Chapter 99

“What a fool, unable to handle even a single task properly, leading to this mess?”

Yvonne bit her nails nervously.

Anxiety was evident in her wavering eyes.

Usually, she would have called her maids for a rant, but this time, the matter was too secretive to openly show her discomfort.

Disturbed, Yvonne even dismissed everyone around, fearing what she might blurt out.

Unexpressed anger bubbled within Yvonne.

‘I specifically chose someone known for their silence, and this is what happens? I should have hired a professional instead.’

Last weekend, upon seeing Iona return home safely, Yvonne sensed the failure of her plan.

Not that she hadn’t been disappointed, but it was an outcome she could accept. Yvonne hadn’t expected Iona to fall prey easily.

It was just the beginning; she could learn from her mistakes and plan for the next move.

But, due to the wrong choice of her first pawn, even planning the ‘next’ became difficult.

The actor they had involved got arrested and confessed to acting under someone’s orders, even hinting that his employer seemed like a young noble lady.

“If I had met and revealed my identity, he would have surely exposed me,” Yvonne scoffed in disbelief, collapsing onto her bed.

Though she quickly cut off all ties with him, the situation left her more anxious.

Worried about being traced back to her, Yvonne recently refrained from going out, trying to lay low.

Chewing her lip, Yvonne impulsively decided, “…I must meet Florence.”

After the plan failed, Florence had cut off all communication, just as Yvonne had done with her other underlings.

She had to confront Florence and settle things before Florence completely erased any connection to her.

Whether to plan the next step or to pass off the responsibility for this failure.

Having made her decision to go out, Yvonne immediately called her maids to get ready.

Yvonne chose her most splendid outfit and applied her makeup with more care than usual.

In the past, she would have moved around in disguise, but now she felt it better not to arouse suspicion.

A formal visit seemed more effective to pressure Florence.

“The carriage is ready, Miss,” a maid announced.

Prompted by Yvonne’s urgency, the maids moved swiftly.

Yvonne quickly left her room and headed for the entrance.

Noticing the unusual quietness of the mansion, she asked a following maid, “What is everyone else doing?”

“Master Nils is in his office working. Miss Iona is... Shall I go and check?”

“No need. She’ll just report whether she’s going out or not, as usual,” Yvonne replied irritably.

Since dismissing the maids assigned by Hayden, Iona had only been using Marsha as her personal maid.

Naturally, extracting any information about Iona from Marsha was impossible.

When Iona stayed in her room, Yvonne couldn’t discern her activities.

It wasn’t a matter to blame someone for, but the maid bowed her head as if guilty, which slightly eased Yvonne’s mood.

Reaching the carriage, Yvonne turned to say, “Wait here. I’ll go alone.”

“But Miss, with the recent uneasy atmosphere...” The maid who was following Yvonne stopped her with a worried look.

She referred to the incident at the soiree where Iona had nearly met with misfortune.

Even though the victim hadn’t been overly talkative, the shocking nature of the incident had made it a hot topic.

The maid, unaware of the true circumstances, simply wanted to protect her lady, but Yvonne, the instigator of that incident, perceived it differently.

Yvonne asked coldly, “What, are you cursing me to face a similar fate?”

“No, Miss! I just... I was just concerned,” the maid stammered.

“Stop with the pointless talk and just do your job. You always manage to annoy me...”

Yvonne glared at the maid she had addressed and walked towards the carriage.

A servant, as if waiting, opened the carriage door for her.

Accustomed to such service, Yvonne was about to step in when her expression suddenly hardened, and she stopped.

“What... What is this?” Yvonne managed to utter, her voice faltering as she swallowed hard.

After briefly taking in Yvonne’s dumbfounded expression, Iona gestured towards the inside.

“Get in.”

“You... why are you here? What’s going on?” Yvonne asked, her face a picture of disbelief as she glanced at the people outside.

Either the coachman or one of her maids must have tipped off Iona, allowing her to wait here for Yvonne.

Realizing that Iona had somehow taken control of her surroundings without her knowledge, Yvonne suddenly felt a wave of tension.

“I have more important matters than dealing with the help, so don’t waste time. Come and sit.”

Iona spoke in a calm tone.

The servant, catching on, quickly closed the door. He seemed to prefer leaving Yvonne’s wrath to Iona rather than facing it himself.

Yvonne felt an urge to throw Iona out immediately, but the mention of ‘important matters’ caught her attention.

‘Has she found out that I’m behind all this...?’

Even with just the statement about a young noble lady’s involvement, Yvonne was a likely suspect. Not many other girls her age harbored as much animosity towards Iona as she did.

However, the crucial point was the lack of concrete evidence to pin Yvonne as the culprit.

Even if Iona confronted her based on suspicion, Yvonne could simply deny everything.

Struggling to maintain her composure, Yvonne calmly sat across from Iona.

Yvonne sneered with a sharp voice.

“You think you know where I’m going, and you just hop in?”

“You were headed to the Randshof family’s mansion, weren’t you?”

“Ha, did you inquire about my destination beforehand? Or did the coachman spill everything to you? Impressive, really. You’re thorough.”

“No, I guessed it. I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay in and would come out around this time.”

“...”

“You’re quite impatient, aren’t you? I know you better than you think.”

With that, Iona, not looking back, raised her hand and knocked on the window beside her.

Realizing it was a signal to depart, the coachman promptly urged the horses forward.

Inside the gently swaying carriage, Iona and Yvonne silently regarded each other for a moment.

It was Yvonne who broke the silence.

“I’ve been avoiding going out lately. Thanks to someone frequenting every social event, I’ve been able to avoid the less desirable crowd.”

Yvonne grinned defiantly, continuing, “Oh, I heard there was quite a stir this weekend? Should’ve been more like me, taking care. You almost got yourself into a nasty situation wandering around aimlessly. Or, perhaps, you wanted to enjoy yourself, but the circumstances didn’t allow it?”

Iona let out a small snort of laughter in response.

Leaning her chin on her arm resting on the window frame, Iona gazed outside for a while.

Then, she softly called Yvonne’s name.

“Yvonne.”

“Don’t use my name so casually, you lowborn girl.”

Yvonne hardened her expression and retorted coldly.

Truly, Yvonne despised her half-sister to the point of wanting her dead.

Yvonne thought to herself, tinged with regret and bitterness.

If this plan had succeeded, she could have made her live a life similar to her lowly mother.

‘There’s a next time, and I won’t fail.’

Unable to voice this vow aloud, Yvonne instead fixed Iona with a resolute stare.

Iona remained unperturbed, even facing Yvonne’s blatant hatred.

She asked as if seeing right through Yvonne, “Do you know why I’ve left you alone until now?”

‘Left me alone, as if she could easily handle me if she wanted.’

Yvonne bristled at the insinuation, about to retort, but Iona continued in a calm tone.

“Because you’re foolish. Whatever you do, it’s within my ability to handle. And to fulfill the minimal responsibility to the Countess who doesn’t wish for your and Nils’s unhappiness...”

Trailing off, Iona closed her eyes, recalling the distant past.

Before her return, Iona had long refrained from acting against Nils and Yvonne.

No matter how fiercely they threatened her, she endured. Still, their hatred for her never waned.

They tried to kill Iona several times, and they did fail in each of those instances. Malice enveloped them.

Iona grew accustomed and numb to the repeated threats.

As the anxiety and sense of injustice faded, so did the deep-rooted guilt within her.

When she no longer felt guilty about her origin, Iona began to reciprocate what they had done to her, to end this cursed bond on their behalf.

“But you never repent. No matter how much I let you off, you always plan for a next time, charging in repeatedly. This relationship between us probably won’t end until one of us dies.”

“...”

“Even I, with all my patience, can’t keep forgiving you, Yvonne.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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