The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 20
Dayan’s voice trembled slightly at the end. It was because the dream was still vivid when he closed his eyes. Everything that his hands touched rotted black, and even the image of himself left alone in the darkness was so clear it felt real.
“Did Father have such nightmares too?”
“Yes.”
“Were you afraid?”
“I was.”
After these calm responses, Dayan touched his fingertips and raised his head to ask what he wanted to know most. “Does it get better?”
Vanwilhelm, who had been giving short answers making light of everything, smiled slightly at Dayan’s question.
“Of course. Growing up means learning to control your fears. So don’t skip meals.”
At the end of those words, Vanwilhelm raised an eyebrow.
“Your height doesn’t seem to match your grades.”
Dayan’s serious face turned red at that.
“T-that will grow soon. I’m already quite tall compared to others my age.”
“Oh? We’ll see about that.”
“Pfft.”
Hartbisa, who had been watching their conversation, couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Both the father making jokes and the flustered brother looking much more natural and amusing than their usual tense expressions. At Hartbisa’s bright laughter, the two men finally shrugged and laughed together.
As the tea time was ending and Vanwilhelm was about to rise from his seat, Dayan spoke up.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
Dayan began cautiously.
“…It’s about the succession ceremony. Nothing about the ceremony is written in the succession document.”
Succession ceremony? Even Hartbisa shifted her gaze to Vanwilhelm with interest, but he answered firmly while adjusting his clothes.
“You’ll naturally learn about that when the time comes. You don’t need to know now.”
“You won’t tell me?”
“It’s not a lie, so there’s no problem, right? Now both of you should return. It’s getting late.”
Vanwilhelm answered like a smooth operator and called the waiting butler to escort them each to their rooms. Hartbisa’s lips protruded in a pout as she followed the butler, but Vanwilhelm called out to stop her from behind.
“Hasa.”
When she turned around, Vanwilhelm spoke in the manner of offering a goodnight farewell.
“It was a good teatime tonight.”
Though she had been angry with her father until just a few days ago, that simple kind word seemed to make up for days of worry. Hasa bowed deeply, unnecessarily so, to hide her reddened face before following the butler.
***
“Good night, young lady.”
The butler who escorted Hasa to her room closed the door after saying goodnight and crossed over into the dark hallway, holding a candlestick. As quiet stillness settled over the corridor, the door slowly opened and Hasa poked her head out.
“This might be my only chance.”
Muttering this, she slipped into the corridor. Though the night in the garden had concluded better than expected, bringing relief, there was something troubling in those final words.
The statement that one would naturally learn about the succession ceremony when the time came. That bothered her. While the blessing naturally begins in the firstborn’s body, she knew that some turning point was needed for the predecessor to pass complete proof of the blessing to the successor.
That turning point seemed to be called the succession ceremony, but she didn’t know exactly what changes occurred. It was also significant that while almost everything was recorded in the succession document Dayan had been reading, only the most important part was omitted.
This might be connected to the core reason why the family was destroyed in her previous life.
And the only place where she could check information about this was Father’s office. The office was usually locked when Father wasn’t using it. Since Father had been in the office before coming to the garden, it might still be unlocked.
Hasa moved toward the office, muffling her footsteps.
When she turned the handle, the office door opened. Hasa silently rejoiced as she stepped inside. The interior was dark and quiet. Only a single candlestick was lit on the inner table, and no one was present.
It seemed Father was still talking with his aide and hadn’t returned to the office yet. Hasa moved inward, holding the candlestick. She looked across at the bookshelf that filled one wall, illuminating it with the candlestick.
Just from the real estate documents he had given to Hasa and the succession document Dayan was reading, it was clear that Father had a habit of keeping records. There was a high possibility that information about the succession ceremony would be recorded somewhere too.
Hasa placed the candlestick on the table and slowly examined the bookshelf. She touched the old, faded book spines while looking, opening them one by one to check inside. Growing impatient, she quickly scanned with her eyes while continuously muttering “succession ceremony, succession ceremony” under her breath, when suddenly she noticed a book spine with a design similar to the book Dayan had been reading in the library.
When she opened it, there were dates written inside. It was her Father’s diary from over 20 years ago.
Hasa cleared her throat with an embarrassed face. Reading someone else’s diary wasn’t right, especially Father’s diary. She looked around briefly, feeling something like guilt, then made an excuse that no one had asked for about preventing the family’s destruction as she began to read the diary.
It was written by Father before he had even become an adult.
[The power grows like bones inside my body and builds mass like muscle until it’s unbearable to handle. It feels like my body isn’t my own.]
Similar words had been written in the succession document she had sneaked a look at yesterday. There was advice written to naturally accept the power by metaphorically comparing the blessing to bones and muscles so Dayan could understand easily.
But that wasn’t all that was written inside. Hasa read the next diary entry.
[The pen I held melted. All the flowers in the garden path where I walked have withered.]
[Even my precious books are ruined. Everything I touch becomes unusable. I can clearly see everyone is afraid to come near me.]
[Yonab’s fingertips turned black while cleaning my study. The physician says they might need to amputate up to the wrist. Though Yonab said it was fine, his wife fainted after crying silently. To call this thing a blessing. Wouldn’t death be better than inheriting this?]
“….”
What was contained in Father’s diary was about the terrible sorrow, pain, and loneliness that the successor experiences.
There was suffering there that one wouldn’t expect from the person who had written down the symptoms so plainly in the succession document.
“Were you afraid, Father?”
“I was.”
She recalled his expression when answering Dayan’s question. The calm expression that showed none of the anger of the boy who had written the diary, who had endured everything.
What answer had Father discovered? What revelation had transformed someone who harbored such anger into a man who could meet Mother, marry her, and bring her into this world?
Hasa’s throat tightened as she recalled Father’s moon-like quiet voice.
“Growing up means learning to control your fears.”
At that moment, she sensed someone behind her. Hasa quickly closed the book she was reading and put it back on the shelf, but her steps halted. Thinking it might be Father, she turned around trying to maintain a neutral expression.
“Young lady?”
It was Salam standing there with a candlestick, looking over at her. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before glancing past Hasa at the bookshelf she was trying to hide behind her back.
“…Salam.”
Salam met her eyes silently for a moment before stepping aside and saying, “Young lady, the master will return soon. Let’s leave this place first.”
Hasa didn’t resist and followed Salam out of the office. Salam closed the door and walked ahead down the corridor. Just as they were about to exit the long corridor, they heard the sound of a door opening and closing behind them. It seemed Father had really returned.
Hasa stopped and asked. “Why did you tell me?”
Hasa knew that while Salam was polite to her, he was clearly Father’s man.
Especially in her previous life, she remembered many retainers and servants whispering that she was unsuitable for the Cellie family when she was weak and timid.
Therefore, she had thought that even though she was the young lady, if she was caught sneaking into the master’s office, he would rightfully report it to his master.
But Salam had helped prevent her from encountering Father. Hasa stared at Salam, finding this strange, and after lowering his eyes for a moment in deep thought, he finally spoke.
“The master visited the academy several years ago for the young master’s entrance ceremony.”
“…!”
Hasa’s eyes widened in surprise. Though he had spoken as if he wouldn’t go to the academy even if the sky fell, he had visited for the entrance ceremony.
“As you know, young lady, public opinion about the Duke tends to be rather sharp. Especially since there were noble children who knew about the blessing at the gathering, it seems bad rumors spread as soon as he entered.”
