Ludmila’s eyes opened before dawn. The ceiling pattern was not that of the Erdi Marquis’s residence.

The man who revered splendor and antiquity would hang decorations in even the smallest room and paint pictures on the ceiling.

Recalling the past memory of the Marchioness’s room being excessively ornate, where she lay now was terribly ordinary.

Forget about any impressive paintings, the only furniture in the room was a side table, a vanity, a small desk, and a wardrobe.

Even then, the vanity seemed to have been hastily brought in for Ludmila, as it was clean unlike the other furniture.

If Kedilen had seen this, he would have been disgusted, saying he would never sleep in such a place, but for Ludmila, this place without him was practically heaven.

She had escaped.

That fact alone was enough to bring a soft smile to Ludmila’s lips.

‘Are you a X god?’

Although, the fleeting memory of yesterday quickly snatched away that momentary ease.

Ludmila, who had sighed deeply from the lips that had been smiling, ran her hand through her hair.

After her conversation with Beressa yesterday, Ludmila, who had been continuing various worries and assumptions throughout the night, separately organized information not included in the notebook.

If Aden were to tell her that she was no longer needed and to leave, she would have to prove her usefulness.

Fortunately, that wasn’t particularly difficult for Ludmila. She had spent her entire life proving that she was helpful, so this was just repeating it once more.

Ludmila clenched her fist and raised her red eyes to look at her reflection in the mirror. This was just the beginning.

Ludmila rose from her seat to greet the start of the day.

Ludmila, who entered the dining hall with the help of a servant, hesitated from the entrance.

Although it was early morning, quite a few servants were coming and going inside the castle. So she had thought there would naturally be many people in the dining hall as well.

But she hadn’t expected it to be this crowded.

People seated here and there were busily eating and chattering loudly.

The servants at the Erdi Marquis’s residence also ate in the dining hall, but they never gathered in such large numbers or made such a commotion.

Ludmila’s eyes trembled slightly in surprise at the unfamiliar scene, but she soon shook her head.

This was no time to be surprised at everything she saw. It’s not like she had come this far expecting to be treated like a Marchioness anyway.

Instead of standing blocking the door, Ludmila moved her steps forward. She crossed one side of the dining hall as calmly as possible, with her body relaxed.

In a comfortable and relaxed posture, trying to blend in with them without feeling out of place.

“……”

But as Ludmila walked, the noisy dining hall gradually fell into silence.

Even Ludmila, who was walking while conscious of her surroundings, could clearly feel it.

The commotion that had filled the dining hall since early morning disappeared, and in its place, the sound of Ludmila’s shoes took over.

‘…What’s going on?’

Ludmila felt ominous about the gazes suddenly turned towards her in the middle of their meals.

Had she done something wrong? Had she entered a place she shouldn’t have? She worried if she had made a mistake by not understanding the culture of this place.

She wanted to run out right away out of embarrassment, but feeling that would be irreversible, she sat down at one end of an empty table with the most composed face she could manage.

It was quiet. It was so silent that it was hard to believe this was the same place that had been so noisy just moments ago.

Being the center of attention was familiar to Ludmila. She had smiled calmly in front of even more people than this before.

But this kind of gaze accompanied by silence was something unfamiliar even to her.

As uneasiness added to embarrassment, her back straightened even more as if recalling past memories.

A clear smile hung on her lips as if this situation was nothing, but her insides were different.

‘Anyone, please say something.’

She was filled with the thought that she wished someone, anyone, would break this silence, pressed down by anxiety.

“Um… Miss?”

That’s when it happened.

As if her desperation had been heard, a middle-aged man wearing an apron approached and carefully called out to her.

Ludmila smiled more radiantly than ever, swallowing a sigh of relief at the finally broken silence.

“Yes?”

“…Perhaps, did you come to the wrong dining hall?”

“Wrong… dining hall?”

As Ludmila tilted her head slightly, the middle-aged man gestured around with his chin.

“This is the dining hall used by the servants. It’s not a place suitable for noble lords and ladies.”

“Is that so? But, I’m not a noble.”

For now, she was a merchant.

After Beressa spread the rumor, her position might change, but she intended to strictly maintain the identity she had set for herself, at least.

The man’s expression turned bewildered at Ludmila’s response.

“Not a noble?”

“Yes. I’m a merchant.”

As Ludmila slightly curled her lips, a murmur rippled through the surroundings like gentle waves.

“Did you hear? She says she’s a merchant.”

“Isn’t that a lie?”

“It’s hard to believe.”

Most of the whispers were about how difficult it was to believe those words, but Ludmila kept smiling without showing any reaction.

“I came here to eat. So, could you prepare a meal for me?”

“Well, well. Looking like a noble but saying you’re not. Fine. What would you like to eat?”

“What do you have?”

“Bread, soup.”

Is that all? As Ludmila blinked her eyes, the man urged her to answer quickly by jerking his chin.

After quickly glancing around at people’s tables, Ludmila briefly answered, “Soup.” The man said he understood and turned away.

As he disappeared, the commotion gradually grew louder.

The glances towards her hadn’t completely disappeared, but soon people seemed to lose interest and were busy focusing on their own meals and chatting.

While observing their behavior from the corner of her eye, Ludmila investigated in advance whether the dining etiquette she knew might be different from theirs.

In the meantime, the man brought the soup and plunked it down in front of her.

The soup, devoid of any solid ingredients, was so thin that it would drip from the spoon.

As Ludmila carefully tried to bring a spoonful to her mouth, she felt the gazes fixed on her. She pushed the soup into her mouth, trying hard to ignore them.

Tasteless water. That was Ludmila’s honest impression after swallowing the first mouthful.

It was too meager to be the meal of servants employed in such a grand castle. A sigh welled up, but it was not the time to complain.

She had been provided with a meal, and the surrounding gazes were waiting for her reaction.

“It’s delicious.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Though she couldn’t understand the meaning behind this dry conversation, if it was the culture of this place, Ludmila was faithful in following it.

That was her way of survival in this place.

“What’s going on over there?”

Aden, passing through the corridor, gazed intently at the unusual scene in the now-quiet dining hall.

Like a lone rose blooming amidst carelessly sprawling vines, Ludmila’s presence in the spacious dining hall was strikingly out of place.

Her straight back and dignified spooning caught his eye even more amidst the disorderly and chatty atmosphere.

The aide following Aden tried to immediately address the situation after assessing it, but Aden stopped him.

Isn’t it an interesting scene? The sight of a woman who would stand out anywhere, struggling to eat soup amidst the attention focused on her, was a scene one couldn’t see even if they paid for it.

Aden silently watched Ludmila with a raised corner of his mouth, then patted his aide’s shoulder.

“As soon as that noble lady finishes her meal, have her brought to me.”

With his lips smoothly curved in amusement, Aden turned away lightly.

After finishing her meal and coming out, Ludmila thumped her chest in discomfort.

Never had she experienced such an uncomfortable meal. Even in front of the Emperor, who occasionally called her to dine together as her supposed father, she had never felt such discomfort.

Should she go and ask for some medicine? As she was pondering this, Aden’s aide approached, bowing his head to deliver the news that Aden was looking for her.

At his summons, Ludmila’s expression hardened as she suddenly recalled yesterday’s incident with Beressa.

If possible, she wanted to meet a little later. But the master of the castle had personally sent someone to call her.

Unable to refuse, Ludmila nodded and moved her steps. Arriving at the office door, she knocked lightly, and a nonchalant “Come in” was heard.

Opening the door, she saw Aden sitting on the desk rather than in a chair.

Skimming what appeared to be a report, he glanced at Ludmila and smirked.

As she entered and closed the door, Aden fixed his eyes back on the document.

“Did you enjoy your commoner experience?”

“Commoner experience?”

Tilting her head in confusion, Ludmila realized he was referring to her recent meal and let out a low exclamation.

“I gave you a ring to sell yourself, and yet the sight of you eating thin soup among the servants made my boring morning quite entertaining.”

“That’s……”

Ludmila was about to respond to his words, unsure if he was teasing or sneering, but at that moment, she closed her mouth tightly due to a surge of nausea.

Seeing this, Aden put down the document he was holding, approached Ludmila to check her condition, and furrowed his brow slightly.

“Suddenly…… strange……”

Following the nausea, her breathing gradually became irregular. Ludmila’s body swayed as she thumped her chest, grimacing as if breathing was difficult.

Her body, unable to maintain balance, collapsed.

Fortunately, Aden rushed over and caught Ludmila before she fell completely, preventing her from hitting the floor roughly, but she still seemed to have difficulty breathing.

“Can’t breathe……”

Ludmila’s face turned pale as she clutched her throat, exhaling roughly.

Examining Ludmila’s condition, Aden pulled down her lower lip. After confirming that her tongue wasn’t curling inward, he lifted her chin.

Grasping Ludmila’s flailing hand, Aden unhesitatingly consumed her lips.

“Aden……!”

At that moment, Beressa, who was entering the room with a full-blown smile, stopped breathing at the sight of the two kissing in front of her.