Chapter 62

Chapter 62

“There must be a good reason for establishing rules. Blindly and forcefully establishing ridiculous rules is nothing but bullying others.”

Saying so, Madam Elbas clicked her tongue as she began to force herself to cross the line under the guise of advice and went on.

“Oh, maybe it was on purpose? I didn’t notice. Did you rush it to establish authority over me by deliberately making me uncomfortable?”

“You’re the one who’s being pushy, Madam. If you ask the employees, they’ll quickly tell you that I have a severe allergy to pollen and have banned flowers.”

Actually, it was because of the cat, but it was right that the employees knew it like that.

“Employees tend to side with their employers.

Rebuking me, Madam Elbas held out her arm as if to look around the mansion.

“Look at this place. Blois was always beautiful, with fresh flowers and decorations. I was taught to take care of this place like that. But what about now? How desolate and empty is this place? It’s like a prison.”

…Prison. How could a prison be so magnificent and splendid?

Even without flowers, the main hall of Blois was resplendent with beautifully embossed carvings and gold ornaments.

“Besides, you look pretty well, Rowaine, considering that you have a severe allergy to pollen.”

After glancing me up and down, she touched her head before continuing her words.

“I can’t believe my daughter-in-law is looking down on me like this. I can’t even lift my head because I’m embarrassed to see the employees because of the condescending treatment.”

Then, with her miserable face, she let out a deep sigh, and the maids next to her rushed over to comfort her.

“Madam, don’t say that.”

“The Madam didn’t do anything wrong, so what do you mean by that?”

Weren’t they also just glancing at me with resentful eyes?

I clenched my fists tightly and let out a quick, hot breath.

‘This is how it turns out.’

Dimitri had been watching from the beginning as Rowaine stormed out of the drawing room and clashed with Cayetana. He was watching the scene without saying anything, but he couldn’t stay still because it seemed that Rowaine was being pushed around.

‘This is ridiculous.’

His teeth trembled at Cayetana’s disgusting insistence. Eventually, he got impatient and walked out of the corner.

“Don’t interfere.”

Rosanne’s stern voice tied his ankles.

“Grandmother.”

As he gazed at Rosanne without hiding his displeasure, she clicked her tongue.

“You’re still not wise. If you intervene, it’ll only make matters worse.”

Then, she glanced at Rowaine and Cayetana and narrowed her eyes. It looked as if she was judging something.

As he glanced at her, Dimitri thought that the look in Rosanne’s eyes, which he occasionally saw, was as if she was looking at a test subject. Looking into her eyes, he somehow was seized with the feeling that he was being evaluated piece by piece.

The gaze that made people nervous wasn’t very pleasant. Judging by her demeanor, Dimitri was convinced that he was always being evaluated below her level.

“Aren’t you here to create conflict and build up your grounds anyway?”

Uttering the cold words, he turned his back on Rosanne before moving towards Rowaine. He wanted to go and rescue her from that wicked Cayetana.

Meanwhile, Rosanne let out a sigh of disapproval at his actions and scolded Rowaine and Cayetana faster than Dimitri could reach them.

“What’s the fuss, all of you!”

Everyone’s eyes were on Rosanne, not Dimitri.

Stamping on the floor with her cane, she pushed Dimitri away and yelled at Rowaine and Cayetana.

“What are you doing in front of the people below you! Culture seems to have been thrown into a pig pen. Even if it ruins the family, it’s an oil fountain.”

As Rosanne stared at the two women in front of her alternately with eyes like a ferocious beast and pressed them, Both of them lowered their eyes in front of her gaze, but no one was able to open their mouths. Still glancing at Cayetana, she scolded Rowaine.

“It’s definitely wrong for Madam Elbas to break the rules. However, I’m very disappointed with you, Rowaine, who made such a fuss when you could’ve communicated to understand each other, even though she didn’t do it on purpose because she knew the situation.”

Rosanne clicked her tongue and muttered like a sigh.

“You’re young. Too young.”

Strange emotions that no one noticed passed through her eyes as she shook her head and gazed at the young girl. To Rosanne, she looked as soft as Dimitri. On Rowaine’s face, who was speechless, her anger, resentment, and regret that she couldn’t hide could all be read clearly.

‘There’s such a lingering feeling in her eyes. Dimitri certainly got a wife like me.’

Rowaine Larscel.

Rosanne had heard rumors that she was a wicked woman with no mercy or compassion. However, she was not much different from the puppy she raised at home, not even having her teeth fully grown, let alone a ruthless evil woman.

‘It seems she’s just a foolish woman who was taken advantage of by people’s wickedness.’

​​

Most of the women who were notorious for being villains were actually just ordinary women… Women who had been unfairly framed, foolishly used, and become the subject of gossip.

Since the beginning of history, the world has been chewing, ripping off, and ruining weak women as victims of gossip, transcending time and borders. The existence of the words ‘witch’ and ‘witch hunt’ was proof of that.

Rosanne was well aware of how cleverly the ‘real’ bad people wore good masks.

Perfect evil requires thoroughness and tenacity. Humans who had it were smart enough to protect themselves.

…Like Cayetana, who was standing over there.

Rosanne looked expressionlessly at Cayetana, who lowered her eyes. She looked like she wouldn’t bleed even if she stabbed her.

She then swallowed her sigh and scolded Rowaine even louder.

“Madam Elbas is older than you, Rowiane. If you embarrass her like that, how would she feel about her position? Just because you inherited the title, you shouldn’t treat others in such ways. Apologize to Madam Elbas right away.”

She urged Rowaine, who bit her lip, with her glance.

‘Don’t make a cause for Cayetana, Rowaine.’

She hoped that the young girl in front of her would not be sacrificed to Cayetana.

‘Even without you, Dimitri has already lost a lot to Cayetana.’

A look of pity passed in Rosanne’s eyes as she looked back at Rowaine and Dimitri. However, she didn’t know that Rowaine, no Eunsoo, who was inside her body, was raising a fierce beast in her heart, sharpened by wickedness rooted in deep wounds.

Returning to her room, Cayetana smiled contentedly as she remembered Rowaine bowing her head in front of her.

“Rather than abusing the shapeshifters, she seems to really care about them. It’s humorous.”

Even though Rowaine made an excuse for being allergic, Cayetana didn’t believe it.

It was because she had heard from her maid that she and Dimitri were getting serious about the shapeshifter, the cat who had fallen on the porch. She knew that the cat shapeshifters couldn’t stand lily flowers… because she had already experimented on Dimitri’s biological mother.

Cayetana smiled slyly as she recalled the past before picking up a lily from a vase on the table in her room.

A few hours ago, the maid, who had come to announce the arrival of the lilies she had ordered in advance, had brought some of the most coveted lilies and had put them in a vase in her room.

As the lily was mercilessly crushed in her hands, yellow pollen scattered in the air.

“It would’ve been more fun if that filthy kitten had died, like that mistress at that time.”

Clicking her tongue, Cayetana casually tossed the mangled flowers away and sat down on the sofa. She then opened a book, humming as if to celebrate the day’s victory, but had to take her eyes off her book before she could even turn over a few pages.

It was because the maid had rushed into her room.

“Madam! There’s trouble!”

“What’s going on?”

“No, the Duchess…!”

Because of grandmother Rosanne’s intervention, the fight between Madam Elbas and I ended and I went straight back to the drawing room.

The doctor was still checking Sasha’s condition.

Knowing better than anyone that Sasha was fine, I told Agwen to take Sasha to the annex.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

I called the doctor, who was about to leave.

“Could we talk for a moment?”

“What’s the matter?”

“Sit down first.”

Since grandmother Rosanne stepped up, I hadn’t been able to say a single word to Madam Elbas. If things went on like this, I wouldn’t know when this could happen again.

Anger, worry, and anxiety were seething in my heart.

‘…I have to protect my cats.’

Determined, I asked the doctor.

“Do you know of a way to artificially cause an allergic reaction?”

“An artificial allergic reaction?”

Since Doctor Tyra was the one who proved my pregnancy to grandmother Rosanne, I knew that she was definitely on Dimitri’s side.

​​

“I hope the reaction looks real, and I hope it shows symptoms that look pretty severe.”

She lowered her voice.

“I have a few, but what is the Duchess going to use them for? I need to know that so I can recommend the right one for you.”

Judging by the look on her face, she seemed to think that I was secretly drugging Madam Elbas’ food.

‘If we get caught then, it’s the end.’

I couldn’t do such a dangerous thing. So, I explained to her calmly.

“I’m going to take it.”

“The Madam?”

Her eyes widened as she asked back.

“It has to look painful no matter who sees it. It doesn’t matter if it actually hurts.”

“But…”

To the hesitant Tyra, I emphasized firmly.

“It needs to be effective and as quickly as possible.”

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