The Harsh Reality of the Grace Territory
Dong-hee felt a pang of resentment—she had only glanced around out of simple curiosity—yet there was nothing she could do about it.
“Alright.”
When they reached the first floor, four or five servants were already waiting in polite, upright postures.
Self-conscious, Dong-hee worried they might notice something odd about her. She kept her head high and hurried past them.
Seeing Chloe’s quickened steps, Thelma’s face finally softened into a pleased smile, as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders.
Dong-hee was just about to step outside when—
“Young Lord!”
A middle-aged man came bounding down the stairs, calling desperately after Chloe. Whether he had urgent business or not, he was leaping two and three steps at a time, clattering down in a frantic rush.
Watching the scrawny man flail down on his bony legs, Dong-hee felt an inexplicable anxiety. Only after he reached the bottom did she finally relax.
The fact that she felt uncomfortable the moment she saw him—despite not even knowing who he was—suggested he wasn’t someone the original Chloe had liked.
“Haa… haa… Oh dear, I’m going to die.”
He bent double at a perfect ninety degrees the instant he arrived, gasping for breath as though he might collapse.
“Are you… alright?”
She hesitated, wondering if casual speech was appropriate for someone who appeared quite elderly, but since he had addressed her as “Young Lord,” it seemed acceptable.
At Dong-hee’s question, the man jerked his flushed face upward and blinked his large eyes. The irises staring straight at her were an aged amber.
Asking if he was okay was apparently no small matter; the man gazed at her with eyes round as saucers, as if he had heard some shocking rumor.
Dong-hee waited patiently until his breathing eased.
“I heard… huff… huff… that you were going out for a territory inspection.”
“Yes. Thelma insisted I absolutely had to go out today.”
When Chloe mentioned her name, Thelma’s round chin lifted a fraction higher than before. Her expression radiated the unique pride and smugness of someone who had accomplished what no one else could.
“Then why are you leaving me behind?”
The man’s tone was full of resentment. Though she had done nothing wrong, the scolding tone sank Dong-hee’s mood even lower.
“Should I be taking you along?”
“How can you say something like that…?”
Dong-hee had asked out of genuine curiosity, but the man now looked genuinely wounded.
At a loss, she hesitated a moment before shooting Thelma a pleading glance.
Thelma let out a deep sigh, then spoke to the man—who looked on the verge of tears—in a gentle, coaxing voice.
“Scrooge, the Young Lord only said that because she was worried you might still be uncomfortable. It hasn’t been long since you recovered from your cold, after all. Isn’t that right, Young Lord?”
Thelma asked with a bright smile.
“Of course! Naturally! The butler is a very important person who mustn’t fall ill. Hahaha!”
Dong-hee had only just learned the man was the butler, but she beamed and laughed it off.
Goosebumps prickled across her soles at her own terrible acting.
She felt her cheeks stiffen unnaturally as she forced an awkward smile. Who on earth would fall for such clumsy performance?
A tiny heart the size of a bean popped up above the old butler’s white hair and vanished in an instant.
Current territory residents’ favorability: -189,370
Favorability +10
Even an insincere word of concern had raised the score by ten points.
Delighted, Dong-hee put on an even more worried expression and asked the butler, “Are you feeling better now? Your complexion still looks poor. Shouldn’t you rest a little longer?”
Please go up, please go up.
Even as she spoke, she kept stealing glances above the butler’s head in hopeful anticipation.
“I’ve rested plenty. I will accompany you today.”
Current territory residents’ favorability: -189,390
Favorability -20
What the—!
The favorability had suddenly dropped by twenty points.
Now that she looked, suspicion filled the butler’s gaze. It seemed that words lacking sincerity had produced the opposite effect.
Dong-hee felt a sting in her chest as those hard-earned twenty points vanished right before her eyes.
Having built up considerable expectations for the lord’s carriage, Chloe stood speechless for a long moment, mouth agape at the shabby vehicle that appeared before her.
She hadn’t expected a Cinderella-style pumpkin carriage, but she had assumed a noble’s carriage would at least look impressive. She never imagined it would be this rundown.
Fortunately, though old, it didn’t appear to be damaged anywhere.
As Chloe approached the carriage, a nearby knight quickly opened the door and offered his hand.
It was her first time receiving an escort, so she felt slightly awkward, but Chloe took his hand naturally and climbed the steps.
Contrary to its exterior, the inside of the carriage was surprisingly spacious and cozy.
Thick cushions padded the seats, so her backside would likely survive the journey without complaint.
After Chloe boarded, Scrooge climbed in behind her.
The moment he sat across from her, the butler pulled a bundle of documents from the worn leather bag at his side and began explaining.
“The place we will visit today is Morta Village.”
“Morta?”
“I know you dislike it, but Morta is still part of Your Lordship’s territory. There are residents who need looking after.”
Scrooge spoke as though pleading.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Pardon?”
When Chloe answered so readily, Scrooge’s eyes widened as if he had heard something impossible.
It was a moment that gave her a clear idea of what kind of lord Chloe Grace had been. No wonder there was so much to do.
It seemed her innate talent for attracting work was impossible to escape.
Ten knights of the Grace Territory’s order, mounted on horseback, surrounded the carriage front and rear as they rode along.
Dong-hee felt strangely unsettled, as though she had suddenly become an important person.
The mansion she saw through the carriage window for the first time was a far larger castle than she had imagined.
Sturdy stone construction made it look roughly five stories high at a glance.
The moss clinging to the walls and the withered vines gave the castle a gloomy, melancholy air—like the castle of Count Dracula from an old movie.
The carriage left the main building and rattled ceaselessly toward the high castle walls.
Unable to tear her eyes from the window, Chloe scanned the surroundings without pause, like a tourist visiting a historic fortress.
Her initial excitement gradually faded as the scenery before her grew heavier.
“Is something the matter?”
“Why are all the houses so dilapidated?”
Almost none of the houses inside the castle walls were in good condition. She could clearly see people working and moving about, yet doors hung off their hinges and straw roofs were peeling in countless places. Moreover, every time the carriage passed over bare ground, clouds of dust billowed up like smoke.
When the lord’s carriage went by, the workers bowed in greeting, but it was obvious none of them were pleased. Their eyes as they watched the carriage were sharp with hostility.
Current territory residents’ favorability: -189,400
Current territory residents’ favorability: -189,450
Current territory residents’ favorability: -189,470
⋯⋯
Current territory residents’ favorability: -189,850
Insane!
Just seeing the lord’s carriage had caused the residents’ favorability to plummet by 460 points.
Dong-hee squeezed her eyes shut and leaned heavily against the seatback.
Even with her eyes closed, the relentless ding, ding of falling favorability continued without pause.
At this rate, it might honestly be better never to leave the house.
The persistent dinging finally stopped once they crossed the drawbridge. There was simply no one left looking at the carriage.
As the noise only she could hear subsided, Dong-hee gathered her frayed emotions and summoned the status window.
She needed to see exactly how far the favorability had dropped.
Current territory residents’ favorability: -191,150
It had fallen so sharply that it was a relief it hadn’t crossed the minus two-hundred-thousand mark.
Just what kind of life did you lead, Chloe Grace?
In a dazed mood, Dong-hee silently called out the name of the body’s original owner.
While she sat slumped in the rattling carriage, all motivation gone, a blue status window floated up before her eyes.
Your remaining points are currently 60.
Would you like to check the list of items available for purchase in the Hidden Shop with your remaining points now?
She had assumed the hidden points she received earlier had vanished along with the plummeting favorability, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
Wanting a change of mood, Dong-hee gave a small nod.
When she glanced across, Scrooge—who had been staring intently at his documents—had thrown his head back with his mouth open, fast asleep.
Shrrrrrrrk!
The chart that unfolded from top to bottom was so long she had to tilt her head back to see it all.
The items at the very top were so distant they seemed impossible to read.
Out of habit, Dong-hee placed her finger on the screen and swiped downward.
The chart moved smoothly in the direction of her finger.
“It’s a touch screen.”
It was fascinating how it responded without any physical sensation against her fingertips. It felt like playing with a brand-new smartphone.
Remaining Points: 60
Only items costing 60 points or fewer are visible. Higher-tier items are blurred and unreadable.
“Is there anything I can buy with this?”
As Dong-hee scrolled up and down, she realized only an extremely small portion of the list was legible.
Anything requiring 61 points or more only displayed the price; the item descriptions were obscured by a hazy fog.
Would you like a list organized by price range?