/
Doah was utterly dumbfounded.
Angelus must have never, ever placed his trust in Doah, so what was he saying now about this being the last time?
While she was at a loss for words, he brought up something else.
“In the meantime, I heard that Ophelia’s maids have embezzled your money by disguising it as if you were the one who spent it all.”
“…What?”
Her money?
Money, he said.
‘When was Bunny ever given money though?’
Doah had never heard of this before.
“What money are you talking about?”
What followed was even more absurd.
He said that Bunny was given a monthly allowance of 200,000 Festhas. For two entire years!
With the 4.8 million Festhas that they gave her, she could have been able to buy a small mansion in the capital with that much money.
‘I can’t believe they left all that money to the maids.’
Who did they believe in exactly?
Bunny was a child—a child who was left isolated and neglected.
Since she was such a child, did they not think about what would happen to Bunny’s allowance if she was given much more than she needed?
Wasn’t this a very mouth-watering invitation for anyone who had no conscience?
Besides that, as she recalled the personalities of those maids she gleaned from their physiognomy, then this type of situation was very much up their alley.
Seriously, these Credels really didn’t know?
“Whose job was it to transfer that money? Was it the financier?”
“If it’s about the budgeting, then Mother is the one who’s in charge. She’s pure and soft-hearted, so she’s very upset that this happened.”
The grand duchess?
The unexpected answer made Doah narrow her eyes.
The grand duchess, who was the mother of the three children, passed away ten years ago when she had given birth to Ophelia.
Right now, the grand duchess was the second grand duchess.
‘Actually, she’s the previous saintess.’
If she was the kind of person who was secluded from the world as she lived in a temple her entire life, then she would have stayed ignorant if she hadn’t asked anyone.
“Then, the reward.”
“What?” Doah replied.
“In the first place, I’m here for the reward that you’ll be given. After the incident that happened, it’s indisputable that you had been harmed because of the maids.”
Then, he followed that by saying that if she wanted anything, she should tell him.
‘Anything?’
Doah’s eyes flashed wider.
Every time this boy opened his mouth, he really had a way of scratching the other person’s nerves with terrible words. But right now, he was saying something that she finally agreed with.
‘So that’s why you waited.’
Angelus was thorough when it came to his calculations. If he received anything, he would return the favor. If someone was caused undue damage, then they would be compensated.
Bunny’s wish to leave House Credel was not granted, so he was trying to give her something else.
“It’s your wish, obviously.”
As he murmured, his blue eyes gleamed with blatant contempt.
“This is the only time.”
Then, he ruffled Doah’s hair.
“……?”
What kind of act was this.
Here he was saying that she could get whatever she wanted, and she was truly amazed by how convinced he was that this really was what she wanted.
What’s worse was that it’s difficult to even say that he was ‘stroking’ her head.
Her hair had gotten so haphazard because of his rough touch.
Doah pulled her head back and deliberately avoided his hand.
“Excuse me, can you get this hand off me?”
That appalling look was a bonus.
He said he’d repay her for everything, but all he meant by that was stroking her head?
‘These brats are no joke.’
She grimaced and leaned back as far as she could.
The bed was so large that she was able to widen the distance between her and Angelus.
“……”
Then, his expression faltered.
He seemed to be trying to maintain his composure, but it looked as if he eventually got embarrassed.
‘Of course, if I was the real Bunny, I would have already become a sobbing mess from being so moved and emotional.’
This rejection was a first.
That’s why it felt even worse.
It’s like she was a witness to a child who was hungry for love and desperate for touch, as if she herself was the child begging like so.
It’s as if Angelus was saying just take this and stop it with the act of wanting to leave.
Doah wanted to spit out an inordinate amount of saliva like an alpaca, but with great patience, she spoke.
“Young Duke, I’m afraid that I don’t need to request for such a worthless thing.”
“…Worthless?”
“Yes. It’s worthless to me.”
It was an ambiguous response.
It couldn’t be determined whether she was saying that the act of stroking her head was worthless, or Angelus himself was worth nothing to her.
“From now on, Young Duke, I will never ask anything like playing family with you, even until I die. So you don’t have to force yourself.”
Doah wholeheartedly said something that she knew he wanted to hear.
“Just as you want, unless we’re outside and keeping up pretenses, I will never call you Older Brother.”
“……”
“Something like calling you Brother, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to…”
And yet, Angelus continued looking down at his hand.
“Young Duke?”
Only then did he dazedly raise his head with a quiet, ‘Ah.’
“So, can I tell you what I wish for now?”
“…Yes. Speak.”
At last, permission was granted.
“Since I will be standing in as Princess Ophelia’s decoy, I do think there’s a need for a decent budget that fits my role.”
Doah did not mention what standing Ophelia actually had and simply raised the corners of her lips smoothly into a materialistic smile.
“In addition to the compensation I will be receiving.”
It was a clear demand to stop this shitty act and just give her money.