~Chapter 20~
Solia and my world was like a chessboard broken into seven pieces.
On that chessboard, I had seven chances and failed six times.
Noah Lenister. And the abandoned crown.
My black king was trapped by a white knight.
And I was the white queen, able to capture the black king.
I remembered my previous life as “Yuchae-hwa.”
On a day as white as a blank canvas, a shadowy color painted everything black.
It felt good to break out of a cozy cage. Even betraying the owner of the cage felt thrilling.
‘I’ll make my own world. I’ll build a world for Noah, and then I’ll leave.’
Until now, that wasn’t possible. I had no influence, and my cards were too weak.
Now, it was different. My instincts whispered that this might be my last chance.
To save the queen locked in the cage, I needed a rook who could move anywhere on the board.
That’s why—
Buddy was my rook.
After the storm, the kitchen was quiet.
Solia took Edel and Buddy with her, and the troublemaker Keshi was kicked out.
The silence was broken by another maid.
“Excuse me… Can I try this?”
The maid with her hair up pointed at a glass of grain drink, now separated into layers.
“Seriously? At a time like this…!”
Another servant scolded her, but the maid just said, “Okay, okay, I’ll go,” and brought the glass to her mouth.
Although Keshi was gone, no one was really close to her, so she was quickly forgotten.
“…What? This isn’t that great.”
The maid was disappointed with the bland taste. Did Countess Malone really drink all of this?
“You have to stir it properly and add more ice.”
A voice from behind said, and the maid followed the advice.
“…It’s good!”
The flavor was weaker since the ice melted, but she’d never tasted anything like it. The nutty and sweet grain flavor blended perfectly.
“It’s been sitting for a while. It tasted better when it was just served.”
Jeffrey, the chef, added. The maid stood frozen, still holding the glass.
‘Can I really drink the rest?’
The other servant who had scolded her chimed in.
“Hey, let me try too.”
She reluctantly passed the glass. After that, the kitchen staff took turns tasting it in small groups.
Some thought the grain flavor was heavy, but five out of six gave it a thumbs up. Those who missed their chance to taste it sighed enviously.
Jeffrey chuckled at the sight.
“Was it really that good? I’ll ask the young lady to let you have a glass.”
“Can’t you just make it now? Are there no ingredients left?”
“There are, but the grain mix ratio is key, and only the young lady knows it. I can’t make it alone. I’ll ask her for you, so wait!”
“What good is that? You can’t just give one glass to everyone here.”
The maid pouted as Jeffrey looked around.
Everyone’s eyes said, ‘He acts like he’s close to the young lady when he really isn’t.’
After being scolded and having their wages cut, the staff felt pretty down. The joy of the party’s success was already gone.
Once he heard the whole story, Jeffrey got angry but then sighed.
“Get yourselves together. Wake up!”
“…We want to, but it’s hard to get on the young lady’s good side. She seems scary.”
“Yeah! She never cared about us before or even looked at us. She seems different now, like a whole new person.”
Jeffrey clicked his tongue at their complaints.
“The young lady hates flattery. There’s no need to impress her. Just do your own work well.”
“Yes!!”
“And when a new maid comes, treat her well! Don’t gang up and bully the new girl just because she can’t work yet, or I’ll step in!”
The kitchen staff lined up and answered, “Yes!” loudly.
All it took was one visit from Solia, and the kitchen was suddenly strict and disciplined.
I left the kitchen and headed to the training yard.
Four days ago, I’d been beaten with a wooden stick, but now my shoulder and legs were healed, so I could walk just fine.
I was no longer stuck in my room, so I could visit the kitchen.
‘Locking me in wouldn’t help me get a proposal… That’s why the baron let me out.’
The time limit was one month. I had to get a proposal from Noah before then.
‘Either way, I’ll marry Noah. But getting a proposal my way is different from being forced.’
There was still a lot I needed from Baron Rotten. To get it, getting a proposal within the time limit would help.
“Now that I’ve found someone to be my close aide…”
Edel was loyal, but she wasn’t ready to risk her life for me. To deepen that bond, I needed something more.
‘A true servant needs to owe me from the heart, not just have a weak spot I can use.’
Buddy had no ties, so for now, she would be loyal. But if someone else showed her the same kindness, she might leave me. And she was still young and naive.
‘Naivety can be dangerous. I need to keep her close and raise her properly.’
It was important to train a maid who would be truly loyal for my future.
I left Buddy with Edel and moved alone. I had another important plan.
‘Noah has training in the evening today.’
As a noble, Noah didn’t have to train, but he wanted to build strength, so I asked the captain to help.
‘I don’t trust the captain much, but I can’t hire a private sword teacher.’
Sighing, I walked up a small hill overlooking the training ground.
I leaned against a tree and looked down. Even from a distance, Noah’s black hair stood out.
I couldn’t see his face clearly from here, which was a bit disappointing.
‘I’m glad I brought a portable magic telescope!’
With it, I could see Noah’s handsome face right away.
In a light shirt, he was swinging a wooden sword.
He kept perfect form for ten, then a hundred swings.
‘He’s really working hard.’
I couldn’t take my eyes off Noah as he trained.
Sweaty black hair. Eyes squinting in the sunlight.
His cheeks flushed from exertion. Sweat running down his jaw.
Every time he swallowed, I could see his throat move, and his collarbones were soaked with sweat.
‘Is this just for the view, or am I just staring at him?’
I kept watching until I felt strange and lowered the telescope.
‘Since I’m here… Maybe I’ll watch a little more.’
Even after two hundred swings, his form didn’t falter.
Then, as Noah took a drink of water, he turned around.
‘…!’
He met my eyes directly, and I dropped the telescope by accident.
Thud.
It rolled down the hill.
‘No way… Did he see me watching?’
It was too far to run and grab it, so I gave up and sat down, closing my eyes.
Shhh—
The summer breeze blew, making the leafy trees rustle.
How would I explain this? Noah, I wasn’t staring at you…
‘I’ll just say I was watching a handsome knight nearby.’
But when I opened my eyes again, I was shocked.
“I saw you dropped this and picked it up.”
Noah’s shadow stretched long as he leaned over me.
I just blinked.
He reached out and shaded my forehead with his hand, just as I’d done for him when he slept on my lap.
Maybe there was a shadow on my cheek, just like his hand.
“…Was it a mistake for me to do this?”
Noah glanced at the telescope hanging from his wrist.
“Ah…”
That’s mine. Please give it back.
…I should have said that, but I just moved my lips.
‘He’s too close!’
If he lowered his head, his lips would touch my forehead.
Drip.
Sweat from his chin landed on the back of my hand. Noah looked at me and sighed.
“I got sweaty from training…”
He stopped, then gently wiped my hand with the back of his own.
His touch felt like a feather, and both of us fell silent.
“Miss Rotten.”
Noah was the first to break the silence. He glanced at the telescope in his left hand.
“Miss Rotten, you’re boring.”
I said that as a whim, not really meaning it. It just slipped out as a small complaint.
Everyone called me the baron’s daughter or “miss.” I wished at least one person would use my name, so I wouldn’t forget who I really was.
Even though I gave up my old name, Yuchae-hwa, I still wanted to remember Solia.
“But I can’t call you anything else…”
This time, Noah looked down at me. There was a bit of gentle scolding in his voice.
“You called my name before. Did you forget already?”
I answered calmly, and Noah’s eyes widened a little.
“So you remembered that.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off me as he whispered.
