CH 4

The dealers at the gambling house had a long history of ripping off nobles who came to the countryside. Typically, those nobles would be surprised to see the tremendous amount of debt that no one would dare to handle.

"Ah, I am broke now. Haha... What should I do with this?"

"You are not broke, old man. You are in debt! How are you going to pay, huh?"

"P-Please spare me!"

"I have never wanted to do that."

"..."

"Still, I did not want to die, so I borrowed some money from a person nearby... since I couldn't afford to pay the gambling house."

"Someone, help me! I have four daughters who haven't even gotten married!"

"How much?"

"Yes?"

"I will help you, in return..."

"How much did you owe?"

"One million Gold."

"..."

For a moment, there was silence around the table.

While my elder sisters looked at my father with resentful faces, I was thinking about what kind of jobs I would do in the future.

At least I can live.

I muttered to myself and closed my eyes.

Even though the endless amount of money swept through the table, I could at least focus on my future without worrying about losing my life.

"One million Gold? Did he lend it to you? What kind of crazy person is he?"

"Me-Melanie, first, let's calm down."

"Last month, the Northern Federal Bank base rate was 3.5 percent. Even if it were applied as it is, the monthly interest would be over 3,000 Gold, but if you owed a gambling house, it would get ten times that amount!"

As expected from Melanie, who was the most realistic among us, bounced the abacus at once.

However, no matter how much we talked about it, it had already happened. It became a topic that will make us grab the back of our neck*.

(*Refers to something that really stressed one's off)

"No, you do not have to worry about money. He told us not to worry about that."

"Who in the world would say that?"

"He said he is one of the aides of Valencia Grand Duchy."

"Val… who?"

"Grand Duke Valencia. Do not tell me you do not know him."

"...."

Compared to when the one million Gold debt came up, I got more chills. Melanie even dropped her book that she always held like her life.

"Incarnation of Evil! Lord of Murder! The Bloody Grand Duke!"

"...There is one more, right? The cursed beast."

My father trembled as my oldest sister mumbled.

Maybe because he was burdened by the fact that he had to say 'that man is going to be your groom'.

"We all should calm down first…."

"T-That is it! What did the aide say to mention the Grand Duke's name?"

"He said this. If I don't have the means to pay, it doesn't have to be money."

"... And if we don't?"

"Don't you understand? Most probably our house…."

Father looked at the four daughters, and the gaze stopped on the face of his eldest daughter, Elijah.

Elijah, who had yet to figure out what was going on, burst into tears and screams seconds later.

"F-Father, don't tell me--"

"Elijah, think about it carefully. This is not as bad as you think. You could be a Grand Duchess!"

"Waah!!"

"Even though the Grand Duke doesn't have such a good reputation, it is like a dream for you to be a Grand Duchess in our circumstances."

"I don't even want such a dream! If you insist on the Grand Duchess position, you should do it then!"

Elijah's shoulders that were already leaning on the table shook very hard.

Why wouldn't she?

Just a few hours ago, she enjoyed a sweet secret affair with a young lover who fell in love with her.

Above all else, there was another thing that bothered her the most.

"Don't you know who he is? He was cursed! His whole face was messed up! I would rather live with a handsome beggar. How could you say that I am going to be that man's wife?!"

For Elijah, the face was considered as ability, wealth, and future. For her, marrying a Grand Duke who turned into a beast was worse than entering a monastery.

"No! I am not going! I am not going even if you kill me!"

"Will you please be quiet, Elijah!"

"I already made a promise; I do not have a choice. Besides, you can't live like this forever. You have to get your act together now. You can not marry here anyway; at least you can live in luxury there. The whole Northern area belongs to the Grand Duke."

Father, who started talking like a normal head of the family, coaxed Elijah.

However, it was not enough to change her mind as she had already been devastated.

Nonetheless, Melanie was terrified as she was the next one to leave the house if Elijah refused to.

"Sister, stop it. We do not have any choice."

"Quiet!"

I hit the table with both of my fists, and my elder sisters finally stopped crying and shouting.

My sisters opened their mouths with bewildered faces as they looked at me, who had been passive my whole life.

"... Can't you see I am in the middle of thinking? Please be quiet a little!"

"Bella, you.."

They sighed in relief and let go of each other's hands that they grabbed out of surprise.

But it seemed like they were more intimidated than shocked seeing me so aggressive for the first time.

I opened my eyes resolutely to my sisters, who thought I was about to knock the table down. There was only one word that could solve this whole mess.

"It should be fine if I go, right?"

"..."

"I will go instead, so stop fighting."

"..."

The knock-on effect of my words was beyond my imagination.

This place, which was a mess until just now, was filled with silence. Not only my sisters but also my father, who tried to persuade her in every way, was lost for words.

"B-Bella!"

"I will go. That is why everyone should stop arguing."

"I can not let you do that. How could I? What kind of family are we? It is not appropriate for our family to marry you off before your elder sister."

"Ha.."

What a great man you are.

A sad smile came from the depths of my heart, and I couldn't take it anymore. I let out an empty smile without realizing it as there was an agitated atmosphere around me.

The agitation intensified when I stopped laughing and raised my head.

"Father, if you are going to talk about family morals, you should have protected your daughters in the first place."

"Bella, how could you say that?"

"You have not thought about what could happen after you send Sister Elijah, haven't you?"

I looked at Elijah. If this discussion went on, the image of Elijah fighting tooth and nail with Melanie could happen shortly.

Elijah blushed at my glance.

"W-What would I do?"

"That's right. What is she going to do?"

"Do you really think she will go there and become a virtuous Grand Duchess? Do you think she could live her entire life looking at a man who has turned into a beast?"

"T-That's--"

"I will ask you. Are you sure she will not cheat on Grand Duke?"

"..."

As expected, he could not answer that. Even Elijah herself looked unsure and lowered her eyes.

Knowing herself well is Elijah's absolute virtue.

"Still, Bella. You said too much.."

"Unless you want to be married off, just be quiet."

"..."

This ultimately put Elijah into silence, then I looked at my father again.

My father, who looked uncomfortable, still didn't give up and was about to argue more. However, I quickly cut him again.

"You are not thinking about sending sister Melanie, right?"

"Melanie comes right after Elijah. As we know, Melanie is timid and modest."

"Yes. She will timidly ask the Grand Duke, 'Why me? Why do I have to do this?'. Then, only her head will come back."

As I pretended to slice my neck with my thumb, Melanie grabbed her neck.

Melanie also did not deny whether she could guarantee that she would not do so.

"But, still.."

I knew that there was no other way, but he was my father. When he looked at the first daughter to the second daughter, then at Rose - not me - I exploded instantly.

"Where are you looking? Don't tell me you are going to send Rose?!"

"N-No. No way."

"Do not even think about it. So why did you skip me the third daughter?"

"I just thought that you have been through a lot all this time."

"Yes, yes. This is like you are telling me to keep work hard. I know if I go, there is no one working in this house."

"..."

Now, not only my father but also my sisters could not respond to that.

Only when I realized that Rose trembled nervously, I managed to tone down my anger.

"I will go. That is the only way for everyone to live."

"But I already told the aide that I would send the first one. If I replace her.."

"How do they know if I am the first, the second, or the third? They are just going to match if I am your daughter anyway."

"..."

"We all look alike anyway."

Of course, I am way prettier.