(87) The trigger was pulled (3)
You've been through a lot, right? You've had a hard time, Young Lady. How difficult it must have been. Now, forget it all. It wasn't your fault, Young Lady.
No one said what he expected.
No one approached Helena, who was sitting there like an uninvited guest.
Even when their eyes met occasionally, they exchanged glances and giggled.
Only then did she realize it wasn't the right place for her, but she couldn't just abruptly leave the party. If she left, it would surely be talked about for a long time.
Helena turned her gaze towards the young ladies with whom she had been close.
The young lady of a certain Count's house, who claimed to be Helena's maid, and the young lady of a certain Marquis, who went around saying that she was Helena's best friend.
The young ladies, who would normally have rushed over and linked arms with each other before their eyes even met, slowly avoided Helena's gaze and rolled their eyes.
'What is this?'
Helena couldn't believe it.
Despite the various incidents, Helena was still the granddaughter of the Western Lord and the eldest daughter of the Duke of Bronte. And yet, she was being treated like this.
Unable to bear it any longer, she was about to jump up, whether or not they would talk about it later, when Countess Etani, who had invited her to this tea party, spoke.
“Come to think of it, Young Lady. You must be tired these days because you’ve been busy.”
Hearing these comforting words for the first time since arriving at this place, Helena sat back down on the chair, her half-assed buttocks pressed against it. She lowered her eyes sadly and spoke.
"It's hard. Everyone criticizes and ridicules me for things I didn't do. Why do you all love to gossip about others so much?"
It was a remark aimed at the ladies and young ladies who whispered about her, but no one was offended and instead looked at Helena as if they were amused.
"It seems everyone's interest is piqued now that various events have unfolded in the West, which had been quiet until now. By the way, is the Duchess all right? With the Duke, who was so devoted to her, recently taking a lover and spending time away, she must be in agony."
Helena's face flushed at Countess Etani's words. The other women exchanged glances and giggled.
"Father. He just needs time to think. I don't think it's anything the Countess should be concerned about."
"Of course, I don't mind the Duke. I'm just worried because of my friendship with the Duchess. Two Countesses from the Empire recently came and left, and I heard the Empire is still in an uproar over that. I'm worried because I think it must be very difficult for you, both at home and abroad."
Is that what a worried person looks like?
Helena glared at Countess Etani, who insisted on bringing up the past. Then, Countess Etani's daughter, Julie, who was standing next to her, spoke.
"But I have a question. Did you really torment Ariana like the newspapers say? She couldn't eat properly, was covered in bruises, and was malnourished... She even did the laundry and dishes, which were usually done by maids."
“That’s... that’s all lies, isn’t it? Reporters are supposed to write sensational articles!”
"But losing the trial means the article is completely true. Even when the third princess was accused of murder, the entire family tried to frame Ariana... And the head of the investigation bureau, who left for the empire to testify, is still missing..."
Helena didn't know what had happened to the head of the investigation bureau.
“That kind of thing... what would I know about that kind of thing?”
"I'm worried. Even if you were to have your debutante this year, you'd be a bit old, and you won't be able to go to the Empire for a while. In two or three years, everyone might forget about this... but by then, you'll be too old."
Helena bit her lower lip and glared at Julie.
Just a few months ago, Julie would come looking for Helena every single day, insisting she was a close friend. She never dreamed she would change like this.
You've been through a lot, right? You've had a hard time, Young Lady. How difficult it must have been. Now, forget it all. It wasn't your fault, Young Lady.
No one said what he expected.
No one approached Helena, who was sitting there like an uninvited guest.
Even when their eyes met occasionally, they exchanged glances and giggled.
Only then did she realize it wasn't the right place for her, but she couldn't just abruptly leave the party. If she left, it would surely be talked about for a long time.
Helena turned her gaze towards the young ladies with whom she had been close.
The young lady of a certain Count's house, who claimed to be Helena's maid, and the young lady of a certain Marquis, who went around saying that she was Helena's best friend.
The young ladies, who would normally have rushed over and linked arms with each other before their eyes even met, slowly avoided Helena's gaze and rolled their eyes.
'What is this?'
Helena couldn't believe it.
Despite the various incidents, Helena was still the granddaughter of the Western Lord and the eldest daughter of the Duke of Bronte. And yet, she was being treated like this.
Unable to bear it any longer, she was about to jump up, whether or not they would talk about it later, when Countess Etani, who had invited her to this tea party, spoke.
“Come to think of it, Young Lady. You must be tired these days because you’ve been busy.”
Hearing these comforting words for the first time since arriving at this place, Helena sat back down on the chair, her half-assed buttocks pressed against it. She lowered her eyes sadly and spoke.
"It's hard. Everyone criticizes and ridicules me for things I didn't do. Why do you all love to gossip about others so much?"
It was a remark aimed at the ladies and young ladies who whispered about her, but no one was offended and instead looked at Helena as if they were amused.
"It seems everyone's interest is piqued now that various events have unfolded in the West, which had been quiet until now. By the way, is the Duchess all right? With the Duke, who was so devoted to her, recently taking a lover and spending time away, she must be in agony."
Helena's face flushed at Countess Etani's words. The other women exchanged glances and giggled.
"Father. He just needs time to think. I don't think it's anything the Countess should be concerned about."
"Of course, I don't mind the Duke. I'm just worried because of my friendship with the Duchess. Two Countesses from the Empire recently came and left, and I heard the Empire is still in an uproar over that. I'm worried because I think it must be very difficult for you, both at home and abroad."
Is that what a worried person looks like?
Helena glared at Countess Etani, who insisted on bringing up the past. Then, Countess Etani's daughter, Julie, who was standing next to her, spoke.
"But I have a question. Did you really torment Ariana like the newspapers say? She couldn't eat properly, was covered in bruises, and was malnourished... She even did the laundry and dishes, which were usually done by maids."
“That’s... that’s all lies, isn’t it? Reporters are supposed to write sensational articles!”
"But losing the trial means the article is completely true. Even when the third princess was accused of murder, the entire family tried to frame Ariana... And the head of the investigation bureau, who left for the empire to testify, is still missing..."
Helena didn't know what had happened to the head of the investigation bureau.
“That kind of thing... what would I know about that kind of thing?”
"I'm worried. Even if you were to have your debutante this year, you'd be a bit old, and you won't be able to go to the Empire for a while. In two or three years, everyone might forget about this... but by then, you'll be too old."
Helena bit her lower lip and glared at Julie.
Just a few months ago, Julie would come looking for Helena every single day, insisting she was a close friend. She never dreamed she would change like this.
"But it's really strange. Even though you've lived with Ariana since she was little, how could you possibly think of tormenting her like that? She's still your younger sibling. Oh, you two have different mothers and fathers."
People knew Helena's biological mother as the former Duchess, not Rachel.
Helena wanted to say that she was also the granddaughter of the Western Lord and Rachel's biological daughter, but she knew that it was something she could never say, even if it meant dying.
If it were known that Rachel had given birth to a child before marrying the Eastern Lord, Russell, then things would be truly unmanageable.
“Even so, if it were me, I would have treated her well since she was my younger sibling who lived with me.”
Countess Etani smiled kindly at Julie's words and said:
“Because our Julie is kind.”
"Hey, Mother. We really have to be good. I think everyone here would have been like that."
Helena couldn't stand it any longer.
Helena, who had jumped up, glared at each of the noble ladies and young ladies who were looking at her.
"If this is what you called me for, then let's just go back. I'll never forget what happened today!"
Leaving the mocking faces behind, Helena fled from the garden. As soon as she boarded the carriage, she burst into tears. Her maid, Luigi, tried to console her, but her words fell on deaf ears.
Voices mixed with mockery and contemptuous looks consumed Helena.
“Damn it! Damn it all! Who do these nobodies think they are, treating me like this? Huh? Who do they think they are, doing this to me?!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh! This is so annoying! I’m dying from this annoyance! What did Ariana say? What did she say to make everyone go crazy!”
By the time the carriage arrived at the mansion, Helena was screaming and sobbing.
Helena, her eyes swollen as she walked down the hallway, stopped when she realized someone was in the reception room. The room, always filled with warmth, had been empty every day since the Ariana incident.
When she opened the door, Victoria was sitting on the sofa reading a book.
“Victoria!”
It was so nice to see Victoria again after such a long time that she almost cried. At Helena's call, Victoria slowly raised her head.
The moment her eyes met Victoria's, Helena stopped walking.
A slightly dark blonde, a small, delicate face, beautifully shaped eyebrows, and large, shining green eyes. It was clearly Victoria's face, yet for some reason, she felt like she wasn't the younger sister she knew.
Her arms were tingling with goosebumps as if she was standing in front of a stranger.
Then Victoria smiled brightly.
“Sister. It’s been a while.”
The creepiness disappeared as if she had been released from the spell.
'Well, if that's not Victoria, then who else?'
Helena ignored the creepiness she had just felt and sat down next to Victoria.
"Why aren't you coming home? How long are you going to stay at Rosen Castle?"
“I should probably get back soon. I’ve finished what I had to do...”
“What do you need to do?”
“Just this and that.”
“Anyway, listen to what I have to say. Countess Etani was having a party today, so I went there.”
While Helena sobbed and recounted the humiliating treatment she had received at the hands of Count Etani, Victoria listened silently to her story.
Helena, who had been talking for a while, said.
"Ariana must be getting invited to so many parties. Everyone must be treating her like a Princess. Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach!"
Victoria's eyes turned cold at the mention of Ariana's name.
While Victoria was staying at Castle Rosen, the Western Lord spoke constantly.
-“Never let your inner feelings show on the surface.”
Every morning, she woke up and practiced her perfect smile in the mirror. She worked hard to smooth out the angles of her mouth and the movement of her eyes.
Still, she couldn't help but grimace whenever she heard Ariana's name.
'Ariana. Because of you...'
She had to give up a lot of things.
The Bronte family name was tarnished, the relationship between her mother and father was shattered, and Victoria strayed from the human path.
She vividly recalled the bloody ritual she had been performing while surrounded by Pagans.
The experience of personally removing the hearts of ten living humans and offering them on the altar, the horrible feeling of drinking a bowl of their blood, and the pain of getting a small tattoo symbolizing Paganus on her back.
'Now I am Paganus.'
The day Victoria was taken to the chief of police and accused of murder by Ariana, she was overcome by a loneliness she had never felt before.
Neither her mother nor her father, whom she had thought would be her strong protectors, nor her status as a Princess of the Bronte family and the granddaughter of the Western Lord, could provide Victoria with any strength.
Victoria's world came crashing down when she discovered that Helena was actually Rachel's biological daughter.
Victoria realized that no matter how hard she struggled, she could never overcome Helena.
The mother's guilt for having to marry another man, leaving young Helena behind, and the father's sense of guilt for having to raise Helena as the child of a former Duchess who was the daughter of a Baron.
No matter how perfect a daughter Victoria became, her parents would eventually embrace Helena more.
'Even if I accomplish something, the byproducts that fall from there will eventually be used for Helena.'
She didn't want to see that sight.
'Before that, I'll use you.'
Victoria also knew that she was being used.
Even though his granddaughter was becoming a Pagan, the Western Lord did not stop her, but rather took the initiative to connect her with them.
'If something goes wrong, Grandpa will abandon me without a second thought. He might even step in and kill me himself.'
But it doesn't matter.
'There's no way anyone will find out I'm Paganus. I won't use this power recklessly.'
The reason they became Pagans was that they held themselves accountable to those who shared their doctrines. The Pagans concealed their identities and lived in hiding throughout the Empire and the Four Kingdoms.
Now that Victoria knew her parents weren't entirely on her side, she needed someone who was completely on her side.
Her ally has a stronger power than her parents.
A person who will act for her without worrying about reputation, even if he is falsely accused of murder.
Today, the Western Lord summoned Victoria and said:
"I heard the Crown Prince was traveling to the West with his lover. I told them to keep an eye on him, but he changed course and headed toward the North. What do you think this means?"
The Countess stared at Victoria with snake-like eyes, waiting for her answer.
The Western Lord was always like this.
Ever since Victoria asked to be made Empress, he had always been testing her, giving her time to think without giving her an answer.
At first, she was annoyed, but now she understands the deeper meaning of the words. It's about teaching her to ponder and reflect, to grasp the meaning beyond.
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