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Chapter 1
Isn’t This a Total Dumpster Fire?
“From now on, we will impose a tax on bell sounds.”
Diabella lowered her eyes and spoke arrogantly.
“…Pardon?”
The butler let out a dumbfounded sound. It wasn’t the first time the madam had acted however she pleased, but this time he truly doubted his ears.
“Isn’t it thanks to the Marquis’s family that the people of this territory can farm in such peace and live without a single worry? Then instead of idly listening to church bells all day, shouldn’t they express their gratitude every time they hear them?”
‘…Without worries, my foot.’
The butler clicked his tongue inwardly. Ever since Diabella entered the household as the Marchioness, not only the territory’s residents but even the servants of the estate had been sighing more and more every day.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Forgive me, but I believe imposing taxes even on bell sounds may be going a little too fa—ugh!”
The fan Diabella threw struck the butler near his left eye. The sharp edge pierced his skin, and the area quickly began swelling red, but Diabella didn’t care in the slightest.
“How dare you defy my orders when I am acting in the Marquis’s stead? I have no need for such a disloyal butler. Get out at once!”
“I’m sorry! I deserve death, Madam. Please, anything but expulsion from the Marquis household. I shall obey whatever you command.”
The butler had devoted his entire life to the Marquis family. Being cast out from this place would be like losing his whole world.
“…Hmm, well, perhaps I’ll observe your behavior a little longer.”
Diabella curled her lips into a smug smile and flicked her empty hand. Reading the mood, the butler hurriedly picked up the fan and respectfully returned it to her.
“What is this? That’s disgusting. You expect me to use a fan that hit your eye? My hands might rot. Throw it away immediately.”
Panicking, the butler handed the fan to a maid. The maid immediately headed for the incinerator with it.
“I’ll overlook your mistake today on one condition.”
Diabella raised one eyebrow.
“The taxes collected from the bell sounds are to be brought directly to me. They’ll all be used to protect the territory’s people, so there’s no need to tell the Marquis or the Dowager Marchioness. Understood?”
And so, every time the bells rang, piles of gold coins accumulated before Diabella.
Those unable to pay the tax—pregnant women, sick elders, it didn’t matter—were all expelled from the territory.
The cries of the homeless echoed outside the estate like funeral wails.
And all of this happened in just one month while the Marquis was away.
“This is insane!”
Hajin threw her phone onto her pillow. Sure, she was supposed to be a villainess, but wasn’t this way too forced?
A friend had recommended web novels as a good distraction, which was why Hajin had started reading one in the first place, but this was on another level of melodrama.
Hajin downed a shot of soju.
Books and notebooks were piled high on the narrow desk of her tiny goshiwon room. Barely squeezed into one corner sat a bottle of soju and a shot glass. Her only snack was instant cup ramen.
As she drank the ramen broth, her phone buzzed.
[So, is the web novel any good?]
[What even is this? It’s just a complete dumpster fire.]
[That’s the fun of it lol. Endure the frustrating parts and the satisfying payoff comes laterㅋㅋ]
[It’s ridiculous and cliché, but somehow it gets addictive and stops you from thinking about other stuff.]
[I dunnoㅋㅋ Oh right, did you go to the TA office today?]
[Yeah. While I was there, I asked about your grades for you…]
[Hey, you didn’t have to do that.]
[No, but it’s weird! How do you get straight A+s and still not rank first? Isn’t that worth questioning? Seriously, Jang Hajin, you’re terrifying. Straight A+s for three years straight? You’re the pride of Korea University’s economics department.
I respect you lol.]
[Respect whatㅋㅋ I didn’t even get first place this time;;]
[Exactly! Why weren’t you first?! The TA said she had to go to a seminar, so she’ll check later. She asked how many credits you took.]
[18 credits. I got another tutoring job this semester, so I was busy.]
[Whoa. That explains it;; Sunbae Youngbin, who ranked first, took 22 credits.]
“Haa…”
Hajin grabbed her hair.
Taking on another tutoring job to cover rent and textbook costs had backfired. She’d completely overlooked the fact that when multiple students had identical grades, rankings were decided by total completed credits.
[Still, second place is amazing. I’d be thrilled just to average a B+.]
No.
It wasn’t good enough.
Hajin shook her head. First place meant a full scholarship, but second place only covered fifty percent.
Tuition for next semester was now an immediate problem.
‘…Do I have to take out student loans? Dad already left so much debt in my name. I wanted to avoid loans by surviving on scholarships.’
Sigh.
Hajin took another drink.
People said if soju tasted sweet, life was even bitterer than the alcohol itself.
The soju tasted sweet.
Way too sweet.
‘I don’t know anymore. I don’t want to think about anything today.’
She reopened the web novel she’d been reading.
The schemes of the villainess Diabella were eventually exposed by the Marquis.
The Marquis, who had overlooked all of Diabella’s countless evil deeds until now, could no longer tolerate her tormenting the territory’s people and deceiving him. He informed Diabella that he was divorcing her.
Refusing to accept the divorce, Diabella staged a dramatic suicide attempt by drinking fake poison.
But someone had switched it with real poison.
And she died.
Afterward, the Marquis remarried a kind-hearted baron’s daughter who had secretly helped the expelled villagers. She had also been the only friend who stayed by Diabella’s side.
[Good riddanceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Diabella? More like Diablo. The villagers gave her the perfect nickname.
Calling her a villainess is too generous. She’s more like a damn XXXX.
Seriously, if I had your silver-spoon life and all that money, I wouldn’t live like that, you rotten XXXX!]
Completely immersed, Hajin furiously typed hateful comments unlike ever before. But eventually her eyes drooped shut, and her head slowly tilted forward.
Moonlight settled over Hajin as she fell asleep face-down on the desk.
It was another exhausting night for someone born with nothing.
“…Mmm… What time is it?”
Hajin opened her eyes while tossing around in bed.
“Madam! You’re awake!”
Madam? What kind of nonsense is this? Am I still half asleep?
“Hurry and bring the Marquis! Madam has opened her eyes!”
Right. Madam, huh? Wonderful achievement there.
Wait… am I dreaming right now? A lucid dream?
She’d occasionally had dreams before where she realized, ‘Wait, this is a dream.’
So Hajin assumed this was the same thing.
“The Marquis has arrived!”
Suddenly, the room became chaotic. Rapid footsteps approached, and someone fiercely embraced her.
Then, in a low voice barely loud enough for her alone to hear, he murmured:
“…Thank goodness you survived.”
“Huh?”
What was this all of a sudden?
‘Even for a dream, what kind of plot development is this?’
Hajin was confused.
Who was this person holding her so desperately?
She could feel the weight of a solid body leaning over her as she lay there.
And tears… his tears… dampening her face.
‘Before I wake up, I should at least see the face of someone who wants me this badly!’
Just as she was about to sit up—
“My lord, I brought the documents you requested.”
A new voice interrupted almost simultaneously.
“Ah, those documents.”
The man’s voice instantly turned cold. He abruptly pulled away from Hajin.
As she started sitting up after him, a sheet of paper fluttered down onto her face.
Slap.
The paper stuck against her tear-soaked skin.
“As expected. Seeing you recover so suddenly proves this entire thing was just an act. Stop trying to escape accountability with pathetic tricks and accept the divorce papers.”
“…What?”
Had she imagined that emotional voice from moments ago—the one saying he was glad she survived?
His tone had become so icy it was like he’d turned into a completely different person, making her shiver.
‘Also, divorce? Since when was I married? What the hell?’
Was this absurdity only happening because it was a dream?
But the sensation of the paper sticking to her face felt too vivid.
Hajin shot upright in bed.
Fwump.
“Whoa, no way. Why is this bed so soft? This isn’t the broken spring mattress from my goshiwon—gahhh?!”
She bounced slightly on the bed in amazement before finally pulling the paper off her face.
Then she looked around—
And screamed.
At least ten people surrounded her bed.
And every single one of them was staring, mouths hanging open, watching her bounce her butt on the mattress.
“W-What is this?!”
“…Madam.”
The man standing closest to the bed frowned and placed a hand against Hajin’s forehead.
Unlike his cold expression, his hand was warm.
His eyes were a deep green.
Silver hair cascaded smoothly down beside his sharp nose.
“H-He’s handsome!”
Hajin covered her mouth and pointed at his face.
What was going on here?
This was the kind of man you might see once in a lifetime.
Everyone, did you see this face?!
Hajin looked around with wide eyes.
Now that she noticed, everyone’s clothing was strange.
Maid uniforms and butler attire straight out of a European period drama.
And the extravagantly dressed man beside her—was he some kind of prince?
“Uh, are you filming something right now? A drama? Or maybe one of those hidden camera prank shows for ordinary people? Did you move me while I was asleep? Isn’t this illegal without consent? Shouldn’t I sue?”
Hajin cautiously climbed out of bed and searched for cameras, but found none.
Maybe it was an incredibly elaborate prank with hidden cameras tucked away somewhere. She checked under the bed and behind the curtains.
“My lady! What sort of bizarre performance is this now? Are you planning to avoid the divorce again by acting strangely and muddling through the situation?”
The man grabbed her shoulders roughly, glaring at her with contempt.
Hajin shrank back.
“That hurts.”
“I-I apologize! I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
His cold expression immediately softened into an awkward one.
“Wow… when you’re not angry, you’re really handsome.”
“Madam! Just what in the world—”
The man pressed at his temples like he had a headache.
“Ah, sorry. I’m usually not someone who blurts out my inner thoughts… But this really is a dream, right? Your face and this whole situation are so unrealistic that words are just coming out without passing through my brain first.”
“This is not a dream, Madam.”
Still, for someone who threw divorce papers at me the moment I woke up, he sure loves calling me ‘Madam.’
“Then could you slap my cheek once?”
When he’d grabbed her arm earlier, she had definitely felt pain.
But the idea that this wasn’t a dream was just too bizarre.
She needed to confirm it one more time.
“What nonsense are you saying? How could I ever strike my wife?”
“I’m not asking you to hit me hard. Just lightly. If it’s a dream, it won’t hurt anyway.”
The man stared at her for a long moment.
Apparently deciding something was truly wrong with her, he hesitated before raising a finger and poking her cheek.
Squish.
The sensation of her soft cheek denting inward felt vividly real.
…This wasn’t a dream?
