CH 6

Blanche asked in a whisper.

“I have a question. If the Third Prince and you really are that close, then why doesn’t the Prince ever come to our house? Even if the relationship between the two of you is a secret, shouldn’t the Prince visit Father and say hello to him at least once after your wedding?”

“What do you know?! The prince is busy!”

“Why? Because he’s seeing another girl? I can’t believe you chose the playboy Third Prince as your partner. Mariette, you should have at least waited for the Fourth Prince who’s the same age as Alphonse to grow up.”

“Are you crazy? Who are you to tell me what to do?”

Blanche smiled obliquely at the sister who was staring at her with teeth bared.

“Get out of here. I mean it, before I really run away from home.”

Mariette left the room with an angry and embarrassed expression.

That day, Mariette vented the stress of losing the argument on her maids. Just as  Blanche planned .

After that, Blanche made a promise.

“Wait and see. I’ll disappear the day before the wedding. You can just let your guard down and get stabbed in the back.”

The Marquis’ head is about to explode these days. His youngest son whom he cherished, faked his illness, and Blanche, whose life he saved, is not treating him like before.

What’s more, the tears of his eldest daughter, Mariette, who never got hurt in his eyes.

“Hic. Dad, I really don’t understand Blanche. I just wanted to share my feelings as her sister, now that she got better and no longer had a speech impediment, but Blanche called me trash!”

“Mariette. This time, you must understand. Blanche is sensitive these days.”

“Why do I have to understand her? It’s Blanche, not me, who should seek understanding! I’m patient because she’s my little sister, but if my friend were to be the wife of a man like Count Juan, I’d cut the relationship right away! How does it make sense for a princess to hang out with such people?”

The Marquis appeased Mariette and finally got the words she wanted out of his mouth this whole time.

“I understand Mariette. Sooner or later, I’ll tell Blanche to apologize to you.”

With these satisfying words, she stopped crying at once and hugged her father.

“Dad! As expected, I can trust my dad!”

“Yes. Just trust me.”

Then, with a small hesitation, he hugged his daughter. Then Mariette said.

“For the family, you have to scold Blanche harshly, Dad. Only then will our family be able to recover! Think of the financial power of Count Juan.”

She smiled compassionately in the arms of the Marquis.

‘I don’t care if Blanche hates me or not. After all, she won’t be able to hate brother Pierre anyway.’

Considering the sacrifices made by Pierre for this marriage, Blanche would have no choice but to financially support the family. She can then spend Blanche’s money with their family name on her back.

However, Mariette was unaware that the future she was dreaming of will soon fall to the ground.

The office and library, which was surrounded by red wallpaper, glistened with golden decorations. It looked like a frivolous exhibition hall instead of an office. However, the owner of the room, Count Juan, who had a huge stomach, was proud of all of it, instead finding it troublesome.

Count Juan who was sitting at his desk while examining the smuggling ledger, was asked by his chubby minion.

“Poison? Did you just say poison right now?”

Count Juan chuckled and replied.

“Yes. Now that I am an aristocrat, I wanted to try an aristocratic method.”

The subordinate unknowingly swallowed his saliva.

“Boss. Now you want me to poison the second daughter of the Marquis Marquette’s family?”

[T/N: He calls him Hyung-nim here. (Older brother, mob boss or a fellow male who has a higher position)]

“You can do it right?”

“I can, but why?”

The Count bared his yellow teeth and growled.

“This child. So you’re asking me to marry a girl with such flaws? What’s the point of getting to this position? I’m not going to marry that id*ot, I’m going to marry a beautiful woman who is known all over the continent!”

“But in exchange for marrying the second daughter of the house, a famous genius decided to serve as Boss’ subordinate for three years, right? What are you going to do about it?”

“Do you think that Master can hold out under me? Do you think that soft noble master can help my business properly?”

Then the Count’s right arm nodded his head.

“I see. We can buy someone and settle it within this week.”

“Great, you can go.”

Giacomo, who nodded lightly and turned his back halfway, stopped.

“Ohh.”

“Why?”

At the Count’s question, he scratched the back of his head and smiled mischievously.

“I forgot to ask what to do with the kid in the basement.”

“He’s not dead is he? That Ricardo or something.”

“Yes, Illia is not the first son. So are you really not going to pay him back?”

At Giacomo’s reluctant expression, the Count roared loudly.

“Are you crazy, you b*st*rd? If I pay it back, half of my fortune will be reduced!”

“But if you don’t pay Illia back, there’s no way that pretty child will stand still like this.”

“Huh. So what if he doesn’t stand still? As long as I have the first son in my hands, that bastard can’t harm me! Illia, how did he take over the family? It’s because he got the boss’ famous daughter pregnant! As long as all the immediate family members of the former boss are gone, the legitimacy rests with the two sons, not Illia!”

Count Juan was so confident that he snorted with excitement.

“Just you wait. With the most beautiful woman on the continent by my side, I will wipe out all the money in this country!”

The Marquis suddenly came to Blanche’s room.

“If you had just called me, I would have visited you separately after eating.”

After hearing Blanche’s harsh words, the Marquis glanced at the maid cleaning the room.

“You can go now. And tell all the servants to go down and leave the second floor.”

“Yes, Marquis.”

After the maid completely disappeared, the Marquis sat on the chair next to Blanche’s bed. Meanwhile, he seemed embarrassed, probably because of his daughter who hasn’t spoken to him.

“I heard from your sister. You were arrogant not only to me but to everyone these days. Blanche. Do you have anything to say to me?”

“None. Father. Rather, I have something I need to hear from Father.”

“What do you mean?”

Blanche raised her chin somewhat sharply.

“I have changed my mind. I also want to hear my father’s apology. Please apologize to me. Father.”

His daughter’s green eyes didn’t show the slightest bit of affection, leaving his throat a little dry. But he still couldn’t let go of his pride.

“That’s ridiculous! Why should I apologize to you? When did I tell you to die? It was you who jumped off the balcony on your own and became a crippled as*h*le!”

Blanche, who laughed as if she understood, replied.

“I was referring to Alphonse.”

“… Huk!”

“But thanks to that, now I know that my father still thinks of me as an id*ot who can’t be helped.”

The lips of the Marquis, that were tightly shut, twitched.

“Why are you so bad at listening?”

“I know right, how can one ignore their own blood.”

In fact, even when the Marquis saw Blanche’s suicide attempt right in front of his eyes, he thought it was the result of his second daughter’s arrogance. So, his daughter’s rebellion was simply regarded as ‘sulking’.

“Blanche! Are you going to keep being like this?”

“Father. Aren’t you mistaking something?”

“What?”

She put on a sullen look.

“It is me, not father, who holds the weight now. Even if I begged again in front of father, it’s not like you will allow me to not marry him right? Or would you sell the mansion for me right now? Would you risk the future of being called a Fallen Aristocrat for me and not for Mariette?”

The Marquis could not refute.

…… He couldn’t sell the mansion for Blanche, just as his second daughter said. Blanche is a finger that hurts less to bite.

A calm anger passed through Blanche’s face as she understood the Marquis’ silence.

The next moment, Blanche warned.

“Don’t yell at me again. If you yell at me one more time, I’ll bite my tongue and die. Of course, after telling the Count that my Father made me do it. And-“

While continuing to speak, Blanche suddenly felt dizzy.

The text came up from the bottom of her line of sight with a sound effect.

[system/ Warning, Status Abnormal. HP is down.]

“What is it?”

The Marquis, who had no idea what had happened to his daughter, sighed deeply and decided to take a step back.

“Blanche, I know you’re upset. But with the wedding just around the corner, do you really have to do this?”

“I’m holding back wanting to bite my tongue in front of father, so if you want to scold me, just stop!”

Blanche reluctantly responded, while her field of vision darkened. She was soaked with cold sweat all over her body.

A warning window popped up with a sound effect.

[system/ Warning! You have been poisoned!]

Poison? Before she could understand what was happening, Blanche coughed heavily and vomited blood.

“Cough, cough!”

“Blanche?”

It was unbelievable, like a lightning bolt from a dry blue sky, the Marquis blankly called out his daughter’s name.

In the meantime, Blanche, who had her hand on her neck, continued to vomit blood. Seeing his daughter struggling to breathe as if she had swallowed burning iron, the Marquis desperately pulled on the rope.

“Is there anyone there? Who’s there! I’m calling you! Blanche, oh Blanche! Blood, blood!”

With the Marquis stomping his feet beside her, Blanche turned on the status window.

Her HP was already down by 30, and the remaining 20 were also rapidly decreasing.

The [Lesser Witch’s Healing Potion] flashed through her mind.

‘I can’t expect much, but I think I can make this situation better. It’s minor, but [Lesser Witch’s Healing Potion] was said to have a detoxifying effect…’

However, in order to use the [Lesser Witch’s Healing Potion], the Marquis must leave the room right now. The Marquis should never know of the existence of the inventory.

She desperately grabbed the hem of the Marquis’ robe.

“Father. I-It hurts so much. Call the doctor, please…”

Even if a doctor with the best skills arrived, they would not be able to save Blanche. You would usually die from poison first before it can be detoxified. The Marquis knew this too.

Although he could not see the system window, he was also a nobleman who was well aware of the dangers of poisoning.

The Marquis, who had been using silverware all his life, quickly noticed Blanche’s condition.

“Hold on a second, Blanche! Don’t die! You can’t die! Yes, I’ll call Segolene! Segolene who cured your disability!”

The Marquis was not ignorant of the fact that no matter how great the priest was, she would not be able to heal internal wounds. Still, he hurriedly ran out of the room in search of Segolene.