Chapter 8

Please, Andy. We had a good time, even if it was brief. We shared food and went to the bookstore together.

Hermia’s eyes pleaded with Andy, who frantically waved his hands. 

“I-I was waiting outside the whole time, so I don’t know anything! I really didn’t see anything!”

Is this what it feels like to go between heaven and hell? Andy was desperately trying to remain neutral.

Thank you, Andy. You’re off the hook for the sandwich-snitching incident.

Just as she made that determination, the Countess threw the brooch onto the sofa with annoyance.

“How can I brag about something like this? It’s embarrassing!”

“Um… My lady, dinner is ready…”

At that moment, Lady Laura cautiously approached. When the Countess shot her a sharp glare, she continued in a trembling voice.

“The master is waiting for you…”

“Tell him to eat alone!”

‘Uh… then what about my dinner?’

The Countess shot a cutting remark at Hermia, who was sitting there blankly.

“You two are so alike! You’re both so irresponsible! Go to your room and reflect on your behavior!” 

“Yes…”

To have brought a gift only to be told to reflect on herself felt deeply unfair, but she found some satisfaction in it. 

She was glad she had bought some snacks earlier. It would have been better to have eaten more.

Pushing her disappointment aside, Hermia returned to her room and began looking for a place to hide her remaining emergency funds.

Since Andy had seen her put them under the pillow when she left, it would be better to hide them somewhere else. The space under the bed seemed too obvious, and just then, the door swung open.

It seemed that the household staff were gradually losing their awareness of needing to knock before entering her room.

Andy closed the door behind her and walked over, fixing his gaze on the bundle of money in Hermia’s hand. Finally, she spoke with an audacious tone.

“I’ve helped you again, haven’t I?”

“…Huh?”

“The brooch. I didn’t tell anyone you chose it.”

Canceling her exclusion from the list of suspects was a mistake. That’s right; Andy was quite a materialistic kid.

Hermia reluctantly handed her a bill as he reached out expectantly.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“…….”

However, Andy didn’t leave; she continued staring at the money. A bad feeling always turns out to be true. This time, Andy crossed his arms and began pacing around the room.

“Thinking about it, this doesn’t seem fair at all.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Think about it. The mercenary only took two hours of his time for 1.3 million Persos, while I hid your book and even lied for only 300,000?”

Andy was blackmailing her. 

‘How did I end up being extorted by a maid?’ 

Suppressing her rising frustration, Hermia pulled out two more bills.

“Will this be enough?”

“You should at least make it 1 million!”

“…….”

This time she silently stared at Andy. Her cold demeanor made her hesitate, but Andy wasn’t backing down either.

“Okay then. I’ll be nice and settle for 800,000…”

“Andy.”

“Yes?”

As Hermia stepped forward confidently, Andy flinched. She sighed softly before speaking.

“What do you think will happen if I go downstairs and tell my mother that you and the mercenary robbed me of all my money?”

“What?!”

Andy turned pale instantly as her mouth gaped open in shock. She likely hadn’t expected her to come at him like this.

“For me, it might just end with missing a few meals and getting scolded, but what about you? Do you think my mother will let a maid who dared to extort money from her go unpunished?”

Andy knew well enough about the Count and Countess’s temperament regarding money; they would spring into action at even the slightest hint of theft.

“She would send you to prison for extortion. Moreover, if the victim is nobility, there would be even harsher penalties.”

“…….”

Seeing her silence indicated agreement. Hermia gently patted Andy’s head and whispered kindly,

“So it would be beneficial for you to continue being on my side while earning some pocket money instead. Right?”

“…I understand what you mean.”

Realizing that the situation had turned against her, Andy quickly shifted his attitude. Why do people treat those who comply as fools right away?

“By the way! I hid the book nicely inside your pillow! I did well, didn’t I?”

“Yes. Good job. I’ll read it slowly before taking a bath; can you let me know when Lucy arrives?”

“Don’t worry! I’ll keep an eye out and run over quickly!”

Even though it was somewhat forced, having a solid ally (?) was a harvest in its own right. Andy exited with enthusiasm, her spirits high.

“Phew. Nothing is easy.”

Hermia carefully opened the pillowcase and rummaged through the feather-filled interior to find the yellow book. She felt tired from the overwhelming events of the day, but at the same time, she felt a great sense of pride.

‘Good job, me.’ 

After complimenting herself, she crawled onto the bed and opened the first page of “Stolen Lady.” The moment to finally check the content had arrived.

Before long, she began to immerse herself deeply in the book.

[Chapter 3. A nightmarish night with a raging storm

…Bell blinked repeatedly to determine whether what she was seeing was reality.

The rain pelted her face so fiercely that she wiped it away with her sleeve several times, yet she still couldn’t escape this horrific nightmare.

“Mom, Dad…”

The small hands shaking her motionless parents were soon forcibly lifted by someone.

“They say if you kill a child, no matter how much you repent, you can’t go to heaven. I’ll leave this child to you.”

Bell looked up at the person uttering those terrifying words and was engulfed in shock. The one who killed her parents was none other than her uncle, Arno Vince.

“Uncle! Please save me! I was wrong!”

“Shut up. You must die for the Vince family to be entirely mine!”

Arno Vince coldly handed Bell over to the assassins and pulled out a pouch of gold coins to throw.

“Make sure to finish her off.”

“Don’t worry.”

The coldly turned Arno Vince mounted his horse and swung the reins vigorously. Bell etched into her memory his retreating figure growing distant in the rain.

‘I won’t forgive you! I will take revenge!’

Intense flames burned in her violet eyes.

“Captain! Are we really going to kill this child? No matter how much we do anything for money, killing a child will bring us bad luck for three years!”

“…Cut off her hair and send it to Arno Vince; send the child to Graywood Orphanage. In that secluded place, there’s no risk of Arno Vince noticing her.”

Men wearing black hoods pulled down over their heads were conversing amid the torrential rain.

Bell strained her ears desperately, but the sound of pouring rain drowned out their voices, making it impossible to understand.

One of them took a flask from his pocket, poured a white powder into it, and approached Bell.

“Drink all of this. Then all your memories will disappear. It would be better for you to forget the pain of losing your parents right before your eyes.”

“Let go! I don’t want this!”

Bell struggled violently. However, there was clearly a limit to how much a small girl could resist.

As she forced herself to swallow the liquid sliding down her throat, Bell desperately cried out for her precious friends.

“William! Jade! Help me…!”

In her fading consciousness, she faintly heard a whistle sound. The man forcing the liquid into her was startled and immediately shouted as he mounted his horse.

That was the last thing Bell remembered before losing consciousness.]

Thud. The book fell helplessly from her hands.

“What is… this…?”

In a daze, she suddenly recalled what Irene had said to her.

‘It seems like this is written as if it’s a real story disguised as a novel.’

Is this really a true story? Not just anyone but my father, Count Arnold Vansen, killed his half-brother and took over the family?

“That’s absurd.”

Muttering in disbelief, Hermia began to sift through old memories. She clearly recalled seeing the family tree before…

[This is Vansen (first head of household, natural death) – Peter Vansen (killed in battle) – Jack Vansen (accidental death) – Arnold Vansen (current head of household)]

‘It clearly stated that the previous Count died in an accident…?’

Moreover, as far as she knew, Count Arnold wasn’t someone who would have the guts to plot something like that.

Even though he was patriarchal and narrow-minded, he was timid enough to always back down under the Countess’s pressure; it seemed absurd that such a person would commit murder. She couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it sounded.

If Arno Vince was depicted as a fierce wolf in the novel, then in reality, Arnold Vansen would be akin to a rat scavenging on scraps left behind by predators rather than any kind of wolf.

While her evaluation of her biological father might be harsh, it was true that Hermia viewed Arnold Vansen in such light.

‘Most importantly, my father doesn’t even know how to ride a horse.’

She had once overheard that after being kicked by a horse when he was young, he developed a fear of riding horses.

Despite being someone who never missed gatherings with men, the only excuse he always made for being busy was related to riding clubs!

“Who on earth wrote this?”

Finally regaining her composure, Hermia picked up the book lying on her blanket once more.

The author’s name printed at the bottom read ‘Joel.’

“Joel? That’s a man’s name. Joel… I have no idea who that is.”

No matter how much she thought about it, she found herself completely in the dark. If only there were names of children listed in the family tree; it wouldn’t be so frustrating. Her great-grandfather’s name remained prominently displayed as someone who rose from commoner status after achieving merit in war and received an earldom title while neglecting any mention of his children.

Unfortunately, later generations continued that pathetic tradition as well.

Lucy would be arriving soon; it would be best to read through what remained first.

With fiery determination in her eyes as if she were about to burn the book, Hermia opened another page.

“Chapter 4… Bell Graywood.”

This marked the final chapter of Volume 1 after skipping ahead through time since Bell had grown up.