Chapter 41
“Life Pawned” –
Scarlett froze in place as if she were blocked by an invisible wall.
Her face flushed bright red for a moment, then immediately returned to its usual pale complexion.
Irina hadn’t expected her to welcome her, but seeing such blatant displeasure wasn’t exactly pleasant either.
“Could you bring me some tea?”
Irina smiled softly.
Scarlett stared at Irina sitting there so casually, then muttered that she would be right back and disappeared.
Irina wondered for a second if Scarlett had run away, but Scarlett soon returned, face calm as if she had never been shaken.
“You—… No. It’s been a while.”
“You look well. Is the tea coming?”
Irina pointed to Scarlett’s empty hands.
“Mm, you’ve changed a little too. So, why are you here?”
“When I came home, Mother wasn’t there. So I came to look for you. Is it strange for a child to come find her parent?”
Scarlett widened her eyes then curled her lips into a strained smile.
“Someone might think this is a touching mother-daughter reunion.”
“Well, even bad ties are still ties. So maybe.”
Scarlett looked at Irina with a hostile gaze.
She always looked annoyed at Irina, but she wasn’t usually aggressive—just irritated.
Yet Irina definitely seemed different from just a few weeks ago.
Hard to pinpoint how, but different.
“I don’t have time to waste like you. If you’re done talking, leave.”
Scarlett stood up as if the conversation had no value at all.
“Sit. I haven’t even started yet.”
Irina pointed with her chin behind Scarlett.
Behind Scarlett, her escort knights cast long shadows.
A flash of irritation crossed Scarlett’s face.
“Are you trying to threaten me too?”
“Too?”
Scarlett let out a sharp breath and shook her head.
“No.”
“You know about Father’s death. And I’m sure you know why I came.”
Scarlett eventually sat again, folding her arms and leaning back in displeasure.
“I’m grieving too. But no one knows what life will bring. It was simply your father’s fate.”
Fate.
Irina suddenly remembered seeing Scarlett once lean against the Marquis of Cossat’s chest, whispering that he was her “one and only fate.”
So that fate had weighed no more than a handful of ashes.
“You talk like it’s someone else. Yet you claimed you couldn’t live without him.”
“And what do you expect me to do? Cry loudly here for you?”
This was who she had always been.
Nothing surprising.
Irina nodded.
“Right. Crying won’t bring him back. Tears only waste water. And fine, say it was Father’s own doing. But we still have to hold a funeral. We’re ‘family.’”
His title had not yet been inherited, so the Earl of Cossat’s seat was vacant.
Irina still hadn’t formally succeeded him.
She had temporarily received help with the estate, but not the title.
Scarlett was still legally part of the Cossat household as the stepmother. Irina needed her consent.
Truthfully, Irina had thought Scarlett would cling to the house for the title. After all, wasn’t that why she married into the family?
“What’s the point of a funeral when his body wasn’t found?”
“We found him.”
“You did?”
“Yes. We found him. He’s been placed somewhere suitable.”
Irina narrowed her eyes, observing her.
Strange.
There had been no trace of Scarlett investigating anything about her father—not even curiosity.
Yet Scarlett behaved as if she expected Irina to never find him.
Even now she reacted like the idea was ridiculous.
“You knew nothing about Father? You didn’t even try to find him?”
Irina’s voice carried reproach.
“I told him to stop gambling. And when he vanished, I did look for him. I really did. I did what I could.”
“Lies. You never would’ve looked.”
“Does that matter now? …Fine. So what do you want? For me to attend the funeral? Tell me when and I’ll go.”
Scarlett sounded anxious to end the conversation quickly.
Irina sighed softly.
No matter the lack of love, she hadn’t expected this attitude.
Irina decided delaying wasn’t good for either of them.
“After the funeral, I’ll request succession of the title. I’m his only blood.”
“Then do it. Why bother coming to me?”
Scarlett almost shouted. She looked more annoyed by Irina’s presence than by the topic itself.
Irina frowned.
She’d expected at least some resistance—but Scarlett only seemed bothered Irina had reappeared at all.
“I would’ve if I could. But I need the stepmother’s waiver. I know things like this annoy you, so I’ll be direct. We’ll handle the paperwork. You just need to appear at court and state you’re renouncing it. Easy enough, right?”
Irina added that she didn’t want a messy fight.
There was no fortune to inherit anyway.
Only the title, and she refused to let Scarlett have it.
Scarlett seemed to know that—otherwise she wouldn’t have left the mansion in the first place.
That was a relief.
“Fine. Is that all?”
“Then I’ll see you at the court soon. I’m sure you don’t want to drag this out.”
Irina stood.
Scarlett didn’t reply at first, but when Irina took a step to leave, she called out.
“Hey, but you…”
Irina turned back.
Scarlett looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the courage. She bit her lip repeatedly.
“Go ahead.”
Scarlett still felt awkward to Irina.
Irina wondered how peaceful and happy Scarlett’s life must have been to look that refreshed—almost younger.
“Have you… been alright?”
A question Irina never expected from her.
“…That’s not concern, is it.”
“What, I can’t ask? It was just a question. Is it that hard to answer?”
“It’s not hard. I just don’t want to. And why do you think I’m here? Do you think Father’s death means nothing to you?”
“That’s not it. It’s because you’re still fine!”
Scarlett shouted, then immediately looked regretful and turned away.
“I’m still fine?”
“I… Forget it. Are we done?”
Irina nodded and stood.
She didn’t want to stay around someone tied only to bitter memories.
Before leaving, she reminded her once more:
“Make sure you attend. Both the funeral and the court.”
“Don’t you be late.”
They both rose and turned without a goodbye.
Scarlett muttered something under her breath and walked off first.
Irina followed shortly.
“Why did she ask why I’m still fine?”
As if she’d wished something happened to me.
Irina let out a dry laugh as she climbed into the carriage.
“That’s why you shouldn’t insist on going alone,” Howard grumbled.
He had arranged the meeting but couldn’t stop Irina from going alone.
“There was no danger. And it’s something I can handle myself. Still, thanks for arranging it.”
Howard’s frown melted instantly at Irina’s grateful smile.
“She agreed, surprisingly. I thought she’d cling to it. Oh, and she asked if I was threatening her. Who threatened her before?”
“Ahem.”
Howard coughed into his fist.
Irina blinked.
“Are you sick?”
“…No. Shall we go?”
“Yeah. Nothing left to do here.”
At Howard’s signal, the carriage began to move.
A few days later, Irina held a small funeral at the site where her father’s body was buried.
Despite Irina’s warning not to be late, Scarlett never showed.
Irina wasn’t disappointed—she hadn’t expected her anyway.
Later, on the day they were to meet at the court, Scarlett didn’t show then either.
She had already come at dawn and signed the renunciation papers.
Thanks to that, Irina obtained the title without trouble.
“She really is impossible to understand.”
Why avoid her so desperately?
The funeral, the court…
Was it because she once secretly searched Irina’s room?
Or because she feared Irina might ask her to return what she had stolen long ago?
It was almost ridiculous to Irina. Scarlett had always taken things as if they were hers.
Irina hoped she would never see her again.
That evening.
Irina stood on her balcony, looking down at the garden full of memories.
Weak lantern light faintly lit the grounds.
The garden she walked in so many times, the large tree her mother had tended. She could picture it even with her eyes closed.
Now she had finished everything she needed to do in Arendor and only needed to leave.
Once, this place had been her entire world. Later, it became the hardest place to be.
As she stood there staring for a long time, she felt someone’s presence behind her.
