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"So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?" —Ecclesiastes 3:22
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"I JUST remembered, did my fiancé or the girl from the slums ever visited me during the four months I was asleep? What were their names again? I don't remember," Lantana asked, feigning innocence.
The cute face of Emily immediately lost its color and emotions upon hearing Lantana's words. Based on her maid's reaction, she immediately found out that they didn't even bother to visit the poor original body owner during those times she was on her deathbed.
'Those scums really have the nerve to act like that!' She thought as she rolled her eyes internally.
"Don't worry. You can tell me the truth. I won't get mad," she assured her in a sweet tone and paired it with her delicate smile that no one could resist.
"But my lady will get hurt!" she insisted with pouting lips, trying her best not to say a word.
Lantana almost laughed at what Emily said, but she kept her innocent look to make her acting more convincing.
"There's nothing to worry about, Emily. I don't even remember much about my connection to them. I only remembered that I picked a girl from the slum who turned out to be a count's daughter and that I have a fiancé," she said with an assuring smile.
Her reason was a lie, of course. She could remember them clearly; their faces and a lot of their cheating deeds. However, she felt like, what if, just what if, there was something that she failed to remember? What if there was some detail that she missed? What if there was something that she overlooked? That was why she was trying to get some information from the previous body owner's maid, in case she knew something. In the first place, she found it weird that they had the nerve to never once visit her. As if they knew beforehand that she would really die so there was no reason for them anymore to visit and to double-check if she was really dead or alive.
Emily looked so conflicted for a moment as if she didn't know what emotion she should project on her face. Should she be glad and feel relieved because Lantana said that she didn't know them or should she be mad and frustrated because of those proud cheaters who didn't even bother to show their faces to her sick master? Her face was so easy to read as if it was an open book with bold and large letters.
'Hah. But it was kind of funny. That rat was probably busy leeching off with someone else's fiancé while the real fiancee was suffering in her sick, deathbed.' Lantana thought as she snickered deep inside.
"Yes, my lady. None of them showed their faces in the Montgomery Dukedom over the past four months."
With that, her resolve had strengthened. The plan was to finish off the bothersome flies in the most heartless possible way that she could do, not because she wanted to avenge Penelope, but because she was certain that once she crossed paths with them, they would not just simply leave me alone. In the first place, she didn't have any deep connection to that woman aside from sharing the same body. Hah. Just that, she didn't want her peaceful new life to be bothered by some small undeserving flies like them.
"MY LADY, your breakfast is ready. Where would you like to eat? Should I deliver it here, or would you like to eat at the dining area?" Emily announced as soon as she finished knocking on her door.
It was her second day in Leontios, and she was still busy adjusting with her new life as a noble.
Yesterday, she was busy dozing off at the terrace for the whole day and ate with the duke during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He even cried when Emily announced the news to everyone that she could already remember them.
"Why are you asking me that, Emily? Anyway, you can enter," she said with confusion.
The door of her room opened as it revealed the usually bright-looking Emily.
Emily Esthers was a twenty-five year old woman with dark brown hair that was above her shoulders. She also had a dark brown pair of eyes with some freckles around her cheeks that added more charm to her round face.
"Today is Friday, my lady. As you can't clearly remember everything yet, I shall do the honor to explain it to you. The Duke Montgomery always does a stroll in different areas of his fief every Friday to check out the lives of his people or if there's something wrong with the place. Sometimes, in the past, you would also go with him, and the two of you would end up strolling until night time."
The duke and the late Penelope were both kind to everyone. She was not shocked to know that everyone in the mansion got along pretty well with Penelope to the point that they could casually talk with each other like there was no barrier, which was named as hierarchy. However, the duke, Philippe Richter Montgomery, even though he was kind, still knew his place. That was why a lot of noblemen and servants still feared him despite being "kind." The duke knew how to use his power—which was something Penelope didn't manage to inherit from her father.
"Oh? If that's the case, then I shall have my breakfast at the hammock. Please bring it there and make sure it is very healthy. No oily, sugary, and fatty food, Emily. Aside from that, bring a tape measure as well."
Emily's face creased because of her strange request while her eyes were filled with questions.
"What are you going to do with a tape measure, my lady? Would you like to buy a dress?"
"No. I just want to check my size. I remember that I still have a lot of dresses in my closet, so I don't think I have the need to buy one for now."
"Alright. If you say so, my lady. Then, I shall bring you your breakfast now!"
Emily excused herself for a moment with a large, beaming smile plastered on her lips as she left.
Now then, what should she do for the day?
"OH, MY! My lady, what are you doing?!" the bewildered Emily asked as soon as she brought Lantana's food and saw her at a position that she probably hadn't seen before—or maybe too manly in their world for a woman like her to do.
Emily was pushing a cart with Lantana's food on it when she stopped in her place, lost all the colors of her face, and looked at her with her rounded eyes.
"Relax, Emily. Starting today, I would like to start exercising," Lantana replied while still in her position.
Well, she was just standing while stretching her body sideways as low as she could. She wanted to prepare her new yet very fragile body with her intense workout routines since moving just a little looked like it could make it sick.
It was quite funny how tired she felt with just some simple moves, and she kind of felt pathetic with it, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it.
All she could do as of the moment was to endure the given weak body for a while and then be patient until she finally managed to strengthen it little by little!
Patience was the key to the dieting journey! She must be patient. An apple wouldn't fall from a newly planted seed. Everything would take time. What was hers would gradually land on her palm. Since she wanted to live happily and peacefully in the new world, she definitely had to erase those two pests so that no one would bother her anymore. Afterward, she would definitely spend her life leisurely and do everything that she wanted.
"Exercise, my lady? But that's… That's how I remember the knights doing their thing?" Emily said, confused.
Lantana smiled brightly as Emily squinted her eyes as if she were being blinded by light.
Hah. Somehow, she thought she could see the refreshing beam that her new innocent face had whenever she would smile. And somehow, although she missed her old alluring face, the new one was not bad. Maybe because she was still a little young, her face still had some baby fats that made her cute and innocent yet gorgeous.
Having her new face made her want to test how she could be able to entice people with her innocent charm. Once she was done with her diet, she would definitely try to pick a lot of good quality cherries. It would be better if she could complete all the different types of a male lead in a "shoujo manga" and see what quality she would like the most.
"Like how you said it yourself, Emily, it's the knights' thing and not mine. Do you think that your lady could immediately run lapses with this chubby, weak body? Forget swinging swords and running. Stretching my body is already hard for me, but I want you to know that I'm sincere with my intention to lose weight so, please, help me with it as well."
"My lady…" Emily raised her hands and covered her mouth as she looked at Lantana with a sympathetic expression.
"My lady is not fat. She's just loved by the duke and all the servants and everyone under the duke's territory that's why she gained a little weight. But if that's what my lady wants, then this servant shall comply. Should I tell this to the others as well, my lady?"
"Sure. Make sure not to forget to include the chef so that he'll help me eat a lot of healthy but tasty food as well."
"Sure, my lady!"
Emily's face beamed with unprecedented happiness. Lantana didn't know why she looked so happy, though? Did initiating her diet affect Emily that much?