chapter 05
Although Serena had never seen him before, she could tell at a glance who he was.
“Father’s younger brother and the future Count of Roselantis, Jeremy Roselantis. My uncle.”
He had brown hair, green eyes, and facial features similar to Ashbel’s, but unlike Ashbel’s rough and unkempt appearance, Jeremy gave off an elegant and intellectual aura.
“Brother!”
“Jeremy! So you were at the mansion!”
The two brothers exchanged a light hug.
“Yes. I just returned from inspecting the estate. It’s a long way to come, though—what brings you here?”
Serena thought it would have been natural to bluntly scold him, considering he had taken money just a week ago, but Jeremy awkwardly exchanged glances with the other family members standing nearby and offered a gentle smile.
“Hahaha. Actually… I had a bit of a situation.”
“A situation? Did something bad happen?”
“Well, you see….”
Ashbel’s cowardly gaze shifted toward Serena.
The same one who had insisted he could handle things alone—he showed no sense of responsibility at all.
Only then did Jeremy notice Serena. His eyes widened slightly as he asked,
“Brother, who is this child?”
“Oh, I’m late with the introduction. This is the youngest, Serena. You’ve heard about her, but I guess this is your first time meeting her in person.”
It was Serena’s first meeting with someone from the main family—especially Jeremy, the future count.
She had no intention of scheming for crumbs, but she didn’t want to make a bad impression.
Summoning all the etiquette knowledge she knew, Serena bowed slightly and lowered her head.
“Hello, Uncle. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Serena.”
Jeremy’s eyelids blinked slowly.
He seemed surprised that she could maintain such proper posture despite being Ashbel’s child.
“I never imagined all those times getting scolded by my sisters for proper manners would actually come in handy…”
While Serena felt a small sense of relief at this unexpected use of her training, Jeremy regained his gentle expression.
“Good, it’s nice to meet you. You’ve clearly learned your manners well.”
“…Thank you.”
Receiving praise for the first time, Serena felt her cheeks heat up.
Despite worrying that he might have inherited Ashbel’s harsh temperament, Jeremy seemed like a genuinely decent person.
“…Ahem! Ahem!”
At that moment, Ashbel cleared his throat as if urging Serena to get to the point now that the greetings were over.
“How can two brothers be so different?”
Serena sighed inwardly at her father’s ugly attempt to use his child as a shield. She corrected her posture and folded her hands politely.
Her gaze dropped slightly, her voice soft and pitiful, but she spoke clearly enough to be understood.
“Well… actually… I secretly took some money because there was a dress I really wanted, but I ran into some delinquents and lost it all…”
She bowed respectfully to avoid offending him further.
“It was such valuable money you gave me… I’m truly sorry for losing it because of my foolish actions. I won’t ever do it again… Please forgive me just this once.”
Having spent her life repeatedly apologizing to her older sisters, Serena had honed her art of apologizing.
Sometimes, simply bowing and apologizing sincerely would earn forgiveness, even if only because they admired the effort.
So, with Jeremy seeming like a reasonable person, she expected some response—but strangely, none came.
“…Did I make a mistake?”
Was her wrongdoing too severe to be forgiven with just this apology?
Worried, Serena peeked at him, and for some reason, Jeremy looked at her intently with a subtle expression.
“What…?”
Perhaps caught off guard, Ashbel quickly intervened.
“Sigh… it’s unfortunate that she was hurt like this. And since it’s on her face, you’ll need a skilled doctor to heal it properly…”
He brushed aside the hair that covered Serena’s side of her face.
Seeing the hidden injury, Jeremy’s eyes widened in shock.
“How could someone do such a terrible thing…! Have you found the culprit?”
When leaving home, Serena only had a slight bump and bruise on her forehead, but now the swelling had spread almost to her cheek.
Even Ashbel, the one who struck her, was shocked and barely restrained himself from yelling.
Jeremy, receiving the shocked glances of the family, tried to speak calmly.
“Ah, unfortunately, by the time I found out, they had already run away. If I had caught them, they would not have gotten away!”
Ashbel ground his teeth.
Jeremy’s expression hardened at the severity of the situation.
“I’ll issue a search order immediately to find the culprit. Such an act cannot go unpunished, even if they ran away.”
“…Huh?”
Ashbel was caught off guard.
Jeremy turned to Serena.
“Serena, do you remember the face of the culprit? Can you explain what happened?”
He raised his hand, signaling his assistant who had been waiting a short distance away.
“Hans, send for an artist immediately. We’ll need a portrait.”
“Yes, young master.”
What had started as a simple visit to collect money was escalating quickly.
Ashbel grabbed Hans’ shoulder.
“Wait a moment!”
Hans bowed politely.
“Do you need me to do anything else?”
“Anything…? Yes, yes…”
Though in reality, there was nothing else needed.
They could have just described a generic face, and when they failed to catch the delinquent, it could have been brushed off.
But Ashbel’s frantic clumsiness even created doubt where there was none.
“How can someone mess this up so badly after I set everything up?”
If only such an impressive person were someone else’s father—why did it have to be hers?
Reanna’s pretty face mirrored Serena’s thoughts, twisted into a grimace.
It was a tear-inducing reality, but she couldn’t show it.
Suppressing a sigh, Serena looked around for a distraction.
Luckily, she spotted the flustered coachman behind Ashbel.
“…Father! The carriage fare! You promised to pay when we arrived. The coachman has been waiting, and the horses haven’t even had a rest… It’s so pitiful!”
Ashbel finally noticed the coachman. His face brightened as he found a way out.
“Ah! Right! My mind… I should have handled this first! Jeremy, please take care of the carriage fare. I’m embarrassed, but I had no money on me.”
“Please don’t worry about it, brother. Hans, give him the fare first.”
“Yes, young master.”
Serena seized the moment.
“And, um… thank you, but there’s no need to issue a search. My father’s friends are already looking for the delinquent who hit me. Right, Father?”
Fortunately, Ashbel played along.
“Uh… yes, that’s right. They haven’t been found yet, but I’ve informed my acquaintances. It’ll be sorted soon. No need to waste your time on such trivial matters—we’ll handle it ourselves.”
Jeremy’s concerned gaze shifted between father and daughter.
Although uncomfortable, Serena held onto Ashbel’s arm and smiled.
“It’s really okay. I trust my father. He’ll handle it well, won’t he?”
Ashbel awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“Of course! Naturally.”
With that, Jeremy could no longer intervene.
He exhaled lightly.
“Understood. I wanted to help, but if that’s your wish, I suppose I have no choice. If you ever need my assistance, please tell me.”
Sensing the conversation was winding down, Ashbel hurriedly spoke.
And now, the main matter could begin.
