Chapter 27

Welcoming the family (5)

Since the opera theater itself was a social place, there were quite a few people who talked to Ian.

“There’s not much time left until the swordsmanship competition, is there? I’m sure you’ll win this time too. I know it’s the last competition, but it’ll feel great if you win it until the end.”

“Thank you. Actually, I’m not thinking too much about winning, I just do my best.”

“That’s what the opera actor said in an interview. I don’t think about the content well, I just do my best.”

“Really?”

“Yes, because the opera play is a bit strange.”

Ian responded with perfect manners and a gentlemanly manner, but all he could think of was Annabellel’s bright look.

He felt  bad for her to follow them happily just because they called her family.

At a glance, she appeared with Robert, which seemed to be an attempt to use her politically…

How could family members all look like that?

It seemed like everyone was only thinking about using Annabelle, including her mother and Reid, who had lived together.

‘Why do you swear at me? Why are you following them with that puppy-like expression?’

Ian was surprised by the sudden surge of displeasure at the thought of Annabelle swearing at them.

“Anyways, the content of the opera was already creepy. The content was always very annoying. How could anyone write that because they like to be cursed at…”

While Ian was thinking about something else, the person he was talking to smiled.

“Well, yes.”

Braden, who was drinking wine next to him, stepped in.

“Of course we don’t have people like that around us. But even if there is…”

Braden continued with strength.

“…Shouldn’t you hide it if you’re sane?”

Ian was thus denied by his father.

~*~

The night of the opera ended without a hitch.

After a few casual conversations with the Abedes, it was already closing time.

I didn’t get home until after midnight.

It was a very satisfying opera, and everything went as planned.

First, I succeeded in secretly feeding Ian the antidote.

That was the end of my relationship with Ian! I didn’t have to see him anymore.

Of course, my relationship with Robert was over too!

The only important thing was… I threw the bait at the rich Marquis Abedes.

‘I’m not trying to do anything wrong.’

I thought very carefully, taking off my shiny dress.

‘I’m just paying you back the way Richard did to me.’

So, I was going to bait them once, just once.

‘You will eat well and live well without my help. Of course, the crown prince of their own will not be the emperor.’

It didn’t do a tremendous amount of damage to Marquis Abedes, but it was only intended to be a hope adviser.

Because we were a family anyway.

I didn’t learn much from my family.

First of all, from Caitlyn and Reid… I learned how cheap a blood relationship could be if money were at stake.

But we had to wish each other good luck ‘because we’re family…’

‘No matter how much my past life comes to mind, I’m still just Annabelle.’

My previous life was blurry and only the contents of the original story were remembered as information.

I never had a proper relationship with people because I had no friends. To be honest, I did not live a normal life in many ways.

‘Damn it, I have already been set up as a petty villain.’

From personality building to growth, I was already a bit screwed, could I live a proper life…?

I didn’t even run into Reid that night.

After listening to the maids talking, They said he drank until late and wouldn’t come in until dawn.

So it wasn’t until about noon the next day that I ran into him.

“Annabelle!”

Reid looked dazed, but also excited.

“How did you end up being Robert’s partner? You didn’t tell me that, did you?”

“Since when did I tell you everything? It just happened.”

I replied curtly.

“I’m here to make sure Ian Wade is enjoying his welcome drink.”

“You didn’t have to check for yourself.”

Reid said with a grin.

“The man I hired watched him through there. He said he drank very well.”

That was why he looked so excited.

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.

“Well…I wanted to be sure so I went to see it with my own eyes.”

“No, it definitely worked because…”

Reid squinted and whispered in a voice that only I could hear.

“…I used slaves.”

“What?”

I opened my eyes wide in surprise. Slave trading was strictly illegal.

It was not just because they bought and sold people, but because they used them as disposable dolls after eliminating their actions through slave magic.

Years later, Robert found out that Crown Prince Carlon airlifted political funds from an illegal slave dealer and even dethroned him.

How Ian and the Saint struggled to stop the black magic…

It was a serious matter of the world’s biggest villain, and now Reid is stepping in without knowing…

I was speechless and screamed my head off.

“Are you crazy? If you get caught, you’re in jail!”

I thought I’d finally get out of the prison ending, but it was dark before my eyes.

‘If Reid gets caught, I’m gonna get tangled up, right? Anyways, it’s true that I conspired in the past.’

Because he even hung up the house document, Reid seemed to have gone too far. It was such a terrible thing that it was a life sentence just to be caught.

“I won’t get caught, don’t worry.”

Reid answered curiously.

“My best friend is the biggest slave dealer in the capital. He’s a professional at this kind of thing.”

“You’re best friends with someone like that? What were you really going to do…?”

I knew he was hanging out with bad people, but I didn’t know he would have made such friends.

“If there is a situation where we need to hide from getting caught, we can go to him.  He said that he can hide us because he has a knack for clearing identities.”

I sighed and muttered while Reid clapped his hands and shouted curiously.

“Anyway, all we have left to do is for you to win first place in the swordsmanship competition.”

I left home saying that I would go to the training center without answering. I sighed deeply because Reid was noisy and my stomach was turning.

‘Should I just stab him in the back and file a complaint? But I don’t have any physical evidence…’

I hope that the antidote given to Ian would never come to surface.

Reid’s belated nagging followed my back.

“But don’t neglect your training! It’s noon and you’re leaving now!”

I couldn’t believe you were neglecting your sister more than anyone else.

Once out of the house, I began to work hard to figure out how to get out of Reid’s employment of illegal slaves.

“Miss Annabelle.”

I was walking aimlessly down the street when someone called me.

Looking back, he looked familiar. It was the assistant in Rainfield’s dressing room.

“I was on my way to pick you up. Marilyn is looking for you.”

“What? Me?”

“Yes, I was on my way to the Duke of Wade but since you’re here it saved me time.”

“…You were on the way to the duke’s place because you wanted to see me…?”

“Yes, I heard you’re there more often.”

I must have been wasting my life.

How many years had I been making a fuss in that place for people to go there to find me…

But I couldn’t blame them, since I was also heading in that direction.

I thought I was wandering aimlessly, but I was walking there every day without realizing it.

“But why would she…”

I said, scratching my jaw in a sour way.

Marilyn was somehow acquainted with Leslie.

I didn’t really want to get involved because I was really going to cut ties with Wades now.

I tried to avoid it somehow, but the assistant replied with a smile.

“The training suit that was ordered has been completed.”

“Oh okay, let’s go.”

I quickly followed the tide.

~*~

Leslie was even in Marilyn’s dressing room.

“I came to see the clothes in the morning, and Marilyn called you. I’ve been waiting to see it too!”

Leslie smiled brightly over tea.

I was wearing a grey training suit again today. I couldn’t come out wearing a dress when I said I was going to train.

Marilyn looked at me and sighed deeply.

“Really… Caitlyn was mean to her daughter.”

The assistant quickly brought the tea in front of Marilyn and I.

Before seeing such a new training suit, the three of us happened to have something like tea time.

“It seemed like it was only yesterday that Caitlyn came every day and waited for hours to get her clothes for every season…”

“You knew Caitlyn? You only receive a very small number of people.”

Leslie tilted her head and asked.

It was a question that meant that if Marilyn was a normal person, she would never accept someone of the same class as a guest.

“We had a baby in the same hospital.”

“Huh?”

“When I gave birth to my first child, Oscar and I couldn’t call a doctor because our business wasn’t in place, so we went to a public hospital in the capital.”

“Well, that was when Caitlyn didn’t have any money. Her money…”

Leslie murmured and glanced at me and went quiet.

Well, Caitlyn was the one who gave birth to me and had a hard time.

“We were in labor together, so we talked a little bit.”

“I see.”

“That day Caitlyn gave birth to Miss Annabelle.”