Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Derek, the butler, knocked on Dimitri’s office door. Dimitri, who was drunk with the scent that Rowaine had left behind, stretched out on the sofa, and as he was gazing up at the ceiling, he asked.

“What?”

“The Count Larscel’s aide is leaving.”

“Without putting up a fight?”

“Miss Rowaine is in the carriage as well. When I asked if she would like to say goodbye to the Master, she said she had already finished talking to you, so she just left.”

Dimitri leaned back with his shoulders shaking lightly.

As he smiled like a madman, Derek just stood there with a straight face, like a true professional.

After a while, Dimitri sighed, but then laughed silently again.

“She knows I’m desperate, and she’s still testing me—that girl.”

He remembered the look in her eyes as she stared straight at him. Rowaine’s eyes were quite firm, as if she knew a lot. It didn’t seem to be a ruse.

Derek asked, “What will you do, sire?”

“Indeed. What will I do?”

Dimitri pressed his lips as he recalled Rowaine’s confidence. Just the thought of her made his mouth water because of that sweet and refreshing scent. Feeling a distinct hunger because of his impatience, he slowly rose to his feet.

“Let’s go catch her.”

***

My carriage passed through the teleportation magic circle at the Blois estate, so I arrived at Count Larscel’s residence before long at dusk, the setting sun drooping down the mountain.

I didn’t just come back without a plan.

While the Duke of Blois ensured that I would be far from Count Larscel’s grasp, I was planning to persuade Renée’s lover, Nigel.

‘Now that things have turned out like this, I can’t just ignore Renée. I have to take responsibility.’

It seemed like Renée wouldn’t be able to take care of the matter herself if I left the task to her.

To be honest, I could just turn away from it all, but if I did, I would feel a bit guilty. It felt like I was taking advantage of Renée and just throwing her away.

So, I took action, but there was something I was a little worried about.

‘It would be difficult if Count Larscel tried to take me to the Emperor before Duke Blois would make his move.’

As I got out of the carriage, trying to figure out how to hold on to the situation, someone violently pulled me.

“Just what the hell are you doing, Rowaine?!”

It was Count Larscel, his plump face in a furious bright red hue. Meanwhile, the Countess, Rowaine’s biological mother, tried to raise the white flag and stopped the Count.

“Calm down, honey. She’s already come back, isn’t she?”

But, the Count still shoved me roughly and knocked me down.

“Argh!”

“It seems that I’ve spoiled you too much, Rowaine. I always thought you were a smart girl, but why did you do such a stupid thing?”

“Honey! What if you hurt her face? Do you intend to provoke His Majesty’s wrath ?”

…What?

‘She’s telling him not to hit me not because she’s worried about her daughter, but because she was worried about the face that would seduce the Emperor…?’

Amazing.

‘With a family like this, it’s no wonder why Rowaine turned out this way.’

Her vicious nature of stepping on the weak as a hobby didn’t just fall from anywhere. It’s her environment that created her.

As I stared at Count Larscel as he raised his hand against his daughter, my real father suddenly came to mind.

My real father used to beat my mother. With very patriarchal values imbued in him, he raised his hand if my mother even so much as offended him slightly.

I became his next punching bag as soon as mother got hospitalized. Then, one day, I fled to my grandmother’s house after I was beaten badly.

My father found me in no time. He said that he came to find me in the distant countryside because there was no one else who’d cook for my brother, whom my father feared.

And, what did I do when I heard that?

Thinking about that time, I jumped up. I had never once again surrendered helplessly to violence inflicted on me.

“Don’t give in, Eunsoo. Resist—you don’t have to live like me.”

My mother’s muffled voice crossed through my mind. At that moment, it felt as though blood was rushing to my head.

With a swagger to my steps, I approached Count Larcel, close enough that my forehead was just an inch away from his.

“What is it, Rowaine? Are you trying to rebel against me?”

“Yeah. Am I not allowed?”

“What? Has your head gone bigger just because you’ve been so adored by His Majesty? Now you’re so arrogant that there’s nothing beneath you?!”

I laughed out loud at those words.

“Isn’t that you, father? While you’ve been sucking up to His Majesty, you were beating me behind his back. Have you forgotten who exactly made it so that you’re chummy with the Emperor now?”

“Huh? You dare talk back to your father?!”

Although the Count raised his hand again, I didn’t bat an eye.

It was foolish for the Count to even think he could control Rowaine. Even if I had been the real Rowaine, she, who had become so arrogant, wouldn’t have put up with this treatment.

In the eyes of others, the fight between me and the Count now seems to be a tug of war to determine who it really was who held the most power in this household.

I deliberately imitated Rowaine’s behavior and provoked Count Larscel without hesitation.

“Sure, go ahead. Hit me. The day I become the Emperor’s mistress just as you wish, I will not let this slide.”

“What?!”

At that moment, Count Larscel’s eyes flashed with astonishment, and he backed away, staggering. It was only after he moved away that I relaxed. I realized that my cheeks were tingling, probably red with rage.

“You dare hold a grudge against your father? Who was it that worked so hard to make the Emperor take notice of you?!”

I straightened my posture and stared at him with a firm gaze.

“You’ll see. You’ll regret touching me.”

“This wench!”

Count Larscel’s hand raised high, and I shut my eyes without a hint of resistance.

However, nothing happened because the Countess clung onto his arm and held him back.

“Honey, no! If His Majesty finds out about this, you’ll be in big trouble!”

The mention of His Majesty seemed to have snapped Count Larscel back to his senses. He lowered his arm, which he had lifted so vigorously, and tried to catch his breath.

“You! Go up to your room right now!”

I looked at him silently, before lifting my hand and hitting my own cheek. The resounding clack echoed around us.

Everyone who was watching widened their eyes in surprise, as if they had seen something truly astounding.

“What are you…!”

Nonetheless, I did not stop and I slapped my cheek two more times. The knights finally came to restrain me when Count Larscel’s ordered it, terrified by my actions.

“Why are you doing this, Rowaine! You’re out of your mind!”

To be fair, Count Larscel’s bewildered face was pretty hilarious.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him stomping his feet, not knowing what to do, as he saw the quickly forming bruise on my face.

Wasn’t it a pity that a supposedly high-priced product suddenly got a few scratches?

To this man, his daughters must have been nothing more than mere commodities.

“If His Majesty the Emperor finds out about this…!”

The Count looked at my face and trembled.

I snorted.

“He’ll throw me out because he’ll think I’m crazy, or maybe he’ll throw me out because I’m not pretty anymore. If you don’t want that to happen, you should work hard before your vassals come and see me like this.”

I paused for a moment and smiled at him.

“Oh, but before that, wouldn’t His Majesty think that I’d been beaten by Father?”

“Nonsense. Who would believe that when you’re crazy enough to do this?”

“How would I know? His Majesty would believe anything I say. All I have in my head are memories of that father hitting me and making this happen.”

At that, the Count opened his mouth wide as his eyes shook.

“You’re out of your mind. You’ve really gone crazy.”

“Right. I’m nuts. So, if you use violence against me one more time, I won’t let you go.”

I shook off the dazed knights, adjusted my clothes, and said one last thing to the Count.

“I will sleep and think about whether or not to let my father off the hook, so please behave well.”

With that, I finally went up to my room with a spring to my step.

In my experience, families who treated their daughters this way needed to experience a taste of a crazy bitch’s rampage at least once.

It was only then that they’d realized that their daughter was an actual person—a fellow human being.

Of course, knowing about it and actually comprehending this were two completely separate things.

‘All right. Now, he won’t be able to take me to the Emperor until my face is better.’

In fact, that’s exactly why I slapped my face like crazy.

I bought myself some time. Now, all I needed was the Duke to come on time.

***

The next morning, I opened my eyes, rubbing my bruised cheeks. I glanced in the mirror and I could see my cheeks were swollen.

‘I look terrible.’

Still, this was what I wanted. The fact that it looked horrible meant that Count Larscel would try to hide me from the Emperor until I was fully healed.

The first thing I did after getting ready for the day was to sneak out to look for Nigel.

He was with the other knights in the training hall, looking a little dazed.

Spotting my target, I stood still until he found me, and when his weak gaze turned to me, I beckoned him secretly.

“You called, Milady?”

Even if he had a good personality and got along well with others, he really still wasn’t a good enough man, no matter how I looked at it. Nevertheless, the deep longing he had for his lover was clear in his eyes.

I peered at his face to see if he was a man I could entrust Renée with for a while, but I soon gave up.

Reading people was exactly like looking into water. You could see only what you could see, but the view from within would be entirely different. There was a proverb like that, but in any case, there must be a reason why Renée chose him.

“Do you love Renée?”

“….!”

Nigel’s eyes, which had been wary, opened wide. Perhaps because he didn’t clearly understand my intentions, he averted his gaze as if he was weighing his options. But before long, he suddenly, desperately hung on to me.

“I was told that she had gone to the Duke of Blois. Where is she right now?”