🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 59
“The One Who Made Me Like This Is You, Father”
“W-what did you just say, Rani?”
“T-that is…”
Lately, Rani had been scared of Heidi.
The once gentle way of speaking had turned sharp, her clear complexion had grown pale and haggard, and she now bit her nails while mumbling things Rani couldn’t understand.
“Rani!”
Yes— even the way she now yelled at her like this.
Rani shrank her neck like a turtle, her lips trembling. She licked them repeatedly to moisten her dry throat.
Seeing Heidi glaring at her with fierce eyes, Rani spoke in a trembling voice.
“T-that is… I think His Highness the Crown Prince went to the Marquis’ house.”
“You don’t mean the Piace Marquis’ house, do you?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right! The Piace Marquis’ house!”
“…Why?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked why His Highness went there! Why!”
Her voice rose in anger, making Rani shrink back again.
Heidi let out a sharp sound, then started pacing the room in anxiety.
Biting her nails, she walked around and around, while Rani kept her head lowered.
Truthfully, Rani thought she knew why he went to the Marquis’ house, but she wasn’t sure if telling Heidi was the right thing.
Unaware of Rani’s hesitation, Heidi muttered while pacing.
“W-what’s the reason? Why all of a sudden? The Marquis wasn’t even an Imperial faction supporter. Then why?”
Her once perfectly maintained pink nails had been bitten so much over the last two weeks that they never stopped bleeding.
The nails had grown short and torn, blood seeping between them, but Heidi seemed not to notice the pain.
Her once smooth skin had turned rough, and dark circles were heavy under her eyes.
Suddenly, Heidi stopped walking.
Rani, who had been glancing up at her, froze as their eyes met.
Her anxious eyes now held a mix of fear.
“Y-you don’t think he found out, do you?”
“F-found out what?”
“That someone whispered like a snake to separate me and His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“N-no, I’m sure that’s not it!”
“Not it?”
“O-of course not.”
Rani blurted it out without thinking, then flinched and looked away. She could feel Heidi’s piercing gaze on the top of her head.
“How do you know?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you another hunting dog planted by the Marquis?”
“W-what do you mean by that…!”
Her voice, rising in panic, died instantly under Heidi’s cold gaze. Rani quickly bowed low.
“T-that’s impossible! I’ve served you for 10 years! Please believe me!”
“Then how do you know? How do you know what that man said to His Highness, what lies he whispered?”
“I-I heard it from the children! The ones you ordered to spread rumors in the slums!”
“…What about them?”
“R-recently, someone came asking about those rumors! They dressed plainly, but their way of speaking and moving wasn’t ordinary. The kids said they were like knights!”
Shaking as she spoke, Rani closed her eyes tight, waiting for a response.
When Heidi stayed silent, Rani cautiously added,
“I-if the ones asking about the rumors were Imperial Knights, maybe His Highness just wanted to confirm the rumors you spread.”
“…”
“S-so His Highness might have thought the Marquis was the one who spread them, and went to see him!”
Rani swallowed hard, her throat completely dry. Heidi’s lack of reaction made her glance up— and she saw Heidi’s face was deathly pale.
“…My lady?”
Heidi only seemed to come back to herself when Rani called her again.
“Y-yes. You’re right. There’s no way he’d think I started that rumor. After all, I’d be the one most hurt by it… right?”
“O-of course!”
Rani nodded quickly, afraid to upset her.
Heidi glanced at her and spoke again.
“You kept the children quiet, right?”
“O-of course. No one will know… that we… no, that I spread that rumor!”
Seeing Heidi’s face stiffen, Rani quickly corrected herself. Finally, Heidi’s expression eased a little.
“Y-yes. That must be why he went. That’s why…”
She began pacing again, muttering,
“There’s no need to worry. Everything will be fine.”
Then, suddenly, she spun around to face Rani, who quickly lowered her head.
“Where’s Father?”
“…Pardon?”
“Has Father changed at all since that day?”
Rani swallowed nervously. She didn’t know how to answer without upsetting her.
Seeing her hesitate, Heidi’s voice turned cold.
“Don’t think about lying to me, Rani. I can find out the truth about your lies easily.”
“I-I’m not lying! I mean… the Count…”
“Father?”
“T-that is…”
Unsure if she should say it, Rani glanced up— and saw Heidi staring at her with expressionless eyes.
“Was your promise to be loyal to me a lie? Should I take the whip out to make you talk?”
“N-no! I’ll talk! I can say it!”
“…”
“A-after meeting the Marquis, the Count went to see an informant!”
“Father went to see an informant?”
At her words, Heidi nodded sharply— and in that moment, her hand knocked a teacup to the floor, shattering it.
“M-my lady! Are you alright?”
“…So he did go. In the end.”
“M-my lady…”
“To Father, that woman still matters more than us.”
“T-that’s not it! Maybe he just wanted to check if what the Marquis said was true…”
Rani stopped mid-sentence at the sight of Heidi’s frozen face. A chill ran down her back.
“Now all that’s left is for people to laugh at our family.”
“M-my lady.”
“They’ll say the happy Count Eliana family was all fake, just an act.”
Her calm voice was slowly filling with rage, her face twisting.
“Rani, tell me honestly.”
“…Pardon?”
“Do I look like I have a happy life to you?”
“I-I don’t understand…”
“For 20 years, Father has abandoned Mother and only looked at another woman. The Marquis eyes me like he’s thinking what to take from me next. My surroundings are a mess, but I can’t say a word to Delphian.”
“My lady…”
“He’s the Crown Prince, and he must become the Emperor of this country.”
“…”
“If he knew what a flawed person I am, he might reconsider marrying me.”
For the first time, Rani felt sorry for her.
It was like catching a glimpse of a deep shadow the sunny Heidi had been hiding.
“What did I do wrong to deserve this?”
“…”
“What did I do to have to live like this? Why! Until when!”
Heidi screamed, throwing a vase to the floor. She overturned a chair and swept everything off the table.
“Aah!”
“Heidi!”
Hearing the noise, the Count rushed in.
Heidi turned toward the door, breathing heavily in the wrecked room.
Seeing Edwin’s worried face, her lips twisted.
“…Father.”
Looking at the destroyed room, Edwin’s face hardened.
“What in the world are you doing?”
“…It’s your fault.”
“What?”
“It’s all your fault. The reason I’m like this, the reason Mother withers away waiting for you every day— it’s all your fault!”
Heidi’s voice rose in rage, leaving Edwin speechless.
Smiling strangely, almost like laughing and crying at the same time, she said,
“So it would be better if you just killed me.”
“…Heidi.”
“Then at least the two things that made me like this would disappear.”
Facing the two frozen people, Heidi smiled faintly.
Her bloodstained lips curved into a strange shape.
“The one who made me like this… is you, Father.”
Expressionless, Heidi brushed past Edwin and left.
Staggering, Edwin touched his forehead— but all he could think of was the way she had looked when she said:
‘The one who made me like this is you, Father.’
Somehow, those words burned into his mind and wouldn’t leave.
