Chapter 20
“Me, me? …Wait, no, that’s not right. Why would you think that?”
He had accidentally misspoken. Fortunately, Miela didn’t seem to notice anything strange.
“You’re making a frail little kid who collapses at the drop of a hat serve as your attendant. Isn’t that weird?”
“Ugh, that’s…”
He had nothing to say. Come to think of it, both the supposedly sickly young master and the attendant Titi were none other than Istein himself.
To Miela, who didn’t know the truth, the young master seemed like a rather wicked employer. Somehow, the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Ahem, well, it’s because we’re both sickly, so we can understand each other better. That’s all.”
“What kind of excuse is that?”
Miela pouted her lips at the absurd explanation.
Istein Valruar—the male lead of this world, someone she had never even seen in person, and Titi’s master.
For some reason, Miela found herself disliking him. She was starting to understand why her mom had said this novel was originally a dark and angsty story. Maybe being sick and stuck at home all day had just turned his personality sour?
‘Actually, I know how to cure the male lead’s illness…’
But she didn’t feel like telling him. She didn’t want to help someone who was being mean to Titi. Even though she knew she was only invited to the villa thanks to his permission, still—
‘Why is this? I don’t think I’ve ever hated someone like this before.’
Not even Meria, who had bullied her, had made her feel like this. As Miela pondered the reason for her resentment, the answer suddenly came to her.
‘That’s right. I can forgive people who hurt me. But I can’t forgive someone who hurts Titi! That’s all it is!’
Unaware of Miela’s inner thoughts, Istein hesitated for a moment before asking,
“Miela, if I said… let’s go to the Valruar ducal estate together, would you come with me?”
It was a question he had debated asking for a long time. But tomorrow was the promised day with his mother, so he had no more time. More than the outcome of the bet, he needed to confirm Miela’s answer first.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, someday I’ll have to leave this village. Once the young master’s recovery is complete. It might be years from now, or maybe even next month. But when that happens, you’ll be left here alone.”
“Leave…?”
They’d only just met, and already they were talking about parting ways. The unexpected words quickly filled Miela’s eyes with sadness.
“I’ve been watching you work. You seem to think the village adults are good people, but I don’t see it that way. They’re bad. Good adults wouldn’t make a child work like that. And they wouldn’t intentionally underpay you.”
Hearing his words, Miela’s expression shifted, as if realizing something.
“So you’re asking me to come with you? To help me?”
“That’s right. I want to get you out of this village. At the Valruar estate, you’ll have a much better life. I promise.”
“You’ll be going with me, right? Right?”
Istein’s reply strangely missed the point of the question, and Miela instinctively felt a wave of unease.
He couldn’t bring himself to say yes. The curse was still eating away at him, and he never knew when he might collapse and not wake up again.
But if he told her the truth, she would be terribly sad. So Istein chose his words carefully.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
“Mm-hmm. If I can go with you, Titi, then I’m happy to go anywhere. Like I said before, becoming a maid at the Valruar estate is my dream. I’ll go. I want to go with you!”
Finally, Miela gave a clear answer. It was only natural—she didn’t want to lose someone precious ever again.
After her mother had left for a place she could never reach, Miela had grieved so deeply. Titi was the first person outside of her family to stand by her side. She wanted to stay with him.
“Good.”
Istein smiled faintly.
Truthfully, he wasn’t much different from Miela. If he could, he wanted to get rid of this damn curse and be healthy again. He wanted to go to the ducal estate, feed Miela delicious food, and watch her smile.
He really did want that. That was all he wished for. A modest but indulgent dream.
And so, the promised day with Regina finally arrived.
“Well then, Is… Titi. Have you been well? It’s been exactly two weeks.”
The duchess’s eyes scanned the villa.
Strange. Where was that squirrel-like girl? Wondering about the girl’s whereabouts without realizing it, she quickly pulled herself together.
‘What am I thinking?’
Calm down. No matter how adorable the child was, she couldn’t let herself be swayed by such trivial emotions.
If Istein couldn’t properly prove the girl’s worth, there was no way she’d allow her into the estate. That was her duty as the duchess.
Just then, something suddenly popped out from the side.
“Hello, Lady Regina! I’m Miela. We met before—do you remember me?”
“Y-yes, Miela. Have you been well? It’s been a while.”
Regina answered calmly, though inwardly she was quite surprised. Where had she come from? Being descended from a family of swordmasters, Regina herself had sharp instincts.
And yet, even she hadn’t sensed the girl’s presence until she revealed herself.
‘Could she be from a family of trained assassins…?’
But no—she was far too bright and cheerful for that. And her hands lacked the calluses one would expect from such a background.
In the end, it seemed the girl had just been born with a very small presence.
‘Hmm. I suppose that’s a kind of talent too. Not everyone can do that.’
Though Regina’s impression of Miela had quietly improved, she didn’t realize it herself.
Next, Regina called Istein over.
“Well then, Titi. Are you ready to fulfill your promise to me?”
“Of course.”
Istein nodded confidently. Beside him, Miela whispered, “What promise?” It seemed they hadn’t discussed it in advance.
Istein leaned in and whispered, “I told her I’d show her what you’re good at. That way we can go to the ducal estate together.” Miela nodded in understanding with a quiet “Ahh.”
“Here it is. Please read it.”
Regina opened the notebook Istein handed her. She’d expected just a few scribbles, but it was filled with writing.
However, the more she read, the more her expression twisted oddly.
“Needlessly diligent. Can’t tell a lie. Eats well…”
Was this a joke? Her eyes narrowed, but she continued reading.
“Keeps promises, even unfair contracts?”
That just made her a pushover. Regina, with her cold personality, found this kind of person the hardest to understand.
“Can’t read imperial script, but can read and write a unique script she invented…”
This line had stars and underlines, with a note from Istein saying it was a truly amazing talent.
Regina’s reaction was cold. So what? Writing only had meaning if it allowed communication. If it was just a personal cipher, what use was it? Why was he overrating it?
“Can tolerate awful smells.”
Ugh. Rejected. Absolutely rejected. The Valruar estate did not tolerate bad smells! They used magic to purify the air and specialized perfumes and diffusers.
“Has a very kind heart, treats animals with gentleness and mercy.”
This part made Regina waver a bit. That was admittedly… a plus.
But when she read the final line, she was utterly shocked.
“Miela may have… prophetic abilities?”
Had her son finally lost his mind?!
