On that day, the young, pretty woman’s red lips contorted in a smirk as she spoke. “Jeanette, won’t you leave this house?”
As always, Jeanette’s stepmother Leila was clad in an expensive dress, and her makeup was beautifully done. Her skin had a lovely glow to it, and nobody would’ve been able to guess by looking at her that her husband had just gone missing.
Standing next to the woman was Jeanette’s younger stepsister, Ariel. Just like her mother, Ariel didn’t seem sad in the slightest—in fact, she was smiling.
Jeanette’s eyes widened at Leila’s words. “Um... What exactly do you mean by that, Mother?”
A week had passed since Jeanette’s father, the pillar of the Roussel barony, had gone missing. There was no word yet as to his whereabouts, but it seemed that Leila considered him as good as dead, making her the new head of the family.
At Jeanette’s question, her stepmother forced out a sigh. “You really aren’t very bright, are you? If you just pause and think for a moment, the meaning in my words should be abundantly clear. I’m still young and my future is full of promise, so having a daughter of your age around would be troublesome for me.”
Upon hearing that, Jeanette cast a glance at Ariel. She’s only a year younger than I am, but she’s allowed to stay...?
Jeanette was eighteen years old at present and Ariel was seventeen, just a year’s difference in their age, but Jeanette didn’t say that aloud. She was certain her stepmother was well aware of that fact.
All the two of them did was persecute Jeanette.
She had known for a long time that Leila and Ariel despised her. Leila had become her father’s second wife when Jeanette was ten years old, bringing Ariel along with her. In the beginning, Jeanette had hoped that the three of them would grow close, but, unfortunately, her feelings were not reciprocated.
Whenever Jeanette’s father was around, Leila and Ariel were nice to her, but the moment he was out of sight, their attitudes towards her changed. The two women had always taken advantage of her father’s absence to harass Jeanette constantly...
“Oh my! Jeanette, haven’t you gained some weight recently?” Leila had disparaged her. “At this rate, everyone will laugh at you and call you a pig! You’re not getting any dinner tonight,” she had declared. Subsequently it had become a common occurrence for her not to feed Jeanette.
On another day, Ariel had exclaimed, “My, dear sister! Have you seen yourself today? You look like some harlot! People might get the wrong idea if we’re seen with you, so Mother said you should stay home.” Following this belittlement, the two women frequently left Jeanette behind when they went to social occasions such as tea parties.
On yet another day, Leila had wiped her finger along the edge of the window of their house and had remarked, “There’s still some dust left here. Your attendant is in charge of cleaning this area, no? I suppose if the mistress is incompetent, the same will be true of her maid... You should take responsibility and clean this place up!”
Although they hadn’t physically hurt Jeanette, the way they treated her was certainly enough to earn the term “bullying.”
However, unfortunately for them, Jeanette had not been discouraged at all by their behavior. She’d grown up hearing her father’s favorite catchphrase: “Every crisis is an opportunity for growth!”
Those words had stuck with her, and each time her stepmother and stepsister pestered her, she became excited at the thought of a new challenge to overcome. She’d think, The two of them are giving me a trial, and this test is the reward in and of itself!
Displeased with Jeanette’s vivacity, Leila and Ariel had redoubled their efforts to upset her. Before long, Jeanette was being pushed to do work around the house that was normally left to the servants. Her stepsister and stepmother had often hurled verbal abuse and filthy threats at her, to the point that it no longer fazed her. This eventually led to her belongings being stolen one after another, but still Jeanette had not lost heart.
And yet...
I can’t believe they’re trying to throw me out... Ah! Wait! Could it be?! Jeanette clasped her hand over her mouth in realization. Could this be...a different type of reward for me?!
Indeed, it wasn’t the usual course of action for someone to cast their stepchild out the moment the father was out of the picture. Therefore Leila and Ariel must have had some kind of a reason to be doing this.
There’s a saying that goes, “Throw them in the deep end.” I bet this is what Mother is trying to do here! thought Jeanette. In fact, maybe all those times I thought she and Ariel were harassing me, they were actually just showing me their love... She trembled with repressed emotion. Ahh, I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize it sooner, you two!
Alas, Jeanette was very dense and so optimistic. It was downright terrifying.
Seeing Jeanette trembling all over and covering her mouth, Leila and Ariel mistook her emotions for sorrow. As though she’d been waiting for this all along, Ariel spoke up. “Don’t worry, dear sister. If you turn over a new leaf and swear to work hard for us with all your might, I’m sure Mother won’t throw you out,” she said, her lips curving in what could be seen as a sweet smile.
Ariel’s golden hair was shining in the sunlight, and her sapphire eyes sparkled as she continued in the same saccharine tone of voice. “We’ll have to cancel your engagement to Lord Claus, but I’m sure Mother can find someone else for you soon enough. It might have to be someone quite a bit older than you, but I’m sure you’d prefer that to being cast out, wouldn’t you?”
Leila smiled in satisfaction. Claus had been Jeanette’s fiancé for many years, so the implication was clear even to Jeanette: “We’ll definitively call off your engagement to Claus, but if you vow to be obedient, we’ll let you get married off to some old nobleman.”
Why would they do such a tedious thing? Jeanette wondered. Ah! Could it be that this is another way they are encouraging me?! She shivered again at her new discovery.
“Worry not,” Ariel went on, her cheeks flushing slightly. “From here on out, I will take your place, and bloom in the splendid world of high society. This was meant to be a secret, but the truth is, Lord Claus has complimented me before, saying that he finds me very adorable...”
Right, now that I think about it, Ariel has always liked Lord Claus. Jeanette’s fiancé was incredibly handsome, and there was not a soul within high society who didn’t know his name. Ariel had fallen in love with him at first sight and had often appealed to Jeanette’s father to be engaged to him instead. She also took every opportunity to spread bad rumors about Jeanette among the nobility in order to tear her down from her position.
“So, what’s your decision, Jeanette?” her stepmother prompted. “If you want to remain here, you’ll first have to swear you’ll turn over a new leaf and pledge your loyalty to us,” she declared triumphantly. Ariel snickered at her words.