Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 18

Chapter 18

She'd probably intended to dash off before Agnes arrived.

She must have thought her plan was ruined because Agnes had come back earlier than expected.

'Did she want to get away because I made her uncomfortable? Because I'm going to be staying at the house.'

But that wasn't such a bad thing.

Since the mansion was going to be under repair for a while anyway, it might be better for her to rest somewhere more spacious than a noisy house.

If only she could forget that the money was earned by Amy—the sister who had disappeared into the Crack on the very day Elizabeth hurled those cruel words at her...

"However, there's a condition."

As expected, Elizabeth's dazed face twisted.

Watching her quietly, Agnes continued.

"When Amy comes back, apologize."

Elizabeth let out a short breath, as if she hadn't expected that.

Agnes could guess what Elizabeth was feeling.

Elizabeth had a strong pride, but she wasn't inherently cruel.

She must have regretted what happened that day.

When Amy disappeared, she must have blamed herself too.

But she also resented Agnes, who seemed to treat her coldly.

Agnes could see that Elizabeth was acting more sensitive due to the self-loathing brought on by the sudden change in circumstances after their mother's death.

'But things will get better now.'

The situation had changed, and above all, Amy would be coming back.

"I believe you're capable of that. As Amy's sister."

Elizabeth lowered her gaze and bit her lip. Agnes watched her with calm eyes.

"You'll do it, right?"

"...Yes."

Before sorting out right and wrong, Agnes decided to at least get a firm answer like that.

---

'She acts as if she's the only one who's so righteous!'

Alone in her room, Elizabeth fumed.

She packed her things and carefully tucked the money Agnes had given her into her bag.

If her sister had gotten angry, if she had shouted at her, she probably wouldn't be feeling this unsettled.

Tears unexpectedly welled up, and Elizabeth wiped her eyes with her fingertips.

'After all this time, all I hear from her is Amy, Amy, Amy...! Do you think I wasn't hurt too?'

Sniffling in the end, she recalled her sister's face, which had always seemed so cold.

"I cried so much when Amy ended up like that too..."

A newborn who had lost her mother right after being born.

Amy was mostly looked after by her sister or Marta, but when they were busy, it fell to Elizabeth.

Holding the bottle to her tiny mouth, burping the baby who kept spitting up.

Naturally, she also changed diapers and helped her learn to walk.

Yes, she had said mean things. It was true that the household had begun to decline after Amy was born.

And above all, Elizabeth had lost her mother too—not just Amy.

"Because you thought I couldn't do anything, you dismissed me and kept me locked in my room? Just you wait. I can do well too."

If she couldn't be a governess like her sister, they should have at least given her odd jobs.

Even though the household was struggling, her sister took everything on herself and only ever watched her.

'Is there anything I can do to help?'

Whenever she'd finally summoned the courage to ask—

'It's okay. Just focus on taking care of yourself.'

That's what her sister had said.

Checking her face several times to make sure no one saw her crying, Elizabeth finally calmed down. She picked up her bag and stepped outside, and on the first floor, she saw Edmund standing with a strange man.

He must have been the guest who had come with her sister.

Seeing Edmund fidgeting awkwardly in front of him, she felt frustrated.

'Ugh, you idiot! You're so timid! At least greet him properly!'

As Elizabeth started down the stairs with her heavy bag, the man looked her way.

For a moment, she nearly tripped and tumbled down the stairs.

Ironically, the one who had been foolish in that moment was none other than herself.

Even though she'd made a fool of herself, Elizabeth couldn't do anything.

The man who rushed up the stairs, startled, was so beautiful that she lost her composure.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah, yes! I—I'm Elizabeth..."

"I know. You're Agnes's sister, aren't you? My name is Silmare."

Good heavens. Even his voice was handsome.

"Your bag looks heavy—let me carry it for you."

He was even kind.

In a daze, as if in a dream, Elizabeth boarded the carriage. Belatedly, she looked out the window to find Silmare, but he had already disappeared.

---

"Are you alright?"

"About what?"

Agnes, who had been organizing various promissory notes to repay debts as soon as she returned, looked up at Alfred's question.

"About Lady Elizabeth and Master Edmund."

"Ah. Well, they're both old enough now."

"If anything were to happen..."

"It's fine. I've thought it all through."

She certainly hadn't intended to just leave them to their own devices.

They were still young, so she couldn't risk anything happening. She would contact the employment office to find someone who could watch over them, even from a distance.

That way, she'd be able to know how they were doing.

"Besides, I didn't give them that much money."

She'd given them enough, but not enough to stay away for long.

If they squandered it, they'd have to return to the estate sooner.

'Elizabeth knows that much.'

More than anything, once she had some peace of mind, she'd have the leeway to look around her, just like Agnes had.

Soon, Lilia knocked on Agnes's door.

"The Marquis is here, my lady."

"Alright, I'll be right down!"

Leaning over the second-floor railing and looking down, she saw Cesenor, who seemed to have just arrived.

A stranger was standing beside him too.

Cesenor smiled when he spotted Agnes, and the person beside him bowed deeply.

Agnes stopped her conversation with Alfred and went downstairs to greet the guests.

"Welcome, Marquis! How did you get here?"

"As you may have heard, I came by teleportation. I also brought someone who I thought you'd definitely need."

"Greetings, my lady. I am Gallus Brook, head of the Brook Trading Company."

At that moment, Agnes's eyes as she turned to Cesenor were filled with admiration.

"Marquis!"

"I thought what you really wanted to do wasn't just cleaning the mansion, but this."

"Yes, how did you know?!"

It felt as if he had read her mind. Was this magic too?

When she asked in surprise, Cesenor smiled and answered.

"I'm also a lord who governs a territory."

Agnes smiled back.

It was true.

When she first saw the gold-filled vault:

'First, I need to pay off the debts, so I should organize the ledgers...'

There were so many creditors that sorting out the overdue interest and principal would take more than a day or two.

'After all the debts are settled, what should I do next?'

As she thought that, a powerful hope suddenly struck her, filling her mind and overflowing.

'I want to tear everything down and rebuild it!'

She wanted to fix the old, dilapidated mansion that had been neglected for five years.

'I want to restore this house to how it used to be, like when Mother was alive. Somehow, before Amy comes back.'

The Laverose family had begun its decline right around the time Amy was born.

Naturally, Amy had grown up never knowing a life of abundance.

Things that were common in Agnes's time—toys, delicious food and desserts, even seasonal fruits—were luxuries for Amy.

Unlike Agnes and her two older siblings, who had taken all of that for granted from childhood.

It had always weighed on her mind.

'Since the money is from Amy, I want to decorate her room prettily and make the garden beautiful too. So she'll be surprised when she comes back.'

Since preparing space for the guests was the priority, she planned to finish that first and then start on everything else one by one.

'I'm sure the trading company wasn't too keen on dealing with our family either.'

Judging by how they'd come in person, Cesenor must have guaranteed or personally persuaded them.

Seeing how politely he treated Agnes, even though she was the one he was dealing with, she could roughly guess what Cesenor had said.

'He probably told them to trust me, and that if any problems arose, he would take care of everything.'

As Marta had said, it all truly felt like a miracle.

And precisely because of that—

'I want to show them a splendid image, like the true master of this estate.'

Agnes recalled the image of her mother from when she was young.

Remembering her kind yet resolute demeanor, her back naturally straightened.

"First of all, thank you for coming in person. We have a lot to discuss—do you have somewhere to take notes?"

"Of course, just say the word."

"First, what kind of capacity does the Brook Trading Company have? I'd like to know how much you can handle."

"Just tell me what you need. We have branches not only in the capital, Kavas, but also in the three kingdoms."

"That's quite impressive. Even the three kingdoms?"

"Of course, since our base is in Calben City, we do need to cooperate with other trading companies, but we can procure rare materials as well."

"I suppose the Marquis wouldn't have introduced anyone unreliable."

"Indeed. Of course."

"Then let me show you which parts of the mansion need repair first."

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