Chapter 12

The absurd quest notification made me forget the situation instantly.

Please pull this sweet potato out by the root!

Blow away a Cider Soda:

Condition: Feed Clatier with cider

Reward: 2000 Cash

Quest Failed Penalty: Reincarnation Buff Off

Sniff, what is it?

‘Why does the strange quest window smell familiar to me?’

I think I wrote a similar comment in my previous life.

My soul as a reader of Rofan, stimulated by the quest content, cried out.

‘Yeah, that’s right! I have to break all the sweet potatoes! Cider! Cider!’

[You have accepted the request.]

“You realize now that you can’t say anything.”

Clatier, who misunderstood firmly that I was silent from shock when in reality I was checking the quest, smiled proudly.

“It was good to see you even if you were reluctant. After all, I should teach you one by one like thi-”

“Hey.”

Clatier’s smiling face hardened.

“Di-did you just say that to me?”

“So who else is here besides you?”

“You, how dare you…!”

Clatier was white and trembled as if she had heard an insult that she never heard of.

“Has your head gone wrong? You forgot who I am?”

Clatier stared at me with fierce eyes and an emotionally distorted face.

‘I’ve never seen that look before.’

I pretended to be relaxed and leaned against the armrests.

‘Give me strength! All female leads’ cider bombs!’

“Well, I haven’t even started ignoring you properly yet?”

When I said that with a smile similar to a female leads, Clatier laughed vainly.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad?”

“I can’t believe you ate something bad. It’s a problem because you eat so well.”

Clatier paused and looked at me.

The green eyes slowly scanned me from top to bottom.

She immediately smiled and twisted her lips as if she knew something.

“Oh~ you don’t understand the topic because the Duke treated you well and dressed you nicely?”

Clothes? Why are you talking about clothes all of a sudden?

“I felt sorry for you, so my uncle did you a favor. You shouldn’t think of goodwill as a right. It’s not yours.”

Listening to the admonishing remarks, I slowly got a feeling.

‘What, so I’m wearing better clothes than you, so you got into a fight as soon as you saw me?’

That’s absurd.

“It’s just being pitied, but you shouldn’t be mistaken. Everyone hates it if you behave like this.”

“When the hell did I ever get stuck up?”

“You didn’t even know that. Oh, my dad was right, too.”

Clatier shook her head and sighed.

“He said you were a kid who would take for granted if you were given special treatment. That’s why you have to work to feed yourself.”

Clatier’s expression was confident.

“But my dad’s education didn’t work.”

As if he were saying the truth, as if he were teaching me a lesson.

“You’re going to get hated and kicked out by my uncle?”

I can’t believe you can’t find a shade on your face when you think of abuse as education.

Clatier saw it all.

The fact that I couldn’t eat a meal properly.

When her father kicked me out without a coat in the winter.

When I fell down while cleaning a statue that was taller than me.

When I couldn’t lie down straight because my calf was hit by the Marquis.

They saw everything.

And they used to whisper to me.

“Oh, poor thing. I’d like to give you some snacks I have left, but there’s nothing free in life. There is nothing I can do. It’s your fault. Cheer up.”

With a very, very proud face intoxicated with one’s own good encouragement.

My grip on the armrest gave me strength.

“……You said I could be kicked out of the dukedom.”

Clatier smiled triumphantly at my words.

“Yes, if you understand–“

“But I don’t think I’ll be kicked out for what I said to you.”

I looked straight at Clatier.

And I smiled with a sense of superiority, a smile she would always make towards me.

“I’m arrogant? Who dares to say that?”

I sat back and looked at Clatier with a proud face.

“Young Miss of Marquis Tarenka.”

Clatier, who was about to say something, stopped.

“As The Young Miss of Paeraton, you dare say I’m arrogant?”

The cold silence settled in the room.

The white-faced Clatier was speechless for a while.

‘Wow, I’ve really experienced Rofan!’

I didn’t expect to say this line.

The resentment and injustice filled Clatier’s large eyes.

It seems very unfair that I, who is far worse than her, is above.

“Y-you….”

“You. You should call me ‘Young Miss’. Haven’t you learned that much about manners? Why don’t you look at yourself before pointing out other people’s manners?”

Clatier shut her mouth.

‘You don’t want to call me ‘Young Miss’ even if you die.’

It’s a bit childish to do this with my mental age, but the one who started first is over there.

If I keep my mouth shut because I don’t want to sink to her level, sweet potatoes will only pile up.

‘This should be enough to complete the quest.’

I peeped around.

However, there was no sign that the notification window would appear.

‘Should we get Clatier out of here?’

When I thought so, I looked at Clatier and our eyes met.

The girl staring at me approaches me with a tearful face. She started pouring out.

“You don’t even know how grateful you should be to me for being so gracious to you at my house. I knew you were like that, but I didn’t know you were like this!”

“Gracious?”

“Yes! My dad fed you, gave you a bed, took care of you!”

It was amazing.

You knew how I lived, but do you really think it was a favor to me?

My mind went numb.

“He didn’t throw away the hard bread that he wouldn’t give to the maid, and he gave it to me. They gave me the leftover meat before it went bad. I even had to eat it with gratitude. He didn’t even give it to me regularly.”

I couldn’t eat, rest, or sleep properly.

I had to live in a corner with my eyes on it all the time.

How is that care?

“That was abuse.”

“Abuse?! How dare you insult my family? If it weren’t for us, you’d starve to death on the street! No matter how bad you didn’t learn-“

“You’re right.”

“What?”

“I didn’t learn.”

Clatier’s expression went strange.

I said without caring.

“Your father took a lot of child support from the Duke of Paeraton and never ‘raised’ me.”

“……Child support?”

“I didn’t even have a basic life, and of course I didn’t get an education.”

Clatier’s eyes shook violently.

“So, my dear cousin.”

I grinned at Clatier, who was all agitated.

“Wouldn’t you like to be a little better than me?”

“I was always better than you! You’re always hated and I’m always loved!”

“Well, if you’re better than me, you should be able to think back to yourself before blaming others. And it doesn’t really matter what other people see.”

Clatier sprang up in a fit of rage.

“Lie! You’re lying!”

She started pointing her finger at me after shouting.

“The Duke gave you money? That can’t be true! You’re an abandoned child! Your mother cheated on him and gave birth to you!”

“You, can you be responsible for those words?”

Clatier nodded her head with a face full of warmth, as if she thought she could not lose.

“Well, yeah!”

“In the name of the Marquis Tarenka?”

“Of course!”

“Really? Then let’s ask.”

Even if I’m really illegitimate, it’s a problem that Clatier made such a remark.

The Marquis of Tarenka insulted the Young Miss of Paeraton.

“What, you’re asking, what….”

“You said you could take responsibility.”

I grabbed onto the rope.

Clatier and I were alone in the room.

As soon as I heard about Clatier’s visit, I told my maid sisters that I wanted it to be only the two of us.

I didn’t want to show this side of Clatier, even though it’s obvious that it would come out.

“Ho….hold on, Miss!”

Clatier reached out her hand in fear.

But I was faster.

Clatier’s face went white when she saw the pull.

Her gaze swung uneasily between the door and me.

“Did you call me Miss?”

Soon the door opened and my maids came in.

“Yeah, I want to ask about the lineage of the Marquis Tarenka and the Duke of Paeraton.”

“Huaaaaaa!”

A loud cry interrupted me.

When I looked at Clatier in amazement, she was sobbing and forced to cry.

Tears did not flow from her eyes, but her red face seemed to burst right away.

“Miss!”

Clatier’s maids who were behind my maids came out.

I shrank back at the sight of Lien.

“What’s the matter, Miss?”

“Hik.. hik.. Lien…”

Clatier managed to shed tears.

“Who made my good girl so upset! Who the hell!”

Lien glared at me.

I couldn’t face Lien.

“Oh, I was just trying to give you some kind advice, hik, hik, I was trying to help you…!”

Clatier trembled like a poor bird.

I had never seen her talking nonsense to me before.

What was even more absurd was that Clatier was sincere.

She wasn’t acting to be sympathetic, but she was crying, saying that she really felt unfair.

“You were just being cocky, hik. Lower your head to me…she said we abused her!”

Clatier looked up at me from Lien’s arms.

“Why, why are you saying such bad things? Did you hate me that much?”

Her big wet eyes looked very pathetic.

“I came here for you because I was worried about you.”

Lien entrusted Clatier to another maid and got up.

As Lien approached me with thumping, I hardened like a stone statue.

‘You fool, you don’t have to be scared anymore! She can’t hit you!’

I shouted to myself, but my hardened body didn’t move.

I didn’t want to, but the memory of being hit by Lien flashed in my eyes.

“How nice and friendly my Lady has been to you, and you said that to her.”

Lien purposely came closer and looked down at me. So that I feel more intimidated.

‘I know. I’m not scared at all.’

‘I’m fine now. It’s safe here. It’s different from before.’

But my body was shaking. My heart was pounding like crazy.

Then, a soft hand pulled me back. It was Nancy.

And Anna placed herself through the gap that was in front of me. As if she was covering me from Lien.

“What an insolent attitude toward the Miss.”

Lien seemed to have been offended by Anna, but she didn’t argue.

“…I was just asking because the Miss said such nonsense. She can’t grow up if you just wrap and spin a child like that. You should teach her what she did wrong.”

“What did my Miss do wrong? Isn’t the Marquis’s Young Miss bothering our Young Miss instead?”

“No way! My Miss brought a present for her cousin today. Why would she have a quarrel?”

“That’s right!”

Clatier’s maid held out the box and agreed.

Clatier, who was watching the situation in the back, slipped in.

“I’ve brought you a gift, hik. Why are you being so mean?”

“…a gift?”

It was a very strange feeling.

Clatier never even gave me leftover cookies.

But she brought a gift.

I felt sick looking at the amazing sight.

The maid who was holding the box smiled and opened it at my question.

Maybe she thought I was blinded by gifts.

“Well, this dress was chosen by my Miss!”

The green dress waved in the air as the maid touched it.

“You wanted this dress.”

Clatier told me.

“You’ve never worn anything like this before.”

Her face, still in tears, had a very caring expression.

“I saw you peeking at my dress.”

Clatier took the dress and came close to me.

“Let’s make up. I’ll forgive you for the harsh words you said.”

A soft cloth touched my hand.

I had a dress in my hand that she couldn’t wear because it was too small for Clatier.

“Say thank you, right?”

Clatier asked me. Giving me an old dress as if she cared.

It was that moment.

“You talk a lot when you’ve been stealing my daughter’s clothes.”

A cold voice split the room low.

It was an eerily dangerous voice for everyone in the room.

As if being dragged by a magnet, everyone’s eyes all at once turned to the origin of the voice.

The Duke of Paeraton stood by the door.

With a very relaxed but violent smile.