Chapter 4
Apollin’s face lost its color immediately. Although she had mentioned her mother’s death, Eugenie Norton’s face remained remarkably unshaken, her expression as cold and imperturbable as ever.
However, when Viscount Peregrin appeared at that moment, Apollin ran to him with tears streaming down her face.
“Father!”
“Apollin? Why are you crying, dear?”
“Eugenie… she insulted my mother and my late father!”
“What?!”
Viscount Peregrin’s anger flared. Eugenie found it pitiful how he was desperately trying to please his new wife’s daughter.
“Eugenie, can’t you apologize to Apollin?”
“Sorry.”
Eugenie replied with an unflinching expression.
“It’s absurd that you’re crying when you started this mess. Is that enough?”
“Eugenie!”
The Viscount raised his voice to his own daughter. It was uncomfortable enough that his first wife had recently passed away, and now her look-alike daughter was glaring at him, making him feel even more guilty.
“Why can’t you be more agreeable? Why are you so rude to your new family?”
“……”
“Dora was too emotional, but you, as a daughter, are completely aloof!”
“……”
Eugenie raised her amber eyes and silently glared at Peregrin Norton.
I don’t want to meet a man like you. That’s why I am the way I am.
But what good would it do to say such things to someone who only cares about his own desires?
“I’ll just move out and live on my own. Please cover my tuition.”
“Fine. Alright!”
The Viscount quickly agreed to her request, relieved that his remaining blood relative would just disappear. The father-daughter relationship ended as abruptly as it began.
……Thus, in the graduation photo of that year’s academy class, there were no parents present, despite her graduating as the valedictorian.
It didn’t matter much, considering she hadn’t had a wide range of relationships to begin with. Yet, even Eugenie had a fiance.
“Would you go out with me, Eugenie?”
The first to confess was Peter Lamburg, the Count’s son, who was a year older than her.
Peter wasn’t exceptionally handsome, but he had a charming smile. He said he found Eugenie’s cool and composed demeanor attractive.
‘This doesn’t seem too bad.’
Although her mother had been frustrated with the men she’d encountered, a man as unremarkable as Peter might not be too troublesome.
‘His personality is gentle and he seems unlikely to stray.’
Not looking around was the most important quality in the world. More valuable than burning passion (which wasn’t really needed), a faithful relationship was the most precious thing, wasn’t it?
‘Eugenie, how about preparing for marriage after you graduate from the academy?’
‘Hmm, yes. That sounds good.’
However, Eugenie postponed the marriage even after graduating from the academy. Unfortunately, her thesis caught the attention of her professor, and she ended up becoming a graduate student instead.
Still, Eugenie believed that Peter would wait a little longer.
‘I like seeing Eugenie work towards her dreams.’
Since Peter had said this himself, Eugenie thought he might be willing to wait a little longer.
Just a little longer…
* * *
Her father suddenly died.
Just a few days before Eugenie turned twenty-four.
While her father had the luck of drawing a royal straight flush, he lacked the instinct to notice the hostility of the surrounding gamblers.
‘In the end, it’s no surprise it happened at a gambling house.’
Eugenie scratched her cheek in front of the coffin containing her father’s body.
‘Should I try to shed a few tears?’
After a brief consideration of three seconds, she gave up, as she had no eye drops. What was more important now was dealing with the two people approaching her and Peter at the wake.
“Ha. It’s quite a sight to see your face, Eugenie.”
“Hello, Agatha.”
“To come only after your father’s death—how admirable.”
Ignoring Eugenie’s greeting, Agatha sniffed disdainfully.
“Since you’re finally here, I suppose you’re here to talk about your father’s inheritance?”
“Since you’ve brought it up, let’s discuss it.”
Agatha’s reason for remarrying Peregrin was clear. The Norton estate, though not the wealthiest, was still fairly substantial for a Viscounty. However, Eugenie was more unsettled about the belongings of her mother being part of the Viscounty’s estate than the inheritance itself.
‘There were things I couldn’t take when I left the mansion in a hurry.’
If there were any of her mother’s belongings she hadn’t been able to find, she certainly wanted them returned.
But Agatha only smirked behind her fan.
“Pfft. Do you not know? An unmarried daughter has no inheritance rights?”
“Agatha, if you put it that way, your daughter is at greater risk, isn’t she?”
A faint smile appeared on Eugenie’s face. She had her fiance, Peter. If they had their wedding tomorrow, the inheritance issue would be trivial.
‘The real danger is actually Apollin, who hasn’t shown up with any news so far.’
Just then, the man who had been standing next to Eugenie slowly relaxed his arm.
“….Peter?”
The moment Eugenie turned her wide eyes towards him, Peter leisurely moved away from her and walked towards her stepmother and stepsister.
Apollin spread her arms and smiled brightly.
“Oh, Peter. Come here.”
“Apollin.”
And the two of them kissed right in front of Eugenie’s eyes.
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