Chapter 5
For a while, not a word passed between us.
The sun had risen high in the sky, and birds chirped so loudly that their calls tickled my ears.
How much time had passed? Just as I was beginning to feel dizzy and faint, the Duke finally spoke.
“…Come live at the Desmier estate.”
“Pardon?”
Surprised by the sudden remark, I asked again. He continued flatly.
He seemed like a different person from the one who had just moments ago glared at me with rage and contempt.
“I’ll send the Baron’s family back to their own territory, and I’ll dispatch someone from the Count’s household to oversee it. I’ll share everything about the estate’s management and household affairs with you transparently. In return, you’ll come live at our mansion and follow Desmier’s education and rules.”
“So, you’re saying…”
His words began to register in my mind, and excitement slowly bubbled up from the tips of my toes.
“I’ll act as your guardian until you come of age. I’ll watch how you behave and grow. And if I become convinced that your notorious reputation was nothing but malicious rumor…”
Even as he uttered words that would completely alter the course of my second life, the Duke remained unmoved—cold and unwavering.
“Then, just as you said—after your father, I’ll also bring your life to an end.”
I smiled brightly and grabbed the hem of my skirt. Bowing deeply, I replied,
“As you wish, Your Grace.”
♠♠♠
Smack!
“Where on earth have you been?!”
In the vast main hall visible just past the front doors of the Count’s estate, everyone in the household—including the servants—had gathered.
At the center stood me, clutching my freshly slapped cheek with my head bowed, and the fuming Baron Barden.
His wife waved her feather fan as if embarrassed, but made no move to stop her husband’s violence.
Helena stood silently beside her, watching the commotion unfold.
In the otherwise quiet hall, only the Baron’s angry stomping broke the silence.
“You insolent brat! I was even going to celebrate your birthday today, despite your unruly behavior, and yet you never know your place!”
Glancing up, I saw Ashley among the gathered servants, looking this way with a smug grin on her face.
“Well? Where did you go today, without saying a word?”
“…You don’t need to know right now, Uncle.”
“What?!”
I looked Ashley straight in the eyes. She flinched, startled, and quickly lowered her head.
“You’ll find out soon enough anyway.”
“What nonsense are you spewing?! Tell me the truth—right now!”
But I remained silent, standing still.
The Baron, who was waiting for my response, turned red like a tomato—he looked ready to explode with a single poke.
“Y-you… You disrespectful little brat…!”
He was dumbfounded. I had always avoided eye contact, kept my head down, and answered meekly to everything he said. This was completely out of character.
Just then, as the Baron fumed, someone stepped forward.
“How dare you speak to Father like that, Kalia?”
It was Helena.
Two years older than me, she looked down at me like a stern judge.
This was our first face-to-face since my return.
Her face, much younger than when I last saw her at the guillotine, still held the soft plumpness of youth.
Yet even now, the beauty that would later earn her the title of the most dazzling rose of high society was already beginning to bloom.
“Everyone gathered to celebrate your birthday, and you disappeared for hours without a word? You’re just a child.”
She paused, then softened her tone with the air of an elder worried for her younger sibling.
“I was worried about you.”
That familiar tone made me let out a hollow laugh. Helena’s gentle expression stiffened instantly.
Helena. Helena.
The one who turned my childhood and adolescence into hell.
The one I wanted to be friends with, sought recognition from, and desperately longed to be loved by… only to be betrayed and destroyed.
I hadn’t felt much when I saw Ashley or the Baron couple again after returning to the past. But facing the Helena from five years ago unleashed a wild storm of emotion.
It felt like my heart shattered and scattered through my veins.
If someone were to cut me open right now, bone shards and blood might splatter and drench Helena, causing her to scream.
My uncharacteristic defiance, followed by my strange laughter, made Helena’s face turn pale.
She slowly began to back away from me.
I grabbed both of her hands.
“Helena! Sister! Thank you so much for worrying about me! You’re truly like an angel. No, the empire’s jewel! The reddest rose of the social world!”
“…What are you saying?”
She looked like she wanted to shake me off immediately, her face ashen with horror.
I brought my face closer to hers. All the color drained from her cheeks.
“You’re not called that yet, huh? Don’t worry—you’ll be, soon enough! Just wait three years!”
“Get away from Helena!”
The Baroness, aghast at the sight of her precious only daughter frozen in my grip, shrieked sharply.
The Baron rushed to pull Helena away from me and shouted at the dazed servants.
“What are you doing?! Get this crazy girl off her!”
“Helena! It’s so nice to see you again!”
Rough hands grabbed me and tore me away from her. Helena gasped, trembling like a fragile lark in her father’s arms.
“Lock her in her room! Don’t let her out—no food either! You’re under house arrest, Kalia!”
The Baron shouted furiously, pointing as I was dragged away.
The main hall, filled with the Baron’s family clinging to one another and the stunned, pale-faced servants, grew smaller behind me.
I smiled brightly and waved.
“See you again very soon!”
♠♠♠
Whether it was due to the chaos of the previous night or bad dreams, Baron Barden awoke the next morning feeling groggy and sluggish.
Cracking his stiff neck and shoulders, he stirred awake just as his wife beside him opened her eyes.
Checking the time, she mumbled in a sleepy voice,
“We overslept.”
“Get some more rest.”
But after tossing and turning, the Baroness sighed and leaned against the bed’s headboard.
“What did she mean yesterday? That we’d find out soon?”
“It was just the ranting of a mad girl, just like her father. Don’t think too much of it.”
“Still… I’ve never seen her like that. Saying such strange things to our daughter… Poor Helena, she must have been terrified.”
Still trembling from shock, the Baroness leaned against her husband. He gently pulled her into an embrace.
“If she keeps acting out, it actually works in our favor. The new school term will start soon, and she’ll be back at the academy. If she keeps up this nonsense, it’ll spread through the social circles. Everyone will see she’s unfit to be heir to the Count’s house.”
“You’re right, aren’t you?”
“Of course. Just trust me.”
The Baron patted her shoulder a few more times, kissed her forehead, and got out of bed.
Servants came bustling in with water and clothes for his outing. As he undressed, he said,
“Rest a bit longer today. I’ll be off to the club.”
Yes. What happened yesterday was just some silly tantrum by a little girl.
Watching her dependable husband prepare to go out, Baroness Palie Barden managed to smile again.
She let out a soft sigh and lay back down.
Already wearing his hat and fully dressed, the Baron ate a light breakfast alone before heading out.
He stepped into his private carriage.
“To the club.”
The coachman expertly took the reins.
As the familiar path passed by, the Baron fell into thought.
If salons were the gathering place for noble ladies, then for gentlemen, it was the clubs.
There, they exchanged the latest news from the empire and abroad—politics, disasters, business opportunities.
Through club members, one could even meet powerful people otherwise impossible to reach.
Among all clubs, the one he was headed to—Ophur Club—was the most exclusive.
Only nobles at the very pinnacle of power could enter.
Back when he was managing a tiny manor in the far corner of the empire, squabbling over potatoes and sweet potatoes with a few tenant farmers, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of it.
Even after becoming the guardian of Kalia and acting Count of Estelle, it had taken years to gain entry. Only recently had he finally been accepted.
“We’ve arrived, sir.”
The towering building cast a shadow over the Baron as he stepped down.
He paused for a moment, gazing up at the top of the structure, then opened the door.
“Ha…”
Entering the club, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
As always, the club was filled with gentlemen.
A fireplace burned gently with fragrant juniper wood from the distant Hissen continent beyond the North Sea, filling the room with a rich scent.
The scent of power.
It was always intoxicating.
The Baron always took a few seconds to savor it before letting out a satisfied sigh.
Today was no different. After the ritual, he sat down and ordered a simple drink.
On the table was that day’s newspaper, likely left behind by a previous guest.
Let’s see what happened overnight.
Just as he reached out to grab the paper, the room suddenly erupted in murmurs and whispers.
