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Chapter 15
*<My daughter, when do you plan to pay the promised sum?
It has been almost a month without a word from you, and I do not know how to take it.
To think you can sleep well while ignoring your living family — this mother is hurt.
I can only assume you have your own reasons.
Do not forget to write back this time.
You will always be the pride of the Harold family, my dear.
I trust you are not such an ungrateful daughter as to forget the favor of taking you in.>*
I put the letter down.
“The pride of the Harold family?”
It was written in flowery, sentimental language as if she loved her daughter, but the true intent was clear from the beginning and end of the letter.
[When do you plan to pay the promised sum?]
[I trust you are not such an ungrateful daughter as to forget the favor of taking you in.]
Just from those two lines, I could tell exactly how Gemma had been treated by the Viscountess of Harold.
No one says ‘the favor of taking you in’ to their own beloved child.
Finding the contents of the letter worthless, I pulled the cord to summon Mary.
She came in, looking startled at my faintly smiling face.
“Mary.”
“Yes, my lady?”
Mary glanced between me and the letter, not sure what to do.
“This… I need you to handle it. Burn it.”
“B-burn it?”
“Yes.”
When I nodded, she took the letter without further questions and left.
Once she was gone, I drained a glass of cold water. The unpleasantness from the letter left a bitter taste in my mouth.
So this is how she’s been treated?
If there was one thing I’d gained, it was the suspicion that something had changed — enough to make the Viscountess of Harold appear now.
I recalled the ledger Martin had once shown me, filled with countless figures.
Gemma might have been extravagant, yes — but the amounts were far too large to be explained by luxury alone.
Perhaps… the real culprit who spent the Cloud family’s money wasn’t Gemma at all.
“Sister-in-law!”
Lost in thought, I looked up to see Erica poking her head through the door.
I erased any sign of my irritation from the Harold letter and smiled at her.
“I heard there’s a letter from the royal family?”
“And where did you hear that?”
“Just passing by. I have sharp ears. Now, let’s see it.”
She came to sit beside me, her eyes sparkling.
Unusually for her, she waited patiently for the letter to appear.
I knew exactly what she was hoping for — the same thing I was.
Cute.
I, too, expected it: the royal tea party invitation we’d both been waiting for.
It should have been in there. After all, that’s how the original story began.
But…
What is this?
Erica and I pinched each other’s cheeks to check if we were dreaming.
We weren’t. Our cheeks were bright red from the pinch.
“Why pinch so hard?”
“Miss Erica, it hurt me too.”
Pain aside, we both looked again at the letter.
In short, it said King Leonard’s illness had worsened, and he would allow an audience with a select few families who had brought honor to the kingdom.
Not the glamorous tea party we’d hoped for, but still meaningful — if the Cloud family was chosen.
Of course, this wasn’t the same for Erica, who only wanted to meet Prince Oscar.
Sure enough, her face fell.
“The invitation will come another time,” I said.
“But I don’t feel good about this.”
My words wouldn’t really comfort her. But I knew the tea party would come when the roses bloomed — it was too early yet. The royal seal had made me jump to conclusions.
Since the story began with the tea party, I hadn’t expected anything like an audience ceremony.
Still, maybe this could be a good opportunity for her.
“This might actually be better for you, Miss Erica.”
“…?”
Not understanding, she gave me a suspicious look, then stood up abruptly.
“Sister-in-law, you’re free now, right?”
“Why?”
“Because if I stay like this, I won’t feel better. We should go for a walk. And no, you can’t refuse.”
Without waiting for my answer, she turned and left for her room.
She would definitely come back dressed for a walk.
Guess I’ll have to humor her and cheer her up.
After all, she didn’t know a tea party event awaited her in the future.
I boldly left my room.
The garden was already sprouting fresh green shoots, as if winter had never happened.
It felt strange and new — walking with my “villainess” sister-in-law, smelling flowers without blushing.
As we walked, Erica suddenly turned and asked,
“Oh, right. Sister-in-law, aren’t you going to do business again?”
Business…
I remembered her standing at the stall with her arms crossed, exuding an odd aura. I’d regretted going with her — though my clothes had sold well that day.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t the business type?”
“I still have so many clothes I don’t need. What else should I do with them?”
She pouted and looked away.
Just how many clothes does she have?
We couldn’t just keep running a street stall whenever she had extras. That last time had been a one-off.
I narrowed my eyes at her. She didn’t seem to be talking about business for profit.
Wait.
I remembered her story about meeting the boy she had given clothes to.
Could it be…?
A smile crept up one side of my mouth. Erica, sensing danger, quickly looked away.
“Ahem.”
At the sound, her pace quickened.
“I don’t think you mean business,” I said.
“…”
“You want to donate, don’t you?”
“…!”
I gave her a knowing look. She clamped her hands over her mouth.
“Am I right?”
She turned her head sharply away. If it wasn’t true, she’d have denied it immediately.
It seemed she had learned the joy of doing good from that earlier experience.
“That’s good. I’ll find you a proper donation channel soon.”
If she donated officially, her good deeds would become known — benefiting the Cloud family’s image. It fit perfectly with my project to improve our reputation.
Still, I regretted that last time had been accidental. If I’d known she’d be donating, I would’ve staged it properly.
Back then, I’d felt strangers’ eyes on us — I thought it might spark rumors, but nothing came of it.
“No one asked you to do that!” she said, but her steps seemed lighter now.
“Miss Erica, wait for me!”
I wondered if she realized she was humming.
I can change things.
No — I had to change things.
Knowing the terrible future, how could I just sit and do nothing?
And yet, I smiled — because from behind, Erica seemed to shine.
Her humming echoed through the garden for a long time.
After parting with her on good terms, I headed straight for Martin’s study.
After all, he’s her guardian.
I’d need his approval for Erica’s donation channel.
I met him in the hall just as he was leaving his study. His red eyes scanned me.
When he saw the coat in my hands, they narrowed sharply.
“Where are you going?”
His tone sounded sharp — maybe I imagined it.
“I was going to your study. I have something to discuss with you.”
“With me?”
His voice softened. He cleared his throat and led me to the study.
I sat across from him, fiddling with my teacup.
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about Miss Erica.”
He leaned forward, fingers interlaced.
Typical of a doting brother — he reacted without thinking.
From what I’d heard, Martin was a cold businessman. I needed a solid reason for Erica to donate.
After sipping my tea, I set the cup down.
“I think we should arrange things so Miss Erica can donate officially.”
“Such as…?”
“I believe she’s fully qualified to be a patron.”
She had the influence to support those less fortunate — the money came from Cloud, but the will to give was hers.
In the original story, her bad temper was her only real flaw.
If she could transform her image through charity, things could change.
Martin froze mid-motion with his teacup.
Our relationship had grown recently, but the Gemma he remembered wouldn’t say things like this.
Still, instead of questioning me, he chose to listen.
“With an official position, she’ll use it effectively. She’s smart — it’ll benefit our family.”
That was my reasoning for why Erica should donate.
His expression was unusual as I spoke. At times, it even looked like he was smiling faintly.
Why is he smiling?
Had my reasoning convinced him?
As soon as I finished, he asked,
“What did you just say?”
His tone was full of interest, almost amused — not his usual stiff voice.
I blinked in confusion.
“I said a lot…”
“You said ‘our family,’ didn’t you?”
