Chapter 4: Doing Good Deeds Brings Good Karma, Right?

“Ugh, this wicked, decadent, privileged class… it’s just too good!”

Ewan internally cursed the lavish corruption of the aristocracy while, at the same time, allowing his body’s muscle memory to take over, enjoying his dinner with practiced, flawless elegance.

The meal was “just” a steak, paired with a red wine of some forgotten vintage.

But—

It was so unbelievably delicious!

Ewan swore on his soul that he had never, in either of his lives, tasted a steak this good. The aroma was intoxicating, the fat rich and savory, and the meat so tender it melted the moment it touched his tongue. The so-called “top-tier” steak he’d once splurged on at a fancy Western restaurant in his past life wasn’t even worthy of wiping the plate of what he was eating now.

Sniffle… why does it have to be so good? Suddenly, I’m not so sure I want to give up this identity anymore. What do I do?

“Is something the matter, my dear Ewan? You seem unusually happy today.”

Across the dining table, a regal and graceful woman elegantly dabbed her lips with a pristine white napkin, a gentle smile playing on her lips. “Did something wonderful happen?”

“Haha, he must be looking forward to his coming-of-age banquet tomorrow,” said the man seated at the head of the table. His beard was like a lion’s mane, and his presence commanded authority even when he was smiling. “After all, it’s one of the most important banquets of his life.”

“…Yes, Father, Mother. I am very much looking forward to it,” Ewan replied with a standard-issue sunny smile, while mentally raising his guard.

The two before him were Ewan Campbell’s birth parents: Duke Rhun Campbell, one of the four great dukes of the Leopold Empire, and his wife, the former daughter of a marquis, Noas Campbell.

Though the Campbell family was of high noble standing, they had a long history of having only one male heir per generation. The Duke and Duchess had only one son, Ewan.

Naturally, they doted on him to an extreme degree.

One could argue that their suffocating love was a major contributor to Ewan Campbell’s miserable end.

But for that very reason, Ewan had to be cautious. He couldn’t let his “dear” parents notice anything was wrong. He still needed them to plead for him after his downfall. Without the king’s eventual decree forbidding anyone from seeking revenge, he’d probably be hacked to pieces on the street by his enemies the day after he became a commoner.

As it turned out, his caution was unnecessary. The fusion with the original’s memories, combined with over a decade of ingrained physical instincts, meant that his every move was perfectly natural. He wouldn’t expose himself.

“My son will surely be the most dazzling presence at the banquet tomorrow. I can’t imagine how many young noble ladies he will charm,” the gentle and virtuous Noas said, clasping her hands in anticipation. In her eyes, her little Ewan was absolute perfection.

“Haha, now, now, my dear. He can’t do that. He has a fiancée, you know. Princess Celicia will get jealous if she sees,” the usually stern Duke Campbell teased after a bit of wine.

“Hmph. I don’t like that Princess Celicia. She’s so cold. How is she possibly a match for our little Ewan?”

“My dear, if Princess Celicia isn’t a match for him, then no one is. However, I agree on one point. Ewan, feel free to bring a few more young ladies home. It’s time to add some new branches to the Campbell family tree. I’ll handle things with His Majesty. Gulp, gulp. With my son’s talents, it should be as easy as picking fruit from a tree! Hahaha…”

“…” Listening to his doting parents sing his praises, even someone with a face as thick as Ewan’s couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. It was true what they said: love, especially a love this heavy, really did blind you, making you see only what you wanted to see.

Who was Princess Celicia? The third princess of the empire, a child blessed by the gods, known to the people as the Ice Witch, and one of the top candidates for the title of “Most Beautiful Woman in Ireland.” In the original novel, Celicia’s perfect looks, cold demeanor, and secretly warm heart earned her a massive fanbase. She was Ewan’s favorite character. How could a worthless scumbag like him ever be worthy of her?

What you can’t have, don’t force it.

I will let everything proceed on its original track.

Celicia will meet the protagonist, fall in love, and find true happiness.

And even as a lowly, golden-haired villain, I will survive!

Ewan secretly renewed his resolve.

…

After dinner, Ewan bid his parents farewell and prepared to head out.

As he turned a corner, he collided squarely with a maid.

“Ah! My apologies, Young Master Ewan… It was my fault…”

Tea splashed all over Ewan’s expensive clothes, leaving a large, dark stain. Seeing this, the maid’s face went pale with terror. She frantically took out a handkerchief to try and wipe it clean, but that only made the stain spread.

The maid’s expression grew even more horrified, and she immediately dropped to her knees to beg for mercy.

“Please, Young Master Ewan, spare my life! I-I-I… I was just careless… It won’t happen again… Please don’t beat me, and please don’t strip off my clothes and throw me into the street…”

“…” Faced with the maid who was trembling like a leaf in a storm, Ewan was at a loss for words.

In your eyes, am I really that cruel, evil, and unreasonable?

Well, okay, fair enough. The original Ewan Campbell was probably capable of all those things.

“It’s a small matter. Don’t worry about it. You can get up,” Ewan said, leaning down to help the kneeling maid to her feet. “I’m not going to punish you.”

“Eh?”

The maid froze, staring at him in stunned silence. She couldn’t seem to comprehend why the young master, who would usually fly into a rage over the smallest mistake, was being so kind and merciful today.

Ewan gave her a gentle smile. The handsome gesture made the maid’s heart skip a beat. Of course, he was being kind and merciful. He wasn’t the old, tyrannical Ewan! Besides, he was about to become a commoner. Now was a good time to accumulate less hatred. Especially since he knew there was a non-zero chance someone wanted to slice him into a thousand pieces. For all he knew, his cruel behavior could be the very thing that made one of the maids, who had the easiest access to him, snap and do the deed!

“By the way, are you alright?”

Ewan looked at the maid more closely and noticed something was off. Despite being frightened, her cheeks were flushed bright red.

“You’re not sick, are you?”

He suddenly placed a hand on her forehead. The gesture was so abrupt that the maid had no time to react, standing frozen like a statue.

“Just as I thought…”

Her forehead was burning up.

The maids of the ducal household were always well-trained. The only reason she would make such a basic mistake was probably that she was ill.

Ewan stared at the bewildered maid and said sternly, “You’re this sick. Why aren’t you resting?”

“Be…because tomorrow is your coming-of-age banquet, Young Master, and the household is short on staff…”

“That’s no excuse to work while you’re sick!” Ewan scolded. But in the face of his rebuke, the fear on the maid’s face vanished, replaced by a wide-eyed, dazed expression that screamed, “Am I dreaming?”

“Anne.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Arrange for her… right, what’s your name?”

“I… my name is Noelle.”

“Mm. Arrange for Noelle to go rest.”

“Understood.” Anne accepted the order respectfully. “However, Young Master Ewan, what Noelle said is true. We are severely understaffed for the banquet tomorrow. Every maid has her duties. If she rests, it will significantly increase the workload for the others.”

“Then hire people from outside. Is this great ducal household so poor it can’t afford to hire a few temporary staff?”

“…Yes. I will relay this order to the head maid.”

Anne turned to leave. She needed to inform the head maid of this change as soon as possible. The banquet arrangements were her responsibility, and with the event being tomorrow, any personnel changes needed to be communicated immediately.

“Ah, right, Anne.”

“Is there something else, Young Master Ewan?”

“…Never mind. It’s nothing. Go on.”

“…” A flicker of confusion crossed Anne’s face, but she quickly suppressed it. “Yes, Young Master. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Hooo.”

Watching Anne’s retreating back, Ewan let out a quiet sigh.

He had just called out to her with the intention of ordering her to purchase the key item for tomorrow’s event—the sleeping draught. After all, in the original novel, she was the one who had procured it.

But he changed his mind.

Although the novel never mentioned it, as an accomplice in the plot against the princess, Anne would surely have been implicated and executed.

But this time, this was his ruin, and his alone. There was no need to drag another innocent life down with him.

“Sigh.”

Thinking of this, Ewan couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “To think that I, who has never even killed a chicken in his life, am now about to commit the villainous act of drugging an innocent young woman.”

“But hey, at least it’s an operation that’s destined to fail.”