The Perfect Plan for a Fairy-Tale Ending

Chapter 4

“Where are you going?” I shouted. “Leave her alone! She’s already had a visit from Father today.”

“Since when have you stood up for her?” Bilain said, sneering. He continued striding down the stairs, even rolling up his sleeves.

I worried that I had triggered his temper even worse than usual, which would only spell trouble for Larissa. I felt the blood drain from my face. Limping, I managed to lope down the stairs and grab him by the arm. “I said, leave her alone!”

“How dare you…!” Fire raged in Bilain’s eyes, and he raised his arm threateningly.

Is he really going to hit me? I instinctively recoiled to make myself a smaller target.

“Are you planning to kill our bread and butter?” I hissed. “We need to keep her alive, don’t we? If she gets hit once more today, it will probably be over for her.” I wasn’t exaggerating. From what I’d seen, Larissa had seemed truly on the verge of death.

It seemed to be enough to get Bilain to stop. I hurriedly pulled off my earrings, each of which was adorned with a large, costly emerald the same shade as our eyes. “Take these and go. They should fetch you enough cash to buy your drinks for a month, at least.”

He glared at me, seemingly shocked, then snatched the earrings from my hands. “Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll let this slide… just this once.”

He turned and stumbled away toward his chambers, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The violent altercation had sapped all of my remaining strength, so instead of heaving myself back up to my room, I more or less crawled into the reception room nearby. Just as I expected, it was empty, but it was warm from the fire lit by the maids I had seen earlier.

These people complain about needing more money, but they don’t bat an eye at heating an empty room… I smiled bitterly as I sat close to the fire.

With an endless supply of money at their disposal, everyone in the family became restless. My father refused to acknowledge his lack of business sense no matter how many times he failed. No matter how badly things went, he never turned to sensible, cost-effective measures such as downsizing. Instead, he just went downstairs to coerce more jewels from Larissa.

Well, at least my hoard has gone untouched as a result… Marcia’s overflowing piles of jewelry and other valuable accessories entered my mind. She had indulged in frivolous spending for years, buying anything luxurious in sight. If I were to start selling each item in the collection, I’d surely make enough to support at least my basic needs.

But was it enough for two people? I’ll have to watch my spending if it’s the both of us… Or perhaps I can use the money to open a small shop. I jabbed at the firewood with a fire poker, muttering about my plans to myself.

I had made up my mind to run away with Larissa by my side. I couldn’t bear to leave behind the little girl who was beaten day and night solely for her tears.

Money, money, money… they’re all insane. How can they do that to a child? Even while reading the story to my niece, I could never shrug off these thoughts.

If all she needs to do is cry, aren’t there other ways that don’t require beating her? There were so many methods to choose from. People did cry out of sadness or pain, but they also shed tears of joy or laughter. Even a deep yawn could produce a tear or two, or cutting an onion. She could also be tickled. Or she could be told a story that really touches her heart…

In the past, I’d thought about all these things, but there was no point in questioning the story too deeply since it was just a fairy tale intended for children.

“I never thought I’d end up in this situation…” Perhaps it all could have been prevented entirely if I’d been reborn into this body before Larissa’s confinement. But now, it was too late. Her social development was probably stunted, and her emotions ranged from fear to despair.

I should have her examined by a physician as soon as we escape. I wondered if psychiatrists existed in this world. Surely, such deep trauma could not be healed within a mere month or two. But the cost would no doubt be tremendous, and difficult to bear with only the jewels I had in my possession.

Though Larissa was a walking diamond mine, I had no intention to rely on her for income. I’d rather starve myself, I thought. I couldn’t help but think back to the small, bloodied, helpless figure. No matter what happened, I would never force her to cry. That was precisely what I intended to rescue her from.

Oh… but if we run away together, will it prevent Larissa from meeting the prince? Originally, she had endured three more years in this household before she had coincidentally been spotted by the prince, who would fall in love with her at once.

If it were me, I’d forget the prince and opt to escape as soon as possible. But what about Larissa? She might choose to endure a few more years of this treatment, then marry the prince and seek proper revenge on the family that had tormented her.

I felt shivers run down my spine. What do I do? Will it end terribly for me, no matter what? Can I change my conclusion?

I held my head in my hands, overcome with anxiety, until an idea bubbled up in my head. “Wait… What if I go searching for the prince myself?” I mused to myself.

Of course! If Larissa was set to marry him three years from now anyway, then what harm would it do for them to meet a little earlier than planned? I could arrange the meeting, and they could be properly betrothed…

It should be a cinch. After all, he falls for her immediately. This way, they could still get married and have a happily ever after. Surely, the prince would take great care of Larissa for the rest of her life.

I quite liked this plan. My new sister and I would run away together, then I would find the prince and deliver her safely into his arms. Finally, I would find my own way in the world and live off of selling my jewelry. No matter how much Larissa hated Marcia in the story, she surely wouldn’t demand my execution if I was the one to rescue her in the first place.

“Excellent.” I smiled and stood up with renewed purpose. There were just a few things I needed to confirm before commencing with my plan.

***

“No way…” I was nearly pulling out my hair in frustration as I slumped onto the desk. I didn’t care that I was crumpling the pages of the royal genealogy books and the noble registry I had just been reading.

“No…” I moaned again. “This is supposed to be a fairy tale! How can there be no prince?” I nearly began punching the sad, innocent books in frustration.

It was deeply shocking to learn that this country, in fact, did not have a prince. Or rather, there was a prince, but he was not the young, unmarried type. The prince was well over thirty years of age, already wed, and even had a child of his own. There was no way he could be the man from the fairy tale. In addition, his son was only two years old, much too young to be Larissa’s chosen.

How can Marcia have no clue about this? I silently chided her, but I knew perfectly well why her memories were no help at all. She had never been interested in her studies, nor had she deigned to open a book in years.

The Blicks were a noble family by lineage but did not possess a title. Even their property, along with the bit of adjoining land, had landed in their hands in a stroke of luck. As a result, Marcia had been limited on which parties she could attend, and she was never invited to parties thrown by anyone who ranked higher than a count. Since she would never have the opportunity to mingle with the upper nobility, much less the royal family, she never thought to educate herself on the country’s great houses.

Since she ignored her studies, all she had to rely on was her good looks—her stunning golden hair, arresting green eyes, and pretty face. She was an excellent dancer and could hold her liquor. Those were pretty much her only redeeming qualities, as she was not well-known among the servants for having either brains or a good temper. It was a given that they gossiped about her when she wasn’t around.

“What do I do now…?” I moaned, turning back to the problem at hand. If there truly was no prince, contrary to the book, then there would be nowhere for us to go.

I dropped my head onto a book and bit my lip nervously. Suddenly, a particular line of text caught my attention. I sat up abruptly and read the line again, eyes fixed on the page.

—Prince Laurent.

“It must be him!”

“Prince…” or rather, Grand Duke. In this world, a grand duke could also style his title as “Prince.” It felt a little as if I were cramming mismatched puzzle pieces together, but surely, a grand duke qualified as the prince of a fairy tale. And that made my answer clear. There happened to be only one grand duchy in this land—House Laurent.

I eagerly scanned the Laurent family tree, and there, at the end of the sprawling, intricate branches, was my glimmer of hope.

That’s him…! The small name was inscribed in the book: Fabian Laurent, Age 21. And seeing that there was no line that linked his name to another, he was unmarried.

Hmm… There is an eight-year difference between them. But age gaps are quite normal here, I suppose. I looked at the level above Fabian, but according to the dates listed, both his parents had been deceased for years. He must have become a grand duke at quite a young age.

“Fabian Laurent…” I murmured, etching the name into my memory.

The Laurent family tree, extensive as it was, spanned several pages of the genealogy book I was looking through. At the top of the section was the family crest.

Huh… I think I’ve seen that before. I squinted, peering at it closely. It was a stately shield adorned in red and white, wrapped in thorny vines. Beneath the shield were two crossed swords. The crest was at once elegant and dignified. It exuded noble grace.

“Where have I seen this before?” I scratched my head. Marcia certainly had never seen it, so I searched through my own brain until I suddenly remembered.

“Ah…!” I gasped. The crest was on the very last page of the storybook.

—The two of them lived happily ever after.

The last scene depicted a grand wedding ceremony. The glowing couple stood amid a multitude of guests, a dreamy castle pictured in the background. There was a small flag waving on the uppermost tower of the castle, clearly rendered with this family crest.

I saw this inside the story! I thought excitedly. There must be other signs!