TMV 07

Chapter 7

 Full Translation (Simple English)

‘Even a sparrow yawning would be louder than that.’

If I hadn’t been listening carefully, I might have missed the maid and she would’ve just left.
For someone living in a world without a phone, even one minute feels like an eternity.
Even if that wasn’t really a knock, I couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

I’m too bored and too hungry!

“Come in.”

But no one came in.

“…?”

I leaned out of the door myself, and saw the maid already walking away in the distance. Panicking, I shouted.

“I’m awake! Please come in!”

“Eek!”

She must not have expected me to come out. She turned around in shock, letting out a surprised exclamation like something out of a novel.

With a tone that was halfway between polite speech and informal speech, she said:

“I-I didn’t know you were awake. I didn’t feel any presence.”

So that small sound really was meant to be a knock.

Since the maid had come to call me, I would be going to eat soon!

Thinking about food, I didn’t question anything else and just smiled brightly and gestured.

“I don’t usually sleep in, so I wake up early. Come in. Is that water for washing?”

The maid hesitated, then entered the room.

“Please wash and get ready, young lady.”

The coldness of the water she was holding came through clearly. Her hands were red and frozen around the metal basin handle.

It was spring, but mornings were still cold, and water drawn from the well was like ice. I knew that well from living in the orphanage.

I didn’t mind cold water, but this was too much. At least the water in the bathroom before was close to room temperature.

‘Ah. Wait a second…’

Looking at that water, something came to mind.

‘In the novel, when the main character first arrived at the duke’s estate, she was laughed at because of the temperature of the wash water.’

It was one of those common noble-maid bullying tropes in romance fantasy novels. Apparently, proper nobles only wash with lukewarm water.

There must be some kind of sacred book for maids titled “101 Ways to Bully Our Young Lady”. The methods are all the same anyway.

‘In the novel, the maids who bullied Frederica were Isabella’s maids.’

In The Suspicious Young Lady, the heroine later takes revenge on Isabella’s maid who gave her cold water. That incident becomes the first open conflict between them.

‘Wow, because I woke up early and handled it myself, I skipped the first bullying event.’

I clicked my tongue in disappointment.

The maid flinched at my reaction.

‘What’s her problem?’

As I looked at her in confusion, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the mirror behind her.

Ah.

A serious “old-man-in-a-child’s-body” expression was there.

I quickly erased the “old” part and left only the “child.”

“I already washed using leftover water from yesterday in the bathroom. I’m already ready.”

“Already…?”

The maid looked dissatisfied, as if her plan had failed.

‘What, are you upset? It was still cold water anyway.’

But she seemed unhappy that I had already woken up and prepared myself before she could.

“I even brought the water…”

Really? Is it that precious?

I smiled and lightly dipped just my index finger into the water.

“Ah, it’s a shame to waste it. Then maybe I should at least wash my fingertip.”

I joked while dipping my finger in the cold water and gently moving it.

The maid bit her lip.

“Y-you’re wearing thin clothes, so of course it feels cold! I’ll bring proper clothes after breakfast.”

Suddenly, her polite speech improved a lot. And she became overly kind. Suspicious.

“Really?”

“I’ll go ask Lady Isabella if there are any dresses she no longer wears.”

Seriously? Designer clothes from a rich noble girl?

‘Is this going to be one of those fake hopes where they say it and then disappoint me later?’

If that happens, I’ll cry for real.

The maid looked like she was hiding something, but the idea of new clothes was still exciting.

The clothes I was wearing now were extremely worn out. Even from a poor orphan’s perspective, this was bad.

“Ironically, I even returned the nice clothes I got from the orphanage…”

“Breakfast is ready, young lady.”

“Already?”

Why did they come so late to wake me then?

If they had woken me up earlier, Ivan might have gotten tired of waiting.

‘So that’s it. They did it on purpose.’

It felt like workplace bullying in a company where new employees are tested.

In this mansion, I was basically a “parachute employee” who could climb the ranks quickly if I got on Ivan’s good side.

And this maid was someone tied to Isabella, trying to observe me carefully.

Instead of being angry, I actually found it interesting.

‘I’m a parachute employee!’

Me, who used to struggle just to eat, now a parachute employee!

Then I just need to ignore small-time maid politics and focus on the boss.

I stopped wasting time and rushed to the dining room.

The dining room only had Ivan.

He had already started eating, probably tired of waiting.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Come. I was waiting.”

I was guided to the seat next to Ivan.

It seemed like no one else was coming.

“I’m sorry I was late.”

“It’s fine. Sit.”

“Is no one else coming?”

“Just you and me today.”

I didn’t ask further and sat down.

So I’m the only one.

‘Then all this food is mine!’

My mouth watered at the huge table full of food.

A rich mushroom soup was brought to me first.

Then I saw roasted duck being sliced, colorful vegetable dishes, salad, freshly baked bread, butter, and cheese.

‘So this is what rich people eat every morning… amazing.’

Not knowing what to start with, I hesitated.

Ivan said flatly:

“Eat how you normally do. There is no shame in being uneducated.”

That wasn’t why I wasn’t eating, but still…

“Ah… yes.”

I grabbed a piece of duck leg with my hand and bit into it.

Duck is best when it’s the leg!

“…You eat well.”

“Hehe. People say kids my age can even chew rocks.”

It was just an expression, but Ivan misunderstood.

“Did the orphanage make you eat rocks?”

“Huh? No, I mean… yes…”

I awkwardly nodded.

‘Well… their bread was rock-hard, so kind of similar.’

Ivan clicked his tongue and signaled the servants.

The servant, who had been horrified watching me eat, quickly brought more food closer.

Now his expression changed from shock to pity.

‘This food is amazing.’

I ate faster under Ivan’s gaze.

I grabbed two duck legs and started eating like a starving child.

When I was almost full, Ivan spoke.

“Do you remember when you said you know who the First Prince is?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you also know who I am?”

I swallowed the food and answered quickly.

“Yes. You are Duke Ivan. I heard there is no one in this land equal to you except the Emperor. You are an amazing person.”

“Who told you that?”

I couldn’t say the truth, so I improvised.

“I read it in a book.”

“You can read?”

“I learned a bit by watching other kids read at the orphanage.”

That was a lie. I had been isolated there.

The real reason I could read in this world was because…

this world’s language was Korean.

Even though I was in a fantasy world full of blond nobles, everyone around me was writing in Korean.

Even what I was speaking was Korean.

Ivan didn’t know this, so he looked satisfied, thinking I was just a slightly clever child.

He believed I was not special.

Heh. That’s my cheat ability!

Then Ivan asked:

“If that’s so, do you also know why I adopted you as my daughter?”