"Lobelia suddenly took leave this morning?”
It was two days after Bianca stayed at my mansion.
“Yes, she said she would give Bianca a make-up lesson later instead!”
Normally, this would be the time when Bianca’s extracurricular classes would be in full swing.
As soon as the class was canceled, Bianca came running to my living room and looked excited.
“Don’t she like us Bianca so much? You don’t usually act out in class, right?”
"Yes? Well, honestly, playing is still more fun than studying...”
Bianca stuck out her lower lip as if she was embarrassed.
I laughed because that kid was cute, but then I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Anyway, Lobelia, isn’t there a pain somewhere?”
“Well, I don’t know? She didn't say anything like that... Right, Nanny?”
The nanny, who was listening to the conversation next to her, nodded her head.
“Yeah, I didn’t hear that either.”
Well, then I guess I don’t have to worry about it?
While I was thinking about it, I ended up getting up from the sofa, feeling uneasy for some reason.
And then I spoke to the nanny.
“I’m going to visit Lobelia for a bit. Still, I am the owner of this mansion and Lobelia is a noblewoman, so I have to be polite.”
I told Bianca I would be back soon and left the living room.
Then I went straight upstairs and knocked on Lobelia's door.
“Lobelia, are you inside?”
I knocked on the door a few more times, but there was no sound.
‘Did you fall asleep because you were sick? Then, I need to call a doctor from downtown.'
I quietly opened the door and looked inside the room.
Although it was midday, it was extremely dark inside with all the curtains drawn.
I went inside and looked, but there was no lobelia anywhere.
‘Did she go out for a short walk? Or, did she take time off not because she was sick, but because she had an important appointment?'
If that's the case, I'm glad.
It was just as I was about to return to the living room without any hesitation.
On one side of the room, a full-length mirror completely covered with a blanket suddenly came into view.
Why does this seemingly insignificant thing feel so strange?
It was a time when I was approaching that mirror, step by step.
“Your Highness, what are you doing here?”
I was startled by a voice coming from behind me and turned around.
“...Ah, lobelia.”
I calmed my startled mind and let out a small breath.
“I’m sorry for staying in an unoccupied room without permission. I was worried that Lobelia might be sick.”
Despite my polite words, Lobelia did not open her mouth for a while.
Just stay still and stare at me.
Eventually, I felt as if a subtle color was passing through her eyes.
“... You said so. There is no need to apologize, Your Highness. On the contrary, I am grateful for your concern.”
In an instant, a soft smile was in full bloom on Lobelia's face.
I looked at her blankly and slightly raised the corner of my mouth.
“I’m glad it doesn’t seem to hurt. But if it hurts, be sure to tell me.”
"Yes, I will."
“...Yes, then I’ll just leave.”
I walked straight toward the door.
Then, for a moment, something under her bed suddenly caught my eye.
A small pile of straw the size of a skein of thread.
A fountain-shaped ornament was placed next to it.
I glanced back.
Lobelia is still watching me and smiling, a pile of straw that can be seen everywhere, and just a small decoration that would be displayed in a cupboard.
There was nothing special about it.
‘Yes, obviously, but...'
I didn't know why I felt so ominous.
***
Meanwhile, at the same time.
There was someone who endured an arduous time at the center of that ominous energy.
“Puppet, wait! Please listen to me, Puppet!”
Camilla desperately called out the name of one of the men.
She was holding on to the trouser legs of the man standing tall in front of her.
Her appearance was beyond words.
Her low-cut dress, which hugged her breasts, was downright vulgar.
The makeup was comically thick, but it did little to hide the ringworm that had bloomed due to the harsh northern winds.
Anyone who sees her looks like a cheap prostitute from a back alley.
It was a look that would have made the old Camilla blush.
But now she acted as if she had no other interests other than clinging to the man in front of her.
“I will do better. If I work hard, I will be of some help in some way, so....”
“...”
“C’mon, just don’t kick me out. Just let me stay here, okay...?”
Camilla's cheeks trembled as she looked up at the man.
Meanwhile, where is this place where she begs to just be allowed to stay?
Likewise, it was a very shabby underground space where her previous self would have refused to stay even for a few seconds.
Because there was no sunlight, the atmosphere was always dark, and the smell of mold and formalin pierced her nose.
The bed, which seemed ready to collapse at any moment, was always infested with bed bugs.
When she woke up, she often made eye contact with a plump mouse.
The reason Camilla came to this terrible place was because of Puppet...
So, it was because of the man who killed the mixed-race demons at the abandoned farm at her instigation.
At that time, Camilla needed a place to escape to.
It was clear that Duke Bold, who was enraged by the news of Rebecca's divorce, would try to kill her.
She had to run away to save her life.
In the meantime, she also had to protect her bag containing all of the Count Bad family's wealth.
'I need someone's help to protect both my money and my life...'
At that moment, the man who killed the mixed-race demon at the abandoned farm came to mind.
Camilla fled from Duke Bold's outbuilding and hid in a room at the inn.
She then secretly summoned the man and offered him another deal.
But he refuses, saying he has to go back to the North.
Camilla thought she was better off.
She is under his protection and she can return to her homeland.
In her hometown, she could invest in futures trading by borrowing the name of a trusted acquaintance.
Then maybe she could multiply the money she has now.
Without the help of petty and narrow-minded men, she becomes a wealthy woman with a woman's body.
‘I was about to go north too. So, you can make a deal, right? I'll pay you handsomely, so all you have to do is escort me properly.'
She is under his protection and she can return to her homeland.
In her hometown, she could invest in futures trading by borrowing the name of a trusted acquaintance.
Then maybe she could multiply the money she has now.
Without the help of petty and narrow-minded men, she becomes a wealthy woman with a woman's body.
‘I was about to go north too. So, you can make a deal, right? I'll pay you handsomely, so all you have to do is escort me properly.'
The man just nodded his head, looking helpless.
Looking at him like that, Camilla asked bitterly.
‘What is your name? I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to know since we'll be living together for a while.'
Only then did the man open his mouth and let out an unpleasant laugh.
A new, metallic sound flowed from his lips.
So she and he headed north.
She went to the place where he was born and raised to receive Puppet's protection and save money on hotel expenses.
She came to this very basement.
When she first arrived here, her nose was irritated by various disgusting smells coming from all directions.
Camilla was almost nauseous.
However, given the circumstances, she decided to make an uncharacteristic decision for once.
'If I hide here for a few days, even Duke Bold will give up. Then I just have to go out and find a suitable place to stay.'
She never thought that decision would become the root of the problem.
While staying at Puppet's house, Camilla was scammed out of all her money by a trusted friend of hers.
Then she naturally stopped giving Puppet daily wages.
In a hurry, she went to a pawn shop and sold all her belongings, but the money soon ran out.
Instead of being protected by the Puppet, she was reduced to being kicked out even from the basement.
An old woman called Puppet's mother made a strange suggestion to Camilla.
'All you have is your body, so what can you do? Even if you use that, you have to put out an urgent fire, right? We can't show favors forever...'
The old woman laughed and made a strange sound.
Her newly black, sticky teeth were revealed on her lips.
Camilla tried to tell her back, but in the end, she was telling her to go around the alleys and make money.
In the past, Camilla would have been indignant as soon as she heard it.
But Camilla eventually accepted her request.
As time passed, it became what it is now.
Camilla ended up going down the exact path she had been trying to avoid, even at the risk of her life.
Still, Camilla couldn't stay angry at them.
No, she doesn't know when, but she rarely gets angry at them.
...As if she had been brainwashed.
But at some point, she didn't want to leave that dark basement.
So she prayed again and again as pitifully as she does now.
She will do anything, so please just let her stay here.
“Puppet, Puppet, please...”
At that time, she wasn't just on her knees, she was praying with her hands together.
The old woman who had gone up to the ground was seen coming down to the basement reading a letter.
She kept her eyes on the letter for a long time.
“Puppet, come here and see.”
The old woman, who was grinning and showing her black teeth, gestured to the Puppet.
Then the Puppet shook off Camilla and headed straight for the old woman.
The old woman whispered to the Puppet for a long time, and the Puppet just listened to her words in silence.
It was around this time that Camilla was watching the two nervously.
Finally, the old woman's sinister voice rang through the basement.
“Take Camilla to 181A 3rd Street, Lord Allen, Puppet.”
Of the many words the old woman said, that was the only one Camilla was allowed to say.
An unfamiliar address and an order are given to the puppet.
Camilla knew what that meant from her previous experience.
“Yes, is this the address of the next guest?”
Puppet nodded silently.
Camilla let out a long breath as if she was relieved.
"According to... Let's go..."
As always, an unpleasant metallic sound came out of the puppet.
Camilla put on her cheap coat and she followed him.
'It would be nice if the other person was a nobleman. Then I can spend a few weeks here without worrying about being abandoned...'
Camilla just followed the Puppet, feeling fortunate that she had something to do today.
Camilla's pessimism about her situation had long since disappeared.
Looking at him like that, Camilla asked bitterly.
‘What is your name? I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to know since we'll be living together for a while.'
Only then did the man open his mouth and let out an unpleasant laugh.
A new, metallic sound flowed from his lips.
So she and he headed north.
She went to the place where he was born and raised to receive Puppet's protection and save money on hotel expenses.
She came to this very basement.
When she first arrived here, her nose was irritated by various disgusting smells coming from all directions.
Camilla was almost nauseous.
However, given the circumstances, she decided to make an uncharacteristic decision for once.
'If I hide here for a few days, even Duke Bold will give up. Then I just have to go out and find a suitable place to stay.'
She never thought that decision would become the root of the problem.
While staying at Puppet's house, Camilla was scammed out of all her money by a trusted friend of hers.
Then she naturally stopped giving Puppet daily wages.
In a hurry, she went to a pawn shop and sold all her belongings, but the money soon ran out.
Instead of being protected by the Puppet, she was reduced to being kicked out even from the basement.
An old woman called Puppet's mother made a strange suggestion to Camilla.
'All you have is your body, so what can you do? Even if you use that, you have to put out an urgent fire, right? We can't show favors forever...'
The old woman laughed and made a strange sound.
Her newly black, sticky teeth were revealed on her lips.
Camilla tried to tell her back, but in the end, she was telling her to go around the alleys and make money.
In the past, Camilla would have been indignant as soon as she heard it.
But Camilla eventually accepted her request.
As time passed, it became what it is now.
Camilla ended up going down the exact path she had been trying to avoid, even at the risk of her life.
Still, Camilla couldn't stay angry at them.
No, she doesn't know when, but she rarely gets angry at them.
...As if she had been brainwashed.
But at some point, she didn't want to leave that dark basement.
So she prayed again and again as pitifully as she does now.
She will do anything, so please just let her stay here.
“Puppet, Puppet, please...”
At that time, she wasn't just on her knees, she was praying with her hands together.
The old woman who had gone up to the ground was seen coming down to the basement reading a letter.
She kept her eyes on the letter for a long time.
“Puppet, come here and see.”
The old woman, who was grinning and showing her black teeth, gestured to the Puppet.
Then the Puppet shook off Camilla and headed straight for the old woman.
The old woman whispered to the Puppet for a long time, and the Puppet just listened to her words in silence.
It was around this time that Camilla was watching the two nervously.
Finally, the old woman's sinister voice rang through the basement.
“Take Camilla to 181A 3rd Street, Lord Allen, Puppet.”
Of the many words the old woman said, that was the only one Camilla was allowed to say.
An unfamiliar address and an order are given to the puppet.
Camilla knew what that meant from her previous experience.
“Yes, is this the address of the next guest?”
Puppet nodded silently.
Camilla let out a long breath as if she was relieved.
"According to... Let's go..."
As always, an unpleasant metallic sound came out of the puppet.
Camilla put on her cheap coat and she followed him.
'It would be nice if the other person was a nobleman. Then I can spend a few weeks here without worrying about being abandoned...'
Camilla just followed the Puppet, feeling fortunate that she had something to do today.
Camilla's pessimism about her situation had long since disappeared.
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