“Greetings, Young Lady.”

The one who entered was Rubel.

It looked like he had come to deliver the money allocated to me. I approached him with a bright expression. Thankfully, proper etiquette was ingrained in this body, so even though I hurried, my movements came out naturally elegant.

“I apologize for the late hour. It took time to prepare all the gold you have not received until now. Here it is.”

“…This is…?”

I looked at the pouch he handed me.

A very small pouch with a magic circle drawn on it.

I had a feeling I knew what it was.

‘This… is that thing, right?’

I recalled from Ruby’s memories—a pouch enchanted with a weight-reduction spell.

“It is a pouch with a lightweight enchantment. Since the amount is quite large, I’ve placed everything inside. Please use it as needed. If it’s not enough, let me know.”

So all that gold was inside something this light?

If it were everything I hadn’t received until now, the amount must be enormous.

More importantly… this pouch is amazing.

I was expecting to carry a lot of things for training—this would be perfect for storing everything. In the novel, items like this were extremely expensive, yet here it was, handed over so easily. As expected of a ducal house.

‘I should keep this safe and take it with me when I leave.’

Hiding my thoughts, I thanked him.

“…Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

“Yes. Ah, Young Lady—have you decided on a personal maid?”

“Hmm, not yet… Can I think about it a bit more?”

“Of course. Take your time. If none of the maids in the estate suit you, we can recruit from outside.”

I paused at his suggestion.

Did I really need to bring in someone from outside?

I wasn’t planning to stay here long anyway. Anyone better than Marin would do.

So I answered vaguely.

“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll think about it.”

“Understood.”

“…Do you have something else to say to me?”

I thought he would leave, but he kept staring at me as if he had more to say.

After a brief hesitation, he spoke.

“You seem… quite different, Young Lady. It surprised me.”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

I was startled inside, but I tried to stay calm.

“…Do I seem strange? What’s different? I feel the same. Aren’t you mistaken?”

Everyone else had just brushed me off as “acting weird,” but this was the first time someone asked seriously.

And not just anyone—Rubel.

The Duke’s right-hand man.

‘Is he going to say, ‘You’re not the real lady—who are you?’ and interrogate me?’

That didn’t seem like the genre of this story—but I had already caused events that didn’t exist in the original, so who knew how things might change?

Swallowing nervously, I watched his reaction.

Rubel waved his hands lightly, as if dismissing the thought.

“My apologies if that offended you. It’s just that… your presence feels much brighter than before. It’s a pleasant change. This old man spoke out of turn.”

“…Oh, that? I thought it was something serious… I just changed my way of thinking a bit. I want to live more happily from now on. What’s the point of being miserable? It’s better to enjoy life, right?”

Rubel nodded.

“Yes. You look much better this way, Young Lady. Then I shall take my leave. Please call me if you need anything.”

“Alright.”

Only after he left and closed the door did I finally let out a deep breath.

‘Wow… I thought I got caught.’

Thankfully, he only thought my personality had changed—not that I had become a completely different person.

Maybe I changed too abruptly.

I should’ve done it gradually.

I had tried to restrain myself, but the servants pushed me so much that my real personality came out.

And of all people, Rubel noticed.

I searched through the heroine’s memories.

How did she treat him again…?

The more I recalled, the more I frowned.

‘…I’ve been acting completely differently from the original heroine.’

She had actually been wary of Rubel—second only to the Duke’s family.

Not because he mistreated her. On the contrary, he was the only one in the estate who treated her kindly.

He would approach her when she was alone, asking if she was uncomfortable, if she needed help, if the servants were treating her badly.

He was attentive and considerate. But she always said she was fine—and avoided him. Because he was loyal to the Duke, she believed he must dislike her, too. She feared that even his kindness might be a trap—that he might report her words later.

So whenever he spoke to her, she would stay silent or run away. I knew from the story that he wasn’t a bad person.

But the heroine didn’t.

And given her situation—having no one she could trust—her behavior made sense.

‘…I messed up.’

The heroine’s usual responses to him were limited to just three words: “Yes,” “I’m fine,” and “Okay.”

But how many sentences had I exchanged with him today?

No wonder he thought I had changed.

Someone who used to avoid him suddenly speaking normally—and even smiling at him—it must have seemed strange.

If only I had reviewed my memories of him earlier. I hadn’t thought he was important.

…Well, it was too late now. I’d just have to be more careful moving forward. I lay down on the bed and pulled out the papers I had written earlier.

Right.

I’d be leaving this place soon anyway. No need to worry about everyone. I had already overturned the heroine’s original personality the moment I stood up to the servants.

I wasn’t timid or introverted like her. And I had no intention of enduring everything just to follow the original story.

So what choice did I have?

I’d live my way.

As long as I had the ability, my future was still guaranteed.

‘…Right. I just need to become a Sword Master.’

Starting sword training at twenty—

Most people would say it was too late.

But the heroine never gave up.

She had always been a genius—her talent simply went unnoticed.

That was why she could still become a Sword Master, even starting late.

I closed my eyes, recalling those memories again.

“Alright… let’s do this.”

***

When I opened my eyes the next morning, I had already changed into comfortable training clothes provided by a temporary maid assigned by Rubel.

For the first time since possessing this body, I stepped outside.

My destination was the mountain behind the estate—the place I had chosen for training.

“Wow… it’s higher than I expected.”

Looking up at the steep mountain was intimidating—but I had to get used to it.

Last night, I tried to fully accept the memories of becoming a Sword Master. Because of that, I felt like I could do anything now.

All that remained was to train my body to match those memories.

I walked straight into the mountain.

***

“Huff… huff…”

My breath was ragged. 

I had underestimated the training.

“Haah… haah… I’m dying. Seriously.”

Wiping the sweat off my face, I gritted my teeth.

The training was brutally difficult. Looking at my trembling arms and legs, I collapsed onto the ground.

It had already been a month. A whole month of this grueling routine.

Even though I pushed through, my body didn’t move as smoothly as my memories.

It was frustrating.

My mind had already reached the level of a Sword Master—

So why was my body still like this?

A sigh escaped me.

My skills were improving day by day, but the repetitive training was exhausting.

‘…Still, I’ve already reached beginner Sword Expert level.’

If anyone else heard that, they’d be shocked.

But I had done this once before.

And the heroine herself was overwhelmingly talented.

That was the only reason this kind of growth was possible.