“Episode 22”
“Women are merely tools to be used. Especially Baron Anzrea, who raised his two daughters with their mother’s exceptional beauty in mind. Yet here he is, trembling over such a small matter.
“You seem to be disrespecting your father.”
“Of course not.”
“Of course not? Then what is the meaning of this behavior? Do you know what position you are in right now?”
The gentle father was nowhere to be seen. Baron Anzrea, who only wanted to appear kind to others, saw no need to hide his true self when alone with his daughter.
“What position, indeed? This is the seat of honor. No matter that you’re my father, your rank is not higher than mine as the Grand Duchess. I am simply following the proper etiquette.”
With each word she spoke, the baron’s face grew more rigid.
“What are you saying? Are you talking back to your father like this?”
“Have I said anything wrong, Father?”
“…”
Her words were not wrong, just provoking.
“Everything is wrong. What have you been doing here, defying me…?”
“Defying? I am merely following protocol.”
The old Dianna would have never dared to defy her father, even after facing numerous deaths. But the current Dianna was different. Although her family had no direct involvement in her child’s death, she couldn’t simply let it go. She had decided not to live by her father’s will any longer.
Her life had always required her father’s permission to move forward. Which parties to attend, which man to marry—she had no say in anything; everything was decided by her father. Thus, she had always walked passively in a world painted by someone else. She had been afraid of walking a path not drawn by her father, afraid of a future without the safety net of being the Grand Duchess. But looking at Baron Anzrea now, she felt a strange surge of confidence.
‘I think I can do it.’
This moment might be her first true step forward.
“So if you have something to say, say it now.”
“Something to say… Yes, this isn’t the time or place to discuss seating arrangements. We have more important matters to discuss. Let’s have some tea first; there’s much to talk about.”
With that, he rang the bell as if it were his own home. When the servant entered at the sound, the baron casually gave orders.
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring us some tea.”
The servant, expecting to take orders from Dianna, looked momentarily confused by the unexpected command.
“W-what tea should I bring, Your Grace?”
“No, that’s not necessary. You don’t need to bring any tea.”
“Dianna!”
“Then please leave.”
Dianna watched the baron, her lips curling into a slight smile. It was a small change in her expression, but the baron misinterpreted it, thinking that she was finally being placated and would listen to him.
‘My daughter could never change. I raised her myself.’
He had put all his effort into molding her into a perfect puppet, incapable of independent thought, more like a well-bred horse.
‘I must have used the whip too much recently.’
He had forgotten to give her a carrot every now and then. The sweet benefits he had enjoyed since Dianna became the Grand Duchess had clouded his judgment.
“Let’s set aside any hard feelings. You know I don’t mean to upset you.”
Dianna’s response was a hollow chuckle. Seeing her reaction, Baron Anzrea felt reassured and promptly got to the point.
“The reason I came to see you is that things have been strange lately.”
“Strange, you say?”
Dianna’s voice was flat, as she responded to her father’s words without much interest.
“Yes, the money that should be coming isn’t arriving. So I rushed here to see if something was wrong. Is there?”
“Is there what?”
“Or maybe there’s been an oversight in the paperwork. Can you check?”
Dianna watched her father, who spoke as if he were a wronged man deprived of what he deserved.
“Is that why you came?”
“Of course. The family of the Grand Duchess shouldn’t live in squalor. Ah, and about your youngest brother. He got into some trouble recently. It would be good if you could take care of that too.”
Dianna’s expression hardened at the mention of her younger brother. The reason she and her sister Lillian had started attending parties to find suitors was all because of their youngest brother.
Rondo Anzrea, two years younger than Dianna, was no longer a child but was nearing the age of his coming-of-age ceremony. Yet, Rondo behaved like a ten-year-old, causing all sorts of trouble both before and after Dianna’s marriage. Baron Anzrea always defended him, claiming Rondo was a good boy who fell in with the wrong crowd, but Dianna saw it differently.
‘If anything, he was the one leading the good kids astray, bullying and beating them, becoming the ringleader of all sorts of mischief.’
Even sending him to an academy as a temporary solution had failed. Not only had he caused immense damage there, but he had also been the first student in the academy’s history to be expelled. Thinking about Rondo gave Dianna a headache, and she pressed her temples with her fingers.
“Another… incident?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. Rondo isn’t hurt.”
Rondo’s well-being was the least of her concerns. Dianna, who had always been compliant, felt anger boiling within her. Even now, the baron only cared about his son.
