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chapter 9
I had already helped as much as I could, yet my words had been curt. I quietly wore a victorious smile, but Sian leaned in close again, warning me.
“And if you really think that way, don’t stumble around recklessly. Especially if you plan to take over that castle.”
“Yeah. Thanks for worrying.”
“…Are you an idiot? You call that worry?”
‘He’s basically telling me to hold my head high and live proudly as a member of Hilberg. That’s worry enough, isn’t it?’
Sian was probably concerned I might cause trouble for the duke’s family, but at the same time, he didn’t seem to realize he had already accepted me as a part of the family.
I didn’t bother explaining and just smiled. Flinching, Sian drew his head back a little and sighed, as if letting me do as I pleased.
Then, with a gesture of his chin roughly pointing behind us, he said,
“Just put this away for now.”
“Are you talking about Viscount Clinton?”
Sian silently nodded. Hm, honestly, I didn’t really want to deal with what came next anyway, and I wanted to leave it to the duke entirely…
“Wait a moment.”
He furrowed one brow, looking puzzled, as if nothing remained to worry about.
‘It does. Plenty.’
Grinning, I turned toward the viscount without a word.
Then I lifted my leg and delivered with all my strength the kick that had failed on my father’s side earlier.
It wouldn’t settle everything, but it felt a little satisfying.
“Phew, that’s enough. You can put it away anywhere now.”
As I smiled in satisfaction, I heard a deflating sort of laughter from behind.
‘Huh?’
I thought perhaps Sian had laughed, so I quickly turned around, but he was still looking at me with that sulky expression.
‘…I definitely heard it.’
This time, he couldn’t possibly be a ghost. I shrugged and looked around.
Sian came closer and glanced at me.
“Then leave that be… Just follow me.”
“Huh? Where are we going?”
“Goldfish? You said you were hungry.”
“Oh, right.”
I felt a little sorry for my stomach. I’d forgotten it several times today. But our young master’s words were always so polite and sweet.
Following obediently, I eventually spoke up.
“Sian, could you speak a little more nicely? Where in the world is there such a big goldfish?”
“It’s tiny…”
“You’re even smaller than me, you know?”
“I’m not fully grown yet.”
“Hey, I’m still growing too!”
“Even so, I’ll end up bigger than you.”
There was no arguing with that. It was already a confirmed fact.
I pouted silently, and Sian smirked triumphantly. This time, it seemed, I had lost.
…It seemed Sian had a real talent for making someone who had lived a full adult life act like a child.
‘Just wait. Thanks to this, I’ll get to eat all my meals properly this life.’
So this time would definitely be different from last time.
Sian, still smirking at me, personally led me to the dining hall.
When we arrived, I was a little surprised.
“…This is the dining hall, right?”
I muttered absentmindedly. True to Hilberg form, it was only a dining hall, yet it was grand and gleaming…
But somehow, it felt eerie.
Sian answered me nonchalantly.
“The function is correct. It’s just unused most of the time.”
“Unused?”
“Everyone—from my father to me—eats in our rooms.”
Since it had no use, he shrugged.
“Now, are you done?”
Sian said this and immediately turned back the way we came. I called out a thanks toward his small back.
He didn’t look back and disappeared.
‘Being grateful to Sian Hilberg twice in one day…’ I stood there feeling a bit dizzy, when behind me I heard the soft clatter of something being arranged.
The servants had silently prepared the meal as I entered.
‘That was fast.’
Besides, they probably didn’t even know who I was. Yet they didn’t ask or show the slightest curiosity.
With impassive expressions, they helped me with the meal, not saying a single word. Yet they didn’t act territorial either.
Even the food, though hurriedly prepared, was easily some of the best I’d ever eaten.
Still, I was a little unnerved by the mechanical efficiency—just treating the dining hall as a place where meals had to be served.
‘They were fast and silent even when running away.’
Ah, though they had seemed to speak when blocking the viscount. But ever since Sian appeared, the silence had continued.
‘Why? Some unspoken rule?’
The atmosphere was uncomfortable, but food was guiltless, so I continued eating.
‘As long as it’s not poisoned, it’s fine.’
No matter how scary these servants looked, they couldn’t be as terrifying as the duke who had actually poisoned me. I snorted and focused on my meal.
As I was thinking the tiramisu dessert wasn’t really my taste, a loud noise erupted from the entrance.
‘Huh?’
The sudden noise broke the silence instantly. I looked over and, startled as if burnt, dropped my fork.
Before it hit the floor, a maid who had been standing like a shadow behind me quickly retrieved it and replaced it with a new one.
Her speed was terrifying, but I couldn’t even look at her.
That was because in front of me appeared the Duke of Hilberg I had just been chewing my food over.
A strange sense of déjà vu made me frown slightly. If the Chinese zodiac applied to this family, they would all definitely be Tigers.
Moreover, someone was dragging something behind the duke, and the silhouette was painfully familiar. I nearly vomited everything I’d eaten.
What had been dragged along was the disheveled back of the viscount.
The duke looked at my gaping mouth and approached, nodding casually.
“Have you finished eating? Then sign the consent forms.”
“Now?”
I glanced around, flustered. The duke nodded slowly.
“All that’s needed has been gathered. Come up in ten minutes.”
‘To where?’
Before I could think further, one of the people behind the duke came to stand beside me.
I blankly nodded, and the duke stopped on his way out to speak firmly.
“Make sure you count every minute.”
Before I could ask why, the duke and the others leading the viscount disappeared.
A short while later, a servant nodded to me.
“You may depart now.”
I quickly understood what he meant when I returned to the duke’s office.
Viscount Clinton, now fully aware, sat looking even more timid than before.
In front of him were three documents, a pen, and ink.
I cautiously glanced between the two, and the duke gestured for me to sit.
“The discussion is over.”
The viscount quietly lowered his eyes. Seeing him act pitifully toward me earlier, I could already guess roughly what had been said.
‘Strong-weak-weak-strong… Incredible.’
I sat, displeased, and examined the documents.
Currently, imperial law had become lax; with the guardian’s consent, a child’s custody could be fully transferred without further procedure.
It was a harsh law, but convenient for me now.
The duke quietly asked as I read.
“This is the last time I’ll ask—are you truly okay with this?”
I hadn’t expected him to ask that. But it made sense.
Until the duke canceled the contract…
I could never return as “Elena Clinton” under any circumstances.
I nodded coldly. I felt nothing toward the man sitting before me—my father.
Seeing this, the viscount’s lips trembled.
“Lena. I wanted you to marry someone good and be happy. Honestly, in this way—”
“Instead of trimming things off like this, were you planning to steadily milk money from me?”
“You ungrateful child! I’ve done so much for you!”
I frowned at his wavering expression and replied firmly. There was no need to apologize for mistakes I hadn’t made.
“Shall I really say it? How much you’ve done for me.”
Startled, my father recoiled. My expression naturally hardened.
“Do you want me to list how much firewood came into my room in winter, how many outfits I had, how many times I had to clean up the shattered glass you broke in front of me—should I really tell you everything?”
Then my father stood, slamming the table. The chair clattered backward, but I didn’t flinch.
“You… brat! You think you can just—!”
But the duke waved his hand dismissively and spoke low.
“Enough. That discussion ended earlier. I said it wasn’t a moment to hear your opinion.”
Only then did my father realize in front of whom he had been angry and sat back down, face red.
Perhaps the deal had already been settled, because the viscount soon calmed down and finally signed the consent forms.
I didn’t completely trust the duke, but one thing was clear: he could protect me from my father.
It was almost comical that I could feel this sense of relief, even temporarily, from a place I had fought tooth and nail just to survive.
‘…I’ve never felt safe in front of my blood relatives.’
My mouth tasted bitter. Lowering my eyes, I quickly checked my copy.
It was the same paper as yesterday, but one clause I had requested and another new clause had been added:
“‘Elena Hill shall be fully separated and independent from the Clinton family and shall carry the Hill name; she shall have no involvement whatsoever with any future events concerning the Clinton family.’”
‘What is this?’
