Chapter 5

****

The eyes of the Young Ladies who had gathered lit up.

“Actually, I haven’t yet.”

“Oh, me too.”

“I was going to take it easy and decide.”

I smiled brightly as I watched the ladies talking in front of me.

They all blatantly wanted Killian.

The most courageous woman in the group popped out.

“By the way….what kind of appearance Young Master likes?”

It was a pretty bold question for a Lady this age. Killian’s gaze, which had been fixed on me the whole time, glanced at her.

He stared at her without saying a word. The woman’s face flushed red.

After a long wait, Killian’s lips parted.

“…Not much.”

The tension, which had been lingering among the ladies, was relieved as if it were losing its momentum.

“But still, if you think about it carefully, I’m sure they’re there! For example, do you like dark hair or light hair!”

The ladies didn’t seem to give up.

Killian stared at her once more, then he turned his gaze to me.

I purposely didn’t pay attention to him as I lifted my cup.

“The lighter the better.”

At his words, the expressions of the ladies with pale colored hair visibly brightened.

I laughed inwardly. He really was a blind man.

If I had dyed my hair pitch black today, he would have said he liked dark hair.

A woman with light brown hair held up her hand as if she were making an announcement.

Then she said in a voice that was almost a scream.

“Well, well, if that’s the case, Young Master. Would you like to be my debutante partner?”

It was a brave statement for a noblewoman like her, whose reputation was most important. She closed her eyes tightly. Her face was already taut and red.

Killian looked at me as if asking for an answer.

“That’s a good idea, brother.”

Killian’s neck moved up and down. He looked at me as if he was trying to figure out if I really meant it.

I smiled and nodded.

Then Killian said, his gaze still facing me.

“Okay.”

The lady raised her hand and covered her mouth, and the rest of the ladies’ faces clouded over. I raised my cup and took a sip. The tea with sugar tasted sweet.

The unknown and courageous always win.

***

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Killian ran after me.

I didn’t answer and he followed me into the room.

I closed the door and made sure there was no one around before I finally opened my mouth.

“What is it?”

I sat down on the bed and gave him a cold stare, and he spontaneously took off my shoes as he knelt in front of me.

“Debutante, you’ll have one this year too. Do you have a partner? Do you perhaps already have someone else?”

He neatly arranged the shoes and looked up at me from his kneeling position.

I was confined to the Count’s house and never got to meet anyone else, except for the noble ladies who come for tea parties.

Therefore, goods and news were also delivered through Killian. There was no such thing as a partner.

Killian’s eyes trembled a little, as if he knew this and was worried.

I crossed my legs and looked down at him.

“I don’t need a partner.”

“You can’t have a debutante without a partner.”

“What’s more, what did I say?

Killian stopped talking and rummaged through his uniform.

“You are really not going to tell me why you need this?”

“Please.”

I held out my hand in lieu of a reply, and he sighed, dropping the yellow pendant necklace into my hand.

It was the item I had asked him to get for me last week.

“Are you sure?”

“……yes.”

“Good job.”

I held the pendant close to me and smelled it. It seemed certain.

I put the necklace on and nodded.

“You can leave. “

“Evelyn, the debutante….”

“Hmmm”

I sighed loudly, and he cringed.

I got down from the bed and crouched down beside Killian, hugging his neck tightly.

I could feel the stiffness of his body, the tightness of his muscles. His hot breath exhaled on my neck.

I closed my eyes expressionlessly and counted to five. One or two………… would be enough.

I stood up and smiled like a harmless little sister.

“Thanks for the help, brother.”

He looked at me with a face that still hadn’t lost its heat.

“Please leave. I want to rest.”

“…Okay.”

I got up on the bed and pulled the covers up to the top of my head.

A persistent stare followed, and soon the door closed quietly.

In the room I was finally left alone, I fiddled with my pendant.

I had everything I needed.

The debutante was in three months, and if the story was true, Devan would try to kidnap Cordelia before then. Of course, this time it would be me who would be kidnapped.

The only thing left to do was to use Killian to persuade the Count until then.

Make sure he wouldn’t take me to the basement until before the debutante.

Cordelia was kidnapped while she was sleeping in her room. So I had to do the same.

If I slept in the basement, all the preparations I had made for ten years could be for nothing.

The Count would be easily persuaded if it was debutante. Because it was on a different level from other social gatherings.

The Debutante was an event which all royalty to high-ranking nobles would attend. If even a bruise was seen under my dress, it would only take a short time for rumors to spread. They wouldn’t be so naïve as to believe the words ‘I fell’.

On the ceiling, the Goddess of the Sun was smiling brightly at me. It was the seal of Count Diego’s family. I stretched out my hand toward the sun, which was far away.

“The Sun Goddess……….”

I clenched my fist with my outstretched hand. The nails dug into the flesh painfully.

Despite having immense divine power, despite being reincarnated with the memories of my previous life, I had never once believed in Gods. But…

“There’s nothing I can’t do.”

If I could live, I was confident that I would be a Goddess if I could get out of this hell house.

***

After I promised Devan Lantimos that I would lift his curse, I slept for a whole day. When I woke up, it was the eyes of a lion that welcomed me.

The lion, who was dying with many arrows in his eyes, had pretty lively eyes for that.

Yes, this was the Grand Duchy of Lantimos.

A deep sense of relief washed over me. It wasn’t a dream. Everything was exactly as I had planned.

The hellish basement, the horrible Count, and Killian’s tenacious gaze were not here. It was all behind me.

“…why is no one coming?”

I quietly got up from the bed.

Even though the headache from being hit in the head was gone, it was difficult to get out of sleep easily due to the drug they used to kidnap me.

My clothes were still the same when I was kidnapped. The dress was all crumpled.

I went to the window and opened the curtains. The dazzling sunlight streamed in.

“Is it already afternoon?”

Puzzled, I opened my mouth.

It was the first time that I slept until this hour. Normally, I was taken to the basement as soon as morning came at the Count’s house.

“Don’t people usually wake me up around this time?”

There was something strange. Even though I didn’t grow up in a normal family, I knew this much.

Is this ignoring me, or being considerate? My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten anything for over a day, so it was understandable.

As I told Devan yesterday, I would sleep first, then wash up, and food would come last. I was used to this level of hunger.

Slowly I turned the doorknob. There was a rattling sound but the door did not open.

‘It’s locked?’

I turned the doorknob a few more times. I even slammed it hard with my fist.

bang, bang.

But the door did not open. I panicked, my eyes fluttering. I was trapped. I was locked in a room.

It wasn’t the first time I experienced this. But that was why I was even more afraid. How did I get out of that terrible basement and get trapped again?

After taking a deep breath, I went back to the bed and sat down.

There was no need to panic. I told myself.

Yes, in Devan’s point of view, it was natural for him to do this because he just kidnapped a noblewoman.

He was afraid that I’d run away. He would never have thought that I myself wanted to be kidnapped.

I had to talk to him. Apparently, there was a good chance that he did not properly understand the deal I proposed last night.

I had to convince him that I was willing to help him.

Anyway, he needs me too, doesn’t he? So he would come without delay. He wouldn’t want me to starve to death in a room like this.

At that moment, I heard the sound of someone in the hallway. I hurriedly approached and knocked on the door.

“Excuse me!”

Through the narrow doorway, I saw a figure.

“Please open the door!”

The person, who I didn’t know who it was, stood in the hallway.

Looking at his hesitant attitude, I had a feeling it wasn’t Devan.

“I need to talk to you.”

As I spoke calmly, I heard a rattling sound. Finally, the lock came off and the door opened.

Standing there was a gray-haired, old butler.

He seemed a little surprised, but he naturally bowed his head in greeting.

“Um, Devan,………so where is the Grand Duke? I need to talk to him. I think there has been a misunderstanding.”

The old butler said in a gentle and polite tone.

“His Highness in his office.”

“Please take me there.”

“I’m sorry, Miss, but that’s not possible.”

“…… Why not?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“How can I, a mere butler, disobey His Highness’ orders?”

That meant Devan deliberately locked me up.

“So those orders are going to change, if I can talk to him.”

“I’m sorry, Miss.”

The butler bowed politely.

At that moment, I thought about pushing him out of the way and running away. However, I wasn’t sure if I could succeed.

No matter how old I was, I grew up without eating properly, so I was weaker than ordinary women.

Besides, there was no need to provoke Devan. I could arouse even more suspicion if I did that.

While I was pondering, the door slowly closed.

“Wait a minute!”

At the urgent voice, the butler opened the door again and bowed his head.

“I’d like to wash up. Is it possible?”

“I cannot do anything that Your Highness has not ordered.”

“What about food? I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. What if I don’t have the strength and can’t use my divine power? I don’t think he’d like that.”

The butler, who was struggling for a while with his eyes downcast, bowed his head again.

“I will ask His Highness.”

Then the door closed with a bang.