Chapter 2

The late night was eerily quiet.

Talli followed the servant along the corridors and pathways.

They walked for about twenty minutes. Because of the servant’s pace, Talli couldn’t move too fast.

The servant introduced various locations while walking at a steady pace. The sound of their heels transitioned from stone slabs to wooden floors, then to rocky surfaces.

“This is the Flower Garden. Our young lady has her afternoon tea here. When the weather is nice, she also invites her classmates over.”

“Beyond the fountain is Rhine Lake. Behind it lies a small forest, and past the forest stands the Archive Tower, managed by dedicated personnel. It holds rare and ancient texts collected by the Fred family over centuries. You shouldn’t go near it… though even if you do, you’ll be stopped.”

—

“And finally, this is our young lady’s private back garden. See that third floor from here? That entire level belongs to her… oh, including the attic.”

Standing outside the fence, Talli tilted her head up to look at the third floor.

“However, due to her health, the young lady was sent to the temple for recovery during the holidays. She won’t return until the break is over, so you won’t be able to see her now.”

Talli asked, “Where will I be staying?”

The servant hesitated. “Uh… if you are to be the young lady’s companion, the master will decide tomorrow.”

“For tonight…” She led Talli toward the main hall. “There’s an empty room next to the staff quarters. You can stay there for now, and the rest will be settled tomorrow.”

Talli followed silently, glancing around. The grand, unfamiliar mansion was decorated with extravagant luxury. The floors gleamed so brightly that Talli could almost see her own reflection.

After settling in, Talli stepped out of her room.

The first floor housed the reception hall and staff quarters. The second floor was where the Fred family’s head conducted business.

She placed her hand on the spiral staircase’s railing and heard faint voices coming from a room at the end of the hallway.

Moving carefully toward the sound, she had just neared the door when it was suddenly flung open. A boy with light golden hair stormed out, clearly furious. He slammed the door behind him.

“I will never allow… something like this to happen!!”

He strode forward, initially not noticing Talli, who stood quietly in the corner. A few steps later, he suddenly realized her presence.

Stopping in his tracks, he turned around. “Which part of the mansion are you a maid for? Why are you here at this hour!?”

Talli lifted her head to look at him.

His hair was a pale golden hue, making his bright emerald-green eyes stand out even more. His features were flawless, with not a single flaw to pick out. Despite his striking looks, there was still an air of youthful immaturity about him. At around fifteen or sixteen, he had a tall and upright posture, exuding an unyielding, headstrong energy.

This was Theresa’s doting younger brother—Carl Fred, known in the novel as the “prodigy of the sword.”

Seeing her gaze, Carl quickly frowned. “You dare look your master in the eye, remain silent when questioned, and fail to show proper courtesy… Who hired you?”

Talli continued to stare straight at him.

Years of sword training had given him a well-toned physique, yet his skin remained fair due to genetics. His posture was upright, and the contours of his collarbone and arms were sharp and well-defined. But at the end of the day, he was just a boy—compared to the Undying Knight, his will wasn’t as firm, and his strength likely wasn’t as great.

“Hey… where are you looking!?”

The boy grew irritated. He strode toward Talli, clearly unused to being scrutinized so boldly. His voice carried the frustration of someone who felt offended. “You trying to get yourself fired!?”

He reached out and grabbed Talli’s wrist. “What’s your name? Your surname?”

Talli moved her wrist slightly.

His grip tightened.

She could tell he was already in a foul mood—she just happened to run into him at the wrong time. But even without that, this young master didn’t seem to have the best temper to begin with.

In the original novel, it was mentioned that a few boys at the academy once made indecent comments about Theresa behind her back. When Carl found out, he beat them so badly that one had to rest at home for three weeks. Ever since then, students avoided anyone with the surname Fred.

The boy stepped even closer. At this distance, he looked like a snarling lynx, his occasional flashes of sharp fangs hidden beneath a youthful face.

Her arm was growing numb under his grip. With a sharp tug, part of her long shawl slipped off, revealing her forearm—wrapped tightly in bandages.

The young master’s eyes widened in surprise.

He hesitated for just a moment, his grip loosening slightly. “You…”

Like a cunning cat, the girl took advantage of that instant to slip out of his grasp.

Before he could react, she had already moved back to her original spot and wrapped her arm up again.

“Fred.”

She responded calmly, unconsciously widening the distance between them.

“…Huh?”

He hadn’t expected her to suddenly speak.

“Weren’t you asking?”

The girl’s cat-like eyes lifted. “My surname.”

“What nonsense are you talking about!?” The boy raised an eyebrow. “I was asking about your name, not mine—”

His voice cut off abruptly.

Time seemed to pass for two or three seconds.

Carl Fred’s eyes widened, his brows rising sharply.

He first looked the petite, black-haired, violet-eyed girl up and down in disbelief. Her deep purple eyes were a stark contrast to his sister’s soft lavender gaze—there was no warmth in them. Instead, they were disturbingly calm, like those of a detached outsider, a leisurely observer watching a clown perform.

Very quickly, he felt an overwhelming sense of anger.

“You—you’re that girl from the countryside!?”

Talli neither confirmed nor denied it.

Perhaps it was her attitude that set him off. He narrowed his eyes, scanning her face, and after a moment, let out a laugh—one born of sheer frustration.

“…I was worrying for nothing.”

“At first, I was concerned for my sister, but now that I see you, I actually feel relieved—”

He lifted his chin. “Someone like you could never trouble my sister. You’re not even worthy of being a mere obstacle, are you?”

Leaning against the wall, Talli seemed utterly unbothered by his childish remarks. He was taller than her, yet when speaking to her, he never once felt like she was looking up at him.

The girl glanced around the hallway before letting out a quiet hmm.

“Carl Fred, do you know why I returned to the capital?”

Carl—Theresa’s biological brother, and Talli’s half-brother.

“……”

“Before you figure out the answer to that question, I suggest you think twice before speaking carelessly.”

“What the hell are you trying to say…?”

Carl frowned.

Arms crossed, Talli ignored his demand for an explanation. Her tone remained calm, yet carried an unmistakable chill.

“—You should know, a mere stone from the countryside… can shatter even the finest jade of the city.”

Carl was about to explode in anger.

But before he could, a door at the end of the hallway swung open with a loud bang, cutting off his fury.

“What are you two arguing about!?”

Both of them turned toward the voice.

A middle-aged man stood at the doorway. His attire was impeccably neat, and pinned to his collar was an owl-shaped brooch. The cane he tapped against the floor bore a gemstone, also intricately carved into the shape of an owl.

The head of the Fred family.

His gaze landed on Talli, standing in the shadows by the wall. Recognition flashed across his face, and immediately, his brows furrowed deeply.

“Carl, what are you doing again? Get back immediately!”

The boy had no choice but to momentarily restrain his temper, though his voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. “…Yes, Father.”

Before leaving, he shot Talli a venomous glare. “…Don’t even dream of becoming part of this family. I have only one sister—Theresa.”

“Carl!!”

“Tch!”

He spun around and stomped off, his footsteps deliberately loud against the floor.

After Carl Fred left, an eerie silence settled between the two remaining figures.

It was the head of the household who finally broke it with a cough.

Talli stepped out from the shadows.

Tap. Tap.

The cane struck the floor twice.

The man spoke. “Talli… come with me.”

—

In the novel, the reason the female supporting character was brought back to the Fred family was anything but pure.

In this low-magic world, magical power was scarce, and fewer and fewer mages were born each year. The noble lineage of witches, who had served the monarchy for generations, held an iron grip on the path to magical advancement, securing their dominance at court.

But their allegiance came at a price—every ten years, they were required to sacrifice a girl from their bloodline as an offering, ensuring the monarchy’s continued protection for another decade.

This offering had to be a girl from the Fred family, someone carrying their blood.

For this reason, every head of the Fred family would inevitably take lovers outside of their official marriage, fathering illegitimate daughters to replace their legitimate ones as sacrifices.

Throughout the family’s long history, only a handful of patriarchs had remained faithful, untouched by this unspoken rule. And even those few had been condemned by their descendants for sacrificing their legitimate daughters—the ones whose names were recorded in the family genealogy.

It was a secret that the elders of the family all understood but never spoke of.

The younger generation and outsiders remained unaware of the truth.

To the witch bloodline, the term “illegitimate daughter” was already synonymous with “sacrificial offering.”

From the moment they were born, they were no longer people. They were objects.

Talli understood this all too well. She knew exactly what fate awaited her.

The sacrifice was scheduled for one month from now.

This so-called duty of “caring for the ailing Saintess Theresa” was nothing more than a cover—a deception crafted for the outside world.

The head of the Fred family handed Talli a document.

She took the thin stack of papers and flipped through them briefly.

“…It seems you already understand what you need to do before coming here.”

He watched the small, black-haired girl as she lowered her head and carefully read through the pages. For a fleeting moment, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.

Only one month left to live.

But it was just a moment.

The Fred family had sustained its centuries-long glory through these unbroken sacrifices. Meanwhile, Talli had finished reading the document.

There wasn’t much valuable information recorded—just a list of do’s and don’ts for her remaining month as a reserve sacrifice.

“Finished?”

“Yes.”

She returned the papers.

“…Rest assured, your sacrifice for the family will not be forgotten.” Fred hesitated before continuing, “After you leave, we will add your name to the family genealogy and bury a memorial in the family tomb.”

Yet the girl across from him showed little interest in these words.

She neither rejected her impending fate nor expressed gratitude for his so-called kindness. It was as if none of this stirred any emotions in her.

“…Do you have any requests?”

At last, she became serious.

As if everything before had just been formalities.

She lifted her downcast eyes and looked at the man before her, her posture upright, without the slightest hint of deference. Her gaze met his on equal footing.

As though he was not her father, but merely a business partner.

“…Just verbal promises alone don’t feel very official.”

After a brief pause, Talli continued, “Please provide me with paper and a pen.”

—

First: Ensure my personal safety at all costs. Do not allow any suspicious individuals to approach me.

Especially Kristen, the ‘Undying Knight’ who was appointed as Lady Saintess’s personal guard last year.

—

The first day waking up in the Fred family estate.

Talli sat dazed against the headboard, staring blankly at the air in front of her for a long while.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

After being in this world for so long, there was no narration, no system, and certainly no mission to complete.

It was as if she had been tossed alone into this eerie, gray world—silent and isolated.

The sudden sense of disconnection and detachment left Talli feeling lost for a while. She leaned against the headboard, taking more than ten minutes to pull herself together again.

She jumped out of bed and washed up.

Hearing movement, the servants rushed in to pack her belongings and send them to the upper floors.

Not long after, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the staircase, followed by heavy knocking on the door:

“What did you do!? Why are your things being sent to the third floor? That’s my sister’s place!!”

Talli calmly finished combing her hair in front of the mirror, tidied up her clothes at a leisurely pace, and only then opened the door amidst the impatient knocking.

The door swung inward suddenly, catching Carl off guard—his eyes met hers directly.

He quickly braced himself against the doorframe.

Her long lashes were so close.

Carl unconsciously held his breath.