Chapter 7
Until now, Mavis had joined the Arsen couple at their meals because she was still adjusting to this new world. But now that she’d seen how they always ate together and left Vanessa out on purpose, she didn’t want to sit with them anymore.
Mavis clung tightly to Vanessa’s arm, refusing to let go. Her chubby cheeks puffed out in anger, and the closer the maid Trisha came, the puffier they got.
Vanessa couldn’t ignore it any longer and gently spoke up.
“Um… I’ll help Mae eat today, Trisha. You can go back now.”
“Yes! That’s right! I’m eating with Mommy!”
Mavis, still clinging to Vanessa’s arm, stuck her tongue out at Trisha behind Vanessa’s back.
It was a childish little gesture—but Mavis knew what she was doing.
Trisha was arrogant and proud, so even something that simple would annoy her deeply.
“If that’s what you wish, milady, then I’ll leave.”
“Yes… Mae, be sure to thank Trisha for bringing your food.”
“Okay~ Thank you~”
Trisha’s face turned red with embarrassment as she left the room.
“Hmph. A maid dares to mess with my cute, adorable mommy?”
Mavis couldn’t understand why anyone would want to bully someone as sweet and soft as Vanessa.
She stared thoughtfully at Trisha’s back as she left. Trisha wasn’t just any maid—she was a spy for the council and Mavis’s personal attendant. She had helped turn Mavis against Vanessa in the past.
“Mae~ Shall we eat now?”
“Yes~!”
“How about we eat on the balcony, under the warm sun?”
“I love sunshine!”
Vanessa smiled at the happy child and rolled the food tray onto the balcony.
She helped Mavis up onto a high chair—she was too short to climb it herself—and set the food on the table.
But as Mavis looked at the food… she froze.
The meal was far too poor for someone like a duchess.
There was some hard white bread that looked several days old, soup with only a few floating vegetables—no meat at all—and a burned steak.
It wasn’t inedible, but it was clearly meant to mock Vanessa.
Still, there was no easy way to bring it up. And if Vanessa did complain, the staff would probably lie and accuse her of bullying them—and then report it to the council.
The worst part was… Vanessa didn’t even seem to realize the food was strange.
She calmly set the table and smiled as if everything was normal.
* * *
Vanessa had just realized again how differently she was being treated.
Back then, even a simple, warm piece of bread and a soup full of vegetables and meat were luxuries to her.
A normal meal—something most people take for granted—was never allowed to her.
As she quietly chewed the bread, tears began falling from her eyes.
In the original story, the Emperor appeared and comforted her at that moment…
Mavis shook her head.
It was nice that she remembered the novel, but the part about the Emperor—who would kill her in the future—left her feeling uneasy.
“He took care of her then… But this time, I’ll do it.”
Vanessa had suffered so much even before coming here. As an illegitimate child of a count, she probably didn’t even realize this food was garbage.
“It’s not just Trisha… Everyone here’s the problem.”
Trisha wasn’t the only one mocking Vanessa with this meal.
Even if she was a spy for the council, she couldn’t have done this alone.
The head chef and other servants clearly agreed to it too.
No one in this house is truly loyal.
Everyone was working with the council to make Vanessa’s life miserable.
“And they didn’t even come when I rang the bell.”
Mavis frowned as she remembered the day Vanessa had collapsed in bed, sweating and sick. No one had helped.
Vanessa, still unaware of Mavis’s thoughts, tilted her head curiously and reached out to gently smooth the child’s frown with her finger.
“…This is too much for me to fix alone.”
Even though Mavis was the only daughter of the duke, she was still only six years old.
Maybe she could get one or two servants replaced, but it wouldn’t stop the bullying.
The only real way to protect Vanessa… was to get rid of her in-laws who ruled this house like tyrants.
“Mae… Do you eat vegetables well?”
“Yup! I like veggies!”
Mavis grinned brightly and looked up at Vanessa as she fed her soup.
She felt a sudden chill at the thought of bringing the “junk husband” back too late. Things could go very wrong if she waited.
* * *
“Yes, my lord… The young lady is doing well. So, you really don’t need to come back. Right now…? She’s walking in the garden. Yes… She’s perfectly healthy. Mm-hmm… yes…”
Magical communication devices were rare and insanely expensive.
To commoners, they were just a dream. For nobles, they were symbols of power and wealth.
Of course, the Arsen family had one—but only one. It was kept locked in the duke’s private study, and regular servants weren’t allowed to touch it.
But Trisha had boldly walked into the study and called the duke herself.
She believed using that device proved her importance.
After all, even the clueless duchess and her annoying daughter didn’t dare enter this office.
Only she, Trisha, had the trust of the council and permission to do so.
“…Ugh.”
After reporting for a while, Trisha ended the call with a sigh.
She remembered how she had been told not to report anything bad—especially that the child had been sick.
If the duke found out, he might come back.
And Trisha really didn’t want that to happen.
Mavis was already bossy and bratty. If her dad came back, she’d probably be worse.
But since Trisha had told him everything was fine, he’d likely stay at the frontlines hunting monsters for months.
Magic communication was limited to only the wealthiest noble families or national institutions.
Usually, the duke contacted them by letter.
So the next message would probably be a letter too.
“That brat will have to obey her grandparents while he’s away.”
Once she was educated by the elders, everything would be fine.
Thinking about Mavis crying after being scolded gave Trisha a strange sense of relief.
She even hummed a happy tune while finishing her cleaning of the dusty, unused study.
“Hmm… That should do it.”
No one else would enter this room anyway.
Only she had permission from the Arsen couple to come here!
Trisha’s lips curved into a proud smile.
Rustle.
Trisha, packing up her cleaning tools, paused and looked around at the sudden noise.
There was nowhere to hide in this study. Maybe a small animal had gotten in?
She tensed up and gripped her broom tighter.
If it was a mouse… the duchess would scream.
No one wanted to hear that shrill, screechy voice.
Trisha shuddered just thinking about it and checked every corner of the room.
“Not under the desk… not between the bookshelves…”
Only the sofa was left.
She gulped and tiptoed over.
If only I’d used that brat to bring in a cat…
With a cat around, she wouldn’t have to hunt down mice like this.
“Trisha! Are you done cleaning?”
“Oh… yes, madam.”
“No one makes tea like you. Brew me some, will you?”
Through the open door, Trisha saw the towering hairstyle of the Arsen duchess.
She still had to catch the mouse—but mentioning it to the duchess would only bring more trouble.
“Sigh…”
Trisha sighed and packed up her supplies, leaving the study.
She figured she’d just ask the delivery boy to bring some rat poison later.
“Now then~ What kind of tea would you like today, madam?”
Click.
As the door to the study closed, Mavis crawled out from under the sofa.
She was small and skinny—perfect for hiding in tight spaces.
“Whew… I almost died…”
She was drenched in sweat from all the tension.
Mavis wiped her face with her sleeve and breathed heavily.
“So that’s why he didn’t come…”
She had waited under that sofa for three hours to hear the truth.
Even if her dad was a jerk, it made no sense that he didn’t visit when she’d been sick for days.
She’d started to wonder if he was completely worthless.
But thankfully, there was a reason—someone had cut off communication between them.
And the main suspects were obvious.
The servants… and her horrible grandparents.
There was no way a child could fight all of that alone.
Which meant… she still needed her dad.
Now that she knew why he hadn’t shown up, things were a bit better.
Still sweaty, Mavis dusted off her clothes and frowned.
Even for a kid, her expression was serious—something had definitely happened.
After sitting in one spot for so long, her legs were numb.
“Ow…”
She spit on her finger and rubbed it on her nose—an old trick to help with cramps.
Her leg twitches like it had been zapped.
“Will Dad show up at the right time…?”
She was a little worried.
“…Hey, Dad? Are you coming?”
If not—she’d make sure he did.
