Leriana Delgado.

She originally came from Garbage Town, the dirtiest district in the Chronotia Empire.

A hellish place where unsorted garbage littered the ground and all kinds of epidemics raged.

Anyone would think that way, but for Leriana, who was born and raised in Garbage Town, it was everything.

A father who left home due to gambling addiction and a mother who begged, unable to earn a living.

She had been determined to live tenaciously with the sole intention of feeding her young siblings who were strung out below her.

She had done everything from selling newspapers to sewing clothes, but she couldn’t reverse the family’s fortunes that had already collapsed beyond repair.

Every day was like hell.

The tender hope she had cherished as a child had long since shattered and disappeared.

Garbage Town was a pit of evil.

Poverty tightened around her ankles like shackles, making it even more impossible to escape from poverty.

The poor are poor for life.

Leriana realized the harsh reality that was so severe.

She despaired at the sight of men who, because of her pretty face, offered to give her enough money to live on for a week if she would just sleep with them once.

I’ll never be able to escape this hell.

I’m going to die here without seeing a single point of light.

On the day she was going to sell her body like that.

As soon as she saw the old baron moistening his damp lips while looking her up and down with lustful eyes, Leriana regretted it.

But it was already too late.

As she was being dragged by the baron’s hand to be put into an expensive carriage set up at the end of Garbage Town, on the way to the center of the capital, Leriana gritted her teeth and shouted.

[Help me! Help me!]

But in Garbage Town, there was no one who would stop the old baron who looked rich and high in status. No, in fact, no one cared.

Just when she thought she was going to be dragged away like this, there was someone who saved her.

It wasn’t the strong young man from next door who had been glancing at her, nor was it the bearded knight who occasionally visited Garbage Town to gamble.

[I don’t know who you are, but how about taking your hands off that child?]

A soft and gentle voice.

The beautiful voice, like marbles rolling, brought her to her senses in an instant.

[Who are you to dare tell me what to do?] [I’m Kate Roen of the Roen Count family. Excuse me, but may I ask your name, sir?] […Ro, Roen Count family?]

Upon hearing the words ‘Roen Count family’, the old man was startled, then immediately let go of Leriana’s hand and ran away.

Before she could understand what had happened, Leriana looked up at the delicate hand holding hers.

What she saw was a girl with beauty so dazzling it was almost blinding.

[You were about to be in big trouble, right? I’m glad nothing happened.]

An angelic, kind voice and pretty eyes that folded in half when she smiled.

A girl with mysteriously shining silver-gray hair and blue eyes.

Leriana, who had been staring blankly at the girl, suddenly stood up and bowed her head.

The girl, saying it was nothing, smiled brightly and got back into the carriage, escorted by knights.

The carriage the girl rode in looked more expensive than Leriana could afford in her entire lifetime.

Leriana thought as she stared blankly at the departing carriage.

‘Kate Roen.’

A young lady from a noble family who had clearly never experienced hardship.

Since she said Roen Count family, it was roughly estimated how high the girl’s status was.

Leriana bit her lip hard, recalling the warm and soft touch of Kate’s hand she had felt earlier.

‘That girl will probably live her whole life seeing only beautiful and fine things. Without knowing at all what a horrible and desperate hell is.’

From deep within her heart, petty jealousy and indignation began to boil.

‘What’s the difference between me and that girl? Just status? Why do I have to rot in a place like this while that girl lives happily without knowing any hardship in her life?’

She felt resentful and angry. She hadn’t wanted to be born like this.

She wanted to grow up normally, receiving lots of love in a happy and warm, ordinary family.

But even ordinariness was something that could only be bought with money.

‘…I want to make that mine.’

She thought she would like everything about that elegant and lovely girl to become hers.

She wanted to make her regret helping. She wanted to see her bitterly regret treating her like a beggar, as if giving alms.

Leriana didn’t go home that day.

She disappeared like that, and when she reappeared a few years later, it was as the Duchess of Delgado.

“My lady. You called for me.”

It was the head maid who interrupted Leriana’s reverie.

The head maid approached with her hands folded politely and bowed her head, waiting for orders.

“Head maid. You always work so hard. I called you because I have something to ask.”

“You can ask me anything. What are you curious about, my lady?”

Pleased with the head maid’s respectful attitude as she bowed her head, she smiled gently.

“Do you know a maid named Heidi?”

“Hei…di?”

The head maid recalled a recently hired maid.

A quite pretty maid with jet-black hair and green eyes.

‘She was quite good at her work and seemed to have a good personality.’

She had also heard that she was roommates with Marie, whom the head maid knew well from working at the Delgado mansion for a long time.

But what was most striking was something else.

“I do know her. But why do you ask…”

“Could you tell me everything you know about this maid named Heidi?”

“…About that maid?”

Seeing her expression of perplexity, as if wondering why she was curious about the personal information of a mere maid, Leriana calmly gestured.

“Don’t keep standing, come over here and sit down. I’ve prepared refreshments for you, head maid.”

“For, for me?”

The head maid’s mouth gaped open at the words that the noble lady, none other than the mistress of the Delgado Duke’s family, had prepared refreshments for her.

“Yes. So, will you come over here and tell me in detail about that maid?”

Inside the splendid room where every piece of furniture and wall was overlaid with gold.

The refreshments laid out on the round white table were of the highest quality.

After hesitating for a moment, the head maid finally opened her mouth as if giving in.

“Regarding the maid named Heidi, young master Dietrich recently came to see me.”

“…Dietrich?”

The duchess’s fine brow furrowed as the story began differently from what she had expected.

The head maid carefully began her story.

“Well… it’s been a little while, but the other day, young master Dietrich came to me and ordered. He said he wanted to hire the maid named Heidi as his personal maid.”

“Personal maid?”

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“Yes, I was a bit surprised too, but I remembered that the maid named Heidi had been doing quite well in her work recently. Although she was sometimes lazy, she generally did what she was told well. Still, I thought it was a bit much for a maid to become a lady’s maid, but since it was young master Dietrich’s order, I couldn’t go against it.”

Leriana sank into thought with an expression of disbelief.

There was a clear difference between a maid and a lady’s maid.

Commoners, or those of unknown origin, were usually hired as maids, but lady’s maids were different.

Lady’s maids were typically young ladies from fallen noble families or commoner women who had received higher education.

But to ask for that maid to be assigned as a personal lady’s maid.

Leriana’s instincts began to sharpen acutely.

There’s something about that maid.

“Ho-however, Heidi didn’t become a lady’s maid. I think the young master might have just said that and then changed his mind.”

That can’t be.

Leriana bit her lip hard and inwardly clicked her tongue at the head maid’s dullness.

Dietrich was not someone who easily let others get close to him.

If such a Dietrich had personally gone to the head maid and said he wanted to hire her as his personal lady’s maid, then this maid named Heidi must be a special existence.

‘How ridiculous. Does he think he can make his own person with that status?’

It was a bit surprising as it was an unexpected action he had never shown before, but there were many ways to deal with it.

It wouldn’t be difficult to buy off this maid named Heidi.

“Did Heidi perhaps do something wrong?”

“Oh my, not at all. I had seen Heidi, that maid, once before. She seemed diligent in everything, so I was keeping an eye on her, but it seems I’ve been beaten to it.”

At the voice that sounded regretful for losing a talented worker, the head maid smiled softly.

“If another good maid comes in, I’ll let you know in advance next time.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing the brief conversation and the head maid had withdrawn, Leriana, left alone, began to think quickly.

‘Heidi.’

The first impression wasn’t very good.

She didn’t like the attitude of standing with her back straight as if she had something to rely on, looking as if she was examining her.

‘So that was all because she trusted Dietrich and got cocky, huh?’

Pitifully, it seemed she didn’t know that the lifeline she was holding onto was a rotten one.

If that’s the case, it would be right to give her a new lifeline.

Poor commoners of unknown origin tend to throw themselves at you as if they’d give you their liver or gall at the slightest kindness.

‘I can use that maid to keep an eye on Dietrich.’

Leriana immediately pulled the bell cord attached to the side of the table.

With a tinkling sound, a maid waiting outside opened the door and came in.

“Could you call the maid named Heidi for me?”

“Yes, I understand.”

The maid immediately closed the door and left.

Leriana began to trace back a very old memory again.

That memory was old and faint, but it was still Leriana’s driving force.

Although she had already obtained almost everything she wanted back then, it wasn’t enough yet. Only when Yurian inherited the duke’s position would her true dream be realized.

And a moment later.

Knock knock.

Green eyes sparkled through the slightly opened door. Soon after, a bright and cheerful voice was heard.

“Hello, I’m Heidi.”

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