chapter 15
“Y-you’ve got to be kidding me! Don’t lie to me!”
Daisy stomped her foot furiously, but everyone else averted their eyes, pretending not to notice.
Serena narrowed her eyes. Somehow, she had felt from the start that this whole thing was too childish, too blatant a setup.
“So in the end, it didn’t even matter what the truth was.”
The truth, as it turned out, didn’t matter at all — Stella was in a position where being caught or not made no real difference.
No matter what she did, there were plenty of people ready to shield her and take her side.
If there was a downside for Stella, it was probably just the annoyance of dealing with a little inconvenience like this.
Normally, Daisy would have been scolded for making baseless accusations out of jealousy, and things would have ended there.
“Can you believe this?”
Serena hadn’t expected to side with Daisy this sincerely.
But she couldn’t just stay silent — not when she remembered how she herself had once been falsely accused and beaten over something ridiculous.
“I see… I think I understand what happened now.”
Just as Serena was about to open her mouth to add something, Jeremy spoke, having grasped the situation.
“I’m sorry, Daisy. I’ve hurt you deeply.”
Serena had expected him to be like everyone else and take Stella’s side, getting angry at Daisy — but to her surprise, Jeremy offered Daisy a polite apology.
Daisy, stunned by the unexpected words, stopped stomping and blinked.
Lihanna was equally surprised. She had thought this would end in another unfair scolding, but instead, Jeremy himself was apologizing.
“I owe you an apology as well, brother. I should’ve made sure everything was in order so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable, but I never imagined something like this would happen.”
“N-no, don’t say that! I should be the one apologizing! I came here unannounced and caused a fuss. It’s Daisy’s fault for overreacting to a little prank, and now Stella’s hurt because of it!”
Ashubel waved his hands frantically, trying to dismiss the situation, but Jeremy shook his head.
“You’ve always been consistent, brother — but there’s no need to trouble yourself. If what’s been said is true, the fault lies with the one who caused it.”
Jeremy turned his gaze toward Stella. She looked utterly lost, unable to understand what was happening.
“Stella, I know you’re an honest child. If it isn’t true, just say so clearly. I want to hear it from you.”
His tone implied that he already knew the truth — but if Stella denied it, he’d believe her anyway.
So all Stella had to do was what she always did: insist it was a misunderstanding.
“Th-that’s…”
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Something deep inside warned her — if she lied now, something truly irreversible would happen.
She lowered her head instead, and Jeremy sighed quietly.
“I see. Then go ahead and apologize to Daisy.”
“…Dear!”
“Chloe, I won’t raise Stella to be someone who hurts others.”
Chloe tried to intervene, but it was no use.
Jeremy continued, still looking straight at Stella.
“Everyone makes mistakes. But the Stella I know doesn’t run away from them — she’s wise enough to make things right. Isn’t that so, Stella?”
His tone softened slightly.
With no other choice left, Stella squeezed her tear-filled eyes shut and forced the words out.
“I-I’m sorry. I spoke too harshly…”
Her small hands trembled as they clutched her skirt, her face flushed red with shame.
But for Daisy — who had always been on the receiving end of Stella’s cruelty — it was the first time hearing an apology from her.
Daisy was so startled she nodded reflexively.
“O-oh… yeah…”
It was shocking — just being acknowledged at all was more than she’d ever hoped for.
Of course, it wasn’t enough to make up for insulting her whole family, but it was better than nothing.
Thanks to that, not only Daisy but also Lihanna and Caroline relaxed a little, their anger subsiding.
Serena felt her own heart lighten as well. The incident that had dragged their household’s reputation through the mud was finally resolved — or so it seemed.
It really was over.
“…Ahem. Daisy! You should apologize too.”
At least, that’s what everyone thought — until Ashubel opened his mouth.
Daisy’s brow furrowed.
“Huh? Me? Why?”
Her expression screamed genuine confusion.
Lihanna and Caroline both looked at Ashubel as if he had lost his mind — who dumps ashes into a finished soup like this?
But Ashubel, with the self-importance of a man who fancied himself a wise mediator, said grandly:
“She messed up Stella’s hair like that, didn’t she? Stella apologized, so Daisy should too.”
Serena pressed a hand to her forehead. Something had felt off from the start.
“…Why did I ever suspect anyone else, when the biggest walking disaster in the world is my own father?”
She should’ve known better than to come here.
Or maybe she should’ve just broken his hands so he couldn’t gamble anymore — or his ankles so he couldn’t even leave the house.
“No, brother. Stella’s fault is much greater. I would’ve done the same in Daisy’s place. Only Stella needs to apologize this time.”
Thankfully, Jeremy tried to smooth things over.
Unfortunately, Ashubel — being utterly out of his mind — refused to listen.
“No, no. They should both apologize. Daisy even got violent, so you could argue she’s more at fault.”
“Really, it’s fine. Isn’t that right, Stella?”
“…Yes.”
Stella nodded.
She had already apologized; there was no need for Daisy to do the same. She just wanted to escape this miserable scene and go back to her room.
“It’s fine, Stella. You don’t need to be so modest. Daisy, come on — apologize. You two should make up and get along.”
“Oh, for crying out loud! Why should I? I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m not apologizing! I’m not doing it!”
“Hey! Don’t shout at your father! Apologize now!”
“Stop it already! I said I’m done!”
“Why are you taking her side? If she did something wrong, you have to teach her properly!”
“Teach her? Since when have you ever cared about things like that?”
“W-what?! I’ve always cared!”
“Yeah right, don’t make me laugh!”
“What did you just say?! Are you calling me a liar?!”
By this point, Serena felt her mind going blank.
“…Aren’t they embarrassed? How can they fight like this in front of everyone?!”
She had thought they only acted like this at home, never imagining they’d do it out in public too.
Even her mother — who at least pretended to care about appearances — had lost it completely.
As the parents’ quarrel escalated, Daisy finally screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Aaah! I said no! I’m not apologizing! I won’t! I said I won’t—!”
“Wha—what’s gotten into you?!”
Ashubel, flustered as if his daughter had suddenly become a stranger, rushed to cover her mouth.
“Do you have any idea where you are?! Be quiet!”
“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmmmmmph—!”
But Daisy thrashed wildly, kicking and twisting her limbs in protest.
Crash!
A nearby dish shattered at her feet. There was no stopping it now.
Jeremy and his family stared, aghast.
“Brother! You’ll hurt her like that! Please, stop—!”
Crash!
Another plate went flying, shattering into pieces.
In the chaos of Ashubel trying to restrain Daisy and her frantic kicking, even the fine furniture toppled over.
Within moments, the dining room was in complete disarray — chaos incarnate.
No one knew how to intervene.
Then, a thunderous voice struck from above.
“What on earth are you all doing?!”
Ashubel, startled out of his wits, immediately released Daisy.
“Ah!”
She tumbled to the floor, but no one had time to check on her.
Because the last person anyone expected had just appeared.
“F-Father…?!”
Ashubel’s face turned pale as chalk.
Serena buried her face in her hands and cursed silently to the heavens.
“Why… what did I ever do to deserve this…?!”
