Chapter 508 - Trouble At The Door
At Lord Byron"s family manor.
Deena was carrying a money bag as she wandered through the count"s manor. A few maids were cleaning the floor, but when they saw her, they all started whispering.
"It"s Miss Deena. She"s back."
"Miss Deena hasn"t stayed at home for a long time, especially after she went to the Royal Academy."
"It"s no wonder. After all, Miss Deena"s father is an incompetent earl addicted to drinking and gambling. This morning, the Countess and the Earl had another argument. He had sold the Countess" wedding ring. He even dared to sell their wedding ring. Is there anything he wouldn"t do? We would have left long ago if the Countess hadn"t treated us so well."
"I"ve already decided to leave. Our salary has changed from one silver coin a month to five copper coins a month. That salary is already lower than most maids in the capital. We need to make a living."
Those discussions were not loud, but Deena could hear them. Furthermore, she had just been promoted to a platinum-tier angel by Watson at the Severed Fingers Gang"s headquarters, so her hearing was even sharper. She did not miss a single word.
"We have so few maids, and now even they are leaving. It seems like there won"t be anyone in the house for a long time! Father, that b*stard, even sold Mother"s wedding ring. What sc.u.m!"
Deena quietly clenched the purse in her hand. Watson gave her the purse, and it contained 10,000 gold coins. "These 10,000 gold coins are just enough to alleviate my family"s predicament. I believe that with these gold coins, my mother won"t have to work so hard."
Slowly, she walked through the long corridor and arrived at a door covered with ivy. She pushed the door open, and just as she opened the door, she heard the sound of things smas.h.i.+ng in the hall. She saw a drunk middle-aged man rummaging through the cabinets in an almost bare hall. He threw any worthless things he found on the ground.
"Tell me, where is your jewelry? I remember that when I married you, I ordered the blacksmith to make a set of gold-tier magical jewelry."
The drunken man was holding a bottle of wine in one hand, taking a sip from time to time, while his other hand was randomly rummaging through the drawer. A lady with disheveled clothes and hair down to her shoulders stood behind him. There was no makeup on her face; she looked haggard.
"Byron, you"ve already sold my ring. Are you planning to sell my wedding dowry now? That set of jewelry is now the most valuable thing in this family. If you sell them, we might not even be able to afford to eat. Think about Deena. She has enrolled in the Royal Academy. After she graduates, she will become a soldier. At that time, you can let her support you."
"Deena still has four years before she graduates. Furthermore, we can"t be sure if she can graduate or not. After all, she barely made it past the enrollment! Deena has the natural ability to charm people. Rather than asking her to be a soldier, I would rather sell her off. That way, at the very least, she can earn quite a lot of money. I know a few friends. They have already told me that they are interested in Deena and are willing to pay a large price for her."
"Shut up, Byron. Are you even human? That is your daughter!"
"Stupid woman! Do you think you can scold me? That is my daughter, not yours. Why are you so agitated?"
Byron snorted coldly and gave the woman a hard slap on the face, causing the woman"s cheek to swell. "I will beat you to death if you don"t give me the jewelry today!"
Byron picked up the wine bottle in his other hand and smashed it down on the woman"s face. Just as the wine bottle was about to hit the woman"s face, it shattered, and blood splattered everywhere. The woman had closed her eyes in despair.
At that moment...
The wine bottle shattered with a m.u.f.fled sound, and blood splattered everywhere. However, it was not the woman"s blood.
"D*mn it." Holding his bleeding arm, Byron took two steps backward and stared at Deena, who had suddenly appeared in front of him. His eyes were filled with anger. "Deena, when did you come back? Why didn"t you tell us you"re back? Why didn"t you greet your father? Where are your manners? Is this what I taught you?"
"A person who gambles, drinks, and beats his wife, what right do you have to talk about manners with me?" Deena snorted coldly.
"What did you say?"
Byron flew into a rage and raised his voice. However, he quickly thought of something, and his eyes turned gentle. "Deena, I was drunk just now. I didn"t want to beat your mother! You came back just in time. I can"t find your mother"s jewelry, so I"ll let you make up for it. Later, I"ll take you to see a friend of mine. As long as you cooperate with me and let me get some money, I"ll be able to make up for the money I lost before."
"You want me to cooperate with you? Keep dreaming!" Deena bit her lip, and her eyes flashed with sadness. "That is what you say every time you want money. When have you ever won a bet?"
Her father had not been like that in the past. He used to be a family man. However, after his business failed, he had lost so many of their family"s a.s.sets. He became addicted to gambling to recover some of his capital. In the end, he had lost so much that his att.i.tude worsened. Byron raped a sea folk woman while he was drunk, and Deena was the result of that rape.
Even though her mother did not birth her, she treated her like her own daughter. Deena had always been grateful for that. She joined the Royal Academy so that she could take care of her mother in the future.
"Deena, how dare you talk to me like that? Are you rebelling against me? I sent you to study at the Royal Academy. Is that all you"ve learned? I should go to the Royal Academy to ask and see how they educate their students," Byron growled. Then, he noticed the money bag in Deena"s hand, and his expression changed.
"Deena, what"s in your hand? It looks like a money bag. Is there money in it? Let me see!"
Byron grabbed Deena"s arm. Deena avoided Byron, but the money bag shook and made a clear sound.
"That sound... It really is money. Even if it"s copper coins, it"s still a lot. Deena, where did you get so much money? With your ability, there is only one way to get a large amount of money in a short period, and that is to sell your body. I told you to do that, but you refused. In the end, you really did it. So cheap! Give me that money."
"Don"t talk nonsense; I don"t have any money! Deena took two steps backward. Her eyes were filled with grievance and embarra.s.sment. No one would feel good after being told that by their father.
As Deena tried to hide from her father, someone pushed the door open. A middle-aged man with a small mustache, s.h.i.+ny hair, and a s.h.i.+ny face walked into the room. A few burly men in armor stood behind him.
The moment the fat middle-aged man appeared, his gaze fell on Deena. "Byron, my old friend, didn"t you say that you wanted to introduce Deena to me? I"ve been waiting outside for a long time, and I"ve prepared 100,000 gold coins for that.. You"re too slow. Do you need my help?"