SOWD Chapter 97

Chapter 97

“If you have any questions, please ask. I will answer everything honestly.”

“Oh? Really?”

“I swear on my honor and my life. If those are too insignificant to be trustworthy, then…”

As Idel hesitated, wondering what more she should stake, Laszlo waved his hand dismissively as if it were all unnecessary.

“Since you say so, I’ll ask. I expect you to answer truthfully, as you promised.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“What kind of existence were you in the Canyon Count’s household?”

At the very first question, Idel froze for a moment. There were multiple ways she could answer.

“On the surface, I was the third child—eldest daughter—of two sons and two daughters. In terms of utility, I was a daughter meticulously groomed to be married off to one of the four great families. But… I doubt that’s something the Count isn’t already aware of.”

“Right. I’ve heard plenty. That the Canyon Count rigorously educated you to be married into one of the four great families. There were widespread rumors about you being the perfect bride.”

Hearing Laszlo recount her past made Idel strangely embarrassed, and she averted her gaze.

However, Laszlo’s gaze on her only grew more intense.

“But somehow… it seems like your relationship with your father wasn’t quite as it was publicly known.”

“Pardon? I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking…”

“Did that ‘rigorous education’ include violence and abuse?”

The sudden, sharp question caught Idel off guard, and her eyes widened. Laszlo, as if expecting her reaction, spoke again.

“You said you’d answer honestly.”

He was right. She had to get closer to Laszlo with the truth and plead her innocence.

Idel slowly nodded.

“The physical abuse was inflicted more on my younger sibling than on me, but the very nature of our education was close to abuse… I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

Laszlo clenched his fist unconsciously.

He could still see it—the violent scene he had glimpsed through a small opening.

That frail woman, mercilessly beaten in places where the wounds wouldn’t show, by Dustin. And Idel, unable to even scream despite the unjust blows.

That was the face of long-term abuse.

Even in his agitated state, Dustin knew precisely where to hit. And he was confident that Idel wouldn’t cry out. He wouldn’t have dared to do something so bold in enemy territory unless he had done it many times before.

“I don’t believe a single word that comes out of Dustin Canyon’s mouth. Even so, the reason I allowed you to meet him was… to be honest, I wanted to see if you’d betray me.”

At Laszlo’s words, Idel inhaled sharply and was about to shake her head. But he wasn’t waiting for her response.

“But instead, I found out something I never expected. That you have nowhere in the world to rely on.”

More than the revelation that Laszlo had overheard her conversation with Dustin, Idel was flustered by his angry tone while stating an obvious fact.

“Well… that is true…”

“Oh, really? Like an idiot, I thought I was that ‘place to rely on.’ So, yeah, I was a little surprised.”

Laszlo scoffed as he reached out and slowly ran his hand over Idel’s forearm.

“In my house, my person got beaten so badly she couldn’t even scream. Even knowing I was in the next room.”

Only then did Idel realize—Laszlo had been watching the whole time.

“C-Count…”

“It made me think. About how unreliable I must have seemed to you. And then, it made sense. To you, I must be no different from Dustin Canyon or Duke Lancaster.”

Idel frantically shook her head.

“No, no! That’s not true!”

“If it wasn’t true, then you should have screamed. You should have believed, without a doubt, that I would come running to protect you.”

Laszlo was furious.

Why? He couldn’t immediately put it into words. But whatever it was, it had to be justified. Because he wasn’t the kind of man to get this angry for no reason.

Idel, too, seemed at a loss for words. Her red lips trembled with uncertainty.

Laszlo let out a long sigh and dropped his head.

“Sorry. It’s not your fault.”

“I… I trust you deeply, Count. I am always grateful for everything you have given me. I hold no resentment against you, and I am happy with my life here. I just hope you can understand that.”

Laszlo nodded weakly, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“I lashed out at the wrong person in my frustration. Don’t worry because of me, and get some rest today. I’ll have Margaret send some medicine—make sure to apply it properly.”

Idel seemed about to say something more but sighed instead and bowed her head.

And after she left the office, Laszlo sank into deep regret.

‘If I really think about it, Idel was nothing but a victim of the Canyon Count’s ambitions from the beginning. I failed to see that because of my own prejudices.’

When he saw Idel, forced into marriage with Duke Lancaster, he had thought, She sold her beauty and body for power, just like any other woman.

If she didn’t want it, she could have run away, he had also thought.

But noblewomen had few choices to begin with. That was a reality of the aristocracy that a commoner like him could never fully grasp.

And back then, Idel had smiled every time her marriage was mentioned, as if she were happy.

How many nights did she cry herself to sleep just to be able to smile like that?

Her quiet cries echoed in his ears again.

“I fulfilled the duty you assigned me by being sold to Duke Lancaster. That should be enough.”

“Do you remember how I begged you on my knees for the first time in my life? I pleaded with you to stop, starving and crying for days!”

Why did all the pieces only now fall into place?

The greedy Canyon Count. The absurd age gap in her marriage. The duchess abandoned in the Lancaster estate. The Canyon Count severing ties with her completely for over a year. Idel, as if imprisoning herself, staying in this place. Idel, claiming to be happy with her current life…

She could say she was happy because of the life she had lived. That wasn’t a lie.

He had countless chances to give Idel the trust she deserved.

But he had only pitied her sometimes, admired her occasionally, and been grateful to her at times. He had never fully opened his heart to her.

Maybe it was that lingering suspicion—the fear that the remnants of the rebellion might use Idel to find his weakness—that had left her with nowhere in the world to rely on.

He recalled a conversation they once had—perhaps when he had appointed her as his steward.

“People with nothing left are surprisingly reliable. As long as I become their only support.”

“Are you saying that you will be my only support, Count?”

Back then, he hadn’t been able to answer. He had only laughed it off as a joke.

What an idiot.

How many wounds had Idel suffered because of his careless words?

Laszlo sighed deeply.

Just then, someone knocked on his office door.

For a moment, he thought it was Idel, but she had no reason to return.

“Come in.”

His voice was weak.

The door opened slightly, and Rinia peeked inside.

“Brother, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

His usual response reassured her, and she stepped inside.

“I heard you yelled at Idel earlier…”

“Did you put spies around me?”

“That’s something you’d do, not me.”

Rinia pouted and plopped into the chair opposite him, still as mischievous as ever despite Idel’s attempts to educate her.

“It was nothing.”

“Then it shouldn’t be hard to explain. What was so trivial that you had to drag Idel away and yell at her? I’m dying to know.”

Rinia never let things go once she latched on.

Laszlo sighed, regretting his outburst, but it was too late.

He was reluctant to discuss Idel’s private matters, but Rinia had also misunderstood her.

“…Fine. You should know at least some of it.”

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