Surviving as a Terminally Ill Heiress - Chapter 12

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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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Chapter 12

What did you just say?
My mind wasn’t working properly, so I could only parrot back the words that had lodged themselves in my ears.
“Payment? Personal funds…?”
“Yes. Let me see. The letter paper came to 2 bel 14 hark, so you have 7 bel 86 hark remaining for this month.”
Now I was speechless for an entirely different reason.
Letter paper costing over 2 bel per sheet? With 1 bel I could send several letters and still have some left. Why was plain paper so unnecessarily fancy?
Wait—does that mean my monthly allowance is only 10 bel?
An ordinary commoner in the Aterra Empire spent about 120 bel per month.
So 10 bel wasn’t a pittance for a child’s pocket money, strictly speaking.
‘But this is… Ambrose.’
Even the young lady of some obscure baronial house would draw several hundred bel a month and still complain she didn’t have enough.
I couldn’t use that as a standard, but something still felt off.
Could Ambrose’s finances really be in worse shape than expected…?
“Ow, you there! Close that bathroom door, would you? It’s blinding!”
Probably not.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the golden bathtub, which gleamed especially bright in the daylight.
Only after the maid who’d come to clean the bathroom shut the door at the others’ insistence could I recover my vision.
How much would just the furnishings in this guest room fetch if sold?
And what about the premium clothes and food my siblings and I were being served…?
Wait a moment.
I raised my hand hesitantly and asked a question.
“Do we have to pay for our clothes and food as well?”
“Pay? Goodness, no!”
The maids jumped as though they’d heard something utterly scandalous.
“Clothing, food, and shelter are absolute necessities, after all.”
“It would be unthinkable for Ambrose to economize on such things.”
“Right, those are different from expenses like stationery or gifts.”
So Ambrose would cover clothing, food, and shelter without limit, but everything else had to come from my allowance?
I had nothing to say.
Why did Ambrose have to be so devastatingly sensible?
I wrapped my fingers around my throbbing temple.
“For now… let’s put gifts on hold.”
“Understood. Since you’ve finished your snacks, would you like to take a walk?”
At the maids’ suggestion, Hui, who was itching to move around, and Dido, who wanted to see the beautiful garden, both jumped to their feet.
I muttered in a daze.
“I’d like some time alone…”
Earnestly.
The maids nodded and, clearing the table, led Hui and Dido out of the room.
I watched their retreating forms in silence.
Since no one had ever asked me to pay for their labor, I guessed the servants worked for free?
At least they hadn’t charged for Scott’s treatment either.
So the essentials of life really were without shortage……
‘Don’t admit it. Don’t adapt.’
Out of sheer spite, I swung my fist down hard onto a cushion.
Then I collapsed onto the sofa like a wilted flower.
What is this? The new life I’d dreamed of wasn’t supposed to be like this.
“My glorious, extravagant lifestyle……”
Gone like bubbles.
At this rate I couldn’t even buy five sheets of letter paper in a month.
Where in this world would you find an heiress so pitiful?
Unbidden, the face of that stingy old man surfaced in my mind.
Hmph. What a cheap creature.
Claims to be the richest person on the continent, then nickels and dimes his own flesh and blood?
Of course, teaching sound financial principles to a child is admirable……
‘Enough.’
I shook my head vigorously.
It annoyed me that I kept finding Ambrose’s methods reasonable.
Right now I just wanted to wallow in disappointment. After all, expectations as high as mine made the fall equally severe.
“Sigh.”
After lying there for about three minutes, I finally dragged myself up.
Enough wallowing.
Three minutes of self-pity was sufficient.
Now then, let me assess this situation carefully.
First, I counted on my fingers all the things I could enjoy here without cost.
“Clothing, food, shelter, servants, and most importantly—medical care.”
One hand was completely accounted for.
Now on the other hand, things I’d have to pay for.
“Personal goods according to my own needs……”
Reluctantly, I folded my thumb.
Thinking about it again, 2 bel 14 hark for a single sheet of letter paper was absurd.
Come to think of it, what about the pen and ink I used to write with?
Why weren’t those charged separately? Because they were already on the desk?
‘I need to understand the precise criteria.’
While tilting my head, I folded my index and middle fingers as well.
“Communication and transportation.”
It was still speculation, but I had a strong feeling both would be paid services.
If they charged for letter paper, there’s no way the messenger service and carriage were free.
This is truly petty. What good is being wealthy if you’re this stingy?
While grumbling and thinking what else there might be.
Oh no.
“The dinner…!”
I suddenly remembered that I’d invited those uninvited guests.
When hosting a dinner at a manor, one must first send beautiful invitation cards, provide carriage transport if needed, and above all, serve food as gifts, piled so high the table groans.
In other words.
“I’m screwed.”
I pressed my suddenly heavy brow with my fingers.
I can’t cancel it, can I?
I had boldly announced to Duke Ambrose himself that he should come that day.
If I canceled now because I had no money… I couldn’t. I’d rather bite my own tongue and die.
‘So what do I do?’
The event was in five days. The guests numbered five, including Duke Ambrose.
7 bel 86 hark wouldn’t come close to entertaining them properly.
Not even for invitations—I couldn’t afford letter paper. The difficulty started right there.
I was tearing at my hair when a thought struck me.
But wait. They said they didn’t skimp on food itself, just on gifts, right?
‘…Maybe I can find a loophole.’
Without hesitation, I jumped up and bolted out of the room.
To verify my hypothesis, I’d need to go there in person.
To the kitchen of Ambrose Manor.
“Excuse me.”
I cracked open the door to the place I’d visited with Maya before, poking only my face inside.
The Head Cook immediately hurried over.
“Well, what brings the young lady here…?”
“I was curious about something.”
“Ask whatever you wish.”
The Head Cook smiled warmly, as though greeting a granddaughter.
I briefly wondered if he treated Young Master Ambrose like a grandson. A foolish thought.
“If I wanted a sandwich right now, what would happen?”
“I’d make one right away, of course.”
“But if I received it and found myself too full, and wanted to give it to someone else?”
“Well, that can’t be helped.”
The Head Cook’s smile deepened.
Ah, so he’d overlook this level of scheming as endearing?
Good. Then the real question.
“What if I became terribly hungry and ordered five additional servings, but then guests happened to arrive…?”
“My goodness, young lady!”
Was that too much?
As I put on a chagrined expression, the Head Cook spoke with stern dignity.
“To neglect hospitality toward those who visit as formally invited guests would be discourteous! The people of Ambrose always give their utmost sincerity to hospitality!”
“Oh… I see.”
The better I understood this household, the more it frustrated me.
At least the food costs wouldn’t be a problem once I got the dinner ready.
Relief and confusion mingled together.
Gift sandwiches were charged precisely, but meals for invited guests weren’t?
‘Isn’t hosting guests itself a personal matter of mine?’
I really couldn’t grasp the logic.
As I frowned, the Head Cook suddenly thrust a cookie into my hand.
“While you’re here, have some pastry… oh, and juice so you don’t choke.”
Is this what having a grandmother you’ve never met would feel like?
He filled my mouth generously with all manner of treats.
Though this snack session had come back heavy after being brushed aside earlier, what could I do but accept gratefully?
As I chewed mechanically on what was in my mouth, the Head Cook’s mustache trembled.
Was he crying?
Looking up, I saw his face buried in his palms.
“Forgive me, I was thinking of Young Master… He would visit the kitchen unexpectedly since childhood. Every time I set out snacks, that stubborn boy would devour them all without refusing once……”
The Head Cook’s shoulders, which had seemed to quiver slightly, finally heaved with emotion.
Then he burst into laughter.
“With the very same look of utter despair on your face as his! Aha-ha-ha! My life’s joy returns!”
True to form for Ambrose’s Head Cook, he certainly knew how to feed people well.

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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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