IMDL 04

Chapter 04

“…How unpleasant.”

Unlike Wilhelmina, who had offered words of praise before leaving the room, Helene voiced only her displeasure.

The daughter of a debt-ridden family, someone who knew nothing of true nobility, had dared to compliment her.

The very thought made her shudder in disgust.

In my previous life, I had been an academy teacher.

It was a small academy with only about forty students. Rather than specializing in entrance exams, it was more like an after-school program.

In other words, it was similar to a taekwondo academy where parents left their children until they got off work.

In fact, the academy next door was actually a taekwondo school.

I taught upper elementary and middle school students there, and among their countless hobbies, one stood out above the rest.

Reading novels.

“‘Regression, possession, reincarnation’—remember those terms. They’re important.”

“Uh… okay.”

When I asked one student what kind of novels they were, the child explained them to me with more seriousness than they ever showed during an exam.

At that moment, it felt like they were the teacher and I was the student.

Once they realized I was interested, they spent a full thirty minutes passionately lecturing me about common novel clichés.

Thanks to that, when I was reincarnated as Wilhelmina, it turned out to be surprisingly helpful.

‘No, wait… is this possession? But Wilhelmina is me, and Kim Hana is also me… I have no idea.’

It certainly helped me adapt, but understanding this world was another matter entirely.

Maybe things would have been different if I’d been a history teacher.

Instead, I had taught math and science.

The only thing I knew about medieval Europe was a handful of kings’ names I’d memorized for college entrance exams.

Which meant…

I knew absolutely nothing about human rights, labor conditions, or culture in a fantasy world.

‘Child labor, fourteen-hour workdays, endless abuse of authority…’

I had expected an unreasonable class system.

But actually watching maids and servants work was painful.

So I began making small changes to their working conditions.

After all, I was the mistress of the detached residence, and the main mansion didn’t seem interested in interfering.

I adjusted the schedule however I saw fit.

The morning attendants who had even washed my face were now responsible only for meals.

The bedroom corridor, which previously could only be cleaned while I was asleep before dawn, could now be cleaned at any time.

‘And now, just like this, the children can come into my bedroom whenever they want.’

Sitting in what appeared to be a large rocking chair once used by the late Duke, I looked at the children gathered around the fireplace.

Huddled together, sharing body heat, they quietly munched on steamed potatoes.

They looked like a gathering of squirrels.

They were adorable.

‘Those little kids are working just to earn money.’

The oldest among them was only ten years old.

They were pages.

Most were commoners from the Leyton territory, living in the castle apart from their parents as full-fledged servants.

Children born to noble families or apprenticed under knights supposedly had easier lives.

These children, however, were assigned only the hardest work.

For example, once every week they washed tablecloths and curtains by hand in freezing water.

Naturally, rubber gloves didn’t exist.

So they repeatedly warmed their hands beside hot water before returning to the icy laundry.

‘And they say Leyton treats its servants well… Just how terrible are other places?’

I wanted to order that children never be made to do such work again.

But I held back.

Improving their working conditions was one thing.

Interfering with their actual duties felt like overstepping my authority.

In this era, taking someone’s work away also meant taking away their place to survive.

The problem wasn’t simply cruel employers.

It was a society that forced children to work in the first place.

If they didn’t do these unpleasant jobs…

They would simply starve.

“…Madam looks scary again.”

“Hm?”

Only then did I notice a child approaching me.

It was Mirinae, a seven-year-old page with distinctive reddish-brown hair.

“What is it?”

“Your expression looks scary.”

Scary?

Did that mean I had been making a frightening face?

I touched my cheek.

Now that I thought about it, my face did feel a little stiff.

“It’s alright. It’s nothing.”

“Have you finished your potato?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like another?”

“No, thank you.”

Mirinae bowed awkwardly in gratitude.

However, instead of returning to the other children, they lingered awkwardly in front of me.

“…Would you like to come up here?”

“Can I?”

“Of course.”

I’d let them sit on my lap once or twice before.

That seemed to be what they wanted.

I lifted the blanket over my knees, settled Mirinae onto my lap, and covered them again.

“Madam, are you going to keep living here?”

“Yes. It looks like I will.”

“That’s a relief…”

Apparently, the children had thought I’d soon leave the detached residence.

Perhaps they’d overheard the servants talking.

They were perceptive enough to assume I’d eventually be driven out.

‘I suppose I have the Emperor to thank for that.’

I’d never felt any patriotism toward the Peon Empire.

But at this moment, I was a little grateful to the Emperor.

Never having to worry about finding another place to live…

It was more reassuring than I’d expected.

“What kind of work do you have today?”

“We’re pulling weeds in the garden. The weeds that grow in autumn have really tough roots, so you have to use a lot of strength.”

“That sounds difficult.”

“But it’s okay because one person is really good at it. Johan pulls them out really well.”

“Johan?”

It was a name I’d never heard before.

I’d thought I’d memorized every page’s name.

Had there been a child I hadn’t met yet?

Seeing my puzzled expression, Mirinae hesitated before quietly speaking.

“…Johan is a day laborer.”

“He gets paid one day’s wages.”

So that was what they meant by “day money.”

“The gardener hired him. There was lots of work during spring and summer, but now there’s hardly any, so he was having a hard time.”

“So we told him to work with us, but he refused.”

“Why?”

“…”

Mirinae glanced at me before whispering.

“He’s afraid of nobles.”

“I see.”

“He thinks if he makes a mistake, they’ll beat him with a whip.”

“We told him our Madam isn’t like that…”

“But after seeing the previous master…”

Apparently Johan had witnessed the late Duke’s cruelty firsthand.

I’d heard the old Duke had been merciless not only toward servants but even toward pages.

It was understandable that a child would fear nobles.

“Day laborers don’t get much work.”

“In winter, unless it’s a day like today when there are winter weeds to pull, he can’t earn any money.”

“Johan doesn’t have a mother or father.”

“So I’m worried about him.”

“Does Johan live alone?”

“He lives with his little sister.”

“She’s still too young to work, so Johan has to earn everything himself.”

“But lately they haven’t had enough food.”

“He said they’ve been eating porridge made from tree bark.”

Mirinae seemed genuinely worried about Johan.

‘No… it’s not just Mirinae.’

The other children sitting around the fire kept glancing in our direction.

The moment Johan’s name came up, they all reacted.

Their eyes were filled with unmistakable hope.

“Are all of you close to Johan?”

“He’s strong and smart.”

“He always helped us, even when it wasn’t his job.”

So he was well respected.

Otherwise, the children wouldn’t be looking at me so openly, silently asking for help.

Come to think of it…

I’d recently started needing a personal errand runner—someone who wasn’t a servant attached to the household.

“…Are you sure Johan is really that capable?”

“Yes.”

Then perhaps…

I should meet him.

Ignoring the cold, I stood from my chair.

Johan did not trust nobles.

‘I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!’

“This is why lowborn trash can never learn!”

The first time Johan worked in the garden, he witnessed a child being whipped beneath a tree.

A frightening elderly nobleman with wild white hair lashed the child mercilessly.

Although many adults stood nearby…

Not a single one tried to help.

The bloodied child was dragged away by an older servant and thrown out of the estate.

The gardener told him the child had been beaten because weeds had gotten onto a noble’s shoes.

The child had simply failed to remove every weed from the garden.

That small mistake had left them covered in blood.

‘Nobles are terrifying.’

The gardener had recommended many times that Johan become a page.

But Johan could never forget what he’d seen that day.

‘If I die… Lily will be left all alone.’

At a very young age, Johan had already learned that life was more precious than money.

‘Still… I’m grateful to have work.’

‘I’ll do my best.’

The gardener wasn’t there yet.

Still, Johan naturally began working as usual.

Pulling on his gloves, he dug into the hardened earth with his fingertips, pulling out weeds one by one.

Every time the cracked skin around his fingernails touched the dirt, a sharp sting ran through his fingers.

But he was used to it.

“Hm?”

As he slowly made his way across the garden…

He noticed a woman crouching in front of a thick patch of weeds.