Watching Duke Marsetta grabbing his head and complaining of pain, Charelize suddenly thought that she wanted to return what I had heard from him in my life. She wanted to know how hard it was for her to feel that way. When she thought back, she had nothing but terrible memories.
The first thing she did was confess that she suffered from insomnia. It had been a long time since she didn’t even remember which night it started.
Perhaps shocked to hear that she had never slept comfortably for a moment because she was afraid of dying, Duke Marsetta lowered his voice, avoiding her gaze. He wept, begging her to stop.
Charelize then continued. She explained why she gave up her sword, why she chose the Faculty of Political Science, and why she worked so hard to become a little duchess. After she said everything, she felt relieved.
Duke Marsetta held the cage with one hand, and the other reached for Charelize. She had no sympathy whatsoever. Charelize just left him screaming behind. Just like Duke Marsetta had done to her in the old days, it was her time to abandon him now.
In Helsen Prison, the cry of Duke Marsetta, calling her name, was echoed. Soon, his voice faded as if he had lost his strength. Duke Marsetta recalled the past with his eyes closed.
“You killed me mentally. I died in front of you again and again. It was… too many to count.”
Charelize’s words that she died every moment in front of him were stuck in his heart. Her voice at that time rang in his ears. The face of a child struggling to hold back her cry flickered in his eyes.
“Father! Please hug me!”
He saw the tiny Charelize, whose height didn’t yet reach his waist. He pushed that child, who had great courage to ask for a hug. Not ever once had he been a father to her.
His heart tightened, and he complained of pain. It was a bitter regret, not knowing when it would end. A time that would never return.
* * *
Charelize could hear Duke Marsetta cry clearly. It was engraved in her memory because she stopped walking the moment she heard it. Before the pleasant memories flew away, she went to her mother’s villa. As she went there, her heart ached, remembering she hadn’t been able to bury her to the end.
“Mother.”
“…”
The dead were silent. Knowing that made her even more sad. She missed the day when she was her mother again and spent time with her. Charelize took one of the lilacs in her hand and smelled it. It smelled just like her mother.
“It’s been a while since I’ve moved Mother here. I’ve tried to come again and again, but after hearing that Mother died because of me, I couldn’t come. I just thought I was lucky to be able to say goodbye differently than the last time…”
“…”
“…If I had known Mother earlier, you could have stayed with me for a long time… Why did I stay away from Mother? I regret it every time I discover the traces you left for me.”
“…”
“It’s almost over now. Compliment… Can you give it to me? It… was so hard for me to come this far. Lona and Lari. They died… I’m not happy that I made Father feel that way… I’m so sorry for Mother. I’m an ugly daughter to Mother until the end.”
Charelize couldn’t stop her tears. The last words she heard from her mother seemed to ring in her ears.
“…Mother. The two reasons why you liked spring… You said it was because I was born and you were able to spend your last moment with me. There, I will make sure that lilacs bloom in Mother’s spring. I love you, Mother. Really… I miss you a lot.”
* * *
Soon after, the trial for Duke Marsetta was held. Many nobles gathered to see his trial for his incredible crimes. If Charelize appeared in person, it was certain that bar rumors would flow in many ways, so she kept her true identity hidden.
Duke Marsetta entered the trail. His trudging steps were powerless. He lost a lot of weight in a few days. His appearance from above was very shabby.
When Charelize was young, she always looked up to him. Still, the situation turned upside down instantly, giving birth to indescribable emotions. The thought of finally avenging her mother and the days of trying to be loved by him mixed before her eyes. It was a jumble of emotions that didn’t make sense, leaving her completely chaotic.
“Duke Redian Wesible von Marsetta. That’s you, right?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you admit that you were given vallesium flowers by the former Marchioness Luxen and put them in the medicine for your wife, Yekaterina Lizel Isla von Elioter?”
Perhaps feeling something uncomfortable, Harbert IV didn’t attend this trial. The high priest who replaced him asked Duke Marsetta.
“I… admit it.”
When Duke Marsetta was arrested, poisoning was the only charge. The nobles gathered at the trial were shocked when they heard he had killed the weak Duchess Marsetta. Among them, some whispered and exchanged horrible words.
Duchess Marsetta was the only hope for some people who longed for the previous emperor’s reign and was an example of the imperial family just by her existence. Everyone was outraged by Duke Marsetta’s confession that he had killed her. All of them agreed that he should be punished severely.
“Why… did you do that?”
“I won’t answer that.”
Duke Marsetta’s answer made the audience agitated. They thought he would make an argument. So, they couldn’t understand why he admitted it but did not explain why.
“…I won’t give you a second chance. Are you sure you really won’t say anything?”
The high priest, who had not expected him to admit it easily, was taken aback. He then cleared his throat.
“I swear by Goddess Resina. I killed Royal Princess Yekaterina. I will gladly accept the punishment I deserve, so please give me your judgment quickly.”
He didn’t claim to be unjustly accused. Even when repeatedly questioned, his statement remained unchanged. But he appeared so confident and stubborn as if he was an innocent person being falsely accused.
Before the trial began, the high priest wrote the verdict as Harbert IV had told him. After he signed, he dropped the holy water to confirm the verdict was true. The high priest asked the nobles gathered there if they had any objections.
In a situation where it was equivalent to having obtained the punishment from Goddess Resina, one could also face divine punishment for challenging her authority. Also, setting aside all those things, killing Royal Princess Yekaterina was a serious crime you didn’t dare to ask for forgiveness for. Even the vassals of Duke Marsetta chose to side with Charelize.
The surrounding was silent. Even if given more time, no one stepped forward for Duke Marsetta.
“I hereby strip you of your noble title and sentence you to life imprisonment as a commoner. From this moment until your death, you cannot take a single step outside of the Helsen Prison.”
“…I understand.”
It was shabby to see him lower his head and answer. Moreover, his shoulders were drooping. At one time, he commanded the world as the owner of Duke Marsetta. And it was miserable to see him say those words while being someone who used to be directly under the emperor.
Charelize, who left the trial and went to Marsetta Duchy, noticed the gloomy atmosphere and called all the servants.
“I know you’re all worried about the unfortunate incident that happened this time.”
“…”
“Once the preparations are complete, I will take over the title. I would like to inform you that you will not be treated unfairly or given any personnel change just because you served the previous duke. So, I hope everyone doesn’t worry and do your own responsibilities.”
A sigh of relief could be heard from here and there. The servants who served Duke Marsetta were on the verge of tears because of Charelize’s decision.
At the funeral of Duchess Marsetta, Charelize called her mother ‘Yekaterina Lizel Isla von Elioter.’ They couldn’t say their relationship was good, but the mother and daughter seemed to have a deep bond. Therefore, they thought they would be kicked out from serving Duke Marsetta, and most of them were already packing their belongings. Moreover, Duke Marsetta also had a history of kicking out all the servants who served them as soon as his parents died.
Even if that wasn’t the case, keeping the servants under the command of the one sentenced to life imprisonment in Helsen Prison would greatly tarnish the family’s reputation. There was no way around it. The consequences were inevitable. It would have been good if she could write letters of recommendation to work elsewhere, but Charelize accepted them all. They were relieved, as they knew her personality, which she wouldn’t change when she had already made a decision.
“Butler.”
“Did you call for me, Master?”
When the butler was called by Charelize, the title ‘Young’ was always attached. Although she hadn’t officially become the duchess yet, it was awkward for her to be called ‘Master’ directly. However, she had to adapt quickly as she prepared to become the real owner of Marsetta Duchy.
“Throw away everything in the former duke’s office. Put new furniture in all remaining spaces, including bedrooms, and burn down the old ones. There should be none left.”
“I will accept your order, Master.”
The butler bent down first, and all the servants around all followed him.
A few hours later, the butler handled things as Charelize ordered. Duke Marsetta’s belongings left the duchy in order, starting with the largest. While watching, the last servant who came out of the office brought out several pictures.
“That… what is it?”
“Between the bookshelf in the bedroom… it was stuck in there. Your Highness told me to throw it all away, but… It’s a picture of Your Highness… What should I do?” The servant held out the picture and spoke with a trembling voice.
It was a picture of Charelize when she was young. It was taken on her 8th birthday. She wondered why he had these.
In the picture, Charelize smiled begrudgingly while blowing out the cake with candles in front of her. After looking at it for a while, Charelize remembered why she was like that.
It was nearing the end of her 8th birthday. No matter how long he waited, her ‘father’ didn’t come, so she had to blow out the candles quickly before they melted. Her ‘mother’ was watching, so she couldn’t bear to cry and smiled awkwardly. The emotions she felt back then were still vivid.
She felt like going back in time and becoming younger. She didn’t like it, so she squeezed it in and looked at her picture. Reluctantly, she ran her palm over the part of her smiling face in the picture. The picture was tucked away in a book covered with gray dust as if it hadn’t been opened for a long time.
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