~ Chapter : 20 ~
It was Marishel and Felic, dressed in matching couple tailcoats.
Although they were academy classmates, I hadn’t really spoken with them much except during drinking games. I tended to avoid them because they often turned other people’s stories into gossip.
“Yeah, that graduation party back then… We got home safely.”
“That’s a relief~ Don’t be stubborn and cause trouble today too, okay?”
Marishel had braided her black hair to one side, while Felic had neatly brushed back his blue hair, revealing his forehead without a single stray strand.
Since I didn’t have anyone else to mingle with, I decided to chat with them for a bit. We exchanged trivial compliments about how nice each other’s outfits looked and how well they suited us.
“But I didn’t know Esmeralda and Beatrice were close. How did you two meet?”
When the conversation stalled, Marishel casually asked me.
“It just sort of happened… Were you two already acquainted with her?”
“How could a baron’s family like mine refuse an invitation from a marquis’s house? I didn’t really want to come, but it’d look bad if I didn’t.”
“And compared to last year, this party feels even more modest. I guess the rumors about the Erhen family’s situation getting worse are true. There’ve been bad harvests for years, and this time a ship they invested in didn’t even make it back.”
Marishel and Felic added their comments one after another. I’d usually avoided them, but maybe this was a good chance to pick up some useful information.
“Still, the party Venice hosted recently was extravagant. No matter what, shouldn’t they at least save Beatrice’s face?”
“Well, since Riche was born to a concubine, I guess they don’t care as much.”
‘Born to a concubine?’
That was the first I’d heard of Beatrice being born to a concubine. In the original story, only the villainess’s misdeeds were highlighted—nothing about how she felt about her family or who she truly connected with.
At Felic’s words, Marishel shook her head.
“It’s not just that. She was born from an affair—how could they grow attached?”
“…An affair?”
The unexpected, provocative topic naturally drew my attention.
“Oh, you didn’t know? You really should show your face at tea parties sometimes.”
Marishel added that I should come next time. But at her tea parties, all the noble sons and daughters did was gossip endlessly about who was dating whom, so I’d never felt like going.
After cautiously checking her surroundings, she lowered her voice.
“…Beatrice isn’t actually Marquis Erhen’s biological child. Her mother, who was a concubine, supposedly had an affair with the coachman.”
“Gasp…”
Seemingly pleased with my reaction, Marishel went on smoothly about Beatrice’s family affairs.
“Even so, the marquis didn’t kick her mother out. Well, she passed away not long after giving birth to Beatrice, though.”
“There’s even a story that the marchioness had Beatrice’s mother assassinated.”
“Shh, Felic. That part is a bit…”
Marishel glanced at me. Though the two of them loved gossip, they usually stuck to stories with some credibility. The assassination might have been just a conspiracy theory, but the rest sounded believable.
“They say when Riche was young, she grew up constantly watching the marchioness’s mood. Well… Venice bullied Beatrice even from childhood, but after the marchioness’s funeral, their sibling relationship got even worse.”
“And the marquis never even celebrated Beatrice’s birthday once, right?”
So Beatrice lost her mother early, grew up neglected by a father who may not even have been her real one, tiptoed around a stepmother—and then, after even that stepmother died, she was completely abandoned.
So the villainess had a secret like that behind her birth. No wonder the party felt so modest. She’d lived her entire life being discriminated against by Marquis Erhen.
‘And yet, at the execution ground, she kept calling for Marquis Erhen like that.’
I clicked my tongue lightly. It reminded me of myself in my previous life, trying desperately to be loved by my parents. Even when treated harshly, it wasn’t easy to let go of that desire for affection.
Beatrice never received love from the very people she wanted it from most.
Even before she became obsessed with Rosio, she’d grown up without proper support, care, or love from Marquis Erhen.
“……”
Feeling heavy-hearted, I silently fidgeted with the hem of my dress.
“So, Esmeralda, you’ve graduated—what are you doing now?”
With nothing more to say about Beatrice, the topic suddenly shifted to me. Marishel looked at me with keen interest.
“M-me?”
“Your sister’s the knight commander, and your brother’s an imperial court mage, right?”
It felt like unspoken pressure to share my own story in return for the information they’d given me. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I’d already been compared to my siblings multiple times at the academy.
“Right. Are you seeing anyone these days? I don’t think I’ve heard any rumors about you dating! Want us to introduce someone?”
It seemed their curiosity wasn’t limited to that. I had a feeling that if I stayed any longer, my personal life would be completely exposed.
“Haha, I… I just graduated, so I’m planning to rest for a while. Anyway, I should go say hello over there for a bit!”
I laughed exaggeratedly and slowly slipped away.
The next tea party topic would probably be that I was unemployed and still single. Compared to Beatrice’s family drama, it was nothing—but still.
I left the ballroom and walked through the mansion.
The marquis’s estate was grand, but many display shelves were empty, and rooms outside the party hall were poorly cleaned. It seemed Marishel and Felic’s words were true.
‘Now that I know the rough situation, I’m even more unsure what to do.’
Should I tell Beatrice about her sad ending, just as I’d hinted at a happy ending to Camilla? Would she even believe me? Was there truly no way for her to obtain what she’d originally wanted?
Lost in thought, I wandered aimlessly until I found myself near the reception room where I’d left my gift earlier.
“To think this is all the gifts there are. Looks like everyone’s already figured it out—now that I’ve been chosen as the Erhen family’s successor, there’s no benefit in trying to curry favor with you.”
A thoroughly unpleasant voice rang out. I’d only heard it once before, but I recognized it immediately.
‘Venice!’
Peering through the crack in the door, I saw Beatrice and Venice standing face to face. I carefully leaned against the wall beside the door to eavesdrop.
“Other than Duke Agnes, it’s just a bunch of insignificant nobles here, isn’t it? Most of them are trying to propose to you. Leave the Erhen family to me and just focus on getting married from now on.”
“If I marry Duke Agnes, you’ll have to show me some respect, brother.”
“Pfft. You’re finally insane if you think you’ll marry the duke. Even earlier, he clearly drew the line and said you were just friends!”
“What did you say?”
“Well, you’ve always dreamed big. That’s why, despite not even inheriting father’s blood, you dared to want to become the family head.”
Venice burst into loud laughter, as if the idea were ridiculous. Then, like he was soothing a child, he continued to provoke her.
“But I’m the only one who really looks out for you. See? I even prepared a gift for my beloved little sister.”
“I don’t need it!”
“Take it. It’s just a decorative practice sword.”
Giving a sword to a mage was absurd enough—but it clearly had another meaning.
“It’s a sword you can’t even swing, just like someone who’s about to lose all her power, don’t you think?”
Now I understood why Beatrice hated being called a ‘young lady.’
If she didn’t become the family head or marry into nobility, the title meant nothing. And she’d already coldly rejected every marriage proposal from men of similar standing.
If she failed to marry Rosio and still wanted to retain noble privileges, she’d have to seek a husband from a lower-ranking noble family.
“Then, Venice, should I try stabbing you once? To see whether this is really just decorative?”
As soon as Beatrice spoke, there was a dull thudding sound.
“How dare you! Have you lost your mind? Just like someone born of a vulgar mother!”
He didn’t scream, but Venice soon shouted angrily.
“Just as your commoner mother seduced our father, you probably plan to entice Duke Agnes with that coquettish face of yours—but even if you turned into a seductive woman, the duke wouldn’t spare you a glance.”
“They say you only see what’s in your own eyes….”
“If you want to repay even a fraction of the family’s grace for raising you, at least take a dowry and marry some old nouveau riche.”
His clear, deliberate words pierced even my ears. I couldn’t believe this was something someone would say to their own sister.
“You should be the one seducing either nobles or commoners and getting married as soon as possible. You’re not particularly handsome, the marquisate is falling apart, and the only thing you have left to boast about is your youth.”
Beatrice shot back without backing down, but even so, her words couldn’t match Venice’s venom.
Still, Venice grew even more enraged.
“How dare this wench not know her place!”
Smack—
The sharp sound echoed loudly. I almost cried out. Worried that Beatrice had been struck, I carefully peeked through the crack again.
Beatrice stood there calmly, cooling her cheek with the back of her hand as if nothing had happened.
“No matter how hard you struggle, it’s useless, Beatrice. There’s nothing you can do. The marquisate is already in the palm of my hand.”
Venice sneered and approached the door. I hurriedly hid behind the corner, afraid of being discovered. He kicked the door open and walked off in the opposite direction.
Just as I was about to relax, relieved I hadn’t been caught, Beatrice’s icy voice rang out.
“Who’s there?”
I considered running away, but it wouldn’t do for an innocent maid to be falsely accused.
I cautiously entered the reception room. The decorative sword was standing upright, embedded in the table.
Beatrice, one cheek reddened, stared at me with razor-sharp eyes.
“Why is it you?”
“I was just passing by.”
Since Beatrice spoke casually, I responded the same way. The villainess, unfazed by trivialities, clenched the empty gift box.
“You’re full of excuses every time you open your mouth—and you’re the same even now. If you tell anyone about this…!”
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
