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Chapter 08
“Because the commander disappeared overnight, innocent young lives were lost. To fill that empty place, their blameless families had to take on labor they should never have needed to do. This is the result of that, Theodor.”
“I—I…”
It seemed the documents contained the aftermath of Father running away from the Einhardt estate. After all, if the heir suddenly vanished, it would be stranger if there weren’t consequences.
“If you had simply stayed in the position you were meant to protect! The people of the North would never have had to suffer!”
“…If you hadn’t opposed Isabel and me from the beginning, I would never have even thought about leaving!”
Father shot back, his face pale with fear. It looked like he had gathered the greatest courage of his life—perhaps because his wife and daughter were watching.
But Grandfather dismissed his words outright without even a scoff.
“You should have created a place for her! Not simply forced the issue! You couldn’t even wait a few years and ended up ruining everything? Your impatience is the problem! You’ve always been like that since you were young. No patience, no perseverance, no backbone—what a pathetic fool you are!”
…Wow. Was that really something to say in front of your granddaughter? It was outright verbal abuse.
And Father couldn’t even properly respond. He just bit down on his lip.
“…You…”
Huh?
“You’re the same… too…”
Father’s clenched fist had turned white at the knuckles, trembling violently.
Staring at the table with a pale face, he muttered something under his breath before suddenly lifting his head.
Then the anger he had suppressed for years finally exploded.
“You’re the same! You’ve always been like that since I was little! Position, position! Always that damn talk about ‘position’! Who asked for a position like that? You created it before I was even born and forced me into it! And whenever I didn’t meet your expectations even slightly, you treated me like a disappointment! You never once gave me praise!”
Ah…
The moment I heard Father’s words, I could roughly guess what had happened between them.
“Did you ever once try to understand me? Ever acknowledge me? The moment I stepped even a little off the path you decided for me, you never even looked to see what kind of path it was—you just dismissed it as pathetic!”
“Have you lost your mind? How dare you raise your voice in front of me? The moment you were born an Einhardt, those responsibilities were yours by default. What fool praises someone for simply breathing?”
“Parents do!”
Father shouted, almost coughing up blood.
His flushed face, his bulging veins—this was a side of him I had never seen before.
Across both of my lives in this world, it was the first time.
Part of me found it strange.
Another part felt heartbroken.
“Parents praise their children even if all they do is breathe, eat, and sleep!”
“Most people call that ruining a child’s future.”
“Oh, really? Then is this what I’ve become because of that?”
“In your case, you ruined your own life.”
“I learned from watching you.”
Neither of them looked willing to back down.
Their tense standoff was exhausting even to watch.
Can I really ease a relationship this broken?
Seeing their emotions firsthand made it clear the rift between them ran far deeper than a child who had lived barely twenty years could possibly fix.
Still… I have to try. That’s why I came here.
Suppressing the sigh that kept trying to escape made my stomach feel heavy.
Just then, there was a glass of red juice in front of me.
I drank it in one gulp.
“Pffft!—Cough! Ack—cough, cough!”
The moment it touched my tongue, I reflexively spat it out.
W-What is this?!
This isn’t juice!
My clothes—and the white tablecloth—were instantly ruined.
“Irina!”
There was a loud clatter, and suddenly a large, firm hand holding a handkerchief entered my view.
Even without the faint scent of coffee, I knew whose hand it was.
Grandfather.
“Are you alright? What in the world is this—! What are you all standing around for?! Call the head chef immediately! What on earth are they serving in the kitchen?!”
“I-I’m fine…! Cough—!”
I wanted to say I was fine, but the strange taste filling my mouth kept making me cough.
Grandfather held a cup of water to my lips and patted my back.
Only after drinking nearly half the glass did I finally recover.
Father had also forgotten all about arguing with Grandfather and hovered anxiously beside me.
Mother, calmer than the other two, sniffed the drink left in the glass.
“…Glühwein?”
Right then, the chef rushed up from the kitchen.
Upon hearing that the lord’s granddaughter had spit out her drink, he had been dragged here looking completely pale.
He was so nervous that his plump cheeks seemed to shrink in real time.
“You! What exactly did you make?!”
“I—it’s Glühwein, sir! I heard the doctor had visited earlier, so I added plenty of spices to warm the body…!”
Glühwein was a drink even I knew.
Wine simmered with sweet-and-sour fruits and plenty of spices—perfect for preventing winter colds.
Only then did I realize the unfamiliar taste from earlier.
Spices.
Grandfather looked ready to chop the chef’s head off.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
That couldn’t happen!
The chef hadn’t tried to assassinate me—he had made it thinking of my health!
“I’ll throw this idiot out of my estate immediately—!”
“Grandfather! I’m really fine! The spice flavor just surprised me a little, that’s all. Please don’t be angry. And the dishes today were made by the chef too, right? I want to eat them again tomorrow! So please don’t dismiss him!”
I pleaded desperately.
Grandfather sighed heavily and finally relaxed.
“…There will not be a second chance. Spend a week preparing ingredients alone and reflect on your mistake.”
Whew.
Only then could I relax.
Peeling onions was far better than losing his head.
The chef seemed to think the same, bowing repeatedly in visible relief.
Silence returned to the dining room.
No—actually, the atmosphere felt even more awkward than before.
Only after the extremely uncomfortable and tense meal ended could our family finally gather together again.
Grandfather said that once my room was prepared, he would immediately send Müller.
Which probably meant that this moment together might be the last time.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Huh? Oh… nothing.”
“…Shall we all sleep together tonight? The bed is big enough.”
As Mother said, the bed in my parents’ guest room was large enough for our entire family to lie across diagonally.
“No, I’ll do as Grandfather said.”
“It’s fine. Just ignore that old man. Dad will protect you.”
Protect me? From whom?
Still, the fact that Father said that surprised me enough that I stared at him blankly.
He simply patted my head as if to say I didn’t need to worry.
For a moment, my resolve wavered.
We probably wouldn’t get to gather together like this for a while… maybe one night would be okay?
But in the end, no meant no.
Better not anger Grandfather unnecessarily.
Father looked very disappointed but agreed that provoking Grandfather’s anger wouldn’t help anyone.
Mother also looked sad, but she kissed my forehead good night.
Later that night…
“Did you hear that story?”
“You mean the little girl who’s supposedly the lord’s granddaughter? Of course I did. The whole estate is already talking about it.”
“Miss Bauer… I didn’t think she was that kind of person. Pretty shameless, don’t you think?”
The yellow flames crackled in the fireplace as the maids whispered quietly.
“Exactly. Acting all proper and cold, and then seducing not even her student, but her student’s younger brother?”
“Still, the kid seems nice. Did you hear about the chef earlier? Apparently the lord was about to fire him, but the little girl stopped him.”
“Hmph… even so, isn’t she still an illegitimate child? A relationship the lord never acknowledged?”
“Is that really the important thing right now? Ugh, we’re already busy, and now we’ll have even more work.”
“They say she looks exactly like the young master though. That’s why the lord brought her to Lady Leona’s room.”
“They even gave her the Rose Room, didn’t they?”
“The Rose Room? Seriously?”
Just then, a sharp voice struck their conversation like lightning.
“I refuse to accept it!”
“Cecil?”
“Who would ever acknowledge the child of some lowborn woman as the heir of Einhardt?!”
Startled, the tallest maid clutched her chest.
The youngest maid—the owner of the voice—glared with eyes blazing hotter than the fireplace.
“Calm down. Anyone hearing you would think you’re the lord. Whether you accept it or not, he already has. We don’t have a choice. We still have to serve that little brat who showed up out of nowhere yesterday.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t accept it!”
“Hey! Watch your mouth! If Head Butler Müller hears you, you’ll be in serious trouble!”
A maid with loose strands of blonde hair peeking from beneath her cap lowered her voice and glanced around.
“Anyway, I refuse to accept it. Do they even know where they are?!”
“Cecil!”
“Leave her. The lord himself took the girl in. Hasn’t Cecil always been like this?”
Shrugging, she picked up the knitting she had set aside earlier.
At that moment, the door to the maids’ quarters opened, and an unusually tall shadow spread across the floor like a carpet.
“Ah, good. You’re all here.”
“M-Mr. Müller!”
The three maids turned pale.
Had he heard them?
Of all people—the head butler!
“Cecil, Emma, and Nina. Starting tomorrow, you will attend to Miss Irina. She will be staying in the Rose Room.”
Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t heard their conversation.
Instead of scolding them, he gave an unexpected order.
That was when—
“I refuse! I cannot obey that command! The person I serve should be the legitimate heir of Einhardt—not someone of such lowly birth!”
