Sunlight streamed into Emily’s room through the open windows.
The first thing Emily saw when she opened her eyes was the high ceiling, covered with artistic carvings on every side.
Emily’s room.
The second thing Emily saw was Anna, asleep while sitting beside her bed.
“Why is Anna sleeping here?” Emily muttered.
Emily tried to get up, but for some reason her head felt heavy.
Slowly, she sat up, leaning against the bed.
‘What happened to me last night?’ she thought.
Suddenly, Anna woke up, looking startled to see that Emily was already awake.
“Lady Emily?
Are you awake?
How do you feel?
Does anything hurt?” Anna bombarded Emily with questions.
…Huh?
“What happened to me last night?” Emily asked, confused.
“Don’t you remember, My Lady?
Last night, Sir Arthur found you unconscious in the hallway and carried you here.
Then Dr.
Gillen was called right away to examine you.
You gave me a scare!” Anna replied, explaining the panic-filled situation from the night before.
“Oh…” ‘I didn’t think that even after getting a second chance, I still couldn’t understand my own body?
I guess I haven’t learned much from experience.’ Emily thought.
The last thing she remembered from last night was crying in the hallway, then she didn’t remember anything else.
“Hahaha,” Emily laughed bitterly, recalling last night’s events.
Then she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready.
“Where is My Lady going?” Anna asked, confused, as she watched her Master get out of bed.
“To work—where else?” Emily replied briefly.
“B-but Dr.
Gillen said last night that Lady Emily had a fever due to exhaustion from work and stress; I don’t think going to the clinic now is a good idea,” Anna tried to stop her.
“My fever has gone down,” Emily replied as she walked toward the bathroom.
“But My Lady—” “Anna, I’ll go crazy if I don’t do anything,” Emily cut her off without looking back.
Anna, who had a rough idea of what was happening to her Master, couldn’t do much about it.
In the end, she gave in and got ready to go to the clinic with Emily.
… This morning, Emily and Anna were no longer waiting for Alfred at the back door, but at the front gate.
Nor were they wearing their maids’ uniforms; instead, they were dressed in simple, civilian clothes.
Emily no longer wanted to run away from problems.
Avoiding them wasn’t her style.
Clop…Clop…Clop… The carriage driven by Alfred arrived in front of them.
“Good morning, Lady Emily and Miss Anna,” Alfred greeted them more politely than usual, offering his hand to help the two girls into the carriage.
Now that everything had been revealed, Alfred could no longer pretend to be on friendly terms with Emily, given their different social statuses.
Emily took Alfred’s hand and climbed into the carriage.
“Call me Emily like you always do; it’s more comfortable,” Emily said without looking at Alfred.
“Very well, Miss Emily.” Alfred bowed his head.
On the way to the clinic, Alfred was busy trying to recall his mother’s advice on how to calm a woman down when she was angry.
He regretted not having listened to her more carefully.
He hadn’t known that knowledge would come in handy later on.
…
When they arrived at the clinic, Alfred stopped the carriage and helped Emily and Anna climb out.
Normally, Alfred would have waited a short distance away, but since everything had already been revealed, he decided to follow the two girls right into the clinic.
‘Not bad.
I can keep a close eye on things,’ he thought.
To Emily’s surprise, Iris and Rio’s mother had also arrived and were chatting in front of the clinic.
They looked startled to see Emily.
“You came today?” asked Iris.
“Yes, I need some relaxation, ” Emily replied briefly.
Relaxation?
Does work count as relaxation?
She didn’t dare ask any further, seeing that Emily didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
Iris turned to Anna, hoping to find out what was going on, but the girl just shook her head.
Then Iris’s eyes fell on a man standing behind Emily and Anna—tall and solidly built—whom she had never seen before.
“If I may ask, who is this man?” Iris asked.
Emily then turned toward where Iris was pointing; so lost in her own thoughts, Emily had forgotten to introduce Alfred, who starting today would be following her wherever she went.
“Oh, this is our adopted brother.
His name is Alfred.
Starting today, he’ll be sticking to me like glue.
So please take good care of him,” Emily replied nonchalantly, casually pointing toward Alfred.
“Nice to meet you,” Alfred smiled and bowed his head to greet Iris and Rio’s mother.
He hadn’t expected to be introduced as a younger sibling instead of a bodyguard.
But perhaps Lady Emily wasn’t ready yet to reveal her true identity to the people at the clinic.
“Oh, nice to meet you.
My name is Iris, and this is Mrs.
Laura.” Iris, Rio’s mother, and Alfred shook hands.
“Alright, enough introductions—let’s open the clinic.” Emily urged enthusiastically.
Yes.
How could Emily have forgotten?
Work was the only place she could escape to.
No one cared who she really was.
Here, she was needed and useful to others.
“Oh, Alfred, starting today, your job is to help Mrs.
Laura manage the line and maintain security.
Thank you for your hard work,” Emily instructed before entering the room.
“Yes, Miss Emily,” Alfred bowed his head.
…
That day, unexpectedly, the clinic’s line was just as crowded as the day before.
But instead of feeling tired, Emily felt energized.
She felt alive again while working.
Anna, who was always by her side, could sense the change in Emily’s mood.
“Thank you, young lady, you’re so kind,” said an elderly woman who had come in complaining of pain in her knees and lower back.
The woman was accompanied by a boy of about eight years old named Ian.
“Thank you, Miss Emily,” Ian added his thanks.
“You’re so adorable.” Emily gently stroked Ian’s soft hair.
It happened to be almost lunchtime, and the clinic would be temporarily closed for an hour, so Emily decided to walk Grandma and Ian to the clinic’s exit.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the door, Emily was startled by a commotion between Alfred and a man—it seemed the man was from another village.
“I can’t let you cause a disturbance here, sir.
Please leave,” Alfred said, still trying to remain patient.
He could have taken the man down in an instant, but that wouldn’t be good for Lady Emily’s reputation.
What if people spread rumors that Lady Emily’s younger brother was a thug who liked to use violence?
“I just want a little of the money you collected from our efforts too!” replied the man, who looked drunk, still holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand.
The other patients waiting in line also felt scared and uncomfortable.
The atmosphere became tense; it seemed they had been arguing for quite some time.
It was quite a sight to behold.
Alfred, who could no longer contain his impatience, finally shoved the man’s shoulder to get him to leave the clinic immediately, causing the man to stumble and fall.
“You’d better leave right now, while I’m still being polite,” Alfred threatened, glaring at him sharply—clearly issuing a warning.
The drunk man was so startled by being suddenly shoved to the ground, but the effects of the alcohol made him forget what fear felt like.
It didn’t end there.
Suddenly, amidst the commotion, two men who had just arrived appeared in front of the clinic.
“What is all this commotion about?” asked Damian, who had just arrived, followed by Daniel behind him.
The people witnessing the scene grew even more chaotic upon seeing Damian’s arrival.
Who didn’t know Damian?
Even in the most secluded and dark places.
Everyone knew who he was.
The ruler of the Underworld.
“I think that man is going to die,” whispered one of the patients.
“He won’t see the sun tomorrow morning,” added another.
This was getting more and more interesting.
The drunk man tried to stand up with great difficulty; it was very clear he wasn’t in a state to think clearly.
“Who do you think you are, butting in?” asked the man in an annoyed tone.
“How did a rat like this end up here?” said Damian, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly displeased with the situation.
“Rat?
How dare you!” The situation was heating up.
“Let me handle this man, sir,” Daniel offered from behind him.
But before he could answer, the drunk man suddenly tried to swing the bottle in his hand at Damian.
CRASH And in a split second, the bottle the man was holding shattered.
Everyone fell silent, trying to process what had just happened.
The bottle didn’t shatter on Damian’s head; instead, it shattered upon hitting the wall after slipping from the drunk man’s grip due to being struck by Emily’s thrown shoe.
Shards of glass, Emily’s single shoe, and droplets of water trickled down the wall and floor.
Emily, seeing that her fastball had hit the mark, felt a sudden surge of pride welling up inside her.
“Hehe… it wasn’t a waste that I joined the baseball club in high school,” she muttered proudly.
Meanwhile, the drunk man was shocked when he saw what was happening.
He couldn’t believe this girl had humiliated him in front of so many people.
The alcohol seemed to have clouded his judgment.
“How dare you!” he shouted.
Quickly, the drunk man ran toward Emily to attack her.
He reached out, trying to grab her.
Everyone watching the situation was shocked and afraid of what might happen.
“Lady Emily!” Anna shouted from behind.
Alfred and Damian also immediately prepared to stop the drunk man before he could touch Emily.
But… GRABBB… Before the man’s hand could touch her, Emily grabbed his arm with both hands, causing the drunk man to stumble forward, off-balance.
In a matter of seconds, Emily ducked, spun around, and slammed the man over her back, using the momentum to throw him off balance.
THUD… The man fell to the floor.
DING DING!
1-0 for Emily.
Alfred, Damian, Daniel, and Anna could only stare in disbelief.
Even the drunk man couldn’t believe he’d just been thrown to the ground by a girl much smaller than him.
Everyone watching was stunned and shocked.
“You can’t underestimate someone who’s been forced to take judo lessons for nine years,” Emily said, placing her hands on her hips.
“HAHAHA I feel alive again!” Emily laughed loudly.
Indeed, when your heart is sad, besides working, exercising is one of the best things to do.
“Grand Duke Cedric, you’d better brace yourself,” Alfred muttered.
“This girl is too good to pass up,” Damian said with a smile, while Daniel behind him nodded in agreement.
“Lady Emily…” Anna could only slump weakly to the floor, as if all the strength had drained from her legs.
“HAHAHA, ISN’T THIS A BEAUTIFUL DAY?” Emily exclaimed enthusiastically.