Chapter 38

Today was the 26th day since I had first opened my eyes as Rubetria Diollus. It had been four weeks since I went on a hell of a diet.

And today…

“Are you ready, my lady?”

“Mm.”

It was the day of the midterm inspection.

“Go up.”

“Alright.”

Rebecca, who had moved the kitchen scale to my room since morning, was very nervous.

This large scale, used to weigh food ingredients, was a substitute for a scale to help me with my mid-term checks.

Without hesitation, I climbed the empty scale and sat cross-legged.

“…?”

Rebecca immediately looked at the scale needle moving above my head, then rubbed her eyes and looked again.

“What’s the matter?”

“Uh, this is… Is this for real? It’s not broken…”

“I don’t think it’s broken. How many pounds is it?”

“1-149 pounds?”

‘149 pounds is a little less than 68 kilograms. I weighed 180 pounds on the first day, so that means I’ve lost more than 10 kilograms.’

Maybe it was because I had a fleshy body, so the speed at which I lost weight was different from when I was managing my weight with a slim body.

As I descended from the scales, satisfied, Rebecca hugged me tightly.

“My ladyyy!”

“Oh, my.”

She was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.

“What on earth happened to you? You’re so determined…!”

“It’s too early to congratulate me. We only reached one-third of our target.”

I had to lose another 20 kilograms to reach the target.

“Well, don’t overdo it. My lady is already thinner than anyone can tell from the outside. The duke-”

“Dad?”

“Yes. He called me a few days ago and asked. He wondered if you’ve been starved.”

“What?”

No, why was my dad so random?

If there was one thing I couldn’t guess the most, it was my father’s innermost thoughts.

My dad, who was at the height of indifference, impatiently fed me more at the dining table, and it was quite exhausting.

‘You should’ve paid attention in the first place. Tsk.’

I shook my head and laid a mat on the floor.

It was time for a home workout.

“Ah! Are you going to do some home workout?”

“Yes. If he says anything else, tell him to stop paying attention because I am losing weight for health.”

“Um, I wouldn’t dare say that, but… still, I’ll give him a rough idea.”

“Thank you.”

After Rebecca, who was much more excited than me, cleared the scale and left, I took off the dress I was wearing.

Leaving only a bra top and leggings inside.

It was my home workout suit, specially made for me by Tailor Becky.

‘Aah… Inner peace…’

Was there a time as happy as a home workout in this sportswear full of the smell of modern civilization?

It was the only moment I could recall the leisurely life of Juliet Karenina.

‘The icing on the cake would be classical music…’

I sat down right away with my legs spread from side to side, lying face down, and swallowed my regret.

At that moment.

Knock, knock.

I heard a timid knock.

“Who is it?”

“… It’s me.”

It was Viego’s voice.

After flipping out the other day, I had never seen Viego’s face separately.

He must have had a reason to come to my room after a big fight.

“Okay, you can—”

For a moment, I stopped when I saw my sportswear showing off my shoulders and stomach.

“—come in.”

I gave up because I was too lazy to prepare again.

Then the door opened cautiously.

“…!”

Viego’s eyes widened as he entered with hesitation.

“Y-You!”

Bang!

He quickly closed the open door and turned his head to take his eyes off me.

Tak! Then, with a single flick of his finger, the blanket on the bed flew out and wrapped around me tightly.

‘Oh, this is telekinesis.’

Telekinesis (*the ability to move the position of an object without touching it).

It was the power of the spirit that Viego had.

“What’s the matter?”

“What the hell are you doing in that masculine outfit?”

Viego, who barely looked at me again, was angry with a reddened face.

“It’s sportswear that I wear at home.”

“Haa, even if you’re at home…”

“Brother. I was working out, so keep it short.”

As soon as I spoke bluntly, Viego stopped.

Then, he bit his lips, approached the table, and put down two wide boxes.

“This is a present Grandma bought for you while on vacation.”

“Do you have to tell me that yourself, Brother? Is there anything else?”

“…”

“From now on, let the servants do that. Why would a busy person come all the way here?”

“Rubette.”

“Yes.”

“Grandma came to me and worried that you had become too sensitive, so I told her about Ricky making fun of you and playing too much of a prank on you…”

“So?”

“She was very angry when she heard it. She’s never physically punished the twins, but she beat Ricky’s calf that time.”

“Aha, did she?”

I stuck my tongue out inward.

‘What a great woman. She doesn’t mind hitting her beloved son’s calf. Well, this is why Viego was fooled for life.’

Viego hesitated a bit before adding.

“… She’s still hurting, so it might be hard for her to apologize directly to you.”

It was still a good harvest.

I snorted and answered half-heartedly Yeah, yeah.

“Rubette, in fact, you… still have things that upset you, right? If I had behaved well from the start, you wouldn’t have hated Grandma and the twins.”

“…”

“Can’t you please ease your mind by hating your brother who is lacking? Grandma didn’t do anything wrong. She wanted to see you…”

“Oh, yes, I understand. I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

As Viego was about to say something more, I quickly removed the blanket wrapped around me. Then, as soon as he closed his eyes tightly, he turned around.

“Go ahead.”

“Haa…”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“… Right. Alright then.”

Viego seemed to want to talk more but was blocked by a strong iron wall and eventually returned without any income.

As soon as he left, I hurriedly threw the blanket on the bed and headed to the table.

There were two luxuriously wrapped gifts from Molga.

One was chocolate, and one was tea.

“Look what we got here.”

I looked at it and noticed something strange, so I turned and walked over to the bedside table.

When I opened the drawer, I saw a box of tea leaves.

‘This is a gift from Molga, who went on vacation last time.’

Taking it back to the table, I put two identical tea leaf boxes side by side and burst out laughing.

“Look at this?”

***

Molga left the mansion at least once a month in the name of recuperating.

It was simply a vacation, spending a lot of money by visiting famous tourist spots with young men on her side.

When she returned, she brought an armful of souvenirs, saying they were gifts. She especially brought me dessert and tea to drink with…

‘Since it’s a souvenir from a travel destination, the desserts tend to be different each time, but why was the tea always the same?’

After living as Rubette, I haven’t enjoyed tea time much, and I’ve never brewed and drank Molga’s tea, so I forgot for a while.

But after receiving the present today, I realized something.

That the tea leaves she had given me were always the same type.

“Aaron, it smells good, right?”

“Yes. It’s Maleuve tea leaves.”

Aaron said, taking a sip of the tea I had served.

Aaron Mueller.

In my previous life, he was a commercial doctor of the capital who had given Rubette a terminal diagnosis.

‘Aaron is one of the few true doctors.’

Aaron had been so sorry for Rubette’s condition that he had tried to find a cure for the complications of being overweight.

Aaron, who was known as a fairly talented doctor at a young age, was running a small clinic in the capital, refusing all calls from nobles who wanted to make him the family’s exclusive physician.

‘A doctor who wanted to live a life of service rather than succeed.’

He used to treat the poor for free or cheap all his life.

He was certainly a trustworthy person, so I had shown him my father’s condition once before.

“Mmm.”

Picking up the teacup and smelling the scent, I pretended to take a sip.

When I peeked ahead, Aaron was smiling awkwardly, as expected.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ummm…”

Aaron hesitated, scratching his cheek.

“That… Princess. Do you always enjoy Maleuve tea?”

“Yes. I’ve been drinking this tea for quite some time.”

“Aha…”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. There’s no problem.”

Hmmm, said Aaron, who was coughing.

“Maleuve tea is quite expensive. Maleuve tea leaves are also used medicinally.”

“Then it’s good for the body.”

“Of course. Some patients are underweight because they do not absorb nutrients from food well, and Maleuve tea leaves are good medicine for such patients.”

“Oh, I see. It’s a drug that aids in nutrient absorption. It’s good for the body…”

I raised the corners of my mouth and forced a smile.

“… it’s good for gaining weight, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Fat is a necessary, essential nutrient, as long as it is not excessive…”

Aaron looked at me, blurring the end of the sentence.