Confusion flickered in Ascan’s eyes. Undoubtedly, this was the most flustered expression he had ever shown.

He opened and closed his lips several times as if trying to say something, then furrowed his brow. Somehow, his neck appeared redder than it had been just moments before.

‘What is this? Why are you so cute?’

The words slipped out before I even realized it. But seeing Ascan react to them only made him seem even more unbearably adorable.

The last time Noxia caused me to get drenched, he was the first to bring me a towel.

Truthfully, it felt less like an act done for my sake and more like something a slave was simply expected to do. Still, to me, it seemed nothing short of deeply loyal.

‘Was I always into this type of guy?’

I found myself unexpectedly reflecting on my own preferences.

Whether in dramas or novels, even when bad boys were trending, I always preferred pure, devoted men. Especially those overflowing with puppy-dog charm—they were the absolute best.

Ascan, originally the villain of this novel, didn’t match that preference at all—but the Ascan standing before me now seemed like a perfect embodiment of every trait I loved.

Loyal, devoted, following only me—like a faithful temple dog.

Without thinking, I lifted my hand from his shoulder and gently patted his head, the same way one might pet a puppy.

“Thank you. You can get up now.”

At my words, Ascan gave a slight nod and rose stiffly from his position, then stood quietly behind me as usual.

Noxia stared at Ascan and me with a startled expression, as if watching a robot move.

“I—I—I’m so sorry!”

The staff member who had spilled the black tea finally snapped out of her daze and repeatedly bowed her head in apology.

Michelle was no different. Her face had darkened with fear as she spoke.

“I don’t even know how to properly apologize for this… I’m truly sorry. This is entirely my fault for failing to properly train the staff.”

I glanced briefly at my dress, now stained with tea. Thanks to Ascan, the stain hadn’t spread further—but it didn’t look like it would wash out easily.

“You don’t think a mere apology will be enough, do you?”

“Of course not. We will compensate you fully. Please tell us what you desire.”

“I intend to charge you for laundering both my dress and my maid’s outfit. If the stain won’t come out, you may need to send me a new dress.”

“That’s only reasonable. And if, as before, you wish to administer corporal punishment…”

Corporal punishment?

What on earth was she talking about?

I couldn’t understand why, but Michelle’s voice grew increasingly shaky. I could sense she still had something left to say to me.

I’d already stated everything I wanted in terms of compensation—what else could possibly remain?

Curious, I waited for Michelle to continue, but she remained silent, her face pale, unable to force the words out.

Impatient, I spoke first.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Perhaps my tone sounded cold—Michelle flinched visibly before replying.

“B—before, when something like this happened, the young lady personally whipped the staff member herself. Couldn’t you please, just this once, overlook it with a generous heart?”

My mouth fell open involuntarily. I hadn’t expected that at all.

Only then did I notice the visibly terrified staff member. Looking closer, she was the same one who had trembled conspicuously while walking toward the fitting room earlier.

I didn’t consider myself particularly kind-hearted, but when it came to Tanashia, I had to throw up my hands in surrender.

I never imagined she’d personally whip a fitting room attendant over something so minor.

I was momentarily speechless. Misinterpreting my silence, Michelle wiped cold sweat from her brow and began backpedaling.

“Of course, this was our fault, so it’s only natural for the young lady to administer punishment, but—”

“That’s enough. You don’t need to explain.”

I’d sensed from the start that I was the troublemaking customer of this fitting room, but now I understood why the staff were so tense around me.

They knew that even the smallest mistake would result in merciless whipping.

The more terrified someone is, the more likely they are to make mistakes. That must have been why the staff member trembled while carrying the tea.

I barely managed to suppress an involuntary sigh.

Glancing sideways, I caught sight of Ascan’s expressionless face. I felt strangely conflicted—should I be pleased or saddened that the whipping I’d done wasn’t limited to him alone?

I also felt embarrassed toward Noxia and Ascan, who stood quietly as if waiting for my judgment, clearly accustomed to this kind of situation.

I wanted to deny these actions weren’t mine, but as long as I was inhabiting Tanashia, I had to accept responsibility.

‘What sin did I commit in my past life…?’

A sudden wave of self-loathing washed over me. But that didn’t change the current situation.

After a moment of silence, lost in complex emotions, Michelle spoke again.

“If I’ve offended the young lady’s feelings, I sincerely apologize once more—”

“It’s fine.”

“…What?”

Michelle looked genuinely surprised.

She clearly hadn’t expected me to accept her apology so readily.

“Is the staff member I punished last time still working here?”

“Ah, no. We’ve ensured she’ll never set foot in the fitting room again, so you needn’t worry—”

“That’s unnecessary.”

It was wrong to mistreat employees of the Brellof household, but it was even worse to come to someone else’s business and commit acts of violence.

Until now, everyone had kept quiet due to the Brellof family’s influence—but now that I knew the truth, I had no intention of repeating the same mistake.

“If Madam wishes, you may rehire her. And regarding the dress compensation I mentioned earlier, send it to the staff member I punished, as consolation money.”

I could have formally paid consolation money, but doing so might draw excessive attention to how differently I was now behaving.

This compromise felt appropriate—offering a dress I’d never wear myself, rather than stepping forward directly.

“Y—yes?”

Even the seasoned Michelle, who rarely showed emotion, gaped in astonishment.

Noxia, Ascan, and the other staff members watching nearby reacted similarly.

I wasn’t particularly kind-hearted, but I disliked causing harm to others.

Doing something unusually good didn’t feel difficult. Since I’d cost someone their job through harshness, I intended to take responsibility.

“I’ll let this incident pass. Just be more careful next time to avoid repeating the same mistake.”

“Then… the corporal punishment—”

Michelle asked again, incredulous. I answered firmly.

“Not necessary. Just bring me the bill.”

“Ah, yes.”

Michelle, still dazed, handed me the paperwork detailing the purchased outfits.

I signed to confirm payment would be handled by the Brellof family, then rose from my seat. Noxia and Ascan followed suit.

Michelle and the fitting room staff came out to see us off.

As we walked toward the entrance, Michelle, seemingly lost in thought the entire time, called out to my back.

“Truly… thank you.”

Though brief, her words carried genuine gratitude.

I didn’t feel I’d done anything worthy of thanks, but I couldn’t ignore it—so I gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Thus, I boarded the carriage and headed back to Brellof Manor.

The moment the Brellof family’s carriage disappeared from view, the staff member who had spilled tea on Tanashia’s dress collapsed onto the floor.

All her tension had drained away—she could no longer stand.

“I—I’m alive.”

Though always known for being timid, her fear had intensified after witnessing a coworker being whipped by Tanashia.

Tanashia was infamous in these circles for her venomous gaze and cruel temperament—impossible to believe she was merely a fifteen-year-old girl.

As the eldest daughter of the Brellof family, no one dared to stop her—and that fact only made her more terrifying.

She’d silently resolved thousands of times not to make mistakes, yet every time she saw Tanashia’s face, her entire body trembled like an aspen leaf.

When the glass cup of tea shattered, she believed her life had ended right there.

Yet unexpectedly, Tanashia forgave her without a single word of reprimand.

She still couldn’t believe whether this was dream or reality.

“Are you okay?”

A coworker asked her with concern.

She nodded, dazed, staring in the direction where the Brellof carriage had vanished.

“But… what happened? Why did she forgive me?”

This behavior was completely unlike the Tanashia she’d known. And to think Tanashia had even arranged consolation money for the previously punished staff member—it was unbelievable.

“How should we know? Who can understand the shifting moods of nobles? Maybe she had a good day today.”

“I—I guess so.”

Though she didn’t understand why, she was profoundly relieved nothing worse had happened.

Being whipped by Tanashia was terrifying—but being fired and never allowed to work here again was equally frightening.

Michelle, who had stood silently until now, murmured softly.

“I don’t know why Lady Brellof suddenly changed, but perhaps… rumors about her might completely reverse.”

At first, Michelle’s words were confusing—but soon, she understood their meaning.

Today, Tanashia had exuded a strange charisma. Watching her bold words and actions, one couldn’t help but be mesmerized.

Michelle and the fitting room staff stared blankly, as if by unspoken agreement, in the direction where the Brellof carriage had disappeared.

The carriage ride back was quiet.

Noxia, who seemed unusually cheerful, tried to start conversation several times—but I remained silent, and Ascan answered only in terse, minimal replies, so the conversation never lasted long.

When we arrived at Brellof Manor, Noxia was the first to step out of the carriage.

“Thank you for today, sister.”

I waved dismissively, as if it were nothing, and bid her farewell.

My mind was currently overflowing with thoughts of Tanashia’s past misdeeds.

I didn’t know how the original Tanashia felt in such situations, but I was too embarrassed to even look at Noxia and Ascan.

Lost in thought, I didn’t immediately exit the carriage—the coachman asked cautiously,

“Where shall I take you, miss?”

“I’d like a moment to collect my thoughts. Just take one more slow loop around the area.”

“Yes, miss.”

Gazing at passing scenery while lost in thought was an old habit of mine.

As I quietly reflected, I suddenly remembered Ascan’s presence.

It had felt so quiet I’d assumed I was alone—but now I recalled Ascan was still in the carriage with me.

When I turned my head, I saw Ascan watching me. I wondered how long he’d been looking, but didn’t dwell on it.

“Should I have let you get off with Noxia? I just wanted a moment alone to think—”

I noticed, a beat too late, that Ascan’s eyes had darkened slightly. I stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Right now, his expression reminded me of a predator observing its prey before the hunt.

‘What’s going on?’

I couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the sudden shift in atmosphere.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

At my question, Ascan replied in a voice even lower than usual.

“I believe I mentioned this once before.”

What?

“I don’t know what your intentions are, but this only makes me uncomfortable. If you want something, please just say it honestly.”

What on earth had I done?

Whatever Ascan thought internally, he’d always been obedient until now. I couldn’t understand why he suddenly spoke like this.

Then, something suddenly flashed through my mind—

The moment I’d called him cute and patted his head.

‘Could it be… because of that?’

I was momentarily speechless from sheer disbelief.

In dreams, he’d endured whipping without a single whimper—but now he reacted like this over a single compliment calling him cute?

Thinking back, even when Ascan had obediently shown me the stars in the night sky, he’d frowned and seemed displeased.

Back then, I’d assumed he was simply unhappy with my sudden change in attitude—but now, I realized that might not have been the whole story.

“Ha… hahaha.”

I couldn’t help but let out an involuntary chuckle.

Perhaps he’d never been called cute by anyone before.

At my sudden laughter, Ascan’s expression twisted strangely.

‘What am I supposed to do with him?’

He seemed so mature I’d momentarily forgotten—he was still just a boy, the same Ascan who would later become a terrifying villain in the novel .

Just moments ago, I’d been lamenting my miserable fate, stuck as Tanashia…

But seeing Ascan’s unexpected reaction, I burst out laughing again.

Outwardly, he seemed bristling with thorns—but in truth, he simply wasn’t accustomed to being treated kindly.

His childish naivety was so blatantly obvious that his words, meant as a warning, now sounded to me like adorable complaining.

“What? If you say things like that, I just want to treat you even better.”

Confusion flickered in Ascan’s eyes at my words—he seemed inwardly flustered by such an unexpected response.

At that sight, I laughed cheerfully once more.

For the first time, I felt like I’d cracked open a hard walnut shell and glimpsed what lay inside.

When Noxia entered her room at Brellof Manor, waiting maids immediately crowded around her.

Knowing Tanashia and Noxia had gone shopping together today, the maids were deeply anxious.

“Miss, was everything alright?”

“Obviously not. I bet Lady Tanashia pretended to help you pick a dress, then sabotaged you.”

“She definitely recommended the most unflattering dress in the whole fitting room.”

Honestly, given the original Tanashia’s past behavior, their assumptions weren’t far off.

But today had been different. Thus, Noxia replied firmly.

“Stop saying that. Thanks to sister, I found a dress I truly love. They were all so beautiful, it was hard to choose.”

“Oh dear, our miss is too kind-hearted for her own good.”

The maids, having witnessed nothing firsthand, clearly didn’t believe a word of it.

Noxia felt frustrated but had no way to prove it.

Once they saw the dresses selected at the fitting room, such doubts would vanish—but those wouldn’t arrive at the manor for several more days.

“Just wait—you’ll be amazed when the dresses from the fitting room arrive.”

“Miss, don’t be naive. Lady Tanashia might scheme behind the scenes. There are rumors she’s planning to ruin the dress you’ll wear at the upcoming Imperial Ball.”

If events had followed the original plot, the maid would have been right.

Having been tricked into trouble by Tanashia countless times before, it was natural for the maids to react this way.

But this time, Noxia felt certain too. She couldn’t articulate exactly why, but somehow, she just knew.

“Something’s different from before.”

Even when Noxia’s poor control had caused Tanashia to get drenched, Tanashia had let it pass without incident.

Normally, such an event would have caused uproar throughout the entire household.

Above all, Tanashia’s words from that day still rang clearly in Noxia’s ears.

─From now on, don’t beg weak-hearted Noxia to show her abilities just anywhere.

Weak-hearted Noxia.

Tanashia had never, not once since growing up, called Noxia that.

And it wasn’t just that.

When Orland gifted Tanashia a set of red diamonds, she’d offered to give them to Noxia—resulting in Noxia receiving jewelry she’d never expected.

Noxia already owned jewels, but the fact that Tanashia had willingly offered to yield them held special meaning.

Noxia had always wished to grow closer to Tanashia—so these changes felt incredibly precious to her.

When Tanashia had offered to pick out dresses together, Noxia had felt like cheering.

At the fitting room, Tanashia had prioritized selecting Noxia’s dress before her own, sincerely recommending designs that suited her.

She hadn’t even tried on her own dress before choosing it.

It wasn’t just her attitude toward Noxia that had changed—she’d casually forgiven the staff member who made a mistake. Truly uncharacteristic of Tanashia.

The changes weren’t dramatic enough for everyone to notice—but something had definitely shifted.

‘Maybe… we can go back to how we were before.’

When they were young, Tanashia had cared for and loved Noxia more than anyone else.

Noxia still vividly remembered those days when Tanashia always called her “my little sister,” gazing at her with eyes brimming with affection.

Everything changed after Noxia awakened her water abilities.

Noxia would never forget Tanashia’s face—the look of utter despair, as if she’d lost the entire world, when Noxia first moved water.

Noxia had always prayed—for a chance to return to how things used to be with Tanashia.

Perhaps… the gods had truly heard Noxia’s wish.

Maybe now, they could return to that time when it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Suddenly, she remembered Tanashia gently stroking Ascan’s hair in the fitting room.

‘I wish she’d stroke my hair too…’

She found herself wishing it had been her instead.

Noxia felt intensely envious of Ascan.