Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Ugh. I shuddered. The ruby ring glinted on my left hand and as I ran my fingers over the smooth stone, I tried to approach the situation more cynically. “The moment a dog tries to bite its master, the master needs to pull back on the leash.”

However, if I did that it would surely cause his affection score to plummet. I thought he was my only real option, so why do I get the feeling that I’m taking a big risk by throwing my lot in with him? Shaking my head, I tried to ignore my anxiety. I cast my eyes to the next name on my list.

“Winter Verdandi.” He was the first to give me a taste of the terrifying experience that was watching the male lead’s affection score bleed away. I’d already made up my mind that I wanted nothing more to do with him but seeing “15%” made me hesitate. Winter’s one major drawback was that he would be the first to discover the female protagonist. But he was also the most normal of the five love interests. I tapped my pen against the desk, beating out a steadily more agitated rhythm the more I thought about it.

Unable to come to a decision, I flung the pen aside. “Why is nothing ever easy?” I complained to myself. Suddenly, there were two firm knocks at the door. I was immediately on edge—nobody could ever be allowed to find these notes.

My voice sounded harsher than usual as I called, “Who’s there?”

“Pennel, my lady,” the butler called back.

“Wait one moment.” With a mirthless smile, I gathered the various papers strewn across the desk and hid them away deep inside the drawer at a relaxed pace. Only after replacing the pen neatly in its holder did I allow him to enter.

“Come in,” I called. The door handle clicked as the butler opened the door cautiously, before coming inside. “What is it?”

“The duke says it has been a long time since he took lunch with you and has invited you to dine with him.”

“Lunch?” I repeated. A lunch invitation was a completely foreign concept to me. I always ate alone in my room, ever since I’d found myself in this world. Compared to what I knew about a noble’s normal diet in this world, the food I was served was outrageous, but I was okay with it. It was better than eating rotten food or starving like I had in the beginning, and I wasn’t required to speak with the duke or his sons if I took my meals alone in my room. Emily, who had stabbed me over and over with her needle, now served me with all her heart.

It suits me perfectly to just eat alone, I thought. I did not want to go down to the dining room on the first floor and dine with people I did not feel comfortable with. Besides, the thought of eating while the servants watched made me feel ill—the same people who hated me because they felt I had usurped the duke’s actual daughter.

“I... don’t mind eating alone in my room as I’ve always done,” I said evasively, wanting to avoid going if I could. “Besides, I’m still reflecting on my past behavior.”

“He asked that you attend since he has something he wishes to say to you all.”

“All? Does that mean my brothers will be in attendance as well?”

“Of course.”

Well, sh*t. I resisted the urge to scowl with some difficulty. It would be foolish to show any distaste for the idea in front of the duke and Derrick’s closest manservant. I need to keep calm. I can handle this. I sighed inwardly.

“Pennel. Before I go down to lunch, I have a task for you.”

“I’m at your service, my lady,” the old butler replied, attentive.

“If there is any medicine to aid digestion, would you bring it to my room after the meal?”

“Digestive medicine... my lady?” The butler seemed puzzled that I would ask for a digestive aid before I’d even eaten.

“Yes,” I said, nodding. There’s no way I’ll be able to eat comfortably with them, I thought. I followed the butler. Since he had informed me that the meal was ready and everyone was already waiting for me to join them, I couldn’t procrastinate or insist I needed time to get ready. As we traversed the corridor silently the butler sped up to walk beside me.

“The duke appears to be very busy with affairs at the palace these days, my lady,” he commented. I hadn’t known he was busy. Although the duke had been coming home late these days, I wasn’t really interested in his comings and goings.

“It appears so, yes,” I replied with a nod. I could feel the butler cautiously studying my expression.

“In the past, you always took part in family meals when the duke was home, my lady.”

“...”

“Did... did something unpleasant happen in the dining room, perhaps?” I frowned briefly at his question. Penelope frequently attended family meals? She must have had nerves of steel. What did she stand to gain from attending meals with them so often? It certainly wouldn’t have done anything to change the way people snubbed and despised her. She was certainly something else, I thought with a sigh.

But since I had a feeling I could guess why she’d made sure not to miss meals together, I refrained from criticizing her any further. I wasn’t like Penelope since I’d always been quick to give up. It hadn’t made my life any less miserable, though. I could still hear the clink of cutlery on fine china as my family ate in the kitchen and talked about their days—the perfect family that didn’t include me.

“...lady. Lady Penelope?”

I blinked, realizing that the butler had been calling my name. We’d arrived at the stairs, and Pennel was shooting me a puzzled look.

“Nothing happened,” I finally replied, quickly descending the stairs before he came to any strange conclusions. “I was confined to my room because I behaved poorly, so it’s only right that I take my meals alone.”

“Do you really think—I’m sorry, forgive me. It was a slip of the tongue.” The butler appeared shocked to hear such a response from Penelope, his eyes wide like saucers. He didn’t normally misspeak so badly. Pennel hurried to change the subject. “The duke has been lonely ever since you began keeping to your room. He would not prevent you from taking part in the meal.”

The butler’s words made me want to laugh. This sudden concern was not a sign of affection—if a dog started behaving out of character, it would elicit curiosity. The duke might claim to be lonely, but he obviously didn’t care enough to check on his youngest daughter—whom he had personally adopted—to see if she was being fed properly.

“Well, I don’t know about that. I don’t think Derrick would agree,” I said sarcastically.

“Well—” The butler was about to continue, but I was faster.

“Open the door,” I said, my head held high as I ordered the servants waiting politely in front of the dining room. We had arrived in the time we were talking. They bowed and obeyed my command, but something unpleasant glimmered in their eyes. I didn’t care. I had no desire to waste time concerning myself with every trifling NPC in the game.

As the door opened, I could see the faces of the people I actually needed to concern myself with. The gruff, middle-aged duke sat at the head of the table, and to his right sat his two sons, notifications glowing above their heads—[Affection Score 10%] and [Affection Score 20%].

“Is the concept of being on time too difficult for you to understand? Why are you so late?” [Affection Score 10%] growled as soon as he saw me, glowering. I was taking a meal in hell, and it was only just getting started.

As the brothers were seated to the duke’s right, I naturally moved to his left. The butler followed and pulled out my chair for me, retreating after I was seated. Even though I’d walked here on my own two feet, I felt like a prisoner that had been dragged to a cell.

This is a lot of food for a mere luncheon. What is all of this? The table was filled with luxurious foods that I hadn’t seen since coming to this world. Though it was probably difficult to bring this kind of food to my room on the second floor, it served as a reminder of how low Penelope’s standing in the house was. I was busy counting the many dishes on the table when the duke spoke in his usual grave voice, “Let’s eat.”

And so, the meal began. I didn’t really know how to use the tableware in the manner of a noble, but Penelope had never been a stickler for etiquette in the first place. Because of this, I wouldn’t invite any suspicion even if my manners were far from perfect. I suppose I should be relieved that her reputation is already at rock bottom. With a surreptitious glance, I saw that everyone had picked up their spoon. I looked down at the cutlery set in front of me and a bitter laugh escaped my lips. The tableware laid out in front of my seat was the sort used by children still learning how to eat with cutlery.

“What’s the matter?” the duke asked, his sharp gaze landing on my face.

“It’s nothing,” I said with a quick shake of my head. I picked up whatever I could find. No matter how you looked at it, the duke and his sons did not care what kind of spoon I used to eat my food, anyway. If they did care, the duke would have noticed something amiss right away. He’s sitting right next to me, after all.

It seemed someone in the kitchen had dared to play a prank on me.