Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Blood Can't Lie
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***
As soon as Juliet learned the full story, Zachary apologized over and over.
When Juliet deliberately crossed her arms and stayed quiet, he grew flustered and launched into an unprompted explanation.
It probably wasn't his intention, but it helped her grasp the situation quite well.
The villagers who had promised her a job suddenly going back on their word overnight—it was all the work of her uncles behind the scenes, he said.
Juliet asked in disbelief.
"Why?"
Surprisingly, Zachary answered honestly with his head hung low.
"They threatened that if they made our long-lost niece, whom we'd only just reunited with after decades, do menial tasks like sorting papers or cleaning desks, they wouldn't stand for it."
What was even more absurd was the position as his daughter's tutor that the flustered Zachary had suggested to Juliet the day before.
Zachary's daughter, Lizbel, was an adorable child with chubby cheeks.
"Sis!"
Lizbel cozied right up to Juliet, despite it being their first meeting.
"Don't go hugging just anyone who gives you cookies, Lizbel."
Even as she said it, Juliet pulled Lizbel into a tight embrace.
Her body temperature was warmer than an adult's, soft and toasty, and she even smelled sweet. Plus, getting so happy over a single cookie. Children were just too small and cute.
Her hands and mouth were so tiny as she munched away—it was fascinating—so Juliet handed Lizbel a third cookie and asked,
"Lizbel, how old are you?"
Lizbel proudly spread out all five fingers on her right hand and shouted,
"Three!"
So cute!
Juliet hugged her tightly. At the same time, Zachary's idea struck her as so ridiculous it nearly brought tears to her eyes.
What? A tutor? Teaching her letters?
"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. But the elders imposed a gag order..."
Zachary, who had been watching his daughter's antics fondly from the side, locked eyes with the icy-cold Juliet and immediately drooped his eyebrows, putting on the most pitiful expression he could muster.
It had been a week that felt like being dropped in the middle of a play, but in truth, Juliet didn't mind much.
What actually bothered her was something else.
"What? That's Aunt Lilian's kid?"
Juliet looked toward the voice.
"Ha! No word for years, then she shows up out of nowhere? She's obviously up to something!"
That striking red hair, no matter when she saw it.
So this was the lunatic she'd run into on the carriage to Robel a few days ago.
'I should have recognized him the moment I saw all that red hair scattered around.'
His name was Theo Levatan, unfortunately the second son of Juliet's great-uncle Isaac Levatan. He was said to be the youngest of Lionel's grandsons.
Theo shouted loud enough for the whole manor to hear, then whipped his head around and marched straight toward Juliet, who was holding Lizbel.
"Hey, you!"
Then he pointed right at her.
"Be honest. You're after the old man's inheritance, aren't you?"
Theo was rude and brazen enough to say it right to her face.
*
Isaac's eldest son, Grey, didn't have the same eye-catching red hair as his brother Theo.
With his auburn locks, Grey gave a far more mature impression. He was five years older than Theo.
"Old man."
"What'd you say?!"
When he got indignant like that, their mental ages seemed about the same.
To Juliet's eyes, the red hair was inherited from the paternal line, but aside from that, Grey seemed to take after his cheerful mother more than his hot-tempered father.
Theo's brother, five years his senior, was thankfully normal.
"Sorry about that. He really is that much of a jerk by nature."
Grey said as he approached Juliet, who was sipping tea alone in her room.
He must have heard about the parlor incident and come to apologize for his brother's rudeness.
Grey turned the chair opposite Juliet backward and sat down.
Juliet tilted her head and asked,
"Don't people usually say something like, 'He's not usually that bad,' even if it's just polite?"
Grey shrugged.
"How can I deny the truth? Take it up with our parents."
But the brothers' father—Juliet's great-uncle Isaac—seemed straightforward and honest, so she was quite curious about the aunt she hadn't met yet, Theo and Grey's mother. She was away on merchant guild business and due back tomorrow.
"Anyway, don't take it to heart. Just ignore him as needed. He does hold grudges, but they don't last long."
"I'm fine. It's kind of fun, actually."
It wasn't empty words. Juliet was an only child, the sole daughter with no siblings.
She had sometimes wondered what it would be like to have brothers or sisters. It definitely wouldn't be boring.
"But I still don't get why he's acting like that."
Grey tilted his head.
"Maybe he thinks you've stolen his position as the family's beloved youngest."
"Beloved...?"
Grey, who had been plopping sugar cubes into his teacup, shrugged and asked back, as if he'd heard something ridiculous.
"Nah. He's never been that in his life. It's more likely he's serious about that inheritance nonsense."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Juliet deftly dodged Grey's attempt to add sugar to her cup as she sank into thought.
Her first impression of him was pretty bad, true. But she doubted inheritance was the only reason Theo hated her so much.
'If it really is about the inheritance, there's no need to worry.'
A bit cold, but that's what Juliet thought.
Take Lionel, for example. He'd confirmed she was truly his granddaughter using the glove and hairpin Mrs. Ronda had swiped.
Meeting her grandfather, whose existence she'd never even known, was joyful, but Juliet didn't expect to become part of their lives. Nor did she want to.
If she weren't Lilian's daughter, and Lilian weren't Lionel's daughter, the connection wouldn't exist.
In other words, all that bound them was blood.
Not that it was bad, but it needed to be made clear.
Theo bringing up the inheritance meant others thought the same.
'Perfect timing.'
Theo might have circumstances she didn't know about. And Juliet wasn't one to care much about others' affairs.
She was used to being hated anyway.
It didn't faze her.
But what she couldn't stand was being hated for no reason.
After sitting and thinking for a bit, Juliet set down her cup and headed toward the armchair by the living room window where Lionel sat.
Just then, Zachary and several Levatan retainers had gathered to seek Lionel's opinion.
"Grandpa."
"Yes, Juliet."
Lionel spotted her and smiled warmly.
"What's wrong?"
The living room where Lionel Levatan sat was wide open on all sides, easily visible to anyone in the manor with just a turn of the head.
Juliet walked slowly toward him.
One, two, three.
Thud.
She dropped to her knees at his feet as if her legs had given out, bowing her head low.
"Juliet? Dear?"
"Ah, Lady?"
The flustered voices around her suggested she was crying convincingly.
Juliet counted to five inside, then lifted her head and said pitifully,
"Believe me. I didn't know anything about any inheritance or whatever. I swear..."
"Inheritance?"
"They say I'm obviously here for your inheritance, Grandpa. And that I'm not even Mom's daughter."
"What kind of nonsense!"
"No, Lady. Who on earth said that?"
The servants nearby jumped in shock, getting angry on her behalf.
"I don't want to tattle. But if they think that way... I just hope Grandpa doesn't. I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding."
Juliet recited lines from the melodramatic plays she'd seen a million times in the capital.
The words didn't matter much.
Expression and timing were key.
"It's true. Please believe me, Grandpa."
The servants, excluding Lionel, looked quite shocked.
"Ah, Lady..."
But Lionel gazed down at his granddaughter with an expression like he was barely holding back a laugh.
"Yes. Get up now, Juliet.
I don't know who's spreading such absurd nonsense—"
At that point, Lionel swept his eyes across the room, and a few people flinched.
"I promise you. No one will ever slander you like that again."
Juliet kept up her frail act to the end, staggering to her feet with help from those around her.
Of course, she didn't forget to flash a secretive smirk toward Theo, who was watching from the second-floor landing.
That was right.
Juliet really couldn't let anyone hate her without reason.
'So I have to give him one.'
As their eyes met, Juliet grinned triumphantly at Theo.
"Isn't she totally crazy...?"
Theo muttered in shock, but she didn't care.
However, there was something Juliet didn't know.
Her uncles, standing a few steps away with massive welcome cakes in both hands, had seen the entire scene.
Including the charged looks exchanged between Juliet and Theo.
Lionel's three sons had witnessed it all and were plunged into shock.
Isaac, Barris, and Kailos—the three brothers—stood frozen in a daze before snapping out of it and sharing their reactions to what they'd just seen.
"Gasp."
"Brother, did you see that?"
"Oh my god, she's just like Lilian...!"
"Blood can't lie, huh..."
"Definitely Lilian's daughter."