EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 118

Chapter 118

 

Her trembling pupils wandered around my neck, unable to find focus, eventually drifting aimlessly in the air.

“A necklace? What are you talking about…?”

Her low, grief-stricken voice gradually hardened with anger.

The Grand Duchess trembled as she rose to her feet and shouted.

“You insolent, wicked child! How dare you be so deceitful? Get out of my sight at once! Never appear before me again!”

“I-I…!”

“If you say another word, I will never forgive you. How dare you impersonate my daughter? A thing like you—how could you ever be my child!”

“…!”

It felt as if my heart had plummeted to the ground.

My vision blurred in an instant, my breath caught, and my mind went blank.

I clenched my skirt tightly in a desperate attempt to hold back my tears, but I couldn’t stop my body from trembling.

In the end, I couldn’t say anything more…, I simply turned and walked away.

 

****

 

“Haah…”

After the disheartened child’s figure disappeared, as if she had given up on everything…

How much time had passed?

The Grand Duchess, who had been standing there in a daze for a long time, suddenly felt all the strength drain from her body. She collapsed onto the chair.

Yet, her heart still pounded violently, as if trying to escape her chest.

Overcome by a wretched, paralyzing emotion, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, before she knew it, tears began streaming down her cheeks, falling ceaselessly.

It felt as though she were being swallowed whole by a dark, endless abyss.

She recalled the child’s shocking words from earlier.

‘Such a wicked child… How could she say something so cruel…?’

That child had already been on her mind far too much lately.

Even just ensuring the Marquis received treatment on time was admirable, but when she learned that the child had helped in the search for her daughter, she had been so shocked and grateful.

Perhaps that was why, in recent days, whenever she heard that Lia had visited the Marquis’ estate, she found herself unconsciously leaving her chambers to watch from afar.

 

***

 

⟨Hey! Stop running, you little rascal! If you fall, who do you expect to take responsibility? You’re giving this old man a heart attack!⟩

Her father, Marquis Diapel, raised his voice in what seemed like scolding, but his lips twitched upward almost immediately.

And when the child gave him a sheepish smile, he sighed in exasperation, unable to hide his fondness.

He was utterly smitten with the child.

And, as she secretly watched, the Grand Duchess realized…so was she.

Everything about the child fascinated her, how she scurried around on those small legs, how she chewed her food so earnestly, even how she simply smiled. She couldn’t take her eyes off her.

More than anything, she wanted to reach out, touch her hand, pat her head, apologize for being so harsh the other day.

She wanted to tell her that her name was beautiful, that it suited her perfectly.

But she couldn’t.

Every time she looked at the child, it felt like a thorn was lodged deep in her heart, piercing her with unbearable pain.

She knew what it was—guilt.

Guilt toward Adriana.

Then, she remembered a conversation with the Duchess.

⟨Your Grace, why Diana? You have your niece, Lady Clara, after all.⟩

It wasn’t hard to guess why the Duchess had asked that.

Even if Diana was the daughter of an old friend, wasn’t it more natural to take her own niece as her goddaughter instead?

⟨No one can take Adriana’s place, Duchess. No one.⟩

The Grand Duchess had responded with a bitter smile.

As a mother, the Duchess understood the meaning behind those words immediately.

Diana, as the daughter of an old friend, was someone she could give measured care and affection to as a godmother.

The child, too, would grow up knowing her place… she would never dare to covet the vacant position of the Grand Duchess’ daughter.

But Clara was different.

She was family, which made things even more difficult.

It had been a long time ago, but hadn’t she already clashed with Ascart over her attempts to take what belonged to her daughter?

Clara knew how to restrain herself in front of her, maintaining an appropriate distance but if she had been chosen as her goddaughter, she might have truly acted as though she were the rightful Grand Princess.

The Grand Duchess could never bear to see anyone act as if they were her daughter.

‘If I couldn’t tolerate it from my own niece…’

Then how could she explain these emotions she felt for a child who was a complete stranger?

Disgusted with herself and wracked with guilt over Adriana, the Grand Duchess shuddered.

She couldn’t stand it—the way her affectionate gaze, her longing, kept drifting toward that child.

So whenever their eyes met, she deliberately turned away, cold and cruel, shutting her heart off completely.

She feared that if she let her guard down for even a moment, she would treat the child with kindness.

 

***

 

‘But then… she said she was Adriana…’

When the child had made that absurd claim, the Grand Duchess had felt as if ice water had been dumped over her head.

How dare she? How dare she claim to be Adriana?

She could never forgive such blasphemy.

And yet…

Why did her chest feel like it was being torn apart?

Why couldn’t she stop thinking about the way the child had clenched her jaw, trying so hard not to cry?

She shut her eyes tightly again, swallowing down the lump rising in her throat.

She convinced herself… This was just the lingering effects of anger.

‘At least now I know her true intentions.’

Neither the Marquis nor Ascart would treat that child the same way if they learned she had claimed to be Adriana.

The Grand Duchess abruptly rose from her seat.

“Ugh.”

But just then, the headaches that had seemed to subside over the past few days returned with full force, as if her skull were being split open.

The pain in her chest was even worse than before.

Just as she sank back into the sofa, struggling to catch her breath…

“Your Grace!”

“There you are! We’ve been searching everywhere for you!”

The ladies-in-waiting rushed into the greenhouse, their faces pale with alarm.

“Your Grace, what happened to your face…?”

They were startled by her pallor and labored breathing, immediately hurrying to fetch water and medicine.

But the Grand Duchess raised a hand, signaling them to stop.

“Summon the butler.”

 

***

 

I ran into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. Then, without hesitation, I dove under the covers, hiding myself away.

My face was already soaked with tears.

But the sorrow still surged within me, and I buried myself deeper, sobbing like a child.

Once the tears started, they refused to stop.

Instead, my sobs grew so intense that my breath became uneven, my chest tightening until I felt like I might suffocate.

At some point, the pressure in my chest became unbearable, and I hastily threw off the blanket, gasping for air.

Sniffling, I pulled my sleeve up to my face and wiped away my tears.

But no matter how much I cried, there was no mother in this world to hold me.

“She was never there to begin with… but now, she’s truly gone.”

I whimpered, mumbling to myself.

I had worried so much. I had longed for her so much. I had…

The image of the Grand Duchess, her voice cold as she shouted that I was not her daughter, refused to leave my mind.

I resented her for not recognizing me. It hurt more than I could bear.

‘It’s all ruined. I ruined everything.’

But deep down, I knew. I had been too reckless.

‘I should have waited.’

I should have waited until I had undeniable proof.

But my desperation to be acknowledged, my longing to reunite with my family, had driven me to act impulsively, like a child.

Regret welled up inside me, stinging my nose.

‘What if… what if I’m not really Adriana?’

As my heart crumbled, doubt began to creep in.

But the moment I had faced the Grand Duchess, everything had made sense, the unfamiliar reflection in the mirror that had always puzzled me, the feelings I had toward master Ascart and the Marquis.

It had all convinced me that I was Adriana.

So even without concrete proof, I couldn’t deny it.

‘Then what is this necklace…?’

I had believed it was unmistakable evidence.

I didn’t want to remember it, but I forced myself to recall the moment, hiccupping as I replayed the memory.

⟨A necklace? What are you talking about…?⟩

She had said that.

It was understandable that she didn’t recognize the necklace.

But the way she spoke…it was as if she hadn’t seen it at all.

“…!”

Suddenly, my mind went blank, as if struck by lightning.

Only Diana could see the face that I saw in the mirror.

So it wasn’t impossible that only she could see my necklace, either.

Looking back, there were too many strange things.

Even though I had kept it hidden, how had that greedy orphanage director never found it?

From my days at the orphanage to the time I spent living as a beggar, not a single child, except for Diana, had ever mentioned my necklace.

Children were naturally curious. Someone should have noticed it by accident, at least once.

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became, and a chill ran down my spine.

What was once my most treasured possession now filled me with terror.

I raised my hand, intending to rip the necklace off and throw it to the floor.

“…?”

But my fingers wouldn’t move.

“What is this…?”

I stared down at my hand, dazed.

It was as if my own body refused to let go of the necklace.

And the moment I realized it, a terrifying coldness swept through me, as if the blood had drained from my veins.

The Grand Duchess’s daughter had been kidnapped.

But no kidnapper would abandon her at an orphanage while leaving behind her parents’ keepsake.

Then the only thing that had been left with me, the only possession I had…

‘It belongs to the person who kidnapped me.’