*Swoosh.* The rain fell in violent, relentless sheets.
I stood facing Askin, soaked to the bone, with no roof to shield me. His deep blue eyes were void of sympathy, burning only with cold fury.
“Oppa!”
I knew things had gone wrong—terribly wrong—but seeing Aria gave me a sliver of hope.
*‘As expected, living in this body is a fast track to an early grave.’*
Look at this. Any rational person would pause to hear an explanation, but here I was, one slip away from meeting the Grim Reaper. I was dying to tell him, “I’m not Charlize, you’re taking your anger out on the wrong person,” and let loose a string of curses.
But stay calm, Yoon Ji-Hoo. Stay calm. My ten billion in assets is waiting for me, calling me “Master”……!
It was the very moment I opened my mouth to explain that a voice, trembling with rage, cut through the downpour.
“What is the meaning of all this?”
I turned toward a sudden, brilliant light—so dazzling I had to squint. I heard hurried footsteps, and soon, a hand reached out with formal grace.
As I took it, my body lifted off the ground.
Only then did I realize that the man who had hoisted me up was a knight wearing the Alzbeit house livery. Standing amidst the light, looking grim, was my maternal grandfather, the Duke Alzbeit.
“What have you done to my beloved granddaughter, Duke Remut!”
Grandfather trembled with rage as he took in the sight of me, covered in rain and mud.
*Uh, uh-uh? Wait, wait a minute, Grandfather? Let’s stay calm. For now…….*
“What have you done? Answer me at once!”
To be honest, seeing Grandfather trembling in such fury on my behalf was moving, even though I was technically a stranger to him. But this wasn’t the time for sentiment.
“Are you not the fiancé of my precious granddaughter? Not only are you failing to treat her with the respect she deserves, you dare to let her roll in the dirt like this?”
“……I suppose you’ve forgotten that I sent you a letter of annulment. Or would you like me to personally send you another one?”
“Ha, how insolent. You were helped when things were tough, and now that you’re living comfortably, you think you can just do this? Do you think an annulment happens just because you want it to? Treating my granddaughter this way—do you think I’ll just let it go?!”
*Oh wait, wait. Grandfather. Stop with the outbursts. Stop!*
Feeling a warning siren go off in my brain, I tried to push myself up. For some reason, my body was shivering so violently it wouldn’t obey me.
“Did you say annulment? Then go ahead. Pay back every cent you owe me right now—the ten billion gold, including interest and penalty fees. And for this incident, you’ll pay four times the interest for this month as accountability. If you don’t like it, I’ll proceed according to the terms of the contract!”
“…….”
“If all of this is too difficult, then let’s not have an engagement—let’s have a wedding, so the Remut family can be absorbed into the Alzbeit family.”
Standing under the downpour, I felt as if I’d just heard a death sentence delivered in astronomical sums. Grandfather’s thunderous voice had even silenced Aria, who had been tugging frantically at Askin’s arm.
I let out a groan as I pushed myself up.
“Put me down.”
I ordered the knight. He hesitated, but seeing the coldness in my gaze, he hurriedly set me on my feet.
“……Your family, who views people only as currency—it’s truly sickening.”
“It’s laughable. You are the very one who borrowed money from that family, Duke Remut. This is the penalty for not cherishing my granddaughter.”
“Grandfather.”
I stood in his way. The rain was still pouring, and without an umbrella, I was getting soaked. Grandfather looked startled, quickly shielding me with his own.
“Please, just listen to me first.”
“Hmph. Child, Charlize, are you alright? That man dared to push you…….”
“No. He didn’t push me.”
I wrung the water from my dripping hair and replied with a bright smile.
“I tripped on my own, but Grandfather misunderstood.”
A flicker of doubt crossed my grandfather’s expression. He looked at me as if the very idea were absurd.
Though he had been cold when he first spoke of the annulment, seeing him now, I realized that despite his nasty methods, he truly seemed to treasure Charlize.
“…….”
Askin looked at me with an unreadable expression. Perhaps he was curious why I would defend him when he was the one spearheading the annulment.
It was simple: I needed to win your favor.
If there had been an option to seduce a different man, perhaps that would have been better, but I only had the option of getting along with you.
“And I have no intention of breaking off the engagement with the Duke. So Grandfather, please…… don’t speak so harshly to my fiancé.”
“……Huh.”
Grandfather’s mustache twitched. Even if he looked at me like that, I hadn’t forgotten that he had demanded ten billion gold earlier, all because there was a speck of dirt on his granddaughter.
“Such a headstrong girl.”
Grandfather clicked his tongue and turned away. I knew this was the end of the confrontation for now.
I glanced back. Aria’s eyes met mine, and she opened her mouth as if to say something.
“Young Duchess!”
Susan approached, offering me an umbrella. I handed it back to her to use and walked behind my grandfather, sheltered by the knight’s umbrella.
*‘Pretty lady over there. Please, say a good word about me to your oppa…….’*
Still, since the vibe with Aria hadn’t been bad, could I hope for good news? Even if I couldn’t expect him to drop the idea of the annulment, I hoped he would see me in a different light—at least enough to hold a proper conversation.
My body shivered slightly. I felt a gaze burning into my back, but I kept walking without looking over my shoulder.
* * *
“Achoo-!”
It happened exactly as I had expected. I caught a cold immediately upon our return.
It was no simple chill, but a severe case of body aches. However, the power of money proved to be absolute. Following my grandfather’s orders, a high-ranking healing mage and a priest were summoned to boost my recovery. The aches vanished, leaving behind only a ticklish cold that made me sneeze.
*‘Money is truly amazing…….’*
The healer who cast the recovery magic was so competent he was second to none in the capital, rumored to be capable of reattaching severed limbs. The fact that they had summoned such a specialist for a mere cold was staggering.
“Hmm? What brings you here, young Duchess? Is this not to handle the aftermath of the mess you caused?”
The healing mage tilted his head as he spoke. It seemed he was frequently called to clean up the various accidents Charlize had caused.
The rain that day had been so heavy I wondered if the sky had been torn open. Sure enough, I heard that the entire Remut territory had been hit by torrential rain. After I left, the downpour had continued, causing widespread flooding and disaster across the land.
*‘……Aria, she’s alright, right?’*
Perhaps because of what I had seen briefly in the carriage, I couldn’t stop worrying.
That afternoon, my body finally felt refreshed. The moment I began to recover, I was summoned by my grandfather.
*‘Summoned the moment I’m better, as if he knew perfectly well. Someone must be reporting my every move to him?’*
I kept that thought hidden as I faced him.
“You’ve come.”
Grandfather wore a stubborn expression, acting as if he hadn’t taken my side in the Remut territory only recently. Hmph, I had already witnessed his hidden affection.
I smiled broadly. His mustache twitched. I beamed even brighter, and his expression cracked into an annoyed “hrrn.”
“Grandfather.”
“You’re using your charms because you don’t want to get scolded.”
“Thank you.”
“…….”
“Thanks to you, my cold is almost gone.”
“……I couldn’t let my granddaughter suffer from a fever.”
Grandfather let his dignity slip for a moment, letting out a dry cough. *Ahem.*
Then, he composed his features into a stern expression, though it was already far too late for that.
“Let’s talk about that day.”
“Talk about what day?”
I feigned ignorance, but it was no use.
“Why on earth did you go and pull out the hair of Duke Remut’s younger sister?”
“……Pardon?”
I knew playing dumb would be a lost cause, but I never imagined this would come up.
The tension drained from my face.
*No, more importantly, how do they know I touched Aria’s hair?*
“Were you having me watched?”
“Watched? Hah, anyone could tell by the state of that young lady that her hair had been yanked out.”
“…….”
I suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Aria. I wondered if she’d managed to groom her hair properly after that day.
……I’ll have to gift her a nice comb or something next time.
“Who else but you would have ripped out her hair right there on the spot? You were always annoyed by that girl.”
It was a relief to know I wasn’t being watched. I had nearly suspected Susan for nothing.
Though, it seemed I had been thoroughly misunderstood instead.
“Hmm, that’s right. Now that I think about it, I suppose I was quite interested in her. I don’t have any sisters, after all.”
I smiled casually.
“So, one could say my interest was expressed rather… poorly.”
Grandfather frowned, looking as if he couldn’t grasp my meaning.
“Do you wish to possess a toy? But that one is something that could die at any moment. If you require something pretty, I shall procure it for you.”