‘Should I run away alone?’

She squinted her eyes and contemplated.

In fact, it was also difficult for Valletta to get out of the house. She lowered her hands and looked at the bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was given to her by Count Delight as a gift for her birthday when she was 10 years old, and it made tracking her location possible. At the same time, it’s a device that can force Valletta to be repatriated wherever she may be.

“There’s no difference between him and me.”

In a sense that they were both locked up.

She lay down on her bed with her arms outstretched and swallowed her sigh. It seemed like adapting to this world’s way of thinking, which she hardly understood, was still too far.

Knock knock. Hearing the knocking sound, her waist reacted and her body immediately went upright.

“Come in.”

“I heard you called for me, my lady.”

“Yeah. I’m going to wash up.”

“Yes, I will prepare it.”

She nodded her head slowly. She was now used to being served and giving orders.

So will I get used to this shackled life, unable to go against Count Delight’s orders?

“I never thought I would come here to try and understand political marriages among chaebols.”

(T/N: Chaebols: Rich people in Korea are called chaebols. Usually means a large industrial conglomerate in South Korea, usually run by an owner or its family.)

Valletta sighed deeply.

She will soon be engaged to the Crown Prince. Count Delight informed her yesterday. We’ve seen each other several times, but to get engaged… She then swallowed a forced laugh.

“Ah, I don’t want to wash up.”

Today is the day to talk to the Crown Prince before the engagement. That’s why she didn’t want to get up, but the pace continues to keep her awake.

‘D*mn Reinhardt.’

If she refused 25 times, he should’ve understood and gave up. She never thought that every time she said 5 minutes, he would really wait for 5 minutes and wake her up again.

She lowered her head as she sighed.

After putting on the dress without washing up and eating, she was freed from the hands of her maids. When she complained that she was hungry, they said it would be difficult to eat as the dress may look bad, so the maids gave her an apple, a salad and three pieces of grass. Then they tightened the corset.

‘D*mn…I really hate this.’

But all of this was an order from the Count.

If a story that she came to the Imperial palace in a mess reached the Count’s ears, he might hang her upside down again even at this age. When she was young, her ankle didn’t hurt at all, but these days, she felt like she would lose her mind if she got hung up again.

“All done.”

“Okay.”

As she slowly went down the red carpeted stairs with a scowl on her face, there was Reinhardt in a better tunic than his usual one. Valletta turned her head toward his dazzling beautiful appearance, even though he was just draped with a piece of straw mat.

“Hey, get out of here. What are you doing blocking the road? You lowly slave.”

“Tsk, you’ve gotten arrogant just because the lady values you…”

“… Your seat is over there!”

“Yes.”

Despite the maids and servants’ abuse, Reinhardt only smiled lightly and silently answered. But to Valletta, it seemed like dark rage was piling up behind his smiling face.

‘Ah, fine. Take care of your own lives.’

At this point, she didn’t even know herself. Even if she tells them not to bother him, they still do it behind her back.

‘Why doesn’t anyone notice that I’m not taking his side because I like him, but because I want to live. I’m this desperate, shouldn’t someone notice that something is strange about him?’

Valletta had given up.

How can she save those that go into the gutter by themselves even when she tells them the way to survive.

Despite their scolding, Reinhardt bowed his head and gently went aside.

For Valletta, knowing that Reinhardt would write down all his suffering, and later break each one of their fingers as he recited them, she thought it would be best to keep her mouth shut.

‘Even if we die, let’s die beautifully.’

Her goal had slightly changed. While not dying was the top priority, she hoped that when she die, she would be killed in one shot and die without torture.

“This slave will sit on the floor.”

Valletta lost her words for a while.

She felt like she was going to faint. She urgently shook her hands a little.

“Ah, no. Don’t do that. It’s a big carriage so listen to me and wait there.”

“However……. That’s a slave. No matter how…”

“Is no one gonna listen to my order at once? I mean, it’s an order. I am your master, and this is what I ordered.”

The attendant’s face was distorted, but he couldn’t talk back to Valletta openly. He just barely opened his mouth.

“…… I understand, my lady.”

Dissatisfied with Valletta’s words, the attendant roughly grabbed Reinhardt’s shoulder. He whispered something into Reinhardt’s ears and pushed him hard against the carriage.

But on the contrary, it was Valletta who flinched.

‘… This crazy b*st*rd’

Valletta witnessed Reinhardt’s eyes shine eerily as she got into the carriage.

She exhaled a long sigh.

Is it an illusion that everything feels hopeless?

As if he knew the disturbance in her heart, Reinhardt followed after her and went in. Once the attendance closed the door, the carriage departed for the Imperial Palace.

“…… What are you doing?”

Valletta let out an absurd voice as she watched Reinhardt sit on the carriage’s floor, leaving the chair opposite to her unoccupied.

Reinhardt, who was sitting on the floor, briefly sighed. Leaning his head sideways, he smiled broadly.

“The outstanding and great servant told me to know my place.”

‘Ah, he’s offended.’

When Reinhardt spoke informally, showed off his face or leaned on her, he usually felt uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was not just because of those words, but something else offended him even more.

“Sit down, nobody will see it, and you just have to go back down before we get there.”

“…… If the master would let me sit beside you.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Please lend me your shoulders.”

‘Now I’m sure he’s offended.’

Maybe it’s because of lack of affection, but whenever he was offended he seemed to look for warmth.

Valletta pondered for a moment. Soon, she nodded her head. Reinhardt smiled and sat down next to her. He lowered his head and leaned his forehead against Valletta’s shoulder. As if he was tired, he closed his eyes and said nothing.

There was only silence after that.

As always, Reinhardt borrowed warmth from her, and by the time they arrived there, he gently sat back on the floor, feeling better than before.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, Reinhard first opened the door and stepped down, then naturally knelt on his knees. It was obviously meant for her to step on, but Valletta didn’t really want to. However, Reinhardt noticed it…

“Feel free to step your foot on this back.”

It felt like he would break her ankle if she did so. She shook her head, as she trembled with goose bumps because of her imagination.

“Coachman.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“There’s a log underneath the coach seat. Bring it. I don’t like stepping on people.”

“I understand.”

The coachman hurriedly ran back to the coach seat. Reinhardt, who was prostrated like a dog, looked up at Valletta with a strange expression.

Valletta waved her hands to avoid his gaze.

“You too, quickly get away from there.”

“Master seems to hate me very much.”

This time again, a menacing voice, as if he was offended. His voice was so menacing, that his soft hair stood up and his eyes were narrowed. As she turned her head a little, there was Reinhardt standing neatly, smiling like usual.

‘Perhaps he’s not offended?’

In fact, when Reinhardt was alone with Valletta, there was a time when he wouldn’t speak.Since she didn’t blame him that much, the frequency seemed to have increased recently.

‘This is easy. This is it.’

Who would stop him while knowing everything.

Sadly Valletta was a person who knew everything, so even if Reinhardt slapped her on the face, she wouldn’t say much.

His contempt and acting ability are both at the top level.

‘It’s a sad life…..’

Valletta sighed while thinking so.

“But what made you come to the Imperial palace today?” he asked.

“Because His Highness, the Crown Prince would like to have a meal together before the official announcement of our engagement.”

Reinhardt’s face stiffened when he heard Valletta’s apathetic words.

“What do you mean by engagement?”

***