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Chapter : 02
In the original story, it was briefly mentioned that Rachel had stayed in a rural village for several years during her childhood.
‘That village… is our village.’
It was, in a way, natural that the two of them had no connection despite living in the same place.
Vivian was nothing more than a commoner, while Rachel was the only daughter of the noble Edelwein Ducal House.
Still, the fact that they had once lived in the same village as children was pure luck for me.
‘The problem is that I need to get close to Rachel…’
Rachel had a constitution completely opposite to mine, which suffered from mana overload.
‘She absorbs the mana around her.’
Every human naturally generates a certain amount of mana within their body, and the heart serves as a vessel that contains it.
Rachel, inheriting the power of her great ancestor—a great mage—had an incomparably larger “vessel capacity” than ordinary people.
On top of that, she possessed the ability to absorb ambient mana floating around her and make it her own.
‘If I use Rachel’s condition, I might be able to ease my incurable illness.’
To do that, I needed access to her. First, I had to create as many opportunities as possible just to get my face remembered.
‘Then I get chosen as a conversation partner… and stay close to Rachel.’
But Rachel was a precious noble young lady. Unless she came out herself, she rarely left the villa.
And I was a commoner—I couldn’t just enter the ducal estate’s villa freely.
‘So the first plan is…’
By the time I arrived in front of the villa, I looked inside the mansion.
It seemed they had just arrived, as servants were busy carrying luggage.
Rachel had already gone inside the mansion, but that didn’t matter.
‘My target today is those people.’
The first step of my plan called: “Survive by Twisting the Sad Ending!”
‘Get close to the servants and gather information about Rachel and the ducal house.’
Servants were basically the ears and mouths of the household.
Most stories about the ducal family and Rachel could be heard from them.
‘If I gather enough information about Rachel, I’ll eventually find a chance to meet her.’
And then I could naturally create encounters using that information.
‘Alright. Time to move!’
Scanning my targets for the day, I quietly stepped into the villa.
People busy carrying luggage noticed my presence and gradually turned toward me.
I seized the moment and greeted them brightly.
“Hello!”
But most of them ignored me or looked at me with caution.
Still, I didn’t get discouraged.
‘Well, that’s expected.’
Even if it’s a child, an unfamiliar stranger showing up during a busy time is naturally suspicious. There were even thieves around.
Understanding that, I first revealed my identity.
“I’m Vivian, daughter of Mr. Dias Hessen, who runs Vivi Bakery in the village. I’m nine years old.”
“……”
“It looks like you just moved in, so I came to say hello. I always pass by here, and this mansion is so big it’s fascinating!”
Most people continued working without responding, but a few glanced my way.
The fact that they didn’t immediately kick me out was already a success.
‘Alright, now for something actually useful.’
I smiled confidently and pulled out my secret weapon.
And that was…
“If you’re curious about our village, you can ask me anything. I’ve lived here my whole life.”
Information about the village.
Even if I couldn’t physically help as a child, information was different.
‘I’ve lived here longer than them, and I know things they don’t.’
But simply saying I knew everything wouldn’t be convincing, so I decided to drop a few samples first.
My first targets were the female servants.
“If you go to the general store in the town square, they sell a really effective toner. The girl next door uses it every day, and her hands are super soft.”
“How much is it?”
As expected, a few female servants showed interest and asked.
I didn’t miss the chance and quickly marketed it.
“It’s 1 silver per bottle, but there’s a two-for-one promotion right now. It should last about three days.”
The women began whispering that they should go check it out tonight.
Seeing their positive reaction, I smiled and moved on to the next target.
The male servants.
“And the inn run by Uncle Pierre has really good alcohol.”
“How do you know it’s good? Have you tried it?”
This time, one of the knights asked playfully.
“Nope. But there’s always this drunk uncle who says he’ll stop drinking tomorrow—but the next day, he’s always back there drinking again.”
My words made the servants burst into laughter.
‘Good, the mood is right.’
Just as the people were starting to take interest in me—
A sharp girl’s voice suddenly shattered the atmosphere.
“What is she? Who let her in here?”
Turning toward the voice, I saw a girl my age wearing a rather luxurious dress.
She narrowed her light green eyes and looked me up and down.
Annoyed by her gaze, I glared back without hesitation.
‘Who is she? Rachel’s only family is her grandfather, the Duke Edelwein.’
While I was trying to figure out her identity, one of the male servants stepped in.
“She’s a local kid who came to look around. Since you’re about the same age, why not get along, Sally?”
The girl called Sally looked me up and down again and sneered.
“Hah! You want me to play with some country bumpkin like her? I’d rather play alone.”
Then she turned and stormed back into the mansion.
Completely insulted, I glared at her back.
‘What was that? She’s uglier than me!’
Sensing my discomfort, a maid patted my shoulder.
“She’s the daughter of the head nanny in this house, but she acts like a noble young lady even though she’s a commoner. She probably thinks she’s nobility just because her mother is respected… tsk tsk.”
“I’m okay! Thank you for worrying about me.”
It seemed Sally wasn’t well-liked even within the ducal household.
I smiled inwardly.
‘The enemy of my enemy is my ally.’
Because Sally had insulted me, the servants who witnessed it now felt closer to me.
‘Sally helped my plan.’
I felt like this was enough for today.
It was time to leave.
“Then I’ll be going now. If you’re curious about the village, feel free to come find me anytime!”
After saying goodbye to the servants, I left the villa.
‘I didn’t even get to greet Rachel properly, though.’
As I looked up at the mansion while regretting it—
Through the balcony window, my eyes met a girl looking down at me.
‘That girl is…?’
Pale skin contrasted with jet-black hair, a small delicate face, and winter-lake-blue eyes.
I recognized her instantly.
That was Rachel—the girl I had been so eager to meet.
‘Whoa, amazing… how can a person look like that?’
It wasn’t just her unreal beauty that made her seem inhuman… her expressionless, emotionless gaze added to it.
That coldness instead gave her an almost mysterious aura.
I stared at her, entranced, until I finally snapped back and raised my hand slightly.
But…
‘Huh?’
Rachel turned away and went back inside without responding.
‘Did I act too forward for a first meeting?’
Feeling awkward, I slowly lowered my hand.
‘Well, we’ll get closer eventually!’
I had at least greeted her and made my presence known.
Satisfied with my small achievement for the day, I turned back with light steps, looking forward to tomorrow.
It was a smooth start.
The next day.
After getting ready to go to the Edelwein villa, I came downstairs and looked around.
As expected, I saw my father’s back inside the bakery kitchen.
Our house was structured with a bakery on the first floor run by my father, and living space for both of us on the second floor.
The reason I was sneaking a look at him now was…
[You absolutely must not go near that villa. Understand?]
Ever since we heard that the Edelwein Ducal House was coming to the villa a few days ago, my father had been nagging me endlessly.
Even wearing an unusually serious expression.
‘If I say I’m going out, he’ll definitely ask where and with whom.’
And then I’d have to lie.
‘Ugh… I really don’t like lying.’
Honest nine-year-old Vivian chose avoidance instead of deception.
But the moment I tiptoed toward the door—
“Where are you going, Vivi?”
A familiar, gentle voice came from behind me.
