Chapter 29

“…I-I’m fine.”

No, she wasn’t.

Natalianne pushed Melissa away instinctively. Her legs, unused to movement after days spent buried in research, cramped painfully around the calves.

Damn it.

She braced her hands on the ground and struggled to stand.

“Oh dear, your legs, Miss!”

A worried voice called from behind, but Natalianne gritted her teeth and ran with all her might.

What on earth.

‘What even was that?’

As she limped away, her thoughts tangled into a knot she couldn’t untangle.

* * *

“Damn it.”

Natalianne muttered curses under her breath, biting hard on her fingernails.

Blood was starting to show beneath the torn edges of her nails.

“That old fool.”

So he went off to the subjugation campaign after dumping this headache on me?

“Unbelievable.”

If Linburton were here, he would have screamed in protest. But of course, he wasn’t.

“Fine.”

Let’s see how this goes.

Reigniting her focus, Natalianne turned her sharp gaze toward the window.

Outside, that orange-haired woman was working hard, tending to the frost-covered field.

‘She’s not even a servant.’

Natalianne stared at her as if she were some strange new species.

People grew soft easily when surrounded by comfort.

Even those hardened by hardship eventually succumbed to laziness when given warmth and abundance.

But that woman…

Natalianne’s eyes narrowed.

After returning and bathing, she had thought things through carefully.

Melissa’s behavior didn’t fit that of a Grand Duke’s daughter-in-law at all.

Wearing rags that even servants would refuse to wear and digging in the dirt with her bare hands?

‘Strange.’

Honestly, when Linburton’s letter first arrived, she’d been furious.

What did she care who Demius married? Whether his wife was noble-born or a peasant didn’t concern her in the slightest.

But Linburton had written that if she helped drive out Demius’s wife, whom he called “a stray cat obsessed with bugs,” he would ensure Natalianne never became heir to the Grand Duchy.

‘Of course I didn’t believe him completely.’

If Melissa were expelled, Demius might very well leave to follow her.

Then the succession would naturally fall to Natalianne, the next in line.

But what interested her was the time Linburton could buy for her.

‘If he can hold them off for just three years.’

A smirk tugged at her lips.

She had risen from nothing to become a professor at the age of eighteen.

And once her current research paper was complete, she was confident it would shake the entire academic world.

In three years, she could be promoted to one of the Seven Sages, the position right below the Tower Masters.

If that happened, her mother could no longer force her to inherit the title of Grand Duchess.

‘The Emperor would block it himself.’

A small, satisfied smile crossed her face.

Then she could finally say goodbye to this cursed family.

Forever.

Lost in that pleasant thought, Natalianne glanced out the window again.

Her eyes widened.

The woman was gone.

‘How long did I look away?’

Knock knock.

Just then, a cheerful voice came from the door.

“Hello, Miss! May I come in for a moment?”

Natalianne’s head snapped around.

That foolishly bright tone.

“You…”

“Yes!”

Before she could even respond, the door swung open, flooding the room with light.

Ugh.

Natalianne instinctively raised her hand to block it, then froze when she realized her face was uncovered.

She quickly turned her back and snatched the black veil from the desk, throwing it over her head.

“Don’t look!” she barked sharply.

“Oh my, your nails.”

But the voice was already close.

“Do they hurt?”

A gentle touch brushed against her fingertips.

Startled, Natalianne realized for the first time how rough and broken her nails were. She yanked her hand away.

“Mind your own business!”

Damn it.

Her cheeks burned as anger surged.

“Who told you you could enter my room?”

“Oh, was I not supposed to?”

Melissa flinched, guilt filling her face.

“Then I’ll just leave this here and go.”

She carefully placed a basket covered with a white cloth on the desk.

Then she smiled warmly.

“A welcome gift. I worked hard on it, so I hope you like it.”

…What?

Natalianne stared, speechless.

Melissa gave a small bow and quietly slipped out.

The click of the latch sounded before Natalianne finally turned her gaze to the basket.

For a long while, she simply stared.

Then a faint whisper escaped her lips.

“A welcome gift?”

Even the servants in this house never welcomed her.

And yet this woman, whom she had thrown out without even a proper introduction, had brought her a gift?

“Is she stupid?”

Her lips pressed together.

No.

It couldn’t be.

A “welcome gift” had to be a lie.

“There’s no such thing as pure kindness.”

She knew that too well.

A bitter smile touched her face.

When she’d lived as a noblewoman, people clung to her for power.

When she hid her identity, they scorned her for being an outsider.

When she rose to become a professor known as the Ice Witch, people sought her out for her strength instead.

In this world, kindness without reason simply did not exist.

“Ridiculous.”

Natalianne grabbed the basket off the desk and strode toward the trash bin.

Her hand hesitated for a brief second, but then she tossed it in.

The rustling sound inside was oddly sharp, but she turned away, scoffing.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t her concern.

* * *

“Lalalala~”

I hummed to myself as I walked down the corridor.

Demius had once explained his family to me when he proposed.

That day, he had described his younger sister like this.

‘She has a terrible temper.’

But then, realizing how harsh it sounded, he had quickly added,

‘Don’t worry. She’s lived in the Magic Tower since childhood, so you’ll never have to meet her.’

Never, he said.

I sighed sadly.

How could he say that?

If I’d known he had such an adorable little sister, I would have visited the tower long ago.

Fortunately, she had returned home after all.

‘I wonder what brought her back?’

Tilting my head, I smiled to myself.

That didn’t matter. What mattered was that we’d finally met.

According to Linburton, Natalianne had said I looked like a cat, though she insisted that was meant as an insult, but truthfully, she was the one who resembled that charming creature.

Just remembering how her shoulders trembled like a puffed-up cat made my cheeks warm.

‘How can someone be so adorable?’

Siblings were meant to be cute just by existing, weren’t they?

It was the kind of logic only someone who had spent twenty years as an only child could have.

Mother was gallant like a hero, Miss Mimi was endlessly kind and gentle, sweet Shilen was thoughtful and soft-spoken, and Natalianne had a fiery personality that made her shine all the more.

‘To think I get to be part of this family for a whole year.’

I’m really so lucky.

But then I remembered how upset Natalianne had looked earlier.

What had gone wrong?

I stopped and thought hard, then clapped my hands in realization.

“Of course!”

Fried food alone isn’t enough for a welcome gift!

Natalianne had seemed shocked when I mentioned a gift, but after living all those years alone in the Magic Tower, surely she deserved more than just that.

“I should throw a party!”

I pumped my fist in determination.

Even though Mother, Miss Mimi, and Lord Linburton weren’t here, waiting an entire week for the subjugation party seemed unnecessary.

When the knights returned, I could throw another one then.

Two parties meant twice the fun.

Smiling, I started humming again as I walked.

* * *

“Ugh…”

Natalianne groaned as she sat up in bed, her hair tousled.

Whether it was fatigue from her trip or something else entirely, her dreams had been a chaotic mess.

She couldn’t recall much, only that an orange-haired demon had kept chasing her no matter how many times she tried to banish it.

“Damn it.”

What was she, a cursed doll?

Rubbing her temple, she squinted at the window.

What time was it?