TMV 06

Chapter 6

2. My Villainous Family

When the duke and Ivan arrived at the ducal mansion, I saw people standing at the front entrance. My jaw dropped at the sight.

‘Why is there a fountain in front of the entrance? What are those fancy stairs leading up to the door? No, how can a house be this big? Is this a home or an art museum? I’ve hit the jackpot!’

I was going to live here from now on. My lips kept twitching upward in excitement.

But unlike my excitement, Ivan didn’t look pleased at all.

He got off the carriage and asked an old gentleman who looked like a butler.

“Where is Catherine?”

“Madam is resting due to poor health. It seems her headaches have returned. The young lady is taking care of her.”

Ivan clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

I understood the situation.

‘So the duchess is avoiding me under the excuse of a headache.’

In the novel, Duchess Catherine and her daughter Isabella were against adopting Freedia.

It was because Isabella wanted to give up the dukedom and marry Heraes. Because of that, she was in a cold war with Ivan.

And now Ivan had brought home an orphan girl to be arranged as Heraes’s partner.

‘So just like in the novel, they’ll probably try to bully me behind the duke’s back. I need to be ready.’

“Follow me. I’ll show you your room.”

Ivan gestured to me.

I had expected him to just hand me over to the butler and leave, but he didn’t.

I quickly followed behind him, eager to explore the big mansion.

The family living area was on the 3rd floor. The 1st floor was shared space, the 2nd floor was guest rooms, and the 4th floor was for servants.

The duke and duchess’s rooms were at the very end of the hallway, and my room was near the stairs.

Ivan didn’t seem to plan on going inside. He said to the butler who had followed us.

“Show the child her room.”

“Yes, understood.”

Ivan only watched until I went inside with the butler, then walked toward Catherine’s room.

My heart was pounding as I waited for the butler to open the door. What kind of room would be in such a luxurious house?

“This is the room you will be staying in, young lady.”

The butler opened the door wide.

The first thing I saw was a window pouring in sunlight… and what lay in that light was—

Drip.

“A, are you alright, young lady?”

The butler’s robotic expression turned flustered.

“Why are you crying? Are you okay?”

It was because I suddenly burst into tears.

Wait a second, sir. Am I dreaming right now?

“I’m fine! It’s just, I’m so—sob!”

So unrealistically good!

I couldn’t finish my sentence and started crying.

I thought a room was just a place to sleep, but what is this comfortable and beautiful space?

Inside the room, which looked about 20 pyeong in size, there was a bed as big as the 6-pyeong rental room I used to live in. There was a beautifully decorated table, two cozy single sofas with floral fabric, a wide window for reading in sunlight, and a large dressing table.

Everything looked so high-quality that it made my eyes widen.

As soon as I stepped in, memories of my miserable past life flashed before my eyes, and I couldn’t stop crying.

My 6-pyeong rental room that I barely managed to move into because of a cheap deposit.

A place where cockroaches crawled up through the water pipes, constantly invading my narrow room because there was a barbecue restaurant on the first floor.

A place with an unexplained leak that spread mold across one wall.

A worn-out boiler that made terrifying noises and only increased heating bills in winter, and old window frames that let freezing wind seep in.

Even recently, I had been three months behind on rent, unable to even ask the landlord to fix broken lights or a loose bathroom door hinge.

Living like that, my dream of owning a home felt impossible.

‘Goodbye, miserable life! I’ll stay here forever, even if I’m reborn as a worm in this world!’

Even if I became a worm, I’d be grateful. If I had lived like a gold spoon before dying, I’d at least be a golden worm.

While I was crying, the butler looked flustered and Ivan returned after hearing the noise.

A sweet voice, now sounding like a rich stepfather buff, reached my ears.

“What is going on?”

“She suddenly started crying, so… I don’t understand why.”

Ivan tilted his head and asked me.

“What is wrong? Do you not like something?”

“No!”

I shook my head quickly. No way!

“I’m just so ha—happy, sob, th-thank you so much!”

My speech was completely broken as I sobbed.

At the same time, I wandered around the room, touching every piece of beautifully crafted furniture with my small hands, rubbing my face against them.

Strange sounds kept coming out of my mouth.

“Sniff, the bed is so big and pretty, sob, the windows are so wide, why is the dressing table so pretty, wuuahhh. Even the carpet—only rich people have these things. What is that, a walk-in closet? It is a walk-in closet. Is this real?”

To translate it simply, it meant this:

Not a single thing in the room was untouched by my tears.

It probably looked strange to others, but I was truly happy.

It felt like winning first prize in the lottery three times in a row after not checking the tickets for weeks, only to find out unexpectedly that I had won every time.

Explaining it wouldn’t help. It’s a feeling you only understand when you experience it.

After crying tears of joy all over the room, I walked toward my gracious benefactor, my new father.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I lifted my skirt and knelt.

“Th-thank you so, so much!”

Then Ivan suddenly turned away and covered his face.

“…?”

What? Why is he laughing?

The Next Day

I lay on the big, beautiful, luxurious bed in my room and made a decision.

‘I should listen to the duke while I stay here.’

I should also treat Catherine and Isabella well in gratitude for giving me such a luxurious room.

‘Isabella unnie, no matter what evil things you do, I’ll use my Korean service spirit to handle it!’

I made up my mind firmly.

“For now, I’ll just eat well, rest well, and think about the future later.”

Too many worries prevent you from moving forward.

Now was the time to enjoy my first luxury life and adjust.

After eating the meal brought by the servants—licking the bowl clean—I covered myself with a cloud-like silk blanket and went to sleep.

“So comfortable.”

The next morning, my body—optimized for labor like a diligent commoner—woke up as soon as dawn broke.

“My first day as a rich debut!”

Excited, I washed my face in the bathroom attached to my room. The water had been prepared by servants the day before. It had been warm then, but overnight it had turned cold.

“Ahh, refreshing.”

Cold water is best in the morning.

Because I used to wash with cold water all year to save gas bills, warm water now felt strange—like washing my face in a running nose.

“I feel completely awake.”

After washing up, I got dressed while humming.

I wore the underdress that doubled as pajamas, then layered the outer dress I had taken off yesterday, and neatly combed my still-unfamiliar blonde hair.

“I’m hungry. Will someone come to call me for breakfast?”

In romance fantasy novels, isn’t that usually how it goes?

A maid comes to wake the lady, helps her prepare, and escorts her to the dining room.

Curious whether everyone was awake and wanting to know meal times, I wanted to go out.

But since it was my first day, I decided to wait.

‘I should observe the atmosphere first before acting.’

When will the door open?

I sat on the bed, swinging my legs, waiting.

Knock knock—

After a while, I finally heard footsteps outside the door, followed by a knock.

Unless someone had accidentally brushed against the door while passing by, it was definitely a knock. It was that faint.