A Con Artist But That's Okay - Chapter 3

3. Eviction order

I don’t believe it.

In her delicate hand, she held a document telling her to leave her own home.

It’s not just a request to vacate the mansion, it was more than that. 

Seyzel looked at the list of assets one by one and let out a blood-curdling, rageful sigh.

“What is this! This is ridiculous! My father didn’t sell this mansion!”

“I don’t know if it’s your father who sold it, Seyzel, but the agent thinks differently.”

“…Are you an agent?”

Unless she was an idiot with absolutely no thoughts of her own, Seyzel should have understood the conspiracy that was taking place. 

Unfortunately, the innocent Seyzel couldn’t see the trap that had slowly ensnared her and just blinked her jewel-like eyes in disbelief.

Her uncle’s betrayal, the document forgery, her father’s loyal subjects’ betrayal, and her family’s downfall.

The words she heard sporadically didn’t necessarily connect well once they entered her hazy mind, as if they were meant for someone, anyone, other than herself. 

Mind you, it was not because she’s stupid. 

Her lack of understanding derived from a completely different direction. 

Rather, the fact that she, who had only been told that she was smart, was so confused meant something different.

Her upbringing. 

She had grown up under the wings of her father. 

His life blood to his daughter was for her to trust those closest to her, thus she had never once doubted the people who’d brought about her downfall. 

“If you don’t want to return the money you received, please leave immediately. Otherwise, things will get even worse.”

Among all the known beggars and those in need, they were the most common visitors in her father’s time of power. 

And yet, here she was, kicked out miserably.

Her family’s mansion, where her ancestors had lived for hundreds of years, was torn down before Seyzel’s eyes. 

Even as she watched the mansion collapsing, the legacy of her forefathers turning into dust, she couldn’t lift a finger.

How can this be?

She finally realized the depth of her situation. 

Her life had changed forever. 

Her father’s sudden passing was just the tip of the iceberg that pierced into her everyday life.

The world had been turned upside down. 

Values ​​like faithfulness, trust, and honesty, which she had never suspected, had turned their backs on her as if to show her just how worthless she was.

But unfortunately, the heartless world she would face began right then.

“I’m sorry, but our situation is like this, we can barely survive on our own. So even if we wanted to help, we don’t have the means to sign…”

“It’s inconvenient to come here like this, we can’t help you.”

Distant relatives and acquaintances who frequently visited her home turned away from her the second she became penniless. 

Seyzel was openly annoyed at their lack of compassion, and blocked the closing door as if she had come to beg instead of ask for a signature. 

I even tried to get a signature to prove that my uncle had forged the document, but no one was willing to come forward.

“At times like these, it would be better for you to adapt a little faster…”

To sum it up, every hand she reached out to had one common reply.

Don’t stick around anymore, we have no use for you now that we’ve sucked your wealth dry. 

It was nothing more or less than that. 

…There really isn’t anyone who could treat me to a warm meal.

It was at that moment in time where Seyzel Aramis had come to a world shaking awareness. 

This is how the world works. 

Even though I have been giving for decades, slaving away so that they are taken care of, when I need them to return the favor, they turn away in an instant without any care.

Penniless, Seyzel found herself thrown into a harsh world that had no place left for her.

Normally, at this point, if Seyzel gritted her teeth and strived to live a fulfilling life as she overcomes her obstacles, all of her problems should end here. 

But that’s a turn of fate that only exists in novels. 

No matter how intense the betrayal she experienced, there was no way that Seyzel, raised as a precious lady in a moral world that followed honesty and loyalty, could turn her life around.

Therefore, it is almost useless to even talk about life after that. 

Even the jobs she managed to find often cost her more money than she could earn, while people she thought were her friends took turns backstabbing her.

It wasn’t something I tried to make special. I wanted to live. 

I just tried to live by ‘always being honest and kind’ as my father taught me, but the more I tried, the more people became fascinated and attached to using me.

Years passed by as Seyzel became the victim to a few scams and more betrayals. 

The end of the once naive Lady Seyzel Aramis, who lived a better and more dignified life than anyone else, took a dark turn. 

“Seyzel Aramis, you were born as a nobleman, but you’ve forgotten your duty and could not overcome the greed for what is not yours. In a moment of selfishness, you took the precious lives of others. Atone with death!”

“Wow!”

…Why on earth am I here?

The boos and cheers coming from under the guillotine were deafening to her ears.

…How long has it been since I last saw the sun? 

The first sunlight in about 10 years was warm as it kissed her skin. 

Ah… Is this the type of warm weather appropriate to die under?

A hint of self-deprecation spread across those beautiful lips as she recalled the crime.

There was a scuffle

They’d come to forcefully take back the money she owed.

They’d come into the house, trying to take anything valuable in sight, amongst which was a marble craft. 

Seyzel had held it firmly, she refused to give it up. It was one of her last possessions. 

…When I came to my senses, I found myself laughing out loud in a sea of ​​blood.

Honestly, she wasn’t surprised. 

How far can a person’s life be twisted? 

Wouldn’t this be the end of a life that even God has abandoned? 

And for 10 years since her imprisonment in West Prison Saint-Plesia, the infamous collection center for outcasts, without even a proper trial, she was told that good things would happen if she lived as a model prisoner as if he were dead, and she was not wrong.

She had finally received a bit of kindness. 

Because on the day I die, a beautiful sunny sky watches over me.

“She’s smiling?!”

“…!”

The judge sat with his legs crossed arrogantly at the knee and made a crowbar frown. 

He was shocked by the sight of Seyzel’s vacant eyes as if she had let go of everything.

Nevermind. She is a woman who will die soon. 

Heh… That overly beautiful face will soon be chopped off from that body.

“It’s nasty.”

“Do you have anything left to say about the heartless murderer who took someone else’s life?”

“…Ugh!”

The executioner’s hand was cruel as he grabbed Seyzel’s hair in an iron fist.

His grip was ruthless as if he would not let her die peacefully. 

The judge’s face was just filled with irritation.

At her final moments, Seyzel realized the truth. 

The death of a good woman who had nothing wasn’t worth much.

No one cared. 

Her death had become a show of enjoyment that would soon be forgotten.

“…”

Nevertheless, her life was not all in vain. 

As she struggled to turn her head, she was able to meet four pairs of eyes filled with sadness. 

Leah, a poison expert.

Melissa, a rare document forger.

Theodora, a master of disguise.

And Azlin, the devil’s brain.

Her colleagues, with whom she had shared ups and downs for 10 years.

They were the only true feelings she has left.

[T/N: The only people she still cared for.] 

In my heart, I want to thank you right away and hug you.

To say my last goodbye.

If only they weren’t going to be decapitated after me.

“Seyzel Aramis! I asked if you had any last words to say!”

“…Something to say…?”

It was impossible for her to not have any last words. 

If I think about it, there is probably someone else who has more to say than me, but it’s all pointless now. 

Even when I told my story with dignity and sincerity, no one listened to me. Who will listen to me when I tell my story as I face death?

Seyzel gave up, in one breath, she snatched the star-shaped necklace around her neck, took out a small vial, and poured it into her mouth. 

This is it… The final gift that was made by Leah, a poison expert, so at least I can avoid the pain of having my head ripped off.

Tuk.

The wooden board of the guillotine enclosed around her fragile neck.

“…”

Father, are you satisfied?

The last time Seyzel saw the sky was a moment of sadness and clarity. 

Truly, I have lived according to my father’s will without a single deviation, so there is no need to be ashamed if I meet him now.

However, if you ask me if I would live like that again…

“Heh.”

Even as her consciousness faded, strong words of rejection spilled out from the depths of her heart.

She felt the clanging blade pass right next to her ear.

The bloody screams of a woman who lived a better and more dignified life than anyone else were scattered under the deep blue sky.

“I want to go back!”

***

I’m going to die.

If I could go back, I would discard you before you discard me. 

I’m going to chew on your bones, eat until you’re of no use to me before I spit you out. 

…How do I go about feasting? 

[T/N: Not literal, she would take everything they have to offer, until they have nothing to offer them. She wants to use people and discard them before they can do the same to her.]

I will chew, tear, taste, enjoy, and give it back to the people who have been viciously eating away at my good intentions.

What you guys did, I didn’t do in return because I couldn’t.

My father taught me better than to get my revenge. 

…But I’ve seen what turning the other cheek gets me. 

If only I could be reborn, if I could somehow open my eyes once again…

“Seyzel, are you okay?”

“Ah…?!”

Is it a dream?

…No, is it possible to dream even when you are dead? 

Seyzel opened her eyes and shook her head. 

Even so, there was no way she could understand what lay before her disbelieving eyes.  

I can clearly still feel that horrible tug of my throat being cut open… How…? Nevermind, I can’t sit still like this.

She looked around. 

…I’m back.

That too in my home, my drawing room.

“Seyzel, are you dazed?”

“…”

The first voice that reached her newly reborn ears was not that of an angel. 

…No way.

When Seyzel looked at the man closest among those sitting around her, she frowned pitifully.

“Oh my, I can’t believe you can’t come to your senses, Seyzel.”

“…Uncle?”

“Yes. It’s me, Seyzel. Ah, I see, you’re still in shock. I’m glad I am the only one who recognizes it.”

“…”

You…! I’ll find out! I’ll find out the truth!

Am I dreaming? Is this what death is like?

Well, if this was what death looked like, then she needed to find out why the man before her had betrayed his family. 

After all, it was impossible to ignore the man who threw her life into hell.

The sight of him sitting next to her in black mourning clothes and pretending to comfort her was absolutely disgusting. 

However, that expression on his face, and that sickly sweet voice were too vivid to be the last nightmare she had before or after her death.

“The funeral may be over, Seyzel, but you can’t just stay like this forever.”

“…A funeral.”

…Wait.

Did I really come back?