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Chapter 9
“Why are you staring at me?”
Even if they were like pitiful stray dogs, a beast was still a beast.
The younger twin glared at me sharply when he noticed I was watching them eat.
“I was just… curious,” I said, standing up and brushing off my skirt.
“You’re not going to scold us for eating like animals, are you?”
“How you eat doesn’t matter to me. You can eat however you like. Actually,” I said, smiling a little, “eating the way you do looks kind of tastier.”
The twins flinched—completely caught off guard.
I turned my back on them casually.
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Go if you want.”
“…”
Honestly, if they just kept their mouths shut, they’d be cute. But that sharp tongue ruined everything. Every time I started to feel sorry for them, they’d say something that made all that pity vanish.
It had been the same in my past life—the younger one was always the more mouthy and rude of the two. Back then, I’d just thought he was an annoying brat, but now… I understood a little better.
That was how they protected themselves.
Weak animals puff up their fur and bare their teeth to seem stronger. The twins’ behavior was the same—it was just a way to survive.
Come to think of it, I used to do the same. I’d throw tantrums and act spoiled just to get the servants’ attention. It wasn’t because I was cruel—it was because I was lonely.
Lost in thought, I looked at the twins one last time before leaving the room.
Their faces looked faintly disappointed, but I didn’t turn back.
This was enough progress for one day.
“Lady Amannet! Are you all right?”
A line of maids was waiting right outside, clearly anxious.
Of course, it wasn’t me they were worried about. They were just checking to see if I was injured—because if I was, they’d get blamed for it.
“I’m fine,” I said simply.
“Oh, thank goodness. We were worried something might’ve happened—”
“Don’t worry. After seeing them, I don’t think my brothers are the kind of people who’d hurt me.”
When I casually called them brothers, the maids’ faces froze.
“O-oh, I see…”
“But you should still be careful,” one murmured.
“They’re just kids!” I said cheerfully.
Even so, the maids still cast uneasy glances toward the room.
Honestly. They were just frightened children, not monsters.
“Don’t be scared. They’re only kids,” I said again.
“Ah…”
Their brief gasps told me they hadn’t expected that from me. I spoke faster, before they could interrupt.
“And whatever you do, don’t use force with them. They’re just scared, that’s all.”
“Well… we don’t really know, my lady…”
“Yes, they make us uncomfortable,” another added quietly.
Even though the door was still open—and the twins could probably hear every word—they didn’t stop themselves. They still spoke as if the boys were dangerous.
“They just got here today,” I said firmly. “It’s natural they feel awkward and uneasy. They have no parents, no nanny—just each other. Wouldn’t you be the same if you were them?”
“My goodness… You sound so mature, my lady.”
“You really do…”
Embarrassed, the maids quickly switched to praising me.
“Anyway,” I said briskly, “I’ll come by their room every day during meal times, so bring their food inside like today. And bring in a table too. Letting them eat off the floor isn’t right.”
“Ah… yes, my lady.”
“We’ll see to it.”
Their hesitant answers didn’t matter. I just continued speaking clearly, ignoring the doubtful looks they gave me.
They probably thought I was acting strange again today. Maybe I was. But I didn’t care.
I gave my final instructions, turned on my heel, and headed back to my room.
For a brief moment, the image of the twins smiling faintly while eating flickered through my mind.
So they could smile like that after all.
Come to think of it, even in the novel, the twins had been pitiful characters in their own way.
Both of them fell in love with the female protagonist—but she, of course, loved the main hero, the crown prince.
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to reject the twins completely. She pitied them—two boys who had never known love, who followed her around like stray puppies.
It was cruel, really—stringing them along while loving someone else. But the twins were content just to stay by her side.
Then the crown prince, afraid of losing her, tore them apart.
And in their grief, the twins kidnapped the heroine.
By the time they were eighteen, they had already seized control of their father’s powerful duchy. Despite having been uneducated and neglected, their talent and intelligence were terrifying.
They soon became rulers of the Empire’s underground world.
Every scandal, every assassination—people whispered the same thing: the twins are behind it.
It was said that wherever they went, the air stank of blood.
They spent one month in a twisted “paradise” with the kidnapped heroine. But they were only side characters—villains meant to lose.
In the end, the crown prince found them, and the twins met their deaths, just as villains should.
And me? I’d been reincarnated before all that began.
“Haah… That’s enough thinking for now. I’ll figure out how to win them over later.”
By the time I returned to my room, exhaustion washed over me.
A child’s body really was fragile—just a little activity and I was ready to pass out.
And after all that food, sleepiness hit even harder.
I gave up thinking and let myself drift into sleep.
No one had to pat my back. I fell into a deep, peaceful slumber on my own.
***
Six days passed.
The twins were still wary of everyone, and Father was still as clingy as ever.
Each day, I soothed him with reassurances of my love and spent the rest of my time checking on the twins’ meals.
But no matter how many days went by, they refused to let down their guard.
I thought that just sitting with them during meals—showing that the food wasn’t poisoned—would be enough to ease their fear.
Apparently not.
At this point, I felt more like a royal food taster than a sister.
Because I’d been eating with them after every one of Father’s meals, my stomach felt heavier by the day.
No more of this. I needed a new plan.
As a maid brushed my hair, I looked at her reflection in the mirror. She immediately averted her eyes, pretending to be focused on her task.
Ever since the nanny was fired, the staff had been nervous around me—split between doing her old chores and avoiding my gaze.
I followed her reflection with my eyes.
“Hey,” I said.
“Y-Yes? You called for me, my lady?”
She flinched like a startled rabbit.
She was one of the newer maids. Maybe she’d heard about how I got the nanny kicked out and now she was scared of me. I couldn’t tell if it was fear or just distance—but either way, things were different now.
The staff had changed. These new maids weren’t the same ones from my past life—the ones who pretended to serve me but secretly sabotaged me behind my back.
I didn’t know if these new ones were trustworthy yet, but they were definitely an improvement.
Among them, I liked this one the best—the maid brushing my hair.
Melinje.
I didn’t remember much about her, but I did recall that she hadn’t originally been assigned to me.
In my previous life, after Father’s death, when everyone abandoned me, she was one of the few who stayed in the west mansion out of pity.
She wasn’t especially clever, but she was kindhearted and warm.
She’d been one of the few people who’d genuinely cared about me until the end.
Of course, that was all she did—care.
She hadn’t risked her life to save me or anything. That kind of loyalty only existed in fairy tales.
Real people didn’t throw their lives away for others.
Still, given my options, she was the best person to rely on.
“My lady?”
When I stayed silent too long, Melinje called to me softly.
