“Episode 19”
“Poor Isabella, it seems you’ve believed all this time that I was your father. Your mother was a whore who sold her soul to men every night just to stay alive.”
“Father…”
“Child, you have no father. You were conceived from mere refuse.”
With that one phrase, the very meaning of my existence was denied. I hung my head, my mouth agape like a broken doll.
“…How much do you want?”
Ethan’s voice cut through the silence of the reception room. My father responded with a scoff and a sneer.
“Ha, does the noble Duke of Holden think he can offer me as much as I want? You, a fallen noble?”
“Yes. I’ll pay whatever you ask, so go ahead and name your price.”
My father, who had been laughing uproariously, clutching his belly in amusement, suddenly slammed the teacup on the table against the wall. The cup shattered with a sharp crash, scattering pieces everywhere.
“What I want is not something a wretch like you can give me! I was about to claim all of the Ambrose Duchy’s fortune!”
“…I suppose that would be possible if there were no heirs.”
At Ethan’s words, my father’s eyebrows twitched violently.
“It’s common knowledge that the Duke of Ambrose has no children!”
“The Duke has three children born outside of wedlock. If you don’t believe me, go ask at the ducal residence right now.”
“What?”
“After the duchess died, the duke publicly acknowledged his children and gave them a separate residence. Do you think the Duke, who treasures his bloodline so much, would leave all his wealth to a second wife instead of his own children?”
It was unbelievable. The Duke of Ambrose had illegitimate children? Three of them?
Ethan raised his chin and smiled lazily.
“The clothing business inherited from the duchess has been barely making ends meet since her death, and their savings are about to run out. How do you think they’ll manage after that?”
“You expect me to believe such nonsense? This is just some fanciful tale from a fallen noble!”
“It’s not a tall tale. You already know that two of the Ambrose wool factories have shut down in the past year, don’t you?”
“…I heard they were undergoing a temporary reorganization.”
“Call it what you will.”
As Ethan lightly furrowed his brows, my father’s face turned pale.
“Count Eloise, why don’t you make a deal with me?”
Ethan spread his arms toward my father. His low, commanding voice and elegant demeanor made it seem as though he belonged to another world, despite being in the same room.
“Here’s the deal. I will purchase the two non-operational wool factories from the Ambrose Duchy and gift them unconditionally to the Eloise family.”
His raised chin and the languid gaze were haughty yet beautiful. His exaggerated gestures and stunning appearance made it seem like I was watching a theatrical performance.
My father, now thoroughly mesmerized by Ethan’s voice, murmured as if in a trance.
“I-is that true?”
“Of course. Have you always been so gullible?”
“What money does a fallen noble have?”
Ethan looked down at my father with a disdainful gaze.
“Our family has never once fallen. We simply haven’t conducted business publicly. I want to show you that the world you see isn’t everything.”
“What do you want so badly that you’d go this far?”
With my father now yielding, Ethan finally let a small smile curl at the corners of his mouth.
“It’s quite simple. Stay out of your daughter’s life forever. Until the day you enter your grave.”
As Ethan spoke with utmost contempt, my father’s fists began to tremble.
“Do you think you can sever familial ties?”
Familial ties? The man who ridiculed me as being conceived from refuse now had the gall to speak of blood relations? It was so absurd that I felt like crying.
“That’s not difficult, especially for people like you.”
Ethan picked up the travel bag he had placed under the table. As the tightly locked bag opened, my father’s cheeks twitched wildly.
“Consider it a down payment.”
My father’s trembling hand caressed the pile of gold coins overflowing from the travel bag.
“Now, choose, Count Eloise.”
My father glanced at the pile of gold coins before him. A single word would earn him more than enough gold and two wool factories.
But if he agreed to the deal, his stubborn pride, which he had clung to so desperately, would be shattered.
“You mean to say that you’re now as alone in the world as I am….”
His eyes curved into an enchanting smile as he whispered in a slightly secretive tone.
“It makes my heart swell with joy.”
I wanted to ask what he meant, but I clamped my lips shut as they began to part.
5. A Secret Engagement Gift
I sat in front of the main staircase, resting my chin on my hand, staring at the firmly closed doors of the mansion. Fidgeting with the hem of my slip, I suddenly stood up.
“Everything will be fine. It’s all over now.”
I paced in front of the door, trying to soothe my anxiety. The cause of my unease was one person only: Ethan, the master of the mansion, who was absent.
A few days ago, he had left alone for the Eloise estate to present my father with the two wool factories he had purchased from the Duke of Ambrose.
[Isabella, stay inside the mansion today. If you follow me like last time, I might really get angry.]
Although he had only been gone for three hours, the wait felt agonizingly long.
“…Please come back soon, I beg you.”
Then, I sensed someone outside the door. Like a pet anxiously waiting for its owner, I rushed to the entrance.
Finally, the door, which had been firmly shut, opened, and I glimpsed the fine platinum hair through the gap.
He was back.
Only then did the tight muscles in my shoulders begin to relax.
“Isabella, you were waiting by the door. You should have rested in the bedroom.”
Ethan, how could I rest easily when you ventured into the lion’s den alone?
I pursed my lips and gave him a sidelong glance, and he gently wrapped an arm around my waist.
“…Was everything alright at the Count’s estate?”
“It wasn’t as bad as I had feared.”
Ethan’s cryptic response made my heart plummet. I pulled open his coat to check for any signs of injury.
As I slipped my hand between the folds of his crisp white shirt, Ethan gently pushed me away, his face flushing red.
“Even if we are engaged, undressing me right at the door is a bit shocking. Not that I mind.”
“It’s not that. I was worried you might have been hurt…!”
As I looked up at him, my eyes welling with tears, his previously confused expression softened into a gentle smile. He placed a large hand on my head.
“Kind Isabella, I’m deeply moved that you’re worried about me. But there’s no need to be. The Count didn’t lay a finger on me.”
I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation of his soft touch.
My eyes then shifted to the large bag he was carrying.
“…What’s that in your hand?”
“The servants at the Count’s estate packed your belongings for you. I thought it best to bring them along rather than discard them without your consent.”
Belongings? I was puzzled. In that prison-like estate, the only thing that was truly mine was my miserable body.
No, even this body had been my father’s possession. I opened the travel bag with a bitter smile.
“These are….”
Inside the wide-open bag were several dresses I used to wear and some jewelry I often wore. They were items that Simon Britten had chosen, considering his tastes.
As I stared silently at the bag full of unwanted memories, Ethan spoke in a low voice.
“Isabella, though these are your belongings, I don’t want them in my house. If you need anything, I’ll buy you new ones. Burn all of these.”
“The dresses can be burned, but the necklaces and bracelets should be sold at a jewelry shop.”
They wouldn’t fetch a high price, but it might be enough to buy parrot feed.
As I reached to open the jewelry box, Ethan snatched it from my hand without hesitation.
“…Ethan?”
“I think you’re gravely mistaken. You don’t have a choice here. When I say to burn them, there’s only one response you can give. Isn’t that right?”
“But….”
“Isabella.”
Startled by the cold tone in which he uttered my name, I looked up. The eyes that usually softened like spring sunshine whenever he called my name were now sharp and stern.
“I’ll ask again. I want these shabby items all burned. What do you think?”
It was a firm demand, almost a threat. There was only one answer I could give through my parted lips.
