How the Useless Me Became the Beloved of the Devilish Duke Knight - Chapter 6
Chapter 6 : Dream and Reality
The next morning, Elma woke up feeling cold. The garden gazebo she found after digging through the weeds had a roof and a simple wall. It looks like she can survive the rain and wind here, but it was almost time for the nighttime chill to set in.
When she woke up shivering, an unfamiliar object appeared in her field of vision. There’s a ring on a handkerchief and a Lathy.
‘… I-It wasn’t a dream!’
Last night was so unreal that she thought it must have been a delusion created by her tired self. However, even in the morning, the terrifying “lost item” (and bonus) remains. Even if she touches it with trembling hands, it won’t disappear into bubbles.
‘Why is this… Have I done something terribly wrong?’
But it is always the present and the future that must be considered, rather than the past. Elma groaned, then set her eyes on the food.
Perhaps it is kept fresh by magic. Though she accidentally left it out overnight, but it showed no signs of losing its freshness. Should she consider herself lucky that the fruit have not been damaged by insects or animals, or wish someone had taken it away instead?
‘I wonder if Father and Carolyn would be satisfied if I served it for breakfast. No……. In the first place, is this even real ?’
As someone who has experienced hunger several times, Elma doesn’t want to waste food. However, if she serves such obviously suspicious food as it is and causes her younger sister to have an upset stomach, she can’t predict what her furious father will do to her.
‘I’ve only seen Lathy, so I don’t know the taste, but… if it’s just to check for poison.’
Elma carefully picked up the smallest fruit and peeled its skin with her nails. The plump, white flesh revealed itself, and the sweet and tangy aroma tickled her nose. Naturally, her mouth began to moisten.
‘… The smell and appearance seem fine.’
Taking a deep breath, she put it in her mouth. The moment her tongue encountered the unfamiliar taste, her eyes widened in surprise.
‘It’s sweet! And, a bit sour? It has a unique flavor…what a strange texture!’
Elma held both her cheeks, closed her eyes and savored the happiness of the sweetness that she could rarely taste. Taking her time, she enjoyed it as much as possible before letting out a sigh of relief.
‘At least it’s not a taste that would make me vomit, and it doesn’t seem like it will upset my stomach. That’s a relief, with this, I’m sure Carolyn-sama will eat it, and Father might be pleased too.’
Now that the food issue is resolved, all that remains is the ring. Even under the dim morning sun, it still shines in rainbow colors. It is completely unsuitable for a girl like Elma, with no particular charm.
‘Looking for lost items… Yes, that’s what he said. Will that person really come back here again? But, I can’t just leave such a beautiful ring lying around, and if Father or Carolyn-sama finds it, it could become a problem…’
Elma sighed and decided to return to her room with the dropped items and Lathy in hand. In this mansion, her private space was the cramped storage room under the stairs.
Sneaking in with quiet footsteps to avoid waking the two, she entered through the back door. Elma wasn’t allowed to turn on lights without permission, so she squinted and explored in the dark.
‘I’m sure it was around here… Found it!’
The item she was searching for was yarn. With it, she created a makeshift necklace, threading it through the ring and hanging it around her neck.
‘Good. It won’t be noticeable if I’m wearing clothes. I’ll keep it on like this.’
At the same time, she wiped her body, changed her clothes, and got dressed.
‘Just the right time.’
Sure enough, the high-pitched doorbell rang out. It was from her father’s room. Another busy day was starting. Elma took a deep breath and headed upstairs.
“By the way, you failure. Why are you in the house? I thought I told me last night that you didn’t have to come back until you found Lathy. Can’t you even remember something like that with your head?”
After completing his morning routine, and once the table was set, he started snoring at Elma as if he had just remembered. The moment she silently brought out Lathy, her father rolled his eyes in triumph, and her sister cheered, making the dishes clatter.
“Well, sis. It’s Lathy! Even for someone born without a purpose like you, there are times when you can be useful!”
Elma couldn’t help but feel relieved. As long as Carolyn is in a good mood, there is hope that she will be able to eat at least today’s meal. But wasn’t it interesting that she was able to solve an impossible problem? Father glares at Elma.
“You. How did you manage to find this?”
“Well… I happened to meet someone in trouble. I helped them, and they gave me this as a reward.”
“At such a late hour?”
“Yes….”
Even if she were to tell the truth about what happened last night, she would probably not be believed. Even Elma herself would have been convinced that it was a dream if there was no physical evidence. But there was no way she could lie to his father and sister.
If they pressed her, she would have no choice but to tell them the whole story as it is. As she broke into a cold sweat, her father suddenly snorted.
“I see. So, you shameless wench, seduced someone and gained a prize. Even a skinny and ugly wretch like you can find someone foolish enough to pay attention.”
Elma blinked in confusion. At first, she did not understand what was being said. Once she finally understood that she was being told that she must have sold her body, her eyes widened and then went down. Her eyelashes trembled and her vision became distorted.
‘I’m such a fool… thinking that he might see me in a better light just because of the things she gives…’
Seeing Elma’s hurt expression, her father seemed to have finally improved his mood.
“Ah, it was delicious! But sis, this is just not enough for me. Give me more Lathy ! Hey, if you were able to find it yesterday, it should be easy, right ?”
In response to her sister’s words, Elma opened her mouth in a dumbfounded “eh.” Father then clapped his hands vigorously and burst into laughter.
“That’s a great idea! I’ll have you go shopping again after you finish cleaning up the mansion. If you can’t buy me a Lathy by evening, I’ll skip your dinner. Understand?”
In the end, no matter what she did, it wouldn’t change. They expected Elma to be incompetent. Nevertheless, Elma, as always, obediently replied, “Yes.”
‘Well, they’re the only two family members I have left…’
When the sun was setting, Elma was walking through the market. She was tasked with cleaning the entire mansion, but couldn’t finish everything in one day, so she ended up skipping lunch. In the end, the only decent thing she ate for breakfast was that Lathy.
It was tough to go buy food in this state, but being in a place where her father and sister’s eyes couldn’t reach brought a sense of relief. She stared at the fruits displayed in front of the shops and let out a deep sigh.
“Buying Blue Dew is probably a waste…”
“What’s the waste?”
It was a voice she had heard somewhere, a raspy sound that lingered in her ears. Elma casually glanced behind her, back to the Blue Dew, and then quickly turned around.
‘T-that’s not possible….!’
For some reason, a very familiar masked figure was standing there. Elma’s vision became distorted.
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Translated by : Cutae30