ITD

CHAPTER Vl

Frederick was still sitting on the floor, dazed and out of it. Courtney, filled with frustration, kicked him in the rear with the tip of her shoe, urging him to do something. He groaned in pain, as if a simple kick had broken something.

But Courtney didn’t offer him any sympathy. Instead, she shot him a ferocious glare.

Eventually, Frederick opened his mouth, stammering in a pathetic voice.

“Well, I-I’ll meet with the Marquis tomorrow and explain—”

“Do you think the Marquis will meet with the likes of you?”

The man cut him off sharply, leaving Frederick speechless again, like a fool.

Enraged, Courtney stepped forward.

“Even if we have to sell the mansion, we’ll sell it and pay the debt. Now leave! What kind of behavior is this, barging in at this hour?”

She raised her voice, practically shoving her head into the man’s chest, as if ready to ram him. The man, surprised to see such a small woman—barely half his size—stand her ground so defiantly, showed a flicker of hesitation.

“This little f…!”

Courtney had a reputation for her sharp tongue, unmatched even by the market vendors, but the man’s vulgar insult caught her off guard. After all, she had lived her entire life as a noblewoman.

“What did you just say? What were you going to say after ‘little’? What’s your name? A real man should at least have the guts to introduce himself after cursing at a lady!”

Sensing an opportunity, Courtney pressed him harder. She knew she had to send these men away tonight before dealing with her family later.

The man was visibly flustered. Though dressed decently, he was nothing more than an errand boy for gamblers and loan sharks. He lacked the courage to risk a duel with a nobleman for insulting a lady.

“Why aren’t you answering? What exactly is your relationship with House Mallon!”

Courtney continued to press him, moving closer.

In an attempt to avoid her, the man twisted away, but that only made things worse—his elbow hit her squarely on the shoulder.

No matter how bold she acted, Courtney was a slender woman. Her frail body wobbled like a reed. The man instinctively reached out to catch her, but he was too late. With a gasp, Courtney’s body collapsed onto the cold floor.

“Ah…!”

Her ankle throbbed painfully, worse than the knee that hit the ground. As she curled up, groaning, the man took a few steps back in shock.

“I-I didn’t push you! You kept getting in my way…!”

“Auntie…!”

Courtney gritted her teeth and looked up, trying to endure the pain.

She saw Edvard crying from behind the second-floor railing, having somehow come out unnoticed. Elise stood beside him, looking helpless. And further in the shadows, where the light barely reached, stood her mother and father, hiding.

Not one of them made a move to help her, even after seeing her fall.

The surge of anger boiling within Courtney quickly turned toward the closest person responsible for this mess—

Frederick.

“Help me up.”

“O-Okay…!”

Frederick hurriedly helped his sister to her feet. His movements were sluggish, likely because he had just been beaten up.

Despite their poverty, Courtney’s noble upbringing remained. It wasn’t the fall that hurt her the most—it was her wounded pride.

Straightening herself with as much dignity as she could muster, she spoke to the man.

“Are you going to escalate this further? If you leave now, I’ll overlook tonight’s incident.”

“Ahem, apologies.”

The man hadn’t intended for things to get this out of hand. At his signal, his men backed off without resistance.

Courtney stood tall, holding her ground, until the men were completely gone.

Only when the front door slammed shut did the tension leave her body.

With hurried footsteps, Elise rushed down the stairs toward her.

“Freddy! Honey, are you okay? Oh no, look at your face!”

Elise cried as she gently stroked Frederick’s bruised face. Courtney watched the pathetic display between the couple with disdain.

The story behind how this ‘loving’ couple got married was just as pitiful. Elise’s father, also a gambler, had arranged a huge dice game to pawn off his daughter, who was of marriageable age. Unfortunately, Frederick ended up winning that game—exactly what you’d expect from someone who only wins once in ten tries. As a result, Elise became the daughter-in-law of House Devon without bringing in a single penny of dowry.

A soft sobbing sound came from waist height. Courtney quickly knelt down to check on Edvard, who was crying. His pale face was flushed red with tears streaming down.

“Eddy, were you really scared?”

“Auntie, are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m fine.”

The worried, tear-filled eyes of her nephew made Courtney’s heart melt. More than the pain in her ankle, she was concerned about whether this harsh scene had hurt the little boy’s innocent heart.

The Devon couple hesitantly approached their daughter. Patricia, awkward and unsure, spoke up.

“Courtney, are… are you alright?”

They had just stood by and watched everything, but now they were pretending to care. Courtney, however, wasn’t disappointed. You can only feel disappointment when you’ve expected something in the first place.

“I’m fine. Everyone, just go to bed.”

No sooner had she said the words than Count Devon let out a loud yawn, as if the whole situation had already been resolved. Of course.

Not that the Devon couple treated Courtney poorly or as less than family—they simply thought, She’s strong. She said she’s fine, so she’ll be okay. By now, Courtney neither felt hurt nor bitter about it.

As her parents turned to leave, Frederick tried to slip away, reading the room quickly.

“Well then, I’ll just—”

But Courtney wasn’t about to let him go that easily. She roughly grabbed him by the hair.

“Hey… How can you even think about sleeping right now?”

“Hey! Hey! Let go and talk! Let’s talk it out!”

“You goddamn piece of trash, I talk to human beings, not filth like you!”

“Aaagh! Father! Help me!”

That night, Courtney nearly beat Frederick half to death—about two-thirds, to be exact.

He was already halfway there anyway, so she could have finished him off, but since her twisted ankle limited her to using just her fists, she couldn’t.

What a shame.