Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent-Chapter 183: Ch : The Purpose- Part 2

Chapter 183: Ch 183: The Purpose- Part 2

The air was tense. Lady Rose’s outburst still lingered in the wind, and it was obvious to everyone present that things were going downhill fast.

Villagers whispered harshly behind her back, their stares growing colder with each breath she took.

Many had paused their tasks, eyes fixed on her with an intensity that was less curiosity and more calculation—how best to deal with an unwelcome noble disrupting their peace.

Kyle remained calm, but his fingers curled slightly.

He could read the mood well—Lady Rose wouldn’t survive much longer here if something wasn’t done soon.

And while part of him felt nothing for her struggle, he hadn’t forgotten his plan.

He still needed her. Or more precisely, her influence over her father’s army.

If he played his cards right, she could be the key to gaining manpower without suspicion.

But not if she got herself killed—or worse, caused a scene big enough to ruin everything.

He was about to speak when it moved.

Queen, resting on a branch above, suddenly shifted and dropped a small glowing seed with mechanical precision.

It landed softly but squarely on Lady Rose’s shoulder.

“What the—!”

Rose let out a shriek, stumbling back as though she’d been struck by lightning. Her pale face turned ghostly.

She slapped her shoulder, brushing the seed off frantically as if it had been a venomous insect.

“Calm down. It’s harmless. The bird just dropped something. You’re clearly too stressed, and that’s why you’re making dangerous mistakes.”

Kyle said, stepping closer.

Rose rounded on him with fire in her eyes.

“I am not making mistakes, Kyle Armstrong! I came here out of courtesy, out of concern! And this is how you treat me? Dropping things on me like I’m some kind of target?”

Kyle sighed.

“You’re not a target, Rose. But you are being reckless. Go take a bath, change your clothes, and meet me for lunch. We’ll talk properly then.”

“Don’t give me orders—!”

She froze as she caught the villagers’ expressions again.

They weren’t subtle. Disdain, judgment, and barely-concealed aggression all written on their faces. And suddenly, her confidence cracked.

She was still a noble—but these people didn’t care.

She doubted they even understood the political ramifications of harming her. To them, she was just another loud outsider insulting their lord.

“I—”

She faltered, for once unsure.

“I’ll have someone escort you.”

Kyle added, already signaling to Melissa with a glance.

Melissa stepped forward with quiet precision, nodding at Kyle and offering Lady Rose a simple, respectful smile. But Rose flinched at the sight of her.

“You want her to help me? A slave?”

Rose’s voice turned sharp.

Melissa’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes narrowed slightly.

“She’s not a slave anymore. And I trust her.”

Kyle said calmly.

“I don’t need her. I can handle myself.”

Rose snapped.

“I’m sure you can. But I’m not giving you the option. You’re on my land now, and I can’t afford any more trouble.”

Kyle replied coolly.

Lady Rose clenched her jaw. She wanted to argue. She wanted to scream.

But even she wasn’t blind to the eyes burning into her from every corner of the village.

“…Fine. But don’t expect me to be grateful.”

She hissed.

She stormed off, skirts dragging through the dirt, following the path Melissa quietly led her on.

Melissa didn’t speak, just kept a careful pace ahead. The villagers gradually turned back to their work, the tension dissolving slowly.

Kyle stayed where he was, watching her go.

He didn’t trust her, not even a little—but for now, she was still useful. And usefulness, more than loyalty, was what he needed.

Queen returned to its perch above, watching everything unfold with unmoving eyes.

As Lady Rose stormed through the corridors of the village estate, her mud-splattered skirt dragging in protest behind her, Melissa followed quietly, just a few steps back.

The young woman kept her gaze ahead, expression unreadable, even as Lady Rose’s loud muttering filled the space between them.

“This place is disgusting. The walls are dull, the air smells like damp straw, and the people—ugh, the people! No manners, no decorum. Just how far has Kyle Armstrong fallen to tolerate this filth?”

Lady Rose hissed.

Melissa said nothing.

“Are you deaf now? Or are you just too dull to understand anything outside your master’s orders?”

Rose snapped, spinning slightly on her heel to glare over her shoulder.

“I have orders and I intend to follow them.”

Melissa replied evenly,

“Oh, how very noble. Blind obedience is such a charming trait in a servant. Tell me, do you bark too if your master whistles?”

Lady Rose spat, voice dripping with venom.

Melissa’s expression didn’t change.

“I don’t respond to whistles. Just commands.”

She said calmly.

The answer only infuriated Rose more.

She stopped walking entirely and whirled to face Melissa, who stood still, a pillar of patience against the storm.

“You’re a fool if you think that man cares about you. You think you’re special? That you mean something to him?”

Rose said, her voice low but sharp. She stepped closer, eyes narrowing.

“Let me give you a lesson that you should’ve learned when you were still in chains—noble men don’t keep girls like you for long. They use you, then toss you aside when something better comes along. When he marries, you’ll be a memory at best.”

Melissa’s eyes remained on her, steady, unblinking. She didn’t flinch or react the way Rose clearly hoped.

“Is that what you’re afraid of? That he’ll toss you aside now that someone better has come along?”

Melissa asked, voice soft and level.

Lady Rose froze, her lips parting slightly.

The barb had landed deeper than Melissa had intended, and the crack in the noblewoman’s mask was sudden and sharp.

She bit down, her jaw trembling ever so slightly before she growled.

“Mind your own business.”

Melissa said nothing more. She turned and continued walking. After a moment, Rose followed, silent for once, though her glare could have scorched stone.

They reached the bathing chamber—a clean, warm room with steaming buckets already prepared.

Melissa stepped to the side, resting near the entrance without entering.

“You may take your time. I’ll stand guard.”

She said.

Lady Rose scoffed but stepped in and slammed the door behind her.

Minutes passed in relative silence until the soft shuffle of footsteps approached. Melissa didn’t look until the steps stopped directly in front of her.

Three village women stood there, smiling—but their eyes told a different story.

One of them held a towel, another a tray of sweetened herbs. The third simply watched Melissa with a predatory glint.

“We heard there was a guest. Thought we’d welcome her properly.”

The woman with the tray said sweetly.

Melissa didn’t move.

“The lord gave strict orders. She’s to be kept alive and untouched. She has a purpose.”

The tension in the hallway tightened. The women’s smiles stretched thinner.

“Touched? What a strange thing to worry about. We just wanted to make her feel welcome.”

One of them echoed.

“I’m sure you did.”

Melissa replied coolly, her body subtly shifting into a ready stance.

The women exchanged glances. They didn’t push the matter. Not yet.

“Orders are orders. But it’s a shame. Some things deserve what’s coming to them.”

The first woman said finally.

“Maybe. But not today.”

Melissa said, watching their retreating backs as they walked away.

The hallway grew quiet once more.

Melissa stood guard outside the door, her eyes fixed forward and her mind alert.

She had no love for Lady Rose—none of the villagers did. But a command was a command, and Kyle had entrusted her with this task.

From behind the door, the sound of water sloshing echoed faintly.

No more insults came. No more complaints.

Just the stillness of a woman who had been wounded, not by the villagers or their glares, but by a truth she’d refused to acknowledge until now.

Melissa folded her arms and waited.