Chapter 48

 

The feelings Nils and Yvonne had for their mother were of a slightly different nature than they were for Hayden.

 

If Hayden was the perpetrator who had hurt them, in contrast, the Countess was the object of their guilt.

 

The Countess that Iona remembered was a woman who was like a model of an elegant lady. This was a fact that everyone who knew her would unanimously agree on.

 

She had an arranged marriage with Hayden, and although she did not love her husband, she was always faithful to him.

 

Even when Hayden brought in an illegitimate child born outside of the country and demanded to be registered.

 

"She had to live a suppressed life because she had to maintain her dignity as the Countess. But can any woman feel warm towards a child born of her husband's infidelity? She accepted me, but she said that she felt like she was not living since then."

 

"Why did your mother say such a thing to you...?"

 

"Nils, your mother despised me. But thankfully, she never directly tortured me or tried to drive me out. She always wanted to be a good wife and a good mother."

 

The Countess treated Iona as if she didn't exist.

 

She never talked to her first, and when someone brought up Iona's story, she quietly smiled and waited for the topic to change.

 

Ironically, since she denied Iona's existence, she could be remembered as the kindest person in the family to Iona.

 

To a child accustomed to violence, indifference felt like sweet mercy.

 

"But even a woman like that became so unfair and uncomfortable in the end. She wanted to tell her hateful husband's illegitimate child how much she had been hurt. She asked for the last conversation with me to resent me like a human being for the first time. Anger overcame her love for her own child at that moment."

 

"So what do you want to say exactly? If you are going to blame my mother...!"

 

"Do you still not understand the point of the story?"

 

Iona coldly removed the hand that was gripping her collar.

 

She glared at Nils and said clearly.

 

"Nils, your mother suffered because of your father until the last moment she closed her eyes. But you're still siding with the man who ruined your mother for your own peace."

 

“… …”

 

“From now on, you will continue to pick up and eat the crumbs that the Count throws at you as a prize, and that suits you.”

 

Iona winced in a contemptuous voice.

 

Nils was breathing heavily.

 

Iona turned her back on him without regret.

 

Nils couldn't bear to hold on to Iona, who was getting farther away. He seemed afraid that even worse words would spill out of Iona's mouth.

 

It was a cowardly decision, but ultimately it was a wise one. There were still shocking stories that she hadn't revealed yet.

 

As she reached the central staircase, Iona recalled the day she went to meet the Countess.

 

Passing the same road she was walking now, Iona at that time was probably a little excited.

 

She had a secret desire that she never told anyone, to hear the Countess say, "It wasn't your fault." She wanted to hear something like that.

 

Things went pretty much as she had imagined until she went into the countess's room and said hello.

 

The countess stroked the back of Iona's hand in silence for a while, then made a small gesture to her to come closer.

 

She gasped in her fevered breath and kissed Iona's forehead for the first time.

 

Then, with a satisfied smile, she said:

 

“Your turn is next.”

 

Iona did not immediately understand her words.

 

As she blinked blankly, the countess brushed Iona's hair behind her ear.

 

It was a friendly touch, but the intention contained in it was quite different from the why it appeared.

 

“But we will never see each other again. Isn't that a fortunate thing? You will fall into Hell.”

 

“… …”

 

"Don't stand in the way of my children anymore. Let's put an end to our ill-fated relationship."

 

Only then did Iona realize

 

Why did she choose her as the person to deliver her last will?

 

The Countess believed her disease to be contagious.

 

At the same time, an epidemic with similar symptoms was spreading in the capital.

 

The doctor overturned the diagnosis made at the first visit after seeing the progress, but the patient herself, who was in a semi-comatose state due to the continued high fever, did not know this fact.

 

Iona could not bear to open her mouth in front of the Countess who sincerely wished for her own death.

 

Her wish could never come true, as she was the only one who would leave this place, either to heaven or to hell.

 

At that moment, Iona felt sympathy for the Countess's life, more than she expected. It was because a peaceful daily life that she could have enjoyed if only she had not been there, passed through her mind.

 

Iona ruined her to the extent that she, who was always gentle, made her laugh with relief as she said these terrible things.

 

Iona opened her mouth to answer her, but immediately changed her mind and kept quiet.

 

It was only after a short time had passed since then that she spoke properly.

 

"You will go to heaven, my lady. As you said, maybe I'll fall into hell."

 

So, muttering to herself, Iona said she would try to survive a little more obsessively.

 

“So please be at ease and close your eyes.”

 

That was the end.

 

She closed her eyes soon with a peaceful expression.

 

If someone had told her about a plan to move the patient, the Countess would have known that it was an impossible task, but she was not the kind of person to reveal such thoughts to others.

 

Because it was important for her to maintain her posthumous reputation as a noblewoman who had devoted her life to being an elegant lady.

 

Thus, she even lost the opportunity to tell her own children that she loved them for the last time.

 

By not revealing the Countess's last will, Iona made sure she could be remembered as an honorable woman forever.

 

Even if she had resented Iona more than anyone in her heart, she truly deserved to be remembered as such.

 

***

 

Hayden, who returned home at midnight that day, couldn't hide his absurdity when he heard the news of Fleur's visit belatedly.

 

The woman he had just found attractive for a moment had come to his house and made a fuss. Wasn't today the death anniversary of the deceased lady?

 

Hayden not only felt anger but also a sense of injustice. His children were likely to blame him for something he had not intended.

 

The information he heard from his servants was roughly like this:

 

Seeing Fleur's visit, Nils and Yvonne were very angry. Yvonne tried to get into a fight with Fleur, but when Iona took control of the situation, she sent Fleur back to her house...

 

Hayden, feeling suspicious around that time, muttered to himself.

 

"Why did she step forward?"

 

“It seemed that she cared about the count's face. She understood their anger, but she told Yvonne to think about the Count's position as well.”

 

Hayden tried to guess the identity of the maid who stepped forward.

 

Seeing that the child under Yvonne stood up for Iona, it really didn't seem wrong.

 

The other servants didn't object and bowed their heads quietly too.

 

Hayden turned and glanced at the butler.

 

The butler's answer gave Hayden more confidence.

 

“… … It's true. She also told Fleur to return without causing more trouble for the Count. Hearing that, Fleur immediately agreed and turned away.”

 

Hayden felt strange. He never thought Iona would step up and take his side.

 

Of course, Iona was able to maintain her reason because she was not in a position to miss the Countess, but that was why Hayden felt more comfortable with Iona than the other children.

 

Anyway, she was the only one who cared about his face today, so he felt a little grateful for that.

 

Hayden first sent the servants who were gathered together and ordered Iona to be called.

 

In the quiet room, people left like flowing water, and he sank into deep thought.

 

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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