CH 9

The missing notary of the Blanche family.

Even if you didn’t look for him, if you kept quiet in any given room, you could hear the servants chattering about him from time to time.

‘If the notary with the will is found, the title definitely belongs to the master.’

‘I don’t know about that. You haven’t been working here long enough to know that, but the fact is, as far as blood goes, Lady Belinda is…….’

‘Shhh! Are you trying to get yourself kicked out?’

‘Anyway, it’s Blanche, and even if it’s not an heir, the inheritance won’t be just a penny or two, right? I envy her.’

‘Don’t pay attention to her, let’s clean up.’

I’m very interested in that inheritance.

I immediately turned to the law books, only to have my hopes dashed. As far as I could tell, the kingdom’s laws did not allow an unmarried woman to inherit more than a certain amount of property.

But even if the wealthy die, the third generation lives well.

I wondered if the amount of ‘a little’ in the eyes of a gold digger would be different from the amount of ‘a little’ in the eyes of a former salaryman like myself.

With such expectations, I was heading to the drawing room.

I looked out the window and saw carriages lined up in front of the mansion.

Among them, the one that caught my attention was a carriage that was all black from the wheels to the frame, and even down to the horse.

Or, more precisely, all black with the exception of the crest: a shield with white vines on it.

‘Where have I seen that before?’

〈Hirome〉 

As someone who had been playing for a while, I prided myself on having a pretty good idea of the setting.

If I can’t remember this much, it’s probably not important information. But just in case, I opened the door to the drawing room to refresh my memory.

All the noise from beyond the door was cut off. A thousand eyes bored into me like arrows.

‘There are so many people here to see a will being revealed.’

I stood up straighter, pretending not to notice, and made my way to the back of the room, where there were fewer people.

“Belle, there you are. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

If only there wasn’t this hand reaching out to escort me.

Immaculately dressed, Sybel looked sad and tired, like a child who had lost his father.

“I hear you’re getting along with your new servant. I’m glad to hear it.”

Speaking for myself, I had to fight back the urge to clench my fists as soon as I saw the look on Sybel’s face.

It was this guy who brought Leo in as my servant.

‘Perhaps he intends to use Leo to tarnish Belinda’s reputation.’

It was unlikely that the original Belinda would allow an uneducated boy to be her personal servant.

In the game, she bullied the protagonist, which not only tarnished her reputation, but also made her look bad to his benefactors, the supporting characters.

‘Even if we don’t get along. You would use a defenseless little boy to mess with me?’

“You don’t look well – are you unwell?”

I slapped Sybel’s outstretched hand away with all the strength I could muster.

“Ugh,” Sybel groaned, wrapping the back of his hand tightly but I wasn’t fooled.

Come on, who cares about a reputation. I’ll take this opportunity to get my sync numbers up.

Despite how much Belinda despised Sybel, she had a tendency to curse at him whenever she saw him.

That attitude didn’t help her in the long run. Sybel didn’t seem to be affected much either.

I wasn’t going to let the translator get the best of me like last time. This time, I’ll be the one using the translator.

Aristocratic and elegant, like the real Belinda.

Swoosh.

Covering my lower lip with a softly unfurled handkerchief, I looked at Sybel with the utmost disdain.

The maids talked about Sybel’s bloodline and feared that he wouldn’t be able to become the head of the household.

The only weakness I knew of Sybel at the moment.

I trusted the translator and put his weakness into words.

“You lowly mongrel, how dare you lay a hand on me. Do you intend to get your filthy blood on me?”

Bing!

In the hall, which had become so quiet that literally even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard, a cheerful bell that only I could hear resonated.

At that moment, Sybel’s face contorted, and for a moment, his mask was lifted, revealing a terrifying expression.

I instinctively understood. I had touched a nerve.

Also, the hidden circumstances of this bean flour family.

‘This is what the employees were worried about, saying I could become the head of the household.’

This lack of suitability. There must be something wrong with Sybel’s or my uncle’s blood.

I savored the reddish-purple expression of Sybel as much as I could and gently waved the fan.

The commotion was short-lived, and soon the atmosphere in the drawing room grew solemn, and a gaunt, elderly man entered.

It seemed that he was the notary of the Blanche family for whom they had been searching.

The notary immediately drew from his bosom a rolled-up, luxurious scroll.

After swearing to tell only the truth, he finally opened the will.

After reading a long preamble of legalese, he coughed a few times.

“……Accordingly, it is a will that the title of Marquis of the Blanche family is handed over to Sybel Blanche.”

He wiped his brow, as if finishing an arduous task.

No one raised their voices, as they were seated, but a murmur of approval filled the parlor.

Well, that’s to be expected.

‘Sybel is the Marquis’s biological child.’

I yawned deeply, not surprised.

It was none of my business whether or not Sybel would become a household head, and the household heads of noble families with heavy duties and responsibilities were not my interest in the first place.

The only thing that matters to me now is my share of the inheritance!

The notary continued.

“To Belinda Blanche you bequeath the sum of 100,000 gold in cash and the eastern annex of the Blanche mansion.”

I did a quick round of mental math.

Let’s see, if the game has the same price as the cost of living, then the average commoner’s monthly living expenses are about 30 gold…….

My hands shook as I finished the math in my head.

Immediately, I heard a sneer from behind me.

“Pfft. That’s terrible.”

“If they mean the east annex, surely they can’t mean that hideous abandoned house, right?”

“A hundred thousand gold. If it lasts a year, she’ll be lucky.”

Don’t you think you’re underestimating me?! These are tremors of joy!

‘An inheritance that allows me not to worry about money for the next 277 years.’

Well, that’s a lot of money, Marquis. May you rest in peace!

“In addition, three townhouses on Melvet Street in the northeast of the capital, part ownership of Saber Forest, a famous tourist destination in the eastern Marshan estate, and Solich Beach in the southern Gortan estate.” 

One hundred thousand gold is enough to live in comfort and abundance in the countryside.

“To the north, the ownership of the Herrington Mine in the Valuasten estate and all the contents of the personal safe belonging to the previous head of the family.”

Uh, uh, wait a minute. Isn’t this enough to buy a house?

Yeah, a whopping 277 years’ worth of inheritance, surely you can buy a house.

Wow. I can just buy a house without even lifting a finger. A golden spoon!

“…… The following assets are inherited as the dowry of Belinda Blanche.”

The life of a millionaire. I can sell all of Belinda’s jewelry for a fortune here…….

‘But what’s up with the atmosphere in this room?’

Suddenly, the room was frozen in silence.

I, preoccupied with the 100,000 gold, learnt the meaning of the silence a little later than the others.

* * *

Bang.

The door to the drawing room burst open as if it were going to break.

Seeing her cheerful expression, the employees exchanged glances.

‘What is that look?’

‘Has she inherited the position of head of the household?’

Their anxious ears picked up a noise in the drawing room.

People were flocking to Sybel’s side, congratulating him. For some reason, everyone seemed to be a little confused.

Just then, Belinda’s heels stopped in front of a servant.

“Hey, Potato sprout.”

“Huh, eh? Me, me?”

The person named Thoma froze in place.

“Yes, you. Move all the furniture and luggage from my room to the biggest and best room in the annex, right now. If anything is broken or missing, I will deduct it from your salary, so you better value it more than your life.”

At the mention of the annex, the faces of the servants changed strangely.

They thought justice would finally be served and the nasty lady would be banished to the annex. But she didn’t seem upset at all?

It was complete nonsense.

Swept up in the atmosphere around him, Thoma forgot his earlier fear and spoke curiously.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but what happened to the title of the master? No, you’re not the Marquis now are you? The will must have given the title to…….”

His voice trembled badly, but it was enough to stir Belinda.

Thoma’s words were cut short, however, by the light flapping of a fan. Waving it lazily, Belinda smiled as gracefully as a poisoned flower.

“Did I just tell you to start barking?”