Chapter 05
Should I Call It a Relief?
Leon suddenly returned to the mansion, just as he had left.
Vivian and Leon sat across from each other at the long dining table.
The engaged couple faced each other without touching the elaborately prepared food. A strange tension hung in the air.
“You won’t get my attention by acting like that. I don’t care if you starve to death.”
He spoke with an expression full of annoyance.
“Attention? What attention?!”
Vivian stared quietly back at Leon, who was watching her like a plant sitting still.
Having returned, he had belatedly arranged this dinner with his fiancée.
It wasn’t to spend a cozy moment with his future wife—it was just a formal duty, like homework.
Vivian, dressed by the maids, had gone down to the first-floor dining room and sat quietly in her chair.
Her dress was simple and appropriate for the modest meal, her accessories minimal. Her silver hair was neatly tied up, revealing her small face entirely.
She didn’t touch the food in front of her—not even a glass of water.
Everyone looked at her with confusion, unable to understand her. But there was nothing she could do.
Was this the time to care about other people’s opinions when her life was at stake?
If I die like this, what about my 2 billion won?
Just the thought made her furious.
Of course, she might return to her original world after death. But what if she didn’t? What would happen then?
What happens? I’d fail, that’s what.
She had carefully observed the servants throughout her stay in the mansion. Everyone seemed suspicious, but no one stood out in particular.
By refusing meals all this time and sneaking around the kitchen at night, she had ended up hearing this from Leon.
It was infuriating—treated like someone seeking attention.
“I’m not doing this to get attention.”
“Really? To me, it looks like you’re desperate for it.”
“I’m not!”
“I don’t care if you starve, but I won’t tolerate you troubling my servants.”
“I haven’t troubled anyone.”
“Worried someone might poison your food?”
Wow. He could read her so well.
Suddenly, Vivian was at a loss for words.
She bit her lips tightly, which had been twitching endlessly.
Leon spoke coldly to the silent Vivian.
“If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it the first day we met. Poison? I wouldn’t bother with such effort.”
In his uniform, he looked as impeccable as ever.
His neatly combed hair, straight eyebrows, and high, almost selfish nose—all perfect.
But every word from his beautiful, painted lips was sharp and cutting.
Even Vivian, who had endured harsh words before, found it a bit overwhelming.
His disdainful eyes and tone made her shrink.
Leon picked up the glass in front of him while silently observing her.
His long, delicate fingers holding the slender glass were beautiful, yet his tone remained rough and coarse.
“Vivian Kihees. Pick up your fork.”
Each syllable of her name struck the quiet dining room.
“I have a request.”
“Can’t you hear me?”
“Please, listen to my request.”
“You don’t understand?”
Leon stood abruptly, grinding his teeth as he muttered:
“I’ll serve you a treatment that suits you perfectly.”
Vivian moved her chair back to avoid him as he approached fiercely.
Scrreeeek—
The chair scraped against the floor, echoing through the spacious dining room. The watching servants whispered among themselves.
“If you want to eat like a decent person, pick up your fork.”
The commanding tone almost made Vivian pick up the fork.
Leon, fuming, came close to her, his face twisted with anger.
She could almost hear his furious breaths.
“C-Calm down.”
Leon picked up Vivian’s plate.
“Put that down. Why? What are you doing?”
He lifted it high.
Vivian’s heart raced, startled by the sudden move.
She hadn’t wanted this at all—she only wanted to eat on her own. Her eyes burned with frustration.
“Damn it.”
Leon dropped both her fork and plate to the floor.
Then, with a voice as cold as winter frost, he said:
“You no longer deserve to eat. Get out of here immediately.”
Vivian trembled but glared at Leon, who returned her resentful stare with equal coldness.
Shaking, Vivian suddenly stood and shoved her face close to his.
“Why are you wasting food like this!”
Leon quickly stepped back, startled.
“What are you… doing?”
“Do you know this is punishment after death? Later in hell, you’ll mix everything and eat it! Try eating broken plates and leftover food together!”
Vivian spat out harsh words, glaring at Leon, then spun around and stormed out.
After that day, no one dared bother Vivian.
Especially Sigmund, who even avoided eye contact, after the rumors spread about Vivian yelling and Leon being flustered.
And so, she returned again to the cold storage at night.
For one reason only:
To fill her empty stomach.
Leon had punished her by refusing her food, but Vivian didn’t mind—it actually worked out in her favor.
Almost everything was going well… until the overly kind head maid became a problem.
Mrs. Mayfield sought Vivian out despite having to watch Leon’s reaction.
She had been the most favorable person Vivian had met in the mansion so far.
Even though Leon had threatened her so harshly, she still insisted on offering breakfast.
“Miss, really, you won’t eat again today?”
Mrs. Mayfield’s brow furrowed deeply.
Vivian, lying in her nightgown, jumped up at the question.
By now, the daily struggle over breakfast was making her feel sick.
“Didn’t His Highness say not to give me food?”
“He did say that, but he wouldn’t really want this. So please, eat something now, Miss.”
She wanted to say, I already eat at night, so don’t worry, but if she did, she might come under strict watch.
Then all the ramen and food she’d been sneaking would be gone.
Vivian thought of her secret treasure trove hidden in the mansion kitchen.
Filling her stomach wasn’t a problem—but there were limits.
She couldn’t eat complicated dishes; at most, she could boil ramen or sweet potatoes.
She neatly stored the leftover trash, like ramen packaging, plastic, and string, in a corner of the storage.
After barely filling her empty stomach and sleeping, the same struggle repeated every morning.
The battle between the head maid trying to feed her and Vivian refusing always ended in Vivian’s favor. Mrs. Mayfield could only sigh heavily and step back each time.
There was no other choice.
Vivian suspected that someone might have poisoned her food.
“If you’re worried that the food might not suit your taste, I can ask Mr. Lindemann to find a chef from the Duchy of Kihees.”
“Thank you, but it’s fine. His Highness probably wouldn’t like it anyway…”
“If you keep refusing food like this, he won’t be happy either. How should we get you to eat?”
Seeing Mrs. Mayfield’s earnest face, Vivian felt a twinge of guilt.
The head maid’s duty was to care for her and make sure she ate.
Vivian looked at her seriously and decided to try a little trick.
A fun idea popped into her head.
“All right. I’ll eat. But there’s a condition.”
Her condition was simple:
“I want to watch the cooking process. From preparing the ingredients, step by step. Can we do that?”
Mrs. Mayfield could only nod silently, unable to ask why she didn’t trust anyone.
Vivian had been sent to the empire as if to an enemy country. It was natural to fear what might happen to her.
In the end, Mrs. Mayfield agreed.
When Vivian went down to the first floor after preparations, the main hall was waiting with head chef Merian and five kitchen maids.
Looking around, Vivian spotted a familiar face.
“Ivin?”
Among the gathered maids, one was familiar to her—the red-haired maid who had come with her to Lavrik right after the possession. Ivin.
Ivin looked noticeably thinner and now stood among the kitchen maids.
“Good day, Miss.”
It was odd to see Ivin suddenly working as a kitchen maid, having never seen her since entering the mansion.
Even in a few days, she had gained the strictness of a proper mansion maid, though overall, it didn’t look entirely good.
The mansion work must be extremely hard.
Vivian thought she would try to talk to her when she had a chance.
Looking at Ivin with pity, Vivian’s expression suddenly hardened.
