I sat in the dining room beside Melin, waiting for Arthur, but he never showed up in the end.
However, the seat right next to the head of the table was already occupied. A middle-aged woman with luscious long blonde hair sat there.
I asked her,
“…Where is Uncle?”
“I don’t know. The master of the house is always busy, isn’t he?”
The blonde woman, Lisette, replied with a faint smile.
Who she was and why she was here was very easy to explain.
She was Arthur’s mistress—the woman he had brought into the house.
‘Strictly speaking, though, both of them were kicked out and ended up here.’
Five years ago, he was divorced by Lady Mirabel and thrown out of the house with nothing.
He had originally been a useless man with no money or ability, living off his in-laws. While he was at a loss, he heard news of his older brother’s death and seized the opportunity, bringing Lisette along and playing king in an empty house.
“Has Melin always been eating food like this?”
I frowned when I saw the stark difference between the meal in front of Lisette and the ones placed before Melin and me.
What was in front of us was so shabby that it was hard to believe it came from a long-established noble household.
The bread was dry, and the soup even smelled slightly spoiled.
‘Is this why Melin has been getting thinner…?’
She had never complained, so I hadn’t even realized she’d been eating things like this.
Even during breaks, I had only stopped by briefly—at most half a day—before returning to the academy.
The same went for Agathe, my only confidant.
At my orders, she had pretended to attend the academy with me while actually searching for Lennox.
“Melin is such a picky eater and leaves food behind, so I told them to serve her only small portions.”
Lisette spoke in a deliberately gentle tone.
Anyone who didn’t recognize that as a flimsy excuse would be a fool.
‘…This is practically food just to keep her barely alive.’
As I struggled to smooth out my stiffening expression, a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance of the dining hall.
“Why are you calling me over? What a bother!”
Even without checking, I knew from the drunken voice—it was Arthur.
“B-But the young lady has returned today…”
A maid standing beside him was drenched in cold sweat as she tried to respond. That man was harassing someone again.
“What? Clera is back?”
Arthur looked inside the dining room, met my eyes, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Then, as if nothing had happened, he naturally took his seat at the head of the table.
The moment he sat down, luxurious dishes were quickly placed before him.
I struggled to control my expression as I watched the table fill with food fit to collapse under its own weight.
It would be his last supper, yet I had the urge to flip the table over.
“It’s been a while, Clera.”
He laughed heartily, as if delighted to see his niece after so long.
Though it had been a while since I’d seen him, his face was still flushed from alcohol, greasy and shining.
“Sister’s name isn’t Clera, it’s Clemens…”
Melin muttered in complaint, and Arthur shot her a glare before coughing.
“Ahem, has it been a year?”
Not a year—three months, you fool.
‘In a way, it’s rather fortunate.’
The fact that he knew nothing about me meant he paid no attention to my existence.
‘Which was exactly what I intended.’
The reason I had acted like a meek lamb all this time was to avoid arousing Arthur’s suspicion.
Hiding my true thoughts skillfully, I smiled and replied,
“Have you been well?”
“Ahem, I’ve been busy with family matters.”
Arthur shook his head as if carrying all the burdens of the world.
“As you know, there’s so much to do as the head of the family.”
“It’s amazing that you handle all of that by yourself!”
“Hahaha! It’s nothing worth praising. I’ve only done what I ought to do.”
Arthur’s shoulders seemed to lift with pride at my compliment as he joked around.
I watched him with a cold gaze before continuing the conversation with light chatter.
Melin, bored, was fiddling with a cat doll. It seemed she was sulking because her sister, who had returned after so long, wasn’t paying attention to her.
It wasn’t as if I was enjoying this situation either.
“So, have you found a suitable husband at the academy?”
Because I had to waste time engaging in this pointless conversation.
His intention in saying that was obvious—to marry me off quickly, eliminate the growing heir, and secure the position for himself completely.
“Hehe, all the young nobles there are so outstanding… I’m not sure I’d catch their eye.”
When I smiled modestly, I could see the wariness in Arthur’s face soften.
“Recently, though, Young Master David caught my attention. I think he changed his perfume—the scent suits my taste perfectly.”
I chattered on, moving my lips lightly. His gaze toward me was filled with contempt and ridicule.
“So, when are you planning to return to the academy?”
There was a hint of impatience on his face as he asked. Pretending not to notice, I calmly spoke while eating my dessert.
“I don’t plan on leaving for a while.”
As expected, Arthur jumped in surprise at my answer. His face was filled with confusion at the unexpected turn.
“What? Then what about your studies?”
“The curriculum at the academy doesn’t really suit me anyway.”
“You’re giving up your studies just because it’s difficult? There’s a limit to foolishness!”
As he scolded me, he let his true thoughts slip and flinched. Even so, the words “stupid girl” were still plainly visible in his eyes.
On the surface, he was acting as though he would take the place of my late father and care for his daughter, but behaving like this would make things troublesome.
‘He’d faint if he knew I’d already completed the advanced academy course at top speed.’
Before coming here, I had knocked on the door of the academy’s faculty office.
‘You want to graduate early?’
‘I heard that if I pass the graduation exam, early graduation is possible.’
I couldn’t remain tied to the academy forever.
If I waited until graduation, Uncle Arthur would strip the family assets bare.
So I chose early graduation.
‘But the exam is quite difficult.’
‘I know, but I’d still like to take it.’
‘Clemens, I know you’re diligent, but…’
It was only natural that my homeroom professor reacted negatively.
After all, because of Arthur’s suspicions, I had always kept my grades around average or below.
‘…A, a perfect score.’
The professor, who had reluctantly handed me the exam, stood there with his mouth agape thirty minutes later.
‘That’s a relief. Professor, I have a favor to ask…’
My request was for him to keep my early graduation a secret until the end of the current break.
So, aside from my professor and me, no one knew.
Naturally, I concealed that fact in front of Arthur as well and spoke casually.
“But I’m also worried about Melin, who’s still at home…”
“Do you not trust this uncle of yours?”
Of course I don’t. Who else am I supposed to trust? I swallowed those words and shook my head.
“Of course not. I’m always grateful that you take care of us like your own daughters. Actually, Uncle…”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
“There’s something I’d like to talk about. Do you have some time?”
“Is something troubling you?”
Arthur looked at me with suspicion.
It seemed his instincts weren’t completely dull.
“Something a bit difficult happened at the academy.”
“Tell me what it is.”
His tone was gentle, but the look in his eyes—desperate to find fault in me—made my stomach churn.
“It’s not something I can say in front of Melin.”
“Why? I want to stay too, sis—”
Melin whined, but I signaled Agathe to take her to her room.
“Sorry, Melin. I’ll come see you in a bit.”
Once we reached the study, Arthur immediately asked,
“Is it some kind of scandal?”
Though he asked as if concerned, his voice carried anticipation, as if he hoped it was true.
If I said yes, he’d probably rush to marry me off to whoever was involved and profit from it.
The disgusting thought was obvious, but I pretended not to notice and spoke.
“Uncle, actually… there’s a rumor going around the academy that you drove my father out and took over the family.”
Arthur’s face hardened.