ATP 09

Chapter 9

“Hey, what did you talk about with the young master?”

Nelly, clearly worked up over the events of yesterday and today, was glaring at me like she wanted to devour me.

I shook off my skirt and stood.

“What is it, Nelly? You didn’t come all the way here just to pick a fight with me, did you?”

“I asked first! What did you talk about with the young master? What kind of conversation makes him ignore me and just walk past?!”

I had no idea why this troublemaker was so fixated on that rascal, but my answer was already set.

“I’m not telling you.”

“Hey! Seriously?!”

Nelly, unable to contain her temper, raised a hand. I flinched, expecting a slap—but instead, my collar was grabbed.

[“The Spell of World-Building” frowns, powerless to intervene directly, only glaring.]

Nelly pressed her face uncomfortably close, growling.

“I knew it! From the moment you suddenly decided to learn how to serve the young master! You’re after him too, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Don’t even think about it! You’re hopeless anyway!”

I tried to reason why she was saying such absurd things.

‘Does this troublemaker actually like that rascal?’

But no, Nelly’s eyes weren’t filled with innocent affection—they radiated a worldly, combative intensity that left no room for naive explanations.

That was when it happened.

[“The Spell of World-Building” relaxes, smiling with anticipation.]
[“The All-Seeing Eye of Chaos” curves into a crescent shape, evaluating the abilities of the possessor.]

Huh? Suddenly?

The reactions from the divine entities watching from a godlike perspective seemed unusual.

Just then, something caught my eye over Nelly’s shoulder.

‘Ah, I see now.’

I understood why the two gods were smiling.

“Hey, aren’t you going to answer? Why are you smirking?”

“Oh, sorry, Nelly. So, what you’re saying is… you want to seduce the young master for your own benefit and just want me to stay out of your way, right?”

“That’s right! Can you believe you understood that, of all people?”

At that moment, the two approaching figures froze mid-step.

I pretended to ignore them, continuing my conversation with Nelly.

“But Nelly, isn’t that going to be difficult? The young master is a noble, and we’re commoners.”

“Hmph! What does that matter? Even the lady of the house started as a commoner. Who says I can’t become the next Countess?”

Somewhere, a soft intake of breath was heard.

But it wasn’t enough. One more jab at her arrogance, just to be sure.

“Oh, really? Does that make sense? Who said that? You?”

“My mother said it, so what!”

Nelly’s confident, ringing voice echoed through the greenhouse.

Perfect. That was enough.

Seeing my faint smile, Nelly flinched.

“What? Why are you smiling so… sinisterly?”

“Look behind you.”

“Eeek! M-my lady! Miss!”

There stood the countess herself, radiating a fierce aura, and her expressionless daughter, holding her hand.

A cold voice filled the air.

“Oh… so the Countess’s position seemed easy to challenge? Because I’m a commoner…?”

“M-my lady… I-I didn’t mean it like that…!”

“Well… children that age can say reckless things… but… your mother taught you that?”

“T-that’s…!”

Realizing she had no way out, Nelly turned pale, trembling.

The Countess’s voice rose to a terrifying pitch.

“Both of you, pack your things and leave the Count estate immediately!”

With a thud, Nelly collapsed to the ground.

“M-my lady… Waaah! Waaahhh!”

“You’re crying like a little child! Butler!”

In the end, the butler was called to haul Nelly away. Judging by the Countess’s firm demeanor, she wasn’t about to revoke the expulsion order.

And just like that, the head maid and her daughter were dealt with. Satisfying.

[“The All-Seeing Eye of Chaos” notes that you effortlessly handled these petty antagonists and acknowledges your S-rank qualification.]

Honestly… that’s not my rank—it’s the survival difficulty of this world!

The Countess and her daughter still lingered in the greenhouse.

I was just contemplating offering the Countess a tomato as consolation.

Her daughter—Bianca Gillette, if I remembered correctly—spoke in a calm, almost cold tone.

“Think of it positively, Mother.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure how that’s positive, Bianca.”

“The head maid had always been problematic, involved in hiring corruption and embezzlement. Now that she’s gone, it’s beneficial for the Count estate.”

“Oh… so the mother I just expelled was the head maid?”

“…I take it you didn’t know. It was hard to deal with her as head maid, but I didn’t expect the circumstances to align so conveniently.”

Bianca glanced at me briefly. I hugged the basket of tomatoes, pretending not to notice.

“Then, my lady, Miss, I’ll return to the kitchen.”

“Yes, do that.”

“Wait a moment.”

Their voices crossed.

“What is it, Bianca?”

“I want to discuss the treatment of that girl, Ailette Rodelline.”

Huh? I didn’t do anything wrong… did I?

The Countess tilted her head, apparently sharing my confusion.

Bianca stepped closer, smiling—a completely unexpected expression for someone usually so cold.

Then, her shocking words reached my ears.

“I want to make this girl my playmate.”

✠

Being the playmate of Countess Bianca Gillette—that was considered an extreme job by the servants.

Bianca wasn’t particularly difficult or cruel, but her inscrutable, cold demeanor made her intimidating.

Even the Count and Countess themselves were cautious around her, and even the young troublemaker tended to avoid her.

Several girls from the extended family had been summoned as her playmates before, but they would cry and flee within three days.

If Bianca ever tried to see them off, they would run screaming as if they’d seen a ghost.

No one knew exactly what terrifying things went on in the ten-year-old Countess’s room.

Now, I was about to find out firsthand.

From the next afternoon, I was excused from kitchen duties to serve as Bianca’s playmate.

‘Huh… there must be a hidden powerhouse in the Gillette household.’

I took a deep breath in front of the beautifully carved wooden archway—it felt almost like entering a dungeon.

After knocking, I entered.

“You’re here, Ailette?”

Bianca, reading alone, greeted me first. Her tone was cold and expressionless, but the situation somehow felt mildly welcoming.

“Hello, Miss.”

“Mm.”

With greetings done, it was time to get to work. What does a ten-year-old noble play with in a medieval fantasy world?

I hesitated, unsure, but thankfully Bianca spoke first.

“Read a book.”

She gestured to the large stack of books on the table, as if to say, “Take whichever you like.”

Just read?

Seeing my puzzled expression, Bianca asked, as if realizing something.

“Don’t tell me you can’t read?”

“No, I can read.”

Thanks to the support system of my possessed body, I could perfectly speak and understand the common language.

Bianca nodded, apparently satisfied that her father had raised a learned child.

I started examining the book titles: literature, history, society, politics, business, theology… all subjects were represented.

‘Too advanced for a ten-year-old.’

Perhaps this was why she had scared off all previous playmates.

I glanced at the book Bianca was reading. Its title, “High-Value Ventures Using Dungeon Resources”, didn’t seem designed to torture me.

I chose one on literature. I’d been a web novel enthusiast in my past life, and a title like “How I, a Hero, Seduced the Demon King” sounded intriguing.

“Go lie on the couch to read. You can relax there.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Not being a noble myself, I happily accepted her offer.

I sprawled on the couch and opened the book.

‘Huh… this is surprisingly pure literature.’

About thirty minutes in, I felt a need for a change.

“Um… excuse me, Miss, while I’m reading…”

“Yes?”

“May I switch books?”

“Sure.”

I felt her watchful gaze even in her detached tone.

The next book I picked up was a classic theology text—the Bible.

Bianca asked,

“The Bible? Why that?”

“I feel I can’t truly understand literature without understanding the Bible.”

Religious culture forms the foundation for much art.

Countless works of art, music, and literature are steeped in religion, influencing the collective consciousness.

Even in my past life, debates over the existence of God were intense.

Here on the continent of Serentra, divine power was real.

Religion’s influence on society here was undoubtedly stronger than in my previous life.

So I put aside the hero-and-demon-king novel and picked up the Bible.

It seemed like a mix of major religions from my past life, but I wanted to study it properly.

I noticed Bianca staring, slightly dazed.

“She can identify what she needs to study on her own…”

“Miss?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Muttering to herself, Bianca buried her face in her book.