Chapter 24
I tried to calm my startled heart and checked on Father and Richard.
Richard was glaring at Father, holding his wrist, as if to prevent him from pouring the tea.
Father’s hand, which normally struck me harshly, seemed unable to withstand Richard’s strength and was suspended in mid-air.
The tea from the cup had already spilled onto the floor.
The small sound of tea dripping onto the floor echoed in the drawing room. It was only then that Richard spoke again.
“I asked what you were doing to my wife, Duke Tristan,” Richard said in a low, menacing voice, directed at Father.
The harsh and sharp tone of his voice was startling enough to make even me flinch.
Father glared at Richard with a face changing colors from red to purple, but unlike with me, he couldn’t be as fierce or exert his power.
Why?
Though puzzled, I eventually realized the answer.
It was because Richard was blocking him.
Even Father, no matter how imposing, could not assert himself against someone bigger and stronger.
I felt a sense of emptiness.
It was ridiculous that he could be so aggressive towards me but could not do the same to Richard.
So, Father’s violence and intimidation were ineffective against those stronger than him.
I had always known this, but it was a day of reaffirmation.
Even now, with Father’s wrist caught in Richard’s grasp, he was trembling.
He wanted to be angry but was too intimidated by Richard’s reputation to act.
Instead, he could only tremble in frustration.
I gave a hollow laugh.
It was truly absurd.
“Will you not remove your hand?” Richard asked, applying more pressure to Father’s wrist. Father groaned softly, evidently in pain from the intense grip. However, Richard showed no sign of releasing it.
He seemed determined to keep his hold until Father either withdrew his hand himself or showed some intention otherwise.
As if to prove this, Richard tightened his grip further, causing Father’s face to contort in pain.
“Enough!”
Only after Father surrendered did Richard release his grip. Father’s wrist was visibly darkened, indicating the force of Richard’s hold.
“How dare you, Count Theodore, subject me to such humiliation?” Father glared at Richard while massaging his wrist.
“Oh, it seems you are unaware. The lawsuit has already begun. The documents have been submitted to the Supreme Court, and I’ve heard that they are already under review. If Duke Tristan wishes to be treated as a duke in this situation, he must win against me and Diarna in court,” Richard said, standing next to me.
He was smiling so gently it seemed out of place, and it made him seem even more frightening.
I had momentarily forgotten, but Richard was the antagonist from the original story.
He was known for his ruthless retribution against those who deceived him.
Thinking about it, Father had indeed deceived Richard greatly.
Though it would benefit Richard, he had essentially sold his stepdaughter into debt.
Moreover, Richard and I were trying to take away Father’s Duke Tristan title.
We had already submitted evidence to the Supreme Court proving Father was unfit for the title. Richard had no reason to treat him as Duke Tristan.
“Cancel it immediately. Otherwise, I won’t stay silent either,” Father threatened Richard.
But Richard merely sneered in response.
“I’m curious. How will you respond? But if this fight begins, who do you think stands to lose more, between you and me? Could it be me? I’m accustomed to this sort of thing, so it doesn’t bother me much. Besides, this lawsuit is not about losing anything of mine, but about reclaiming what you have taken,” Richard said.
“You…”
“Me?
At Richard’s low retort, Father flinched. Seeing Richard’s displeased expression, Father involuntarily drew back. He even hid the wrist that had been grabbed earlier, a clear sign that Richard’s strength had frightened him.
Richard took a step toward Father.
In contrast, Father took half a step back.
It seemed like he was about to say something, but Richard took a deep breath and let out a hollow laugh.
“Duke, do you know what kind of people I despise the most?” Richard asked.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I despise those who try to deceive me the most. Especially when it involves money,” Richard replied, narrowing his eyes at Father. Though he was only looking, an overwhelming sense of pressure emanated from him.
“But you deceived me quite a lot, didn’t you?”
“That… that’s…”
“I never forgive those who deceive me. You’ve probably heard the rumors. Did you know that the person who tried to scam me lost his head?”
“…”
I had heard that story before, too. When I agreed to marry Richard, the maids at the Tristan estate had been gossiping about it. It seemed it wasn’t just a rumor but something that had actually happened.
Quietly observing the two men, I was reminded of Richard’s role as the antagonist.
“If I wanted to, I could take everything from you and leave you in the same state as them. Aren’t you curious why I’m stopping at just a lawsuit?” Richard took another step toward Father and whispered something in his ear.
Father, hearing Richard’s words, glared at me with a fierce expression. However, I couldn’t hear what he had whispered.
As I looked at Richard, curious, he stepped aside with a smirk.
“So why don’t you go back and prepare for the lawsuit?”
It was an obvious dismissal.
Father stood there, grinding his teeth as if turned to stone.
After a long, tense moment, Father finally spoke.
“Diarna, Count Theodore, I will make you regret this.”
With those dull words of revenge, Father stormed out of the reception room as if fleeing.
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving just Richard and me in the room.
The tension that had been building within me finally released, and I slumped against the back of the sofa. I felt more exhausted than I had when traveling by carriage.
“Are you alright?” Richard asked, checking on me. It was hard to believe that the man who had just exuded such a fierce aura was now so calm.
“Yes, I think I’m alright. Thank you for helping me earlier.”
“Don’t mention it. Are you hurt?”
“No, thanks to your timely arrival.”
I smiled at Richard to show I was okay, and he nodded in response.
“I expected him to come, but I didn’t think he’d show up so soon. You should have called me and stayed inside.”
“It’s something I had to face sooner or later. We’ll be encountering each other more because of the lawsuit, so I can’t hide every time,” I replied.
“That’s true,” Richard agreed.
As I watched him, a sudden curiosity made me speak up.
“What did you say to Father earlier? When you whispered?”
“It was nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Richard made a vague excuse and sat down next to me, in the seat where my father had been sitting.
Because of that, the last image of my father lingered in my mind.
“By the way… he seems like a third-rate villain. He used to be so terrifying,” I said.
“I didn’t expect him to be so petty either,” Richard replied.
His gaze lingered on me, as if he had something he wanted to say, but he remained silent, not bringing up any other topic.
I was actually grateful for his silence.
If he had asked me any probing questions at this moment, I feared that everything I had held together so far would come crashing down.
A third-rate villain…
Yes, in this world, that was exactly the role my father played.
A cruel stepfather who sold his daughter for money.
A fallen noble who, after living in disgrace, happened to marry the Duchess of Tristan, and after her death, stole everything from her—a mere extra in the original novel, barely mentioned in a single line.
Why had I been so afraid of such a person? Why had I even longed for his affection?
I had already realized within myself that there was nothing to fear from my father, and I had suspected that he would never show me any affection.
Or perhaps it was because, like him, I was just another extra destined to live a miserable life and die pathetically.
“Richard,” I called softly.
“Hmm?”
“Do you think we can… find the Rosier flower?”
The only flower that could free me from the role of the “unfortunate extra.”
I wondered if it could really be found. After searching for years without success, could it miraculously appear within a year and save me? Or was it my fate to be an extra who lives unhappily and then dies?
“….”
Richard looked at me silently in response to my skeptical question.
I appreciated his silence.
He didn’t give me false hope.
He just quietly watched me, allowing me to sort out my feelings.
“It was nonsense. Just forget about it,” I said, forcing a smile, though inside, I felt like I was burning up.
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