1. I Am Grenville’s Merchandise.

“Kayla! Kayla!”

A woman’s voice echoed throughout the mansion, traveling across the worn wooden floors. The wallpaper was torn in various places, and the faded curtains fluttered roughly in the breeze. Anyone could immediately tell this was the home of a fallen noble family.

“Yes, yes! Mother!”

Kayla, who had been reading a book in her second-floor room, was startled by the voice calling her. As she closed her book and tried to stand up quickly, her body suddenly froze.

BANG—!

Her heart pounded violently at the sound of the door being thrown open. The owner of that sharp voice was her stepmother, Joanna. She approached Kayla with purposeful strides, like an intruder, without even knocking. Joanna was originally a woman who worked at a tavern. Baron Grenville, Kayla’s father, had long spent his time in her embrace and at gambling houses. After Kayla’s mother Lea passed away early, Joanna became pregnant with Neville and became the second lady of House Grenville. Consumed by luxury and gambling, they squandered all their savings shortly after marriage. Yet her fingertips still reeked of cheap perfume, and her words were always laced with sarcasm and the scent of alcohol. She still possessed absolutely no dignity.

“What’s a girl like you doing reading books? And why are you so slow to answer?!”

“……”

“Not even answering properly! How frustrating!”

While Kayla flinched, Joanna grabbed the book from the desk and hurled it at Kayla’s abdomen.

“Ah!”

When the thick book struck her stomach, she felt her breath catch. Kayla clutched her stomach and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suppress a groan.

“Look at me properly!”

But Joanna pushed against her chest, forcibly straightening her posture. The pain from the corner of the book still lingered. Her half-brother Neville was watching from beyond the doorway, giggling at the scene. He looked like a little demon. Treated worse than a maid, Kayla was pushed deeper and deeper into the shadows. Although she had grown into a beautiful young lady despite the ab*se, this was by no means a good thing for her. She would soon be sold off through a good marriage for the sake of the ruined baronial family. Her appearance was merely a commodity to them, something that needed to fetch a good price.

“You know about Grand Duke Theodore’s homecoming ceremony tomorrow, right?”

Kayla barely managed to nod at Joanna’s words.

“Y-yes… I know…”

“Good, it’s an excellent opportunity to sell you off.”

“What…?”

Joanna smiled wickedly. Then she shouted to the maid waiting by the door.

“Make sure she’s properly dressed up! You’ll be in trouble if there’s even a scratch!”

She left the room, firmly holding Neville’s hand. Strangely enough, they looked like a very close mother and son. As the door closed, an ominous feeling crept up the back of Kayla’s neck. Shortly after, the maid brought in a dress that shimmered with a brilliant blue light. Without saying a word, the maid roughly positioned Kayla in front of the mirror and began undressing her.

“W-wait a moment!”

“Just stay still. I need to go rest too.”

With a flushed face, she remained still as the maid undressed and dressed her. Her body, briefly reflected in the mirror, was covered in bruises. Joanna and Neville always hit her in places that wouldn’t be visible. The maid tightened the dress forcefully. Kayla staggered under the pressure. Though her body was wrapped in elaborate lace and soft silk, her eyes had lost their light, devoid of hope. The maid glanced at the mirror, and after confirming the dress fit well, quickly removed it. Then, without putting it back on her, she left the room with just the dress.

“……”

After standing dazed for a while, Kayla trembled with shame as she picked up and put on her nightgown. That dress was not a simple decoration. Kayla already felt deep in her heart what that expensive garment meant.

‘Yes, I’m just merchandise for House Grenville…’

※※※

While the maid was rendering Kayla helpless, Joanna took Neville to her room. Even within the dilapidated mansion, it was an elegant room with gold decorations and red curtains. Joanna sat on the sofa, took a sip of wine, and said:

“Neville, you’ll become the true master of this house.”

She fanned herself in the summer heat and laughed viciously.

“If Kayla does her part properly, this house will be revived.”

Neville buried his face in Joanna’s embrace, acting spoiled.

“I am the master of this house!”

Baron Grenville appeared, having just finished washing. He stroked his beard while looking in the mirror.

“Is Kayla ready?”

“Of course. If we just dress her up properly and send her out tomorrow, even the Grand Duke will surely be captivated.”

Joanna said with a twisted smile.

“Heh heh, I hope it goes well.”

“Our struggles will finally end, dear.”

“My clever wife! How did you come up with such a plan?”

Baron Grenville lightly kissed Joanna’s cheek.

“Who do you think I am? It would be a waste to just sell her off. Do you know how much that girl’s face is worth?”

Joanna whispered further.

“We just need to make her catch his eye at the homecoming ceremony. If Grand Duke Theodore gives her even a single glance, I’ll take care of the rest.”

“What if the Grand Duke shows no interest?”

When Baron Grenville spoke anxiously in a low voice, Joanna twisted her lips even more.

“Then there are other nobles. With that face, there will be plenty of men lusting after her. Whether as a bride or for an even lower position. Don’t worry. My plan is perfect.”

“Haha! Let’s toast to tomorrow!”

Joanna clinked glasses with the Baron as they sat facing each other. Their wicked laughter ominously echoed across the wooden floors of the old mansion.

※※※

That night, Kayla sat by the window, quietly caressing the bruise on her forearm.

“It hurts…”

The gentle smile of her mother Lea flashed through her mind. A memory that now felt so distant. Kayla lay down on the bed, trying hard to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. The moonlight seeped faintly through the gaps in the curtains.

“My mother…”

Kayla held her breath for a moment, afraid that even her soft murmur might leak into the hallway. Fortunately, there was no sound from the corridor. After confirming that no one was around for a moment, Kayla pulled the blanket over her face and quietly murmured.

“What will happen to me if things go wrong tomorrow…”

Tears blurred Kayla’s clear eyes. She resented her thin, frail body and her powerlessness. The moonlight filtering through the curtains embraced her, but that light was sadly quiet. Yet no one knew. That this helpless girl at this moment would soon awaken as a being who would shake the Empire in the inevitable whirlpool of fate.

※※※

The next morning, the sun was shining brilliantly. As if even the heavens were blessing Grand Duke Theodore’s homecoming ceremony, the streets were bathed in an unusually bright light. Before the sun had fully risen, a maid burst into Kayla’s room. She roughly pulled back the blanket and shouted in a sharp voice.

“Get up! I said get up!”

At the shrill sound, Kayla rubbed her eyes and slowly raised herself. Seeing her pale face and swollen eyes, the maid clicked her tongue and muttered.

“My goodness, were you crying again? What kind of day is today to make your face look like this?”

Kayla hurriedly turned her head and made an excuse.

“N-no. I just… had trouble sleeping.”

“We’ll need to use cold water then. The madam will be so pleased to see that face of yours!”

The maid’s harsh words pierced Kayla’s heart like thorns, but she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t get angry. Her demeanor closely resembled her mother Lea. In Kayla’s childhood, Lea had never once scolded her. Even when her clothes got dirty after bumping into children on the street, she was a warm person who would smile and send her off with a coin. Strangely though, Kayla had never been angry at anyone. It wasn’t simply suppression but her nature, a character almost like that of a clergy.

‘Be kinder to those beneath you.’

Her mother’s teaching echoed in her ears especially strongly today. Without those words, she would have broken down countless times by now.

“Here we go! It’s going to take quite a while to get you ready today!”

I Am Grenville’s Merchandise

Kayla tried to reduce the swelling around her eyes by washing her face with the cold water the maid had brought. Even in summer, immersing her hands in the cold dawn water was torturous. Her fingertips turned red, but she had to endure it to reduce the swelling around her eyes. It was better than being hit by Joanna.

“Get up now! We really don’t have time!”

The maid said as she snatched away the washing basin. Kayla stood before the mirror, fidgeting with her cold hands. The maid helped her dress by removing her clothes and bringing the dress from last night. She began roughly braiding Kayla’s hair, pulling it tightly upward.