<CHAPTER 03>
In a rural corner of the Izelium Empire, Vivia was born.
Vivia still remembered it vividly.
That small gray world of her childhood, where the cold seeped through her thin clothes each night, where hunger twisted her stomach, and where she lay awake in fear that rats might gnaw at her in the dark.
Her parents, who indulged in alcohol and gambling, used the naturally beautiful Vivia for begging.
When she approached passersby on the street with a shy smile, she looked like a fairy who had just run out of the forest.
Her loosely flowing golden hair gleamed in the sunlight.
Her clear blue eyes sparkled like dew.
Her plump red cheeks were so adorable that one felt the urge to pinch them.
At the time, the nobles of the Imelium Empire were obsessed with a new trend.
Beginning in the capital, it had become fashionable to adopt beautiful commoner children and display them like flowers within noble households, a craze known as the “human doll.”
Even the minor nobles of the countryside eagerly followed the trend.
The Pernolain Viscount and Viscountess were no different when they happened to encounter Vivia’s face by chance on the street.
“She is certainly pretty, my dear. Even in the capital, you would not easily find such a specimen. Why, even that one standing beside that high-ranking gentleman who visited from the capital the other day was not as lovely as this.”
The Pernolain Viscount and Viscountess noted that Vivia’s appearance was more beautiful than the flowers in the large basket she carried.
After briefly observing how obedient and docile she seemed, they decided on the spot to adopt her.
“How could such noble people come to a shabby place like this, eh? Our Vivia, you say? How could we possibly refuse? If the Viscount desires her, we must of course give her to you! Hahaha!”
Vivia’s opinion did not matter.
“This price is more than enough. How much could my daughter possibly be worth anyway? Vivia should know this is more than she deserves, hahaha! As the rumors say, the Viscount is truly broad-minded and magnanimous!”
Vivia’s will was not respected.
“Thank you, Vivia! Hahahaha! You are showing great filial piety to us. This is all for your sake. The Viscount will treat you veeeery well. You will wear pretty clothes and eat delicious food. You will become a young lady of nobility! When else would such fortune ever come into your life?”
Thus, her parents swiftly handed Vivia over to the Pernolain household for a laughably small sum.
From that day forward, her name became Vivia Pernolain.
Vivia firmly believed her birth parents’ words.
Once she entered the Viscount’s estate, she would truly live the life of a noble young lady.
But not all things in the world proceed smoothly.
The capricious trend of the nobles ended in less than two years.
The human dolls were instantly cast aside and abandoned like unwanted strays.
Vivia no longer had anywhere to return.
“Viscountess, I will do anything you ask. Please let me stay in this house. Please. I beg of you.”
Thus, she had no choice but to become a maid bearing a noble surname.
For very little pay, she handled the household’s trivial tasks from dawn until night.
She attended to those who had once been bound to her under the name of family.
Even the other servants looked down on her and mocked her.
In Broten, she was called this.
The unfortunate Vivia.
The Vivia who could never be happy.
They said that because she had been born too perfect, she had been forced to take upon herself all the misfortune in the world to make things fair with others.
Day after day passed.
She barely survived each one.
The repetition continued until Vivia turned eighteen.
“You are late, Vivia! Take this to the Viscountess at once. The sun will rise soon.”
“Yes.”
Vivia arrived at the kitchen several minutes earlier than the appointed time every day.
Yet she did not argue with the cook’s accusation and silently accepted the silver tray he handed her.
There is no point in arguing back. It would only make things more exhausting. Still, he really has a lot to say.
Her weary face reflected faintly in the transparent crimson liquid inside the teacup.
It was the black tea the Viscountess drank first thing upon waking each morning.
Famous even in Broten for her unrivaled beauty, Vivia served as the Viscountess’s personal maid to elevate her mistress’s prestige.
When Miss Marie went out, Vivia followed to dress and adorn her like an ornament.
Because of this, the white apron she wore over her black dress was decorated with particularly abundant lace.
Her golden hair was neatly tied back and covered with a cap.
Carrying the silver tray, Vivia walked lightly down the corridor.
She looked entirely absorbed into the life of a maid.
No.
Perhaps nothing had truly changed from the beginning.
She had been sold to this household as a consumable item from the start.
The maids who had finished cleaning before dawn began to appear one by one.
They glanced at Vivia and then giggled among themselves in whispers tinged with clear ridicule.
“Can the noble Pernolain truly carry tea like the rest of us?”
“How honorable that we can serve alongside her. When would we ever have such an opportunity?”
“Shh! Lower your voice. Who knows? If that unfortunate Vivia manages to ensnare Young Master Getty and truly becomes a Pernolain, we might all be dismissed!”
Soft bursts of laughter followed.
Vivia ignored every word as though she had grown used to it.
You can talk all you want. Do you think that would make me shrink?
One step.
Two steps.
With each step she took, her reflection in the polished surface trembled.
As she exited the dining room, she sensed a shadow watching her secretly from across the corridor.
Her shoulders stiffened.
Getty Pernolain.
The eldest son of the Pernolain household, who persistently courted her.
Vivia pretended not to notice him and turned the corner naturally.
His sticky gaze followed her until she completely disappeared beyond the wall.
Vivia let out a deep sigh.
I am sick of it.
Sick of everything, the Pernolain household that binds me, and even myself for still not escaping this place.
“I will escape from here no matter what. After enduring this long, I cannot give up now.”
As the seasons changed dozens of times, the pure young girl named Vivia disappeared.
In her place remained a mature woman who survived the world with fierce determination.
The soft baby fat that once filled her cheeks vanished.
Hardship and hunger sharpened her jawline.
Like a lotus blooming brilliantly from filthy mud, Vivia transformed into a breathtaking beauty.
If ten people passed her on the street, all ten would look back at her.
But that very beauty became shackles that bound her for life.
Like her birth parents who had used her for begging.
Like the Pernolain Viscount and Viscountess who had brought her in like merchandise and treated her carelessly.
Like Getty Pernolain, who tormented her under the pretense of love for a long time.
Her wandering thoughts halted before a certain door.
Vivia steadied her breathing and spoke.
“Viscountess, it is Vivia.”
There was no reply.
Nevertheless, Vivia carefully opened the door.
The Viscountess rarely responded, and if Vivia failed to enter, she would be punished for neglecting her duties.
No matter what she chose, she was always blamed.
The moment she stepped into the room, her head snapped violently to the right.
At the same time, the silver tray slipped from her grasp and clattered to the floor.
Spilled tea seeped into the carpet, forming stains like tear marks.
The force of the slap was so strong that Vivia could not immediately straighten her head.
Her nose burned and throbbed.
It felt less like pain and more like numbness.
When she turned her head, the Pernolain Viscountess was glaring at her with terrifying eyes.
“You wretched thing… How dare you, not knowing your place, try to seduce Getty? Instead of being grateful that we feed and house you, you repay kindness with betrayal. How are you any different from a beast? Yes, that is what you are. Filthy trash not even fit to be reused.”
The Pernolain Viscountess shrieked, her eyes wild.
Vivia lowered her head, letting her burning cheek remain as it was.
Today, at least, no second slap came flying.
“What on earth did you whisper to Getty that even that gentle boy who cannot kill a fly dared to talk back to me? Hm?”
“You dare to act clever while living under the noble Pernolain name? Because of you, I am ashamed to even lift my head!”
The Pernolain Viscountess grabbed Vivia’s shoulders and shook her violently.
Despite being well past middle age, she was remarkably strong.
As expected, beauty is poison in this world.
Rural nobles often vented their frustrations this way.
Unable to lift their heads in the imperial capital, they unleashed their resentment upon easier targets.
Especially young and beautiful maids like Vivia were scolded by mistresses for supposedly seducing men, or subjected to repulsive advances from male masters.
Countless retorts rose to her throat.
But what choice do I have?
To survive, I must endure, be patient, and wait.
After pouring out her rage, the Viscountess finally shoved Vivia away.
Still fuming, she sat down on the bed.
“There is a ball at the Odley Count’s estate next week. Marie has received an invitation, so you will accompany her and attend to her.”
