HPBLL - Chapter 27

Kendrick, who had been staring straight at Stella, soon turned his head to look at Lady Jerina.

"I didn't do it with that intention..."

"What are you talking about? That's exactly what Jerina said."

Jerina had thought that Stella was in the palm of her hand all this time. But she was not. Jerina—no, even Lily and Shimizu—were all just playing in Stella's palm. She knew that begging Stella wouldn't change the situation.

“Lady Stella, you're just messing with me.”

Jerina slowly turned her head toward Kendrick. Her body was stiff, so even the small act of turning her head felt creaky.

“Lady Stella was just messing around...”

Kendrick picked up the portrait in Stella's hand. It was a pretty face, but it didn't evoke much emotion. To Kendrick, the sole standard of beauty was Stella. He wondered where she had come from to bring such a shoddy portrait and present it to Stella.

"That's funny."

It was utterly pathetic.

"No. That's not it. We were just joking among ourselves, Lady Stella; you must have misunderstood."

Kendrick found the words coming out of Jerina's mouth amusing. He ripped the portrait she had brought.

"I, I really feel wronged."

Kendrick tilted his palm and dropped the torn portrait next to Jerina's cheek.

"I brought you here just to keep my wife company."

Jerina clenched her fist tightly. She must have felt humiliated.

"What kind of ridiculous bullshit did you just spout?"

'Bullshit?'

Stella remained calm the whole time, knowing that things would turn out this way. However, in the midst of this, the expletive "bullshit" coming out of Kendrick's mouth caught her ear. It was the first time she had heard him use profanity. He seemed incredibly angry.

"Duke..."

"I will not have any dealings with the Bara family in the future."

"Duke, please... my parents are innocent. It is all my doing."

Jerina finally tried to kneel. Stella grabbed her elbow to stop the situation. She didn't particularly want to see a melodramatic scene of Jerina kneeling and begging.

"Jerina, you don't have to scream like that."

Patting the back of Jerina, who was sobbing beyond the point of tears, Stella sat her back down in the chair.

"You didn't say this alone, did you? Isn't there someone else who told you to say it?"

"Lady Stella..."

'It's okay. It's okay.'

Saying this, she even went so far as to comfort Jerina. Kendrick watched this with his arms crossed, trying to figure out Stella's intentions. If she had done it alone, the Bara family would bear the entire blame, but if the three of them are sharing the punishment, it is a different story.

'If I'm not alone...?'

Jerina's pupils trembled at Stella's comfort.

"T-That's right."

In fact, there was a reason Stella had asked Jerina to find out about Kendrick's mistress. Her family was not financially well-off, and she calculated that if pressure was put on them, they would easily collapse.

"Lily and Shimizu joined in, too. Actually, Lily suggested it first."

It was not difficult to get a confession from the broken Jerina. Kendrick’s eyebrows furrowed when the names of Lily and Shimizu were mentioned as well. He was displeased by the fact that all the playmates he had brought had intentionally spread false rumors to Stella.

'You still haven't mentioned Sia.'

Stella was inwardly puzzled.

"Is that all?"

If Stella's guess is correct, it must be Sia who chose them as playmates and instructed them to say such things.

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

Kendrick looked at Stella as if to ask what she meant. It did seem strange, even to him. What purpose would three women have in spreading such absurd rumors about Stella? It was highly likely that someone was directing them from behind the scenes.

"Didn't anyone else instruct you to make a report like this?"

At her words, Jerina mumbled. Anyone could tell she had something to say.

"It's okay, so go ahead and tell me."

Stella bent down to meet Jerina's eyes. Her tear-filled pupils trembled. Would it be advantageous to confess about Sia here? Or should she keep quiet? It was a calculating look. As if she had finished thinking, she slowly closed and opened her eyes.

“Well... actually, Si—”

"That's enough, Jerina. Ugh, look at that cold sweat."

Jerina was about to say Sia's name, but Stella interrupted her.

Kendrick didn't miss Jerina's mouth movements either.

'Si?'

He grabbed Jerina's shoulder. He intended to coax her further to hear what she had to say next.

"Thank you so much for letting me know who my husband is having an affair with. You can go now."

However, Stella comforted Jerina and helped her up.

"You mean... go?"

Jerina asked back as if she couldn't believe it.

"Stella. Just a moment."

Kendrick felt the same way. However, Stella spoke nonchalantly. She was done with Jerina and had even heard the confession she wanted. It was the right thing to do to stop right there.

"Kendrick, she is here as my playmate. It is my right to send her back."

This was tantamount to Kendrick declaring that Stella had the authority to resolve the situation.

"Lady Stella, I beg of you. You may scold me. Please do not touch my family."

"Alright, you can go now."

Stella carefully pulled away Jerina's hand that was clinging to her.

"Ah. And tell Lily and Shimizu too."

And then she gave a lovely, soft eye smile.

"You don't have to play friend anymore."

Jerina rubbed her arm, which was covered in goosebumps from her lovely smile, and ran out as if fleeing. Kendrick still wore a look of regret.

"Stella. Why didn't you listen to the end?"

She gave one last glance at the papers Jerina had left behind and put them in the trash can. Kendrick stroked his chin, taking in her gesture.

"It seemed like someone else had made her lie."

Stella plopped down on the bed.

"You didn't tell me this time either. If you had told me, I would have handled it myself."

If she had told him sooner, he would have handled it well on his own without Stella having to rack her brains and suffer emotionally. He could have found out where such talk came from and crushed the person who spread it to pieces.

'You don't tell me so many things.'

However, Stella did not ask for help.

'I need to be more careful from now on.'

The reason she suddenly changed. The exact reason was unknown, but the timing was precise.

"It would be troublesome if you brought up divorce again."

Although divorce is impossible for a year anyway.

Stella did not want Kendrick from the time she woke up after her first suicide attempt, and brought up divorce, and around the time she confided her desire to become a writer.

"Kendrick, do you hate divorce that much?"

He thought it was a temporary phenomenon. He believed that if he paid more attention and waited, her heart would return, but Stella was strange.

"Because of Adrian's honor?"

Although she didn't cause any conflict with Kendrick, she drew a clear line using illness as an excuse. She maintained a comfortable distance and neither asked for help nor relied on him. It was as if she had absolutely no feelings or lingering attachment to Kendrick.

Stella didn't care whether he wanted a divorce or not. After all, a divorce was bound to happen anyway. Kendrick wasn't considering divorce for the sake of such a trivial honor.

"Stella."

Stella wanted Kendrick to neglect her. She wanted him to be less faithful to his family and act more neglectfully than he had before the regression. That way, she wouldn't have any lingering feelings for Kendrick, and her heart would be light when she left.

"You are the only woman in my life."

However, the more distance Stella kept, the more Kendrick tried to get closer to her.

"The same goes for you."

She retold her memories of her previous life. Back then, Anton Geron clearly even had photographic evidence of Kendrick being affectionate with Sia. That is why Stella believed his words implicitly.

***

Sia is aware of Stella's schedule. Stella does not know Sia's schedule unless she asks Kendrick. She has no idea what she eats or what she does. This was originally their way of life. However, that pattern changed after the magical recording device was created.

Crackling.

Crackle.

After sending all her playmates home, Stella turned on her magic device again, curious to see how the situation would be resolved. Lily had been scolded by her parents, Shimizu had badmouthed Stella for a long time, and Jerina had made up excuses, blaming Lily and Shimizu for quitting being playmates. However, there was something strange. Had one of them dropped a valuable item in Sia's room?

"I guess I won't be able to sleep until dawn again tonight."

Stella could also occasionally hear sounds coming from Sia's room.

'You must be working overtime because there is a lot of work.'

Stella had no hobby of eavesdropping. She simply wanted to find out why the recording magic device was playing sounds from Sia's room. At first, she intended to stop listening once she concluded that someone had dropped some valuables. Although Sia often vented about her heavy workload in her room, she was generally quiet. However, on the second day, she ended up overhearing a conversation that bothered her.

"It's been a long time."

"Why are you coming back here? I told you last time was the last."

"I've already spent it all and am broke. What am I supposed to do?"

It was a voice Stella had never heard before. In other words, it meant that the person was not a member of the Duke's family.

"The room here always looks nice."

"I'm leaving. I have nothing to talk about with you."

"I knew it, sending you to be adopted by a rich family. You know that, right? Sia. The fact that you are eating so well and living so well is all thanks to me."

Their altercation continued even after that. To be precise, it appeared as if Sia's guest was unilaterally threatening her and demanding money.

"Stop it and get out."

"Making such a fuss won't do you any good. If people find out you came from a barmaid's womb, do you think they'll stay quiet? Everyone will be whispering about you."

"My mom wasn't a barmaid. She was just a cook."

"Hoho. I clearly remember your mother's face dripping with sex appeal. Even though she acted aloof, men were lining up one after another."

"I'm telling you, it's not like that."

"How can you be sure? Whether your mother only cooked or did other things as well."

Sia's voice grew agitated. Stella covered her mouth. What the blackmailer said came as a considerable shock to Stella as well. At this point, a question arose.

'Sia is a bar girl's daughter...?'

Sia was undoubtedly the Emperor's daughter. She slowly pieced together the puzzle. If the Emperor had gone to a bar and met Sia's mother... it made some sense. As proof, if the child of the Emperor and Empress had disappeared, the country would have been turned upside down even back then. However, Stella had never heard such a story. If the child was born out of wedlock and the mother was of lowly status, it was entirely possible that they would not openly search for her.

"I don't ask for much. Just 50 rubies to keep me warm and full."

When Stella overheard the conversation, the other person seemed like someone Sia knew from when she was at the orphanage.

"Do you know where 50 Rubies is a dog's name?"

"50 rubies were enough money to rent a house in the capital."

"You took it last time, too."

"If you don't like it, quit. I'm going to expose your true background, all that pretense of high status and lineage you're putting on."

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