Chapter 06
Bang!
Lottie slammed the milk tea down on the table, her foul mood clear in every movement.
I was so hungry I could barely see straight, but I still managed to scold her.
“Could you not slam it down like that?”
“Miss, what does it matter if I put it down gently or harshly?”
Her rude attitude reminded me once again of my situation.
“Because I’m the person you’re supposed to be serving. And even before that, isn’t it just common courtesy not to act like that, no matter who you’re talking to?”
But Lottie wasn’t surprised anymore that I spoke so clearly. What shocked her more was that every word I said had weight.
‘Even so, she’s just someone her own mother abandoned… and…’
Lottie looked at the fancy milk tea she brought and tried to calm herself.
She forced a sweet smile and said kindly, “I serve the Duke, not you. You’re not really a Rohia, and you’re not a maid either, yet you make me do everything.”
“You might regret this later.”
I clicked my tongue.
“I’m a little petty. Even if you wrote an apology with your butt in the middle of the square, I might not forgive you.”
“Who would do something like that with their butt…!”
Lottie muttered, but I didn’t wait. I grabbed the dull-looking oat bread.
Chomp. Chomp.
Surprisingly, the tasteless bread felt like the best thing I had ever eaten.
I guess it made sense since this little body hadn’t eaten in days.
Lottie gently pushed the milk tea toward me with a rare soft smile.
“I went through a lot of trouble to bring this. Please don’t waste it.”
I glanced at the milk tea but replied indifferently, “You can leave now. You know that even a dog shouldn’t be bothered while eating.”
“It’s not a dog—it’s supposed to be ‘even a Woodloon won’t bother someone while they eat’!”
“Woodloon?”
What was that?
I asked too late. Lottie was already out the door.
Her light steps annoyed me, and I clenched my fists at her back.
With a small sigh, I shoved more bread into my mouth.
“Cough, cough…”
I choked on the dry bread.
I looked at the milk tea briefly. Instead of drinking it, I went and dragged over an old rusty kettle.
The water inside was warm and stale, but drinkable.
Though I longed for something cold, like iced milk tea, I slapped my cheeks.
‘I can’t drink that.’
I knew Lottie had tampered with it.
I looked down at the kettle. It was something the old lady who raised me had owned.
The Rohia family only ever gave me oat bread, and never enough.
The old lady couldn’t give me more food, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. Looking back, she must’ve been a washed-up magician who knew a few spells.
“Now, Miss. Let’s imagine what you want to eat…”
She used to calm me down when I cried from hunger by telling me to imagine food.
Then she’d whisper spells and sprinkle some powder into water. After drinking it, I would fall asleep and dream of eating.
If I drank that now, I’d probably dream of chicken, ramen, and kimchi. But back then, I only dreamed of oat bread. Later, maybe a baguette with butter.
That was all the food I knew.
Still, the bread in my dreams was always soaked with the scent of the mansion’s late-night banquets. It felt satisfying.
Now I realized that was the old lady’s way of comforting me.
I gently touched the only thing she left behind.
Lottie had definitely used the same magic powder on the milk tea. I had seen her take it after the old lady died.
So if I drank that milk tea, I would fall asleep.
Dreaming of chicken would be nice, but now wasn’t the time.
That drink wasn’t for me—all the picky requests had just been to provoke Lottie.
I tilted the rusty kettle and gulped down the water.
“Ahh.”
I even let out a loud fake satisfied sigh.
And then, just as I expected, my chance arrived.
***
“Hey! What the heck!”
I must have dozed off.
I woke up to an annoying puff of air hitting my face.
A rough hand grabbed me and yanked me out of bed.
Sweaty purple hair, furrowed brows full of rage.
If we weren’t siblings, he might be considered handsome.
Boris Rohia—the little tyrant of the Rohia family.
“Wait, let go…”
Half-asleep, I stumbled out of bed, dragged by Boris.
He pulled me to the table and pointed.
“This! Who said you could drink milk tea?! Who gave you permission to drink the same thing as me?!”
It was the milk tea I made Lottie bring.
‘Got him!’
I put on my most pitiful face.
“I-I’m sorry… I just really wanted some, so I begged Lottie.”
He held a sword. He must’ve come straight from training.
Whenever his training went poorly, Boris would come find me and take it out on me.
“You drank it?! You actually drank it?! How dare you drink the same thing as me?!”
His yelling was loud enough to burst my eardrums.
“No! I just asked for it… but you said I should only drink what you leave behind, so I was waiting… waiting for you, Boris.”
“Don’t call me that! I told you to say ‘young master’!”
Boris shouted and threw my arm away.
I gently smoothed out my wrinkled clothes, gritting my teeth.
The plan was going perfectly.
Now it all came down to whether I could hold back from punching him.
‘Hold it in. Just a little more.’
As I calmed myself, Boris glared at the milk tea.
He snatched it up and said smugly,
“At least you waited. As you said, you should only have what I leave behind.”
“Yes… young master…”
I bowed my head and peeked up at him.
Boris wiped his sweat repeatedly.
He must have been hot and thirsty.
“I’ll reward you. I’ll drink this, and if there’s any left, you can have it. Aren’t you lucky?”
Perfect.
I shouted with fake joy,
“Thank you, young master!”
Gulp—
He started chugging the milk tea. Milk ran down his cheek as he drank like a wild animal.
When the cup was half-empty, he paused.
“Phew. That’s better. But why is there so much?”
He glanced at me, then deliberately took another big sip.
He looked nothing like a noble heir—just a greedy beast.
This was exactly why the Duke didn’t trust him.
It wasn’t about others. It was his own behavior that made him lose favor and let Joseph earn the Duke’s trust in the original story.
When there was just a little left in the cup, Boris said,
“Here. I left some just for you. Take it with both hands.”
But he couldn’t finish his sentence.
Suddenly, Boris swayed and tried to grab the table.
Before he could, his body fell and hit the floor hard.
After seeing his eyes roll back, I calmly stood up.
“The potion wasn’t supposed to be this strong. Did Lottie mess up…?”
Still, I needed to make sure Boris woke up soon.
I quickly messed up my clothes.
‘Ragged outfit, check. Messy hair, check. Pale face with bruises, perfect!’
Once I was ready, I took a deep breath and shouted with all my might,
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
