Chapter 45 Fault Lines
+8 Pearls
Sadie stood, bathed in shifting lantern light, her smile thin. “I never knew those lanterns were meant for me as well. Daisy kept every single one locked in her cabinet, and you three never allowed me to bring them- out. Only tonight do I learn they were supposedly mine too.”
Oliver snapped, “Stop that sly tone. These lanterns are expensive, and you are always smudged with grime. One dirty fingerprint would ruin them.”
Sadie laughed softly. “Dirty? Have you forgotten? From the time I could stand, I was cleaning after you, scrubbing stains from dawn to dusk. I could never look as spotless as Daisy.”
Adonis‘ face fell. “Sadie, are you blaming us? We acted for your sake. A gem must be chiseled to shine. You were wild as a child, and without our strict guidance-”
Sadie raised a hand, cutting him short. “Enough.” The single word landed between them like a shard of ice.
Sadie turned back to the stall and placed a small silver coin in the shopkeeper’s palm.
“I’ll take the one with pale yellow and green scales,” she said.–
Sadie kept Alexander’s parting words close. She had promised to bring him home a fish–shaped lantern, and she meant to keep that promise.
Adonis, however, exploded in anger. He sprang forward and clamped a hand around her arm.
“The Gates family has warped you,” he barked. “Look at you, dripping in extravagance. March back and return that lantern. I forbid you to waste money.”
Although he styled himself a scholar, he was still a young man of considerable strength, and his grip bit into her flesh.
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “You’re hurting me!” Sadie cried.
Adonis blinked, released her, and muttered, “I acted in haste and squeezed too hard. Believe me; this is for your own good. It’s easy to grow extravagant but hard to relearn frugality. Sadie, you mustn’t grow wasteful.”
She rubbed the spot where his fingers had left a dull ache. “Does buying one lantern count as wasteful? And in case you’ve forgotten, I now receive about half a pound of silver coins a month.”
That amount was a fortune to him. Adonis sucked in a sharp breath. As the Francis heir he received barely a quarter pound each month.
“The Gates‘ family has lost their mind, handing you so much money,” Adonis fumed.
“What does a girl your age need with so much every month? You’ll only squander it. From now on, you’ll give it to us. We’ll save it until your wedding day.”
Speechless, Sadie stared at him. So that’s their little scheme. Her voice cooled. “I’m no child. Why should I let you guard my purse?”
Oliver watched the exchange, jealousy flickering behind his eyes. Even pooling their allowances, the four siblings still fell short of her monthly allowance.
Oliver’s voice dropped to a reprimanding growl. “We’re acting for your benefit. Do you really think we’d steal from you? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Chapter 45 Fault Lines
3 64%2
+8 Pearls
Daisy cradled the bright fish lantern, her lovely features drawn tight with discontent. In the previous life at the Gates Estate, she had been allotted only a quarter pound each month. Why should Sadie receive more?
The Gates family is absurd, she seethed. When I become crown princess, I’ll make every last one of them choke on their arrogance.
Forcing a smile, Daisy said, “Sadie, you’re still young. People can be treacherous. However close outsiders may seem, they’ll never match the loyalty of your own brothers. They only want what’s best for you.”
Adonis nodded approvingly. “Daisy always sees reason,” he said.
“We’re family,” Daisy continued. “Even if the boys spend a little of your allowance, it hardly matters. You bear the Francis name too, and supporting the household is part of your duty, isn’t it?”
The four Francis siblings closed in around her like leeches scenting blood, eager to clamp onto the girl and drain her dry.
Sadie’s smile turned razor sharp. “And how much do each of you contribute to the household every month?”
Silence. Not one of them answered.
None of the siblings ever had money to spare, much less enough to share with the family.
Sadie cast them a cool, distant glance, then strode ahead. The four remaining siblings swallowed their words and followed in gloomy silence.
“There’s a snack stall just up the path,” Neville suggested as they passed the pond. “Why don’t we rest our feet and grab a bite?”
“Good idea,” Adonis said with a nod. “Sadie, come along. You’re still our sister, and this place is crowded with strangers. A young girl like you mustn’t get lost.”
Sadie had no wish to linger with them.
Daisy looped her arm through Sadie’s and cooed, “For my sake, stop sulking. If you were as sweet as I am, our brothers would adore you.”
Sadie gave no reply, only a brittle silence.
What do I need their affection for?
Dragged along, Sadie ended up at the stall and sat beside Daisy.
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14 Aug
Scorned Heir’s Second Life: The Rebirth That Made My Brothers Weep
