Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 14
He felt like a boy who had just captured a rare butterfly.
Afterwards, Adam continued to keep Lillith in a guestroom of the mansion. She stayed in one of the five guest rooms named after jewels, the Garnet Room.
She was still demanding and willful, but that was fine. Now he knew how to handle her.
“Cecilia Lasphilla.”
He invoked the name of his innocent daughter, casting her in the role of collective guilt and turning the arrows of blame towards her.
He knew it wasn’t right. But at least, he wouldn’t be blamed.
Who could point fingers at a parent disciplining their child?
***
A few hours before being summoned by Adam.
Cecilia lay sprawled on her bed, lost in thought.
The reality she faced again was more miserable than her rose-tinted memories.
Her mother was a powerless guest, her father a cunning hunter.
And she was…
Just a bastard.
Was there a way to resolve this crisis within the limited time she had?
She couldn’t let herself be trapped and manipulated in Coffret Manor forever.
To deal with Christian and reach the Pierce Dukedom, she needed to act.
But…
How could she bring down Lasphilla and reach the heart of Pierce?
‘Everything has its order.’
Storming into the Pierce Dukedom’s estate right away would only lead to her own downfall.
She had to do it step by step. In order.
‘First, I need to get the Lasphilla family under control.’
Was it possible?
No, such a question was meaningless.
It must be made possible.
Emotions originate from the outside, plans start from within.
‘If I can’t accomplish even this, I don’t deserve to dream of revenge.’
In the dimly lit room, Cecilia quietly resolved.
She would betray her father.
Abandon Lasphilla.
Even if it meant being accused of treachery.
***
Unless she became the head of the family, overpowering her father was nearly impossible. Unless an unforeseen event different from her past life occurred, her father would live long and well.
‘It won’t be easy,’ Cecilia mused, still lying down.
There was also the law of Entailment. Without being the eldest son, you couldn’t inherit a title, and without being male, you couldn’t be the head.
An old-fashioned custom, but nobles were always slow to change.
If the current Count Lasphilla died, Nathan Lasphilla, Bernarda’s son, would take over. He was just a three-year-old boy who couldn’t even read.
What if, hypothetically, she killed Nathan after selling her soul to the devil?
Ulysses Rosencrantz, a relative of the Lasphillas and currently second in line to the count’s successorship, would swoop in. With Nathan gone, it would be a windfall for him.
The next in line, and the one after, were all male. Cecilia, Caroline, and Margaret would never have a chance.
‘Fine. I can’t get to the end by fair means anyway.’
If the path ends in a cliff, one must find a detour. She was confident in planning and executing her strategies.
But to carry out her plans skillfully, she first needed freedom of action.
‘Right now, I don’t even have the power to leave the estate. I can’t go on like this.’
Adam, who lived and died by his reputation, had controlled and oppressed Lillith and Cecilia in various ways.
There were two main ways for Cecilia to gain freedom under these circumstances.
Either earn Adam’s trust, or make a deal with a power player out of his reach.
The former was not complete freedom but merely an expansion of the cage. Cecilia would enjoy a refined freedom only under the whims of Adam’s mercy.
Refined freedom! What a ludicrous concept. True freedom should be raw and vivid more than anything.
Naturally, her mind leaned towards the latter method.
‘A deal with a power player stronger than Lasphilla and who can directly influence Lasphilla.’
Suddenly, a face flashed in her mind.
‘Guinevere Rosencrantz.’
She was Cecilia’s aunt and the second wife of Marquis Rosencrantz.
She was also one of the many who knew about Cecilia’s lineage and saw her as a mere insect.
According to her memories from a previous life, Guinevere had committed a very insidious act during this coming holiday season. However, her methods were too cunning for anyone to suspect her.
What would her aunt do if ‘that plan’ fell into a third party’s hands?
The mere thought was delightful.
This year’s holiday season would surely be a memorable experience for them both.
