Helos almost didn’t sleep at all that night.
She tossed and turned in the small bed of her room, her mind filled with the “miserable life” she was about to face in the coming days.
Etiquette, ladylike behavior, and social pleasantries… those words were like lingering nightmares circling her head.
‘I’m doomed. I didn’t even suffer this much grievance in my past life…’
She hugged her pillow, letting out a silent, desperate wail in her heart.
The next day, before the sun had fully risen, a gentle knocking sounded punctually outside her room—a room located in a corner of the mansion and almost forgotten by everyone.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
The rhythm of the knocking was steady and the force was moderate. It seemed as if it had been precisely calculated to be neither impatient nor so quiet that the person inside would miss it.
Helos pulled the blanket over her head, attempting to play dead.
However, a voice followed immediately from outside, gentle yet clear.
“Miss Helos, good morning. It is exactly 5:00 AM. It is time for us to prepare for today’s lessons.”
It was that woman.
Her voice was as smooth as silk, yet it possessed an irresistible piercing quality that easily bypassed the thin blanket and Helos’s pathetic attempts at resistance.
‘Is this woman a devil?! 5:00 AM?! Not even the dogs are awake yet!’
‘Who besides high school seniors gets up at this hour?’
Helos grumbled wildly in her mind, but her body still crawled out of bed unwillingly.
She knew she could not escape her fate today.
When she opened the door with a head of messy silver hair and sleepy eyes, she found Lilith standing quietly outside.
Lilith was still wearing that same elegant black dress. Her long black hair was combed impeccably, and her face wore a flawless smile.
It was as if she hadn’t been woken up to work at 5:00 AM, but was instead attending a grand afternoon tea party.
“Good morning, Miss Helos.”
Lilith gave a slight bow, a hint of a smile in her wine-red eyes.
“It seems you didn’t rest very well last night. However, that is fine. A disciplined routine is the first step toward becoming a proper lady.”
Helos opened her mouth and let out a huge yawn, a few tears squeezing out from the corners of her eyes.
“Lilith… Teacher, is it really necessary to be this early?”
Her voice was filled with resentment.
“Of course.”
Lilith’s smile remained gentle, but her tone was very serious.
“The success of a day depends on its start in the morning. From today onward, your every day shall begin at this very moment.”
“What? Every day?!”
The gentle smile on Lilith’s face did not change in the slightest.
She merely placed a slender index finger against her lips and softly reminded her, “Please lower your voice, Miss Helos. A proper lady would not lose her composure and shout like that.”
As she spoke, she unobtrusively took two steps back, maintaining a distance between herself and Helos.
“However, I have heard about your special constitution from His Excellency.”
Lilith bowed slightly, her wine-red eyes carrying a perfectly measured look of apology.
“Therefore, to avoid causing you any distress and for my own safety, please forgive me for maintaining a certain safe distance from you.”
Helos opened her mouth, but couldn’t find a single word to argue back.
And so, Helos’s “day of suffering” began in an atmosphere of extreme reluctance.
The first item on the curriculum was standing and walking.
It sounded simple, but for Helos, it was even more agonizing than a sparring session with Werner.
“Miss Helos, please place this book on top of your head.”
Lilith placed a heavy, hardcover tome on Helos’s head.
“Keep your back straight. Imagine an invisible thread pulling the top of your head upward.”
“Relax your shoulders, but do not let them slump.”
“Tuck in your stomach, and lift your hips.”
Lilith’s voice was like the most precise ruler, constantly correcting every tiny movement Helos made.
Helos gritted her teeth and cautiously took her first step.
She felt like a clumsy marionette. Every muscle in her body was in a state of extremely unnatural tension.
The book on her head felt like a mountain, pressing down so hard she could barely breathe.
She stole a glance at Gavi in the corner, only to see her puppet maid watching her motionlessly. There seemed to be a faint, imperceptible hint of confusion in those shimmering eye sockets.
‘Even Gavi is watching me like I’m a joke?! Damn it!’
A surge of shame and annoyance rose in Helos’s heart, causing her footsteps to lose their rhythm for a moment.
“The stride is too large, Miss. A lady’s steps should be light and elegant. The distance of each step must be controlled within a specific length.”
*Thud.*
The book fell.
“Again.”
The smile remained on Lilith’s face. She bent down to pick up the book and placed it back on Helos’s head.
“Please fold your hands naturally in front of you and maintain your stability.”
“Miss Helos, your arms are swinging too much.”
*Thud.*
The book fell again.
“Again.”
“Miss, your eyes should look straight ahead. Maintain your confidence and composure.”
*Thud.*
“Again.”
***
The entire morning was spent in this endless cycle of picking up the book, placing the book, and dropping the book.
By the time lunch arrived, Helos felt as if every bone in her body was falling apart. Her neck, in particular, was so sore she could hardly lift it.
Lunch etiquette was another nightmare.
The dining table was set with a dazzling array of utensils. There were knives, forks, and spoons of various sizes and purposes, making Helos’s head spin just looking at them.
‘I can’t even eat meat! What do I need all these knives and forks for?!’
“Miss Helos.”
Lilith’s voice rang in her ear.
“Please remember that the order of utensil usage is from the outside in. First, start with the outermost small fork for the appetizer salad.”
Helos picked up the fork, and just as she was about to impale a piece of tomato and shove it into her mouth, Lilith’s gentle voice sounded again.
“Miss, when cutting food, please hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right. The back of the fork should face upward. Use the knife to gently push the food onto the fork, rather than using a ‘stabbing’ motion.”
Helos’s movement froze mid-air.
‘It’s just eating a tomato, why do I have to cut it?’
She looked at her own movement, which would have been perfectly normal for an ordinary person, and then at Lilith’s textbook-perfect demonstration. She felt a massive headache coming on.
‘Is eating really this much trouble?!’
She roared inwardly, but on the surface, she could only obediently put down the fork.
She picked up the knife and fork again, clumsily imitating Lilith’s manner as she sliced a pathetic piece of lettuce on her plate.
“When chewing, please keep your mouth closed and do not make any sound. This is a sign of respect for the food and for those sharing the table with you.”
“When eating soup, the spoon should scoop from the inside out. When bringing the spoon to your lips, your body may lean forward slightly, but you must never make a ‘slurping’ sound.”
“The napkin is for dabbing the corners of your mouth, Miss, not for wiping away sweat.”
After the meal, Helos felt as if she hadn’t eaten lunch, but rather a feast of rules.
She was already on a vegetarian diet, and she had barely tasted the flavor of the food. Her mind was filled with Lilith’s gentle and pleasant—yet soul-crushing—”sermons.”
The afternoon curriculum did not relax in the slightest despite Helos’s exhaustion. Instead, it intensified.
Lilith had a set of low steps and an ornate high-backed chair placed in the center of the room.
“This afternoon, we will continue to consolidate your posture.”
“It is not enough to walk elegantly on flat ground. Your posture when going up and down stairs or when sitting is equally important.”
Helos looked at those few steps and the chair, feeling that…
“Your physical form must maintain absolute stability.”
‘This is literally torture.’
With every step down, Helos felt as if she were walking a tightrope.
She had to control her balance while also watching her feet to prevent her skirt from tripping her.
*Thud.*
The book hit the floor just as she reached the second step.
“Again, Miss.”
Gavi continued to watch quietly from the corner.
She watched her master go up and down those few steps repeatedly, her movements going from stiff at the beginning to numb by the end.
No expression could be seen on her half-painted face, but the points of light in her eye sockets flickered slightly with each of Helos’s failures.
“When turning around, keep your core tight. Use your waist to lead your body rather than turning your shoulders stiffly.”
“When sitting, use the back of your calves to lightly touch the edge of the chair first. After confirming the position, sit down slowly. Your back must remain straight at all times and cannot lean fully against the back of the chair.”
Lilith’s requirements were detailed down to the movement angle of every joint.
Helos felt she was no longer a living person, but a golem that needed to be precisely programmed, with every action set to strict parameters.
‘I feel like Gavi is learning faster than me.’
She stole a glance at the puppet maid in the corner, finding that the other was standing still in an impeccable posture, as if she were the perfect model Lilith spoke of.
As for the final conversation practice, it made her want to die on the spot.
Lilith simulated various social situations, forcing her to practice how to engage in appropriate conversation with people of different statuses.
“How should you respond when an elderly countess greets you?”
“Um… Good morning, Madam?” Helos replied tentatively.
“Not appropriate enough, Miss.”
Lilith shook her head and demonstrated the response herself.
“You are the daughter of a Duke; your status is higher than that of a countess. Therefore, you do not need to curtsy.”
“Simply nod your head slightly to maintain an equal posture while wearing a smile. Respond in a soft and respectful tone: ‘Good day, Respected Countess. I am pleased to see you here.'”
Helos felt her scalp go numb, and a layer of goosebumps broke out all over her body.
To her, just remembering whose status was higher or lower was already a lethal task.
Not to mention having to perform the corresponding etiquette!
“Now then—”
Before the girl could finish processing that step, Lilith’s voice rang out again, giving her no room to breathe.
“What if the person you are speaking with is another Duke, such as Duke Wieland?”
“Hmm… isn’t that also a Duke? He’s the same rank as my father, so I just nod and say hello?” Helos blinked, answering with some uncertainty.
“No, Miss.”
Lilith’s smile remained gentle, but her tone corrected her beyond any doubt.
“Duke Wieland is a patriarch of the same rank as your father, making him your senior in terms of generation. When facing him, you must perform a standard curtsy to show respect to a head of a house.”
She demonstrated a curtsy herself. The movement was much more solemn than the simple nod from before, yet it wasn’t as complex and formal as a court curtsy.
“After the greeting, you may say in an equal tone with a smile: ‘Good day, Duke Wieland. I have heard that the ice wolves of the northern territory are as brave as ever, much like the fame of the Wieland family.'”
“Show respect in your etiquette, but reflect your identity as a member of the Olivias family in your words.”
‘Wait, I have to curtsy and give compliments?’
‘This is way too much trouble!’
‘Since everyone’s status is basically the same, why can’t I just say, “Hey, have you eaten?” and be done with it?’
‘Even if I factor in him being an elder, wouldn’t at most changing it to “Uncle, have you eaten?” be enough?’
Helos screamed wildly in her heart.
“Finally—”
Lilith’s expression became more serious than ever before.
“If one day you have the honor of an audience with the supreme ruler of the empire—His Majesty the Emperor—how should you greet him?”
“This time… it’s finally my turn to do the most grand court curtsy, right?” Helos answered weakly.
“Correct.”
Lilith nodded and personally demonstrated a standard, elegant court curtsy. Her skirt spread out like a blooming flower.
“Your curtsy must be standard, your skirt must spread out steadily, your upper body must remain straight, and your gaze must be lowered until His Majesty grants you permission to rise or initiates a conversation.”
“As for the form of address, you must use ‘Your Majesty’ as a respectful title. There can be no mistakes.”
Lilith stood up straight and looked at Helos gently.
“These are all the most basic points of etiquette, Miss. You represent the face of the Olivias family.”
“Any mistake, no matter how small, could be interpreted by the outside world as disrespect toward other families or even the Imperial Family.”
Listening to these increasingly complex rules, Helos felt her head getting larger and larger.
‘This is going to be the death of me, seriously.’
‘I’d rather go fight a magical beast; that would be much more satisfying!’
And so, the full day of “etiquette” training finally came to an end while Helos was in a state of physical and mental exhaustion.
When Lilith smiled and bid her farewell after dinner, saying, “See you tomorrow at the same time,” Helos practically crawled and scrambled back to her room.
She threw her entire body onto the bed, not wanting to move a single finger.
Only one thought remained in her mind—
She would rather go through Werner’s hellish training than attend another one of these ghost classes again!!!
How would she ever meet these people with her state.