CH 8.1

“Oh my gosh.”

Lucy shut her mouth when thrown ornaments caught fire.

The flames melted away the luxurious gold pieces.

Cherryl watched the scene for a moment before walking out of the room.

She felt empty.

She was foolish to think that she would have a happy life.

“What a fool! My family’s wealth is not mine. And my mother, who loved and took care of me, is dead. Why should I be happy?”

She could never eat and enjoy a comfortable life either.

Cherryl swept away the tangled strands of her platinum blonde hair.

“Let’s go get some fresh air, Lucy.”

“—But, My lady.”

“It’s alright. Please hurry up.”

Lucy followed Cherryl with a pale face.

As she went down the stairs, she ran into another maid, but she didn’t stop and proceed to head out.

The two sat in a field filled with pretty dandelion flowers which captured the panoramic view of Marquis Milose Household.

The hill, overlooking the village, was beautiful due to the sunset.

The bright roofs of houses in line created a warm atmosphere unique to the central part, as the endless green wheat fields waved peacefully after that.

The orchard, where Cherryl often played with her biological mother when she was young, was colored with coveted fruits.

This tranquil place where she was born and raised felt like a completely different world now.

Cherryl pulled her knees together and buried her face.

She would rather run away than marry that bald earl but where should she go?

In her previous life, she lived in a residence where safety accommodations were guaranteed despite its narrow and shabby state.

However, this world, the Lopern Empire, was a society where women belonged to men in status.

There were very limited places for a single woman on the run.

Cherryl, who was born as the Marquis’ daughter, had lived well for about 20 years.

Can she survive in the worst environment?

Her thought directed her to the first plan she had in mind.

What about stealing money and running away afterward?

Wouldn’t it work out somehow as long as she had her hands on treasures?

If one didn’t have an escort, a robber would steal all of the person’s belongings as if it was rightfully his.

She would rather have those things taken away.

No evil people would simply let a young woman go in that situation.

No.

If she planned to steal belongings and run away, she wouldn’t have burned those jewels in the first place.

She knew the truth.

There’s only one realistic way to get out of here immediately and protect her safety.

Cherryl lifted her face buried in her knees.

If she had to be sold to an old man over sixty, she would leave this poor mansion with a young and handsome, rich man.

She had to accept this sudden crisis as an opportunity to make a realistic decision.

Cherryl’s eyes, which resembled blue sea water, were burning with determination.

She had only one option left.

***

When she got home late in the evening, the house was turned upside down.

Buckets of water and dirty towels were scattered everywhere, so there was no room to step on.

Above it, servants with cleaning tools were busy moving.

Before she could look into the mess more closely, Natasha jumped at Cherryl with bloodshot eyes.

“You! It’s you! You damn girl!”

Natasha’s skirt was full of black ashes.

“Mistress! Please calm down!”

Lucy and another servant grabbed Natasha.

As Natasha struggled to reach her with her ash-covered hands, Cherryl’s fine brows furrowed in a frown.

“Get your dirty hands off me. Didn’t I tell you not to cross the line?”

“Because of you, everything is…! It’s you! You did it!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just got back from going out. What’s going on?”

“Don’t pretend! You put my jewelry in the fireplace! When I tried to take them all out, the floor caught fire, and the dresser burned!”

It was only then that Cherryl understood the whole story of the mess in front of her.

Natasha, who was trying to find a burning gold sticker to pull something out, had made matters worse.

Cherryl shook her head and gazed at Natasha.

“I don’t know. Maybe the accident happened because it was close to my mother’s dressing table and the stove.”

Natasha’s dirty face twisted in a grimace.

“This… this crazy girl is really—”

“Why do you always regard me as the ‘crazy girl’? I guess you don’t know how to show a little grace. Words reflect the character of the speaker, mother.”

“Who are you trying to teach?”

The butler, who was watching the situation with a troubled look, stepped up and dissuaded Natasha.

“Madam. Thankfully, no one is hurt, so please calm down.”

“You think this isn’t a big deal? All my clothes and precious jewelry were burned down! Do you know how expensive those accessories are?”

“But…”

“Shut up! The culprit is definitely her. Do you think the necklaces managed to walk into the stove without having feet ?”

“The Duke and the Marquis will return home from the Capital soon. If this issue escalates, our guests will feel great disrespect….”

Persuaded by the butler’s words, Natasha stared at Cherryl.

“What’s with that look?”’

Cherryl also stared at her stepmother back.

Cade and his party appeared missing because they went with the Marquis to the Capital.

Once he returned, it would be their first reunion since the night Cade persuaded her to marry him, and she would be glad to accept it.

She must go ahead with that plan.

Cherryl got a firm grip.

As the disturbance subsided, the servants either began to return to their places or clean up their surroundings.

However, a maid who had only been looking around the corner appeared hesitantly.

It was the maid that Cherryl saw while coming down to the first floor.

She seemed to be a new employee in the mansion.

Cherryl remembered her fawning over Natasha often.

The servant must have considered Natasha to have greater influence in this mansion compared to young Cherryl or the Marquis of Milose.