Chapter 44.

Suddenly bored, Leonard picked at his ears with his fingers.
“I brought you in as a stand-in for Ibn, and I thought you’d do well.”
“Though I prayed with all my heart, there were rumors of ‘chimps shooting stone bows,’ and bringing unknowing slaves into the castle degraded the reputation I already didn’t have even more.”
No matter what, he had nothing but contempt for me.
“I really don’t know how long someone like you will stay in the mansion.”
Leonard, who lifted the corners of his mouth and smiled, overlapped with the face of a person.
–Why would I come to the mansion just to see a beggar running around?
A phantom voice echoed off the walls. I don’t want to see your face either, and I don’t dare to say such a thing once, for fear then that I will be thrown out.
“…… instead?”
But why did it happen to be at a time when it was so hard to calm down that I was reminded of the past?
“When did I replace her?”
“The chimpanzee who shoots stone bows” seemed to have turned into a switch, muttering uncontrollably.
Leonard pretended he didn’t hear me and yelled straight at me in response to my question.
“Since you don’t know at all, would there be a better reason to pick up the child and take her home as a male daughter? To be entertained in the same way as a royal daughter? Ah, if it’s you, is it okay to look after it as if it were a royal daughter?”
“Well, even once.”
“…… What?”
“If the mood strikes me, I’ll imitate your sister.”
I gritted my teeth and sneered. On the other side, the corners of Leonard’s mouth slowly drooped.
The temperature in the room was chilling every moment. If it was just like that a moment ago, now Leonard simply wanted to tear me apart immediately.
……
And.
[Favorability -2%]
Finally something worrying happened.
“Watch what you say and don’t believe it. How dare something like you stand here ……”
“Why? Saying one thing and not another, huh?”
“Hey.”
“You think you’re the only one who can hate me?”
The twelve-year-old Penelope appeared in front of her eyes. Knowing full well that this would be the end, I couldn’t stop.
“I’m the same. If I knew that I would still starve in the great duke’s house, I would never have come when the duke-sama said we would go together.”
“Penelope Eckhardt.”
“How do you think I did it? It’s no big deal. Like you said, I’m a rootless beggar.”
“Up to here.”
Leonard warned grimly.
[Favorability -1%]
The favorability drops again.
He looks both angry and panicked. I looked at him with contempt, sarcasm was always a privilege reserved for them.
Penelope would have stormed over with a strange shout if she was angry, and I would have looked surprised.
Maybe it was a time when I restrained my temper to the maximum and apologized submissively, and he was surprised at what was suddenly happening.
Either way, I’d had enough.
“Couldn’t have Mom’s funeral without a penny. After a few days of starvation, one day your father called my daughter and said he’d take me with him.”
“Have you ever drank the rainwater that runs down next to a rotting corpse?”
The twelve year old Penelope who appeared turned into fourteen year old me.
“Who’s ever eaten someone’s leftover half-cold food? Have you ever eaten food that tasted like garbage? Never have, have you?”
“Why do you pray that your sister never comes back?”
[Favorability -1%]
[Favorability 4%]
Leonard’s favorability dropped instantly. If you don’t want to die you need to shut up and get on your knees right now.
“Fear of going back to that time.”
Instead of admitting my mistake, I chose to reveal the fear and urgency that I was desperately trying to hide.
Because, if it were Penelope, that’s the mood at that moment.
I would be begging God not to bring back the real male daughter.
“Every day I was wishing for someone’s leftover food to fall, and all day long I watched from the street, living like a beggar.”
“…… Penelope.”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
Leonard called to me in a choked voice. My calming cry ended. I gasped and looked at him.
The good feeling just dropped, and the fear of death disappeared without realizing it.
Even if I die, I won’t regret it. For the sake of the stupid Penelope who was lost and grew up in the anger and disgust of others. And ……
“I ……”
Closing his mouth, he just waited silently for the moment to end. Suddenly the top of his head began to flicker.
[Favorability 7%].
“I, you ……”
Leonard’s face stiffened and he could barely speak. This was normal. Because he had grown up in a noble family, he had never even heard the stories of the people at the bottom.
He dawdled for half a day before he managed to utter a sentence.
“…… I didn’t realize that you had gone through such a difficult time.”
In an instant the situation was reversed. Watching Leonard, who was sweating as he picked out what to say, was the complete opposite of what he was overwhelmed by a moment ago. I couldn’t describe it.
“I guess.”
“…… Penelope.”
“You used to underestimate me very much. In fact, I was smart enough to know that you thought I had seduced Duke Eckhardt and taken your sister’s place.”
“That’s ……”
“Well, now I hope you know.”
I looked at him icily and hesitated.
“Back then, you thought I was a thief for taking the necklace. But I’m just a twelve year old commoner who can’t even read well.”
Leonard’s mouth, which had opened in order to answer something, closed. Although the blue pupils were filled with shock, it didn’t hurt at all.
At that time.
There came a sound. Bang-!
Behind Leonard, outside the open window, a huge boom resounded through the room. While engaging him in a meaningless war of attrition, the evening sun in the sky unknowingly set, and darkness descended.
Crackle-bang-bang!
The fireworks began. Beautiful fireworks bloomed in the black night sky as the two of us watched each other in silence.
As the fireworks exploded, colorful shadows reflected on Leonard’s and my faces.
Was it because of this? He gazed at my expression as if he was a little sad. At that moment, the pink heads flashed again.
[Favorability 14%]
The favorability increased dramatically, and at the same time, a white window floated in front of my eyes.
[System] [Watching the celebration with Leonard] Quest successful!
[System] Did you receive compensation?
[Yes\No]
“Ha.”
I saw the window that appeared in a situation where it shouldn’t have appeared and gave a weak smile.
“Regardless of whether there’s goodwill or not, as long as the mission conditions are met, will it work?”
But in the end, I had to press [Yes]. This situation was chilling.
As compensation from the [System], I gained [Leonard Favorability +3%] and [Stone Bow].
Seeing the favorability that immediately rose, I felt the temperature in the room like the warmth emanating from a fire after it was extinguished.
Crackle! Bang-!
Unlike such a me, the brilliant fireworks were still going on outside the window.
“…… Even if you’re kicked out of this house, you’ll just rejoin the poor civilians. It’s really strange.”
In the midst of the noisy fireworks, I whispered to myself.
“You always make me as miserable as a slave.”
Leonard’s face twisted at the sound of my voice. It was probably at this point that I began to imagine my life after leaving the Duke’s house.
I sat in the brilliant sea of fireworks and looked at him with bitter eyes for a moment. Then turned around.
“Penelope-!”
Leonard shouted out my name anxiously, trying to catch me. But I didn’t turn around and walked out of the attic.
Walking down the dark stone steps alone, I repeatedly remembered the magically rising favorability and the impulsive conversation.
[Favorability 17%]
I made up my mind to die, and in the end it was a good result. Of course, all the lies I told about Penelope’s past were good ones.
How do I know about her past that doesn’t appear in the game.
She collected rainwater next to corpses and ate other people’s leftovers. All those harrowing stories of “this is how she’s supposed to be” and feeling this way.
…… Not about me, of course.

The [other compensation] earned by completing the quest [to view the festivities with Leonard] was paid shortly thereafter.