Several days had passed since the duke's youngest daughter returned to the family estate. Nothing suspicious happened, and overall, the girl behaved as usual... If you could call it that, of course.
“What did you say she did today?”
Contrary to the initial belief of the duke's eldest son that his sister's sudden change was just a temporary act, her strange behavior continued. Even after a week, Camilla hadn't deigned to fall on her knees and beg her relatives for forgiveness. Instead, she seemed to completely ignore them.
Based on this, Yufil interrogated the maid to find out the details of her unusual behavior. The young maid assigned to look after Camilla recalled the events of the last few days:
“My Lady... She... Didn't really do anything special.”
“What?” Yufil was taken aback, “How is that possible?”
“Well...” the girl hesitated, “The Lady wakes up in the middle of the day, then has breakfast and spends the whole day in her room. Oh, yes! Sometimes she goes shopping.”
“Shopping? What kind of shopping?” he inquired keenly.
“Uh... The Lady mentioned that this season is coming to an end, so she needs new outfits. Several sought-after capital designers were invited to the estate. The Lady placed several orders with them. In total, it came to about two hundred thousand gold...”
“WHAT?!”
Yufil de Walte was so surprised that he even stood up from the table. He couldn't believe his ears.
The duke's eldest son never thought his sister capable of something like this.
Throughout her life, to gain recognition from her family members, Camilla had behaved extremely modestly.
Despite belonging to a ducal family, the girl dressed and behaved extremely modestly. There were also no particular luxuries in her chambers. At first glance, one might think she was the daughter of some poor baron.
Camilla never made impulsive purchases and generally very rarely spent funds from the family budget. The girl believed that in this way she could please her father and brother. Other noble ladies “blew” millions on themselves — while she was different from them.
The Duke and Yufil had long been accustomed to Camilla wanting for nothing. And now, suddenly, upon her return, she had immediately spent so much money on some outfits! Had the girl completely lost her mind?!
The family heir clenched his teeth.
“No! I must see this for myself!”
Yufil de Walte decisively left the table and headed for the door. He decided that he must witness his sister's strange behavior with his own eyes.
***
Lately, I had been enjoying my luxurious homebody lifestyle, lounging alone on my huge bed.
I had so much free time that I didn't know what to do with it. This was even becoming a problem. Before this, I wasn't used to doing nothing and not feeling guilty about it.
For the rest of my life, I would never have to work again. I still couldn't fully comprehend this.
After all, is there any greater luck than being born a millionaire's daughter?
Having received this silver spoon, I definitely intended to use it to the fullest. After a couple of days, I finally found the strength to leave my room and start exploring the grounds.
The de Walte residence truly was a very picturesque place. What I liked most was the backyard, where lush bushes of white roses grew. By the way, the entire garden was planted exclusively with these flowers, as white roses were the favorite flowers of the late Duchess.
Considering this is the world of a novel, the nature here was much more beautiful than in the real world. Actually, just like the people. But isn't that a plus?
Tired of lying in my room, I decided to move my body outside. The garden had just the right secluded spot. Isn't it idyllic to lie in the shade on a hot day and sip cold lemonade?
I think that's when I truly learned the meaning of the word “paradise”.
From time to time, servants brought me refreshing drinks and delicacies. I enjoyed the view before me and blissful idleness. All this time, Elisha, Camilla's personal maid, was next to me.
This girl had served the duke's youngest daughter since childhood and always followed her like a shadow. I didn't have many shared memories with her. However, she didn't seem like a bad person.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
So I didn't object to her continued presence near me.
“M-my Lady, are you sure it's okay for you to do this...?”
The last few days had been stressful for the maid. Immediately after returning from the hospital, her mistress began to act strangely. At first, Elisha simply chalked it up to another mood swing. But it seemed this was no joke...
This time, the girl had gone so far as to take several estate employees without permission to run around and do her errands, distracting them from their main work.
The maid looked around anxiously.
“I am a daughter of this family,” I answered carelessly, “So my actions are quite natural.”
“And if His Grace is displeased...?”
“Well, so be it. I don't care.”
Finally, resigning herself to my position, Elisha sighed and didn't try to dissuade me. I liked people like that. Obedient and not asking unnecessary questions. Perhaps in the future, we have every chance of getting along.
On the other hand, although I understood that I might get into trouble, I didn't care. Since I wasn't trying to win anyone's favor in this house, there was no need to restrain myself. The former Camilla had been sidelined for years while her relatives shamelessly enjoyed the advantages of their position. So one could say that now I was doing the same for her.
“My Lady, look at that cloud, it's such an unusual shape!” the maid suddenly pointed to the sky, “It looks like sheep's wool.”
I looked up and also gazed at the sky, where fluffy clouds drifted.
“You mean my brother?”
Elisha giggled embarrassedly.
“My Lady, don't say that...”
“You're right,” I agreed, “I shouldn't compare that beautiful animal to that twerp.”
Elisha almost burst into laughter again. But at the same time, remembering the discipline of the servants, she restrained herself and looked around just in case.
Knowing the heir's character, he definitely wouldn't leave it alone if someone gossiped about him in the estate. Why did I get such a “stuffy” brother?
We giggled together for a while, and it casually occurred to me that I was really lucky. You could say I was reborn as the unloved daughter of a noble family on easy mode.
Unlike standard novels of this genre, here only my father and brother didn't consider me human. At least, I had never before encountered neglect from the servants.
They didn't treat me with warmth, but they didn't despise me either. Rather, they simply didn't care. My existence was indifferent to everyone in this house.
But... That's not so bad.
I don't know what I would do if these people hated me too. The cursed child who took the life of their beloved mistress. Thank the gods, that didn't happen. My life here was quite tolerable.
Thud. Thud.
Reflecting on my current position in the mansion, I involuntarily heard approaching footsteps.
As expected, speak of the devil and he shall appear. The guy with blue hair quickly approached my resting place. At first, I didn't even notice him. At least, not until his shadow loomed over me.
“What are you doing?” my dear brother inquired sharply.
He watched indignantly as I lay on the lounge chair while the maid additionally fanned me. The sight literally screamed “she's gotten too comfortable.”
“As you can see,” I answered carelessly, “The weather is nice today. Why not spend time outdoors?”
“Don't you have anything better to do than loaf around here?” Yufil showered me with reproaches, “As a family member, you should be at least somewhat useful...”
“Sorry...” I dared to interrupt him, “But wasn't it you who said I'm useless? Right now, I'm just confirming your words.”
Yufil clenched his fists. Apparently, I had dared to cross some invisible line in our communication. He was almost shouting:
“Hey, do you think you can just do whatever you want forever?!”
“Hm. Who knows? We can't see the future.”
“Well, then! I'll tell you,” he exclaimed triumphantly, “Your days in this house are almost numbered. I advise you to start packing your bags right now.”
For the first time, I took off my sunglasses and looked at my brother.
“What do you mean?”
The heir smirked contentedly.
“Father and I are already looking for a husband for you,” he revealed, “As soon as everything is decided, you can forget about a peaceful life. Will you still be laughing when you marry a rich old man?”
At that moment, I thought about it. Actually, given the place I ended up in, I should have anticipated something like this from the start. Traditionally, girls from noble families played the role of bargaining chips in arranged marriages.
True, I didn't expect these two to want to “offload” me so quickly. Only a week had passed since my return, and they were already looking for a new way to get rid of me. However, I didn't particularly object.
“And how will you choose him?” I asked.
“Father has already arranged everything. You will go on meetings with candidates, and I will accompany you. And at my discretion, I will inform Father of the most suitable candidate.”
Oh, so my opinion isn't even considered? How “wonderful.”
As he said these words, Yufil watched my expression expectantly. He knew that more than anything in the world, Camilla was afraid of leaving her father's home. Obviously, at this moment, my previous mask of indifference was supposed to “crumble.”
The guy expected me to immediately throw myself at his feet, apologize, and beg for mercy.
Because in reality, when Yufil said I was indifferent to him, it was a lie. Deep down, he felt satisfaction every time he rejected the little girl craving his love. It was revenge for once losing his mother because of me.
He was used to seeing his younger sister exactly like that. But... What's the point of giving him that now?
I knew that even if I begged him, he would only humiliate me again. This decision was inevitable.
So...
“Okay.”
I answered calmly, pulling my sunglasses back down over my eyes.
“What?”
“If I really do marry a rich old man, isn't that wonderful? I'll just wait for him to die and take all his inheritance for myself.” Yufil de Walte stared at me in amazement.
“You... Are you serious?!” he asked again.
The guy couldn't believe his ears. Timid Camilla, who had lived her whole life dependent on her relatives, wouldn't even blink at such a step?
“Absolutely. Right now I depend on you and Father. Wouldn't it be great if I finally had my own money?”
“...”
Yufil swallowed. Until the last moment, he thought I was just bluffing.
“Please notify me in advance when the viewings take place. I'll prepare so as not to disgrace our family's honor.”
My older brother was so confused that he couldn't even say anything. Muttering something unintelligible, he slowly walked back. I followed his silhouette with my gaze.
“This... We'll see about that!” some weak threat reached me.
When Yufil left, it felt like a corset had been removed from me. I immediately exhaled.
“My Lady, are you really going to do it...?” the anxious maid addressed me.
I stared at her in surprise.
“Are you crazy? Of course not!!!”