What should I do? Maybe it would be better to pretend I don’t know and just go on.
I hesitated, swallowing nervously.
For nobles, such matters were usually a disgrace. A disgrace they didn’t want to be exposed to others. Therefore, I didn’t want to meddle carelessly.
However, I couldn’t just ignore it and go on, as the voice of Countess Winter, trembling and pitifully frightened, stuck in me like a thorn.
While I was frozen, unable to either leave or act, Countess Winter continued speaking.
“Just one more time… If you give me one more chance, I’m confident I’ll do better than before.
I’m certain I won’t make a mistake this time.”
“That same line again! Do you even know how many times I’ve given you a chance only to be disappointed? I’m sick of hearing you asking for just one more chance!”
“Father, please… Ugh!”
The pained groan of Countess Winter cut through my indecision abruptly. Having heard that sound, turning a blind eye was no longer an option.
Slowly turning my feet that felt glued to the floor, I tiptoed towards the direction of the sound.
Soon, I saw Countess Winter on her knees and a burly man gripping her hair.
The identity of the burly man was obvious without asking. There was only one person Countess Winter would call father.
“…..”
Feeling overwhelmed by the fierce atmosphere surrounding them, I opted not to barge in recklessly and instead stayed pressed against the wall, observing the situation.
Whether from being struck multiple times or not, the cheeks of Countess Winter were distressingly swollen and red.
Moreover, her desirable red hair, caught by Count Winter, was disheveled, and her makeup was ruined by tears streaming down, leaving streaks on her face.
In short, she was a mess right now.
Seeing her in such a state instinctively made me frown, and I narrowed my eyes at Count Winter, who was intimidating Countess Winter.
Count Winter appeared to be a man of great vanity at first glance. His clothes, presumably made of expensive fabric, were full of lavish decorations, and his eyes, the same color as those of Countess Winter, shone with arrogance.
While I was assessing Count Winter, he suddenly pulled Countess Winter towards him. More precisely, he yanked her hair.
Despite the rough handling, which must have been quite painful, Countess Winter kept her lips tightly sealed, stifling any moans.
However, she couldn’t stop the tears that trickled down; clear tears flowed over her bruised cheeks.
It must have stung.
I absentmindedly clenched and then relaxed my fist, murmuring to myself about the pain she must be feeling, feeling pained myself just watching.
Meanwhile, Count Winter coldly snapped at her.
“Behave properly, Zarna Winter. You wouldn’t want to end up like your older brother, would you?”
“…I’ll bear it in mind, yes.”
“And when we’re alone, don’t you dare address me as ‘father’ with that filthy mouth. I do not acknowledge a bastard as my child.”
“….”
A bastard?
I hastily covered my mouth to prevent any sound of surprise from escaping.
Suddenly, I remembered the story Ian had told me when we were dancing at the banquet earlier.
“As you know, a bastard is not considered a legitimate member of the family, so they can be removed from the family register at any time. That’s why the position of bastards is always precarious.”
Facing the reality of bastards, which I had only encountered in texts and words, was quite a shock.
…This is practically not treating someone as human.
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even muster a hollow laugh. The astonishment that filled my chest turned into a light anger, surpassing mere bewilderment.
Somehow, the malice displayed by Countess Winter’s daughter Helen at the tea party seemed to fade from my memory.
What to do now.
With my thoughts colder than ever, I tapped my lips with my index finger, organizing my thoughts.
Seeing the condition of Count Winter, it did not seem like the violence would cease here. The young lady of Count Winter was already wailing as if she had lost her senses.
…I could no longer just stand by and watch.
Having quickly gathered my thoughts, I stepped towards them and opened my mouth.
“I came to see who was behaving frivolously, forgetting this place is the royal palace.”
“!”
“It was you, I see.”
Startled by my approach, Count Winter quickly released the young lady Winter’s hair and trembled.
“Oh, Lady Obelton.”
“Your words are few, Count Winter. Surely, given our statuses, I am placed higher.”
Unlike him, merely a count, I was both a member of a ducal family and the fiancée of the emperor. Thus, if anyone were to be looked down upon, it should be Count Winter, not me.
As I coolly critiqued him, Count Winter awkwardly laughed.
“Ha ha… My apologies. I couldn’t imagine meeting Lady here, so it seems I’ve made a mistake. I hope you can understand with your generous heart.”
Seeing Count Winter grovel pathetically, I suppressed the rising anger and lifted the corners of my lips to smile.
“Of course. Understanding and tolerance are virtues of those above us. But…”
I paused mid-sentence and glanced at Lady Winter.
It seemed that only then did Count Winter notice her presence, as his eyes widened in surprise.
“My daughter fell, that’s why!”
“She fell?”
It was a blatant lie.
When I deliberately asked back in confusion, Count Winter raised his voice as if excited.
“Yes. She fell in a very clumsy manner. I will make sure to educate her properly so that this does not happen again. Please, young lady, if you could now…”
“Speaking of which, I heard someone in the banquet hall was looking for Count Winter.”
Interrupting his attempt to hurry me back to the banquet hall, I lied just as Count Winter had.
I wanted to separate him from Lady Winter by any means necessary.
I’m not sure what he thought of my words, but Count Winter’s expression brightened instantly.
“Oh! I don’t know what they want to talk to me about, but I must go quickly. Then, I will go ahead, young lady.”
Seeing Count Winter hurriedly head back to the banquet hall, it seemed he had completely forgotten about the daughter he had just been hitting.
I sighed at his pitiful state and looked down at the Countess Winter.
“It’s okay now, my lady. Don’t be afraid.”
“…Why.”
Hearing my softly spoken words, she glared at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Why are you helping me?”
“….”
I was rendered speechless by the unexpected hostility in her gaze.
As I remained silent, Countess Winter sharply continued.
“Is it out of pity? Is that why you helped?”
“….”
“If it’s because you feel sorry for me, because of some contemptible sympathy, then please go back to the banquet hall right now. I don’t need your help.”
Tears that had gathered in her eyes fell.
Seeing her tears fall, I couldn’t help but care and took out a white handkerchief from my pocket. Then, bending down, I gently wiped her tears.
“What are you doing now?”
“I thought it would hurt if tears reached the wound. If this also seems like contemptible sympathy to you, then I apologize.”
“….”
At my response, Lady Winter closed her mouth, seemingly at a loss for words. Thanks to that, I wiped all the tears from her cheeks soaked with tears and then handed her a handkerchief.
“You don’t need to return the handkerchief, so if you want to cry more, go ahead, my lady.”
“…Why are you being like this to me? Don’t you remember how I behaved towards you last time?”
“I remember clearly.”
“Then why are you being nice to me? Don’t you hate me?”
It seems she knows she’s been behaving badly.
I burst into a small laugh and asked back,
“Could the lady simply walk by if she saw a stranger getting beaten up on the street?”
“…No.”
“It’s similar for me. It has nothing to do with liking or disliking.”
“….”
Besides, it wasn’t so much that I hated her, as much as I couldn’t understand why she bore malice towards me, a complete stranger, in the first place.
At my explanation, Lady Winter bit her lip again.
I gently added, looking at her confused expression,
“And, well, I felt a kind of kinship, too.”
“What does that…”
“Then, I will be on my way. Please, take some time to compose yourself, my lady.”
And with that, I got up, pretending not to see Lady Winter, who seemed to want to ask me something. This was because I couldn’t reveal the reason I felt a sense of kinship with her.
How could I explain it? Her attempts to look good in her father’s eyes reminded me so much of my younger self.
Swallowing the bitter sneer that threatened to escape, I moved away with clicking steps.
Seeing as thoughts of my father, always lingering in the back of my memory, began to surface, it must be nearly spring.
***
“Sigh.”
I stood in front of the banquet hall door and took a quiet breath.
The time had passed more than expected, but the fireworks were still not over.
Fortunately.
As I murmured softly and was about to slightly open the door, a hand unexpectedly appeared from inside and opened the door for me.
“?”
What is this.
As I blinked in surprise, a low voice came from in front of me.
“Where have you been?”
Lifting my gaze to the pleasant baritone, I met eyes that seemed to carry a chilly breeze.
It was Ruth, looking somehow displeased.
Had something happened in the banquet hall while I was away?
I pondered over Ruth, who exuded a subtly displeased aura, and replied.
“I was just walking around to catch my breath…”
“Ah.”
Then, he finally let out a restrained laugh, placing one hand on his waist.
“Now that I’ve shown my face, I’m thinking of going to rest for a while. What about you?”
“Hmm.”
In response to Ruth’s question, I spent a moment looking at the beautiful fireworks filling the dark sky.
The fireworks prepared by the wizards were so magnificent that I regretted not being able to fully enjoy them due to worrying about Tommy.
However, in my eyes, Ruth, with her slight smile, was the most beautiful sight, more so than the fireworks. Thus, I was not particularly attached to the fireworks display.
“I think I’ll go rest now as well.”
“Okay.”
As I gave a wide-eyed smile and nodded, he gestured with his eyes as if he knew I would say that.
I stared blankly at Ruth, whose face was unusually relaxed, and then I gasped as I remembered something I had momentarily forgotten.
Then I hurried over to him, stood on my tiptoes, and whispered.
