-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“...Ibel, Mabel.”
A low voice pierced through Mabel's hazy consciousness.
That's strange. No one at the mansion ever calls my name.
‘Then it must be a dream.’
And at that moment, she thought she didn't want to wake up.
“We'll be there soon. Time to wake up.”
Someone gently shook her shoulder.
Who on earth is touching me?
No one ever even tried to make eye contact with me, let alone touch me...?
She struggled to open her eyes, and through her drowsy, blurry vision, she saw silver hair.
“Uh, uhm...?”
“Looks like you were comfortable.”
Sigmund chuckled, seeing Mabel still disoriented and not fully awake.
“Here, for the drool.”
“Th-thank you...”
It was only after she took the damp handkerchief that Mabel's eyes finally focused.
‘Whoops, when did I fall asleep?!’
She had been so tense, ready to get off the carriage the moment an opportunity arose!
She had slept so soundly that the drool that had trickled down the side of her mouth had completely dried!
‘Ugh, this is all because of the milk and bread.’
Her last memory was of eating soft, fluffy bread and warm, savory milk.
Her stomach was full, the carriage seat was plush, and Sigmund had even wiped her face, hands, and feet—it was only natural for a tired child's body to conk out.
‘The terrifying Sub Male Lead...!’
Mabel vigorously wiped her mouth, glaring at Sigmund with eyes still puffy and barely open.
“Don't look at me, look out the window. Come on, look over there.”
Sigmund chuckled and pointed out the window.
Beyond the dense coniferous forest, a white ancient castle stood tall on a sheer cliff.
A self-proclaimed impregnable fortress, it utilized the natural landscape with its towering waterfall to create a natural moat and waterways.
“That's the Esclid Grand Ducal Castle.”
It was the Sub Male Lead's stronghold.
Ah, so she had ended up here after all.
‘My destination was supposed to be an orphanage suitable for children!’
But it was too soon to give up.
They say even if you enter a tiger's den, you'll survive if you keep your wits about you.
This time, she would seize an opportunity to escape.
Even if it was an impregnable fortress, there had to be a small hole a little kid could sneak through.
‘I need to stay alert!’
Mabel clenched her two small fists.
* * *
However, Mabel's resolve didn't last even ten minutes.
“You must be so, so tired from your journey~ Would you like a cup of sweet cocoa~?”
“Oh, dear, she must be carsick from the carriage, why would you offer a hot drink? A cool one would be better. Miss, how about some lemonade? It's very refreshing and cool.”
“Yes, lemonade would be good. Shall we prepare some sweet cookies to go with it?”
“Cake would be nice too. A pretty one, with lots of whipped cream and fruit.”
Every time the maids spoke, Mabel's gaze darted from one to another.
As soon as they disembarked from the carriage, Sigmund was called away by his aide for urgent business, and Mabel was led by the hand of a maid to the drawing-room.
Mabel's caution remained until she settled onto the plush sofa.
The problem began after Mabel opened her mouth.
“Hello.”
Just one word, one single word!
She had simply offered a greeting, but the maids, who had been gazing at the child, had their expressions melt into puddles, and words gushed out from all directions.
“Finally, a young lady in my life...!”
“I've been praying and praying for the master to bring home a young lady!”
“The first-grade lace-knitting certificate, is the application period for that already over?”
“You, that closed ages ago~ By the way, how old do you think our young lady is~? The chef asked how many candles he should light~”
They say if you know yourself and know your enemy, you will win a hundred battles.
Mabel was a little girl who knew the future thanks to remembering the novel's plot, and the maids in front of her were...
“Haa, haa, I just want to, haa, quickly make those cheeks plump, haa...”
“Me, huff, I want to quickly, huff, huff, brush that abundant hair, huff...”
“I'm going to tie her hair in super cute styles every day. How adorable will that be? Haaang~!”
Ugh, they were too formidable.
‘All this gushing, it's only cute and heartwarming when you read about it in a novel.’
Now that she was experiencing it herself, she didn't know what to do with herself.
In her eight years of life, this was the first time Mabel had ever been surrounded by so many people, seen so many smiling faces, or been asked so many questions.
‘I should be wary... I shouldn't give in...’
Just like when Sigmund had looked at her, her chest kept tingling and her cheeks flushed.
In the end, Mabel's eyes darted around as she answered.
“I'm, uh, eight years old...”
“Kyaaah, she's eight!”
“She's just a babyyyy!”
“And her voice is so cute!”
“Ooh, our young lady is eight yeawrs old~ What's your name, sweety~?”
“M-my name is Mabel...”
“Oh my! Even her name is cute!”
“How can someone's name be Mabel?!”
Even a single answer would unleash a flood of gushing.
The atmosphere was so utterly different from the Ashilonia Ducal Residence that it felt unfamiliar.
“Now, Miss Mabel? Here's some refreshing lemonade~”
Just then, a maid in a long maid uniform offered a drink filled with ice.
The drink, which even had small lemon slices in it, was bubbling with carbonated fizz.
Mabel unconsciously gulped, her mouth watering.
However, seeing the child just look at it without reaching out, the maids tilted their heads.
“What's wrong? Do you not like cold drinks, perhaps? Have you ever had a tummy ache from them?”
“Then how about something warm? Sweet cocoa~ Or warm milk with honey?”
“Oh, no. It's not that...”
Cold drinks? She didn't dislike them.
Sweet, warm milk and cocoa? Just hearing about them made Mabel's mouth water.
But...
“Please feel free to tell us anything, young lady~”
Mabel, who had hesitated for a long time, quietly asked the maid who was politely kneeling before her.
“How much is it...?”
Mabel whispered in a voice barely audible.
“I don't have any money...”
It was embarrassing to be so pathetic, but it was true.
She had already received so much from Sigmund.
Cookies, chocolate, warm milk, bread...
And he had even used aura to get rid of the itchy lice in her hair!
Surely he wouldn't charge her for the carriage that brought her here, too? Could she ever pay him back for all of it?
If she were to judge coolly, she should refuse anything offered.
She should, but...
‘But that's carbonated!’
According to the memories that occasionally resurfaced—whether from a past life or something else—that stuff was really delicious.
And it was said to be incredibly expensive.
So if she didn't drink it now, she might never get to again.
Mabel, who had been contemplating closing her eyes and just drinking it, suddenly realized that her surroundings had grown quiet.
The maids, who had been beaming moments ago, now had their lips pressed into a thin line.
What's more, some even had narrowed eyes.
‘Gah, is it because I said I don't have money?’
She would pay them back someday, but that might not be satisfactory.
It was just as Mabel was about to turn her head away from the lemonade.
“...It's free.”
The tips of the maid's eyebrows, as she looked up at Mabel, drooped.
Tears welled up in her gentle, downturned eyes.
“So please don't think like that, and just drink it. As much as you want, young lady, as much as you like...”
“Mm-hmm. That's right. Children don't need to worry about such things.”
“At least here, they don't, young lady.”
The other maids also spoke, holding back their tears.
Mabel flinched at their words.
‘Here...’
The Ashilonia Family and the Esclid Grand Ducal Family were not on good terms.
Part of it was because they were the families of the Male Lead and Sub Male Lead, but mostly it was due to Caesar's stubbornness.
In the novel, Caesar was constantly plagued by an inferiority complex, and he was desperate to slander Sigmund.
Unlike Caesar, who was born out of wedlock, Sigmund was the legitimate heir and superior in every way.
‘So if they knew I was from Ashilonia, they would all be displeased.’
At the very least, they wouldn't be as kind and favorable as they were now.
The realization made it even harder for Mabel to reach for the lemonade, but...
“Here you go, young lady. It's truly refreshing and delicious, you know?”
The fizzing bubbles and the faint lemon scent wafting to her nose.
In the end, Mabel couldn't resist the allure of the carbonation, closed her eyes, and took the lemonade.
She carefully put the tip of the clear glass straw to her lips and slurped, and her red eyes widened into perfect circles.
‘Th-this taste...?!’
The cool, refreshing taste spread throughout her small body.
“Hwaaaah...”
At the taste of carbonation, which she was experiencing for the first time, Mabel melted into a puddle.
‘Ah... even if I'm now buried under a mountain of debt, I have no regrets...’
The second gulp was exhilarating and cool.
* * *
Having finished his urgent business, Sigmund hurried towards the drawing-room.
This was the child who, even while half-asleep entering the mansion, had insisted she was kidnapped and demanded to be let go.
Moreover, Mabel was from Ashilonia.
The servants hadn't shown any displeasure in front of him, but it was hard to say how they would act in front of the child.
So he quickened his steps, but then.
“What on earth is this line?”
