MFBO 05

Chapter 05

“Here, eat.”

Amy practically threw a plate of pale, watery soup down in front of me. I frowned at the mess of soup smeared outside the plate.

That thin soup was probably hers, and the steak placed in front of me was supposed to be my meal.

“Um, enjoy your meal too, Amy.”

Still, I picked up my spoon without a word. Smiling innocently, just like Lizenn used to do.

“Miss, why did you act like that the other day?”

“Huh? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The hand cutting the steak was rough. The knife scraping against the plate almost made me frown.

Today, as always, I played the obedient Lizenn in front of Amy.

“No, it was just… a bit strange. I didn’t think you’d do that to me…”

Amy seemed displeased by the day I had blocked her hand and told her to move the cup. My sudden change from obedient behavior was enough to surprise her.

“Oh… that…”

I perked up my ears slightly. Having observed Amy for three days, I noticed that despite her neat appearance, she was actually quite impatient.

Which is why she made mistakes like not properly closing the door.

Foolish.

“Well, here’s the thing.”

There was still no sound from outside.

‘It’s a bit early, though.’

I hesitated briefly, then continued speaking.

“I told you to get your act together.”

“What did you say?”

I poured the soup back into the plate without tasting it. Using my spoon to scrape the plate, I tilted my head to look at her.

“Amy. You need to know your limits.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If my father knew you were making fun of me, what do you think would happen to you?”

Amy’s face hardened.

Step by step, faint footsteps approached.

“A servant like you daring to disrespect a countess is unforgivable. And on top of that, you threatened me. If that gets out, you’d probably be thrown out empty-handed. And worse, it could even be considered an insult to the nobility…”

I stopped speaking around then. The footsteps were getting closer.

“Are you threatening me right now?”

Amy seemed furious at my sudden words, actions, and threats. Her face flushed as she glared at me.

She abruptly stood up from her seat.

“It’s not a threat. I’m just asking you to stop underestimating me…”

“Ha. Fine, Miss. Go tell the Count yourself. Tell him everything I supposedly did. That I threatened you. Yes, go and tell him!”

“If that’s the case…”

As I tried to stand and walk past her, Amy grabbed my wrist and pulled. I lost my footing and fell.

Clatter—!

I collided with the table while trying to regain balance. The impact shook the table hard enough for the dishes to fall.

“Do you really think the Count will believe the words of a daughter he’s abandoned?”

Amy was impatient and simplistic. And she trembled as if she couldn’t stand a defiant Lizenn.

Just as expected.

The footsteps stopped.

“My father will believe me.”

I glared at Amy as I lay on the floor. She laughed aloud, as if she’d just heard the most ridiculous statement.

“If that were true, why didn’t he believe you during that ‘accident’?”

“……”

“Poor, pitiable Miss. No one is going to believe you.”

Amy moved exactly as I had planned. I was worried she might try to deny it, but she didn’t.

I shivered slightly at the thought of someone standing outside the door. Looking at her as if I was about to explode, I muttered in a suppressed voice:

“No. My father would never… believe me.”

I tried to repeat the same words like a parrot.

Amy scoffed and clicked her tongue.

“Stop pretending, Miss. Even if the Count finds out I threatened you with medicine, nothing will change. You know it too, right? That the only thing that can save you is this medicine.”

Then why were you so scared that you blocked me?

Her contradictory words made me bite my lip to stop laughing. If she was really confident, she wouldn’t let me leave. According to her words, my father wouldn’t believe me.

She was also anxious. What if my father did believe me? Then her manipulation with the medicine would be exposed, and she’d be dismissed.

“So sit down and eat that disgusting soup, quietly. Just like you always have.”

“No.”

If Amy, who had already crossed the line, didn’t eat, she would continue to overstep. I wasn’t generous enough to allow someone who treated me so poorly to stay by my side.

Amy’s pride seemed deeply wounded by my defiance.

She was not clever enough to understand that the sudden rebellion of a powerless noble girl, lacking her parents’ love, was strange.

“Amy!”

A loud shout struck her back. Startled by the unexpected intruder, Amy let go of my wrist and looked toward the sound.

“Gasp…”

The almost-closed door had opened. Standing there were someone I had expected—and someone I had not.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?!”

The first to speak was the butler.

“B-butler…! I-it’s not what you think…!”

Amy, startled by the loud voice, released my wrist. Seeing the person next to the butler, her face turned pale. Standing there with a cold, expressionless face was the Count.

“…Count, Count, Count…”

I lowered my head slightly, frowning so they wouldn’t see my expression.

What…?

I hadn’t called the Count. I only called the butler. Even if I had, I didn’t expect the Count to come—just the butler would have been enough to expose Amy’s rudeness.

“Amy! Do you know what you’ve done? How dare you—toward the lady!”

“N-no…! I didn’t! I didn’t do it!”

“I heard every word from your own mouth! How could you betray the trust of someone who believed in you so much?”

“It’s true! Please, believe me! Miss, say something, please!”

Amy clung to my shoulder as if begging. The Countess came to mind—the day she cried, blaming Lizenn for Caleb’s death.

I turned pale.

It was a physiological reaction.

Despite trembling at the unfamiliar sensations of someone else’s emotions and body, I did what needed to be done.

I grabbed Amy’s arm like she had held onto me and whispered close to her ear:

“Confess everything you did. Not a single thing left out. Then I’ll let it slide out of old favor.”

“……”

“The two of us were close once, weren’t we?”

The Count and the butler couldn’t hear me.

They stood right at the door, and my room was spacious—there was distance.

I sighed as I stepped back from Amy, my lips trembling.

“Amy.”

Even I could hear the sorrow in my voice.

“Take this insolent girl and lock her in the basement immediately!”

The Count growled, trying to suppress his anger. Quite a forceful presence. Even a neglected child deserved this, apparently.

“The punishment will be discussed later. Summon the head maid. I’ve been too negligent. Why haven’t we dealt with her yet?”

“Amy, stand up!”

The butler tried to lift her, but Amy, hesitant, pushed away his arm resolutely. Then she grabbed onto the Count’s trousers.

“Count, Count! I-I was wrong. I dared to swap the lady’s food with mine, and threatened her with medicine… At first, I didn’t mean it… sniff…”

“I don’t want to hear it. Why aren’t you taking her away? Call the knights or drag her out!”

The Count barked, and glanced at me with a stern face before turning sharply.

‘Not even a word asking if I’m okay.’

Truly a terrible man.

“Sis, are you okay? What is all this…?”

Lizenn, now calm as Caleb had been, gently wiped away the tears I hadn’t even realized were streaming.

He didn’t speak much, but I understood clearly what he meant:

‘You owe me.’