As I remained silent, the heads behind Swell started to move busily.

“Hey, what are you doing? Why aren’t you coming in?”

“……Don’t rush me, Silke. Lise’s eyes are red, how can we go in?”

“What does that matter! Will you always act timidly toward someone with red eyes?”

“Ah, then Sister or Brother, go in first! Brother is right behind me, so if Brother goes in first, that’ll be fine.”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking……!”

Swell actually pushed the silent Bernard forward. Bernard, who stood tall before me, was at a loss for words.

“I, I mean…….”

Where has his timid nature gone? I was impatient, waiting for him to cross this threshold.

“Ah, this is frustrating!”

“Wait, wait!”

Felicia, who couldn’t hold back her frustration, pushed his back hard. Bernard lost his balance and fell over. The slightly ajar door swung wide open, and Bernard’s body tumbled in front of the room.

“Oh dear, sorry.”

Felicia spoke, not sounding sorry at all, looking at the fallen Bernard.

“……What on earth are you doing?”

Are they putting on a farce? I asked, shooting them a look, and Felicia jumped onto my bed. She snatched the pillow from my arms, threw it on the floor, and handed me a cup of water.

“What are you doing?”

“Is your butt stuck to the bed? How is crouching like a ghost going to solve anything? First, drink some water. It was in front of my room.”

“What?”

“Twins, guard the door. That strange woman could suddenly come to take Lise.”

At Felicia’s words, the usually mischievous twins stood like knights in front of my door. Bernard, who had hit his nose when he fell, climbed onto the bed, touching his nose bridge.

“We came to make a plan, Lise.”

“A plan?”

“Do you want to go with that woman?”

Felicia asked me bluntly. I frowned and shook my head firmly.

“No.”

“I thought so. The house has been chaos since that woman came. Father just drinks, taking his anger out on passing maids. Mother’s face is gloomy, and the two don’t even try to talk.”

“…….”

“We’ve discreetly stayed out of it, but the situation isn’t good. We tried to do something, but it was all in vain.”
In the room, while plugging both ears, it seemed the house had been tumultuous. The faces of the brothers didn’t look good. In particular, they were anxious about their father and mother’s relationship becoming completely twisted, and their hearts were restless.

But why are they complaining to me, the cause of all this trouble?

“So we thought of a way to resolve this situation. It’s to kick out that strange woman.”

“……Just the woman?”

“Huh? Who else do we need to kick out? Who?”

Felicia and Bernard looked at me with curious eyes. I was disheartened by their innocent and truthful gaze.

“It’s settled. And the woman will leave on her own. If she achieves her purpose.”

“What’s her purpose?”

“To take me. I must be like her own daughter after all.”

“No, Lise.”

As I spoke mockingly, Felicia grabbed my shoulder. She squeezed my shoulder as if telling me to come to my senses.

“You are usually the smartest among us, but you don’t use your brain in these situations. Aren’t you suspicious of that woman?”

“That she’s my birth mother?”

“That, too! And think about it. Losing her memory all of a sudden, does that make sense? In my life, I’ve only seen memory loss in comedies. And witch hunts……. Who believes in that nowadays? Of course, in ancient times they say there were witches and dragons, but now they are all extinct.”

“…….”

“It’s strange for her to come to see my father to find her memory. If what father says is not a lie, the relationship between that woman and father was just one night. There was no affectionate relationship, and no memories.”

As Felicia spoke earnestly, I suddenly realized. Although I hadn’t been able to analyze the situation calmly due to that woman’s appearance, when I thought about it, there were many strange points. No matter if she lost her memory, it was suspicious that the woman who abandoned me suddenly wanted me.

“Felicia, you’re smart! Then let’s talk to father about this right away.”

As Bernard, who was beside me, exclaimed in admiration, Felicia pinched his thigh.

“You’re so clueless. Don’t you think father would know this? That’s why he’s so angry. What’s strange is mother. Mother must also know the truth, but she’s just watching without doing anything.”

Could it be a moneyrelated issue that the woman is after me?

She already took a lot of money through me, so she has more than enough. And ten years have passed, so it’s time for the money to run out.

Once a person has tasted money, their greed tends to grow more than before. She, who was not satisfied with that amount ten years ago, might now use me as a shield to exploit the entire Marsen family, not just the money.

In other words, it was dangerous if I fell into that woman’s hands. But still, but still, why did Isabel…

“Lise, have you come to your senses? You’re smart, so try to think of some plan.”

At Felicia’s words, I thought deeply about the current situation.

“Felicia, Lise is having a hard time, don’t rush her too much……!”

“I would like to, but the situation is like this!”

Bernard and Felicia were bickering. In the meantime, I opened my mouth.

“……The only person who can kick that woman out is mother. But mother knows all the facts and does not kick that woman out.”

“Hmm. Could it be because of father?”

Felicia replied.

“Yes.”

Isabel loved the Marsen family and her bloodline, but on the other hand, she resented father. She wanted to receive the apology from father that she couldn’t hear until now by using that woman.

‘But father is someone who will never do that.’

“So what should we do?”

As Bernard whined, I shook my head. I stared at the cup of water I hadn’t yet drunk.

“No, don’t do anything. Let’s watch the situation first.”

“What are you talking about?”
“Let’s watch and see, since it’s not certain yet.”

At my words, Bernard and Felicia repeatedly asked if that would be okay. Instead of answering, I just smiled bitterly. Once again, I wanted to believe in Isabelle.