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Noah quietly pondered the situation.

The Diamond Room naturally belonged to his grandfather, the Duke, while the Ruby Room remained empty. His father occupied the Topaz Room, and his uncle the Emerald Room. However, Noah had yet to be assigned a room named after a gemstone. 

Whenever he met friends from other noble families, they would ask, “Is it true that the Elpinard family lives in rooms adorned with gemstones? What gemstone is yours?” In response, Noah would vaguely mention an impressive gemstone name to divert the conversation.

Once, he had subtly asked his father, “Why don’t I have a gemstone-named room?”

His father explained that, even for direct descendants, it was rare for a room to be named after a gemstone unless there were special circumstances. Although Noah felt a bit disappointed that he wasn’t considered special, he held back from complaining, not wanting to appear childish.

One day, however, Noah noticed the servants diligently decorating the Sapphire Room, and his eyes lit up.

‘Could it be that Grandfather is planning to give me the Sapphire Room?’

The Sapphire Room was famously the most beautiful among the gemstone-named rooms. It was usually given to the Duke’s most cherished daughter, but in the absence of a daughter, it could be ‘especially’ given to a granddaughter or grandson.

‘Yes, I am Grandfather’s special grandson.’

Feeling proud, Noah casually rubbed his nose with his finger. He was the Duke of Elpinard’s one and only precious grandson. As the future head of the Elpinard family, it seemed his grandfather was giving him ‘special’ attention.

He wanted to rush over and express his gratitude immediately, but he hadn’t yet received any official word that the Sapphire Room was his. Noah returned to his room, eagerly waiting for Logan, the retainer who served his grandfather, to come with the message, “Young Master, you are to stay in the Sapphire Room starting today.”

But one hour passed, then two, then three.

Noah’s door remained firmly closed, not budging at all. Given the number of servants bustling around the Sapphire Room, the decorating should have been long finished by now.

‘What’s going on?’

Unable to hold back any longer, Noah pushed open his door and stepped out. As soon as he entered the hallway, he overheard the Elpinard servants whispering about the Sapphire Room.

And the subject of their whispers wasn’t him.

“The Duke has instructed that the Saintess use the Sapphire Room.”

“The Sapphire Room is only for true direct descendants. If he’s given it to the Saintess, then…”

“Of course, it means he’s treating her like a real daughter. He’s warning us all to properly serve her as the youngest lady of the Elpinard family.”

“That’s right. So everyone, be careful with how you address her. It’s no longer ‘Saintess’ but ‘Young Lady.’”

Noah was speechless with shock. It felt as if he had been struck hard on the back of the head with a hammer.

‘Grandfather gave that fake the Sapphire Room? But he said she’d be sent to the temple soon!’

He couldn’t believe it.

Noah felt like he wouldn’t truly believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Without hesitation, he ran straight towards the Sapphire Room. The room, which had always been cold and empty, now seemed to emanate a warm, welcoming aura, even with the door firmly closed. The atmosphere around it had completely changed, as if the room had finally found its rightful owner. 

His heart sinking with dread, Noah abruptly flung open the door. 

As soon as the door burst open, he was greeted by the sight of Reshia, slumped comfortably, yawning with a dull expression on her face. The way she sprawled out so leisurely seemed to scream, “This is my room,” and it twisted Noah’s insides with anger.

“What the—? Did Grandfather really give this room to you?” he shouted in frustration. 

Reshia, who had been on the verge of dozing off, suddenly opened her eyes wide at his outburst. Their gazes met in the air, heavy with tension.

* * *

“Yup, the Duke said I should use this room,” Reshia replied in a slurred, childlike voice.

“Ha!” Noah stormed towards her, his footsteps echoing in the room. 

“And you just accepted it? You should refuse and go back to the annex immediately!”

“No way. I don’t want to.”

“What?” Noah’s eyes widened in surprise at her defiance. Normally, Reshia would have cowered under his glare, but now she stood her ground. 

If it were the old, timid Reshia, her heart would be pounding so hard she wouldn’t have been able to get a word out. 

‘Am I actually getting used to this body?’ Reshia thought. 

When she first regained her memories, everything felt foreign, as if this wasn’t her own body. Her heart would race uncontrollably, her vision would narrow, and she’d be left trembling. But humans are creatures of adaptation, after all. Slowly, her regained memories and the timid Reshia’s body were beginning to harmonize. 

Now, unless someone as intimidating as the Duke of Elpinard was glaring at her, she could manage to hold her own with a semblance of composure. And Noah Elpinard, despite his bluster, was far from being intimidating enough to throw her into a panic.

“I’m here because the Duke told me to be here. If you don’t like it, go and tell the Duke to kick me out,” she retorted, puffing out her chest with confidence. Noah’s lips quivered with frustration, and it looked like he might grab her and drag her out by force. Sensing the impending conflict, Reshia quickly jumped off the sofa and scurried behind Lily.

“If you don’t like the Duke’s decision, you should take it up with him. Isn’t that right?” Reshia clung to Lily’s skirt, seeking her support. 

Lily, who had been standing protectively by Reshia’s side, gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and addressed Noah, “Young Master, the Lady is correct. This was the Duke’s command, so she couldn’t refuse. If you have any objections, you should speak directly with the Duke…”

“Who do you think you are, speaking up while your betters are talking?” Noah snapped, kicking Lily’s leg harshly to silence her. 

The blow was so hard that Lily winced and grabbed her leg in pain.

“Lily!” Reshia cried out, rushing to check on her.

She had expected Noah to act cruelly only in front of the adults, but now she saw he had no qualms about being just as vicious with the servants.

It seemed that to Noah, the family’s maids weren’t adults he needed to respect.

“Why did you hit Lily when she didn’t do anything wrong?” I glared at Noah.

Having easily subdued Lily, Noah’s confidence grew, and he sneered at my defiant gaze. “A maid who displeases her master deserves to be hit.”

“There’s no such ridiculous rule in Elpinard!” I shot back.

“I’m the true direct descendant of Elpinard. Don’t you think I’d know the rules better than anyone, you fake? Where do you get the nerve to talk back when you don’t even share a drop of our blood?”

I clenched my fists in fury and warned Noah, my voice trembling with anger. “Violence is not something only you can use. If you resort to violence, be prepared to face the consequences. Are you ready, Noah?”

“Hmph. What consequences?” Noah scoffed, clearly not taking my warning seriously.

It was only natural that he didn’t feel threatened by the warning of a small child. 

‘That’s your mistake, you jerk!’

Without warning, I lunged at Noah, catching him off guard, and…

“Agh!” he screamed as I sank my teeth into his leg like a dog.

“Ahhh! Get off! Hey!” Noah flailed in panic, trying to shake me off, but I clung to his leg with all my might, determined not to let go. Each time he thrashed about, I held on tighter, biting down even harder.

“A-ah, Miss! Young Master!” The maids, who had been frozen in shock by the sudden scuffle, finally snapped out of it and rushed over to pull Noah away from me.

Worried that the maids might get hurt by Noah’s wild flailing, I reluctantly released my grip on his leg.