Chapter 3.

The Petty Thief Coveting Her Friend’s Husband

December 3, 2023

Knock, knock—

The door to Essika’s room opened with a knock.

Essika, who had been reading a book while leaning against the bed, looked coldly at the person who entered.

“Essika.”

Wearing a neat sky-blue dress, it was none other than Yuri.

As she approached the bed, Yuri looked at Essika, who was alone in the cold room where little sunlight entered, as though she pitied her.

“How are you feeling? The doctor said it seems you injured your head…… Do you recognize who I am?”

That hateful smile irritated Essika a little, but she calmed herself.

A pathetic bird’s neck can be twisted slowly.

First, I’ll destroy the cage so thoroughly that she has nowhere to escape.

“Yuri Anesis, my one and only friend.”

At Essika’s stiff words, a smile spread across Yuri’s lips.

‘Did hitting her head make her lose her memory?’

That was probably what Yuri was thinking.

Essika continued speaking.

She didn’t like letting Yuri misunderstand the situation like that…… it was too predictable.

“And…… a petty thief who shamelessly covets her friend’s husband with that brazen, disgusting face.”

Yuri’s brow twitched.

The reason Essika called her a petty thief rather than simply a thief was because the man she had stolen was hardly worth anything.

“A vulgar, uneducated, pathetic adulteress.”

As Essika continued speaking without even twitching an eyebrow, the smile that had been on Yuri’s face disappeared completely.

It was Essika who smiled first.

“What? Do you want me to say more?”

It was only natural for Yuri to be confused right now.

Essika’s reaction was completely different from what she had expected.

Essika would surely have lunged at Yuri and grabbed her by the hair.

Yuri had even deliberately brought a small dagger so that she could use it if such a situation arose.

If she gave that pretty face even a small scar, it would be quite satisfying to look at.

Even if the supposedly insane Duchess suddenly went berserk and caused a commotion while holding a knife, there was no one in the ducal household who would bother investigating what had really happened.

“Cinder-covered Yuri Anesis?”

But Essika seemed completely uninterested in a physical struggle, choosing instead to torment Yuri with words.

The blatant insult reminded Yuri of her childhood, when she had lived in fear of the power of the Brigitte baronial family.

The corners of Yuri’s eyebrows rose.

“Essika!”

Yuri ground her teeth.

Essika Klaus was not supposed to look this normal.

After hearing that Essika had not left her room for more than ten days, Yuri had thought that the shock might have reduced her to a wreck.

And since the head lady had ordered nothing but rotten bread to be distributed to her, she had expected Essika’s appearance to be even worse.

But Essika’s complexion was actually better than before her injury, and her eyes were filled with a sharp, malicious vitality.

As though she had become a completely different person.

“You!”

Yuri pointed a finger at Essika.

“You’d better not speak to me like that. The head lady appointed me head maid recently.”

A flash of triumph appeared in Yuri’s red eyes.

In an ordinary household, a head maid would have no power over a noble lady.

But the internal power of the Klaus Duchy belonged to only one person: Leona Klaus, the Duke’s mother and the head lady.

A single word from the head lady controlled the household’s budget and food supplies, as well as the authority to receive and invite guests.

Essika, who was nothing more than a Duchess in name, had even needed to carefully watch the previous head maid and act submissively around her.

“Of course, I still have some affection for you since we were once friends……”

Yuri continued with a mocking smile.

“But as the head maid, I intend to follow the head lady’s wishes to the best of my ability. Naturally, I should be loyal to the person who recognized my worth, shouldn’t I?”

What she meant was that she intended to torment Essika to the best of her ability.

“Besides, one day, the head lady will become my mother-in-law.”

She deliberately added that last sentence to provoke Essika.

Yuri considered herself the winner.

Essika had nothing but her family and a pretty face to her name, yet despite that, she had always possessed everything Yuri wanted.

Watching that woman gradually fall apart inside the Klaus Duchy was immensely entertaining.

Especially seeing Essika despair over having lost her husband’s heart felt like a reward for all the years Yuri had endured while soothing foolish Essika’s tantrums.

From now on, Yuri intended to watch her even more closely.

“Then get some rest. His Grace should be returning from the hunt soon, so I need to prepare his new clothes.”

When Essika remained silent, Yuri smiled smugly and turned around.

‘I can give her a scar on her face next time.’

She wondered how horrified the Duke, who already hated Essika, would be when he saw her disfigured face.

Now that Yuri was the head maid, there would be plenty of opportunities.

“Yuri.”

Perhaps she was going to make one last desperate plea.

Essika’s voice came from behind her.

Yuri stopped and turned around, still wearing a proud smile.

Essika’s blue eyes shone fiercely in the dim room.

“You know, my family has always sent me jewelry every month. My brothers would send it for me, but now that I think about it, I don’t think I need it anymore. So I sent them a letter telling them not to send anything from now on.”

Yuri’s hand twitched.

“What…… do you mean?”

“You used to receive the jewelry from my family at the main gate of the ducal residence, didn’t you? I’m saying there’s no need for you to do that anymore.”

Essika leisurely watched the corners of Yuri’s lips tremble.

“Now that you’re the head maid, even more so. You shouldn’t have to concern yourself with such trivial errands.”

Yuri hurriedly protested.

“B-But…… it’s help from your family. Wouldn’t it be better to accept it?”

Her red eyes were trembling.

Essika already had a good idea why Yuri had suddenly become the head maid.

And she also knew why the head lady had been calling for Yuri so often recently.

Every month, the Brigitte baronial family sent Essika high-quality jewelry.

Yuri must have been skimming the finest pieces from among them……

“No. I don’t want to anymore. I’m sick of jewelry.”

“…….”

“I suppose the letter should have arrived at my family’s residence by now.”

At Essika’s words, Yuri tightly clenched her skirt.

All the jewelry Yuri had stolen must have been used as bribes for the head lady.

And the head lady never kept people around who offered her no benefit.

What she expected from Yuri was a continuous supply of the finest jewelry.

“Anyway, do your best as head maid.”

Essika smiled sweetly.

Yuri’s eyebrows trembled.

Seeing her already pale face, Essika nearly laughed.

The reason Yuri Anesis had been able to marry the Duke of Klaus in the novel was because, one year from now, she would be carrying the Duke’s child.

Until then, she must have been currying favor with the head lady by embezzling the jewelry sent to Essika.

But if Yuri wanted to continue enjoying the head lady’s favor, Essika’s jewelry could not stop coming.

“…….”

All the confidence she had displayed moments ago had disappeared.

Yuri turned stiffly and hurried out of the room.

‘That fool will take measures to make sure the jewelry doesn’t stop coming.’

Without even realizing that she’s digging her own grave.

After Yuri left and the dark night descended, Essika sat on the floor and crossed her legs.

It was important to properly discipline those who did not know their place and acted recklessly, but what Essika was devoting the most effort to right now was the formation of her internal energy.

The energy in this world was denser than that of the martial world, but for Essika’s body, which had never trained even once in her entire life, there were…… many difficulties.

She practiced breath control through her dantian, gathered internal energy, circulated it through her body, and opened the pathways through which her energy would flow.

She had already been spending an entire week just taking that first step.

‘This isn’t easy.’

If she trained according to the methods of the Demonic Cult, she could progress more quickly and smoothly.

But recklessly building internal energy with such a frail body would likely result in qi deviation.

Simply put, this body was too weak.

If she trained using impure or overly aggressive methods, there was a possibility she would lose her mind and become a madwoman.

Therefore, although it was unlike her, she decided to slowly strengthen herself using the orthodox methods employed by the righteous sects.

Sella, who had been threatened, was dutifully bringing her fairly good food every day.

Essika would nourish her body with good food and train with a strong mind.

Of course, once her internal energy pathways opened sufficiently, her progress would accelerate from that point onward.

After all, finding a road again was not difficult once one had already traveled it before.

‘Even a hundred-thousand-mile mountain begins with its first peak.’

Essika concentrated her mind on her dantian and gathered her internal energy.

Then she slowly circulated her inner power and began opening the pathways through which her qi would flow.

It was an incredibly difficult process, like carving a path through dense undergrowth, but Essika remained focused.

Sweat poured from her body, carrying out the accumulated impurities.

“…….”

After struggling through the exercise for a long time, Essika’s expression gradually relaxed.

She had succeeded in opening the first pathway for internal energy within this extremely difficult, frail body.

To think that even this had been so difficult.

A short while later, Essika opened her eyes beneath the moonlight shining through the window.

Her clothes were slightly damp, but her skin was clearer and smoother than before.

Essika stretched and muttered to herself.

“I need to wash.”

As he saw off a guest who had arrived without an invitation, Kallian said,

“I’ll escort you to the Imperial Palace.”

It was merely a polite formality.

Lesvan raised his left hand in refusal.

“Thank you, but I’ll decline.”

Lesvan Deon Lucene, Crown Prince of the Turesian Empire.

He was an exceptionally handsome man with a tall, sturdy physique similar to Kallian’s, black hair, and vivid golden eyes.

At twenty-nine, he remained unmarried.

There were many rumors about why he was still single despite having passed the usual marriageable age.

The most credible rumor was that he simply had not found a woman as captivating as war.

After the Eunivus Conquest War, Lesvan had come to be known as a cruel warmonger.

The reason this warmonger had visited the ducal residence today was because the Emperor had ordered him to inspect the Klaus ducal family’s relief supplies intended for Sorbet.

The head lady’s plan to mix large quantities of husks into the relief grain had been completely ruined.

“Only the relief supplies require thorough protection.”

At Lesvan’s cold voice, Kallian’s eyebrow twitched.

It was an implicit order to manage everything properly so that there would be nothing else for him to worry about.

Soon, Lesvan mounted his white horse with a nimbleness that seemed almost incongruous with his large physique.

His blue cloak billowed dramatically.

Kallian stared at Lesvan with a displeased expression before lowering his head in respect.

“Then have a pleasant journey, Little Sun of Turesia.”

Lesvan gave a slight nod and began riding away.

His black hair fluttered in the cool night wind.

The horse galloped forward, and the scenery of the tall, straight trees changed continuously.

The road belonging to the Klaus Duchy was extremely well maintained.

It had apparently been poorly managed before the Duke married, but the family’s wealth had increased considerably after his marriage.

‘She was the daughter of Baron Brigitte, wasn’t she?’

It was not particularly unusual for a marriage to be used to strengthen the shortcomings of one’s family.

Lesvan frowned as he rode, then suddenly tightened his grip on the reins.

“…….”

He had sensed a presence nearby.

When the horse came to a stop, Lesvan lightly dismounted.

Although he was still within the territory of the Klaus ducal residence, he felt that he should investigate.

He entered deeper into the bushes.

And then, further inside, a lake appeared within the dense forest.

The crescent moon and Milky Way filled the sky above it.

And in the middle of the lake, he saw the back of someone.

“…….”

Silver hair fluttered gently in the breeze.

Water droplets fell from her wet white clothes, sparkling like jewels.

As though sensing Lesvan’s gaze, she slowly turned her head.

The shadows accentuated the bridge of her nose and beautiful jawline.

Beneath finely shaped eyebrows, her blue eyes shimmered like they contained stars.

Only her profile was visible, but Lesvan stood frozen, his brows drawn together as he stared at her.

Then, in an instant—

Splash—!

Her body disappeared into the lake.

“……!”

Lesvan immediately moved toward the water and stood at its edge.

The lake was perfectly calm, as though the woman he had just seen had been nothing more than an illusion.

There was no trace of the woman anywhere.

With his deep golden eyes beneath his cold gaze, he stood there for a long time, silently taking in the sight of the lake.