The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 8
“Welcome. I’ve already prepared a meal for you, Aunt. Please, have a seat.”
Hartbisa brightened the atmosphere with a wide smile.
Helena, who had intended to lead the usually conversation-lacking table atmosphere, was momentarily flustered but soon sat down without a word.
Hartbisa continued her meal without much disturbance. It was an expected appearance. More precisely, it was a bit later than expected.
She thought Helena would be eager to interfere as soon as possible, but it seemed she hadn’t anticipated that Hartbisa and the Duke would be having a cordial meal, given the deep rift between them.
A reasonable assumption. At least, until her previous life.
Hartbisa, unbothered, chewed her steak with her cheeks full, which made Helena frown deeply.
“Oh my, she’s doing it again. I’ve warned her so many times about this.”
Even the Duke paused at her commotion, but his sister, seemingly oblivious to him, became even more boisterous.
“She still has so much to learn. I should have taught Hartbisa from an earlier age. She really needs a proper mother figure.”
Helena deliberately pointed out her shortcomings in an exaggerated manner. It was a common tactic she used, an easy way to train Hartbisa to be an obedient dog.
She wanted to say this in front of many people, to belittle her. To say, ‘You don’t have a single ally, even at home.’
Hartbisa stopped cutting her food.
The entire dining room fell silent as if time had stopped, but the oblivious Helena, flushed, continued speaking.
“Brother, you shouldn’t just praise your child, even if she’s yours. It’s fortunate that I’m here.”
Helena, who had been enthusiastically rambling on, finally seemed to notice the Duke’s silence and glanced at him cautiously.
“So, how was your business trip? I believe the destination was Ala…”
“Salamua,” Hartbisa interjected without hesitation. The Duchess looked at her in surprise, but Hartbisa was focused on her meal as if unaware.
Hartbisa had barely received any formal education, let alone attended the Academy. Most of her lessons had been cut off after her coming-of-age ceremony, with only flower arranging and embroidery classes remaining as part of her bridal training.
There was no reason for Hartbisa to be well-versed in geography.
Helena, hiding her confusion, shifted her gaze back to the Duke.
“Y-yes, that place. I heard that rare minerals are abundant there.”
Helena asked with a voice full of expectation, hoping that her brother might have bought her a gift to compensate for her efforts in his late wife’s stead, but Hartbisa cut in again.
“To be more precise, Father went to Juam, which is in Salamua. It’s quite far from the mines.”
“….”
“I heard that sandstorms are severe at night, restricting movement. Is that why your trip was extended? I’m glad you returned safely.”
There seemed to be a faint sound of a servant coughing in the distance.
Hartbisa sent a genuinely concerned look. As if completely indifferent to her aunt’s contempt beside her.
Helena’s lip twitched slightly at the corner.
“I had no idea you were so knowledgeable about geography. How wonderful it would have been if you had shown this at parties. Instead of a lady holding wine in her mouth and gulping it down.”
At her words, Hartbisa stared at her with round eyes before calmly replying.
“The wine served at the last party had a subtle aroma, so holding it in the mouth before swallowing was the best way to fully appreciate it. I doubt anyone would have thought as you did, Aunt.”
“Hold it in the mouth and what?”
“However, I’m worried that everyone might have gossiped about you scolding me for that. Please don’t dwell on it for too long.”
“What?”
As Helenas’s face was etched with bewilderment, a laugh was heard from the head of the table.
“Pfft.”
It was a laugh that seemed to have escaped through gritted teeth. This time, everyone, including Salam standing behind and even the aunt’s expression, was filled with astonishment.
Because the owner of that laughter was none other than Vanwilhelm.
Had he ever laughed out loud since the mistress died? Salam would have dared to say never.
Vanwilhelm, regardless of the stares around him, looked at Hartbisa and asked.
“You seem to know a lot about geography. It’s rare for someone to know about Juam.”
Hartbisa answered without hesitation as if she had been waiting for just that question.
“It’s thanks to the books organized in the study. I heard they were all purchased by you, Father. Is that right?”
“Yes. I collected them one by one a long time ago.”
“Just by reading those books in order, I could understand. So it’s all thanks to you, Father.”
At the brief “Thank you” that followed, Vanwilhelm’s expression became enigmatic.
***
“What on earth are you up to?”
During the meal, Vanwilhelm rose first due to an urgent message from Orsay.
As soon as the Duke left his seat, the smile that had been on Hartbisa’s face disappeared as if it had never been there. Helena let out a scornful laugh at the sight.
That was why. The one who followed Hartbisa as she quickly finished her meal and left was…
She caught Hartbisa’s wrist as she walked away silently.
Helena asked again, her mouth twitching.
“Aren’t you going to answer properly?”
In contrast to the highly agitated Helena, Hartbisa, whose wrist was grabbed, merely blinked and calmly retorted.
“About what?”
Her face seemed to genuinely not understand why Helena was so worked up. That expression provoked her even more.
“Since when have you been frequenting the study to dare lecture me about the capital and culture?”
“I was just curious about where Father went on his business trip, so I looked into it a bit. Because I’m his daughter.”
“…Are you trying to be funny?”
Helena’s eyes wavered uneasily.
Just a few days ago, she was a girl who had been practically dragged back to the mansion and confined to the attic without a word. Not only was she accustomed to that kind of punishment, but she was also a girl who never made excuses when Helena spoke.
Because of that terrible curse, she thought her mother had died at the hands of none other than her father.
That’s why manipulating Hartbisa, who was like a puppet, seemed as easy as choosing from a line of artworks displayed before her.
At least until that day when that child came to the drawing room. But who on earth was this child standing before her now?
Hartbisa lifted her wrist, which Helena was gripping tightly, and let out a small groan.
“Ah.”
It was an exclamation without any change in expression. The eeriness of it made Helena’s hair stand on end.
Feeling fear from this fragile child who didn’t look like a member of the Cellie family at all, Helena instinctively released Hartbisa’s wrist as if throwing it away.
Hartbisa looked down at her own pale wrist, which had quickly turned red.
It was an incredibly fragile body. She thought so as she gently caressed her marked wrist. But now, such things didn’t matter anymore.
Hartbisa remembered that around this time in her past life, Vanwilhelm had been away from the mansion longer due to a business trip to Juam.
It was her specialty to acquire broad but shallow knowledge in various fields, having gone through multiple programs.
Hartbisa knew that just by briefly skimming through related books in the study, based on her past memories, she could talk as if she knew about it.
She might be as weak as those who pointed fingers behind her back said, unfit to be a member of the Cellie family.
But that didn’t mean she deserved to be treated this way.
Hartbisa stood up straight. Standing face to face with Helena, Hartbisa was by no means short either.
Above all, her dry gaze created a strange sense of pressure. Helena reacted even more sharply out of nervousness.
“I raised you like my own child since you were young, even without a mother, and this is how you repay that kindness.”
“…”
Hartbisa looked at her as she spat out sharp words incessantly, seemingly anxious, before opening her mouth.
“In the past, I was terrified of you, aunt. Your words seemed heavier and more significant than even an imperial decree, and I felt that if I disobeyed them, I would become a useless existence.”
At Hartbisa’s sudden outburst, which sounded like a lament, Helena looked her up and down as if trying to assess the situation.
“You really are something else. Now you’re trying to play on emotions?”
“I haven’t finished speaking.”
Hartbisa firmly cut off the Duchess’s words.
“From the beginning, I never expected you to fill my mother’s empty place. It was just because you were my aunt, my elder. I hoped for that much responsibility.”
Hartbisa thought that these words, steeped in emotion, came out well. It was the result of having turned them over in her mind countless times for a long time.
And her aunt’s expression upon hearing her true feelings was exactly as she had imagined.
A face devoid of empathy or remorse.
It felt satisfying. Because she too could now completely erase the faint notion of family that remained.
