Chapter 6 (Part 4)

Ellenia kept her face stiff as if she hadn’t heard.

But she couldn’t help her fingertips from growing cold. Seeing the Madam’s already pale face losing more color, Leni and Greta hurriedly brought the soup.

It was onion soup made by frying fresh onions in good butter and simmering them in broth for a long time. Though it was too carefully prepared for these vile guests, the kitchen had put effort into it for the Madam, who would have no appetite.

“Ha-ha, I’m grateful that the bishop of Nux has kept the old covenant with Tarnu and even stepped into family matters. I feel reassured.”

Schultz laughed heartily. The collateral relatives seated beside him echoed his laughter and sipped their soup.

Strictly speaking, Schultz himself was an outsider to the family, yet he behaved shamelessly.

Ellenia tried to ignore his words, taking a spoonful of soup. The sweet onion aroma and rich butter flavor were there, but she couldn’t swallow more than a few sips. Even the soft onion pieces, which the kitchen maids had fried for an hour, were hard to chew and swallow.

Not wanting to reveal her feelings, Ellenia pretended to chew while making empty spoon movements. The chatter of the Opellus family buzzed distantly.

Tap, tap-tap.

A familiar friction sound came from afar. It was the sound of raindrops falling between the open windows in the hallway beyond the banquet hall door. Since Ellenia moved like a dead person between her room and study during the rainy season, the windows there were barred like elsewhere.

Tap. Thud. Pitter-patter.

As the frequency of the sound increased, Ellenia’s chewing slowed.

Snap!

Startled by the sudden noise, Ellenia flinched. The bishop of Nux had struck the wooden table with his spoon.

Ellenia’s eyes lost their light, and her consciousness seemed to drift away.

Noticing the bishop’s angry eyes, Ellenia smiled bitterly.

‘…This isn’t so bad.’

Her grandfather never called her by name. So Ellenia was convinced that her mother, who abandoned her and died, had named her.

To get her attention, her grandfather would break something or hit her instead of calling her name or referring to her.

“Guests are present.”

The bishop’s cheek muscles quivered thinly along his drooping lips.

Recalling the time she was slapped so hard her head turned, Ellenia instinctively licked her lips.

The sound of spoons scraping the bottom of soup bowls came from others. Ellenia signaled Greta, who was standing beside her, to prepare the next course. Greta, regretting that the Madam hadn’t eaten much, didn’t clear the soup bowl as if by mistake, but Ellenia’s spoon never returned to it.

The rest of the meal continued in silence. Only the faint sound of wind and rain from the hallway echoed.

The butler skillfully carved the goose roast in the center of the table, distributing it to the guests, along with beef stew and cabbage bacon stew, placing a portion on each plate.

Ellenia stared at the food in front of her for a long time. The well-cooked meat steaming under the fatty skin, the cabbage stew melting with bacon…

“Such extravagance, such luxury.”

The bishop’s dissatisfied voice rang in her ears. She couldn’t recall ever eating such food during her time at Nux.

They gave her only dry bread or leftovers, while the sumptuous feasts were a fantasy for young Ellenia.

Her gaze fell on the beef stew. She remembered Edan giving her some on a picnic on the hill behind the castle.

Clinging to that memory, Ellenia picked up a piece of bread from the basket and dipped it in the stew.

She chewed several times but couldn’t swallow it.

Struggling to swallow for a long time, Ellenia finally managed when she saw the bishop’s gaze fixed on her. It felt like it would come back up, but she held it down.

“Tsk, tsk… Unfortunate.”

In her childhood, she only ate with the bishop once or twice a month during etiquette inspections. If her knife or hand movements were even slightly off, the cane would strike without fail.

‘Are you trying to disgrace Nux’s education among unbelievers like those in Tarnu!’

Just hearing the sound of his tongue clicking made Ellenia’s hand sting.

‘He doesn’t have the whip here. Grandfather doesn’t have it.’

It had been packed in her travel bag with a few clothes when she married into Tarnu. And then… 

Where did it go?

Where was that bag? It must be somewhere in the castle…

Could it have returned to Grandfather?

Such absurd thoughts made her feel nauseous. Ellenia quickly sipped from her wine glass, forcing down the bile rising in her throat.

‘You can’t even move your body properly!’

The sound of the cane slicing through the air, the dull thud when it struck her hand, the burning pain in her hand…

Barely managing to clean her lips with a napkin, Ellenia continued to pretend to eat. The sound of utensils clinking against plates was chilling.

“By the way, I heard…”

When the Bishop of Nux, having moderately filled his stomach, opened his mouth, Ellenia snapped back to her senses. In front of her, the roast goose had been cut into finger-sized pieces, filling the plate. None of it had entered her mouth.

“I heard from the village that one of the soldiers who followed your husband on his expedition has returned.”

The bishop’s voice echoed slyly. The distant sound of wind and rain mingled with it, creating a painful resonance.

“Why don’t you call him and hear how your husband sacrificed himself for this land?”

“…Thank you for the advice, Grandfather.”

“No, I was thinking of inviting him to the castle.”

“No outsiders are allowed in the castle…”

“Am I not your Grandfather?”

“…”

“We must hold a funeral for the lord, mustn’t we? That’s why I came all this way.”

Ellenia bit her lip.

There was no way that was the reason. He was deliberately mentioning the lord’s death to cause her pain.

But she couldn’t think of a proper response. Ellenia closed her eyes tightly, trying to recall the green eyes that worried about her.

The eyes that worried about leaving her alone, fighting alone…

Cold sweat ran down her nape.

Schultz’s voice buzzed as he intervened.

“Indeed. Hearing about my brother’s belongings through someone else is really disappointing.”

The Opellus family members seated beside him nodded repeatedly. It was clear they didn’t want to attend Edarson’s funeral but wanted to be involved in handling the inheritance.

Ellenia had to tightly press her lips together to suppress the feeling that something was coming up her throat.

“By the way, what about the heir?”

“I am the heir to this castle.”

“It must be difficult for a woman to manage such a large estate alone…”

“I promised the lord before he left. To protect this castle.”

“Yes, yes. But my brother has passed away. For you to stay and protect this castle for a long time…”

Schultz leaned forward, subtly approaching Ellenia. His dark green eyes, tainted by mixed blood, twisted with desire.

Staring at his eyes for a while, Ellenia hurriedly sipped her wine.

The nausea temporarily subsided.

Barely placing the glass on the table without spilling it, Ellenia fought the rising bile and made eye contact with each person in the banquet hall.

“Thank you for your suggestions. I will think about it and let you know. Enjoy the rest of your meal and rest well.”

“Wait, wait!”

As the bishop of Nux voiced his displeasure, Ellenia had already risen and was leaving the banquet hall. Her purple velvet dress fluttered like spilled wine.

“Madam! Are you alright?”

Outside the banquet hall, the young man’s voice could be heard. The sound of clothes rustling followed.

Schultz, tearing into a goose leg, stared intently at the arched entrance without a door.