HGOS 07

“M-My Lady!”

Paul’s urgent voice rang out, but Kasia simply ignored it and got to her feet.

Hellish reality had now been joined by a demon, yet Kasia remained perfectly calm. That was the advantage of living a second life. Without having to experience everything firsthand again, she already knew every person who would turn her life upside down.

Although, in her previous life, she had been dragged around by the devilish young lady Vita for two whole years, this time she was confident things would be different. No—not merely different. She intended to settle every score from her previous life, when she had known all about Vita’s relationship with Jester yet had been unable to land a single decisive blow because she lacked proof. Kasia’s eyes flashed sharply.

Vita entered the room with the same shy smile she remembered. The first time Kasia had met her, she had honestly thought that if angels truly existed, they would probably look like Vita.

Her light brown hair was neatly braided, and freckles dotted her fair skin, giving her an adorable appearance. Her face looked remarkably young for her age, and her ever-present bright smile naturally won people’s affection. She wasn’t especially beautiful or eye-catching, yet men adored her. “Kind and always smiling”—Lady Vita of Greje Castle was well known even among the people of the territory.

Right. Even if I were a man, I probably wouldn’t have been able to dislike her.

She certainly was the type Jester, who had never seemed interested in women, would keep close. Kasia admitted that much.

But that’s completely separate from cheating, isn’t it? If you already had someone you loved, you shouldn’t have hidden it and married me, you damned bastard.

She hated Jester even more than Vita. A shadow she could not suppress settled over Kasia’s smiling face.

“My Lady?”

“Ah… yes. Your name is Vita, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, My Lady. My name is Vita Buckley. Baron Jester and I were born and raised together in Bohem. When my parents fell ill, it was difficult for me to remain there alone. Thankfully, the Baron kindly allowed me to come live here in the castle.”

If your parents were ill, shouldn’t you have stayed behind to care for them? What kind of ridiculous excuse was it to say it was simply difficult to remain there alone?

No matter how many times she heard it, the flimsy story was absurd.

Forcing a smile, Kasia listened as Vita continued with innocent eyes.

“I’ve been looking forward to the day you arrived in Greje Territory, My Lady. There isn’t anyone around my age here, so I’ve been terribly lonely. I’m sure you and I will become the closest and dearest friends in the castle.”

Someone her age? Close friends?

To Kasia, who had spent her entire life as a noble lady, those were not words a commoner—someone no different from the servants—should dare to say.

Back then, I foolishly thought, “I suppose that’s true.” I really was an idiot.

Looking straight into Vita’s smiling face, Kasia smiled back.

There was an irresistible charm in Vita’s smiling eyes. In the past, Kasia had nodded along to everything she said with that smile.

This time, too, she nodded.

“If the Baron thinks enough of you to let you live in the castle, then the two of you must be extremely close. Isn’t that right, Paul?”

Turning with a bright smile, Kasia looked at Paul.

Cold sweat formed on his brow as he hesitated to answer.

The oblivious Vita interrupted before he could speak.

“We’re practically brother and sister, even if we aren’t related by blood. Please treat me comfortably too, My Lady.”

Ha… hahaha.

She really can spout nonsense without the slightest shame.

Keeping her true thoughts hidden, Kasia smiled warmly back at the angelic-looking Vita.

Vita Buckley.

Of all the insane people Kasia remembered, Vita was unquestionably the worst.

Even if Kasia had lived far beyond twenty-seven years, she was certain she would never have met anyone as deranged as Vita.

She had been a fool not to suspect them from the beginning.

Though they insisted there had been no romantic feelings between them, if Jester had not become a war hero and been granted a barony—along with the obligation of marrying Kasia—they might well have ended up married themselves.

Thinking of how Vita’s affection for Jester had grown into outright obsession, Kasia smiled bitterly.

Jester had allowed his childhood friend to stay in his castle.

Fine. One could overlook that, even though it was outrageous for an unrelated woman to live in the castle in such an ambiguous position instead of his wife.

Jester’s true mistake was failing to recognize the line separating nobles from commoners.

Vita would occasionally call him “Jester” instead of “Baron.”

Whenever Kasia reacted with astonishment, Vita would pretend to be startled by her own mistake and bow her head apologetically.

She apologized only to Kasia—never to Jester.

As though Jester himself wasn’t bothered by the familiar form of address, making an apology to him unnecessary.

Whatever their relationship had once been, Jester was now married to Kasia.

In that case, Vita should naturally have let go of any inappropriate feelings.

But she never did.

There were more than dozens of servants whom Vita had driven out of Greje Castle.

The reasons were always the same.

They had dared to seduce Lord Jester.

Or they had looked at him with improper intentions.

Claiming that, as the lady of the castle, Kasia had to make an example of such shameless maids by dismissing them, Vita constantly manipulated her.

To Kasia’s eyes, every one of those maids had been innocent.

Yet she had been unable to oppose Vita.

Why had Kasia, the second most powerful person after Jester, allowed herself to be controlled by a mere commoner?

Because of Jester himself.

“Vita is one of the very few people I trust. Managing the servants is entirely within your authority, but Vita is not staying here as an ordinary maid. Do not treat her as one. And don’t entertain needless suspicions.”

When Kasia had sensed something strange and suggested sending Vita away, Jester had personally stopped her.

Believing that the long string of dismissed maids had all been Kasia’s own decisions—when they had actually been orchestrated by Vita—he had warned her in a tired voice.

“Do not touch Vita.”

Powerless to argue against him, the Kasia of the past had reluctantly obeyed.

And so Vita continued tormenting her.

The only reason she had spent nearly two years suffering at the hands of an ordinary common woman without crushing her was because of Jester.

Just remembering all the times she called, “Jester, Jester,” is giving me a headache.

Whenever the three of them happened to be together, Kasia often found herself wondering who the true mistress of the castle actually was.

She, the lady of the castle, who was seven years younger than her intimidating husband, always addressed him respectfully as “My Lord” or “Baron.”

Meanwhile, Vita—a mere childhood friend—would casually let “Jester” slip from her lips in a warm, familiar tone, pretending it was another innocent mistake.

The more often it happened, the more the castle’s hierarchy fell into chaos.

The other servants naturally found her difficult to deal with as well.

Within Greje Territory, Vita alone addressed the highest-ranking noble, Jester, so informally.

She never openly spoke to him without honorifics, of course.

It was always “an accident.”

But considering she never corrected the habit, it was obvious how casually she must have spoken to him when they were alone.

Kasia couldn’t stand the fact that Jester never drew a line.

How could he simply watch a common woman—whose status was no different from that of the servants—try to place herself on equal footing with his noble wife?

His careless attitude only caused confusion for everyone forced to live within that broken hierarchy.

Back then, however, Kasia had been so timid she barely seemed to have a voice of her own.

She couldn’t even imagine confronting him directly with, “Can’t you set proper boundaries with Vita?”

Instead, whenever she encountered her husband, she hurriedly lowered her head and fled.

At the time, she believed she shouldn’t interfere with whatever her husband chose to do.

He had known Vita almost his entire life.

She herself hadn’t even lived in the castle for a year.

She believed she had no right to tell him how he should treat someone.

But not anymore.

If left alone, Vita would only continue sowing discord throughout the castle.

There were so many things she had done that it would take an entire day just to recall them all.

As the nightmare of those two years replayed in her mind, Kasia shuddered involuntarily.

Looking directly at Vita’s face felt almost as unpleasant as lying beside Jester in bed.

“Ah!”

“…My Lady?”

“I suppose yesterday’s long journey has left me rather tired. We can continue our introductions another time. Would you mind leaving me alone for now?”

Smiling gently, Kasia spoke.

Vita nodded awkwardly.

Paul and Vita bowed before leaving the room.

Only after the door closed could Kasia release the long breath she’d unknowingly been holding in the presence of an old enemy.

In the end, the nightmare of Vita had lasted only two years.

During the early months of her pregnancy with Rael, the physician had warned that her weakened condition put her at risk of miscarriage.

Kasia had sincerely pleaded with Jester to send Vita away, insisting that Vita herself was the source of all her stress.

Eventually, Vita packed her belongings and left.

Considering the years of misery she had caused, it had been an unexpectedly anticlimactic ending.

At the time, Jester probably hadn’t wanted to do it.

But what choice had he had?

His wife, whose pregnancy was in danger because of stress, had identified Vita as the cause.

With everyone watching, he could hardly continue protecting her.

I should have caught them together while they were having their affair.

This time, I won’t let them off.

I’ll gather everyone in the castle and publicly shame them.

Late one night, for reasons she could no longer remember, Kasia had gone to Jester’s bedroom.

From inside, she had heard Vita’s voice.

“Jester… I really…”

“How much longer do we have to endure this?”

Though remembering those horrible days with Vita filled her with disgust, Kasia decided not to drive her out immediately.

Instead, she would wait.

She intended to drag Jester’s name through the mud.

After all, he had shamelessly kept his lover inside his own castle.

A week after Kasia arrived at Greje Castle…

On the day she had promised to teach Jester about marital intimacy, Fleurette arrived at the castle.

Sitting across from him, she let out one heavy sigh after another.

Where in the world am I supposed to begin teaching this…?

Running a hand through her red hair, Fleurette glanced back at Paul, who stood guarding the study door.

She found him utterly exasperating.

This was no different from demanding that she solve an impossible problem.

“Lady Fleurette?”

Hearing Jester call her, she quickly looked back at him.

“Yes, Baron.”

“Is something wrong? Why do you look…”

“I’m sorry. I’ve simply never met anyone quite like you before, Baron.”

Jester frowned at her blunt reply.

After hearing every detail about what had happened on his wedding night, Fleurette’s reaction was painfully embarrassing.

She looked exactly like someone wondering how she was supposed to educate such a hopeless fool.

And she was.

“So… let me get this straight. You didn’t use your hands?”

“No.”

“Not even your mouth?”

“I-I told you already! It felt inappropriate to touch my wife. She was too… Ah, never mind. But why would I use my mouth?”

“…Ha…”

Letting out a long sigh toward the ceiling, Fleurette turned to Paul behind her.

“Paul.”

“Yes, Lady Fleurette.”

“Can I smoke a cigarette?”

“I understand your frustration, but I’d appreciate it if you refrained from doing so in here…”

“…Ha…”

With heartfelt sympathy for the lady of Greje Castle—a woman she had not yet even met—Fleurette silently prayed.

Stay strong.

In any case, she had to do something for the poor woman.

Looking at Jester, who simply stared back with a bewildered expression, Fleurette spoke with complete seriousness.

“Baron. What happened between you and your wife on your wedding night was not a marital relationship.”

“…It wasn’t?”

“How could anyone call that a proper marital relationship? That wasn’t a beautiful physical union between husband and wife.”

She smiled sweetly.

“If I had to describe it…”

“It’s closer to animals mating.”