Chapter 7
After teasing Alicia and returning to her room, it was already past noon.
She could have sworn Diana had told her to come every morning. Yet, even as time passed, Catherine still hadn’t shown up.
‘How could I ever have thought such a disobedient child was angelic?’ Diana mused bitterly. ‘I must have been truly blinded by affection.’
With a bitter expression, Diana called for a maid. One of the maids standing in the hallway rushed into the room.
“You there.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
“Bring Catherine to me.”
Startled by Diana’s stern tone, the maid immediately hurried off to Catherine’s room.
“My Lady, the Grand Duchess is summoning you.”
“What?”
Catherine’s face twisted with annoyance at the mention of the Grand Duchess.
Of course, she clearly remembered what Diana had said the day before — that ridiculous request for her to assist every morning.
‘And who told her to give me her sight in the first place? No one forced her. She handed it over to me of her own accord.’
‘With perfectly fine eyes, no less.’
A sly grin crept onto Catherine’s lips.
Just remembering Diana’s solemn expression when she gave up her sight made Catherine want to burst into laughter.
‘What a foolish face that was!’
“My Lady…”
The maid fidgeted anxiously, calling out again when Catherine didn’t budge.
“Oh, fine. Why are you in such a rush?”
Snapping, Catherine stood up, grasping the hem of her dress.
‘Anyway, Mother said to hold back for now. So, I just need to keep playing the sweet daughter as usual.’
That silly woman will once again fall for it — ‘Oh, my lovely daughter, Catherine!’ — completely fooled.
Mocking Diana inwardly, Catherine began walking toward her mother’s room.
As she reached the door, she cleared her throat to make the sweet, canary-like voice Diana loved so much.
“Mother, I’m here.”
“Come in.”
When Catherine entered, she saw Diana seated at a table stacked with books.
‘She can’t even see, so why pile up so many books?’ Catherine pouted and took a seat across from her.
“Mother.”
“You’re late.”
“…What?”
Diana had gently corrected her mistakes before, but she had never scolded her so directly.
Catherine blinked in disbelief, unsure if she’d heard correctly.
But Diana smiled faintly and repeated herself, just enough to cause embarrassment.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said you’re late.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It completely slipped my mind, Mother.”
Though Catherine looked at her incredulously, she replied with a sweet, cutesy voice as usual.
Surely, Diana would melt at her charm — she loved her more than her own life.
But Catherine was wrong.
Instead, Diana replied even more coldly, her voice stern.
“Punctuality is a basic virtue for a lady, Catherine.”
Catherine’s violet eyes wavered.
‘She’s gone mad after going blind,’ she thought, grinding her teeth against each other under the table.
“I understand, Mother.”
“It would be best if you are more punctual from now on.”
As Diana continued to scold her, Catherine pressed her lips together — until a clever idea crossed her mind.
She sniffled, pretending to cry.
Of course, not a single tear fell. Diana couldn’t see anyway. Just the sound would be enough to convince her she was crying.
“Sniff… I’m sorry. I stayed up late reading last night…”
‘Now she’s faking tears?’ Diana didn’t even flinch, despite seeing her so clearly.
It was laughable. Maybe Catherine should join a theater troupe — she certainly had a knack for acting. Just like her wretched mother.
Still, Diana didn’t move.
Catherine stopped her fake sobbing and glanced at Diana’s face.
But Diana’s eyes were covered, and her expression was unreadable.
A small sigh escaped Diana’s lips.
For some reason, it sounded like ‘You’re fifteen — aren’t you too old to be crying like this?’
Embarrassed, Catherine cleared her throat awkwardly. Diana then handed her the books from the table.
“Here are the books.”
“…Why so many?”
“I’m blind now, so I can’t read them. I’d appreciate your help.”
“Me?”
Catherine’s eyes scanned the stack. Just at a glance, they looked incredibly thick. Reading them all would take an entire day.
“Many of the maids can’t read. Besides, I enjoy your voice. You can do that for me, can’t you?”
“…Y-Yes.”
Catherine forced a smile, hiding her displeasure.
Diana fumbled among the books and picked out the thickest one, tapping it lightly with her fingers.
“Let’s start with this one today.”
Annoyance surged through Catherine, but she held it back and picked up the book. It was about magic.
Her head spun. But there was no way she’d admit it was too hard — that would hurt her pride.
In a soft voice, Catherine began reading slowly.
Diana leaned back in her chair with the air of someone enjoying a classical music performance.
After about an hour, Catherine glanced up to study her mother’s face. Diana hadn’t moved an inch.
Wondering if she’d fallen asleep, Catherine cautiously stopped reading.
“Continue.”
“…You weren’t asleep?”
“I was listening, Catherine.”
Catherine’s face was on the verge of tears. Her throat had begun to ache.
“…Mother.”
“I can’t take this anymore.” Catherine slammed the book shut with a loud clap. Without meaning to, she spoke in a slightly irritated tone.
“My throat hurts.”
“What?”
“I’ve been reading for an hour already.”
To this, Diana said nothing. She knew Catherine’s temperament well.
When she used to love that child, she hadn’t bothered to point it out, but Catherine was far less patient than she appeared.
Diana had already expected this would happen — that Catherine would grow bored and complain.
So it went just as she’d predicted. Diana suppressed the laugh that was about to escape and paused for a moment before speaking very slowly.
“Catherine.”
At the cold sound of Diana’s voice, Catherine’s brow twitched.
“…Yes, Mother?”
“You’re fifteen now. I must have raised you too delicately.”
“…What?”
Catherine couldn’t grasp what was happening. The woman who had once doted on her without end — what was she saying now?
Looking at Catherine’s bewildered expression, Diana unleashed a storm of words.
“I hadn’t intended to say this, but I just can’t hold back. Whether it was because you were late from reading or for some other reason — tardiness is tardiness. And now you’re crying, too.”
Shock washed over Catherine’s face. But Diana didn’t stop.
“On top of that, I didn’t expect you to whine so much just from reading a book to your mother.”
“M-Mother…”
“I think you need to be punished.”
“P-Punished?”
Catherine’s face turned pale in an instant — she had never once been punished before.
“What kind of punishment…?”
Diana handed her a sheet of parchment — it was Catherine’s schedule.
“As I recall, the young lord of House Iverque is supposed to visit tomorrow.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The young lord Sawyer of the Duke of Iverque was not only the object of Catherine’s secret affections — they were also unofficially engaged, a match orchestrated entirely by Diana.
It had been arranged with the help of the Duchess of Iverque, a personal friend of Diana’s — back when Diana could still see.
But that was before Diana realized that all of Catherine’s affections had been a lie.
Diana had no reason to be kind to someone like her anymore.
The engagement needed to be broken. Catherine was not someone who deserved happiness.
Diana continued in a low, bitter voice.
“How could I introduce a young lord to a lady who can’t even be on time with her family, and who makes excuses for it? Let’s postpone it — until you learn to keep your promises better.”
“But…”
If she’d known this would happen, she would have come no matter how much she hated it. Real tears of frustration began to fall.
She had been so excited, so full of anticipation for this meeting.
Even if she ran to the Grand Duke, he had no ties to the Iverque family. Alicia had no power at all.
The only one who could make her the real duchess — through marriage to Sawyer — was, ironically, Diana.
“You…”
Now that she’d delivered the whip, it was time for a little carrot. Diana smiled as she spoke again.
Beasts required training that suited them. Diana planned to tame her.
She would make Catherine understand that it was she — not powerless Alicia — whom Catherine truly needed.
She would force the greedy girl to abandon her mother and choose Diana instead.
“…Yes.”
Catherine wiped the tears from her eyes. This time, they were real, but she couldn’t let Diana see. She might be scolded again.
“If you listen to me well, I’ll reschedule your meeting with the young lord.”
“Really?”
Catherine looked up at her with teary eyes. Diana wore the same soft smile she had before she lost her sight.
“Of course. You’re my beloved daughter, Catherine.”
“I’ll never be late again!”
“Good.”
Diana smiled sweetly as she watched Catherine’s face light up with joy.
Catherine’s eyes sparkled at the thought that her chance had not completely slipped away.
Completely unaware of the dark thoughts Diana harbored behind her smile.
