MAS 03

-chapter 3-

I glared at him with a feeling of injustice, but only his cold glare met my eyes.

I returned my head to its original position and stared blankly at the pillow he had thrown me.

‘But… why did he give me this?’

Was it because he thought if he threw something at me to stop my noise, I’d keep quiet? And of all things, it had to be a pillow?

…At this point, I began to wonder if he even thought of me as human.

‘What’s going to happen from now on?’

I hugged the pillow Cidreion had thrown me and fell into thought.

‘Maybe he has a bit more humanity than I thought.’

It had been a few days since I arrived here, and I had yet to see Cidreion kill anyone.

Well… thinking back, when he was younger and his elemental powers weren’t fully awakened, the side effects were supposed to be milder.

‘As long as he doesn’t just annoy me…’

Lost in thought, I gradually drifted off to sleep.

‘Strange girl.’

Cidreion watched Lilia carefully as she slept, clutching the pillow he had given her.

No one had ever spoken to him so boldly.

Most would quietly shut their mouths when he gave them a displeased look.

‘Doesn’t she have any sense?’

Seeing her clutch the pillow as if it were a lifeline just because he threw it to her was absurdly amusing.

“Ugh… why are you doing this to me… huh…”

Lilia muttered, swinging her hands in the air as if caught in a nightmare.

Watching her, Cidreion couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Pfft.”

But the short laugh quickly disappeared. He was slightly embarrassed that he had laughed at all.

‘…What was that?’

It was a strange feeling.

‘Did I just… laugh?’

Blinking in confusion, he looked at Lilia again.

The unfamiliar sensation was confusing but not unpleasant.

He tried to smile again, recalling the strange feeling, but the smile didn’t come as before.

‘It must have been a coincidence.’

He shook his head, pulling his attention away from his own laugh.

‘Let’s just sleep.’

Turning his gaze away from Lilia, he closed his eyes again.

‘Damn him.’

I couldn’t sleep properly because the bed was uncomfortable.

When I finally did fall asleep, Cidreion appeared in a dream trying to kill me, and I couldn’t rest deeply.

‘Scary guy… even in dreams…’

Naturally, my resentful gaze fell on the peacefully sleeping Cidreion.

‘Ugh, my body aches.’

While someone’s body was stiff from sleeping on the floor, someone else…

It was frustrating.

Normally, I wasn’t the type to back down, but thinking that I might die if I provoked him made me instinctively careful.

‘I guess life comes first…’

In other novels, the male lead would sleep on the floor to avoid touching his wife, but why does my husband make me sleep on the floor just because I annoy him?

No wonder you only remained a side character! Got it?

‘Ah, whatever.’

No matter how much I fuss internally, he wouldn’t hear a thing.

I patted my aching back and glared at him, but then my eyes fell on his peacefully sleeping face.

His cheeks, soft like mochi, made me want to poke them.

‘Still… he’s really pretty.’

Admitting it hurt my pride a bit, but I couldn’t deny it.

He looked like a gentle angel while asleep, but the moment his eyes opened, his arrogance returned—it was quite the paradox.

If he’s going to use that good looks, he might as well give some to me.

‘Ugh, what am I doing?’

After all, he was just a character in a novel.

I sighed quietly and turned my head toward the door.

The firmly shut door showed no sign of opening.

‘Morning is long past… I’m starting to get hungry. Is he planning to starve me rather than sleep together?’

Before I could dwell on that thought…

Screeech.

The door opened.

“Ah!”

“Eep!”

I and the maid entering the room locked eyes.

Caught off guard, our eyes widened.

I held my pounding chest, staring wide-eyed, and the maid asked,

“Wh-why are you… like this here…?”

Well, indeed…

“Shut up.”

A cold voice from behind made both the maid and me flinch.

Watching the maid tremble with a pale, terrified face, I felt an odd sense of kinship.

Still, she was young, yet his reputation already seemed well-known throughout the mansion.

She opened her mouth in a trembling voice.

“I-I’m sorry. The meal is prepared…”

Food!

Hungry, I looked at her eagerly, but her gaze didn’t meet mine.

She only watched Cidreion nervously.

I felt almost invisible.

I looked at Cidreion desperately.

He lowered his long lashes, deep in thought.

‘Please… please!’

Even if he didn’t feel emotions, he’s human—he must feel hunger!

I hoped, but…

“I don’t particularly feel like it.”

“I’ll inform the chef then.”

The maid quickly bowed, relieved, and left the room.

I stared dumbly at the closed door.

And me…?

My humiliating days continued.

The maids—no longer called sisters—didn’t openly give me a hard time, but they blatantly treated me differently from Cidreion.

In hindsight, it was natural.

A country bumpkin of unknown origin versus a duke born and raised here—how could the treatment be equal?

That part was understandable.

“Today’s schedule is etiquette training.”

The teacher in charge looked at me, someone he hadn’t met before, with a face that clearly showed no expectations.

Wow, that’s harsh.

I, who had never been ignored in my life, had recently been through all sorts of humiliation.

‘Just wait. I’ll do everything perfectly!’

I made a firm resolution and threw myself into the lesson.

“You’re terrible.”

The sigh struck me straight to the heart.

I wanted to argue, but the fact that I couldn’t made it even sadder.

‘…Why am I so clumsy?’

I flopped to the floor and shed tears like a tragic heroine.

At times like this, someone should have been around, but of course, there was no one—leaving me to wallow alone.

After that, I received all sorts of lessons: etiquette, history, and more.

Yet every time, the teachers shook their heads in disapproval.

The only subject I was praised in was…

“Oh my, you got them all right?”

Math.

Let me clarify—I’m not some math genius; it was just easy. I knew the basic theory.

‘But I’m not planning to be a mathematician, so what’s the point?’

Better than failing, sure, but I basically disliked math.

“You have talent, my lady.”

Yes, yes.

Perhaps seeing my bored expression, the teacher smiled and added,

“Though it’s just numbers now, if you become skilled, one day you could turn stone into gold.”

“…What?”

I gawked at the teacher in disbelief, my hand jerking from resting on my chin.

“So try your best.”

The teacher continued with more explanations, but my mind was filled only with the idea of turning stone into gold.

Listing all the things I wanted to buy if I made gold, the classes passed by in a flash.

Even after hours, my mind contained no real knowledge.

All that filled my mind…

‘Long live Korea!’

Only thoughts of my departed homeland.

Although I was officially Cidreion’s wife, in this place, I rarely met him except during meals.

Even then, he often avoided me, claiming that seeing my face ruined his appetite. The jerk.

He barely felt emotions, so for him to say that made me wonder if my face really was that ugly.

“No! My lady, you’re not ugly!”

“…Th-thank you.”

Being from a country that valued formal speech, I felt obliged to speak politely to those older than me, but here it was different.

Naturally, as a noble and Mary as a maid, I now had to speak informally to her.

‘Still a bit awkward.’

Mary, who had become quite friendly over a few days, did her best to comfort me.

“You may not be dazzlingly beautiful…”

Mary was good, but she had a habit of dulling compliments with unnecessary additions.

I shot her a look to stop, and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

“Anyway, it’s almost dinner time; shouldn’t you get going?”

“We were just talking about breakfast… when did time pass so quickly….”

Thinking of seeing Cidreion again, I instinctively touched the back of my neck. That arrogant face, spouting irritating words!

I pressed my hand to my forehead and said,

“I feel suddenly sick.”

“That’s unfortunate. The chef said some quality beef arrived earlier. Should we at least prepare a thin soup?”

From beef to soup so quickly… cunning!

“…You’re doing this on purpose, right?”

“Oh, not at all. I always wish for harmony between master and lady.”

Harmony here meant marital bliss. So wishing for it meant…

“See! That’s exactly what I meant!”

Mary clearly had no conscience. How could one coexist harmoniously with her?

“…I hate him.”

“You should speak nicely.”

“I hate that guy!”

“Perhaps we should ask the butler to hire a language tutor.”

Annoyed by Mary’s comment, I immediately changed the subject.

“I don’t think the Duke and I are compatible. He should quickly take another wife… Mary?”