I felt a bit upset hearing his words. Your standards are too high! Looking at that pretty face in the mirror every day, I guess ordinary women don’t even register as beautiful to you! Only someone like Ivy would be pretty enough! But I’m not ugly, I’m just average!

…I wanted to shout, but the moment Edan turned around, I quickly changed my frowning face to a smile.

He’s scary.

“What are you doing?”

Edan furrowed his brow irritably and tilted his head.

“Oh, yes! I’m coming!”

It’s an employer-employee relationship, so I’ll endure it. Really.

I scampered into the castle carrying the grocery bags.

[This is the timeline separator]

11 PM. Edan’s footsteps headed towards the library as usual.

I perked up my ears, and even after confirming the sound of the library door closing, I remained motionless under the covers for a long while.

Then, around midnight, I quietly slipped out of bed and carefully took out pen and paper.

“Letter of resignation…”

I carefully wrote out the words, relying on the flickering light of a small candle.

“I request to resign for personal reasons…”

Will this work?

“I must regretfully resign for health reasons…”

He won’t believe that, will he?

“I must resign due to an upcoming move…”

So suddenly?

Even though I knew the reasons didn’t make sense, I diligently wrote out resignation letters while pondering.

I had to escape this place quickly, before it was too late.

In a few months, Ivy would be announced as the Saint, and if I lingered by Edan’s side until then, I would definitely die.

Because after Edan’s death, the male leads eliminate everyone associated with him, claiming they were corrupted by dark magic. Then I wouldn’t become a mummy, I’d be burned to death. Damn it.

Looking at the flickering candle, I opened my drowsy eyes and smiled.

“…Well done, Latieana. It’s time.”

Over the past few weeks, I had steadily built up to submitting my resignation.

I had put on so many acts to avoid arousing his suspicion.

First, I infused healing power into pepper, then I said to Edan:

‘Master, I’m suddenly feeling itchy. Would you mind sprinkling some pepper on your sausage yourself?’

‘My hand got bitten by a mosquito. Please sprinkle some pepper on it.’

‘Oh! I got some spit on my hand! Please sprinkle some pepper.’

‘Just some pepper, please.’

At first Edan was skeptical, but when his headaches subsided just from sprinkling the pepper himself, he seemed to truly believe the pepper had medicinal properties.

He probably has no idea that all of this was part of my plan to leave this castle.

Edan thinks I don’t know his true identity, so he’d never suspect I’m trying to escape for that reason.

After all, without the pepper, I’m just a useless maid.

I’ve stalled for this long, so now it was time to submit my resignation.

“What’s he going to do if I say I’m quitting?”

Scratch, scratch. I diligently wrote out resignation letters until my eyes could barely stay open from exhaustion.

I made several copies in case one was rejected.

My feet hurt, my bones ache, the wind is cold, the air is stuffy – I wrote all sorts of ridiculous, nonsensical reasons.

And the next morning at breakfast, I handed one to Edan.

“What’s this?”

“It’s my resignation letter.”

Rip, rip.

Edan tore the paper to shreds without even looking at it.

I was a bit taken aback that he’d tear it up without reading… but I silently handed him the next one.

“Here’s another copy.”

Rip, rip.

The same thing happened again.

When I handed him the third one, Edan clicked his tongue in annoyance, and I was too scared to offer the fourth.

Judging by the murderous look in his eyes, it seemed I might be torn to shreds instead of the letter.

But I won’t give up!

The next day, and the next, and the next. I kept handing in resignation letters.

Two weeks passed like that. I submitted a total of 30 resignation letters, all of which were rejected.

I never imagined he’d tear up so many without even reading them.

Damn it! I put so much effort into writing those letters in the middle of the night! It’s too much to rip them up without reading!

The last resignation letter I handed in was even a blank piece of paper.

All that effort wracking my brains was for nothing.

“This won’t do.”

Only after having 30 resignation letters torn up did I finally accept that I couldn’t quit this way.

It was time for a different plan.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Here’s the bread, milk, and sausages…”

“Thank you.”

The postman who came to deliver letters also brought in the groceries left at the front gate.

After the confession incident, Smith seemed uncomfortable seeing me and just left groceries and memos at the castle gate before disappearing.

He must feel awkward after getting beaten up without being able to properly stand up to Edan, plus having his confession to me rejected.

“There’s one letter, just a moment. Where did it go…”

As the postman rummaged through his bag looking for the mail, I carefully asked:

“How has Mr. Smith been doing lately?”

“Hm? Why do you ask?”

“Just… curious.”

Some time has passed, but I wonder if his side that Edan hit has healed properly.

The postman took out a few envelopes, checking the names one by one as he spoke to me.

“Well. Come to think of it, he was saying his side has been hurting badly.”

“Still?”

“You knew about it too, Latieana? Smith said the bruises on his side, knee, and shin haven’t gone away for weeks. He must have collided hard with something while making deliveries.”

“…That’s, that’s terrible.”

Smith. You didn’t tell anyone that Edan hit you. Was it too embarrassing? But for the bruises to still not have faded…

It’s fortunate there was no internal rupture or perforation, but even though Edan didn’t seem to kick him that hard, the injury must have been severe.

“Ah, here it is. A letter from Jenald Johan.”

The postman handed me the very last envelope among the several he had.

“By the way, Latieana, you haven’t been coming down to the village lately? The ladies at the shops have been missing you.”

“Ah… I’ve had more work recently. Is everyone doing well?”

“It’s a quiet country village, so everyone’s living well without much happening. Though there was a bit of a commotion when the fruit shop owner’s youngest daughter, who had left to find work, came back.”

“Why?”

The postman put a hand to his mouth and whispered quietly, as if telling a rather big secret.

“Well, would you believe it. She was scammed by a man she met in the capital. That scoundrel acted all sweet like a gentle puppy, saying he loved her and would give her everything, then swindled her money. Seems he was a marriage fraud con artist. She came back penniless and there was a huge fuss with all the crying and wailing.”

“Oh my! What a terrible man!”

“You be careful too, Latieana. You might get fooled because you’re kind-hearted.”

“Yes, I will.”

I nodded vigorously at the postman’s kind warning. But Jenald suddenly popped into my mind.

Jenald has a gentle puppy-like face too. If someone acted sweet with a face like that then turned out to be a fraud, the sense of betrayal would be no joke. Hmm. But Jenald and I aren’t in a loving relationship, so.

“Anyway, make some time to come down to the village. It seems there will be a small festival now that the Great Saint has finally appeared.”

I was smiling at the postman as he turned to leave, but I froze in place.

“What? What do you mean? The Saint has appeared?”

“Of course. The temple announced it two days ago. It’s fortunate, given how there were cries of distress everywhere due to the Saint’s long absence. The whole place is in a celebratory mood. So come down sometime soon.”

The postman walked down the hill with a smile, while I stood dazed in front of the gate for a long time.

Why? Why has Ivy already been announced as the Saint?

In the original story, Ivy was appointed as the Great Saint a year after going to the temple.

In the original, the imperial family delayed announcing the Saint in order to pour all of Ivy’s healing power solely into the male leads.

It’s been 3 months since I jumped out of the carriage and spent time with Jenald, and 4 months since I started working here.

So there should have still been 5 months left, but…

“…Why has it been moved up?”

Not only that, but before meeting Ivy, Edan should have been waging a fierce war. But now Edan isn’t fighting a war at all, he’s just monitoring me all over the mansion or napping in his room!

The original flow of events has been distorted.

I hurried into my room, not even thinking to check the letter from Jenald.

I could sense Edan watching from his room, but I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that right now.

Edan and Ivy’s first meeting is at the imperial celebration ball shortly after Ivy’s announcement as Saint.

The Emperor and Empress are overjoyed at the appearance of a Saint with such powerful abilities and hold a grand ball, inviting Edan, the illegitimate prince.

At this rate, in a few days Edan will meet Ivy at the celebration ball… and receive Ivy’s blessing…

“He’ll go insane…”

No! I pulled at my hair frantically, lost in worry.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an alternative. Then I made a firm decision and clenched my fist.

Right. Submitting 30 resignation letters is enough effort. It’s the fault of the person who wouldn’t accept them.

Anyway, once Edan meets Ivy, he’ll forget I even existed. Forget the plan or whatever.

“Let’s run away.”

Right now.

Right now.

[This is the timeline separator]

1 AM.

I left my room carefully, carrying only essential items in a small crossbody bag.

Holding my shoes in hand, I crept down the hallway like a stealthy cat, taking 10 minutes to cover a distance that normally takes 1 minute, moving so slowly that I broke out in a cold sweat.

The creaking sound as I opened the front door on the first floor was grating, but fortunately there was no reaction from the second floor.

I don’t know what he does in the library every day, but luckily Edan doesn’t come out until dawn once he goes in.

Once outside, I quickly put on my shoes and ran towards the castle gate. But.

“…Huh?”

The gate was locked.

I tried shaking it, but it didn’t budge at all. It had never been locked before, so why now?

After a moment of panic where I could hear myself swallowing, I looked around in all directions. Since this was a stone castle, if I couldn’t go out through the gate, there was only one other option.

I lifted my head to look at the high castle walls.

‘Who stacked these stones so meticulously!’

I felt dizzy at the sight, but I clenched my jaw and pressed myself against the castle wall.

Fortunately, there were protruding stones and vines tangled complexly along the wall, so if I used them well, I should be able to climb over. I hitched up my skirt to secure it, got into position, and reached up with one hand.

Just as I was about to start climbing the wall.

“Where are you going?”

Along with a chilling sensation, a low voice came from behind me.