The Count's eyebrows rose in surprise. It was the first time he had seen Fernand protest in such a way in front of him.
Fernand had never once spoken out against the Count, although he had occasionally lashed out or thrown tantrums in front of his mother, Sasha. He knew better than anyone that his father was the one in power in the Count's household.
"What are you talking about right now?"
The Count glared at Fernand with eyes that resembled snakes.
"It's not even worth that much for the guns I sold! Why are you making such a fuss over that? Give me a week and I'll make you ten times that amount!"
The Count's expression, which was always arrogant, completely collapsed in an instant. How low has this child fallen? He couldn't close his mouth at the sight of his son in front of him. His son seemed like a completely different person than he had originally known.
Fernand was never a great man in his life, but at least he knew when to crawl.
But now, Fernand seemed incapable of even the minimal calculation that the person in front of him was the head of the household and that he had to please him to some extent.
"You..."
The Count sank into his seat. Having run the Ulrich Casino, the Count knew all too well what Fernand was going through at the moment.
Because he's seen it over and over again.
'The eyes of a typical gambler.'
The eyes of someone addicted to the thrill of winning a lot of money at gambling. A person with eyes like that, no matter how talented he was originally, will eventually not be able to recognize his parents or children.
What was more desperate was that the madness in Fernand's eyes was worse than that of any other gambler the Count had ever seen at Ulrich's Casino.
Perhaps the stakes were much higher and the excitement was greater than when he played at the Ulrich Casino.
'What on earth happened to this guy while I wasn't watching?'
The Count clenched his fists. Fernand was originally a pleasure seeker who loved alcohol, drugs, and gambling. But he had never let himself become addicted to this extent.
"Don't you feel sorry for the son who came back from almost being hanged?!"
The Count looked at Fernand's face in vain. The area around his eyes and cheeks was sunken and hollow, and only his cheekbones were prominent, making Fernand's face look strange.
People who want to escape from reality are vulnerable to addiction.
Fernanr seemed to have let himself go, wanting to escape the reality of fear that he might actually be beheaded, that he might be executed if the trial results were wrong.
'If only he had been locked up in prison during the trial, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation. At least the money I sold would have been less.'
Fernand's trial was a trial to 'verify whether immunity still applies'. It was a trial of procedural legitimacy rather than a criminal trial. and Fernand was a high-ranking nobleman.
That is why Fernanf was not detained during the trial.
The Count let out a hollow laugh. If it was going to end up like this...
The Count's inner thoughts, hidden beneath the subconscious, suddenly burst out.
'...It would have been better to just let him die.'
It was a contempt that Fernand had kept buried because he was the sole heir to the Count's family and his only legitimate bloodline.
But the Count quickly suppressed his feelings.
'No. Isn't it the Albrecht family that my grandfather barely managed to seize through rebellion?'
If there is no heir, then upon the Count's death, Albrech from another collateral line will immediately take his place.
Ulrich had been growing up for a long time, hearing from his father's generation about how differently the direct and collateral branches were treated, and about the sorrows of the collateral branches.
About the collateral line that only has noble blood in name, but in reality, is treated worse than the nameless local nobles.
He could not tolerate the sight of handing over the earldom to those snakes who were always eyeing his position.
'Fuck. So I can't just abandon this son of a bitch...'
"Rolf! Bring Rolf!"
The Count shouted at the butler responsible for this situation, but the footmen just looked at each other.
Only then did the Count realize that today was 'Victory Day' and that he had sent Rolf to meet Charlotte.
The Count, who was resting his head on his forehead due to the constant pain, pulled the rope and called the footmen instead.
"Jacob! Tie that bastard up and lock him in the room so he can't go anywhere. He doesn't even recognize his own father."
"Yes, sir."
"Even if a few dozen footmen rush in, we can do whatever it takes to keep that guy from ever getting out!"
After giving that order, the Count left Fernand's room. Then, the door to the room where Odette had been staying came into view.
'It wasn't like this when I had that lowly thing.'
The golden age of two years ago seemed like a lie. A time when everything was peaceful and worry-free.
The Count's emotions subsided. He felt strangely depressed and suffocated.
"Oh, really. She was proven to be a true Purifier, so why did she die? Anyway, this is why the bloodlines are messed up..."
He tried to shake off that feeling by muttering softly, but the bitter feeling still did not go away.
The Count stared at the door where Odette had been staying for a few seconds, then stumbled for a moment before walking with a firm posture.
He walked down the central staircase to the lower floor, thinking that the glorious days seemed like a fleeting dream.
***
Mrs. Becker was secretly watching the Count walking down the stairs from the top of the stairs leading to the attic.
'It looks like the two have finally fought.'
Mrs. Becker gave birth to a son last year, but her status within the Count's household did not rise.
The Count never once looked after her son. On the contrary, he treated her so rudely that it would be unthinkable to treat a woman who was pregnant with his own child.
During her pregnancy, he locked her in the cold attic where Odette was often confined, saying he hated the sight of her. To keep her from dying, he only gave her one cheap meal a day.
In all that time, the Count had only glanced at her once, and even that was to warn her.
"Vanessa. How can you believe that the child you gave birth to is my blood? How can I accept as your own illegitimate child something that might be another man's child?"
The Count was a man who seduced women but also looked down on those who fell for his seductions.
A person who is convinced that a woman who easily sleeps with a married man has no integrity.
Although he didn't get to the point, Mrs. Becker couldn't help but sense the implications of his words.
It means, 'I will not acknowledge your child as my own, so erase it as you wish.'
Originally, after confirming that Odette was dead, Mrs. Becker tried to tell the Count everything that had happened to Odette as soon as the bracelet tied around her arm was removed.
If only she could change the Count's mind, even if it was just through trickery.
But the moment she saw the Count's contemptuous eyes, she realized that if she uttered those words, he would never be forgiven.
'If he treats a pregnant woman like this, there's no benefit to telling him. Instead, he'll blame me for all the misfortunes because I acted like a bat.'
Throughout her pregnancy, Mrs. Becker's sorrows accumulated. And as much as her sorrows, so did her cautions.
Mrs. Becker no longer desired or longed for the Count's love or favor. All she wanted was the safety of her son and herself.
'So now is the time to wait.'
Mrs. Becker, who had been watching the commotion downstairs, went back up to the attic. A young baby was waiting for its mother in the cold attic.
***
Kayaks zoomed along the Rothbart River, where white rose petals flowed along the water's surface.
The laughter erupting from all over the river showed how much every sphere.
Odette, who was standing on a secluded arch bridge over the river, looked up at the kayaks on the water.
In the square before her eyes, a shower of confetti and roses was falling endlessly. Some people were dancing happily to the sound of the parade band.
Odette muttered, reaching out and catching a piece of confetti falling from the sky.
"Wow, you're going to be throwing this around all day? Looks like there's money left over in the central cathedral."
The 'Victory Day' event itself also appeared in < Redemption >.
Charlotte is revered as the second S-class Purifier, succeeding Rosalind, the 'first S-class Purifier', through this event.
'But it wasn't such a big event.'
The most flashy and biggest main events in < Redemption> were centered around the social world. Competitions with debutantes and Karin, horseback riding with the male leads, tea time, opera house dates, etc. Because the scenario of < Redemption > was centered around the stories involving the male leads.
The 'Victory Day' event was just a small, minor event that lightly lightened the mood between the main events. Its scale had never been this big before.
"Well, there are more than one or two things that have changed. What can we do about these things?"
Everything is different from the game. If she had to pick the biggest difference, it would be that she is alive.
If the game had been as it was, she would have been decapitated as a villainess long ago, before even facing this year's 'Victory Day'.
Instead of standing here like she is now and eating street food comfortably.
'I can welcome this fall. I guess I've changed my fate.'
As the evening approached, the wind became noticeably cooler, and Odette thought as she closed the hood she was wearing.
It was at that moment that a loud voice was heard from the road leading to the arch bridge where she was standing.
"Get out of the way. The parade is coming this way soon!"
"You're being interrupted! Don't wander around and stay close to the railing. Keep your head down!"
Odette looked back.
The apprentice knights were coming this way. clearing out those who were disrupting the parade.
It seemed like they were people who cleared the way and organized the crowds before the parade passed.
'You seem like an unusual bodyguard.'
The moment she thought that they also started shouting at Odette, who was standing alone on the bridge.
"Hey, brown-haired woman! Stop fooling around and get off the edge of the bridge!"
The parade procession was probably about to cross this bridge.
This one was particularly devastating. The only person standing on the bridge was Odette, and she was already at the edge.
"Quick! Get on the railing and bend over!"
'What? I'm already leaning against the railing.'
Odette did not bow. The apprentice knight frowned at her disobedience but did not show any irritation.
Thump, thump. The march of the knights was approaching. The apprentice knight quickly crossed the bridge to clear the crowd.
Odette stood before the railing and stared at the procession. There was something she wanted to see with her own eyes.
Soon a pure white Landau carriage surrounded by knights passed over the bridge.
In the center of the knightly procession stood a tall, white open carriage, where Charlotte was waving with a bright smile.
Then, Charlotte's gaze turned to Odette.
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