“Is Lariette controlling my mother as well?”
“Lady… No, I want to apologize for everything Lariette has done to you.”
I couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh. Why is someone else apologizing for something they aren’t even involved in? What do they know? What did they hear that would make them apologize like that?
She moved closer to Lariette’s biological mother. She was ready to grab the woman’s collar at any moment. She was suppressing the irritation that spread all the way to her fingertips.
The villain who had caused so much trouble was no longer around. She had grown tired of the senseless violence, a result of being brainwashed by her sister’s magician.
“Speak clearly. Why are you apologizing to me?”
“I want to apologize for how Lariette damaged your reputation. Lariette was just envious of what you had. I… I couldn’t do much for her due to my low status. It’s all my fault, so I hope you can forgive her.”
“Tch.”
Her anger and frustration dissipated into the air, lost in a breath of air. She couldn’t even figure out where it all went wrong.
Yeah, it started when the count met a woman he couldn’t even marry. Even though he knew she already had a child, his mother still accepted it and married him. Everything was wrong from the start. Her mother should never have come to this count’s house.
If only time could go back, she would have stopped her mother from marrying. But what good is imagining that?
She looked at the woman, who was self-blaming and begging for forgiveness, with cold eyes. She had even become the head maid over time.
Listening to her lament was making the night feel longer. Perhaps Lexion had already returned, and he might be searching the mansion for her.
Just as she was lost in thought, a different voice reached her ears.
“Still, Lady, even if Lariette treated you badly…”
Did she know that her daughter was the one who had harassed her? If she knew how much she had endured, she wouldn’t say something like that. The woman, who had been listing all the wrongs done by her daughter, suddenly looked at Milena with pleading eyes, her gaze glistening.
“Lady… I heard you’re married now? To a Duke, no less. Could you not forgive our Grand Duchess?”
“What?”
“You’ve found your happiness, haven’t you? Lariette no longer bothers you, and you’ve found your own path. Now all that’s left is for you to be happy, right?”
Is she even in her right mind? Happiness? She thought she was finally escaping from her sister’s shadow, but with her sister still hovering nearby, she felt nauseous. However, she didn’t show it.
“Yes, I’m left with nothing but happiness. But, let me tell you something. My happiness doesn’t mean Lariette gets a free pass.”
She whispered softly into the woman’s ear.
“Listen carefully. Lariette will live in hell from now on.”
“How… how can you say that?”
The woman, about to shout at such words, was silenced by Milena.
“I’ll curse her until I die. I’ve never seen anyone who benefited from receiving my resentment. Do you think I earned the name ‘villain’ for no reason? Get a grip. You know so much about your daughter, yet you come here asking for my forgiveness?”
Milena sneered as she watched Lariette’s mother, who was meekly asking for forgiveness.
“If you were truly sorry, you never should have come into this house. At the very least, you should have hidden before I arrived. How dare you show your face in front of me and ask me to forgive Lariette?”
“Th… that was my mistake…”
“No. I will never forgive her. Never. It looks like Lariette sent you, so let her know. No matter what you do, I won’t get involved. Don’t cowardly send someone else, come to me and apologize directly.”
Milena left in a huff.
Alone in the room, Lariette’s biological mother stood dazed, then froze in shock at the voice that whispered in her ear.
[How disappointing.]
The head maid’s eyes widened.
[Mother.]
Lariette appeared, translucent, like a ghost, hovering in front of the woman.
“No, no… I’ve done everything I could.”
[Yes, you’ve done enough. But I can’t help you anymore. From now on, you’re on your own.]
“Lady!”
The woman tried to reach for her, but passed through her transparent form and fell to the ground. She begged.
“Please, please take me back to that time!”
Lariette looked at her with indifferent eyes. Her mother’s desperate cries were ugly. This imperfect relationship no longer seemed necessary to Lariette. She vanished, leaving her mother behind.
“Please let me go!”
Her desperate screams reached no one. It was her battle, alone.
Becoming the Grand Duchess, and the life in the Count’s house weren’t bad, but it wasn’t the life she had wanted.
It felt like a curse, as the woman found herself trapped within the mansion. She didn’t realize that this was Lariette’s revenge for the mother who had abandoned her in the slums.
As Milena tried to enter through the servant’s passage, someone grabbed her.
“Is your business finished?”
What was going on? She felt so drained.
“The night air is cold, isn’t it?”
The Countess’s eyes were calm. Or perhaps, they were filled with sympathy. Had she overheard her conversation with the head maid? Well, it didn’t matter. The fatigue was too much to deal with, and she didn’t want to talk to anyone anymore.
“I couldn’t get rid of her.”
As Milena tried to pass by after a brief goodbye, she stopped in her tracks.
“You tried to get rid of that woman?”
It was then that Milena properly looked at the Countess’s face. The Countess seemed older than she remembered. While Milena had become a single woman in her late twenties, this woman had aged.
“Before you arrived, I was planning to finish everything.”
Perhaps, this woman, too, was a victim. A woman with only the title of nobility. Sold into the house just before becoming a commoner. She couldn’t bear children, which the Count actually liked. He didn’t want a son who might claim his wealth.
“Dare I ask why?”
“Well, I couldn’t hold on any longer. Those who were loyal to the Grand Duchess were saying such things about you, it was as if they were bewitched.”
The Countess said this, finding the situation unbearable. Yet, she went on to explain how even the newly hired servants had taken a liking to Lariette, someone they had never seen before.
“How have you managed to endure here all these years?”
The woman, who looked even older than five years ago, only smiled at her question. For some reason, the Countess seemed unaffected by Lariette’s schemes. She was the only one who had shown Milena kindness in this house.
Suddenly, Milena had a thought. She was planning to sever her ties with this house, but what about this woman? Would she be trapped here for the rest of her life? She had no family to return to now.
“Milena.”
Had the Countess noticed her thoughts? She called her name with a warm smile, something she had never done before. Their relationship had never included calling each other by name until now.
“Don’t stay tied to this place. Soar far away. Don’t look back.”
“…”
“Living in the past won’t help.”
“I understand.”
She felt the weight in her heart ease slightly from the burden caused by Lariette and her mother. It was unfamiliar to receive concern like this, so she found it hard to speak.
“Yeah. I’ve been holding on for too long. Your husband was called by the Count.”
Lexion, at this hour? Milena furrowed her brows in concern.
Meanwhile, Lexion was meeting with the Count.
Just as Lexion had left his bedroom for a brief report from Gerard, the Count had called him at the right moment.
The Count seemed to think it was an opportunity, but he was mistaken. Regardless of how the Grand Duchess had treated him, his treatment of Milena’s father had reached its limit.
Seeing Milena’s swollen cheek stirred his gut with anger. For a moment, he had to suppress the murderous urge.
What should he do? In just half a day, he had confirmed many things about Milena. While he had been with her, there were always people moving behind the scenes for him, so all he had to do was receive reports.
Underneath his long lashes, his red eyes measured the Count carefully.
What would be the most effective move?
First, the road where he collected tolls would be blocked, the merchants would cancel their contracts, and he’d make sure the social scene was closed to him. If Lexion made up his mind, that would soon become reality.
His connections were substantial. While he couldn’t fully exert his influence in the North, this was nothing for him.
Hope this translation fits what you were looking for! Let me know if you need any adjustments or further translation.
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