TYWML 03

3. An Unwelcome Proposal (2)
May 3, 2024

In the Empire, only sons had inheritance rights. It was an unfair reality for Liena, but the unjust law remained unchanged.

Because of this, the title of Count of Dyke was to be inherited not by the eldest daughter, Liena, but by the only son, ten-year-old Aaron.

However, there was no way a ten-year-old boy—still too young and without any proper successor training—could govern a noble household.

As a result, while Aaron inherited the title of Count, all authority over the family fell into the hands of the Countess of Dyke.

Though it was unfair, Liena had no choice but to support Aaron’s succession. If he didn’t inherit, the title and property would be passed to a distant relative.

It was far better that Aaron, her father’s blood heir, received everything. It was only right.

‘But I never imagined it would turn out like this.’

Grinding her teeth, she recalled the evening’s guest—Viscount Rotman. She had expected that the Countess, who never viewed her favorably, wouldn’t arrange a decent marriage match for her.

In fact, Liena had assumed the woman would leave her marriage prospects completely unattended.

But to suddenly summon her for a guest’s visit, only to insist she marry Viscount Rotman—who had lost his wife mere months ago—was something she never saw coming.

How could she suggest marrying someone rumored to have killed his own wife…!

If the Countess, who currently held all the family’s power, was pushing for this marriage, powerless Liena had no choice but to go through with it.

There was only one solution: to leave this estate.

But her father, being an only child, had no surviving blood relatives. The same was true of her mother’s side. Her birth mother had died when Liena was just two, and since then, contact with her maternal relatives had been almost nonexistent.

The only exception was her Aunt Leticia, who kept in touch now and then and lived in the capital. From the Dyke territory, located at the southern edge of the Empire, it would take at least three weeks by carriage—or three full days by magic portal—to reach the capital.

Which meant that going there alone, without help, was out of the question.

Liena began thinking of someone who could help—and whispered a name.

“Raul…”

It was the name of a childhood friend she’d known since before she could even remember: Raul Verna.

His homeland, the Barony of Verna, bordered the Dyke territory. He was a member of the Imperial Knights, usually stationed in the capital, but he’d recently written to Liena saying he was taking a short break to visit home.

If she could first escape to the Verna estate and then travel with Raul to the capital, she could ask Aunt Leticia for help.

Having made her decision, Liena hurriedly pulled out a sheet of stationery.

To Raul,

I received your letter saying you’re home on leave. But why haven’t you come to see me? I’m hurt. It’s already been a year since we last met.

Maybe it’s because Father is no longer here, but I’ve been feeling unusually down lately. If you read this, I hope you’ll come visit me. Please.

Your longtime friend,
Liena

Liena forced herself to calm her nerves and wrote as neatly and composedly as possible.

She wanted to be honest with Raul, to tell him the truth—but she couldn’t risk the Countess finding out. So she disguised it as a simple letter of greeting.

But Raul had known her for years. Surely, he would sense something strange from her one-word plea: “Please.”

Just then, Joanna came into the room carrying ice. Her face was even more swollen than before. Liena gave her a sympathetic look and handed her the sealed letter.

“After the compress, send this to Raul without Mother knowing. Got it?”

“But, my lady… If the Madam finds out…”

“That’s why I said secretly. Understand?”

“…I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Joanna glanced at her worriedly, then tucked the letter carefully into her clothing.

Smack! Rip!

With furious hands, the Countess of Dyke tore up the letter. Just thirty minutes earlier, it had been the one Liena wrote to Raul. How had it ended up in the Countess’s hands when she had entrusted it to Joanna?

Liena stared intently at Joanna standing behind the Countess. This time, her right cheek was flushed red.

Joanna silently mouthed her apologies, eyes full of regret. It was proof she hadn’t betrayed her.

‘Now Joanna’s the one in trouble because of me…’

Feeling pity, Liena still turned a cold gaze toward the Countess of Dyke.

Even after shredding the letter into four pieces, the Countess’s rage wasn’t satisfied. She tore it further, scattering the scraps across the floor, then stomped on them with her heel.

Was all that really necessary? Liena couldn’t understand. If anything, she thought she should be the one furious—not the Countess.

After all, it was the Countess who was essentially selling off her stepdaughter to a man suspected of killing his wife. She had no right to be angry.

“So, were you planning to run away?”

The Countess asked coldly, her sharp gaze fixed on Liena. For a moment, Liena was distracted by her piercing blue eyes.

She didn’t remember her birth mother’s face—how could she? The previous Countess of Dyke had died of a fever when Liena was just two.

But she’d seen a portrait—her mother’s gentle eyes, the same deep blue as the autumn sky.

Just looking at those eyes had made her feel warm inside, made her smile. She loved those blue eyes.

Maybe that’s why, as a child, she resented having inherited her father’s violet eyes instead of her mother’s blue ones.

Though she now proudly bore her father’s eyes, she once shamefully resented them.

So when her new stepmother arrived—bearing the same blue eyes as her mother—Liena, then eight, felt destined to love her.

All because of her eyes. Such a foolish reason, but fitting for a child.

But in her stepmother’s blue eyes, there was no affection—not like the honeyed gaze she reserved for her own children, Bianca and Aaron.

Coldness and jealousy replaced any warmth. Over time, Liena’s young heart learned to resent those blue eyes. To her, they became a symbol of love and hate—something she wished to love but could never truly embrace.

And after witnessing her stepmother’s actions following her father’s death, even that desire disappeared.

“Answer me. Were you trying to run away?”

The Countess asked again, her voice calmer now that her anger had subsided. Liena stared back at her, her face blank.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You were going to send a letter to Raul Verna!”

“If you read the letter, then you know—it was just a letter to an old friend. He wrote recently saying he’d returned to the estate.”

Liena wasn’t usually good at lying. But her voice didn’t tremble, and the lies came out smoothly.

Still, there was no way the Countess would believe that. Her expression darkened.

“Do you think I wouldn’t see through that disguise? You were hoping Raul would come and you’d run off with him, weren’t you? Why else would you send a letter now of all times?”

“What do you want me to do? It just so happens he returned at a bad time.”

“You insolent brat! You’re still so full of sass! Is this how you repay the one who raised and fed you?”

Liena let out a cold laugh.

“Raised me? Fed me? What kindness?”

“W-what?!”

“You say you raised and fed me, but I don’t remember any of that.”

The Countess’s already-red face turned even darker.

“If you had ever once thought of me as your daughter, you never would have done this.”

“My lady, that is out of line!”

The head maid cut in on the Countess’s behalf. Liena, usually not one to raise a hand to servants, slapped her hard across the face.

Today was different. That slap was for Joanna.

“You dare accuse me of going too far? You’re the one who needs retraining.”

With a cold, calm voice, Liena then turned back to the Countess.

“I will not marry that man. So you can consider this my final answer… Mother.”

She bit out each syllable of “Mother” like it left a bitter taste, then walked out. Joanna, after cautiously checking their surroundings, followed her out the door.