Lady Cinderella - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Lady Cinderella Episode 35

According to Article 31, Clause 21 of the Trust Property Management Act, currently in force in the Imperial Great Code, the guardian of a minor who is to receive trust property shall be the guardian with whom the child currently lives. However, if the child is twelve or older, the child’s own wishes shall be followed. Clause 22 continues by stating that if a dispute arises and the child is under twelve, priority shall be given to the party holding the higher title.
“Lady Ella is eighteen, after all.”
Under Clause 21 of Article 31, Lady Ella could decide whether her guardian would be her father or the Grand Duke. And if one referred to Clause 22, a comparison between a count and a grand duke naturally placed the Grand Duke’s rank far higher. Given her own wishes, and under ordinary circumstances, this should have been no issue at all.
The Trust Fund Management Bureau would proceed strictly according to the law, but Baron Lloyd could not accept it quietly and had filed an objection. His petition would most likely be rejected, but since the change of recipient had been made, there was a need to meet her in person, if only to confirm her intentions.
I truly hated this. Read through the law books, and every statute may seem reasonable at first glance, yet from the standpoint of Hezel, a commoner, I could not shake the feeling that everything was built around rank and nobility. A noble may kill a commoner without punishment so long as there is a plausible reason.
And since the standard for judging such reasons is always whatever one cares to attach to it, a noble who makes up his mind can dispose of a commoner without much trouble. At least as a civil servant, Hezel enjoyed a degree of relative protection, but a maid of the Baron Lloyd household, dismissed over some absurd pretext, had no protection from anyone at all. Even more disgusting was the reaction of his noble superior.
Well, that was to be expected. Hezel despised the nobles, though he could never show it openly. It was disgusting, and yet he had to work regardless, since he had to make a living. Besides, once you were actually here, even the nobles cowered before him, and frankly, watching that was rather satisfying.
In that sense, he had seen quite enough of Baron Lloyd’s rudeness, so now it was the Grand Duke’s turn. The fate of Lady Ella would be decided by the tip of Hezel’s pen. He intended to examine every detail thoroughly so that nothing could become a problem later.
“This way, please.”
Unlike the treatment he had expected for a mere low-ranking official, he was received as though he were a great noble. Seth, the chief butler who introduced himself as Count Robina, came out to the entrance to greet him and personally escorted him in.
“Allow me to take your luggage.”
“How would you like your tea prepared?”
Everywhere he turned, he was treated as an honored guest, and to be honest, he could not say he minded. He had certainly heard the rumors that the Grand Duke was utterly infatuated with his fiancée. Even setting that aside, though, from the standpoint of an evaluator, this setting was not bad to look at.
‘Compared to that Baron Lloyd…’
It was like a bull with its head on fire and a load of bombs strapped to its back, charging madly forward without seeing anything to either side or behind. In his six years as an investigator, Hezel had never seen such a scandal, no matter how much he had seen over the years.
Declaring that to hell with the law, that he was her father and who were they to change the recipient on their own, he had roared at them. On top of that, the stepmother, who had even brought a forged death certificate for Lady Ella, did nothing to stop him. Instead, she kept fanning the flames from the side, asking whether they would not listen even after going this far.
‘No wonder she ran away.’
Once he was shown in, the Grand Duke and the Lady had already arrived long before and were waiting in the Reception Room. Of course, since he had arrived at the time he had announced, there was no reason for him to feel the least bit apologetic.
‘So this is Grand Duke Wellington.’
The nickname “Lion of the Battlefield” did not seem to be a joke. His hair was not the golden hue typical of the Imperial Family but a dark black with a bluish sheen, and his first impression was one of severe rigidity. He had heard rumors that he was a strict commander, but now that he faced him in person, despite being younger than Hezel, the overwhelming charisma radiating from him seemed ready to crush his spirit.
“I am Hezel Mason, investigator dispatched from the Trust Fund Management Bureau.”
“I am Carlisle Jeremiah Wellington. And this is my beloved fiancée, Elladis Millenia Lloyd.”
The small girl standing beside the Grand Duke lightly lifted the hem of her dress and bowed. The Lady, with her rare silver hair, looked like a doll carefully crafted from glass.
‘Unexpected.’
He was taken aback, for she was nothing like the image he had imagined. Lady Ella, who bore no resemblance at all to Baron Lloyd with his red hair, was truly as delicate and fragile as a single lily.
If the Grand Duke was a deep, dark night, then the Lady was a small moon floating alone in a pitch-black sky. Both of them had remarkably striking appearances, but he could not simply stand by and gaze at them without purpose. For now, Hezel shook hands with the Grand Duke and then took his seat. There was no need to be intimidated simply because they were great nobles, so he composed his mind and body and spread out his documents.
“The reason for this visit is, strictly speaking, a matter of paperwork. As Your Grace is aware, a change of recipient for a minor’s trust property is something that must occur at least once, so I ask that you not take offense.”
“Of course. Since this is a matter of procedure, we fully intend to respect it as well. Isn’t that right, Ella?”
“Yes, Carl.”
“First, let me confirm. You two are… engaged, I see.”
“We are.”
The Grand Duke’s previously solemn expression melted away in an instant. Unlike his sharp first impression, the gaze he turned on his fiancée was like syrup with a heap of sugar dissolved into it. Even the people standing behind them seemed to have grown accustomed to such a scene by now, but from Hezel’s point of view, it was a little cloying and made him uncomfortable.
‘What on earth is this.’
To dare do such a thing in front of a single man. It made his blood boil, but business was business. Without giving a thought to Hezel’s feelings, Calaile gently clasped and stroked Ella’s soft hand right in front of him.
‘It’s become quite soft now.’
The hands that had grown rough from her years as a maid had now become quite lovely again. Since she had applied good cream every single day and kept her nails trimmed without fail, Ella’s hands had turned so clean that one would never guess the hardship they had endured. If only the wounds in her heart could be healed this way too. Holding that regret, he tenderly placed a sweet into Ella’s hand.
“As you know, my fiancée’s father has a rather violent temperament.”
“Indeed he does.”
“Kevin.”
The documents concerning Ella’s personal circumstances, which the Intelligence Department had been investigating for some time, were handed over to Hezel. The extent of the abuse Ella had suffered was greater than Hezel had imagined.
“Given these circumstances, my lord could no longer stand idly by, and so he decided to bring the Lady here.”
“Well, I suppose my personal interest was rather greater than that, though.”
Adding words that did not need to be said, the Grand Duke brushed back a strand of hair from Ella’s temple. Seeing her soft earlobe made him want to bite it just for fun, but there were guests present right now. He had grasped the general situation, and all that remained was to confirm the Lady Elladis’s own intentions and obtain the papers. It was a mere formality, yet Hezel requested a private interview with the Lady.
“Is it not permitted for me to remain with her?”
“This too is procedure.”
He had said he would do whatever he was told, yet when asked to step out for a moment, the Grand Duke openly displayed his reluctance. Once everyone else had been dismissed, Hezel kept his eyes on the documents alone and put his questions to the Lady by the manual.
“Under Article 31, Clause 21 of the Trust Property Management Act, the guardian of a minor who is to receive trust property shall be the guardian with whom the child currently resides, though if the child is twelve or older, the child’s own wishes shall be followed. Were you aware of this?”
“What does that mean?”
“Put simply, Lady, you may choose your own guardian. Whether it be His Grace the Grand Duke, your father Baron Lloyd, or anyone else at all, it depends entirely on your own will.”
“Eh?”
She seemed not to grasp the point at all, but since he was speaking to a layperson, there was nothing for it. He decided to explain it more simply.
“Lady, you are eighteen now. When a property dispute of this kind arises, it means that if the child is twelve or older, they may directly nominate whichever adult among those around them they wish to request as their protector.”
It was something Ella had never once considered. Her hobby was war and tactics, and somehow she had always kept her distance from the law. Naturally, she had assumed that she could never defeat her father unless she had a fiancé or husband who could serve as her guardian, but the official in charge was saying something rather different.
“Regarding what you said, ‘anyone else at all,’ is that truly possible?”
“There are a few other detailed clauses, but in theory, if the Lady wishes, she may designate someone other than the Grand Duke or her father. Though, I must admit, it would be troublesome if that person were a commoner.”
Ella bit her lip and dropped her head. Her expression was far too grim for her to ask outright. Yet if she let this slide, there was no telling what might happen later.
“Lady?”
“Um, in that case… could it be someone who isn’t related to me by blood? I mean, someone who isn’t family at all?”
“In principle, yes, it’s possible…”
Though Mary was a widow, she was still a Viscountess. It was an honorary title without any territory attached, yet it could be passed down if she adopted an heir. Ella unconsciously pressed a hand to her forehead.
‘Maybe I should have asked Mary instead?’
But she soon realized it. With Father Baron Lloyd glaring with such fierce eyes, she couldn’t lean on Mary, the Viscountess. Besides, if she switched her guardian now, Calaile’s honor, the very man who had saved her, would surely be tarnished as well.
She had come too far to turn back now. Ella clenched the hem of her dress tightly. She had sworn never to regret anything again, yet she had rushed in without properly looking into things, and this was the result.
‘No, that’s not it, I don’t think.’
At first, the touches had begun because she was conscious of the investigator’s eyes, but Calaile’s warmth soothed Ella’s troubled heart. She had forgotten, ever since her mother passed away, just how warm a human body could be.
‘Oh no. I think I’ve really fallen for him.’
Only moments ago, the lingering feel of Calaile’s hand on hers still seemed to remain at her fingertips. Instead of an answer, Ella’s clear golden eyes grew moist. She blinked several times as her stinging eyes pricked, struggling to hold back her tears.
Seasoned Hezel sensed something from the Lady’s flustered expression. The reason she despised her father so intensely was something he could easily understand, having experienced it himself. The engagement to the Grand Duke seemed to have been a way to escape her father, and given how abrupt the engagement was, anyone could have guessed as much. From the look of things, she apparently hadn’t known there was another path besides an engagement.
‘What a nuisance.’
Hezel found himself in a bind. He could have simply taken a perfunctory answer from her, shaken the Grand Duke’s hand once, and been done with it, but this wretched mouth of his had caused trouble. He was a seasoned civil servant. If this turned into a major civil complaint, it would be a problem, so he quickly moved to smooth things over.
“Instead, disputes will arise. If things truly become troublesome, it may even have to go to trial.”
“Trial…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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