Chapter 05
Amon kept watching Rieli’s back until it disappeared beyond the door.
Once he was left alone, Amon raised his hand and lightly overlapped it with the spot where her hand had touched.
Today really was a strange day.
The notion that this very moment was part of a sweet dream gained even more weight.
A foolish fantasy—one where, if he fell asleep and woke up, he would finally return to reality.
Yet Amon did not want to wake up from this illusion.
‘If I don’t fall asleep, then I won’t wake up from the dream either.’
If it wasn’t a dream, that would be perfect beyond measure, and if it was, then he could savor this happiness a little longer.
I soaked my body in warm water and stared up at the ceiling.
Come to think of it, ever since becoming Rieli, I had never shared breakfast with anyone.
Up until now, eating alone made going all the way to the dining room bothersome, so I had just taken care of breakfast simply in my room….
‘Guess I’ll have to start eating breakfast properly and on time now.’
So Amon won’t be left waiting. And also….
“No matter how I think about it, I really should change the maids.”
Amy and Karen. Since they were the two who had served the original Rieli at the closest distance, this was something I had been thinking about ever since I entered this body.
And more than anything, the decisive factor that hardened my resolve was, of course….
Servants who immediately agreed along when their mistress made dismissive remarks about Amon.
‘Is it because even maids are daughters of noble families?’
Their ability to switch stances was honestly impressive.
Unlike servants, maids were high-grade personnel made up exclusively of nobles. Most of them were from lower noble families, and Amy and Karen fell into that category as well.
Karen immediately siding with me when I treated Amon as if he didn’t exist, and Amy laughing along with her.
Of course, my own slip of the tongue was the bigger fault.
In my fluster, I had said something I should never have said in front of a child, and they seized on my words as if they had been waiting for it, sneering openly.
Compared to how they had smiled sweetly and acted gentle around me over the past few days, it left me with a strange sense of betrayal.
‘Honestly, it was pretty shocking too.’
The fact that people like that were constantly hovering around me felt extremely unpleasant.
Replacing Amy and Karen with new maids seemed, in many ways, like it would put my mind at ease.
“Ah, damn….”
I’d gotten too deep in thought while washing. I needed to go down quickly…!
“Good morning. Did you sleep well last night, Sister?”
“Good morning, Amon. Did you sleep well?”
As I hurried into the dining room, Amon—who had arrived before me—stood up and greeted me.
I had summoned the head maid and instructed her to prepare a list of all the maids working in the mansion, then come straight down, but this little kid was far more diligent than I was. I should reflect on myself.
“Yes. Thanks to your consideration, Sister, I was able to rest comfortably.”
As I took my seat across from him, the sight of the child smiling softly at me was, honestly… cute. Damn it.
I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress the grin that was threatening to spread across my face.
I was sure I didn’t like kids and had zero interest in them, but maybe because the thought that he was my younger brother from now on had settled in, my eyes kept drifting toward him.
Right—turns out Amon is nine years old now.
‘Nine years old….’
When I heard that, he was older than I had thought, and my head had gone blank for a moment.
Just how poorly had he been nourished for a nine-year-old to look like he wasn’t even seven? It made him seem all the more pitiful.
And yet, in the original story, this child—so noticeably smaller than his peers—would grow up to be tall….
‘If I feed him properly from now on, he’ll probably grow like crazy, right?’
Well… whether he was seven or nine. By my standards, he was still very much a little kid.
Up until I fell asleep last night after leaving Amon’s room, I’d done a lot of thinking.
About how to treat a younger brother who had suddenly appeared, and about what a child like him might need.
With his only father failing to do his job, I felt that I, at least, had to fill the role of Amon’s guardian without lacking in anything.
‘But it’s not like I’ve ever taken care of kids before….’
I even worried about whether I could be kind to him properly.
I really am simple. It hadn’t been that long since I’d thought that, yet now Amon just looked adorable to me.
Lost in those thoughts, the silence stretched on unintentionally.
Realizing it belatedly, I quickly spoke up in a bright tone.
“You said it’s your first time eating breakfast, right? Let’s start by getting used to eating small amounts, and once you’re comfortable, we can increase the portions. It’s good to eat a solid breakfast.”
“Yes, I will do my best, Sister.”
My expression turned subtle at Amon’s earnest reply.
…Eating meals is something you have to do your best at?
“No, I’m not saying you have to make an effort, so don’t worry about it—just eat comfortably.”
“Yes, Sister.”
“And… about that way of addressing me. We’re family, so instead of calling me ‘Sister’ so stiffly, call me ‘Noona’ comfortably. Speak more casually too. You don’t need to be so formal. At home, you’re supposed to be relaxed.”
It felt strange having such a little kid constantly calling me ‘Sister’ so formally. It made me feel like some kind of gang boss or something.
Listening seriously to my words, Amon murmured the word ‘Noona’ as if tasting it on his tongue.
“…Noona. Yes, I will call you Noona.”
“If it’s uncomfortable to switch to casual speech all at once, we can take it slow. We have plenty of time, okay?”
So please don’t look at me with such moist, shining eyes….
The ones who neglected him and turned him into a child who couldn’t act his age were the original Rieli and the Duke—so why does my conscience have to hurt…! It wasn’t fair.
“…Yes, Sister—no, Noona.”
Amon smiled at me with reddened, bloodshot eyes.
Seeing that face left me with a bitter feeling.
Just how lonely and difficult his life must have been all this time. I couldn’t even fully grasp it—I could only feel sorry for him.
I forced the corners of my mouth up into a smile.
“Okay. Let’s eat.”
“Yes, Noona.”
Amon picked up the small fork and knife set before him.
After breakfast, we took a light walk around the garden to help with digestion.
At some point, what was meant to be a brief rest turned into me dozing off on a garden bench when unfamiliar footsteps made me open my eyes.
It was the head maid. She handed me a neatly organized set of documents.
“Miss, I’ve prepared the list you asked for.”
I had told her to bring it as soon as it was ready, but this was faster than expected.
“Thanks. And what about what I mentioned this morning?”
“I organized that together as well.”
Just before falling asleep last night, I suddenly remembered that Amon needed attendants, so I had asked the head maid to prepare a list of candidates.
And before breakfast this morning, I had also asked for a full list of all the maids in the ducal household, since I intended to bring in new personal maids for myself. Her work speed was impressive.
I quickly skimmed through the list in my hands, getting a general sense of the profiles.
Then one name immediately caught my eye.
The third son of Count Berg’s family, a page who had only been in service for half a year.
“Edgar Berg.”
A character who appears in the original novel.
From the very start of the story, Edgar appears as Amon’s aide.
He overlaps the image of his older sister, whom he lost to illness, with the female lead, Lemiel.
It was just because their hair color was the same, but anyway, because of that, he ends up suffering unnecessarily while trying to help the female lead….
‘Given that the original story is a novel completely devoid of dreams, hope, or anything else, his role is basically just to add to Lemiel’s misery.’
Later, Edgar helps Lemiel attempt to escape from the ducal mansion.
But unsurprisingly, the escape fails.
After that, he’s imprisoned in the underground dungeon and tortured—a truly unfortunate man.
“He’s a child who joined recently, but he’s extremely sharp. Although he hasn’t been here long, he’s already completed all the required training, and we judged that he lacks nothing, so we included him as a candidate for the young master’s attendant.”
As I murmured Edgar Berg’s name, the head maid added her explanation.
Edgar was already a proven talent, given how often he appeared in the original story.
“Hmm…. I’d like to pick Edgar and maybe one more. Is there anyone you’d recommend?”
“Rick Devar would be a good choice. He hasn’t worked at the ducal residence for very long, but he entered with a letter of recommendation from the marquisate he previously served.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. He worked as the second young master’s personal attendant at the marquisate, so he shouldn’t be lacking.”
As if she’d been waiting for me to ask, the head maid smoothly explained Rick’s background.
“Then let’s go with him. Assign Edgar and Rick to Amon. And I’d like to meet these ones.”
I pulled out the documents tucked at the very back of the list and handed them to the head maid.
Her eyes widened slightly as she accepted them. My choice must have been unexpected.
“…These children are still lacking when it comes to serving you, Miss. I included them since you ordered a full list of all maids, but….”
“I know. I skimmed their backgrounds. I’m not going to have them do anything major—if they can handle simple errands, that’s enough. For now, tell them to come to my room.”
“…Understood, Miss. Shall I send them up right away?”
“Yes. I’m going to head up now, so have them come up immediately.”
“Yes, I will send them up. Then….”
The maids I selected were a pair of twins so fresh-faced that they might as well have been placed on the very last page of the list.
It was true that being twins caught my attention, but what I cared about most was how long they had worked at this ducal household.
These twins were still young, and they had only been working at the ducal residence for two months.
That was the part I liked.
If possible, I wanted to start fresh with people who hadn’t yet been tainted by this place—and who didn’t know the original Rieli.
