“Really? Hello, Hati. Please take good care of Serena.”

Meow, the black cat made a sound as if responding. Radilt said goodbye to Serena, once again asked Peshu to take good care of her, and headed home.

“……”

Standing before the tightly closed door, matters she had momentarily forgotten quickly clouded her vision. Her mother-in-law’s unreasonable demands. She could have buried and moved past it since it had been resolved somehow. But….

Radilt gritted her teeth and opened the door. Creeeeak, the sound of old hinges rang out, causing dried flower petals hanging inside to rustle slightly in the draft.

Radilt quietly gazed at the shadowy living room. Had no one else returned home yet? There was no sound of footsteps, voices, or even breathing.

She closed the door and placed her hat on the table. She sat on the sofa, spreading her dress wide.

Normally, it would be time to prepare dinner. Time to change clothes, put on an apron, light the fire, fetch water, and prepare much more food than would enter her own mouth, getting ready to serve it.

But Radilt sat still without doing anything. In the silence, Pendlore’s voice brushed past her ears and circled around.

That voice telling her to sell the old house and break away from her in-laws.

In reality, that was the only way for Radilt to shake off her in-laws. Though the mansion undoubtedly belonged to Radilt, she could never bring herself to drive her in-laws out.

So the only option was to sell the house at a low price and hope the buyer would handle the situation, while she fled. To shake off the past and fly away lightly, unburdened.

But how could she do that?

‘……My home.’

Radilt’s hand slowly stroked the sofa’s armrest. Every small movement was filled with affection. The home her beloved husband had left her. The moment she stepped in here holding her lover’s hand, she had vowed to make it their eternal nest.

The spring day when they entered carrying the remaining incense ingredients and filled the entire living room with flower petals. The summer day when they fetched water and did laundry together, playing until they were soaking wet. The autumn day when he secretly brought a birthday gift and gently slipped it into her palm, tickling her. The winter day when they wrapped each other’s frozen hands and feet and wriggled into bed together.

Countless other worn memories piled up, forming a long chain that wound around Radilt’s ankles and wrists, binding her. They connected her to this house too firmly to break free.

I’m a widow who has even lost my title. If I lose this house too, if I throw away my in-laws, I’ll truly have nothing left but Radilt Brill. I don’t even have a hometown to return to anymore. There’s no one under the wide sky to welcome me back.

Because she feared that. Feared being left alone in this world.

Click.

Amidst a long sigh, the sound of the door opening reached her ears. Bright dress hems swayed through the door gap. Merdea, who entered the living room wearing her daughter-in-law’s clothes with confidence, frowned upon seeing Radilt.

“Dinner time is approaching, yet why are you sitting there so blankly? You’ve been out all day, and now it seems you’ve decided to abandon housework altogether.”

“……You seem to be managing well without me.”

Radilt said, slowly rising. Steeling her resolve, she met her mother-in-law’s frost-laden eyes.

Thud, the door closed behind Merdea.

“I debated whether to return home or not. It seems you want to sell me to House Duston.”

“……You now—!”

Merdea’s eyes—similar to her daughter’s but with a deeper, murky shadow—opened wide in anger.

“What nonsense are you speaking!”

“Isn’t it true? You wanted to exchange me for a large shop.”

Radilt tried to calm her trembling heart. This situation—confronting her mother-in-law—was frightening and terrifying, something she had never even dreamed of doing. She felt the urge to bow her head and apologize immediately.

But she couldn’t continue like this. Her mother-in-law had already talked and acted excessively, and she was capable of doing even worse. For her precious children, she would even storm into House Duston directly.

So she had to speak now. She had to stand up to her.

“Exchange you?”

Merdea let out a mocking laugh. She shook her head as if finding it absurd.

“Would that fine Count even take you? You’ll obviously be discarded—what exchange are you talking about? I was merely trying to receive proper compensation for toying with the Sentangs family. A rightful and appropriate compensation!”

“The Sentangs family, is it.”

Radilt gritted her teeth. She clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, drawing blood.

“Mother. No, Mrs. Sentangs. The woman standing before you is Mrs. Brill.”

She forced herself to utter these self-wounding words with feigned coldness.

“I am a woman called Mrs. Brill.”

“……You……!”

Shock finally registered in Merdea’s eyes, which had been as firm as an iron wall. Deep cracks spread across her face, and her cheeks trembled.

“How dare you……!”

Her mother-in-law exhaled sharply. She even staggered, unable to contain her anger.

“After we took in such an unimpressive country bumpkin! How dare you……!”

“Yes, you took me in. You generously accepted a common country girl. That’s why I’ve served you with devotion all this time. Though I ended up receiving just one house and becoming Mrs. Brill, I wanted to remain your daughter-in-law until the end. But this is wrong.”

Radilt pulled out all the words stored inside her with all her might. Her chest felt hot and tangled, almost to the point of vomiting, but her head was strangely cold.

“You cannot sell me, Radilt Brill. You may use the items Sir Duston sends, that’s fine. Because we’re family. At least, I think of us as family.”

Family who sleep in the same house and eat at the same table.

“Even if Miss wants to use Count Duston’s influence to find a marriage partner, yes, that’s fine too, as long as you maintain boundaries. People commonly claim to be someone’s acquaintance. But making direct demands is not right. What you’ve done now….”

Radilt hesitated momentarily, then finally spat it out.

“Is no different from being a pimp.”

“……You vulgar thing!”

Slap—

Unable to contain herself any longer, Merdea swung her hand. Radilt’s cheek burned red. Still not satisfied, she grabbed her daughter-in-law’s hair. Even when she violently pulled and threw her to the floor, Radilt gritted her teeth without making even a small groan.

“How dare you, how dare you treat me like a pimp?!”

“……What else would you call someone who sells an unrelated woman to a man?”

“I can’t stand the sight of you. Get out. Disappear from my sight this instant!”

“Have you forgotten? This is my house.”

Radilt raised her head to look up at Merdea. Her disheveled hair floated around her eyes like old cobwebs.

“The house Lushen left to me.”

This is my house. So the person who should leave is not me, but you. With such meaning contained in her assertion, Merdea’s face turned ashen. Trembling all over, she began to scream like a demon.

“No, it’s the house of my son whom you killed! It’s my son’s house! Yes, now I see—you must have been delighted when Lushen died! A lowly country girl showing up with nothing but her body, getting a decent house in the capital for free! You must have clapped your hands and danced in secret!”

“Mother!”

Radilt’s voice was as desperate as a scream.

How many times did I faint that day, how many bloody tears did I shed? I tore my hair out and crawled on the floor, writhing madly—how could you, who witnessed all of that!

“Shut up! You devil of a woman! So now that you’ve properly caught a wealthy man, you want to drive out your mother-in-law, is that it? I thought you were gentle and obedient despite being unremarkable, but I was deceived, deceived!”

“That’s not what I meant! Ugh!”

Merdea kicked Radilt. She grabbed her hair again and pulled it roughly.

“Before I’m driven out, I’ll kill you first, I’ll kill you and then go see my precious eldest son!”

It was chaos. Someone rushed in behind Merdea, who had completely lost her reason and was rampaging.

“Mom! Are you crazy?!”

It was her sister-in-law Erite. She firmly grabbed her mother and pulled her away from Radilt. Merdea struggled, but she was no match for her daughter who was much larger and stronger. While dragging her mother away, Erite asked the fallen Radilt,

“What on earth happened? Why is Mom trying to grab you, sister-in-law?”

“Let go of me! That woman, that woman is telling us to leave the house!”

“What? Really?”

“……No.”

Radilt got up, completely disheveled. She looked at the two with a tired, exhausted face.

“Miss, Mother demanded a shop from Sir Duston. She asked for compensation for him playing with me. I simply asked her not to make such unreasonable demands.”

“Ah, Mom!”

Erite screamed loudly. It seemed her mother was trying to ruin things because of greed. And predictably, it was probably because of her useless youngest brother.

“I told you to wait until I get engaged! I’ll be attending Garden’s party soon. The dress will be finished in just two days!”

“Rite, are you taking that woman’s side over your mother’s!”

“Mom, seriously! Sister-in-law has the upper hand right now! Sister-in-law, go upstairs quickly. I’ll handle Mom.”

“……Thank you, Miss.”

Radilt turned and left the living room. The quarrel between her mother-in-law and sister-in-law echoed loudly throughout the living room. Radilt entered her bedroom and closed the door. The voices suddenly became faint, feeling distant, very distant.