Chapter 14
“If someone else saw you, they’d probably mistake you for a scarecrow.”
“Oh-ho, is it that convincing?”
Rather than being offended by the comparison, Istin was quite pleased—proud, even—that his disguise had worked so well.
After all, he’d been running around since early morning borrowing things from gardeners and servants just to complete this outfit.
“By the way, Miss Miela looks like she’s having a really hard time. Don’t tell me she’s harvesting that entire carrot field all by herself?”
The butler’s voice was laced with concern as he watched.
Even to a complete stranger, Miela’s situation looked pitiful. A small girl sweating profusely under the scorching sun, working all alone—it was enough to make one’s heart ache.
Of course, Istin felt the same.
“Yeah. If I could help her, I would. Should I go lend a hand…”
“Excuse me, young master, have you ever done farm work before?”
The butler couldn’t help blurting out his honest thoughts at Istin’s sympathetic tone. A moment later, he realized his mistake and quickly shut his mouth.
He’d almost forgotten just how fearsome the young master used to be. Istin was, after all, the infamous cursed scoundrel of the Valuar family!
‘Ugh, just because I’ve let things slide lately, does he think the Valuar household is a joke?’ the butler braced himself for a scolding.
But Istin just replied without much thought, “Why are you asking something like that? Of course I haven’t.”
The butler let out a relieved sigh.
“Whew…”
“What’s with the sigh?”
Under Istin’s curious gaze, the butler scrambled to come up with an excuse.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I must be feeling my age. Sitting like this makes my body ache. Whew…”
“Well, that makes sense. Are you planning to retire as butler then? There’s no one ready to take over, and that worries me.”
Istin spoke seriously, not realizing it came off like a joke. Cold sweat beaded on the butler’s forehead—he wasn’t ready to retire just yet.
“Oh, no. Not quite at that point yet, haha…”
“Well, that’s good.”
Istin replied again in a distant tone.
From the beginning, his gaze had never left Miela. He had no room in his mind for anything else.
He raised a small opera glass and watched her intently.
“What the…”
Through the telescope, someone else—not Miela—came into view. Someone who looked very familiar… Wait a second!
“Hey, aren’t those the same kids who were bullying Miela before?”
“Yes, I believe they are,” the butler replied, following Istin’s gaze.
“Wow, you’ve got great eyesight. Can you see their faces without a telescope?”
“Well, I suppose it runs in the bloodline. But… you’re not planning to get involved again, are you, young master?”
“Of course I am. If not me, then who?”
Those few words carried all the weight of Istin’s complicated emotions. He already knew—Miela had no one in this village. No family, no friends. She had probably always endured everything on her own.
‘No one to protect her, no one to lean on. She must’ve always silently carried on.’
Normally, he would’ve walked away. Other people’s sob stories never moved him.
His cursed, ruined body didn’t have the luxury of caring about others. But Miela… she was the only exception.
‘Miela, what are you, really? Why do you make me like this?’
Even he didn’t know the answer.
But before he could find one, his body moved on its own—toward Miela.
“Wait, young master! Let me come with—!”
Startled by the sudden movement, the butler called out after him, but Istin was already sprinting. Huff, puff. He was out of breath, but didn’t even notice.
In a flash, he reached the carrot field. Just then, Miela was surrounded by kids her age.
“Miela, did you have fun playing princess at that mansion after embarrassing me last time?”
“Must’ve been amazing, huh? But you know what? A dirt field like this suits you way better than a fancy mansion.”
Her hair, clothes, and even her face were smeared with dirt from pulling carrots. It was quite a sight.
Still, the smooth skin and delicate features of her face couldn’t be hidden, even under all the grime.
Maybe that’s why the other kids acted even meaner.
‘Tch. No parents, poor, and yet she looks like a princess? How is that fair?’
Meria’s stomach churned with resentment. Since that last incident, things had been awkward with Jerome. Her obedient little follower was no longer by her side.
‘So annoying! If it weren’t for Miela—!’
Sure, it was probably her own fault for saying mean things, but blaming Miela felt easier.
‘I’m the daughter of the only grocery store in this town, you know!’
It had always been like that. She’d won over the other kids with candy or jerky snacks and played the role of the leader.
But Miela was the only one that never fell for her tricks. The first time their bad blood began was a few years back…
Flashback
“Here, Miela. Take this candy.”
“Huh?”
“If you want it, you have to do what I say, okay? In our play, I’m the queen. And in our cops-and-robbers game, I’m the chief guard. Got it?”
Miela blinked in confusion as Meria rapidly spat out her demands.
“Um, thanks. But, actually…”
“What? Is something wrong?”
“Well… my mom told me not to eat sweets. They’ll rot my teeth.”
This world might be a beautiful, mysterious romance-fantasy land, but proper dentistry? That didn’t exist. Fillings? Implants? Root canals? Forget it!
Of course, the wealthy and nobles were an exception. A single healing spell could fix cavities.
But Miela wasn’t one of them. So her mother, Stephanie, was strict about protecting her daughter’s health.
“Oh come on. Just keep it a secret from your mom. That’s not so hard, is it?”
Most kids would sneak the candy anyway, glancing at their moms while doing so.
“Sorry. Even so, I can’t break a promise with my mom. I appreciate it, but I’ll give the candy back.”
What Meria hadn’t expected… was that Miela was just a genuinely obedient, well-raised child.
“What the—? Who says stuff like that?”
It was such an unexpected response that Meria couldn’t even reply.
But that wasn’t the only reason she started hating Miela.
“Come on, guys. Let’s all gather! Let’s play make-believe. Today’s story is The Princess and the Beggar. Sound good?”
Meria always picked the game. And she always played the fun or glamorous roles.
“Okay, who wants to be the princess’s maid? You’ll fan her and say, ‘Your Highness, are you feeling cool enough?’”
She even assigned the lines. No one ever dared argue with her.
But then… one kid raised a hand.
“What’s up, Toby? You want to be the maid? But you should be a servant instead.”
“I just wanted to ask—are we not casting the princess role separately?”
“What are you talking about? I’m always the princess. Did someone else say they wanted to be her? Who? Come out.”
Even with that near-threatening tone, Toby didn’t back down.
“No, nothing like that. I just… think there’s someone who fits the princess role better.”
All the kids turned to him.
“Who?”
“Miela. Stephanie’s daughter.”
The name caused a stir among the kids.
“Oh, her?”
“Well… she is kinda pretty.”
“But she’s always at home with her mom. I rarely see her.”
Still, the talk didn’t last long. Meria’s face turned bright red as she shouted:
“Have you all lost your minds? Did you forget? I’m the princess!”
