Signs of the beginning... (part 2)

"Be as greedy as you want when it comes to others, but do not bite the hand that fed you during all those years of being a crippling disappointment!"

"...!"

Even though Zorivia tried to speak up, her father silenced her with a single glare, and his voice grew cold.

"Now. You will tell me everything about this operation and let me handle the rest."

Earl leaned in towards the blond-haired girl and declared, not giving Zorivia a chance to back off.

"...b-but... f-father... I... I haven't been doing it for money...!"

The blond-haired girl trembled and lowered her head as much as she could before muttering.

"..."

The reddish-brown-haired man furrowed his brows and leaned even closer toward his daughter.

"...what did you just say...?"

"!!!"

He asked in a voice that sent chills of fear down her spine.

"I... I wasn't the one selling it... I was... giving it away for free to help the poor peo..."

*TWACK* *thump*

The girl shivered and took a deep breath before looking up and trying to explain – the next moment, she found herself on the floor next to the knocked-down chair with her father standing over her with his hand raised.

"...?"

For a moment, Zorivia could not comprehend what had happened...

"...!"

And then she felt the left side of her face sting, and she grimaced.

"...u-uuu...!"

The next moment she cried out, pressing both hands to her face after being ruthlessly slapped.

"You did not just say that! YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!"

"!!!"

Earl growled furiously, taking a step towards his daughter and making her cower and pitifully.

"You are lying! Even you would not be so stupid as to go that far...! Unless... you moronic failure...! You were tricked AGAIN, weren't you?!"

"Ghhgh...!"

Earl Rotteloss picked up his daughter by the collar of her blouse, shouting in her face.

"Of course! I must have been blind not to realize that a failure like you would never be able to come up with a remotely competent plan!"

The man shook the girl while the brown-haired servant stood by the door silently without even budging – just as the situation was nothing unusual.

"Who was it!? Who dared to make a fool out of the Rotteloss family?! And where is the recipe for the tonic?! Do you have it?!"

"I...! I...!"

The girl's father roared, and she trembled.

Her face was stinging with pain, and her father's grip on her clothes was making it hard for her to breathe – all factors making her cry.

She wanted nothing more than to be released and she was already opening her mouth to spill out everything she knew like the spineless coward that she was...

"..."

But right then and there, as she looked at the face of her enraged father - the face of the black-haired boy, who claimed to be directly involved in the scheme she was getting chastised for, showed up in her mind – and she could only open and close her mouth as a fish pulled out of

the water.

If... if she revealed everything... he would not escape punishment.

And it was the punishment delivered by the house Rotteloss, the most ruthless noble family in the entire Wondalandor...!

"I... I don't know...! It was an... an old... man...! I met him by accident...! He said that he couldn't stand the poor commoners suffering and asked me to become h-his sponsor...! I wanted to help, so I did what I could! I don't know anything else....! I...! I didn't ask...! I'm sor...!"

She sobbed and lied, thinking really hard to come up with something convincing so that the black-haired boy would not get involved.

*WHAM*

"Oww-ouwhhh...!"

But before she could even attempt to say anything else, her father threw her to the floor, and the impact knocked the air out of her lungs.

"Kenneth! Get that failure out of my sight! She's not allowed to leave her room! None of the servants is allowed to talk with her! Either!"

"Yes, master."

"Oghhh...!

As Zorivia was only beginning to experience the pain from brand new injuries, her father growled at the brown-haired servant, who immediately picked up the young girl by one arm, deaf to the pained yelp that escaped her mouth.

*WHAM*

"DAMN IT!"

The servant dragged off the injured young Miss, and ass soon as the door closed behind them, Earl Rotteloss slammed his fist against the desk to vent his fury.

Soon enough, someone knocked on his door and entered.

"Master, young Miss has been locked in her room, and the rest of the staff has been informed about your orders."

Kenneth bowed his head and reported.

"Good."

Earl breathed out while giving the brown-haired man a nod of approval.

"What do you think about what that failure of a daughter has said?"

The reddish-brown-haired man turned towards the window and asked coldly without addressing his trusted servant directly.

"Young Miss is a terrible liar... although I believe that her not knowing the exact recipe for the tonic is true because no one in their right mind would trust her with such a valuable secret."

Kenneth straightened his back and answered without a shred of hesitation or respect toward Zorivia.

"...then do you think that the person who contacted her wasn't some old man but... a young girl instead....?"

Alexander Rotteloss took a few deep breaths and put his hands behind his back before asking slowly.

"That is very plausible, master... do you think it's... the prodigy girl from the rumors...?"

Kenneth agreed and asked after a brief moment of consideration.

"...indeed... It seems that the little commoner bitch from Startinton wasn't satisfied with creating the medicine and getting cozy with the royal family – she even dared to enter the domain of the Rotteloss family...! Kennet, you know what to do. Learn everything about her. Prodigy or not, a brat who is the same age as that failure of a daughter of mine must have a weakness we can use against her!"

"As you wish, master!"

Earl lowered his head and glared back at his servant, who bowed eagerly in response.