Chapter 5
“You’re a dirty child… How can you come into the big house?”
Vanessa was quietly sneaking through the hallway, careful not to make a sound, when someone grabbed her roughly and spun her around.
Startled, she fell to the floor, shaking in fear.
Standing in front of her was Edwin, his face cold and full of disgust.
The servants hadn’t brought her any food all day, so she had come at night, hoping to find a leftover piece of bread somewhere.
But of course, her bad luck struck again—she ran into her older brother.
He held a steaming mug in his hand. Maybe he’d come for some warm milk because he couldn’t sleep.
Vanessa bit her lip hard. Could her luck get any worse?
“What are you doing here? Trying to steal something like a rat?”
“I… I was hungry… I just wanted a piece of bread… I’m sorry… Brother Edwin…”
“Don’t call me that. Who says trash like you is my sibling? Wait—did you just say you’re hungry?”
Edwin frowned as he looked down at her. Then, one of his eyebrows lifted.
A crooked smile crept onto his lips—as if he’d just thought of something entertaining.
That look made Vanessa’s heart pound with fear.
She knew all too well what it meant when Edwin smiled like that—he was about to do something cruel.
And she was right.
Edwin tilted the cup and poured the milk out onto the floor.
“Eat.”
“What…?”
“You said you’re hungry. So eat. What, can’t you hear me? Are you ignoring your kind master?”
When Vanessa hesitated, Edwin grabbed her by the hair and shoved her face toward the floor.
She was still a little girl and couldn’t fight back against someone twice her size.
Her face was being pushed closer and closer to the spilled milk.
Through her blurred vision, filled with tears, she saw the Count of Moseley standing at the top of the stairs.
“Fa…”
He looked at them for a moment… then turned and walked away.
Her scalp hurt from being pulled, but what hurt more was her heart.
She knew the Count had never really cared about her. Still… watching him walk away while she was being bullied right in front of him was deeply painful.
It reminded her again that no one loved her.
“Hic… sniff…”
Vanessa already knew that the Countess and Edwin hated her—for being the illegitimate child of a maid and a noble.
But even if she tried to understand it, deep down she couldn’t.
Was it such a crime just to be born?
Did she deserve this pain simply for existing?
There was no one to tell her otherwise. Even her only blood relative in this huge mansion didn’t care about her.
Vanessa’s face hit the soft grass on the ground.
She let out a soft groan and slowly got up—only to hear mocking voices above her.
“Oh my~ Miss, you need to be more careful~”
“You tripped over nothing~ Maybe you’ll be dumped by the Arsen Grand Duke before the wedding even happens~”
“Dumped? Ha! He’s a monster obsessed with blood. If you keep acting like a fool, who knows—he might hunt you down like one of his beasts.”
The maids had tripped her on purpose, but they laughed and mocked her instead.
The Countess must’ve told them to bully her again.
When Vanessa didn’t react, they grumbled and walked away.
She got up and brushed the grass off her dress.
At least she hadn’t gotten hurt—the ground was soft.
“Sigh…”
Maybe they chose this place on purpose. They didn’t want to leave any marks on the face of a bride-to-be who was getting “sold off” next month.
“Next month… I’ll be married to a man I’ve never even met.”
At first, when she heard about the engagement to the Arsen Grand Duke, Vanessa had been shocked.
Why would someone from such a powerful family want to marry an illegitimate daughter like her?
“A monster obsessed with blood…?”
But it didn’t take long for her to understand.
He was called a bloodthirsty monster. He killed countless beasts.
Thanks to him, the north was safe from monster attacks—but no noblewoman wanted to marry someone with such a terrifying reputation.
“So, no one wanted you either… You were unwanted too.”
What noble lady would choose to live in that cold, harsh place with a man everyone feared?
Still, Vanessa accepted the marriage.
She had no choice, really. The Count’s family wanted to send her far away and erase the shame of her existence.
But even if it wasn’t a choice she could refuse—Vanessa still chose it.
Because for the first time, someone actually wanted her.
She hoped maybe… just maybe, things could be different in the north.
As she blinked, her vision suddenly shifted.
* * *
Now, she was sitting in front of the Duke and Duchess of Arsen. Their faces were cold.
Mavis sat beside them.
“Grandpa, that woman pushed me off the tree.”
“Terrible… So terrible. Did you think hurting Mavis would make your child the next duke? You witch… You cursed thing…”
“No, I didn’t hurt her… I was trying to catch her when she fell…”
Vanessa wanted to shout the truth—that she had only tried to save Mavis from falling.
But the words never came out.
Would they even believe her?
“We should never have taken in such a dirty child. She’s greedy for what she can’t have.”
“Pack your things. The Duke will throw you out the moment he returns.”
Vanessa didn’t know what she’d done to deserve such hate.
But what scared her the most… was being thrown away.
She’d already been abandoned before. Many times. But it never got easier.
Tears streamed down her face.
She cried so much, she wondered if she might die from dehydration.
Drip.
A tear landed on the back of her hand. Her hands were rough and wrinkled from hardship.
Cold wind blew in through a cracked window.
She tore part of the blanket and stuffed it into the gap to block the wind.
Even that small bit of warmth felt like a relief.
She sighed.
Even though she used to be given meals at least, now she wasn’t even getting that.
Maybe it was because the former duke’s death anniversary was coming up.
Vanessa knew Mavis blamed her for his death.
She still remembered how the child clung to the coffin—sobbing uncontrollably.
Mavis had grown up… but she still hated Vanessa just like before.
Her pretty pink eyes were filled with obvious hatred.
“It’s all your fault!”
Mavis shouted with fury.
“It’s because you came into our family with those cursed eyes!”
But those pink eyes… they were the same as Vanessa’s.
She knew Mavis was blaming her to deal with her own guilt.
Vanessa hadn’t done anything wrong—not this time. She knew that.
“It’s your fault!”
Still, she couldn’t argue.
Her lips stayed shut, like they’d been sealed with glue.
All she could do was lower her head and wait for it to end.
“Ma…”
Vanessa’s heart jumped.
She shut her eyes, like always, and waited for it to pass.
“Mom…!”
But the more she waited, the louder Mavis’s voice became.
Wait… Did Mavis just call me ‘Mom’…?
* * *
“Mom!”
“…Mae…?”
Vanessa blinked slowly.
Her vision was blurry—it wouldn’t clear up no matter how long she waited.
Then, a little hand gently wiped her face with a soft sleeve.
It felt nice—probably expensive fabric.
“Mom, are you crying? Are you hurting a lot?”
“Mae… Where… where are we?”
“You suddenly collapsed, so I brought you to bed. The doctor said you have the flu. He said you need lots of rest!”
She must have had a terrible nightmare.
Finally seeing clearly, Vanessa looked at the little girl tilting her head with concern.
Mavis stared up at her with wide, innocent eyes.
Why is she acting like she cares now, after hating me so much?
Why is she making me hope?
Vanessa knew the Arsen couple had heavily influenced Mavis’s hatred.
That didn’t excuse her, but still…
Vanessa didn’t want to hate this small girl—she was trying so hard not to.
She knew if her heart weakened, even a little, she might start to hate Mavis.
And then she’d hate herself, too.
She forced herself to sit up, though her body was heavy.
A wet towel fell from her forehead.
“What’s this…?”
“Your forehead was super hot, so I cooled it down with this towel!”
Mavis ran over and placed a small hand on her forehead.
Her tiny hand felt oddly refreshing.
“It’s warm now!”
“…Thank you, Mae.”
“Now let’s eat!”
“Eat…? I’m not really hungry right now…”
“You have to eat to get better!”
Mavis pulled over a tray. Vanessa watched nervously, worried the child might trip.
But despite wobbling a few times, Mavis made it safely to her side.
On the tray was just one bowl of pumpkin soup.
Honestly, the tray wasn’t really needed.
But when she tasted it, Vanessa realized it was still warm—freshly made, perhaps.
Slowly, she ate until she was full.
Mavis stayed close, blowing on the soup to cool it.
Even though it wasn’t that hot, Vanessa let her do it—because it was cute.
“Mae… Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Huh? It’s nothing! You took care of me too! That’s what families do!”
To be honest, Mavis’s efforts hadn’t really helped that much.
The towel had been soaking wet and ruined the pillow.
The soup ended up lukewarm.
But strangely…
Vanessa’s heart felt a little lighter.