chapter 2
Charlotte’s face looked gloomy with despair.
The handsome lawyer slightly twitched his lips, as if he found Charlotte’s worry a little cute.
“But the Dowager Countess prepared for this kind of situation in advance,” he said.
“Prepared legally?”
“Yes. Until the inheritance dispute is resolved in court, no one can receive even a single coin.”
The Able family members’ eyes widened in shock.
“R-Really?”
“Yes.”
“When did she take such measures?”
“She handled it herself when she wrote her will ten years ago.”
Not last year, not this year—ten years ago.
The Dowager Countess had been fully capable back then, so this wasn’t senility.
The Able family’s faces turned pale.
An unexpected twist.
Charlotte felt relieved. It was like being the heroine in a messy drama, bullied by everyone but eventually inheriting the fortune.
She muttered softly, like a girl lost in thought:
“Hmm… I don’t know. I’m not sure what to decide.”
“You don’t have to decide on the trial immediately…” the lawyer began.
“I’ll pay one million gold.”
A middle-aged man with a mustache interrupted sharply. This was the same man who had yelled at Charlotte to sit down earlier.
“If you sign the contract to hand the seven-story building to me, I’ll pay the million gold immediately.”
Beside him, a thin man twisted his face in disapproval.
“Brother, you’re already going to inherit the title and the biggest part of the estate. Do you really need Charlotte’s building too?”
“That’s right. Even if the youngest’s illegitimate child was born outside, the kid isn’t very smart. We should take care of him now.”
The mustached man—now the new Able Count—smirked.
“So one of you wants to take care of Charlotte… or rather, her property. Not to help, but to pretend while taking it.”
“Brother!”
Charlotte watched her greedy relatives with disdain. Their tricks were obvious, and she almost yawned.
They didn’t know that Charlotte had changed; maybe she could play dumb for a while.
“But… one million gold. Is that really the price for a building on Rainbow Street?” Charlotte blinked, pretending to be surprised by the price.
The thin man, angered by the count, took the bait.
“No, it’s about 1.2 million gold.”
“No, Charlotte. It’s 1.3 million gold,” another chimed in.
As they shouted prices, the previously hesitant men began competing.
1.7 million, 1.8 million, 1.9 million, 2 million…
The Count’s offer had turned into an auction.
Charlotte realized her building must be valuable, given how angry everyone got and how they were now willing to pay huge sums.
3.5 million gold.
3.7 million gold.
8.7 million gold.
The price jumped by 5 million at once.
Even the handsome lawyer looked surprised. 8.7 million gold could buy three buildings in the capital’s busy district.
The thin man protested.
“Brother, isn’t 8.7 million more than the market value?”
“Then give up. I can go higher,” the Able Count said smugly, stroking his mustache. His eyes softened, almost tender, as he looked at Charlotte.
The other men eventually gave up.
“Now that the final buyer is decided, Charlotte, let’s sign the contract. Your mother’s lawyer is here too…”
“I don’t want to sell.”
“What?”
The Count leaped up, shocked. Everyone watching the auction froze.
“I thought Charlotte was dumb, but not this dumb. She refuses to sell even for 8.7 million gold?”
“Didn’t she hit her head earlier?”
“She can’t read numbers properly anyway. She probably doesn’t understand what 8.7 million gold means.”
Their judgmental stares hit her, but Charlotte tilted her head innocently.
“I haven’t even decided on the trial yet. Why would I sell?”
The Count, embarrassed by his younger brothers, turned red with anger.
“So, will you go to court for the inheritance dispute?”
“No.”
“Then you’ll sell it to me?”
“No.”
“What on earth are you going to do?”
The Count finally yelled in frustration.
Charlotte calmly replied, as if asking the obvious:
“I’ll live in it myself.”
Click-clack, click-clack.
The Able family walked proudly out of the mansion.
Servants opened the doors of the lined-up carriages politely.
Before getting in, they all shot Charlotte a glare. If looks could kill, she would have been dead dozens of times by now.
Still, Charlotte was secretly amused. Their faces were blotchy from trying to hide their anger.
When she said she’d live in the building herself, their expressions were priceless.
The Able Count, looking like a bulldog who just had his steak taken away, trembled with rage.
The men who had given up on the auction gaped, feeling tricked.
Of course, Charlotte immediately clarified, “I never said I was selling the building.”
Suddenly, everyone went silent.
Eventually, the uproar over the building ended. The relatives’ attempts to take it were exposed.
Finally, the Able Count and Countess stepped outside the mansion.
“Just wait, Charlotte!”
The overweight Count gritted his teeth and passed by her.
Their carriage left first, followed by the others.
Watching the carriages move away, Charlotte wondered.
Everyone set to inherit from the Dowager Countess had been eying her building.
“Does this building really have such value?”
If so…
Charlotte’s life had been at risk for this very seven-story building.
Then, the first Count to offer money could be the murderer—or someone else competing in the auction.
At least the auction helped Charlotte. She could now identify possible suspects in the Able family.
“I need to avoid them as much as possible.”
She was about to enjoy her brilliant life as a building owner and didn’t want to die again in another story.
“I can’t die this time!”
She clenched her fists, determined to extend her life.
Then a young servant came running.
“Miss Charlotte, the children are here.”
“Children?”
Charlotte was surprised. She had thought she was the lady of the house, not a mother.
Two small creatures sat atop the penguin’s head: a large penguin-shaped doll and a plump brown sparrow. They looked at Charlotte with admiration.
“Who are you two?”
Tap, tap.
Charlotte walked down the long plane tree avenue.
The sun was strong, and the air was hot—summer, it seemed, in the novel world.
At the end of the path, a huge gate appeared.
“This mansion is really far from the gate,” Charlotte muttered.
She glanced down. The black penguin waddled alongside her, spreading its tiny wings.
Despite the heat, it seemed tireless.
Their eyes met briefly, and Charlotte smiled.
The penguin turned its head in a huff.
“Ah, of course I brought you.”
Charlotte spoke in a light, vague tone.
The young servant, hoping for praise, said clearly:
“You told me to watch them and that they would behave until the meeting ended, so I just watched.”
“Oh, yes. I remember saying that.”
Charlotte didn’t actually remember. She had never seen these two before.
Still, she smiled awkwardly at the bright-eyed penguin.
“Hi, did you have fun?”
The penguin froze, its beak wide open.
“Oh! Why are you like that?” Charlotte shouted in surprise.
The penguin’s black eyes looked tearful, like it had been abandoned.
Of course, it realized she didn’t recognize it. But she couldn’t explain that she had just arrived from another story an hour ago.
Charlotte felt sorry for the dejected penguin. It had probably been waiting for the real Charlotte Able.
“Uh… hey…”
The penguin glanced at her, sighed, then nodded with its round head.
“Earlier, I said some things because I was upset about my family…”
It crossed its tiny wings into an X.
“You want me to stop?”
Nodding.
“You understand what I mean?”
Nodding.
“Really? You know how I feel?”
Nodding.
Charlotte felt her heart warm at the penguin’s understanding.
“You’re so good.”
She opened her arms to hug it.
The penguin spread its wings to return the hug.
But the sparrow flew and bumped her face.
“Squawk!”
The penguin got angry.
“Chirp, chirp!”
The sparrow flopped on the ground, pretending to be hurt.
After struggling, the sparrow wiped its tears with its wings.
The penguin crouched nearby, watching.
Charlotte laughed. These two really were growing up together…
“You two are really close.”
The sparrow peeked over its small wings and flew toward her. The penguin jumped to catch it.
Wow! The penguin even jumped.
The sparrow flailed, while the penguin held it and looked at Charlotte.
The sparrow looked wronged, and the penguin sought praise.
Charlotte laughed and patted both their heads.
“Yes, the world is still beautiful because of cute little ones like you.”
Charlotte took her happy companions and walked toward the gate.
