I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 24

“Is this enough for a doll?”

I took out 200,000 sennas, the remaining money that I didn’t put in the safe.

I was trying to relieve some stress, so taking out 200,000 sennas didn’t feel as wasteful as before. Or maybe I’d gotten used to being an aristocrat in the meantime.

But Anna only picked up 50,000 sennas.

“With this much, you can order a pair of male and female dolls from a skillful craftsman.”

I gave her the other 150,000 sennas and said, “Then use this to buy some good fabric for the dolls’ clothes and some sewing tools. The rest is for your services.”

“It’s my job to serve you, so I don’t need a fee.”

“What, you don’t want to accept anything from me?”

“Pardon? Oh, no, not like that……”

I had never seen Anna so flustered before. That alone told me what she had been through.

“Then what are you so nervous about? It’s not enough to bribe you, and it’s not enough to bruise my ego, so just take it as a thank you.”

Anna hesitated for a moment, then complied.

“Thank you, miss.”

“Be good to me. I’ve been so bored lately.”

I knew from the start that Anna was here to keep an eye on me. And rightfully so.

But at least she didn’t look at me with a glare or ignore me.

For that, I am grateful, and I’ve always wanted to reciprocate.

It would have been even more heartbreaking if Anna had ultimately rejected my sincerity.

And as if on cue, Anna brought me a box that evening with a pair of wooden dolls, a ring, and assorted fabric and buttons.

“How did they make it so quickly?”

“There was one that the orderer canceled. Lucky you! This one is really well made.”

I was expecting a clunky piece of wood, but to my surprise, it was a sleek wood-carved doll with movable joints.

“Good job, Anna.”

“Do you want me to get you a design for the doll’s clothes?”

“Huh? C- can you do that?”

“I’ll tell the boudoir and they’ll draw it for you, I’ll be right back.”

Anna was strangely more friendly.

Was it really because of the tip……?

Anyway, thanks to Anna, I was able to start making clothes for my dolls the next day.

It wasn’t until I started that I realized I wasn’t very handy, despite my love of tinkering.

At first, I was annoyed that my stitches weren’t turning out the way I thought they would, but I quickly changed my mind.

‘It’s not like anyone’s evaluating me, so what if I’m not good at it? I’m just trying to have fun by wasting money and time, and that’s the real luxury.’

Once I realized that this was part of the luxury, I relaxed and suddenly enjoyed every stitch.

I had to keep the threads from unraveling, which was a bit of a hassle, but I was thrilled every time a piece of fabric turned into a three-dimensional garment.

‘Yes, this is my hobby, something that brings me joy whether I’m good at it or not!’

In my previous life, I never had this kind of peace of mind.

I was always rushing around, always trying to be efficient with my time.

Ironically, it was only now that I possessed someone else’s body that I felt like I was living as myself.

With no one looking for me all day and nothing else for me to do, I was able to dress the male and female dolls in convincing clothes after three straight days of dedication.

When I turned the clothes inside out, they were a mess, complete with crooked stitching and protruding stitches, but it didn’t matter because they couldn’t be seen from the outside.

“Pretty convincing, huh?”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, I cut a length of coarse thread and began to attach it to the doll’s head.

I didn’t want them to be bald because it reminded me of my leukemia days.

I had made the male doll with black hair and the female doll with brown hair, and they looked much better with hair.

“Finally!”

I turned the dolls around for a while, the boy in a white shirt, black vest, black pants, and a dark blue cape, and the girl in a light yellow basic dress, then turned them to face each other.

“Here, kiss.”

The two faceless dolls stood facing each other and shyly kissed.

‘I’ve never been able to do it, not even at a wedding, but you guys can kiss all you want.’

I left the dolls in that pose and stared at them for a while. I felt a little lonely, but I also thought it was kind of funny that I was so obsessed with dolls.

I quickly cleaned up the mess. Now that I’ve made clothes for my dolls, maybe I should try my hand at embroidery.

***

“Edith Riegelhoff is on probation.”

“What? Is that true?”

“According to a letter from Hanson, yes.”

“Hahaha! What a surprise!”

Leila, who was having tea with her younger brother Anton, grinned at Damien’s news.

It was the best news she’d heard since she’d lost her seat next to Killian, who she’d been ogling and flirting with, to none other than Edith.

“What in the world did she do to deserve probation for a newly married bride?” Leila asked Damien with a twinkle in her eye.

Damien recalled the letter from Hanson, the spy he’d planted in the duchy, and summarized the entire story.

“She stole the duchy’s internal documents to give to Count Riegelhoff.”

“Goodness…… is she bold or stupid, showing her true colors not long after getting married?”

“I suppose Count Riegelhoff must have been in a hurry. I’m sure he plans to strike House Ludwig within the year.”

There would be no overt conflict until the end of the year, but just because the water was calm on the surface didn’t mean it was calm underneath.

House Sinclair, who was seeking a position as House Ludwig’s entourage, was closely monitoring the affairs of House Riegelhoff, which was currently the closest family to House Ludwig in business.

That’s why Damien could sense their intentions well in advance.

“Having used Edith as a pawn in the first place, whatever her fate at the duchy, Count Riegelhoff would have wanted to secure advantageous information as soon as possible, but the Duke of Ludwig is not a man to be trifled with.”

Leila nodded vigorously, but Anton interrupted, “But even if she did get caught, wouldn’t it be dangerous if the duchy’s internal documents fell into the hands of Count Riegelhoff?”

“Once again, Duke Ludwig is not a man to be trifled with. Do you really think he would entrust such an important document to Edith?”

“Well, I wouldn’t trust her with it either.”

“Hanson says that Duke doesn’t seem to care about the leak itself, so maybe he entrusts her with useless documents just to see how they get over the fence.”

Leila laughed at that. “Pfft! So Edith was trapped in a nice little trap, then?”

“That’s right.”

Leila couldn’t have been happier.

The fact that the Duke of Ludwig had left her like that was proof that he did not recognize her as his daughter-in-law.

“Then why did she only get probation? She dared to try to deceive the Duke, then she should be thrown out of the house!”

“Leila. Things are not as simple as you think.”

“What, are you mocking me now?”

Damien sighed at his sister’s quick temper.

“I’m just saying you’re too naive. Why did the Duke of Ludwig marry Edith to Killian in the first place? Because he thought he could hold the leash of Count Riegelhoff.”

“But you say Edith is Count Riegelhoff’s pawn to be discarded!”

“The Ludwigs don’t know it yet!”

Who would have thought that the man who wouldn’t mind spending five million sennas on his daughter’s dress was using her as bait?

“Then can’t we tell Duke Ludwig about it?”

“We can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because Count Riegelhoff would be all over it, and that would only delay his downfall.”

Leila’s lips pouted, but Damien figured this secret wouldn’t come out until later this year. By the time Count Riegelhoff truly abandoned Edith and turned against Duke Ludwig.

There was one thing that bothered him, though. Damien recalled the rest of the letter he hadn’t given Leila.

– ……Sir Killian, who never paid any attention to Edith before, seems strangely concerned for her after this. He stops by Edith’s room from time to time and even eats with her.

Of course, it hasn’t been confirmed that Edith is the culprit yet……

It’s kind of disturbing.

‘It’s better if Killian stays indifferent to her…… and eventually dumps her, but somehow it bothers me.’

Damien thought to himself as he sipped his tea.

But at the moment, Lizé was more of a headache than Edith Riegelhoff.

“Brother. What are you thinking about so much, with your face all crumpled up……”

Unlike Leila, who was giggling, Anton asked carefully after studying his brother’s expression.

“Don’t worry about Edith, everything will work itself out. It’s Lizé, that bitch is the problem,” Damien replied, completely skipping over Killian.

“Lizé?”

Leila’s face crumpled at the name.