“Thinking of the deeds that…. that bastard and his mother have committed, I could…”
Panting, Pulcheria struggled to finish her words.
“Lady. Please calm down. You’ll collapse if you keep this up.”
“Let go.”
“You need to steady your breathing. Last time, you lost consciousness like this, didn’t you? The doctor…”
“Are you worried about my health right now?”
“Of course, my lady. How could I not…!”
The redness of her own cheeks was a later concern. Laila turned to check on Pulcheria. Her swollen cheeks and tear-streaked face were a mess, but Laila felt she had no energy to worry about that.
Though Pulcheria was not used to physical pain, it seemed that the precarious state of Laila in front of her worried her more than any immediate, unfamiliar pain.
How can you worry about me and still do such things? Pulcheria thought with self-derision.
“How can you, who is worried about me, commit such acts?”
“My lady…”
“If you truly understand my pain, if you’re my person, if you have affection for me… then this cannot be. It shouldn’t have happened.”
“My lady, I was foolish. However,”
“Stop with the excuses.”
Yet, the Franz she had seen didn’t seem to be such a cruel person.
She had heard many times of the terrible crimes his mother had committed, but the Franz she had personally experienced did not seem like someone who would voluntarily partake in such cruelty.
Perhaps he was just a pawn used by his power-hungry, blinded mother; Laila rationalized her decision to meet Franz with that thought.
A ruthless person, who takes lives as mere means to my ends, could never whisper love so sweetly.
Laila created excuses for her first love in her own way. Without them, she couldn’t justify her anticipation for their meeting and how freely she had given him her heart.
The longing she crafted inside herself soon morphed into expectation, and that expectation transformed into belief.
Laila’s hope that she might have been used rather than directly complicit in wrongdoing became something like a truth, fully morphing into belief.
“What if, just perhaps, this could be a misunderstanding, madam?”
Supporting a struggling Pulcheria, Laila barely managed to utter those words.
“…What?”
“Have you considered that some of your thoughts and feelings, some of your anger, might stem from a misunderstanding?”
Laila was desperate. She tugged at Pulcheria’s clothes, forcing her to meet her gaze and began pouring her heart out, word by word.
“I know well that a child cannot be entirely free from the wicked deeds of their parents, madam. But that doesn’t mean a parent’s intentions completely align with a child’s. Perhaps, just perhaps, you were merely used by your mother…”
Laila’s head jerked away again.
“Are you taking his side in front of me? Oh, dear. Laila, you’ve truly lost it.”
The slap was so hard she tasted blood in her mouth. Laila’s body trembled as she bit her lip.
“I never thought you could be so foolish… Marina, who has benefited the most from all the wicked deeds that witch has committed? None other than Franz, right? Do you see him as just a poor child used by his parents’ mistakes?”
“Madam, the Grand Duke I experienced wasn’t so ruthless…”
“Oh my. God. Get a grip, Laila, get a grip…!”
Pulcheria shook Laila’s shoulders forcefully.
Did she believe that shaking her would bring Laila back to her senses? Pulcheria gasped for breath, shaking her arms again and again.
Laila’s head swayed weakly. This is why love is frightening.
Having witnessed countless girls falling apart, unable to discern right from wrong due to the fever of love, Pulcheria found Laila’s state strangely unfamiliar.
No matter how foolish others may be, didn’t you believe that your niece, Laila, would be different? How many years have you cherished her by your side?
In that moment, Pulcheria felt an endless despair, as if all those years were being denied.
“That guy approached you first, right?”
Was that so? Laila lowered her head, recalling when she first encountered Franz closely.
On the day she went to run an errand for Countess Louisette, when the Grand Duke had playfully handed her back her blown-away hat. At that time, it was just a coincidence, she shook her head.
“No, he definitely approached you first. Of course, being naive as you are, you didn’t realize or feel it, but he must have orchestrated that chance meeting.”
Was that apparently planned? That couldn’t be true.
“Don’t you know how many women have crossed his path? To lure a naive girl like you would be nothing for him.”
No, that’s not who he is. Laila swallowed her words, not wanting to further fuel Pulcheria’s anger. She adamantly denied Pulcheria’s assertions.
“Sure, the initial meeting might have been a coincidence. But he must have made tremendous preparations to create a connection with you.”
“Why would the Grand Duke…”
Laila’s mumbling was barely audible. Pulcheria leaned in closer to hear her.
“What did you say?”
“Why on earth would the Grand Duke go through the effort to entangle himself with someone like me? That’s just speculation.”
“Why? What did you mean by that? Are you asking because you don’t understand?”
At last, Laila slowly raised her head. She struggled to grasp Pulcheria’s vague suspicions and unwavering anger.
Even if someone is wicked, do they really lack even a single percent of genuine feeling? Isn’t it possible to fall in love with someone by mere chance? Such thoughts filled her mind.
“He may have tried to extract information about Karl and me through you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Aren’t you the person closest to me? As the pre-election approaches, that guy must realize how lacking he is in taking the throne. Since it’s unreasonable for him to enhance his capabilities, the best method he could resort to would be to strike down his opponent.”
I had never thought in that direction. Laila had never even suspected that Franz had intentionally approached me to extract information about Duke Albrecht.
“But unlike that guy, who simply holds onto people with power and money, Karl’s subordinates serve their master with loyalty and devotion. No matter how much Franz wanted to glean information from Karl to attack, he wouldn’t have succeeded. He couldn’t have threatened or bribed Karl’s subordinates. Eventually, you caught his eye, Laila.”
“That’s… impossible.”
Laila’s gaze wavered. In her mind, she concluded that there was no benefit for Franz to approach me deliberately. She fully believed that the affection he showed was genuine.
“Think carefully. Did he not coax you into discussing matters about Karl and his personal affairs?”
“Ah…!”
Laila collapsed onto the floor. Even as she fell helplessly, Pulcheria did not budge.
Indeed, there was information about Karl that she had shared with Franz. Pulcheria closed her eyes in despair.
“I-I…”
She recalled unintentionally whispering to Franz about the safety of Her Grace, the Duchess, and the real reason Minister Linke of the Ministry of Magic was departing. Laila held her face in both hands.
Although she had carelessly talked about Duke Albrecht, it was never at Franz’s behest. Hadn’t she laid out unsolicited words herself?
Thus, even as she saw Franz disappear after saying such things, Laila tried her best to convince herself otherwise, blocking her eyes and ears.
If Franz had relentlessly pried into Karl first, she would have doubted him. But that didn’t happen. She was the one who willingly provided information about Karl.
After she said that, Franz had only sweetly kissed her and whispered words of love. How could she suspect a man who said he wanted to marry her and have children at that moment?
“You talked to him about Karl, didn’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be crying with guilt like this. What did you say? Laila!”
Laila’s unusual reaction made Pulcheria’s breathing, which had just begun to settle, become rapid again.
When Laila seemed to recall something at the words Pulcheria had thrown out casually, her heart began to race wildly. Anxiety surged up to her throat.
