Chapter 36
The family suddenly realized that they had completely forgotten about Ashbel when they heard his all-too-familiar voice, his rough tone, and his reckless behavior.
With a thud, Ashbel collapsed at the front door. Drunkenly, he spread his liquor all over the floor, which had been painstakingly cleaned.
“Damn it! Damn it! Daamn it—! How could you do this to me! Why does this always happen to me—!”
Ashbel rolled on the floor like a child, causing a commotion. His family, who had gone to their rooms to sleep, rushed down to the lower floor at once.
“You! Why are you doing this again?!”
“The world is so unfair I could go crazy! Why! Why am I always so unlucky!”
“Then what does that even mean! Speak so that we can understand!”
“Starlight! That guy betrayed me again! It was my last chance…! I thought this time would finally work!”
“Wait a minute… Starlight? Are you saying… did you go there for that horse race or something?!”
Lianna turned pale.
After being completely thrown out of the family, she could hardly believe her husband would engage in gambling again. Normally, Ashbel would either quietly accept the situation or make excuses.
But not today. His face flushed red as he glared at Lianna in anger.
“What choice do I have! I truly have nothing left now! There’s no money left anywhere, so shouldn’t I at least try one last hope?!”
“Why is your ‘last hope’ gambling?!”
“What’s wrong with horse racing! It’s a legal facility run by the government! Don’t talk carelessly when you don’t even know!”
“That may apply to those who casually enjoy it with spare money! But someone like you, who loses everything every time, it’s not entertainment—it’s gambling!”
Lianna shouted at Ashbel with all the strength she had, reacting even more harshly than usual to his anger today.
Then she suddenly thought something strange. If he had lost everything, where did he get the money to go to the racetrack?
“Where did you get the money to go there? You don’t have any! Didn’t you lose everything? That’s why you went to get money in the first place!”
Serena, who thought the same thing as Lianna, recalled where her father might have gotten the money.
Her expression turned icy cold.
“You still had the last bit of money you received. For my hospital bills and living expenses. You got it from your uncle as soon as we arrived at the count’s residence.”
“So you gambled with the money meant for your child’s hospital bills?!”
“Yes! I did! I tried! I was trying to do something with it, so what?! At least I tried! You didn’t do anything and yet you always scream?!”
Ashbel stomped off to his room, still fuming.
“C-could it be that I was supposed to earn the money…?”
Lianna, frozen in shock, held her head, staggering as if she might collapse.
Sophia, who had been watching nearby, quickly supported Lianna.
Unlike her very young daughters, Lianna could lean on Sophia’s solid shoulders, burying her face and letting out tears.
“Mom…!”
Daisy hugged Lianna’s waist. No child could withstand their parents’ fighting, no matter how many times it happened. Everyone, except Serena, who no longer had any expectation from her parents.
‘Yes, that’s right. Father once bet on Starlight again, lost everything, and caused a scene.’
Having been betrayed several times, Ashbel never bet on Starlight again after that. So Serena thought it was a good thing; finally, her father would quit gambling and become responsible.
That was until she learned that Starlight won the next race by an enormous margin.
Ashbel had convinced himself that Starlight’s win was just luck, but the next race, and the one after, Starlight continued to win.
It was as if Starlight was waiting for Ashbel to stop betting.
Finally unable to resist, Ashbel gathered all his money and bet on Starlight again. That day, Starlight didn’t even move at the starting line but finished the race.
At that point, he should have stopped, but Ashbel’s stubbornness drew him further into horse racing.
Naturally, the house, which had no money to spare, was completely ruined, and Serena had to handle the aftermath.
Facing this painful memory again, Serena’s heart thumped.
‘They said the winner of Starlight’s first victory took thirty times the bet…’
No one had believed Starlight would win. Even after the first victory, luck didn’t come twice, and the next race still earned only a tenfold return for those who bet.
‘I hated seeing Father wail and scream while crying…’
Sweat formed in Serena’s clenched fists.
Trying to suppress her turbulent emotions, Serena turned to Sophia.
“You’re sixteen, right?”
“Yes!”
“When’s your birthday? Has it passed?”
“Yes! It has passed.”
Sophia was truly like an angel sent from heaven.
‘How could the timing be this perfect?’
Even if horse racing was a legal facility run by the empire, money was involved. Serena, only ten years old, couldn’t participate. By law, adults were eighteen, but sixteen-year-olds could do most things except drinking and smoking.
Since Sophia was sixteen, she could participate.
With a grateful expression, Serena called Sophia over.
“Sophia, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes! Miss Serena.”
Sophia helped Lianna, who was crying, back to the old sofa and followed Serena to the third floor.
Click, Serena closed and locked the door, speaking quietly.
“Go to the racetrack tomorrow. Find out when this race and the next one are, how to participate, and whether I can enter too.”
Sophia’s eyes widened.
After witnessing the chaos of Ashbel’s actions just now, she couldn’t believe Serena was sending her to the racetrack. She had already heard about all of Ashbel’s misdeeds from last night to early this morning and knew how much the family had suffered.
Yet why did Serena want her to go there, as if she intended to participate in the next race herself?
Despite the doubt, Sophia nodded, trusting there was a reason.
In just one day, Sophia had seen that Serena was no fool.
“Understood, Miss. I’ll go early in the morning.”
“Take your time. On the way, stop by the hospital for treatment, buy some snacks, and take care of anything you need. Got it?”
Serena took out a pouch of money.
She handed Sophia 10 gold coins, and Sophia’s eyes widened.
“I-it’s okay, Miss!”
“You won’t have another chance to go out tomorrow, so take this opportunity to rest a bit. You saw today, right? Our family is like this every day.”
“B-but… you don’t need to give me so much!”
“This isn’t just for tomorrow; it’s for your living expenses. Use it whenever necessary. Let me know if it runs out. Oh! I’ll give you your salary in advance too.”
She gave her an additional 50 gold coins, leaving Sophia flustered.
“I’ve only worked for a day… You could give it to me after a month!”
Serena smiled knowingly.
“You seemed to need it. And you said you need 50 gold every month.”
So she wouldn’t run away, Sophia realized. Indeed, such a high-paying and considerate workplace was impossible to find for someone like her.
Holding the coins carefully, Sophia bowed sincerely.
“…I’ll accept it gratefully. I’ll work hard!”
Seeing Sophia’s determined expression, Serena nodded in satisfaction.
The next morning, after finishing her chores early, Sophia hurried to the busy district.
The racetrack was located at the heart of the district.
“It’s not even a good facility, just a place for gambling addicts like Ashbel, yet why is it so easily accessible?” Sophia muttered quietly.
After obtaining the information Serena had asked for, Sophia hesitated for a moment and headed toward the entertainment district a little farther away.
‘It’s still early… will anyone be there?’
As she walked through the relatively empty streets, someone suddenly approached Sophia quickly.
