In fact, from the beginning, Sesenia thought it wouldn’t be strange if Teddy ran away. Anyone would want to escape if left unattended without someone watching. But Teddy was unexpectedly diligent.

“What are you thinking about?”

It was then.

Sesenia, who had finished her meal and was savoring her tea, came to her senses at the sudden voice.

Only then did she realize it was the weekly family dinner gathering.

“I’m sorry. I just had something to think about for a moment.”

“You seem to be preoccupied with business.”

The slightly tired-looking Marquis looked at Sesenia and smiled awkwardly.

“I suppose so. Are you alright, Father? The family dinner was supposed to be three days ago… I heard it was canceled because you weren’t feeling well.”

“Ah… yes. I suddenly wasn’t feeling well. I’m fine now.”

“I see. But is elder sister not joining the dinner?”

“Haha. You ask early. It seems she’s bedridden after overexerting herself for a few days. She was showing ambition to properly succeed the Marquis family.”

The Marquis clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“But it seems she’s doing something at least.”

In the past, she would have pushed everything onto Sesenia. Saying her head hurt, her body ached. That since she was the younger sister, she could help with these things. With such words, Sesenia would have been used and done everything.

‘Come to think of it, she was quite inconsiderate.’

After using her like that, Elzere never uttered a word of thanks to Sesenia. She attributed everything to her own greatness, turning it all into self-praise. Sesenia had no complaints about that at all.

After all, she thought that eventually everyone would recognize her efforts.

‘How foolish. If I didn’t speak up, no one would know what Sesenia was doing. I didn’t realize that.’

She won’t live like that anymore. She will talk about everything that has benefited from her efforts without exception. So that others don’t go around boasting about things she did as if they did it themselves. She reaffirmed her commitment to tell the whole world about her own excellence.

“Of course.”

“But it’s unexpected.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems like you’re not very worried even though you heard elder sister has collapsed.”

Elzere had been prone to frequent illnesses since childhood. The Marquis, feeling very sorry for such a daughter, would nurse her for days in her room whenever Elzere collapsed.

But now he seemed to talk about it as if it were someone else’s business, without much emotion.

“Is that so? Haha. I do have some things on my mind… More importantly, are you alright? You don’t look well.”

“Father, you seem to have changed a bit.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Somehow… you’ve become kinder, I’d say. Worrying about me.”

He twitched his cheekbones, looking slightly surprised. The Marquis didn’t worry even when Sesenia collapsed. Saying she had a healthy body and would recover soon, he didn’t even check on her. Now that he suddenly showed concern, Sesenia felt dirty, as if stuck in mud. Whether he was pretending to be a father now or what.

“Is that so.”

“You were always kind only to elder sister.”

“Don’t even mention Elzere.”

“Pardon…? All of a sudden? Did you have a fight?”

Just a few days ago, the father had been looking at Elzere with pity. But in a matter of days, his expression and behavior changed as if flipping a hand.

“Ah, no. Rather than a fight…”

This is really strange. Why is he acting like this? They say when a person suddenly changes, it’s their time to die. Could it be the Marquis’s time?

“A-anyway, what kind of business did you say you were doing this time?”

As if trying to change the subject somehow, he hurriedly waved his hands and hunched forward.

“Ah. It’s still a secret.”

“Still, tell me. If you need anything, I might be able to provide more support.”

Should I tell him? In the past, Sesenia had already informed the Marquis before starting a business. Because that was the only way to receive support. But this time, without such things, she moved as she wanted thanks to separately provided capital.

‘Even if I tell him now, there’s nothing the Marquis can stop.’

With that thought, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I bought cotton.”

“Cotton?”

“Yes. A cold winter is coming soon. A cold we’ve never experienced before. So the demand for cotton will increase.”

Is he going to scold me again now? Sesenia quietly looked at him. In Sesenia’s memory, the Marquis would shout that she was crazy. Thinking that if he was going to scold her anyway, it might be better to get it over with now, Sesenia steeled herself.

“I see. Wouldn’t it be better to buy firewood together?”

But contrary to expectations, the Marquis’s reaction was a bit strange. In the past, he would have surely cursed that she was doing something crazy.

No, if it had been the Marquis from two weeks ago, he would have surely scolded her with that temperament. But now he was looking at her with a sad expression.

“Firewood?”

“Yes.”

Originally, she did buy cotton and firewood together. Firewood was a more difficult item to manage than cotton. It required a larger warehouse, and since only dry firewood was useful, it had to be kept in a well-ventilated place.

While cotton was very light for its size and easy to move, firewood was heavy and difficult to transport. So in this life, she had been considering firewood a bit.

“If it’s because you don’t have money, I can provide more funds.”

“You’re really strange. Truly.”

It felt alien how he spoke as if he knew Sesenia would need firewood, completely different from when the past Sesenia had mentioned it, making Sesenia feel increasingly distant.

“Me? Haha. No, it’s not strange…”

“Anyway, I’ll let you know if I need anything. I don’t need it now.”

“Alright. Anytime, anytime, just tell me.”

“Yes.”

That was all. Originally, Sesenia and the Marquis were not particularly affectionate as father and daughter. Knowing that the Marquis didn’t love her that much, that he discriminated against her sister, Sesenia, who was good at reading such things, didn’t particularly try to get close to the Marquis.

After failing a few times as a child, she didn’t even try anymore. So this moment felt quite awkward.

“Then may I go now?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

The Marquis’s gaze kept feeling strange. It was as if her chest kept tingling. So Sesenia didn’t want to talk anymore. Since she had finished eating anyway, she bowed her head slightly and stood up abruptly.

“Um, Sesenia.”

It was then.

“Yes?”

“Don’t you want to have the title of Marquis?”

It was the Marquis’s question that stopped Sesenia’s steps as she was about to leave.

“It seems like you’ve wanted the title of Marquis since you were young. I, I think I was too adamant about giving the title to Elzere last time.”

“Are you regretting it now?”

“A little…”

Sesenia shook her head looking at the Marquis.

“Father.”

“Yes?”

It was even difficult for Sesenia to call him father. Even at the moment when she knew that Elzere had an affair with her husband, father worried about Elzere, not Sesenia. So her stomach churned. Even in this moment, pretending to be fine while facing him over dinner.

But for her future, it wasn’t time yet. He had thoroughly ignored her, thoroughly abandoned her. This time it was her turn to abandon him.

‘Not now. Be patient.’

“I like how things are now. So don’t change. Keep favoring elder sister like you always have. Give the title of Marquis to elder sister. I’ll live doing my own business.”

“Wouldn’t it be even better to attach the Marquis family name to that business?”

Ah. So that’s what it was. The reason the Marquis seemed to be overly considerate of Sesenia today, the reason he seemed to act kindly today, was all because her business looked promising and he wanted to merge it with the Marquis family.

That’s why he spoke badly about Elzere in front of her, got unnecessarily angry, and all that.

‘For a brief moment, I thought the Marquis, father, might love me, but of course that wasn’t the case.’

Sesenia smirked and shook her head.

“No. Whether it fails or succeeds, it’s my business. Please don’t think about taking my business for elder sister Elzere’s sake. This is my business that I’m doing in mother’s name.”

“Huh…? No, that’s…”

The Marquis seemed quite flustered by Sesenia’s words and tried to say something, but she turned towards the door without the slightest hesitation.

“Then I’ll be going. Marquis.”

“Se-Sesenia!!”

She heard the Marquis urgently calling her, but Sesenia left there without the slightest hesitation.

‘From the past to the present, you only see Elzere.’

She only felt sorry for herself. If they were half-sisters, if it were something like that, she might understand, but Sesenia and Elzere were full sisters. Yet such discrimination. Sesenia felt as if her insides were burning.

Because she felt so pitiful and sorry for herself.

‘No. I’ll make sure there’s nothing to make me unhappy anymore.’

With that determination, Sesenia headed to her room.

And.

Just as Sesenia was taking her first step, there was someone talking to themselves in a room of the Marquis’s residence.

“I can… start over.”

In the darkness without a single light, the voice that came from within was filled with expectation and joy.

**

“Young lady. Young lady.”

About 3 days had passed since the day she had dinner alone with the Marquis.

Lizbeth, who usually didn’t get excited over trivial matters, entered the room in a fuss. Sesenia, who was organizing documents related to her business, greeted Lizbeth indifferently.

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

“It’s a big deal!”