Chapter 05…
The Villainous Heir’s Daughter!
In front of him, she widened her eyes and spoke without hesitation, and even boldly demanded that he find her a private tutor.
It was so absurd that it left him speechless.
He decided he had to make sure she would never come looking for him again.
“Assign Erusha some random, low-ranking family tutor. If the teacher is incompetent, she won’t learn anything anyway.”
“…Pardon? Ah, understood.”
“Make sure it’s someone who skips lessons and slacks off as much as possible.”
“Understood.”
“No, actually—just bribe them to not show up at all.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, now that I think about it, there’s someone perfect.”
Only then did Leo feel a bit more at ease.
‘Kids should act like kids and just play. What studying at such a young age?’
Anyway, since he had granted her request, Erusha would no longer come looking for him.
He could never allow Erusha to get close to him.
“My lady, something terrible has happened!”
Early in the morning, Ebott burst into my room.
I had just woken up and blinked groggily.
The place I lived in was one of the more than twenty mansions owned by the Shablin Ducal House, but it was the oldest one, and no one preferred it.
That meant my rank within the Shablin family was the lowest.
Meanwhile, my marquis father had taken possession of a lavish building made of marble and jewels five years ago.
It was a privilege given to the heir, but recently, several relatives were desperate to snatch away that heir-exclusive residence.
Since the only eldest son qualified to inherit was in such a pitiful state, cracks had begun to form in the line of succession.
Grandfather had four sons and two daughters, and among their children, there were six of us—including me.
“…What happened?”
Rubbing my eyes, I asked Ebott.
Then suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
“Don’t tell me… I’m being abandoned?”
“N-no, that’s not it. The Colson Count’s family—the ones His Excellency the Marquis hit yesterday—have withdrawn from their business contract.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“The Duke has collapsed again.”
“!”
It felt like a bell rang loudly in my head.
The kind of sound that rang when one’s life was about to end.
I calmed myself as best as I could and asked,
“I-is Grandfather okay?”
“Yes. The doctor says he just needs some rest. He collapses often anyway.”
“…That’s a relief.”
“It seems Count Colson is extremely angry. Not only did he cancel the contract, but he’s also demanding an enormous sum as medical expenses. So much that even His Excellency the Duke was shocked. They say if it’s not paid, he’ll file a lawsuit.”
“Ugh.”
A headache struck me out of nowhere, and I clutched my head with my small hands.
To think the Colson family incident would explode so suddenly.
The Colson family possessed the know-how for an incredibly profitable item. It was a technique for making chandeliers more magnificent and durable than anyone else’s. The Shablin Ducal House had secured an exclusive contract to invest in that technology.
Once the Colson family’s chandeliers entered distribution, the already wealthy Shablin family would make even more enormous profits.
And yet, the contract had been canceled.
‘It was a deal Grandfather spent over a year working on.’
Of course, Grandfather, who already had more wealth than he could spend, hadn’t pursued the contract merely for profit.
He was a long-time admirer of the Colson family’s chandeliers and their craftsmen. He considered them not just lighting, but works of art. All the chandeliers in the Shablin estate were made by them.
How happy must he have been to secure an exclusive contract for something even rival families coveted?
And now it had been so cleanly broken.
Not only would his dignity suffer, but his disappointment must be immense.
It wouldn’t be strange if my father were kicked out today.
“For now, please eat breakfast. You must be hungry, right?”
“I guess, but…”
My sleepiness was gone, and so was my appetite.
As Ebott tidied the bedding, she muttered,
“Honestly, I don’t understand why His Excellency the Marquis keeps beating people up. Just the money the Duke has paid to settle things so far could have bought several gilded mansions.”
“Seriously…”
How much would they demand this time?
At this point, getting beaten by my father felt like winning the lottery.
Grandfather, who valued honor above all else, had no choice but to give victims whatever compensation they demanded.
Everyone knew the Shablin family had gold overflowing, so they made outrageous claims from the start.
Still, Grandfather believed losing money was better than being sued.
For a noble, being entangled in a lawsuit was one of the greatest disgraces.
‘And this time, the contract was canceled too.’
A red warning light flashed before my eyes.
A signal that I’d be kicked out in three months.
Thanks to having Ebott on my side, I had already avoided one event from the original story that led to my expulsion.
But my good-for-nothing father had multiple ticking time bombs.
The situations that would lead to my exile and death were scattered everywhere like landmines!
At this point, Duke Shurman’s patience had already reached its limit, and if this matter wasn’t resolved, his anger would explode just like in the original story.
“I need to go see Father right now!”
“M-my lady!”
As I jumped out of bed, Ebott chased after me with my coat.
But my father was not someone easily met. Before I could even open the door, Helen blocked my way.
“His Excellency the Marquis is still in dreamland.”
“Huh? It’s already ten o’clock.”
“Yes. This is still very much His Excellency’s sleeping time.”
“Then when does he wake up?”
“When the sun is high in the sky.”
“…!”
My mouth slowly fell open at Helen’s words.
I was once again reminded that he was the richest of all idle rich men.
Waking up after noon… how did he plan to survive in such a harsh world with that level of laziness?
Was he even sane?
‘So jealous!’
While I stood there dumbfounded, Helen spoke firmly again.
“In any case, His Excellency will not see you.”
“Why?”
“He ordered that you are not to come here again. It is the Marquis’s command, so please refrain from visiting unless instructed otherwise.”
“….”
Cold. Rigid.
Just like in my previous life, I was being treated this way by my father’s people again. No matter how many times it happened, it always felt unfair and upsetting.
With no other choice, I desperately tried to squeeze out tears, playing up the pitifulness of a child.
“Why won’t Father meet me…?”
“Pardon?”
Helen’s eyes wavered greatly.
I felt like I might actually cry.
In this glamorous, beautiful fantasy world, instead of enjoying endless desserts or flexing the family’s wealth, I was stuck cleaning up the mess my father created.
“I was curious why Father hit someone yesterday. Maybe, just like he said, the person who got hit actually deserved it? If we find out, maybe Grandfather will forgive him.”
“….”
Helen looked even more shaken.
She didn’t seem able to completely deny my words.
Everyone serving Marquis Leo knew it wouldn’t be surprising if he were disowned at any moment.
Yet, no one by the Duke’s side would defend or support the Marquis. Doing so would only earn them the Duke’s disfavor.
“At this rate, everyone will die! Everyone will be kicked out!”
“…!”
“If Father gets thrown out, all the adults working here will be kicked out too!”
Helen’s eyes widened even more.
She pressed a hand to her chest, clearly shaken, and said,
“Even so, I cannot allow it. Please return.”
Her skirt swirled as she turned, sending a faint breeze my way.
Was I really being turned away like this?
“My lady.”
At that moment, Ebott, who had been silent behind me, tugged at my sleeve.
“Hm?”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll find out when His Excellency wakes up. I have quite a few friends among the maids in this residence. I used to serve the Marquis, after all.”
“…!”
Ebott…?
Her kindness made my eyes well up with tears.
“Though, the Marquis wakes up at different times every day and eats whenever he feels like it, so I can’t promise exactly when.”
“….”
Of all things, my father had to be the impulsive, unpredictable type who could act at any time without a plan. It felt like my headache was only getting worse.
