The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 41
Helena couldn’t take even a single teacup that she used to throw around carelessly when angry, let alone the luxury items she had acquired over time.
She literally left empty-handed. Just as she had first entered the mansion. She couldn’t take a single thing that belonged to the Cellies.
There seemed to be a small commotion in the distance, but when her father gave a signal, Salam quietly handled everything.
That was the end. The long, bitter relationship with Helena that had persisted since her previous life was finally over. Hasa felt as though everything had finally found its proper place.
After washing with warm water, Hasa drank the warm tea Tar had prepared and lay down to sleep. Though she thought she would fall asleep quickly in the soft bedding, she sat up after only a short while.
While it had felt extremely satisfying when she first shouted at Helena, now she wasn’t entirely happy. The reason was simple. Helena, who had seemed like the biggest villain in her previous life, now felt insignificant.
That person Professor Jual Mandro mentioned.
Somehow, that person seemed connected to the shadow that had aided in the Cellie family’s destruction from behind Helena. Hasa let out a small sigh and walked toward the table to drink some water.
She noticed a large envelope on the table. It contained the invitation Helena had sent to Jual Mandro.
Before coming to the duke’s mansion from the academy, she had gone to an inn in Central Town to gather her belongings.
As she was hurrying on her way, a hotel employee stopped her. What she handed over was this document envelope. An old man had asked to deliver it to her, and the sender’s signature on the envelope was familiar.
[Shine.]
It was from her long-time pen pal, Shine.
“How did he know?”
Hasa gulped down the water and let out a troubled sigh.
She didn’t know who Shine was. Sometimes when she received his letters, she wanted to ask his name as she imagined this uniquely kind person, but at the time, Hasa’s self-esteem was at rock bottom. She was afraid to pretend to know more, worried he might stop sending letters.
But unlike her, Shine knew who Hasa was. For some reason, he even knew about her proficiency in ancient languages.
Though clearly a potential threat, somehow Hasa didn’t think Shine was a bad person.
That’s why she had written a letter to cut ties, to keep him from getting involved in what she was about to do.
“Received help again.”
How did he know to bring exactly what was needed? Hasa traced his signature on the envelope with narrowed eyes.
He was likely someone nearby. Otherwise, information couldn’t have been delivered this quickly.
Hasa decided to stop trying to cut Shine off, worried he might become dangerous. At this point, she just wanted to find out who he was.
***
When the academy’s summer vacation ended, the fall semester began for the new students. Since there would be no reason to return home until winter break once the semester started, Hasa spent as much time as possible with her father.
Her father also postponed his business trips to spend time with Hasa. Though Dayan seemed a bit awkward at first, he never missed a family gathering.
Whether having tea time together, going hunting, or playing chess, Hasa thoroughly enjoyed each of these seemingly trivial activities.
With one week left before summer vacation ended, a guest visited the mansion.
Hasa swallowed nervously. Seeing this, Dayan chuckled.
“Why so nervous? After acting like friends with the Grand Duke’s son.”
“That’s different.”
Vanwilhelm cleared his throat softly at their whispering. Hasa and Dayan fell silent, and as the carriage door at the end of the road opened, an elegant lady appeared. As she slightly lifted her long hat brim, dazzling silver hair sparkled.
Seeing that familiar brilliance, Hasa thought to herself that genes really couldn’t lie.
She was Brizsua Radant, Bertolph’s mother and the Grand Duchess. Along with her son Berl, she performed numerous good deeds and was the actual owner of the academy.
As Hasa secretly admired how Berl’s beauty was the spitting image of his mother, whose age seemed irrelevant to her beauty, she suddenly met Brizsua’s eyes. Startled, her shoulders stiffened, but the woman smiled gently.
“Thank you for coming all this way, Grand Duchess.”
It was Vanwilhelm’s best attempt at courtesy, though somewhat rough. The Grand Duchess covered her mouth and laughed.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duke. I’ve heard talk of you throughout the Empire, and despite this being our first meeting, I feel a sense of familiarity.”
“The rumors you must have heard were quite violent ones.”
“Isn’t that how rumors are? I don’t put much stock in gossip.”
Hasa had never seen someone who wasn’t intimidated by her father, even when face to face with him. Even she, who had returned from the future, had broken into a cold sweat when first meeting her father, but the Grand Duchess was indeed different.
An elegant air flowed. The Grand Duchess smiled with her eyes at Hasa’s gaze. When Hasa hurriedly bowed her head in greeting, she continued, telling her to raise her head.
“I’m the one who should apologize to Lady Cellie, so please don’t be too formal.”
The Grand Duchess whispered softly as she looked at the three people standing blankly after a slight smile.
“Shall we move somewhere else for a detailed conversation?”
Only then did the three people realize they had kept their guest standing on the road for too long. Instead of the two who knew nothing but heretic subjugation and sword training, Hasa hurriedly guided the Grand Duchess inside.
***
The letter from the Grand Duchess arrived right after the official academy admission certificate was sent. On the day of Jual Mandro’s incident, Brizsua had been away on an eastern charity mission.
The content of the letter expressed her wish to personally visit Hasa and apologize for what had happened. When she first heard about this through Vanwilhelm, she wanted to decline with waving hands, but it was difficult to arbitrarily refuse an apology from someone of the Grand Duchess’s stature.
To this, her father, rather intriguingly, suggested that Hasa should accept it, saying opportunities to receive apologies from the Grand Duchess would be rare, recommending it as casually as suggesting dinner menu options.
That’s how this current meeting came to be arranged.
Even as Hasa sat across from the Grand Duchess in the drawing room, it didn’t feel real. The reason she had come all the way to the harsh Chelsea was to have a private audience with Hartbisa.
The Grand Duchess drank her tea, savoring the fragrant aroma from the teacup before her. As Hasa was moistening her dry lips, Brizsua spoke.
“Lady Cellie, I’m sorry about what happened.”
At this sudden straightforward apology, Hasa hurriedly put down her teacup and waved her hands.
“No, I don’t think the Grand Duchess has anything to apologize for…”
“I heard from Professor Zhao. He also deeply regrets what happened that day.”
Hasa had felt this sufficiently about that matter. After that day, Zhao had separately sent a letter of apology to the mansion along with a famous fruit wine from the eastern region where he was born and raised.
“I believe I bear some responsibility as well. I really wanted to apologize on behalf of the academy.”
Hasa met the Grand Duchess’s eyes. Her feelings were quite strange. In her previous life, she had seen more than enough selfish and wicked people throughout her lifetime. She had seen the depths of how selfish people could be, and thought that might just be human nature.
That thought hadn’t changed much even now. After all, Helena never apologized to Hasa even until the end.
But seeing people who had no real need to apologize making apologies to her and trying to improve their relationship made her heart feel warm and fuzzy.
Brizsua saw Hasa’s lips curve up gently. Unlike her initially tense expression, Hasa responded with a beautiful smile full of sincerity.
“The Grand Duchess’s thoughtfulness in coming all this way to see me is more than enough. So please don’t worry about it anymore. I’m feeling embarrassed.”
Brizsua’s eyes widened for a moment.
During her brief absence, a major incident occurred when an academy professor was revealed to be a heretic. And at the center of that commotion was the noble lady of the Cellies. Brizsua was well aware of the noble lady.
The malicious rumors about her circulating in social circles. Such things had easily reached her ears, but Brizsua wasn’t particularly moved by mere rumors.
Rather, it was puzzling how malicious rumors spread like wildfire despite her minimal participation in social circles, so she paid them no mind.
The reason Brizsua knew Hartbisa well was because she was the woman her son had been making time to meet recently, squeezing out whatever moments he could.
‘I came because I was curious about what kind of person she was…’
Brizsua smiled softly. She was truly someone who could make others feel good with her smile.
