Chapter Thirty-One: Betrayal

I woke up to the ceiling I had been looking at for fifteen years.

When I realized that this was neither the marquis’ house nor that shabby house, but my family’s—the Allwyn’s house—I jumped up.

I was about to clutch my head out of sheer confusion. I had to calm down first. Recalling Lord William’s words, I took slow, deep breaths. Then, I gradually wrapped my head around the situation I was in.

“Wedding… dress?”

Indeed. For some reason, I was lying on the bed in a pure white wedding dress.

The dress itself was an A-line with modest puff sleeves. It seemed to be a little out of size, as my chest felt constricted. It was abundantly decorated with lace and frills, and was studded with small jewels, making it sparkle.

“…I’m relieved.”

I reached for my neck, before letting out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the blue sapphire necklace Lord William had given me was still shining there. Just holding the sapphire in my hand made me feel so safe that I could cry.

Still clutching it, I looked around the room once more. The open closet door and creaking bed were very much the same, and only the thick curtains were closed. Since my arms and legs and free, I got off the bed and ran to the window. I slightly opened the curtains and looked outside.

Outside, the sun was about to set, gradually dyeing the sky red.

In the garden, where the shadows of the trees deepened, I could see several figures, but I couldn’t tell if they were friends or foes.

All I could remember was the duke showing up in the garden. An unknown man appeared behind him. Then, there was that sweet smell, followed by Lord William throwing a table at them. What happened after that was a blur.

However, based on what Lord William had said just before that, it was likely that Sandra ordered for me to be brought here. I could only think of her. I didn’t know why the duke was with her, though.

“I wonder if Lord William is okay?”

I had no memory of whether Lord William was here or if I was taken here alone, so I had no idea.

However, I felt that it was dangerous to remain here any longer, so I decided to leave the room. As I turned around, the door creaked open with an ear-splitting noise.

“Oh, Liliana. You’re awake.”

My body stiffened upon hearing that voice.

From the other side of the door, Sandra appeared with the duke, who wrapped his arm around her waist. Clad in a purple and black dress, she smiled sweetly.

“Y-Your Grace, why…”

“I owe Sandra a little favor.”

The duke said matter-of-factly and turned to Sandra. With a faint smile on her face, Sandra said something to him. Then, she came over to me by herself. The duke followed slowly; three steps behind.

“Look at how beautiful you are! Truly befitting of a bride!”

We were so close, we could reach each other. Sandra halted.

The sunlight shining in illuminated Sandra’s smile, but it didn’t reach the duke, who stood behind her. I couldn’t discern his expression, which terrified me immensely. I instinctively withdrew, but my elbow bumped against the window behind me with a thud. Wanting something to hold on, I clutched the curtains tightly.

“You’re a splitting image of Catherine.”

It was the first time I’d heard her name from Sandra’s mouth. As far as I could remember, she had always referred to Catherine as “that woman.”

“—So much so that it sickens me to look at you. But that ends today. You shall turn into a beautiful corpse and marry the president of the McNish Company.”

“A-a corpse.”

“Yes. If left alive, you’ll only be a thorn in my side, so die please? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you suffer until you beg for the sweet release of death!”

Sandra’s red lips spoke those horrible words with a cheerful voice, almost as if she was singing.

Then, Sandra took out a knife from the waist of her luxurious dress, hidden by the frills.

“But first, let’s do something about that face, shall we?”

I had to run away! But my legs threatened to buckle under my weight. Surely, if I let go of the curtain, I’d collapse. I clutched the necklace with my other hand and called for Lord William again and again. I failed at even that, because my tongue was tangled and my lips were quivering with fear. In the end, I could only make meaningless sounds.

“Sandra.”

The duke spoke to Sandra, who was about to approach me.

Sandra turned to look at the duke and tilted her head.

“Don’t you pity Ms. Liliana? Why don’t you tell me why you despise her so much? I’m sure she’d also like to know that.”

When the duke glanced at me, I nodded as best as I could, thinking it was an opportunity to buy time.

Sandra, still holding the knife, muttered, “Indeed.” She faced me, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“A whore’s daughter is just a whore.”

Sandra’s red lips moved as she gazed at me.

“That’s what my first love told me when I entered the academy at the age of thirteen. I inherited my mother’s beauty and looked mature despite my age, which was thirteen at the time. But inside, I was just a clueless child.”

I gasped when I noticed that her once smiling lips had twisted into a sneer.

“Did you know? Those boys… they were too afraid to assault a noble lady. But since I was a prostitute’s daughter, it was a different story. They dragged me into the academy storehouse and had their ways with me. It hurt and I was scared. I cried and screamed, yet no one came to save me. I was frustrated, sad, and scared. But at the same time, I thought, ‘Well, I’ll use them then.’ Despite being a prostitute, my mother lived without wants because she was favored by the baron. Just like her, I decided to use stupid, worthless men to rise to the top.”

What I understood was that Sandra had been broken by someone.

Contrary to her sad tale, Sandra was smiling as always.

“I graduated from the academy at fifteen, and after that, I went to the evening parties and mingled with many gentlemen. They gave me a lot of money, so I could buy as many dresses and jewels as I wanted. But no one would make me their ‘legal wife.’ Cruel, isn’t it? Men are the worst. All the men saw me as nothing more than the daughter of a lowly noble’s mistress. ‘A whore’s daughter is just a whore’—I had lost count of how many times people had spat those words at me. And then, I met Ramos…”

That’s… Father’s name.

Sandra smiled lovingly, and a nostalgic look of reminiscence appeared on her face

“Ramos Allwyn was the kindest man I’d ever met, and he fell in love with me with the purest of hearts.”

Her smile, like a blossoming flower, was as lovely as a maiden, and so charming that I couldn’t help but stare at it.

“His family was strict, and he didn’t give me jewels or dresses like other men. Instead, he gave me flowers. Not gorgeous bouquets of roses or extravagant bouquet of lilies, but small, delicate bouquets that reflected the season. All the men I had met until that point always asked for something in return, but he was an exception. We held hands on the third date, and we kissed on the tenth. He knew he wasn’t my first, but he cherished me. He told me he loved spending time with me. Only Ramos loved me, but…”

Her smile disappeared, as if melting, and her gaze held an icy glint.

“Ramos’ parents would never approve of our marriage. You know that, don’t you?”

“Y-yes. Sister Margaret told me it was because your families weren’t of the same social standing.”

Margaret had said that when she came to my room to whip me.

“My mother couldn’t marry him because her status was lower! Then, your mother came out of nowhere and mess everything up!”

“That’s not the case. They said to my face that because I was born out of wedlock, my bloodline isn’t legitimate, and I couldn’t be accepted into the prestigious Allwyn family. The previous lord quickly made an arrangement with Viscount Everett and chose Catherine as Ramos’ wife. I no longer cared about anything and dawdled with any men I could lay my hands on. As a result, I had Margaret. After she was born, I shut myself in the mansion and rejected everyone. But Ramos, who I met for the first time in a long time after Catherine died, said to me, ‘You’re the only one I love—you’re the only one I ever love!’ over and over and over again…”

Sandra lowered her head and spoke in a quivering voice. Her shoulders shook slightly as she strengthened her grip on the knife.

“…And yet, he hid your existence from me!! It wasn’t until we had a small wedding and arrived at the mansion that I found out he had a daughter with Catherine!!”

Sandra looked up, but she was no longer smiling as usual. She glared at me, cackling like mad while bathed in the crimson sunset. My legs started trembling as my heart froze in fear.

“I’m surprised I didn’t kill you when I first saw you. You look just like Catherine!! You look just like the woman who stole the only person who truly loved me, just because of her legitimate bloodline! Bloodline, bloodline, there’s nothing I can do about it! Because of such a predestined thing, that woman took that person from me!! So, so… Liliana…”

A seductive smile once again took control of her beauty.

“S-stay away.”

I finally let go of the curtain and tried to run along the wall to escape. Sandra was slowly approaching me. My legs got tangled and I couldn’t move properly.

“You, who are loved and cherished by the marquis, wouldn’t understand, right? How could you understand the feelings of a prostitute’s daughter, neglected and trampled on by the only person I loved? How could you understand the feelings of someone born ugly…?”

For a moment, Sandra glanced at the window.

I saw the opportunity and clutched my sapphire necklace. Gathering all my strength, I ran toward the exit. Along the way, I tripped over the hem of my dress, stumbled, and almost fell. But as I was about to reach the exit, the duke blocked my way and captured me in his arms.

“Your Grace, please hold on to him.”

I heard Sandra’s singsong voice from behind me, and looked up at the duke, clinging to his arms.

“Y-Your Grace, please let me go.”

“…I’m finally on your side. I was trying to buy you some time, I’m sorry for making you feel scared.”

“…Eh?”

His hazel eyes were no longer gleaming coldly. Instead, they were calm and gentle. He placed his warm hands over me as if to protect me, before shielding me behind his back.

“Your Grace, is this some sort of a joke? Why are you hiding that girl?”

Sandra tilted her head. Her vigilant gaze was fixed on the duke.

“Sandra, time’s up. You’ve noticed, haven’t you? The Knights are here.”

It was only after he said that that I noticed the muffled noise coming from outside the room, through the window.

“Are you going to betray me too? Me, your benefactor?”

“You are certainly my benefactor—were. But I’m not the type to indulge in personal feelings. I’m Duke Fuchsberger. I’m a descendant of the regal royal family of Cression, sworn to protect this kingdom.”

“Don’t mess with me! You are indebted to me!”

“Yes, I did. But I had repaid it in full when I protected you from the Marquis of Springfield. That’s enough Sandra. Don’t commit any more crimes. The marquis and the crown prince know everything. You won’t be able to flee the country, and you certainly won’t be able to obtain Cedric’s fortune. I’ve told His Highness the Crown Prince everything. And by that, I mean all the information I’ve gotten from you over the past five years.”

“…Lie. You’re lying! This has to be a lie!”

“You may have forgotten, but I’m a diplomat. Negotiating and getting close to people to obtain the information I want are part of my job. I took advantage of you because you were connected to the Black Scorpion.”

His hazel eyes widened in an instant, and then narrowed into the shape of a crescent moon at the end.

“Ahahahahaha!”

Sandra burst out laughing as if she had gone mad. I instinctively clung to the duke’s back. The duke seemed to have been surprised by this, as he stiffened for an instant and stepped back, clearly on guard.

“Then… in that case… I’ll kill you as well.”

Sandra raised the knife. At that moment, a group of men dressed in black appeared from the shower room.

The duke stepped back, shielding me with his back. The duke took out a large knife for self-defense from his pocket and prepared to attack. Nevertheless, it was clear at a glance that he was at a disadvantage.

“If I can’t use you, then I don’t need you anymore. If only you had stayed on my side, then I’d have taken you with me.”

Sandra laughed, folded her arms, and tilted her head.

The room was dark, so it was difficult to tell the exact number, but there were roughly ten men there. They drew their swords and daggers as they crept closer.

“Leave that girl alive. You can kill the man. Go.”

At that word, everyone moved at once, and the duke twisted his knife to the side.

The door blew open behind them, and the three people were crushed under it.

“Liliana!!”

The voice I heard was the one I had been calling out to and wishing for all this time.

A large figure leapt out in front of the duke, and with a single swing of his shining silver sword, several people were blown away.

As he turned around, I jumped off the duke’s back and leaped into his arms without hesitation.

“Lord William…!”

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s okay now, Liliana.”

As he hugged me so tightly that it hurt, Lord William whispered in my ear.

“Yes!”

I nodded with heartfelt relief at his words.

But when I looked up, I gasped. Lord William was in tatters. There was no other way to describe him other than this. Come to think of it, I could smell blood, mixed with the sweet and faint scent of perfume. His clothes were torn in places, and his cheek was red and swollen, probably from being hit.

“You’re injured…”

“I’m fine. Despite how it semes, it’s not a fatal injury. Anyway, are you hurt?”

“No, the Duke helped me.”

“I’m glad then.” Lord William smiled, before kissing me on the forehead.

Before I could complain about what he was doing at a time like this, Lord William looked up.

“Your Grace, are you hurt?”

“No. You’re really late. I don’t remember tying you that tightly.”

“Yes. That rope was a big help, but as soon as I came out of the underground, there was a welcome party for me, and I was forced to attend. Such a hassle it was. Still, thank you for protecting Liliana.”

“I entrusted my wife’s stole to her, and as a gentleman, it’s my duty to protect the weak.”

Smiling, the duke took the sword that Lord William had thrown and brandished it. Lord William unsheathed another sword that was strapped to his waist.

Sandra was still smiling bewitchingly, with several men remaining behind her as they brandished their swords.

---

<Previous Chapter

Next Chapter>