Chapter 20
~Just a note that this chapter below contains some abusive behavior in the first half~
It was only when she got to the front door that a strong hand violently threw Sophia to the ground.
Her body fell on the cold stone floor of the porch.
A pale complexion, sparse hair, and wrinkled pajamas.
Sophia sat down in front of the porch, unable to stand up for a while.
‘What is this…?’
She didn’t even cry or get angry.
As soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, she was harassed, so neither her rationality nor her sensitivity could properly handle this situation.
“You go to Lady Chanelia to sell me out? You’re an idiot who doesn’t even know what to think…!”
A shrill voice pierced into Sophia’s buzzing ears.
With her barely handling her throbbing head, she slowly began to understand her situation.
“I should have kicked people like you out early!”
Her step-mother poured blame on her face that was reddened alone.
‘It would be a good time if the male lead appeared…’
Even if she had a god of clichés, he came and visited yesterday, so it would be strange to come again…
Sophia struggled to get her body together and stood up.
As she straightened her staggering body, Rubisella’s eyes, captured with fury, were staring at her with a force to kill her.
“Are you going to ruin the family twice? Huh?”
Even as she was pointing at her, Sophia roughly brushed her tangled hair and pajamas that had been dirty from being dragged along.
And the green eyes slowly faced the hostess of the wild family.
“The hostess of the family…”
A still low voice came between her dry lips.
Rubisella meets dumb people.
She criticizes others for laziness, but neglects self-management.
After picking on other’s weaknesses, she was proud of her insight and felt a little bit of power, but she had no insight in herself.
In Sophia’s eyes, Rubisella looked like that.
‘I think you heard from Lady Chanelia about the discrimination I was subjected to…’
Instead of trying to talk to Sophia, she grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the house. Read only at pm tl.
And to think that this action wouldn’t fuel the rumors…?
‘She lacks common sense… I guess.’
It would be a mistake to expect something like common sense from a villain.
Sophia nodded and shook her head.
She still had no strength in her body because she hadn’t been able to take any food or medicine.
Come to think of it, she only ate half a bowl of potato soup because of Ian yesterday.
She couldn’t get out of bed because she was sick, she had no appetite, and her throat was so sore that it was hard to even drink water.
Meanwhile, Countess Frauss asked, fiddling with her large sapphire earring to see if she had heard Sophia wrong.
“Mmm, what?”
“It is the hostess who is tarnishing Frauss’s name.”
Sophia cleared her throat once more and spoke more accurately than before.
Then she saw a vein appear on her forehead.
“You still can’t get your act together…!”
The Countess’s hand was raised high, and she slapped Sophia on the cheek.
Sophia’s head, which she couldn’t avoid, turned.
Rubisella’s ring had scratched her cheek, leaving a red mark on her pale face.
In an instant, her eyes darkened and her ears became deaf.
Sophia was also tormented by the intense headaches that rushed through her brain.
She once thought that one day she would be slapped in the face by Rubisella.
She even thought that if she was slapped in the face, she would pay her back.
But her plans were in vain.
After being hit, her mind went blank and her stomach felt nauseous.
Dizzy, she managed to pick herself up and take a rough breath as she touched the front door.
‘Every day, it was money, money. Was it because I can’t make money?’
It reminded Sophia of her family, who one day had driven her out without mercy. (tl/n: she’s referencing her past life.)
Her body trembled at the sudden bad memories.
She could feel the taste of blood as her mouth opened.
However, Rubisella glared at her as if she was still angry.
The maids and butler, who had been around, slowly backed away when the situation got serious, turned their heads and looked away.
Neither the Count nor Ian was there, so there was no one to stop her.
And it was the time when Rubisella’s hand was raised high once more.
Bang!
The butler and maids who turned their heads at the sound were startled.
Everyone then turned their heads towards the sound.
The Count’s main gate squeaked and fell to the floor with a thud.
The front black grate was bent and twisted.
And a man stepped over the debris and entered.
“The, the, the front gate…!”
The butler was startled and stuttered.
It was the same with Rubisella.
The pole also fell to the ground without a hitch.
Slowly, the tall man stepped across the garden ignoring the stone path and trampled the lawn.
As if time had stopped, no one moved and stood still.
Sophia, who was still on the ground, slowly raised her head.
A soft coat draped over her trembling shoulders.
Crumpled, scratched and soiled pajamas were wrapped in a black coat.
It was a scent that she had smelled before.
“Huh… What…?”
Suddenly, Killian stood by her side.
Is it the power of clichés?
‘Since he was the male protagonist, did he come like a hero?’
Sophia thought, clutching the collar of the coat that covered her.
Killian looked at Sophia, who was trembling.
Her hair was torn and messed up, and there was a red mark on her particularly pale face.
The hem of her old pajama was torn from being dragged against the floor, and blood was oozing from a wound on her calf.
It was a miserable sight.
Killian bit his lip tightly.
He didn’t even realize it when Sophia told the Duchess of Chanelia about her discrimination and humiliation she had suffered.
Although there was sympathy, it was not so heartbreaking and painful for him.
He just thought it was a misfortune.
It may have passed as insignificant as a common tragedy that was like any other story.
But this crumbly existence in front of him felt different.
It wasn’t like sympathy that tightened his chest. An indescribable displeasure overtook him.
And it turned to anger again.
“Sir Archduke Rivelon…! Why…”
Asked the Countess in a trembling voice.
Killian’s black shadow, standing in front of the front door, weighed heavily on the Countess.
“I really want to ask you. Why did you slap my fiance in the face?”
A sentence that barely suppressed his anger spat out softly.
Rubisella’s gaze wandered here and there, looking for an answer.
“You are mistaken, sir. This child is not enough to become your fiance…”
Then, the brightly shining red eyes became even cooler.
“I didn’t know Frauss’s family tradition would be so savage.”
“But, as her parent, sometimes teaching the child how to be human…”
“Madam, if you say that, I will be very troubled.”
Killian interrupted the Countess and clenched his fists.
“I wouldn’t slap you in the face, at least, because I don’t want to break the rules of humanity.”
A heavy, subdued voice whispered quietly in Rubisella’s ear.
In his heart, he wanted to repay Sophia for what this woman had done.
But since he was not an animal, he was trying to be polite as a human being.
Rubisella’s face became even whiter.
Soon, the gentle gaze shifted to the Frauss servants who stood behind the Countess.
“Sophia Frauss is my fiance. But strangely, this family seems to have forgotten that fact.”
His voice was flowing slowly.
Killian glanced at the servants who were there.
Those who made eye contact with him shuddered and avoided his gaze.
“I don’t know if you were trying to ruin the relationship between me.”
“Oh, sir, we had no intention of quarreling with the Duke of Rivelon.”
The Countess’s red lips trembled.
“I just went too far to send a child who was not lacking to you…”
“Nobody…”
As Killian swallowed his anger at Rubisella’s excuse, he paused and continued.
“…Deserves to be treated like this, madam.”
To harm his person means to harm him.
Rubisella closed her mouth and nodded her head as if she understood.
“…It seems that my fiance is not in good health, so for the time being, I will take care of her at Rivelon.”
“Sir, but…”
“Because I never know when something like this will happen again.”
When Rubisella tried to stop him, Killian cut her off.
He turned his back on Rubisella and went to Sophia.
Sophia sat with her eyes out of focus, trembling like a lost person.
His uncontrollable, boiling rage cooled before her blank eyes, and a throbbing displeasure struck again.
She was barefoot on the stone floor in front of the front door.
Killian then held her in his arms.
Sophia did not resist. No, it seemed that she had neither the strength nor the heart to resist.
