It was not often that Rachael met her *family*. She knew better than to raise her head in their presence or to seek them out purposely. She did not want any kind of trouble with them.
But sometimes, running into the other side was inevitable. And today was an example of such a time.
Not only did Rachael run into Rose and her friends, but she had run into young master Adrian as well.
"What are you doing out of your tower? I thought Father ordered you to be locked up forever. Hurry up and return to the tower before I report your behaviour."
Adrian was calm, but the suppressed rage in his voice was undeniable. According to the 12-year-old, he had all the right to be angry at this demon's existence.
Her presence made not only his mother sad but also his father. Adrian did not like this child, but his instincts (and father) told him that she was a necessary evil that they needed to cultivate.
"..."
The girl did not reply to Adrian, but her eyes were sharp and attentive. She had heard everything and then chosen to ignore Adrian.
"Hey, I know that you are not a mute. At least speak up when I ask you a question. Are you listening to me?"
Adrian asked as he tried to grab the child in front of him. He had heard the rumours of this child being a demon, but he had seen just as many people hold her and usher her out of places she was not wanted into.
That assured Adrian that the demon's powers did not work on people physically.
But before he could touch the younger child, she flinched and stepped back. It was an unconscious action, and it made Adrian feel guilty.
He did not mean to startle the younger one, and the guilt forced Adrian to calm down. But just as soon as he felt these emotions, he remembered his mother's sad eyes and his rather annoyed eyes.
All the sympathy he felt for the child evaporated into thin air. It also soured Adrian's mood, and he no longer wanted to walk around the garden. This girl's presence disturbed the serenity and peace of his garden.
"You! Go back to your tower right now. We are about to receive some significant guests soon, and I do not want to see your face when we receive them. So, you, what is your name?"
Adrian finally realises that he does not even know this demon's name. But to be fair, no one called this demon by her name.
They either called her 'the cursed one' or nothing at all. So where was Adrian supposed to know anything about her, much less her name? He waited for the girl to speak up at least once.
While he was observing Rachael, the girl was also watching him back. She was surprised to be asked for her name since this was the first time anyone had done so. (It was the second, but that pervert from the school did not count.)
Despite feeling slightly out of her depths, Rachael knew there was no point in hiding her name. Even if she said nothing, the young master in front of her would know her name sooner or later.
"My name is Rachael. It is nice to meet you, young master Adrian."
Rachael lowered her eyes and did not look at the teenager before her. This was how most adults wanted her to act - submissive and someone who knew her place.
And truthfully, Rachael did not mind playing this part. It kept people away from her for the most part and ensured that Rachael would not be punished unnecessarily.
But even if all this was standard for Rachael, it did not sit well with Adrian. This girl with his father's hair was not even looking straight at him. It made Adrian feel uncomfortable.
'This darn eye-catching colour. It is so irritating to see this girl all the time. Darn, if only this did not exist…'
Adrian's mind suddenly stopped, and he suddenly had an idea. He knew how to resolve his rage and ensure his mother did not have to pay much attention to this demon.
"Hey, you! You need to get your hair coloured changed. Your green hair is too eye-catching, and it irritates me. So, hurry up and make it something dull."
Rachael looked up at her half-brother with calm eyes. It was not as if this thought had also not crossed her mind. She had wanted to do this more than once in her life.
But there was a big problem with *wanting* to do something and *actually* being able to do something. And that *something* was named money.
Rachael's financial situation was…lacking to do anything by herself. And she is better than to expect Emily to help her out financially.
So, this option was out of the window.
"I am sorry, young master Adrian, but changing my looks is impossible."
Adrian frowned, and his chest burned even more in rage. He could not understand why this girl was trying to defy his orders.
Rachael quickly noticed that the teen was unhappy with her. And she knew that she needed to clarify her answer as soon as possible.
"Young master, I would like to change my looks as well, but I do not have the money to make it possible."
Adrian was stumped. He had never expected this to be the reason behind the demon's defiance of his orders. And to his twelve years old mind, that did not make sense.
The Chloracne family was so wealthy that even their servants had their mansions. So how could the leach of their family not have money to spend?
'This does not make sense to me. But find, if this is the demon's scheme to con me out of my money, then I will follow suit.'
Adrian quickly opened his inventory and took out a precious stone. He handed it to Rachael (more like throwing it toward her), and his face supported a frown.
"Here, use this to pay for yourself. The next time I see you, you should look nothing like your usual self. Do you understand?"
Adrian asked, and he walked away without a reply. He wanted to be the one to get the last laugh.
Rachael watched her half-sibling walk away from her after giving her a jewel that was equal to a small family's yearly budget. Money could be a terrifying thing if you knew where to utilise it.
"My lady, what are you doing here? Huh, what is that in your hand? Why do you have something that expensive? Did you steal it?"
Emily asked, and Rachael sighed. It was going to be a long say for her now. And tomorrow, she would go and get her looks changed.
"Young lady! I am talking to you. Don't you dare ignore me right now!"
Emily is not happy when Rachael ignored her. Emily's fuming face popped up in Rachael's vision, and Rachael knew she needed to duck.
Rachael's fast reflexes helped her dodge Emily's hand and reach her room. The door was slammed behind her back, and Rachael bolted it shut.
......
Adrian had done his good deed of the day and quickly sat beside his sister. Rose did not look happy because their parents sent all her friends home.
According to her father, a critical guest suddenly visited them. The kids were here to entertain the grandchild of their essential guest.
"Hey, brother. Do you know that we are forbidden to go into the tower in our estate because there is a demon there? I went there today with my friends."
Adrian tensed up as soon as he heard Rose's words. He understood Rose had never seen Rachael before; that was how everyone wanted to keep it.
But it seemed as if it was already too late for that.
"Do you know that the demon's room only has a half-bed and no fancy accessories? It was like walking into a different world. How can anyone sleep on a bed without a mattress? The demon is a terrifying creature."
The more Adrian heard about the tower, the more he was sure it was a place that did not receive much care. But indeed, there were some servants to keep that place up to date.
"My handmaid also told me that only one servant was looking after that place, so my friends and I snuck inside to check on the tower when that servant was busy. It was a terrifying experience since I also met the demon."
"Did you know that she looks the same age as me? But she also looks like daddy, and that is weird and also-"
"Rose, did you go to the tower without informing us first? Why would you do that?"
Adrian felt his heart skip a beat and clutched Rose's shoulder. His voice sounded, and Rose instantly froze before tears hit her eyes.
"I…that is…I just wanted to see…stop giving me that look."
In the end, Rose started crying, and Adrian panicked. No matter whose fault it was, once Rose started crying, all the blame became his. That was the curse of having a younger sibling.
And as expected, their mother instantly turned toward Adrian and gave him a disappointed look.
"Adrian, what did you do to make Rose cry like this?"
Their mother scolded Adrian, and it was unfair for his mother to blame him. She did not know what happened, so how could she just say it was all Adrian's fault?
"But mother, Rose snuck into *that* tower today and even took her friends. You warned us not to go there."
Sherina froze, and Adrian watched his mother's eyes become stormy. But soon, they calmed down as they looked at Rose's crying expression.
"Rose, calm down. I am not angry, and I will forgive you this time. But please, tell us before doing something like this again."
Now, this was unfair. Had Adrian done this, he would have been punished heavily. But because it was Rose, the family's youngest, it did not matter what happened.
Their mother instantly forgave her. That was an advantage the youngest had. And since the youngest was also a girl, it multiplied.