While Briel drifted into deep, oblivious sleep, the lights remained brightly lit in the Beast’s study. Inside, the Beast and Almond were deep in conversation—or rather, Almond was one-sidedly scolding his master.
“My lord, isn’t it about time you showed some restraint?”
Almond’s tone was markedly different from the respectful manner he had shown earlier. In fact, it bordered on insolent—hardly appropriate for a servant speaking to his master. But as though accustomed to it, the Beast responded without even blinking.
“What did I do wrong? He’s the one who started it by being rude.”
“Rude or not, that’s beside the point. We’re the desperate ones here. Do you seriously plan to keep living like this forever?”
“Then what should I do?”
“Break the curse, obviously!”
Almond spat the words out forcefully, clearly frustrated. In response, the Beast let out a hollow chuckle.
“Butler, are you serious right now?”
“Of course, I’m serious. Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”
“Ridiculous.”
The Beast meant it sincerely. No one remained who knew exactly how to lift the curse. The only known fact was that the Beast’s love played a crucial role.
Absurd. Love had only ever given him nightmarish memories, and now he was supposed to find a solution with someone like that brat?
“Stop dreaming. I’d rather die than rely on him to break the curse.”
“And you think your death solves everything? What about the rest of us?”
“Almond.”
“Yes?”
“No matter what you say, he’s off-limits.”
Completely off-limits.
Seeing the unwavering look in the Beast’s eyes, Almond reluctantly stepped back.
“Even without the curse, as I’ve repeatedly mentioned, this mansion desperately needs human help. Do you understand that?”
Almond emphasized his point again, gripping his wing tightly.
“Specifically, human help. Human! Not these beastly paws of ours! Surely you know this by now.”
“Well…”
Of course he knew. Humans were sorely lacking here—in fact, there wasn’t a single human left in the mansion.
The Beast was fully aware, but he swallowed his response. Agreeing with his butler would mean employing that reckless, arrogant brat whose only merit was his pretty face.
But Almond’s determination didn’t waver.
“Every time I need to deal with outsiders, I have to disguise myself, and frankly, I’ve reached my limit. To be blunt, enduring people’s suspicious looks due to my clumsy disguises is absolute torture. Look at my feathers—they’ve become dry and lifeless from all the stress!”
“…They still look beautifully red to me.”
“Oh, please! You can’t even tell orange from crimson!”
Wasn’t that the same thing? Still, in this particular matter, the Beast had nothing to say. It was clear Almond had suffered more than anyone else over the years.
And that was partly his own fault—despite being the only one capable of passing for human, the Beast had consistently avoided handling human-related matters.
“So you must keep Master Briel here. You’ve already signed the employment contract, so it won’t even be that difficult. Stop being stubborn. Just apologize for being unpleasant today—beg if you have to—and make sure he stays. Understood?”
“Why would I ever beg him—”
“You will! You absolutely must! Got it?”
Eventually, Almond’s beak exploded into a roar more suited to the Beast himself. Momentarily stunned by his butler’s fierce insistence, the Beast reluctantly nodded.
“…Fine. I’ll reconsider.”
***
Knock, knock.
The gentle tapping sound roused me from sleep. Sunlight spilled into the room, accompanied by cheerful birdsong from outside the window. It felt like I’d only closed my eyes for a moment, but apparently, it was already morning.
I got up groggily, yawning as I opened the door.
“Who is—oh, Butler.”
“Good morning, Master Briel. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, wonderfully. By the way, what time is it now? Did I oversleep?”
“No, it’s still early. To my embarrassment, our master tends to wake up quite late, so please wait a little longer for breakfast.”
“Ah, I see. Understood.”
Honestly, waking up late wasn’t exactly new to me. They say beauties naturally need their sleep, don’t they?
Although why that beast woke up late, I couldn’t begin to guess.
“Actually, I came to deliver something I forgot yesterday.”
“Something for me?”
“Yes. Your father left this in my care.”
“My father?”
Now, hearing the word “father” triggered anger and dread rather than warmth. Hesitantly, I took the envelope clutched between Almond’s claw-like toes.
“What exactly is this?”
Surely it wasn’t another list of debts…
“I haven’t checked the contents myself, but it appears to be a letter. I’ll return to escort you to breakfast when it’s ready.”
“Alright, thank you.”
After seeing Butler Almond off, I shut the door and impatiently tore open the envelope. My eyes blazed as I began reading the letter.
You’d better have a good excuse this time, Mr. Kresa.
[My dear youngest son, Bell,
By now, you must have heard why you’ve been sent there. You must be quite shocked, I know. Please understand, though—it was a decision made after much careful consideration.]
“Oh, please!”
Stop beating around the bush and just explain yourself clearly!
[To get straight to the point, I have three grown sons, each lounging idly around the house doing absolutely nothing. Although I never openly expressed it, it deeply troubled me. I suppose this is my own fault for spoiling all of you after losing your mother when you were young.
It may seem unimportant now, but I’ve constantly worried about how you boys, who have never known financial hardship, would survive after I’m gone.
Then I met a master known for his generous nature—someone always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. Hearing that he needed an extra pair of hands, I felt this was a perfect opportunity granted by the heavens—a chance to reform my son.]
“What utter nonsense!”
From start to finish, this ridiculous excuse was full of holes.
First of all, the “spoiled child” you pampered was Briel—not me. And there probably wasn’t anyone more familiar with financial hardship than I was! I was the one contentedly lazing around, reading books quietly all day, despite the fortune we supposedly had!
I was simply trying to enjoy a small reward for the hardships of my previous life. After all, Briel had barely become an adult—didn’t I deserve a little grace period to relax?
Besides, contrary to my father’s claims, I hadn’t spent all my time idling around. I’d quietly handled household chores, too—though naturally, he hadn’t noticed any of that.
And how could someone who’d been too drunk to even catch a glimpse of the host’s fur lecture me about “noble character”? It was utterly absurd.
But most importantly!
“If this was such a golden opportunity, shouldn’t you have sent my older brothers first?”
They’d freeloaded at home much longer than I had, hadn’t they?
The answer appeared promptly in the next part of the letter.
[However, your eldest brother has always been fragile, both physically and emotionally, and would struggle to handle real work. Your second brother is selfish and incapable of working cooperatively with others. As much as it pains me, I must care for them until the end. But Bell, you’ve always been different. At some point, you matured, respecting your father and treating everyone fairly regardless of their status. You gave me hope.]
What utter nonsense.
I hadn’t matured—my soul had literally changed! It just so happened that my new soul came from a Confucian society!
This was why working hard never paid off. The better you did, the more they demanded.
“Fine, if that’s how you feel, I’ll head home right now and show you exactly what irresponsible behavior looks like—wait.”
Something peculiar caught my eye as I read further.
[If you successfully complete two years of service at that mansion and return home, I plan to reward you accordingly.]
Hold on—I should finish reading before I start swearing again.
[I know it’ll be difficult for someone accustomed to a life without hardship to work as a servant in someone else’s house. It’ll test you both physically and mentally. But managing a merchant guild is even harder. If you can’t handle a simple hardship like this, even as my son, I won’t trust you with something as important as my guild.]
As expected of a man with “department head” aura—the corporate mindset was painfully clear in his words.
Fine. But what exactly did he mean by “reward accordingly”? Given the context, was he implying he’d hand over the guild?
I quickly skimmed down the rest of the letter.
[So, if you successfully fulfill your two-year contract at the mansion and prove your patience and determination, I will officially name you my successor.]
“I knew it!”
My fist clenched involuntarily. Was the reward for my second life becoming the master of a merchant guild?
It sounded pretty good… or did it? Honestly, spending my days lazing around comfortably without worrying about money hadn’t been so bad. After all, wasn’t a wealthy loafer the ultimate profession?
But further deliberation quickly proved unnecessary.
[However, if you return home before completing your two years, my disappointment might be so severe that you won’t receive even a single coin of inheritance.]
Not even a single coin? This was just blatant blackmail!
[With this in mind, I hope you’ll work diligently, understand the value of labor, and return home as a capable man. I love you, my son.]
Save the love. Just leave me the money.
Thus, two paths lay clearly before me:
Either endure two tough years here and secure a future as the merchant guild master, or immediately return home and end up penniless.
Practically speaking, there wasn’t even a choice.
Naturally, I’d just grit my teeth and endure.
“Now that I’ve decided, I need a solid plan.”
As ancient wisdom said, knowing your enemy was key to victory. And as someone who’d transmigrated, I held a distinct advantage.
But there was one significant problem…
“What exactly happened in Beauty and the Beast again?”
It was a famously well-known tale, but I’d watched it too long ago. All I remembered clearly was the broad outline: Beauty falls in love with the Beast. But the details were vague at best. After wracking my brain, I managed to jot down a rough outline:
- Beauty’s name was Belle.
- She entered the Beast’s castle in place of her father.
- The Beast’s weakness had something to do with a rose?
- Breaking the curse required Beauty’s kiss… or was it love?
Even this list was filled with uncertainties.
Worse, points one and two were clearly troubling.
“Wait, my name isn’t Belle; it’s Briel.”
Though admittedly, my nickname was Bell…
“And I didn’t enter the castle in my father’s place either.”
Technically, I’d been forced here to cover debts my father had incurred selling paintings…
“Ugh, damn it.”
No matter how I tried to deny it, I had to accept reality—I’d clearly been cast as the “Beauty” in this transmigration scenario.
“Then does that mean…”
I circled the fourth point on the paper, mumbling to myself.
“I have to fall in love with the Beast to break the curse?”
Absolutely not.
He could just remain a beast forever. After two years, Belle was going home.
This wasn’t even my fault—it was the organizers’ for miscasting my gender in the first place!
“…Your herbal tea, Master Briel.”
“Oh—thank you.”
