"Grandpa! Dad!"
I ran to my father and grandfather and greeted them gladly.
I knew in advance that the two were going to be here today.
Thatâs why I brought Maria Patron here.
"If you had told me in advance, your father and grandfather would have been in a little bit of a hurry..."
My father patted me on the head and said.
"I wasnât on the plan either, but I came all of a sudden."
Looking back, saying so, I could see Maria Patron and the ladies going berserk.
Gallahan Lombardy, the owner of Gallahan Clothing Stores spread throughout the Empire, and Lulak Lombardy, the owner of the household.
They were whispering among themselves.
My father asked me when he saw such an eternity.
"Theyâre... Are they Tiaâs friend?"
Itâs not the right age for me to hang out with them.
Questions arose on my father and grandfatherâs faces.
Then Maria Patron and the ladies approached carefully.
I pointed to Maria Patron and said.
"I spilled juice on Lady Patronâs clothes. So I invited her and her friends to buy new clothes. Is it okay, Dad?"
My father looked at Maria Patronâs clothes and said a little surprised.
"Of course, itâs okay. Oh, your clothes are messed up..."
My father stopped talking.
His eyes were on Maria Patronâs necklace.
It seemed like he was mistaken to keep looking at the necklace with shaky eyes.
"Iâm a little upset because itâs my favorite clothes, but itâs okay..."
Even though Maria Patron was saying so, my father couldnât keep talking.
Perhaps he was not sure.
But the necklace was Shananetâs.
Then it was time for Maria Patron to say and go back to the premium dress.
"There you go."
Grandfather called Maria Patron in a low voice.
"Come here."
Grandfatherâs gaze was exactly stuck in one place.
"Look at the necklace youâre wearing."
* * *
Lulak Lombardy glanced over the young lady in front of him.
The dress she was wearing was stained with juices, but she was brave enough to stand up with the tip of her chin slightly raised.
However, she is not able to face his eyes properly and avoids eye contact.
She was already afraid of Lulak.
She wants to pretend to be confident, but in the end, sheâs not a strong person.
It was a common type.
Lulak asked in a calm voice.
"My granddaughter spilled a drink on your clothes?"
"Yes, there was such a small commotion."
"I apologize for that."
"Oh, you donât have to do that. She compensated me for my clothes like this way..."
Lulak nodded at Maria Patronâs words.
"Yeah, thatâs a relief. Then can you answer my next question honestly?"
"Whatâs your question..."
"Whatâs your relationship with my son-in-law?"
"...Yes?"
Maria Patronâs voice shook loudly.
It was as if she had already been caught hiding her secret.
"Iâll give you a chance, assuming it was a mistake for a while."
"No, I donât know what youâre talking about..."
"No. Think again."
Lulak looked into Maria Patronâs face and said.
"I asked you about your relationship with my son-in-law, Vestian Schultz, and youâd better give me a much better answer than just being clumsy."1
"Ugh..."
Now Maria Patron was completely crushed by Lulakâs gaze.
Her body trembled, her feet faltered as if she wanted to run away right now.
But there was no sign of sympathy for her from Lulak.
The moment Maria Patron approached, Lulak knew.
The fact that the necklace sheâs wearing belongs to her daughter, Shananet.
And the next thing that came to mind was Vestian.
To be exact, she greeted him at the Pellet banquet.
"That necklace belongs to his wife. It belongs to Shananet, my eldest daughter."
"Well, that canât be right! You must be mistaken!"
At Maria Patronâs words, Lulak shook his head.
"I donât know how the person who gave you the necklace explained it. Thatâs my wifeâs keepsake. The initials of my wife Natalia Lombardy are engraved on the back."
Maria Patron turned the necklace upside down with trembling hands.
It was as Lulak said.
There were small initials engraved that she wouldnât know.
"If itâs difficult, Iâll give you a choice. Will you become a thief who broke into Lombardy and stole the necklace and be handed over to the Imperial Guard?"
Maria Patronâs heart pounded when she was told about the security guard.
"Or confess your relationship with Vestian Schultz."
"Well, thatâs..."
Maria Patron was biting her lower lip tightly.
Vestian has always called him âold manâ and has told her to ignore Lulak Lombardy.
So Maria Patron always thought Lombardy was a joke.
A stupid old man who doesnât even know that Vestian and herself are stealing money right under his nose.
But Maria Patron realized that it was herself who was stupid.
Lulak Lombardy was a scary man.
That intimidating feeling that made her unable to breathe right now was telling that.
What the hell has she done?.
Thatâs against Lombardy.
She has regretted it, but itâs too late.
Maria Patron closed her eyes tightly and trembled.
"If itâs hard to say everything here, just answer one question. Was it Vestian Schultz who gave you that necklace?"
Maria Patron nodded slowly at Lulakâs question.
"Gallahan."
Lulak Lombardy called his son, his face was hardened with anger.2
"Take care of Tia. Letâs go back to the mansion. With you, of course."
Maria Patronâs body flinched at the last word.
"Sorry, Iâm sorry! Please forgive me..."
Lulak said coldly, looking down at her, frightening and headstrong.
"If it hadnât been revealed, you wouldnât be sorry. Follow me when I say something nice."
Maria Patron looked back at the young ladies who had come with her with the feeling of grasping the straw for the last time.
But the ladies, who had a rough grasp of the context of the story in the conversation, looked at Maria Patron with contempt.
"Letâs go."
Lulak said so and left the Gallahan Clothing Store.
Maria Patron was forced to follow him in a carriage to the Lombardy mansion.
* * *
When the sky is dark.
Shananet stood in front of a house in the Capitals.
It was a house suitable for the rich commoners rather than the aristocrats.
It was only a few hours ago that a woman brought by her father and brother suddenly knelt in front of her.
She was from the Schultz estate.
In that womanâs neck hanging Shananet motherâs belongings that she looking for.
"Vestian Schultz gave it to me."
The woman said in a tearful voice when she explained that it was a legacy from Schultz.
âEven though I knew he had a wife and a family, we continued to meet. Iâm really sorry.â12
Shananet had to hold back the screaming that was about to burst out.
"How long has it been?"
"Itâs been 7 years..."1
7 years.
At that terrible number, Shananet tightly closed her eyes.
And with a stiff face, Shananet knocked on the door of the house that Vestian had prepared for the woman.
After a while, the door opened with a little noise.
"Maria, where have you been."
Already dressed in comfortable clothes at home, Vestian casually opened the door and stopped talking.
When he found Shananet standing at the front door, his face gradually turned pale.
"How could you be here...â
Shananet stared silently at such Vestian.
"Well, itâs... This is my friendâs house... Hereâs the situation, Shananet."
Vestian was trying to tell a lie again.
And in the end, he gave her a clumsy smile and I said.
"I know itâs a situation that could be misunderstood. Shananet, you trust me, donât you?"
With the face, she once fell in love with.
But rather, Shananet was clear at that moment.
This man wasnât the one she promised to be with all her life.
Shananet slapped Vestian on the cheek, with all her might.3
Slap!
A loud fricative echoed through the quiet residential street.
"Vestian Schultz."
In a cold voice that Vestian had never heard before, Shananet said.
"Thereâs no house to come back to you now."
Turning around, she walked without hesitation to the carriage stand nearby.
Without ever looking back.
Standing holding his cheek, Vestian, who had just come to his senses, hurried after her.
"Oh, my God! At a time like this!"
The 8,000 gold borrowed from the Lombardy bank was whitening Vestianâs mind.3
The moment he was about to follow Shananet out of the alley.
Two people were standing in front of Vestian.
"Gilliu, Mayron? You, how can you..."
They were twins who grew up to be similar in eye level to their father.2
"Get out from the way for a second. Your mother and I have a story to tell..."
"Donât come."
Gilliu said when he placed his hand on Vestianâs chest.
âIf you bother my mother anymore, I wonât let you go.â
Mayron gritted his teeth and said.
Looking at Vestian with cold warning eyes, the twins turned around when they heard the carriage departed.4
Like Shananet, the two of them didnât even look back, hurriedly got on the horse.
And the horse drove slowly.
Dagdag, Clapdak.
The twin escorted behind a carriage with a golden Lombardy pattern, it went far away.
* * *
Vestian and Shananet are divorced.
However, unlike in previous life, bad people were punished.4
Vestian and Maria Patron have been jailed for allegedly siphoning off Lombardyâs money.6
Even after his sentence ended, the debt of 8,000 gold borrowed from Lombardy Bank and interest would await Vestian.
The Schultz were destroyed, of course.
My grandfather stepped up to the plate and made it happen.
After recovering all the support and investment he had given, nothing remained in the Schultz family.
Grandfather then pressured the aristocratic council to remove the name Schultz from the aristocratic register.
I heard they gave up their estate and went somewhere to their relatives, but itâs none of my business.
It was Shananet that I was worried about.
Itâs already been a month since that day, and she hasnât been out yet.1
Iâve been using twins as an excuse every day, but I havenât seen Shananet.
"Sigh..."
Just as I was about to open the door to the twinsâ house, swearing at the Vestian Schultz.
"Oh, itâs Tia."
Shananet, who just opened the door from inside, smiled brightly at me.
"Uh..."
I was so surprised that I stuttered and asked.
"Where are you going?"
"Iâm on my way to work."
"Go to work?"
"From today, Iâm going to run the Lombardy Mining Company. Iâll take over the family Iâve been leaving behind."
Shananetâs face seemed to glow.
It wasnât an awkwardly decorated fake smile.4
Shananet looked somewhat relaxed.
"The twins are inside, so play."
"Yes..."
Finally, Shananet, who smiled beautifully and stroked my head, walked down the hall.
She looked bigger than ever even though she was walking alone.6
She kept his back straight and didnât look back at anyone.
It was the most Shananet-like appearance.