It had been Camilla who told her to keep the communication orb connected.

Juella had insisted on going alone even though Camilla said she couldn’t just sit there worried and demanded to come with her. In the end, Camilla shoved the communication orb into her hand and made her grip it tight.

Just in case, she’d said—turn it on the moment you step into the house, and keep it on.

“Me.”

“Yeah.”

Juella’s gaze swept across the four of them.

“...I’m throwing it away.”

It felt like there was no reason left to hold on.

“Help me. Help me cut it off.”

Juella forced back the tears that threatened to spill and declared it in a firm voice.

“I’m done. I’m cutting the cord with them.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”

“Hang up right now!”

“She’s lost her mind!”

Only then did the four of them start shouting again.

With faces full of rage and disbelief, they lunged to snatch the communication orb from Juella’s hand.

They had to salvage this situation—somehow!

“Everyone, hush.”

“......!”

But in that instant, Camilla’s low voice came through, and they all flinched.

It wasn’t even loud, yet somehow it sent a chill down their spines. Before they realized it, their mouths snapped shut.

“You all know this. The authority granted to the three houses that protect the Fable Empire.”

“W-What is—!”

“Sorpel, Sephra, Jevillan. The three dukes and their direct line may pass summary judgment when they witness an unjust incident.”

There was more after that—something like, provided it does not run counter to the Imperial Family’s will...—but either way, every noble in Fable knew the gist.

And not a single person in that room had the nerve to shout, You aren’t even blood-related to a duke, what do you mean ‘direct line’?!

They were just confused why she was suddenly saying this.

“I’ll be using that authority now.”

“What are you—”

“I will strip House Bakes of its guardianship over Miss Juella.”

“W-What?”

In an instant, every expression in the room—except Juella’s—went blank. Was she saying she’d expel Juella from the family?

“What are you saying?! Who are you to take that child—!”

“You know you’ll bear full responsibility for summary judgment! I will file a formal protest immediately over this!”

“Of course I know. The greater the authority to pass summary judgment, the more completely the decision-maker bears responsibility.”

“And you still—”

“Why? Do you think I can’t handle it?”

“Th—!”

Count Bakes’s words died in his throat.

Even setting aside the fact that she was Lady Sorpel, Camilla’s standing was enormous—enormous enough that people were already calling her a saintess in whispers.

And now that it had also come out that she was the biological daughter of Duke Kais Escra—the power behind the Gracia Empire—was there really anything she couldn’t handle?

“Also, I’d like to inform you that the violence and verbal abuse you just inflicted on Miss Juella were all recorded on a Video Stone.”

“H-How could you—!”

“Violence?!”

Kayrin, who’d been staring in silence with a red face, suddenly spoke in a sniffling voice.

“Isn’t this... good, actually?”

“What?”

“That thing. It doesn’t need to be in our house anymore, does it?!”

“......!”

At her shriek, Count Bakes and his wife hesitated.

They’d rushed at Camilla’s words in panic, but Kayrin had a point—it didn’t seem like a bad thing only.

Truthfully, Juella had been grating on them more and more as time went on, because she never fit with them.

They’d kept her only because she was known as their real daughter and they couldn’t just throw her out—but if they could cut ties like this, wasn’t that... convenient?

Of course, they’d have to fabricate a suitable story for the public—why Juella wasn’t their biological daughter, and why she was being disowned—but that level of effort was nothing.

“Juella.”

“...Yeah.”

Juella’s face cooled even more than before, as if she’d read those thoughts—family, no, people who used to be family—straight through.

“In fifteen minutes, your name will be erased from House Bakes. Meaning, until then, you’re not just Juella—you’re Lady Juella Bakes.”

Camilla paused, then let out a small, amused laugh.

At that laugh, the Bakes family’s faces hardened. Was she insane? In this situation, she was laughing?

A vague, ominous feeling washed over them.

“The Imperial Family has their eye on your talent, so they’ll probably try to keep you from naturalizing into another country—either by granting you a single-victory title or adopting you into another house.”

Camilla kept speaking in a bright tone, as if she were singing.

And regardless of all that, my house will keep shielding you.

“You’ll keep living as a noble. And you’ll have me behind you. You almost ended up taking on that bastard’s debt—are you really going to let it end like this? Doesn’t that feel like a waste?”

Juella’s eyes widened as she realized what Camilla was getting at.

“You...”

“So...”

Camilla’s laughter deepened.

“Beat him as much as you want.”

The connection cut off with a click.

The four people who’d heard the entire call all twisted their faces at the same time.

“Debt?”

Did she mean the documents scattered all over the floor?

“Ha!”

Did she really think he couldn’t pay something like this and would dump the burden onto the family?

What did she take him for?!

“Since Young Master... Bakes seems unable to pay, I think we’ll have to pass it to you, Count. Here.”

“What?”

Count Bakes’s face darkened further at how easily Juella switched forms of address.

But the one most surprised was Juella herself.

She’d clung to this relationship so desperately, but it was ridiculous—she felt no attachment at all.

Maybe she’d already erased them in her heart a long time ago.

“I’ll give you one month.”

Juella set the documents she’d brought down in front of Count Bakes and Mantiz.

Count Bakes snatched them up and read fast. The vicious twist on his face slowly stiffened into something else.

“Th-This... what is...!”

He was shocked once by the staggering amount, and shocked a second time when he saw his son’s name in the signature box.

And when he reached the name of the creditor—the person the debt was owed to—his eyes widened, and for a long moment, he couldn’t say a word.

“Y-You?”

Juella’s name was there.

The name of the girl who had been his daughter just moments ago.

And in her signature line, the surname Bakes was already gone.

“One month. I’ll waive the interest for that period—call it the price of ‘raising me.’ If you do the math, you’ll understand. I’m the one losing out.”

“Y-You—!”

“Hey!”

When Count Bakes couldn’t even form words, Mantiz stepped in, pressing toward Juella like he was about to crush her.

“You’re really pushing it! How dare you demand money from us! What? You’re not charging interest? Are you out of your mind?!”

As always, he raised his hand right away.

WHOOSH.

“......! W-What— A-AAARGH!”

But in that instant, something Juella threw snapped around Mantiz, binding him tight.

“Ooh.”

It was the magic bracelet Camilla had lent her—just in case. She’d made a point of saying it was something she cherished, and she was only lending it to Juella as a special exception.

It was cute, how she’d puffed up about it, though.

“Y-You—untie me right now! You want to die— A-AAARGH!”

Juella moved her hand the way Camilla had taught her, and the magic bracelet constricted even tighter, sending Mantiz sharp pain.

“What are you doing?! Untie him right now!”

“Mantiz! My god! You—You! Mantiz is hurting! Untie him this instant!”

Count Bakes and his wife screamed at Juella.

But Juella ignored them completely and walked up to Mantiz.

“You—You damn—!”

SMACK!

The room fell silent again. The slap echoed unnaturally loud through the space.

Not only Mantiz, who’d just been slapped, but everyone who’d been shouting stood there with their mouths hanging open.

THUNK!

“Ugh—!” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Juella didn’t stop there. She swung her leg and kicked his shin as hard as she could.

Mantiz screamed, and Juella grabbed a fistful of his collar, yanking him close as she let all the rage she’d piled up spill out.

“That rotten habit of yours.”

“Uh... ugh...”

“Camilla told me. There’s only one medicine for a man who gambles and lays hands on women.”

Juella paused, then stared at Mantiz’s hand with an indifferent gaze.

“She said to cut off the wrist.”

“W-What?”

At Juella’s cold stare—like she might actually chop it off—Mantiz forgot even the pain of being bound and sucked in a frantic breath.

“One month. If you don’t pay by then, I’m taking that rotten wrist first.”

With that, Juella slowly swept her eyes over the four people she’d once called family.

Unlike before, no one in the room could easily open their mouth.

Juella’s gaze finally landed on Kayrin, who looked a little scared now.

“JL Shop won’t take your reservation.”

“W-What are you talking about?!”

Kayrin flinched at Juella stepping closer, as if she was afraid she’d be hit again—then immediately snapped as if she’d never been scared at all.

“What right do you have?! I’m the one who reserved it!”

“Because it’s my shop.”

“What do you—what...?”

“The owner says she won’t sell you clothes. What’s the problem?”

Kayrin’s eyes widened more and more.

That meant—

“...Your shop?”

Juella owned JL Shop?

“Idiot.”

After all the doll clothes Juella had made for her when she was little—how had she never noticed?

Big sister! Big sister! The doll clothes are so pretty! I want to wear them too!

I can’t make big ones yet.

Then later! When you can, make mine too! Please?

Okay.

Wow! You’re the best, big sister!

Feeling all over again how meaningless it was to be the only one ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ who remembered those “family” memories, Juella quietly turned away.

“Ah... what do I do?”

Then, like she’d suddenly remembered something, her gaze went back to Mantiz.

More precisely—to the magic bracelet binding him.

“I didn’t learn how to undo this from Camilla.”

“Th—!”

“I’ll come back for it later.”

With that, Juella strolled out.

And it wasn’t an illusion—her footsteps looked lighter than they’d ever been.

Everyone could do nothing but stare blankly after her as she disappeared.

Chapter. Dorman

[Thank you! Thank you so much!]

“You don’t have to be that grateful.”

I helped because Juella helps me too.

The money I spent this time was, even for Camilla, a pretty large amount. But Juella was worth that much, so I helped.

And I got pissed, too.

Camilla clicked her tongue quietly to herself as she watched the ghost bow over and over toward her.

She’d always figured that whatever was stuck so close to Juella had some kind of story.

But I didn’t think it was her biological mother.

Of course she’d never acknowledged it before. It wasn’t like she was close with Juella—if anything, they hadn’t even gotten along. There was no reason to care about a ghost hovering next to someone like that.

If anything, she’d avoided even looking in Juella’s direction, worried their eyes might meet.

But after she learned Juella’s story, and started meeting her more often, she tried speaking to the ghost.

It didn’t look like a malevolent spirit at first glance, but still...

You never knew.

Like Julia—the actor’s ghost who’d once wrapped her hands around Elisha’s throat—what if it suddenly flipped and harmed Juella?

Now Juella was a valuable business partner. Better to prevent that kind of thing ahead of time.

Well. The reaction was exactly the same.

The moment she tried to talk, the response she’d expected spilled out, one after another.

[You can see me?]

Sigh.