Chapter 11

The bite marks and vivid red kiss marks left on her pale neck and shoulders were glaringly obvious. The drawing room descended into chaos in an instant. After the Viscount stiffened his expression and left without a word, the Baron chased after him. The Baroness immediately approached, grabbed Lyzbel by the shoulders, and quickly scanned her upper body.

“How… how could you…?”  

“…”  

Her trembling was filled with rage. The Baroness gripped her shoulders so tightly that her nails left marks, causing Lyzbel to sigh. She had never acted this way in front of her parents before, but today was different. Since her shoulders hurt, Lyzbel shook off the Baroness’s arms, only to be slapped across the face.  

“Ugh!”  

“How dare you betray us like this!”  

The sound of the slap echoed throughout the drawing room. Even as her cheeks swelled, no one stepped in to stop it. Lyzbel hadn’t expected anyone to intervene in the first place.  

She tried to resist, but it was impossible to stop the Baroness, who had lost her mind.  

Although she had been subjected to violence since childhood, she could never get used to it. The pain brought tears to her eyes, but she had no intention of crying in front of the Baroness.  

Lyzbel was dragged to the Baroness’s room, where her dress was nearly torn off as it was removed. The Baroness’s fiery gaze bore into her.  

Rather than feeling humiliated, Lyzbel thought it was a good thing she had left visible marks all over her body.  

The Baroness, consumed with rage, seemed furious at the thought of failing to profit from her only daughter’s marriage. The insults once directed at her older siblings were now aimed at her.  

If only her brother and sister were here, they would have laughed and praised her for what she had done. But would she ever see them again?  

“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. Who is your lover? How could this happen when you’re under the watch of the knights?”  

“…”  

“Wait. Is it one of the knights? Then… that might make sense. Those lunatics, those insane wretches! I paid them to monitor you, and they dared to lay a hand on my daughter?”  

The Baroness quickly realized that the marks on her body weren’t fabricated. The handprints on her waist, the swelling—all were signs of a passionate night.  

As Lyzbel struggled to put her tattered clothes back on, she was slapped again.  

This time, however, she blocked the Baroness’s hand as it came flying toward her.  

“Stop it, Mother.”  

“How could you turn out just like your brother and sister? How could all of you be such defects?”  

Hearing the Baroness’s hysterical screams, Lyzbel glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was swollen from the slaps, and her clothes were in tatters. Though she managed to drape them over herself, stepping into the hallway like this would surely spark rumors.  

But perhaps it was better to make it obvious. If rumors spread far and wide, no one would dare covet her again.  

The Baroness grabbed her hair with her other hand. She was treating her exactly as she had treated her older siblings.  

When Lyzbel looked at her with eyes full of disdain, the Baroness only grew more hysterical.  

Eventually, the Baron entered and pulled his wife away.  

But Lyzbel didn’t expect the Baron to genuinely care about her. He wasn’t worried about his child being hurt; he was concerned about the “merchandise” being damaged.  

The Baron and Baroness began a serious conversation. They must have had grand plans for the money they would receive by selling her off.  

The Baroness spoke again.  

“Don’t you remember a few months ago when your father’s business failed? Instead of worrying about the damage to the family, you’re causing more trouble!”  

“That was Father’s fault. Why did he invest in that ridiculous mine in the first place?”  

“What? You dare raise your voice when you’ve been eating and wearing clothes thanks to this family?”  

“No. That money came from my brother and sister, who sent it despite cutting ties with this family. How can you call that Father’s money? It was theirs!”  

Lyzbel couldn’t even count how many times her father had failed in business. It was a miracle the Baron’s household hadn’t collapsed already.  

Her siblings had sent money solely out of pity for Lyzbel, who was left behind.  

Of course, the money never reached her; it became her parents’ property. But that didn’t make it the Baron’s money.  

Bang!

The Baron slammed his fist on the table. Such actions had scared her as a child, but not anymore.  

Lyzbel frowned and spoke again.  

“So what you’re saying is that I need to pay back the cost of living here, right? That’s why you’re trying to sell me off to some crazy nouveau riche for a high dowry?”  

“Do you think we’re trash?”  

“Rumors are just rumors! You don’t even know what kind of person the Viscount is!”  

“The entire Empire knows about your marriage schemes. What sane parents would marry their daughter to someone 45 years her senior?”  

“You’ve picked up your siblings’ bad habits, haven’t you? We should never have let you see them.”  

“I didn’t learn this from my siblings. I’ve always been like this. You just didn’t notice because you were too busy roaming around.”  

Continuing this conversation was pointless.  

“We were so furious that we were planning to send you to a convent. You’ve been corrupted, so you need to stay there and come to your senses.”  

“I figured as much. You don’t want to deal with me, so you’re dumping me in a convent.”  

Her sarcastic tone made their expressions grow colder.  

If they wanted to hit her, they should go ahead. She wasn’t planning to hold back anymore.  

Unable to contain her anger, Lyzbel swept her arm across the Baroness’s table, knocking everything onto the floor with a loud crash.  

The sound echoed down the hallway, as the room’s door was open.  

The Baron and Baroness stared at her in shock.  

They were stunned by the defiance of a child who had never rebelled before.  

As Lyzbel clenched her fists, she accidentally cut her hand on broken glass from the table.  

But she didn’t feel any pain.  

“You’re insane. You’ve completely lost your mind.”  

“Yes! I’ve gone crazy because of you!”  

Her rage was uncontainable. Marriage schemes? Why should she endure such nonsense? Memories of her siblings’ suffering flooded her mind.  

“If you love dowries so much, why don’t you two divorce and remarry?”  

“What nonsense are you spouting?”  

“You created this mess, and you don’t even reflect on it. Melburn! Lock Lyzbel in the basement!”  

“Yes.”  

“Ha!”  

The knight Melburn grabbed her arm.  

Did they think she would be afraid of being locked in the basement?  

She just wanted to vent her anger.  

Using her free arm, she grabbed whatever she could and threw it at the Baron and Baroness. Expensive items crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.  

Melburn tried to restrain her by pulling her arm, but a teapot flew and struck the Baron’s head.  

“Ahhh!”  

“Honey!”  

Seeing blood trickle down the Baron’s head filled her with satisfaction.  

Servants peeked into the room through the open door.  

How long would it take for my  actions to become the talk of the Empire?  

Would the story spread as one of a daughter who committed treason to avoid marriage?  

She hoped the rumors would last for generations.  

“Ahaha! Serves you right, Father.”  

“I’m sorry.”  

Despite his apology, Melburn didn’t stop restraining her.  

As he lifted her into his arms, she kicked the door with her foot.