“Take me to where Father is.”
“Miss, that’s……”
But Andy’s reaction was unusual. As if there was a reason I shouldn’t visit Father.
Come to think of it, this situation felt familiar. I’d experienced this strange sense of déjà vu before.
It was similar to when servants tried to stop me from entering my room during my time with Alex, when I returned from a trip and unknowingly almost walked in on him and Ilina in the middle of their affair.
That meant…
‘Is there something being discussed between them that I shouldn’t hear?’
But no matter how I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any reason for that. It was a bit strange though.
Father had summoned Josh, a not-so-close relative, without any family events taking place.
Though thinking about it again, it made some sense since Josh was the only male among Father’s relatives.
‘Wait, the only male?’
An ominous feeling suddenly swept over me.
Now that I recall, a few months ago when I came home, I remember seeing an “adoption application form” on Father’s desk. Was that just my imagination?
‘Surely not……”
With suspicion arising, there was no time to waste. I immediately asked Andy:
“Answer me. Where are Father and Josh right now?”
“They’re… probably in the study……”
As soon as Andy answered, I hurriedly lifted my skirt and began running. It was far from the elegant gait befitting a noble lady, but I had no time to worry about such things.
❀❀❀
After running breathlessly like a madwoman from the entrance, I soon arrived at the study where Andy said Father and Josh were talking.
Strangely, there was no one in front of the door to the study.
Seeing everyone standing far away, just staring at the door, it was clear that quite an intimate conversation was taking place between Josh and Father.
My sense of foreboding grew stronger.
Could Father be planning to adopt Josh as his heir?
In fact, I had anticipated this from the moment I took my first step from the entrance to here.
There was no other way to explain Father’s intentions in calling Josh, the only male among his relatives, without any special family event.
‘Josh as the heir, how dreadful.’
Standing in front of the large study door, tension flooded my entire body. My heart raced wildly as I prepared to confirm the truth.
Because of this, I could only reach for the doorknob after taking a deep breath to relax my tension somewhat. At the same time, a voice came from behind me.
“I apologize, Miss. The Count and Master Josh are currently in conversation there.”
“…I don’t care.”
But I ignored that voice and opened the door.
I couldn’t see anything else due to my sense of mission to prevent Father from adopting Josh as his heir.
As I pulled the doorknob, the door opened with a creaking sound, revealing the interior of the study.
In the center of the spacious study surrounded by bookshelves was a tea table. Two men could be seen sitting there, talking.
“So when will the succession……”
The attention of the two men, who had been engaged in a lively conversation, turned to me upon my entrance. I simply greeted them nonchalantly.
“Oh my, I just came to see Father, but I see Brother Josh is here too.”
As if I had no idea they were together.
Fortunately, my act didn’t seem to cause any discomfort, as the attitude of both men remained unchanged.
To begin with, there was no reason for them to be concerned about my reaction regarding Josh becoming the next Count Ophelia.
So they simply welcomed me as if nothing was amiss.
“Levedi, you’re here. It’s been a while. While this surprise appearance is nice, it would have been better if you had knocked before entering. Didn’t you startle this old father of yours?”
“Indeed, Levedi. I thought you had become a proper lady, but it seems you still have some immature aspects.”
Seeing Josh shamelessly acting like a caring cousin made my skin crawl.
Of course, I didn’t show it outwardly and just smiled.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was so eager to see Father that I inadvertently…”
But on the other hand, I felt somewhat relieved. At least as long as he needed to make a good impression on Father, he was unlikely to harm me.
Still, my concern about the Ophelia name being tarnished by him didn’t disappear.
But also, realizing that only men could become the head of the family and that I had no way to prevent it, I felt a sense of futility about why I had rushed here.
Even so, if there was a way to stop it, I should. Just as I was itching to tell Father about Josh’s true nature:
“By the way, Levedi. From what Father told me, you’ve been so busy with business lately that you haven’t even been coming home?”
At that moment, my heart sank.
I looked at Father.
The fact that I was running a business was top-secret, known only to Father, Ilina, the knight who had sworn loyalty to me, and Sherry.
But Father had clearly revealed this fact to Josh. Surely he hadn’t mentioned the scale too? I was holding onto a sliver of hope when:
“I wondered what kind of amazing business you were doing, and it turns out you’re Rose, the head of Black Rose.”
With Josh’s additional comment, all my hopes were shattered.
I looked at Father. He seemed unaware of any problem, wearing a perfectly peaceful expression. The sight made it hard for me to breathe.
Around that time, Josh, who hadn’t grasped the situation at all, carefully began:
“These days, your brother is trying to start something new. Would you be willing to help?”
Though the corners of his eyes curved gently, his pupils shone with greed. I wasn’t one to misunderstand his intentions.
‘What new business? He’s just trying to get drugs.’
Even if that wasn’t the case and he genuinely wanted to start a business, it was still unsatisfactory. Someone whose daily life wasn’t upright wouldn’t work diligently.
I wanted to flatly refuse, but I was conscious of Father watching. I could only open my mouth with an awkward smile.
“Hmm? Black Rose? Father, I think you’re mistaken. The trading company I run is Black Velvet.”
Black Velvet was one of Black Rose’s subordinate organizations, but publicly it was a separate trading company. It was a very small place, and I said this hoping to lower expectations about me.
Of course, this was assuming Father had some tact.
It was a vain hope, as I realized the very next moment.
At my words, Father tilted his head with a puzzled expression and asked:
“Hmm? Didn’t you clearly say Black Rose, not Black Velvet?”
At this point, I had no choice but to deny it.
“Father, I’m twenty-six now. How could a small woman like me run such a large trading company? I haven’t been divorced for that long.”
“Hmm, Levedi. Why do you keep lying?”
D*mn it. An expletive I rarely used came out spontaneously.
While luck had certainly played a major role over the past two years, it was also the result of almost grinding away my body and soul.
The thought of having the money I earned that way snatched away by Josh filled me with indignant heat that I couldn’t suppress.
As I unconsciously gripped my skirt hem tightly, Josh smiled slyly and said to me:
“Levedi, why would you lie to me? We’re family.”
“What?”
Josh’s nonsensical statement left me dumbfounded. I couldn’t help but laugh derisively.
After an awkward laugh escaped between my lips, I immediately hardened my face and responded politely, yet coldly:
“Family? Brother, we’re relatives. We’re the kind of relationship where certain boundaries should be maintained.”
“Aren’t relatives also family? What is there to hide?”
“Yes, Josh is right. We are family.”
Father’s words made my insides boil. But Father didn’t stop there. Even if he had, I was already on the verge of bursting from frustration.
“Levedi, since you have plenty, why not invest in Josh’s venture? That’s the charm of being a businessperson, isn’t it?”
Father’s words would make sense to an uninvolved third party. But not to me.
I knew Josh’s true nature. Giving him money would be no different from throwing pearls to a pig in the mud.
I didn’t want to offer the fruits of my blood and sweat to Josh of all people. That wasn’t why I had earned the money in the first place.
“I’m sorry for lying. But you see, trading company funds are fluid. They’re there one moment and gone the next. Ah, and I don’t have any money on hand after recent business expansions.”
“Is that so?”
Father was a born nobleman. Having never been involved in trading company affairs, he believed my hastily made-up explanation at face value.
To begin with, since Black Rose itself was a business targeting women, Father, not being part of the younger generation, didn’t know how large the trading company was.
He seemed to think I was just earning money for fun, like playing house. This current situation likely arose from such ignorance.
But Josh was different.
“Hmm? What do you mean by fluid? How can Black Rose, one of the top five fashion trading companies in the capital, not have money?”
Seeing Josh sharply probe into my words, I had to swallow harsh words again. But a playboy who only knew how to idle couldn’t possibly know everything.
And what I was saying wasn’t completely untrue.
With the recent influx of single mothers drawn by rumors, the hastily built Single Mothers’ Centers had not yet reached the break-even point.
Of course, it would recover soon, but there was no need to disclose such information.
“Actually, half of my business is charity, so there’s not much profit. I’m barely able to pay my employees’ salaries right now.”
I selectively stated facts. Josh responded with a doubtful “hmm.”
“If you don’t believe me, would you like to see the ledger?”
At my words, Josh frowned and shook his head as if annoyed. His action, revealing his character that detested inconvenience, made me laugh inwardly.
To think I almost had my money taken by such a man. The mere thought was chilling.
As I secretly sighed in relief, something suddenly occurred to me. It was also the reason I had come here, which I had forgotten.
“By the way, Father, why is Brother here?”
Josh answered my question.
“It’s time I started learning from Uncle, no, Father’s work.”
My ominous premonition was indeed correct. Father had called Josh to pass on his position to him.
“So suddenly…?”
When I asked glumly, Father nodded.
“Yes. Josh will now be your brother. With such a reliable older brother, I won’t have to worry even when I’m gone.”
“I’m also very happy to have such a cute little sister like Levedi.”
“Well, you’re showing signs of being a sister-complex already. Ah, by the way, Levedi, do you plan to continue with that trading company?”
While a warm conversation was taking place strictly between the two of them, Father suddenly asked me, who had been observing like an outsider.
Having been lost in thought, I snapped back to reality and tilted my head in confusion.
“Continue with the trading company?”
“Weren’t you planning to quit someday since it’s just a hobby?”
“…No, I wasn’t.”
“Oh ho.”
Why did Father’s impressed expression make me so uneasy?
And soon, my ominous premonition became reality.
“Still, it must be somewhat difficult. How about entrusting your business to your brother?”
“What?”
For a moment, I was so dumbfounded that a voice mixed with incredulity escaped involuntarily.
However, despite my reaction, Father didn’t seem to notice anything and simply continued in a calm voice:
“From what I hear, your business seems quite substantial. You started it for fun and got lucky, right?”
“Ah, well, I was lucky, but……”
Fun? While I could say it’s somewhat fun now, I felt sick at the dismissal of the hardship, tears, and sweat I had to shed to feel that little bit of fun, treating it like a joke.
Moreover:
“I thought so. Then all the more reason to give it to Josh. Josh is about to start a business, and providing him with some capital would be reassuring, wouldn’t it?”
Capital?
“Are you serious right now?”
“Was there any part that made you think I wasn’t serious?”
“……”
I couldn’t bear to listen anymore. It was the moment when the anger that had been accumulating finally exploded. I wanted to scream, but even imagining it was exhausting.
“…I’ll be going now.”
No more words were necessary. I realized that when a person becomes too angry, beyond arguing, they simply don’t want to associate with the other person.
So after leaving those words, I strode out through the door.
I heard voices calling after me, but to me at that moment, they were just noise.
After leaving the study, I immediately called for Sherry.
“I need to go to the trading company.”
“What? Weren’t you planning to stay here for a few days?”
“…Tell them to prepare the carriage.”
I was too dumbfounded to kindly explain to Sherry. At my behavior, Sherry nodded with a puzzled expression.
“…Yes.”
Answering solemnly, Sherry soon disappeared from sight.
❀❀❀
On the way to the trading company in the carriage Sherry had called, many thoughts crossed my mind. And the emotion these thoughts produced was just one:
Anger. And it was burning hot, unbearably so.
And soon, the anger transformed into sorrow.
‘It’s unfair.’
I had worked hard enough to die. I had worked much harder than others, and at the end of my accumulated efforts, luck had graced me a little, or rather, a lot.
Of course, luck doesn’t come to everyone in such a big way, but I believed that if I hadn’t started, there wouldn’t have been any luck either.
It was also a source of pride I held for myself.
But Father didn’t understand any of this at all. While it was troubling that he considered Josh as the next head of the family, I could accept that as a possibility, but to dismiss my trading company as child’s play and tell me to give it to Josh?
It carried the nuance that big tasks would be done by my brother, so I should step aside.
‘Who is Josh anyway?’
From what I’d heard, Josh’s academy grades had been practically rock bottom, he was unreliable, and his personality was a disaster on top of that.
In contrast, from childhood until now, I had read every book I could get my hands on, and when I started something, I had a character that was diligent and consistent. It was a point everyone never failed to praise about me.
Yet it was puzzling that when doing the same thing, mine was dismissed as play, while Josh’s was highlighted as a grand cause.
At the end of the spreading questions, I finally reached one conclusion.
‘Ah. The head of the family.’
The fact that Josh was destined to become the head of the family.
As the future leader who would lead a family, it was natural for him to receive many expectations. However, Josh was someone without a single aspect better than me.
But why did he, not even Father’s biological child, grasp the position of family head just because he was a man?
It was unfair.
Since starting the trading company, I had developed a personality that couldn’t stand losing. Growing a massive trading company in just two years required staying up for days on end, driven by the determination to achieve goals.
So, I cannot lose. I will not crumble to someone like Josh.
Two years ago, I might have thought that submitting to men and playing a supportive role was my way to survive, but after running the trading company, I found that wasn’t the case.
There were many times when I surpassed men. There were also times when men fell short of me. The conclusion was that we’re all just people.
If they thought I would easily give up my trading company just because I’m a woman, they were mistaken.
‘I need to become the head of the family.’
I finally resolved to pursue a goal I wouldn’t have dared to consider two years ago.
❀❀❀
After returning to the trading company, I slept for an entire day on the makeshift bed in my office.
The first thing I did after waking up was to find the list of names of shareholders who had invested in the trading company.
And soon, upon checking the list, I realized my prediction was correct.
While Duke Esteban had the largest share, there were also many others classified as high nobles included.
To become the head of the family, power is necessary. Although I had legitimacy, I had a fatal weakness: being a woman.
Translator
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bluemoon238
How was the father successful being that much a dunce? Sexism only goes so far. Legit trying to push FL in to same or worse situation than before. Even if she can’t be Heir, a business person should know that setting up clauses and conditions for certain people without important positions can act as protection and a lifeline. This is double when it comes to nobles. And after what she just went through… should have been a wakeup call already. Husband didn’t act like that trash until he had a certain position.