Chapter 37
“Plaintiff, Countess Theodore. Is it true what Duke Tristan said? Are you really suffering from Dannella disease?”
The judge asked me while looking my way. If he were asking whether my father’s words were entirely true, I would deny it, but since it was a fact that I was suffering from that disease, I conceded.
“Yes, it is true that I am suffering from Dannella disease.”
“I see.”
The judge, who had paused for a moment, let out a low sigh and gave my father the floor again. My father wiped away his tears as if feeling wronged. Every bit of his demeanor was so insincere that I clenched my fists tightly.
From the perspective of this courtroom, my father appeared to be the most kind-hearted and affectionate person. But having experienced him firsthand, I knew. Those were just crocodile tears. It was a cowardly tactic to deceive the judge and receive a favorable ruling.
Even though I was watching him intently, he did not hide his phony demeanor. I wondered if he had forgotten I was present.
“Although Diarna is not my biological daughter, I have cherished her as much as my own. No one can deny that. Money? Titles? The mansion? Yes, if Diarna desires it, I am willing to return everything. But that is only if Diarna wants it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The judge asked, tilting his head at his ambiguous statement. I had a feeling I knew what my father was getting at, so I raised a hand to my forehead. I could feel heat rising from my head.
“The reason Diarna, who has not exercised any rights until now, suddenly demands all of this is that her will is influenced by someone else’s coercion.”
Having paused, he was looking at Richard, who was standing next to me. My father glared at him as if blaming him and continued speaking.
“It was Count Theodore who threatened Diarna and instructed her to reclaim everything.”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh at his ridiculous claim. Who is accusing who of what?
At this point, I began to understand how my father intended to protect his wealth and title. He seemed to want to paint Richard as a terrible villain and argue that this lawsuit was initiated through coercion, thus rendering it invalid.
“Count Theodore, is that true?”
The judge sought to confirm the truth with Richard. He frowned and shook his head in response.
“Not at all.”
“No, it is not true. This trial was initiated of my own volition. It is to reclaim what I was supposed to have.”
I also supported his words. The judge narrowed his eyes as he alternated his gaze between my father, me, and Richard, seemingly trying to figure out who among us was lying. Since we were making contradictory claims, it wouldn’t be easy for the judge, as a third party, to make a judgment.
Seizing the moment, my father interjected.
“If it weren’t for coercion, why would Diarna suddenly want to claim those things? As I mentioned, Diarna is suffering from an incurable disease. It’s a very severe illness that is devouring her life. According to her physician, she may have less than a year to live. What benefit could she gain from claiming titles and property?”
“Hmm…”
The judge’s gaze on Richard became suspicious, and it seemed he was halfway swayed by my father’s words. After all, who wouldn’t be influenced by such feigned tears?
However, things should not tilt in his favor like this. I felt anxious that if this continued, we would end up with nothing, and just as I was growing impatient, Richard stood up.
“Your Honor, may I speak?”
Unlike my anxious and worried demeanor, he seemed displeased but not particularly nervous or anxious.
“Count Theodore, please wait a moment. Defendant, have you finished your rebuttal?”
The judge first checked whether my father had finished speaking. Since the defendant now had the right to speak, it meant that if he had anything more to say, he could.
“Yes, Your Honor.”
However, my father, perhaps thinking he had gained the upper hand, stepped back with a faint smile.
“Very well. Plaintiff, please proceed.”
As soon as the judge gave his permission, Richard stepped toward my father. Then, in a clear and articulate voice, he asked him directly.
“Duke Tristan, why has someone who knows so much about Diarna’s Dannella disease never tried to procure the Rosier flower, which is known to be a remedy for it?”
“W-well, the Rosier is extremely difficult to obtain…”
“Yes, it is difficult. I admit that. But it’s not impossible to find. I only learned about Diarna’s illness less than a month ago. Yet, in that time, I managed to acquire two Rosiers for Diarna. It’s quite strange. Why is it that the flower, which the Duke has been unable to procure for five years, has suddenly been found twice in a month by me?”
The answer to Richard’s question was clear. My father had never attempted to treat my illness even once.
Even if the price was high, it wasn’t something that the Duke’s family couldn’t acquire. At the very least, if he had set his mind to it, he could have obtained a single pot.
“Your Honor, I have already procured two pots of Rosier flowers for my beloved wife. Once they bloom, Diarna will be free from her illness. Then, the claim that I no longer need the inheritance left by Duke Tristan because Diarna will die in a year will be proven to be nonsense.”
He stepped away from my father and faced the judge. As Richard’s earnest gaze met the judge’s, the judge nodded as if he understood his point.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Count Theodore.”
At that moment, my father exploded in anger and pointed a finger at him. As Richard was about to return to his seat, he frowned slightly at his sudden outburst.
“Your Honor, do you realize how absurd it is for Count Theodore to refer to Diarna as his beloved wife?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Count Theodore tried to build connections through our Duke Tristan’s family. Initially, the bride he wanted was not Diarna but my daughter, Cecilia. However, because Cecilia is young and too timid, I couldn’t possibly marry her off to Count Theodore.”
My father, interrupting, stroked Cecilia’s hair, his hand filled with affection.
“Diarna, out of pity for Cecilia, decided to marry Count Theodore. As a result, he was greatly disappointed. It’s no wonder they couldn’t even hold the wedding ceremony. Isn’t that right, Count Theodore?”
As soon as he finished speaking, I stood up. I had been feeling unwell throughout the trial and had been sitting quietly, but I could no longer remain seated and listen.
“Your Honor, may I rebut as a party involved?”
The judge looked back and forth between Richard and my father for a while, then raised his hands, signaling everyone else to be quiet. He nodded at me.
“Speak, Count Theodore’s wife.”
“Yes, thank you. To explain how I came to marry Richard, I need to go back further in time.”
I shot a glance at my father and continued my explanation.
“My father took everything from me, and recently he started gambling. At first, he wagered things that could bring in money, but eventually he ended up with a huge debt of 30,000 gold. Just as he wanted to build connections with the Tristan Duke family, Richard wanted to marry Cecilia for 30,000 gold, as my father mentioned. However, he couldn’t bring himself to sell his beloved daughter for money. So, he forced me into marriage.”
“Diarna!”
My father shouted my name. It was the same way he always did when I was at the Tristan Duke residence. That shout made me feel sick, and I couldn’t help but raise my voice.
“Yes, you yelled at me like that back then! I married Richard out of fear of your violence. This is what you wanted to say about the circumstances of the marriage, right? Am I wrong?”
He obviously couldn’t refute that. Such things would come to light quickly with an investigation, so there was no point in hiding it.
“It’s true that Richard didn’t hold the wedding ceremony. It must have been disappointing since I was the bride.”
Richard also remained silent at my words; he couldn’t argue with the truth.
“However, Richard was not threatened into proceeding with the lawsuit. In fact, I proposed it to him.”
“Why is that? Is it because Count Theodore provided the remedy for the illness?”
The judge asked me, puzzled. But that wasn’t the answer.
“No. Initially, I hoped that would be the case, but…”
I paused for a moment. I had originally asked Richard to reclaim what rightfully belonged to me from the Tristan Duke family out of a desire for revenge against my father and a slight hope that he could be my lifeline.
But now that I found myself in this situation, I realized that I wasn’t pursuing this lawsuit with those feelings anymore.
The reason I was cooperating with him in this situation was because of a single thing he had said to me.
“Richard was the only one who told me he hoped I wouldn’t die.”
😭