Chapter 2

※Second Chapter of the Day

The harassment continued the next day as well.

When I was called by my stepmother, she would complain, "The tea is late," as a greeting, even though I hadn't been asked to prepare it. There were many servants in the mansion, and if I asked them, I could live a comfortable and elegant life without any inconvenience.

Perhaps she had a disease that made her unable to live without complaining.

"Please, I kept you waiting."

"Do you intend to make me drink something this hot?"

"――!?"

The teacup tipped over, and scalding hot tea splashed onto my hand. The tea she had specifically requested was best made with boiling water, yet this was the treatment I received.

The pain made me wince, and my stepmother's face lit up with an unusually delighted smile.

"Mother, that's going too far. If it leaves a mark..."

At Giselle's frantic voice from beside me, my stepmother's expression darkened.

Once, I had been severely beaten by my enraged stepmother. The injuries were so severe that palace knights came to investigate an anonymous report.

However, with my mouth cut and swollen, unable to speak, my father covered it up, claiming I had been attacked by an intruder.

The anonymous report—along with only eyewitness testimony—was weak evidence, and the truth never came to light. As a result, the servants who were close to me were replaced and left the mansion.

My half-sister Giselle, who would be implicated if anything happened to my stepmother, usually watched the harassment from the sidelines. However, when it went too far, she began to reprimand my emotionally volatile stepmother to prevent the same mistake from happening again.

In controlling my stepmother, Giselle was more terrifying than my stepmother herself.

"Y-Yes, you're right. Nadia, go cool it down quickly. You don't need to come back today."

"Yes, I will take my leave."

I bowed and left the room, then rushed straight to the small house in the annex of the mansion.

I took a small bottle from the shelf and applied the ointment generously to the burn.

"Good... before it blistered."

The burning sensation in my arm gradually subsided along with the redness.

"Mother's recipe is truly effective."

This small house was where my mother, during her lifetime, had researched original cosmetics to regain her beauty. Next to this small research building was a greenhouse where the herbs used in the cosmetics were cultivated.

I loved this place for its peace and lack of malicious words and gazes.

Most importantly, it was the only place my stepmother and Giselle did not interfere with, despite the strong presence of my mother's memories.

"Really, they are so selfish, aren't they? Pearl, what do you think?"

I spoke to the spherical light that floated toward me. The light flickered and stopped over my burned arm.

"Are you worried? Thank you."

Since childhood, I have been able to see entities that ordinary people cannot. Pearl, the light, is the most prominent of these.

My mother had warned me not to tell anyone, fearing that my father would find it disturbing and avoid me. So, I kept it a secret.

But to me, Pearl has been a dear friend since I was old enough to understand.

"The ointment and beauty cream are running low. We have beeswax and palm oil left, so shall we make more? Pearl, can you help me?"

Pearl flickered in agreement and circled around my head. Although we cannot speak directly, we can communicate.

"The cream will run out, and Mother and Giselle will complain."

The special beauty cream is a valuable weapon to keep my stepmother, who is prone to spots, and Giselle, who has sensitive skin, in a good mood. I also make daily-use toners and lotions.

I went to the greenhouse and collected a basket full of herbs.

While they were still fresh, I lightly boiled them in water, ground them thoroughly, wrapped them in a cloth, and squeezed out the extract. Then, I added beeswax and scented oils, stirring patiently until the mixture turned white.

"Pearl, is this okay?"

Sparkling powder fell from the spherical light. After mixing it thoroughly, the special beauty cream was complete. Pearl has been helping me make it since I took over my mother's recipes.

In fact, the effectiveness of the cosmetics I make is due to the powder from Pearl.

The quality of the cosmetics was already high, but with the addition of the powder, they heal skin problems and injuries at a magical speed. My stepmother and Giselle have tried to recreate the recipes with the help of apothecaries, but they could never achieve the same results.

Without me, Pearl, the greenhouse, and the research building, they cannot produce these items, which is why my stepmother and Giselle do not interfere here.

After filling the glass bottles and arranging them on the shelf, the cream-making was complete.

"Really, how long do I have to keep doing this?"

I sighed as I looked at the neatly arranged bottles.

"The only legitimate daughter of the Marquess Masquar family is Nadia. As long as you are here, I won't let that thief cat and her daughter have their way. You are my trump card. This house is ours... I won't let them take it."

That's what my mother used to say, but unfortunately, I feel like a discarded card.

The Marquess family will likely have my beloved step-sister Giselle marry into the family, and her husband will become the heir.

But what will happen to me after the husband arrives?

Will the harassment continue even in front of him? Or will they imprison me to make the lie of me being a "recluse" a reality?

I haven't entered society, and no one has proposed to take me away. I can't go out, so I don't know the life of commoners, and I don't think I could survive outside.

Once, I tried to escape from my困境 by stepping out the back gate, but Pearl pulled on my clothes to stop me.

Why are you stopping me—while I was struggling with this, the unknown world frightened me, and my feet wouldn't move any further. Needless to say, I turned back.

"Really, how pitiful. Is God telling me to live like a servant forever? What a cruel God."

Pearl comforted me by rubbing against my cheek.

"It's the same every day, so why am I feeling so sentimental today? I'm fine now. Thank you."

But perhaps because I had inadvertently blasphemed, the next day, I was summoned by my father, the Marquess Masquar.