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TLB 27

TLB

Chapter 27

“Uh.”

My eyes widened at the sight of the person in front of me.

“That time… that…”

Jode? Jude? Jute? Anyway, it was the boy I met that time. The one Saldir had introduced as his squire and then dragged off. The boy was standing quietly in the bushes, staring at me.

Under his continued gaze, I awkwardly straightened up and met his eyes. No—rather than meeting them, it felt more accurate to say our eyes were entangled. His gaze was that intense. That face, quietly staring at me under the moonlight, somehow felt mysteriously enchanting.

Strange. It was clearly the same face I had seen in broad daylight. Yet now, his skin seemed oddly radiant, almost glowing faintly. I couldn’t pinpoint it, but… something about him…

He seemed holy.

Holy? I couldn’t believe the thought that crossed my mind and asked myself again. Just then, the boy approached, glancing around. When he saw my condition and the slightly dented rosewood tree, his eyes curved.

“So, you’re training out here? Without your gauntlet?”

“…What?”

The boy asked slowly, watching me.

“You wear a gauntlet, don’t you? A black one.”

At that moment, I couldn’t breathe.

I struggled to keep a neutral expression while thinking furiously. What? How does he know that? The fact that I had Comet was a secret. Even my grandfather and father didn’t know. So how could this boy know?

“…What are you talking about?”

I asked, holding my breath.

“Oh, never mind. Must’ve been my mistake. I probably confused you with your brother. He brags a lot about his training gauntlet being made of black steel.”

“…”

The boy casually corrected himself.

…The timing of that correction was too natural, and I frowned. Honestly, I was confused. Does he know about the gauntlet or not?

While I stayed silent, the boy walked up without hesitation. Then, as if it was the most natural thing, he leaned a hand against the tree and looked at me. He definitely had black hair and black eyes. A plain appearance. If you asked me whether he looked like the boy I saw last time… probably not.

“But why were you trying to punch this tree? There are plenty of punching dummies at the training grounds.”

“…”

Punching dummy?

When I stayed silent, the boy kindly explained what a punching dummy was.

“It’s a wooden torso padded with soft cotton layers, with target points drawn on it.”

It was the first time I’d heard of such a tool.

I mean, having grown up in the backstreets, how would I know something like that existed?

The only solo training tools I knew involved punching hard trees or sandbags. Sure, I’d heard that knights used human-shaped dummies for practice, but I had no idea you could punch those, or that they were called punching dummies. Well, the Sylcars were a family that revered fists. Of course they would train that way, and naturally they’d have efficient tools for it.

…Only now did it occur to me, and I felt pathetic. But I didn’t want to let it show—especially not in front of this boy. I glared at him, fists still clenched.

“I know what it is too. But… I’m not allowed yet.”

…It wasn’t exactly a lie. Since I wasn’t formally allowed in the training grounds, I hadn’t had the chance to explore their equipment. When I replied evasively, the boy smiled with a curve of his lips, as if he knew everything. It was a deeply mysterious smile.

“So breaking the rosewood tree is allowed? It’s sturdy, but your punches seem stronger. If you keep going, it’ll break in a few dozen more hits.”

“So what if it does? What’s it to you?”

I replied bluntly, frowning. He was still a kid, yet he acted like he knew everything, like some wise adult. The way he casually chatted with me was suspicious too. And most of all, I didn’t even know this boy.

Saldir had dragged him off without telling me his age or name. Even if he was a squire in our household… I couldn’t trust him. He might’ve been planted here by Nard. I kept my guarded expression as I asked,

“Why are you even here? Are squires allowed in the family’s garden and forest?”

“Nope. I’m sneaking around.”

…What?

“Sneaking?”

“Yeah. Your brother’s seriously trying to kill me. I just wanted to look at the flowers, but there are way too many obstacles.”

“…Flowers?”

I instinctively looked around the garden. Flowers were blooming. I’d heard that the dukedom’s gardeners planted seasonal blooms year-round, so you could always enjoy them. There was even a greenhouse for winter.

He came to see the flowers? As I remained puzzled, the boy shrugged and continued,

“There are just too many obstacles… I guess it’s not the right time. It’s exhausting. And I really hate exhausting things.”

“You hate… exhausting things? What the heck are you saying?”

I furrowed my brows.

…How could someone say something so ridiculous with a straight face? I stared at him in stunned disbelief.

But the boy, unfazed by my expression, stretched his arms and continued,

“Anyway, stop punching the tree. If you break it, who knows which way it’ll fall? Trees don’t split evenly. It’s dangerous.”

He shrugged again and added softly,

“And trees hurt too, you know.”

I just looked at him, my fist still clenched. He clearly wasn’t an adult. At most, he was a boy—barely a teen. Yet he was unlike anyone I’d ever met. He looked like someone who wasn’t tied down by anything. Was he possessed or something?

I began wondering if this was all a dream, but still couldn’t tear my gaze away.

“…What are you?”

The words slipped out before I realized.

“…Hmm. My name?”

“What?”

“You’re asking my name, right? I told you—it’s Jute. I don’t have a last name.”

He blinked as he replied. His eyes were round. I had no idea how he got from that question to assuming I wanted his name. Anyone would’ve taken my tone as confrontational.

“Wait, are you messing with me?”

“No way. Who plays a prank like that? Pranks are way more dramatic. Though… your brother said the same thing yesterday.”

Saldir had already struck me as an unusually odd person. But now this kid was giving me the same vibe. Conclusion? He’s weird. He said he was from the backstreets. What kind of recommendation got him into squire training?

“You and your brother are alike.”

“Wait, you—”

He just kept talking. I was too dumbfounded to respond, and Jute looked at my face and chuckled softly. It was a much more relaxed, familiar laugh than before. Why was he acting so casual and friendly? Was that his true nature? It was startling. Didn’t he say he was from the backstreets?

“Anyway, remember my name. Or don’t. It’s fine either way.”

“What?”

“I hope we meet again.”

Jute gave a wide grin, then lightly patted my cheek with his right hand. Like he was tapping a loaf of bread—my cheeks bounced with each pat. Sure, I was a kid too, but this was infuriating and humiliating. I quickly tried to swat his hand away, but he withdrew first.

“Are you insane?”

“Hehe.”

Is he actually insane? I scowled in disbelief. The boy just laughed and disappeared into the bushes.

I stood frozen, then quickly chased after him.

“Wait, is he actually running aw—huh?”

Jute was gone.

Gone without a trace.

I blinked stupidly.

What just happened? Was that even real?

It wasn’t a dream, was it?

I pinched the cheek he had tapped—sharply.

 

Only then did I fully realize again: this was real.

At Novelish Universe, we deeply respect the hard work of original authors and publishers. Our platform exists to share stories with global readers, and we are open and ready to partner with rights holders to ensure creators are supported and fairly recognized. All of our translations are done by professional translators at the request of our readers, and the majority of revenue goes directly to supporting these translators for their dedication and commitment to quality.
The Lady Boss

The Lady Boss

두목 공녀님
Score 9.8
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Artist: Released: 2025 Native Language: korean

Summary

Vedette, once called the “Boss” of the Snake Den — the underworld slums of the Othern Empire — lived as a lowborn.

One day, she died fighting a cult in order to save her friend.

When she opened her eyes again, it was 20 years in the past —
And she had become the precious youngest daughter of the powerful noble family, the Sylcar House, the highest-ranking family in the Othern Empire.

"I was... Verdette Sylcar, the girl everyone thought had gone missing?"

What Vedette now has are:

  • The Ego Gauntlet [Comet], which she obtained by chance,

  • Memories of her first life, the one in which she died,

  • And the face of a man who once kissed her hand with reverence.

There’s no time.
She has only one chance to make everything right again.


“If someone did wrong…”

I clenched my teeth and slammed my fists together. Flames erupted from where they met.
It was Comet. It, too, was clearly responding to my fury.

“...they should get beaten to a pulp.”
“Don’t kill him, Boss.”

Jute added indifferently from behind. But the slight smile on his lips never faded. I shot him a glare.

“I told you not to call me Boss.”
“Babe. Go easy on him.”
“...I’m not even going to respond to that.”

I took a heavy step forward.
Jute’s explosive laughter echoed from behind, but I didn’t look back.

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