LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 13 – Disputes
Scarlett followed one of her servants, the black-haired one called Molly, through the mansion's decorated hallways. Kat had said that she would check up on the children — for whom they had created an impromptu gathering room in the mansion's reception hall at the moment. Scarlett had noticed it already when they originally saved those kids, but the Shielder seemed particularly protective of children. And they adored her in return. Despite the difficulty in communication they seemed to interact just fine. That young girl that Kat had carried during the rescue seemed especially attached to the woman. She had essentially been joined to Kat's hip over the last couple of days that the kids had stayed in the mansion.
Compared to Kat, all the children still seemed slightly afraid of Scarlett. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She had expected their fear to have dissipated by now but they still avoided her whenever she visited the reception hall to check up on Kat and them. It wasn't as if it bothered her per se, but it also wasn't the most comfortable feeling having literal children shy away from you.
She pushed those thoughts aside when Molly stopped beside a dark wooden door with two tall and beautifully garnished vases on either side of it.
"Madame Evelyne is waiting inside, my Lady," Molly said and performed a small curtsy.
"Then let's not keep her waiting," Scarlett said and gestured toward the door. Much of the decorum in this world came naturally to her with Scarlett's instincts, such as how to move and speak, but there were still many things she remained ignorant about. For example, she had no idea how people addressed those ranked higher than themselves here. During her meeting with the count, she'd largely had to guess what to say for an introduction. As such, one of her priorities right now was finding a book or something on the subject without arousing too much suspicion.
Most of the time she did fine anyway, but there were still times like this where she wasn't even sure if she was expected to open the door herself or if that would be considered odd. Up until now, the servants had opened most doors for her. But that was also mostly because they were the ones leading her around.
Thankfully Molly seemed to understand what she wanted and moved to open the door for her. Scarlett quietly thanked the woman inside her heart and walked into the room. It wasn't as large as the mansion's dining hall, but it was a decent size nonetheless. Several large windows showed a nice view of the back garden and let in the afternoon sun, the light reflecting off the white marble floor in an almost blinding manner. The walls were covered with several large paintings of different landscapes. In the middle of the room was a fancy wooden table with a wide tablecloth and silver tea set on it. Next to the table sat Evelyne Hartford on a long sofa.
She had smooth light brown hair—with just a shade of red to it—that reached the nape of her neck and split at one side in the front, part of her hair almost covering her right eye. She still shared the same amber eyes as Scarlett however, though Evelyne also had light freckles and a small beauty mark under her right lip. Unlike Scarlett, Evelyne was currently wearing a white blouse with a dark green tunic over it which had a loose, patterned collar, and a pair of black trousers that were partly covered by a short, black-striped skirt. If their dialogue in the game didn't make the difference between the two sisters clear, then their attire did.
Evelyne immediately turned to look at Scarlett as she entered the room. She did not look happy.
Scarlett did her best to press down the feelings of disgust and revulsion that coiled up at seeing the original's sister and crossed the room to sit down in an armchair opposite Evelyne. She glanced at the teapot that had some vapor coming out of it and looked towards Molly. The dark-haired servant appeared to understand the message as she hurried across the room to fill up a cup for her. She didn't pour one for Evelyne as there already was one in front of her, though it didn't look like she had touched it yet.
With another small curtsy, Molly returned the teapot to the table and backed away. Scarlett took the cup of tea in front of her and blew on it softly before taking a sip. It was marvelous. Easily the best mint tea she'd ever had. She wasn't sure if it was in the preparation or in the leaves—she'd never bothered much thinking about either when making her own—but there was a lot more flavor to this than she was used to. Letting the warm feeling of the tea flow through her, she sat the teacup down on its plate and turned to Evelyne.
"Well," she said, raising an eyebrow. "What is it that you wanted?"
"Oh, now you deign to talk to me?" Evelyne spat out. "Here I was sure you didn't have a care in the world whether I existed or not."
Scarlett took a deep breath to weather the intense wave of anger that she felt at being talked to in such a way. She managed to calm down slightly. "...I can assure you, that is not at all how I feel."
"Really?" Evelyne scoffed and leaned back on the sofa with arms crossed. "Because that's what it looks like to me."
"...I take it you have heard of the last days' events."
"Yes. Finally. Did you know I had to hear about your visit to the Count through one of the servants just now? And the only reason I know of all that trafficking business is that I have a friend at the Guild. Because people don't bother informing someone who's not the head of what's happening."
Evelyne glared at Scarlett, causing Scarlett's skin to prick slightly. She shifted in her seat and leaned forward to grab the teacup again. After taking a sip, she eventually spoke. "I have been exceedingly occupied these last few days. As such, it slipped my mind to inform you of the events."
"Busy with what? Getting rid of your little friends? Letting a bunch of homeless kids into the mansion? What are you planning to do with them? Dress them up before you sell them off?"
Scarlett's eyes pierced into Evelyne.
"What?" Evelyne stared back at her. "Don't think I don't know what you do. No one is going to buy that you did this out of the kindness of your heart. You'll be lucky if even—"
"Quiet," Scarlett snapped. Evelyne actually flinched and stopped talking.
Closing her eyes, Scarlett massaged the bridge of her nose with her left hand. After a few breaths, she opened her eyes again to look at Evelyne. "I would ask that you do not make such impetuous accusations. The children are being taken care of here temporarily as we find safe housing for them. I did not save them merely 'out of the kindness of my heart', but that does not mean that I don't have the wish of helping them. As for my purported 'friends', they were and always have been a blight upon this city that I intended to remove. It was with the endorsement of the Count that I temporarily associated with them in order to gather information about their organization. Now that that business has been dealt with there will be no more activities of that manner." She placed the teacup down. Evelyne was still staring at her as if she had just said the moon was made out of gold and tried to sell it off to her. Letting out a small sigh, Scarlett continued. "I understand this matter may have caused you undue trouble. You are responsible for the majority of the family's management and that requires being aware of what is going on." She clenched her teeth and frowned at what she was about to say. "The fault lies entirely with me. I...apologize that I did not inform you of what was happening."
Evelyne's eyes widened. Now she was looking at Scarlett as if she was the boogeyman. For several seconds she just sat there, seemingly incapable of speech. Eventually she shook her head before renewing her gaze on Scarlett. "You're apologizing? I don't believe it. What are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything."
"There's no way you're not planning anything. You're as callous as—"
"Evelyne," Scarlett interrupted her again. "Watch your words." The woman quieted down and Scarlett looked her in the eyes. "I do not blame you for being skeptical, but I ask that you do not press my patience."
Silence filled the room. Scarlett was unsure of what else to say, so she turned away from Evelyne and took another drink from her tea. After a while, Evelyne finally spoke.
"Are there any other incredibly important things that you have forgotten to tell me about? Or is that all?"
Scarlett paused to consider. "...There are. But nothing you have to know."
"What?"
"Knowing of them at this point would be of no help to you. I will ensure you are informed when the time comes," she said as she drank the tea. "Although I can tell you that I am planning on going on a few excursions in the coming weeks. It is nothing much, but I will no doubt come by a few artifacts that I will have no need for. If you can contact an auction house for the selling of those items, it would be appreciated. I am also in the possession of a modest amount of Zuverian coins that I believe hold some worth."
Evelyne frowned at her. "What in Ittar's name are you on about?"
Scarlett cocked her head to the side. "I thought I was perfectly clear?"
"What does 'excursions' mean? Since when have you been interested in things like that?"
"Since I learned the whereabouts of several valuable locations not too long ago."
"Is it dangerous?" Evelyne asked.
"Somewhat."
Evelyne's eyes inspected her. "...Then why do you have to go? Just send someone else. You're no good at fighting."
Scarlett found herself scowling at Evelyne by reflex. She took a moment to calm her expression somewhat, before speaking. "I do not believe you have the authority to say what I can and cannot do," she said. "And as for the matter of protection, I have already hired a Shielder who will assist me with the undertaking. Though I do not believe you would care much were I to die during the process," She added on the last part without much thought. She knew the sisters had a bad relationship. And Evelyne was the one to ask the player to take Scarlett down in the game, after all.
However, when she looked at Evelyne she was surprised to see a complicated expression on the woman's face. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, but it left an uncomfortable feeling inside her.
"I'll take my leave now," Evelyne suddenly said and began rising from the sofa.
"Before that," Scarlett said. "I meant to ask if you could assist in the handling of the children."
Evelyne stopped and stared at her. "You want me to deal with that? It's your mess."
"Would you prefer if I kicked them out on the streets?"
Evelyne grimaced. "...I'll look into what alternatives there are."
Scarlett gave a nod. "I have already begun making some inquiries on the matter but your help would be appreciated."
Evelyne gave her an odd look for a moment. "Then if that's all I'm leaving. And I'm hoping it wasn't a lie when you said you'll keep me informed of the family's affairs."
"Of course not," Scarlett said, then watched as Evelyne walked to the door before opening it and leaving the room. Seems like she didn't bother with letting a servant open it for her.
"You may also leave." Scarlett waved towards Molly who had stood at the edge of the room all along. The woman quickly left the room after performing one last curtsy, leaving Scarlett all alone. She let out a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair as she tapped her index finger against the armrest.
Keeping her calm during a meeting with Evelyne was a difficult endeavor. She'd lost her cool more than once. And she had literally felt like puking when she forced herself to apologize too. She shook her head slowly. She still felt slightly angry. This was even worse than when she had to deal with her own sister back when her sister was in her rebellious teenage years. She'd often been annoyed and angry back then too, but she'd almost always been able to stop herself from lashing out as she had now.
Though it had probably helped that her younger sister's every word hadn't felt like an insult towards herself as it did with Evelyne.
Should she just give up on getting close to the woman? To start with, they weren't even real sisters. The original Scarlett was gone. Or at least something of the sort. While she had no plans of revealing the truth to Evelyne, interacting with her while pretending to be her older sister felt inherently insidious in a way. Despite her intentions before this meeting, she honestly doubted if she could ever interact normally with Evelyne even if she practiced so maybe it would just be better for both of them if she avoided her. Although she probably had to meet with her at least sometimes.
Scarlett took the teacup and drank the last of the tea. Then she stood up. She felt like she needed to do some work to get this out of her system. Her first stop was the reception hall. Then the training grounds.