SCMBRN Chapter 5

I knew this would happen.

 

“Oh my, how adorable. Don’t you agree?”

 

“Absolutely. He looks like a little angel descended from the heavens!”

 

“He’s my son, but even I have to admit he’s so lovable. Should we try another outfit?”

 

“Right away, Madam!”

 

The boutique clerks scrambled to bring out every boys’ outfit imaginable.

 

The Marchioness of Lyndsey beamed with joy as she dressed her young son in each one.

 

“Carrie, how did you get so cute!”

 

“Carrie” was the nickname of Carrian Lyndsey, the second son of the Lyndsey household. He was the only child born between the current Marchioness and the Marquis, a late addition to the family.

 

At just six years old, Carrie was the darling of the household, basking in the family’s undivided affection. That’s why I saw this coming.

 

“Charlotte, Charlotte! What do you think? Which outfit suits Carrie best?”

 

At the Marchioness’s question, I slowly got up from my chair and answered.

 

“They all look good on him.”

 

My lifeless reply made the Marchioness raise her eyebrows.

 

“Don’t you care about your brother?”

 

“Mother, weren’t we out today for me?”

 

She looked a bit taken aback, then had a maid fetch her handbag. From it, she pulled out a silk pouch and handed it to me.

 

“You don’t seem interested in clothes for once. Why don’t you look around some other shops? Buy whatever you want with this.”

 

The luxurious pouch was filled with gleaming gold coins. What a lucky break.

 

“I’m going to stay and finish shopping for Carrie.”

 

“Okay! Will do.”

 

“I’ll send George with you. Don’t even think about leaving this street.”

 

One of the three knights accompanying us for protection, a man named George, followed behind me.

 

“See you later then!”

 

Finally free from the boring shopping trip for someone else, I stepped outside with gusto.

 

Heh heh, though I looked like I was ready to splurge, I had no intention of spending a single coin. I needed to add every bit to my emergency fund.

 

My ultimate future goal was to live off an allowance in a countryside villa provided by the Marquis. But I couldn’t ignore the possibility of the worst-case scenario.

 

If I get kicked out like Charlotte in the original story, I’ll be broke and homeless.

 

That’s why I’ve been secretly building a stash since I got isekai’d into this body. It sounds easy, but it really wasn’t.

 

Charlotte didn’t usually get pocket money, she’d indulge in luxuries on credit and have the family pay later.

 

If I suddenly asked for cash, they’d surely get suspicious. They’d probably think I was plotting something shady.

 

Which, to be fair, Charlotte actually did, like bribing someone to sabotage Ayla.

 

She once paid a maid from the Grand Duke’s household to tear Ayla’s dress before the debutante ball.

 

Of course, the heroine Ayla managed to secure an even better dress and exposed the culprit. Only the Lyndsey family ended up having to bow in apology to Ayla and the Grand Duke, Hiclid.

 

Because of that, I’ve had to secretly sell Charlotte’s accessories and clothes to save up. And I had to do it slowly to avoid drawing attention, so the fund didn’t grow quickly.

 

Still, after half a year of scraping together coins, my pouch had gotten pretty hefty. Enough to survive even if I got thrown out tomorrow.

 

Next step: invest in a business to make a living!

 

For the record, I’m not the one starting the business, Ayla is. In the novel, like many romance fantasy heroines, she later becomes a successful entrepreneur.

 

My plan is to invest all of my savings, minus basic living costs, into her business and earn a steady passive income. With her protagonist aura and Cedric backing her up, she’s bound to succeed. That dream of living off passive income for life? Totally feasible.

 

Perfect. This life plan is utterly flawless.

 

Sigh.

 

But then, a deep sigh cut through the air and hit my ears like a scratch. The culprit was George, trailing behind me.

 

George let out another exaggerated sigh, clearly meant for me to hear.

 

I ignored him and headed toward a fancy-looking shop. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but I needed to at least pretend to shop.

 

“I’ll stand guard out here.”

 

George said that, but when I peeked out from the shop a bit later, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

What the hell, he ditched me.

 

Clearly, he was annoyed to be assigned to guard someone like me.

 

The reason was obvious. Most servants and even knights in the Lyndsey household disliked Charlotte.

 

Servants working for noble families usually take pride in their employers. For them, a disgraceful noble is the worst.

 

Charlotte, with her temper and history of mistreating subordinates, was definitely that type. Honestly, it would be weird if they did like her.

 

But that’s not the only reason.

 

Plenty of nobles are cruel or spoiled, but their staff doesn’t behave like George did today.

 

It’s all about calculations. If the Marquis had to choose between a long-serving, loyal knight and a scandal-prone stepdaughter? No question.

 

Even if I complained about George’s behavior, they’d just say I was picking on the help again.

 

Sigh…

 

I caught my reflection in the store window, Charlotte’s face looked resigned and somber.

 

I can kind of see why Charlotte turned out like this.

 

This wasn’t a recent issue. From the moment she entered the Lyndsey house, she was an outsider.

 

A child with no Lyndsey blood, brought in by the commoner-born Marchioness. A girl with a sour disposition who got lucky enough to become a noble.

 

The Marchioness, who had wisely managed the household and given birth to a legitimate heir, was respected. Charlotte? Not so much.

 

She must have faced quiet contempt for years. That built resentment, she acted out, and the staff resented her even more… A vicious cycle.

 

What’s worse, in Charlotte’s blurry memories, they were always polite in front of the family. So she suffered alone.

 

I wound up a music box on display, letting its cheerful melody lift my mood.

 

Well, it is what it is.

 

Some staff were rude, but it wasn’t enough to ruin my life. A few treated me like a normal person, at least.

 

Just ignore them. It’s not like I’ll be here forever.

 

Judging by the Marquis’s attitude this morning, the day he sent me to that villa wasn’t far off.

 

Leaving the shopkeeper, who had expected a rich noble to spend freely, behind, I stepped out empty-handed.

 

Sorry, shopkeeper. I’m on a tight budget, saving for a rainy day. I would’ve bought the music box, but the price? Total rip-off.

 

“You didn’t buy anything?”

 

George greeted me like he hadn’t just been slacking off moments ago.

 

“It just turned out that way. Anyway, I’m done shopping, so let’s head ba, ”

 

Thud. Someone bumped into me from the opposite direction. A common enough thing on a busy street… except,

 

Wait. Why does this feel so familiar?

 

Like that time I got pickpocketed on the first day of my overseas trip in my original life?

 

I instinctively checked my pouch, and froze. Gone. My silk pouch is full of gold coins.

 

“That bastard’s a thief! He stole my pouch!”

 

The pickpocket broke into a run. There was no way I could catch up with these legs.

 

“George!”

 

“Y-Yes!”

 

George scrambled after him.

 

Big mistake, buddy. No matter how fast you are, you’re toast if a trained knight’s chasing you. He’ll be back with you in no time,  Wait, what?

 

George suddenly changed direction and started running back toward me.

 

“Why aren’t you catching him?!”

 

“I’m sorry, my lady. I cannot disobey my orders.”

 

“What orders?!”

 

“My top priority is your safety. I cannot leave your side any further or my mission fails.”

 

“I’m fine! Go after him!”

 

“I apologize. Your safety is a hundred times more important than money. We’ll report the theft to the city guards once we return.”

 

Since when did you care so much about my safety? You were literally goofing off earlier!

 

Ugh, my poor gold. I should’ve just spent it all in that shop when I had the chance.

 

Wait a second, back there…

 

Just as the tiniest suspicion crossed my mind,

 

“Aaaaargh!”

 

A scream, shrill enough to rival a death wail, rang out from somewhere.

 

Then, THUMP! Something crashed down right in front of us, kicking up a cloud of dust.

 

“What the…?!”

 

I thought a fight had broken out nearby, but the fallen figure was the pickpocket.

 

Step. Step. Loud, deliberate footsteps approached through the dust.

 

Clad entirely in black, helmet, armor, cape, and even the sword at his side.

 

A man, looking like he’d just walked off a battlefield, stood before me, drawing every eye in the street.

 

“Wh-Who are you?!”

 

George finally spoke, but the man ignored him completely.

 

“……This is yours.”

 

The black-clad man extended his hand toward me. Resting atop his gloved palm was my lost silk pouch.

 

His appearance was intimidating, but his voice was surprisingly gentle. I looked up at him, at the man known as the Duke of Mont.