CH 7

Robert tried to intervene with his trembling voice, however, the Duke ignored his son, as if he couldn’t hear him and fixed his gaze on Izeline. He then asked her calmly.

“What’s your name?”

“Izeline, Youw Excellency.”

“And your surname?”

“I am a commoner, so I don’t have a suwname.”

Why was he asking about something he already knew? Although she couldn’t understand his intentions, she answered anyway. However, with the following question, she realized her mistake.

“Then did you know that my son is a noble?”

“….”

“Did you already know when both of you escaped through the hole?”

“….”

She was trapped.

If she answered that she knew, she would be in trouble for daring to associate with a noble. If she answered that she didn’t know, she would be in trouble for pretending not to know Robert’s status. It was a matter of which consequences she would bear.

Seeing her struggling to answer, Duke Brioche smiled subtly.

“Did you not know?”

“…I knew, Youw Excellency.”

She closed her eyes firmly, deciding to sacrifice herself. She couldn’t simply stand by and watch Robert being struck by his father right in front of her again.

‘If he were to hit me, at least it would be considered I was being hit by a stranger.’

Children who were hit by their own parents would profoundly be impacted psychologically. At the same time, she closed her eyes tightly, pretending not to notice Robert’s piercing gaze. He seemed quite surprised that her lie had actually worked.

However, that wasn’t the issue at hand.

‘If you’re going to hit me, just get it over with!’

Izeline, who was on edge, waited for the slap to land on her cheek, but there was no reaction even after a while. Because of that, she slowly and cautiously opened her eyes.

…Huh?

Duke Brioche was smiling kindly at her instead.

What happened? What kind of trick was he pulling?

“I heard you have a mother who works here?”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door. Izeline’s eyes trembled slightly in response.

“Come in.”

After permission was granted, the door swung open, revealing Monica. She stood in front of the two children and cautiously approached the Duke. Izeline’s eyes trembled as she was filled with uncertainty about the situation. Then, she saw Monica, who was bowing deeply.

“You called for me…?”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Monica’s head was turned to the side. Izeline screamed in shock and shouted.

“Mom!”

She rushed towards Monica, forgetting her own status and unknowingly let out a cry.

“My mom dwid nothing wrong!”

“How dare you teach your children like this?”

“I apologize.”

However, Izeline’s outburst was in vain as Monica lowered her head meekly.

This couldn’t be.

‘How could he hit my mother because I spoke up? This despicable psychopath!’

“As the maid who knew my son, you still let your daughter be next to him?”

“I deserve any punishment. I will accept it willingly.”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

The Duke’s large hand struck Monica’s cheek repeatedly.

“Mom! Mom!”

She clung to the corner of Monica’s apron, sobbing uncontrollably as if she was a small child.

Considering that she was seventeen years old before entering the novel, her display of helplessness was absurd. Nonetheless, with her four-year-old body, she couldn’t push away an adult or take a blow in her place.

In the end, Monica, who was unable to withstand the assault, weakly collapsed to the ground.

Izeline quickly knelt beside her and cradled Monica’s swollen cheek in her small hands, and anger surged up inside her as tears welled in her eyes. It felt unbearably unjust to witness the victimization before her.

A fiery rage surged from within her, causing her whole body to tremble.

‘Did this b*stard finds pleasure in hitting people’s faces?!’

Meanwhile, Monica only looked at her with a reassuring gaze.

Advertisements

D*mn it.

She wished Robert would grow up quickly and strangle that Duke.

‘….’

As her thoughts reached that point, a chill ran down her spine, and she had no choice but to abruptly stop her train of thought.

…No, wait.

This couldn’t be right.

Because Robert killed Duke Brioche, he would become a wanted criminal throughout the entire Barcan Empire, with nowhere to go. He would venture into the underworld and become its leader. Afterward, he would confront the Empire, aiming his sword at them until his death…

D*mn it.

She wanted to kill the Duke, but she couldn’t.

‘What’s up with this complicated relationship?!’

At that moment, Izeline anxiously held her breath as her gaze unintentionally shifted toward Robert. There was a glimmer of bloodlust in the child’s eyes as if silently conveying his intent to kill him. At just four years old, the boy was already harboring a growing desire for revenge against his father.

‘If his hatred grows stronger than his yearning for parental affection, then…!’

In an instant, a passage from the remaining memories of the novel flickered in her mind.

⌊…Robert, who had a difficult childhood in Souvri, harbored deep anger toward the world. Being scorned for being a Krug patient, he swallowed his loneliness without a shoulder to rely on and turned it into malice…⌉

Come to think of it, something was off. Monica was right there, so why was he described as being ‘alone without a shoulder to rely on’?

Could it be that something happened to Monica…?

As her thoughts reached that point, her spine seemed to tingle with unease. Meanwhile, Duke Brioche was preparing to administer punishment in earnest, he was selecting a tool for his work in one corner of the study.

Instinctively, she turned her head quickly.

Robert’s anger had visibly grown even more intense.

‘…Monica’s death must have triggered Robert to wield his sword against the world!’

It felt like she had found a missing piece of the puzzle.

The reason why the adult Robert killed his father as soon as he entered the capital wasn’t simply because of resentment from the lack of affection… it was revenge for killing the only person who had taken care of him.

‘Was he planning to hit her to death?’

Since Monica was not mentioned at all, she didn’t know exactly when or how she would die. But at least she understood that she had to do her best to protect her at any moment.

At that moment, Karif, the Viscount who had gone to check the hole, returned.

Duke Brioche slowly turned his head as if waiting to receive a report while he still had the tool for his work in his hand. Izeline clenched her fist tightly and stood up abruptly.

“Your Excellency, I have come to report…”

“A Kwug’s patient’s life expectancy is within five years after cwontracted.”

“….”

Karif, who was intercepted by a four-year-old girl, wore an expression of disbelief. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly assessed the situation, glancing at the Duke standing by the window, the trembling servant, the girl standing tall with a straight posture, and the woman lying on the floor.

The bold voice continued.

“Since the young master was infwected last year, he will die before he turns eight.”

“What an outrageous claim!”

The Duke’s face twisted in anger and veins bulged in his neck. He clenched whatever he could grab as he approached her angrily, about to swing the whip forcefully. In the meanwhile, Robert was surprised, and Monica screamed.

“No…!”

Even Karif, who never flinched at most things, had his mouth agape.

“Stop!”

The whip halted in mid-air.

A powerful voice then followed.

“I will swave the young master.”

Duke Brioche’s eyes trembled violently. Robert was the same. Having regained his senses, he looked at Izeline with eyes full of surprise.

Krug was an incurable disease.

Even the knowledgeable doctors of the Empire that had researched about it ended without a cure. It seemed impossible for a four-year-old girl to do anything about it. However, perhaps it was because of the hope that the Duke had, he asked.

“What can a child like you do?”

As the hand holding the whip descended meekly, Izeline spoke in a resolute voice.

“I will overswee it from the side. I will prove it by him suwpassing the age of eight.”

“And if you fail?”

“I will offer my life.”