CHAPTER 35…………………………………..
Countess Wallace had already shouted, but she took a deep breath to regain control of her anger.
“Countess…”
Liandro, startled by my declaration, looked at her with wide eyes. He was used to seeing her always composed and dignified, so he had every reason to be shocked by her yelling.
She must have unleashed countless verbal tirades on her daughter before.
In such a short time, would her true feelings be exposed? That meant my declaration of severing ties was absolutely intolerable to the Countess.
Countess Wallace awkwardly smiled, fluttering her fan.
“I’m sorry, Viscount. I just… lost my temper for a moment.”
“No, this is not something you need to apologize for to me.”
“If it’s alright, could you leave us alone for a while? I’d like to have an honest conversation with my daughter.”
How amusing. She just wants to scold me freely while Liandro isn’t around.
“Of course. I hope you can persuade your daughter to reconsider.”
“Yes, of course. Our Idel is inherently good and devoted to her parents.”
Her gaze lowered, her posture forlorn.
“She’s just a little angry right now. I’ve made serious mistakes in the past, after all.”
She even shed tears at the end.
“Ugh, it’s all my fault. I just hope she will accept my apology.”
Liandro, completely taken in by her excellent acting, comforted the Countess politely.
“Do not worry too much. She will soon realize her mistakes and repent.”
“Thank you for your words.”
“I shall take my leave now.”
Liandro shot me a glare as if looking at a notoriously unfilial child, then left the room.
Next, the Countess turned her attention to Vineta.
“You, please leave as well.”
“That’s impossible. I’ve been ordered to stay by Idel’s side, no matter what happens.”
“Can’t you make an exception? I’d like to spend some time with my daughter.”
Even before the Countess’s tears, Vineta remained immovable, as solid as a mountain.
“No.”
Her expression didn’t waver even an inch.
A slight twitch appeared on the Countess’s lips, but she refrained from insisting again and sat down. Then, someone caught her eye.
“Hmm? Who is that?”
The page behind me flinched, shoulders trembling.
“I-I’m here as a servant for the client.”
“A servant? Since when have you been there?”
“…I’ve been here all along.”
Indeed. Before coming to the hotel, he had been the errand runner Sharon assigned to me at her office.
“If anything happens there, send him to the lobby here. He’s surprisingly quick and unobtrusive.”
True to the words, the small, nondescript Robbie had very little presence. Even though he had been beside us the whole time, the Countess hadn’t noticed him.
“Would you mind stepping out for a bit?”
Robbie asked me.
“…Should I leave?”
“No, stay here.”
“Y-Yes!”
By now, Countess Wallace ground her teeth in frustration. She barely kept her composure, pointing instead toward the lavishly prepared table.
“Anyway, sit, Idel. I want to see you eat your fill.”
She didn’t forget to add a melancholy remark in her tone.
“I wanted to prepare it myself.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
She had barely ever entered the kitchen since Idel became capable of cooking herself.
Well, maybe she made something once in a while, like a miracle.
Whenever she did, an excited Idel wrote a long diary entry about it, letting me know.
Today, mother baked cookies. She even gave me an extra one secretly, without my brother knowing!
Idel was a child who cried and laughed over a single cookie, even while being openly discriminated against. That cookie made her resolve to try harder for her mother’s approval.
Maybe she’ll love me as much as my brother, then.
Perhaps that was why only Countess Wallace came this time. Unlike the other two who neglected Idel, she used both carrot and stick.
Normally, she would use the stick, but occasionally, whimsically, she’d show kindness. Idel clung to those rare moments of kindness as hope.
Mother loves me too. If I try a little more, she’ll notice me.
Foolishly.
I had experienced some of Countess Wallace’s kindness during my time at that house.
From a third-party perspective, I thought:
Why make such a big deal over this? What is she trying to do with me?
It was that trivial. Idel’s joy.
I looked down at a woman who had used her own daughter for such petty rewards.
Perhaps she had her reasons. She often complained to Idel about her patriarchal husband and troublesome son, whispering that only Idel could be her strength.
Ridiculous excuses, but maybe I’d feel differently if I were in her position.
But the Idel who tried to understand her mother as much as possible was gone.
I am not her daughter.
“I have no intention of dining with you. If that’s all you came for, then I will leave.”
“Don’t be like that, alright?”
“Let’s go. Vineta, Robbie.”
“I-Iidel? Wait a moment…! Stand there! Idel Wallace!”
I turned to see a middle-aged woman scowling like a demon.
“You insolent girl! You marry into the Cassius family and think you can get away with anything?!”
This one felt far more familiar to me.
This is enough.
I signaled Robbie. He nodded and quietly moved toward the exit.
While Countess Wallace and Liandro were engrossed in conversation, I had already given instructions to him.
“She’s gotten so cocky now that you’ve spoiled her!”
Countess Wallace didn’t notice Robbie at all, but he subtly replied to divert her attention.
“How absurd. When did I ever spoil her?”
“What? Feeding her, putting her to bed, dressing her!”
“That’s only what any parent would naturally do. And even then, you didn’t do it properly.”
“What did I do?!”
“That household work. Why must it all fall to me?”
“Sigh. Still on about that? I expected you to grow a little after marriage. Didn’t we explain everything clearly back then?”
“I just didn’t want to speak. I never intended to see you again after marriage.”
Veins bulged on her forehead.
“For such a reason, you ignored us repeatedly? How embarrassing it was in front of the servants!”
Still, they never dared to cause a scene at Cassius Castle. They lingered in the parlor, killing time, then left.
“Clearly, the purpose was money. For Samuel’s business or the construction of a new mansion.”
Samuel, Idel’s younger brother, was arrogant and shameless.
Most letters from the Wallace estate were burned unread, but I had once read one out of curiosity. It was full of demands for money, like a depositor asking for his cash back.
“Is it wrong to try to profit from your daughter? How can you ignore showing your face!”
“The goal has been achieved. Liandro likely paid the money already.”
I didn’t care much. It wasn’t my money.
“…Yes. That’s the problem.”
Countess Wallace trembled, clutching her fan tightly.
“If you stubbornly insist on divorce and suffer even a minor hit, what happens to us? Not only will Cassius dislike us, but in the worst case…”
A sigh of deep concern escaped her.
“You could demand immediate repayment of all the money lent!”
Hmm, truly none of my concern.
“It’s a loan, so repayment is due! Your husband is stingy, isn’t he? With so much money, how could you actually lend it when asked?”
I could clearly picture the scene, though I had never witnessed it.
The Wallace family likely pleaded for money subtly rather than outright asking. In that regard, strict Liandro would indeed have lent it.
I’d bet 1 gold that he even wrote an IOU.
Countess Wallace tore at her hair.
“Before coming here, I stopped by Cassius. The duke was furious. The atmosphere was dreadful. If he wanted, he could legally crush our entire family!”
“And so?”
“What?”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
I spoke without expression, keeping an eye on the doorway.
“If you borrow money, repayment is natural. If you can’t, you must face the consequences.”
“Oh my. Look at her. How can she speak so coldly? Even her tiny inheritance from her father could be taken! Our family might end up on the streets!”
“Then you shouldn’t have borrowed money you couldn’t repay.”
Countess Wallace looked shocked by her daughter’s unusually stern attitude.
“I-Iidel…”
Before the marriage, when I went on strike, she had simply vented her anger, never treated me this coldly.
“I am your mother. You are my daughter. How… how can you—”
“It wasn’t my money, and I didn’t use it. You all can settle it among yourselves.”
“You think you can sever ties with us this easily? Cutting family ties isn’t so simple!”
“I’ll handle it myself. Don’t interfere.”
There’s always a way. Do they think I’d bluster without knowing what I’m doing?
Silence fell. Countess Wallace slumped, as if all strength had left her.
Of course, she would not suddenly realize her mistakes or regret treating her daughter poorly.
From what I observed, and from Idel’s diaries, she was not that kind of person.
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I could almost hear the final thread of her patience snap.
“AAAAAH! Ungrateful girl!”
Countess Wallace screamed and lunged forward. As she had done with anyone else’s stress, she now unleashed it on the easiest target—her daughter.
“Let go! I’ll kill you! How did I raise you like this?!”
Even restrained by Vineta, she glared savagely, spewing curse after curse, filthy enough to make one want to wash their ears.
I didn’t back away. Instead, I stepped closer to the restrained woman, raising my hand high.
Expecting a strike, Countess Wallace shut her eyes tightly.
Slash!
But the palm hit my face, not hers. She had struck herself.
I screamed loudly and stumbled backward.
“Idel!”
Vineta abandoned restraining her to rush to me.
Then it happened.
“What’s going on?!”
The door opened, and Liandro stormed into the room. Other startled diners behind him looked on.
The scene before them was…
Countess Wallace frozen in place, Vineta supporting me, and I struggling to stay upright, my cheek bearing the imprint of a hand.
