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Chapter 08
“Please rest in your room. I heard you woke up early at dawn.”
“Really? What about the doctor?”
“There’s someone I know who’s very skilled. I contacted him yesterday, and he said he’d come today right away.”
“If Sophia vouches for him, he must be trustworthy.”
She was one of the few truly capable people in this estate. She could be a bit scatterbrained, but… when it came to getting things done, she did them brilliantly.
“As soon as he arrives at the estate, bring him straight here.”
“Yes!”
“Oh, right. Wait a moment.”
After roughly wiping my face, I headed back to the desk. I opened the bottom drawer and took out the jewels and gold ornaments I’d removed from the dress.
“I’ll give you these as payment.”
“Yes, miss.”
“And this one is yours.”
“…What?”
Sophia’s eyes widened like oil lamps. I smiled brightly, gently opened her hand myself, and placed the jewel in her palm.
“I’m planning to give some to the other servants too, but I wanted to give yours first.”
“No! Just the fact that the late count took me in from the streets is already—”
“Mm. Then think of this as extra compensation.”
“M-miss!”
“Whatever else, you must take this, Sophia. I’m not just giving it to you for nothing.”
“…Pardon?”
Sophia puckered her lips like a goldfish.
I grinned and said,
“A bribe.”
In times like these, you couldn’t have too much high-quality talent! Things were falling apart inside, but that was exactly when unity mattered most.
Plugging a leaky bucket required everyone’s effort, not just mine.
“Think of it as a bribe for staying here for a while. Or as getting your wages in advance. I’ll take care of you again later.”
“Miss…”
Sophia alternated between looking at me and the jewel, deeply moved. But before long, her shoulders drooped.
“I’m very grateful, but I think it would be more meaningful to use this for the family’s funds. I mean, I don’t mean anything else by that!”
“No, Sophia.”
I understood perfectly what she was trying to say—she wanted me to use the money to pay off debts instead of giving it to the servants.
“But it’s fine. I’m not going to pay off those debts.”
I was even planning to return them nicely wrapped.
The ledger might have a few holes in it, but those weren’t something these jewels could fix. What needed fixing was cutting away the rotten cords entirely.
“Besides, there’ll still be some left over anyway.”
This much was fine.
“If you say one more word, I’ll add even more, you know?”
It was actually supposed to be escape money, but since I’d changed my goal, I had to use it accordingly.
Sophia hesitated for a moment, then nodded tearfully.
“Well, it does feel satisfying.”
Knock, knock.
Right then, there was a knock at the door. While Sophia hurriedly wiped away her tears,
I told them to come in, and a pair of long legs stuck awkwardly through the doorway.
Matthias cautiously peeked in and asked,
“C-can I come in?”
“Yeah, you can—ah! This is perfect timing.”
Matthias tilted his head.
I scampered over to him and grinned.
“Let’s cut your hair!”
It had been bothering me for a while already!
Every time I saw his shaggy bangs, I felt frustrated myself.
Wasn’t it uncomfortable for him too? Even the back of his hair hung long past his shoulders.
His eyes were almost completely covered—it had to be inconvenient.
“O-okay.”
“Good, you made the right choice!”
I quickly asked Sophia if she could take care of his hair. Maybe she’d felt the same way I had, because her answer was an immediate yes.
“I think he looked pretty good even in the illustrations.”
I hadn’t paid much attention back then, but even so, his appearance had been quite striking.
To begin with, his head shape and proportions were perfect. That alone already gave him a huge advantage.
And when Sophia’s skills truly shone, I slapped my knee.
“Just as I thought!”
No matter how many times you roll forward, backward, or spin like a windmill a million times, younger guys are simply the truth.
No objections accepted.
My fangirling might have been excessive, but honestly, even this wasn’t enough.
“Wow! You look like a proper person now!”
Sophia exclaimed in pure admiration, gazing fondly at her scissors.
The hair that had once fallen past his shoulders was now neatly cut into a comfortable short style.
His bangs were trimmed cleanly just above his eyes and parted nicely. Even I felt refreshed just looking at him.
“Villains really do look best with one eye showing.”
And as they say, style makes the person. His once timid aura was offset as his sharp eyes were revealed.
On top of that, maybe because he was so tall, even his very slender body gave off a surprisingly intimidating presence.
I hadn’t noticed when he was wearing shabby clothes, but now that he was properly dressed, he really stood out.
I was starting to understand why there’d been more description of his looks than his backstory.
“He really is handsome.”
He’d been impressive even in 2D, but in 3D, he was far beyond my expectations—so much so that my heart felt a little unsettled.
“I’ve always preferred sharp-looking faces over gentle ones.”
It seemed my deeply rooted tastes carried over even after transmigrating.
“Well, what if I get a bit overworked?”
If that face was part of the benefits, it was bearable. I should ask him to chat with me whenever things got tough…
“Do you like it?”
“Huh? Y-yeah!”
While I was busy admiring his looks, Matthias asked with his hands clasped together.
Now that I could see his face clearly, his expressions showed more easily, which I liked a lot.
“I like it. You look comfortable. What about you, Matthias?”
“I do too.”
He hesitated before answering, the tips of his ears slightly red. His eyelashes, lowered as he looked down, were especially long.
“G-good. Me too.”
I quietly held my breath.
“…Damn.”
This was dangerous.
“What is he?”
I stared at the handsome man in front of me with a serious expression. Thankfully, Sophia had stepped out.
Otherwise, I’d probably have thrown noble dignity to the wind and begged him to take just one photo with me.
“Though this isn’t exactly an era with cameras.”
I quickly turned away. At this rate, my ulterior motives were about to burst right through my skin.
“Ahem. Let’s eat first and talk.”
Nothing beats strength from food.
Repeating that eternal truth to myself, I earnestly waited for Sophia to return.
After a simple breakfast,
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and took out a map.
The rolled parchment unfurled across the wide desk.
“So, it’s an alley inside Roventory’s Tenth Street, right?”
“Yeah.”
Matthias nodded as he stared at the map with fascination.
Meanwhile, I pinned down both ends of the parchment.
Looking at it like this made it clear—
“It’s pretty far from here.”
The Great Empire, Rutherford.
Its capital, Roventory, was divided into ten districts, from First Street to Tenth Street.
The imperial palace and the residences of high-ranking nobles were on First and Second Streets.
Mid- to lower-ranking nobles lived up to Eighth Street. And the vagrants, black markets, and the like occupied Ninth and Tenth Streets.
Among them, Tenth Street was especially infamous for its poor security. I’d heard that even the palace guards avoided going there.
With black markets and all kinds of pleasure districts packed together, it was said that compared to First Street, you’d wonder if it was even the same country.
It was darkness among darkness.
“To think he was there…”
I pressed down on my aching eyelids. In the original story, his past was described only very briefly, so it hadn’t left much of an impression.
“Still, they say the environment shapes the person.”
Seeing it laid out like this made my feelings inexplicably complicated.
At that moment, Matthias, who’d been glancing at me, slowly parted his lips.
“Tired.”
“Ah, probably because you stayed up all night. It’s okay!”
You just have to go to bed a bit earlier today. The busier things got, the more important it was to maintain a routine.
If my health collapsed now, I really wouldn’t be able to do anything. I had one more person to be responsible for, so managing my condition mattered even more.
“Just hang in there a little longer, until I take that bastard down!”
Once the urgent stuff was handled, things would get better.
Clenching my fist, I looked back at Matthias. When our eyes met, he seemed embarrassed and hunched his shoulders. The tension in my heart melted instantly at that shy 모습.
“Yeah, just as I thought.”
Handsome is the best. It’s thrilling… 🥴
