I Became the Tyrant’s Translator - Chapter 3

“Leticia!”

Leticia’s golden eyes widened. Michael was looking at her so close that she could hear him panting.

Leticia blankly stared at Michael, not even thinking of getting off the damp, dirty floor.

She couldn’t figure out how this little boy had escaped so many people and appeared before her eyes.

“Leticia.”

“Michael.”

Leticia called out the boy’s name in a trembling voice.

Michael smiled visibly and hurriedly took something off his chest. He placed it in Leticia’s hand.

“…!”

Her hands trembled. It was the most expensive brooch Leticia had ever seen.

The brooch, which depicted a roaring lion, was adorned with brilliant jewels which glittered in the morning sun.

Seeing that it was more colorful than any other decoration on Michael’s clothes, it seemed to be a very valuable item to this noble.

Michael opened his mouth nervously as he covered Leticia’s hands with his own.

“… Tomb.”

“Tomb?”

Leticia asked blankly, before realizing what he meant. Those who were buried in the tomb are never seen.

Michael was telling her to hide the brooch.

If anyone found out he gave her this expensive-looking brooch, they would take it away from her.

Michael looked relieved once Leticia put the brooch in her apron pocket.

An indescribable emotion shot up in Leticia’s heart.

“Michael, don’t make it harder for us.”

A shadow of a huge saint towered over them and roughly tore Michael away from Leticia.

Leticia stared blankly as the crowd swallowed Michael again as they boarded all the colorful carriages in the process.

Perhaps the purpose of the crowd was to really take Michael, and in an instant, he got out of the mountain.

Only after a heavy silence fell when Leticia realized that she had not said goodbye.

“Goodbye. You have to live well.”

Even though she mumbled belatedly, those were words that would never reach Michael.

Leticia took out the brooch that was well-contained in her apron pocket.

‘If I tell my parents…’

With this brooch, she might be able to pay for Paddington’s tuition for the Academy of Civil Servants, which was a long time headache for their parents.

Besides, there’s no way she’d ever run into that strange noble again so if she sold it, he wouldn’t even notice.

But Leticia couldn’t tell anyone about the brooch this time…

Especially since she knew how Michael made up his mind to give her the brooch.

Leticia hid the brooch in her waistband.

It was time to walk to the house where no one came looking for her, unlike the young noble.

***

So a year has passed.

At the age of 14, Leticia’s situation has not changed.

Her grandmother was still sick and her brother Paddington spent the whole day studying for exams, which will take place in a few years.

Her parents also left all the housework to Leticia.

“… Phew.”

Leticia wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead.

Mining for severan on a hot summer day was no easy task.

She envied Paddington and her grandmother since they were staying in a cool house, but she didn’t feel resentful as they were both in their own difficult situations.

‘All I have to do is dig it up quickly and get home early.’

Leticia continued to dig for severan.

How long has it been?

The sky quickly darkened and raindrops began to fall. Suddenly, it started pouring.

Fortunately, she had already found eleven roots of severan.

Leticia hastily began to descend from the mountain.

Rumble! Bang!

The sky flashed and the sky immediately shook. Her body trembled. Hearing thunder as soon as lightning struck meant that lightning had struck nearby.

Leticia pulled a brooch out of her waistband and squeezed it tightly. The only time she was not alone on this mountain was that night with Michael.

Therefore, holding the brooch made her feel as if she was holding Michael’s hand.

It was time to run.

The rain was so heavy that she couldn’t see what was in front of her, causing her to trip and roll down the mountain.

At the same time, she also saw several trees burning black because of the lightning. Her heart thumped at the thought that it could be her.

Leticia ran and ran without stopping.

However, all of Leticia’s efforts went into vain. The moment she reached the foot of the mountain, something struck her.

Leticia, who fell like a log, groaned in pain, but no one saw her.

How long has it been?

Something flashed into Leticia’s head as she struggled with the pain.

It was the face of her parents as they left the house this morning with the lunchbox made by Leticia.

The next thing was last night, the memory of the bursting blisters on her feet.

Leticia suddenly realized it. She was watching her memories just before she would die.

Her life was short and monotonous so all the memories passed by in an instant.

‘I guess I’m really going to die…’

It was when Leticia had completely given up.

“…!”

An unbelievable memory stood out in her mind. She had already been killed by a monster she had neer seen before.

‘It’s not a monster.’

Leticia had died in an accident. No, she had a different name to Leticia.

A different name, a different world, a different life…

Leticia saw the memory of her favorite novel in her previous life. The world of the novel was very much like the world of Leticia.

Memories played out as a passage from the novel illuminated. It was as if the rest of the novel was as important.

‘It’s Paddington!’

Discovering the passage about Paddington, Leticia realized that the novel was really the story of her own life.

To her dismay, Paddington appeared to be a common villain in the novel.

Although he succeeded in becoming a high-ranking civil servant after graduating from the Academy of Civil Servants, he became a vicious boss who disclosed bribes and blocked the female protagonist due to his insanity.

Soon after, a passage about Leticia popped up.

Leticia only lived doing housework until Paddington entered the Academy.

However, as soon as Paddington received a letter of acceptance, she immediately became the maid of the richest family in town. After all, they had to add all of their salaries to pay for Paddington’s tuition and their grandmother’s medicine.

But by the time Paddington graduated from the Academy, Leticia had already missed her opportunity for marriage.

However, being a maid was a lifelong job, and Leticia was good at housework, so she would have a satisfying life even if she wasn’t rich.

But she could’ve saved her money if it weren’t for her parents or Paddington using all sorts of excuses.

Innocent Leticia gave up all the money she had, saying, “If not family, then who would help you?”

Even in the novel, Paddington was briefly mentioned at Leticia’s funeral, though he didn’t even attend due to his excuse of being busy.

His poor sister had her life ruined all because of that pathetic rascal.

The memory was over in a flash.

When Leticia came to her senses, the rain was still pelting her face.

She staggered and lifted herself up. Surprisingly, her body was only stiff, and there was no pain or wounds felt.

However, there was no time to celebrate the avoidance of death or surviving without a scratch.

It was hard to bear the new and unfamiliar memories that were all in her head.

Leticia simply stood in the rain for a long time, with the rain pouring down so hard she could feel the pain.

The cold and the pain reminded her that this world was also real, not just a world in a novel.

Leticia closed her eyes. Hot tears mingled with cold rainwater and flowed downwards.

‘If only they were all fake…’

As Leticia stood in the rain, she prayed and prayed again that her own life would be nothing like that piece of paper made up by someone.

But in the end, she had no choice but to accept reality.

All of this was real, and Leticia knew that her beloved family would take advantage of her for life.

Drop.

A basket full of severan fell into the mud as her right arm relaxed.

Leticia reflexively tried to pick up the basket and froze as she bent down.

It was because of the severan that suddenly something came to mind.

The amount of severan needed for her grandmother’s medicine was about a hundred roots per month.

Leticia went out to dig severan every day without a break, so at least three hundred roots were brought home every month.

“Where did the rest of the severan go?”

It was a question she never thought about, but now that she thought about it, it did seem quite strange.

Severan was an expensive medicinal ingredient. Did they really keep it?

“No!” Leticia blurted.

‘I shouldn’t think like that.’

Guilt bloomed in Leticia’s chest. She rolled her small fists and struck her forehead.

She was suspicious of her parents.

Paddington was the only one who wronged her in the novel.

Although it also mentioned her parents were taking the money Leticia had saved, there could have been a really good reason. If anything, didn’t all of that happen in the future?

Leticia hesitated for a moment. She looked at the basket buried in the mud, before finally picking it up.

‘Let’s go home and talk to them.’

As soon as she entered the house, her grandmother, who slept in an armchair, raised her head and welcomed her.

“What about the severan?”

No, she only welcomed the severan.