The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 27
After their first meeting at the academy, Wolfgang Lamberth quickly found out who she was and had been sending flower bouquets to her family. Hartbisa looked down at the troublesome pile of rose bouquets with her arms crossed.
Thanks to Professor Radant’s intervention, she thought she had managed to avoid that path, but her connection to Wolfgang from the original storyline persisted. If things continued this way, she would only end up repeating her previous life.
And just as she worried, less than a day later, Helena summoned Hartbisa.
After the previous incident, she hadn’t held any parties and had stayed confined to her room, but now she sat elegantly in her chair, dressed up as if nothing had happened.
Hartbisa sat across from her with an expressionless face. Helena’s brow furrowed briefly, apparently disliking Hartbisa’s appearance, but she quickly composed herself and sipped the tea placed before her.
“Hasa, it seems you’ve already become a lady.”
Pretending as if the previous incident never happened, she smiled, imitating the face of a gentle mother.
“It feels like just yesterday that I started raising you, yet you’ve grown so much.”
Hartbisa decided to watch this nauseating performance for now. When Hartbisa remained silent, Helena just gave a small laugh and continued with her prepared speech, unbothered.
“So I’ve looked into some good marriage prospects. Although your chances in social circles were ruined by your mistake, but who am I? Many people have sent letters of introduction trusting my name, so don’t worry.”
Although it had been just a modest gathering rather than a proper social debut, where she had been made to wear an unsuitable dress and been embarrassed, Hartbisa only sneered without arguing back.
Helena, who had been deliberately trying to provoke Hartbisa, seemed displeased by her lack of reaction and signaled to the maid with cold eyes.
The maid hurriedly brought out several letters of introduction.
Most of the marriage prospects in the introduction letters were men from powerless rural territories, and some letters were even from other kingdoms. This alone clearly showed how much Helena wanted to push Hartbisa somewhere out of her sight.
Helena pretended to contemplate as she shamelessly shuffled through the papers, then pulled out one letter.
“While all these gentlemen are excellent, this is the one I recommend most among them.”
Hartbisa’s shoulders stiffened when she saw the family seal imprinted on the paper Helena handed over. House Daimon of the Kingdom of Yursia. The family of Hartbisa’s husband from her previous life.
The Kingdom of Yursia was located in a place that took well over a month to reach. Still, among the marriage prospects she had brought, it was the most historically prestigious family and the most respected by the people within their kingdom.
However, the introduction letter mentioned nothing about how the Count was more than 10 years older than Hartbisa, was notoriously ugly, and had sadistic tendencies.
All of that was what Hartbisa had learned through direct experience.
When Hartbisa’s face hardened, Helena snorted and continued pressingly.
“Hasa, surely you’re not looking down on a Count’s family just because you’re a duke’s daughter? Though you’re like a daughter to me, to be honest, this match is too good for you.”
“You don’t think a duke’s daughter who failed her social debut and is out of favor with the people could meet a Count from the Eastern Continent without an introduction letter, do you?”
“So, Aunt, are you saying this is the best match available right now?”
She seemed to want to criticize Hartbisa’s tone, her throat twitching, but she managed to swallow her words and forced a smile.
“Of course, if we wait long enough, we might find more excellent candidates. But as I said, in your situation, this is the best option.”
In her previous life, she had simply believed that her aunt had found the best match possible while considering her inadequate self. It would be a lie to say she hadn’t been tempted by the mention of a Count’s family that received such a warm welcome from the people, given how Hartbisa had always been swayed by negative rumors.
She had thought that perhaps she could become someone loved by people if she left Cellie and became the lady of that house.
But now knowing everything, she could only sneer. The Count too was just a despicable man who secretly enjoyed gambling with sponsorship money and discriminated based on birth status. So this was all just Helena’s act.
She was simply anxious about a man she had considered as a prospect for her own daughter now showing interest in her niece.
‘A match fitting my status, is it? I wonder how lightly Aunt must think of me.’
Helena, thinking Hartbisa’s silence meant she understood everything, continued speaking.
“So, modestly accepting the connection with the Count’s family…”
“For someone known to have keen ears in social circles, you seem quite blind to what’s right in front of you, Aunt.”
“What?”
Hartbisa smiled brightly as she tucked her fallen hair behind her left ear.
“Why look far away for a good match? The eldest son of House Lamberth is already showing favor towards me.”
“……”
Helena’s smooth expression cracked like breaking pottery. She apparently hadn’t expected her stupid niece, who knew nothing about men, to accurately point out the courtship from the Lamberth eldest son while dismissing the marriage prospect she had found.
Wolfgang Lamberth was from one of the Empire’s five great families and one of the men Helena had her eye on. Of course, while Bertolph Radant was her first choice, Helena didn’t enjoy such dangerous tightrope walking as to aim for the Grand Duke’s family.
While the Grand Duke’s son was rumored to prefer men to the point where rumors circulated about his homosexuality and focused on his studies while keeping women at a distance, Wolfgang was known for being active in social circles and showing favor to aesthetically beautiful ladies.
Such a man could have been coveted as a son-in-law for her own daughter, but it gave her a splitting headache that someone like Hartbisa had caught his eye first. That’s why she was trying to remove Hartbisa from the empire.
She thought it was a fitting treatment for that girl who knew nothing about men. Helena tried to continue speaking as calmly as possible.
“That’s because you still don’t understand men. If you misunderstand their show of favor…”
To this, Hartbisa cut off Helena’s words with a pretty smile.
“Well. I wonder about that. After all, he’s a man who sends baskets of red roses every day. As Helena said, wouldn’t he become mine if I just act a little modestly?”
Helena finally realized that the Hartbisa before her was no longer the girl who couldn’t speak a word and just fidgeted at parties, knowing nothing about men.
Helena’s lips trembled at the thought that all her plans would be ruined if Hartbisa actually managed to match with Wolfgang.
“…They say a daughter’s mother is important, and look how you’ve fallen apart as soon as the butler took your guardianship away from me. Who would think of you as a proper noble lady? More like a temptress.”
Helena always brought up Hartbisa’s mother when things weren’t going her way. Because that was most effective at agitating Hartbisa.
But Hartbisa just shrugged her shoulders and remained composed, saying these were just the things her aunt had taught her before her social debut, so why was she getting so angry?
The maids standing around Helena murmured at the sight of their mistress no longer being able to handle Hartbisa.
Helena shot a murderous glare at the maids. Hartbisa rose from her seat with a smile.
“Then I’ll pretend I never saw this marriage prospect.”
“How dare you act so impudently. This is why people point fingers at you, not even knowing how to respond to those who wrote letters of introduction.”
“If you’re that disappointed, why don’t you remarry, Aunt?”
“What?”
“I heard Count Winblad is preparing for divorce. While he’s a flawed man I wouldn’t take even if offered whole, he’s much younger than you, so it might not be a losing deal.”
Helena’s face turned red and blue as if greatly insulted, and she jumped up from her seat.
“Hartbisa!”
“Don’t raise your voice so rudely. And Helena, don’t forget my previous warning. Remember who holds the Cellie name.”
Hartbisa no longer flinched at Helena’s words. Helena could only watch Hartbisa leave the drawing room, seemingly finding this fact humiliating.
***
“When Madam’s expression completely crumpled earlier, but she couldn’t say anything to Miss and just trembled her lips, it was so thrilling!”
Tar chattered while brushing Hartbisa’s hair, seemingly recalling what had happened between Helena and Hartbisa in the drawing room that morning.
The news had already spread throughout the mansion. While Hartbisa had clashed with her aunt several times before, until now everyone had thought of it as a mere struggle on Hartbisa’s part, and Helena’s position in the mansion hadn’t been shaken.
But after losing authority to the butler and being caught unable to handle Hartbisa in front of her subordinates while hiding in her room, it seems her prestige had crumbled.
