CH 21

It was four days later that Catherine Grott visited the official residence.

Shortly after noon, the woman put her bonnet deep over her head and announced her request for a meeting. It was the coldest day since last winter.

Annette asked Heiner to keep no one but herself and Catherine in the parlor. Heiner objected, but she was more persistent than ever.

Eventually, he allowed it on several conditions, including Catherine’s body search. Heiner been had Annette carry a small knife for self-defense.

Annette entered the parlor, fiddling with the folded knife she kept in her pocket. Catherine, who had been sitting in a chair, stood up. The woman had smelled of the cold outside.

Catherine took off her hat and bowed her head. She was a common brunette and had monotonous features, but the two tear dots under her left eye made her look somewhat lonely.

Annette also bowed her head slightly and then raised it. Silence reigned as they sat down, exchanging greetings with only a head nod.

Catherine looked absent-minded. Unable to bear the discomfort, Annette opened her mouth.

“So…”

“Um….”

Their voices overlapped. Annette chuckled awkwardly.

“You first…”

“No, madam, you speak first.”

“It’s no big deal, let’s have a cup of tea. … what kind of tea do you like?”

“Everything is fine.”

In response to the answer that came back indifferently, Annette blurted out, saying, “I see….”

This seat seemed cramped and uncomfortable. She could not make eye contact with Catherine and glanced elsewhere for no reason.

Annette knew nothing about the situation. Why did David want to hurt her, what feelings did Catherine have for her, and what was her knowledge…?

The fact that she was alone in this ignorant situation made her very uneasy.

Annette had the attendant serve two cups of warm lemongrass tea. While she was contemplating what to say while the tea was being prepared, Catherine casually inquired.

“Are you feeling well?”

“I feel much better.”

“I’m very glad.”

Was she sincere? Annette could not accept Catherine’s words as they were. Annette’s eyes suddenly touched Catherine’s belly as she looked down. Noticing where her gaze was, Catherine put her hand on her stomach.

“It’s five months.”

“…. Ah.”

Catherine was newly married and she was pregnant. Somehow Annette felt strange about the news.

“Congratulations.”

Annette struggled to speak in a rough, sandy voice. It was a reaction that was not at all congratulatory, even from her own ears.

“Thank you.”

Catherine replied calmly. Annette clenched her hands that were resting on her lap. Her nails dug into her skin.

Her miscarriage was not revealed to the outside world. There was no way Catherine could have known. Annette felt the urge to reveal all the facts to her.

I had a miscarriage.

Because of your brother.

It was 11 weeks.

Will your child be born blessed?

My child was not blessed, no one even knew it existed.

Her words that had no sound, were swallowed into her throat with self control. Annette’s hands relaxed.

What difference would it make if she said so? Would she have to pretend to feel sorry for her? What would change anyway?

Nor could she break what Heiner had already stipulated as confidential. It had happened to her, but Annette had no authority. It had been that way for a long time.

A servant brought simple refreshments. but no one touched it. Steam rose quietly in the air.

Catherine, who had been gazing at the surface of the teacup, suddenly opened her mouth.

“The madam must think I came to visit you hoping for a favor, right?”

“…No?”

“No.”

“I thought it might not be true.”

“Surprising, isn’t it? Why is that?”

“I don’t know ——.”

Annette couldn’t make a guess she wasn’t even sure about, that the woman was familiar for some reason. Fortunately, Catherine did not question further.

“I came to visit madam because I have something to tell you.”

“…”

“I thought I would meet with you after you had gotten better. So I came a little late on purpose. Although the madam may have hoped I wouldn’t visit.”

“No, I ……”

Annette quickly denied it, then hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say.

“….. not really.”

“I see.”

Catherine’s lips went up slightly. It was a smile without sincerity.

“Madam is a little different from what I expected.”

Catherine’s smile grew a little wider as a question mark appeared on Annette’s face.

“I thought you would be more arrogant and self-righteous.”

“Ah…”

“Because you’re an only child.”

Annette, Marquis Dietrich’s only daughter, chewed the previously omitted word alone.

“Well, a lot of time has passed. A lot has happened. People change.”

The words had a strange connotation. Annette couldn’t find an answer, so she just kept silent.

In the past, she would have tried to prove that she was not such a person. But now she had no such will.

Annette thought inwardly that she might really be such a person. Only she was just unaware.

“Do you have any relatives?”

“…There were a few, yes.”

“You must have been very close to them, yes? Especially since you are an only child.”

“We were good friends.”

Annette did not understand why Catherine would ask such a question, but she answered as asked.

“I guess you weren’t very close.” (A)

“My relatives lived in other parts of the country. I have one older brother and one younger brother. We grew up together, as most families do.”

Catherine, who naturally brought up her personal history, continued her words like flowing water.

“My brother graduated from the academy and got a job at a trading company. He was an ambitious man. He always wanted to rise to a higher position.”

Catherine’s eyes became a little watery as she slowly traced her past. Annette recognized those eyes.

“My brother tried hard to rise to a higher position. He worked hard at his job, he flattered his boss to make him look good, and he did some dirty things. He did everything he could to get that position.”

It was nostalgia.

“But my brother failed to get promoted every time. I heard that the branch manager was an aristocrat and he stole all my brother’s credit. Then he (the manager) promoted his own son. Apparently James could put up with the former but not the latter. I’m not sure what the criteria are….. anyway.”

Catherine seemed oblivious to the fact that she had subconsciously said her brother’s name. Annette repeated the name quietly. 

James.

James….Buckel.

“My brother joined the revolutionary army after that.” Catherine sighed. “Not much of a reason, is it?”

But Annette had no response. From the moment the word “revolutionary army” was mentioned, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

“The Revolutionary Armed Forces, although the name seems plausible, were actually mostly people like my brother. Not particularly out for any great cause or ability, just …… ordinary, maybe even a little insignificant.” [C]

After the revolution, radio and newspapers highlighted the heroic aspect of each revolutionary soldier. It was a good way to push the legitimacy of the revolution and to create public opinion at the same time.

“To be honest, I didn’t know much about the Revolutionary Army. I didn’t want anything to do with it. But I’m convinced, though, that my brother wasn’t assigned to any important work there. He would have been just a sacrifice at best.” [C]

Annette patiently resisted the urge to walk away immediately. She didn’t want to listen. But she had to listen. She didn’t want to hear. But she still had to. But still……………

“Five years ago, the hunt for the revolutionary army was in full swing. Many people were sought out and taken away, and my brother was one of them.” [C]

Why did she have to listen to this? Annette thought.

“At that time, the person in charge of the interrogation was  Marquis Dietrich. Inquisition—torture, you might say. Anyway, that was brought to a very quick conclusion.” [C]

Why did she want to listen?

“The conclusion was that my brother was a spy of a hostile country who had come to Padania to start a civil war, and that he would be sentenced to death according to the National Security Law. The Marquis finished his interrogation quickly and immediately went somewhere. Like someone with urgent business.” [C]

Why was she telling this story?

“There was a piano concert for you that day.” [C]

At that moment, Annette remembered where she had seen the woman. Annette’s face rapidly paled.

She involuntarily covered her mouth with both hands. If she didn’t, strange noises were going to pop out.

***

She was 23 years old. After a successful recital, Annette was baptized in celebration with several bouquets of flowers.

She was unnerved by the crowd that had gathered around her. The lights were dazzling, the scent of the large bouquet of flowers she held to her chest was strong, and the people’s praise made her dizzy.

“Honey, take a picture of the three of us together.”

“Right this way, father!”

“Oh, yes. I have to take a picture with my daughter, of course…Oh, wait a minute. You want to take pictures with others first?”

Suddenly a man hurriedly approached and whispered something in the Marquis Dietrich’s ear. Annette nodded her head and took a picture with her friends.

The man’s words somehow made the Marquis angry. Annette stopped laughing at her friends’ jokes and looked back at her father.

“Don’t …… cry …… now …….”

“The reporters….”

After a short conversation, Marquis Dietrich waved the man off. He had an annoyed expression.

Suspicious, Annette asked her father what was going on. Marquis Dietrich faked it, but had no choice but to vaguely answer his daughter’s persistent question.

“Someone is making a fuss in front of the concert hall.”

“A fuss? Who? Why?”

“It’s probably because they are dissatisfied with the trial. Idiots who do not know the strictness of the law are the law everywhere. Don’t mind it.”