🔊 TTS Settings
CHAPTER 03
“What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t even know… They keep looking at me with such pity, but Uncle, you’re not that kind of person. No matter how I explain, everyone just keeps thinking I’m pitiful. I can’t stand those looks.”
Arthur’s face flushed with a mix of red and blue. He had clearly understood what I meant.
“That’s absolutely a misunderstanding.”
He hardened his expression and firmly denied it. I fluttered my lashes and spoke with feigned innocence.
“I think so too. But I can’t help being bothered by the way people look at me… I don’t want to go back to the Academy.”
Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Have you found the person who started that rumor?”
“No.”
Because I was the one who started it. Of course, I shook my head as if I had no clue.
“Foolish brat…”
He muttered to himself, then flinched and asked in embarrassment.
“Did you happen to hear what I just said?”
“Sorry, Uncle. I didn’t catch that. Could you say it again?”
I heard it all, you bastard.
So that’s how he confirmed he was insulting me. I was honestly speechless.
“Ahem. Anyway, Clara, are you really going to let yourself be swayed by the gossip of the streets? The wise thing to do is ignore it.”
“You want me to stand by while your reputation is being tarnished? I can’t do that.”
Now, I got to the point.
“So I want you to prove publicly that you have no impure ambitions.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
I spoke as if I had been waiting for the question.
“Please formally pass on your temporary role as acting head of the family to me. That will shut down the rumors completely.”
This was both his last chance and my final warning.
‘The gluttonous guest should know when to leave.’
If Arthur stepped down now, I was willing to quietly send him off after stripping him of the family wealth he’d been hoarding.
‘Though, of course, I doubt he will.’
As expected, he jumped up in anger.
“What nonsense is this?!”
I blinked innocently and tilted my head.
“How is it nonsense?”
“You’re still a child! You don’t have the judgment to lead this family!”
Now he was using my age as an excuse. I was starting to get bored. It was playing out exactly as I’d predicted.
“According to imperial law, the legal age to make decisions regarding family matters starts at 15, Uncle.”
“W-What?!”
“I learned that at the Academy, so I’m quite certain. So there’s no need to worry. That is, if you’re really concerned about the family.”
I was now fifteen. The Empire considered eighteen the age of adulthood, but I couldn’t afford to wait.
‘Especially now that I’ve found Lennox.’
To become Lennox’s sponsor, I needed to take control of this family as soon as possible.
If Arthur continued leading the household, he’d squander everything on drinks and gambling.
‘I can’t just sit back and let him destroy this family—Lennox might not even have anything left to burn down later.’
A flash of Melin’s meager meals came to mind.
“I’ll give you a choice, Uncle.”
“What the hell are you saying now?!”
Ignoring him, I raised my index finger.
“Option one: Take some money and quietly walk away from the family.”
Then I raised my middle finger.
“Option two: Leave with nothing.”
“W-What?!”
Arthur burst out in anger upon hearing my ultimatum.
“So this was your plan all along, you shameless brat!”
“Better choose quickly—I won’t give you much time.”
“You think people will take your side?”
His face suddenly lit up with smug confidence.
“Yes, I do.”
I promptly spread out the documents I brought with me—evidence of his illegal activities.
“W-Where did you get these…?!”
“If you keep resisting, I plan to send them to Duke Dinero.”
“D-Duke Dinero?!”
Arthur’s face turned ghostly pale.
Naturally.
If the Imperial Palace was the body of the empire, there were four families that supported it like legs.
First, the Duchy of Euclid.
‘Though they’ve since fallen into ruin.’
Then the Duchy of Penelope.
The Grand Duchy of Andreas.
And lastly, the Duchy of Dinero.
These four dukes held final authority over major affairs of their vassal families.
And the Count Jacqueline family—my family—had served the Dinero family for generations.
The only reason Arthur could act as interim head of our family was because Duke Dinero permitted it.
“You think you can drive me out with this kind of fabrication?!”
“Don’t you think Duke Dinero might be starting to find things suspicious by now?”
“What… What do you mean?!”
“Since you took over, our family’s profits from joint ventures with the ducal house must have declined. These double account books should explain everything.”
And what kind of man was Duke Dinero?
The most money-obsessed man in the empire. A money-maniac. A true lunatic for gold.
‘Though calling my grandfather a lunatic might be a bit rude.’
Let’s say he’s a tight-fisted miser instead.
Arthur, now panicking, shouted while waving the documents in the air.
“D-Did you specifically investigate all the businesses tied to Duke Dinero?!”
Correct.
As someone who wasn’t officially the head of the family, I had limited power.
I knew there was no way I could oust Arthur—the so-called guardian—with no authority or weapons of my own.
‘So I had no choice but to borrow a stronger sword.’
If the miserly Duke Dinero learned Arthur had been tampering with the books of a business where he held major shares…
‘He wouldn’t die a peaceful death.’
Arthur clearly understood this. His face turned red as he trembled in fury.
“You think I’ll let this slide?!”
“Go ahead, try me. I’m curious to see what happens if you don’t.”
“Y-You…! You ungrateful brat!”
He couldn’t hold back his rage any longer. He grabbed a marble ashtray and hurled it at me—but I calmly stepped aside.
‘That’s it? After all this buildup?’
It was a laughably weak tantrum for someone who had built his power over years.
I knocked on the office door.
“Agathe, come in.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She entered, as if she had been waiting for my signal.
Arthur scoffed upon seeing the smaller woman walk in.
“Clara, are you seriously trying to intimidate me with her?”
I ignored him and held up a third finger.
“Third option: you get beaten and kicked out, and end up as wolf food. It’s surprisingly easy to cover a drunk’s death as an accident.”
Agathe slammed her hand on the table at my cue.
—Crack!
A corner of the table splintered, and Arthur’s face went pale.
Finally understanding the situation, he stammered.
“C-Clara, y-you know how much I’ve cherished you, right?”
“That’s why I’m giving you three whole choices, Uncle.”
I smiled coldly and dropped my voice.
“But I’m not a patient person. Make your decision before my kindness runs out.”
Cornered.
Arthur, trembling, eventually left the office in silence.
“You think this is over?!”
Or so it seemed, until he suddenly drew a dagger from his coat and charged at me with a scream.
“AAAGGHH!!”
Thwack!
One punch from Agathe to his stomach, and Arthur collapsed with foam at his mouth.
I looked at him with faux pity.
“Oh no. He chose option three.”
Agathe turned to me with her usual blank face.
“What should I do with him?”
“He needs to learn how to earn money instead of just spending it.”
I jerked my chin.
“Send him to the mines. A remote village. Somewhere he can never return from.”
“What about feeding him to the wolves?”
Agathe, who had a hobby of raising wolves, asked with some disappointment.
“Even wolves deserve nutritious meals. I won’t feed them someone soaked in alcohol.”
“That’s true.”
I smiled and gestured. Agathe dragged Arthur out of the office.
Hopefully, Arthur—who’d only drained our wealth—might now contribute something to the family’s economy.
