Selected as the New Stepmother (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Who issued this certificate? Artenbach Bank?
“Oh, that was… “
“When the business was withdrawn, how was the investment money supposed to be recovered? Didn’t you set up at least that much of a safety net before investing?”
I prayed with all my heart that this was all just a dream.
“I’ll go to that company tomorrow and ask them.”
Worry became reality and fell upon me. The ice slab, precariously balanced as if about to shatter at any moment, crashed violently under the impact.
“How much did you invest?”
“…Not much.”
“So, how much exactly?”
“…Ten million Tiga.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
I was thinking of selling gifts given by a stranger just to afford repairs to my roof.
And yet, I knew full well how great a stain it would be on the family name to earn money as a noblewoman.
Above all, my father could never possibly possess such a large sum as ten million Tiga.
“Where did the money come from?”
“…From Artenbach Bank…”
My father’s voice grew quieter as he realized something was amiss.
“Father, don’t hide anything. Tell me the truth.”
“There’s… a pink diamond deposited under the name Black Swan, and I used it as collateral for ten million…”
I had neither the strength to shout nor the will to think. I simply collapsed onto the floor. Anna rushed over and grabbed my arm.
“Mistress!”
“Schmidt!”
My father also came forward, trying to help me up.
“Don’t touch me!”
It was miserable. Was this trial from the gods too cruel?
What terrible sin had I committed in my past life? What great crime had I committed?
“Father, do you even know what that jewel is…? Hah, please, just do nothing. Don’t start any business, don’t gamble—just stay at home. Please!”
Uncontrollable tears fell heavily. My father, finally grasping the gravity of the situation, sank to his knees on the floor.
“Schmidt, tomorrow, I’ll go meet that businessman and try to get the investment money back, okay?”
I shut my eyes tightly and forced my lips apart—crushed so hard they throbbed with nerve pain.
“If you can meet him, then meet him. Where?”
My father picked up the certificate lying on the floor and carefully tucked the paper, worth ten million Tiga, into his chest. Then he bowed deeply, insisting he would resolve everything himself.
[This is the timeline separator]The moment the sun rose, I went straight to Artenbach Bank—to clean up the mess of meddling with something I should never have touched.
Until I left the mansion, I had wanted to believe my father hadn’t been scammed—that he had genuinely invested.
No matter how talentless he was in business or how naively he saw the world, I refused to believe he could be foolish enough to waste ten million Tiga into thin air.
But from early morning, people lined up outside the bank, all speaking in unison about Rueba 3, and some sat on the ground weeping, claiming they had lost their entire fortunes.
Even the tiniest shred of hope had dissolved into the air. The thought of repaying the ten million Tiga borrowed against the pink diamond—and the money swindled from the fraudster—left me dizzy.
‘…It’s truly meaningless.’
Must the Viscountess Dely, who nurtured artists and made the empire beautiful, now be content with nothing but past glory?
Can a future be built when there’s a money-devouring demon in the house?
“Customer number five.”
I looked at the wooden token handed to me at the entrance. It bore the number 5.
“How may I assist you?”
I stared at the bank clerk. The injustice was so unbearable I couldn’t speak.
“Customer?”
I finally managed to part my trembling lips.
“My father… said he borrowed money under the name Black Swan. I’d like to confirm that.”
“Could you show me the documentation?”
I handed over my personal identification issued by the Imperial Office and the registration certificate for the Black Swan business. The clerk asked me to wait a moment and went to retrieve the ledger.
I tapped my fingers nervously on the desk. Then, unconsciously, I noticed the sleeve of my dress, which revealed my bare wrist. A chill seemed to seep through it, so I covered my wrist with my palm.
“Apologies for the wait. I’ve confirmed it now.”
The clerk returned to her desk and opened the ledger, showing me that my father had indeed borrowed ten million Tiga under the name Black Swan.
“When is the repayment deadline?”
“Two years from now. Interest must be paid on the last day of each month.”
Just the interest amounts to half my monthly living expenses. Raising funds to operate Black Swan had become utterly impossible.
After thanking the clerk, I rose weakly from my seat. Could I survive by hiding my identity and working as a restaurant server while running Black Swan? Or perhaps become a private tutor, teaching noble etiquette to the children of nobles or bourgeoisie?
‘Who asked me to do this?’
The more I thought, the more miserable I felt. There was no word from my father, who had set off to confront the fraudster; only the mournful weeping of people who wouldn’t leave the bank’s vicinity echoed around me. That was when—
A carriage, gleaming with gold trim, halted in front of Artenbach Bank. All nearby eyes turned toward it.
Soon, the carriage door opened. The emblem—a powerful black panther’s head superimposed over crossed swords—was so familiar that even at a glance, one could identify the noble house it represented.
Then, polished black boots stepped onto the ground.
A sleek black suit that accentuated long legs.
A deep green shirt, costing a fortune in dyes.
A waistcoat stitched entirely with gold thread.
Even the jacket casually draped over his arm.
‘Duke Artenbach.’
I had never seen him this close before. If I were to compare it to my past life, it felt like meeting a famous celebrity.
His black hair, like a sky without a single star, and golden eyes, said to bring wealth merely by being looked upon.
The Duke paid no heed to the gazes fixed upon him and extended his hand toward the carriage interior.
A small hand suddenly popped out from the doorway. Simultaneously, a child slowly stepped out.
“Mistress! You’re here?”
Anna’s voice called out from behind me.
“It’s not the time for this! The child who comes to our counseling center—that child! The Guild just called; it’s not a bourgeois child—it’s the Artenbach Duke…”
Anna followed the direction of my pointing finger, then froze, holding her hand over her mouth as if to stifle a scream.
“Yeah, I just found out too.”
The child who stepped down from the carriage, holding the Duke’s hand, was none other than the Kid—who had cheerfully called me “Aunty.”
‘You idiot! You foolish Schmidt!’
The child’s formal address felt so natural that I had never once imagined he could be from the Duke’s family.
That meant: Black Swan had taken the pink diamond—belonging to the noble Artenbach House—and used it as collateral without permission to secure cash, and then lost that cash to a swindler, plunging us straight into ruin.
I had entrusted Artenbach’s assets to Artenbach Bank… and then borrowed money that was Artenbach’s own…
‘Should I run away?’
Wouldn’t no one find me if I lived deep in the forest?
But then again, a noble house like the Artenbachs could probably track me down even if I fled abroad.
Anna jolted me out of my escape fantasy.
“Mistress! Mistress!”
Brought back to reality, I instinctively turned toward the carriage—and fate’s cruel joke made our eyes meet.
“Aunty?”
At the familiar term, I whipped my head away. Every nerve in my body screamed that meeting the Kid here was dangerous.
“You’re my Aunty, right?”
His voice came slightly closer. I grabbed Anna’s arm and began walking forward. She followed obediently, like a wooden doll, obeying my silent command: don’t look back, just keep walking.
“Aunty, where are you going?”
I, an adult, should walk faster than a child. Good. If I pretend not to notice—
“Bring her.”
A low, deep male voice pierced my ear. Instantly, knights appeared from nowhere, surrounding Anna and me.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine. I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet I bore an undeniable responsibility, and my whole body shriveled.
“Aunty, why are you running away?”
The Kid’s smiling face, so innocent as he asked, looked terrifyingly cold.
Even as the knights tightened their circle, I stepped back one pace along the path I’d come—and suddenly found myself within arm’s reach, as if he were about to shake my hand.
Anna had already lost her senses. Her face was pale, her gaze vacant.
“Running? I was just hurrying to open the counseling center…”
The Kid’s cheerful expression slowly hardened.
“Why are you suddenly speaking like that? Talk to me the way you always do. You treated me comfortably, even though you knew who I am.”
My heart plummeted. I locked eyes with the Duke, who stood with arms crossed, expressionless.
“Did I? Hah… ha.”
“I prefer that! When Father goes to work, I’ll come straight to the counseling center.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say yes.
“But what brings you here?”
The Kid looked at me with eyes full of expectation, as if seeking praise.
“I came because of the diamond. You said I absolutely had to come with an adult.”
So why today, of all days?
“So I came with Father. To find the diamond.”
I didn’t even know that Father was the Duke Artenbach.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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