Prologue

I died.

 

…And was reincarnated. To make matters crazier, as the highly loved, gorgeous youngest daughter of a Count!

 

‘Is this compensation for suffering in my past life? Talk about lucky~!’

 

I was born into a world straight out of a fantasy novel. From the moment I gained self-awareness and the ability to think, I realized I had been reincarnated.

 

In my past life, I was a woman in my twenties living in 21st-century Korea. The only unusual thing was that I died at a young age from overworking.

 

When I was little, my parents abandoned me with nothing but the name “Aerin.” As soon as I left the orphanage, I worked every job I could find just to earn money, exploited by a cold and unforgiving society throughout my early twenties. Most of the time, I saved up money while working in factories that provided room and board. The shift work was exhausting, but I pushed through with sheer youth.

 

‘I have to provide for myself.’

 

After clocking off, I lived diligently, studying for certifications by the light of a desk lamp.

 

Eventually, I landed an office job and saved up enough money to rent a place. The work was just as exhausting, but I loved having a home where I could cook warm meals and enjoy my hobbies.

 

That was, until I found out it was a housing deposit scam.

 

When the house went up for auction, I was thrown back out into the world without getting a single penny back. Desperate, I quickly rented a tiny studio.

 

‘I need to study. I have to study.’

 

Thinking I had been scammed because I was ignorant, I applied to a university affiliated with my workplace. I worked on weekdays and attended classes on weekends. In my spare time, I studied for exams and worked a side hustle at a logistics center.

 

‘Clock off, clock off, clock off… fast.’

 

Perhaps because it was the end of the year, my overtime increased, and with the heavy workload at the logistics center, my body felt unusually weighed down. Tightly zipping my worn company padded coat up to my neck, I trudged home through the freezing cold.

 

‘Ugh, so cold… As soon as I get home, I’m taking a hot shower and going straight to sleep.’

 

The moment I stepped inside, I shed my clothes at the entrance like a molt and went straight into the bathroom. Hot water poured down from the top of my head.

 

‘Ahhh— I’m melting… This feels so good…’

 

Funny enough, that was the last thought I had before I died. I hadn’t known that after severe overexertion, you’re supposed to rest by sitting or lying down for a while before taking a hot shower.

 

And so, with a loud thud, I stared at the bathroom tiles turning red, unable to fight off the surging drowsiness, and closed my eyes.

 

 

***

 

 

And that was how I was reborn in the northern Count’s family of the Kaldia Empire.

 

‘Honestly, even better~!’

 

Did I regret all the hard work I had put into my past life?

 

Not at all!

 

A spacious mansion filled with clothes and bedding made of luxurious fabrics, and despite being in a cold region, warm and rich meals every day thanks to my noble status. A solid bank balance that meant I could idle my life away without the family going bankrupt for three generations, provided nothing extraordinary happened… and…

 

“Aileen, my little lady, it’s time to wake up.”

 

“Wake me up with a kiss~”

 

“My goodness, of course, of course.”

 

Above all, a loving and devoted family that I could never trade for anything—something I had never possessed in my past life.

 

“Lady Aileen, are you heading inside?”

 

“Yup~ Is the knights’ training finished?”

 

“Yes. Everyone trained hard today as well.”

 

“Good work. Tell everyone not to take a hot shower right away just because they’re tired, but to rest properly first before washing up, okay?”

 

“…? Yes, I will do as you say.”

 

Even reliable knights who guarded our Primrose family.

 

Whether by coincidence or fate, the people here gave me the name “Aileen,” which sounded similar to my past name, “Yerin.” They fed me well, educated me, and protected me anytime, anywhere.

 

Everything was perfect.

 

‘In this life, I’m just going to live happily for a long, long time as a rich, unemployed bum before I die.’

 

Truly, everything… was perfect.

 

Until the year I was about to reach adulthood…

 

‘How on earth did things turn out like this…?’

 

With unfocused eyes, I stared blankly into space and slumped into the office chair.

 

 

***

 

 

After Kael Dehart returned victorious from the battlefield, the Crown Prince’s open checks and interference targeting the northern territory grew noticeably intense, casting an air of anxiety among the northern nobles.

 

Following the Grand Duke’s wishes meant fearing the Imperial Family’s disfavor, while walking on eggshells around the Imperial Family became a hindrance to the development of the northern territory.

 

‘Still, in the end, isn’t the Imperial Family the greater power?!’

 

To curry favor with the Crown Prince, the nobles dragged their feet on their work and chose to focus solely on their own families’ interests.

 

“Here is this week’s report.”

 

Kael Dehart flipped through the documents page by page without a word. With every page turned, pressure mounted in his fingertips.

 

Tap.

 

When he finished reading the last document, a brief silence settled over the conference room. Kael let out a low, mirthless chuckle and spoke.

 

“It seems you all fear the Imperial Family, yet harbor no fear of me, who stands right before your eyes. Otherwise…”

 

A low, deep voice. Whenever those crimson eyes pierced through each noble, one by one, they flinched and avoided his gaze.

 

“There is no way you would submit a report that practically begs me to kill you.”

 

“W-When did we ever submit such a—?!”

 

“That is how it reads to my eyes.”

 

Kael ruthlessly hurled the documents onto the floor. Thick stacks of paper scattered every which way across the cold, hard marble floor. The nobles’ eyes darted between the papers and the Grand Duke.

 

“One day.”

 

At the single, resolute command, everyone held their breath.

 

“I shall give you exactly one day. Pick them up if you wish to survive. After all, they are your lifelines.”

 

“You had better do your absolute best.”

 

At the sentence that followed, goosebumps broke out across the nobles’ bodies. Not a single person in the room dared to talk back or express dissatisfaction.

 

As Kael stepped out of the conference room, the nobles hurriedly scrambled up from their seats. Ordering the attendants or aides they had brought along to gather the scattered documents, they hastily departed from the Grand Duke’s residence.

 

There was no more time to waste eyeing the Crown Prince.

 

 

***

 

 

While lounging in the study eating cookies, I jumped up from my seat in shock at the bombshell news my father brought back after finishing the vassal meeting.

 

The cookie in my hand snapped with a crack and fell to the floor.

 

If we couldn’t rework this into something brilliant by tomorrow, our family would be completely ruined?

 

I took the report my father had written and flipped through it page by page. My jaw dropped lower and lower in sheer embarrassment. Before I knew it, my inner thoughts slipped out loud.

 

“Is this garbage supposed to be a document…?”

 

“Well, it’s just that it was impossible not to walk on eggshells around the Crown Prince…”

 

“Even taking that into account, it’s trash…”

 

The document formatting was ruined from the start. Contradictory sentences, missing numbers everywhere, and footnotes or supporting data were nowhere to be found.

 

I heard the Grand Duke threw the documents onto the floor, but honestly, he was being generous. I just wanted to shred the whole thing to pieces.

 

Seeing my father’s bashful expression, my vision went dark. I knew the standard of work in this world was abysmal, but to think it was this bad.

 

My goal was to spend my entire life living off my family’s money and unearned income as a slacker! At this rate, forget my dream—our family was about to be utterly crushed at the hands of the Grand Duke.

 

“This won’t do.”

 

“Aileen?”

 

I stared blankly at the broken cookie crumbs on the floor. They looked just like our family’s future.

 

“I’m sorry, past self. I promised I would never work again…”

 

Since the fate of our family rested on this document, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

 

‘Simply making minor edits won’t cut it. We need to show a transformed Primrose family through this single report.’

 

I rolled up my sleeves and started from the very first page. My hands moved busily.

 

‘If only Excel existed.’

 

I never thought the day would come when I’d miss all those keyboard shortcuts.

 

I personally dipped the pen in ink, neatly organized the figures, created and inserted graphs where necessary, cut and pasted source materials for the proposal, and color-coded the filing in place of folders.

 

Since the table of contents looked pathetic, I made a proper one using bullet points and meticulously maintained indents.

 

Ugh~ Thinking back to how my boss chewed me out for skipping this makes my blood boil again. They couldn’t even tell basic grammar apart themselves.

 

“Let’s see, next is the proposal and presentation.”

 

I needed to scrap the version filled with cliché fluff. I had to present an innovative plan and concrete execution methods backed by solid evidence.

 

It might sound difficult… but I had to remember. I was someone who had lived in 21st-century modern society.

 

‘This place is an unmodernized monarchical society.’

 

Having learned world history through regular education and looked through the news a few times as an adult to exercise my right to vote, it was packed with problems I could solve in no time.

 

I finished up by adding my opinions, blending principles of democracy and capitalism with elements suited to the conservative sentiment of the Kaldia Empire.

 

“Done~!”

 

I gathered the documents, stretched my arms out wide, and stood up from my seat.

 

It seemed to have taken about two hours. While I was busy working, my father was fast asleep, snoring softly… I contemplated giving him a light smack on the head, but ultimately left him alone.

 

‘Let’s just consider it an act of filial piety.’

 

I thought complacently…

 

 

***

 

 

A conference room wrapped in thick, dark stone walls, giving off a cold and solemn atmosphere.

 

Large windows lined both sides, but due to the northern climate, the sun rose late, leaving a faint, chilly chill hovering over the room.

 

Only the quiet echoes of servants’ footsteps rang out as they busily wiped down the long oak table and prepared for the meeting.

 

Rumble.

 

About an hour passed like that.

 

As the early morning chill receded and the morning sunlight reflected off the iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the rulers of the Kaldia Empire’s northern territories bustled into the room one after another. Soon, low murmurs began to spread through the previously silent space.

 

“Everyone arrived early.”

 

“Did you… prepare well?”

 

“I did my best, but I don’t know if it will satisfy the Grand Duke.”

 

“I dread coming here today so much.”

 

“I stayed up the entire night.”

 

“Surely he wouldn’t actually kill us…”

 

The stacks of paper held in the hands of those taking their seats in luxury leather chairs, along with dark circles hanging as heavy as those pages, revealed their sheer exhaustion. However…

 

“Primrose, how come you look so well-rested?”

 

“Ahem, well…”

 

Seeing Richard Primrose looking in relatively good shape, the others tilted their heads in confusion.

 

Just as Richard was about to answer, heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the corridor, causing everyone to shut their mouths and quickly straighten up. The seats on either side of the center remained vacant.

 

The Grand Duke crossed the long conference room with unhesitating strides.

 

His jet-black, fine hair remained unruffled by his steps, and even in the early morning, his crimson eyes gleamed like a predator’s, instilling a chilling terror akin to encountering a wild beast in the middle of the night.

 

While the Grand Duke brushed past each vassal, they could do nothing but swallow hard.

 

Exuding an overwhelming presence, he turned and sat in the center seat as the soft chandelier light cascaded over him. His tightly set lips parted.

 

“Let us begin.”

 

He naturally crossed his long legs, his crimson gaze looking down at his vassals. His firm jaw opened, unleashing a low, reverberating voice.

 

At his gesture, the documents prepared by each family were gathered in front of him one by one.

 

“You had better not disappoint me.”

 

“…”

 

“If you value your lives, that is.”

 

Kael Dehart picked up the document lying closest to him.

 

***

 

 

“Pardon?”

 

Dumbfounded, an incredibly silly sound escaped my mouth. But honestly, who could blame me?

 

“I like you.”

 

“Pardoooon?”

 

I had slept in late, wandered downstairs to the first floor looking all messy to eat a late breakfast-lunch brunch…

 

When some ridiculously handsome stranger barged into our house and dropped a total bombshell out of nowhere!

 

“Must I repeat myself?”

 

“Am I still dreaming…?”

 

“You’re the only one for me now.”

 

F***… Please, someone tell me this is a dream.