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Chapter 02
Yurita hid her flare of anger and bowed expressionlessly.
“…I didn’t recognize you. I heard the head of the Killaster Duchy was much older. When did his son inherit the title?”
“When did that old geezer die? Ages ago.”
“My, then if you want to be treated properly as a duke, you should probably show your face around more often.”
At that, Duke Zachary suddenly grabbed Yurita by the chin.
The maid standing quietly beside her younger brother Theo gasped.
“How insolent for a mere young lady to talk back.”
“……”
“As you said, I’ll give you six months. But if you fail to repay the debt by then, this mansion, your crybaby little brother, and even you will all belong to me.”
Zachary roughly let go of her chin.
“I’ll use you as my maid. Better start practicing what labor feels like. It’ll be hard if it’s your first time.”
With a frightening smile, Zachary strode out the front gate, crunching shards of glass beneath his feet.
Once he disappeared, the oppressive atmosphere hanging over the house finally seemed to lift.
Yurita exhaled the breath she had been holding and rubbed her chin.
‘Son of a bitch. Who does he think a modern person with six years of living alone in a one-room apartment is?’
Even without Zachary worrying about it, Yurita already knew how to wash dishes, cook, and even scrub toilets.
‘Still, I absolutely refuse to work as a maid in that bastard’s mansion.’
For the first time in a while, a fighting spirit blazed up inside her.
“Noona, are you okay?”
Her younger brother Theo approached with teary eyes.
“Theo, your sister is okay.”
Yurita brushed back Theo’s hair. It felt like a habit ingrained in this body from the original owner.
“That mister is so scary. What’s going to happen to us now?”
“What do you mean what? We’ll keep living in this mansion. I’ll make sure of it.”
Before all this, Yurita had practically achieved financial freedom through years of side jobs and had been just about to quit her company job.
If she did it once, why couldn’t she do it twice?
‘God is on my side.’
Yurita repeated her long-held motto to herself.
After finally calming her crying brother, she returned to her room. The very first thing she did was take out parchment and an ink pen to write a letter.
To Baron Synette, her uncle—the only person who might be able to help her in this situation.
“Lady Yurita, I’m truly desperate. I can’t live without him.”
‘People don’t die just because they lack love.’
Yurita unconsciously thought that as she listened to the young noblewoman who had come for a tarot reading.
‘…Oops, what am I thinking? She’s a valued customer.’
Quickly organizing her thoughts, Yurita put on a business smile and began shuffling the cards.
“Let us entrust the fate of your love to the heavens. Hmm… oh, this isn’t bad. It says that person does have feelings for you to some degree.”
“Really? Then why hasn’t he proposed to me yet…?”
“There’s an obstacle in his heart. His timid personality and uncertainty about the future.”
“Is there no way around it? I absolutely must get married this year. Otherwise he’ll leave again, saying he’s going on another world trip!”
“It’s not that there’s no way…”
As Yurita pretended to ponder, the noblewoman suddenly grabbed her hands and cried out.
“Please! If there’s a way, tell me anything! I’ll give you all the money I have!”
At those words, Yurita slowly smiled.
“For a lady with such earnest feelings, I shall prepare a talisman imbued with the wish of the earth.”
“The wish of the earth?”
“The earth’s wish is as heavy and solid as a rock. It will firmly anchor his wandering heart by your side.”
“Oh my!”
Yurita pulled out a piece of paper, drew an intricate pattern on it, and in the center wrote the Chinese character for “stone.”
To medieval Westerners, Chinese characters would likely appear as mysterious symbols with unknowable meanings.
‘Mystery strengthens belief.’
Yurita smiled inwardly.
The noblewoman carefully tucked the talisman into her chest as though it were a priceless treasure.
“That will be two gold coins.”
Yurita decided to call this business “placebo-effect talismans.” It definitely wasn’t fraud.
‘Not that I can afford to worry about morality right now anyway.’
After paying Yurita, the noblewoman glanced around nervously in case someone saw her, then hurried away.
Today’s earnings from the open-air café totaled five gold coins—equivalent to fifty silver coins, a huge amount.
‘Business is going well, but there’s still a long way to go. Though I expected it, Baron Synette still hasn’t replied after several days.’
Yurita removed the hood covering her head as she thought.
Asking out of nowhere to borrow five hundred gold coins was the sort of request that would make even close friends or family run away.
But she had no other choice.
“If you fail to meet the deadline, this mansion, your crybaby little brother, and even you will all belong to me.”
‘No thanks. Absolutely not, even if I die.’
In the original story, Zachary Killaster was the one who obsessively tormented the heroine out of twisted love, tried to assassinate the emperor, and became the male lead’s enemy.
Despite being a duke, he secretly operated a loan shark business and controlled the underworld. People who failed to repay their debts disappeared without a trace after being captured and sold off.
There were even rumors that he had murdered his own father and older brother for power.
‘Since he’s already become duke, the original story must have begun. I guess the heroine and Zachary will meet soon. Poor heroine.’
Yurita was stuffing her cards into her bag with an indifferent expression when—
“Hah, so this is the little trick you were talking about?”
A strangely familiar, sharp voice rang out.
Thinking No way, Yurita looked up to see Zachary standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking down at her.
Her expression darkened.
‘What rotten luck running into him.’
“Try managing your expression. Your future employer has arrived.”
Chuckling to himself, Zachary sat down across from her.
“How could I be happy after seeing a debt collector hounding me for money?”
“A debt collector? This woman really has no filter when speaking to a duke.”
This time, Zachary didn’t seem offended. He leaned back comfortably in his chair, his messy red hair contrasting with his sharp eyes.
Yurita glared at him dislikefully.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“If you sit there, I can’t receive any more customers. Weren’t you the one telling me to hurry and repay my debt, Your Grace?”
When she called him “Your Grace,” Zachary oddly seemed pleased. He pulled out a silver coin from inside his jacket and placed it on the table.
“Perfect timing. I’ve been feeling unsettled lately anyway. Read my fortune.”
“One reading costs five silver coins.”
“You sure talk a lot for someone in debt. Just do it.”
‘Cheap bastard.’
Silently cursing him, Yurita shuffled and spread the cards.
“I shall tell your fortune for today. Please pick one card.”
“You pick for me.”
“…Even though it’s your fortune?”
Sighing, Yurita reached for the card in the center. At that moment, Zachary suddenly reached out and grabbed her fingertips.
Startled, Yurita tried to pull away, but Zachary held on tightly while examining her fingers.
“You have pretty hands. Long and straight.”
“…Please don’t touch me carelessly, sir. It’s unpleasant.”
When Zachary looked up, he met Yurita’s cold, serious gaze.
“You’ve got spirit after all.”
With a smirk, Zachary released her hand. Instead of taking the original card, Yurita reached for another one at the edge.
“Why not the first one?”
“It’s contaminated.”
“Hey, are you saying it’s dirty because I touched it?”
Ignoring his complaint, Yurita flipped over the second card she had chosen.
It depicted a target-like circle in the center surrounded by purple clouds.
Yurita’s eyes changed.
“The Wheel of Fortune….”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The journey until now is ending, and a new beginning awaits you. Whether the person you’re about to meet becomes fate or ill fate… that remains to be seen, Zachary.”
Zachary raised an eyebrow.
“Did you just say my name?”
“Oh my, did I? Sometimes when I’m reading cards, I get so immersed that it slips out unconsciously. My apologies, Your Grace.”
Pronouncing “Your Grace” very clearly, Yurita smiled sweetly.
‘Today, Zachary will meet the heroine of the original story here.’
What she realized during the card reading was that this café was the place where the heroine and Zachary first crossed paths.
The heroine would accidentally spill coffee on Zachary’s shirt, and their ill-fated relationship would begin there.
Yurita grinned at Zachary. She planned to stay far away and watch the drama unfold from a safe distance.
“Oh right, I’ll give you today’s payment now.”
Zachary looked displeased as he stared at the bundle of money Yurita held out.
“I heard you used to send the money by mail to the Killaster estate.”
“That’s right.”
“From now on, you’ll come deliver it to me personally.”
