TMH Ch#1

.Even If It’s Just One Day, Live It Properly

The White House—the White family’s mansion—was renowned for its beautiful exterior and elegant interior.

The house was so iconic that people referred to the estate itself simply as the “White House.”

But today, the estate was in chaos. Loud footsteps echoed through the halls, mingled with shouting.

“Oh my goodness! What are you doing? Leave that alone!”

“Step aside! If you interfere with the Royal High Court’s duties, you will be punished!”

Workers with sturdy builds had stormed in under orders from the Royal High Court.

The staff were desperately struggling to keep the furniture and valuables from being taken.

Yet nowhere was the mansion’s owner in sight.

That was because the trade ship carrying the Earl of the White House had sunk not long ago.

“What… is going on?”

A frail female voice echoed from the second-floor staircase.

She had light brown hair, almost blonde, and beautiful green eyes.

She was Marianne Whitehouse, the late Earl’s younger sister.

“It’s Miss Marianne!”

Everyone froze, and the delicate young woman began descending the stairs.

“She finally came out of her room!”

The servants clasped their hands in relief.

“What exactly… is happening?”

As Marianne looked around with pale eyes, a man who seemed to be in charge stepped forward.

“Lady Whitehouse. Forgive our rudeness. The Royal High Court has ordered the auction of all assets belonging to the House of Whitehouse. We will be seizing the estate and all possessions.”

“What… did you say?”

Marianne’s mouth fell open at the devastating news.

The man continued as if he didn’t expect an answer.

“My apologies. Continue the work!”

“Yes, sir!”

As if waiting for the cue, the workers resumed efficiently carrying out items.

The servants could do nothing but glance nervously at the young lady.

“W-Wait a moment…?”

Marianne looked around, utterly lost, her arms trembling slightly.

Then came hushed whispers.

“Tsk, tsk. So she finally came out after hiding in her room for seven years.”

A voice laced with both pity and ridicule.

“She didn’t even leave her room after hearing her brother had died? Pathetic.”

Paintings were taken off the walls, and ornate chandeliers were removed from the ceiling.

Furniture whisked past on either side of Marianne.

“This can’t be…”

The maids were flustered beside her.

“Miss, what will happen to you if everything is taken away?”

On the other hand, some looked at her with disdain.

“Her parents died, and now her brother’s gone too. She’s ruined the entire family.”

“What happens to her now?”

“Who knows. I heard the Earl left behind a mountain of debt. The family’s bankrupt, so she’s just another commoner now.”

At last, Marianne regained her senses and looked around in disbelief.

“What did you just say…?”

The house was being ransacked. Furniture, artwork, and decorations streamed out.

“What on earth is happening…?”

The truth was, just moments ago, she had been a modern-day interior designer.

The day her small interior design company went bankrupt, she drowned her sorrows watching a drinking stream online—then woke up in an unfamiliar world.

As she stood stunned and confused, people stormed in announcing the collapse of a noble house.

It felt like something out of a novel—except it was happening to her.

“Sigh…”

She was quick to adapt, though, and immediately began thinking.

“Marianne Whitehouse…?”

The name rang a bell—from a steamy 19+ romance novel titled How to Seduce a Magnificent Husband.

She vaguely remembered the Whitehouse family being mentioned.

Strangely, she also possessed some of Marianne Whitehouse’s memories.

‘Aren’t people who reincarnate into books usually from rich families?’

Glancing into the hallway mirror, she was relieved to see a beautiful young woman with soft brown hair and green eyes staring back.

But her eyes were hollow, and her skin looked dry and dull.

“Seriously, if I had to reincarnate, couldn’t it have been as the female lead…?”

The actual protagonist of the novel was an imperial princess named Laila.

She falls in love at first sight with a masked man at a ball.

The only clue: he’s a noble from the neighboring Leongrad Kingdom.

To find him, the princess travels to Leongrad.

“I never finished the book, so I don’t know what happens next…”

Anyway, Laila ends up staying at the Whitehouse mansion because she dislikes the decor of her own palace.

Probably, she finds the masked man and marries him.

“Of all the possible characters…”

She had become a background extra—just part of the setting.

And to make matters worse, she’d arrived at the moment the family was going bankrupt.

“Alright, everyone move quickly! We need to finish today!”

“Miss! What should we do?!”

The house was in turmoil as workers scrambled and the staff panicked.

But Marianne only stood deep in thought.

She didn’t stop them—because she couldn’t.

This mansion would later become the heroine’s residence.

With the auction already underway, there was no clever trick to stop it now.

“Sigh… My lifelong dream was to be a landlord with rental properties, and I get my house taken away the moment I reincarnate?”

A servant next to her gave her a puzzled look.

“Huh?”

“Ah, nothing…”

“Miss, are you alright?”

“Sigh… A shut-in, huh? That means she didn’t have any social life…”

The woman she’d become probably hadn’t even experienced romance, let alone caught a magnificent husband.

“Wait a minute… They didn’t give me an eviction notice. Does that mean the mansion isn’t part of the seized assets?”

She quickly reviewed the paperwork handed over by the auction officer.

It didn’t mention the mansion.

“The house is tied to the Earl’s title. Without his permission, even the court can’t dispose of it,” someone explained.

“Really? So I won’t be kicked out…?”

Relief slowly washed over her face.

“…Yes. As long as I have the house and land, I can survive. It’s a big house with a spacious garden—what more do I need?”

Though it was now empty, owning such a grand estate meant she still had some wealth.

“At least that’s something…”

Still, the thought that the imperial princess would one day take over the house bothered her.

Maybe the original Marianne had to sell it because she couldn’t afford the upkeep.

“Huh…?”

Now that her mind had cleared, she noticed the stained walls.

Once the paintings and decorations were removed, marks and nail holes were exposed.

“Leaving dirty walls like this is a crime.”

“Huh…?”

Ignoring the suspicious stares of the servants, Marianne rolled up her sleeves.

“Even if it’s just one day—I should live it in a proper place.”

—

The Next Day

Marianne brought out some paint she found in the storage room and set it down with a thud.

The empty parlor echoed with the sound.

“The seized assets are already gone. I can’t do anything about that… So while I paint, I’ll figure out what to do next.”

When it came to painting, she was confident.

Walls, doors, rooftops—no problem.

She’d painted buildings before while living at an orphanage.

She even remembered being afraid of breaking the roof tiles as she climbed up with her paint.

“White would be best…”

In interior design, white is the most basic and versatile color.

It creates calm and balance.

But “white” isn’t just one color.

In some snowy countries, they say there are over a hundred shades of white.

“All I’ve got is titanium white.”

Titanium white had a cool undertone.

Good for highlights, but a bit much for living spaces.

“Ivory white would be perfect, but there’s no Daiso here…”

Swoosh, swoosh—

With rhythmic brush strokes, the grimy wall started to take on a fresh coat of white.

“Much better.”

Painting in a dress wasn’t easy—but strangely fun.

Even the smell of paint didn’t bother her.

To think this beautiful mansion was hers.

She even started to feel lucky.

“What should I do once the walls are all painted?”

Interior design ideas flowed in.

A smile crept across her face.

“I’ll put a sky-blue striped sofa there, and some fluttery gauze curtains on the windows. When the breeze flows in, the curtains will sway and fill the room with peace. Then over here…”

She was lost in thought, immersed in painting and imagining—

When suddenly, slam! The door burst open.

“Huh?”

Startled, she turned around. A fat man in his late 30s entered.

“Good heavens, Marianne! Why is a noble lady painting the walls herself?”

“You are…?”

It was Baron Nathan Barrett—a distant relative.

“I heard Henry’s ship sank. I also heard everything was taken and the servants left?”

“…What brings you here?”

“Oh my, look at the state of this house. The foolish children ruined everything!”

Marianne bit her lip at his unwelcome visit.

“…”

“Well, at least the mansion remains! What a relief. Hahaha.”

Nathan’s eyes gleamed as he looked around the empty parlor.

“This mansion now belongs to me—the next head of the house. It’s tied to the Earl’s title, after all.”

“You’re saying… this house is yours?”

Marianne’s eyes widened in shock.

Nathan, on the other hand, smirked with satisfaction.

—

“Haha. Henry was unmarried—no children! You didn’t think you, a woman, would inherit the title, did you?”

It was the first time she had heard any of this.

Marianne had never received proper education, nor did she interact with people much, so she lacked knowledge of the kingdom’s laws and customs.

“Pah! I heard you even refused a tutor while you were shut up in your room. How utterly ignorant. Sure, if you’d achieved some great feat for the kingdom, maybe you’d have a chance—but someone like you?”

Nathan sneered at her.

“But why are you painting? This house has already been sold.”

“What? Sold?”

The sunlit daydream she had of her newly painted home crumbled in an instant.

The paintbrush trembled slightly in her hand.

“Hmph. You don’t even have an estate anymore. How are you going to maintain such a large mansion? As the next Earl of the Whitehouse family, I’ve made my decision. Get used to it.”

“That’s…!”

“But more importantly, you need to start preparing for marriage. You’ll be moving into my house.”

Marianne’s face twisted in horror.

“Marriage preparations…?”