Please Be A Traitor - Chapter 42

The more I thought Karpel’s response right now, the worse I felt.

It’s because there’s something piercing about his stare when I try to avoid it.

I mean, why didn’t he answer then? Why wasn’t he able to respond?

Karpel, in the novel, was a character who had no interest in anything other than treason.

Wasn’t it because he was uninterested in women?

So, why did he want to come to a villa with only female guests?

If it wasn’t because I remember my previous life, I would have thought that he wanted to be with me a little longer by using escorting to the villa as an excuse.

‘However, his expression conveyed a strong desire to be with me.’

I became so irritated for no apparent reason that I kicked the hem of my dress.

I suddenly felt like I was a 13-year-old girl in love with a pet.

‘Puppy love… What nonsense! It’s just my appearance that left me feeling 13, but my soul is already 30 years old……’

As I reflected on my previous life, I discovered something sad.

Since I barely have enough so I could survive, I had no time to have a fling let alone dating.

My current self, who is still 13 years old, is a senior in a love relationship.

Totally senior.

Since I’ve already been engaged and living together in this life.

‘Ah, despite the fact that it isn’t a typical love affair.’

As I shook my head, there was a commotion outside suddenly.

Voices saying ‘what’s that? it’s dangerous!’ could be heard as the carriage made a sudden stop.

Because the front seat didn’t have a seatbelt, I instinctively rolled to the front.

I kept hearing something being dragged and the coachman attempting to calm the horses down.

At the time, I praised my quickness in curling my body to minimize the impact and recovering my state.

The carriage’s door then sprang open.

“My Lady! Are you alright?”

The seat I was in at the time was not the same as the one I had when I initially boarded the carriage, but the coachman sighed with relief when he saw me sitting quietly.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“There was a person who jumped in front of the carriage.”

What!? Is that man insane?

Is that person attempting suicide? Because I was stunned, the knight waved his hand.

“That person is fine and just fainted. We’ll be leaving shortly.”

It’s gonna be a hit-and-run if we just go like that.

“Wait a minute, is that person really okay?”

When I put my head out of the carriage, the knights stepped aside.

The attendants dragged the unconscious person into the bushes.

‘Huh? A woman?’

Furthermore, despite her dark and filthy appearance, the woman wore aristocratic maid’s clothing.

As I lived a similar difficult existence, several scenarios that would have caused a maid look like that go across my mind.

Situations like being duped by an aristocracy and having to give her body and mind to him just to be abandoned.

When I looked over the woman’s mottled face, I felt curiously as if I’d seen her before.

As a result, I said something rashly.

“Let’s take her. Bring her inside.”

In my words, everyone was embarrassed, but soon they took a blanket, which was usually used by the attendants, wrapped it around the woman’s body, then carried the woman into the carriage.

The woman’s appearance looks dirty.

And also kind of stinky.

I pretended it didn’t matter and signaled for the coachman to go.

The carriage soon began to move.

‘Where did I see her before?’

She’s not the maid of Krenberia.

Because the Krenberia mansion’s employee uniform was created in a clothing store.

More importantly, I was initially uninterested in the employees.

Even among Krenberia’s employees, it was only Stein, who had for a long time in Krenberia’s mansion, I was familiar with.

So there’s no chance I’m acquainted with the maid from another household.

‘This is strange. Why does she look so familiar?’

I even had the impression that I’d heard her speak and greet me before.

The carriage arrived at the Villa while I was immersed in thoughts.

“Welcome, Inaila-nim.”

I was greeted by the maid in waiting, who had already arrived at the Villa.

From the Villa’s garden, I could hear laughing.

“It appeared that some of the girls had already arrived.”

“I believe it’s because they heard about the prizes that they came early to get prepared..”

Indeed, there were many gifts that couldn’t be bought even if they had money.

I heard the prize for the word game was a flower-shaped necklace with five diamonds. It was the creation of a master jeweler who was known for working with extremely difficult gemstones.

“I guess so.”

“What should we do with the person you picked up, my Lady?”

“Wash her and make sure she’s fine.” And double-check her identification, work, and other details.”

“Yes.”

I walked to the garden after hearing the maid’s response.

The females, who were enjoying a good talk in the tiny garden enclosed by shrubs, seemed to be unaware that I had arrived.

“와! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,”

“Woah! Lady, this poetry is just beautiful.”

“You are the sky’s sunshine. I am the night sky’s moonlight. In my heart, you are the starlight. Ah! I feel like the lines are really dazzling. How did you come up with such a beautiful and rhyming poem?”

Hmm…… The rhyme is so lovely.

Obviously, that girl is in love.

“Does this poem ‘you’ refer to Inaila-nim?”

What? Am I her love interest?

“Kyaaaa! I am embarrassed!”

“I’m sure it will make Inaila-nim delighted!”

“I suppose that’s the case, right? I worked really hard to make this so that I could win and hear Inaila-nim compliment me.

Why is she making an effort to impress me?

“Yes, Inaila-nim is the best.”

“If Inaila-nim hears your poem, My Lady, she could invite you to spend the night with her at the Villa.”

“Ah, I’m really embarrassed! I’m going to have a heart attack if Inaila-nim actually invites me to spend the night with her!”

I’m stunned when I hear them talking about winning and other things because of the issue that follows.

I understand what those cute girls were talking about, but their nasty adult’s kernel was perceived in a filthy way.

Those who I gathered here were the ones who really liked me.

If the event is prolonged or the host meets someone they truly like at a social event hosted in a Villa or Mansion, the host will suggest a one-night stay.

However, due of my age, this is an unusual occurrence.

More importantly, I always returned to the mansion after the events to dine with Karpel.

I knew she wanted to play with me all night, but watching her flush made me uncomfortable and I didn’t know what to do.

Is that the response which I yearn for?

As if trying to divert the conversation, the girl who was flapping her hand to cool down her face quickly responded.

“Do you think Lady Dirsa will show up today?”

It wasn’t much, yet the pleasant atmosphere faded with one sentence.

Lady Dirsa is the daughter of a priest in the territory of Krenberia.

‘What the hell is going on?’

I felt as if I had never heard anything about that girl, no matter how hard I tried to remember.

After the ruined teatime, where I remembered my previous life after meeting Shabelle and Karpel, I sent her flowers and tea because I heard she was not feeling well.

‘How long has it been since I last saw her? I don’t think she came to the Rose Garden last time.’

I figured it would be easier to question the girls directly, so I made an effort to appear, but an unexpected conversation ensued.

“I believe Lady Dirsa was unable to attend due to Count Havel.”

“It may be hasty to say this since I didn’t know what’s really going on, but my father also wouldn’t let me attend Lady Bella Nehvag’s coming of age ceremony.”

“I couldn’t go either. I had to remain with my mother because she was unwell at the time.”

“I went, but…..” I needed to return on the way.”

“That……”

I glanced at the girls who had their conversation.

Those girls are the daughters of the families who supported my father.

The dukedom rose in despair for years after my grandfather’s death, so the aristocracy of the region banded together to prevent the country from being split.

The aristocrats of Krenberia’s territory split into factions when my father returned as the sole heir and, more crucially, when I engaged Karpel.

Count Havel is my aunt’s counselor, and despite the fact that Count Nehvag is my grandmother’s relative, he is closer to my aunt, who is close to Her Majesty the Empress.

Those households have no choice but to oppose Karpel because he is in conflict with Crown Prince Radiev.

Perhaps the girls’ father, who was aware of this, picked the spots where their daughter would hang out as if they were taking sides.

That sort of thing has been going on for a while, but it’s become worse since the engagement ceremony.

‘I reasoned that if I positioned Karpel to Duke, the Emperor would spare him,’

Furthermore, I assumed that, unlike Emperor Belthda, Crown Prince Radiev is a gentle man who would leave Karpel alone.

That was I believed as I knew what would happen in the future.

The girls’ story was not told in the novel, although it’s likely that they didn’t survive the invasion.

All of those girls were daughters from families within Krenberia’s territory.

The issues I was dealing with were not about ‘me’ but about ‘us.’

“Ah, Inaila-nim.”

One of the girls smiled warmly when she saw me.

Then soon all of them looked at me.

Their solemn expressions brightened.

“Welcome, Inaila-nim!”

“I’m delighted you all showed up. How have you been?”

“I haven’t been feeling well because I miss you, Inaila-nim.” “It’s the same for me, Inaila-nim. Inaila-nim, I believe you’re pretty busy these days.”

Right. I was busy. What should I do to protect the females that adored me and followed me around like chicks?

In my previous life, all I should take care of was my health.

In this life, there were many things I should protect.

‘How can I protect them if I can’t even develop my own soldiers?’ It’s been a long time since the peace was maintained so mercenaries are almost gone, so I couldn’t even hire them.’

I clasped the girls’ hands, who greeted me cheerfully, and observed their delicate wrists, which seemed as if they could break if I slapped them.

These girls had become extremely delicate, managing their meals in keeping with this world’s female figure ideal.

In my previous life, I was more clumsy and staggering a lot, and because of that I was exercising a lot. That exercise quickly turned into a passion, and I was capable of carrying a drunken man home in the blink of an eye.

Right. It’s not simply about keeping the others protected. It’s about building our own strength to protect our own. Besides, there is magic in this world.

Money may be used to purchase our strength.

‘Perhaps we should be our own soldiers.’

I grinned at the thought.

“Did you know that there is physical training that can help us become in better shape?”

“Yes? Physical training that makes body shape better?”

“Inaila-nim, what is that?”

“This is how we can make our bodies and minds more beautiful. It’s known as taekwondo.”

I smiled.

Should I make a Dojang?
(T/N: Dojang is the Korean version of Dojo. Dojang is a Korean word that refers to the training hall used in Taekwondo and other Korean martial arts.)