Chapter 249

Less than five minutes into the brawl, all the thugs had been taken down.

Each of them clutched their bruised and battered limbs, groaning as they writhed on the ground.

Canella, who had been watching with wide eyes, had turned completely pale.

“W-What the hell… who are you…?”

“Leave. I don’t hit women.”

Standing behind the thugs, hidden until now, was the thin woman.

Now that the thugs had collapsed, she was fully visible—trembling uncontrollably, covering her mouth with both hands.

“Wh-what… is this…?!”

Both the thin woman and Canella stammered in shock.

Eyes filled with fear, their legs shaking, they stumbled backward before turning and bolting out of the alley.

Watching them flee, the person in the hat clapped his hands together as if dusting them off.

Then, he removed their hat and shook out his hair—

Deep navy-blue hair, cascading down to the waist.

A delicate, well-defined jawline.

Long, striking eyelashes.

Han Ji-hyuk and I stared, utterly dumbfounded.

Then, Han Ji-hyuk, finally regaining his senses, let out a shrill cry.

“A woman?!”

She looked at him with an indifferent expression and spoke flatly.

“So?”

Their eyes met.

Han Ji-hyuk quickly averted his gaze and mumbled awkwardly.

“I-It’s just that you fight really well… I mean, exceptionally well…”

“There are plenty of women who can fight.”

She said it as if it were obvious.

Then, she walked over to me.

Kneeling down to meet my gaze, she asked,

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…No.”

“That’s good.”

She gave a small, gentle smile.

A smile that felt oddly familiar.

Somewhere… I had seen it before.

No—I had read about it.

A woman with hair as deep and beautiful as the night sky.

No child or woman could ever dislike her.

Because she was a strong warrior—one who was kinder to the weak than anyone else.

Her name was—

The moment the name flashed through my mind, I found myself asking in a daze,

“Sister, what’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah.”

“Jeanne. Jeanne Massif.”

—Jeanne Massif.

I froze in shock.

I had found her.

The person I had been searching for.

The one I wanted to be my nanny in this life!

Jeanne Massif!

I quickly clapped both hands over my mouth.

What the hell?!

How did I just randomly run into her?

I was an incredibly unlucky person.

Born a noble but with commoner’s blood.

In my first life, my father had died in battle.

If I tripped backward, I’d hit my head on a rock. If I fell forward, I’d land in dung.

That was the kind of absurdly bad luck I had always had.

But now—this kind of miraculous luck?

Then it hit me.

This…!

‘It’s the protagonist buff!’

Right!

Protagonists in novels always go out for a stroll and accidentally pick up an important character!

My heart started pounding wildly.

Hadn’t Dahlia from <Grandvill> done the same?

She had gone out for a casual walk and stumbled upon teresa roses and tricolor grass, two legendary medicinal herbs.

And now I was experiencing it myself!

Protagonists are the best! Absolutely the best!

I cheered internally.

Yes!

After confirming that I was unharmed, Jeanne straightened up and picked up a document envelope from the ground.

She must have set it down temporarily while saving us.

I quickly ran up to her.

“Sister, thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

“I’m so grateful—so can I repay you? Come with me to that bakery over there!”

“Sorry. I have to go look for a job today.”

I furrowed my brows in disappointment.

So that envelope… is her résumé?

Looking closer, the envelope was tattered.

It didn’t seem newly prepared.

Ah, she must have gotten it back.

She had failed to find a job.

Well, of course.

Jeanne was an ex-convict.

There was no way she could find work in the capital.

Jeanne pulled her hat down over her face again.

“Well then.”

She turned to leave the alley.

I quickly jabbed Han Ji-hyuk in the side with my finger.

“Ow. What?”

He looked at me questioningly.

I flapped my hands at Jeanne, signaling him.

“Oh.”

As expected of a former con artist—he caught on fast.

“Excuse me.”

Han Ji-hyuk called out to Jeanne.

She turned around sharply.

Han Ji-hyuk smiled.

“If you’re looking for a job, I know a great place. A very good one.”

“Ah, I…”

“Consider it a way for us to thank you. We’ll submit a recommendation letter for you, so why don’t you give it a try?”

Jeanne hesitated.

“……”

She was originally the daughter of a minor baronial family—a landless barony.

After her parents died, she had to work to support her sickly older sister.

So, she became a knight of the Imperial Palace.

But…

‘She beat the hell out of a superior officer for sexually harassing a subordinate.’

And unfortunately, that officer was the precious youngest son of an count’s family. As a result, Jeanne had spent three years in prison.

Why three years, specifically?

‘Because her superior lost his reproductive ability.’

• Author
• Recent Posts

marmalade

Latest posts by marmalade (see all)