4.4

The last journey to Deloher the next day felt like walking on thin ice. Julian remained silent with a stern expression, and the exhausted Vanessa desperately wanted to abandon the journey and return to the Arenshen estate.

Her gloomy mood gradually lifted as they passed through the hilly areas and began to see sparse forests. In the fertile farmland spread out on both sides of the road, horses were vigorously plowing the frozen spring fields. The faces of the farmers were mixed with the exhaustion of enduring the harsh winter and the joy of welcoming the approaching warm spring. Under the high spire of the parish church, thatched cottages were clustered together, and mills, blacksmiths, and communal hearths were scattered around.

And at the center of it all stood the small castle of Baron Deloher family. It was a view of Deloher she thought she would never return to.

The guard at the castle gate recognized Vanessa and removed his hat with a surprised face.

“Oh, Madam, what brings you here?”

“Is there a reason I can’t visit my father’s house?”

“Well, that is….”

The guard also seemed to have heard bad rumors about Vanessa and did not readily offer a greeting. Servants tend to follow the will of their masters. Judging by the guard’s attitude, it seemed her father had not actively supported his daughter’s innocence.

The fact that he did not respond to the letter from Earl Arenshen and did not contact her separately suggested that her father did not want to be involved in this matter. Vanessa felt pitiful for not being welcomed even in her hometown.

But she couldn’t turn back now that she was right in front of it.

“Move aside. I will see my father.”

As the guard hesitated with his spear, Julian stepped toward him. The large man cast a shadow over the guard’s view. The guard shrank under Julian’s intimidating presence.

“Are your ears blocked? She told you to get lost!”

“Eek!”

If the door wasn’t opened, Julian intended to push through with force. Before that, the timid guard threw down his spear and fled into the castle. It was unpleasant to see him act as if he had encountered a bandit.

“Did you really have to scare him away like that? Couldn’t you have spoken nicely?”

“If he’s going to run away from just this much yelling, he’s not fit to guard the castle.”

Julian replied loudly, as if he had done nothing wrong. Not wanting to argue with Julian, Vanessa quickly entered the castle. The servants, recognizing the uninvited guest, stopped what they were doing and scattered like the parting of the Red Sea. Vanessa frowned at their behavior as if they would be punished if they got involved.

“They’re treating me like I’m a plague victim.”

Julian couldn’t hold back and complained. Vanessa silently agreed with him as she looked around.

In the familiar scenery, there was a strange air. The house, which her mother had decorated simply but warmly, was nowhere to be found. As if to prove that the lady of the house had changed, new items were mixed incongruously wherever she looked. Although she had entered boldly, she suddenly felt suffocated as if surrounded by enemies.

“What are you doing here! Why did you come here? We didn’t invite you!”

A shrill voice pierced the air. Her stepmother, whose face was flushed red, rushed over as if to chase Vanessa and Julian away.

The stepmother, who appeared when Vanessa was about to become an adult, was not a particularly welcome existence. A woman barely ten years older than Vanessa was still young and often lost her temper due to her overflowing energy. From their first meeting, she had regarded Vanessa as a thorn in her side and harassed her at every turn, and when Vanessa married Viscount Cloet and left Deloher, she was the happiest.

The woman had been relieved, thinking she would never meet Vanessa again. But one day, she heard the disgraceful rumor that Vanessa had poisoned her husband.

Since that day, the woman had been anxious, worrying that her son might be ostracized from noble society because of Vanessa, losing sleep over it. She had secretly prayed for Vanessa to be punished for her alleged crimes soon, but now, hearing from the guard that the criminal was in her front yard, she was about to faint.

Now, seeing with her own eyes that it was true, her eyes rolled back, and foam gathered at her mouth.

Vanessa wasn’t too surprised by her stepmother’s overreaction, as she had somewhat expected it. She greeted her father, who was following slowly behind her stepmother.

“Father, it’s been a while. You look well.”

Her father, whom she reunited with after a long time, turned his head away without a hint of joy. His face, much older than she remembered, was coldly hardened.

He had never been a particularly affectionate father, but she had thought that in difficult times, one could only rely on family.

On her wedding day, her father had apologized for not finding her a good match, saying that Viscount Cloet was a respectable man and advising her to support him well and live happily. The memory was so dear that she had traveled a long way with the faint hope that perhaps, just maybe, he would help her, but how could he be so heartless?

Vanessa tried to hide her disappointment and grasped her father’s hand.

“I heard Earl Arenshen sent a letter, but there was no reply, so I came to see you in person. Didn’t you want to see me?”

“A letter? I haven’t received anything.”

Her father said as he pulled his hand away. He didn’t seem to be lying. The only person who could intercept important documents before they reached the lord was her stepmother. As Vanessa’s gaze turned to her, the stepmother raised her voice, veins bulging in her neck.

“How could you be so clueless! If there’s no reply, you should know it’s a rejection!”

“That letter was meant for Father, not you. Bring it here immediately.”

“Hmph, I burned it as soon as I received it. The letter was full of absurd claims of your innocence. How could anyone believe it?”

Her father did not intervene, only watching the fight. It seemed he hoped his wife would drive his daughter away, as it would look too heartless if he did it himself.

With her husband not defending his daughter, the stepmother eagerly attacked Vanessa.

“You should have been sent to a convent long ago. If that had happened, this wouldn’t have occurred. Your pious sister lives a pure life as a nun for the family, but how can you be so different in every way? You should have been grateful to Viscount Cloet for accepting you and lived quietly, but you brought this on yourself with your greed. Aren’t you afraid of the heavens?”

Assuming Vanessa had poisoned her husband as a fact, she attacked without giving her a chance to defend herself. Vanessa was angry and frustrated by her stepmother’s absurd claims, but what she couldn’t bear was her father’s silence.

“I don’t have to take this slander from a woman like you! I will speak with Father, so stay out of it!”

“How dare you speak so rudely! Who do you think you’re talking to?”

The stepmother raised her hand high. In the blink of an eye, her hand flew toward Vanessa’s cheek. Vanessa reflexively dodged, but before it could reach her, Julian caught the woman’s hand.

“Ah, my wrist!”

As Julian gripped her wrist, the stepmother’s face twisted in pain. Her arm, like a thin branch, seemed it might snap at any moment.

“Honey, do something!”

With the situation escalating, Baron Deloher could no longer just watch. He tried to pull Julian away by the collar, but it was like an ant trying to move a mountain. As the situation quickly turned into a scuffle, Vanessa’s face turned pale.

“Julian, stop, stop it!”

Julian, like a well-trained dog, immediately released her wrist. The stepmother, losing her balance, stumbled to the floor, clutching her wrist and pretending to cry like a child. Her father, who had been ignoring her, now protected the stepmother.

“Who are you to cause trouble in someone else’s house?”

“I am Lady Vanessa’s escort knight, merely fulfilling the duty entrusted to me by Earl Arenshen.”

“Your name is Julian, right? There is no one among Earl Arenshen’s knights who would do such a disgraceful thing! Where do you come off lying…”

No, there was one. A man who clung to the Arenshen family like a leech.

He caused all sorts of trouble but remained in the family because he boasted exceptional skills among the knights. Thanks to his fierce appearance and reddish-brown hair, he was also known by the nickname Grizzly Bear.

“Tyrant mercenary, Julian. If the Earl of Arenshen knighted a bastard like you, his judgment must be very clouded!”

Thinking there was no need for courtesy, Baron Deloher spat out harsh words. Julian’s eyebrows twitched briefly, but he did not punch Baron Deloher. He was exercising maximum patience because he was Vanessa’s father.

Vanessa was greatly disappointed to see her father pointing fingers at Julian. How could he act like this after seeing her stepmother insult her and try to slap her?

“Father, you know I’m innocent. You know I didn’t poison Viscount Cloet, so why are you turning away from me? Is it so hard to write a petition for your daughter?”

Her throat trembled with grief. Vanessa’s voice was so sorrowful that her father turned to her with a surprised face, and her stepmother paused her crocodile tears.