Chapter 3

Here, let me introduce myself. My name is Risha Berdigo.

My father holds the title of Earl, which is quite high.

However, in terms of influence, it's not that significant, just a family like that.

But, if you look at the bloodline alone, it's quite distinguished.

Even if there were debts, the bloodline is so influential that lower-ranking nobles who want to rise would line up with money.

My family, despite lacking influence, is rather well-known.

Of course, not in a good way, but in a bad way.

My father married my mother through a political marriage.

This mother is the direct bloodline of the earl's family, and my father is, in a sense, a groom who joined the family.

However, in this country, only males had the right to inherit the title, so my father, who was from a collateral line but close to the direct line, was chosen.

However, the miscalculation was that, due to the close kinship, they had difficulty having children.

Of course, it wasn't a close kinship that violated the law, but it still had an impact.

In the midst of not being able to have children, my father cheated on my mother, whom he didn't particularly like, and had a child.

He tried to show that the inability to have children was my mother's fault and asked to take the child as the heir, but my mother, of course, refused.

If the child had been a boy, my mother might have considered it, but the child was a girl, and from the beginning, she looked like her birth mother.

Moreover, he even asked to hire the birth mother as a wet nurse.

Although my father inherited the title as an earl, the household management, including personnel and hiring, was in my mother's hands.

Furthermore, as the direct daughter, my mother managed almost all the family's assets, so even as an earl, my father couldn't easily withdraw money.

At one point, it even led to a divorce scandal, but it was discovered that I was in my mother's womb at the time.

Even though she thought the child was from the cheating man, my mother, thinking that the child was innocent, decided not to divorce and gave birth.

Of course, as the legitimate child and direct bloodline, I became the first heir.

However, unfortunately, my mother, who was an older mother, had a difficult recovery after childbirth and never fully recovered.

She passed away when I was seven years old.

She was a kind mother.

She was worried about me being left alone and took all possible measures.

She left a will saying, "You are the head of this house, but I hope you don't become as unhappy as I did and find happiness."

From there, you can probably guess what happened.

First, my father, who inherited the earl's title, made his lover his wife and brought her child, my half-sister, to the earl's mansion.

Many of the servants who had been loyal to my mother for years were dismissed, and even the butler was about to be replaced, but he was so deeply involved in the management of the earl's mansion and the territory that he couldn't be easily dismissed.

Thanks to him, I received various educations while feeling uncomfortable, and I still respect him.

After all, he helped me a lot when I had to take on the duties of a lord from the age of ten, as my father pushed them onto me.

"Your mother did all this, and I don't know anything about it. You received the education, so you do it."

What a lousy father.

Moreover, he indulged in alcohol, gambling, and social events every day.

Of course, his new wife and my half-sister followed suit and spent money extravagantly.

I was entrusted with the management of the territory from the age of ten, but for the three years after my mother's death, it seemed that nothing was done.

When problems arose, no measures were taken, and even during poor harvests, taxes remained the same or even increased.

Knowing where the money was going, I felt angry.

The steward, who should have managed the territory, was a man who acted on bribes and even engaged in tax evasion.

Desperate to do something, I worked hard for seven years from the age of ten to protect the territory, but it was reaching its limit.

Ultimately, the authority to make decisions about the territory had shifted from my mother to my father, and any unfavorable decisions were ignored. Despite all my efforts, I was seen as just one of the lord's family members and was verbally abused by the people.

I understand their feelings, but it's inevitable that it's exhausting both mentally and physically.

To be honest, the family's finances were in a near-death state seven years ago due to my father's reckless management, but I wanted them to see the results of my recovery.

Every day, with dark circles under my eyes and neglecting my sleep and meals, I worked hard, but because my mother's era was so wonderful, I was treated as incompetent.

Moreover, the one fanning the flames was actually the new wife and my half-sister.

They spread rumors about my cruelty throughout the territory, directing anger towards me, and planned to take the position of heir from me with the support of the people.

Whether it was good luck or bad luck, my father was from a collateral line of the earl's family and inherited the earl's blood.

In other words, my half-sister also has that blood.

Forcibly, but it's not strange to make her the heir.

Moreover, the relatives, thinking that my half-sister was easier to manipulate than me, who was inflexible like my mother, mostly sided with her.

And then—

"You, who have been abandoned by the collateral line and the people, have no right to inherit the earl's family."

The rights were transferred to my half-sister.

At that moment, I felt a sense of resignation, thinking it didn't matter anymore.

Despite that, they still pushed work onto me, intending to use me up.

Dark circles from lack of sleep and rough skin.

On the other hand, my half-sister played all day, spent the earl's family's money lavishly, and shone with beauty.

In society, I was mocked as it was unclear which of us was the daughter of the noble bloodline.

Amidst all this ridiculousness, an offer came that would change my life.

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