Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

TL: Jenn

In fact, Chloe and I have already made too many exceptions. It was also rare for a noble and the servant to talk so casually.

“I’ll prepare your bath.”

“Just don’t put that in.”

“Was the bath bomb bad last time?”

“Don’t put that in. That’s terrible.”

“Why? I heard it’s popular these days…”

“Rose scent, that dizzying smell? Tell them not to be funny. Everyone has a numb nose.”

Chloe hated it from the bottom of her heart. I was so sad that I started to eat again and nodded,

“I got it.”

I thought the smell was good. As Chloe said, my senses were not as sharp as her.

I went to the bathroom and got some moderately warm water in the bathtub.

“Huh?”

I was about to go out, but when I found a bunch of petals in the cabinet next to the bathtub, I was conflicted for a while.

“What are you doing?”

But Chloe was standing at the entrance of the bathroom looking at me.

“No, nothing.”

“I said don’t put it in.”

“The petals?”

Chloe’s face was crumpled at my question.

“If you put it in, I’ll tell you to go in.”

“Alright…I won’t.”

I put down the container of petals without hesitation.

“Are you going to wash up right now?”

“Yes, get out.”

“Alright…”

Chloe didn’t want me to help her with bath. She even refused when she hurt her leg and felt uncomfortable moving.

I agreed because I could vaguely understand the reason.

Maybe, she doesn’t want to show me the scars left by the abuse.

“I’ll hang the towel here.”

The answer didn’t come back. That means she heard it.

I closed the bathroom door and started cleaning the room.

The sunset, which filled the sky at dinner time, had already disappeared. The room became dark when I opened the curtains.

Chloe came out of the bathroom by the time I turned my back.

I blew out the match and approached her.

“I’ll take you to bed.”

“I have feet too.”

“I know.”

“You have eyes too, so go away.”

“Then I’ll dry your hair for you.”

I quickly took away the towel Chloe was holding. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but soon sighed and shut up.

Looking at her narrowed forehead, I think she was a bit annoyed, but she didn’t refuse.

“Then let’s go to the chair.”

“What a hassle.”

“You can’t dry it in bed. Your hair is silver, so it’s hard to find if it falls on the blanket.”

“Why are you complaining?”

“You’ve tried washing the blanket before right?”

It means that if someone knew how hard it was, they would say such a thing.

At my words, Chloe reacted as if she had recalled a bad past.

“But it was fun, wasn’t it?”

“What’s the fun in that?”

“Hmm, the very next day, you got sick.”

“……stop talking.”

Chloe sat obediently in a chair. I went up behind her and grabbed her hair.

I squeezed it with a towel and thought of a memory.

“I just remembered something.”

“What is it?”

“The day when I first saw you.”

It was probably around last spring, when Chloe and I first met.

“At that time, you…”

“Why don’t you stop talking?”

I tried to smile at her reply.

“I’m sure you’ll be mad if you hear it.”

“Why would you say that if you’re so sure about it?”

“Then listen to it.”

Back then, Lady Chloe was…

***

Between the end of winter and start of spring, I was hired at the Bicester mansion after my final interview.

But I became a maid at Bicester’s seperate house where the heroine, Chloe lived.

Chloe Dian Bicester. The first time I saw the girl was when I was pulling weeds in the garden of the mansion.

Why should I do this kind of heavy labour on my first day of work?

While I was grumbling in the corner, a girl was looking at the sky with an dispirited look at the open window.

“Chloe…?”

I opened my eyes wide when I happened to see her.

She had long silver hair, pale white skin, and bright red eyes that were distinct from afar.

It was clearly Chloe, the heroine.

“Why…”

I was so shocked that I unconsciously let out a sound.

Why? What’s wrong with her?

Chloe, who was sitting by the window, looked very malnourished. I think she didn’t even eat properly.

The Chloe depicted in the novel <Lady and the dog> was neither that young nor malnourished.

The silver hair that should be shiny looked dry, and her face which should be lively was deadly pale.

I realized only then.

We haven’t reached the main story of the novel yet.

And there was one more thing I realized. This was Chloe’s past.

When Chloe was born as an illegitimate child of Duke Bicester and lived in a separate house. She endured all kinds of abuse.

One day, Duke Bicester brought her in. When the duke, who is known to have a clean relationship with women, brought in the child, the household has been turned upside down.

The Duke of Bicester brought the child out of obligation. He seemed to think that he would fulfill his responsibilities by feeding, dressing, and housing the child, whether she stayed at the main building or the separate one.

So he did not step up when he saw his daughter being abused by the Duchess. He thought that if he helped her, she’ll be in a worse situation.

Oh my god!

When I read the novel, it was the most frustrating part.

Responsibility? Obligations?

If the Duke really had such feelings for Chloe, he should’ve prevented Chloe from being born in the first place.

He should’ve done it with contraception!

To put it bluntly, Chloe, who was known as the ‘Illegitimate child’ shouldn’t have been born in this world.

For the Duchess, for Chloe, and for his first son.

If he had to bring Chloe to the duke’s house, then he should have done his best for the child. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and letting her live in abuse.

Ha, Duke Bicester. What a homewrecker!

I cursed the Duke Bicester in my heart while looking at Chloe. Very well.

Of course, even in this situation, Chloe’s flowery path was already determined because she’s the heroine.

Chloe, who grew up to be strong even in the midst of abuse, will be treated completely differently in the future because of her ability.

She could show the future of others. Although she couldn’t see her own future, she could see other’s future.

In short, the novel <The Lady and the Dog> is about the regrets of Chloe’s family, with Chloe in the centre of everything.

The situation will be different by the time she grows up. I remember that she was being loved more and more in the novel.

In the end, they devoted themselves to Chloe. The Duke of Bicester, a homewrecker who let her be abused, turned to a daughter fool. His first son, who would later become a duke, also became a younger sister fool while worshipping at her feet.

It was a typical standard of a family regrets story.

The main content of the novel was that Chloe, who started to be treated warmly by her family, met three male protagonist candidates.

The first candidate is Crown Prince Hyde. The second candidate is Geron, the Marquis and knight.

The third candidate is Deiss, the wise magician, who had villain-like visuals.

The one I supported here…is Chloe.

Chloe, do whatever you want. Take whatever you want!

I didn’t care about the story or the secretly obsessed male lead candidates.

Anyhow, if Chloe wants anything, I’ll help her!

Chloe was the only reason why I liked <The Lady and the Dog>. She acted indifferently to her family who were regretting their actions. Chloe wouldn’t even glance at them who were clinging on her.

I felt really sad when the novel was stopped.

“That didn’t mean I wanted to transmigrate here…”

I looked at Chloe again after muttering.

The little girl was evidence of abuse in itself. She had an abnormally thin body and also had scars from being whipped as a child.

What should I say about the impression when I saw Chloe’s brief past in the novel with my own eyes?

Whether there was a flowery path in front of her or a path full of money, she was still pitiful. My heart heated up as if I had swallowed a fireball when I thought about how far her scheduled happiness would come.

As the novel became a reality, it felt different.

How could they abuse a child like that? They’re a bunch of crazy people!

I pulled out weeds with my hands roughly as I vented my anger.

“You’re sweating so hard, you must be working hard. Follow me.”

However, Mrs. Deo, the head maid of the separate house, was impressed to see me like that.

It, it’s a misunderstanding!

I couldn’t have said that.

That’s how I got out of the weed-grabbing hell.

Before I left the yard, I turned my head and looked where Chloe had been.

The window was closed, and Chloe was no longer visible.

***

The servants of the separate house had a very different atmosphere from the main building’s servants. Rather than being calm, they were suspicious and cautious as if they were hiding something.

So, on my first day of work, I was able to have conversations with other people only late at night.

“Newbie!”

“Huh?”

“What’s your name?”

Even so, I can’t believe they asked my name right now, after working with me all day long.

“Blea.”

“Blea?”

“Yes.”

I answered her sincerely, even though I thought the opposite.

This is my first job, I need to make a good impression. But I didn’t say my last name.

Thorpe is basically an unknown family. Even though we are fallen noble, a noble is still a noble. I purposely did it so that I won’t create a sense of distance from the people I worked with by revealing my last name.

“Blea, so it’s Blea.”

“……?”

“Right, my name is Misa.”

Misa is a maid with disheveled brown hair and eyes, also a mole on her nose.

“Is this your first time working as a maid?”

“Yes, why?”

I felt ominous after answering.

If she’s asking me about my career, no way…is she trying to bully me?

But my prediction was off.