Celebrity Lady

Chapter 128

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Lark grasped Victor’s fist that was holding his collar tightly. “Sir Victor.”

“…”

“If you truly care for the princess, please choose your words carefully,” Lark requested.

“Oh, yes, Your Highness. Your answer may be obvious, but may I ask a question?” Victor added without waiting. “Was he the one after Ruby this time as well?”

“Yes.”

“If it weren’t for you, Ruby would have been in danger, wouldn’t she?”

“…”

It was an undeniable fact.

Victor smirked as he looked at Lark, who responded with silence.

“Victor Diollus.”

At that moment, Leonard separated Victor and Lark. He wore a puzzled expression. “Don’t get too excited. And don’t just say what you know; speak so I can understand too.”

“I have nothing more to say,” Victor sneered.

“You’ve been living with closed ears and minds all this time. Why listen now?”

“…”

“Get out of my way, and from now on, you won’t see the second son’s face anymore. Just assume he’s gone and live your life.”

“Victor!”

Ignoring Leonard’s shouts, Victor stormed out of the room like the wind.

***

I was getting ready to go to Victor’s room as soon as I woke up when I was surprised.

“B-Brother?”

Victor had come to me first.

He was dressed casually and had tightly wound bandages, with blood seeping from fresh wounds.

“Pack your things.”

“Why are you suddenly saying that? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, so just pack. We’re leaving.”

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere!”

Victor, with a frustrated expression, probably due to the pain from his wounds, scowled.

“Ugh, let’s talk first. Does it hurt a lot? Sit down here and relax. You must have some questions for me, right?”

“You don’t need to tell me everything since I already know, so let’s just pack.”

“What do you know?”

“Why those attackers suddenly targeted us and the reason behind it. Do you always expect to be targeted, and that’s why you remain calm, both last time and this time?”

…? What’s with the sharp questions?

Victor smirked at me as I blinked in confusion. “You’re helping the crown prince because of some noble cause, and the crown prince pretends to need your help even though he clearly knows you’re in danger. Such a hypocrite.”

“Why are you saying this? Why are you so angry, Brother?”

“Pack your things. I’ve told you four times.”

“But there’s nowhere to go! What’s the point of packing without a plan?”

“Well, we have nowhere to go. We’ll have to figure it out soon, even if it means sneaking out. So be it.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?”

“Sorry, I’d like to respect your opinion, but I can’t concede. If you say you’ll forgive our father or brother, then I can do nothing. That’s why I left you alone. But…” Victor added, gritting his teeth, “It changes my perspective when I realize there’s also someone who sits you down nicely in this place, calls you whenever needed, and fully utilizes your abilities.” He seemed to be referring to Lark.

Victor’s anger, always on the edge, was now spreading in all directions.

The tormenting twins and Molga.

The neglectful father and Viego.

Lark, who was “exploiting”.

And me in the middle of it all…

‘Yeah, I get it. It’s sickening. I understand why he wants to sneak me out of this house.’

I forced a smile as best as I could. “But, Brother, I don’t have abilities. I just kept bothering His Highness about what I saw in my dreams a few times.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I’ve helped with everything I can now. It’s truly over. There won’t be any more danger.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Brother.”

Seeing me remain motionless, Victor became frustrated and opened my closet himself, and began packing my things.

“Please.”

“Even if there’s no more danger, you’ll still be used. Once His Highness ascends safely to the throne, he’ll say he needs your help.”

“What more help can I be after that? Once he’s safely on the throne, it’s all over—”

“As the contractee of Wishit, do you really think he’ll just let you go right at that moment?”

“…!”

“No, I don’t think so.”

For a moment, my eyes widened, and my mouth hung open. Fortunately, Victor didn’t turn to look at me as he continued packing and speaking.

“If you don’t want to leave, I’ll fight with the crown prince now so he won’t take advantage of you.”

“Um, Brother. I don’t understand what you’re saying right now.

Soon, Victor turned around and smiled brightly. His expression showed a determination not to back down. “Do you really not understand?”

‘What’s going on here…’

The name Wishit, which had not been mentioned explicitly even with Lark, hung in the air.

I remembered Victor’s words two days ago about the commotion and something related to spirits. I had suspected what issues he might be facing with summoning his own spirit. But…

‘I never thought Wishit would come out of his mouth.’

My head was starting to spin…

I needed to find out how Victor learned about my secret.

“Okay,” I replied quietly. “I’ll pack, then.”

***

Victor, carrying my luggage and his own in his hands, descended the stairs, grumbling.

“Brother, give me mine. I can carry it.”

“It’s fine.”

Victor had been bustling back and forth between my room and his, making preparations for our escape in a rather noisy manner. Perhaps that’s why the three men downstairs sensed the situation and were waiting.

Viego, holding onto the railing, stepped forward. “Let’s talk instead of acting recklessly.”

“What? I’m a human, so I don’t understand that mutt language. Ruby, what did he just bark?”

“Pfft.”

Wow, he’s something else.

I closed my mouth, and Viego sighed, rubbing his forehead. The two bags were suddenly lifted from Victor’s hands and floated through the air as he grumbled his way down the stairs, gently landing in front of the door.

“Tch.”

It seemed Viego had given up on trying to stop Victor and had helped with the luggage.

“You really do the most unnecessary things,” Victor growled as he passed by Viego.

The second barrier. Dad blocked Victor’s way.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“Huh? Who are you, sir?”

“…”

Oh, no. I couldn’t bear looking at this, so I sighed and covered my face. The rebellion of an enraged teenage son was truly frightening.

“If you’re leaving, go alone. Where can you go with a girl in this weather?”

“Well, there’s probably no place as warm as this house. I’m sure it was hotter than hell for Ruby here.”

Wow, he’s really something.

Dad closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

At that moment, something like an envelope quietly flew behind us and slipped into my bag. It seemed like Viego, instinctively realizing that he couldn’t prevent this situation, had sent his best consideration…

“Not even funny, seriously.”

Victor, who had walked away, returned with the envelope and threw it at Viego’s face.

“Ah.”

“Buy something delicious for your cute little sister with that.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Even without your money, I can still feed myself just fine.”

“Hey.”

“Bark, bark!”

“Sigh, tch.”

Victor, who had mocked Viego to the end, pulled my arm and led me away. Then, in front of Lark, he abruptly stopped and took something out, placing it gently against Lark’s chest.

Victor chuckled. “It’s a resignation letter.”

“…”

Lark, who had let out a short sigh, accepted the item that fell from his chest in a daze.

“Let’s go.”

I was being led away, and I surreptitiously reached out my hand towards Lark, who also reached out his hand just like me.

“Oh.”

I had intended to pass him a note.

It seemed Lark had the same thought as the paper in his hand rustled.

Having exchanged our final farewells secretly, we ultimately parted with a brief gaze and faces unable to decide between tears and smiles.

***

[It seems difficult to stop Victor for now. I must ask him something, and convincing this guy won’t be easy.

I’ll do my best to calm him down and get back home, so please take care of the aftermath.

I’ll miss you. I’ll contact you soon, probably by today. Hugs and kisses ♥]

[I’m sorry. I acted hastily. I sent Sir Victor because I was worried about you, but things turned out like this.

Don’t worry about the duke and the young duke. I handled it quite smoothly. Contact me first, depending on the situation. I’ll be missing you.]

***

The brother and sister, Victor Diollus (18), known as the empire’s top noble, and Rubetria Diollus (16), had declared their escape…

“Oh, Brother!”

… About an hour had passed since their impulsive declaration of escape.

Sitting huddled in the middle of the road like a beggar, I couldn’t contain my frustration. “Couldn’t you at least have brought a carriage and some guards for common decency?”

I had already sensed it when Victor casually tossed the money envelope that Viego had provided—it seemed like Victor had no intention of accepting any help from the household.

“Wait. I have something in mind.”

He had dragged me out with him, and we’d hired a carriage driver with the money we had on hand. Next, we went to the mercenary guild and hired two A-rank guards; he had already spent a whopping 6 million marks.

“Ugh.”

And now, he was counting the remaining money, tapping his foot impatiently.

“It’s so cold…”

“Cold?”

Unpacking his luggage, Victor pulled out a military-style coat and buttoned it up tightly for me. Due to its rugged design, I looked like a complete beggar.

“What’s this, seriously? I thought we were trying to look inconspicuous.”

Victor, avoiding my complaining gaze, stood up. “First, let’s stop by the bank and get some money. Then we’ll spend the night at an inn.”

“What’s the point of getting money?”

“I need it to buy a house.”

“Huh. How much money do you think you have, Brother? Do you have any idea how expensive property is in the city?” I scoffed. Sure, he had enough money to spare, but I had no intention of using it. I planned to quell this runaway high schooler’s enthusiasm. “I didn’t want to leave home, but you dragged me out forcefully, so you’ll have to use your money to buy a house and get food. Got it?”

I intended to soften Victor’s determination once he realized that life outside the home could be tough. Then, my mission was to calm Dad, Viego, and Lark, whose anger had accumulated.

“Yeah! Just trust me! I can handle it!”

Victor’s confidence was overflowing because it had only been an hour since we ran away.

***

National Bank of the Capital.

As soon as we entered, the bank employees recognized me, and their eyes widened.

“What are you all doing!?” The bank manager, who had jumped to his feet, dashed toward me like an arrow, and the employees lined up neatly behind him.

“What do you need, Princess?”

“Welcome, Princess!”

“Welcome!”

They all greeted me by bowing deeply at a precise 90-degree angle, leaving Victor agape in astonishment. As I laughed at his dumbfounded expression, I said, “Today, it’s not me but him. My brother needs to withdraw money.”

“Yes, we will assist him.”

“…”

With a tense expression and lips pressed tightly, Victor sat down at the counter. I leaned closer to his ear and whispered tauntingly, “Shall we look at my brother’s account balance?”

“Ugh!”

With the determination of a warrior going into battle, Victor settled in at the counter. And the balance he confirmed was…

‘Well, well. It’s quite impressive, isn’t it? For an eighteen-year-old high schooler, that is?’

It was close to 300 million marks.

The salary of an imperial knight, which I was familiar with, was 50 million marks. Considering Victor’s salary as vice-captain for four consecutive years, he had saved nearly every penny without spending much.

‘With this amount, we should be able to find a decent one-story house in the outskirts, right?’

My plan was in jeopardy. Victor nodded with a satisfied expression. “Tomorrow, we’ll find a house…”

“I can’t sleep in a dingy place.”

“What?”

“And hire a maid. We left Rebecca behind, didn’t we?”

“A maid?”

“Someone has to take care of meals. You’re not asking me to cook, are you?”

“Hey, do you think I’m so clueless? Don’t worry. We don’t need a servant. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Okay, then. But I need bathhouse access, desserts, clothes, and bedding. Is my Brother going to bathe me and dress me?”

Victor’s face contorted with astonishment. “Are you acting like some noble lady?!”

I raised my eyebrows with an innocent look. “But I am a noble lady, aren’t I?”

“…You’re right.”

I suppressed a laugh and shrugged. “As soon as we get out, hire a maid.”

“Haah.” Victor agonized, clutching his head. After contemplating, he turned to me with a hesitant look. “Hey…”

“What?”

“Well, you see…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll definitely pay you back.” Victor rolled his eyes in exasperation, scratched his head, and said, “Could you lend me some money?”

“Ha.”