Chapter 81

Chapter 81

However, something was strange. Evan seemed to know the boy already.

“St, stop!”

“Why.”

Evan’s voice was terrifying.

“Are you afraid that you will be lying in bed for three months instead of three weeks this time?”

Three weeks…? Three weeks…

Evan’s words continued as I pondered for a moment.

“If you tell me what you did wrong, of course, I’ll stop.”

‘…Ah.’

At the time of the academy graduation, a young lord from Viscounty Gerdy had insulted him from behind, and Evan had beaten that young lord. After that, I was told that the other person was bedridden for three weeks. If it was ‘last time,’ I thought it must’ve been that time.

“Not in an abstract way. It’s not even better to speak more vaguely.”

“I, I was wrong! Ugh…! I am sorry, Young Lord! Ack!”

Obviously, I went to the bathroom and I expected that if I didn’t go back after a long time, Evan would come to find me because I assured him I would come really soon.

So, it was just to stall time.

“Evan, stop it…”

I grabbed Evan’s arm before approaching the young lord who was being beaten and handed him a handkerchief.

“You’re bleeding. Evan was a bit harsh, but my heart felt a bit bad.”

With pride, he didn’t take my handkerchief.

I pretended to wipe the blood running down the side of his forehead with my handkerchief, poking the wound further.

“Aacckk!”

And, whispered low.

“You said you could say that in front of the Duchy.”

“…What?”

“I was just listening to what you’d said. Did you change your mind a little bit because you got beaten once?”

After all, even if he spread rumors that I said this, few people would believe it.

‘They would think he was spreading false rumors to hurt me.’

This was because I had witnessed them trembling in various places to make them look weak to anyone looking at them.

“However, looking at it, it looks like you’ve been hit before. If I had known that you were not capable of learning like this, I would have repaid you differently.”

Before he could answer, an answer came from the wrong place.

“What do you mean your heart felt bad? Loosen your belt and get ready to wet your pants, you bastard! Laria, it’s a problem because you’re so kind! It doesn’t suit Icard at all!”

At that moment, Olivia came approaching with vigor and began to slam the rest of the group’s heads with a fan.

“Are the things that don’t even have blood on their heads already cursing at other people behind the scenes? Obviously, I did, too!”

Olivia exclaimed with all her might.

“I don’t, I don’t not!”

For some reason, it felt like these people weren’t saying anything very wrong.

“Stop. Stop it, aunt.”

It was Duke Icard who immediately stopped the mess. I swear, I really thought only Evan would come, though I didn’t expect everyone to come out like this.

“The price you paid for speaking so lightly of my son and daughter-in-law…”

Duke Icard looked at them and uttered coldly.

“Your parents will pay it back one way or another.”

“…Yes?”

He added with a smirk.

“In terms of good and evil, I’m a person close to evil.”

Everyone’s complexion became worse than when Evan and Olivia hit them a few times.

“So, sorry! Please, forgive me!”

“We were wrong. We were young, so we accidentally…”

In the end, they all knelt down from their special seats and humbly apologized. Of course, all their parents came and apologized in tears.

“It’s a pity they are kids.”

Miss Olivia clicked her tongue in displeasure.

“Even if they reached the age of adulthood, they’d get more tears and runny noses.”

It was a shame for me, too. It was because they were talking about children who were not of adulthood, so if we accuse them too deeply, the honor of Duchy Icard would be lowered.

Well, it was humiliating enough for the whole family to kneel and pray in the special seats where even the commoners in the lower seats could look up.

“Viscount Gerdy? Where the hell is it?”

Saying that she would never forget them, Olivia recited each one of their names once again and asked with a frown. At that, Duke Icard answered calmly.

“It’s a lowly family… These days, Duke Orlando is looking after them, and they are barely running a noble family.”

“This XX…”

Before Olivia’s flashy profanity began, I spoke quickly.

“Aunty, let’s go.”

“Ugh, Laria… you’re as kind as you can be.”

Clicking her tongue at me, Olivia folded her arms and scolded me.

“Why do you intervene when you can’t even blink?”

It was obvious who they were and who I was, but I acted consistently with a helpless smile.

“…I just couldn’t listen.”

Obviously, the person with the most complicated expression was Duke Icard. Perhaps, he was hurt more by those words.

“Laria.”

He spoke low and hard.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, but for being on my side…”

Oh no…

It seemed that the Duke had even heard the conversation earlier than expected. He seemed to know what I had heard and what I was saying.

“They said I was completely desolate after the death of the Duchess. I make the living uncomfortable just because of the dead.”

“Didn’t it happen fourteen years ago already? I guess it’s not normal…”

To be honest, there were words that hurt my bones because they were so accurate. Even though Duke Icard didn’t get beaten a single bit, he already looked like a wreck.

“…Thank you.”

I didn’t want to hear him say that.

‘I just let them talk in front of me because they were so annoying when it was in front of me.’

Of course, I was pretending to cower in front of them, so they tended to badmouth even more.

“Especially, on a day like today… I might have lost my arrogance thinking that I was crazy…”

“No, father.”

I shook my head.

“For me… father is much better than crazy father. I didn’t think so at all. I’m serious.”

I added unknowingly.

“And… family members don’t think that way. Miss Olivia, Evan, and I were all just sad, but I never felt that father was lacking.”

While answering earnestly, I was startled to feel Elanie was gazing at me from a distance. No, why would Elanie look at me…?

Our eyes met, and Elanie gave her a curious expression for a moment before she turned around.

‘Something… It seems strangely dreary.’

Although it was unpredictable, I couldn’t afford to think about it anymore because when I returned to the Duchy we had to face some terrible news.

It was news that Rosaline had committed suicide.

* * *

The Duke’s mansion was noisy until midnight.

Duke Icard started tracking down the wanted Viscount Hielin. However, Viscount Hielin, who had brought her, was also said to have been struck in the head by a flowerpot that appeared out of nowhere and died. Consequently, our trail was completely cut off.

We gathered at Duke Icard’s office and heard the news.

“I was careless.”

Olivia said, grinding her teeth.

“The connection with Matilda made me weak… From the moment she smiled at that lousy joke, I should have grabbed her by the collar, asking what her intention in the first place was.”

I flinched, thinking that if I had done something wrong, I wouldn’t have been able to protect my neck in the past.

“It’s my fault for pretending not to see it even though I knew it was suspicious. From now on, I will have to act according to my instincts unconditionally.”

“By, by instinct…?”

“Yes. When she said she was going to the office and paint, I should have poured water from the bucket on her head and slapped her body with an easel.”

I had to try not to imagine the sight.

…Olivia slapped her head around and got annoyed.

“If I had known that she would die alone like this, I would have slapped her a few more times…”

While Olivia regretted it, Duke Icard stood still without a word, then strode towards the desk. There were sometimes very good portraits attached to it, along with the messy pictures I had drawn. The main character of the portrait was Duke Icard, and it was easy to know who painted it.

‘Regardless, my paintings are playing a role in enhancing Rosaline’s painting skills over there.’

Without hesitation, Duke Icard removed all Rosalind’s paintings.

“I can’t believe I hung this here.”

He then smiled bitterly and muttered.

“Well, I must have done something stupid.”

“What can you do, idiot?”

Olivia muttered in despair.

“Isn’t that the original place where Matilda’s paintings were hung?”

Oh, was it…? If that’s the case, I think my paintings shouldn’t be there as well.

“First of all, you’re young, so go and sleep.”

After saying so, Olivia pushed me and Evan on the back.

“Don’t worry about it anymore.”

“But…”

“Anyway, aren’t you famous for being weak? If he’s out of his mind, I’ll pour a glass of wine into his mouth and put him to sleep.”

And so, we went out of the office into the hallway. However, Morand stood restless with some of the servants.

‘…What’s going on?’