Chapter Twenty-Seven and a Half: A Declaration (Part 4) ~Sandra’s POV

“Please bring Margaret back.”

As soon as I entered the room I was shown to, I said to a man who was playing chess alone at a table by the window.

His sleek, black eyes slowly looked back at me, narrowing. No one knew his real name. He was a man with many names, but all his friends called him Aqrab.

“Hey, Sandra. Glad you made it out safely.”

“Made it out? You were the one who stole me away. I was going to return to the duke’s house.”

“Haha, Sandra, are you still dreaming? Fuchsberger can’t take you as his second wife. After all, you’re no longer registered as an aristocrat.”

I frowned, failing to comprehend Aqrab’s words.

The man took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and threw it to me. It landed at my feet, but I merely stared at it. Aqrab’s servant, who had brought me here, picked it up and handed it to me. I snatched it and looked at the contents.

“…W-what is this!?”

I crushed the paper in disbelief. Then, I opened the wrinkled paper, reading it once again.

It was my family register and that of the Eighton family. Except, my birthplace, Baron Disley, appeared to have been erased from my own family register, while my name and Margaret’s were erased from the count’s family register.

“Explain this to me!”

 I approached him, my voice wavering. Aqrab chuckled as he pulled out another piece of paper and unfolded it in front of me. This time, it was Margaret’s family register.

“…’Margaret Boniface’?”

“Boniface is a well-known merchant. However, the one your dear daughter married appears to be his older brother, a famous painter in some quarters. Congrats, he’s pretty well off.”

“I don’t consent!! If I, the mother, don’t consent, this shouldn’t—”

“—I already told you, Sandy.”

Aqrab rested his elbows on the table, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Margaret isn’t the count’s daughter, so stay away from the Marquis of Springfield.”

“Although she isn’t his daughter, she’s definitely mine, and I am the Countess of Eighton! She’s a wonderful daughter—better than that woman’s daughter!”

“Lady Liliana, whom you despised, is a legitimate daughter of a count. Not to mention, her mother is the daughter of the Viscount Everett family. Although the Viscount of Everett family has a low rank, they have a long and wonderful lineage in Cression. As a result, even if she came from a viscount family, Lady Liliana can marry into the Marquis of Springfield just fine.”

Aqrab suddenly smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

“Sandy, the Marquis of Springfield seems like a nice young man, but isn’t he a hero who used brilliant tactics to overturn an overwhelming disadvantage and defeat the empire in the last war? Not only is he the most trusted vassal of the crown prince, he was the next commander of the Knights of Vérite. If we carelessly intervene, we won’t survive the consequences. Besides, the Marquis seems to dote on Lady Liliana. They even took in her younger brother, living happily ever after. Do you still need more reasons to stay away from them?”

“I don’t care! Bring Margaret back, and Liliana as well!”

Aqrab sighed arrogantly, and turned his head from me to the chess.

“—Aqrab!?”

“No can do, Sandy. No matter how skillful we are, there are places we dare not touch. Once you get thrown into the deepest dungeon of the knights, it’s over for you. The Marquis’ house is so tightly guarded that even my minions can’t sneak in. I also received a report that a convoy of knights has arrived, and your daughter has been arrested. What crime did she commit?”

“My daughter is no criminal! She just threw a teacup at Liliana! What’s the problem with that!?”

In response to my answer, Aqrab huffed and slumped his shoulders.

“But she is. She attacked the Marquis and his wife.”

“No! That wretched girl stole what was supposed to be Margaret’s! I was just trying to get it back!! Also, that woman’s maid assaulted Margaret!!”

“A maid is obliged to protect her master. From what I’ve heard, why didn’t you stop Margaret? Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange if the Marquis were to behead you on the spot.”

I was at a loss for words as I looked at his cold, slanted black eyes. A cold hand reached out and gently stroked my cheek.

“Just leave Margaret be. Soon, she’ll be wed to Boniface and live happily. You should be grateful that she gets to keep her life, right Sandy?”

Aqrab spoke as if coddling a child, and resumed playing chess, retracting his cold hand.

“Chlor, Sandra seems tired, so escort her to her room.”

“—We aren’t finished here!!”

I yelled as I turned to face him, trying to escape from his servant’s grasp.

Aqrab brushed back his long black hair, which matched his eyes. His expression was as if he was dealing with a troublesome brat. In frustration, I swept down the chess set on the table, and it scattered all over the floor with a bang. However, Aqrab was unfazed. Even worse, he still maintained that look on his face.

“I can’t stand seeing that girl happy! Margaret has to be happier than her!”

Liliana looked so much like her mother, Catherine, that merely thinking about her drove me crazy. Only her hair color was different, while her eyes were the same as that hideous cloudy sky. Other than that, she was basically a carbon copy of her mother.

Catherine was touted as the flower of society because of her status as a viscount’s daughter. She was a flower that was loved and cherished by everyone, regardless of age or gender.

She was everything that I wasn’t.

“Allwyn’s butler didn’t let me use the madam’s bedroom until the very end!! It’s the worst kind of humiliation!!”

The other servants were obedient, but not the old butler, who respected and swore loyalty to his predecessor. He only recognized Catherine as the countess, and refused to concede her room to me. He also acknowledged Cedric because he looked just like his oh-so-precious predecessor. In fact, not even my husband, Raimos, was allowed to use the master bedroom.

All the property left by the previous generation belonged to Raimos’ successor, and neither he nor I could touch it at all. The butler somehow knew the secret behind Margaret’s birth. He threatened that if I didn’t stay put and be content with my current room, he would tell my husband everything. My husband was powerless against the old butler, who had been serving his family since before he was born.

Hence, we decided to get rid of that girl the moment Cedric was born. Cedric was definitely Raimos’ child, so he could inherit both the title and the property hidden by the old butler.

In actuality, I was trying to get rid of both my husband and his despicable daughter.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that a knight was present, so my husband and his daughter survived the ordeals.

I played the role of a dutiful wife and cared for Raimos, nursing bitter hatred the entire time.

At the same time, her daughter had ugly scar etched on her body, marring her beauty.

So, I decided to spare her.

Once that girl was of age, she, who was as beautiful as her mother, would fetch a high price. Her scar wouldn’t deter perverts.

—And yet!

“—The Marquis suddenly took Liliana away! My husband was so dazzled by 30 million rills that he handed over his daughter in a daze! No matter how much I appealed to him, that crazy marquis chose Liliana over my lovely Margaret!”

When I visited the mansion today, there wasn’t a shred of doubt in my mind that girl was being mistreated for her wretchedness. The fact that the marquis was too busy to come home for a year after their marriage only convinced me even more. Besides, I also heard rumors that the couple were on bad terms.

But the reality was the exact opposite.

Not only was Liliana dressed in a much better dress than Margaret and I combined, a sapphire necklace bearing the same color as her husband’s eyes, symbolizing his possessiveness, hung on her neck. The marquis even sat next to her as if to protect her. Even Liliana’s servants, who adored and cherished her, opposed me.

The moment I saw that, all my doubts vanished.

That girl was living happily in that house.

She was loved by her husband, cherished by her servants, doted on by her younger brother, living happily ever after.

“How greedy can you possibly get, Liliana?”

“So what? People are free to be happy.”

Aqrab laughed, shrugging his shoulders once again.

I took the chess piece that was left on the table and fling it at Aqrab. Aqrab tilted his head, casually evading it.

“Sandy, when it comes to Liliana, you sure are short-tempered. Usually, you’re calmer and more beautiful. You really should get some rest.”

“…Bring Liliana to me.”

I looked straight into his black eyes and declared.

“I’ll shoulder all the fees and responsibilities. In exchange, bring that girl to me alive, no matter what.”

“…You’re aware that this is a huge deal, right? Even your life won’t be guaranteed.”

Aqrab smiled leisurely, tilting his head.

I also smiled, cocking my head to the side.

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go to Hell together.”

Aqrab’s smile deepened as he pulled me closer, sealing my lips with his.

A shiver ran down my spine as I looked at his searing gaze.

“Ah, Sandy. I love how fierce you are. Fine, I’ll prepare it for you. However, even I, as expected, can’t move quickly when it comes to the marquis. I hope you’ll be patient.”

“Yes, of course, Aqrab.”

While responding to his hand as he took off my dress, I wrapped my arms around his neck, seizing his lips.

As the ever-burning flames of hatred swelled in my heart, I imagined that girl despairing, beaming with joy.

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