Contrary to their concerns, Julietta was well aware of her situation. A plain-faced commoner girl with no guardian or family can easily fall as a playful target for a night and her life could end as a prostitute. Even if she would be lucky enough to serve as a lover of a nobleman like her mother had, she would be abandoned as soon as she gets older.

Only a few people knew that the sixteen year old Natasha, who had joined the theatre company as an apprentice and now played a minor role, was raped in old Michelle’s private lounge a few months ago.

When she saw Natasha, who came to the prop room with her clothes torn and bleeding between her legs, Julietta realized the situation of the theatre’s members which she had only heard of before.

They look down on her like this but when she becomes a popular actress, they would sing her praises, treat her like a sweetheart and send her gifts.

Julietta realized how miserable it was for anyone who didn’t have money, power or fame to live in the world after seeing Natasha, who couldn’t even protest after she had been treated that way.

Since then, Julietta had been hiding herself more thoroughly. Amelie scolded her for running around being reckless and a scatterbrain but she was just trying to avoid people as much as possible. 

‘I am never going to be like Natasha or my mother, Stella.’

A life held in the hands of others was enough when she was five years old.

Julietta got the pants mended and tried to get them to Jacob but changed her mind. She called in one of the orphans who had been left at the theatre since he was a child and handed out a cookie she had hidden and sent him for the errand instead.

Julietta was increasingly disturbed by the amorous glances of the male theatre members and the eyes of the nobles who came and went and realized that it was time to come to a settlement with Maribel for her future.

➽───────────────❥
One day, thirteen years ago…

Just a few days before that, Julietta, who just turned five years old, mumbled her tiny pink lips as she could not believe the ordeal she was facing.

Mrs. Anais, who she had only heard about, came to them in the morning and with an elegant manner, directed people to drive both her mother and her out with nothing. The first meeting between the two women, who had never met before, ended in a perfect victory for Mrs. Anais.

Stella, who had been crying and screaming, had collapsed and laid on the shade of the street. The gatekeeper, who had felt sorry for both the mother and daughter that were driven out wearing their indoor outfits without coats to cover themselves, approached Julietta and talked to her. 

“Your Young Ladyship, Madam is just unconscious, so don’t worry. Isn’t it cold by the way? It’s still early spring, so it’s very chilly.”

Julietta smiled brightly as she looked at the gatekeeper who was concerned about whether he should take off his clothes and give them to her.

“It’s all right, Zimmer. But why is Mrs. Anais suddenly kicking us out?”

The gatekeeper wiped his nose as if it was difficult to answer, looking at the vivid green eyes that reminded him of fresh shoots. 

“I heard that Mrs. Anais finally gave birth to a successor this time. I think that’s why Your Ladyship and Madam were kicked out.”

Without any more explanation, the two words “successor” and “birth” alone were enough to make her guess. “Aha, the main wife who gave birth to a son kicked out the concubine who she hated for a while?”

The gatekeeper was embarrassed and he gave out a cough in a flurry at the clever words of the five year old.

“That’s why I haven’t seen the Marquis for months.” As she nodded her head so seriously with her hands on her chin, she heard a rustling sound as Stella came to her senses.

“Julie? Baby?”

Stella, who barely managed to raise her upper body, burst into tears in relief as she found her daughter crouching a little away from her.

“Oh Julie. Baby, what do we do now?”

When she saw her tearful mother, Julietta, who became frustrated, stood up. “Mom, we can’t stay here for now, we have to think of a place to go to. It’s going to get dark in a little while.”

At the words, Stella could not say anything, and just shed tears. While Julietta felt a little nervous watching her mother struggle and figure out what to do, Stella, who barely managed to pull herself up, hugged Julietta.

“Yes, let’s move for now. It’s not like there’s anything we can do to stay here. Why could I have not known that this would happen?”

Stella, who mumbled impatiently, took Julietta’s hand and moved on, while Zimmer, who was looking at them, spoke. “Madam, it’s time for me to go home soon. If you wait a little inside the guard post, I’ll take you to a place where you can go.”

“Thank you. It’s a long walk to the main street, thank you very much.” While Stella thanked the gatekeeper for his kindness, she lamented on their situation. They had lost their home in just a blink of an eye. 

Their mansion was on Harrods Street, where lovely concubines of high-ranking aristocrats lived. Harrods Street was a luxury residential area that took about thirty minutes south by carriage from Eloz Street, the busiest street in the Austern Empire. Stella, who had suddenly lost her place after being kicked out, named her destination to be a theatre on Eloz Street, where she had made her name as an actor. 

Meanwhile, Jenna, a young Korean woman who now possessed Julietta’s body had been dumbfounded by the situation in a completely different way from what she thought, since she was the bastard of the Marquis and there would be no shortage of problems in the future. 

She was kicked out to the street a month after she had been put into the body of this child! With the body of a little girl who had not exercised before, she struggled in the old carriage of the gatekeeper and got motion sickness.

The woman called her mother, who was in tears, was distressed and she looked at her little daughter as if she had no desire to take care of herself. It was a relief to see her telling the gatekeeper where to go but she had no choice but to be depressed at the thought that her future life was like a candle in the wind.

“You fucking dog! If you intended to give a gift to me, you should have given me a proper one, not a useless one. That way, I can use it in this situation.” 

PR NOTES:
[Jenna, the soul of the Korean girl who is in Julietta’s body, is cursing the ‘dog’ that guided her before entering the child’s body. This will be explained more in the upcoming chapters]

Even when she was exhausted, Jenna, who could not give up her hatred of the dog that made her like this, cursed heavily inside. In the meantime, she could feel the carriage stopping. It had finally arrived at its destination. 

“Madam, Your Young Ladyship, we’re here.”

She stumbled with her tottering body and managed to get down from the carriage. 

The darkened street was filled with loud noises and flashy lights. As she looked up at the five-story building in front of her, Stella grabbed Julietta by the hand.

“Let’s go. It’s where your mother used to work. I’ll ask to let us stay for a while until we find a place to go to.”

➽───────────────❥
“Will you say that again?” A woman of colorful features with pale brown hair, frowned as she put down the long pipe she was holding.
 
“I asked you how much money you will be paid. The amount of money that you are supposed to get from Duke Miguel for me.”
 
At the look of Julietta who spat out the words with her head raised, Maribel smiled and picked up the pipe she had laid down.
 
“Why? Can you get the money if I tell you?”
 
“I’ll try as hard as I can. You will not lose anything. Isn’t it the same money whether you get it from Duke Miguel or you get it from me?”