The Diary and the Uninvited Guests
Donghee woke up earlier than usual. After a quick wash and change, she headed straight for the study.
It was right next to the office, yet she had never found the time to step inside. Absorbing all the information from the status windows had been overwhelming enough, and she’d had no chance to sit down with a book.
In her previous life, every day had been a struggle just to survive. There had been no leisurely time for reading. Instead, she would squeeze in an extra hour of sleep whenever she could. It wasn’t that long ago that she had been splitting her already insufficient rest to work part-time jobs. Now, standing in a study packed with ancient tomes and strolling through it at her leisure felt strangely surreal.
“There are so many books.”
From incredibly old volumes to brand-new ones with stiff spines, the study seemed to hold at least tens of thousands of books. They were neatly organized by subject as well.
“I bet there’s a lot I could learn from these.”
She was muttering to herself while carefully examining the titles when a blue status window suddenly popped up in front of her.
Nope! Given the user’s slow memorization and reading comprehension, it would take approximately thirty thousand years to obtain the desired information. It would be much more efficient to just throw up a few times and acquire it by force…
“Hey! I like reading too, you know!”
Suuure you do.
“What kind of answer is that?”
Perish the thought. You must be imagining things. I sincerely hope you enjoy your reading time. There are no comic books here, by the way. Please refrain from looking for anything like ‘Why, Series.’
It just had to have the last word.
Donghee glared at the fading status window with all her might. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt such a burning desire to grab someone who wasn’t even a person.
How wonderful it would be if she could just seize it by the collar once.
I have no collar. Because I have no neck. You do know that, right? The word “neck” refers to the front part of the throat. Oh, by the way, the easier books are over there.
The status window displayed a large arrow pointing somewhere before it scattered into dots and vanished.
Donghee trembled with fury for a moment, then took a deep breath and calmly steadied her mind.
Chloe’s father’s study was old and worn, but it was filled with sturdy, elegant furniture.
Though aged, every piece had an antique and refined design. Donghee spent nearly half the day simply wandering around the study and admiring everything.
Pretending to browse the room, she timidly made her way toward the bookshelf that the status window had so obnoxiously pointed out with its arrow, claiming it held the easier books.
Unlike the other shelves, this one was packed full of notebooks.
Several leather-bound volumes were all diaries belonging to Chloe’s father.
As if in a trance, Donghee pulled out the oldest-looking notebook, carried it over to the sofa, and flopped down.
The old fabric sofa was surprisingly soft and cozy. As she leaned back against it and swept her gaze across the study once more, her eyes caught an oddly empty spot.
“That’s clearly where the desk should be. Why isn’t there one?”
No matter how she looked at it, the empty space seemed like it had once held a large desk. Curious, Donghee set the diary on the table for a moment and walked over to the window to examine the floor.
“Yep, this is definitely where the desk used to be.”
Just as she had suspected, the floor still bore the marks of desk legs, proving that a desk had once stood there. Judging by the length of the marks, the desk must have been quite large.
“Where on earth did the desk go?”
Even after searching her memories, she couldn’t recall seeing a desk anywhere in the room. It looked like she would have to ask Delma or Scrooge about it later.
Pushing her curiosity aside, Donghee returned to the sofa and opened the diary.
The rough paper had yellowed with age, unable to withstand the passage of time.
“This is the entry from the day Chloe was born?”
Donghee felt a slight pang of guilt for prying into someone else’s private life, but since her current appearance was undeniably that of Chloe Grace, she kept a shameless expression on her face.
The diary was filled with worry and love for his wife, along with tender affection for the daughter who had just been born.
The child was even smaller than I expected. I was so afraid I might break something if I touched her wrongly that I only pressed lightly with my fingertips, but Chloe wailed at the top of her lungs. With a voice that loud, she clearly takes after her mother.
I never knew a person’s fingers could be so tiny. But what surprised me even more was that the moment Chloe came into this world, I fell in love with her.
Ah, even as I write this diary, I am overwhelmed with emotion at the fact that my daughter has come to me. She’s not even pretty, so why is she so lovable? It’s truly mysterious.
After reading the last sentence, a small chuckle escaped Donghee’s lips. A newborn baby would indeed look wrinkly and unattractive.
Feeling a renewed sense of wonder, Donghee lifted her head and looked into the small mirror on the table.
Chloe seemed to like mirrors; there was always at least one, big or small, wherever she went.
Inside the round mirror, a woman who looked astonishingly like the lady from the portrait she had seen before was staring back at her.
What are you doing over there? Why are you inside my body?
It felt like Chloe’s voice might suddenly burst out from somewhere.
Feeling strangely guilty, Donghee turned the standing mirror around. That was when it happened.
Knock, knock.
A heavy knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The person who entered was Delma, her face clouded with worry unlike that morning. Wondering if something had happened, Donghee stared at her and waited for her to speak.
“Viscount Patrasche’s carriage has just crossed the drawbridge, my lady.”
“What?”
At the sight of the lord’s face changing color in an instant, Delma’s expression grew even darker.
Though she had changed a lot, the young lord still shrank in front of her half-uncle, Viscount Patrasche. And with that sly fox Aileen coming along as well, it was only natural to be worried.
She was also afraid that the viscount would once again manipulate her into selling off what little territory remained at a dirt-cheap price.
Delma hesitated for a moment before speaking with a determined, solemn expression.
“My lady, you are no longer the person you once were. So please, hold your head high with confidence.”
Donghee could see right through Delma’s worries from the stiff way she spoke without hiding her true feelings. She gave a light, easy laugh as if to say it was fine.
“Don’t worry, I’m perfectly confident. I’m just a little nervous because it’s been a while since I’ve had guests.”
It wasn’t that it had been a while. Excluding that parasite Ray, this was her first time receiving visitors here.
The people who came to this place really had some nerve.
One was slowly stealing away Chloe Grace’s fortune bit by bit, and the other was showing up to snatch away what little remained.
Poor, pathetic Chloe Grace.
Shaking her head, Donghee turned her attention back to the diary when Delma’s hesitant voice reached her again.
“Shall I call for Anna?”
“Why?”
“You need to get ready, my lady.”
“Why?”
“You’re planning to greet the guests looking like that?”
Delma asked, looking utterly horrified.
Only then did Donghee look down at her clothes and run her hands through her hair.
As if she had read Donghee’s mind, Delma spoke with a resolute expression.
“Yes. That state simply won’t do. It’s not proper etiquette for receiving guests. And I no longer wish to see Viscount Patrasche and Lady Aileen looking down on you, my lady.”
Her word choice was unusually harsh for Delma.
It showed just how much resentment she had built up toward those two.
Donghee decided that this time, she would do as Delma asked. The woman looked ready to spank her if she refused, so she meekly gave in.
“Could you call Anna for me?”
Donghee resolved to dress up properly—not for the shameless visitors, but for Delma.
“Yes!”
Fortunately, Delma looked as delighted as a child who had just received a Christmas present.
Seeing that kind of reaction, Donghee figured she could endure a bit of hassle. She opened the diary again. There should be a few minutes to spare until Anna arrived.
But Delma was faster on her feet than expected, and Anna, having heard that Viscount Patrasche was coming, had already been waiting in a battle-ready stance that rivaled Delma’s.
The two of them burst into the study like a storm before Donghee could even turn the next page of the diary.
“We can’t just rip apart the dresses. There isn’t a single decent one left for her to wear right now.”
“You’re right. It would have been better if we had kept even one of those frilly dresses. This is a problem.”
“We’ll have to cover up the plainness of the dress with jewelry.”
“Our lord looks wonderful in red. How about ruby earrings and a necklace?”
“Perfect! Let’s match them with a ring and bracelet too!”
Delma and Anna were completely absorbed, dressing Chloe and choosing matching jewelry like girls playing with dolls.
Almost all the dresses were gone, but unlike before, there was now an abundance of jewelry. That was a relief.
The two of them laid out various ruby pieces and held them up near Chloe’s face, completely focused on deciding which suited her best.
Red gems fluttered around in front of her like a swarm of flies before they began to settle neatly around her neck, ears, fingers, and wrists. The once plain and almost shabby-looking dress was transformed into something elegant and luxurious. It was the moment Anna’s exceptional sense truly shone.
“Oh my! How perfectly it suits you! You look so beautiful!”
Donghee smiled gently at Anna, who was genuinely delighted.
“My lady, you must never make that strange expression in front of the viscount. He’ll think you’re an easy target. Understood?”
“I was just smiling.”
But Delma wasn’t really listening.
Anna undid the messy bun Donghee had tied that morning and began styling it at lightning speed. With dazzling skill, she braided here, twisted there, and twirled it around until she created a rather impressive hairstyle. Her hands moved so fast it felt like watching a YouTube video on double speed.
“Wow, Anna. Your skills are amazing! It looks so pretty!”
It wasn’t empty praise. Anna was faster and more meticulous than any beauty YouTuber Donghee had watched, and she knew exactly how to highlight the best features of her face. Reborn under Anna’s golden touch, Donghee looked like an entirely different person.
Donghee looked into the mirror and let out a sincere gasp of admiration.
Half of her hair flowed down smoothly while the other half had been braided, then coiled and shaped into something resembling a flower.
She was marveling at the fact that someone could create a flower out of hair alone when Scrooge announced from outside that the viscount and his daughter had arrived.
“Viscount Patrasche and Lady Aileen have arrived.”