“Father, no way…are you planning to sell Elaine off as a second wife to an old nobleman?”
“What’s wrong with that? Just think about the origins of that girl. It would be fortunate if she were to become the second wife of a noble family, tsk.”
Rubaine still hated Elaine.
No matter how pretty and smart Elaine was, to him she was nothing more than a parasite that sucked Mariel’s energy and killed her. A parasite born from the seed of another man whose face and origins he did not know.
And Lark was finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate his father, who did not seem to change no matter how much he tried to persuade and appease Elaine.
“Father, didn’t you promise me before? You left Elaine’s fate up to me.”
“Lark. Why are you so obsessed with Elaine? Do you have any other feelings for that girl?”
“You keep making me repeat myself. How many times must I tell you that Elaine is my property? She is too valuable to be sent to a lowly family as a second wife!”
“I think you overestimate Elaine. Even Elaine herself understands her value.”
Lark gritted his teeth at Rubaine’s changing attitude.
‘It was father who caused the family’s prestige, which was once counted among the best when my grandfather was alive, to fall to this extent! I can’t believe you’re using that kind of judgment.’
In his view, Rubaine was too emotional and simple-minded. He was only pursuing short-term gains and was destroying his family with foolish decisions.
It was the same with Elaine.
Ellie, now sixteen, was, as he had expected, not even close to Elaine’s heights. Her looks, her demeanor, her education, none of it was good enough.
No matter how expensive they dress up Ellie and send her to the debutante, it’s obvious that she won’t get any marriage proposals.
But what if it’s Elaine?
‘I’m sure I’ll get great returns on my investment. My father is the one who can’t even predict that obvious result.’
Suddenly, he thought of Sergey Lindell, who had taken over the business in the Calais Empire in place of his father, raised his family, and became a prominent figure in high society.
If Count Lindell had been there, it would have been years later before Sergey would have been in the spotlight, and he would not have become the hot topic he is now.
Then it suddenly occurred to Lark that Rubaine was interfering with his life.
‘I could do that much if only my father weren’t here! My father is ruining the family!’
Lark grew to hate Rubaine as he watched him foolishly play with his personal feelings.
For Lark, who had little affection for his family, both his parents and siblings were low people with only trash in their heads. And they were blocking his future.
But that was Lark’s thought, and Lorina was extremely dependable to Rubaine.
“I decided that Elaine’s debutante never happened.”
Lorina, who had stopped by Count Newt’s for another weekend vacation, was enthusiastic.
She’d asked Lark to stop him from taking care of Elaine earlier, and it seemed to have worked.
Still feeling uneasy, Lorina checked once more.
“But it seems like Lark is trying to somehow make Elaine’s debutante happen.”
“Who cares? I am still the head of this family. So you don’t have to worry about that girl, Lorina.”
Then, Countess Newt and Ellie joined in.
“It’s because Lark is weak-hearted. He feels sorry for such a lowly woman because she was his cousin…”
“You think brother Lark is weak-hearted? When I told him I didn’t want to debut with that girl, he didn’t even pretend to listen?”
“That’s because taking care of every single collateral line is the proper attitude for a successor.”
“Is Elaine a collateral line of our family? I’m embarrassed to even mention it.”
Then Martin, who was eating a cookie nearby, chimed in.
“That’s right! Why is that part of our family? That’s ridiculous. Father! You’re not going to let her come back to the family just because she’s had her coming-of-age ceremony, are you?”
“Am I crazy? Elaine, that girl, just stays in the temple and when the time comes, she can get married to a place I choose! That’s why I raised her all this time.”
Lorina was quite relieved to see that Newt’s attitude remained the same even after the sun had set.
Especially when it comes to the part where Elaine won’t be brought home for her coming-of-age ceremony.
‘In the meantime, I will marry Lark, and then I can get involved in Elaine’s affairs as the daughter-in-law of Count Newt. If that happens…!’
If that happened, Lorina was determined to throw Elaine into the abyss.
And Damon, who had been quietly sipping tea there, quietly got up when the topic of conversation changed, went back to his room, and locked the door.
Then he stood in the middle of the room, pondering.
‘Even after the coming-of-age ceremony, they won’t bring Elaine home and instead send her to a place chosen by my father to get married? Doesn’t that mean they’re going to sell Elaine to some strange place?’
Locking her up in a temple and then marrying her without even giving her a debutante ceremony sounded like she would accept a marriage proposal that was not good in the eyes of others.
There must be something fishy about a nobleman who wants to marry Elaine, who has never been introduced to society or caught anyone’s eye.
‘I think I should tell Elaine about this…’
Damon, who hated Elaine when he was young because he only listened to what his parents and siblings said, began to feel guilty towards Elaine after having a serious conversation with her and realizing what kind of situation she was in.
Damon, remembering that he had promised to help Elaine someday, quickly took out a piece of stationery and scribbled down a short letter.
He couldn’t bring Elaine home, or even say a word to her marriage proposal, but he wanted to at least give her something to prepare for.
Damon sent the first letter he ever wrote to Elaine, addressed to the Count of Lindell’s house, without anyone in the family knowing.
* * *
{Elaine…I have some not-so-good news.
Today, my father said that even if you have your coming-of-age ceremony, he won’t bring you home.
He said he’ll leave you in the temple and when the time comes, he’ll marry you off to a family he chooses. I think Lark was against it, but my father’s thoughts seem firm.
He doesn’t seem to be planning on marrying you off as soon as you turn twenty, so I think you have three or four years before that happens. In the meantime, try to figure out a way.
I know it might be difficult, but I hope you can escape from this.
-Damon}
Elaine was reading the unexpected letter from Damon for the third time.
[Have you forgotten how to read? Why are you looking at a letter that isn’t that long for so long?]
Rabes, who had appeared in dragon form for the first time in a while and was curled up next to Elaine, grumbled at Elaine, who was just looking at the letter with a surprised face.
“No, that’s it…I feel like Damon has really changed a lot.”
[Huh? Damon? Who was that?]
“Damon is the third of four children of Newt’s family.”
[Oh, the guy who used to follow you around and talk to you about things?]
“Yes, that’s right.”
Rabes frowned and sat up, remembering Damon discussing the future with Elaine, but also remembering how he had tormented Elaine with Martin.
[He sent you a letter? Why?]
“I guess he was trying to tell me that my uncle had decided to lock me up in the temple. It also says that he intends to marry me off as he pleases.”
[Who doesn’t know that…]
“Me and Rabes know since we’ve returned, but Damon now probably thinks I don’t know.”
Because in her previous life, she only found out about that after she had her coming-of-age ceremony.
When a saint who had undergone a coming-of-age ceremony wanted to return home, each family had to send a ‘request for the return of the saint’ to the temple.
However, if the family was ruined or the family wanted to make one of their children a priest, the request was not sent.
And of course, the Newt did not send a request for Elaine to return home. No, they probably did not even know that Elaine had a coming-of-age ceremony.
Still, for the next two years or so, Elaine trusted Newt, or more accurately, Lark. That he would take her back someday, that he would not abandon her like that.
‘How stupid I was…If I had received a letter like this when I was eighteen in my previous life, I would have been confused and scared, but I would have tried to find a way to survive on my own.’
She wouldn’t have thought to tell Newt when she was taking the chaplain test, and she would have started saving money sooner.
And in this life, Damon secretly sent Elaine a letter in the hopes that she would prepare for the future in advance.
“I feel a little strange. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what Damon did to me, but the Damon I see now feels like a different person than the Damon I used to know.”
[Don’t even think about forgiving him so easily.]
“I have never received a proper apology for what happened in the past, so how can I forgive him? But…”
[But?]
“Maybe I can return the favor for the way he thought of me, someday.”
Elaine folded the letter she had received from Damon and put it back in the envelope.
Elaine, who had never received such kindness in her past life, was strangely delighted by the human’s ‘kindness’.
Elaine’s previous life’s wishes from people weren’t anything grand either.
A small word, a little attention was all she ever wanted from people. Just like Damon’s letter to her now, expressing his concern.
And Rabes, who had a rough idea of Elaine’s true feelings, began to think of something else.
‘You’re a lucky kid. A letter saved your life.’
Later, when Rabes wiped out all the humans, Rabes decided to spare Damon, whose face he could not even remember.
* * *
