ITMLWKM 17

Chapter 17 

“…So?”

After I had thoroughly finished off even the water Carsian had brought me, he asked,

“What are you going to do now?”

A little while earlier, I had finally told him that the potion Betty had discovered was something I had obtained through my own ability. I repeated several times that I hadn’t stolen it.

I was afraid that Carsian might start seeing me as some kind of thief.

“The Marquis definitely won’t believe you.”

At his words, I nodded gloomily.

“I know. Even if I tell him I’m innocent, he’ll just make Susan suffer even more.”

“But you can’t just sit here and do nothing, can you?”

Even Carsian felt sorry after hearing that Susan was being whipped in my place.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and nodded.

“Actually, I already have a plan.”

“What?”

“With this method, I can not only get rid of Betty, but I can also embarrass my father.”

I let Carsian in on part of my plan.

He listened quietly, nodding his head, but then he suddenly looked at me with an odd expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering if you’d always been this smart.”

He laughed while wrinkling the bridge of his nose.

Well, I had been pretty… incredibly stupid before.

Maybe Carsian already knew how desperately I’d craved my mother’s love.

But things were going to be completely different from now on!

I shot him a glare and continued,

“But there’s one problem with this plan.”

“A problem?”

“Yeah. I don’t have any evidence.”

The people in the Marquis’s household wouldn’t listen to a single word I said.

Chewing on my thumbnail, I muttered,

“I need evidence that no one can deny.”

Carsian reached over, pulled my hand away from my mouth, and said,

“We’ll find a way. Don’t rush.”

Then he examined the sharp edges of my fingernails and clicked his tongue.

The gesture was so natural that I unconsciously left my hand in his.

In the original story, before he lost his emotions because of the people in the Marquis’s household, Carsian had been an incredibly thoughtful child.

Later, after the princess—the female lead—helped him regain his emotions, he became an obsessively devoted man who was both considerate and affectionate.

Gentle and caring toward the woman he loved.

Meticulous and merciless toward his enemies.

Even the scenes where he hunted down enemies who thought they were safely hidden were terrifying enough to rival a horror movie.

Still absentmindedly playing with my hand, Carsian suddenly asked,

“By the way, what’s that pendant hanging from Pirori’s necklace? It’s been sparkling the whole time.”

Every time Pirori moved, the gem-like bead attached to the necklace caught the moonlight and glittered.

“I don’t know, either. The owner of the Gruan Merchant Company gave it to me. He said it would help if I became friends with Pirori.”

“If you become friends with a bird, that pendant will help?”

Carsian repeated my words skeptically.

He thought for a moment before suddenly snapping his fingers.

“I’ve got it. Pirori, come here.”

As Carsian held out his hand, Pirori, who had been strolling across the table, shot him a fierce glare.

‘What am I, a dog? Just because you call me doesn’t mean I’ll come!’

Of course, Carsian couldn’t read Pirori’s expression and simply continued beckoning him over.

I quickly noticed the spark of realization on Carsian’s face.

“Pirori, go to Carsian.”

At my command, Pirori looked utterly betrayed.

‘Latia, even you?!’

But he had no choice except to fly over to Carsian.

Carsian examined the necklace while Pirori sat on his finger, gripping it tightly with his tiny claws.

“Just as I thought.”

He smiled triumphantly.

“Latia.”

“Yeah?”

“You owe me.”

Huh?

What was he talking about?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Carsian leaned closer and whispered something into my ear.

My eyes widened immediately.

“I-If we use that method…!”

“Don’t forget that you owe me.”

He chuckled.

I nodded enthusiastically.

“I won’t forget! I’ll spend my whole life paying you back!”

I was so happy that I couldn’t help grinning like an idiot.

For just a brief moment, something flickered in Carsian’s eyes.

But it disappeared almost instantly.

Three Days Later

Three days later, my father finally sent me a single cup of water, saying,

“This should be enough time for you to reflect on your actions.”

It was only enough to wet my throat.

Not warm porridge.

Not soup.

Just a single glass of cold water, offered as though he were being generous.

The sheer audacity of it was unbelievable.

When Pirori saw it, he became so furious that he started muttering about plucking out all their hair and turning them bald.

Oddly enough, calming Pirori down helped calm my own anger.

Thanks to that, I was able to think more rationally.

On the day he’d punished me, my father had undoubtedly discovered that the potion was still in his study.

But my father was an extremely prideful man.

There was no way he would admit that he’d made a mistake and revoke the punishment he’d already handed down.

Which meant that he’d knowingly starved me for three days despite realizing I was innocent.

All because of his pathetic pride.

If Carsian and Pirori hadn’t helped me, it would have been unbearable.

During those three days, Pirori secretly traveled back and forth to the basement, “telling” me how Susan was doing.

Then, two days later, I was summoned by my father.

“The Marquis ordered me to bring you immediately… but you should probably wash first.”

The maid pinched her nose as she looked at me, as though I smelled terrible.

How ridiculous.

Over the past few days, I’d managed to eat and even wash with the help of Carsian and Pirori.

It wasn’t as perfect as when Susan took care of me, but I certainly didn’t stink.

“Hurry up and wash.”

The maid filled the bathtub with cold water.

There wasn’t even a separate basin for washing my face.

It was as though even warm bathwater was considered a waste on me.

I glared at her before washing myself.

The cold water sent chills through my body, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.

I’m definitely going to escape this filthy, pathetic family.

And when they all meet their downfall, I’ll be the only one left standing.

The harassment I suffered at the hands of the people in this household only strengthened my desire for revenge.

I waited in the drawing room until my father finally entered.

He didn’t even bother greeting me.

Still, I stood up and bowed.

Ignoring me completely, he asked,

“Do you know why I called you here today?”

Because you’re going to make me manage the illegal fighting arena.

In my previous life, the moment my father realized I was good at arithmetic, he immediately put me to work.

He assigned me simple calculations that he would otherwise have had to do himself.

The tasks were too trivial to justify hiring someone, yet they consumed too much of his time.

I wanted his praise.

I wanted his recognition.

So I worked hard.

I even sacrificed sleep so I could check my calculations over and over again, terrified of making a mistake.

Once I proved that I wouldn’t make any errors, he gradually began assigning me more difficult work.

By the time I died, I was managing betting funds.

At ten years old.

But I knew that.

The Latia of this life wasn’t supposed to know any of it.

So I carefully shook my head.

“No. I’m not sure.”

Perhaps it was because I’d washed in cold water.

Or perhaps it was because I’d been starving for days.

My voice was so weak that I sounded like someone on the verge of collapse.

My father looked pleased.

“I hear you’ve been meeting with the owner of the Gruan Merchant Company quite often lately.”

“…What?”

I was so shocked that my eyes widened.

Why is he bringing that up now?

I’d expected my father to hear rumors about my meetings with Celtron.

We hadn’t exactly been meeting in secret.

But the Gruan Merchant Company was insignificant.

Even after awakening his druid abilities, Celtron still hadn’t done anything noteworthy.

I hadn’t yet started working with my father, nor had I given him any valuable information.

From my father’s perspective, this was nothing more than an illegitimate daughter without any personal wealth associating with the owner of a failing merchant company.

That was precisely why he’d left us alone until now.

So why was he bringing up the Gruan Merchant Company now, just when he was supposed to be assigning me work at the illegal fighting arena?

I was confused, but I forced myself to look ignorant.

The more relaxed my father became, the more information he would reveal.

And my assumption proved completely correct.

“You are the eldest daughter of the Gladellis Marquis family.”

He spoke in a voice carefully crafted to sound fatherly.

“If people hear that someone like you is associating with a merchant company of all things—especially one as insignificant as the Gruan Company—what do you think they’ll say?”

“…”

“You behave as though you have no awareness of your status as a member of the Gladellis family.”

I glanced up at him.

His blue eyes gleamed with greed.

“I heard that he originally came to sell medicinal herbs.”

He continued.

“And I also heard that you wanted to buy them.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“What possible reason would you have for needing medicinal herbs? Aren’t the same herbs sold by the Gruan Company already growing in the estate’s garden?”

At that moment, I finally understood why he’d brought up the Gruan Company.

Back then, I’d told the knights that I needed “highly effective medicinal herbs.”

Then I’d taken Celtron to my room.

“‘Highly effective medicinal herbs,’ you say… Does that mean you think the herbs growing in our garden aren’t effective enough?”

“Yes.”

At my answer, the sinister light in my father’s blue eyes intensified.

“And why exactly do you think that?”

His voice was gentle, almost as if he were coaxing a child.

But beneath that gentleness was a sharp, probing edge.

It seemed that my father was very interested in the conversations that had taken place between Celtron and me.