I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 17

‘I must have been an idiot.’

In my 28 years as Choi Soo-na, I never once thought I was an idiot, but I guess it’s because I’ve never seen a truly handsome face in my previous life.

‘I thought a man’s character and heart were important, but that was all my hypocrisy……!’

I pondered Killian’s rapturous face again and again until I could barely feel my toes and limped back to the mansion.

The visual and mental trauma caused by Killian’s face does not diminish what I must do today.

I made my way to the Duchess’s office.

“Starting today, I need you to organize the documents in there and write up a nice list of what we need to buy, in what quantities, and at what prices. It will probably take a few days because of the volume, but there is no rush, so take your time.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The documents given to me today were about weapons and armor that House Ludwig wished to purchase.

‘Have they completely let their guard down on me, letting me touch these documents……?’

The details of weapons and armor purchases should be top-secret information, but judging by the fact that they’ve given me the task of organizing them, it seems my efforts have not been in vain.

It was clear that the blade pointing at my throat was moving further and further away.

I began to organize the documents, grouping them by type, and describing the advantages and disadvantages of each weapon and armor.

As I did so, I tabulated what I could see. I wrote them down in a table so I could see them all at a glance later.

I was so engrossed in sorting and organizing the documents that I didn’t even realize that someone was standing next to me.

When I looked up, Lizé was standing next to me, watching me work.

She made eye contact with me and smiled, but I felt a pit in my stomach.

‘Not again.’

It’s been a really strange symptom ever since.

There was something about the way she was looking at me that was strangely disturbing.

‘Is it something that Edith in the original story has by default?’

Considering that I possessed the character of a Rofan novel with full memories, it was entirely possible.

I’m trying to change the things that are destined to happen in this world, so maybe there’s a force trying to keep things the way they are in the original story.

‘I can’t lose to the original character settings, or else I’ll lose my head.’

I swallowed hard and smiled prettily. “Lizé, when did you come?”

“Oh, just now…… but……”

“Yes?”

“What’s this?” asked Lizé, taking the piece of paper I was tabling and scratching her head.

“It’s a table. If I organize it like this, it’ll be easier to see at a glance later.”

“I’ve never seen anyone organize like this.”

“Uh…… really……?”

Is there a world without tables?

In reality, tables have existed since time immemorial, but the author may have intentionally set up a world without them.

After all, at first glance, a narrative document looks more elegant.

“Uh, anyway, it’s easier to read this way, isn’t it?”

I smiled awkwardly and explained the structure of the table, but Lizé’s expression didn’t brighten even after I finished.

“Umm…… it’s definitely a way to put a lot of information on one sheet, as you said, but to be honest, I think it would be a little awkward for others to see.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s a matter of familiarity, I guess. You’ve been using this kind of organization, but other people haven’t, and they’re going to be confused about what to look at.”

“Is that so?”

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m a 21st-century person, but the story is set in “fictionalized early modern Europe”.

Some of the things I say and do in the 21st century may not be consistent with the setting of this world.

So, as I was thinking about re-tabling my tabulations and writing them out like any other document, the Duchess stood up from her seat and approached me.

“What’s wrong?”

Before I had a chance to answer her gentle question, Lizé smiled like an angel and replied, “I was just helping Edith organize some things, she’s still a little new to the job.”

“Wow, it looks like Lizé is helping Edith a lot.”

She seemed pleased.

She was happy that Lizé, the wife-to-be of her first son, and I, the wife of her second son, were helping each other out.

But somehow I felt a little, very little, offended.

“I’m sorry, manager. Soo-na still hasn’t gotten the hang of Excel, and I’ll make sure she gets it right.”

This reminded me of my previous life, when I had been criticized for doing a good job.

In my previous life, I had been bombarded with all sorts of paperwork, but this task of the Duchess was not the least bit difficult.

For the past three weeks, I’ve always done more than the Duchess asked, without making any mistakes.

But why does Lizé think I’m “unaccustomed to the job” when she knows that my table is a “convenient method”?

In my previous life, I couldn’t say a word to the manager who was angry with me, but now I wanted to.

“Yes, Lizé is helping me a lot, but Mother, I’d like to ask you what you think about this table.”

“Huh? Table?”

I quickly slid the table I’d drawn in front of the Duchess.

“There’s a lot of information in the documents, and I’ve been trying to organize them in a simple way, so I’m writing each bearer’s name here, like this, and I’m writing down keywords for each item, and I’m writing down the quantity and price to buy here,” I explained, pointing to each column and row of the table.

The Duchess, the general manager, listened intently to my explanation.

“Lizé says it’s not used much, so it’s probably unfamiliar to other people, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt for you to try it, since you need to see a lot of information.”

She looked at the table I had drawn and smiled broadly. “My goodness, I can’t believe you thought of all this! Edith, you’re amazing!”

“Um……? I- is that so?”

“Of course! This is such a great idea, I think we should organize our documents this way from now on.”

The Duchess nodded, fumbling over the table I’d drawn again and again.

She seemed to be thinking to herself and understanding the structure of the table.

“Can you organize all of the documents this way now, so that the others and I can learn from what you have done?”

“Sure! Okay.”

For some reason, my heart leapt.

I felt like an elementary school student whose homeroom teacher patted my head.

After feeling this for a while, I came to my senses.

‘Oops, Lizé isn’t in a bad mood, is she?’

I glanced over at Lizé

But she was nodding intently, looking at the paper on which I had drawn the table, just as the Duchess did.

Then, as if sensing my gaze, she looked up at me and gave me an apologetic look.

The small smile on her face, with her eyebrows arched, somehow made me feel even more sorry for her.

‘My, did I say that without thinking about Lizé’s face too much……?’

I thought of the senior who had hit me on the back of the head, and I involuntarily flared up.

‘If I want to survive in this world, I have to look good to Lizé……!’

I forgot my role. I’m supposed to be like a plant in this house, inconspicuous and harmless!

Feeling the crisis, I smiled moderately, and then broke in at just the right time.

“But actually, if I think about it, it’s all thanks to Lizé, because she’s been helping me along the way, and she’s taught me everything.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t. Honestly, Edith knew so much that I didn’t have much to teach her.”

Lizé waved her hands, humbled.

‘I don’t know if that’s going to make you feel any better about me. Cut me some slack, Lizé.’

I flashed her a smile as best I could.

It was grim, but I couldn’t help it.

I just hope Lizé isn’t offended by me, the villainous supporting character, sigh.

***

It’s very rare that Killian stops by my room.

The only times he’s been in my room since we got married were on our wedding night and briefly before Lizé’s tea time.

So for him to come in the morning and sit there like that, seemingly with no business, was enough to make me nervous.

‘What is this? Is this the prelude to another episode?’

Maybe it’s because I’m not fully awake yet, but I have no idea which episode this is.

Killian sat on the couch in the small parlor off my bedroom, his expressionless face scanning the room.

In contrast to his impeccable appearance, I was still in my nightgown, having only just rolled out of bed and washed my face.

He didn’t say a word until Anna made tea and brought it in.

‘Did he catch me snooping around in the morning, or did Count Riegelhoff make a scene, or did Lizé complain the other day about all the documents I was doing with that table……?’

I tried to look nonchalant on the outside, even as my mind raced through all sorts of disturbing scenarios.

The tea was set down in front of me and Killian by Anna, so there would be no poisoning incident.

“Are you here because you missed me……”

No sooner had I spoken than Killian shot me an emotionless stare.

“……oh, you are not,” I hurriedly added.

“Are you telling me to just say it quickly and get the hell out of here?”

“If I ask you to stay longer, will you stay longer?”

“You don’t lose a word.”

“I never learned how to lose.”

“I know.”

I quickly regretted it when I realized that Killian’s response was to smirk and give me the cold shoulder.