Chapter 27…
Cynthia doubted her ears and turned her head. Completely erase it? What did he mean?
Castleton smiled with satisfaction and spoke to her.
“Did you hear that, Miss Cynthia White?”
“You… destroyed my house?”
“It was a kind of warning. We also needed a reason to keep you here, didn’t we?”
For someone who had just confessed to destroying another person’s home, Castleton looked far too shameless and confident.
Cynthia sat there, dumbfounded, then suddenly turned her head sharply toward Dale and demanded in a biting tone:
“Dale! Explain this properly. What do you mean you destroyed it? What exactly did you do to my house?!”
“We burned it down so you wouldn’t be able to return. Anything that seemed necessary was moved in advance, so you needn’t worry.”
Dale’s answer came with a blank expression. His calm face revealed no emotion at all.
Is this really the Dale I knew?
Cynthia was so shocked by the unfamiliar look on his face that she couldn’t even speak.
“Since your house is gone and you have nowhere to go for now, you’ll continue staying at Bailey Manor. We’ll discuss the rest later.”
As soon as Castleton finished, the gathered Baileys began fixing their clothes and putting on hats, getting ready to leave. After glancing around the room, Castleton slowly rose to his feet.
“That will be all for today. Dale, assist Miss Cynthia in finishing the matters concerning Duke Tession and the return of the Ritemper Trading Company.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“As for the other Baileys, please ensure absolute confidentiality about what was discussed today.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Voices of agreement rang out across the room.
After nodding once, Castleton strode out of the meeting room, and the others followed, chattering as they went. Cynthia kept her head bowed, catching her breath until the noisy group was gone.
“Cynthia.”
Once everyone had left and only the two of them remained, Dale cautiously spoke. Cynthia didn’t answer, stubbornly staring at the floor.
“Miss Cynthia?”
He called again, but she still didn’t feel like replying.
Who do they think they are, burning down my house? What are the Baileys, anyway?
Dale looked at the girl with her head bowed, cleared his throat, and spoke softly.
“Ahem. First of all, I apologize… for acting on our own regarding your residence—”
“Did you think I was some kind of joke?”
Cynthia suddenly stood up, cutting him off. Her lower lip trembled as she bit it and turned to face him.
“What?”
“Did I look pathetic to you? Like a fool pretending to be someone I’m not because I was blinded by money?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“My house may have been nothing but a shabby hut to you or the Baileys, but to me it was my comfort, my safe place! It wasn’t something to be burned to ashes overnight!”
Her voice began to shake.
The small hut where she first awoke in this world—the low ceiling, the tiny bed—was her most cherished space.
Whenever she felt like she didn’t belong in this world, like she was just some disposable extra who could vanish at any moment, Cynthia would sit on that bed, close her eyes tightly, and breathe.
Sigh…
When she forced her eyes shut, that old but soft mattress would always hold her warmly.
Then, when she woke up the next morning, she’d find the strength to live one more day.
“You have no idea what that place meant to me…”
Her voice cracked with tears. Trembling, she was overwhelmed by anger, sorrow, and fear.
Now that she realized she had no home to return to, she couldn’t stop her emotions from spilling out.
Dale stepped closer to her.
“Please, calm down. This isn’t the place for—”
“Let go of me!”
Cynthia jerked her arm free from his weak grip and turned to run out of the meeting room.
“Miss Cynthia!”
“Don’t follow me! Just leave me alone!”
She could hear Dale shouting behind her, but she didn’t stop.
Hic…
She roughly wiped away the tears that wouldn’t stop streaming down her face.
After bursting out of the meeting room, she ran down a long corridor, descended the stairs, and didn’t stop until she was completely outside Bailey Manor, panting hard.
“Haah… Huff…”
She finally caught her breath and looked around. Where should I go now?
They said my house was gone…
The realization that she truly had nowhere to go hit her hard, and tears welled up again.
“Ugh…! No! Don’t cry!”
Shaking her head quickly, Cynthia turned to look up at the imposing structure of Bailey Manor—grand, dazzling, and massive enough to swallow her whole.
Then she frowned and snapped her head away.
“I never want to go back there again. This is the end.”
She muttered under her breath and began walking aimlessly.
She needed time to think things through.
Let’s think carefully. I still have 450,000 mints left from the 500,000 advance payment, after paying Tession’s medical bills…
She remembered the 450,000 mints safely stored in the commoners’ bank.
After cashing Dale’s check, she’d hidden almost all of it there—minus 50,000—to keep it safe from loan sharks.
Well, at least staying at Bailey Manor meant I didn’t have to see those debt collectors all the time…
“No! What’s good about that? Don’t think like that!”
Shaking her head, Cynthia sank back into thought.
With 450,000 mints—roughly two years of living expenses for an average four-person family in the Dirotain Empire—it was a decent amount.
First, pay off the debts! Then buy a new house, even a small one. Tighten my belt and live frugally. I can manage somehow…
“But who knows how much interest those debts have piled up by now…”
This world had its fair share of loan sharks.
She didn’t even know her original debt amount, but every time those collectors came, the number had grown absurdly high.
Cynthia sighed deeply.
She’d avoided them until now for fear of being beaten while confirming how much the debt had ballooned—but now, she couldn’t run anymore.
If she used up all her money repaying debts, maybe she could find kitchen work at a restaurant or something…
“Ugh… this is so hopeless…”
Scratching her head, Cynthia stepped onto the main road.
If she left the capital and moved to a nearby territory, housing would be cheaper there.
If she looked hard enough, surely there’d be some way for her to survive.
Running away would be better than staying trapped by the Bailey family and pretending to be Elizabeth forever.
Now that Tession had regained consciousness, it was impossible to keep deceiving him. The longer she continued this charade, the harsher the punishment would be once the truth came out.
“It’s smarter to cut ties now!”
She couldn’t stop thinking about the 4.5 million mints she’d never received—but there was no helping it. Let’s just call it quits.
“First, the bank. I’ll withdraw the money!”
Having decided, Cynthia picked up her pace.
The walk to the city center, where the bank was located, was long—but she had no other choice.
It was several hours later when she finally reached the bank.
Bailey Manor, beautiful and secluded, was far too distant from the city.
Ugh, that took forever…
Her feet ached from walking so long in uncomfortable shoes. Limping, she approached the teller’s window.
“How may I help you, lady?”
The clerk, a kind-looking man, smiled politely at her.
“Hello! I’m here to withdraw money—all of it!”
“May I see the bank card under your name?”
Cynthia quickly fished out the card she always carried with her—day or night, eating or sleeping, it was her most precious possession.
“Here you go.”
“Please fill out this withdrawal form, and I’ll process it shortly.”
“Alright.”
Cynthia took the form, picked up a pen nearby, and began neatly writing her name, account number, and withdrawal amount.
“…Huh?”
Something at the bottom of the form caught her eye.
“Excuse me, is this bank… owned by the Lumanov family?”
