Chapter 5
First Meeting
When the door before her opened, Safinia was met with the sight of a spacious room filled with people.
At the large study desk sat a man in a suit.
In front of the desk, two sofas faced each other. On one sat a woman in a dress with a young boy beside her.
On the opposite sofa sat a boy and a girl, both staring intently at Safinia.
Their eyes were filled with reproach, and Safinia instantly understood.
(Those eyes… the same as the head maid’s… These people hate me…)
Her legs froze in place.
Noticing her fear, Porthos discreetly stepped behind her and bowed.
“Master, I have brought Lady Safinia.”
“So this is the child Rose bore… I see, the hair color is indeed the same as Rose’s.”
The Duke of Estman, his hair a dark brown, fixed his gaze on Safinia.
“……”
The stare frightened her so much that she couldn’t move a step.
Then, the red-haired woman spoke.
“Well! Can’t that child even greet us properly? As expected from the daughter of a lowly maid.”
Her glare was sharp.
“Uh… um…”
Safinia’s body flinched in terror, but Porthos whispered softly.
“Lady Safinia, let us try the greeting we practiced earlier.”
Encouraged by his words, Safinia nodded.
(That’s right… If I don’t greet them properly, Mr. Porthos will be scolded!)
“Nice to meet you, my name is Safinia.”
She bowed exactly as she had practiced.
“So you can talk after all. I thought you were mute.”
The red-haired boy shrugged. Meanwhile, the red-haired girl had been glaring at Safinia with sharp hostility, and then—
“Ah! I knew I’d seen it before… That black dress, it’s mine! You thief!”
The girl pointed at her and shrieked hysterically.
“Calm yourself, Seira. That mourning dress had become too small for you. That’s why I gave it to Safinia.”
The Duke tried to soothe her, but the girl called Seira refused to back down.
“I don’t care! Even if it doesn’t fit anymore, that dress is still mine! Thief!”
(N-no… I’m not a thief…)
Safinia trembled as she looked at Seira. The dress she wore had been handed to her that very morning by the priest who came to fetch her for the funeral.
Even if the size didn’t fit perfectly, she had been told to wear it for the service.
“See! Both mother and daughter are thieves—truly, blood doesn’t lie!”
“Oh, let it go. Seira, you couldn’t wear that dress anymore anyway.”
The red-haired boy cut in.
“Shut up, Raphael! I know I’m fat! Even you’re making fun of me now!”
Aware of her plumpness, Seira once again glared at Safinia with bitter hatred.
The truth was, from the moment Safinia entered the room, Seira had been eaten up with jealousy at the sight of her beautiful silver hair and slender figure.
“Fwaaah…”
The only one who showed no hostility, the youngest boy, yawned sleepily.
“Husband! I refuse to live in this mansion with a child like that! Send her back to the villa!”
The woman cried out shrilly to the Duke.
“And I don’t want to live with a thief who stole my dress!”
“You couldn’t wear it anyway… Not that I really care.”
“Mother… I’m sleepy…”
As the wife and children bickered and raised their voices, Safinia could do nothing but tremble and watch.
Porthos also remained silent, though he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Then—
“Enough! That’s quite enough, all of you!”
At last, the Duke of Estman thundered.
