When she opened her eyes in the morning, it was very noisy all around. She could hear dogs barking and someone screaming.
“...What is all this about?”
Shioana, who hadn't even fully put on her robe, hurriedly got out of bed and approached the window. Her heart pounded with a sense of foreboding, and her hand gripping the curtain trembled.
"...!"
Shioana glanced down slightly and slumped to the ground. Eli was swinging a whip at someone. She knew who the target was even without seeing up close. Shioana quickly changed her dress and stepped out of the bedroom. Feeling dizzy, her legs wobbled as she went down the stairs.
'Why is he acting like that again?'
She thought Eli had forgotten Etienne because things had been quiet lately.
'Is he simply taking out his anger, or...'
Her face was pale, unable to properly compose the overwhelming fear.
"Miss! No! Something terrible will happen if we go out now!"
Martha, whom she met on the way, grabbed her and sobbed in a low voice.
"Martha! Let me go."
"I said no. His Excellency is in a very troubled mood right now."
"So I have to go."
Martha looked straight at Shioana's face as she calmly began to speak. Although she was trembling and unable to even cry, her eyes were shining brightly.
"I will never leave Etienne alone."
"...Oh my goodness."
Shioana lightly patted Martha's arm and strode out into the garden. Joseph stood guard behind her, and Etienne lay collapsed on the ground, already covered in blood.
Slap!
Every time Eli's wrist moved upward, the grass, dirt, blood, and flesh on the ground splattered. Shioana felt nauseated at the sight, which was too painful to bear, but she held it back.
"Ah! Look who it is. The protagonist has appeared."
She wondered if he had been drinking all night. Eli, with his eyes wide open, snickered while gripping the rolled-up whip. His gaze toward her revealed a negativity even greater than usual.
'...I got caught.'
She remembered that Etienne had recently said that she should be careful because someone was watching him.
'Joseph must have seen us.'
As Shioana approached, Eli spat on the floor as if disgusted.
"It is truly disgusting that my sister slept with a slave. And with such a red-eyed bastard of unknown origin."
"You're going too far, brother. We..."
"...we are?"
Eli's eyes gleamed at the word "we."
"Please stop. You're going to kill someone."
Shioana opened her mouth cautiously, trying her best not to upset Eli. At her words, Eli smiled as he swept back his messy blonde hair.
"Where are the people around here? You don't mean that beast crawling on the ground over there, do you? That's a slave, not a person."
“I will ask you a favor.”
Shioana approached Eli, clasped her hands together, and pleaded. The fallen Etienne stood facing her and shook his head, but Eli pretended not to see. Eli lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers. Reeking of a foul odor of alcohol and cigarettes, he quietly spoke.
"I, I'll do my best from now on."
Shioana pleaded while holding onto her brother's arm. She had to make Eli turn his attention away from Etienne.
"If you have something to say, say it to me. It has nothing to do with that slave."
Eli smiled wryly after confirming the earnest look in her eyes.
"Who would believe you saying that while shielding that slave like this? Anyone can see that you are shielding him. So, Shioana, why don't you take the hit instead? Huh?"
Eli, having shaken off her arm, extended his whip again and struck the ground violently. Shioana moved toward Etienne, who had collapsed and could not even stand.
Startled by the sound of the whip, Shioana stretched out her arms while holding Etienne protectively.
"Do you think I can't hit you?"
The moment the whip struck her back, Shioana bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
"...Ugh!"
Her whole body felt hot and tingling, as if engulfed in flames. Shioana, staggering and collapsing to the ground, fumbled her way out and wrapped her arms around him.
"... I'm sorry."
Just as she was about to hand an apology to Etienne, Eli's agitated voice pierced her ears.
"Are you really pulling that stunt to save a slave? I can't stand the embarrassment of anyone seeing this. Do you think I'll stop just because you act like that?"
Eli, who had been screaming in excitement, swung the whip again, and Etienne, who had fallen, struggled with all his might to protect Shioana.
The second whip struck her back and waist, and she strained her eyes to avoid fainting.
'Hurry! Straighten your back and spit!'
She recalled the day Eli had ordered Etienne to be kicked in the garden. Even then, Etienne was here, having been beaten just enough not to die.
'Eli is truly beyond redemption.'
In fact, he seemed even more consumed by madness than before. As she lived in silence to avoid catching her brother's eye, time flashed through her mind. She could no longer live like that.
Because now, Shioana didn't need Eli's praise or recognition.
"Stay still. This is an order."
She reached out her trembling arm, took Etienne's hand, and whispered.
Right now, Shioana's only desire was to protect the person she cherished most.
The final whip flew in, and before losing consciousness, Shioana felt the metallic smell of blood and the sound of gasping breaths in pain. She had not let go of Etienne's hand until the very end.
***
Shioana couldn't count how long she had been lying in bed. Whenever she tried to open her eyes, she would faint, and she suffered from a high fever for several days.
She thought she heard Martha's voice every now and then, but she couldn't be sure because she was unconscious. She was lying face down, and it felt like someone was gouging her back with a knife, or branding her with a burning iron rod.
"A large scar will remain."
"Doctor, will our young lady be able to wake up? Please?"
She also thought she overheard the conversation between the doctor r and Martha.
Because of the persistent nightmares, Shioana felt not refreshed at all, even while sleeping. Her stomach churned, and her head ached as if it were about to split open. After struggling in pain for several days, she came to her senses.
At first, the floor looked hazy, so she thought she might be dead. As Shioana blinked, someone nearby shouted loudly.
"Miss! Can you see me? Do you recognize who I am?"
Martha's voice was ear-splitting, and then all sorts of noise overwhelmed her. She struggled to speak, but all that could be heard was the sound of metal scraping.
"Ma-"
As she fell silent in embarrassment, Martha let out a strange sound that was neither crying nor laughing.
"Miss, please don't say anything. You need to focus on recovery right now."
"I-."
Upon hearing Martha's voice, the surrounding buzzing noise gradually quieted down. At Shioana's desperate gesture, Martha came nearby and crouched down.
"Just listen, Miss."
Martha whispered very softly, as if trying to avoid being watched.
"Etienne is locked in the barn, and he is still alive."
"..."
"I applied medicine for him and made sure he had something to eat."
Martha, who held back tears several times while speaking, wiped Shioana's sweat-soaked forehead with a cloth.
"I know you are worried, but wouldn't you have to survive to meet again?"
Shioana responded to Martha's heartfelt words by blinking her eyes. With the tension released from her entire body at the news that Etienne was alive, she fell back into a long sleep.
When Shioana opened her eyes again, she was lying flat on the bed. Her back was still uncomfortable, but it was more bearable than the first time.
"...Yes. Are you out of it?"
"..."
The owner of the voice that sent shivers down one's spine just by hearing it was Eli. He was sitting on a chair next to Shioana's bed, fiddling with his cane. Instinctively, she turned her head away to avoid his gaze, but he opened his mouth.
"The reason I still let that bastard live is..."
At the news of Etienne that he mentioned, Shioana felt her stomach twisting with fear.
"I'm talking about why I let Martha disobey me and look after that bastard."
After letting his guard down and getting hit by Shioana, Eli released guards all over Regbell. Everything that happened here had to be under his control.
His voice still wouldn't come out well, so whenever he just moved his lips, he would look at Siona and smile.
"Look at the state you're in. You're supposed to be Countess Noah."
"..."
Shioana realized that he would never give up on marrying her to Count Noah.
"Count Noah will be here in a few days. I have stated that he suffered from a high fever, so please keep that in mind."
“Brother...”
"If you don't do it properly, you won't be able to meet that guy alive again."
Eli, standing up while leaning on his cane, opened his mouth in a very light tone.
"Then get some good rest."
He looked down at his younger sibling, who was sweating profusely without being able to say a word, and his face wore a fresh expression. It was unexpected that Shioana had played with fire with a slave. However, looking back now, he thought it was actually for the best.
'If I use that slave well, I'll be able to control Shioana as I please.'
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