Crimson eyes contrasting with shining silver hair. A face as beautiful as a statue of a baby angel in the temple. Mishael, who completely shed the gloom when the maids took him away and cut his hair neatly, had an appearance that was truly immaculate.

‘Anyone could see he’s a sub-male lead, yeah…’

It was only natural. That this pitiful boy would grow up to be a priest with an enchanting and beautiful appearance that no one would dare to gaze upon.

I heaved a sigh of deep concern as I closely observed his appearance.

“I-I’m sorry….”

“Huh? No, I was just looking at you. Relax.”

Perhaps because she was an aspiring villain? Lionella’s face seemed to evoke reflexive terror in Mishael. Until recently, aside from acknowledging that I was ‘Lady Parma’, I attempted to suppress the resentful glances I had cast at him, which I previously thought of as just a cat-like gaze.

Yes, there were several suspicious points now that I think about it. Father enjoyed the company of his friends too much, he reeked of alcohol in the mornings, and he also readily obliged to others’ requests… So I thought that Father was simply a pushover, no, a fool for drinking alone.

He probably thought it was fine as long as he didn’t get caught by me. Little did I know that behind the scenes he was actively enjoying his vices, just like the original Marquis Parma…..

‘This damned forced restraint….’

I pressed down on the throbbing pain in my temple once again. This damn migraine had come for an endless number of times today, tormenting my seven-year-old body. Even if I remembered my past life, being seven years old meant being seven years old, so how could I recognize those subtle signs.

I sighed deeply once again….

“I-I-I-I’m so….”

Mishael habitually apologized for his mistakes once again, probably thinking that I was sighing repeatedly because he was getting on my nerves.

The scene of a child who was only a few years older than me reflexively raising his hand as if to fend off my blows isn’t pleasant at all.

Regardless of the fact that the boy was only two years older than me, and aside from the fact that this child would eventually become a powerful figure who would bring ruin to our family one day.

‘I think there was a setting where Mishael was originally from a noble family in another country…….’

If that’s the case, how much more miserable does this child feel about himself now? No, how much abuse did that child endure to the point of accepting the unjust punishment without even raising a hand reflexively…?

And from now on, I will become the biggest tormentor for Mishael….”

“……”

No, that’s wrong. That was Marquis Parma’s daughter in the original story, I am a different person. From now on, the future of our family depends on how I handle things.

‘Even if you enter a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you’ll survive. Even if the death flag is set, you can avoid it if you handle it properly…!’

During the seven years that I lived as the Marquis’s daughter, the favors I received were so sweet. The Marquis had indulged me to the point where I hadn’t noticed that my father was gambling and squandering money.

I didn’t want to Miss out on this life of luxury.

And the method? That’s obvious.

‘All I have to do is let Mishael suck on honey¹꿀 빨러 가자 is a Korean slang phrase describing a situation where one takes advantage without contributing, similar to doing nothing but reaping benefits during his time here.’

Yes. This crisis was an opportunity. Since the protagonist of the original novel would undoubtedly claim the throne, if I could use Mishael to my advantage, the Marquisate of Parma could prosper even more under her reign.

“I don’t know whether the original Lionella took over, but since I’ve become Lionella, I will personally inherit House Parma.”

I must prevent any problem that could become evidence for a bad ending for my father, and make Mishael view the marquis’ mansion as his own home as much as possible, then send him gracefully to the church to become the protagonist’s right-hand in the future.

As long as I spoil the ending, which is the original’s territory, everything will be fine.

I have always been particularly fond of the narrative of ‘Wildflowers,’ which involves the protagonist, a princess of unknown origins, obtaining the love and loyalty of many men and even seizing the throne. So now, I became like a family member to Mishael and would directly witness the protagonist’s journey in vivid detail. Enjoying every bit of it, even the bittersweet moments.

‘It’s perfect.’

I wonder how my enthusiastic gaze reflected at that moment.

“Sorry, sorry…”

“No, it’s not because of you.”

I smiled cheerfully at the supporting male lead, who compulsively apologized on many occasions as if it had become a habit.

“I-I’m sorry…….!”

“No, no.”

It’s not because of you.

I smiled brightly at the sub-male lead who kept bowing his head in apology out of habit, wondering how much abuse he had been subjected to in the past.

“I-I’m, so…”

To Mishael, even this act seemed like I was bullying him.

With Mishael being afraid of me like this, it’s obvious that it would be difficult for us to become a family. First, I need to lay the foundation for normal communication between us.

“Mishael, can I talk to you for a moment?”

The boy lifted his head after swallowing a dry gulp.

“If you sincerely apologize for something that you didn’t actually do wrong, do you really think it’s going to make things right?’

“Yes, what?”

Unlike before, Mishael didn’t say the word ‘sorry,’ this time, and the boy now had a perplexed expression.

It was understandable. It’s difficult to judge by yourself what the ‘thing you actually did wrong’ is, which is spoken by someone whom you should serve.

“You should only say sorry when you know, ‘You did it wrong.'”

Perhaps because it still didn’t sink in easily, Mishael couldn’t easily respond and just stared at my unfamiliar face for a while. Considering the hardships the boy had gone through, it might have been difficult for him to believe my words.

Well, I can make him believe gradually through my actions… So, I chose to intimidate Mishael, wearing a deceiving smile that suited a wicked villain.

“Did you understand?”

“Yes, yes…”

“If you understood, let’s go.”

I abruptly stood up from my seat and hurriedly left the room. I felt Mishael, who was taken aback, hunching his shoulders as he followed behind me.

This is the first step to effectively manipulate Mishael.

***

The place I led Mishael to was my private reception room. It was the time for me to receive etiquette lessons from my governess.

“Good morning, Mrs Entera.”

“Good morning, Miss. The width of the dress, the angle of bowing, perfect as always… Oh my?”

The governess, Mrs Entera, started speaking praises about me, a diligent and well-behaved student, as always. But she let out a surprised noise when she saw Mishael, who had entered with me.

Her eyes behind the glasses were directed towards Mishael.

“The Marquis bragged so much about bringing in a whipping boy, is this the one?”

Bragged… It’s not like he’s a pet.

In the mindset of the nobles in this world, it might be acceptable treatment for a child brought as a beaten slave, but as a modern person in my previous life, it felt somewhat uncomfortable. Without saying anything, I just smiled and gracefully went over to my seat.

Mrs Entera glanced briefly at Mishael, then gestured toward the two boys at the door. There was a servant holding a cane.

Mishael, with his already hunched shoulders, obediently knelt down and sat as instructed by the servant.

“Ugh…”

The boy, who had barely eaten properly all this time, knelt with his head lowered, prepared to be struck at any moment, trembling and whimpering…

It was really difficult to watch.

Feeling uneasy, I studied Mishael’s complexion. Whether it was fortunate or not, it was hard to say. All that remained in the boy’s expression was ingrained fear and subMission.

‘As a slave who has been tossed from place to place, I guess he’s already resigned to this situation by now…’

However, the original Lionella repeatedly and intentionally kept making mistakes to get punished and even used it as a means to control Mishael. It was inevitable for resentment to take root in him.

But I’m different. I have no intention of deliberately causing Mishael pain just to satisfy my own resentment.

‘As long as I don’t let him get hit like before, everything should be fine.’

With renewed enthusiasm, I fully devoted to practicing brewing tea according to Mrs Entera’s instructions, following the steps one by one.

Putting precisely measured tea leaves into a teapot filled with hot water, waiting for the tea to steep for a suitable amount of time, placing a silver strainer over a teacup, and pouring the tea through it…

Hmm, perfect.

Was she momentarily mesmerized by the flawless posture of preparing tea with the body of a seven-year-old?

“Your wrist is at the wrong angle……!”

Snap.

He was struck on the back of my neck by the house servant, who had been waiting nearby with a wooden stick. It happened just as Mrs Entera pointed out my mistake as if giving a signal.

With half-closed eyes fixed on the floor, the boy was trying hard to suppress a whimper that seemed on the verge of bursting out.

The teapot was too heavy for me to hold on to, causing a strain my wrist, but to think that it was Mishael who got hit instead of me… It was a very miserable scene to witness a child getting beaten firsthand, which I had only heard about in words.

No, she’s never hit me for such a thing before, right? I reflexively looked at Mrs Entera. She nodded slightly, holding her chin with a folded fan in her hand.

“The Marquis’s decision to bring in a whipping boy means he hopes the young lady will grow up to be an even more perfect lady. So I’ll have to be a stricter teacher.”

Huh.

Knowing full well that my father was no great man to have such constructive thoughts…….

‘Besides, it’s too much to react like this over such a small matter……’

I looked at Mrs Entera with a sense of resentment, but she instead put on a more stubborn face. My discontented expression seemed to be understood not as resentment for punishing Mishael but as an injustice towards her being stricter.

“Miss, are you going to continue doing that?”

It was when Mrs Entera raised her glasses and gestured towards the servant standing next to Mishael.

“N-no.”