"The Idea of a Woman Stealing Someone Else's Partner is Ridiculous," I laughed. But After Being Reborn, I Became a Victim of Such a Woman. However, My New Fiancée was Absolutely Amazing. - Episode 20
It has been a week since Kouga-san visited for the second time.
My father warned me, “Until the engagement is officially decided, announced, and made public, do not tell anyone. Not even Mrs. Ito.”
That makes sense.
Right now, it’s just that Kouga-san’s wishes and our family’s wishes match. If the Ichijou-no-Go main family opposes it, the engagement won’t happen.
The Kujou-no-Go family, which is our main family, welcomes marriages with any of the Shugo Jukkai families from the inland. In fact, instead of my father, the Kujou-no-Go family is actively pushing for this engagement.
In the Yuukizaka family, only my father and I remain.
Even the first engagement was arranged by the Kujou-no-Go family.
And above all, the Yuukizaka family—our name—will disappear eventually.
Unless I take in an adopted husband, continuing the family line is impossible.
But honestly, who would want to marry into a family with so much debt?
I had decided that if I had to get married, I would rather work and live alone. In short, there’s no heir to the Yuukizaka family!
That’s why it helps that the Kujou-no-Go family is handling the negotiations.
It’s best to leave things to the experts.
As for me, I am spending my school life peacefully.
During breaks, lunch, and after school, that useless guy still tries to show up, but my classmates have started blocking him. Thanks to them, he can hardly approach me anymore.
Some students believed his false rumors about me before, but after that violent incident, they completely changed their stance. Now, they spread rumors that he is a cowardly man who harasses his former fiancée—something unworthy of a nobleman of Tendou.
Well, the central families are basically nobles.
And nobles love to tear each other down.
Everyone is using his act of violence as a weakness against him.
Since our engagement was broken off and then the violent incident happened, his reputation has hit rock bottom. People wonder how he even dares to walk around in public.
The Arisugawa family believes that “Even though he is the second son, he is still a man, so he must at least graduate from high school.”
I assume they have ordered him to stay away from me, but for some reason, he won’t give up.
It’s like those cheating husbands in revenge manga from my past life—using the same words but completely incapable of communication.
I remember laughing, thinking, “There’s no way people become this unreasonable just because they cheated.”
Oh, past me…
Cheating men really do become impossible to reason with!
And now I have proof in this life!
Cheating, getting angry when caught, and then resorting to violence—the worst triple combo!
Well, if things stay like this, I won’t have to deal with him until graduation.
“Yuukizaka-sama, have you heard? About Shirakubo-sama?”
“Huh?”
As I was rereading my first-year bride training textbook, Kozue Hachijou and Youko Hachigoe started talking to me.
Shirakubo… That shameless woman.
After my violent incident, Hachijou-san’s family worried that she might be subjected to violence too, so they strongly pushed for breaking off her engagement. In the end, she was able to get out of it.
Hachijou-san also loves gossip.
If it’s bad news about that woman, I’d love to hear it!
“Shirakubo-sama’s father was fired from his job. Her mother was also let go from her service job and is now looking for another one.”
“Oh my…”
It has begun.
Hachijou-san couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Next to her, Hachigoe-san warned, “Don’t laugh, that’s mean,” but she was covering her mouth with her sleeve, trying to suppress her own giggles.
Women are scary…
However, the fact that both of Shirakubo’s parents lost their jobs means they have no income.
Considering that they are about to be sued by over ten families for damages, losing their income is a huge blow.
As for Shirakubo herself, her only options now are to find another job or be sold to a pleasure district.
It’s unfortunate for her mother too.
Her father won’t be able to live a normal life either.
And no matter what they do, they won’t be able to pay off the debt.
Well, since she was educated as a central family noble, if she tries hard, maybe she can reach the top of the pleasure district—an oiran. She’s not bad-looking, after all.
The only question is whether she still has the noble education to make it.
“But won’t the men around her give her money to help?”
“That’s impossible. We’re still students, Youko. That’s why people call you naive.”
“Ugh…”
That’s a valid concern, but unless she finds support from an inland main family or a noble house, there’s no way anyone can cover her family’s compensation payments.
And I doubt any major noble house would take in a girl with such massive debt.
In our school, there’s only one student from a major noble house.
Taiki Shijou-no-Go, the fiancé of Sayuri Rokujou-no-Go.
If Taiki decided to take on Shirakubo’s debt, his entire family would collapse.
One of the Shugo Jukkai families falling due to such a reason would never be allowed by the clan.
If any man tried to keep her as a mistress despite all this, he would be cut off from his family.
I just can’t imagine any central nobleman willing to ruin himself to save that woman.