Morning came.

Lost in thought, Lorencia finished her contemplation and picked up the bell on the table, starting to ring it.

As the bell sound continued in a room where it shouldn’t ring, maids passing through the corridor stopped in bewilderment and pricked up their ears.

-Ding.

Even hearing it again, it was definitely the sound of a bell.

“Is that sound coming from that bastard’s room?”

“Yes.”

The maids informed Julie, the head maid, about the continuing bell sound.

“That bastard is ringing a bell in her room?”

“Yes, Madam Julie.”

“Are you sure you didn’t hear wrong? That bastard shouldn’t be ringing a bell.”

“No, Head Maid. The bell sound keeps coming! We all heard it together.”

“Really?”

Julie was dumbfounded by the maids’ words. The ringing of the bell meant to come in and serve her. Although formally adopted, Lorencia’s birth was that of a bastard worse than dogs and pigs. The thought of her ringing a bell seemed impudent.

“You should be able to handle one such bastard among yourselves.”

“We could certainly handle it ourselves, but as you know, Head Maid, Prince Ruans cherishes that worthless bastard!”

With the active request of Ruans, the second prince of the Isuter Empire, Lorencia, the bastard who had been living locked up in a tower, suddenly became a count’s daughter of the Pol Heredian family. What on earth did Ruans see in Lorencia to like her enough to make her a count’s daughter? It was incomprehensible.

Lorencia was 19 years old but only 155cm tall with a skinny figure, and secretly in the Pol Heredian family, she hadn’t even started menstruating yet.

“The prince’s taste is truly unique.”

“You’re right, Head Maid. Why does the prince care for such an unremarkable girl?”

“Maybe he’s taking care of her out of pity.”

“Even if she’s a bastard, she’s become a count’s daughter, so it’s right to treat her well, but… ringing a bell.”

Still unable to shake off the thought that Lorencia ringing a bell to call someone was impudent, Julie took three maids and went to Lorencia’s room where the bell sound continued. She thought to thoroughly humiliate her this time so that she wouldn’t even dare to touch a bell.

-Ding ding

As the maids had said, the bell sound rang from inside Lorencia’s room. Julie’s expression became incredulous. So she snorted and barged into Lorencia’s room without even knocking. As she entered the room confidently, Julie’s gaze met Lorencia’s purple eyes as she was ringing the bell.

Although she glared at her as usual when their eyes met, strangely her whole body shrank back. The hair on her body stood on end. A chilling sensation ran down her back.

“For the head maid of the Pol Heredian family to enter a room without the owner’s permission, and without even knocking.”

Julie realized that Lorencia was different from usual as soon as she entered the room. Originally, like all bastards born into noble families, Lorencia was like an emotional trash can in the count’s family. On rainy days, she was such a insignificant existence that could be beaten to dust without killing her.

“Is it because I’m a bastard that you didn’t think I was the owner of this room?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Although Julie didn’t acknowledge Lorencia, she had to verbally recognize her as ‘Count’s Daughter’ because she had been formally adopted into the Pol Heredian family.

When Lorencia didn’t act like she had the status of a count’s daughter, Julie could do as she pleased, but now it seemed that she was aware of what kind of status she had, and Julie felt irritation rising. If Lorencia treated her condescendingly as a count’s daughter, she had to accept it according to the class system. Even if she was a bastard no better than dogs or pigs.

“But Head Maid Julie.”

Julie swallowed hard, finding it unfamiliar that Lorencia called her head maid so naturally.

“Why did you barge in without knocking and without permission?”

“That is…”

Lorencia spoke while carefully observing Julie’s flustered appearance. Her face was tinged with embarrassment. She probably didn’t like the situation of being caught off guard by a bastard she considered beneath her.

“Miss Lorencia. That is… hoho.”

Julie started to put on a kind smile to divert Lorencia’s words. The maids behind Julie also started to laugh awkwardly.

“Did you just call me ‘Miss Lorencia’?”

Julie and the maids’ laughter stopped at Lorencia’s cold words. Julie and the maids thought they had shown the utmost respect by using honorifics and adding ‘Miss’ to the end of Lorencia’s name, even though she was a bastard who had become a count’s daughter, so they continued to call her ‘Miss Lorencia’.

“Let me ask you one question, Head Maid Julie.”

“Eh…? Yes.”

“Who is the owner of this room?”

There was no trace of laughter in the eyes revealed under Lorencia’s smiling eyelids. Julie accurately grasped the intention behind her question.

“It is Lady Lorencia Pol Heredian.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Julie could no longer add ‘Miss’ to the end of Lorencia’s name. Because the room she was standing in now was not the old and shabby attic room where she used to stay, but a room used by a noble lady.

“I’d like you to call me that from now on. No, you must call me that.”

Julie’s face turned pale at Lorencia’s unexpected warning.

Lorencia slowly approached Julie. Julie’s head and waist bowed involuntarily. It wasn’t just Julie. The maids behind her also bowed their heads and waists.

“Head Maid Julie.”

Lorencia lifted Julie’s lowered chin with her fingertip. As her head was lifted, Julie saw Lorencia’s eerie purple eyes looking down at her.

“I’ll ask once more. Who did you say was the owner of this room?”

“It is Lady Lorencia Pol Heredian.”

“From now on, before entering my room, you should think of it as the room of the Pol Heredian count’s daughter.”

Julie doubted whether the Lorencia before her eyes was really the bastard she knew. She was still the same short, unremarkable, skinny girl as usual… Nothing had changed.

She couldn’t help but feel scared.

“Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, I understand.”

Julie’s legs trembled involuntarily. Cold sweat ran down her back at the chilling voice ringing in her ears. What had happened to Lorencia overnight?

Just a moment ago, Julie had intended to humiliate Lorencia in front of the maids. But instead, the master-servant relationship was clearly drawn in front of the maids. It was the same for the maids behind her.

“Lady Lorencia.”

Only when Julie called her ‘Lady’ did Lorencia smile faintly, as if satisfied.

The breakfast table of the Pol Heredian count family began quietly as usual.

“How’s the kitten you received yesterday?”

“Yes, Mother. It was very cute.”

“That’s good. Have fun playing with it. By the way, Illina. Do you have a date planned today too?”

“Yes, Mother. He said he’ll come to pick me up at the mansion around lunchtime.”

“I see. Always remember to maintain proper behavior.”

“Don’t worry, Mother.”

Illina, who answered Anne’s words, cut the steak in front of her into small pieces with impeccably graceful movements and put it in her mouth, chewing.

“The meat quality is good today, but I think it would have been better if it was cooked a bit rarer.”

“Your mother told the chef to cook it a little more. It’s not good to eat too rare meat in the morning.”

“Is that so? I thought it was different from usual.”

Just as Brant was putting the salad brought by the servant into his mouth while listening to Illina and Anne’s conversation with satisfaction from the head seat, it happened.

“M-Master.”

It was Arden, the head butler of the Pol Heredian family.

“What is it, Arden?”

“Well…”

Arden was known for never losing his composure anytime, anywhere. But now, Arden didn’t look composed at all. Seeing this, Brant put his spoon down on the table.

“Arden.”

“I’m sorry, Master.”

Arden approached Brant and bowed, ignoring the cold sweat flowing down his face.

“I showed such a foolish appearance because it’s too embarrassing to tell the master.”

“Speak.”

“Lady Lorencia has been ringing a bell in her room.”

“What? Lorencia did what?”

“She rang a bell in her room to call Head Maid Julie.”

“How dare that bastard ring a bell? No, how could she ring a bell? That thing shouldn’t be able to ring a bell and call people! She shouldn’t be able to call anyone!”

“But it’s true, Master.”

Blue veins popped out on Brant’s temples. But Arden wouldn’t have spoken wrongly. Brant had locked Lorencia in the attic room for life, beating and verbally abusing her at every opportunity. Because she was raised that way, Lorencia had low self-esteem and was very timid. Brant couldn’t understand Arden’s words that such a coward had rung a bell herself to call someone.

“That monster rang a bell? It’s strange…”

Brant’s blue eyes looked back and forth between Anne and Illina, unable to hide his bewilderment.

He felt uneasy.

“Brant. Maybe she just rang it out of curiosity.”

Anne spoke to Brant as if it was nothing.

“But Mother, it’s a bit strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“A coward who can’t even call people even with a bell suddenly rings a bell to call someone. Isn’t that strange?”

“I see. She should at least know that it’s not for playing with.”

Illina laughed softly.

“It seems I need to educate Lorencia a little after a long time, Father.”

Illina spoke to Brant after lightly wiping her lips with a napkin. She was already irritated that Ruans only sought out Lorencia. Today was the day Ruans was visiting, so she couldn’t spend too much time on education, but Illina knew well how to efficiently torment Lorencia in a short time.

“Won’t you lack time to prepare for your date?”

“I’ll do it briefly.”

“It’s good to educate Lorencia, but try not to leave visible wounds. Prince Ruans said he doesn’t like having to express concern and care when he sees wounds.”

“Yes, Father.”

If Brant inflicts physical violence on Lorencia, Illina makes Lorencia mentally unbearable. For example, she had servants catch birds that Lorencia liked and kill them.

If they don’t kill them, they kill the birds in front of Lorencia.

Starving her for a day or two or not letting her sleep was also one of Illina’s ways of educating Lorencia. Every time, Lorencia would kneel down and act infinitely servile, begging to be spared.

Seeing that sight made her feel like the anger built up in her heart was subsiding. Illina considers Lorencia as an excellent emotional trash can of the count’s mansion.

“It seems I need to give her a proper education after a long time.”

A smile appeared on Illina’s lips. Her expression smiling with luxuriant blonde hair and blue eyes would look lovely to anyone.