Chapter 23
“I was wrong.”
Looking at Catherine, who was begging for forgiveness, Rachel thought of a man.
A man who was irresponsible, lazy, and foolish—a man who lived a pitiful and tragic life in the name of “freedom.”
Catherine and Alex both had some of his careless traits.
Rachel was determined never to raise her children to be like him.
She handed Catherine a small bottle filled with pink liquid.
Catherine didn’t take it right away and just stared at it blankly.
“What are you doing? Take it.”
“…W-what is this?”
Catherine asked, her eyes trembling as she looked at the bottle.
Rachel twisted her lips into a smile and spoke lightly.
“It’s called Philotes.”
“What?”
Philotes—an ancient word meaning “sensual love.”
It was a crazy love potion created by a mad alchemist who had fallen in love.
Essentially, it was no different from an aphrodisiac.
“You will give this to Eleanor yourself.”
“…Mother?”
“You promised to be a good girl, didn’t you? Then you should do as your mother says.”
Rachel smiled proudly.
When Catherine frowned, not fully understanding, Rachel decided to explain.
“Do you know what is most damaging to a noble lady?”
Catherine shook her head.
“It’s having her chastity questioned.”
“…You don’t mean—”
“We’ll let the world believe Eleanor is a promiscuous girl. Then no one will ever speak well of her again, no matter where she goes.”
Rachel wanted to destroy Eleanor’s reputation and everything she had.
She didn’t want to hear her name anywhere, especially in a positive light.
“But… that’s…”
Catherine hesitated, and Rachel’s smile faded.
“Tsk, how foolish.”
“Why are you hesitating, dear? Do you think this is too dirty?”
Rachel’s cold, dark blue eyes bore into Catherine’s lighter ones.
“…Ah! N-no, I just… I was just wondering why you would go this far.”
At Catherine’s naive response, Rachel sighed as if disappointed, then smiled again.
“Oh, my foolish daughter… acting innocent now?”
She leaned in and whispered to her trembling daughter.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it? The very thing you call ‘dirty’… is exactly what her mother did to me once.”
“This isn’t a crime. It’s justice. It’s karma.”
Rachel pushed aside the memories of the past that tried to resurface.
Sins create more sins.
Then whose sin was this?
“You’re my good girl, aren’t you? Remember this—everything happens for a reason.”
“…”
“Trying to act ‘good’ at the wrong time will only get you hurt.”
Rachel had given Catherine a deadline.
One month.
“Oh dear, the room is such a mess. Someone might have the wrong idea.”
“Y-yes, you’re right…”
“I trust you’ll explain everything properly to the Duke’s knight, Catherine.”
Rachel was telling her to cover up what had happened.
Catherine nodded weakly.
“…Yes, Mother.”
With that, Rachel left the room with her maid.
Alone, Catherine staggered to her feet and began to clean up.
Everything that had just happened felt like a distant memory.
Then—
The door burst open.
August and Helen rushed in, their faces filled with concern.
“Goodness…! My lady!”
“What happened here?! Are you alright?”
They smelled of tea, likely having been in the kitchen.
Rachel had sent them away earlier, telling them to take a break.
Catherine, always proud and elegant, now looked completely ruined.
One side of her face was swollen, her forehead was damp with sweat, and her golden hair was a tangled mess.
It was a shocking sight.
“I’m fine. Calm down.”
Catherine tried to reassure them, but they wouldn’t stop fussing.
“Fine?! You call this fine?”
“We need to call a doctor immediately—!”
Catherine pressed a hand to her forehead as a headache came on.
The noise was too much.
No one could know she had been hit by her mother.
“Enough. You’re too loud.”
“But, my lady, your injuries—”
“I said it’s fine. I don’t need a doctor. It’s just a little swelling.”
Helen and August hesitated.
Catherine didn’t say it outright, but they knew the Duchess was responsible.
After all, it was she who had sent them away.
What they couldn’t understand was Catherine’s reaction.
Her injuries were severe.
And yet, instead of asking for help, she was ordering them to stay quiet.
After a pause, Catherine sighed.
“August, stay. Helen, wait outside the door. Make sure no one enters until I say so. And do not call a doctor. Understood?”
“…Yes, my lady.”
Reluctantly, Helen left.
Now, only August remains.
“Now, explain.”
As soon as Helen was gone, August pressed her for answers.
His gray eyes, usually indifferent, were dark with anger.
“Why did the Duchess do this? Why?”
He looked genuinely shocked.
Catherine was surprised by his reaction.
Why was he so angry?
‘Is it because I got hit?’
That didn’t make sense.
August was the Duke’s man, his shadow.
He had been in countless battles.
He had seen worse injuries.
Besides, he and Catherine were not close.
They barely spoke.
Their relationship had always been distant—strictly professional.
They were supposed to stay within their limits.
Yet now, his clenched fists and heavy breathing made no sense to her.
“Does the Duke know about this?”
August asked.
If she said no, he looked ready to run straight to the Duke.
“No. And he must never find out.”
Catherine had no intention of telling the Duke what had happened.
Not today.
Not ever.
She met August’s gaze.
For the first time, he looked uncertain.
As if he couldn’t understand her at all.
“Listen carefully, August. I’ll only say this once.”
She was exhausted.
She had no energy to deal with his emotions.
“Forget everything you saw here today.”
