Surviving as a Terminally Ill Heiress - Chapter 4

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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 4

Is this heaven?
I thought so in my hazy state of mind.
Warm and cozy and fragrant—it was exactly like heaven from my imagination.
‘That’s right, I’m dead.’
I’d lived diligently enough without any great sins, so wasn’t heaven my due?
Then could I finally meet Mother? What about my siblings I never got to say goodbye to?
Caught between anticipation and worry, I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was a gilded ceiling carved in relief and brilliant crimson drapes.
Hmm, was heaven really supposed to be this colorful?
Something about it felt a bit more…….
Then an angel cried out from beside me.
“Wake up, now!”
Pop!
I sprang from the bed—not in heaven, but in a very real one.
The lavish room, the servants bustling about, and Hui and Dido lying beside me—slowly, my mind began to clear.
Right. I died and came back to life.
And I’d learned I was Ambrose’s heir in the process.
‘……This is even dreamier than a dream.’
I blinked and wiped my face with small, soft hands—hands I still wasn’t used to.
The elderly woman who’d woken me promptly urged me on again.
“Heavens, do get up now! The sun’s already high in the sky. You must wash and have your breakfast.”
“Um, yes…….”
Before I could protest, the old woman scooped me right out of bed.
I’d felt it last night when she showed me to the room—despite her age, her manner and movements were lightning-quick.
‘She’s the housekeeper here, isn’t she?’
If she managed the household of Ambrose Mansion itself, her internal cultivation would be no ordinary matter.
The unstoppable housekeeper was already shaking my siblings awake.
When Hui and Dido finally opened their eyes, they whimpered a little before clinging to my sides.
The housekeeper had a kindly grandmother’s air about her, so they were less wary of her.
But the moment Duke Ambrose appeared with his sharp features and ominous presence, they’d wailed as if the world were ending.
“Now, eyes wide open. Come on, stretch those limbs.”
“Stretch……!”
As I tended to Hui and Dido, the gazes of the surrounding servants poured down upon us.
Half affectionate, half disapproving.
Even the latter made some effort not to show it too plainly.
‘Better than I expected, actually.’
I’d steeled myself for this from the start.
Realistically, Hui and Dido weren’t blood relatives of this house.
What was surprising, if anything, was how warmly the housekeeper treated us—a woman who should’ve been most concerned with the family’s honor.
‘Especially when we looked this shabby.’
In the room’s full-length mirror, three ragged street urchins still stared back.
I clicked my tongue silently, and the housekeeper gave my back a gentle push.
“Well then, shall all three of you head to the Bathhouse?”
Quick to read the room, this one.
I pretended not to resist and was ushered into the Bathhouse with my siblings.
It was probably a guest room hastily prepared yesterday, but…….
‘The Bathhouse attached to that room is far bigger than ours back home.’
There are limits to relative deprivation.
This was simply a different dimension.
And did the bathtub really need to be gold? If water wouldn’t hurt it, it must be solid gold?
I stared seriously at the gleaming tub before surrendering myself meekly to the servants’ hands.
And I drifted off into another dimension entirely.
“Is the water temperature to your liking?”
Yes, it’s paradise itself.
When I came to my senses again, I was already out of the Bathhouse and having my hair dried.
“……Oh.”
When did that happen?
Looking around, Hui and Dido were equally fluffy now, wearing blissful expressions.
Normally they’d cry and fuss about bathing.
I marveled at how different Ambrose’s servants were—when the housekeeper suddenly chuckled.
Hui, Dido, and I looked up at once to ask why, and her smile deepened.
“Your three sets of eyes are identical. However did they become so beautiful, as though drawn with a single brush stroke?”
“We all have Mother’s eyes.”
It was something I’d heard many times, and answered just as many.
After all, Mother herself had always boasted that she’d passed on her finest feature to all three of us.
Long, thick lashes and eyes that tapered downward at the outer corners.
It was the very thing the village elders had most adored in us.
Eyes like a gentle cow’s, they’d call them.
‘Though I’ve heard these eyes hide a stubborn streak that causes plenty of trouble.’
Thinking of our family’s nature, it seemed rather accurate.
I lowered my eyes habitually and offered a faint smile, and the housekeeper whispered softly.
“……Still, your bearing is very much like his.”
“Like who?”
“The young master. You’re certainly his daughter.”
Ah, I see.
The servants who treated us as warmly as the housekeeper mostly seemed to be long-serving staff.
They’d likely once attended to the young master of Ambrose before he went missing.
So recognizing me as ‘our young master’s daughter’ would stir affection for that resembling kinship—whereas simply viewing me as ‘the household’s new addition’ would leave them wondering about the extra mouths to feed.
I asked the servants who seemed standoffish point-blank.
“Do I really resemble him?”
“Ah, we……never had the chance to see the young master.”
“I see.”
As I thought.
They bowed awkwardly and began tidying the Bathhouse and its surroundings.
They seemed to handle the junior tasks—cleanup and running errands.
Young-faced on the whole, with nervous air, and their servant uniforms bore a small yellow Badge.
The more senior servants’ Badges were blue.
‘The housekeeper’s is…… red.’
The Butler I’d seen yesterday wore a red Badge too.
Red for the highest-ranking servants. I wonder if there’s meaning to that?
Just as that light curiosity took hold, my eyes met the housekeeper’s.
“The noble Red Eyes of Ambrose.”
“…….”
“You truly are so like him. Isn’t that right, you all?”
Noble.
I’d never heard that word used this way in my whole life, and I’d never expected to.
The servants with blue Badges came rushing over to chime in after the housekeeper’s casual remark.
“You’re right! A spitting image of the mistress and the young master!”
“Your beauty is unmistakably Ambrose!”
“And that hair color—how extraordinary.”
“So pale a purple!”
“Like lavender, or lilac…….”
“Did you inherit that hair color from your mother too?”
“Yes, though hers was a darker shade.”
What a commotion.
I was surrounded by the servants and didn’t notice the other disturbance until—
Bang!
The door flew open as if it might shatter.
Four people burst through.
“This can’t be……!”
An assortment of exclamations accompanied them.
Depending on how you heard it, it sounded like joy or screaming.
Unsure what was happening, I floundered—and the housekeeper positioned herself in front of me, still in my bathrobe.
“What is the meaning of this rudeness?”
“What? Maya, you’re overstepping your bounds.”
“That’s right! We’re family! Get out of the way!”
“To think we’ve found the young lady, Ansley’s daughter—what joyous news……!”
“So where is my beloved niece?”
“Um, if you’re looking for me, I’m right here.”
This is truly a commotion.
I peeked my face around the housekeeper’s back.
At once, the group of uninvited guests—men and women, young and old—turned to stare at me in unison.
Sting.
‘……Huh?’
I furrowed my brow at that momentary sensation.
I looked around quickly, but the culprit had vanished before I could find them.
Ugh. I’d rather have gotten the simple reaction the servants gave.
This lot, I won’t be able to tell so easily.
“So you truly are Ansley’s daughter? Good heavens, it seems only yesterday he was learning to walk.”
“Hmm, you’re rather cute. Feel free to call me big sister!”
“Sob……as his devoted aide, I’ve finally found peace.”
“Don’t cry now! I, who am practically his sister, am holding back too.”
The four uninvited guests, each wearing their own masks, spoke to me boisterously.
On the surface they seemed delighted, but what of their true intentions?
Then the oldest man among them swayed toward me.
Looking closely, his face resembled Duke Ambrose quite a bit.
But his air was entirely different.
The way he slouched, the thick reek of alcohol he gave off.
This drunkard, whether oblivious or pretending to be, asked bluntly.
“But where is your mother?”
“She passed away.”
“Ah, when…….”
“Yesterday.”
Everyone seemed taken aback.
The servants’ eyes grew wet, but I spoke cheerfully, as though unbothered.
“But it’s alright. Now I’m Ambrose.”
Another sting.
In this moment, the emotions piercing me had many names.
Interest. Jealousy. Calculation.
And…….
‘Killing Intent.’
So which of them, I wonder, would want me dead?

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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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