Chapter 9 (Part 3)

As Cardin spoke, it felt as though he was sealing Roquek’s fate.

“If you had stayed quiet, I might have given you some land and soldiers.”

“…….”

“I’m not as heartless as Father was.”

Cardin smiled gently. On the surface, he seemed kind, but in his eyes, Roquek saw the glint of a sharp blade. His fists trembled. From the beginning, this had been a hopeless fight. He had relied on rumors of Cardin’s instability, the dissatisfaction of certain Messerode retainers, and his own frail jealousy.

He had truly believed he could become the head of the family. After all, the family laws and circumstances seemed to favor him. But Cardin had remained unshaken, as if the world revolved around him. That unyielding confidence had tormented Roquek endlessly, no matter how hard he tried.

Just as Roquek opened his mouth to lash out again, Cardin stood up, cutting him off. Without giving him a chance to speak, Cardin turned to Hernes.

“Mother, since you orchestrated the engagement with Foyne, make sure it’s resolved cleanly by tomorrow.”

“If you don’t marry Foyne, you’ll suffer significant losses. Are you really going to maintain this marriage with that woman?”

“…….”

“She can’t even conceive.”

Roquek’s eyes widened in shock. It seemed they both already knew this, speaking without hesitation. Cardin glanced at Hernes with a mocking smile.

“That’s why I’ve been working so hard to change the family laws, isn’t it? If you had stayed still, you could have remained in your position with dignity. But instead, you stabbed me in the back and made things worse.”

Hernes stared intently at her son, her eyes glinting with madness.

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Then you should have left me alone. At least then, I would have left you alone.”

Hernes’s usually soft brow furrowed deeply.

“What are you planning to do to me?”

“What can’t I do? You already gave Brienne tea that causes infertility.”

“Cardin.”

Hernes’s voice turned icy, but Cardin ignored her.

“You should have been more careful.”

He spoke coldly, as if he couldn’t stand to stay any longer.

“I’ll give you until tomorrow to clean this up.”

Without waiting for a reply, Cardin turned to leave but paused at the door. Looking back at Hernes, he said,

“Mother, it’s time for you to leave this mansion as well.”

Hernes’s gaze turned icy. Cardin stared at her and added,

“This is where Brienne and I will live now.”

“…….”

“I’ll send the carriages soon.”

With that, Cardin left the drawing room without hesitation. Hernes watched him go, her expression frozen, before turning her gaze away. The butler, who had been watching anxiously, hurriedly brought a glass of iced water. Hernes took a sip before setting the glass down on the table with a clink and standing up. Roquek, who had been watching everything, spoke up quickly, as if desperate.

“What… what should I do?”

His purpose in coming here had been to find a way forward under Hernes’s guidance. Hernes looked down at him as if he were an annoying insect.

“Roquek, did you really think I was on your side?”

Her cold tone left Roquek flustered, and he stammered.

“W-what do you mean?”

“The mere act of speaking to someone like you, an illegitimate child, disgusts me. Why did you hide it?”

“……”

“And even if you weren’t a bastard, I never intended to stay with you until the end.”

“Then…”

“I judged that your marriage to Foyne would be advantageous to you. If it succeeded, the Messerode Family’s prestige would rise even higher. Why would I waste my energy on someone like you?”

Roquek stared at Hernes, still unable to comprehend. Hernes continued speaking with an indifferent gaze.

“You were just a pawn I intended to use and discard. Do you understand?”

Roquek’s eyes widened in shock. Hernes, however, spoke leisurely, as if this revelation was nothing out of the ordinary.

“I despise people who overreach more than anything. People like you, an illegitimate child foolishly trying to take over the Messerode Family.”

“……”

“Take this opportunity to reflect properly.”

Hernes turned away coldly. Roquek, trembling with clenched fists, finally let out a scream.

“Ahhhh!”

He had been used by the person he hated most. As he tried to climb the stairs where Hernes had disappeared, a knight nearby quickly grabbed his arm. Roquek flailed and stomped his feet in frustration, but to the strong knight, his resistance was nothing more than a pitiful struggle.

Roquek was thrown out like trash beyond the iron gate. One of the knights looked down at him and said,

“Lady Hernes instructed that you are never to set foot here again.”

With that, the door closed. Roquek hurriedly grabbed the iron gate, but the knight drew his sword, preventing him from doing even that.

Tears of frustration fell to the ground. Even when it was revealed that he was a bastard, he hadn’t felt this humiliated. Blood pooled on his dirt-smeared fingers. Yet, Roquek couldn’t bring himself to stand.

He was consumed by resentment. So much so that he wanted to do whatever it took to avenge this humiliation. He was drowning in an overwhelming sense of defeat when something caught his eye.

It was a daisy. At some point, daisies had started appearing around Cardin. Come to think of it, the woman at Cardin’s wedding also had daisies in her hands.

As the wind blew, the daisies swayed gently. Blood welled up on Roquek’s fist. The woman he had seen at the wedding was beautiful enough to captivate Cardin at first sight.

Even back then, he had been filled with a sense of inferiority. He had thought, 

‘That bastard really does have everything.’ 

He had thought Cardin was crazy for marrying a woman who came from a worthless family and was the daughter of a swindler. But the moment he saw her face, all other thoughts vanished.

‘Her name was Brienne, wasn’t it?’

That was her name. Roquek barely managed to muster the strength to push himself up. As it was, Cardin was overly sensitive when it came to matters involving Brienne.

Starting from the fact that he had overlooked her father, the fraudster, to always attending banquets with Brienne by his side. Roquek should have targeted her from the beginning.

After all, he had already been driven to the edge of a cliff. There was nothing he couldn’t do now.

***

Meanwhile, Brienne was trying to focus on making herbal pills, deliberately avoiding the newspaper. There was a charity event coming up, and she thought it would be nice to contribute something she made herself.

Keeping busy helped time pass more quickly. The maid had told her to rest if she wasn’t feeling well, as per the doctor’s advice, but she wasn’t in the mood to rest.

Her mind was in turmoil. She was certainly happy about her pregnancy, but every time she thought about what she had read in the newspaper, it felt like a needle was pricking some deep part of her heart.

She tried to ignore it as she weighed the herbs, but she unconsciously bumped the scale. It wobbled for a moment and tilted toward her. It hit her foot, causing a sharp pain on the top of it.

Though it didn’t bruise, it left her in a foul mood. She was staring at the scattered herbs and the scale with a hardened expression when she heard the maid’s voice.

“Madam!”

When Brienne turned around, the maid quickly approached her and spoke urgently.

“Lady Foyne is here to see you.”

The unexpected name made Brienne think she had misheard, so she asked again.

“Foyne?”

“Yes, she says she has something urgent to discuss and insists on meeting with you.”

It was entirely unexpected for Foyne to visit here. Brienne hadn’t thought of it at all.

“Madam?”

Brienne rose from her seat.

“Is Foyne in the drawing room?”

“Yes, I’ve shown her there for now.”

“Tell her I’ll be there shortly.”

Brienne dusted off her hands and went up the stairs at the back of the storage room to the main house. She needed to wash her hands and change her clothes. The dress she was wearing was a simple brown one meant for comfort.

Though it had once been a favorite of hers, it was plain compared to the dresses she currently owned, so she only wore it at home for convenience. In her room, she took off the comfortable dress and changed into one more suitable for receiving guests.