The Lady Wants To Rest

The wife of a wealthy man. It wasn’t a very happy life, and its ending was likewise not preferable. More importantly, the madam of a rich family had many things to consider and care about.

‘Or perhaps the estranged mistress of an unambitious man? Would that be enough?’

I collapsed into my bed and closed my eyes.

‘I don’t know. Whatever. Everything will be solved in due time. Let’s take a nap.’

Sleep swept over me.

In my last life, I had never slept for more than four hours per day. And, even then, I was unable to sleep deeply. It was because I was always in danger of being assassinated.

As a result, this time I decided to keep to three rules: sleep early, wake up late, and take an afternoon nap. Of course, if I feel drowsy in the middle of the day, I will sleep even more.

‘Life isn’t complicated. Good things are good. This time, let’s be happy at all costs. But first let me sleep.’

However, my first attempt at an afternoon nap, which was required for my happiness, turned to smoke from the beginning.

It was because the door to my room slammed open.

“Rubia!”

Sharp voice. It was the stepmother.

This time she came with backup.

It was a handsome young man with attractive and elegant, radiant silver hair and cerulean eyes.

He started to speak in a firm tone.

“Rubia, are mother’s claims true?”

I woke up wearily.

‘Viscount of Sabien.’

That handsome young man was the heir to the throne of Roxanne Grand Duchy, the Viscount Sabien. He was also Rubia’s stepbrother. He was the child of the first Grand Duchess, prior to the Grand Duke’s marriage to Rubia’s birth mother.

As one could see from how her stepmother had brought him as backup, he, too, did not like Rubia.

‘No, to be accurate, he has no interest. As such, even as the stepmother blamed Rubia for a million faults, he didn’t think to investigate more deeply into the circumstances.’

In some ways, he was worse than her stepmother.

For the timid Rubia wasn’t given a chance to explain the unfair rumors about herself.

Had Viscount Sabien had investigated even a little into her circumstances, the amount of hardship in her life would have been reduced by half.

“Answer me. Is it true that you had acted rudely to our mother?”

His cold tone was like that of a blizzard, full of sharp, frozen needles.

Of course, I only felt that it was rather cute.

“Yes, it is true.”

Viscount Sabien’s eyes shifted unusually. It was because my tone of voice was calm, unlike usual.

I ignored his reaction, and continued speaking.

“That is if you can call a lady, whose first words to her daughter who had just returned from death’s doorstep were that of scolding and mocking, a mother.”

“……!”

At the sudden blow, the stepmother’s face blanched. The stepmother had always pretended to be good-hearted in front of others, with the exception of Rubia.

Viscount Sabien frowned deeply.

“Your words are too harsh. Even if mother had said seemingly hurtful words, they must not have been with bad intentions.”

“R, Right. I was just worried about you!”

Worried? If she worried twice, she’d end up nailing a scrappy doll.

T/N: Nailing a scrappy doll – This is a Korean idiom. There no direct translation, so the translator made a reference to voodoo dolls. It’s basically cursing people by stabbing the doll.

I let out a sneer, stared straight at Viscount Sabien and spoke.

“Is my lord scolding me with the loving intentions of an older sibling or trying to set straight the household decorum?”

For a moment, Viscount Sabien was at a loss for words.

“I….”

If it was out of love for his younger sibling, this was not how one should have scolded them, as showing concern over his sister’s wellbeing, who had recently been ill, should have come first in the conversation.

Had it been for the sake of setting straight household rules, the stepmother’s usual actions towards Princess Rubia would not have abided by the decorum.

‘How frustrating.’

I fumbled for the mallet out of habit from my past life, and after realizing it was absent, my eyebrows furrowed.

“Anyhow your attitude was at fault. Apologize to mother.”

I crossed my arms.

What frustrating development. It felt like I was stuffing myself with baked potatoes without water.

I thought about using my syllogistic reasoning to deliver a fatal blow to Viscount Sabien’s argument, but I gave up at the last second.