A Desirable Attitude to Live as an Heiress of a Chaebol Family

Episode 5: You Came Like A Dream (V)

Actually, the subject of expression was not her, but rather the white cat who obviously had never heard of grace.

After listening to her, the butler showed her the way, paid his respect, and left the drawing room. Aicila, now alone, glanced at the elegant wooden door before laying her chin and turning her head to Ruby.

“You. Where the hell did you take me?”

Mer mer. I don’t know human geography! My butler is the only one who’s important to me!

Ruby’s front paws started hitting Aicila’s shoes. It’s an ungrateful cat after all. I’m gonna cut off the salmon next month.

Aicila muttered softly as she let the cat’s wrath fall on her feet.

“Did you smell it, too?”

Me–wr.

The butler of the House of Count Artes, what the hell was he doing, reeking of blood…?

A cat would certainly be able to detect the same scent that she did. When she looked down, she saw Ruby meowing and chewing her riding pants.

The concern and rage were clearly visible in those large blue eyes. An enigmatic color that seems to have been deliberately added to a lot of water by a watercolor artist. Its eyes appeared as though they might burst into tears at the slightest touch.

Ruby, apparently unable to contain its impatience, released Aicila and sprinted towards the door, where it began clawing at it. She frowned as the painfully loud noise continued to rip at her eardrums.

As soon as Aicila grudgingly opened the door, the white figure bolted out.

“What kind of trouble are you going to make now!”

That foolish cat always managed to get into the biggest mischief you could possibly imagine. The torturous memories of the past revealed the unwavering truth.

Aicila quickly chased after Ruby and left the drawing room.

“Ack, Mary! That’s it! That thing scratched my face!”

At the same time, Ruby recoiled and turned at the nasty voice from behind, and Aicila spun around with an equivocal grin on her face.

There’s no way it would have chosen that one as its future owner.

Interesting, this…?

Aicila was trying to make sense of the stories about the House of Count Artes when the cat let out a growl of displeasure and ran amok.

Screams echoed down the hallway, perhaps it was scratching hard again. Aicila paid no attention to the chaos and compiled the information methodically.

House of Count Artes. The Count and the Countess have one son, Lloyd Artes.

Ah, come to think of it, they also have an illegitimate child.

“Mary, Mary!”

“Here, here, cat. Oh my, what should I do. Young Master…”

Aicila rolled her eyes before finally looking at the scene of the accident.

As if that weren’t enough, nail marks could be seen on both of his cheeks. Ruby sprang up on the handsome boy’s head and whacked him across the face with its tail. This wasn’t a playful jab as when he struck Aicila or Reinhardt; it was a serious, calculated assault.

It’s pulling out his hair!

I was so damn right that it’s feisty. At the new evaluation, Aicila crossed her arms.

“Mary, bring the rifle!”

“Young Master… Even the rifle. Cat, stop shaking—”

“Hey, you stupid animal! Whatever you do, that B*stard will be the one to pay the price!”

Oho?

Its white tail twitched. The vicious hammering of his head by its forepaws had also ceased. Bouncing off Lloyd’s head, Ruby deftly evaded his attack and made its way to Aicila. Mrruh, while gazing into its sorrowful, tearful blue eyes, she gave a small nod.

I understand. I would be stupid if I still haven’t noticed it so far.

The next owner of this cat, whom Reinhardt adores, was apparently the illegitimate child of the House of Count Artes.

‘That B*stard will be the one to pay the price!’

And I see that she’s being abused. Now I understand why you held onto me like that.

Mary, the maid, gently pulled the child away, who had his hair yanked off and had bloodied cheeks from being beaten. When she informed the boy that he was now standing in front of the guest of the House of Count Artes—Oh my, amazing!—he seemed to have lost any remaining shred of common reason; he walked away without making too much of a scene, but his teeth were clearly gnashed.

Slowly, the scenery beyond the window became dark.

While it might be too late for some, it’s never too late for others. Aicila’s ruby eyes glinted menacingly in the seething darkness.

As she went down the stairs, the gatekeeper who had been muttering in the hallway bowed to her. His lips were smiling from ear to ear, suggesting he was pleased with the free money bag he had been given.

“I need a favor from you.”

The gatekeeper was ready to comply when she promised more compensation in exchange for delivering a message to Duncan Mansion, prompting him to fetch a piece of paper and a pen.

[Aicila Duncan.]

Finishing her signature elegantly, Aicila looked down at the sullen cat. Whimpering, it covered its ears with its forepaws.

“Cat.”

“……”

“Wake up.”

When Ruby’s ears perked up, Aicila nodded slowly.

There’s no time to lose. It looks like the child is injured, but it’s just sitting and lying, waiting for something to happen.

Aicila grinned at the prospect of destroying the property as an unwanted guest.

…It’s a self-evident fact that it is unwise to treat a prestigious noble family recklessly, even as the successor of the House of Duncan.

If so.

If it’s hard to make a mess, there’s only one answer.

‘Let’s have some fun and buy our way out.’

It should come as no surprise that one of her many talents was the art of frivolous spending.

Aicila folded her eyes and smiled. Like she was waiting for her knight to come riding in on a white horse, she drew an arc with her lips.

“Let’s go find your master.”

Right, that’s it, Human! The Persian cat pricked up its ears and cried.

Ruby took the lead by moving its fast legs, tak tak tak, and Aicila followed suit at a brisk pace. The heels of her shoes ruthlessly trampled on the luxurious carpet.

Her clear smile foreshadowed a blue sky.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Tok tok. Ronell frowned and opened one of her eyes at the sudden sound, and the Countess stopped her hand as well.

“What is it?”

Surely I instructed Mary to lock the door properly. With clenched teeth, the Countess glared at the door. The voice of Butler Geran resounded through from the other side.

“I apologize, Madam. But we had an unexpected guest this evening.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Lady Aicila Duncan.”

One has to be a spy if they claim to be from the Ederka Empire yet they have never heard of Duncan. When she heard the name of the successor to the family that held much of the empire’s riches, the Countess’s temper cooled.

That was unquestionably the kind of title that would send the butler scrambling to her.

“I ask for her understanding that he’s on a business trip.”

“She said she would like to meet you, at least.”

Me? Why me?

That question arose, but Duncan’s successor was too well-known to turn down the request. The Countess clicked her tongue with an airy expression. She fumbled with the cane and glanced at the frightened child.

“Stay quiet.”

“Y-yes.”

“…No.”

She grabbed Ronell’s back and dragged her to the next room. The child’s unusual lightness caught her off guard, but she shoved her into a closet that was located on one wall.

“Ma-Madam. I wonth do ith again. Noth the cwo—”

Even before she could finish her begging, the door slammed shut. I don’t want to hear it, she kept repeating it over and over in her mind.

She even locked it while she was at it. It would be disgraceful if that child comes out and ruins the VIP’s visit. The mere possibility of a social scandal is killing me.

In her haste to go, she carelessly threw the cane to the floor, and when she came out, the butler hurriedly bent his back. The woman rolled the key she was holding and asked a question.

“Where is she?”

“She’s waiting in the drawing room on the 2nd floor.”

“Alright.”

The way that she drops by without being invited demonstrates how little she thinks of the House of the Count, regardless of the fact that she is the successor of a family that controls the empire’s finances. She felt obligated to make a caustic remark. She arrived in front of the reception room where she was guided and opened the door.

“Um?”

“Wh-where did she go…?”

F*ck!

With a dark foreboding, the Countess abruptly turned and ran. She turned and headed back the way she had come, with a small sliver of her heart freezing in fear and her eyes taking on a wild look.

No, I don’t think so. No way.

No way did she lose her mind and go nosing about in another household’s mansion. For her to have such courtesy as common sense—

“You’re late.”

In front of the door of the room where the illegitimate child is trapped, a woman was standing hushedly. Beside her, a white cat was gently wagging its tail.

“Lady Duncan. Why are you here—”

“You’re here, Mitchell?”

“I apologize for the delay, Milady.”

The Countess turned around in dismay. A woman wearing horn-rimmed glasses passed by her and walked right up to Aicila Duncan. Who the hell is she? There should be no choice but to surrender due to the newcomer, but the woman began to argue.

“Lady Duncan. How rude of you to—!”

“Your voice is deafeningly loud.”

Aicila shrugged and beckoned her secretary. As Mitchell quickly took the cigarette out of her bag and handed it over, she put it in her mouth and puffed with her eyes closed. Black eyelashes that looked like chestnuts shed a mystical glow all around. It shone with the same brilliance as gold reflected off the ocean’s surface.

Just as the green smoke started to emanate from the burning end, Aicila smiled as she drew out her cigarette.

Once again, the Countess flinched. There was no mistaking in the deadly intent reflected in the woman’s red eyes before her.

“In the mansion of another household—”

“I know, it’s rude.”

“…However. How can you—”

“So.”

“……”

“So what?”

The next moment, Aicila turned around and precisely kicked the door with her foot. The Countess’s eyes widened and she was unable to shout.

Without hesitation, Aicila walked in and stepped on the shards.

“Here she is.”

She said briefly.

…There was a muffled sob coming from the closet.

After hearing the faint groan, Aicila narrowed her eyes. When Ruby could finally take no more, it began tearing at the door of the closet.

“Lady Duncan! You have no manners!”

“Move, cat.”

Aicila ignored the barking woman and gave a cold command. As Ruby scuttled away, she confirmed that the cat had distanced itself before raising her foot again.

Clank.

The lock was opened by a single well-placed kick. After tossing the non-functional lock aside, Aicila reached for the closet’s doorknob.

The child inside hiccupped loudly, as though in astonishment.

Mer mer. Open it, Human!

Aicila felt helpless against the cat’s temperament, so when Ruby pounded the floor with its tail to urge her, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Just as expected.

It was horrendous. A child with a messed-up face was crouched down, her hands covering her head. Her anger rose from the tear stains on her cheeks.

“Baby.”

The child raised her head very slowly. While gazing into her very terrified expression, Aicila peered at the departed season and subconsciously sighed.

Her yellow-green irises, reminiscent of young sprouts, shook under the reddened rims of her eyes.

It was a crumpled spring.