Spoils of War Duchess

17화

“Such a lack of refinement to the end. Hey! Where do you think you are to teach the mistress?”

“That wasn’t my intention…”

“Shut up! You keep answering back. Did you think I wouldn’t know what goes on among you nobles? Calling in people and mocking them left and right!”

Rinia ground her teeth as if recalling something.

“You peasants! Liars! Do you think you lived without dirtying your hands because of your own merits? It’s all thanks to the common folk! Our brother manages all those unruly mercenaries and even wins wars…”

Her words became increasingly disjointed, but Edel listened quietly.

She seemed to understand why Rinia was angry.

And she also realized Rinia was trembling with impatience and fear.

Rinia ranted and vented her anger for a while before finally raising both hands calmly when she saw Edel just listening.

“Leave! I don’t want to see you.”

“…I will withdraw.”

Edel quietly stood up and retreated from Rinia’s room.

As she closed the door, a name she hadn’t called for a long time burst out of her mouth like a sigh.

“Rin…”

—

“Sister, can I become as smart as you when I turn twelve?”

“What are you talking about, Rin? You are already smart enough.”

“…Father called me a stupid girl, though?”

At that moment, Edel was left speechless.

Her younger sister Rin, the youngest in the family, was just twelve then.

Verbal abuse towards her young sister was equally painful for Edel. But she couldn’t bring herself to insult their father either, so she tried to comfort her sister in the gentlest voice she could manage.

“Oh, Father… His words are always a bit harsh. It was probably meant to encourage you to work harder. He doesn’t mean it.”

“Do you think so?”

Rin’s eyes became lonely.

Even though Edel was only twelve at the time, she instinctively knew that it was wrong for a twelve-year-old girl to have such eyes.

“Rin! Shall we go downstairs and have some cookies? It’s almost snack time.”

She tried to lighten the mood, but Rin shook her head.

“I don’t deserve to eat snacks. Snacks are forbidden for a while.”

“What?”

“I don’t deserve to. You go and eat. I’ll read a book here.”

With a forced smile, Rin picked up the nearby book and sat down in a corner chair.

The emotions Edel felt at that moment were too complex for her twelve-year-old self to understand clearly, but she understands now.

She was angry.

She was furious at their father for pouring out abuse every day to Rin, who was loving and admirable enough.

Yet she felt bitter and sad that she couldn’t change anything.

“Rin! Are you unable to sleep after handing in this answer sheet? Did I invite this teacher by giving this money to see this?”

Father’s announcement was so concise and dry that she couldn’t believe it at all.

“What… what are you saying?”

“What do you mean? Have you also become a fool? She’s dead, what more explanation do you need?”

Idel trembled and slumped down.

But her father didn’t comfort her.

“Rin slipped and fell from the balcony on the third floor. That’s all there is to it. Be careful not to let unnecessary words slip out.”

Upon hearing those words, she understood.

‘Rin… committed suicide.’

The whole world seemed to darken with despair.

Amidst that, what was even more unbelievable was the one thought filling her mind.

‘Rin found her freedom.’

That’s when she realized. She too had always been contemplating an escape like Rin’s.

* * *

Walking down the dark corridor, Idel recalled the anxious and sharp sixteen-year-old Rin.

Rin and Linia.

Their names even sounded somewhat alike.

‘Both forced into things they never wanted.’

Rin was naturally free-spirited and lively. Such a child would never have fit into her father’s idea of a “proper lady.”

Linia was the same.

Clearly a cheerful and lovely person, she overnight became a countess because her brother became a viscount.

She couldn’t possibly handle her given status properly, not knowing anything about noble society’s etiquette, manners, or common sense.

Perhaps the nobles were also using her as a target for mockery. Because she was more approachable than her brother, or to find an excuse to attack Rascor through Linia.

‘So she must have developed anger toward the nobility itself. But on the other hand, she probably wanted recognition from them too.’

Idel knew well the cold and cruel side of noble society. Although her life wasn’t long, she had seen many times how social circles elevate and trample on people.

Despite being praised as the empire’s finest debutante, she had been plagued by gossip as soon as her marriage to Duke Lancaster was announced.

‘People’s attitudes change faster than flipping a hand.’

Still, thanks to years of education, she knew how to cope with such situations. Smiling gracefully until people’s interest faded. Acting enigmatic as if there were deeper meanings unknown to others.

‘But it’ll be difficult for Linia to do the same.’

She could imagine that Linia might not be able to say a proper word outside. And she would probably vent her anger on the maids inside the house.

‘For an authority figure to vent anger as an authority figure is certainly wrong. But there’s no one to teach her otherwise.’

Although Rascor was busy in the palace and was a rough person, he didn’t seem to properly care for Linia.

No, even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to provide proper advice because he didn’t understand noble society well.

‘If Count Creesus had assigned a governess for his sister, it would have been better… Should I interfere too?’

But who am I to give such advice?

Perhaps there was a reason why they couldn’t hire a governess.

‘Maybe governesses hesitated to come because of Count Creesus’s background…’

Especially if it were a governess who would delicately teach everything from one to ten for a debutante soon to enter the social circle, it shouldn’t be a poor noblewoman but a wife from a decent family.

Even ignoring the cost, who would dare send their wife to Count Creesus, who was a subject of caution among the nobles?

It was none of her business, but she sighed anyway.

‘Let’s not get involved unnecessarily.’

Idel returned to her room with such determination, but she still felt uneasy and restless.

* * *

Rascor didn’t return home until dusk fell that day.

After leaving his horse with the stable boy, he opened the mansion’s door, but there was no one coming out to greet him.

Since the mansion was used as a place to meet the members of the mercenary guild while deceiving the eyes of other nobles, the servants’ etiquette wasn’t given much attention.

Nevertheless, sometimes he got annoyed at the gap between his title and his actual life.