The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 24

The incident at the harvest banquet had led to notable changes at the Diane estate.

‘It seems they’ve finally started paying attention to the upkeep.’

Compared to when I first arrived in this world, the estate was now significantly improved. Holes where mice once scurried had been patched, and essential items replaced unnecessary decorations. Though still old and worn, the estate felt spacious—especially when I thought back to the small, rented room I once called home in Korea.

At first, I was content.

But after spending over a month at the Chield estate, renowned for its luxurious accommodations, adjusting back to the Diane estate proved more difficult than expected.

Especially when it came to sleeping.

Over a week had passed since I returned, but my bed still felt uncomfortable.

‘Kyle’s bed was practically a masterpiece, so comfortable it lulled me to sleep the moment I lay down.’

Amelia Diane’s old wooden bed, on the other hand, seemed to offer discomfort no matter how I lay on it. I rolled my shoulders, tapping my stiff neck.

“Amel, are you alright?” Countess Diane, my mother, asked.

I realized we were seated for breakfast, gathered around the dining table.

“Yes, yes! I’m fine.”

“My dear… you’ve been groaning like an old lady. Are you sure?”
“Of course, mother. Maybe I tensed up too much during the banquet; my body aches a bit.”

Mother and I exchanged smiles, while my father, Pershe Diane, muttered sullenly as he toyed with his mashed potatoes.

“Chield Duke… making my daughter ache all over…”

Moments later, startled by his own words, he sprang up in indignation.

Mother clicked her tongue at him.

“Dear, Amel said she loves him. How long will you treat her like a child? And what about those gifts from Chield? It’s impolite to leave them unopened.”

“But…”

“Look at our daughter. See how she’s grown into a beautiful lady.”

Mother gently brushed my light brown hair back, smiling. I played along, framing my chin with my hands and giving a playful wink.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Father melted at my display, staring at me for a while before his voice turned nostalgic.

“It feels like just yesterday when I met your mother at that party…”

“Oh my, really? Amel is twenty-four now; that was 24 years ago.”

“I remember when you said, ‘Would you like to have tea?’ My heart nearly burst.”

Wow, mother was quite bold in her youth.

“And when you actually just drank tea and left, do you know how frustrated I was…”

Mother’s voice took on a hint of exasperation before she quickly glanced at me, embarrassed.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and closed her eyes in mock solemnity.

“Let’s say grace. Dear Lord, thank you for our daily tea—no, daily bread…”

Who says a prayer in the middle of breakfast, mom?

＊＊＊
After completing his morning tasks, Kyleian Chield stared at the clock, his expression dry.

‘Ten in the morning.’

A week ago, when his beloved fiancée Amelia Diane had been staying at the Chield estate, this was one of Kyle’s favorite times of day.

It was when Amelia, after breakfast, would have tea with Lady Claire and stroll through the garden. While Kyle worked, he’d occasionally glance out the window and catch a glimpse of her basking in the sunlight.

But today, all he saw was a barren, lifeless garden. There was nothing beautiful about it.

‘I miss her.’

Maintaining his impassive expression, Kyle stood up. Amelia’s absence wasn’t only affecting him.

“It feels so dull without the lady.”

“Sigh… she brought so much energy.”

“Even when she plotted her escapes, it was full of spirit.”
The staff sighed heavily, unaware that Kyle was within earshot.
Moving silently like a shadow, he made his way to the stables, mounted a swift white horse, and rode to the back courtyard, where the smell of fresh earth greeted him.

He dismounted, ignoring the dust that settled on his shoes, and folded his arms as he surveyed the scene.

It was the site of ‘Amelia Lake.’

‘…It looks a bit small.’

Kyle gazed at the expanse stretching to the horizon, deep in thought. Though not yet complete, construction was progressing smoothly. The lake should be ready in time for the roughly 20 days Amelia would spend at Diane Manor.

‘If only that damn Verdr hadn’t decided to cross-dress…’

Kyle clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth as he tried to calm himself.

Fortunately, the weather and other conditions cooperated, speeding up the progress day by day.

“All the effort was worth it.”

Or was it money instead of effort? Kyle chuckled at the thought as he looked around and spotted someone.

It was Claire Chaield, who wore the same grim expression as he did.

“……”

Claire, too, stood with her arms crossed, watching the birth of ‘Lake Amelia’ unfold.

‘Because of that bastard prince, our Amel…’

Naturally, she silently chewed out the prince in her mind, without any change in her expression.

Tea, clothes, and jewelry ordered from abroad as gifts for Amel had been arriving steadily for the past week.

Receiving gifts meant for someone who was no longer around plunged Claire into the depths of melancholy.

“Sigh…”

Kyle and Claire, both known for their ability to mask their emotions, let out exasperated sighs almost simultaneously.
They exchanged a brief glance before shifting their gazes to the reddish-brown pit that would soon become a lake.

After a while, Kyle spoke first.

“Lady Claire, what do you think? Do you think my fiancée would like the lake?”

“With the garden nearby, it should be beautiful at sunset. I heard Amel loves sunsets.”

“Sunsets, you say.”

Imagining Amel bathed in the glow of the sunset, Kyle failed to maintain his poker face and turned away to hide his smile.
Once he calmed down, he asked again.

“Is there anything else that could be added?”

“Hmm…”

Claire pondered for a moment before pointing out something Kyle had completely overlooked.

“Ducks. I heard Amel likes animals.”

“Ducks…”

“White ones.”

“Understood.”

Soon, the white-feathered ducks of the Chaield duchy would have to tremble in fear. This was because the duke had issued an announcement offering to purchase white-feathered ducks at a high price.

After a modest tea time with my mother, I chose the most modest dress from my limited wardrobe, grabbed the enchanted cloak that every noblewoman had for concealment, and left the Diane estate.
Imperial guards escorted me to the investigation room in the palace, where they conducted a so-called “thorough” investigation into the ‘Crown Prince Groin Kick Incident’—though it was more of a waste of time.

“Haha. My lady, you have such a way with words.”
The investigator tried to engage me after I had answered all of today’s questions and the investigation was concluded.

The people at the imperial investigation room would burst into laughter even at my most absurd jokes.

‘…It must be because of the Chaield promissory note in my pocket.’

With a light smile, I moved on to accomplish the real purpose of my outing.

I hadn’t just idly enjoyed myself while staying at the Chaield duchy. I had been preparing for my future in my own way.

I wanted to find a job and earn money. Preferably, a significant amount.

When I returned to the Diane estate after living the grand life at the Chaield duchy, my goal became even clearer.

No matter how hard I worked, I knew I couldn’t earn as much as Kyle, but I wanted to make enough to repair the Diane estate and allow my parents to visit the imperial palace again.
During my time at the Chaield duchy, I had gathered employment information whenever I could. When looking for a job, I kept two main points in mind:
First, the work schedule had to be flexible.

Second, the job had to provide fast and accurate information on the events happening in this world.

The easiest way for me, who knew the contents of the original story, to hit the jackpot was through stocks or investments.

Corporate bankruptcies, in particular, didn’t happen by chance but because issues were left unresolved until they festered and burst. If I could catch even a hint of it, I could predict the outcomes.

‘Alright. Let’s hit the stock jackpot.’

As an aspiring stock investor, the job I chose as my future career was that of an economic columnist, and I was diligently heading to take my first step.

The mid-sized newspaper called ‘High Times,’ where I was going for my interview, wasn’t connected to the Chaield duchy but had a decent salary.

It was also known for paying incentives if the response to a contributed column was positive.

“Phew… Let’s go.”

Before my reincarnation, I was a job seeker who had experienced countless mock interviews, so I wasn’t overly nervous.

With my cloak on and maintaining an appropriate level of tension, I entered the hall of High Times. But a small problem arose.

“Ah…”

“Wait, you’re…!”

A stern-looking man noticed me, twitched his mustache, and showed hostility.

“Lady Diane?! What brings you here?”

“Well, I have an interview appointment…”

I was doomed. The man in front of me was the one who, during a visit to the Diane estate to place an attachment notice on our property on behalf of Chaield Bank, had slapped that notice on my chest—and then got fired by Kyle for it.

I didn’t know his name. I didn’t feel sorry, either. But I did know that incident would make him dislike me.

It seemed he’d been dismissed from Chaield Bank and was now working at High Times as a secretary and general assistant, but the look on his face as he stared at me was anything but ordinary.

“An interview? You?”

“Yes. I read in the newspaper that you were recruiting someone to write economic columns. It said to come here for an interview before the deadline.”

“That’s true, but…”

The man’s dark eyes scanned me from head to toe before he scowled, still annoyed.

Naturally, I was equally displeased with his attitude.
“Could you guide me on what to do next?”

“Hmph… Right. I should.”

He tossed out a command to follow him and strode ahead, but the place he led me to was too cramped for even hosting guests, let alone conducting interviews.

“Please, have a seat, my lady.”

“Is the editor coming here?”

“Before that, I thought you might need to go through a test to see if you’re qualified to write columns.”

“……”

“I think writing columns on gardening or embroidery might suit you better. You are, after all, the daughter of Diane, even if it did fall to ruin.”

He chuckled, but I didn’t join in. His face soon contorted.
Flutter.

A sheet of paper with four descriptive questions like an exam sheet was placed in front of me.

“Show me what you can do, Lady Diane.”

The questions, full of graphs and technical terms, were not what you would expect for a columnist’s test. They were difficult enough for only those with professional training to solve.

“It wouldn’t be surprising if you can’t solve them. Most women in the empire wouldn’t be able to, so don’t feel discouraged.”

“……”

However, the man didn’t know one crucial thing.

Before reincarnating, I had shed blood, sweat, and tears paying tuition fees, all to gain the knowledge needed to solve problems like these.