“You called for me, Your Excellency.”
Count Ianster didn’t look up right away. He kept his pen moving across a stack of papers, completely ignoring my entrance. It wasn’t until I formally bowed and repeated my greeting that he finally set his pen down and pinned me with a cold stare. Standing beside his desk was a young man I had never seen before.
“Claire,” the Count began, his voice tight.
“Yes.”
“Yesterday… did you go to the St. Vincent Orphanage?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
I had anticipated the question, so my answer came without hesitation. But my calm demeanor only seemed to fuel his temper. The Count abruptly raised his voice, slamming a hand down on the armrest.
“Why on earth would you do that? I told you explicitly never to go near that place! You were supposed to bury those memories forever!”
In the past, the original Claire would have cowered and begged for forgiveness. I didn’t. Instead, I took a deliberate breath and looked him straight in the eye.
“Why should I? They are my memories. They aren’t going to vanish just because Your Excellency orders me to forget them.”
“What did you just say?” The Count surged out of his chair, entirely unprepared for pushback.
“Does a truth cease to exist simply because you wish it away? Every single noble in the Empire of Quinze-Nouais already knows the truth—that I am the unwanted illegitimate child you tucked away.”
“Claire!”
To dial down the boiling rage in the room, I lowered my gaze and kept my tone level. “I understand why you are angry, Father. But I didn’t go there yesterday to defy you or cause a scandal.”
Sensing a sudden shift in my composure, the Count’s anger faltered, replaced by lingering suspicion. “…Then why did you go?”
“Everyone already knows I’m the family’s dark secret. Rather than pretending I don’t exist and letting rumors fester, I believe it’s far wiser to handle the situation out in the open.”
“Out in the open? What are you driving at?”
“I am proposing that the Ianster family officially sponsor that orphanage.”
“Sponsor?” The Count’s eyes widened in genuine disbelief. It certainly wasn’t a solution he would ever dream up on his own. Honestly, I hadn’t planned on it either until I saw the conditions firsthand, but after yesterday, it was a necessity. The private maids I had hired were only a temporary fix.
“You won’t even need to adjust the estate budget. I will gladly redirect 30 percent of my personal annual upkeep allowance to fund it. Please, grant me your permission.”
My annual allowance was a fixed line item under the family ledger anyway. Even after I successfully escaped this estate, that money would still be drawn.
Before the Count could reject the idea, the young aide standing by his desk stepped forward, his eyes bright with sudden realization.
“Your Excellency, Lady Claire makes a compelling point. Sponsoring an orphanage is a brilliant display of noblesse oblige—especially for a prestigious house destined to produce an empress.”
I recognized him instantly. That sharp intelligence, the curly brown hair… It was Count Ianster’s top strategist. What was his name again? Glenn…
“Is that your professional opinion, Sir Doherty?”
Glenn Doherty! He was one of the few people the Count genuinely trusted. The only reason I hadn’t crossed paths with him yet in this world was because he was supposed to be constantly traveling the empire, tracking down false sightings of Celine.
Wait… doesn’t he die young? Why? Do I somehow cause it?
“…Claire! Are you listening to me, Claire?”
“Pardon? Oh—yes. Yes, I am.”
I blinked, realizing I had zoned out while mentally scrambling through the plot details. I must have been staring right at his face far too intently. Glenn noticed my gaze, checked over his shoulder to see if something was behind him, and looked back at me with a bewildered expression.
“Do you understand the terms I’m setting, Claire?”
“Ah—yes, perfectly. May I be excused now?”
Not bothering to hide the fact that I hadn’t absorbed a single word, I turned on my heel and scurried toward the door.
“Yes, fine,” the Count muttered, waving a hand dismissively. As I reached for the handle, I overheard Glenn speaking to him.
“Then I will finalize my travel preparations for the Eastern Continent next month.”
Hearing those words, a chilling memory snapped into place in my head. Glenn was being dispatched across the sea because a merchant claimed to have spotted a woman matching Celine’s description. It was a completely false lead, and Glenn Doherty’s ship was doomed to sink during the treacherous voyage.
The description from the novel flashed in my mind: ‘The Count wept openly for days, mourning his loyal aide as if he had lost a true son.’
I quietly pulled the door shut behind me and let out a long sigh.
Should I just pretend I didn’t hear any of this?
If I suddenly intervene and try to stop him from going to the Eastern Continent, people will immediately assume I’m throwing a tantrum because I’m terrified my golden-child sister might actually return. But looking back at his bright, earnest face and kind eyes, my conscience pricked.
Fine. If I can save at least one innocent person in this miserable world, I’ll have made my trip worthwhile.
With that quiet resolve, I trudged back to my quarters.
The following morning, I headed straight to the capital’s central market. Saving Glenn Doherty was a priority, but my immediate survival demanded cash. My strategy was simple: get close to Adrian, secure a safety net, and slip away entirely before Celine made her grand return. Since the Crown Prince and the Imperial Family loomed large over my future, I needed independent wealth to disappear cleanly.
As the old saying goes, even a village dog can recite poetry after three years of listening. I had absorbed plenty of financial survival tricks watching Director Han Hyuntaek scale his wealth back home. But this wasn’t a modern tech economy, so my options were limited. Desperate for seed money, I had swept through my room, stripping away every expensive accessory and piece of jewelry I owned.
“My Lady, if you insisted on visiting the open market, you could have at least brought a knight along. What is wrong with you?”
“Knights are far more dangerous than common thieves.”
“At least you’re aware of it!”
At this point, Owen was practically the only guard who didn’t look at me like I was a walking target for assassination. But dragging him along to hock my stolen-looking royal jewels was out of the question.
“I get it, Sally. Now, please wait outside while I visit this shop.”
“You only just bought these new…”
Ignoring her grumbling, I slipped inside a high-end jewelry store. The air smelled faintly of velvet and heavy wealth. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, I placed a pair of diamond-encrusted earrings on the glass counter.
The appraiser picked them up, turning them over under the magnifying glass.
“Exquisite craftsmanship. Top-tier quality.”
“Oh, I know.”
“I can offer you 1,000 Sat for the pair.”
One thousand Sat was a staggering sum—enough to purchase three or four adult slaves outright. I vividly remembered buying Hailey from the labor camp for a mere 300 Sat.
“Really? Sold.”
Just as the greedy shopkeeper grinned and reached for the earrings, a gloved hand shot out from nowhere, clamping down hard around his wrist.
“Th-thief? Guards?!” the jeweler squawked.
“Ha!”
A low, mocking laugh echoed from behind me. The stranger leaned in close, fixing the terrified shop owner with a chilling stare.
“One thousand Sat?” he purred.
The merchant stammered, trembling under the man’s immense, suffocating presence. “N-no! Three thousand Sat! Three thousand!”
“Three thousand?”
“F-five thousand! Ten thousand Sat!”
“You should have led with that price from the start.”
Before I could process what was happening, I grabbed the stranger’s hand and pumped it up and down vigorously.
“My hero! You are my absolute benefactor!”
“What? A benefactor?”
“Yes! You are a master negotiator. I owe you my life.”
“Are you… out of your mind?”
Oh, right. I’m Cha Seyoung. I used to be sharp with money… How utterly humiliating.
Idiot or not, he had just squeezed an extra nine thousand Sat out of the merchant for me. Did this mean a single pair of earrings could buy me a small army of slaves?
“Call me whatever you like! Hehe.”
“Good grief, what a peculiar character.”
Just then, Sally pushed her head through the shop door, looking frantic. “Lady Claire! Are you finished yet? The sun is setting!”
“Claire? That Claire? The Ianster family’s notorious scoundrel?”
“Scoundrel? Tsk. Just call me an idiot, then. But if you’re brazen enough to insult a high-ranking noble to her face… you must hold a rather elevated position yourself.”
The gears in my brain finally clicked. I looked closer at his striking features, the golden hair, the expensive black cloak he was just peeling off.
Oh.
A melodramatic voice echoed in my head as he flashed a dazzling smile: ‘I’m the Crown Prince!’
Is there a wind machine hidden in this alleyway? Why is his hair dramatically fluttering right now?
“Looking at you closely, you’re neither an idiot nor a scoundrel,” the Crown Prince murmured smoothly. “You’re simply my intended fiancée.”
“Hahaha, is that a fact?”
“You don’t seem particularly surprised.”
“Oh! Wow. Look at me, I’m shaking with shock.”
According to original lore, the moment Claire turned seventeen, her official engagement to the Crown Prince would be locked in. Because House Ianster held a monopoly on producing Empresses, they relied on illegitimate daughters to cycle through the succession requirements.
And what kind of monster was this Crown Prince? By the age of fifteen, he had systematically outmaneuvered and eliminated two rival claimants to the throne. He didn’t dirty his own hands; he acted as a master puppeteer, using everyone around him to secure absolute power. By seventeen, he sat comfortably as the undisputed heir.
The only political hurdle he failed to clear was the current Emperor’s half-brother, Grand Duke Aurelian—right up until the Grand Duke mysteriously vanished from the capital!
“Gasp!”
I remember. I remember it all now.
Cedric had shouted that exact title at Adrian during the branding iron incident: <Your Duke… Grand Highness, Royal the>
Adrian was the same age as the Crown Prince—his own uncle!
“Your facial expressions are wonderfully transparent,” the Crown Prince observed, amused.
“Pardon?”
“Done panicking? It’s quite a talent to turn red and then ghost-white in thirty seconds flat.”
“Hahaha, did I do that? Silly me.”
“Since you made such a handsome profit today thanks to my intervention, allow me to invite you for a proper cup of tea.”
“Oh… tea? I’ll be sure to bring some specialty tea leaves straight to the Imperial Palace later, then.”
“You catch on fast. That must be why you weren’t terrified of me.”
“…I happened to catch a glimpse of you from afar during Foundation Day.”
“Foundation Day?” The Crown Prince tilted his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Was there an event on Foundation Day?”
Damn it, don’t all royal festivals sound like Foundation Day in these books?
“Er—no, just a regular festival market…”
He didn’t press further, though he clearly had a dozen lingering suspicions. Instead, he smoothly steered the conversation back.
“You’ll personally bring tea leaves to the palace?”
“Yes, you just invited me for tea, after all.”
“Hmm… Tell me, Lady Claire, has the Ianster household fallen on such hard times? Why on earth are you pawning your own jewelry?”
“Fallen? Heavens, no. I was simply clearing out old inventory to buy newer trends.”
“Without having a royal jeweler visit the mansion directly?”
“I wanted to experience the common market atmosphere and pick things out myself…”
Was I undergoing a sudden pressure interview?
“…Is that so?” He clearly didn’t believe a single word, but I didn’t care. In the original text, the Crown Prince practically despised Claire. He was occupant number one on my “Do Not Engage” list.
“Well, it was lovely running into you, Your Highness. I must be going.”
Naturally, occupant number one gently reached out and caught my wrist as I tried to slip past him.
“When will you visit?”
“Pardon?”
“When should I expect you at the palace?”
Seriously, buddy. This is supposed to be one of those casual ‘let’s grab coffee sometime’ brush-offs.
Yet, his impossibly handsome face beamed down at me with such radiant confidence that my own lips twitched into an awkward smile.
“Are you going to answer the Crown Prince’s question or stand there spacing out?”
“…Next Wednesday?”
“Understood. I shall look forward to Wednesday, then.”
I had zero clue whether cozying up to the Crown Prince would blow up in my face or save me, but I mentally patted myself on the back. Having the future ruler owe me a conversational favor couldn’t possibly hurt.
With the Crown Prince being a Crown Prince and the money from the deal sitting snugly in my pouch, Sally and I walked around the market, and my mood lifted instantly. A little shopping always works wonders for a woman. It relieves stress and sparks creativity.
“Sally, do you want that hat?”
“Pardon?”
“That beige hat. It would look great with your soft brown hair.”
“My Lady, are you sick? You used to call my hair straw-colored.”
“Tsk, fine, don’t take it. I was in a good mood and wanted to buy you something…”
“No, no, no! Please buy it for me!”
“Then I will.”
We had a great time, trying on hats and other accessories. Sally looked adorable when she smiled and her dimples showed.
Just then, my eyes landed on a set of paper and pens. And I suddenly remembered how Celine and Adrian first became close.
One of Adrian’s character traits was amnesia. When he first came to the orphanage, he was almost mute. Because of this, Adrian thought he couldn’t read. It was Celine who taught him. Adrian had said that Celine was the one who brought him the world. And, as if by a miracle, his memory came back “with a bang.”
‘If a pretty girl teaches you, letters can become the world.’
“Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing. Let’s buy that. And is there anything popular among the knights these days?”
“Why?”
“I want to buy them something if there’s a popular item.”
“A popular item? What do you mean?”
“Something they want to have but can’t afford because it’s expensive. Is there anything like that?”
“Hmm… I heard a knight named Smith bragging about a small dagger he got recently with his name engraved on it. It had a tiny gem on it too.”
“Ooh, really? But a dagger is a bit…”
I looked around as Sally was talking. Then I saw a variety of alphabet characters made of iron. They were like printing blocks, with different sizes and fonts. And an idea flashed through my mind.
‘Oh, a typewriter.’
This world had no printing press or typewriters. As a former secretary, I thought I could take those alphabet characters and make a typewriter. When I was in the orphanage, the director had a hobby of collecting antiques. He’d give us broken typewriters and sewing machines to play with. As they say, an old habit dies hard. Seeing the letters, I immediately thought of a keyboard.
I also thought it would be a special gift for everyone if I could use the letters to brand their names onto leather goods.
‘As long as I don’t brand it on their faces, it should be fine, right? And it’s kind of cute…’
I bought several sets of all the alphabet characters and was on my way home in a good mood. But then…
“Sally, what’s that?”
“Pardon? A teahouse?”
“There were cafes in this world?”
I said I would go to the imperial palace with tea leaves on Wednesday without even knowing something like this existed… It seems I was about to add another nickname—the “idiot who brought tea leaves to the imperial palace”—to “Idiot Claire” and “the Ianster scoundrel.”
That night, the Ianster family’s home workshop opened for business.
I took some good quality leather and made a belt and a small pouch to go with it. In short, it was like a fanny pack. I had taken leather crafting classes when I was playing the role of a rich wife, and everything I learned was coming back to me.
For my first project, I combined the letters to spell “OWEN” and carefully branded it onto the leather.
“My Lady… You’re not making this for Sir Owen, are you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then why are you making such a thoughtful gift?”
“As the saying goes, you can’t spit on a smiling face, and good words beget good words in return.”
“Pardon?”
“It means I want to make a good impression. So that later, if things go wrong, they’ll save me. And I think he’ll accept it.”
It was sad. ‘Damn it! What a lot of trouble I’m going through.’
The next day, I went to the training ground. “Owen, this is a gift for you. Will you accept it?”
“Pardon?”
Before, every knight here looked at me with a murderous intent, but now, their eyes held a look of utter bewilderment.
“What is this?”
“Well, it’s like this…” I suddenly wrapped my arm around his waist. I heard the sound of a sword being drawn from a scabbard. But with the speed of lightning, I fastened the belt and opened the pocket, putting in the small dagger from my pants pocket. The knights let out a soft gasp of admiration.
“Look here, I even branded your name on it, ‘OWEN.’”
“Ah…”
“What? You don’t like it?”
I looked at him, circling around him. In the training ground, the knights only wore leather vests over their bare bodies, and it went perfectly with his.
‘It looks good…’
“I… I like it.”
“Really? I knew it would look good on you because you have a nice body.”
“A nice body…! Yes…”
I was so happy he accepted the gift that I grabbed Owen’s hand and shook his arm up and down. But with his free hand, he covered his mouth and turned his face away. Thinking I might have gone too far, I quickly let go of his hand.
“Sorry,” I said awkwardly, to the whole group. “Um… if anyone wants one, just let me know. I’ll make one for you.” Of course, I didn’t say it with any expectation.
“I’m fine, but my sister would like to have one.”
“Huh? You mean Hailey? Ohh, okay. Thank you, Cedric!”
I was genuinely happy. This was a step forward. Now, Cedric definitely wouldn’t be looking for me with a burning vengeance. Smiling broadly, I made eye contact with Adrian.
Adrian was literally the knights’ slave. He was in charge of running errands for the knights, but in reality, his daily life was full of abuse from Claire. But since I hadn’t touched him for the past few days, a recovered Adrian was now out in the training ground.
And like a devoted fan of a certain dog-training TV show, I’ve been following the expert’s advice. He said you shouldn’t go up and pet a large dog right away. And you shouldn’t show fear, either… No, that’s a lie. I was a little scared. The sins I had committed were too great.
So after dinner, I decided to do the thing I had been putting off.
I prepared some warm bread and milk, and with the pen and paper set I had bought, I went to find Adrian. After the knights’ training was over, Adrian had nothing much to do.
Knock, knock.
“Um… It’s Claire. Can I come in?”
There was no answer, so I knocked again. Still, there was no sign of anyone. Feeling relieved, I was about to turn back when the door creaked open slightly.
“Oh? You’re not asleep yet?”
‘You opened the door, so are you going to say something?’
I peered inside over his shoulder. His room had only a bed, a table, and a nightstand.
“Can I come in?”
He went inside first, so I hesitantly went in. I lit up the dark, windowless room with the lamp I was holding.
“Um… are you feeling better?”
“…”
“This bread just came out, so it’s warm. Want some? I promise I didn’t do anything weird to it.”
But Adrian still didn’t answer. I hesitated for a moment and then took a small step toward him.
“And this is a gift. Will you take it?”
‘Please take this, and please don’t kill me.’
“What kind of trick is this?”
His voice was so low, even though he was only seventeen.
“It’s not a trick. Absolutely not. I swear it.”
“Do you think I’d believe your oath?”
“Oh… is that so? Then I won’t swear. But Adrian, can you look at this? This is a pen and paper…”
I was fumbling with my words, and I could tell I sounded pathetic, but for the first time, he showed interest and turned around. His eyes were still fierce.
“A pen? Paper?”
He did want to learn to read and write. I wasn’t the female lead, so I couldn’t give him the world, but I could give him my attention.
“Yeah, I remember you once said you wanted to learn to read and write at the orphanage.”
“I did?”
It was a complete lie.
“Yeah, I think I remember you saying something like that… Anyway, this is how you write.”
“How can a slave learn to write? Is this a new kind of torture?”
“No, it’s not. And if you want, I’ll teach you. Oh, and this is just for your peace of mind, but… I don’t like you anymore.”
“What?”
The look on his face became murderous, as if he was about to kill me right then and there. He had a strong, male-alpha aura.
‘That’s not it, is it?’
“I… I meant I’m trying not to like you. And I’ve thought about it, and you can’t just force yourself to like someone… so I’ve decided to respect your will.”
‘That’s not it either?’
He no longer even tried to hide his murderous intent and strode toward me.
“Bu… but it won’t be that easy, will it?”
“Did you get a new toy?”
“Pardon?”
“Is it Owen this time?”
“Huh? No, Owen is just a friend.”
“A friend? A knight in the house is a friend? And you give a branded item as a gift to a friend?”
“You don’t? I brought one for you too.”
I felt a murderous aura that told me I might die if I didn’t take out the gift quickly, so I nervously handed him the notebook cover with his name branded on it.
I then cautiously backed away from him and placed the paper on the table, carefully fitting it into the cover. It was a difficult piece to make because I wasn’t used to it, but it looked really nice with the paper in it.
I wrote the letters on the paper with my finger and quietly said, “Adrian…”
“This is your name, Adrian.”
He looked mesmerized and came closer, stroking the part where his name was branded. I squeezed my eyes shut and declared to him as if I was shouting, “Every day at this time! For an hour, no, for thirty minutes, I’ll come here and teach you how to write!”
After saying that, I ran out of the room. I was so out of breath, thinking he would follow me and grab me by the collar. For some reason, my heart was pounding.
A few days later, I was called to Count Ianster’s office.
I had been incredibly busy these past few days. I had to make a small leather backpack for Hailey, sell off my jewelry whenever I could, and spread out a map to decide where I would settle down. And in the evenings, I had to wait for 30 minutes in front of Adrian’s room, hoping he would open the door.
He never did open it, but every day I would write two letters on a sheet of paper, slide it under the door, and then shout, “That’s an A and a B, starting from the left!” And, as a master of South Korea’s college entrance exam system, I didn’t forget to draw an apple and a banana on the paper as well. I had just finished the letter “H.”
On top of that, I had gone to the market, found a blacksmith named Sam who could make anything, and entrusted him with my typewriter design.
So, what I’m saying is, I completely, utterly, and absolutely forgot. I forgot my appointment with the Crown Prince.
“The Crown Prince will be sending a carriage for us tomorrow.”
“The Crown Pr…!”
“Yes. A letter arrived from the palace today. It seems you two have an appointment to have tea?”
“Your Excellency! Is there any traditional tea that can only be found here and not in the Empire? Or some rare tea leaves that even the Imperial Family can’t get?”
“No.”
“Oh… I’ll just bring Earl Grey, then.”
“You should get a dress and accessories tailored, but there’s not enough time.”
“Pardon? I don’t need those. I have plenty of clothes. May I go now?”
The Count gave me a strange look, seeing his daughter refuse clothes and jewels. It was the same child who loved extravagance because of her lowborn blood… yet these past few days, she had been unusually quiet.
“By the way, Claire.”
“Yes?”
“How exactly did you make an appointment with the Crown Prince?”
“Oh… I was in a difficult situation at the market, and the Crown Prince happened to help me.”
The Count’s eyes narrowed, questioning if I was telling the truth. He opened his mouth to say something, but I had already closed my ears. Honestly, I didn’t care what he said. The Count only neglected Claire’s banishment or death; he didn’t play a direct role. The word “father-daughter relationship” didn’t exist in my head, anyway.
I went back to my room, wrote a big “I” and “J” on a sheet of paper, and headed to Adrian’s room. This time, I didn’t knock. I just slid the paper under the door.
“Adrian, I can’t come tomorrow night. And I can’t go to the training grounds tomorrow either.”
“…”
“Just… letting you know.”
Just as I finished and was about to turn away, an arm appeared and pulled me into the room. Then, this young boy proceeded to corner me between his arms and the door. There must be a textbook for this kind of behavior for secondary male leads.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why can’t you come?”
“I think you’ve gotten taller.”
When I put my hand up to measure his height, my hand reached his chest. He flinched as if he hated it and backed away.
“Stop with the nonsense and tell me why you can’t come tomorrow.”
“I’m going to the palace for tea tomorrow.”
“With whom?”
“The Crown Prince.”
“What?”
“I’m going for tea with the Crown Prince. The palace is a little far from here, and the procedures are probably complicated.”
“You’re only sixteen.”
“Huh?”
“You haven’t even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet! Why so soon?”
“It’s not like that. I just met him by chance. The Crown Prince helped me, and I promised to treat him to tea. Are you angry?”
“No!”
Well, he was always angry at me anyway.
“Anyway, I’m leaving. Those are today’s letters.”
When I reached for the doorknob to leave, he immediately came back and turned me around. I froze like ice from his unexpected action.
“It’s too short. …Teach me everything at once and go.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes.”
“Yay.”
I even sang the alphabet song as I enthusiastically taught him the letters. It was a true joy to be able to sit with him without him being angry, crying, or silent.
‘So, this is what it’s like to raise a pet… a friend.’
And I suddenly became curious. He was a guy who was described as gentle only to the female lead, but what would he look like if those blue eyes were filled with affection?
As soon as I realized my eyes were getting “romantic,” I jumped up. Claire’s romantic eyes were a thriller, not a romance. The moment I entered this novel, the genre was no longer a romantic fantasy.
I went back to my room, branded Hailey’s leather bag, and, feeling inspired, made a gift for the Crown Prince, too. It was a leather pen case.
As if to rebel against the author who wrote a novel titled, I, Claire Ianster, was branding things everywhere.