Chapter 361
“It’s so unfair! You guys went without me!”
Michaela puffed her cheeks and waved her arms around. Across from her sat the elegant silver-haired princess, Bella Izakhel, with perfect posture.
“Bella! Are you really going to leave me behind and go have fun?”
“I didn’t know where Tristan was going, so I couldn’t tell you. Besides, I didn’t know you wanted to go there so badly.”
“Ugh… well… but still…”
“Don’t be too upset. Next time, I’ll ask Tristan to take you along.”
“Hmph… do you really think he’ll listen to you?”
“I don’t know if he’ll listen, but he’ll at least pretend to.”
“I don’t get it. What’s so great about that guy, huh?”
Michaela, dressed in her maid outfit, was buried in the plush sofa of the reception room. Her posture was a mess, but for a girl who looked no older than a teenager, it suited her age.
“Michaela, you should maintain some dignity. Sit up straight.”
“Don’t change the subject. What’s so great about him?”
Michaela asked Bella, the young lady of the Izakhel Family whom she served and adored.
“Huh? Tristan is a villain…”
“He’s not a villain anymore. Though he still talks like one.”
“He’s a pig…”
“He’s lost some weight. Though I still tease him about being a muscular pig sometimes, so you’re not entirely wrong.”
“He’s just a count…”
“If he marries me, he could become a duke. But knowing Tristan, he’d probably refuse because he likes the sound of ‘count’ better.”
“…Anyway! Are you really thinking of marrying him? Even if you’re head over heels, isn’t it a waste for someone like you to marry a guy like that?”
“Michaela, let me clarify something. It’s not me who’s chasing him—it’s the other way around. I only agreed to date him out of pity. If anyone heard you, they’d think I’m the one chasing him.”
“Even if you’re lying, at least make it believable… You’re totally smitten.”
“Ahem…”
Bella couldn’t bring herself to admit that she fell for him at first sight. Honestly, she was initially drawn to his looks. Then, she admired how he carried himself confidently, even in front of her.
But her heart faced a crisis.
Tristan suddenly changed. He gained weight and became gloomy, leading to the downfall of the Izakhel Family. Not only that, he abruptly accepted Bella as his fiancée—essentially a forced engagement. She had always wanted to marry him, but not like this.
She didn’t even hope for him to return to his former self. She just wanted him to respect others and realize the shameful things he was doing. She wanted him to stop oppressing other families and acting like a tyrant.
Then one day…
She learned about the curse on the Ruelberta Family and him. He didn’t want it passed down to his children. And she discovered Tristan’s determination to break the chain of that curse.
From that moment, Bella’s heart started beating for him again.
“…Well, to be honest, there aren’t many men like him out there.”
Bella was someone who saved others, not someone who needed saving. A master of swordsmanship, she was stronger than most men—surpassing even knight captains in one-on-one combat. No one had ever saved Bella. Yet, Tristan saved her not once, but twice.
‘Especially the second time…’
-“I’ll save you… I’ll save you…”
His sincere words, spoken just before she fell off a cliff.
-“Because she’s the person I love…!”
Bella covered her face and bowed her head. If she could, she’d take back those words.
“What were you thinking that made you so embarrassed?”
“…About my dark history.”
“Huh?”
“Everyone has a dark history, right…”
“I guess. Then my dark history would be now.”
Michaela clicked her tongue and snatched a cookie from the tray. It had been about half a month since she became a maid for the Ruelberta Family. For an absolute goddess like her to serve as a mere maid for a count’s family was humiliating, but she had no choice. If she could impress him, her chances of escaping this world would increase. She just had to endure this shame a little longer.
“By the way, the maid outfit suits you well.”
“Hmph. Of course it does. It’s me. It’s harder to find clothes that don’t suit me.”
Michaela smirked as she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner. No matter how you looked at it, she was cute and adorable.
“Huhu. No matter how you look at it, I’m way better than that dragon… I mean, that little brat.”
“Huh? Oh… Wendy? Both of you are cute.”
“Cute? Huhu… I don’t know. You should be careful. She might catch up to you someday.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t let your guard down. She could become your rival.”
“Wendy…?”
After a moment of thought, Bella chuckled.
“Michaela, I know Wendy is cute and lovable, but isn’t it a bit much to call her my rival?”
“Heeh… Why do you think that?”
“Because Wendy is still a child.”
“Kids grow up fast. Before you know it, she’ll be a mature lady.”
“Even so, do you think Tristan would see Wendy as a lady? If anything, he’d see her as a daughter.”
Wendy was a lovable girl who, despite her constant mistakes, never gave up and tried her best. When Tristan first made her his exclusive maid, Bella thought he might be keeping her around to torment her. But instead, he took care of her, comforted her, sent her to school, and even brought her family to the mansion to look after them.
In a way, it was thanks to Wendy that Bella started seeing Tristan in a new light.
Anyway, Bella cherished Wendy as much as Tristan did. The tearful, pure, and innocent girl grew up under their care. Yes, like a daughter.
Michaela, as if reading Bella’s thoughts, spoke up.
“Really? Then why not make Wendy your adopted daughter?”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t unusual for nobles to adopt talented commoners. However…
“But Wendy’s parents are still alive…”
“If you think about Wendy’s future, her parents probably wouldn’t oppose it. No matter how prestigious a school she graduates from, a commoner is still a commoner. To find a better spouse, it’s better to have noble parents, right?”
“Hmm…”
Listening to Michaela, it seemed like she was right. Wendy was brilliant. Whether it was academics, swordsmanship, or even magic, she showed potential. With such talent, Wendy was too precious to remain a commoner.
‘Wendy as a daughter…’
The age difference was a bit awkward to call her a daughter. It was more like a younger sister with a slight age gap.
Still, having a daughter like Wendy didn’t seem bad. In fact, she wanted one. What parent wouldn’t want a lovable child like Wendy?
“I’ll… have to discuss it with Tristan.”
“Good. Do that.”
Michaela smiled inwardly. Though she didn’t like Tristan, Bella was special and precious. Even as a capricious goddess, Michaela couldn’t help but wish for Bella’s happiness.
However, Bella tended to overestimate her charm. Men always approached her, so she had little experience pursuing someone herself. If it were an ordinary man, Bella wouldn’t have needed to try, but her opponent was Tristan.
While Bella was hesitating, rivals started appearing. Tristan was now planning to marry two… no, three people.
In this day and age, marrying three people was rare. Michaela didn’t want any more rivals for Bella.
And to preemptively eliminate Wendy, who was likely to become a rival, she decided to have Bella and Tristan adopt Wendy.
‘Though Bella doesn’t seem to see Wendy as a rival…’
When Michaela was in paradise, she saw with her divine power how Wendy became a hero. And how beautiful she became as a hero.
If Bella had seen that, she would’ve definitely felt a sense of crisis.
“Speak of the devil… or rather, the squirrel.”
“Huh?”
“Mi, Michaela!”
The door opened, and in came the clumsy maid, Wendy.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere…”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“Because it’s still work time…”
“Ugh. It’s fine. Things will run smoothly without me.”
Michaela took another cookie from the tray and popped it into her mouth. Wendy was horrified.
“Th, those are for guests! You can’t eat them!”
“Wow, so strict. It’s just a few cookies. Right, Bella?”
“Ahaha… well…”
She knew Tristan had gone beyond the gate for work, so there was no one in the mansion to scold her.
As the exclusive maid, Wendy couldn’t be rude to Michaela, a goddess. Even if she weren’t a goddess, Wendy was too timid to say anything.
“No, no… you have to go work now…”
“Why? Is today special?”
“No, but right now…”
“Oh my. Were you slacking off here?”
“?!”
Hearing that voice, Michaela’s back straightened instinctively.
“Heehee… You’ve got it good, newbie.”
She had forgotten. There was one other person in this mansion who could scold her besides Tristan.
Behind Wendy appeared a woman in a black uniform—the deputy commander of Aslan and Tristan’s loyal subordinate.
“Hel…ga…”
“You should add ‘sama.'”
“Sama? I’m a goddess! You should be calling me ‘sama’!”
“How about ‘nimi’ instead?”
“Wh, what?!”
A grim reaper… no, a lunatic who couldn’t be reasoned with. The madness hidden behind that playful smile was enough to make Michaela tremble in fear.
“Be, Bella! She’s bullying me! Do something!”
“Michaela, you should go to work now.”
“Bella! You too!”
“Th, that’s why I told you to hurry and go to work…”
“If that crazy woman is coming, you should’ve said so first!”
*Thud.*
A chilling sound came from Helga’s fist.
Michaela stepped back.
If this were paradise, she could’ve easily overpowered her! But here, she was just an ordinary girl—nothing more, nothing less. And Helga knew that all too well.
“You’ve had your cookies. Now it’s time to work, Michaela Nimi.”
“Ahhh! Don’t come closer! Stay away, you crazy woman!!”
In the end, Michaela, who had been slacking off, was caught by Helga and scolded.
“When washing dishes, you should always use warm water… It helps remove grease…”
Michaela was doing the dishes next to Wendy. It was truly pitiful.
“Like this… if you scrub carefully, it’ll be clean.”
“You don’t need to teach me every little thing…?”
“R, really?”
“Dishwashing is simple. Just do it. No need to explain.”
“Michaela, you’re amazing… I always get scolded for not doing it well…”
“…Hmph. Of course I’m better than you. I’m a goddess. But aren’t you the exclusive maid? Why are you doing the dishes?”
“When the Count isn’t here, I also handle the mansion’s chores… And I’m still not very good at housework… I thought it’d be good to practice a little…”
“Practice??”
-“To be a good bride, you need to excel at housework. That’s the basics.”
Myohail had told Wendy that.
Even though she had secured a marriage promise from Tristan, she still felt uneasy. Deep down, she knew she wasn’t a good match for him.
‘But still…’
Wendy decided to become a woman worthy of being his bride. She would do what she could.
The first step was housework. Naturally, as a maid, she should be good at it…
*Crash.*
Housework should be…
*Crash.*
“Maybe… I can do it…?”
“…Are you seriously saying you’re good at this?”
“But today’s a new record! I only broke two…”
“How many do you usually break…?”
“…About seven…”
“Wow. A new record. Amazing. Truly amazing.”
“Are, are you praising me?”
“Of course not, idiot. You need to rationalize things in moderation.”
“Michaela!”
“What? Idiot.”
“I, I’m not an idiot! You should call me ‘senpai’…”
“Huh?”
Michaela was stunned.
“What kind of senior are you, a little brat like you?”
“The Count told me to call you that…”
“Hey?! That’s…!”
“He said if you don’t call me ‘senpai,’ I should tell him…”
“…Ugh, fine! Wendy Senpai! Happy now?”
“Hehe…”
“Ugh. Great. Clean up the broken plates, Senpai.”
“Okay!”
Just being called ‘senpai’ made her smile so brightly. Wendy cheerfully cleaned up the broken plates. She was more skilled at cleaning up broken plates than washing them—how should one even describe that?
As she watched Wendy, Michaela spoke up.
“Hey. Senpai.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve got some interesting news for you.”
