Reincarnated as a Villainous Aristocrat in an Otome Game, So I Bought the Main Heroine with Money - Chapter 49: The Role of a Father

Chapter 49: The Role of a Father

《Clarice’s Side》

The Everett ducal estate boasted a grand and imposing study, a room heavy with an air of authority and formality.

I sat across from my father, Duke Everett. His piercing gaze, cold and unyielding, bore into me with unmistakable irritation.

“Well then, Clarice. Care to explain yourself?”

Seated deeply in his ornate chair, his voice was sharp and commanding, leaving no room for misinterpretation. He wanted answers.

“Explain what, exactly?”

“Hmph. Don’t act ignorant. This is about your actions regarding Prince Edward. If you had borne his child, you could have risen as the mother of this nation, securing a position within the royal family. It was a golden opportunity for the Everett house to reshape the kingdom from within. And yet, you threw it all away. Why?”

His words made me grit my teeth. To him, I was nothing more than a tool—a means to an end.

There was no love, no trust between us. My father didn’t live as a parent; he lived solely as the head of the Everett family.

“Prince Edward’s behavior was too disgraceful to overlook. That man… he isn’t fit to be king.”

I stood my ground, but my father let out a derisive snort, his contempt as clear as day.

“Hmph, foolish. If he’s a stupid man, all the better. Such people are easy to manipulate, to twist around your finger and use until there’s nothing left. Then, you simply discard them.”

“Leave descendants with a foolish man? That’s something I cannot allow.”

“Cannot allow? Who are you to say that? Your conscience? The royal family? Or perhaps that border margrave boy?”

My father’s eyes gleamed with mockery, each word cutting into me like a blade. With every taunt, a coldness settled deeper in my chest, and I was reminded once again that arguing with him was utterly pointless.

“From the moment you were born as a daughter of the Everett family, you lost any right to define your own worth, Clarice. You are my pawn—nothing more, nothing less.”

“…”

I couldn’t find the words to respond. His statement was nothing new; it was something he’d told me time and time again since I was a child.

He had never seen me as his daughter. To him, I was merely a piece on the chessboard, a tool to shape the future of the Everett family. Even though I understood that all too well, the pain it caused in my heart never lessened.

What was demanded of me was simple: to embody the ideal Everett woman—someone who stood at the pinnacle of nobility, carried pride as a noble, and always prioritized the Everett family above all else.

“Well, no matter. I will find a way to make use of this situation in the end.”

With those words, my father glanced briefly at the documents laid out on his desk.

“This is a favor owed to me by the royal family. I’ll make sure it’s used to its fullest. Even if a royal decree demands that you be stripped of your noble title, the law doesn’t allow for immediate punishment.”

A faint smile crept onto my father’s lips—a sinister expression filled with unsettling confidence. To him, I was no longer a person, just another pawn to be repurposed for his next scheme.

“This time, the accusation is vague—a claim that you’ve disgraced the honor of the royal family and nobility. Such a flimsy reason can be ignored. There are countless ways to use you as the daughter of the Everett family, and I intend to sell you off for the highest gain.”

“Sell me off?”

“That’s right. Without further disgrace, I’ve already planned to marry you into the next royal family or a powerful noble house. Through that marriage, we can seize control of their power. It’s unfortunate that the marquess of the frontier has died, but the high taxes we imposed and redirected to our domain were profitable—until that so-called foolish boy from the frontier started getting clever. Because of him, we suffered heavy losses.”

So Cerios had been fighting against my father all along. I hadn’t known. I thought the Cerios I met at the academy had simply decided to become more serious about life.

“Listen carefully. You don’t have a choice in this. For the sake of the family, obey without question.”

My father’s words made it clear he believed my future was entirely under his control. And perhaps, up until now, it truly had been. Resistance felt meaningless.

Even so, knowing it was futile didn’t stop the emotions welling up inside me.

“…I am not a tool!”

I forced out the words with all the determination I could muster. But my father only looked down at me with those cold, dismissive eyes, as if he hadn’t heard me at all.

“Not a tool? Then tell me, what have you done to contribute to this house? You are a noble. Your duty as a noble was to become the mother of this nation, and I provided you with the education needed for that role. Serving this family meant becoming the queen and elevating the status of the Everett house. If you had done so, the people of our domain would have celebrated the birth of a queen from this land, and you might have even had the chance to carry out the politics you aspire to.”

“…!”

I couldn’t argue. What he said was true, at least in terms of what was expected of a noble daughter.

He may not have been a good father to me, but every time his piercing, merciless gaze fell on me, he struck me with his own brand of unyielding logic.

There wasn’t a shred of affection in his eyes.

“Defying my will means closing off the future of this house. And in doing so, you only endanger your own position further. Do you understand? If you do, then stop interfering with my plans to find someone willing to buy you at a high price.”

“…Yes.”

“To maintain your value, you are not to leave this house anymore. I will have you confined, under strict guard. After all, secrecy increases worth, doesn’t it?”

My father said nothing more and returned his attention to the documents on his desk.

As I left the room, a heavy sense of exhaustion and frustration settled deep in my chest.

(What should I do…?)

Should I obey my father’s words? Or should I stand up and fight for my own will?

With no answer in sight, I walked slowly down the hallway, each step feeling heavier than the last. A deep sigh escaped my lips as uncertainty clouded my mind.