TLDH~42

Chapter 42

And in the end, if Grandfather intended to hand over Essier to Andrea, the only thing I could do was delay that date as much as possible.

Until the day I return from Oné, have my debutante ball, and hold my coming-of-age ceremony.

That way, I could properly lay my foundation.

In the meantime, I needed to resolve the issue with my father and save up some money.

To do that, I needed basic funds to use even while at Oné.

I tapped my chin.

‘Even for that, I need to deal with Aunt Velia…’

The person managing the personal assets designated for me was Aunt Velia.

My father was far away, visiting at best once a year, and the ones responsible for me in the capital residence under the title of guardians were my second uncle and his wife.

Of course, due to the incident a few days ago, I had earned Grandfather’s suspicion, but I still had to go through Aunt Velia to access my things.

From my personal account to the land, jewels, everything that my father had received from the Emperor and given to me.

‘Lesha is young, so your aunt will manage it well and give it back to you when you grow up.’

I had heard that since I was little, but in my previous life, I never saw the assets meant for me until the moment I was kicked out. My assets weren’t part of Essier; they belonged solely to my father and me.

Until my death, I didn’t get a single penny back.

I suspect they had either already embezzled it all or used it up, leaving nothing to return to me.

After Grandfather collapsed, they were openly planning to drive me out.

‘They probably never intended to return it in the first place.’

So, in this life, I had to make them let go while Grandfather was still healthy.
To do that-
‘I need Arina and Lynzie.’

The reason I left Arina, who was always hovering near me with grape juice, and Lynzie, who seemed to despise Arina, to their nerve-wracking tensions was for this moment.

It might seem like both Arina and Lynzie were Velia’s people, but-
‘Lynzie isn’t.’
Probably, the one who would deal a massive blow to the back of Arina, Ellin, and ultimately Velia would be Lynzie.
‘That’s how it was in my previous life, after all.’

Anyway, I just needed to set that stage properly.

Of course, asking Bennett for help would make it easy, but wouldn’t it be a waste to use my ‘Bennett Free Pass’ on something like this?

He should be used more preciously.

Furthermore, only if he doesn’t get involved can I effectively drive out Arina and simultaneously deal a blow to Aunt Velia.

Only by starkly revealing Aunt Velia’s true nature could I make her relinquish her authority over managing my affairs and some of her control over the household finances.

I needed to cause as big a problem as possible.
‘For the sake of my comfortable future.’

Hmm.

Tapping the end of my chin, I buried myself in the large single-seater sofa and looked out the window.
‘The money issue is too easy.’

That was to add minor blows alongside a bigger problem; it was too trivial an issue to expose on its own.

Grandfather probably already knew about that much.

Of course, Arina would be driven out, but Aunt Velia would probably just get a slight scolding.
Just like the incident a few days ago where they tried to corner me.

‘Then, what would be good?’

I recalled the numerous weaknesses of Arina and Lynzie that I knew and quickly turned them over in my mind.

But-

“Young Lady?”
I let out a long sigh at Arina’s appearance, interrupting my thoughts.
“Hewhew.”

But despite my openly displeased expression, Arina, beaming with a smile, entered carrying a glass bottle full of juice.
“It’s the grape juice our Young Lady loves.”

Her mood seemed inexplicably cheerful. I narrowed my eyes at her, and Arina laughed as she placed the bottle on the console.

It was red grape today.

I had said I disliked green grapes, so Arina, persistent, had ground red grapes into juice. I let out another long sigh.
“It’ll be sweeter today. I took special care while grinding it.”
“Put it there. I’ll drink it later.”
“Drink it now.”

She’s at it again.

I furrowed my brow at her increasingly pushy behavior lately.

Seeing my frown, Arina, as if thinking ‘oops’, quickly smiled brightly.
“I worked hard to grind this. It’s so sweet and nice to have a glass when you’re tired.”
“Hoo.”

Let’s not even talk.

I didn’t want to argue over this. I waved my hand as if to say, ‘Do as you please.’ Arina smiled and turned around.
“Hum hum hum.”

Even humming?

But unlike her leisurely humming, the sound of her taking out a glass was sharp.

At this uncharacteristic behavior, I slightly furrowed my brows and saw Arina glancing furtively in my direction. As if confirming my location, her eyes flickered, and then she quickly poured something *plop* into the glass before hurriedly filling it with grape juice.

Then she stirred it vigorously with a long spoon and turned around.
“If you drink this, you’ll feel more energetic. You have no idea how sweet and delicious it is.”

She put something in that juice.

Her strange behavior made any desire to drink what she offered vanish completely.
“I won’t drink it. You drink it, Arina.”

I shook my head and buried my nose back into the blanket.

But Arina, as if unwilling to back down, smiled affectionately and thrust the glass forward.
“It’s good for your health.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Quickly now.”

Her persistence was close to coercion. I turned my head away, and Arina beamed, extending the glass.

Her odd behavior only solidified my suspicion.
‘She really did put something in it.’

Convinced I hadn’t seen wrong, I stared at her intently with narrowed eyes.

But it seemed like Arina couldn’t see my expression or gaze at all now.

What on earth did she put in?

Surely, she isn’t trying to kill me?
‘Why?’

The thought flashed through my mind, and I looked up at her, my face stiff.

But no matter how much I thought about it, she had no reason to kill me.

The way I’ve been treating her coldly lately was too trivial a reason for her to harbor murderous intent.

So, at the very least, it wasn’t poison.

And there was absolutely no benefit for Arina if I died now.

On the contrary, she needed to stick close to me to gain anything.

People curious about me, who caught Grandfather’s eye and now lives in the main residence, weren’t few.

Just selling the information she knew to those people would bring her a tidy sum; there was no reason to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

‘Then what on earth did she put in there?’

All the grape juices lately seemed suspicious.
“I don’t want it.”

I covered my mouth and shook my head.

Seeing this, Arina’s shoulders slumped, and the expression on her face, which had been smiling all along, stiffened as if a nerve had twitched.
“Young Lady, why are you being so disobedient lately? How many times have I told you that if you keep this up, it will be troublesome for Lord Shariet?”
“……”
“You need to show him that you are living healthily. Come on, now.”

At her words, now trying to bind me by bringing up my father, her expression rigid, I narrowed my eyes.
‘There’s definitely something.’

It probably wasn’t poison, but it was clearly something that would harm me.
“I don’t want it.”

Trying to avoid it for now, I got up from the sofa and quickly escaped to the bed, putting my hand under the pillow. My father’s dagger. I probably couldn’t do much with it, but I gripped it tightly, buried my face deep into the pillow, and shook my head.

But seeing me like that, Arina let out a rough breath through her nose, approached the bed, and grabbed my wrist tightly.
“Ouch!”

She gripped so hard that the ring Arina was wearing pressed sharply into my wrist bone.
“Young Lady, really!”

It seemed if I kept refusing, she would force me to drink it. The force with which she tried to pull me up made my eyes widen.

My wrist, grabbed fiercely, hurt as if being pinched.

The pain of the tender flesh being pressed was so intense I couldn’t make a sound. I lifted my head.
“It hurts!”
“Young Lady!”

Even when I said it hurt, Arina shook my arm so hard I thought it might come off. I lifted my head.

Over my sleeve, which had slid down, I saw the hand she had grabbed turning white.

And the sight of Arina glaring at me with a face twisted as fiercely as the Headmistress who dragged the child into the Headmistress’s office that day made my whole body feel like it was trembling.

I was scared.

I knew she couldn’t really threaten me, but it felt like Ishia’s memories were taking over my body.

It felt as if despair, that no matter how much I struggled to escape this situation, nothing would change, was pressing down on my entire body.

It felt hard to breathe.

Even though I knew it wasn’t true.
“Let go, let me go.”

The more I struggled, the tighter her grip became. Biting my trembling lips, I lifted my head-
“Why won’t you listen when asked nicely?”
‘Do I look foolish because I used words?’

Arina’s sneering face overlapped with the Headmistress’s, and in an instant, my mind snapped clear.
‘Arina is not the Headmistress.’

And this wasn’t the orphanage either.

It wasn’t that space I thought I could never escape.

If I just opened the door, there were people who would help me.

Just having Lynzie would be enough.

Then it would be the end for Arina.

Continuing to reassure myself, I took a deep breath.

And then-
“Here, the juice.”
“Waaaaah!”

I started crying loudly.

As loudly as I could, so everyone in the main residence could hear.