The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Eldest Daughter Walks the Path of Flowers Episode 16

Jade wanted to ask what exactly that ‘need’ meant.

However, he couldn’t muster the courage to open his mouth.

His hands began to tremble finely and his lips started to dry.

His throat was parched.

If only he had a glass of warm brandy…!

Then Margaret quickly spoke up.

“Of course!”

Her eyes glinted cunningly.

“You’re not just asking us to hand her over for nothing, are you?”

Jade looked at Margaret with a dull expression.

However, Margaret didn’t care how her husband was looking at her.

At that moment, her mind was spinning faster than ever before.

In fact, Margaret had been constantly pondering how to deal with Radis ever since David’s admission was canceled.

The answer was to quickly get rid of the burden that was only a hindrance rather than help to the household.

And if that burden was a daughter, the best method would be to marry her off for profit.

However, Radis wasn’t pretty and charming like Yurhee, nor was she obedient – she was fierce and violent.

Even if they paid a dowry to marry her off, it was obvious it would be a losing business rather than helping the family.

It would be perfect if there was a position with a wealthy man who looked like he wouldn’t live long, but what if Radis acted violently toward that husband like she did to Margaret?

Just imagining it gave her a headache.

Moreover, Margaret needed money.

It would be nice to extort it from Hover Kradieum, but Lord Russel would be even, even, even, much better!

Seeing Margaret’s eyes gleaming with greed, Lord Russel’s lips curved into a twisted smile.

“I like how quickly we’re getting to business. I’ll provide adequate compensation. Befitting the reputation of the Russel Marquis.”

Only after achieving what she wanted could Margaret finally withdraw her eyes gleaming with material desire.

She pretended not to see her husband’s expression colored with shock and primly rose from her seat.

“But that child isn’t particularly well-behaved. She only causes trouble at home, so I’m not sure if she’ll behave quietly. Even if that child causes problems, we won’t take responsibility on our end.”

Lord Russel spoke mockingly.

“Already avoiding responsibility… You don’t even ask what I intend to use her for.”

Margaret, feeling somewhat embarrassed, hurriedly made excuses.

“Th-that’s… How could a mere woman like me dare to question the will of the prestigious Russel Marquis?”

“You two may not be curious, but she should know.”

Lord Russel rose from his seat.

“Where is she?”

Radis had noticed the estate was bustling.

Unlike her past life when she lived completely isolated and alone in the estate, now several maids led by Irene were treating her quite respectfully as a superior.

However, whether in her past life or this life, that commotion was obviously unrelated to Radis.

Even when guests came to the estate, Radis never had occasion to meet them.

So Radis had dinner alone to let the busy-looking maids do their work, then paced around her room lost in thought.

‘I don’t know anything about mana. Proper mana cultivation methods are only passed down to talented people even among knights. But this is different.

I’ve never heard of absorbing mana from mana crystals.’

Radis stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

‘If Master Armano were here at times like this, I could ask him… Ah!’

Radis’s eyes widened.

“A letter!”

Meeting her teacher again would be difficult, but she could at least write a letter.

In her past life, she had written a letter to Armano around this time apologizing for him losing his job.

Though she never received the teacher’s reply.

‘I should write a letter to my teacher. It would be difficult to receive a reply addressed to me, but I could receive it through someone else.’

Radis, who was looking for paper to write a letter, suddenly leaned on the desk and sighed deeply.

She remembered Margaret’s earlier ranting about losses and debts.

Margaret was someone who had lived her entire life scheming to extort money from somewhere.

So her intentions were obvious.

Since David’s admission to the Imperial Academy had failed, she probably planned to use Radis to extort money from Hover to get David admitted to some academy.

Of course, Hover wouldn’t willingly hand over that money.

There was something Margaret didn’t know.

That Radis had cracked Hover’s skull and completely cleaned out his mana crystal warehouse, leaving only dust.

Since there was no evidence that Radis had stolen those mana crystals, she could pretend not to know about the missing crystals, but if Margaret attacked Hover demanding compensation, Hover wouldn’t just sit still either.

“Haah…”

While Radis was holding her waist and sighing deeply, someone knocked on the door.

At the unfamiliar knocking sound, Radis looked at the door questioningly.

There weren’t many people who came to Radis’s room. Only Margaret, or a few maids including Irene.

None of them knocked.

Margaret thought of Radis’s room as her own closet, and until recently, the maids did too.

Lately, the maids had been tapping the door lightly with their fingertips to signal their presence, but such polite knocking…

Feeling strange, Radis walked to the door and opened it herself.

“…!”

Radis was startled.

Some dark man was standing there, completely filling the small doorway.

He was about two heads taller than Radis, with shoulders about twice as wide.

Everything draped over that large body was black.

The glossy cape draped over his shoulders, the luxurious doublet and silk pants underneath, even his boots – everything was black.

The only part of his entire body that wasn’t black was his face, but even that was half-covered by long, black, disheveled hair hanging down.

What could be seen under his curly bangs was only an aristocratic sharp nose bridge, sharp jawline, and attractive red lips.

Those lips moved, and a smooth baritone voice like well-tanned leather flowed out.

“You’re Radis, right?”

For a moment, Radis wondered if she should attack this man.

His form lurking in the dark corridor looked like a demon.

Radis suddenly realized she was reaching for her empty waist as if to draw a sword she didn’t have.

She let out a small laugh at her own foolishness, dropped her empty hand, and opened her mouth.

“And who are you?”

“…!”

She could see the man’s jaw twitch.

He slowly crossed his arms and spoke.

“Don’t you think your speech is rather informal?”

“I’ll give you those exact words right back.”

“…!”

A twisted smile appeared at the corner of the man’s mouth.

He stroked his chin, then relaxed his defensive posture and spoke again.

“Fine. So that’s how you’re going to be? Not bad. Let me introduce myself. I’m Eve Russel. Lord Russel.”

Radis widened her eyes and looked up at the man.

‘This is Lord Russel?’

She couldn’t believe it.

This dark and arrogant man was the Lord Russel who governed the largest estate in the south!

‘I heard he was young, but he seems more childish than young…’

He wasn’t someone she particularly wanted to converse with, nor did she feel like treating him politely, but he was a marquis.

“My, no, my name is… Radis.”

As she said this, she suddenly realized that Jade and Margaret were watching them from a distance in the dark corridor.

They looked strangely anxious.

Radis reluctantly added.

“…Radis Tillord.”

“Good, Radis. Could we have a word for a moment?”

“A word?”

“I was hoping to talk in a drawing room attached to your room, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.”

Lord Russel looked away from the small room that could be taken in at a single glance without needing to look around, and gazed at Radis.

“Let’s take a walk in the garden for a bit.”

It wasn’t a fight he was proposing but a conversation, so there was no need to think deeply about it.

Radis nodded her head.

“Very well.”

She walked straight out of the room and closed the door.

She heard Margaret muttering behind her, “Without even changing clothes…!” but paid it no mind.

After all, the clothes she owned were just old garments similar to what she was wearing now, and that damned pink scrub brush.

Radis strode out of the corridor and habitually headed toward the backyard.

Unlike the front yard, which at least had the pretense of being called a garden with some semblance of order, the backyard was just an empty clearing.

She leaned casually against the fence, crossed her arms, and looked at Lord Russel.

“What did you want to talk about?”

At her question, Lord Russel strangely didn’t answer but just kept his mouth firmly shut while staring intently at Radis.

After a moment, Radis spoke again.

“…What, did you really just want to take a walk?”

“What?”

“Should we go to the front garden?”

“No, this is fine. This is sufficient for having a conversation. But by any chance, have we met before?”

“Pardon?”

Radis frowned and looked up at him.

Even looking again, he was someone she was seeing for the first time.

It was the same even when she traced back through her memories of her previous life.

If she had met someone with such a distinctive appearance, there was no way she wouldn’t remember.

“I believe this is our first meeting.”

“I see… That can’t be right. I said something strange. Don’t mind it.”

“I won’t mind it. Not at all.”

At her resolute tone, as if cutting with a knife, Lord Russel shook his head back and forth.

“Why are you doing that?”

“…Absurd.”

“What’s absurd?”

“This household, and you too.”

Radis frowned and glared slightly at Lord Russel.

She couldn’t even guess what he was trying to say by acting like this.

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