Living Up to Your Expectations - Chapter 15

“I wonder if it’s about time they arrive?”

Stirring the tea that was cooling in my cup, I murmured slowly. Oscar nodded quietly.

“Indeed.”

Though his voice was calm, we could already hear hurried footsteps approaching from beyond the door.

That sound… running. And with quite an irritated gait. Just as expected. The door swung open violently.

“What is the meaning of this, Laila?”

With a rough voice, my father burst into the room. Sweat on his brow, face flushed red, clutching a thick envelope in his hand.

Slowly, I returned my cup to its saucer. Then, smiling, I tilted my head.

“Oh my? Has some bill arrived?”

But my father’s face showed no room to entertain my words.

“This is no trivial matter! Why would you?! Sue your own parents!!”

With a cool expression, I delivered the lines I had prepared in advance.

“Ah, that matter? I had assumed you would inherit the title, Father, so I remained silent. But if you’re not going to inherit it, then as a citizen, I thought it would be best for the country to bring it to light.”

Placing a finger to my lips, I gave a modest smile.

—Not that I had any intention of claiming it was out of a sense of justice.

“Wh—…!”

My father’s face instantly turned pale. I watched his agitation as if savoring it.

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? That you secretly raised the territory’s tax rates without informing the nation, and cleverly evaded paying the taxes owed to the state. And also, that you quietly pocketed a portion of the profits from the mine I inherited from my late mother.”

My father’s hand twitched and trembled. The corner of the document he was holding crumpled.

“Why… How do you know such things?!”

I shrugged internally.

“How could I not know? The very person who boasted about letting me inherit the title and handed over all the work of the trade association and territory paperwork to me was none other than you, Father. Just by following the flow in the ledger, any ‘abnormal movement’ of money is glaringly obvious.”

“Damn…! Of all things, to receive a summons from the inquiry board. Tch, maybe I can manage by paying additional taxes. No, more than that. To make such a fuss over a father using his daughter’s money…! It’s only natural for a parent to manage their child’s assets!”

At those words, I let out a small laugh.

“‘Managing’ my assets and ‘using them without permission’ are two different things. All the profits from the mine are my legitimate personal assets. It’s even written so in the nation’s laws.”

I took a slow step closer to my father.

Staring straight into his eyes with confidence, I declared:

“If you return what you used immediately, I might consider withdrawing my part of the lawsuit.”

My father stared at my smiling face as if he were seeing a nightmare.

“…F-for now, I must go immediately. We’ll continue thiswhen I return!”

An excuse to flee. How pathetic.

“Ah, that’s right, I’ve decided! Your marriage partner will be whoever has the most money! No matter who they are… you’d better be prepared!”

My father turned on his heel and rushed out of the room.

His retreating back looked like that of a clown. Hehe.

After the door closed, silence returned to the room. I sat back in my chair and took a sip of my cooling tea.

＊＊＊＊＊

Late at night, when the mansion’s air had grown chilly and still. The door opened with a heavy, creaking sound.

“Oh, welcome back, Father.”

I was savoring the night tea Oscar had brewed for me.

“…!”

My father’s steps were heavy, his complexion ashen, sweat still not fully wiped away. In his hand, he clutched what was likely the “payment order” issued by the inquiry board.

“Those inquiry officials…! They’re like demons!”

He stomped into the room and slammed the paper onto the desk in front of me.

“The payment amount… additional taxes for ten years, restitution of the mine profits plus fines over 50 million livres!? And on top of that, they demand 5 million be paid by this week! How am I supposed to pay that!?”

His angry voice practically screamed of injustice.

But you know.

“Fifty million, was it? That’s less than I expected. I thought it might reach a hundred million.”

I shrugged and smiled.

Watching my father’s face contort with rage and despair, a cold sensation spread through my chest. Yet, somewhere, it felt pleasant.

“It’s the price for behavior unbecoming of a noble. You should consider yourself lucky to get off with just paying money.”

“…! You…!”

“Hehe, calling your own daughter ‘you’? It seems there’s no familial affection left between us.”

Not that I hadn’t known that all along.

Maintaining my smile, I stared straight into my father’s eyes.

“If you don’t pay, your title could be stripped, and you might even end up in prison. If that happens, I wonder who the title would go to?”

“You… Don’t tell me, from the very beginning…!”

In that moment, my father’s shoulders slumped as if all strength had left him. He stood frozen, neither sitting nor moving, staring at me speechlessly.

Pitiful? No. Not in the slightest. Ever since he brought home that girl, my blood-related sister just three months younger than me right after Mother passed away, there’s been no affection to speak of.

I stood up and slipped smoothly past my father.

“Good evening, Father. I hope you sleep well tonight. In your dreams, you might still be a marquis.”

Closing the door without a sound, I heard nothing from behind me.

No angry shouts, no apologies, and certainly no tears of regret. —Like a hollowed-out doll, I suppose.

I looked up at Oscar standing beside me.

“On a night like this, I’d like to take a walk and enjoy the fragrance of flowers.”

“As you wish. I shall accompany you.”

At the sound of his smiling voice, a genuine smile finally bloomed from deep within my heart.