TMRM 2

Chapter: 2

I got up from the bed, wrapped up in my blankets.

Since it’s come to this, I might as well go see the face of the male lead that was so glorified in the novel.

I’ll be seeing this face every day for the next five years, after all, so my curiosity was natural.

Before meeting him, I took one last look in the mirror to check my appearance.

After all, I couldn’t go see the male lead looking all scruffy.

Even objectively, I looked quite lovely.

If there was anything satisfying about being reincarnated as the villainess, it was this appearance.

Cotton-candy-like fluffy pink hair.

Large, round, pale watery eyes.

The face of a fifteen-year-old girl was as adorable as a little bunny.

No dirt, no marks—this was certainly presentable enough to meet the male lead.

After deciding this, I asked Bella,

“Where is the male lead—or rather, my husband?”

“W-what? Milady… the Duke? Why?”

“Well, he’s my husband, isn’t he? Shouldn’t I see his face at least?”

Seeing Bella’s worried expression, I added,

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of divorcing him until he grows up.”

“Oh! Yes! I’ll show you the way!”

It might have felt a bit frustrating that she cared about the male lead more than me, but I was satisfied with her attitude.

Of course, the young master she had served for years would be more precious than someone she met today.

Such loyalty in a poor family—it was impressive.

Well, working in this ruined family isn’t exactly a task that would earn ordinary loyalty either.

…By the way, I wonder if the servants here even get paid.

Surely it isn’t unpaid labor, right?

Thinking of all the bosses in my previous life who skipped paying wages made my neck tense again.

Despite setting off bravely, we arrived at the male lead’s room quickly.

His room wasn’t far from mine.

It was just the room next door.

“Pretty close, huh?”

I had assumed the castle was huge and that it would take forever to walk there.

“Oh, we deliberately chose a nearby room. It’s easier to manage that way.”

Hmm, I understood.

With the current servants, the whole castle couldn’t be managed properly.

Choose and focus.

A sensible approach.

I knocked on the door.

No answer.

I knocked again.

Still no answer.

Sensing something was off, I looked at Bella.

“Well… I’m not sure. He should be in his room at this time… I’ll check and come back!”

After Bella left, I waited a moment and then opened the door.

I had intended to wait outside, but the corridor in this castle was even colder.

Inside, I saw a lump of blankets huddled on the bed like a pillbug.

Huh? He was in here all along?

Then why didn’t he answer?

“Um…”

I spoke cautiously, but there was no response.

I stepped closer.

In the original story, the male lead would have reacted aggressively if anyone approached him—but this lump remained still, even sensing my presence.

I poked it with my finger, but still no response.

Could this actually not be the male lead, but a corpse he killed?

Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop at least five degrees.

To erase the terrible thought from my mind, I closed my eyes tightly and lifted the blankets.

And I was startled.

It was indeed the male lead, but his body was burning up with fever.

“Bella! Bella!”

“I never missed a single paycheck. How could she just run off without saying a word?”

Bella sobbed.

The maid in charge of the male lead had run away.

And she did it in the middle of the night, without handing anything over.

“I thought she’d be taking good care of him… but the past few days, with the funeral of the previous Duke, I couldn’t pay attention…”

I brushed the pale dust off the headboard with my finger.

It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a while.

“How long has it been since the previous Duke passed away?”

“Around a week.”

“Then she must have taken advantage of that window to escape.”

At my words, Bella cried even harder.

“I should’ve taken better care of him. It was my responsibility…”

“Stop crying. Go check if there’s any firewood.”

I said, wiping the male lead’s face with a cold towel.

Fortunately, with all the snow outside, water didn’t cost a thing.

As soon as Bella left sniffling, I let out a deep sigh.

What a mess.

The male lead flinched slightly as the cold towel touched his face.

I brushed the black hair from his eyes, and his expression relaxed a little.

Even though he was groaning in pain, he was incredibly handsome.

Truly deserving of all the extravagant descriptions in the novel.

Had he not been sick, I might have applauded at first sight.

Kneeling and shouting “Hallelujah!” wouldn’t have been too much.

At his young age, he didn’t look manly, but he was strikingly beautiful.

Having seen countless handsome men on my phone and developed a sharp eye, his beauty was of a different caliber.

Now I understood why the author had devoted so much effort to describing the male lead’s appearance.

A simple description wouldn’t suffice.

A utopia of faces existed here.

This is what a male lead should look like.

My thoughts were complicated.

In the novel, I had always imagined him as tall and strong, not as a small, young child.

“Sniff… sniff… Mama…”

He pressed his cheek to my hand, sobbing.

A pang hit my heart.

Come to think of it, he had lost both parents at only ten years old.

Even before that, things weren’t ideal.

Both parents were busy trying to save the family, barely paying attention to him.

Even the servants could only do so much.

With no strong leader and little money, it was impressive that they hadn’t fled and still served the Duke’s family.

“Truly a mess…”

I kept sighing deeply.

Abuse isn’t only about hitting or hurting a child.

Neglecting a child and failing to provide proper care is abuse too.

The young Duke’s clothes were too worn and small.

Seeing him reminded me of my own childhood, and he seemed even more pitiful.

No, he might have had it worse than I did.

I only had to care for myself, but he had the enormous responsibility of the Duke’s family.

I had forgotten that this child, who seemed to manage everything in the novel, was only ten.

I took his hand in mine.

Feeling the warm life in his hand made me realize the male lead wasn’t just a character in a book—he was real.

He gripped my hand so tightly his fingertips turned white, as if afraid I might let go even in a dream.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I patted his chest and whispered, and even half-asleep, he seemed to understand, his expression softening slightly.

“I won’t go anywhere, so get better quickly.”

And show me the color of your eyes.

A day passed.

The child’s fever showed no signs of subsiding.

Bella managed to fetch firewood to warm the room, and I frequently changed the wet towel on his forehead, but the fever refused to go down.

“We need to call a doctor.”

Bella’s face darkened at my words.

Calling a doctor would cost a lot of money, and this castle didn’t have much.

And I didn’t have a single coin.

Even though I knew he would survive according to the novel, seeing him suffer in front of me was distressing.

I tightened my collar and got up.

“Who’s in charge of the household now?”

“With the butler away, Mr. Plugh… Milady, are you going to get money?”

“We can’t just leave him. We have to do something.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

Bella followed.

I hesitated for a moment—would bringing her be more of a help or a hindrance?

But I had no excuse to stop her.

I opened the door first and looked back at her.

“You may follow, but if you want to call a doctor, we have to be quiet.”

Plugh, in charge of the castle’s household, primarily occupied the study.

The study, once for dozens of workers, was now entirely his domain. He remained arrogantly seated, even with me, the lady of the house, present.

He probably thought an orphaned, lowborn girl was ridiculous.

“You say we need money to call a doctor…”

Plugh stroked his mustache thoughtfully.

“I’m afraid that will be difficult.”

“Why not?!”

Bella stomped and shouted.

“The young master, no, the Duke, is in critical condition! We need a doctor immediately!”

Unlike the panicked Bella, Plugh was calm and leisurely.

“Oh, Bella, you know how it is. The castle is in the mountains, with snow outside. Calling a doctor now costs about a month’s wages for a commoner. The family has no spare money.”

Bella knew how poor the family was, and for a moment, she had nothing to say.

“Then… what about the Duke? If the fever doesn’t go down, what do we do… sniff!”

Bella broke into tears.

Plugh patted her as if feeling pity.

But to me, it seemed like he was teasing her.

“Let’s hope the young master endures. He’s strong; he’ll get through it.”

“There really isn’t a single coin? Nothing left by the previous Duke?”

Plugh’s expression darkened at my low tone.

“If I had money, do you think I’d hide it?”

I noticed his luxurious mustache, quite uncharacteristic for someone working in such a poor family.