Staring at the mirror, Roland saw a white-haired girl in a wine-red ankle-length pleated dress and a milky-white long skirt. For a moment, she was lost in silence.
It wasn’t until her head hit the ground that she realized she had foolishly tried to challenge the King of the National Highway. Naturally, she ended up being sent to another world, and had even been transformed into a girl.
Her height had shrunk from her original 1.8 meters down to 1.65, and now she wore long white stockings and high heels she wasn’t used to at all. The tightness of the corset made her feel like someone was hugging half her body, which was terribly uncomfortable.
She had been doing perfectly fine as a boy, but now, suddenly, she was a girl.
To be honest, she couldn’t accept it right away.
But the worse part was yet to come.
As she inherited the original body’s memories, Roland discovered that her current identity was that of a soon-to-be destitute noblewoman on the border of the Brand Empire, under Duke Edmond’s jurisdiction.
Why “soon-to-be destitute”?
Because Duke Edmond planned to reclaim the granted land.
In theory, as long as she didn’t court disaster and paid her taxes on time, she could comfortably live until adulthood relying solely on the territory’s income. Then, once she entered noble society, she could marry some young lord, have children, and enjoy a peaceful old age.
The problem was right here…
Roland’s mother died after giving birth to her only daughter.
Roland’s father had also died not long ago, cause unknown.
As the only child, Roland was still underage and had no right to inherit the territory. If she wanted to inherit, she had to wait until she came of age.
But she was only seventeen now, with another year to go.
Duke Edmond clearly had no intention of waiting that long. He sent an official document declaring that if Roland could not prove her ability to govern the territory within three months, he would reclaim the granted land in the name of the sovereign.
That official document was still sitting on her bedside table.
“Misfortune upon misfortune, never any luck, and right at the start, I’m facing the loss of status and home.”
Given these circumstances, Roland almost wanted to raise her fist and shout that she’d never had such a disastrous beginning.
If there was any good news at all, it was that she actually looked quite cute now—she’d easily be a “wife-tier” character in the games from her previous life.
But in this world, good looks without strength just meant she’d end up as some noble’s wife, merely boosting someone else’s attack speed.
Roland’s orientation was perfectly normal; to her dying day, her soul was that of a man. Even if her body became a woman, that fact wouldn’t change.
As for marrying someone? Over her dead body.
Knock, knock, knock—
The bedroom door was suddenly knocked.
From outside came the aged voice of the housekeeper: “Miss Roland, Young Master Miguel is here to see you. Do you wish to receive him?”
Miguel?
Roland searched her memories for quite some time before finally recalling the person.
Baron Redfield Mont Ishit was also a baron directly under Duke Edmond, and his son, Miguel Mont Ishit, left only the impression of being a debauched young master in Roland’s mind.
He was either harassing decent women all day or up to petty thievery.
Picking this exact time to visit—it was obvious even with your toes what he was after. He just wanted to take advantage of the situation and swallow up this ownerless territory.
If she refused to meet, he would no doubt spread rumors and pester her endlessly like a fly.
He clearly thought she was just a naïve little girl who could be fooled with a few cheap tricks.
But Roland would make sure he learned who was truly naïve here.
So Roland called out to the housekeeper outside the door: “Have him wait downstairs. I’ll be down shortly.”
“As you wish, Miss.”
When the silver-haired housekeeper arrived at the first-floor parlor, Miguel was sitting on the sofa, bored out of his mind.
The moment he saw the housekeeper, he immediately put on a hopeful expression. “Well? Does Miss Roland wish to see me?”
The housekeeper replied, “Miss asks that you wait a moment.”
“Of course, no problem.” Miguel thought his reply was quite gentlemanly.
Not long after, a properly dressed Roland stepped into the parlor in black high heels. True to her name, she was as beautiful as a blooming white violet.
Miguel’s gaze instantly froze.
No wonder she was famous as the Pearl of the Night. No wonder Lord Rod had cherished her for so long—she was on a whole different level from any of the mansion’s servants.
Making up his mind to win Roland over, Miguel stood up from the sofa, placed his left hand over his chest, and gave her a not-very-standard nobleman’s bow.
Roland skillfully pinched her skirt and nodded slightly, smiling as she said, “I didn’t expect Young Master Miguel to actually know how to bow. It seems you’re more cultured than I thought.”
Miguel, thinking she was praising him, answered immediately, “Of course! I rarely skip etiquette class.”
This idiot—he doesn’t even know he’s being insulted.
Roland thought to herself, but showed nothing on her face, keeping her sweet yet dangerous smile.
“And what brings you here today?”
“Ahem, to be honest, I’m quite a kind and upright person. When I heard you were in trouble, I immediately wanted to come help you.”
“In what way, exactly?”
“Naturally, it’s about the territory. Didn’t Duke Edmond say he would reclaim the Barony of Rod? Have you forgotten?”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten.”
It had been only two or three days since she received the official document, and already the neighboring nobles had heard. Clearly, her estate’s confidentiality was sorely lacking.
Most likely, it was those maids who’d stolen the kitchen silverware that spread the word.
There was nothing she could do—after all, she didn’t have inheritance rights now.
With such a master, it’d be strange if people didn’t try to steal something and run.
But it didn’t matter; Roland didn’t care.
She’d show these people with her own hands that she was perfectly capable of managing the territory.
“So, how exactly do you plan to help me?”
Seeing Roland cut straight to the point, Miguel also got to his proposal quickly: “Simple! As long as we marry, my father can help you manage the territory. The duke won’t say anything then.”
Roland could hardly believe her ears.
Was this guy’s worldview really so small? She couldn’t tell if he was genuinely stupid or just pretending.
He wanted both the territory and her—wasn’t he afraid of biting off more than he could chew?
With a long sigh, Roland said, “Young Master Miguel, have you not noticed something?”
“Noticed what?”
“Why do you think I would agree to such a humiliating proposal?”
Miguel frowned, clearly displeased.
“If you refuse, your territory will be taken away. And noble marriages are common—why refuse me?”
Roland tapped her chin, tilting her head in an exaggerated show of deep thought before answering, “Maybe because you’re just a toad dreaming of eating swan meat?”
“You dare insult me!”
“Why wouldn’t I dare? This is my territory, I’m the master here. You’ve offended your host; it’s only right you pay the price.”
Perhaps realizing Roland wasn’t as easy to handle as he’d thought, Miguel forcibly swallowed his anger and snapped, “Hmph! If you won’t accept my offer, just wait till the duke reclaims your land in three months—then we’ll see how I deal with you!”
With those harsh words, he stormed off without looking back.
But Roland wasn’t bothered by such childish threats at all.
With her memories and experience from her previous life, she could easily make the territory flourish. Why would she need anyone else?
Turning to the housekeeper behind her, Roland gave her orders smoothly: “Sebas, give me a detailed report on the current state of the territory.”
As soon as she spoke, a pink panel suddenly appeared before her eyes.
[Mother’s Love as Mountain System has been activated. Thank you for using this product!]