WBWB | Chapter 4

When I came out after bathing, the maid was gone, but clothes, a brush, and a hair tie were laid out on the bed. Touching the plain auburn dress, I noticed the fabric was much thicker than what I usually wore, likely due to the cold weather.

Changing into the new clothes, I imagined what kind of treatment awaited me here.

‘It certainly won’t be good…’

The dress that reached my ankles seemed to be made of good quality fabric, but it wasn’t much different from the uniform and apron worn by the maid who had just attended to me. Somehow, this dress felt like an indicator of how the Duke would treat me in the future.

I put on the clothes, brushed my damp hair with my hand, and put it up. Then I sat on the bed and looked around the room.

It was a very bare room compared to my room in the royal palace. There was no dressing table, no mirror, no desk, only a small nightstand next to the bed for a candle. Fortunately, it had an attached bathroom, but the ceiling exposed the stone structure. A palm-sized window was on the wall next to the bed, and on the adjacent wall, a fireplace with stacked firewood. There was no rug, leaving the stone floor exposed.

‘It’s like a maid’s room.’

I sat on the bed and thought for a moment. Then I came to a conclusion. Although my room had changed from a beautiful one filled with gold leaf and frescoes to this, it wasn’t as bleak as I had imagined before arriving here.

‘Yes, there’s no need to be depressed already. Come to think of it, the Viscountess gave me a similar room, didn’t she? Back then, it was a cramped attic room with a sloping ceiling, and no bathtub or even a toilet.’

So, I had to keep a chamber pot in the room, and when I needed to wash, I had to ask for a large basin of warm water and have it carried up to my room. Fortunately, I was accustomed to being treated like a servant. But if I had suddenly fallen from a position of aristocratic privilege, the shock would have been much greater.

‘It’s better than back then. Besides, I’m a criminal now. I should be grateful for this kind of treatment.’

In any case, I had arrived at my place of exile alive and without falling off my horse. Thinking back, I could have been subjected to horrific torture in the dungeon, forced to confess to crimes I didn’t commit. Or my trial could have been indefinitely postponed, leaving me to wither and die on the cold stone floor.

‘It’s not the worst.’

Thinking this far, I realized I had something to rely on, even though I had thought I had no backing. It was the existence of Young Master Mael.

Of course, if I hadn’t become his tutor in the first place, I wouldn’t have been exiled in the first place. But if I hadn’t been his tutor, how would I have fed my family? Young Master Mael couldn’t clear my false accusation, but he still had enough influence to write to the Duke of Skadi and ask him to look after me.

However, I wondered what the Duke felt about suddenly being burdened with someone connected to the King’s illegitimate son, Young Master Mael.

‘A nuisance, I suppose…’

The thought alone made me sigh. Still, I had to make a good impression on the Duke. I was dependent on his mercy for my entire life in Skadi.

‘But how?’

It was clear that the way I treated nobles in the capital wouldn’t work here.

‘Mercy? Would a Duke with barbarian blood even have such a thing as mercy?’

I was prejudiced against the man I had just met. More precisely, I was prejudiced against the Skadi family.

‘They say they’re frightening people…’

Just as I thought that, my stomach rumbled loudly.

‘I’m hungry…’

The stew I had forced myself to eat seemed to have stimulated my appetite. As if my sleeping hunger had awakened, I suddenly became extremely hungry. From then on, waiting for mealtime became a torment.

‘But why did he invite me to dinner? Because I’m a noble?’

How much time had passed? 

I couldn’t tell even by looking out the window as it was too dark and gloomy.

“Dinner is ready.”

When the maid finally returned, I was almost relieved to see her.

Arriving at the dining hall, I was surprised by two things. First, the Duke had already arrived and was seated, but the table was empty except for the tableware. Second, he was the only one there. I glanced around, wondering if anyone else was coming, and curtsied, slightly lifting the hem of my dress.

“Thank you for the invitation, Your Grace. It’s an honor to attend dinner.”

He spoke to me without rising.

“Sit down.”

A servant gestured to a seat near him. I sat down, feeling a bit bewildered.

Glancing around discreetly, I saw that while it wasn’t as luxurious as the royal palace, the dining hall had everything a grand duchy needed. Tapestries adorned the walls, seemingly depicting hunting scenes.

As soon as I sat down, the servants entered carrying plates of food. Each plate held a very small portion, just enough for one person to eat. Two identical plates, each containing the same type and amount of food, were placed in front of him and me.

‘Huh?’

It was a peculiar custom.

“Unlike in Franc, we don’t serve all the food at once. If we did, the food would get cold before we could eat it. And the further away from the head of the table, the harder it is to get decent food. Those seated at the far end can’t even fill their stomachs unless someone serves them.”

‘I see.’

Now that I think about it, it sounded rather reasonable. In the royal palace, the tables were usually overflowing with food, with the best dishes placed near the head of the table. Nobles seated at the far end couldn’t taste the dishes out of reach unless those seated closer specifically shared it with them. So, the competition for favor and a seat near His Majesty was fierce.

‘What else is there that’s different from Franc?’

We soon ate our food in silence.

“Does it suit your taste?”

I quickly nodded.

“It’s delicious. Thank you again for your kindness, Your Grace.”

To be honest, despite my terrible hunger, the food wasn’t particularly appealing. Perhaps to adapt to the cold weather, every dish was rich, and the sauces had unfamiliar flavors. The only familiar dish was fish sprinkled with salt and lemon juice. Whether it was because my stomach hadn’t accepted food for a long time, the tension of the situation, or a combination of both reasons, I soon felt nauseous.

‘I think I’m going to throw up.’

But how unpleasant would it look if an exiled noblewoman from the capital picked at her food, complaining that it didn’t suit her taste? Suppressing the rising vomit and nausea, I continued to praise the local cuisine several times while my mouth was still open.

“The food really suits my taste. Especially this…what do you call it, this alcohol…? It’s really delicious.”

“It’s cider, made from apples.”

“And the meat I just had, that was also delicious.”

“Rabbit cooked with dried plums.”

“I see! And this is also very tasty.”

“Then have some more.”

He dryly accepted my praise of the local food and gestured to a servant. Soon, all the dishes I had barely finished were replaced with fresh servings.

‘I have to eat this again…?’

This is why one shouldn’t lie.

“Don’t stop eating and listen to me.”

The Duke spoke as I stared at the food, gulping hard.

“I don’t know how it is where you come from, but here, everyone works, regardless of age, gender, or social status. The land is vast, and there are many things to do, but there are only few people.”

I began to forcefully shove the bubbly apple cider down my throat after breaking apart the food in front of me as finely as possible.

“This applies to the exiles occasionally sent from the capital as well. It’s better for their minds and bodies to work rather than be idle, wouldn’t you agree? My territory usually receives robbers and murderers who barely escaped hanging. I usually have them cultivate barren land. There’s still plenty of uninhabitable land in the northern territories.”

At his words, I looked up at the Duke of Skadi, struggling to swallow my food.

“Or have them repair the castle.”

‘Me too?’

He had clearly said “regardless of gender.” 

Had I, just after barely surviving and arriving here, been sentenced to a life of plowing land and breaking rocks?

‘No… Even so, this is too much…’