The Grand Duke looked at me intently.
“I will make the preparations in a week. You may leave now.”
Clenching my fists tightly, I left the office.
As soon as I stepped out, I ran into a man with brown hair.
“Good day, my Lady.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Jeff. I serve as His Grace’s aide.”
“Oh, I see.”
Jeff spoke with an excited expression.
“You do not need to worry anymore. No one will ever bully you again. I have already punished them all.”
That was certainly good news.
“That is good to hear. Will they all die?”
“Do you wish for them to die?”
I replied in a cold voice.
“Death is too easy. I hope they suffer just enough to wish for death. Just like I did.”
Jeff’s expression stiffened at my words.
Above his head floated the word [Pity].
“Oh, and your scars will be healed soon. His Grace has specially requested a healing spirit summoner from the Imperial Family.”
“A healing spirit summoner?”
“Yes. Someone from the Imperial Family will come soon to heal you.”
Only light spirits possessed the power of healing.
And light spirit summoners appeared only among the Imperial Family.
It seemed the Grand Duke had made a request in order to treat the scars on my body.
I had been worried about what would happen if the scars never disappeared, so since they were willing to heal them, I had no reason to refuse.
“I understand. But I will not thank His Grace. I have not forgiven him yet.”
“I-I see.”
“You do not need to try so hard. Well then.”
I walked quickly back to the room together with Melissa, who had come to meet me.
***
Right now, I was staying in a room at the very end of the main building.
It was a temporary place for me to stay while Melissa treated my injuries.
I didn’t know how long I would remain here, but while I was here, I needed to prepare to enter the Relic Room.
I had to tend to my wounds, restore my strength with proper nutrition, and recover.
I had to make the Grand Duke acknowledge me.
Once I gained his recognition, I would finally receive proper treatment.
Only then would I have a chance to meet the male lead.
The male lead was the protagonist of the novel who would eventually destroy the Ducal House.
Even if I managed to survive until I was fifteen, there was still a chance I would die later at his hands.
Because the male lead killed every member of the Grand Duke’s bloodline.
‘No matter what, I need to build a connection with the male lead and become his friend.’
If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to kill me so easily.
In the novel, the male lead was someone who cared deeply for his own people.
He showed no mercy to his enemies, but if one of his people was in danger, he would save them without hesitation.
Every one of his companions had their life saved at least once in the story.
Because of that, their loyalty toward him only grew stronger.
‘I absolutely have to become his friend.’
For now, the priority was to gain the Grand Duke’s recognition and prevent the death that awaited me at fifteen.
“My Lady, how about going for a walk today?”
I was lying on the bed, rolling around while lost in thought, when Melissa entered the room and suggested a walk.
“A walk sounds nice.”
I went for a walk in the estate’s garden together with Melissa.
The garden of the Grand Duke’s estate was incredibly beautiful.
Centered around a large fountain, rare flowers of many colors and lush green trees blended together, creating a sight that was a pleasure to behold.
As I walked through the beautiful garden, enjoying the warm sunlight, I felt a little gloomy.
It was because I pitied the real Ivelotte, who had never even seen this sight before she died.
‘If I hadn’t possessed her, the real Ivelotte would have remained trapped in the annex, bullied until the day she died, and then murdered as the story dictated.’
It truly was a pitiful life.
“The garden is beautiful, isn’t it?”
When we reached the fountain, the tall jets of water spraying upward gave a refreshing feeling.
“This fountain was made using the first Grand Duke and the knights who followed him as its motif. It is the symbol of the Grand Duke’s estate.”
The sight of the handsome man on horseback and the knights below him holding their swords high and looking up at the sky was truly magnificent.
Above Melissa’s head, as she looked at me, the word [Contentment] appeared.
Unlike the others, Melissa was especially concerned about me.
While the others looked at me with contempt, she did not.
Even my father, the Grand Duke, felt nothing toward his own daughter.
“Shall we go back inside now?”
“Okay.”
I took her hand and turned around.
Before I knew it, evening was already falling.
***
The east wing of the Grand Duke’s mansion.
The east wing was where Alex and Valdes, the legitimate sons who had been acknowledged by the Grand Duke, lived.
Among them, the eldest, Alex, was the official heir of the Ducal House, recognized for his genius talent.
Alex was leisurely reading a book in his study.
The boy with black hair and golden eyes gave off a very intellectual and cold atmosphere.
Alex hated noise very much.
Even his younger brother Valdes was no exception.
“Brother!”
But today as well, Valdes burst into the study and raised his voice, disturbing Alex’s peace.
“Get out. I’m reading.”
“How cold.”
Valdes grumbled as he brushed his silver hair back.
Unlike the Grand Duke, he had been born with silver hair resembling the Grand Duchess.
However, his eyes were golden, the symbol of the Ducal House.
His spiritual power was also extremely strong.
“Can you even focus on reading? That useless thing is going into the Relic Room.”
Alex closed the book he had been reading.
“Going where?”
“The Relic Room.”
“That child?”
“Yeah. Father is preparing for it right now.”
When Ivelotte was born, Alex was three years old and Valdes was two.
The two children, who still needed their mother’s care, lost her with the birth of their youngest sibling.
On top of that, Ivelotte’s spiritual power had been measured at the lowest possible level.
Their mother had died giving birth to something like that.
Alex and Valdes couldn’t forgive that.
It made no sense to them that their mother had died because of a useless thing who was of no help at all to the Ducal House.
And yet, after several years, that child had come out of the annex.
According to rumors, it seemed she had gone through unpleasant things in the annex.
But they didn’t care much about it.
Punishing servants who had laid a hand on a member of the direct line was only natural. That matter ended there.
“But isn’t it impressive? That she survived seven years without dying.”
“I don’t care. Stop bothering me and get out.”
“Tch, how boring. Fine, I’m going.”
After Valdes left, Alex opened his book again.
Whatever Ivelotte did had nothing to do with him.
After all, Ivelotte was still someone who was of no use to the Ducal House.
Even if she entered the Relic Room, with such pitiful spiritual power she would never be chosen by any relic.
At least, that was what Alex believed.
***
The week passed faster than I expected.
At the Grand Duke’s summons, I entered his office.
Thanks to the care I had received during that time, most of my wounds had healed, and I had even put on a bit of weight.
I ate well, slept well, and exercised diligently to build up my strength.
Seeing that I was gradually beginning to look more like a person, the Grand Duke displayed a different word above his head for the first time instead of [Apathy].
It was [Human].
‘Of course I’m human. What did he think I was, a beast?’
Did that mean he had never even regarded me as a person until now?
The thought irritated me a little.
“Follow me.”
The Grand Duke led me to a bookshelf in the corner on the right side of his office.
When he pulled out one of the books on the shelf, the bookshelf rotated, revealing a staircase leading underground.
“Stay close.”
I followed him down the stairs.
At the end of the staircase, a wide circular space appeared.
Stopping in the center of the circular room, the Grand Duke turned to face me.
“It’s not too late to turn back. Give up.”
“No.”
I answered without the slightest hesitation.
The Grand Duke looked at me with an indifferent expression, then bit his index finger to draw blood and let the blood fall onto the floor.
At once, a dazzling light surged up from the ground.
The Grand Duke shouted,
“By the blood contract, I command you—reveal yourself.”
As he released his spiritual power, the rising mass of light transformed into a large door.
The Grand Duke looked at me and said,
“Go in.”
When I stood before the door, he opened it wide with his blood.
Without a trace of hesitation, I stepped inside.
