Chapter 11

Sigh…

His body melted into the warm temperature.

It felt like even the memories of the past few days were melting away.

The reason he could acquire this mansion despite being penniless was thanks to a book he read in his previous life.

The Twisted Sun.

Indeed, this world was from the book he had received as a system reward.

He still remembered knowledge that could be sold for a high price to an informant.

It was information that completely altered the original story.

Since he was going to save people who were supposed to die.

Although it still felt unfamiliar, like he had entered a strange history, it wasn’t too difficult to adapt since it was a world he had already read about.

‘Is this world relatively peaceful?’

At least, unlike in the original world he lived in, gates weren’t appearing everywhere, leaving no time to even open his eyes.

Alec Myers.

He recalled his new name.

A name that felt unfamiliar yet oddly familiar.

Especially whenever the woman who called herself his wife said it.

‘Alec.’

‘Alec?’

‘Alec!’

“…..”

For some reason, his chest ached, feeling a sense of long yearning.

He couldn’t understand why he felt this way.

But what kind of reaction would the woman have when she learned the truth?

Alec was conflicted about what to do at the center of this situation where her husband’s soul had changed.

Suddenly telling her he wasn’t her husband would only make her not believe him.

‘But how long do I have to stay with them?’

Though he was pretending to be the real Alec, he had no intention of staying with these fake family members indefinitely.

He couldn’t abandon the name Alec, but he had no intention of living with this body’s family as if they were his real family.

Having never had a family in his life, suddenly having strangers as family was…

‘…Well, there’s no choice for now, is there?’

Alec let out a light breath through his nose and submerged himself more into the water.

He needed to watch over the women of the household until his life stabilized.

Anyway, because of the poison, they wouldn’t suspect he wasn’t the real Alec for now.

“No one will look down on you anymore. They won’t mistake you for a fool because of your speech.”

“So let’s live on and start anew.”

“…..”

For some reason, Louise’s voice came to his mind.

***

While Alec was bathing and the other family members were choosing rooms, I prepared dinner.

Fortunately, there were plenty of unopened groceries and staple foods stored in the pantry.

‘At least we won’t have to worry about meals for at least two weeks.’

In a hurry, I cooked some potatoes.

It felt like I was secretly sneaking into someone else’s house and consuming their food, but this was now our home.

The kitchen was stocked with all sorts of spices, including exotic ones that needed to be imported from abroad, and powders whose identity I couldn’t even guess.

Not being knowledgeable about spices beyond sugar, salt, and pepper, I found the kitchen overwhelming.

“Wow, it smells really good.”

My sister-in-law’s voice suddenly came out of nowhere. She entered the kitchen, holding a feather duster awkwardly.

Tear stains were dried on her cheeks, showing she had cried again.

“What are you doing, sis? It looks delicious. At least you have a conscience. After all, it’s your job to cook. Achoo!”

I turned back to the stove, glancing at her as she sneezed, wondering where she had inhaled dust in this clean house.

“It’s just steamed potatoes, nothing special.”

“Huh?”

I began to plate the steamed potatoes.

I set out the dishes and placed individual plates.

After roughly finishing the meal preparation, I spoke to my sister-in-law.

“Can you help me move these to the dining room and call Alec and mother?”

“Is this all?”

She looked at me and the table with a dumbfounded expression.

“Where’s the soup? The meat? I want to eat jarret de veau consommé!”

“…..”

“We’ve been eating weird bread all this time.”

She made a pitiful face as if she was about to cry again.

Jarret de veau consommé.

A clear soup made from veal shin, which takes days to prepare—of course, she wouldn’t know that.

My sister-in-law’s cluelessness was annoying, yet seeing her like this made me feel sorry for her. I didn’t like that I felt this way.

“Those weren’t weird breads; they were all edible. Alec said they were delicious.”

“Brother is a fool who eats anything given to him because he has no sense of taste!”

“Well, at least we have plenty of potatoes. I’ll fry some for you tomorrow. Mashed potato soup would be tasty, too.”

“……”

This time, there was no immediate complaint. I glanced at my sister-in-law’s state.

Her face was turning red and blue, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

‘Do you think I’m going to bat an eye at that?’

There’s no one left to tolerate your tantrums and whims now.

No maids, no nannies.

I hoped that this middle schooler would quickly adapt to our reality.

“I… I…”

“……”

“I’m not eating!”

“……”

As expected, my sister-in-law left the kitchen in tears.

I knew this would happen.

And she would come back when she got hungry anyway.

With a light sigh, I took off my apron and carried the food to the dining room.

Steam was rising from the freshly steamed potatoes, and warm water sweetened with honey was ready.

Looking at the sweet and simple table, I felt a strange feeling.

‘At least our family can start over.’

That thought just came to me.

* * *

My mother-in-law was chewing the potatoes as if they were raw meat.

“If the ghost living in our house is a kind soul, I wish it would fly to His Majesty’s bedchamber tonight. Let that good-for-nothing wretch soak his golden bed.”

“……”

The harsh resentment of my mother-in-law filled the dining room.

Odelia Myers, Duchess of Brent.

She was a woman who put great effort into maintaining her flawless beauty and size 44 figure. She had originally wanted to become an opera singer.

However, being a distant relative of the royal family, she couldn’t pursue a career as an opera singer due to her noble birth.

She had once tried to run away, but was caught and ended up in an arranged marriage, giving birth to Alec and Eloise.

But due to Alec’s condition, her relationship with her husband had been strained for a long time.

I thought to myself that my mother-in-law’s fate was far from ordinary as I cut the potatoes with a knife.

When I dipped a piece in salt and took a bite, the salty and savory taste filled my mouth.

Taking a sip of the honey water next mixed the lingering salty taste with the sweetness, enhancing the flavor.

I had never eaten such plain steamed potatoes in a duchy, but they were quite simple and tasty.

“Who knew potato skins could taste this good,” I muttered to myself, feeling my husband’s gaze on me.

My mother-in-law’s sharp eyes scolded me.

“You seem to be at ease, Louise. You always look so comfortable. I can’t even tell if I’m chewing rubber or potatoes.”

“But Alec says he’ll catch a lamb tomorrow.”

“What? Is that true, Alec?”

Both women’s eyes turned to Alec.

My mother-in-law pressed down on her surprised heart as if she had heard something unbelievable.

“My goodness, you, who never hunted, are finally going to catch an animal. You always ate well but said it was pitiful to kill them yourself, so I was always frustrated.”

“……”

“That’s good. If it’s difficult, I’ll help you. There’s a gun in the storage room.”

My husband, who was chewing on potatoes, cleared his throat as if it was stuck.

As I moved the honey water closer to him, he spoke.

“……It’s fine. Catching a lamb isn’t that hard.”

“……”

A wave of emotion passed through my mother-in-law’s eyes as she looked at him.

As if she had no regrets now that she had seen this before she died.

Suddenly, her gaze turned ominous.

“If only I could, I would poison that emperor, too.”

Her eyes suddenly burned with a desire for revenge.

Well, considering her lifelong family’s downfall, how could I fathom her feelings?

“I have nothing else to wish for if I could see that wretch die in agony.”

“……”

I felt a solemn silence.

I glanced at my husband to see him looking seriously at his mother as well.