Theon had left the Red Hawk Knights. This meant that, starting today, he could no longer use the knight’s quarters.
“The only room with a bed left is this one,”
Sherry, hurriedly searching for a suitable room for the unexpected guest.
Theon had said that a sleeping bag would suffice, but Dad would never allow him to sleep on the bare floor. It wasn’t just because Dad was Theon’s guardian and mentor, or because Theon was a noble.
“Sleeping on the floor while you’re growing will stunt your growth.”
Yes, growth is important.
Though future Crown Prince Theon would be quite tall, Dad didn’t know that yet.
“…Is it okay for me to use this room alone?”
Theon hesitated, unable to easily cross the threshold of the wide-open door.
I walked past Theon and led Dad into the room.
“It’s right across from my room!”
Although it was smaller than the one I used, it was spacious and clean enough.
“Not bad,”
Dad said approvingly. Sherry gestured for Theon to come in, and he finally stepped inside, though hesitantly. His expression was a bit awkward, but he didn’t seem to dislike it.
“Theon! If you ever feel bored, just come visit anytime!”
“What do you mean ‘anytime’?”
Dad placed his hand on my head and then, with a stern look, turned to both Theon and me.
“From morning until 3 p.m. After that, no entering each other’s rooms. If you’re together, the door has to stay open.”
A typical line for a dad with a daughter. But isn’t 3 p.m. a bit early?
“What? Dad, that’s such an outdated…”
“Your allowance is on the line here.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll remember that.”
When my only source of income was being held hostage, I had no choice but to live by such outdated rules. I informed Theon of the unfortunate news.
“Theon, you heard that, right? Our allowance depends on it, so please cooperate.”
“Our allowance?” Theon responded, as if he’d heard something strange.
“Teacher, do I get an allowance too?”
“Of course. How much were you getting before?”
“I’ve never received one.”
It was common for noble children to start receiving an allowance at the age of seven. Even among my commoner friends, most of them received an allowance.
For Theon to say he’d never gotten one meant that Baron Voltman’s financial situation was dire enough that he couldn’t afford to give his grandson any allowance.
Sherry’s face turned awkward as she realized how serious this was.
‘Sherry grew up in Travel too. It’s unimaginable for a noble to have less money than a commoner.’
But for my dad, being poor was nothing to be ashamed of. He reacted as if it were no big deal.
“I see. Baron Voltman must have intended to give you an allowance later.”
Who was my dad, after all? He was the man who had managed to buy a house in Bonwell Village with nothing but hard work.
Dad always said, whether you had money or not, it’s not something to get hung up on.
And whenever someone visited the two-story cabin where Dad and I lived, he would say the same thing.
I brushed Dad’s hand off my head and said,
“When you come to the Quartz family, you have to follow Quartz family rules!”
“…There are Quartz family rules?”
“Yes. You get an allowance starting at seven, you wash your face thoroughly with bubbles, the first weekend of every month is ‘splurge day,’ and-”
“Thank you for the detailed explanation, Miss Berryberry,”
Dad interrupted before I could continue. Then, he raised a finger toward Theon.
“You heard Berry, right? According to Quartz family rules, children over seven should receive an allowance. The allowance day is the 1st of every month.”
“……”
Theon didn’t seem to know how to respond to Dad’s words. Should he say he liked it or didn’t like it? He hesitated as if unsure what to say.
“When that happens, you’re supposed to say, ‘Thank you,’”
I whispered to Theon, helping him with what to say. Theon thought for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ll keep a close watch.”
“Huh? That’s strange. My ears must be acting up. I think I misheard your thanks.”
I teased, touching my ear. Sherry chuckled softly and asked me,
“Aren’t you going outside the city walls tomorrow?”
“Outside the city walls? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Young master Reytan mentioned that you and Theon are going together.”
Both Theon and I turned our heads toward Dad.
“We’re just going to the market. We’ll buy summer clothes for Berry and some for Theon too.”
“Teacher, I don’t need anything,”
Theon quickly waved his hands in protest. But as he did so, his oversized shirt sleeves slipped down, covering his hands.
“You need plenty,”
Dad said, eyeing Theon’s ill-fitting clothes with a discerning gaze.
“Your shirt is too loose, and your pants are too long.”
Sorry, Reytan is very particular about how clothes fit.
Dad’s fashion philosophy wasn’t about wearing expensive clothes but about dressing neatly and appropriately for your body.
From the moment Dad first saw Theon, he probably wanted to buy him some clothes.
“…Yes.”
Theon nodded, looking dejected.
After that, we made our plans for the next day. We would have breakfast, Dad would give Theon his first lesson, and then we’d go out to buy clothes.
Throughout the discussion, Theon still looked as though he was burdened. He probably felt fine receiving Dad’s support to stay in Travel but thought getting new clothes was too much.
I needed to ease his mind.
“Theon.”
Just before leaving the room, I grabbed Theon’s arm and whispered,
“My dad is secretly rich.”
***
From today on, I would sleep alone.
That meant no one would come into my room until morning.
Creeeak.
“No one will discover me in the secret space either.”
I hummed a tune as I entered the secret space next to the fireplace. Pressing a brick near the door made it close automatically.
It was a room that looked like a classic study. A walnut desk and bookshelves, dark green wallpaper with gold floral patterns, and warm yellow lights from the bulbs mounted on the walls brightened the room.
I decided to call it ‘The Room of Reflection,’ since it felt like a place that deserved a name.
“This is the perfect place to hide information only I know.”
In fact, the other version of me had gathered information here regarding Dad’s death.
I placed the tray holding the glass of water and the cookies Sherry baked for me on the floor and settled down beside it.
The reason I sat on the floor instead of using the desk was simple: the chair was too high for me to climb onto.
“Hmph.”
I had said I would stay at the bottom, but that didn’t mean I would sit still and do nothing.
Holding my innocent dad accountable through collective punishment? Not a chance.
With a wicked grin, I picked up my pen and wrote the name of a person on the first page of a fresh notebook.
Marian Cornelian Travel
In nicer terms, it was a list of people of interest; in harsher terms, it was a revenge list.
Aunt Marian had poked the lion, and she was going to regret it.
“If the head butler, Cerberus, wrote about it in his records, her success must have been remarkable, right?”
I began to piece together the case based on the information in the butler’s records.
The pearl earrings were rare items from beyond the continent, meant to be the main auction item at the charity event hosted by Grandmother. Aunt Marian had been recognized for recovering the earrings and, as a result, had greatly bolstered her accomplishments.
“Ugh.”
But I Got stuck.
Why had Aunt Marian framed Anne for the theft of the pearl earrings? I couldn’t figure it out.
‘The butler’s records were more like a personal diary than an actual report, so there’s not much detailed information.’
I needed to know more in order to plan my revenge.
My plan was to conceal my identity and destroy Aunt Marian’s reputation!
“Hmph. What was the other me doing when I was seven that I didn’t know about this?”
Frustrated, I craved something sweet. I picked up a cookie and took a bite.
The crispy cookie melted in my mouth. Sherry had used plenty of butter and sugar, and it made all the difference.
I savored the taste, my eyes gleaming with delight. The flavor was so good it sent a slight shiver through my body.q
“When your mouth gets used to the sweetness, just drink some water, and it’ll be like eating the cookie for the first time again!”
That was a tip Sherry had given me. Bringing the water had all been part of my plan.
I picked up the large glass with one hand, thinking I could handle it. That was a mistake.
The tilted glass spilled its contents all over my clothes.
“Ah!”
I jumped up quickly, but my cotton pajamas were already soaked. The bottom of my shirt and skirt clung to me, drenched.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
“I’ve made a mess.”
Would they dry by morning? I figured I should change clothes right away.
I pressed the brick to exit the secret space and waited for the door to open.
[……Tzz.]
A crackling sound echoed in my ear.
“……”
Had the door always made that sound? Hearing it while I was alone was giving me the creeps.
“Maybe it’s because my clothes are wet. It feels chilly.”
[……Tzzzzz….]
“I need the door to open soon. I need to dry my clothes quickly-”
[……Quartz!]
Ack! Without waiting, I dashed out through the now-open door in a panic.
