Chapter 1.3

“You called for me, Your Excellency.”

The Count must have known I had entered, but he remained focused, writing something with a pen in his hand. It wasn’t until I formally greeted him that he finally put down the pen and looked up at me. A man I had never seen before stood with him in the room.

“Claire.”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday… you went to the St. Vincent Orphanage?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The Count’s sharp question didn’t surprise me; I had expected it and answered quickly. But his patience was short. He immediately raised his voice at me.

“Why, in the world! Why are you doing this? I told you not to go there, to forget your memories of that place!”

The Count expected me to apologize, but I didn’t. Of course, the original Claire would have said what he wanted to hear. But I took a moment to choose my words carefully.

“Why should I? Those are my memories. They won’t just disappear because Your Excellency tells me to forget them.”

“What did you say?” The Count shot up from his seat, surprised by my unexpected response.

“Does something cease to exist just because Your Excellency wishes it so? After all, every noble in the Empire of Quinze-Nouais knows that I am the illegitimate child you abandoned.”

“Claire!”

To calm the enraged Count, I slightly bowed my head and averted my gaze. “I know why you’re upset, Your Excellency. But I did not go there yesterday to offend you or to defy you.”

As I spoke in a quiet, subdued tone, the Count’s voice softened. “…Then why did you go?”

“Everyone already knows that I am the unwelcome illegitimate child of the Ianster family. Therefore, I believe it is wiser to bring the matter into the light rather than trying to pretend it never happened.”

“Bring it into the light? What do you mean by that?”

“I am proposing that the Ianster family sponsor that orphanage.”

“Sponsor?” The Count looked at me with wide eyes, clearly having not thought of such a thing. To be honest, I hadn’t planned on it at first either. But after yesterday, I felt it was something that absolutely had to be done.

The maids I hired yesterday were only there for a week.

“You don’t need to budget for it separately. I will use 30% of the annual allowance for my upkeep to sponsor the orphanage. Please, grant me permission.”

My upkeep allowance was budgeted annually in the family name anyway. Even after I escaped from this place, that money would still be paid. Just then, the young man standing next to the Count’s desk, suddenly with a glint in his eye, came forward to support me.

“Your Excellency. Lady Claire is right. If you were to sponsor that orphanage, it would be a great act of benevolence for a family that will one day produce an empress.”

I immediately recognized him. He was Count Ianster’s competent aide. I carefully examined the face of the aide who was giving weight to my words. What was his name again? Glenn…

“Is that so, Sir Doherty?”

Glenn Doherty! In fact, Glenn Doherty was one of the people Count Ianster trusted most. The reason I hadn’t seen him in this world until now was because he was supposed to be traveling all over the empire following Celine’s trail.

‘But he dies young… Why does he die? Do I kill him?’

“…Claire, Claire!”

“Yes?”

I hadn’t heard the Count calling my name again, lost in my own thoughts. The Count sighed, looking at me.

“Very well, I will consider your request regarding the orphanage.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

After that, the Count continued to speak, but I was so focused on remembering the cause of Glenn Doherty’s early death that I wasn’t listening. I must have been staring at his face too intently without realizing it. It was only when Glenn checked what was behind him and then turned his gaze back to me that I realized I had been staring for too long.

“Do you understand, Claire?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes, I understand. Then may I be excused now?”

I made it obvious that I had barely listened and hurried toward the door.

“Yes.”

As I was walking out, I heard him say, “Then I will prepare for my departure to the Eastern Continent next month.”

As the aide’s words reached my ears, a page from my memory book flipped open. He was leaving for the Eastern Continent because a merchant had reported seeing a woman who looked like Celine. But of course, it was a false report, and Glenn Doherty’s ship would sink on the treacherous sea voyage.

The words, “The Count was heartbroken as if he had lost a son when he heard the ship had sunk,” flashed vividly in my mind along with the memory. I closed the door and let out a sigh.

‘Should I just pretend I don’t know?’

If I stop him from going to the Eastern Continent now, it would be easy for people to think I’m causing trouble again because I don’t want my sister to return. But his young face, his curly brown hair, and his kind, intelligent eyes were a blur in my mind.

‘Alright! If I save this one person in this world, I’ll have done my part.’

And with that resolve, I trudged back to my room.

***

The next day, I went to the market. Glen Doherty was one thing, but first, I needed to get out of this house. My plan was to become Adrian’s friend, get close to him, and then disappear from the house before Celine returned. Since I knew Adrian was connected to the Imperial Family, it seemed impossible to leave this house peacefully. So, to become independent as soon as possible, it was most important to create cash assets.

As the saying goes, even a dog at a village school recites a poem after three years. I had watched and learned a little about how Director Han Hyuntaek increased his wealth. But this wasn’t an IT powerhouse, so there were limits to how I could get information. So, for now, I gathered all the accessories in my room and on my body. I desperately needed seed money.

“My Lady, if you were coming to the market, you should have at least brought a knight with you. What is this?”

“They’re more dangerous.”

“At least you know that.”

At this point, the only knight who had even slightly opened his heart to me was Owen. But I couldn’t possibly take him with me to do strange things like selling my accessories.

“I get it. Now, please take me to a place that handles jewels.”

“It hasn’t been that long since you bought a new one…”

I left the grumbling Sally outside and entered the jewelry shop. The air was thick with caution, as it was a place where large sums of money changed hands. I tried to act as if nothing was wrong and placed the earring I was wearing on the counter. The owner examined it carefully.

“It’s a top-quality piece.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

“I can offer you 1,000 Sat.”

1,000 Sat was enough to buy three or four slaves in this world. I remembered buying Hailey from the labor camp for 300 Sat.

“Really? Shall we do that then?”

Just as the jewelry owner was about to pick up my earring with a bright smile on his face, a hand wearing a black glove suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Th… th… thief?”

“Ha!”

He laughed as if my words were absurd and spoke to the owner in a low voice.

“1,000 Sat?”

The shop owner stammered at the man’s immense presence.

“N-no, 3,000 Sat…”

“3,000 Sat?”

“No, 5,000 Sat!”

“Hey, shop owner. Do you want to close this place?”

“Phew, 10,000 Sat!”

“You should have said that from the beginning.”

I grabbed his hand and shook it up and down.

“My benefactor, you’re my benefactor.”

“What? Your benefactor?”

“Yes, you’re a master of negotiation.”

“Are you… an idiot?”

‘Oh, I’m Cha Seyoung. I was so good with money… What an embarrassment.’

Idiot or not, he was my benefactor since he had made me 9,000 Sat. Did this mean a single pair of these earrings could buy over 30 slaves?

“Yes, of course. Call me whatever you want. Hehe.”

“Ha, what a character.”

Just then, Sally, who had been waiting outside impatiently, poked her head in the door and shouted. “Lady Claire. Are you done yet? The sun is setting.”

“Claire? That Claire? The Ianster family’s scoundrel?”

“Scoundrel! Tsk, ha. Just call me an idiot. And even so, you’re talking like that to my face, to a member of a prestigious noble family… so you must be a very high-ranking person.”

I had a sudden realization and prostrated myself.

“You must be a very high-ranking person. You’re so noble…”

He was a member of the royal family.

As he took off his black cloak, just as the author intended, a voice in my mind went, ‘I’m the Crown Prince!’ and his blonde hair fluttered.

‘Is there a fan blowing somewhere?’

“Now that I see you, you’re not an idiot, and you’re not a scoundrel. You’re my intended fiancée.”

“Hahaha, is that so?”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“Oh! Hah! I’m truly surprised.”

As soon as Claire turned 17, she would get engaged to this Crown Prince. The Ianster family was a family that had produced empresses for generations, so they had to bring in an illegitimate child to continue the legacy.

And what kind of guy was this Crown Prince? At the age of only fifteen, he had eliminated two of the three other candidates for the throne. Of course, he didn’t do it himself, but like a great strategist, he knew how to use others to solidify his position. Having eliminated the obstacles one by one, he naturally became the Crown Prince at the age of seventeen.

And the only person he failed to eliminate was the current Emperor’s half-brother, Grand Duke Aurelian. But then, the Grand Duke suddenly went missing!

“Gasp!”

‘I remember. I remember now.’

Cedric had called Adrian that when he was about to brand Claire with the iron.

<Your Royal Highness, the Grand Duke…>

He was the same age as the Crown Prince, his father’s younger brother.

“You are so expressive.”

“Pardon?”

“Are you finished thinking now? It’s hard to turn ‘red and then pale’ like that in front of a person.”

“Hahaha, did I do that?”

“Since I made you earn a huge amount of money, I’d like to invite you for a cup of tea.”

“Oh… tea? Then I’ll bring some tea leaves to the imperial palace later.”

“You know me well, so that’s why you weren’t surprised.”

“…I saw you from a distance on Foundation Day.”

“Foundation Day?”

‘Damn it, wasn’t everything usually called Foundation Day?’

“No, just at a festival…”

The Crown Prince tilted his head but didn’t pry further. He seemed to have many more questions and started asking me again.

“You’ll bring tea leaves?”

“Yes, you said you wanted a cup of tea.”

“Hmm… But, my Lady, has your family’s fortune declined? Why are you selling jewelry?”

“Declined? I was just selling this to buy a new one.”

“Without having a jeweler come to the mansion?”

“I wanted to see what’s in style these days and pick out things for myself…”

Was this a pressure interview?

“…Is that so?”

He didn’t seem to believe me at all, but I didn’t care. In the original story, the Crown Prince was a person who almost despised Claire. He was my number one person to avoid.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

But the number one person to avoid gently grabbed my wrist as I turned to leave.

“When will you come?”

“Pardon?”

“When will you come?”

‘Seriously, buddy. This is just a ‘let’s grab a meal sometime’ kind of thing.’

But his handsome face was smiling so brightly that my lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

“Aren’t you going to answer the Crown Prince’s question?”

“Next Wednesday?”

“Understood. I’ll be waiting for Wednesday…”

I had no idea whether making a connection with the Crown Prince would be a gain or a loss, but I gave myself a mental pat on the back, telling myself it wouldn’t hurt to have a powerful person on my side.

***

With the Crown Prince being a Crown Prince and the money from the deal sitting snugly in my pouch, Sally and I walked around the market, and my mood lifted instantly. A little shopping always works wonders for a woman. It relieves stress and sparks creativity.

“Sally, do you want that hat?”

“Pardon?”

“That beige hat. It would look great with your soft brown hair.”

“My Lady, are you sick? You used to call my hair straw-colored.”

“Tsk, fine, don’t take it. I was in a good mood and wanted to buy you something…”

“No, no, no! Please buy it for me!”

“Then I will.”

We had a great time, trying on hats and other accessories. Sally looked adorable when she smiled and her dimples showed.

Just then, my eyes landed on a set of paper and pens. And I suddenly remembered how Celine and Adrian first became close.

One of Adrian’s character traits was amnesia. When he first came to the orphanage, he was almost mute. Because of this, Adrian thought he couldn’t read. It was Celine who taught him. Adrian had said that Celine was the one who brought him the world. And, as if by a miracle, his memory came back “with a bang.”

‘If a pretty girl teaches you, letters can become the world.’

“Pardon?”

“Oh, nothing. Let’s buy that. And is there anything popular among the knights these days?”

“Why?”

“I want to buy them something if there’s a popular item.”

“A popular item? What do you mean?”

“Something they want to have but can’t afford because it’s expensive. Is there anything like that?”

“Hmm… I heard a knight named Smith bragging about a small dagger he got recently with his name engraved on it. It had a tiny gem on it too.”

“Ooh, really? But a dagger is a bit…”

I looked around as Sally was talking. Then I saw a variety of alphabet characters made of iron. They were like printing blocks, with different sizes and fonts. And an idea flashed through my mind.

‘Oh, a typewriter.’

This world had no printing press or typewriters. As a former secretary, I thought I could take those alphabet characters and make a typewriter. When I was in the orphanage, the director had a hobby of collecting antiques. He’d give us broken typewriters and sewing machines to play with. As they say, an old habit dies hard. Seeing the letters, I immediately thought of a keyboard.

I also thought it would be a special gift for everyone if I could use the letters to brand their names onto leather goods.

‘As long as I don’t brand it on their faces, it should be fine, right? And it’s kind of cute…’

I bought several sets of all the alphabet characters and was on my way home in a good mood. But then…

“Sally, what’s that?”

“Pardon? A teahouse?”

“There were cafes in this world?”

I said I would go to the imperial palace with tea leaves on Wednesday without even knowing something like this existed… It seems I was about to add another nickname—the “idiot who brought tea leaves to the imperial palace”—to “Idiot Claire” and “the Ianster scoundrel.”

That night, the Ianster family’s home workshop opened for business.

I took some good quality leather and made a belt and a small pouch to go with it. In short, it was like a fanny pack. I had taken leather crafting classes when I was playing the role of a rich wife, and everything I learned was coming back to me.

For my first project, I combined the letters to spell “OWEN” and carefully branded it onto the leather.

“My Lady… You’re not making this for Sir Owen, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then why are you making such a thoughtful gift?”

“As the saying goes, you can’t spit on a smiling face, and good words beget good words in return.”

“Pardon?”

“It means I want to make a good impression. So that later, if things go wrong, they’ll save me… And I think he’ll accept it.”

It was sad. ‘Damn it… what a lot of trouble I’m going through.’

The next day, I went to the training ground. “Owen, this is a gift for you. Will you accept it?”

“Pardon?”

Before, every knight here looked at me with a murderous intent, but now, their eyes held a look of utter bewilderment.

“What is this?”

“Well, it’s like this…” I suddenly wrapped my arm around his waist. I heard the sound of a sword being drawn from a scabbard. But with the speed of lightning, I fastened the belt and opened the pocket, putting in the small dagger from my pants pocket. The knights let out a soft gasp of admiration.

“Look here, I even branded your name on it, ‘OWEN.'”

“Ah…”

“What? You don’t like it?”

I looked at him, circling around him. In the training ground, the knights only wore leather vests over their bare bodies, and it went perfectly with his.

‘It looks good…’

“I… I like it.”

“Really? I knew it would look good on you because you have a nice body.”

“A nice body…! Yes…”

I was so happy he accepted the gift that I grabbed Owen’s hand and shook his arm up and down. But with his free hand, he covered his mouth and turned his face away. Thinking I might have gone too far, I quickly let go of his hand.

“Sorry,” I said awkwardly, to the whole group. “Um… if anyone wants one, just let me know. I’ll make one for you.” Of course, I didn’t say it with any expectation.

“I’m fine, but my sister would like to have one.”

“Huh? You mean Hailey? Ohh, okay. Thank you, Cedric!”

I was genuinely happy. This was a step forward. Now, Cedric definitely wouldn’t be looking for me with a burning vengeance. Smiling broadly, I made eye contact with Adrian.

Adrian was literally the knights’ slave. He was in charge of running errands for the knights, but in reality, his daily life was full of abuse from Claire. But since I hadn’t touched him for the past few days, a recovered Adrian was now out in the training ground.

And like a devoted fan of a certain dog-training TV show, I’ve been following the expert’s advice. He said you shouldn’t go up and pet a large dog right away. And you shouldn’t show fear, either… No, that’s a lie. I was a little scared. The sins I had committed were too great.

So after dinner, I decided to do the thing I had been putting off.

I prepared some warm bread and milk, and with the pen and paper set I had bought, I went to find Adrian. After the knights’ training was over, Adrian had nothing much to do.

Knock, knock.

“Um… It’s Claire. Can I come in?”

There was no answer, so I knocked again. Still, there was no sign of anyone. Feeling relieved, I was about to turn back when the door creaked open slightly.

“Oh? You’re not asleep yet?”

‘You opened the door, so are you going to say something?’

I peered inside over his shoulder. His room had only a bed, a table, and a nightstand.

“Can I come in?”

He went inside first, so I hesitantly went in. I lit up the dark, windowless room with the lamp I was holding.

“Um… are you feeling better?”

“…”

“This bread just came out, so it’s warm. Want some? I promise I didn’t do anything weird to it.”

But Adrian still didn’t answer. I hesitated for a moment and then took a small step toward him.

“And this is a gift. Will you take it?”

‘Please take this, and please don’t kill me.’

“What kind of trick is this?”

His voice was so low, even though he was only seventeen.

“It’s not a trick. Absolutely not. I swear it.”

“Do you think I’d believe your oath?”

“Oh… is that so? Then I won’t swear. But Adrian, can you look at this? This is a pen and paper…”

I was fumbling with my words, and I could tell I sounded pathetic, but for the first time, he showed interest and turned around. His eyes were still fierce.

“A pen? Paper?”

He did want to learn to read and write. I wasn’t the female lead, so I couldn’t give him the world, but I could give him my attention.

“Yeah, I remember you once said you wanted to learn to read and write at the orphanage.”

“I did?”

It was a complete lie.

“Yeah, I think I remember you saying something like that… Anyway, this is how you write.”

“How can a slave learn to write? Is this a new kind of torture?”

“No, it’s not. And if you want, I’ll teach you. Oh, and this is just for your peace of mind, but… I don’t like you anymore.”

“What?”

The look on his face became murderous, as if he was about to kill me right then and there. He had a strong, male-alpha aura.

‘That’s not it, is it?’

“I… I meant I’m trying not to like you. And I’ve thought about it, and you can’t just force yourself to like someone… so I’ve decided to respect your will.”

‘That’s not it either?’

He no longer even tried to hide his murderous intent and strode toward me.

“Bu… but it won’t be that easy, will it?”

“Did you get a new toy?”

“Pardon?”

“Is it Owen this time?”

“Huh? No, Owen is just a friend.”

“A friend? A knight in the house is a friend? And you give a branded item as a gift to a friend?”

“You don’t? I brought one for you too.”

I felt a murderous aura that told me I might die if I didn’t take out the gift quickly, so I nervously handed him the notebook cover with his name branded on it.

I then cautiously backed away from him and placed the paper on the table, carefully fitting it into the cover. It was a difficult piece to make because I wasn’t used to it, but it looked really nice with the paper in it.

I wrote the letters on the paper with my finger and quietly said, “Adrian…”

“This is your name, Adrian.”

He looked mesmerized and came closer, stroking the part where his name was branded. I squeezed my eyes shut and declared to him as if I was shouting, “Every day at this time! For an hour, no, for thirty minutes, I’ll come here and teach you how to write!”

After saying that, I ran out of the room. I was so out of breath, thinking he would follow me and grab me by the collar. For some reason, my heart was pounding.

***

A few days later, I was called to Count Ianster’s office.

I had been incredibly busy these past few days. I had to make a small leather backpack for Hailey, sell off my jewelry whenever I could, and spread out a map to decide where I would settle down. And in the evenings, I had to wait for 30 minutes in front of Adrian’s room, hoping he would open the door.

He never did open it, but every day I would write two letters on a sheet of paper, slide it under the door, and then shout, “That’s an A and a B, starting from the left!” And, as a master of South Korea’s college entrance exam system, I didn’t forget to draw an apple and a banana on the paper as well. I had just finished the letter “H.”

On top of that, I had gone to the market, found a blacksmith named Sam who could make anything, and entrusted him with my typewriter design.

So, what I’m saying is, I completely, utterly, and absolutely forgot. I forgot my appointment with the Crown Prince.

“The Crown Prince will be sending a carriage for us tomorrow.”

“The Crown Pr…!”

“Yes. A letter arrived from the palace today. It seems you two have an appointment to have tea?”

“Your Excellency! Is there any traditional tea that can only be found here and not in the Empire? Or some rare tea leaves that even the Imperial Family can’t get?”

“No.”

“Oh… I’ll just bring Earl Grey, then.”

“You should get a dress and accessories tailored, but there’s not enough time.”

“Pardon? I don’t need those. I have plenty of clothes. May I go now?”

The Count gave me a strange look, seeing his daughter refuse clothes and jewels. It was the same child who loved extravagance because of her lowborn blood… yet these past few days, she had been unusually quiet.

“By the way, Claire.”

“Yes?”

“How exactly did you make an appointment with the Crown Prince?”

“Oh… I was in a difficult situation at the market, and the Crown Prince happened to help me.”

The Count’s eyes narrowed, questioning if I was telling the truth. He opened his mouth to say something, but I had already closed my ears. Honestly, I didn’t care what he said. The Count only neglected Claire’s banishment or death; he didn’t play a direct role. The word “father-daughter relationship” didn’t exist in my head, anyway.

I went back to my room, wrote a big “I” and “J” on a sheet of paper, and headed to Adrian’s room. This time, I didn’t knock. I just **slid** the paper under the door.

“Adrian, I can’t come tomorrow night. And I can’t go to the training grounds tomorrow either.”

“…”

“Just… letting you know.”

Just as I finished and was about to turn away, an arm appeared and pulled me into the room. Then, this young boy proceeded to corner me between his arms and the door. There must be a textbook for this kind of behavior for secondary male leads.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why can’t you come?”

“I think you’ve gotten taller.”

When I put my hand up to measure his height, my hand reached his chest. He flinched as if he hated it and backed away.

“Stop with the nonsense and tell me why you can’t come tomorrow.”

“I’m going to the palace for tea tomorrow.”

“With whom?”

“The Crown Prince.”

“What?”

“I’m going for tea with the Crown Prince. The palace is a little far from here, and the procedures are probably complicated.”

“You’re only sixteen.”

“Huh?”

“You haven’t even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet! Why so soon?”

“It’s not like that. I just met him by chance. The Crown Prince helped me, and I promised to treat him to tea. Are you angry?”

“No!”

Well, he was always angry at me anyway.

“Anyway, I’m leaving. Those are today’s letters.”

When I reached for the doorknob to leave, he immediately came back and turned me around. I froze like ice from his unexpected action.

“It’s too short. …Teach me everything at once and go.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Yay.”

I even sang the alphabet song as I enthusiastically taught him the letters. It was a true joy to be able to sit with him without him being angry, crying, or silent.

‘So this is what it’s like to raise a pet… a friend.’

And I suddenly became curious. He was a guy who was described as gentle only to the female lead, but what would he look like if those blue eyes were filled with affection?

As soon as I realized my eyes were getting “romantic,” I jumped up. Claire’s romantic eyes were a thriller, not a romance. The moment I entered this novel, the genre was no longer a romantic fantasy.

I went back to my room, branded Hailey’s leather bag, and, feeling inspired, made a gift for the Crown Prince, too. It was a leather pen case.

As if to rebel against the author who wrote a novel titled <Love Without a Brand>, I, Claire Ianster, was branding things everywhere.