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Chapter 88 - Living On The Streets

Adeline watched as Elias headed for the car. He winked in her direction and she looked away, hiding a slight smile.

She ignored the disgruntled look on Aunt Eleanor\'s face, who was displeased by the public display of affection. Wordlessly, she followed her Aunt and Uncle into the estate, knowing Elias was right behind her, but perhaps elsewhere and out of sight.

They went up the grand staircase and down the hallways leading to Viscount Marden\'s study room.

"You\'ve gotten fat, Adeline." Aunt Eleanor pinched her niece\'s cheeks, frowning in disapproval. "Any more bites and you\'d resemble a pig ready for slaughter. Have you been eating too much in the castle? You must watch your weight."

Adeline\'s smile disappeared.

"Perhaps instead of worrying about my body, you should stop projecting your insecurities onto me," Adeline said. She saw her Uncle stiffen and turn around, a dark glower on his face.

As a child, Adeline would freeze in her tracks and bow her head. Before coming to the Marden Estate, no one had ever shown her anger and disgust before. Not even her own Father glared or yelled at her. When the Mardens did it, she had been terrified.

But meeting Elias and his haunting smile, dangerous stares, she had been desensitized to everything.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes, Uncle?" Adeline innocently asked, blinking her eyes.

"Adeline!" Aunt Eleanor sharply gasped, turning to her niece. "You\'ve gotten very naughty since your return from the castle. You must humble yourself more. This type of behavior is simply outrageous for a young woman like you!"

Aunt Eleanor crossed her arms. "Think about how your mother and father would feel, knowing they\'ve given birth to such an unruly child. Do you wish to laugh at their graves and all their expectations for you?"

Adeline\'s heart ached. The mention of her parents had silenced her. This was one of Aunt Eleanor\'s favorite techniques.

"Just think, if they were watching you from Heaven, would they be happy at your current state? Dreary and demure, yet disrespectful and disruptive!" Aunt Eleanor let out the loudest sigh possible. She shook her head and let out a small, "Tut."

"Would my mother and father be happy to hear the insults you throw my way and the comments you make of them?" Adeline asked. "Why bring up the dead?"

Aunt Eleanor was astonished. She thought a different niece was brought back to her! Goodness, these days in the castle truly changed her! All of Eleanor\'s decade of training was going to waste, like rain washing away dirt.

"You disobedient—"

"Eleanor!" Viscount Marden sharply said.

Aunt Eleanor clamped her mouth shut. She glared at her niece and jutted her chin in the air. "You disappoint me. The next time you see me, I expect a formal apology. I won\'t tolerate any of this disrespect. As a result, you will not get access to your parents\' albums!"

Adeline\'s face paled. She had hoped to grab them on her way out of here. Since it was evident that she wasn\'t welcome anymore, she might as well begin packing the things in here. After the year was over, she\'d have to look for a new place to stay. With the hefty zeros in her fortune, she\'d be able to find a comfortable place.

"Good, I hope you keep them," Adeline muttered. She heard her Aunt\'s sharp intake of breath as if she was unable to believe the audacity of Adeline.

Adeline walked past her blabbering Aunt and straight towards the doors of her Uncle\'s study room. He was a footstep behind, attempting to catch up with her. But she made him walk behind her. He was a Viscount, and she was soon to be a Queen—even if it was only for a year.

"It seems His Majesty trained you into a bitching brat," Viscount Sebastian said. "At least you\'re willingly walking into the office, ready for the canning."

Adeline didn\'t respond. She rested one hand upon her hip, her fingers gracing the hard object in her pant pocket.

Wordlessly, she walked into the study room. Without being told to, Adeline took a seat on the large, plush couch. She crossed her legs and tried to mirror the confidence of Elias.

He could turn a wooden chair into a golden throne.

"You must be here to sign the final contract," Viscount Sebastian said. "For your failure to carry out your request, I utilized my power of attorney and moved your funds, possession, and assets."

Adeline truly believed she was a fool to hand that power over. She touched her necklace, twirling it in her finger. It was cold to the touch, over the usual warmth. Perhaps Aunt Eleanor was right, her parents were disappointed in her.

"You forget one thing, Uncle," Adeline slowly said. "I can and will revoke your power of attorney. You haven\'t touched my fortune, which isn\'t under my name yet. I turned twenty just a few days ago, but in the castle, and not here. I presume my parent\'s lawyers have already visited you?"

Viscount Marden sharply turned his head to her. "It\'s too late for you to revoke your power, I\'ve already moved everything."

"My fund, my possession, and assets?" Adeline echoed whilst tilting her head. "That\'s funny, I don\'t remember you can move my money without proper authorization."

Viscount Marden narrowed his eyes. What did this little fool know? She was bluffing through and through. There was no way she\'d know anything about law. He made sure her education was no more than the basic high schooler. Unless she was reading in secret…?

"And that contract," Adeline pointed to the one on his desk. "I won\'t be signing it."

Viscount Marden let out a small laugh. "You\'ve grown disobedient with age, Adeline. Both you and your mother think you can walk into my life and do as you wish, then leave and take everything with you."

Adeline\'s brows wrinkled. She didn\'t know her mother had that much of an impact on her Uncle\'s life. Viscount Marden was married to Aunt Eleanor, and though her mother was his sister-in-law, it wouldn\'t explain the impact. She was confused. Was there something she didn\'t know?

"Everything belongs to me in the first place," Adeline slowly said. "You know, I remember something really funny…"

Adeline ran her fingers over the couch she was sitting on, fully aware of his beady gaze on her. She used to think her Uncle was the most authoritative person in her life. He controlled every aspect of her situation. He held the leash of her collar.

Now that she had left his influence, even for a few moments, she realized, he was nothing but a scared little man with nothing to his name. She knew why he married Aunt Eleanor. At that time, her mother\'s family still had a bit of wealth, and they gave a high dowry to the Viscount.

"This house is mine," Adeline said. "You\'re living in an estate that my Father let you borrow. The audacity you have to abuse me in my very own house."

"This house belongs to me now," Viscount Marden smugly said.

"We\'ll see what the court will say," Adeline muttered.

"You see this?" Viscount Sebastian laughed, throwing the paper in front of the coffee table. "Using the power of attorney, I sold this property and many others to myself with your very own funds."

Adeline\'s lips twitched. She picked up the pieces of paper, hiding the winning smile. It seemed her Uncle, as smart as he was, had been blinded by anger to remember what she had said. He might\'ve won the battle, but she\'d win the war.

Adeline suddenly settled the papers back down. "And the contract? Did you think I would willingly sign my fortune away?"

"You failed your end of the bargain," Viscount Marden stated. He brought the paper to her, pointing at the spot where she signed the agreement for fulfilling the mission.

"If you read here, in fine print, it states failure in doing so will result in your signature on the final page," Viscount Sebastian said.

He tossed the contract in front of her face. She saw her pick it up and sneered on the inside. She could rip that paper to shreds and he wouldn\'t mind. He could print a hundred copies of this and bury her with it.

"I see so many loopholes," Adeline snickered. "But first, let me begin with \'Party A will be fully emancipated from House Marden and relatives if Party A completely eradicated the person of Party B\'s request by the end of the Ball.\'"

Viscount Sebastian raised his brows. "And the person of request is His Majesty, but as you can see he\'s alive and kicking isn\'t he?"

"There isn\'t a single section that specifies who the person is, at this point, it\'s a he said she said situation. No one will accept it, even if you take this to court."

A vein popped out on Viscount Marden\'s face. His fingers curled into a fist. This conniving whore! She was exactly like that mother of hers. They were bitches in and out!

"You little wench—"

"Once a person\'s life is on the line, the contract is voided," Adeline interrupted. She threw him an amused smile. "And murdering His Majesty? That\'s considered treason."

"And what proof do you have that said His Majesty is the person I requested?" Viscount Marden stated. "For all the court know, it could be—"

"It\'s just as you said, Uncle." Adeline placed the contract down. "What evidence do you have to prove the person I was supposed to eradicate is truly gone? What evidence do you have of who you chose?"

Adeline rose from the couch. She took the property papers into her hand. Her smile widened at the presence of his sneer. He pointed an accusing finger at her, his entire body shaking with rage.

"My fortune belongs to me. My money belongs to me. You temporarily possess my assets, but soon, it\'ll also belong to me. I will leave you penniless, Uncle."

She glanced at him from head to toe. "You should start packing. You\'ll be living on the streets soon."

Without another word, she turned and headed for the door. But she heard his thundering footsteps approaching her. She felt his hand reach for her hair before she even turned around. Her hand was quicker. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the puny pistol that Elias laughed at.

"Lay a hand on me and I\'ll shoot," Adeline calmly said.

Viscount Marden loudly laughed, the sound ringing through the room. "You don\'t even know how to shoot a gun. You\'ll miss and fall onto your a.s.s like the stupid child you are. You wouldn\'t dare!"

Adeline shot him.