I should have noticed from the start that my room was a guest room rather than one of the bedrooms the family members used.
I should have pondered why Marquis Bringston's attitude was more peaceful than I'd prepared for, when he'd sent a letter full of profanity as if he'd slap me right away.
But unfortunately, I'd been too busy thinking about Corellia lately to have time to look at myself.
"Leticia, you're not young anymore, and being unmarried is a major flaw in society. You know that, right? You need to quickly meet a good person and pair up."
'Ah, so a good person is father's friend?'
I looked back and forth between the two with slightly fed-up eyes.
Marquis Bringston had been treating me as damaged goods from the beginning.
There was no need to stay angry for long about damaged goods. He was just someone who thought of selling cheaply first.
I spoke seriously.
"Father, it hasn't been long since my broken engagement."
"Broken engagement? Who did you meet? Haha, this father doesn't remember well."
Ah, you're going to treat it like it never happened?
I wonder if the other party would do the same?
I looked at Count Shaning. He suddenly coughed.
Right, it wasn't just anyone but an engagement with Grand Duke Kahiten. From a count's position, asking about a grand duke's past would be burdensome.
"Count Shaning, do you have any thoughts on this?"
But Marquis Bringston deliberately spoke to the uncomfortable Count Shaning. He seemed to want to nail it down for sure.
"I... haha."
Count Shaning laughed awkwardly.
He neither completely agreed with Marquis Bringston's words nor denied them, turning his eyes to me.
"Young Lady Bringston, don't worry. Men become more magnanimous as they age, so I can understand everything."
Understand what? I don't understand.
The dialogue the doctor had thrown at my dying self in the early part of the original work, which I'd repeatedly recalled in fear, spun around in my head.
'The Grand Duchess's womb itself is not suitable for pregnancy...'
In this old-fashioned world, I absolutely couldn't tolerate a purposeless marriage. Moreover, I had to be kicked out of this marquis family soon, half voluntarily and half involuntarily.
'This won't do.'
I quickly sought a way to shake off Count Shaning.
Although Leticia's body was incompetent, I had one crude skill that could even manipulate the Grand Duchess of the ducal family.
I showed both palms and answered.
"Well, fine. Father, I don't know about marriage, but since we've met like this through fate, let me specially serve Count Your Excellency a cup of tea."
"Oh, Young Lady Bringston personally?"
Count Shaning was delighted.
"Yes, I may not look it, but I'm veeeeery knowledgeable about tea and coffee."
Marquis Bringston's gaze sharpened. He seemed suspicious of me coming out so obediently. But he didn't openly stop me.
I had been rebellious in running away from the marriage he'd arranged, but until then, the Leticia he knew was a very obedient girl.
He was clearly looking down on me. And this fact was favorable for me.
I skillfully cooled the water from the teapot and steeped the tea leaves with the tea set the maid brought out.
Count Shaning slithered up behind me.
"Your skill in handling the tea set is truly skillful, Young Lady. Indeed, you have reason to be proud."
It was behavior that violated etiquette between nobles, but I forced myself to smile. It was patience to deliver a bigger blow.
"Ohoho, I rather like this sort of thing."
"Tea ceremony is a good hobby for a lady to have. Fortunately, the past 10 years don't seem to have diminished the Young Lady's refinement."
"...Haha. Yes, well."
What are you saying about something I roughly learned by watching before doing cafe business? You actually don't know anything about how to brew tea, do you?
I smiled and handed him the teacup. I specially served a cup to Marquis Bringston too. He held the cup with a displeased face.
"Here you go."
"Oh, this is black tea personally brewed by Young Lady Bringston's fair hands!"
Count Shaning's eyes sparkled exaggeratedly.
"Please try it."
Count Shaning and Marquis Bringston looked at each other once, then simultaneously sipped their tea.
And.
"Oh, the taste really is...!"
"The taste, what is it?"
"Ta, taste... urgh."
Bleeeeeh.
Count Shaning bent his waist and retched. Marquis Bringston also covered his mouth with a pale face.
"You... what did you do to the tea!"
"I didn't do anything."
Actually, I did.
I brew coffee a bit uniquely, but I know how to make black tea decently. But I went through all sorts of trial and error before getting there.
In other words, while I don't know how to make drinks fantastically delicious, I'm enlightened in the art of making them nauseously bad.
I looked at the carpet dirtied by Count Shaning, held my nose, and waved my hand.
And gave a small comment.
"Ugh, the smell."
The count looked back at me with a hurt expression.
Beside him, Marquis Bringston sat bubbling like a boiling kettle and muttered.
"Leticia, let's talk separately later."
To be honest, I thought I'd get hit this time. The marquis's face watching Count Shaning hurriedly leave the Bringston house was full of anger and irritation.
But he didn't hit me.
Instead, he said this.
"If you were a man, you would have been beaten until your bones broke."
It was something Marquis Bringston often said to young Leticia in the past.
Whenever she, who had a slow side, made some mistake, he would scold her like this.
It wasn't because he cherished his daughter.
A son was his possession who would inherit the family, but a daughter was a commodity for the family's prosperity.
You can handle possessions roughly, but you don't damage commodities. That was his shit theory.
"Who do you think would take you if not an idiot like Count Shaning!"
Marquis Bringston shouted.
"I don't particularly want to go to another family."
"What? You've brought all kinds of shame to the family and you'll continue to squat here? Why should our family go so far to accommodate you?"
"You don't have to accommodate me."
"What?"
"I said it's fine if you don't. Since I'm in the wrong, you can just excommunicate me or kick me out to the streets."
"...!"
The marquis seemed flustered.
I continued expressionlessly.
"I survived alone for 10 years anyway. I don't need the family's help now."
"You..."
Marquis Bringston glared at me with wide eyes, then bared his teeth and smiled.
"How shameless."
He said.
"Where do you think you'll go empty-handed? Do you know how enormous the losses from your failed marriage are? You need to pay back at least half before leaving."
"Would it be fine if I pay it back?"
I didn't avoid his blazing eyes and said.
"I'll pay it back then."
"Ha! How do you plan to pay it back? You have nothing but your frail body."
"I lived well alone with just this frail body. I'll gradually pay back the money, so if you're going to make me marry, please just kick me out instead."
His cheek twitched convulsively.
"Don't be ridiculous, Leticia. How can I trust a half-wit like you? You're a vicious girl who abandoned even your family. Unless money comes into my hands immediately, I'll never let you go."
Marquis Bringston said that and rang a bell to call the butler.
"Philip, take Leticia back! And don't let her take even one step outside her room!"
Philip led me to the guest room.
"Miss."
"Don't drag me. Even if I'm going, I'll go on my own feet."
I left the reception room and walked ahead of Philip to the guest room.
Click.
The door was locked again.
I stood in front of the locked door and propped my chin.
'Do I have to escape again?'
But this time, even that didn't seem easy.
"What kind of guest room has no windows?"
They must have deliberately given me a windowless room among many guest rooms.
Marquis Bringston was more thorough than he appeared. Thinking conversely, I wondered how much he had looked down on me when I first possessed Leticia.
"Sigh."
I let out a deep sigh and sprawled on the bed.
Soft.
"Soft?"
"Ugh."
"...?"
A strange creature was wriggling inside the blanket.
I quickly lifted the blanket.
"...What are you doing there?"
"People are ignoring me..."
"..."
It was Roche, who hadn't even been assigned a room.
"Miss Rea."
Roche sat on the bed in a shabby state and asked.
"Have I become ugly?"
"Hmm..."
I quietly poured him a glass of water from the table.
He took the water cup with both hands and sniffled.
From the looks of it...
'He slept outdoors.'
For someone who detests cold wind to sleep outdoors - I could vividly see the hardships he'd endured during the past few days I'd been confined.
"What happened?"
"Well, as soon as Miss Rea entered the room, they kicked me out, so I held out with my face."
"You got kicked out."
"Yes. Are Miss Rea's family all blind? How can they refuse such a perfectly handsome servant?"
"It's because you came with me. They were wary."
Honestly, seeing his smooth hands, they probably thought he'd be completely useless as a servant.
"But how did you get in here?"
There were no windows, and the door was tightly locked.
Roche sipped water and pulled the blanket over his shoulders as he spoke.
"Miss Rea, don't tell me you forgot again. I'm an elf."
"Ah."
"Miss Rea's family has a lot of money but they're incredibly weak. What's the point of high walls for a house with no holy power or magic power?"
My ears perked up at Roche's words.
"Oh, then can you get out of here again?"
"Huh? Of course."
"..."
Okay, one escape route secured.