Catherine laughed because she couldn’t cry. Her poisonous smile was bright, but equally murky. I’m sorry. Sister won’t be able to escape.

“If you thought I wouldn’t know, that’s unfortunate.”

I knew everything.

Sadly, everything.

“I waited for you to tell me directly. If you apologized and admitted your wrongdoing, I was going to forgive you in my heart, at least…… Why…… did you put me through such a trial.”

She pushed Emily’s shoulder with her hand, her eyes reddening like a deeply wounded child. The world has only been cruel to me. She covered her mouth and looked down at Emily with resentment, while Emily covered her mouth with trembling hands.

Emily covered her mouth with shaking hands and sobbed. Catherine embraced her shoulders. She rested her chin there and tilted her head languidly.

“Why did you do it? Why, why? Sister, why would someone as fragile as you commit such a sin?”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Catherine! To slander me like this…… We may have been distant, but don’t slander me!”

Emily blocked all of Catherine’s words and cried by herself. Ah. My dear sister’s floodgates have burst open again. She always cries at times like this, blocking people’s words. This was Emily’s bad habit.

Catherine shrugged indifferently. Whether she cried or not was none of her concern.

‘I didn’t bring this up to receive an apology anyway.’

Her long blonde hair scattered with a splash. The sparkling pearl applied around her eyes shimmered softly with each blink.

I have no immunity to such melodrama. So even if she pretends to cry, I can’t indulge her forever. Catherine stroked Emily’s wet hair and spoke.

“I thought if I approached you first, you would apologize and speak first. That’s why I waited, even writing a letter……”

“Please listen to me, even if just for a moment. It’s fine if you drive me out or reject me afterward. Let me just clear up your misunderstanding. We’re family, aren’t we? Family should resolve things through conversation and work things out step by step. Mother said so too.”

“Since guests are here now, let’s talk again later.”

And as the guests departed, the awkward melodrama ended too. Toward evening, the guests who had visited the mansion prepared to leave one by one.

“Lady Helen, today was truly enjoyable.”

“I hope there will be another opportunity to invite everyone again. We’ve prepared gifts for everyone, so please take them. Nancy, give the gifts to the guests.”

For gifts, she had prepared intricately crafted pendants. Nancy had prepared these gifts, saying that to satisfy the eyes of nobles, the gifts needed to be equally intricate.

After the guests left, Helen Castle sank into quiet silence. And in the middle of this silence were the Milden sisters. As Catherine took Emily to the guest room and came out, the maids became restless.

“What’s happening? Madam’s sister is staying at Helen?”

“Was Madam on good terms with her family? Though everyone keeps quiet about it, weren’t they on bad terms?”

The servants expressed doubts like ‘Has her mind weakened along with her body recently?’ but they quietly let it pass.

This was because the experienced butler had sternly scolded them, saying that for a servant to doubt their master was itself disloyal. Of course, even such a butler expressed concerns, showing how worried everyone was.

“Madam, are you alright?”

“About what?”

“I already know that you and your family are on bad terms.”

Your relationship must have been bad enough to be famous among the mansion staff. Catherine smiled broadly and answered. Thank you for your concern.

Just when she thought she only needed to deal with the butler, Brady the aide came to see Catherine separately late in the evening.

“Did you come because you’re curious about something too, Brady?”

“This will be reported to His Grace. It might be an issue where we could be scolded when His Grace finds out later.”

Brady is Lorendis’s aide. Also, it’s natural for those who follow Helen to serve Lorendis. When Catherine smiled and patted his shoulder saying “please,” Brady flinched.

“May I ask why you’re keeping your sister here? It seemed like you had forgotten each other for the past half year…… I know you’ve been ill. I also know the medical ward has been busy recently. I understand that your heart is weakening. If you’re keeping them close because of that……”

“Is there room at the nearby monastery?”

Brady tilted his head at the unexpected question. For nobles, monasteries are usually referred to as places of exile. Monasteries are located far from the capital, and once someone’s name is on the list, their outside access becomes restricted.

“Monastery spaces are always in short supply. But if we need to create space, we can. It’s usually a place where nobles who have committed crimes go to reflect on their sins, right? A place for penance?”

“Please create two spaces.”

It was time to reclaim what was mine.

The hem of her red dress fluttered. The sight of the lace floating airily was splendid, but the back view was terribly lonely.

* * *

Sensing something strange in the maids’ busyness, Emily called Catherine to the guest room.

“Catherine, pl-please listen to me. We’re family, aren’t we? Did my, my mother make a mistake toward you? Perhaps there was some misunderstanding?”

“I feel hurt too. I won’t live long, and this fragile body will soon reach its limit.”

It was still warm. But if this breath stops, this body will soon grow cold…… Then will her stepmother and stepsister swallow up the viscountcy?

No, before they swallow it, I should remove those mouths first.

“F-first, please send me home. I’ll ask mother about everything, and I’ll tell her to apologize to you. Mother must be worried about me now…!”

“Since I sent a letter in your handwriting, I think she’ll be at peace.”

Inviting her to the tea party, telling the guests that Emily would stay overnight, and sending a letter with the news. All of it was to isolate Emily.

She crossed her long legs and leaned on the table, while Emily’s gaze moved restlessly.

“I’ve been thinking about it, you know? I found out quite by accident. If I had stayed at the residence, I wonder if I would have been confined there, not even knowing I was dying. That’s how life is. Sister, you know everything. About that beautiful poisonous herb.”

If you think alone here, even my foolish sister might reflect. Just as Catherine was isolated alone in that house, if Emily is isolated alone and left standing, will she then understand her feelings from that time? The feelings of little Catherine Milden, abandoned by her family.

“Facing death makes everything seem pointless. I’m not very angry. But, the meaning changes if Lady Helen dies by poison.”

Lady Helen dying an unnatural death by poison is different from a rural family’s daughter dying an unnatural death.

If it becomes known that Lady Helen died an unnatural death by poison in Helen, people will dig into where it started.

“I, I…… didn’t know you would really die! I just thought you would get a little sick. This was all mother’s doing! It’s mother’s sin! To punish me too for what mother did……”

Those who drove me to death are now begging for their own lives. After pushing my life into the mud and taking it away, they want freedom and forgiveness for themselves.

“My fragile sister. Let go of mother now.”

“M-mother?”

“You should find a way for yourself to survive. Let go of mother and survive yourself.”

Let go of mother. You’re young and alive, sister, so you should live. Confess those sins directly and find a way to survive. Catherine whispered like that.

“Sister, shouldn’t the living survive?”

“Alright. I’ll let go, I’ll let go of mother! It was all mother’s doing. It was something mother did alone!”

Mother. The bond between mother and daughter breaks so easily.

My fragile sister.

But don’t expect that forgiveness will be an entirely comfortable path.

* * *

“Your Grace. A messenger bird has arrived from Helen.”

It was the third day of his stay in the capital. A messenger bird sent from Helen arrived at the townhouse, carrying a red stamp.

The red-colored laurel pattern meant it was a messenger bird sent with urgent news.

[This is Dr. Dennis. I’ve found my student. His character is so nasty that it’s difficult for me to bring him alone. Could Your Grace send someone?]

Lorendis folded the message and put it in his jacket, then called a servant.

“Prepare for the palace visit.”

Tessler had told him to stay in the capital for a week, but he had kept that time appropriately. He thought it was time to wrap up his schedule in the capital.

Tessler had a half-expectant expression at Lorendis’s request for an audience.

“I thought you’d stay longer this time.”

“I need to go to Helen.”

Can’t Helen function without you? After showing your face for just a few days, you heartlessly set off on that road again.

“Now that you’re married, you do stay attached to Helen longer.”

“I’ve seen your face, so I’ll be going now.”

Tessler asked as he saw Lorendis off.

“When will you come again?”

“Don’t wait for me.”

“Your expression doesn’t look good. You seem to be returning urgently, has something happened in Helen? What could happen just because you’ve been away for a few days? You’re the one who’s been away from Helen from time to time anyway.”

—To be continued in the next volume