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Chapter 10
I felt a little ashamed of my past self for ever being interested in that book.
Thud.
Without hesitation, I closed it and stood up.
Chopping firewood would be far better than reading nonsense about dragons.
“Stretch.”
As I stepped outside and stretched, the air felt noticeably warmer.
It didn’t even feel that cold today. Was spring already coming?
According to Nina—the “Na” of the 가나다 (Ga-Na-Da) Maid Squad—Celeste’s winters were extremely unpredictable.
One day it would be brutally cold, and the next day it would clear up as if nothing had happened.
Then fog would roll in again, and frosty days would continue without warning.
I deeply agreed with the idea that weather was close to the whims of God.
Still, on a day like this, tending a small garden while enjoying the gentle warmth didn’t seem like a bad choice.
“Has the ground thawed a bit?”
After I had fallen while trying to chop firewood, Betty had hidden the hand axe somewhere.
But she didn’t know this.
“I know there’s a pickaxe behind the woodpile!”
Haha! Time to till the soil.
The backyard of the cabin was the perfect size and had good enough soil for a small vegetable garden.
I could plant lettuce, tomatoes, herbs…
If this world had chili peppers… I could grow those too. Maybe cabbage or radish and try making kimchi.
My life here was satisfying compared to my past one, but there was one thing I missed desperately.
Rice and kimchi.
‘I was born Korean.’
I need rice to have the strength to work!
Granted, that excuse was weak considering the Ga-Na-Da Maid Squad was strong and well-built despite eating only Western food…
Still, I fully intended to investigate whether rice farming and kimchi-making were possible here.
I crouched in the middle of the backyard and pressed the soil with my hands.
It was cold, but the snow had already melted.
If I tilled it with the pickaxe, it might work.
“Hup!”
My thoughts were short; my actions were fast.
I immediately raised the pickaxe and slammed it down into the ground.
“Ah!”
And immediately threw it away.
Actually, it was closer to my whole body being thrown back.
The soil was soft enough that the pickaxe went in easily.
The problem was that there was something rock-hard underneath.
A shock traveled up the handle like electricity, making every hair on my body stand on end.
“My hand!”
Right. This body was even weaker than I thought.
Thinking of Betty—the smallest but strongest of the maids—I shed tears of jealousy inside.
If Betty saw me like this, she’d have a fit.
‘Absolutely cannot get caught.’
It was better to pretend this never happened.
One overprotective Betty was already enough.
If the number of overprotective guardians increased to six…
If they found out I was secretly digging alone…
They might start standing guard shifts to make sure I never even stepped outside.
“I refuse that!”
Let’s pretend this never happened.
As I pulled the pickaxe out and tried to kick dirt over the hole to hide the evidence—
“Huh?”
Something was dangling from the tip of the pickaxe.
“What is this…?”
Can you fish things out of the ground too?
It was absurd.
I stared at the object hanging from the pickaxe.
It was an antique silver cup with handles on both sides.
The elaborate patterns suggested it was quite valuable.
If it were a little bigger, it could have passed as a championship trophy.
And strangely, for something buried in dirt, it was shining suspiciously bright.
“…This feels ominous.”
The vibe was bad.
Bringing it inside felt uncomfortable.
So I gently dug a deeper hole with the pickaxe, placed the silver cup back inside, and covered it.
“Nothing happened. Yup. Nothing at all.”
…I thought that was the end of it.
***
“Milady, are you feeling unwell?”
Ria—the “Ra” of the Ga-Na-Da Maid Squad—looked at me worriedly.
Despite her impressive muscles, she was the softest-hearted of them all.
I forced an awkward smile and shook my head.
But inside, I was barely holding it together.
“I-I’m fine…”
“You’re not fine! There’s a shadow over your pretty face.”
Ria quickly brought over a hand mirror and held it up.
The reflection showed a gaunt face with deep dark circles under my eyes.
No wonder.
I hadn’t slept properly for days.
In just a few days, my life’s genre had changed from “calm healing countryside story” to “psychological horror.”
“Milady~ Time to eat!”
Garnet, Nina, and Dora entered the cabin one by one, each carrying a tray.
‘They’re even entering in alphabetical order…’
Ever since they declared themselves my “foot wipers,” the meals had become noticeably more luxurious.
But I was used to healthier food.
After sharing the rich dishes on the first day, they went back to serving lighter meals for me.
However, they had begged me to at least let them prepare plenty of food.
That was why they were carrying three trays.
“Milady, we prepared wine for dessert today! Dora and I stole it from Lady Katarina’s meal!”
“It was very thrilling!”
Normally, I would have laughed with them.
But not today.
“Eek!”
“Oh my! Milady, are you alright?”
“What happened?!”
“Who did it?!”
Even Betty and Mari, who had been outside cleaning windows and sweeping the yard, rushed in, ready for battle.
I buried myself in Garnet’s broad chest, trembling.
Honestly, I was terrified.
The reason was obvious.
“That silver cup! Where did you get it?”
“The silver cup? It was on your table this morning. It looked pretty, so we used it…”
“Aaaah! That crazy thing! That crazy silver cup!”
“Milady!”
Yes.
That silver cup.
The suspicious silver cup I had found while trying to make a garden.
I had clearly buried it carefully and thought that was the end of it.
But that night, strange things began happening.
That night, after pretending nothing had happened, I washed up and flopped onto my bed.
“?!”
Something poked my back.
When I lifted the blanket—
The silver cup was there.
“Disgusting!”
I got chills and threw it out the window.
That was the beginning.
“Aaaah!”
I threw it outside.
I buried it again.
I even dumped it in the main building.
I hung it on a tree in the back mountain.
But no matter what, when I came to my senses, it was always back beside me.
Like some immortal street performer returning no matter how many times you chased them away!
It had been repeating for days.
Yesterday, I buried it under a tree in the grand duchy garden, thinking that would finally end it.
‘An evil spirit. This has to be an evil spirit.’
People had said I was cursed. Was that why?
‘Was it true?’
Was I actually cursed, not just misunderstood because of my red eyes?
That was when—
“Milady, look at this!”
Mari, who had instantly relaxed from battle mode, stared at the silver cup wide-eyed.
“There’s something reflected inside it!”
“What?”
My curiosity flared up instantly.
Honestly, there was also stubbornness.
I wanted to end this ridiculous game of tag.
If it really was an evil spirit, I was ready to exorcise it physically if needed.
I looked at my reliable Ga-Na-Da Maid Squad.
Their muscles were as impressive as ever.
With their grip strength, even an evil spirit would be crushed.
‘Right. I may be weak, but my team is super strong. Maybe we can even beat a ghost.’
With that small, sly courage, I carefully looked inside the silver cup.
And inside it was…
