<Chapter 17>

“Because Alice isn’t a senior maid.”

Monica, noticing that Alice seemed unsure of how to respond, subtly interjected and answered in her stead.

Thanks to Monica taking the lead, Alice seemed less burdened and followed up with her response: “I’m originally in charge of cleaning the annex where the Prospective Duchess stays. But that day, the head butler told me to attend to you…….”

Now that I thought about it, on the first day I woke up here, Alice looked startled when David told her to serve me.

It seemed like David had gathered every servant managing the annex that day.

Probably to hold them accountable for not keeping a proper eye on “Inosensia.”

‘Now I understand why they were glaring at me so coldly that day.’

‘It wasn’t because I rejected marriage to their Duke, but because my actions caused them to get scolded by their superior!’

“So, you’re saying it was only temporary from the start?”

“Yes. I should have mentioned it sooner… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect someone like me would matter to you.”

“Huh? It’s because you’re someone like you that I care. It was your job to serve me, sure, but how you chose to do it was up to you.”

The Prospective Duchess whom Alice was supposed to serve was a woman who had thrown herself from a high place to avoid marrying the master of this castle.

Not exactly an ideal person to serve, no matter how you looked at it.

In fact, other servants, led by David, made their dislike of me abundantly clear.

But Alice never once showed that she disliked being by my side. She always carried out my requests with genuine effort.

Even when I asked to go somewhere, she didn’t complain about having to ask David for permission on my behalf.

“Anyway, I see that’s what happened. I thought you’d continue to assist me after the wedding was over and I didn’t need to prepare for it anymore.”

“Oh…! W-well, I’m just in charge of cleaning.”

At that moment, Monica cautiously spoke up: “If you’re pleased with Alice, why not make her your personal maid, Prospective Duchess?”

“What? Really? Can I do that?”

“Of course. While only a select few can become maids to the Duchess, when it comes to a personal maid, you can choose anyone you like.”

“But I’m just a low-ranking maid who only knows how to clean……”

Despite Monica making it sound easy, it didn’t seem so simple to Alice. She shook her head firmly, clearly overwhelmed by the suggestion.

“So, does that mean you don’t want to become my personal maid?”

“I-I’d be honored, but……”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll be counting on you from now on, Alice!”

I grabbed Alice’s hands and shook them up and down enthusiastically. Swept up in my energy, Alice hesitantly nodded, while Monica looked at us warmly.

“Thank you for the advice, Monica. As you can see, there’s still a lot I don’t know. I’ll be relying on you in the future as well.”

“Not at all, Prospective Duchess. I’ll be in your care as well.”

After sending the two of them off with the suggestion to get some rest, I sprawled comfortably on the bed.

Starting tomorrow, I’d be working with Alice to finish the remaining wedding preparations…

Wait.

‘Who’s supposed to die?!’

Having Alice by my side was reassuring, but the most important question remained unanswered.

Damn it, back to square one.

*  *  *

There’s an old saying:

[If you save something too much, it will become dung.]

I was living proof of it.

Scrimping on spending, eating, and wearing anything decent—just to save what little of my measly salary I could. After finally saving ten million won, I died and turned it all into worthless paper.

If I’d known it would end up like that, I would’ve taken at least one overseas trip.

‘Well, technically, I did end up traveling overseas in a way.’

So, what’s the moral of the story?

It’s foolish to prepare for tomorrow when you might die today.

After much deliberation, I made my decision.

‘I’ll just use the divine oracle token.’

Who knows? Maybe if I get another oracle, the readers will be bawling their eyes out over the name of the person who died.

And so, the next afternoon, during the one hour of free time I was given, I dashed to the chapel.

I knelt before the Oracle Tablet with a solemn heart.

‘Dear God, I beg you. Please tell me who the subject of the oracle is.’

Would you like to use a divine oracle token?

Yes / No

‘Yes!’

For a moment, I held hope that I’d finally learn who the oracle was about.

But what appeared before my eyes wasn’t an oracle.

A current divine oracle is in progress. You cannot receive a new oracle.

“What?! That’s impossible!”

“W-what’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

My startled scream brought Alice, Kei, and Cesare rushing over from where they’d been standing. Swallowing my frustration, I quickly waved them off.

“It’s nothing… I just… might’ve dozed off while praying and had a nightmare. Don’t worry, it was just sleep talking.”

“Y-you fell asleep while praying…?”

“Haha. You’ve all seen how much I’ve been working myself to the bone preparing for the wedding.”

They’d witnessed my grueling schedule firsthand, and their solemn expressions confirmed their agreement.

“Indeed… it must have been exhausting.”

“Prospective Duchess, perhaps you should stop praying and take some time to rest,” Alice suggested, her face full of concern.

I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

I’d love to rest! But how can I?

The one sliver of hope—the divine oracle—had turned its back on me. In the end, the only person I could rely on was myself.

Fine. Just wait. I’ll make the most out of my wish when the time comes.

After glaring briefly at the heavens, I asked, “How much free time do I have left?”

“Uh… about 30 minutes.”

Pretending not to notice Alice’s sympathetic gaze, I opened my mouth again.

“Do you think I could meet with the Duke right now?”

“The Duke?”

“Would he be too busy? It feels rude to show up without an appointment…”

But Kei and Cesare immediately shook their heads.

“The Duke has given explicit orders. If the Prospective Duchess wishes to see him, we are to escort you to him immediately.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. He’s surely been waiting for you to visit.”

“…Has he really been waiting for me?”

Cesare’s expression, almost one of relief, made it hard to dismiss his words as mere politeness. It felt as if Temenos had genuinely been anticipating this meeting.

“I’ll go ahead and inform the Duke of your arrival,” Cesare offered.

“Alright.”

As Cesare exited the chapel, I lingered for a moment, staring at the Oracle Tablet with lingering regret. Then, Kei and Alice led me toward Temenos’ office.

There’s not much time left in my free hour, so I can’t talk for long…

Alright. Let’s make it quick.

While walking, I mentally organized the words I wanted to say. But my focus kept slipping, disrupted by the unusual commotion around me.

Why is it so noisy all of a sudden?

I tried to ignore it, prioritizing my destination. But the further I walked, the harder it was to disregard the rising tension in the air.

There was a palpable sense of unease, carried on the currents of the bustling atmosphere.

“Alice, could you go check what’s going on over there?”

“Yes, Prospective Duchess.”

But Alice didn’t even need to move. A loud voice rang out, delivering the news that froze me in place.

“A disaster! It’s a disaster! There’s been a landslide at the site of the carriage accident! The knights and medics working on the recovery were buried beneath it!”
 

<To be continued>

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