.
In contrast, the original Elicia got revenge by making up lies to punish the staff.
Even the head maid wasn’t spared.
“Who are you to talk about dignity? You leech off our family’s money. That earring—you couldn’t afford that, could you?”
“Wh-What? That’s a lie!”
But it wasn’t.
Elicia had been clever and sharp—even as a child. She knew how to manipulate others to her advantage.
That’s why, back when she was just a reader, her villainous end felt both fitting and strange.
After recalling the old Elicia’s final moments, she folded the newspaper.
It reported national losses from the war that had started six months ago.
Despite the dire news, Elicia calmly stretched and put the paper aside.
Because she knew the empire she now lived in would win—she had read the novel.
“Lady Elicia. It’s Rachel. May I come in?”
Elicia had just opened her book to study but stopped at Rachel’s voice.
“Come in.”
Rachel entered, holding a thick stack of documents.
Elicia quickly realized this was the task she had asked for earlier.
“These are the knights currently stationed in remote areas,” Rachel explained.
That helped Elicia focus only on the remaining list.
She flipped through the files, and Rachel stood silently, waiting for her next order.
“…These two.”
Elicia handed Rachel two sheets after carefully checking the photos.
Rachel took them without asking why.
“Can you look into them in more detail?”
In more detail?
Rachel was surprised—this was the first time Elicia had shown such interest in someone.
“Find out any secrets or weaknesses if you can.”
A 12-year-old calmly asking for someone’s secrets or flaws…
Anyone else would’ve thought she was spoiled or poorly raised.
Rachel didn’t think it was funny—she just blamed it on Elicia’s upbringing.
“…Understood.”
She bowed and accepted the task.
The Partine estate had a large slum area, thanks to the Duke’s negligence.
So background checks like this were easy to do.
A few days later.
Rachel returned with exactly two files.
Elicia had just finished lunch with Ariel and was reviewing the documents in her room.
One knight was buried in gambling debt.
The other was supporting his sick younger brother with all his money.
‘I did ask for weaknesses… but wow.’
They were perfect for her plans.
How did it end up being these two guarding Eden’s annex?
Maybe everyone carried a sad backstory these days.
‘Debt and a sick sibling…’
The illness was serious—it said the brother’s medical costs were beyond affordable.
Basically, both of them needed money.
Elicia quickly calculated how much she had.
She had been saving in case she needed to start over after Eden destroyed the household.
It felt like a waste—but this too was an investment in survival.
‘You can only build a new life if you survive first.’
She crossed her short legs and made up her mind.
‘People with something to protect are more desperate.’
Elicia knew that feeling well.
Oddly, she felt a strange connection to these knights—even though she had never spoken to them.
Later…
Knight Lisbeth was facing her second crisis since joining the Partine house.
Even more nerve-wracking than possibly being sent to war.
Elicia quietly looked up at Lisbeth, whose forehead was sweating even in the cool weather.
‘She looks like she’s about to faint.’
This place was the most hidden corner of the estate. Overgrown trees and bushes shielded the annex from sight.
Maybe that’s why the Duke chose it to hide Eden.
“Sir Lisbeth?”
“Y-You know my name? I mean—it’s an honor, my lady.”
But why was she here…?
Lisbeth tried to keep her eyes from drifting toward the annex and focused on Elicia.
Then came the question Elicia had been waiting for.
With a bright smile, she answered.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“…Me?”
Lisbeth had never spoken to Elicia before.
Their paths didn’t cross, and Elicia had never shown interest in the knights.
So Lisbeth thought she only knew of Elicia, not by her.
And now suddenly, Elicia wanted something from her?
They had just started speaking today.
Elicia kept smiling as Lisbeth stood there, confused and overwhelmed.
