AWLITEB Chapter 21

"AHHHHHHH!"

Rosalie seized an antique vase and hurled it toward the floor.

The porcelain shattered into countless pieces, scattering across the room like shrapnel. Pretty little fragments of someone's careful work, now just sharp-edged trash. Something valuable, now worthless.

"Rose, darling! Rose!"

Outside Rosalie's bedroom, Martha's voice pitched high with helpless panic.

Rosalie grabbed scissors from her sewing basket and tore into the dress she was wearing, shredding it with methodical violence. The fabric gave way with satisfying ripping sounds.

The same dress as Isabella!

To be humiliated so completely, so publicly!

The most shameful night of her entire existence.

"F*cking Isabella!"

Rosalie shrieked as she ripped the dress until her bare thighs showed through the tattered silk. Expensive fabric, reduced to rags.

"I'll kill her! I'll bury her in so much pain she'll beg for death!"

Rosalie spat blood onto the floor. Ptui.

She'd screamed so much her throat had torn, blood pooling in the back of her mouth. The copper taste was almost satisfying.

Martha recoiled in horror, shoving at the maids standing nearby.

"What are you all waiting for? Go in there and stop Rosalie before she hurts herself!"

"I—I'll go fetch shoes right away."

Emma turned to hurry away, but Martha's hand shot out and caught her wrist, yanking her back.

"What if something happens to Rosalie in the time it takes you to do that?"

As Martha tried to shove Emma through the doorway, Emma grabbed the doorframe with both hands, her knuckles going white.

The floor inside was a minefield of shattered porcelain and teacups, scattered in chaotic patterns.

Rosalie wore expensive shoes—she'd never step on the debris. But Emma only had thin cloth slippers. The kind that protected nothing.

"G-Gina!"

Emma reached toward Gina, who stood behind Martha, but Gina glanced at her and took a step back.

Then Gina reached forward and began prying Emma's fingers off the doorframe, one by one.

Gina knew perfectly well that if Emma fought back now, she'd be next. Self-preservation always won over solidarity in the end.

Emma's face went blank with betrayal. In that moment of shock, her fingers finally released their grip.

Emma's body tumbled forward into Rosalie's room. Thud.

"Ugh!"

Emma bit her lip hard, stifling a groan as she hit the floor. Broken glass bit into her skin, drawing blood.

"Uh, uh."

Emma's hands trembled as she pushed the glass shards aside with shaking fingers.

She managed to brace herself against the floor and rise to her knees just as Rosalie strode toward her, eyes burning red with rage.

"I explicitly warned everyone not to come in!"

"M-Miss, we were worried you might hurt yourself."

Emma's face creased with panic as she spoke, backing away instinctively from Rosalie's threatening approach.

The movement drove the glass fragments through Emma's thin slippers and into the soles of her feet. Small wounds, but they'd hurt for days.

"Rose, calm down, darling. There will be other days. Plenty of opportunities to make Isabella pay..."

"I want her dead now! Before she officially becomes the Grand Duchess!"

Martha's attempt at soothing only acted as an accelerant, stoking Rosalie's fury higher.

Rosalie's hands shot out and wrapped around Emma's throat.

"Urk, urk!"

"I'll kill her! Isabella, that wretched thing. That abomination! That ungrateful creature!"

"Rose, go easy, dear. You'll damage your nails."

Martha's voice remained perfectly calm as she shook her head.

Emma's face was draining to white, but Martha's eyes didn't register Emma's suffering. Some things were just too insignificant to notice.

"Madam. The young master has returned home."

The head butler approached and murmured quietly to Martha.

"Has he? Then tell him to go straight upstairs. Before he gets tangled up with Rosalie and makes this chaos last even longer. Have the maids heat Ethan's bath water."

"Yes, Madam."

The head butler bowed quietly and began to withdraw, but Rosalie's head snapped toward them.

"Brother's home?"

Rosalie released Emma's throat abruptly.

"Ugh!"

Emma squeezed her eyes shut as the jeweled ornaments on Rosalie's nails scraped her skin. A thin line of blood trickled down her neck.

"Ethan! Ethan!"

Rosalie bolted from the room, eyes blazing.

"Oh my, Rose! Darling!"

Martha hurried after her in a rush, and Emma finally stumbled out of the room, clutching her throat.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt badly?"

Gina supported Emma, her expression painted with sadness. The performance was almost convincing.

Emma said nothing, just stared at Gina. The disgusting sympathy reflected in Gina's eyes made her skin crawl. Pity from a traitor was worse than honest cruelty.

"Why should we be the ones suffering like this because of that bitch Isabella? All this punishment used to be her share."

"...Right."

Emma kept her words sparse and limped away. Some conversations weren't worth having.

"Ethan! Ethan!"

Rosalie grabbed Ethan by the collar as he entered the corridor.

"How could you do that to us? How could you slip away and leave Mother and me alone in that impossible situation?"

"Ugh, seriously. What's your problem?"

Ethan shook off Rosalie's hand irritably and straightened his collar with sharp tugs.

"It already happened, and you were ridiculously wearing the same dress as Isabella plus the blue diamond. You were going to be humiliated anyway, so wasn't it better that at least I escaped?"

"What? Did you actually just say that?!"

"You're so damn shrill, seriously."

Ethan clicked his tongue and glared at Rosalie.

"How can you say something like that? Aren't you even angry? She deceived us and pulled that clever little stunt behind our backs!"

"So what do you want to do about it?"

"Ha. I'll kill Isabella, no matter what it takes. Even if all the effort we put into raising her becomes wasted, I don't care. I'll kill her. Mother agrees with me."

Ethan looked at Martha with a grimace, and Martha shrugged lightly.

"What can I do? Rose is this furious. Shouldn't we let Rose handle Isabella's punishment however she wants?"

Ethan sighed and shook his head. Then he looked his sister straight in the eye.

"Are you confident you can handle it?"

"What?"

"She's the Grand Duchess now. The Grand Duke's guards will protect her like a fortress. Can you really kill her?"

"Grand Duchess, my ass. She's just Isabella."

Rosalie snorted.

"Besides, if we can't even kill one disagreeable woman, why did our family go through all that suffering to save up money? What, do you not want to kill her? Feel sorry for her? Her value as merchandise has already plummeted anyway. I heard the rumors—that widower sent a messenger bird asking what the hell happened!"

"Do you think Isabella is smart?"

"What?"

"Mother, do you think Isabella knows how to use her brain properly?"

Martha shook her head lightly.

"No. Of course not."

"Exactly. Everything that happened was orchestrated by the Grand Duke. In other words, Isabella didn't connect with the Grand Duke of her own will."

"What the hell are you trying to say?!"

Rosalie shouted.

"Don't be so hasty about killing her or whatever. We need to think about how we can use Grand Duchess Isabella. You and I could both find good marriage prospects through her."

"Are you kidding me right now? My intended husband was Grand Duke Genos Perdian!"

As Rosalie charged forward, veins bulging, Martha sighed and pulled her into an embrace.

"Rose, calm down."

"But the situation has already played out this way. Even if Isabella dies, do you think you could become the Grand Duke's wife? Marriage to one sister, then remarriage to another from the same family? What member of the imperial family would want that ridiculous spectacle?"

"Should I just reveal the truth? That she's not our distant relative at all, just some orphanage brat. Then the Grand Duke and I could remarry..."

"Rose. Please think properly. Even if you reveal that you and Isabella don't share a single drop of blood, he's not going to remarry into a family that caused such a scandal, understand? We might even be charged with hiding that fact from the imperial family."

"Damn it!"

Rosalie spat a curse and stomped her foot.

"So, Rose, don't get so worked up. Let's think about how we can use Isabella going forward. That's the smart play. Right?"

"..."

Ethan patted Rosalie's trembling shoulders. Pat, pat.

Rosalie hadn't recovered even slightly from the loss of Genos.

"I'm going to rest. Everyone should sleep well tonight. Stop thinking about exhausting things."

Ethan even managed a relaxed smile as he climbed the stairs.

To Ethan, Isabella still remained just a "pitiful girl" locked in the mansion's basement, surviving day by day.

"The wedding will be in six months."

"..."

"In the meantime, we'll need to tour all the territories—North, South, East, and West. We have to visit every corner of the Grand Duchy to solidify public support. Once we're based in the capital, I won't be able to focus on this for a while."

"..."

"We need to plant seeds for the great undertaking and check on the people, so we'll be moving constantly. You also need to learn how to fully control your witch's abilities in just over six months."

"..."

"Any questions?"

"...You do realize I'm wearing pajamas right now, don't you?"

Bella asked in a voice hoarse with sleep.

She'd definitely been lying in bed asleep, but when she opened her eyes, she was in a carriage.

Moreover, Genos had simply confirmed she was awake and then kept talking without pause.

"Originally I planned to depart for the North tomorrow morning, but fog started rolling in a little while ago. I thought it'd be better to travel through the night and get out of the region quickly."

"...So you just scooped me up like soup and moved me to the carriage while I was sleeping?"

"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?"

"I'm a bit cold, that's my complaint."

Bella wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Genos handed her a fur cloak that had been sitting beside him.

"Paile said to keep it in the carriage just in case. Turns out he was right."

"Aren't you cold, Your Grace?"

Isabella asked as she draped the cloak over herself.

The dawn air was quite chilly, but the Grand Duke wore only a thin shirt and cotton pants.

"We haven't even reached the edge of the North yet. What's there to be cold about?"

"It's dawn."

"Your body's like an anchovy, that's why. Thin people always feel the cold more."

"Why do you keep calling me an anchovy? Should I start calling Your Grace..."

Isabella opened her mouth indignantly, then stopped.

Damn it. She had nothing to say.

'Should I call Your Grace a sculpture? Should I tell Your Grace you're... incredibly handsome?'

Of course he'd like that.

Isabella had no choice but to wrap the cloak tighter around herself for no reason.

"Go on. Finish what you were saying."

"...It's morning, so my throat's a bit dry. Better to save my words."

Genos smiled faintly. Heh.

"Get some sleep. We still have a long way to go before we reach the North."

The Grand Duke reached out and closed Isabella's eyes, then grabbed her shoulder and laid her down flat.

"Eek!"

Startled, Bella's eyes flew open, and the Grand Duke closed them again.

"I said sleep."

"...Lying down?"

"Can you sleep properly sitting up?"

"What about you, Your Grace? Will you sleep?"

"No."

The Grand Duke answered lightly as if it were obvious and crossed his arms.

"Is it because of security? But the guards are following us too."

"I'm more comfortable staying alert. Now sleep."

"..."

"Are you going to keep your eyes open like that? Want to have a staring contest all night?"

"No, sir."

Bella closed her eyes.

In the quietly swaying carriage, Bella—who'd been dragged out suddenly from sleep—drifted off again quickly.

A sharp noise pierced her ears.

Bella's brow, deep in sleep, began twitching slightly. Finally, unable to withstand the noise, she opened her eyes halfway.

"What the..."

Bella braced herself and sat up.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window while loud sounds came from outside the carriage.

The guards were shouting, but she couldn't make out the words clearly.

She'd barely slept for days worrying about the imperial ball, and her body was so exhausted she couldn't quite pull herself to full alertness.

"So you did wake up."

At that moment, the carriage door swung open and Genos leaned partway inside, smiling.

Genos wore combat attire.

"Why are you wearing that..."

Bella rubbed her eyes as she asked, and Genos pulled a small glass vial from a bag on the carriage floor and opened the stopper.

"Open your mouth."

Genos held the bottle to Bella's lips.

"What?"

"It's going to get very cold soon. Whiskey will warm your body. Open your mouth."

Still half-asleep, Bella parted her lips reflexively. Genos poured the liquid between them.

Her throat burned hot, as if on fire.

"Urgh."

Bella shuddered but drank the bottle empty.

"Good girl."

As Genos smiled and spoke, Bella's eyes caught sight of blood smeared on his cheek.

"Blood...? Your Grace, why is there blood..."

Before she could finish, Bella's eyelids sank shut.

As Bella's body slumped, Genos extended his long arm and caught her gently.

He carefully adjusted her position and laid her down.

"I wanted to save my warhorse for later."

Genos muttered, closed the carriage door, and stepped back outside.

A massive monster writhed and thrashed, blood spraying from its wounds, while guards surrounded it with ropes, struggling to restrain it.

Genos picked up the sword he'd driven into the ground, spun it a few times, and walked toward the monster.