Charlotte's POV
My father sat restlessly on the sofa, nervously biting his finger while my mother and I watched. His anxiety stemmed from the news that someone from the royal castle was soon to visit. The reason behind this visit was clear: we had heard rumors that noble families, facing circumstances similar to ours, were being stripped of their titles and facing hefty penalties for the kingdom's incurred damages.
"What on earth should I do?!" my father exclaimed, his hands grasping at his hair as he spoke. "The verdict of my title-stripping is imminent! I can't bear the thought of losing it!"
My father was on the brink of being stripped of his status due to various misdeeds he had committed. To say "some" might be an understatement; all of his transgressions, which even I found repulsive, had been exposed. It was like his dirty laundry had been aired for everyone to see. My father had always been secretive, and even I had no idea about these hidden aspects of his life.
It was astonishing that someone had managed to uncover his secrets. He had always been so careful, so I couldn't help but wonder who had done this.
Well, it didn't matter anymore. Now that everything was out in the open, the outcome was inevitable. My mother remained remarkably calm. I had no idea what was going through her mind, but I was pretty sure she was contemplating divorce. I distinctly remembered hearing an argument about it the other night.
I felt trapped, suffocating in the uncertainty of my fate. If my father lost his title, I was doomed. He might sell me to a brothel as collateral, or he might face beheading if he couldn't pay for the damage he'd caused to the kingdom. Women from fallen noble families always faced such grim destinies. I could sense my father had already decided to sell me if it came to that.
I was trying to brace myself, but the pain of this harsh reality still cut deep.
My mother, on the other hand, would offer no help. She wasn't my real mother, after all. She'd likely prioritize her own survival over someone she had no blood ties to. The coldness in her eyes told me she wouldn't hesitate to abandon me if things went south.
"This is insufferable, Gordon," my mother spat, her voice seething with fury. "How could you let your secrets get out? Our title is doomed!"
"I've hidden them so meticulously that no one could possibly unearth them!" my father shouted, his face pale with panic. "There was no way this could happen!"
"Maybe you just got careless," she retorted, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Believe me, even if I had been careless, no one should have been able to discover them," my father groaned, clutching his head in despair, his voice breaking. "Now what am I going to do? Even if I manage to pay for the repercussions of this scandal, my title will still be revoked! I don't want my generation to be the one where our house falls! That would be an unbearable embarrassment!"
My mother divorced him the very next day. It was a quick process. They just signed some papers, and that was it. She was no longer part of our family, which meant she wasn't my mother anymore.
My father settled his repercussions by forfeiting all of his properties. Now, we were left with nothing but the clothes on our backs. But even after selling everything, the amount he had to pay was still huge. He needed to come up with 1000 gold coins to settle the debt.
That's why the very next day after selling off his properties, he sought refuge with another noble family, one that had connections to ours.
"I gotta say, Gordon, your downfall came outta nowhere. How'd this happen?" A fat old man, his teeth yellowed and his neck obscured by folds of flesh, towered over my father. This man was Teliu Graid, an Earl. Back in the day, he used to look up to my father, but now the tables had turned.
"Honestly, I have no clue. I woke up one morning, and the next thing I knew, everyone knew everything I'd done," my father muttered through gritted teeth.
"You look like you've been through the wringer," Earl Teliu observed. "So, what brings you here now? You got something tasty to offer me on a plate to buy?" He glanced at me, his yellowed teeth gleaming as he licked his lips. I shrank back in fear. This guy always had his eyes on me, and whenever I encountered him, he couldn't stop ogling. It was downright terrifying to have him anywhere near me.
"Y-Yeah," my father stuttered. "Are you interested in buying Charlotte?"
I shuddered at that.
"Oh, now this is intriguing. You want me to buy Charlotte? Am I correct in assuming you want me to buy her as a sex slave?" Earl Teliu's eyes gleamed with malicious intent.
"Y-Yes. You can do anything you want with her. Once you've bought her, she'll be your property," my father confirmed.
"That's quite the tempting offer. I've had my eye on your daughter for a while, you know? Ever since I laid eyes on her, I've been itching to get my hands on that sweet flesh of hers. Surprised I managed to hold back for so long, to be honest. But now that you're out of the picture, well, the playing field's wide open. Let me ask you something, though."
"W-What is it? I'll answer whatever you want."
Earl Teliu leaned back, propping his chin on his hand with a smirk. "Is she still a virgin?"