They are all characters I control.

Although the Marquise Marie was a little unhappy with the rebuke, she could only obediently bring her face close to Claire's.

The Marquis of Rost looked very unpleasant. After all, watching his daughter slap her stepmother was not a pleasant thing, and if this family scandal got out, it would definitely become a disgrace to the Rost family.

But the future of the family is more important than the shame.

Elena, like her mother, thought the same way: to coax Lia into writing down what they wanted for the time being, and to discuss it after the banquet.

At this moment, all eyes were focused on the Marquise Margrave's face, and no one noticed Claire's slap.

Only Anna knew that the evil 'Lia' would never just deliver a simple slap.

Sure enough, when Claire raised her hand and swung it down, Anna noticed that there were many runes engraved on her palm!

It's a [Flame Imprint]! And it's an imprint with stacked effects!

Anna's heart skipped a beat, and then she saw Claire's hand whistling as it slapped Mrs. Mara's well-maintained cheek.

Mrs. Mara instinctively closed her eyes, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

"Snapped--!!!"

The slap was unusually loud, even with a strange popping sound.

There was also a scorching heatwave and a burst of crimson sparks.

That slap was truly spectacular, a burst of sparks and lightning.

"Aaaaaahh ...

She covered her left cheek tightly with both hands, and the air was instantly filled with the smell of burning flesh and burnt hair.

This wasn't a slap! It felt like being slapped hard across the face with a red-hot iron.

"Mother!!" Elena screamed, terrified.

"Mara!" Marquis Rost was also shocked and rushed over.

The courtyard was immediately thrown into chaos.

The servants were at a loss, and Elena cried out.

Lord Rost hurriedly knelt down, trying to check Lady Mara's injuries.

Claire calmly withdrew her hand, looking at her wrist and muttering, "Tsk, I didn't control my strength well and twisted my wrist. It's a pity I couldn't slap her to death."

Anna gasped as she looked at Mrs. Mara, who was screaming and rolling on the ground, her face steaming, her mouth full of blood, and spitting out a few teeth.

Who knows how much damage that slap caused to the Marquise Marla?

But an indescribable sense of relief made the maid Anna tremble slightly.

Having lived in the Rothschild household for over a decade, when had I ever seen the Marchioness Margrave in such a wretched state? Just moments ago, this woman had been sitting leisurely watching me being whipped.

Today, the roles of offense and defense have shifted.

Looking again at the evil 'Lia' sitting in front of her, Anna straightened her back.

This is the master she serves; with such a master, there's nothing to be afraid of.

"Quiet! Stop making noise! ​​Get out of my way!" Marquis Rost shouted at Elena and the maids who were shouting and making a racket.

After everyone finally shut up, he reluctantly reached for a small pocket inside his tuxedo.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Marquis Rost took out a magic scroll.

The scroll bears the mark of the Church of the Goddess; it is a scroll of holy light.

Although it was bought at a high price and carried with him for emergencies, the Marquis of Rost gritted his teeth and opened the scroll as he looked at his wife wailing in pain.

As the runic light emanating from the scroll shone, Marquise Mara's charred face visibly began to heal.

The charred cheeks had almost completely recovered under the divine magic, and there was no trace of the miserable state they had just appeared in.

As the pain gradually subsided, Marquise Mara also stopped wailing in agony.

She collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with fear and terror.

Seeing the Holy Light Scroll in his hand, now ineffective, Marquis Rost felt a pang of heartache once more; this scroll was equivalent to half a year's income for the Rost family.

At this moment, Rost just wanted to find someone to vent his anger on, and that person was naturally the one who caused this scene.

"Lia!!!" Marquis Rost suddenly raised his head, staring at 'Lia' who was sitting leisurely in the chair with bloodshot eyes, his voice trembling with extreme anger.

"Are you insane?! How dare you?! She's your mother! How could you be so cruel?!"

Elena cried out, pointing at Claire, "You devil! You're a devil! How could you do this to your mother?! This wasn't just a light tap!"

Claire raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and said earnestly, "I'm saying, can't you guys think about the bigger picture?"

"?"

"?"

Here we go again!

The Marquis of Rost and Elena's momentum was immediately halved.

“I’m helping you find ways to revitalize the Rost family, giving you the opportunity to meet His Majesty and the bishop. Elena might even become the future empress.”

Claire pointed to the half-dead Mrs. Mara on the ground: "And you, you're making such a fuss over a mere slap—well, a slap that was a little too hard?"

"A mere slap?!" Marquis Rost nearly choked on his own breath: "That slap almost killed your mother!"

“What else? Too bad you didn’t kill him.” Claire shrugged. “You guys have to keep me happy. If I can’t remember the details of that new tax for a moment, what are you going to use to please His Majesty and the bishop at the banquet?”

"Are you planning to rely on Elena's stupid idea of ​​'taxing socks'? Or are you relying on your nearly empty family coffers, Father?"

"Don't you know what kind of situation the Rost family is in right now?"

"If we don't seize this opportunity, will we be swallowed up by other nobles? Will our whole family be relegated to the slums to eat black bread? Besides, the Marquis's wife isn't dead, is she? What's there to be angry about?"

Claire slowly sipped her tea, watching the Marquis of Rost and his stepsister Elena, who looked troubled and speechless.

Anyway, it wasn't these two who got slapped just now, so of course they can still 'continue to think about the big picture'.

As for the person who was slapped, he has now recovered.

"You...you little bitch! I'll kill you!"

It has to be said that the scrolls from the Church of the Goddess are really useful; the Marquise Mara, who was just half-dead a moment ago, is now able to turn over like a sow.

She struggled to her feet, grabbed the longsword from the knight's waist, and charged at Claire, ready to fight to the death.

Just now, when Claire slapped her, it was as if Marquise Marla could see her great-grandmother in the mirror.

"Mother! Don't get agitated." Elena suddenly grabbed Mrs. Mara's arm.

"She... Sister Liya is right! Mother, you must consider the bigger picture! You... you must bear with it for now!"

"What kind of behavior is this?" The Marquis, his face ashen, snatched the longsword from his wife's hand and stood in front of Claire.

Claire took a leisurely sip of tea.

He crossed his legs, watching this family comedy, which was far more entertaining than making dumplings, with a sense of contentment.

Chapter 32 You must be patient; this is for the sake of the family (Author's note)

Marquise Mara, who had almost been slapped to death, wanted to take revenge on Claire, but was restrained.

The scene was like slaughtering a pig for the New Year. The Marquis of Rost and Elena desperately tried to stop the Marquis de Margrave, shouting things like "Calm down, calm down" and "We must endure for the sake of the Rost family."

After a few minutes, Marquise Mara was exhausted and calmed down.

But when she looked at Claire, the resentment in her eyes was even greater than before.

But she still doesn't know what to do with Claire (Lia), as they still have something they want from her.

"Lia, can you write now?" Marquis Rost gestured to the maids to bring paper and pen, urging Claire to write through gritted teeth.

The fact that her eldest daughter almost beat her stepmother to death is a scandal that absolutely cannot be made public.

The Holy Light Scroll that he used to save Marquis Mara was something he had gone to great lengths to acquire, and he had originally intended to use it to save his own life.

The Marquis Rost, as the head of the family, looked very unhappy, but he had to endure it for the time being.

“That’s right! Now write down every single detail you know about the new tax!” Elena chimed in hastily, her voice sharp and shrill.

"If there's even the slightest omission or mistake, you'll definitely regret it later!"

Anna stood behind Claire, watching this scene with great nervousness.

How could she not see that these people were waiting for the evil 'Lia' to finish writing what they needed, and then they would surely discard her after she had served her purpose?

At that point, it won't just be about putting spiked shoes on Lia and hanging her up with an iron collar around her neck to whip her; it will be much worse than that.

Thinking of this, Anna, the maid, couldn't help but sweat.

She felt that the evil 'Lia' must know this, but Anna couldn't help feeling nervous as she looked at the maid who was walking over with a pen and paper.

"Write! Write quickly! Finish writing now!" Marquise Mara whispered to Claire, staring at her like a starving beast.

Claire completely disregarded the Marchioness.

He calmly adjusted his posture and even meticulously straightened his slightly disheveled cuffs.

The Marquis Rost, standing to the side, had veins popping out on his forehead, while his stepmother, the Marquise Margrave, and his stepsister, Elena, were both gritting their teeth in anger.

"You want me to write on paper like this? No way, change it." Claire said calmly, grabbing the letter and tossing it aside.

Elena panicked when she saw the ordinary letter paper that had been tossed aside.

"What do you mean? Are you trying to back out? Do you think we won't use force on you? Do you want to be tortured to the point of wishing you were dead before you write it down?!"

Marquise Mara, standing by, fanned the flames: "What else do you want?! Do you want to slap your mother again?!"

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Rost's face turned as black as coal.

But he wasn't sure if the obviously strange 'Lia' in front of him would actually make that request.

“It’s not impossible, but if your grandfather sees this, he’ll definitely slap you.” Claire glanced at the Marquis Rost in front of her.

Although the first Marquis Rost betrayed him, he was at least personally promoted by Claire after she approved of him.

Even now, Claire admits that the first Marquis de Rothschild was quite capable.

If the first Marquis of Rothschild had seen the opportunity for advancement he gained by bearing the infamy of a traitor, and how the Rothschild family had fallen to such a state, he would probably be turning in his grave.

"Are you trying to provoke me?! Lia!" Marquis Rost roared, his eyes bloodshot beneath his disheveled hair.

"Tsk tsk, getting impatient? You're getting impatient?" Claire chuckled as she looked at the Marquis of Rost, but she'd already teased the dog enough.

He straightened up slightly and instructed the Marquis Rost before him, "What I need is not ordinary stationery, but notes."

"Those kinds of old-looking notebooks, preferably with some insignificant things from the Rost family's past on them."

“Of course, I also want the Rost family's coat of arms ring.”

Upon hearing this, both the Marquis de Roth and the Marquise de Marla realized what was going on.

Elena, however, hadn't quite grasped the situation and complained impatiently, "Does it have to be this complicated? Just write it down! You're just stalling for time!"

Claire didn't even bother to look at her, and scoffed, "Your brain is smaller than your toes."

"you……"

Elena was so angry that her face turned red, but she was interrupted by a low shout from the Marquis of Rost.

"Shut up, Elena!"

Turning to look at Claire, the Marquis of Rost's eyes no longer held the anger they had shown moments before.

"Sir, I'll go to the study myself and see if there are any older notebooks." Marquise Mara rubbed her aching face; she was missing a few teeth, which made her speech a little slurred.

"Well, let's go."

Marquis Rost nodded.

Watching Marquis Mara's departing figure, Elena, still puzzled, couldn't help but speak up.

"Father! This woman is just stalling for time. She's making this request now, but she'll definitely make another one later!"

Marquis Rost looked at Elena with some displeasure. Although his eldest daughter, Lia, was quite foolish, his second daughter, Elena, was unable to withstand any setbacks and was impatient and not calm enough.

But now, he has chosen his second daughter, Elena, over his eldest daughter, Lia.

Hearing Elena's complaints, Marquis Rost could only patiently explain, "You went in place of Leah. What if His Majesty and Bishop Simon insist on finding Leah?"