Lady Solea Just Wants to Go Home

Chapter 3

I’ve lost my appetite. I can’t believe I’ve been sent here just because I complained a little about going to work. Any other time, it might have been fine, but how did I end up in a place with no banks when 1.7 billion won is right within my reach? Please send me home. My precious 1.7 billion won is waiting for me.

As she lay sideways in bed, Solea looked out the window and sighed. Each time she did, Anne would glance at her with concern and hand her something.

“My lady, please eat something. You haven’t eaten all day. You’re already frail enough as it is.”

“Just how weak am I?” Solea muttered under her breath, too quietly for Anne to hear.

When the maid asked what she said, she pretended not to notice and slowly got up. Her weakness wasn’t a lie—as soon as she stood, her head spun, and her vision darkened almost instantly.

“Not these cookies. Got any rice?” Solea’s voice came out raspy from shouting earlier.

With a saddened expression, Anne pushed the teacup on the tray closer and asked politely, “Shall I bring you a meal?”

“White rice— No, never mind. I’ll go see for myself. Where’s the kitchen?”

As Solea leaned on the bedpost to steady herself, she glanced at the piece of paper in her hand and sighed again—it was useless here. There was no telling when she’d go back, so she couldn’t separate herself from it. After all, it wasn’t just some small amount of money—it was 1.7 billion won.

She had it in her hands before coming here, so maybe she had brought it along. Repeating the number 1.7 billion won in her mind, she folded the paper twice, rolled it in her left hand, and walked toward the door. Anne followed and gently took hold of Solea’s arm to support her.

“My lady, are you all right? Are you planning to go to the kitchen yourself?”

“Yes, ma’am. I mean, y-yeah.”

“It’s too busy in the kitchen. Let me take you to the dining room instead. And please, address me casually.”

“I don’t think I’m in the right state of mind for that, but for now, fine.”

They say the rich can survive for three years even after going broke. I guess in my case, it’s because I was poor to begin with. First, you give me false hope with the 1.7 billion won, then you throw me into some fantasy world before I even have a chance to enjoy it? I’m going back, no matter what.

Unaware that Solea was inwardly cursing her damned destiny, the loyal maid adopted a resolute expression.

She’s not well, so I have to take excellent care of her!

As they made their way to the dining room, every servant and maid they passed greeted Solea with bright smiles. Unaccustomed to such genuine, cheerful expressions, Jiyoon awkwardly averted her gaze and gave brief nods in return.

Anne, still supporting her, whispered, “My lady, you don’t need to nod. Just smile like you usually do.”

“That’s more difficult.”

Does she have any idea how hard it is to smile?

Back in the real world, trying to survive the brutal job market felt like swimming upstream. Smiling in front of interviewers was a real struggle for her. To cope, Jiyoon would distract herself with absurd thoughts.

Everyone sitting in front of me is wearing wigs. If the wind blows, or it starts raining, those wigs will fall off. Every time they cut their toenails, blood rushes to their heads, so they need a ten-minute rest after finishing their right foot.

Filling her mind with such ridiculous ideas, a smile automatically formed on her face. Whenever the nervousness threatened to overwhelm her, Jiyoon would imagine an old man losing his wig to a gust of wind. The title in her mind was “Mary Wigpiece, Flown with the Wig.”

Imagining such things put a confident smile on her face. There was even a time when she couldn’t hold in her laughter and was practically kicked out of the interview room. That was certainly better than trembling with anxiety and not being able to do anything. After landing her current job, she no longer needed to attend interviews, so it had been a while since she used that technique.

As she walked, reminiscing about those old days, she came across the third son—Gray, the asshole. He was the first person whose name she memorized since arriving here. Gray’s face lit up when he saw her, and he quickly approached.

“Looks like you have enough strength to walk around.”

“Anne, does this person always talk like this?”

Solea ignored Gray and directed her question to Anne. The maid, clearly panicked, darted her gaze back and forth between the siblings before finally lowering her head.

“L-Lady Solea…”

She didn’t actually care about Anne’s response, so she left her trembling maid behind and walked ahead.

Just as she was about to pass Gray, he grabbed her forearm.

In a low, somber voice, he asked, “Do you really not remember anything?”

Solea yanked her arm away and glared at him. Gray remained unfazed, staring at his hand that had been brushed aside.

He mumbled quietly, “Why did you get thinner…?”

Jiyoon didn’t know how Solea normally treated him, but she was not Solea. She looked him dead in the eyes and said coldly, “Don’t touch me.”

Gray’s gray eyes widened for a brief moment before narrowing into slits.

“You should have responded like that sooner. You used to pass by silently, like you were dying from guilt. I guess you really don’t remember anything, huh?” he derided with a condescending smirk.

“My lady, you should eat, no matter how sick you are. You need to take care of your precious body.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Of course, it is. After all, I’ll be your escort knight soon.”

Escort knight? This piece of trash is going to be my escort knight?

Despite not wanting to give him the upper hand by losing her composure, Jiyoon couldn’t help but frown at the sheer absurdity of the comment and turned to Anne.

“Did Solea not have many people around her? Why would she be stuck with the likes of him?”

To Jiyoon, “Solea” was a completely different person, but not in the eyes of others. Unaware that she had just referred to herself in the third person, she continued to frown and tilt her head, her mind still in disarray. She missed Gray covering his mouth to hide his laughter, lost in her thoughts.

Escort, my ass. There’s no way a hooligan like him could be my escort. I’d be lucky if he didn’t stab me.

Just then, Gray broke through her thoughts with a playful grin, his stern expression replaced by a mischievous one.

“You’re going to hurt my feelings. Does Solea not like Gray?”

“What?”

Gray noticed her disgusted expression and mimicked it, making his version creepier.

“Gray heard it. You said it yourself. ‘Did Solea not have many people around her? Why would she be stuck with the likes of him?’ In her raspy voice, mind you.”

Realizing her mistake, Solea’s face flushed, and she quickly walked past him.

“Solea might not like such a person, but Gray has to become Solea’s escort knight.”

“Don’t follow me.”

“Solea must be hungry. Should Gray get Solea something?”

“Shut up.”

“Solea can’t eat anything greasy, so Solea should eat something light!”

“Shut up!”

“Solea is mad!”

“I told you to shut up!”

“This is Gray’s first time hearing Solea shout!”

Even as she tried to ignore his incessant chatter, his loud voice followed her every step.

“It’s Gray’s first time hearing Solea use profanity too!”

“Gray wishes Solea would stop lying in her bed all day!”

“Gray thinks Solea is too funny!”

“It’s also Gray’s first time seeing Solea so full of energy!”

Face flushed with frustration, Solea finally reached the dining room and plopped down into a chair.

“Please bring me something to eat. I don’t care what it is. Just bring it over.”

With a determined expression, Anne rushed to the kitchen. In just a few minutes, she returned with a warm, thick tea made from milk.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, I was told a full meal might be too much for you right now, so I brought some milk tea instead…”

“By whom? The cook?”

“Young Master Gray.”

“What?”

Watching Anne speak nervously, Solea clenched the lottery ticket in her left hand even tighter, only to quickly loosen her grip, afraid that her sweat might ruin it.

“I’m not drinking that.”

She pushed the teacup away, but the moment she did, an infuriating voice echoed from the entrance of the dining room.

“That makes Gray sad.”

Seeing him act all cute by peeking his head out from behind the door only made her angrier. The fact that he could get under her skin in just one day, after barely five minutes of interaction, showed just how talented he was at annoying people. Too drained to muster another outburst, Solea chose to ignore him and turned her attention to Anne, ready to give her next order.

“Get me something else, please. Ask the chef directly what I can eat, Anne.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Anne cast a wary glance at Solea after hearing the coldness in her voice, then quickly left the dining room. Gray held the door for the maid as she departed before trudging over to sit across from his sister.

“What are you doing?” Solea asked, her irritation clear.

“I want something to eat too.”

“Go eat somewhere else.”

“I can only eat comfortably once I know that you’re healthy, my lady.”

She wasn’t sure whether he was making fun of her, but the way he called her “my lady” grated on her nerves. Solea straightened her posture and shot him a glare. He leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips.

“You really don’t remember anything, huh? That’s good.”

“Excuse me?”

His thick maroon hair swayed gently as he nodded, and his empty gray eyes locked onto her with unsettling clarity. His sharp features seemed to provoke something in her.

“Right now, though, you’re way too defensive, always on edge. It’s like you’ve been living with your life on the line this whole time.”

Solea couldn’t help but let out an ironic laugh, but quickly wiped the sneer from her face.

“Why are you laughing?”

I guess some things don’t change, even after moving to another body.

Her father was better off dead. Whenever he left the house, it would take at least three days for him to return. Sometimes, even a week or an entire month would go by before she saw him again. When he did come back, if no one was there to welcome him, he would kick and tear apart everything in the house. Not that it was any better when someone was home.

Jiyoon grew up helpless under the shadow of a violent man. After living in fear her entire life, there was one time—just once—when she finally pushed her father away as he charged at her with a soju bottle. Her drunken father stumbled and fell with a heavy thud, never getting back up again.

Jiyoon bolted upright, her mind filled with thoughts of running away, but her legs felt like they were weighed down with lead. She barely managed to shove her feet into her sneakers before she fled. As she ran through the night, a heavy thumping echoed through her body, like the relentless beat of a heart pounding in her ears. She kept glancing back, terrified her father might be chasing after her. Her clothes tore as she tumbled down a hill in her frantic escape, feeling foolish and desperate.

Father might be dead. No… He might still be alive.

Her fear shifted with every thought, making her even more anxious. From that day on, she never returned home.

As time passed, strangers eventually found her in the small room she rented behind a restaurant. They demanded that she repay her father’s loan, claiming it was taken out in her name. They threatened her, saying that renouncing inheritance wouldn’t make any difference since the debt was hers. That was how she learned he was still alive. She couldn’t help but laugh—it was all she could do.

At that time, Jiyoon had asked a question.

“Is that all? Will that end everything?”

The strangers exchanged puzzled looks before nodding. Their idea of “the end” and hers might have been different, but she figured as long as she kept living, it would eventually come.

From that day forward, she did whatever she could to make money. Twelve-hour shifts at the factory were a blessing, keeping her too exhausted to think. Then, the factory owner heard her story and approached her, telling her he’d help her out. He set up a bond in her name and then disappeared, leaving her with even more debt. After that, Jiyoon could no longer see the end.

She went through various interviews afterward, but no one was willing to hire her. Eventually, someone from the factory introduced her to a “family-like” company, but it turned out to be a family-run, piece-of-sh*t business.

I thought that, since they said it was a family-like company, I’d finally learn what being part of one feels like, but I was wrong. I knew it. I don’t deserve a family. As I lived like that… Oh. I remember my 1.7 billion won again. F*ck.

“Hey!” Gray called out when Solea suddenly furrowed her brow after a moment of silence.

He then tapped his spoon against his glass cup. The unpleasant sound snapped Solea out of her thoughts, and she shot Gray a frustrated look.

“Hey, eat your soup! Why are you spacing out? If it’s too hot, just say so.”

What is he even talking about? Lifeless-eyed, shriveled-up-anchovy-looking Gray.

Just as he had pointed out, there was soup right in front of her. She had been so deep in her thoughts about the past that she hadn’t even noticed Anne approaching.

Gray continued to grumble angrily.

“If you have the strength to glare at me, then eat your damn soup! You think you get a free pass just because you have amnesia? Let’s see how long you can keep up this act once your memory comes back.”

He then turned to the maid.

“Hey, Anne! The soup’s too hot! No wonder she’s not eating it!”

“Forgive me. I’ll cool it down and bring it right back!”

Anne quickly responded, reaching for the plate. Before she could take it, Solea stopped her.

Gray seized the opportunity to jeer, “I haven’t seen you put anything in your mouth. Don’t think you’re getting up before you finish that today.”

Solea smirked, picked up her spoon, blew on the soup a few times, and took a sip. It wasn’t even that hot.