STBASML|Chapter 01

“Daphne! Daphne!!”

Early in the morning, a loud voice echoed through the Duke of Rosenthal’s estate, calling out for someone.

“Yes, yes. I’m coming out.”

“Daphne, seriously! Ha… What kind of tone is that?”

At my sarcastic reply, the man naturally raised a hand to his forehead.

“Bin, assign another etiquette tutor to Daphne. How many times has this father told her not to be late…!”

“We won’t be late even if we leave now. If you had skipped the nagging, we’d already be on our way.”

At my retort, the man clenched his fists and thumped his chest dramatically.

Showing a relaxed smile to the man, I let the spring-like hem of my skirt flutter and, receiving an escort from the knight beside me, climbed into the carriage.

‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Duke! No, fake dad! But the Daphne in this novel is a notorious, villainous delinquent of the Empire!’

With tears welling up in my eyes, I quickly turned my head to pretend I was gazing out the window.

Perhaps the duke had gotten in afterward— the carriage swayed slightly and a deep sigh could be heard.

“Daphne, Daphne… my beloved daughter. Just for today, please don’t cause any trouble, hmm? What did I tell you to do if someone looks at you while we’re out?”

“Smile.”

“If someone approaches you?”

“Smile, of course.”

“And if someone talks to you?”

This man… Does he think I’m a complete fool?

As my expression hardened unconsciously, the duke, sensing my mood, quickly turned his head to feign ignorance.

“Ahem—ahem. Anyway! Just stay still, and behave! Act like a noble, alright? The place we’re visiting today is full of people who are emotionally wounded. So Daphne, if they come near you, don’t get annoyed—just smile at them.”

I nodded vaguely at the duke’s words and turned to look out the window.

‘The breeze… it’s refreshing.’

The scent of spring grass tickled my nose.

Drunk on that green fragrance, I blankly took in the passing scenery.

Daphne Rosenthal.

Nicknamed ‘The Rotten Red Rose’, ‘The Stinking Flower’, she is the only daughter of the Rosenthal Dukedom, one of the founding families of the Herchen Empire—known far and wide as a wild, wicked woman.

‘And just an extra in the novel.’

One day, I suddenly possessed the body of this noble daughter, who isn’t even properly mentioned in the original story, and ever since, I’ve been living each day luxuriously while pretending to be her.

‘I should start showing signs of behaving soon. I don’t want to keep doing this kind of viciousness either!’

As I rolled my eyes around, I saw the Duke’s expression—he was looking out the window with a face full of worry, though I didn’t know because of whom.

‘Yeah, let’s tone down the precious brat behaviour. At this rate, I’ll end up losing the rest of the family to stress-induced illness.’

The reason Daphne became so vicious?
Nothing special.

When the Duchess of Rosenthal died of illness long ago, the duke tried to fill his motherless daughter’s heart with material things—showering her with everything imaginable.

It was his own doing. Still, I don’t completely fail to understand the duke’s feelings.

As I began to mentally sketch out the steps toward becoming a kind noble daughter, the wind brushed gently against my cheek.

The carriage ran along the outskirts of the capital for quite a while, passing through a forest path.

Soon, faint silhouettes of buildings appeared in the distance, and the carriage began to slow down.

“Let’s get out.”

Seeing the duke neaten his clothes, I too began to smooth out my soft dress with my fingers and prepared to step down.

“Duke! Welcome.”

Before we could even disembark, a kind-looking woman greeted us warmly.

“Director Margaret, have you been well?”

“Of course, thanks to you, Duke. Just look at how much the orphanage has changed. Thank you again for everything this past winter.”

Firewood, wheat… Apparently, the Duke of Rosenthal had been regularly donating to this orphanage for quite some time.

“But…”

Noticing her expectant gaze, as if waiting for an introduction, I lifted my chin slightly and offered a faint smile.

“Ah, this is our Daphne, the Rose of Rosenthal.”

A rose… I wonder if the duke knows that people call me “The Rotten Rose.”

It seemed Director Margaret was aware of the nickname too, as her expression stiffened briefly before she smiled and bowed politely.

“I’m Margaret Schmidt. As you can see, I run the orphanage. I’ve been receiving help from House Rosenthal for a long time.”

Her manner was even more graceful than mine, which made me a little nervous as I opened my mouth to speak.

“I’m Daphne Rosenthal.”

Despite the short greeting, Madam Margaret smiled warmly and led us inside.

Following behind her, I felt the duke come up beside me and whisper quietly.

“Take a good look. No matter what happens, this orphanage must be supported by you and your descendants for generations.”

“Why?”

At my question, the duke said he would explain later and told me to look around for now.

“I need to discuss the budget with the director, so take a look at the facilities. If you find anything that seems insufficient for the children, remember it and tell me back at the mansion.”

With that, the duke entered the director’s office with Madam Schmidt.

“…”

“…”

The children trailed behind me out of curiosity, but because of my nickname, they couldn’t easily approach. I simply offered a quiet smile at the sight.

“Looks like playing with the kids is out of the question… I’ll just take a look around the facility.”

Despite the worn-looking exterior, the inside of the orphanage was very neat.

‘The books are a little old. A book with loose binding doesn’t last long.’

The well-maintained orphanage didn’t seem to lack anything, except for a few worn and torn books.

‘They’re still talking.’

Seeing the Duke’s serious expression, as if he were in the middle of an important conversation, I quietly stepped back outside.

“…How cute.”

It seemed the children had left their mud play behind and gone in. Walking a bit further, I spotted a small garden.

“Huh…?”

And in the middle of it, shimmering, multicolored lights danced before my eyes.

Frowning slightly, I moved toward the spot between the trees where I had seen it.

My shoes were soaked and caked with mud, but I didn’t care.

I only wanted to confirm that beautiful flicker for myself.

At the end of the forest path, as I reached the exit, a vast lake spread out behind the orphanage, capturing my gaze.

Even the Duke’s estate didn’t have a lake this beautiful.

As if spellbound, I took a step forward.

Resting my hand on the massive tree that stood watch by the lakeshore, I blankly stared at its surface, my heart filling with a strange warmth.

Thud—

“Huh?”

Lost in admiration, I was startled when a leaf suddenly dropped from above.

I instinctively looked up. A boy who looked a bit younger than me was staring intently down with shining blue eyes.

‘Like a lake.’

The boy’s eyes were mysterious.

Just like the rippling waves of the lake that had drawn me in, his blue eyes swayed gently like a tide.

Before I knew it, I was staring back into his eyes. Then the boy suddenly dropped from the tree with a soft thud.

“……”

In his silent gaze was an emotion that surpassed simple wariness.

‘Gave me chills…’

It no longer felt like the warmth of a lake. There was something chilling—something sharp—in the way he looked at me. My fingertips twitched at the tingling sensation.

“……”

“…Hello?”

I greeted him, scanning him from head to toe.

It was rude, but I couldn’t help it.

At my greeting, the boy’s eyes filled with hostility. If he’d had something in his hand, I was sure he would’ve driven it straight into my neck.

It was pure, instinctive aggression.

But… but…

‘Where have I seen him before?’

His appearance felt strangely familiar.

‘Pitch-black hair and lake-like blue eyes. He looks young, but he reminds me of someone… someone I should remember.’

As I frowned in thought, the boy mirrored me and furrowed his brows even more.

At that moment, a passage from a novel flashed through my mind.

*He was clumsy. Raised without a mother, he was clumsy in all things. So, from time to time, he unknowingly mimicked the expressions of others. And he believed that to be emotion.*

Without realizing it, a name slipped from my lips.

“…Carlos Gerhardt.”

It happened in an instant.

“Ugh!”

“What the hell… who are you?”

Suddenly shoved, my back hit the massive tree.

‘Ouch…’

Though the surface was mostly smooth, a few rough patches jabbed into my back.

Younger than how he was described in the novel, he no longer bothered to hide his murderous intent.

As I struggled to break free from him—

“Daphne! Daphne!!”

“My Lady! Where are you?!”

I heard voices calling out for me in the distance.

At the sound, Carlos locked eyes with me and violently threw me to the ground.

“Say my name one more time. I won’t let it go next time.”

With those chilling words, he turned and calmly walked away in the opposite direction.