“Hey, the half-wit of the Aswald family is coming.”

The mockery and derision were clearly conveyed in their voices.

The intent behind their words was so resolute, but the person being called a half-wit didn’t show much reaction.

Despite the torrent of ridicule, Elaina simply continued walking silently. Whether the nobles snickering at her made any derogatory remarks or gossip, she seemed completely unbothered. Or perhaps she knew that no matter how she responded, it would be futile, and had resigned herself to it.

“Going to the bookstore again? You’re holding a book.”

“Well, reading is the only thing she knows how to do. But it’s surprising. I wonder how she manages to walk so well with that leg.”

“She must have gotten used to it. It’s been over ten years since she became a cripple.”

Elaina had two nicknames.

The half-wit of the Aswald family.

And the other, Cripple Elaina.

The latter naturally became attached to her as there was no way to hide her external appearance. But the former was a bit different.

“Hello, Elaina.”

A young man who not only looked quite bad in quality, but also reeked of the extravagant scent of nobility, blocked Elaina’s path.

“Where are you coming from?”

Elaina didn’t answer at all. She just stood there silently, gripping the book in her hand tightly.

“Shall I try to guess? Where you went and what you did.”

The man smiled somewhat slyly, then continued in a voice that somehow felt secretive.

“I heard from Leila. That you recently found a new job.”

Leila.

The name of her half-sister.

“I wondered what you were doing, wandering around in your poor health, but you’re meeting men? Around the port where the gypsies and the poor gather.”

“……”

“Selling your body like that.”

The man’s words, no, Leila’s words were a blatant lie.

Elaina had never even been close to the port area. It was too far a distance to go with her injured leg.

She had never sold her body to gypsies or the poor either. She wasn’t degraded enough to do that yet.

The reason Leila, who was treated preciously unlike Elaina, made up such an absurd story to suppress her was simpler than one might think.

“What a waste. With this face and this body, to be a cheap prostitute.”

It was because she was so beautiful.

Impertinently so, despite her status.

“As expected of the uneducated… Disgusting…”

Some noble ladies who were listening to the man’s words openly frowned and cursed.

“Is that the book you bought with that money?”

Regardless, the man stared at the book clutched in Elaina’s hand and laughed.

“It’s a used book.”

“……”

“Well, I guess that makes sense. Even if you sell your body to gypsies and the poor, it’s not like you can make a big income.”

When there was no response, the man seemed irritated or enraged, and frowned slightly as he rummaged through his pocket.

“Is this enough?”

And he shook a few gold coins ostentatiously.

“If you do it with me too, you could even buy a new book.”

The gold coins shining in the sunlight reflected in Elaina’s blue eyes, devoid of any light.

But that was it. Elaina said nothing, did nothing.

She didn’t slap the man’s cheek for his rudeness, nor did she yell at him.

She just stood there, simply hoping for this whole situation to end quickly.

With eyes like a dead fish, void of focus.

“……….”

Even after all the taunting, there was no response, making the man feel embarrassed instead.

The man muttered a curse to himself and glanced nervously at the group of nobles watching him from a distance.

“See, Rello.”

One of the group, perhaps an acquaintance, opened his mouth with a pitying look.

“Our Elaina has unique tastes, so no matter what you do, she won’t fall for it.”

Soon, snickering laughter settled in the narrow alley. The man, his face slightly redder than before, finally put the gold coins he was holding back into his pocket.

“Damn it, you’re no fun, you half-wit wench.”

Then he pathetically hit Elaina’s shoulder with all his might as he headed towards the group.

Left alone, Elaina finally moved. As if nothing had happened.

…Elaina had two nicknames.

Cripple Elaina.

And the half-wit of the Aswald family.

Who never fights back no matter what anyone says.

Even if she gets slapped in the face or her hair pulled, she just endures it like an idiot.

As the half-wit of the Aswald family began to painfully leave, only the pitiful sound of her limping footsteps filled the empty alley.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was evening when Elaina arrived at the Aswald estate.

As soon as she set foot in the mansion, the smell of delicious food permeated the air. Come to think of it, it was dinner time. After walking all day, she felt weak and hungry.

Elaina slowly walked towards the dining room, following the scent of food.

There, she saw a family already having a harmonious meal together.

Melvin Aswald, the Count of Aswald and Elaina’s biological father. Leila, her half-sister. And even Countess Melissa.

But they didn’t even spare a glance at Elaina. As if she had never existed in the first place, they ate and conversed among themselves.

“The servants seem to be slacking off with the food these days. Grilling the meat like this?”

Hearing Melvin grumble while cutting into a steak grilled to perfection, oozing with juices, Elaina headed towards the inner side of the dining room as if it were a familiar routine.

Then, she received a small envelope from a maid who had brought a tray full of all kinds of delicacies.

Inside the envelope, handed over naturally as if it were a usual occurrence, were a few pieces of dry, shriveled bread.

It was the meal given to her.

“Darling, we should fire the current chef and hire a new one. Maybe it’s because he’s from a commoner background, but I’ve never liked his cooking.”

“I agree, Mother. It feels so cheap.”

Still, this bread isn’t in too bad of a condition. At least it’s not moldy. Elaina thought to herself as she listened to her family’s conversation.

“By the way, you went to the gathering today, right? The ladies were making quite a fuss.”

“A fuss?”

“Sinclair Butler is back. That crazy prince.”

Sinclair Butler.

Even Elaina, who didn’t have the luxury to care about what was going on in the world, knew who he was.

The infamous Sinclair.

He was the Crown Prince of the empire, but was stripped of his title after beating a concubine favored by the emperor to death in broad daylight. Right in the middle of the imperial palace.

“I thought he would surely die this time, but his ability to keep coming back alive is remarkable in itself.”

The emperor had relentlessly sent Sinclair, demoted to a mere prince, to his death. Only to battlefields where there seemed to be absolutely no chance of victory.

But as Melvin had just mentioned, Sinclair returned alive every time.

“That’s why he’s even more terrifying. There’s a reason he’s called a madman. Beating a concubine to death and all.”

“Right. I’ve heard that story often too. Young Lord Dorell told me that even on the battlefield, he takes the lead in killing people like that. As if he’s addicted to murder.”

Leila chimed in.

“But what’s the problem with Sinclair coming back? He’ll just be sent back to the battlefield anyway.”

“Well, Lady Iona who attends the gatherings has imperial relatives on her mother’s side.”

“And?”

“I heard from her that before Sinclair went to war this time, he dared to make a condition to His Majesty.”

Melissa muttered with a look of disgust.

“That if he returns victorious, grant him one wish.”

“……….”

“It was a war in an enemy country, and on the day of departure, the number of soldiers accompanying him from the palace was reduced. No one says it outright, but His Majesty must have been desperate too.”

The infamous prince driven to death by his own father’s hand. What thoughts did he have each time he went to the battlefield?

Maybe, contrary to people’s expectations, he had no thoughts at all, just like me. Because it was too familiar. Elaina, holding the envelope tightly in her hand, blinked quietly.

“But in the end, he was victorious, so he’ll make a wish, right? His Majesty promised, so he can’t go back on his word.”

“You don’t think he’ll throw a fit to restore his position as Crown Prince, do you?”

“Leila, even if Sinclair returns with a great victory, that won’t happen. His Highness Hister is the current Crown Prince.”

Hister. The son of the concubine Sinclair had allegedly beaten to death in broad daylight.

What wish would Sinclair make?

It was a curious matter in many ways, but it had nothing to do with her. So Elaina began to leave the dining room without any lingering attachment.

No, to be precise, she tried to leave.

If not for the piece of meat that flew at her head.

“Eat it, Elaina.”

Leila, who had thrown the cold, leftover meat she had been eating, said with a smile.

“Eating only bread is bad for your health. This will suit your taste perfectly.”

Elaina slowly bent down. Then she picked up the piece of meat rolling on the floor and put it in the envelope with the bread.

“Thanks, sister.”

And she spoke to Leila in a deadpan voice.

“I’ll take care of my health.”

That was the end of the conversation. Elaina started limping away, and Leila, seemingly displeased with her reaction, muttered irritably.

“That stupid half-wit wench… Watching her limp with one leg is creepy and bizarre.”

“Still, don’t damage her face.”

Melvin spoke firmly.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was concerned about Elaina.

“There are several people who fancy Elaina. I’m planning to send her to a suitable person soon, and if there’s a blemish on her face, they might change their mind.”

He was just thinking of selling her off to an old nobleman for a high bride price.

“It’s fortunate that at least her face is pretty. If a wench with a limp was ugly too, no one would take her.”

“That girl isn’t even that pretty.”

Leila grumbled with a deep frown, but the Count and Countess didn’t pay much attention. It was common for Leila to throw such fits.

Soon, the Count and Countess began calculating which nobleman would yield the greatest gain by handing over Elaina, and Leila stuffed a well-baked cake into her mouth.

[This is the timeline separator]

The attic of the Aswald estate.

Cobwebs were everywhere due to the lack of proper cleaning, and all sorts of junk were piled up, making even the air stale. But this was the only space allowed for Elaina.

Returning to her room, Elaina placed the newly purchased used book next to the dirty blanket and opened the envelope she had received from the maid.

She bit into the hardened bread and stuffed the dusty meat, cut into bite-sized pieces, into her mouth.

Others might say it was the epitome of misery, but the feeling of misery was surprisingly weak, and the feeling of familiarity was surprisingly strong.

So for Elaina, today was just another ordinary day.

“……….”

After finishing her meal of sorts, Elaina lay down, covering herself with the dirty blanket, and stared blankly at the cobweb-covered window.

How much longer could she stay here?

When was her father planning to sell her off? And who would be the counterpart this time?

The marquis who recently beat his wife to death by mistake? The viscount who was said to be very irritated because his concubine gave birth to another daughter last week? Or the duke who was as old as a grandfather but had a lot of wealth?

Elaina knew all too well what Melvin was thinking by not throwing her out.

And she also knew that even being aware of that fact, there was nothing she could do…

Elaina looked down at her feet peeking out from under the blanket with slightly sad eyes.

There was a time when even Elaina had a dream.

A time when she had a grand hope of breaking free from the Aswald family and living her own life.

But that hope shattered into pieces the moment Elaina’s leg was ruined.

The sharply broken hope became a dagger, mercilessly tearing apart everything about Elaina without any leniency.

Elaina, lying quietly, smiled bitterly.

…I should prepare my mother’s keepsakes in advance tomorrow. Judging by the way things are going, it seems he’s planning to sell me off any day now.

She no longer had the strength to struggle or grieve.

Such strength had completely vanished the day her leg was ruined.

The pitiful Elaina slowly closed her eyes.

But she had no idea.

The fact that she would not be sold to the marquis who had beaten his wife to death, nor to the viscount who was angry because his wife and concubine kept giving birth to daughters, nor to the duke who was as old as a grandfather.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was probably early morning at most.

She naturally woke up early, but it was a bit earlier than usual. Her body was tired and her mind was hazy.

But she had no choice.

“What on earth have you been up to!”

Because Melvin, enraged, was grabbing her by the collar and glaring at her with fiery eyes.

What’s going on now?

Elaina, unable to understand the reason, looked up at Melvin with puzzled eyes.

And…

“Sinclair is here from the palace right now!”

Melvin shouted, panting heavily.

“And with a marriage proposal at that!”

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.