Chapter 35

After leaving Tupac's cell, Cordelia returned to the mansion and headed to her sister's room.

"Welcome back, Miss Cordelia. What would you like to play with me today?"

A childlike smile was directed at her.

It was innocent, bright, and utterly childlike—just like a child's expression.

(As I thought, she hasn't remembered anything.)

On that day, when Priscilla woke up, she had lost everything.

Her hair had burned away, her once-prided beauty was charred and ruined, and she had lost her memory and personality.

Her sister had always lived with absolute confidence in her beauty.

But now, her right face was bandaged, and the burned skin would never return to its original state.

Unable to bear the pain and shock of being burned, her sister seemed to have lost her memory and sanity.

(...In other words, the Priscilla I've been taking care of for 15 years is as good as dead.)

When she brought a mirror close to the current Priscilla, she became extremely agitated and uncontrollable.

It seemed that she instinctively rejected the recognition of her disfigured face.

According to the doctor, there was a fifty-fifty chance that her memory would return.

(Priscilla has always been the type to only see what suits her...)

Cordelia was convinced that her sister would never regain her memory or grow mentally from her childlike state.

While observing her sister's condition and reading picture books to her,

"Cordelia!! What are you doing here?! Are you going to hurt Priscilla again?!"

Her mother stormed in, shouting.

Until recently, she had been so youthful that she could be mistaken for Priscilla's sister, but now her eye sockets were sunken, deep wrinkles were etched into her face, and she looked more like a grandmother.

"Get out!! Give me back Priscilla!!"

"---That's enough! Don't take it out on Cordelia!"

Her father, who had also aged rapidly, grabbed the mother's arm as she lunged at Cordelia.

Priscilla, unable to understand the situation, cowered in fear at her mother's outburst.

"Cordelia, you did nothing wrong. If there is any blame, it lies with us, the parents, for spoiling Priscilla... and with me, her husband, for failing to notice the misunderstandings between mother and daughter..."

"Father..."

"Fortunately, Priscilla is still your sister, unlike Tupac, who was involved in false testimony... and she has already suffered the punishment of being burned... so she has been placed under house arrest. I intend to keep a close eye on Priscilla from now on. Don't worry about this and focus on the prince—"

"I won't allow it!!"

Her mother screamed, shaking off her father's hand and lunging at her.

"You took Priscilla from me! You, who look just like my mother-in-law! I won't let you, who I hate, be happy—!!"

"Madam, please calm down."

The neatly groomed servants restrained her and covered her mouth.

Two male servants and one maid were looking at her with cold eyes.

They were the servants Cordelia had called from the estate where they worked.

"Miss Cordelia, I apologize for being late."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I'm sorry for calling you here so abruptly."

"It's our pleasure to assist you, Miss."

The servants bowed to Cordelia.

They were all excellent and had been entrusted with some of the estate's miscellaneous tasks.

She was deeply grateful for their willingness to come to the mansion in the capital despite their busy schedules.

"Hey, Cordelia. It's been a while."

"Good day, Jist. You came too."

The cheerful greeting came from her cousin, Jist.

He was the second son of her father's older sister and was two years older than Cordelia.

He had always been kind to her, and to Cordelia, he was like an older brother.

"I came to discuss the succession of the earldom. You must be busy, so I decided to come here."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"...Just to be sure, is it really okay for me to be the heir to the earldom?"

"Yes, it's fine. I trust your qualities and character as a lord... and my mother's opposition, which was the biggest obstacle, is no longer an issue."

Cordelia smiled bitterly and looked at her mother, who was glaring at her and Jist with hatred.

Her mother had always been on bad terms with her father's family and disliked Jist.

Cordelia's grandmother had failed in her son's education but had raised her other daughters, her father's sisters, to be excellent ladies.

Her father's sisters were close to their grandmother and had always been kind to Cordelia.

Her father's family had often criticized her mother for discriminating against Cordelia and Priscilla.

However, her father, who had always been indulgent towards his beloved Priscilla, had ignored their warnings, saying, "It's natural for my wife to love the more adorable Priscilla. I'm the only one who can protect my wife from the nagging relatives."

It seemed that even her father had finally come to his senses after listening to Leonhardt, who was a prince.

"...Your mother will be under house arrest in the estate's secondary residence from now on. I will keep a close eye on her, so you can rest assured."

"I'm sorry for burdening you with this... but considering the 18 years of hardship you've endured, it's a small price to pay. Your mother was an intolerably cruel person..."

Cordelia recalled the bitter memories as Jist frowned.

"Why are you still alive?! You should have been burned instead of Priscilla!!"

When her mother saw Priscilla's burned face, she went into a frenzy and tried to pour hot tea on Cordelia.

Her face, twisted with hatred, was ugly and not at all the face of a mother who had suffered to give birth to her daughter.

Even after being restrained by the servants, her mother continued to curse her daughter.

It seemed that even her father, who had been blind to his wife's faults, finally came to his senses.

He decided to take responsibility for his wife and Priscilla, moving them to the estate's secondary residence to take care of them for the rest of their lives.

When her maternal grandparents complained about the treatment of their daughter,

"If you are dissatisfied, we can publicly accuse your daughter of attempting to kill her daughter with boiling water. Then you will bear the stigma of raising a murderer."

They immediately withdrew, as they were the type of people who were lenient with themselves and unwilling to take responsibility.

"Cordelia, you've worked hard for 18 years surrounded by that family. Leave the rest to me and go to Prince Leonhardt. The rumors of his affection for you are quite impressive, and I'm sure he will treat you well."

Cordelia had a complicated expression as Jist patted her head.

Jist's support was heartwarming and very much appreciated.

However, the idea that Leonhardt's affection for her was known even outside the capital made her feel embarrassed.

To hide her blushing face, Cordelia spoke up.

"Thank you, Jist. But I need to excuse myself for a moment. I have a meeting with a guest later."

"Ah, I see. Who is it?"

"A potential traitor..."

"A traitor? That sounds serious. Should I join you?"

"It's fine. I need to talk to them alone and have a thorough conversation."

She smiled, and Jist's eyes widened.

"...You look most terrifying when you smile like that. I won't interfere, so have your conversation."

"Thank you. I'll be going now."

Waving to Jist, Cordelia left the room.

As she walked away, her mother's low, muffled voice of resentment followed her.

"Goodbye, Mother. I wanted to love you... and be loved by you."

Cordelia bid farewell to her mother, with whom she had never truly connected, and continued walking.