I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

What?

Upon hearing Betty’s words, I felt my mind go blank for a moment.

Didn’t the knight just say I’m not a cursed child of the royal family, not the despised daughter of a concubine, nor a bastard?

“Well, Lady Lottie is officially Her Majesty’s daughter.”

That’s not true.

“About ten years ago? Her Majesty brought young Lady Lottie from somewhere and claimed her as his daughter.”

What a flimsy excuse.

“But something happened back then, um, and Her Majesty accepted Lady Lottie as her own child.”

This life is ruined.

Ruined.

I wrapped my throbbing head and asked.

“And that’s not a public secret?”

Even a maid like Betty must know.

Betty cautiously nodded at my words.

“Most nobles would be aware of it……”

Ah, I can hear the peace shattering and the difficulty of life increasing.

‘So that’s why Arkin was making a fuss about dirty blood and half-breeds.’

The Empress and the yet-to-meet Crown Prince and Princess would certainly not view me kindly.

The nobles supporting the Empress would likely feel the same.

No one would welcome a sudden bastard.

And the question the Emperor asked when he caught me leaving the room also made sense.

 “Did she teach you this knowledge?”

 “…I self-taught.”

Not knowing what else to say, I told the truth, and he just furrowed his brows once and stormed off.

‘She must have been my mother in this current life.’

From what Betty said, it seems I lived with my mother until about the age of five.

No, wait!

I understand why the Empress and the others might dislike me, but why does the Emperor hate me?

‘Did I hinder him? Or am I incompetent despite being of Pandelion royal blood?’

 “Hah……”

After a moment of contemplation, I let out a deep sigh.

Out of hundreds of lives, there was never an easy one.

Every single life was difficult and burdensome for its own reasons.

Haven’t I suffered as an orc or goblin before?

But this life was harder than those times.

‘Even though it’s been less than a day since I regained my memories.’

Yet, within just half a day of waking up in this life, one crisis after another was unfolding.

I’m genuinely scared of what’s to come.

“Lady Lottie.”

I was wearing a serious expression, and Betty cautiously approached.

“That’s not the most important thing right now.”

There’s no more energy left to be surprised.

I looked at the earnest Betty with a calm expression.

“We have no dinner ingredients. We might have to go hungry.”

Various things, really.

“We have sprouted potatoes, should we boil them? We just need to cut off the sprouts.”

“……”

“Still, it’s a good day since Lady Lottie is free. Is there anything else good? Why is the supply of ingredients so poor these days? You can’t eat herbs raw, right? Okay.”

A startled Betty suddenly stood up.

“I’ll go to the other palace kitchen and get some ingredients!”

“What?”

“I’ve done it a few times before! If I help with chores and receive some ingredients, it’s fine!”

Betty grinned as if telling me to trust her, but I only blinked.

Despite me, the owner of the palace, returning, no one had come until now.

That meant there was only Betty assigned to this palace.

Even now, as a mere maid, Betty was managing the food situation.

Chores, kitchen work, cleaning, gardening, and even my grooming, were all Betty’s tasks.

And now she wants to help at another palace?

“No.”

I firmly shook my head. There had been a commotion outside the corridor since earlier.

And amid the noise, a few familiar voices were mixed in.

“Hold on. I’ll get the ingredients.”

“Lady Lottie? Last time, you fainted when you saw a worm while picking eggs.”

Betty added quietly.

“If you do the same this time, they might not give you tasks from the other palace……”

…Right, that’s what I did.

I don’t know why things I didn’t even do become part of my dark history.

But for now, the important thing was dinner tonight.

People shouldn’t go hungry, after all.

“No, I won’t work this time.”

“What? Then how are you going to get the ingredients? We have nothing to sell now.”

“Of course.”

I turned my head toward the door with a smirk.

The noise from afar approached, and the door banged open.

“Hey! Why is it so dirty in here!!”

I raised my eyebrows as Arkin burst in through the door.

“You’re supposed to clean up after other people.”

* * *

“Wow, this is delicious.”

Betty’s freckled cheeks flushed with satisfaction.

On the low table in my room, dishes from Arkin’s palace were spread out.

A stew with rare shells and spices imported from other countries due to being near the capital.

A salad with whole bacon roasted in the oven, with fruits.

“It’s really delicious……”

The blue eyes sparkled even brighter after tasting the stew with plenty of chunks.

And I felt the same.

The only difference was that Betty had enough leisure to praise the taste, while I didn’t.

‘First meal in life!’

I had been tense all along and my back was aching from being hunched over all day.

Plus, it was my first meal since regaining my memories, so it was practically my first meal in this life.

I was really hungry!

I voraciously devoured the stew-filled plate.

“…Do you guys usually go hungry?”

Arkin, seated across from us, watched us empty our plates with a pitiful expression on his face.

That slightly skewed personality of his was looking at us with genuine pity, making me feel a bit embarrassed.

But it wasn’t that bad, was it?

Betty had been allowed to eat next to me, after all.

‘Though it’s because there’s no dining table.’

While I blinked, Betty spoke up.

“Still, we don’t starve.”

Betty, with a mouthful of utensils, rolled her eyes playfully.

“We’ve just missed breakfast and lunch today, breakfast and dinner yesterday, and nothing the day before yesterday.”

That’s what she calls going hungry normally.

Arkin seemed to have the same thought as his expression became sympathetic.

Even the servants and knights who followed Arkin looked the same.

One of the servants, with a pitying look at us, eventually bowed and spoke to Arkin.

“Your Highness, shall I send someone to the palace to fetch more groceries and food?”

“It’s okay! We have a bag of potatoes!”

Betty immediately shook her head and confidently shouted.

“…Though they’ve sprouted a bit.”

Her additional comment was almost muttered.

“……”

The room was suddenly filled with silence. Everyone had lost their words.

“By the way.”

I pushed aside my empty stew bowl and turned my head towards Arkin.

“What’s going on here, Arkin?”

Instantly, Arkin’s expression returned to his usual one as he raised his eyebrows.

“Well, I was just wondering what……!!”

“What?”

Arkin’s lips quivered. With determination, he blurted out his words, as if forcing them out.

“W-w-w-well……”

He seemed to be struggling. I chuckled as I looked at Arkin.

“You were worried about me?”

“No!! Why would I worry about you? Do you think I’m delusional for helping you a bit?”

Arkin stood up abruptly, his voice raising sharply. It was irritating.

“Really? I was worried about you.”

I said somewhat sadly, and Arkin pursed his lips as if in disbelief.

His red eyes widened. After blinking a few times as if not believing it, he quietly added.

“…Really? You were worried about me?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“We didn’t talk properly earlier. I was worried that His Majesty might have scolded you or something.”

Especially since earlier, the Emperor seemed to want to punish Arkin.

‘Thankfully, it seems like nothing serious happened.’

I glanced at Arkin, whose face had turned as red as a tomato.

While I was lost in thought for a moment, Arkin’s tiny mouth moved this way and that, as if contemplating something.

“Well, it’s not your place to worry about me, but… … .”

With a forced cough, he sat back down as if nothing had happened. Cute.

But how much worry did it take for his expression to crumple like that at a single mention of concern?

‘Earlier, it was the same in front of the Emperor, and overall, the family relationships seem strained.’

I watched Arkin, who was pretending to sip on his stew while hiding his mouth, closely.

Despite his rough exterior, he wasn’t a bad kid.

He helped me get out of prison and even shared ingredients with me now.

He seems decent on the inside.

I stared at Arkin intently.

As he quickly finished his stew, hiding his red face, he reached for the salad this time.

There was something I noticed at that moment.

‘Hmm?’

Something deep inside his sleeve.

It briefly showed before being covered by his clothes again, but I saw it.

‘Why does Arkin have a burn?’

It was a relatively fresh burn mark.

Why?