DKVM Ch 2

Chapter 2

In the original story, it’s mentioned in passing that Rahel spent several years of her childhood convalescing in a rural village.

‘That village is our village.’

Even though we lived in the same town, it’s not surprising that we never met.

Vivian was a commoner, and Rahel was the only daughter of the Duke of Edelwein.

In any case, the fact that we both lived in the same village as children was a stroke of luck for me.

‘The problem is that I need to get close to Rahel….’

Rahel had the exact opposite constitution to my hypermana.

‘That is, she absorbs mana from her surroundings.’

All humans produce a certain amount of mana in their bodies, and the heart is the vessel that holds it.

Rahel had inherited the power of her ancestors, who were archmages, and her power to absorb was incomparably enormous.

She even had the ability to absorb the mana floating around her and make it her own.

‘I can use Rahel’s condition to cure my terminal illness.’

To do so, I needed to get close to Rahel, so first I had to create a lot of opportunities to see her face-to-face.

‘Then I will be on speaking terms with Rahel and contact her often.’

But Rahel is a noble lady of a duchy, and she won’t leave her villa so I need to go there in order to see her.

And I was a commoner, so I wasn’t allowed to enter the duke’s villa.

‘So my first plan is to….’

I arrived in front of the villa and looked around the mansion. [T.L. Note: The villa is a mansion.]

It hadn’t been long since they arrived, and the workers were busy unloading the luggage.

Rahel had apparently already entered the mansion, but I didn’t mind.

‘These people are my target today.’

Step one of the “Survive the Sad Ending Twist!” plan.

‘I’ll get acquainted with the servants and gather information on the duke and Rahel.’

The servants were the eyes and ears of the house.

I could hear almost all of the gossip about Rahel and the duke through them.

‘As I gather information about Rahel, I’ll have the opportunity to make a connection with her.’

And then, using that information, I’ll naturally bump into Rahel.

‘All right, let’s go!’

I crept into the mansion, eyeing today’s targets.

People busily carrying luggage turned around, sensing my presence.

I took advantage of the opportunity to greet them cheerfully.

“Hello!”

Most people ignored me or were wary.

But I was undeterred.

‘Well, it’s a natural reaction.’

No matter how young they are, you should be wary of strangers in your home because there are many thieves.

Sensing that, I began by introducing myself.

“I’m Vivian, the daughter of Dias Hessen, who runs Vivi’s Bakery in town, and I’m nine years old.”

“….”

“I thought I’d come by to see if you moved in today, because I’ve always seen this place when I walk by, and it’s such a big mansion!”

Most of them ignored me and carried on with the luggage, but a few did sneak a glance in my direction.

For now, I’d succeeded in not being kicked out.

‘Then I’ll bring up something that might be of use to them.’

I smiled engagingly and pulled out my trump card.

It was…

“If you ever have any questions about our town, you can ask me. I’ve lived here half my life.”

Information about the village.

As a child, there’s nothing I can do to help physically, but information is different.

‘I’ve lived in this town longer than they have, and I know things they don’t.’

But it’s hard to be credible when you only say you know everything, so should I give them a taste?

My first targets were the women.

“If you go to the general store in the town square, they sell this really great moisturizer. My neighbor uses it all the time and her hands are so soft.”

“How much does it cost?”

As expected, a few female servants were interested enough to ask.

I didn’t miss the opportunity and made a quick sale.

“They’re one silver each, but they’re having a two-for-one deal, which will probably last for three days.”

The women chattered that they’d have to check it out this evening.

With a smile of approval, I moved on to my next targets, the male servants.

“And Mister Pierre’s inn has really good alcohol.”

“How do you know it’s good? Have you tried it?”

One of the knights asked in a playful voice.

“No. I haven’t. There’s an old man who drinks there all the time, and he always says he’s not going to drink there tomorrow, but the next day he’s there again.”

The servants laughed at my comment.

‘Alright, the mood is good.’

I was starting to get a bit of a reaction from the servants who were interested in me, when a squeaky little girl’s voice broke the mood.

“Who is she, and why is she here?”

I turned in the direction of the voice and saw a girl about my age, wearing a dress made of a rather luxurious fabric.

She looked me up and down, her light green eyes squinting.

I felt uncomfortable, but I didn’t lose my cool.

‘Who is this? Rahel has only one family member, her maternal grandfather, Duke Edelwein.’

While I was still trying to figure out the kid’s identity, a male servant stepped forward.

“She’s from the neighborhood, and she’s here to see what’s going on, so why don’t we make her acquaintance, Sally?”

Sally looked me up and down and then said with a fierce expression.

“Ha! Do you expect me to play with a country bumpkin like that? I’ll keep to myself.”

Then she stormed back into the mansion.

I glared at Sally’s backside, insulted.

‘What the, she’s uglier than me!’

Apparently worried about me, the older maid patted me on the shoulder.

“She’s the daughter of my lady’s nanny, but she’s a commoner, but she acts like a noble lady. I guess she thinks she’s become a noble lady just because she’s treated like one now ….”

“I’m fine, thank you for worrying about me.”

Apparently, Sally had a bad reputation even within the ducal household.

I smiled inwardly.

‘They say the enemy of the enemy is my friend.’

As the disreputable Sally undermined me, the other servants who witnessed the situation grew closer to me.

‘Sally helped me with my plan.’

I decided that was enough for today, and to walk away.

“Well, I’ll be off, but if you need anything in town, feel free to ask!”

I said goodbye to the servants and left the villa.

‘It’s a shame I didn’t get to say goodbye to Rahel.’

I thought to myself as I glanced up at the mansion.

My eyes locked with a girl looking down from the balcony window.

‘Is that girl…?’

Her black hair contrasted with her pale skin, and her eyes were as blue as a winter lake, set in her small face.

I recognized her at a glance.

That was Rahel, the girl I’d been dying to meet.

‘Wow, awesome! How can someone look like that?’

Rahel’s seemingly inhuman appearance was partly due to her unrealistic looks… but it was also due to her cold, unreadable expression.

But that coldness gave her an air of mystery.

As I gazed at Rahel, fascinated, I regained my wits and raised my hand in the air slightly.

But…

‘Huh?’

Rahel turned and walked back into the room without acknowledging my greeting.

‘Did I come on too strong for our first meeting?’

I shrugged and gently lowered my hand.

‘Well, we’ll get to know each other!’

After all, I’d said hello and gotten my face seen!

Having accomplished my goal for the day, I turned and walked away, looking forward to tomorrow.

It was a good start.

* * *

Next morning,

I was getting ready to leave for Edelwein villa and headed down to the first floor, looking around.

As expected, I could see Dad’s back in the kitchen, inside the bakery.

Our house consisted of two floors: the ground floor, where Dad ran the bakery, and the second floor, where Dad and I lived.

The reason I’m looking at him now is because….

“You must never go near that villa. Do you understand?”

Ever since the day I heard the news that Duke Edelwein was coming to the villa a few days ago, my father had been nagging me to the point of scabs building on my ears.

Sternly, with an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

‘If I tell him I’m going out, he’ll ask me where I’m going to play and who I’m going to play with.’

Then I’ll inevitably have to lie.

‘Yeah, I’m not good at lying.’

Honest nine-year-old Vivian chose evasion over lying.

But the moment I reached the doorstep with muffled footsteps.

“Where are you going, Vivi?”

A familiar voice called from behind my back.