Allice’s POV
Miona, what should I do? Huh?
As soon as I got home, I frantically searched for Miona. However, Miona was not at the mansion, having gone to visit her grandmother at a nursing home.
“Milady, do you have any good ideas?” Eric, the manager in charge of the moonlight Flower project, asked with a weary face. His eyes held a glimmer of hope. “There must be a breakthrough. Please offer your wise opinion.”
“Yes, yes…”
“You can do it, Milady. You are a capable person.”
Eric’s eyes, however, were filled with doubt. Until a few days ago, he looked at me with admiration.
‘What is this? She’s completely incapable of handling this.’ That was the look he gave me!
No, it’s not like that. This was something I had built with her effort. But how could it crumble so quickly?
First, calmly, let’s gather information. Miona said that ‘information collection and field investigation’ are the most important aspects of business.
I should visit the black market.
The place where the first illegal transaction of the moonlight flowers occurred was said to be a large tavern in the backstreets of the city called ‘The Red Boots.’
Feeling scared to go alone, I quietly headed to dad’s room. I intended to ask dad to accompany me, but—
“How could you do this!”
A tearing scream echoed from inside the room. It was mom’s voice!
“How could you expel Huan from the Windsor family! How!”
“Do you know what Huan has done?”
Unlike his usual appeasing manner, dad was unyieldingly retorting this time.
“Huan is the mastermind behind the crash of the moonlight flowers, Sandra.”
“Y-you must be joking. Do you have proof? Do you have any evidence?”
“You better hope we don’t find any. If we do, not just Huan but we all will be in trouble.”
I was shocked. My parents are fighting like this? And Huan, my uncle, was the culprit behind the crash of the moonlight flower prices?
Confused by the sudden revelation, I gathered my thoughts and turned away. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that just now.
I thought about taking the guard with me but decided against it. If I tried this hard but achieved nothing—
“You are a capable person.”
Eric’s doubt would turn to certainty if I failed. Everyone would think I got this far by luck and be disappointed. If that happened, I would surely face immense humiliation.
N-no. I’m not afraid of being humiliated. I just want to prevent people from losing hope.
I bravely pulled my robe over my head. Yes, I must muster courage to protect their hopes.
It’s scary, but I’ll go to the tavern alone. I can do it.
I’ll help my parents reconcile later.
And about Uncle Huan’s affairs… I decided just to keep that in mind for now.
* * *
It was a few hours later. I regretted my brash decision.
“What are you doing! Spin that roulette properly!”
‘The Red Boots’ was no ordinary tavern. It was a tavern, an illegal trading post, and a gambling den.
“Wahaha. This round, I’m taking it all!”
“Damn it. Cut that guy’s wrist off!”
And everyone was clearly drunk.
I-I’m scared.
I clutched my robe tightly, looking around in panic. This is where the first transaction that triggered the moonlight flower crash occurred. I needed to gather information here…
Maybe the person responsible for the crash is here right now. As I was scanning faces one by one…
“Allice?”
Someone grabbed my hand abruptly. Startled, I was about to jerk away when…
“…Uncle Huan?”
I belatedly recognized my uncle. Huan, my uncle who had been missing for days.
“Uncle, what are you doing…” I trailed off.
Huan looked terrible. His face was swollen like he’d been stung by bees, and he was missing two upper and two lower teeth. Shocked by his disheveled appearance, I couldn’t believe it.
Didn’t I hear he was hit only three times by Dad? Did three hits end him up in this state?!
“Your father did this to me and kicked me out of the Windsor family.” Huan spat out, his voice reeking of alcohol. “He said he’d kill me if I approached Danae again. How could my brother-in-law do this to me, huh?”
“U-Uncle.”
Kicked out, yes, but I didn’t know he’d been beaten to a pulp.
That can’t be. Dad isn’t a violent man.
But… Dad hit me too. Moreover, with a cane. Just because of Sister Dana.
Right, Sister Dana.
Then I realized the truth.
Sister Dana had turned dad violent. Because of Sister Dana, Dad beat Huan and caned me, didn’t he?
Could Sister Dana have deliberately caused this?
Jealous of Dad’s affection for me, manipulating things wickedly from behind?
Why would Sister Dana do such a thing?
Suddenly, Sister Dana’s calm face flashed in my mind. At the engagement ceremony, at the celebration of the moonlight flower project’s success. Sister Dana’s face was always composed.
Denying reality… Is she eventually trying to destroy it?
It was clear that Sister Dana was determined to destroy the unacceptable reality, the reality in which I had become the protagonist.
“Your business will fail within a month.”
That’s why she confidently hurled such a curse.
I blinked back tears and pursed my lips. “It’s because of Sister Dana…”
“What?”
“Sister Dana… she’s jealous of me…”
“Huh? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Huan looked at her as if she was talking nonsense. But soon, he smirked. Realization flickered in his eyes as he nodded.
“I think so too, Allice.”
“Re-really?”
“Yes. And there’s more. My brother-in-law is completely blinded by Danae’s wealth. Danae is ruining him.”
Huan whispered slyly. “So isn’t it better to get Danae out of the Windsor family?”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Danae. Just bring her to me.”
“B-but, how can I…”
“It’s for the family! Danae is ruining everything!”
I hiccupped.
“Brother-in-law, your father, did this to me now, but later he might do it to you too! He’s gone mad!”
“No! L-let me go!”
Then Huan’s eyes started to gleam with anger. “Take responsibility and do something, Allice! If you hadn’t meddled in the moonlight flower business, none of this would have happened!”
He’s lost his mind!
I struggled with all I might and ran away. Flustered, Huan chased after me and grabbed me. “I’m sorry. Don’t go, Allice! I spoke without thinking!”
“Let me go!”
“Forget what I just said. Okay? I didn’t mean it, Allice.” Huan slumped his shoulders, feigning frailty, and spoke pitifully. “If I disappear like this, Sandra will be heartbroken. You know how much your mother cares for me.”
“S-still!”
“Let me at least say goodbye to her. Allice, please? I’m asking you.”
“…”
“Or let me apologize to my brother-in-law. They’re the only family I have left. I don’t want to be completely estranged like this.”
I bit my lip, a tumult of anxiety and confusion washing over me. What should I do?
Then, Huan tearfully grasped my hand and said, “You’re a kind girl, Allice.”
“…”
“I know everything. You can’t be wicked enough to force your mother and me to part forever.”
Uncle’s words were right. I wasn’t that wicked.
That had always been Allice’s problem. The problem of being too kind.
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Excuse me, you are too kind? What a joke