Chapter 102
I quickly lost interest in the velvet box. Whatever it was, she’d tell me if it mattered.
I exchanged some light small talk with Lady Mayer.
“…And once again, I sincerely congratulate you on the Duke’s recovery, Duchess. I’m glad I lived long enough to hear such joyful news.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to pass that on to Harold.”
Then the conversation came to an abrupt halt.
The Marchioness seemed as if she wanted to say something—her lips parted briefly, but then she bit her lower lip instead.
I found it odd. It wasn’t like her to hesitate like this.
‘What kind of topic is she finding so hard to bring up?’
It felt unnatural, even unsettling, to see her like this.
I considered prompting her but decided against it. Instead, I simply sipped my tea, giving her time to gather her thoughts.
Eventually, after some time, she took a sip from her own cup and set it down.
Her eyes finally met mine.
“Duchess Diana.”
She picked up the velvet box in front of her.
‘So, the reason she came here must be related to that box after all.’
I waited for her to speak again.
“Have you ever seen a necklace… like this one?”
A necklace?
She opened the box with delicate fingers, and I saw what was inside.
‘…What?’
My heart dropped like a stone. I instinctively looked up at her, and she, seeing my reaction, began explaining with a tense expression.
“This is a necklace my younger sister and I had custom-made together long ago. Even when she ran away with the man she loved, she took this matching necklace with her.”
“You mean… this is one of a pair?”
I stared at the half-heart-shaped necklace inside the box, my throat dry. I quickly took a sip of tea.
“So, only you and your sister have this necklace?”
“Yes. It was custom-made. There’s no way another identical one exists.”
She confirmed it with firm conviction. Then, in a tone tinged with self-mockery, she added,
“I know I must sound strange, asking about something like this out of nowhere.”
“…”
“But, Duchess… you resemble my sister. So much. Even down to the placement of a mole. I just… couldn’t dismiss it all as coincidence without checking first.”
“…”
As she spoke, her hesitation faded, replaced by a determined urgency.
“If you’ve never seen the necklace, could I… perhaps take a strand of your hair?”
Right… In this world of magic, there are tools that can determine familial relations.
I glanced at her pink hair. …I had thought it was just the same color as mine.
“Lady Mayer, would you come with me for a moment?”
“…All right.”
She must’ve been curious about why I suddenly wanted her to follow me, but without protest, she picked up the box and came along.
I led her to my room. Then I opened a drawer beside the study desk and pulled out a box of my own.
I turned toward her.
Her eyes flickered between me and the box, as if she had a hunch about what was inside.
I took a deep breath and opened it.
“…!”
She gasped.
Like someone frozen by the sight of Medusa, she remained motionless.
Then, trembling, she let out a weak sound.
“…Ah… ahhh.”
Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor.
“Lady Mayer!”
I quickly crouched beside her, worried she might faint. Her face had gone pale, but she was still breathing steadily.
“Are you all right?”
Just then, her cold, wrinkled hand cupped my cheek.
Her tear-filled golden eyes didn’t even blink as she stared at me.
Tears began to fall silently.
Then, her hand dropped, and she clutched her chest as though in agony.
“…Ah… ugh…”
Thump! Thump!
She beat her chest with a clenched fist, each strike louder than the last.
I grabbed her hands to stop her.
“Please, Lady Mayer. Calm down. Please.”
I embraced her, pulling her trembling body into my arms, and gently patted her back.
She cried into my shoulder, gripping me tightly. Her forehead, hot like lava, pressed against me.
“…My sister must be gone by now. Otherwise, knowing her, she’d never let her daughter or granddaughter suffer like this. She might cause a scandal, sure, but she wouldn’t just stay silent.”
I could hear her heart pounding so hard, it was as if she were screaming with her whole body.
“…I never even knew my sister’s blood was this close to me.”
“…”
“If I’d only realized sooner…”
Her voice faded, lost in regret and sorrow.
I gently patted her back as she wept, and eventually calmed her enough to sit her in a chair.
Feeling embarrassed for having broken down, she apologized and asked me about my other relatives.
I told her what I knew.
“If she ran away for love, she should’ve at least lived a long, happy life…”
Lady Mayer gazed at the necklace, voicing her grief and frustration.
“I know where my grandparents are buried. My mother told me. We can visit them together sometime.”
She nodded.
“Then… is Melonie’s grave there too?”
Melonie was my mother’s name. As we talked, I shared that with her.
“…My mother…”
I hesitated, then admitted that we never found her body.
The shock made her sway again. She steadied herself against the desk, breathing heavily.
“…Count Garcia.”
She spat his name like venom.
“…Garcia.”
I understood how she felt.
She had loved her sister deeply, and now learned that her sister’s daughter—her niece—had lived as a maid, been violated by Count Garcia, and ultimately killed by his wife.
And the Count had done nothing to stop it.
His wife had even boasted about all of it while she was alive.
No wonder Lady Mayer was furious, thinking about what her sister’s child had endured.
Especially since she already knew I had been abandoned on the streets.
She had already been angry at how the Count treated me—now her rage must be overwhelming.
More than I could even imagine.
Just then, a knock came at the door. It was Harold, leaning casually against the doorframe.
“Harold? I thought you had a guest?”
“My guest has left. I came to share some news with my wife… but it seems I overheard something unintended.”
“You came to tell me something?”
“Yes. But not just you, Diana.”
He glanced at the two half-heart necklaces.
Then turned his gaze to Lady Mayer.
“The Marchioness should hear this news too.”
ha even he realizes it.
Called it~