This was the first time I had seen her up close. Back then, I had run out on the first day of the funeral and stayed holed up in my room for the entire duration, so I had no reason to meet her. Even if there had been an opportunity to meet, I wouldn't have. In fact, there were a few chances to meet after that, but I declined.
She was of commoner origin. Little was known about her past. Speculative rumors abounded, but no one knew the truth. At the time, I did not regard commoners as fellow human beings. Privately, she was my maternal grandmother, but I never once acknowledged her.
'I treated her like she didn't exist at all.'
Not long after the Marchioness's funeral, Count Pison also passed away, seemingly following in her footsteps. His sudden death, as he had been energetically active in society as a wealthy merchant, aroused suspicion among many.
The Countess was identified as a prime suspect. A legal battle to uncover the truth ensued for quite some time, as Count Pison's fortune was an unimaginably astronomical amount. Eventually, I heard that due to insufficient evidence, she had inherited his estate as the Countess. I vaguely recalled the words of my nanny, who had vented her outrage, saying that the entire inheritance should have gone to me and that a wicked woman had stolen her master's fortune.
I did not know the details of the situation at the time. Back then, a single piece of his interest was far more important to me than an astronomical sum. Obsessed with him, I had absolutely no interest in the wealth that might come my way.
'I had no sense of money, either.'
As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis, I was always financially well-off. I never felt a lack when it came to material things. Although the Marquis did not show me affection, he never imposed any restrictions on me regarding material matters.
I was quite extravagant. From an objective standpoint, I think I was extravagant enough to shake several cities, if not the country. It was even worse after I became Empress. The more I thirsted for his affection, the more I tried to quench that thirst through luxury. As his coldness intensified, the amount of money I spent grew larger and larger.
The Empress's private treasury funds were limited for the year. However, I was not the type to stop just because I had spent all of them. I provided not only the Marquis's money but also my own private funds. The inheritance I received from the Marchioness was quite substantial. However, her inheritance was not an inexhaustible spring. It was the way of the world that it diminished the more it was spent.
I felt absolutely no financial lack until just before I died. I do not know how much my wealth was, but I did not think it could have afforded my extravagance. I felt the need to assess my assets.
"It is his hair."
She held out her pocket to the Marquis. The Marquis opened the lid of the box without a word. She held the pocket
I transferred the hair that was inside into the box.
As she finished putting all the hair in, the Marquis closed the lid of the box. She bowed to the Marquis again.
"I don't know how to express my gratitude."
"I only did what I had to do."
He finished speaking and went into the mausoleum. I also tried to follow him. But the Countess stopped me.
"Young Lady, won't you go see him?"
I looked up at her. Her watery eyes were still moist. She looked pitiful yet captivating.
"He really wanted to see Young Lady."
Count Pison is a merchant. Although he is based in the Empire, his influence extends across the world.
His business acumen regarding money was so exceptional that it was said, 'All money flows to the Pison Trading Company.' Although the Count Pison family had been wealthy for generations, it was said that their wealth had reached its peak during the current Count's time.
He traveled the entire world on his own. He could count on one hand the number of times he stayed in the imperial capital throughout the year. After the Marchioness went mad, he did not even come near the capital.
It is preposterous to say that he wanted to see me. If he truly wanted to see me, he could have easily come to see me. It was the Count's own will that he did not come to see me.
"Why?"
Perhaps not having expected this reaction from me, her eyes widened slightly. But that was only for a moment. As if she had never been flustered, she instantly hid her emotions and smiled softly.
"Because Young Lady is his only blood relative."
Her tone was strange. Her voice was affectionate and gentle, yet her words seemed to be laced with a sharp dagger. Her attitude toward me was quite favorable. It wasn't a pretense; I could feel her genuine affection. That made her words sound even more enigmatic.
It was ambiguous whether he wanted to meet me because we were blood relatives, or because we were blood relatives. Saying you want to meet me because we are blood relatives means being drawn by the bond of kinship. In other words, it implies that affection is the foundation. However, saying you want to meet me because we are blood relatives means that I have some value to him as a blood relative. In other words, it means I am worth using.
'Is it the former? Or the latter?'
I slowly lowered my gaze to the area around her lower abdomen. Her slender waist, compared to her voluminous breasts, complemented her sorrowful expression, making her look even more delicate.
At the time, I was so obsessed with him that I knew almost nothing about the circumstances, but I remembered a few things here and there. In particular, since I had heard the nanny's complaints repeatedly, I remembered quite a lot regarding that aspect.
The nanny hated the Countess. Whenever she had the chance, she would spread malicious gossip about her to me. It reached its peak when the Count died. The nanny firmly believed the rumor that the Countess had killed him to seize his fortune. She insisted that the Countess be captured and tortured to confess the truth.
At the time, I had little interest in either her or the Count’s property, but I was tired of the nanny’s nagging, so I gave false testimony against her. My false testimony likely played a part in the Countess being named as a suspect for a long time despite the lack of concrete evidence.
'And because of that...'
She had a miscarriage while being interrogated.
There was no torture as the nanny had hoped. Although she was of commoner origin, she was undeniably a Countess who had been formally granted a surname. There could not have been any physical abuse.
However, even if there was no physical abuse, it cannot be said that there was no mental stress. Being identified as a suspect and interrogated is difficult even for a normal person. For a pregnant woman, those days must have been even more arduous.
I remembered the nanny feeling gleeful upon hearing the news of her miscarriage, saying it was a punishment from heaven. I...
I pointed to her belly, which showed no signs of swelling.
"He isn't my only blood relative anymore."
Her face froze in an instant.
I did not know whether she had actually killed the Count or not. She could be a villainess coveting the Count's fortune, as the rumors suggest, or a poor woman victimized by malicious gossip.
Just as before, I didn't care what kind of person she was. I simply wanted the child in her womb to survive. According to the rumors, the child might not have been the Count's. Even so, if I could save it, I wanted to save that child.
'It’s not like me, but...'
It is not that I feel this way because I have turned over a new leaf. I was still a selfish and extremely self-centered person who worried only about my own safety. The idea of sacrificing myself to save that child was unimaginable.
I haven't even tried it.
It could have been a fleeting whim, just like before. At this moment, I did not wish for the child in her womb to die. I no longer want to see an unborn child die.
'...Maybe it's because of a shred of guilt.'
"It seems you are mistaken about something. His only blood relative is the Young Lady."
Her face was grim. I could see she was trying to hide it, but the shadow cast over her was even deeper. It seemed she had a story involving a child. Having no interest in her backstory, I asked her directly.
"Isn't that child of the bloodline of the Count of Pison?"
"Young Lady, you are going too far!"
The corners of her lips trembled slightly. It was distinctly different from the languid and seductive aura she had exuded until now.
The look in her eyes as she stared at me was terrifying. If a gaze alone could kill a person, I would have died instantly; her gaze directed at me was filled with murderous intent.
Judging by her reaction, she seemed unaware of the child's existence. The Count died exactly two months after the Marchioness died. Regardless of the rumors, the official cause of the Count's death was natural causes due to grief over the loss of his daughter.
The Countess suffered a miscarriage while being interrogated after the Count's funeral was over. She may not have known about the existence of the child until the miscarriage.
"Getting excited is not good for the child."
“Young lady!”
Her tightly clenched fist trembled violently. It was quite an intense reaction. Although the Count was quite old, he was of a ripe age to have children. Usually, in such cases, the general reaction would be to consider the possibility of pregnancy, thinking, 'Could it be? Surely not?' However, the Countess did not seem to be even considering the possibility of pregnancy.
I don't want to be nosy for no reason, but since I've already started, I decided to put up with a little bit of trouble.
'It won't hurt me to say a few more words.'
"Whether you believe my words or not is up to you, Madam. However, if you do not want to lose that child, please take good care of yourself. While you are at it, it would be best to inform the Count as well, provided that the child is indeed of his blood."
No parent would take their own life upon having a child, so perhaps the Count might not die and might live on. Of course, that is assuming his death was not murder.
"He is your maternal grandfather."
She seemed adept at controlling her emotions. She looked at me calmly, as if she had never been agitated. However, there was something she couldn't hide. No. It didn't seem like she was trying to hide it. Her eyes blazed at me.
"It is your maternal grandfather, not the Count."
"..."
I would understand if it were about the child. I thought it was natural for her to get angry, as my mentioning the child's bloodline was clearly an insult to her. However, I could not understand her getting angry at me for using the title 'Count.'
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