Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 2
Everything happened within a month. Cecilia lost her husband, her home, and even her fortune.
Exactly a month after the death of Cecilia’s husband, a lawyer came and delivered the news. According to the documents she had signed, all inheritance was now under the control of the main family.
“The main family… should be the Harper family, shouldn’t it? But there shouldn’t be any eligible heirs left in the Harper family…”
“No, it’s the Pierce Duchy.”
“Excuse me…?”
A memory suddenly surfaced.
‘Posthumous entry.’
Christian had mentioned that. The Duke Pierce, Logan’s biological father, was considering a posthumous entry.
She thought it was an absurd statement. Surely, he must have had a different intention…
“Why are you so surprised? You signed the papers, didn’t you?”
“…Me?”
“Yes, right here.”
There was a blatantly written signature on one corner of the transfer document. Cecilia easily deduced the identity of the forger.
Christian Pierce, that damned gambler.
‘It’s alright. I haven’t done anything. As long as I can prove that it wasn’t my direct signature, everything will return to normal.’
Cecilia tried to calm herself, forcing her heart, which was pounding, to settle.
‘I still have enough time for corrections. I just need to file a lawsuit to void it.’
Eventually, everything would go back to the way it was. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
…But honesty is a virtue, not a stratagem. The ways to turn falsehood into truth are limitless.
Cecilia learned the sharp contradictions of her seemingly honest life in the courtroom.
Christian. The scoundrel who had insolently gripped her shoulders accused her of being a conniving woman who approached him first.
Cecilia’s personal maid testified that the mistress suffered mental confusion after her husband’s death, leading her to “forget” the fact that she signed the documents.
And Cecilia’s father, Count Lasphilla…
“Do not ask me anything. That girl was never my child.”
Logan, just as Cecilia, like the Duke Pierce’s stain, was also an illegitimate child of the Count. The Count did not want to publicize this fact, and since Cecilia’s biological mother died, he hadn’t sent her a single letter.
When the birth father refused to testify, Cecilia’s stepmother, Bernarda, took his place.
“Cecilia has always been mentally unstable. Perhaps she inherited some genetic illness from her gypsy mother. She was usually calm, but suddenly, she would act like a madwoman, crying and having seizures. The day she jumped into the lake by herself will be unforgettable.”
Cecilia’s older half-sister, Carolina, continued the testimony.
“That girl… she always coveted my belongings since she was young. Probably, because there had been a falling out between Lord Pierce and herself, she deliberately orchestrated a scandal smearing my good name. But, Your Honor, how can a virtuous married woman like me have an affair with another man? It’s all the delusions of that child.”
Realizing she had focused too much on tearing down her younger sister, Carolina belatedly remembered her duty.
“So, that child… she has been afflicted with hysteria. Giving such a large sum of money to a child like that, who knows what mischief she might cause!”
Finally, Ulysses, Carolina’s husband and Cecilia’s relative, took the stand.
Before his testimony, he glanced at Cecilia with his transparent glasses. His blue eyes were subtly distorted.
“Are you not even offering a seat to an unwell woman?”
Only then could Cecilia sit. As the chair was provided, Carolina, who had been standing behind the witness stand, jabbed Ulysses in the back.
“Whose side are you on coming out like this?”
Malice that she couldn’t hide spilled from her gaze. Her long eyelashes, along with her eyes, conveyed a venomous feeling.
“Your Honor, please look at this. A child who dares to wag her tail at my husband even in this sacred courtroom. For a woman, if she’s not going after a man, she just can’t stand still.”
Cecilia endured not only the accusations against her but also the insults hurled at her husband. However, Ulysses, seemingly accustomed to Carolina’s own hysterics, sighed quietly and said nothing more.
The only person who was being wronged was Cecilia.
As the witness took the stand, she looked towards the witness stand, where Carolina’s husband was present. That was all she needed.
Ulysses’ favor was unexpected.
Cecilia wondered how she should handle this situation. Feeling uncomfortable, she stood up again, avoiding eye contact with Ulysses. But the blame didn’t stop.
“That promiscuous woman does not deserve the legacy of Viscount Harper, who was faithful to his family.”
“Whether it’s a mistake or not, she signed it herself. Can this be reversed? How lenient is the Caswick court for such things to escalate like this?”
“Above all, if there is a mental problem, she cannot be left alone to manage such a large sum of money. It’s much safer and beneficial to entrust it to Duke Pierce, who has dedicated himself to Caswick for a long time.”
Her inheritance was the value of her husband’s life, and the blood, sweat and tears that his maternal grandfather had shed while pulling wagons by hand.
However, they treated private capital circulation as if they were handling state funds.
Amidst their silence, Ulysses asked,
“May I testify again?”
“Since the witness’s statement contradicts the agreement with the defendant’s side, additional statements by the witness are not allowed according to the defendant’s opinion.”
“…Ha.”
Cecilia, who had been staring at the table the whole time, didn’t see his expression. She only heard a brief sneer with her ears.
Was that person mocking her, who initiated the lawsuit and was only being attacked unilaterally, or had he scoffed because of this ridiculous court trial?
She decided not to dwell on it. It was irrelevant to her anyway.
The scales had already tipped for a long time. The prestige of Duke Pierce felt heavy, as if loaded with lead, while she, a single individual, was lighter than a feather.
Even those who shared blood with her did not defend her.
She was completely alone.
