Cinderella Wasn’t Me - chapter 9

Even if her appearance was beautiful, the person who always wore modest attire was different today.

The face and hair were shiny, and the clothes they wore were of good quality and splendor.

Their hair was also polished, and some of the servants were arranging it, adding decorations to their clothes.

His face, which used to shine even in simple clothing, was well decorated and looked clearly good.

However, the moment I noticed it, my feelings suddenly got worse.

“Are you saying you want to be nice and then wrap it up and sell it?

I just wrote in a letter that I wanted to see it, but what did I think about it?

If it worked, it would have been good or bad.

It was my mistake not knowing that Daybrick wouldn’t be so upset.

“I’m sorry, but the sound was too low to hear.

“I’d like to talk to him.

“But he still has fewer decorations on his clothes…”

“Do I have to say it twice?

When I spoke in a threatening manner, the butler left the room.

The servants also followed him, looking for signs, and Lord Greenel, who threw them all out, closed the door.

Now, in the space left for the two of us, he looked at me with an expression that he did not know what I was thinking.

“I see you again.”

As he talked, I greeted him with a sigh.

He lowered his head to receive a greeting.

After that, I was speechless.

I looked around the room for a story.

It was an orderly, well-organized space that looked like Cesium Daybrick.

I didn’t know there was a piano and an easel.

“You must know how to play the piano.”

[As a practice.]

“You seem to know how to draw too.”

[It’s just a little hobby.]

“Can I see?”

Cesio agreed, so I went over to the easel in the corner.

It was a landscape painting of the Daybrick’s garden.

I didn’t learn how to paint deeply, but as a hobby, I thought it was a good skill.

Then, suddenly, something came out of the back of the canvas.

What is this?

Without thinking much about it, the sketchbook came out at the end.

Just as I was about to turn it over, there was a loud noise.

“Young Daybrick!”

Cesium collapsed from the chair.

As he stretched out unconsciously, the center of gravity seemed to have knocked him down.

There was a painful look on his face. The surprise turned strongly, and his eyes were fixed somewhere.

I rushed over and helped him to sit down.

“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Even if it’s something I shouldn’t see.”

As he spoke, I turned around behind Cesium’s eyes.

What was there was a sketchbook, as I was surprised, but, unfortunately, it was on the open floor.

It was a portrait painted with a theme.

Cold eyes, clear eyes.

I was the woman in the image who seemed to be lost in thought sweeping her hair.

To be exact, it was me when I attended the dance hall a few days ago.

“Ah.”

There was silence in the room.

I turned my head to Cesium again.

His face was full of redness, and his hand, clutching the pen, was shaking, not knowing what to do.

I asked, pointing to the image on the floor.

“Is that me?”

[I’m sorry.]

Where did the elegant handwriting go, the smudged ink and strokes shaking when he wrote?

My mind faded to the inscriptions that I could not recognize without careful observation.

I quietly picked up the sketchbook and began to return the paper.

He seemed to want to stop me, but soon gave up and covered his face with his hands.

I was the one who was painted on the paper.

However, there was only one painting recently, and the rest were painted inside and outside the Daybrick mansion.

My puzzled mind gradually turned to interest.

I wasn’t as good as a professional painter, but it was a very good painting, and I was surprised at how it looked from a third party’s perspective.

My face, which had never felt like a warm impression before, was warm in painting.

It may be an excess of self-awareness, but it occurred to me.

This person sees me like this.

And beyond all that, Cesio Daybrick’s reaction was funny.

When I checked all the images in the sketchbook, there was a sieve in her notebook.

[No matter what you say, I have nothing to say. Even if you punish me, I will accept it without complaint].

“[I’d like to think so… Why did you draw me?”

I asked him out of curiosity, but he was silent.

His face could get redder here.

It was kind of nice to be ashamed of someone who usually didn’t see much change in his facial expression.

The corners of my mouth tickled me.

So I pushed for an answer, although I could ignore it. I insisted.

[Because you are beautiful.]

“[What?]

[So I wanted to draw him. There was no other meaning.]

I shouldn’t have asked.

What other people would have said was a poor trick, but he felt different when Cesio said it.

However, the growing shame was inevitable.

“Oh, well. Thank you for your kind consideration…”

My face was burning, so I couldn’t finish my words.

Neither could he, whose face was red, so I could no longer bear this silence.

I rolled up my trembling fingers, put them together and turned my head.

I need to change the subject, it would be the right thing to do…

Oh. No, we have to change this mood somehow.

As I turned my head to change the subject, I remembered something I had forgotten.

“Oh, I brought you a present.”

Intentionally with a bright voice, I took out what I had brought.

Before coming to the Daybrick mansion, I passed by the dressing room.

“In exchange for the handkerchief you lent me earlier.”

Cesio, with a rather subtle expression, received the handkerchief and wrote, “Thank you.

The atmosphere was about to become uncomfortable again, but fortunately, one more sentence was written with gratitude.

[Is that why you are here?]

[That’s why you’re here?] “Of course not. There is something I would like to offer you today.”

Finally, it’s time to get down to business.

Moving to the couch, I released manna and stopped the sound.

The whole story began only then.

“I heard the news that Jemon had become the successor. As time goes by, he will be the Marquis.

[It is natural.]

“It is a matter of caution to say. If Jemon becomes Marquis, something bad will happen to you. You could be kicked out of your family or you could lose your life.

[……..]

“Then I would like to ask him.

I held my breath once because I couldn’t predict how he would react.

So I said:

“If you could be the Marquis, would you take the position?”

Cesium looked up and looked at me.

There were no signs of surprise.

Did he have any idea what I was going to say?

[Why are you giving me such a proposal?]

“You know why.

[There are other ways to get back at Jemon.]

“[But it won’t be as effective as using the title of Marquis.]

It sounded cold even though I said it.

But I didn’t want to correct my words.

“To be frank, I want to use you for my revenge. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for the Marquis.

My father has already made his successor official. Even if it’s not, I can’t talk or walk. People with the Daybrick name support Jemon.]

“It’s a simple matter of using the power of the Rihans.

[The elders will resist any outside interference. Even if you force yourself to take over the family].

“If it’s not outside interference, it doesn’t matter, you know?”

Not immediately understood, the man blinked slowly.

The long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.

“I don’t want to use my family’s power, even if I did. In the long run, it will be a bad choice.”

[That’s what I’m saying…]

“I want to commit myself to you, young Cesium.

His eyelids went up and down a couple more times.

He seemed a little surprised.

“Of course, I don’t want to marry you. I just need a good cause to get in. When we are engaged, you will be more free from the outside activities of the family. It would be great to build your own power.”

The main reason, of course, was that this method would turn Jemon’s stomach upside down.

I didn’t bother to mention the purpose, but Cesium seemed to have noticed.

He was lost in thought with a complex-looking face.

The black ink stains grew on the notebook when he didn’t remove the pencil tip from the paper.

How long have you been doing that? The tip of the pencil moved again.

[Please give me time to think. It won’t take long.]

That’s the expected answer.

“Then I will wait for you to contact me. Don’t forget to burn the notebook.

I left his room.

Lord Greenel was on guard at the door, afraid that someone would come in.

When Jemon went out on a date with Lobtina Gretel, he was on high alert even though he wouldn’t be back for a while.

When I left the mansion with him, I suddenly stopped walking.

A long hallway with Jemon’s room and a staircase that comes out when you walk down the street.

The view in front of me was exactly what I saw in my dream.

I was hurt by Jemon’s words and almost slipped and fell while trying to climb the stairs, and managed to avoid major problems with someone’s help.

“How can you…”

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

“No, I’m just a little…”

It’s not a great dream, but why does it bother me so much?

I had a bit of a headache, so I shook my head and went downstairs.

This time, nothing happened.

It had only been three days since Cesio contacted me.

I found the postscript immediately.

Unlike the last time, the Marquis and his wife stayed in the mansion today.

The Marquise did not show her face under the pretext of being sick, but sent a simple greeting through the Marquis.

But this time, Jemon was not there.

She went to an appointment with Lobtina Gretel.

The latter seemed to be running away so that I couldn’t meet him, as he was absent twice in a row.

It wasn’t a bad thing anyway.

This time we sat face to face with a cup of tea in front of us, not in Cesium’s room, but in the reception room of the mansion.

As before, I cut off the sound around me with a manna barrier.

[I’m sure you’re busy, but thanks for coming right away.]

“[I’m very grateful for your quick decision.]

Then I rolled my head to bring another greeting, but I couldn’t think of anything.

I had no choice but to get straight to the point.

“So, can I hear what conclusion you came to?”

[I was thinking the same thing. When you become a Marquis, it will be difficult for me to save my life. The only way to survive is to become a Marquis or run away].

If someone didn’t help, it was an impossible choice.

I could feel how cruel the environment was for Cesio Daybrick.

[Nothing is possible on my own. So I was giving up halfway through. So far I’ve lived under the grace of the Daybrick family and I can’t take it off. But…]

Painfully, he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them.

But there was no hesitation in holding the pen.

[Now that I have a path, I finally ended up making a selfish choice].

“[That means…]

[I would like to commit myself to the lady. Please use me as you wish and give me the title of Marquis]