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Chapter 8
At first, people thought that Sylvia was acting strange, just pretending to be kind, but as time went on, they became more accustomed to her new behavior.
And a month later, the servants and maids in the west wing began informing their coworkers who were employed in other areas of the mansion like this:
“You know, Lady Sylvia is completely different from the rumors.
They say she’s a wicked woman of the century, but in my experience, she’s really kind and sweet.”
“What?
Are you talking about Lady Sylvia?
Not Lady Eileen?”
When a maid from the main building who didn’t know about her transformation replied that way, another maid from the west wing, standing beside her, chimed in.
“Yes, we’re talking about Lady Sylvia.
Didn’t I tell you?
Lady Sylvia saw the wound on my knee and gave me an ointment to apply to it!
Where can you find a noble who cares so much about someone like me, a maid?”
“But…”
“Indeed, rumors can’t be trusted.
You know I worked at another noble’s mansion before, right?
The young lady there received so much praise for being kind in public, but in reality, she was completely different!
If we made even the slightest mistake, she would slap the maids’ faces!”
The west wing maids passionately defended Sylvia, which left the main house maid with a confused expression.
“Is that so?
Were the rumors really wrong?”
But that wasn’t the only change.
Sylvia had switched to a balanced and healthy diet of vegetables and grains, practiced mana breathing for a certain amount of time everyday, and consistently worked out for a month.
As a result, there were visible changes in Sylvia’s appearance as well.
“Was Lady Sylvia always that beautiful?”
“Wasn’t the eldest daughter just… not very attractive, I mean, ordinary looking?”
“Yeah, she used to have an ordinary face with some extra weight, making people describe her as unappealing.”
“But now…”
The maids looked at Sylvia Atlante as she passed through the corridor to go for a walk.
Thanks to her weight loss, her facial features had become more defined, giving her a simple yet elegant beauty.
Her swaying brown hair was enticing, and her balanced figure was revealed by her upright posture.
But what stood out more than anything else was her vibe.
A neat yet strong atmosphere surrounded her.
Unlike her previous irritable and perpetually annoyed demeanor, Sylvia’s presence now had a strange effect of lifting the mood of those around her.
And this atmosphere made her appear even more beautiful.
“Something… seems pretty about her.
Is there something wrong with my eyes?”
A servant murmured while rubbing his eyes.
And it wasn’t just the servants who whispered about Sylvia’s transformation.
“Did you hear about it?”
“What?”
“The eldest daughter.”
“Who?”
“The ugly one, I mean, Lady Sylvia.”
Hans, a knight, frowned at the words of his fellow knight.
Who was Sylvia?
She was more infamous among the knights for her unattractive appearance and bad temperament.
As she treated the knights who escorted her so terribly, rumors spread within the knights, advising them to fake injuries in order to avoid being assigned to her.
“What about her?”
“They say she has… changed.”
Hans was wondering what his fellow knight was going to say, but it was just that…
With a disbelieving expression, Knight Hans laughed at his comrade.
His colleague then turned red and passionately defended his statement.
“No, seriously!
Someone working in the west wing told me.
The lady has lost a lot of weight lately, and her personality has improved.
She’s like a completely different person, they say!”
“Stop talking nonsense and carry this.”
Hans handed a heavy load to the fellow knight, who continued talking even while receiving it.
“It’s not nonsense, I swear.”
If that’s true, I’ll buy you drinks for a whole month.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.
And that’s not all.
I’ll use this month’s salary to treat all the knights to beer that day.”
“You promise!”
“Sure.”
His fellow knight was delighted about the prospect of free drinks, but Hans didn’t care at all because, obviously, his salary would be safe anyway.
People didn’t change easily, so how could ‘that’ Lady Sylvia, who showed no will, change?
Nonsense!
That was what he thought at the time, not knowing he would soon regret it.
***
“Good.
I’ve roughly achieved my goal.”
The woman reflected in the mirror smiled contentedly.
Her slim face and well-balanced features were harmonious, and her body, now free of excess fat, revealed smooth lines.
But what pleased me the most was her bright expression.
Previously, her presence alone was bad enough to make others ask, ‘Is something bothering you?’ but now her appearance had completely changed.
Her serene expression made her look prettier as if she were always smiling.
This woman in the mirror, whom anyone who saw her would say was undeniably beautiful, was none other than Sylvia Atlante, known as Lady Ugly Duckling.
“She has become a completely different person than a month ago.”
It had already been a month since I became Sylvia Atlante.
I spent each day of the past month exactly the same way.
I practiced mana breathing every morning to gather mana and had meals filled with vegetables instead of greasy food.
After eating, I always moved around.
I walked diligently in the garden, stretched, and did strength exercises like push-ups and squats.
As a result, the waste accumulated in this body was expelled, the skin became as smooth as a baby’s, and I noticeably lost weight.
It was good to have a better look as the weight came off and the body’s lines were revealed.
However, there was a separate, truly great aspect.
“Now it’s much easier to move.”
When I was overweight, just a little movement left me breathless and my entire body ached as if I had been beaten.
When I tried to sleep, my breath would catch in my throat, and my limbs would feel numb and tingly when I woke up in the morning.
It was a different kind of suffering compared to being bedridden in the past.
But now…
“Now that I’ve lost weight, I don’t feel pain, and it has also become easier to move.”
Thanks to this, I had gotten closer to my goal of a ‘healthy and happy life.’
I admired Sylvia’s slim body in the mirror, then recalled another goal I had yet to achieve.
“But is summoning a spirit still too much for me?”
It had only been a month since I started mana breathing.
The average time to accumulate mana and achieve ‘awakening’ took about one to two years, but as only a month had passed, I would have to continue gathering mana through mana breathing for at least ten more months.
‘No, at this rate, it may not even take half that time.’
The mana accumulation speed was faster than that in Sylvia’s memories.
‘The complete removal of the bodily waste during the first mana breathing seems to be the reason, but I’m not sure of the exact cause.’
Regardless of the reason, they said ‘All’s well that ends well,’ so I was still diligently focusing on mana breathing.
‘Thanks to that, I’ve gathered half of the mana needed for awakening.
At this rate, I’ll be able to awaken in a few months and become a spiritualist.’
Considering the original Sylvia couldn’t even gather a handful of mana at this point, the current achievement was quite impressive.
‘Still, it isn’t satisfying, though.’
There was no immediate threat to my safety now.
However, a significant difference existed in how it felt to have the power to respond to a threat if necessary versus not having it.
‘If I proceed step-by-step according to this standard way, I’ll only reach the level of an intermediate spiritualist even after five years.’
Being an intermediate spiritualist was still remarkable, but it left me feeling unsatisfied.
A way to become stronger faster…’
“Ah!”
Why did I only think of following the standard way?
There was no need to always stick to the well-trodden path.
‘If there’s a shortcut, I should use it!’
I pulled the bellpull with a determined smile, thinking of a way to become much stronger very quickly.
In four years, a world-shaking discovery would be announced.
Simply consuming it would double the rate of mana accumulation––an astonishing item would appear in the world!
This incredible item was a common medicinal herb that could be easily purchased in any herbal shop not long before its announcement.
When boiled in water, it could cure a cold, just like any other common emergency medicine.
However, when burned, its effect changed completely.
If dried for three days, mixed with another herb, and then rolled up and burned, it would turn into an amazing item, doubling the rate of mana accumulation.
‘In four years, it might be sold out, but right now, when its use is still unknown, it could be bought for a very cheap price.’
“Did you call, my lady?”
“I need to go out.”
“Go out?
But, His Grace said…”
“You mean, being confined to this place?”
“Yes, I’m just worried that it might cause trouble for you, my lady.
I apologize for overstepping my boundaries,” Belle lowered her eyes and mumbled her response, seemingly afraid of having dared to offend her master.
I didn’t dislike her reaction.
In fact, I appreciated it.
If it were a month ago, she would have let me do whatever I wanted, without worrying about the Duke’s reaction.
But now, even though she was afraid, Belle was trying to stop me––it was a great improvement.
‘Does that mean she now feels closer to me?’
I was satisfied with the improved relationship between Belle and me.
‘At this rate, I can sincerely apologize and clear away the dark past that Sylvia created in no time.’
With a satisfied smile, I reassured Bell, “I have been shoved in the west wing for a whole month and never stepped outside, so I don’t think he will object if I go shopping for a bit.
So, don’t worry too much.”
Well, it didn’t matter, though, even if the Duke said anything to me.
Relieved by my words, Belle’s eyes widened and she asked, “Shall I get the carriage ready?”
“Yes.
But instead of our family carriage, get a rented one.
Something plain and inconspicuous.”
“Understood.
Where would you like to go?”
“Fortrum Street.”
Known by other names as the best shopping district in the capital, and as the holy land of shopping, Fortrum Street was a great place to buy and sell goods, so I decided to make it my destination.
“Shopping…”
It had been a long time since I went shopping.
After being hospitalized, I couldn’t go outside often and naturally couldn’t do proper shopping.
At most, I would buy things at the hospital store or online, purchasing cute but not very useful small items.
But even that was rare, only happening once every two or three months.
My family was working hard every day to pay for my hospital bills, so I couldn’t just casually go shopping.
But now, things were different.
I could browse from store to store and make impulse purchases if I liked something.
No matter how much I was called ‘Lady Ugly Duckling’ and was criticized for having this appearance, Sylvia was still a member of the Atlante ducal family, and Duke Atlante was one of the wealthiest in the empire.
What does that mean?
“I’m rich too!”