IAML&MAH ~ Episode 3

"Lady Selina is here."

"Oh, Selina."

Slightly bowing to greet him, and sitting facing Cedric, I coughed in vain.

"Well, in the meantime….. How have you been?"

He was like a father of a 10 years old friend.

'It's totally awkward.'

Still, seeing that he talked to his niece first, he felt as much responsibility as an ant poop.

'What did she call this man?'

In the original, he was always a bystander watching Selina from afar. There was only a few scenes of conversation.

I was thinking about it, and I just...

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm glad you came back healthy."

"Uncle," I tried calling him.

Then Sir Spencer and Cedric, who were lowering their heads, looked at me at the same time.

Was I being too friendly?

"Lady?"

Seeing that even Penny was so surprised that her eyes were protruding, it must have been unusual.

"It's just….. I’m so happy to see you after a long time."

As I added it, Cedric's eyebrows wriggled.

He seemed surprised that I didn't stutter.

"And you…..... seems to have regained your health."

Perhaps because Sir Spencer was next to him, Cedric chose his words.

"What a relief. Glad to hear that, Selina."

"Penny's help was great. She listened to my readings and cheered for me."

Cedric's gaze quickly fell on the startled Penny.

"I heard Shannon was talking about you yesterday."

"Shannon is always interested in me. I’m really grateful for that."

I was sarcastic but he seemed didn't understand it, Cedric nodded solemnly and agreed.

"Yes, she's not your real sister, but she's a good girl who worries a lot about you."

“…….”

Oh, I hated it because of this bastard.

To that ‘good’ Shannon, Selina loses her parents, position as successor, and even inheritance soon.

"Do you think you’re going to be The Grand Duchess? You just go there because we’re selling you. If The Grand Duke gets tired of playing with you, he'll throw you away. You better pray that your pretty face doesn't get old soon."

And after that Selina was being sold like a cow to the greatest playboy in the Empire. Because of that ‘good’ Shanon.

'This uncle will die soon too.'

Cedric is soon poisoned by Camilla. Because if he got married, Camilla would have to leave her position immediately.

"Always be kind and tolerant."

Cedric Crawford was 'a real sample of honest articles'.

That's why I hated him in the original story.

Because he's too honest.

"Don't you have something you want, Selina?"

I'm just sighing. How can I survive in this harsh world with such a naive mind?

'Is there a training camp that makes villains? Just for a short time.'

Instead of just swinging the knife, Cedric had to learn how heartless this world is!

"Yes, of course. I'm always nice to Shannon."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"But I don't want Shannon to come to my annex.”

I have forgiven her, but made it clear that I have no intention of let this matter go.

“.......”

"Please do that so that the same thing doesn't happen again."

"Well, it's just a dress. You can just buy it again. Your taste is so.....hmhm, fancy and expensive, too, I'm sure that is right."

Cedric seemed to have no doubt that I like wearing something extravagant like that. Of course it must have been Camilla and Shannon's taste. 

Surprised by his naivety, I was temporarily speechless.

"Buy better clothes. You should also get some fancy clothes like Camilla or Shannon."

“……”

"Don't worry too much about money. Our family is not as poor for you to worry."

Cedric looked back at Sir Spencer, with an unkind smile, seemed about to come out and ended the conversation.

"What about Countess?"

If anything bothers him, he usually finds his sister-in-law and the housekeeper, Camilla.

"The countess hasn't come back from the hunting ground yet."

"What about the butler?"

"The Countess took him with her."

“She’s doing it again."

Cedric touched the corner of his eye and ordered nervously, "Bring Shanon in."

"How many days has the countess gone hunting?"

‘I'll take care of this.’ Cedric murmured.

"Today is exactly the fifteenth day, sir,"

"......Fifteen?"

Cedric, who was holding his head with his fist, raised his eyes in surprise.

Is that an illusion?

Sir Spencer seemed to have deliberately spoken out to help me.

"The Countess has been away for 15 days?"

"Yes."

Cedric narrowed the middle of his forehead as if it were unbelievable.

Crawford was a territory bordering the country where there was a fierce war a few years ago.

So two weeks of absence means Camilla has been neglected of her duties.

'What Cedric hates the most.'

Camilla will be back soon. Her right hand would have contacted her upon Cedric's return.

'Then she'd say she went hunting yesterday and came back in a day.’

Camilla has been hiding her deviations in that way so far.

"Has this often happened?”

"Yes. The Countess is usually at the hunting ground for 15 days."

"What? Wasn't it a day or two?"

In an angry look at why no one told him this earlier, Sir Spencer held up his sword.

"I've only been ordered to guard the castle, sir."

He was the outer guard of the castle, and this was under the butler's jurisdiction.

Cedric had nothing to say because he was completely right.

"Ha, really."

He pressed down on his temples with great pain.

It was then. Shannon, who rushed in, protested with a red face.

"Uncle! I feel wronged! I never tore Selina's dress!"

"Right! Lady Shannon never did such a thing!"

That lady-in-law staring at me seemed to be Emma.

'So it's you, pretty girl.'

Shannon was actually nothing compared to Camilla. She knows how to talk, but she was too dependent and very closed.

She'll be quiet without that Emma next to her.

"I just told my sister yesterday that she had an invitation to the imperial banquet and encouraged her to have a good trip!"

"That's right, sir! If she goes to such a place and gets humiliated, it’s the shame of the family!"

Cedric's face hardened as Shannon and Emma, who claimed innocence, clapped.

It was natural that he had a headache because he didn't know how to handle this and couldn't side with one person because of his ‘fair’ personality.

"Okay. Selina's decided to buy another dress, so stop talking."

"What? Only Lady Selina buys a dress?"

exclaimed Emma, who frowned.

Then Shannon stepped out again.

"Uncle, I really didn't do this! But why are you going to buy dresses only for Selina?"

"Shannon."

"You're discriminating against Lady Selina and our Lady Shannon, aren't you sir? Because Lady Shannon doesn’t share blood with you!"

Shannon flamed up as Emma fanned from the side.

"That's right! It's always been like that! You've always discriminated against me!"

Here we go, that regular repertoire!

Cedric, obsessed with fairness, listened to Shannon whenever she insisted like that.

"This time, it's really not what my lady Shannon did, sir!"

There was a moment of silence.

When Emma realized she had made a slip of the tongue, she kept her mouth shut.

But it's already late.

Cedric's eyes were as cold as ever.

"Shannon, you are prohibited from entering the annex."

Perhaps because he was the leader of the Knights Corps, his voice was quite scary.

"You're so mean! My uncle never acknowledged me as the blood of the Crawford family!"

"No way."

Cedric, who snorted, did not hide his scorn this time.

"I wouldn't have listened to this crap if I hadn't considered you to be my brother's child."

The atmosphere grew increasingly grim.

"Do self-reflect. Don't come out of your bedroom for a while."

I opened my mouth with tears like a good child in a difficult situation.

"My uncle, I'm the one who made it like this."

A word that Cedric, who likes to be fair, would like.

"It’s my fault too."

"What did you do wrong, Selina?"

"Shannon didn't receive an invitation from the imperial family, and as an older sister, I went to buy a dress."

It was a performance with all my might. pretending to sincerely reflect on oneself

"Maybe that's why Shannon did that."

Shannon stared blankly at me, who was not stuttering at all.

Emma was more surprised than hse was, and her eyes were as big as a drop.

"Tha, that's... she speaks... her words?!

Emma, ​​astonished, was confused and pointed at me and treated me like her habit.

Shannon noticed her slip of the tongue first, then turned to Cedric and shouted.

"I didn't tear that dress! No, uncle!"

But neither I nor Cedric gave them a glance. It was fortunate for Emma.

"I'll be punished, too, Uncle."

"You too?"

"Yes, that will be fair."

Cedric didn't deny the word fairness.

If his fairness was born as human, he would have become such a suffocating person. Ugh.

"Please send me to the monastery for a month."

"Monastery?"

"Yes, monasteries are always short of hands."

After a pitiful glance at Shannon, I said calmly.

"Since I broke my sister's heart, I think I need patience and reflection."

Everyone stared at me with confused faces.

hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo.

I’ll fight hard, everyone!

I’ll throw away my fate and leave in search of happiness.

Next episode : IAML&MAH ~ Episode 4