PLMYP 34

Chapter 34  —

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Janice quickly shook her head.

‘No way, that can’t be it.’

She didn’t think anyone would genuinely want to get close to her, so what was the point?

To push away those unnecessary thoughts, Janice downed the rest of her apple cider.
The fresh apple scent lingering in her mouth felt so crisp and pleasant, she finally understood why Elizabeth looked so disappointed about it earlier.

“By the way, Miss Janice, I know it was a sudden invitation, so thank you for coming so willingly. I hope Sir Hawk didn’t offend you in any way?”

“Not at all. I’m not sure if you heard, but he actually helped me a lot. If you hadn’t sent him, I would’ve been in serious trouble. So even if it’s late, I want to thank you properly.”

Janice bowed with her hand over her heart, but Irenea waved her hand as if to say it wasn’t necessary.

“We’re going to be family soon. If you ever need help or feel uncomfortable staying here, don’t hesitate to speak up.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“You really don’t need to be so formal.”

Irenea smiled warmly at Janice, her eyes filled with kindness.

Janice wondered how someone could look at a complete stranger with such affection.
Suddenly, memories of her late mother flashed in her mind, making her chest ache.

“Um… my brother went to repay a debt at the Miles estate, right? Do you happen to know when he’ll be back?”

“He should be back soon. If I think about the distance to the Miles estate, he must’ve already arrived by now…”

What is he even doing over there?

Irenea let out a sigh, but then smiled at Janice as if telling her not to worry.

“He’ll be back soon. At the very least, he’ll make it before the wedding.”

“…He better.”

“Hmm? What was that, Elly?”

“Nothing.”

Elizabeth quickly shook her head and then angrily stabbed her steak with her knife, slicing it with extra force.

Her movements drew attention because of how aggressively she cut her food, but Janice intentionally kept her gaze fixed on her own plate.

Unlike Irenea, Janice had heard what Elizabeth mumbled.

‘He didn’t marry my sister just for the money, right?’

Surely her brother wouldn’t do that…

But as she thought over Elizabeth’s words, a sense of unease started growing in Janice’s heart.
She clearly remembered what her brother said before debuting in society.

“I’ll marry the woman who offers to pay off my debts. That’s the most realistic plan right now. What choice do I have? I might as well use the face my real father left me.”

Still… wasn’t he using his face a little too well?

Without realizing it, Janice glanced at Irenea. Their eyes met, and she quickly forced an awkward smile.

“If there’s anything you’d like to eat, please let me know. I’ll ask the chef to prepare it for you.”

“No, thank you. Everything’s delicious.”

Even now, Irenea’s eyes were filled with only warmth and friendliness. That made Janice feel even more uncomfortable.

‘Brother… where are you right now?’

For many reasons, Janice wished—more than anything—that her brother would arrive as soon as possible.

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Inside a luxurious restaurant where only nobles were allowed entry after identity checks at the entrance…

In that elegant place, filled with the clear melodies of a grand music box, a completely out-of-place man covered in scratches was sitting with a deep scowl on his face, grumbling loudly.

“Ugh! Seriously… this steak is way too big! Can’t you see my lip is split? I told you to cut it into small pieces!”

Cutting food wasn’t even the server’s job.

But not only had he forced the server to do it for him, he even hit them for slicing it too big.
That kind of behavior should’ve gotten him kicked out immediately.

But—status is everything.

Afraid of further complaints, the staff bowed deeply.

“I’m very sorry, sir! I assure you, it wasn’t intentional. I’ll bring back a smaller, thinner cut of steak right away!”

“What kind of service is this, expecting money for this crap…”

Grumbling, Harry gulped down a glass of cold water to calm his nerves.

As the staff backed away, swearing silently in their heads, Harry winced and touched the cut near his lips.

“Damn it. That expensive medicine was supposed to heal it in a day…”

Instead, it felt like it was getting worse.
He should’ve known better than to trust a doctor from some backwater village not even on the map.

He was seriously debating whether to go back and kill that doctor when a knight—out of breath—rushed back in.

“Hahh… hahh… young master!”

“How did it go?”

Forced to run a one-hour round trip in just thirty minutes, the knight was gasping for breath.

He wiped sweat from his forehead and looked longingly at the water on the table, but Harry, instead of offering a drink, snapped again.

“I asked you, how did it go?”

“Y-Yes! The check was not a fake!”

It had taken a bit of time to verify it, but that was standard procedure for any large check.

Once confirmed as genuine, the bank immediately opened an account in Harry Miles’ name.

Harry stared at the account book in shock—the balance read 30 million Lark.

“It was real…?”

Gulping nervously, he was speechless. The other knights around him also looked stunned.

One of them even rubbed his eyes and clapped.

“Congratulations, young master!”

“What?”

“You’re rich now! 30 million Lark? That’s enough to buy a house in the capital!”

Their eyes sparkled with barely hidden greed.
The kind of look that said, “Can I get some of that too?”

Seeing one of them flatter him triggered the rest.

“Congratulations, young master!”

“You have to treat us now!”

“You idiots… don’t you remember what that guy said?”

“Keep this in mind. If the Count repaid your debt and you use the check for yourself, Blair will accuse you of fraud.”

Harry had already been warned by his father after his last mess.

“This is your last chance. One more screw-up, and I’m removing your name from the family registry. Understand?”

The Count title would go to his older brother.
But Harry’s maternal grandmother had promised to pass down the Viscount title to him—only if he still bore the Miles name.

If he lost that name, the title would vanish too.

So until his grandmother passed, he had to behave.

“But still…”

He stared at the 30 million Lark now in his account.
The money was already in his hands. It felt like a waste to give it up.

Too big to pretend he didn’t notice it, and too tempting to ignore.

He was torn, when suddenly—

“What? He tripled his money?”

“That guy always loses at gambling—how did he do that?”

“Tsk. He’s got a method.”

A voice he couldn’t ignore.

“It’s a foolproof way to win. Ever heard of that?”

“You’re joking. There’s no such thing as a foolproof way to win in gambling.”

“Oh, but there is. I’m living proof.”

The man bragging from the other table was someone Harry knew.

Rodrigo Yulphis.

Not exactly a friend, just an acquaintance.
If they were close, Rodrigo would’ve greeted him by now.

They’d simply seen each other around the gambling dens.

Harry wasn’t particularly lucky. But Rodrigo had zero luck.

If he came in with 100,000 Lark and left with 3,000, people would say he had a lucky day.

“So what is this guaranteed method?”

“Well, you see—…”

Rodrigo glanced around, and just as his eyes met Harry’s, he frowned slightly.

After a short cough, he leaned in and whispered something to his friends.

Harry couldn’t hear it, but one friend shouted in surprise.

“What? For real? That works every time?”

“Shh! Quiet. You’re disturbing the other guests.”

“Ah, you’re right. I got too excited.”

Rodrigo and his group huddled, whispering.

Harry couldn’t hear anymore, but their faces were red with excitement.

‘Not just nonsense, huh…’

The few words he’d overheard sounded very convincing.

Harry stared again at the number in his account.

30 million Lark.

If Rodrigo tripled his money, he could earn four or even five times more.

That would mean over 100 million Lark.

“100 million Lark…”

Just whispering the words gave him shivers down his spine.

His hands were sweaty now. He wiped them on his pants and thought:

“This money… I have to give it to Father.”

Which meant: anything over 30 million would be his to keep.

Tucking the account book into his coat, Harry gulped down another glass of cold water.

Then, without hesitation, he stood up and walked toward Rodrigo’s table.