* * *

The chirping of birds woke me up. Though awake, I stayed in bed.

Lily, who had been waiting beside the bed, bowed her head as if it was only natural.

“Lady, the Duke has returned earlier than expected. You should hurry and prepare to meet him.”

“Haa…”

Another grueling day had begun. Although some time had passed since I became Jeanne, I still couldn’t get used to the noble lady treatment.

I stared at the ceiling with dead eyes before speaking.

“Lily, considering that the Duke returned earlier than expected… I’m going to get scolded until I cry today, aren’t I?”

“…May I talk to you while brushing your hair?”

“You’re really good at taking care of people, aren’t you?”

“As I mentioned before, I took care of all my younger siblings back in Sacre.”

I glanced at Lily, who smiled gently, before struggling to sit up. As soon as Lily got off the bed, I helped steady me as I stumbled. Sitting in front of the vanity, I checked my complexion.

I looked even more haggard than before, likely due to being bedridden for a few days. Despite looking haggard, I was still strikingly beautiful.

Lily brushed my hair over my shoulder and began combing it. Honestly, I found Lily both comfortable and uncomfortable.

After all, Lily was the only one who knew that Jeanne was a man. I had also made some vague statements about being there for Jeanne.

While brushing my hair, Lily smiled brightly at her reflection in the mirror.

“At least there aren’t any scars. The young lords don’t like ladies with scars. You’re of noble birth, so you should avoid any ill omens.”

“You say that even though you know my secret.”

“Lady, there’s a saying that even the walls of noble houses have ears. You should always be cautious with your words.”

I stared quietly at Lily, who was giving her serious advice. If Lily said such things, I might really be on Jeanne’s side. Our eyes met, and Lily asked excitedly,

“So, can I braid your hair today? With lots of ribbons?”

“Where’s the new butler boy?”

Not wanting to look ridiculous, I quickly changed the subject.

“Oh! He’s probably in the Great Hall undergoing training. But why are you interested in a servant? If you have any special instructions, I can pass them along.”

I crossed my arms and smiled slyly. It seemed the person I had planted had arrived safely.

Just the other day, I had taken Bermut, who was still dazed from signing a shady contract, to the head butler.

“I happened to pick him up in the slums, and he looked like he had nowhere to go, so I brought him here. Please give him a job.”

The head butler dropped the glass he was polishing as soon as I made the request.

He was shocked that Jeanne, who cared for no one but himself, would take pity on an orphan from the slums. After some hesitation, the butler bowed deeply and said,

“My Lady, while I appreciate your compassion, I must say that hiring an orphan with an unknown background is quite…”

“Unknown background… So, does that mean you saw me the same way, being from Sacre? Fine, I understand. In that case, I’ll just sell this boy at the slave market. Let’s go, Berm. Your cute looks will surely attract some buyers among the fat, lecherous nobles.”

That was the moment when Bermut, who had been out of it the entire time, snapped back to reality.

At the word “lecherous nobles,” Bermut almost had a fit and fell to his knees, clinging to the butler’s leg.

“Please, I beg you, take me in!”

The seasoned butler eventually gave in to the devious scam artist. The thought of Bermut likely undergoing rigorous butler training by now lifted my spirits.

Let that creepy dragon bastard taste a bit of the human world’s harshness.

“Shall we get going, Lady?”

While I was lost in thought, Lily had already tied ribbons in my hair and was smiling cheerfully.

I glared at Lily and threw the ribbons aside with a stern expression. Lily pouted as she looked at Jeanne.

“Don’t you want to look cute, Lady?”

“I’m already pissed off, so don’t push it.”

Only after I growled did Lily give up on the ribbons. With a sulky expression, Lily followed me to the Duke’s office. The maid waiting outside the office bowed her head.

“Duke, Lady Jeanne is here to see you.”

Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists. The Duke had surely been informed of my unauthorized actions.

It was only natural that I would get a severe scolding for running barefoot through the middle of the marketplace as the noble daughter of a duke.

Carlisle, being cautious in everything, wouldn’t have spread the word about me defeating a heretic.

Besides, no one would easily believe that a delicate noble lady had fought off a heretic.

So, in the eyes of Duke Carlotte, Jeanne was just a shameless adopted daughter who ran wild in the marketplace without any sense of propriety.

‘Looks like I’ll have to use my last resort.’

There didn’t seem to be any other way out.

Steeling my expression, I entered the office. Cedrick, who was reading a document with his glasses on, and the Duke, who was tapping away at his calculator, both turned to look at her simultaneously.

‘The atmosphere in this house is suffocating…’

It felt less like I was meeting her father and more like I was about to be audited by the tax authorities.

Cedrick, who had been staring at me, went back to his document. The Duke, still tapping his calculator irritably, spoke.

“Why are you just staring? Sit down.”

Startled by the sharp tone, I hesitated before quietly taking a seat on the sofa. My eyes wandered to the mountain of documents piled on the table.

Getting straight to work right after returning from a business trip…

Both the father and the son were relentless workaholics. After a few exchanges about work, Cedrick stood up.

“Then, I’ll take my leave first.”

“Alright.”

Cedrick gave a slight bow to the Duke and walked past me. The Duke, pushing aside the calculator, rubbed his face wearily. I mentally prepared myself.

“What were you thinking?”

“……”

“If you were the daughter of a country farmer, I wouldn’t care what you did. But you’re the Lady of the House of Efilia. Running barefoot through the square by yourself—what were you thinking?!”

Bang! The Duke slammed his fist on the desk, making my shoulders flinch. It seemed like he was trying to control his anger, but I could still feel the suppressed rage in his voice. He sighed before continuing.

“A tutor will be coming starting tomorrow, so you’ll be under house arrest for a while. I was foolish to think I could introduce you as the Lady… If you understand, you can leave.”

The trust I had painstakingly built up crumbled in an instant. I was momentarily in shock, but quickly gathered my thoughts. There was something I needed to clarify.

How did Ji Eunsoo manage to avoid losing her organs despite the enormous debt?

There are 3 answers for that.
First, the ability to observe and identify the softest-hearted person. Second, a talent for manipulating the loan sharks with smooth-talking.

And third, the ability to shed tears in just three seconds.

I slowly started to stir up my emotions. Think of sad things. The time I lost my manuscript due to a power outage.

The day I overslept and had to retake the college entrance exam. The time I ate what I thought was a beef kimbap, only to find it was burdock root kimbap.

By pulling out these sad memories from my tumultuous life like a film reel, my eyes quickly welled up with tears, just as I expected.

“I’m sorry. I was afraid I’d lose the pocket watch you gave me as your first gift…”

“……”

“I never imagined my reckless actions would damage your trust in me.”

I let a single tear drop from my eyes. Then, I went straight into a full-blown sob.

“I’m really, truly sorry…”

As I buried my face in my hands and pretended to cry, the room fell silent. Just as I was secretly observing the Duke’s reaction through my fingers, I heard a gruff voice from behind.

“Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”

The unexpected words made my body freeze. I looked back at Cedrick with a bewildered expression. The Duke seemed equally surprised. Cedrick was taking my side in this situation?

“It’s just my opinion.”

Cedrick cleared his throat awkwardly and left the office, avoiding eye contact with me. I quickly blocked the Duke, who was about to storm out after him with a fierce look. My mind raced.

‘Now! This is the perfect time to kneel!’

I immediately knelt down and clung to the Duke’s leg. Looking down at me with a bewildered expression, I spoke in a pleading voice.

“Your Grace! No matter what, I really want to attend the birthday celebration. I want to show off the necklace you gave me.”

“……”

“Can I attend the celebration and then go under house arrest?”

There was no immediate response. It seemed the Duke was somewhat shocked that both Cedrick and Jeanne, who were usually so obedient, were now defying him together.

Without losing my nerve, I put on what I considered a ‘cute’ expression and whined.

“Please, Your Grace? All the other young ladies get to make friends and eat delicious desserts, but I’m stuck at home every day… It’s lonely.”

“Do you really think this is a proper way to reflect on your actions?”

“I know I’m wrong! I’m completely in the wrong, but what I’m asking is to pay for my mistakes in installments. Ah, you probably don’t know what that means… It means I want to split up the punishment and take it bit by bit. Please, Your Grace.”

As I pleaded sincerely, the fierce look in the Duke’s eyes gradually softened.

“Why are you acting so childishly? You know I’m not your real father. You should know I can’t give you the affection you’re expecting.”

“You don’t have to give me affection. I just…”

I trailed off. A long-forgotten family photo from my past life as Ji Eunsoo surfaced in my mind, one that I had never revisited after flipping it over.

I smiled bitterly and lowered my head.

“I just… I’m happy to finally have a family. Maybe that’s why I’m acting this way.”

“Alright, get up. And.”

The Duke sighed and added indifferently.

“You’re the Lady of the House of Efilia. No matter who it is, I won’t allow you to lower yourself like this.”

Was it just my imagination, or did the Duke seem a bit more gentle than before? As I awkwardly got up, the Duke handed me a luxurious velvet box.

“Take it.”

Curious, I opened the box immediately. Inside was a jasmine sapphire necklace that emitted a soft lavender hue.

‘It’s the same color as Marie and Jeanne’s eyes.’

For some reason, I felt a lump in my throat. I closed the box and smiled sincerely at the Duke.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

I bowed my head and left the office. Just then, I saw Cedrick going down the stairs.

“Cedric!”

Ignoring me, Cedrick continued on his way, and I hurriedly followed him. As I rushed down the stairs, I twisted my ankle again and nearly fell.

“Can’t even control your own body?”

Cedrick sighed as he caught me just in time. He blew away the hair that had fallen into his eyes and calmly continued.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the other day.”

“……”

“Stopping three suicide attempts by chance is impossible. It means you’ve always been watching me. Worrying if I might do something foolish, wondering if there was a better way.”

It was impossible to prevent three suicide attempts unless it was intentional. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have noticed in the first place.

After piecing everything together, I arrived at one conclusion.

Cedrick might not show it, but he’s genuinely concerned about Jeanne.

Cedric’s earlier words echoed in my mind—how he didn’t like the way I handled things. Looking directly at him, I expressed my feelings.

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. But from now on… I won’t do anything like that again.”

“……”

“I promise.”

Cedric’s hand, which was still around my waist, trembled slightly.

* * *