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Chapter 40
How to see the true ending of <The Bread Game> as Koriko:
Marry Lysian Fregier, the eldest son and heir of Marquis Aster Fregier.
How to see the betrayal ending of <The Bread Game> as Koriko:
Marry Leon Fregier, the second son and twin of Lysian Fregier.
That’s right.
Those two were Tullia’s twin older brothers.
“…….”
And neither of them had a good relationship with their younger sister, Tullia.
Especially the relationship between the second son, Leon Fregier, and Tullia…
‘Enemies? No.’
Extreme enemies?
That term seemed to fit better.
Adel was hurriedly helping me get dressed.
“……They said they’ll arrive in ten minutes.”
The butler had given such an impossible time and then rushed off, probably to avoid any trouble falling on him.
‘He was determined to make sure I wouldn’t leave.’
Lilius… that man.
“Adel.”
“Yes? Milady?”
“The twins are coming now, so the estate must be busy.”
“Indeed, yes.”
“I think the timing is perfect to execute what I mentioned before.”
Adel, who had been tying the ribbon on my back at the speed of light, paused for a moment.
But only briefly.
He quickly resumed helping me with my outfit skillfully.
“You mean the maids who were chased out by Viscountess Aubrey?”
“Exactly.”
“I already checked on their whereabouts while you were away with His Grace the Duke.”
“What happened to them?”
“They were all severely punished for several days by the direct maids of Viscountess Aubrey.”
Adel gave a concise explanation, but I could guess the rest.
They were beaten to the point of bleeding, perhaps even to the point of exposing bones.
I frowned slightly and asked,
“Rilda… did they… kill her?”
Rilda.
She was the candidate for head maid personally recommended by Aubrey.
That arrogant senior maid who openly opposed Adel while managing the maids given to me.
“She wasn’t killed. However……”
Adel hesitated a bit before speaking.
“They cut off the tip of her tongue.”
“Eek.”
Goosebumps ran up my arm.
“Why… such cruelty……?”
“……In fact, anyone familiar with Viscountess Aubrey’s strict hand knows this.”
So this wasn’t the first time similar incidents had occurred.
Perhaps that was why Tullia’s former servants bullied and harassed her so persistently.
Sigh.
I didn’t ask how Adel had found out such detailed information.
Adel was from the borderlands.
Nobles, commoners, all the empire’s people avoided that place.
Even while hiding the powerful connections of Leck Kelposher and everyone knowing he was from the borderlands, he had risen to the position of senior maid of the Fregier ducal family—a truly talented person.
During those harsh years, he must have built up some connections.
“What about the other maids?”
“They were all sold.”
“Among those maids, there was someone from the borderlands, right?”
“Ah…… yes, Milady. ‘Clara’ was from the borderlands.”
“Where was she sold?”
“To a slave auction.”
“……?”
For the first time, I was taken aback.
“That’s illegal, isn’t it?”
“But since you are a noble of the Fregier ducal family… it seems it wasn’t particularly difficult to access.”
“…….”
How much must she have cherished her son, really.
Cutting off the tongue and even selling her to an illegal slave auction?
“Could you also go there, Adel?”
Without hesitation, Adel replied,
“Yes, Milady. If I disguise myself.”
‘What kind of person was Adel?’
Swallowing my curiosity, I took a dazzling pure gold hairpin from the drawer.
A gift given to me personally by Empress Carmi.
“Milady, this is a gift from the Empress……”
“Could you sell it without getting caught?”
Adel smiled slightly. The tasks I was asking were no longer just maid duties—they were at the level of a spy.
But it seemed amusing to him that I asked so brazenly.
“Yes. There are plenty of high-quality jewels as well.”
“Then could you convert this hairpin into money and bring that maid here?”
I was neither an angel nor a saint.
I had no intention of rescuing maids who had been severely tortured and expelled by Viscountess Aubrey.
They were the ones who had conspired with Aubrey to trap me in the first place.
As for bringing Clara, it wasn’t out of pity just because she was from the borderlands.
I needed that maid.
Adel probably already suspected I wouldn’t waste unnecessary mercy.
In fact, it seemed to please him.
Adel, who had even draped a cloak over me, asked,
“Should I bring Clara secretly, or openly?”
“Bring her openly, Adel.”
Even if I brought her grandly, Aubrey wouldn’t notice since she spent every day in tears because of Tedric.
Adel smiled.
“Understood, Milady.”
‘The conversation took too long, so I didn’t even touch my hair.’
I hurried down the stairs, still adjusting my hair with my hands.
While running down, I kept braiding my hair with both hands.
I was rushing to meet the brothers who were enemies with Tullia.
I had to reduce any reason for criticism as much as possible.
‘One way to insult a hated guest is to greet them looking like a mess.’
Even in a game setting, noble society was still noble society.
Fortunately, just before reaching the Great Hall on the first floor, my hair was almost done.
‘It shouldn’t look weird, right?’
I hadn’t been able to look in a mirror properly, only glimpsing my reflection in the occasional wall mirrors and portrait glass, so I couldn’t judge well.
Luckily, a giant mirror taller than a person hung in the Great Hall.
Checking my reflection while moving quickly, I unintentionally stopped.
‘Huh?’
What the…?
Unlike my worries about messy tangles, my hair looked beautiful.
“……?”
It looked like it had been styled by a professional maid.
‘Ah, right. No time now.’
Hurriedly moving outside, I suddenly realized,
‘Ah! It must be because of the skill stat!’
Because I had accidentally put five points into my skill stat, my dexterity and craft had improved immensely.
‘……I cried blood at that time, but somehow it’s useful.’
As expected, there’s no useless stat in life. I teared up silently.
For a moment, I thought about making jam again—it would probably be delicious.
‘But of course, I have a much more urgent problem now.’
I swallowed dryly and moved forward.
The huge front gate separating inside and outside was always guarded by two servants.
Seeing me, they lightly bowed and opened the gate without hesitation.
The wave-patterned door opened, letting in sunlight.
And there were the butler, aides, and servants already waiting outside.
They stood in an eleven-person formation, leaving the center open. I walked through and took the front position.
I seemed to have arrived just on time.
The moment my foot reached the butler, I saw horses galloping across the vast garden.
In the blink of an eye.
“Giddy up!”
The horses stopped a short distance away.
Do male protagonists usually appear like this (though they shouldn’t end up with Tullia)?
The backlight obscured their faces perfectly.
It was a theatrical entrance, even nature helping.
A beat later, the two men jumped off their horses.
‘They must be seventeen, two years older than Tullia.’
Koriko’s male leads, Tullia’s brothers.
Our eyes met.
‘Wow, what kind of genes are in this family?’
That was my first thought seeing them.
Even though I had seen their faces countless times in illustrations, seeing them alive felt unreal.
Truly handsome enough to be chosen as male leads.
However, both of them were staring at me with oddly stern faces.
To outsiders, it might have looked like a staring contest between the three of us.
“Hello, brothers.”
I stepped forward and greeted them, and the frozen moment seemed to break.
‘The one on the right is Lysian Fregier.’
Named after my late grandmother, the duchess.
The elder of the twins.
His usually neatly kept silver hair was slightly tousled by the wind.
‘The one on the left is Leon Fregier.’
The younger of the twins.
As fraternal twins, Leon’s black hair contrasted strikingly with Lysian’s silver.
By the way, this one was the bastard.
‘But unlike the game, since I greeted them personally, please, just use half the courtesy your beauty deserves……!’
Praying inwardly, Leon slowly opened his mouth.
“……Brother?”
“Yes, brother. It’s been a long time since I greeted……”
“What’s with that disgusting tone?”
His teal eyes looked at me like I was trash.
“Why don’t you just stop, Tullia Fregier.”
At that moment, my prayer shattered.
