My head felt like it was splitting open.
“Her life is not in danger. The wound on her leg has healed quite a bit as well.”
“Then are you saying she’s faking it?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Murmurs drifted around me.
Where am I right now?
“Oh! She just twitched a little.”
“Really?”
A poke—someone’s finger pressing into me.
I slowly opened my eyes.
And saw a very familiar face.
“You’re finally awake.”
It was my uncle.
After my parents died in a sudden accident when I was young, he had taken me in as my guardian and raised me.
“Doctor, you may leave now.”
“But we still need to confirm the patient’s condition…”
“Go on.”
My uncle dismissed the doctor and looked down at me.
“Can you sit up?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
My head was still slightly ringing, but I didn’t show it and pushed myself up.
The moment I sat upright on the bed—
SLAP!
My head snapped to the side.
I held my breath. My cheek burned hot.
“Your marriage alliance with Felix Roheim was the last hope of our family.”
I stayed frozen, my head still turned.
When I finally turned back, I saw my uncle—face flushed red with anger—pointing at me.
“What did I expect from you? I told you to just keep hold of Felix!”
“……”
“With a betrothal since childhood, all you had to do was stay still and things would have gone smoothly! Even if you weren’t attractive, I didn’t think you were this useless!”
I touched my cheek, stunned.
He had always been strict, but he always said he loved me.
He used to discipline me with a rod, but he had never struck me like this.
“Enough talk. Go beg him. Don’t come back until you get a promise of marriage!”
Only then did my memories return.
Felix kneeling before Lorena, offering the engagement ring I had always dreamed of.
And Lorena confessing she carried Felix’s child.
“…It’s already too late.”
“What?!”
My uncle raised his hand again.
I flinched instinctively, but the words burst out of me like despair.
“Lorena is pregnant with Felix’s child.”
“…What?”
My uncle’s face twisted in shock.
It seemed the news hadn’t spread yet due to the explosion incident.
His expression quickly turned red with rage.
“You useless girl!”
SLAP.
Another slap.
“While that lowborn girl is carrying Felix’s child, what were you doing?! If I had known this, I never would’ve supported you!”
Technically, it wasn’t my uncle who sponsored Lorena’s entry into the academy—it was my deceased parents—but I didn’t say that.
He continued furiously.
“That child. You will claim it as yours.”
“…Pardon?”
“Pretend you are the one who gave birth to it. Tame that girl, win Felix back no matter what.”
“But—”
“Beg if you must! Throw your body if you have to! Until then, you won’t receive a single coin of allowance! No meals either! Why should I spend money on a useless parasite!”
Bang.
He slammed the door and left.
I held my burning cheek, stunned.
I had been beaten before, punished harshly before—but never like this, like I was nothing.
The moment Felix broke off the engagement, it was as if my worth as a person had disappeared.
Then I remembered something from last winter.
My uncle, usually strict, had visited me with an unusually gentle expression.
“Freesia, you’ll be coming of age soon.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Once you become an adult, it would be proper for you to take over House Violet… but you will be marrying Felix Roheim anyway and becoming a marchioness, won’t you?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Your late father’s estate is under my management. I will pass it on to your son when he comes of age.”
At the time, it seemed reasonable.
I even felt grateful that he was holding the struggling family together.
He often complained that his entire life had been ruined managing the debts my parents left behind.
“Felix is a man destined for greatness. You must hold onto him and benefit the family. That is the way to honor both your parents and me. You know how much I love you, don’t you?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Only now could I see it clearly.
All those words about “love” had been lies.
Or maybe I had sensed it and simply ignored it.
I had been too busy clinging to his approval like it was a reward for obedience.
“…Really.”
I was so stupid.
I laughed bitterly while rubbing my cheek.
Why am I only seeing this now?
My uncle hadn’t been worried about me—he had been worried I might reclaim my family.
‘I’m so foolish it’s almost pathetic.’
Self-loathing churned inside me.
And then—
‘Ah. Right…’
Another memory surfaced, second only to Felix’s betrayal.
The mottled chick.
That voice calling me its benefactor.
But it wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
So it ran away after getting what it wanted?
Or…
“…Was it exorcised as a monster?”
My heart sank.
I remembered its voice—desperately saying it wanted to live.
Its talk about computation, systems, abilities…
It almost sounded like me, desperately trying to prove my worth.
[WARNING: I have NOT been exorcised!]
“Eek!”
I jolted upright.
From behind my pillow, the chick waddled out.
“You’re alive…!”
It hadn’t been killed.
And its previously miserable appearance was now clean and intact.
Relief flooded me.
The chick chirped excitedly.
[Thank you for your cooperation! I am a cutting-edge growth-type magical artificial intelligence designed to make your life more convenient, efficient, and abundant!]
A more convenient and abundant life.
I gave a bitter smile.
Let’s be objective.
My family is in my uncle’s hands. My fiancé betrayed me. I ruined my own academic record helping him succeed.
Objectively, I had nothing.
Zero multiplied by anything is still zero.
Maybe I was too desperate to see anything but pessimism.
The chick continued energetically, ignoring my silence.
[For optimal assistance, may I access your memories now?]
“Do whatever you want.”
My voice came out like a hollow breath.
I didn’t feel like ordering it around—or stopping it.
Just empty.
The chick climbed onto me and touched my cheek with its tiny head.
It felt soft… like down feathers.
A ticklish sensation.
After a moment—
It opened its eyes sharply.
[Memory analysis complete!]
“How was it? My life?”
Probably even this chick thought I was hopeless.
I laughed bitterly.
Then—
[Simps. Doormat for men.]
“…?”
[Servant. Footstool.]
“….”
I went silent.
Surprisingly sharp vocabulary for a chick…
[These are common classifications for individuals with your behavioral patterns!]
“…I see. That’s oddly accurate.”
[Thank you! I am a cutting-edge AI that never stops learning!]
It wagged its tiny tail feathers proudly.
[Now that I’ve analyzed your memories, I can assist you optimally. What is your greatest current desire, benefactor? I will support you!]
My greatest desire…
Until yesterday, I would’ve said: becoming Felix’s perfect wife.
But now—
The name Felix made my tired heart pound.
Not with love.
Of course not.
I wasn’t that kind of fool anymore.
The feeling boiling inside me was definitely something else.
“…Felix’s future is going to be smooth sailing, isn’t it?”
[Felix Roheim. Name learned from benefactor’s memory.]
The chick closed its eyes and began calculating.
[Probability of accumulating over 100,000 gold within 5 years after graduation: 98%.]
A fortune enough to buy a mansion in the capital.
A symbol of success.
My stomach twisted.
[Probability of attaining a rank-3 or higher government position: 75%. In summary: his path is a flower road.]
Flower road…
‘The disgusting leash your grandfather tied around me is useless now.’
Felix’s face flashed in my mind.
Walking all over a literal flower-covered path.
“…No way.”
I absolutely couldn’t stand that.
My dull, exhausted emotions began to boil.
I want to burn that flower road.
I want to ruin everything.
I want to destroy Felix’s future—mess it up beyond recognition!
‘…But how?’