KWB 1

Chapter 1: Ready to Die

Several Months Ago. Iris Estate.

My parents were dead.

“I’m so sorry.”

They had been attacked by beasts while returning from an inspection of the estate. Two attending advisors, the coachman, the servants—all of them…

By the time I received the news and hurried back to the estate, everything was already over. My parents’ caskets, lowered into the ground far below before I could even share a final farewell.

“The weather was too warm, so we had no choice. If we waited until you arrived, Riche, the bodies might have decomposed.”

My uncle placed his hand gently on my shoulder as I stood blankly in front of my parents’ gravestones.

“You’re all alone now, Riche. But you don’t need to worry. From now on, your uncle will take care of you.”

Behind the uncle saying those words, my aunt and cousin were already looking down at the estate.

“Mom! That sunny room on the third floor—can I use it?”

“We’ll need to take down the portraits hanging in the mansion first. Move them all to the warehouse and put that trendy blue wallpaper up instead…”

“When can I take out the dresses and jewelry we talked about? You definitely said those are all mine now, Mom…”

“Shh! We’ll talk about that in a bit!”

The moment I heard the voices of my aunt and cousin acting as if the estate was already theirs, a sudden realization struck me.

This place is inside a novel.

This novel is a romance story about the heir of a county who lost his memory, and a country girl who accidentally found him while out digging for wild greens.

My older brother, the heir of Count Iris, is attacked by ‘humans’ while returning from an estate inspection with our parents.

‘Go on ahead, Leon!’

‘I can’t just leave you…!’

‘Think of your younger sister who will be left alone! You must survive!’

Sensing there was no hope, Mom and Dad sacrificed themselves to let their children escape. My brother fled, only to be cornered and leap off a cliff.

‘What should we do? They told us to bring back the body…’

‘Can’t be helped. Who survives being swept away by that current? Let’s head back.’

He survived.

Though he lost his memory.

He lived doing chores at the country girl’s house—the one who found him washed up by the river—until…

‘…Uncle. It was my uncle. The one who attacked us.’

At the right moment, he recovers his memories and returns to the estate.

Just as specified in the original story, the culprit who attacked the Count, his wife, and their son was the Count’s younger brother.

Right.

‘The man currently resting his hand on my shoulder.’

A ruthless human being who killed his own older sister just to seize the title of Count.

He eliminated my parents and brother, and now he is simply waiting for the day to get rid of me and become the Count of Iris.

‘With my parents dead and my brother missing, I am the rightful heir to inherit the earldom.’

But I am only sixteen years old.

It will be another year and a half before I come of age.

Until then, my uncle serves as my guardian and protector, managing the estate and acting on behalf of the Count.

‘Within a year, my uncle is going to kill me and take the title of Count Iris.’

My brother recovers his memories right after and comes back to exact revenge.

But by then, I would already be dead.

“From now on, Riche, you are the heir of the family, so you shouldn’t go anywhere and protect the estate. I have already submitted a withdrawal notice to the Capital Academy on your behalf.”

“……”

“Weren’t you about to become engaged to the King’s nephew? It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to discuss that matter later as well. People wouldn’t look kindly on marriage talks while we are in mourning.”

I didn’t answer.

Right after visiting my parents’ graves, I hid in the study on the second floor.

“Riche has no family left now, so shouldn’t she move down a floor?”

“We should throw a party to announce that a new master has entered Iris. Call the gardener and tell him to replace all the flowers in the back garden with roses…”

“Merchants are coming by to show us new furniture and accessories, so bring me the checkbook right now…”

Listening to the voices of my uncle’s family echoing from the hallway one floor below, my mind raced.

If things go on like this, it’s no different from being placed under house arrest in the estate.

I wouldn’t be able to attend the capital academy, where I’ve studied for six years and have just one year left until graduation.

And any friends who come to visit me would likely be turned away under the excuse that my health isn’t well.

And in truth, my health really would deteriorate. Because they’ll poison me.

Under the pretext of taking care of me since I’m struggling to move, I’d be practically confined to a back room on the first floor, growing weaker until eventually, I wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed.

So I have to escape before then.

While they are intoxicated with their victory.

When they still think a sixteen-year-old girl left alone without family is easy to handle.

When the mercenaries brought by my uncle are busy unpacking and aren’t watching me yet.

When is that?

Right now.

“Lady Riche…!”

“Mister.”

I stood up to greet the lawyer who had sneaked into the study.

Earlier today, on our way back to the mansion, I had secretly asked the butler to bring our family’s asset manager and lawyer to me.

The butler who had guided the lawyer here winked to signal success, then closed the door behind him and left.

“What in the… huff, puff…”

The lawyer was panting heavily, likely unaccustomed to the sudden exertion of physical activity.

There was no time. I went straight to the point.

“Freeze all of the family’s assets.”

Until I come of age and can exercise my rights directly.

Or until my brother returns and succeeds the title of Count as the rightful heir.

“Make sure no one can touch them.”

Especially not that Grand Prince Suyang… no, my uncle’s family.

Understanding my meaning instantly, the lawyer pulled out a notebook and scribbled something down rapidly.

“Yes, under the current circumstances, this is the best course of action. If the assets are frozen, no guardian can touch them arbitrarily. The only problem is that you, Young Lady, will also be completely unable to use the family’s assets before coming of age…”

Will you be alright with that? the lawyer asked with his eyes.

I nodded.

“I have a personal asset of my own. That should be enough to get by for a while.”

“An asset of yours that I wasn’t aware of, Young Lady?”

“I don’t even know the exact details myself. It’s a building in the capital.”

My brother gave it to me to celebrate ranking first in the Academy’s Department of Magic.

At the time he gifted it to me, my brother had described it as “a means by which you can live comfortably on your own even if our family collapses overnight.”

Thinking ‘that person is up to weird things again,’ I had never once bothered to look at it.

Now that I think about it, it was a stroke of unbelievable luck.

“A means to live on… could it be a boarding house where we can collect rent?”

“High probability of that.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about. Capital boarding houses have managers dispatched by the Academy, so Young Lady, you can simply sit back and collect the rent.”

“Right.”

I nodded and added:

“And if, by any chance, I die before coming of age and inheriting the assets—”

“Young Lady…”

“Donate all of the family’s assets to society.”

Even if I were to die a hundred deaths, I won’t give a single penny to that Grand Prince Suyang wannabe.

“The dresses, the jewelry, the shoes in my room… put every single thing, down to the woolen carpet on the floor, on the family asset list.”

When my uncle and his aunt proudly pull out my mother’s checkbook after buying various items from merchants, they’ll be told that payments have been suspended.

If I’m going to run, I’m going to leave them a parting gift.

If I can’t use it, neither can you. Let’s become penniless together, Uncle.

“Especially my room on the third floor. Don’t leave a single item out of that room.”

“Understood.”

“And lastly.”

I asked the plump lawyer, who was clenching his fists with a resolute expression:

“Can you help me escape from here?”

One hour later.

I arrived in the capital.

‘Because our family’s estate has a portal that connects directly to the capital.’

It’s a secret known only to the four members of our family and a few key servants.

My uncle probably couldn’t even imagine that I’ve already fled all the way to the capital.

“I’d like to retrieve the withdrawal notice submitted under my name.”

I quickly went to the Academy to cancel the withdrawal procedure and submitted a leave of absence instead. Then I visited the Royal Bank to verify the land deeds stored in my personal safe.

• 36 Maple Street.

“The location isn’t bad.”

I set off, following the map drawn by the bank clerk.

“35, 36… Is this it?”

I checked the address and looked up.

A charming two-story building with lemon-colored walls came into view.

A second floor topped with a green roof, and a first floor featuring multiple square windows through which the interior was clearly visible.

A quaint lavender bush right next to the green front gate—the exact same color as the roof—and a small vegetable garden behind the house enclosed by a white fence.

And… a signboard plastered with a giant picture of my childhood face?

“…My Doting Brother’s Magic Shop?”

The ‘means by which I can live comfortably on my own’ that my brother prepared for me… was self-employment?

[My Doting Brother’s Magic Shop]

• Sales: 0

• Expenses: 0

• Total Assets: 0

• Special Notes: I need to change the shop name. Right now.