Chapter 10
What came out of his mouth in defense of his mother wasn’t a request like “please understand,” but an order: “understand this.” It indirectly revealed how the duke had treated Karia all this time.
If he had intended to persuade her, using that tone was clearly a blunder.
“Let me ask just two things. Are you aware that this isn’t the first time your mother has acted this way?”
“-That is…”
“Then, if you release your mother, will you take the punishment in her place?”
“Madam!”
Rubidef Pandeon could hardly conceal his astonishment. He wasn’t completely ignorant—he knew about the discord between his mother and his wife. And he guessed that the cause mostly lay with his mother. She was a stubborn woman, sometimes even he wished he could turn a blind eye to her.
But what was he supposed to do about a mother like that? He had to run around every day to keep the Pandeon household afloat. He didn’t have the time to care about every trivial matter at home.
If they were a married couple, shouldn’t she understand this much? She had, after all, tolerated it until now.
“Leave.”
The sentence that came from Madam’s lips was absolute. She lowered her head, as if she didn’t even want to see him speak, and deliberately began working.
“I have a lot to do today.”
From then on, she treated the duke as if he didn’t exist, tracing the ledger with her pen. Not pretending—she was genuinely reading it, and the furrow in Karia’s brow and her occasional flinch revealed it.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“‘Suddenly’?”
“On the day we married, I made just one request. I asked that you not stir up unnecessary conflict in the household. I didn’t care if you weren’t a good hostess or a good mother. If you complied, we could have been friends.”
At the word ‘friends,’ the pen in her hand stopped moving. Karia lifted her head slowly. Her eyes, devoid of emotion, fixed on Rubidef.
He assumed his wife’s stern expression came from surprise. She always smiled whenever she saw him.
He thought that she had lived a reasonable life by accepting his “proposal.” In fact, Rubidef had respected her wishes when, immediately after their marriage, she said she would leave for her estate alone. He had never complained when she neglected her hostess duties to go to volunteer work or other affairs.
So he thought, without a doubt, that his rebuke was completely justified.
“I am disappointed in you, Madam.”
“Hah, disappointed?”
But Karia did not reflect on his words. Instead, she sneered. The venomous smile that replaced her usual gentle one made Rubidef, for a brief moment, feel as if his heart had been pricked by a sharp object.
“Do you really think we were ever those so-called ‘friends’?”
“-I… suppose so?”
“For the past six years, we have never been friends, nor even on the same side.”
They were not friends. Karia had clung to him, the only lifeline in this suffocating household, secretly hoping he would one day recognize her devotion.
They were not a married couple either. If Rubidef had truly regarded her as his own, he would have known that she was slowly rotting inside despite her composed exterior. He had no genuine interest in her.
They were bound together by circumstance, trapped by an unbreakable chain, unaware of who it was choking whom.
“I was the dog, and you were the moon.”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You enjoyed it too.”
Even if she had consciously ignored it, deep down, she must have known who held the reins in this relationship.
He hadn’t shown her attention because he knew she would always be behind him anyway.
“You lived in a well, unaware of who was the moon and who was the dog. How pitiful.”
“Madam, how vulgar!”
“I have no intention of ever being ‘friends’ with you, even in death. So wake up from that dream.”
Leave. Once again, she issued her order to him, this time locking eyes with him directly. Under her piercing gaze, Rubidef could not meet her eyes and looked away first.
Watching him hurry away as he had when entering, Karia’s lips twisted.
‘Ungrateful fool.’
That was precisely how she felt about Rubidef. He raised his chin as if he had yielded something valuable without realizing what he truly had.
But when something you take for granted disappears, how long can you remain indifferent?
Karia was not generous enough to offer kindness to someone who couldn’t appreciate it. She was the type to take back what she had given from those who mocked her favors.
Pandeon could not abandon her. But her abandoning Pandeon was another matter entirely.
She had resolved to stop returning the son whom the matriarch cherished so dearly.
“Ha, what a mess.”
After reading the household ledgers, Karia could hardly speak from disbelief. They detailed expenditures she had never even touched—expenses for maintaining dignity, jewelry she had never bought, dresses she had never worn.
Even though Karia had no access to the ledgers for the past six years, this was extreme. The ledgers, full of embezzlement, showed no attempt at concealment.
No one in the household had ever delivered items for her, and no one had indulged in such luxuries—every servant knew that.
Moreover, these ledgers were not only for the matriarch’s eyes; quarterly reports went to Count Libne, who oversaw the family’s finances. That meant even the capable Count Libne had seen these shoddy ledgers.
“Yet they were approved, either overlooked or part of the scheme, I suppose.”
Considering Count Libne’s temperament, the latter seemed unlikely. Hesys Libne, like Jurin Baltos commanding the mercenary troops, was a loyal retainer of Pandeon and the duke’s childhood friend.
The three were bound by unbreakable trust. The duke had entrusted the keys to the safe to him, a clear sign of deep faith.
Therefore, it was more likely that someone had simply turned a blind eye. Probably because the duke always pitied his mother and didn’t want loud disputes in the house. Karia’s concerns would be last on his list.
“Butler.”
“Yes, Madam! Did you call?”
Perhaps due to yesterday’s events, the butler rushed over without needing a second summons and bowed respectfully.
“Has the matriarch had breakfast?”
“Yes! She skipped dinner but had a reasonable breakfast today.”
“I see. That’s fortunate. It could have been serious if she continued to skip meals.”
It was a feigned worry. As far as Karia knew, the matriarch was remarkably healthy for her age, with no chronic illnesses.
Karia merely wanted to check how the suddenly confined matriarch was doing.
“Madam, it seems the matriarch has calmed down considerably. Perhaps it is time to forgive her…”
“Did the matriarch even express an intention to apologize to me?”
“Well… she didn’t say it directly.”
“I suppose she still needs more rest.”
The butler, trying to read the matriarch’s thoughts, subtly hinted at her possible repentance. Later, when she was released, he might seek praise for himself.
But Karia maintained her usual cold demeanor, as if she had never asked. Prioritizing safety, the butler wisely stayed silent.
“And from now, we will begin auditing the inventory. Summon five servants. Let’s start with the dress room.”
“R-Right now? But audits are usually quarterly…”
“What use is a pre-announced audit? It’s just a sham. Also, the past internal ledgers must be stored. Gather all six years’ worth since I entered the household. I’ll review them when I return.”
She rose from her seat, ignoring the butler’s objections.
Even though the ledger contents were obviously false, accurate data was needed to investigate the extent of misappropriation.
And now, with the matriarch confined, it was the perfect time to handle it.
Karia left the room, leaving the flustered butler behind.
As she strode down the hallway, someone passed by.
“Kristan.”
A boy with dark navy hair walked toward her, disheveled.
His hair, eyes, and appearance bore a strong resemblance to his father. At her call, he slowly raised his head.
“It’s been a while. Though, living in the same mansion, is it strange to say that? Returning from sword training?”
“……”
The boy did not reply. He glanced at her with his blue eyes and deliberately walked past, clearly choosing to ignore her.
The child always acted like this. After being spoken to kindly and then ignored, Karia always felt shame and frustration.
But she no longer intended to tolerate such behavior.
