🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 8
“Yes.”
The duke raised one eyebrow, as if interested.
“Tell me what you know.”
“I’ve heard that people like you—high-ranking nobles—need several children for different reasons. For example, a child to inherit the family, or children used to form alliances with other families.”
“Hmm.”
“But since you only have one daughter, I thought you adopted me because you needed another child to fulfill those needs.”
“Did the orphanage master teach you that?”
“No.”
“Then how did you come to think that?”
Instead of saying something absurd like “I read it in a novel,” I tried to make myself sound a little smarter.
“I just figured it out while living in the orphanage.”
“Just figured it out?”
“The children at Kurtiis Orphanage are all like that. Illegitimate children who are inconvenient but kept hidden in case they are needed later. When a family needs another child for any reason, they take one. If not, they just abandon them.”
“Hmm.”
As these uncomfortable truths that nobles usually whispered about casually came out of a child’s mouth without filter, Ivan looked slightly uneasy.
I pretended not to notice and continued speaking.
“That’s why the orphanage teaches children noble etiquette, unlike other orphanages, right? I was transferred from another orphanage, so I know how different Kurtiis is. That’s how I noticed all of this.”
Freedia had already been possessed when she arrived at Kurtiis, so she actually didn’t know what other orphanages were like. She only read it in a book.
But to Ivan, it seemed my words were believable.
“You’re quite intelligent. But you are not my illegitimate child. Do you understand why I brought you here anyway?”
I already knew the reason, but that was something the duke had planned alone. If I said I knew everything, it would only cause suspicion.
“Should I say I don’t really know? Or that I think it might be related to Herace?”
While I was hesitating, a cook suddenly appeared from the kitchen carrying dessert. It seemed the meal had ended, so dessert was being served.
The cook placed a knife into the center of the cake.
The silver knife sliced through the beautifully decorated whipped cream and soft sponge.
For a moment, I was completely drawn to the cake.
“Um… so I think it might be related to the cake. I heard the First Prince likes cake…”
As I spoke, I suddenly realized something was wrong.
Since when was I staring at the cake?
When I quickly turned my head back to look at Ivan, I saw him biting his lip tightly.
“S-sorry. I mean, the cake looked like it had something to do with me being seen in a good light…”
“The First Prince.”
“Ah, yes! The First Prince… the cake…”
“You.”
“Yes—no, I mean me.”
Ah, how embarrassing. Damn cake! I had tried so hard to act smart and composed, and now this!
My face burned red. When I glanced at Ivan, he was pressing his fingers against his forehead, covering his face.
“Are you alright?”
“Cake… cough. Just eat the cake first.”
Ivan gestured to the cook, and a large slice of cake was placed in front of me.
“A child is still just a child.”
His muttering made his mouth twitch.
I didn’t know what that meant, but I decided to ignore it.
The cook brought over a large slice and set it on my plate.
“Please enjoy, young lady. It’s a cake made with fresh cream from milk collected just this morning.”
There was a faint smile in the cook’s voice.
When I glanced at Ivan, he nodded as if telling me to eat. Then he dismissed the servants and spoke again.
“Eat while you listen.”
I quickly picked up my fork and took a big bite.
As the soft cake melted in my mouth, Ivan spoke.
“You don’t need to know everything from the beginning. For now, your job here is to learn etiquette. I’ll assign you a tutor starting tomorrow, so do your best.”
With my cheeks full, I replied in a slurred voice.
“Yesss.”
“I hope you do not disappoint me.”
His voice was firm, but his expression was relaxed, so it didn’t feel too intimidating.
‘They give me a good room and good food. Learning etiquette is nothing.’
I nodded seriously, still chewing cake.
“Yes!”
“Good. I will leave first. If you want more dessert, you can have it sent to your room.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I bowed my head, and just as the duke was about to stand, he suddenly stared at me.
Then he raised a finger and poked my cake-filled cheek.
“…?”
When I looked at him in confusion, he flinched and pulled his hand back.
“Something… something was on your face. I’ll be going now.”
And then he quickly left the dining room.
I could have sworn his eyes had sparkled just now. What was that?
After finishing the meal and returning to my room, someone soon knocked on the door. It was the maid from earlier.
She had said she would bring clothes to replace my rags, and now she was holding a dress in her arms.
“I found a dress that Lady Isabella had outgrown and was going to discard.”
Freedia’s body was small for a fourteen-year-old, likely due to poor nutrition. So a dress that was small for Isabella, who was only a year older, should fit.
But the maid’s expression was strange as she set the dress down.
“Is something wrong?”
“The hem is torn a bit… I’m not sure if it can be worn. What should we do?”
When I checked, “a bit” was an understatement—the hole was large enough for my head to pass through. What on earth happened to this dress?
“Do you have anything else?”
The maid answered bluntly.
“No. If not, you’ll have to wear what you’re currently wearing for now. The mistress needs to approve any new clothing orders, but she’s not feeling well at the moment.”
So I needed permission from Catherine, who was lying in her room because she disliked me.
And it seemed unlikely she would come out anytime soon—or agree to buy me clothes if she did.
“Then can I wear this if I fix it myself? You won’t change your mind later, right? Like saying it was actually the princess’s favorite dress?”
“Of course not.”
I looked at the dress skeptically. It did seem to be an old, discarded item. If it were precious to Isabella, it wouldn’t have been left dusty like this.
Dust fluttered down each time I shook the hem.
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“I’m not confident, but I’ll try fixing it myself.”
Satisfied, the maid handed me a sewing kit and left, her back already full of expectation that I would become a laughingstock.
“Did Isabella tell her to do this… or is this maid acting on her own? It’s a bit different from the original story, so I’m not sure…”
I sighed and picked up the dress.
It was actually quite beautiful once I spread it out—delicate lace, high-quality fabric, and elegant decorations that were neither too flashy nor too plain.
‘Alright, I like it.’
The tear was diagonal rather than straight, so simply stitching it together would make it very noticeable.
“Hmmm…”
Did Isabella deliberately damage a dress she no longer wanted?
“Wherever you go, there’s always petty bullying. I’ve seen it at factories too. Getting older doesn’t make people mature.”
I sighed.
“Seriously, if being an adult automatically made you mature, then why are there clueless old men who can’t tell criticism from harassment?”
I clicked my tongue, wet the thread with my mouth, and narrowed my eyes at the needle.
Then I realized I could see the eye of the needle clearly.
I straightened my posture.
“My eyesight is good, right.”
Maybe because I never used to lie in bed in the dark looking at a smartphone, Freedia’s eyesight was excellent. That was the first thing I noticed after possessing this body.
So this was what it felt like to see the world properly.
“No glasses, no lenses, and everything is so clear…”
“I’ll live well~ I’ll live well~ I’ll live very well in this life~”
I hummed an unknown song while threading the needle.
In that moment, all concentration gathered into my hands and eyes.
Great Ecstatic Needle Technique (大恍惚針法).
First Form: Fake Stitch Empty Fist.
“Hup!”
With a loud shout, I stabbed the needle into the fabric.
poke poke
Despite the dramatic energy, my movements were completely ordinary.
Fake Stitch Empty Fist—also known as simple sewing. Since sewing was boring, I added my own dramatic flair.
“Now, overcasting stitch! Ladder stitch! Backstitch! Half-backstitch!”
In truth, I was very good at sewing. I even made doll clothes at home as a side job, earning decent pocket money.
Whether sewing or embroidery, there was nothing I couldn’t do with a needle.
“La la la~”
The maid had probably expected me to awkwardly ruin the dress and become a joke.
But what she got instead was a beautifully transformed dress—completely redesigned after careful stitching, cutting, and reconstructing.
“Making doll clothes or human clothes… it’s basically the same thing. Heh.”
