~Chapter 29~
“…I-I’m sorry.”
“Marco! Show respect to the young lady!”
Carolina scolded her son, glancing nervously at Johann.
“I-I’m sorry, Lady Raphaella.”
“You forgot to say what you’re sorry for.”
“…I’m sorry for calling you a commoner and bullying you all the time, Lady Raphaella.”
Marco couldn’t even lift his head as he mumbled.
“…”
“Raphaella, could you please forgive Marco?”
“Aunt, forgiveness is something the victim decides. It’s not something the bully’s parents should push for.”
“…Right. Then I hope you make the right decision, Raphaella.”
“…I won’t forgive him.”
Raphaella, staring at Marco who was kneeling in front of her, finally spoke.
Her eyes were full of hurt.
“If it was so easy for you to kneel like this, why did you bully me so badly?”
“P-Please forgive me! I just….”
Raphaella was really angry.
Every time she walked around the mansion, she’d been scared of when and where Marco might show up.
If only he hadn’t started it in the first place.
“I’m not going to forgive you, Marco.”
She forced back the tears that were threatening to fall.
She didn’t want to cry or look weak.
“…So don’t even think about getting forgiveness from me.”
Marco went pale at the fierce look in Raphaella’s eyes.
The weak little commoner girl he used to bully was gone.
Now, only the confident Lady of the Blumhardt family stood before him.
That was only possible because Johann had given Raphaella the strength to believe in herself.
“You did great, Rafi.”
Leah gently hugged Raphaella, praising her for standing her ground.
Carolina and Marco didn’t know how to react.
They thought Raphaella would forgive him for sure.
They assumed a little kid would be easy to manipulate with some fake tears and pity.
“If Marco got forgiven, I was going to beg them not to send him to the monastery…”
But there was no chance for that now.
Carolina felt like collapsing and crying.
“Aunt, you should apologize too.”
“What? Why me?”
“For treating Raphaella badly all this time.”
“…”
“And for slapping her real mother.”
Johann’s words shocked not only Carolina but also Leah.
“…How did you know?”
“One of the maids, Paula, told me yesterday.”
“…Oh.”
“Now that I know, you should apologize.”
“You weren’t the one I slapped, Duke.”
Leah lightly waved her hand as if it was nothing.
“But it was my job to make sure guests in the mansion felt comfortable, and I failed at that. So I owe an apology.”
Leah nodded and looked over at the defeated Carolina.
Carolina wanted to die.
It was one thing for her son to apologize, but now she had to do it too?
She was born a noblewoman, always held her head high—except around royalty.
“This is humiLiating. Why do I have to grovel to these filthy commoners?”
She trembled with rage at the way they looked at her—like she was nothing.
“…I won’t apologize! It’s not like you’ll forgive me anyway!”
“So you won’t even do what Marco did.”
“Fine! You’re going to send us to that damn monastery anyway!”
Carolina shouted at Johann.
“Things can’t get worse for me now, so….”
“You still don’t get it, do you, Aunt? You’re lucky I stopped at that because you’re my father’s beloved younger sister.”
“…What?”
“There are much worse places than a monastery.”
“…”
“There’s the underground prison at Robert Burns’ duchy, or the monastery near the Black Mountains in the far north…”
Gulp.
Carolina swallowed hard, afraid of what else Johann might say.
“…And I could always send you and Marco to different monasteries.”
“Johann, I—I didn’t mean it! I was out of my mind!”
Carolina, now completely changed, crawled over to Leah and Raphaella and kneeled.
“I’m sorry, Raphaella. Your great-aunt was so cruel to you. It must’ve been really hard, right?”
When she tried to grab Raphaella’s hand, Leah slapped her hand away.
“…And I’m really sorry to you too, Leah. I must’ve made you feel terrible.”
“…”
When they didn’t respond, Carolina desperately grabbed Leah’s hand like it was her only hope.
“If you’re still mad about the slap, then go ahead and hit me back. Really, hit me.”
“…No, that’s fine.”
Leah pulled her hand away.
“Then should I hit myself instead?”
Smack!
Without waiting for a reply, Carolina slapped herself.
But her apology felt more like begging and pleading than genuine regret.
It was uncomfortable to watch.
“…That’s enough.”
Johann frowned and nodded to the guards standing near Raphaella’s door.
This isn’t an apology—it’s just groveling.
The guards grabbed Carolina by the arms.
“Johann, you’re going to let me stay with
Marco, right?”
“…”
“I said sorry! I even got down on my knees like you asked!”
She kept switching between begging and yelling as they dragged her out.
Marco looked on in fear as his mother was taken away and followed her out.
“What should we do?”
“About what?”
“About where your aunt and Marco should go.”
“You’re letting me decide that?”
“You said you couldn’t forgive them.”
“…That’s true, but I don’t want to go that far.”
Leah would never forgive Carolina and Marco.
If I think about everything that happened before I came back, I could never forgive them.
But she didn’t hate them enough to want them torn apart.
“Then I’ll go with that.”
“…I didn’t expect her to apologize to me too. Thank you.”
“You saved my life. It’s the least I can do.”
“Oh…”
Hearing that, Leah suddenly felt hollow.
Right. To him, I’m just the woman who saved his life.
When Johann told Carolina to apologize to her too, Leah had felt her heart flutter just a little.
She’d hoped, just maybe, that it meant something more.
But there’s no way he’d care for me—not because I’m Raphaella’s mom or his savior.
He lost his memories.
He doesn’t know anything.
And by the time he remembers, I’ll already be dead. How could I be so stupid?
She realized once again: this man was no longer her husband, Hart.
So foolish… Why did I let myself feel anything at all?
She felt ashamed of herself for expecting anything.
“…”
Johann looked at her for a moment, lost in thought, then turned to Raphaella.
“Raphaella.”
“Yes?”
“You won’t see them, or the butler, or the head maid ever again.”
“…”
“So don’t be afraid to go anywhere in the mansion.”
“Okay!”
He gently patted her head.
“Well then, I have some work to do. I’ll get going.”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Leah stood with Raphaella at the door to see him off.
—
Later That Afternoon
Helen came to visit Raphaella’s room with Paula and Marie.
“I’m really sorry, Lady Leah.”
Helen’s eyes looked a little swollen like she’d been crying.
“What are you talking about, Helen? Why are you apologizing to me?”
“It’s my fault you two got into trouble that day. If I hadn’t asked you to run that errand…”
Helen looked like she was about to cry.
“If anyone’s to blame, it’s the head maid who didn’t consider your situation.”
“Still, it partly happened because of me…”
“Oh, Helen.”
Leah gently took Helen’s trembling hands in hers.
“…Yes?”
“If I could go back in time, I’d still help you.”
Helen’s eyes widened.
“Of course, next time I’d make sure to take Raphaella with me.”
“…”
“So don’t feel bad about it.”
Helen was touched by Leah’s kind words.
“Actually, I always wanted to say thank you, Helen.”
“Thank me? But I didn’t do anything…”
“What do you mean? You, Paula, and Marie were kind to me and Raphaella from the start.”
“That’s just how things should be, isn’t it?”
“But a lot of the other staff didn’t act that way—because of prejudice or because of Lady Carolina.”
Helen fell silent.
It was true.
“Thank you, Helen.”
Leah gave her a small bow.
“And thank you too, Paula and Marie.”
“You’re making us blush with all this gratitude.”
Paula and Marie turned red, embarrassed by her kind words.
“I look forward to working with you all.”
“We’ll do our best too, Lady Leah.”
“Don’t worry, we’re always on your and Lady Raphaella’s side.”
Their warm replies made Leah smile.
There were plenty of bad people in the world—but just as many good ones.
Carolina and Marco were the former.
Helen, Paula, and Marie were the latter.
“…If I’m ever gone, please look after Raphaella.”
“You’re talking like you’re leaving for good.”
“Just in case.”
Leah gave a sad smile.
“Whether you’re here or not, we’ll do our best for her.”
“If anyone tries to mess with that sweet girl, we won’t let it slide anymore.”
“Having you all here makes me feel so relieved.”
Leah was truly happy knowing that, even if she wasn’t around, her daughter would be surrounded by kind, caring people.
