The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 21
It was crystal clear. Even Hartbisa, who had married into a family from another kingdom, was followed by the negative image of the Cellie family name.
“The Academy selects people based on merit through entrance exams, so social status holds less power there than in the outside world. In that place alone, Master wanted young Master to be free as just Dayan, but he thought his visit only made the Cellie impression more prominent.”
“Father did?”
It was such a strange thing to hear. The person who had always shown an almost obsessive focus on being Cellie-like in front of him had such thoughts behind the scenes.
‘Wouldn’t death be better than inheriting something like this?’
Thinking about it differently, perhaps it was because he knew it best, having suffered the most – did he want to free him from the unavoidable life of an heir, even if only in a limited space?
Salam observed Hartbisa’s expression before concluding.
“And at that time, a letter arrived for the young master. [I can handle things well on my own, so don’t worry, Father.] That single line was the entire content.”
“….”
“So please don’t hate him too much, young lady. Master was probably watching over young master, waiting for him to find his own answer.”
Because no matter how much one denies it, one must ultimately live as a Cellie. Hartbisa felt she could hear these unspoken words from Salam.
Hartbisa looked into Salam’s face.
The worry and affection for the Cellie family are reflected in his bright irises. The reason Salam had acted and spoken so uncharacteristically was probably because he hoped the family, which had just started coming back together, wouldn’t fall apart again.
Salam, seeming to have said everything he wanted to say, bowed his head. “I’ve overstepped my bounds. I’ll accept any punishment you see fit.”
Hartbisa smiled slightly. His face had already returned to that of the strict butler Salam, as if he hadn’t just poured his heart out.
It probably wouldn’t sit well with Salam’s personality to just let it go with an “it’s fine.” After thoughtfully touching her chin for a moment, Hartbisa responded.
“Then next time, take my side instead of Father’s again, like you did just now.”
“…I am always on your side, young lady.”
“Salam must be getting old too, knowing how to say such flattering things.”
At this, Salam smiled gently.
“Use me whenever you wish, young lady.”
“I won’t hesitate to.”
With those final words, Salam escorted Hartbisa to her room.
Upon reaching her room, Salam’s face returned to his characteristic stern expression. He didn’t forget to admonish her not to move around alone at night or sneak into the Master’s room anymore.
After Salam left, Hartbisa lay in bed, retiring for the night. As she drifted into a drowsy sleep, she thought it was good that she had returned.
She learned that even after Mother’s passing, the three family members could spend time together laughing and that there were still people like Tar and Salam who cared about the Cellie family more than she had thought.
Just that alone made her heart feel like it was gradually softening.
Although she needed to steel her heart to protect her precious people, just for tonight, she decided to indulge in such happiness for a moment.
That night, she had a dream. Her mother, who regrettably hadn’t appeared in her dreams since passing away, appeared. It was a very warm dream where she rested her head on her mother’s lap under a large tree while her mother gently stroked her hair.
Strangely though, while her mother only smiled brightly, Hartbisa felt she could hear her mother’s voice tenderly calling out to her.
***
Hartbisa woke to the chirping of birds. For a moment, Dal had suddenly crossed her mind. But at the window she approached, there was an unfamiliar bird that flew away startled by her presence.
Hartbisa rubbed her eyes to shake off drowsiness and opened the window. Dawn was breaking. For Chelsea, it was a nice sunny day. Looking at the rising sun reminded her of Shine.
She had forgotten about him for several days, being on edge about Dayan and Father’s matters, but he would come to mind like this occasionally. Although she was the one who suggested stopping communication first, deep down she might have thought that Shine, being who he was, would still send her a warm letter despite that.
But regrettably, after the letter she sent, Dal no longer flew to her window. Exchanging letters through Dal had become so natural that she realized too late she had no way to contact Shine without Dal.
“I should have said thank you more properly.”
Thank you, she should have written a longer letter about how even in that life when she had to marry an unwanted man and withered away in that house, those moments of hearing someone’s affectionate words gave her great strength.
Hartbisa pondered these regrets and puffed up one cheek.
Still though, how could he really stop writing letters just because she said to?
“Fool.”
Caught between gratitude and disappointment, she muttered while watching a small bird resembling Dal perched on the adjacent windowsill.
“……”
Hartbisa couldn’t let herself sink into melancholy from the morning, so she patted her cheeks and stretched. It was still too early for Tar to arrive, so she was thinking of getting ready by herself for once when she turned and noticed something stuck in the door crack.
When she approached and opened the door slightly, a letter fell.
It had been wedged in the door. She picked it up and peeked into the hallway, but no one was there. Who could have left it?
Opening the plain letter with no markings, there was a single short line written:
[Thanks for helping with the assignment, I finished it all thanks to you. I’ll be back when vacation starts, so see you soon. Sister.]
It was a letter from Dayan who had left for the Academy at dawn today. Hartbisa unconsciously broke into a bright smile at the word “sister” attached at the end. He wouldn’t even call her sister once in front of Father, yet. In the end, he gave her what she wanted like a gift.
She couldn’t help but laugh thinking about Dayan, who must have written it down because he was too embarrassed to say it face to face.
“Cute kid.”
Hartbisa brought the letter in, placed it on the desk, and moved with energy.
“Well then, let’s do our best today too!”
***
Time passed quickly. As full summer began, Father departed on a business trip. Having succeeded in establishing a midway point, the trips wouldn’t be as prolonged as in the past. Above all, before leaving for his trip, Father deliberately made time to visit Hartbisa to bid farewell.
Such small changes were definitely flowing differently from her previous life.
Hartbisa sat in the library reading a book. It was the succession book that Dayan used to read. At first, Librarian Armon sharply blocked her, saying that Hartbisa, being a young lady, couldn’t read it, but when Vanwilhelm learned of this, he changed the outdated notion by reminding the retainers of the Cellie’s long-standing merit-based system.
Thanks to that, although the librarian’s eyes were still disrespectful when they occasionally met, she could now read the succession book.
“No matter how much I look, there’s still nothing about the succession ceremony.”
During her previous sneaking into Father’s office, she ultimately couldn’t find any records about the succession ceremony. Unable to give up afterward, she visited with snacks while Father was present, but somehow most of the books she had looked through then were no longer visible on the shelves.
It seemed they had been moved somewhere else, but she couldn’t ask where they’d been moved to, so she ended up learning nothing.
Hartbisa was closing the book and letting out a deep sigh when she saw Tar approaching from afar.
“You’re here, Tar?”
Recently, as Hartbisa spent more time in the library, Tar would come here to fetch her. After quietly confirming that the librarian was far away, she asked softly.
“How is it?”
“Your Aunt hasn’t moved from the drawing room today either.”
“Is that so?”
Tar had become Hartbisa’s eyes, watching and reporting on her aunt’s movements. After the recent incident, Helena had reduced her social gatherings and spent time only in the drawing room where her previously purchased exhibits were displayed.
She thought Helena might show different movements after Father left for his trip, but she still showed little activity, even avoiding the gatherings she used to attend without fail.
What could she be planning? Hartbisa was letting out a small sigh when she noticed the letter in Tar’s hand.
“That is…”
Tar, seeming to have just remembered, hurriedly handed over the letter.
“Ah, it seems young master sent a letter to the young lady.”
“Dayan?”
After leaving that letter in front of her room when returning to the Academy several weeks ago, there had been no contact.
Hartbisa opened the envelope with the paper knife Tar handed her and took out the letter inside. Then she carefully read through Dayan’s letter.
[I won’t make awkward greetings like ‘hope you’re doing well.’ By the time this letter arrives, Father will probably have left for his trip – you’re not holed up in your room again, are you? That would have been obvious in the past, but after seeing you this time, you seem to have changed.
You’re definitely better than before. You’ve become more Cellie-like.]
