TLDH~19

Chapter 19

“……What?”

“A-b-o-v-e B-o-a-r-d. Don’t you know what that means?”

It was the same way he always used to torment me.

He would deliberately use difficult words and then mock me for not knowing them.

‘Of course, this time he said it without realizing I genuinely wouldn’t know.’

But in the end, it seemed I had ended up mimicking the very actions he used to do.

It didn’t feel very pleasant.

However, I had no reason to explain the meaning to him. As I stared at him blankly, I could see Chandler’s face gradually turning red.

He was probably recalling all the things he had said to me until now.

I stared fixedly at his face, which was experiencing the very emotions he had hoped I would feel whenever he said those things. The corners of Chandler’s mouth twitched, and the bridge of his nose widened.

He looked like he was about to raise his hand and strike me at any moment. Thinking it best to avoid the shitstorm, I turned my body away.

“Let’s go, Hayle.”

“Ah.”

But at that moment, his eyes sparkled as if he had thought of something. He looked back and forth between me and Hayle and pulled the corner of his mouth.

“I forgot about this method.”

My face stiffened at his vividly cruel expression. He gestured toward me.

“Hey, you. Come here.”

“What?”

“Not you.”

Chandler grinned maliciously and poked his index finger past me.

“You, you’re the housekeeper from the East Annex, right?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. I was just needing more help. From now on, you’ll work in my quarters.”

Was he seriously out of his mind? Had he eaten something wrong?

“What?”

I frowned at Chandler’s words.

But Chandler, not even looking at me, flipped his pointing finger towards Hayle and curled it inward, gesturing for her to come.

“You know who my mother is, right?”

“Madam Beria, the wife of the Young Master.”

“Not that. I mean, you know my mother manages all the internal affairs of the mansion, right? Don’t make this difficult for no reason. If you force my mother to get involved, things will only get harder for you.”

Chandler sneered as he looked at me.

“And let me tell you one very important thing. The reason you’re being transferred to my quarters to be tormented by me is all because of him.”

“…….”

“Every time he irritates me, I’m going to take it out on you.”

My clenched fist trembled.

What should I do with this crazy bastard?

Should I just beat him up right now?

“I’ll send someone else to your quarters.”

“…….”

“Letitia, I’m asking you this as a favor.”

Chandler put his hands together and shook them in front of me.

This little brat was really picking a fight properly.

When I ignored him, he targeted someone close to me.

Who on earth did he learn such a vile trick from?

‘No need to wonder.’

Who else would teach him such things but his uncle and aunt?

They’re doing a fantastic job with his upbringing, truly.

But it was also true that this was a headache.

If I took Hayle away with me here, Chandler would think I cared about her and would redouble his efforts to take her away from me.

Then Hayle’s path to suffering would be wide open.

‘That won’t do.’

Why, of all days, did I bring Hayle with me today?

I was filled with regret.

But what’s done is done.

“No. Let’s go, Hayle.”

If he tried to take Hayle away, I just had to protect her.

But—

“What do you mean ‘no’! I’m the direct descendant!”

As expected, Chandler immediately resorted to force, grabbing Hayle’s wrist.

“She’s mine now. Ailly, take her to my quarters.”

“Yes, Young Master…”

“If you move, I won’t let it slide.”
“And what are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll make you regret it.”
“Ha, regret? You’re the one who’ll regret it. Ailly!”
“I warned you.”
“You wa~rned me? How amusing.”

Chandler ignored my words and shrugged his shoulders.

I took a long, deep breath at the sight, let out a short, scoffing laugh, and as Chandler turned to hand the captured hand over to Ailly—

“I said no!”

I pushed Chandler’s hand away and hid Hayle behind me.

Because of that, Chandler tumbled onto the dirt ground again. Excited by the situation, his face turned dark with rage as he got up and screamed.

“You! How! Dare you! Do you want to be kicked out right now?”
“Aunt Beria is really scary. Letisha, you’re so dead.”

As Jason chimed in, Chandler seemed to gain momentum, puffing up his shoulders arrogantly.

“Yeah, if I tell my mom, you won’t just be sent to the Oné estate, you’ll be kicked out to Diabria right away!”
“Diabria sounds nice.”

I stared at them with a hardened gaze as they looked at each other and giggled.

Diabria.

That place, very close to Oné, was the commoners’ residential district.

It was a place where the dregs of society, beggars, and even criminals all gathered.

And here were a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old threatening to send their own cousin to such a place.

By tattling to their mom, no less.

Heh.

Why hadn’t I been able to see their true feelings like this until just a few days ago?

‘I was just young.’

A mere 6 years old. The whole world was just that small room in the Duke’s mansion.

I was just a little child who wanted to live in the Duke’s mansion, who wanted to be loved like the other direct descendants.

Why did they have to drive me out like that? I was just a child without a father…

‘Not to mention, I was the only girl who could even be sold off in the marriage market.’

I found out later, but apparently, they later adopted girls from distant branches of vassal families and married them off here and there to form alliances.

Did they not have that idea back when they were kicking me out?

“It’s the perfect place for the daughter of a bastard.”
“Ah, right. I heard from my mom, his mom was from Diabria.”

Instantly, my train of thought was cut off by my cousins’ words, which linked one after another.

“So was she a prostitute?”
“Eww. Disgusting.”
“That makes sense.”

To speak that way about a mother whose face I can’t even remember.

I had held back until now, even with Hayle.

But their words had crossed a line. The reason I had been barely holding onto snapped instantly—pop—just like that.

It felt like ‘I’ was stepping aside for a moment.

And in that moment, the lid blew right off.

“You stupid, shitty, cowardly bastard! Do you really wanna die?!”

My eyes rolled back as I shouted and kicked Chandler’s shin hard enough to make a thwack sound.

Of course, in this critical moment, my short tongue was a bit of a sad handicap.

“Argh! You crazy bitch!”

As if he hadn’t expected such an attack, Chandler grabbed his shin and collapsed onto the dirt ground again.

“Jason! Go get Mom! You’re dead, you hear me! Dead!”
“Are you crazy, Lesha? What are you doing hitting Chady-hyung!”

But I didn’t back down from Chandler’s threats. I brushed the hair that had fallen forward back with my small hand and stared down at Chandler.

“I’m not crazy!”
“You!”
“No!”

I retorted sharply, jutting my chin out, not yielding at all. As Chandler sprang up and raised his hand as if to hit me, right at that moment—

Thud! A sound of something striking the ground rang out, followed by my grandfather’s voice, filled with aged authority.

“What is the meaning of this disgraceful behavior!”

Just as Letitia had predicted, Margo, having offered her body to the Emperor’s physicians in turn, looked at the attendant with cold eyes.

The Vice-Chamberlain, Temus, who stood there with his hands clasped behind his back like a creepy, perpetually smiling clown, had been observing the entire process.

Without taking his eyes off Margo.

“Hmm, there are indeed signs of Ictus, albeit minimal.”
“’Minimal’? If you overexert yourself, it will lead to a full-blown attack immediately. Do you wish for our family head to collapse right now?”
“Choose your words carefully. When did I ever say such a thing? I merely…”
“Enough.”

Temus raised his hand as if to mediate the conflict between Paul and the Emperor’s physician, Idgal.

“That’s enough. What is this disgraceful spectacle in front of His Grace the Duke of Acier?”
“…….”
“My apologies.”

Temus then placed his right hand over his chest and bowed his head to Margo.

His apology made it impossible to further question Idgal’s words. Margo twisted one corner of her mouth and nodded.

“Indeed. For an Emperor’s physician, you seem to have little sense of the weight of your words.”
“…….”

Margo pulled down her rolled-up sleeves, straightened her open shirt, and began buttoning it, her cold gaze sweeping over Idgal and the other physicians.

Most of them were subordinates of the Netua family, the Empress’s maiden family.

Idgal had been a vassal of the Netua Ducal family for generations, and the physician next to him was the same.

The others were likely also from vassal families serving the Netua Ducal house.

It was an obvious ploy.

It seemed that while Margo was under house arrest, staying indoors, they had thoroughly replaced the staff.

The Empress, who couldn’t dare touch the administrative branch, was filling the Imperial Household Department with her own people.

‘How laughable.’

Netua was probably the one who would be most thrilled and running wild about my retirement.

‘That’s why they brought this horde to my house.’

Margo turned her cold gaze to Vice-Chamberlain Temus.