For a moment, it felt like her head was spinning.

This… Isn’t this going too far against my luck?

She’d been through 18 years of hardships, even clearing the final trial. What does it expect me to do now?

Indescribable anger surged up, but thanks to the countless setbacks she had experienced over the years, she could carefully scrutinize the content before her.

‘So… it’s starting in hard mode…‘

She was familiar with the term ‘hard mode’. It means a difficulty level that’s harder than usual.

And the fact that this mode is exclusive to returnees…

“…haha, this game was set up from the start.”

“Rosha?”

Cedric, hearing her murmur, lifted his head to look at her face.

His smooth forehead creased slightly in concern.

“You look pale. Did something happen?”

“No…”

A lot had happened. However, she couldn’t spill everything. Not the fact that she was suddenly dragged to another world and after a long ordeal, returned, and certainly not the current situation which indicates that her ordeal isn’t over yet.

Rosha, with trembling eyelids, thought hard.

‘How foolish… I hastily assumed everything was settled with just one notification that the last trial had been cleared.’

She had been naive and foolish. Surely there must’ve been a reason for not only the ‘return home’ option but also the ‘proceed further’ option.

Why did she blindly trust the blue window’s words?

Her vision blurred. Cedric, who had been watching her chew her lips, quietly probed Cassis.

“Did anything really happen to Rosha?”

“Nothing. If there had been, I would have mentioned it first.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I kept a close eye on her just in case. That bastard’s attitude was annoying, but he didn’t lay a finger on her despite the bad rumors.”

Cedric glanced at Rosha’s maid, Berri, to make sure she nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Cassis snorted.

“Why not break off the engagement before it progresses?”

“…”

“That Heres, no matter how you think about it, isn’t right. He only believes in his own family’s power. What would Rosha know?”

“This isn’t the place to discuss this, Cassis.”

Interrupting him, Cedric gently reassured the blinking Rosha.

“If you don’t want this engagement, Rosha, let me know anytime. We don’t absolutely need the diamond mines from Marquis Lycaon.”

Ah.

Rosha suddenly came to her senses.

Hearing Cedric’s words, she remembered her situation.

‘That’s right… I had decided to get engaged to Heres Lycaon, the second son of Marquis Lycaon, thinking it would help my family.’

Why did she suddenly decide to get engaged?

After losing her parents in an accident at the age of nine, her family had been in debt due to the actions of greedy relatives.

The biggest debtor was the Lycaon Marquis’s family. They offered debt relief and a diamond mine in exchange for her engagement to their notorious second son.

Despite rumors about his behavior, she accepted.

‘That’s right, I was returning from my first meeting with Marquis Lycaon about the engagement. Now I remember.’

Of course, she couldn’t recall that man’s face. Maybe it was natural since she had spent 18 years in another world.

In any case, things are different now.

Surprisingly, her body acted before her thoughts. Rosha, clearing her throat, spoke to the visibly distressed Cedric.

“You’re right. On my way here, I realized it’s best not to go through with this engagement.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. It might be difficult to call it off now but…”

No, she will find a way to call it off.

Cursed blue window, even following her to this world. With the impending enhanced hard-mode trials. So what engagement?

She needs to stay by her family’s side and protect them.

‘And… I think it’s too early to think about marriage at just 17.’

Is it because she spent 18 years in South Korea? Her mindset was completely adjusted to Korean standards.

Of course, Cedric seemed very pleased with this decision.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll send a letter to the Lycaon Marquis’ family, and we’ll reconsider the engagement.”

A slightly surprised Cedric showed a faint smile. Cassis, who had been grumpy throughout, also looked relieved.

At that moment:

“What do you mean you won’t go through with the engagement?”

The tinkling voice pricked her ears.

The owner of the voice was a middle-aged man with a thin frame and a scruffy beard.

He wore a large ruby necklace around his neck, and in his slender eyes, there was a fleeting glimpse of unrestrained greed.

Before she could remember who the man was, Cedric spoke.

“Uncle.”

“The family of Marquis Lycaon, who supports the great axis of this Empire, reached out to us. Naturally, we must show our sincerity in return!”

“Please calm down.”

“How can we face them if we change our minds now?”

Ah, she remembered.

The uncle had moved into their mansion immediately after their parents passed away, and after even their grandfather passed on, he eyed the position of the head of the family.

He was also the one who brought a marriage proposal to the Marquis’ House.

‘I suppose the reason Cedric couldn’t evict our uncle along with other relatives who embezzled the family’s wealth must’ve been because of this marriage proposal.’

Hmm, she had a rough idea of what to do now.

After assessing the situation, Rosha opened her mouth, stopping Cassis, who was about to speak.

“You talk as if you’re from the Marquis House.”

Uncle’s eyes widened slightly at her retort.

Well, she used to avoid going against the wishes of the elders.

However, the momentarily flustered man soon regained his composure.

“You’re seventeen now. It’s about time you think of getting engaged. What are you planning?”

“Rather than engagement, I’ll look for other ways to contribute to our family.”

“Nonsense! I don’t know what other ways you’re talking about. If you have an idea, speak now.”

“Well, I haven’t decided yet…”

“Then…”

“As a member of the Count Aper’s family, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to focus on finding out why our family’s wealth is diminishing day by day?”

“What, what did you say?”

“I think the engagement can wait, but I’m curious about your opinion, Uncle, who always worries about our family.”

Rosha finished speaking in a soft voice, giving him a small smile.

The uncle, who used to be scary, wasn’t so anymore. She tried to stay as calm as possible in this testing situation.

“You…!”

The uncle, trembling at her audacity, came closer and whispered:

“We’ll talk about this later. Seems like you’re still immature; I might have to educate you properly.”

Then he hastily fled the scene, avoiding people’s eyes. Perhaps he felt guilty about something he’d done.

Cassis, who was glaring at the retreating figure of the uncle, asked in a surprised tone:

“What happened? Weren’t you always timid?”

“…”

Facing the two brothers looking at her with unfamiliar expressions, Rosha felt her earlier anger subsiding. Her suppressed emotions calmed down as if they never existed.

So she just smiled broadly and said:

“Just because.”

My beloved family.

After all the hardships and finally being reunited, there’s no way we can part again. Losing them is unimaginable.

From now on, I’ll protect you. Definitely.

‘To do that… I need to start with cleaning up the house.’

Right. Before any more challenges arise, she has to quickly evict those parasites from their house.