Chapter 31…
By the time the father and daughter returned home, the bluish light of dawn was already rising.
Vestas wiped his face with both hands and took a steadying breath.
Clarissa had not said a single word the entire way back, and he, too, had refrained from scolding his beloved daughter in the carriage.
“I know you’ve been very sensitive lately. But this time, you crossed the line.”
Still, the moment they reached her room, Vestas placed a hand on his hip and, with a reluctant expression, spoke heavily to his daughter.
Clarissa, as if she had no intention of talking, sat down on the bed and immediately turned her head toward the window.
So that’s puberty for you.
Vestas struck his own chest once in frustration.
His precious daughter had always been willful, the sort of child for whom causing trouble was a daily occurrence.
But most of it could be dismissed as the mischief of a thoughtless child.
This time, however, was different. Vestas opened his mouth again, as carefully as he could.
“I know you care about that child. But that is a matter of the Mathias family.”
Clarissa had spoken as though the Countess of Mathias were abusing her young son.
Yes, such a thing could happen.
But whether it was true or not was beside the point.
Even if something like that were happening, it was still clearly the affair of another household.
Imperial law was strict, but for nobles who held territory, most matters were bound by long-standing customs.
Even if proof of abuse by the countess were found, she could simply claim it was customary, and there would be nothing more to say.
Appealing directly to the imperial court might change things slightly, but the outcome would be obvious.
It would be dismissed as “a family matter.”
That had nothing to do with how much influence Vestas wielded at the imperial palace.
Clarissa twisted her face as if chewing on pain.
Clear droplets gathered in her eyes.
The way she struggled desperately not to let them fall only made it more heartbreaking.
Vestas soothed the ache in his chest and placed a hand on Clarissa’s shoulder.
“Clarissa, if you are a member of the Lizette family, I trust you understand what I mean.”
His words were entirely reasonable. Clarissa understood that as well.
Even so, she stubbornly kept her mouth shut. A long sigh settled over the room.
“For the time being, reflect on your actions. Leave matters outside to Marie.”
With that, Vestas left the room.
Marie, who had been cautiously watching from behind, bowed carefully and fled as though running away.
As she heard the click of the door closing completely, Clarissa buried her face in the bed.
No matter how much one may despair, morning always comes.
Having spent the night wide awake, Clarissa greeted the silent morning and took a deep breath.
The cold morning air energized her brain. She slapped both cheeks twice, making a sharp sound, and stood up.
There was no time to sink into gloom. Clearing her throat, she called out in the high, sharp voice she used most often in her life as Clarissa.
“Marie!”
Even after waiting for some time, there was no knock at the door.
Was it too early for just one call? As Clarissa drew breath to call her again—
Crash, bang! With the clear sound of something breaking, the door opened crookedly.
From far lower than expected, Marie’s pale crown appeared first as she slipped in, answering in a crawling voice.
“Y-You called for me?”
“Yeah.”
Her reddened nose made even a bystander’s heart ache.
Sure enough, beneath Marie’s proudly high nose, a drop of red blood plopped into view.
Instead of worrying, Clarissa furrowed her brow and nodded.
She was going to be very busy today and couldn’t afford to waste even a moment.
“That girl from before—Karina, was it? Bring her here.”
“Pardon?”
“Hurry.”
Marie wore a face that seemed to say then why not call her from the start, but Clarissa brushed off her dissatisfaction without a care.
“Even cold water has an order from top to bottom.”
Marie wiped the blood with the back of her hand and nodded.
She seemed satisfied to be “on top,” at least.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Well… you not asking useless questions?”
Gasp! Marie hurriedly covered her mouth, bowed deeply, and disappeared.
Clarissa didn’t waste even that fleeting moment.
She quickly tidied herself, changing only into another set of nightclothes.
As she checked her reflection in the mirror, Marie returned with a proud voice, followed by Karina, who had reddish-brown hair, standing before Clarissa.
“Y-You called for me, Lady Clarissa.”
“I did.”
Clarissa curled her lips into a smile.
Lifting her chin haughtily, she spoke.
“You.”
At the cold call devoid of warmth, Karina’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Whether the girl was frightened or not, Clarissa continued without concern.
“You said you’d do anything for me, didn’t you?”
At that, Karina’s eyes widened.
Unconsciously clutching her chest, she cried out desperately.
In her haste, she even bit her tongue.
“Y-Yes!”
“Good.”
A sinister smile briefly flickered across Clarissa’s lips, then vanished.
It was so brief that neither Marie nor Karina could be certain of what they had just seen.
Now completely feigning innocence, Clarissa turned to Marie, who had been blankly watching, and gave her next order.
“Marie, go out.”
“What?”
At the unexpected dismissal, Marie froze again, but Clarissa didn’t give her time to think.
“Go.”
“But—”
“Marie, I’m in a very bad mood today. You know why. So do you want to ‘play’ with me like this while I’m feeling nasty?”
“Have a wonderful time!”
At the terrifying words spoken so sweetly from her small, pretty lips, Marie wasted no time fleeing.
Click. With the room sealed tight, only Clarissa and Karina remained.
Karina curled in on herself as though she might vanish at any moment, repeatedly opening and closing her mouth.
The voice that finally squeezed through her chattering teeth was pitiful.
“I-I’ll do it…”
“I just told you.”
Hearing Clarissa’s intimate whisper, Karina squeezed her eyes shut.
“All you have to do is play with me.”
A lecherous laugh struck her ears.
Unable to open her eyes, she cried out,
“P-Please, do as you wish!”
“Really?”
Crack. Clarissa lightly loosened her body.
Karina wanted to collapse and beg forgiveness for her slip of the tongue.
No—she wanted to run away.
But whether her counterpart trembled in fear or not, Clarissa calmly swept her gaze from Karina’s head to her toes.
Yes… close enough.
Having finished calculations Karina could never imagine, Clarissa spoke lightly.
“Then… shall we start by changing your clothes?”
A single girl was crossing the plaza.
A neat apron and a white hood that covered half her face.
She looked unmistakably like a servant from a fairly high-ranking household, yet she ignored the sweat dripping beneath her chin and continued on in silence.
How far had she run?
Though her frail body and ragged breathing as she hurried onward were striking, no one paid her any attention.
No one recognized her. They would likely assume she was merely a maid running an errand for some noble house.
Clarissa didn’t particularly like this situation, but she decided to be satisfied with having achieved her objective.
I never realized it because I always rode in a carriage, but it’s damn far.
She resisted the urge to collapse on the spot.
It was fortunate she’d managed to hitch a ride on a freight cart halfway—otherwise, she would have long since ended up sprawled like a weed on the roadside.
The early autumn sun was still hot, her legs ached, and her breath came hard.
But she couldn’t stop.
There was a reason for that.
