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VOLUME 1: A DAILY LIFE LIKE CINDERELLA
CHAPTER 4 - Desperation Strikes
Enduring the present in hopes of a brighter future seemed plausible until despair engulfed me. The future I envisioned is now obliterated, painted entirely in darkness. No matter how I struggle, escape from the Silto family, Ubel, Lyacobe, and Jillke remains impossible. A life exploited by them awaits me, with a pitiful demise.
◇◇◇
In the blink of an eye, the season of Christmas arrives. Jillke seems to have received a mountain of gifts from my father, likely ordering everything she hasn't received before. Lyacobe boasts about purchasing expensive necklaces and earrings from a vulgar jeweler. When I asked about the price, it seemed exorbitant. Perhaps they looked down on me for being a noble of common birth. Believing that expensive items equate to quality, Lyacobe, clearly pleased, happily smiles despite obtaining cheap-looking jewelry.
"Ladies of nobility possess plenty of these gemstones. By the way, Elucia, didn't your deceased mother also have plenty too?"
"I don't know."
"Let's go look!"
Lyacobe grabs my arm and starts walking as if escorting me. My mother's room remains untouched. Lyacobe didn't want to use it, considering it dark and eerie.
Being led by Lyacobe like this, watching my mother's belongings being taken away, is something I've already seen in my dreams. Even though my mother's letter pleaded that all her belongings were meant for me, they turned a deaf ear. Knowing resistance would lead to violence, I bite my lip and endure.
"Wow! There are so many items!"
Lyacobe, accompanied by Hera on the way, gathers my mother's belongings.
Dresses, jewelry, shoes, hats, cosmetics, all laid out on the bed.
"Elucia, please transport all of this to my room. They may be quite outdated, but they can be turned into money when needed."
"Understood."
With one earring missing, Hera holds up a plea to Lyacobe.
"Madam, may I have this single earring that's left?"
"I guess there's no help for it."
"Thank you."
My mother's belongings are packed into boxes and transported using a handcart. The destination is—my room. Removing the carpet, they're stored in the underground storage, replacing them with other items. It's a familiar strategy of mine. Lyacobe, lacking a discerning eye, won't notice. Even the single earring has a fake gemstone embedded in it. It worked like a charm. I carefully store the dresses and jewelry, close the lid of the storage, cover it with the carpet, and shift the cupboard over to secure it.
I couldn't bring myself to sell my mother's belongings.
I transport the junk-like items to Lyacobe's storage. This way, I manage to avoid the scenario where my mother's belongings are taken, just as I saw in my dream.
On the way back, I'm hit with a sudden dizziness. The consequence of changing the future is upon me.
"Ugh... cough."
Holding my hand over my mouth, I cough. Blood drips onto my apron.
I feel lightheaded and collapse on the spot. Servants pass by, paying me no attention. While I've endured for the sake of the future until now, having seen the worst possible future, my spirit is on the verge of breaking.
"Oh, Elucia, what are you doing sitting there? Did something enjoyable happen?"
Jillke peeks in with a joyful expression. If she notices that I'm coughing up blood, turning blue, and about to cry, she'll likely be delighted. I wipe the blood with my apron, crumple it up, and hide it from view.
"Ah, I dropped a button."
"You're such an unlucky girl. It's unbelievable."
Indeed, Jillke is right. If I didn't have the ability of precognition, I might have been excited by the words of my brother, who sent a letter saying, "I'll introduce you to a good man."
What remains for me now is not even a fragment of hope. It's just a façade to avoid showing Jillke my miserable state, driven by a sense of false pride.
"Your bright red lipstick looks beautiful. Give it to me!"
"... If I could, I would have given it to you a long time ago."
Her unusually complimentary remarks about my bright red lips are due to them being stained with blood.
"What! Elucia, you're so stingy!"
Ignoring Jillke's screeches, I return to my room.
◇◇◇
During the festive season of Christmas , not only the mansion's residents but even the servants are in a frenzy. Finally, my brother Bargen has returned today.
It seems he met Lyacobe and Jillke for the first time today. He is being fussed over by the mother and daughter duo in a way that suggests he doesn't entirely mind. There is no discomfort in dealing with his younger sister dressed in a maid uniform.
My brother attends a boarding school and only returns during the four vacation periods in a year. He's two years older than me, unnecessarily arrogant, proud, and insufferable. In the precognitive dream, he died of poisoning administered by a woman sent by Lyacobe. It seems it was a miserable end, given his hopeless womanizing tendencies. As soon as my father passed away and my brother, the successor of the Silto family, died, Ubel, who had married me, began to claim the title of head of the family. According to the country's rules, only blood relatives can inherit the Silto family, but he seems to have arrogantly taken on the role of a grand duke.
Can this future be changed? Though I think that it might not be worth changing the fate of my father, let alone my brother...
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