It Turned Out to be a Useful Fraudulent Marriage – Chapter 8 – 2. Cinderella Who Loses Her Mother at a Young Age, Her Stepmother, and Her New Older Brothers

Author: amourtentia

Chapter 2.

Cinderella Who Loses Her Mother at a Young Age, Her Stepmother, and Her New Older Brothers

The bookshelf was instantly closed. Now, only the two of us remained in this small space, barely enough for two people to stand. The only source of light in this narrow space was the slight illumination filtering through the densely packed books.

As the bookshelf closed before my eyes, I felt a tightness in my chest, as if suffocating with pain.

‘You useless girl!’

‘Reflect there until the task is finished. You stupid Emeline…’

Emeline Violet.

I furrowed my brow, recalling the old title that referred to me.

My breathing became increasingly difficult.

Darkness. Confined space. Trapped.

The combination of these three was enough to drive me insane. Unknowingly, I found my hand gripping the bookshelf.

At that moment, Eric’s hand stopped mine.

His red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

A voice came from outside.

“Why is no one on this floor? The office door is also open!”

The maid, stunned by the butler’s shouting, responded.

“The young master briefly summoned the employees to the third floor… I’m sorry. Some should have stayed behind…”

“Come out right now. Lock the door here properly…”

I heard the butler’s voice along with the sound of the maid leaving the room.

I can’t breathe well. I hunched over, trying to catch my breath.

Eric whispered in my ear, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt…?”

There was no strength left to respond. I felt sick. My whole body screamed to be let out of this cramped space.

‘Let me out! You crazy people! How dare you confine a ten-year-old! Are you even human? Hey, you bastaaard! Dad… Dad…! Let me out… Please… Please…! I take back what I just said. No, I take it back. I take it back….!’

The cries of young Emeline Violet echoed in my ears.

I am no longer Emeline Violet. I’m Emeline Wedgwood now. I’m not ten anymore, I’m twenty-two…!

As the sounds of the maid and butler leaving filled the air, Eric released his grip on the bookshelf.

“Urgh!”

With a strange sound, I pushed the bookshelf aside.

“Emeline Wedgwood! What are you…!”

I pushed past him and rushed outside. Eric reached out to grab me, but I shrugged him off.

Running to the door in one breath, I gripped the office doorknob tightly.

“Let me… let me out… let me out… Please let me out…!”

My voice sounded very weak due to the rushing of vomiting and heavy breathing. I kept turning the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open, as if the maid had locked it.

Eric looked down at me in bewilderment as I was scratching at the door like a scared cat.

Red eye. I froze in place as I met his gaze.

The moment I saw Eric’s eyes looking down at me while standing in the office reminded me of Duke Orleans who had looked down at me in the office from my dream.

“Ha… Ha….”

I gasped for breath as if I had been sprinting alone.

Gradually, my mind seemed to clear, and realization struck me.

I was rummaging through the Duke’s office… and I was caught by this guy.

Eric Orleans.

The Duke’s only son.

‘I’m screwed….’

I looked up at Eric.

Eric snorted incredulously.

“What show am I watching just now?”

It’s not a show, you bastard.

Suppressing curses, I avoided Eric’s gaze and tried to speak calmly.

“Th–the b-butler said he was going to show the Duke’s residence, but I-I got lost on the way….”

But I couldn’t seem to articulate my words properly.

“You just happened to stumble in here?”

“Y-yeah?”

I replied, hunched over like a scared rabbit. Eric looked at me with disbelief. He raised his hand. I clenched my teeth and lowered my head.

I knew Eric wasn’t the type of person who would hit me, but being in the dark just now had flooded me with memories of the past.

Eric looked at me trembling and gritted his teeth loudly.

“Again, again… You treat me like a scoundrel, Lady Emeline Wedgwood.”

When I lifted my head at those words, I was met with Eric’s angry face.

Eric reached out his hand to me, signaling me to grab it and get up.

The moment I saw Eric’s pitying eyes, my face flushed with embarrassment again.

Anger and contempt again… and an expression with a hint of sympathy.

‘Who are you to…’

I clenched my teeth.

I got up on my own without holding Eric’s hand. I snapped to attention as if I had been doused with cold water. Thinking that my face must be pale made my blood boil.

Why does it have to be like this? Why!

“Now, please explain. Why were you hiding in the Duke’s office?”

“I, I clearly told you just now… I-I was just looking at the house….”

“Stop with the stuttering act. Drop it.”

It’s not an act this time! I’m genuinely nervous and stuttering!

“Speak like you did earlier in the drawing room. Like when you said Vivian’s hair was a decoration.”

“That, that was….”

“You were touring the house? Then why were you looking through the bookshelf?”

Eric’s red eyes shone sharply, as if piercing through me.

Damn… I have no choice.

That’s what I thought as I glared back at Eric.

“Then why were you inside the bookshelf”

“What? This is the duke’s residence. Whether I’m in the bookshelf or the bed, what concern is it of yours…”

“But this is the Duke’s office, and you even called all the maids who should have been near the Duke’s office upstairs, clearing them out and sneaking into the office, right?”

Eric’s face hardened at my words.

‘The young master briefly summoned the employees to the third floor… I’m sorry. Some should have stayed behind…’

The words of the maid who had just left. I had heard them too.

Not missing the crack in Eric’s facade, I quickly pressed him.

“It’s very suspicious, isn’t it? As the young master says, this place belongs to you, why would you dismiss all the servants and search this room alone? This could… tie into something interesting with Madam Margaret Beaufort’s work, couldn’t it?”

I narrowed my eyes.

Eric’s face wasn’t just cracked at this point; it was completely shattered and a mess.

His complexion turned red and pale, and though he seemed to want to say something, only a sigh escaped his lips.

I showed him a smug expression and waved my hand dismissively.

Now that I was feeling less tense, my voice came out more clearly.

“So, let’s pretend we don’t know each other. I was just looking around at the expensive-looking furniture. Honestly, I don’t even want to know why you were sneaking around here.”

Truthfully, I really didn’t care whether Eric was hiding here or not.

With nobles having so much money and power, it wouldn’t be easy for them to be as close-knit as my family, right? Why would I want to meddle in their complicated relationships?

Besides, cooperating with Eric Orleans, given that he was too powerful and too dangerous an opponent, seemed out of the question.

With that in mind, I was looking for something that could help me open the office door and leave, like a pen or a paper knife.

That’s when Eric murmured behind me.

“This must be your true face.”

“Yes, yes. Think whatever you want…”

When I was about to give a vague answer, Eric spoke.

“But why didn’t you talk properly about Vivian insulting you and your mother? She even said such horrible things in the dressing room.”

I turned around with a frown on my face. Eric was staring at me with a languid expression, like a jaguar.

“Did you know?”

“Yes. Lily told me.”

Ah, Lily was indeed not very loyal. No, since she’s a maid in the Duke’s mansion, should I say she is loyal after all?

I made an innocent face and said in a sad voice, “Because if I talked about it, it would hurt my mom…”

“And yet, the handwriting forger did a good job of forging Vivian’s letter.”

Eric took out the letter that Philip had handed to the duke earlier from his pocket suit.

My eyes widened.

Eric said. “Lily told me about this too.”

Damn Lily!

Damn Philip! How could you not even have noticed you were being followed! And you still think you’re a con artist? Huh?! I told you so many times that you need brains to do bad things. How many times?!

Eric looked triumphant as my face began to change.

“Why did you pretend not to know then? Huh?“

“Well….”

Eric furrowed his brows.

“Because Vivian was indeed wrong? It’s true that Miss Vivian Cavendish insulted you, and those who insult others should rightfully face consequences. It’s wrong to hurt others.”

At Eric’s words, I took a step back in shock.

I wasn’t unaware that hurting others was wrong, nor that those who do bad things should be punished.

It’s just….

It was the first time I had encountered someone who spoke such naive words in the real world.

And… that Eric had noticed I was hurt.

I felt angry for some reason.

A noble being good? Isn’t this cheating? He has money and power, and yet he also claims moral high ground?

If only I had money and power and hadn’t been tormented by bad people, I would have lived a good life too!

“Such a naive young master…”

“What? You just….”

“I said you are a naive young master, why?”

I glared at Eric.

I had no intention of using honorifics or anything like that. I don’t know if Eric Orleans’ kind face was real or an act. But whether it was real or not, it was equally annoying.

“No, if you were a naive young master, you should have talked when Vivian sent the complaint letter. That Vivian’s insults came first. But you didn’t do that.”

“That’s….”

Seeing him make a troubled face, I knew the reason for his discomfort all along.

I shook my head.

Then Eric said something unexpected.

“I hesitated for a moment. Because I was curious about your answer. But I guess hesitating was wrong. So for that too… I’m sorry.”

He was sorry.

I felt angry for some reason.

I couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely apologizing to me, or still pitying me. Or was all this an act? Like Baldrick?

I approached Eric with a cold face.

“Hey, naive young master. Were you too naive to know what your father does? Or did you not want to know? Either way, ignorance is also a sin, Eric Orleans.”

Eric frowned.

“What does that….”

I closely observed Eric’s expression. Whether he really didn’t know, had an inkling, or knew everything and was showing me a false kind face.

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

A cracking sound cut through the air.

I covered my ears and widened my eyes.

“W-what was that…!”

Eric answered indifferently.

“Your brother and the Duke must have encountered a bird on their walk. It’s the sound of a hunting rifle.”

The moment I heard that, I felt a chill run down my spine.

The sound of a gun…?