Chapter 35
Killing one’s wife.
It wasn’t common, but among nobles, it certainly happened.
At that moment, Calypso thought of Diana.
If Diana hadn’t awakened…
He would have killed her on Catherine’s debut day.
Strictly speaking, he would have used Alicia’s hands to do it.
He didn’t want to dirty his own.
Caught off guard by his own thoughts, he couldn’t speak, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
His shaken appearance was almost laughable.
It must have felt as though she had seen right through him.
Icel almost let out a mocking laugh, but she held it in. It wasn’t time yet.
“S-Such a thing…”
Only after a heavy silence did Calypso finally speak, stuttering pathetically.
“You’re shocked, right…? It’s not common, after all.”
Icel spoke as if she was the one surprised by his reaction.
He gulped hard and quickly replied, seizing the chance to regain composure.
“Yes… I’m just surprised… that such a thing happened to you.”
He tried his best to act like he was only surprised by her tragic past.
“Like you said… it’s… uncommon.”
Speaking calmed his pounding heart slightly.
Trying to look sympathetic, he gazed at her with feigned pity.
Icel fluttered her lashes, looking up at him with tearful eyes, her face trembling as if on the verge of tears.
“For a father to kill his wife… isn’t that insane?”
Her words made his heart pound violently.
Even without looking, she could feel his face twisting.
Yet she continued calmly:
“It’s such a tragic thing. To do something like that over money.”
“What…?”
His fingertips trembled slightly despite his efforts to hide it.
“It was for money…?”
“…Yes. He tried to steal my mother’s inheritance from House Pereshte.”
Her downcast eyes glistened with tears, and her low voice pierced his chest like arrows.
It felt as though she was speaking directly about him—his vile desire to steal Diana’s fortune and kill her.
His stomach churned, nearly gagging at the realisation.
“It broke my heart.”
Her sorrowful smile made his brows twitch.
He clenched his fists, trying to hide his agitation.
“What a terrible father.”
“Yes… To the point I thought it was better he died.”
“What… do you mean?”
“That he abandoned me at the orphanage… and died afterwards.”
Calypso’s violet eyes trembled uncontrollably as he stared at her.
Yet she looked straight at him, tears still in her eyes.
“…I must be a bad child, right?”
He didn’t know how to respond.
The bad one was her father, making a fifteen-year-old child think such things.
But he couldn’t deny it.
Icel’s father was just like him.
If Diana’s child had survived, they too would have grown up resenting him, wishing for his death.
With difficulty, he opened his mouth.
“You’re not the bad one…”
But Icel cut him off with a bitter smile.
“Yes… Mother said the same. That it wasn’t me who was bad, but the father who made me think that way.”
“She was right. The bad ones… are the adults.”
This pure child was like a mirror reflecting his own rottenness back at him.
Calypso tried to justify himself.
I didn’t actually kill Diana, did I? There’s no reason to feel guilty.
Besides, it was Alicia who first suggested it.
Calypso comforted himself with endless excuses.
“F-Father?”
A headache pounded through him, and the world seemed to sway.
Looking up at him with round, worried eyes, Icel asked:
“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
Using the handkerchief he had given her, she gently wiped his cold sweat.
Trying to regain composure, he forced a smile and asked:
“So… how did your father die…?”
“…Grandfather…”
Her eyes gleamed coldly.
“Grandfather executed him.”
The shock of her words shot through his body like lightning.
It felt like she was describing his own fate.
“Executed…?”
“…Yes. He said someone like that only taints House Pereshte’s name.”
Fear spread across Calypso’s face.
A chill ran down his spine as if Death itself was placing a scythe to his neck.
Icel glanced up at him, watching his pale face with hidden amusement.
That should scare him enough for now.
Suppressing her smirk, she trembled like a frightened child.
“It was terrifying… Even though he was a terrible father…”
“The Marquis… did that…?”
“…Yes. He’s kind to me, but…”
Of course.
The Marquis always looked at him harshly, as if he would devour him alive.
Calypso felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with Icel.
His heart filled with pity and guilt.
His eyes glowed with a mix of empathy and regret.
Sensing it, Icel spoke in an even more desperate, tearful voice:
“But to meet someone like you here… Father…”
Trash like you.
Even knowing it was a lie made her want to vomit.
She wanted to throw up all the vile breakfast Catherine had forced her to eat right onto his smug face.
“Is this… a miracle?”
She smiled tearfully up at him, and his gaze softened warmly.
Just then, she spotted Catherine’s silver hair approaching, with Diana following close behind.
Calypso, focused on Icel, didn’t notice them coming.
Smirking inwardly, Icel threw her arms around his waist.
“I’m so happy to be adopted by House Ernst. Thank you so much, Father!”
His eyes filled with tender affection.
How could he not love her?
She was such a weak, wounded child needing protection.
🌙 Later
“You seem down today.”
“…I-I’m fine.”
Though reading time had ended and it was now tea time, Catherine’s mood remained grim.
Even if Diana promised to help, she couldn’t rely on that alone.
Despite her ruined voice, she needed to keep practicing her singing.
“Um, Mother.”
“Hmm?”
“I think… I still need a music teacher.”
Diana paused mid-sip, her teacup suspended in the air.
As expected, Catherine didn’t fully trust her.
“You’re already learning magic too. Won’t you be too busy?”
“It’s okay! I have to impress the Duchess of Iverke!”
Catherine declared brightly, her desire unhidden.
Diana’s lips curled slightly.
To Catherine, it looked like a gentle smile.
After feigning thought, she nodded slowly.
“If it’s necessary, I’ll call one for you.”
“Really?!”
“Of course. How could I refuse my dear daughter?”
“I knew you were the best, Mother!”
Catherine clapped happily, her dark mood lifting at once.
She popped a macaron into her mouth, beaming with joy.
Once, Diana would have found that sight adorable.
Now, it only seemed pathetic.
Of course I can’t make it that easy for you.
Still smiling sweetly, she spoke:
“But on one condition.”
“Condition…?”
“You’ll study together with your sister.”
“…Sister…?”
Catherine’s smile vanished instantly.
By sister, she meant only one person—Icel, that low-born girl.
Jealousy and rage burned in Catherine’s eyes, but she clenched her skirt tightly, forcing herself to suppress it.
She couldn’t lose more favour because of Icel.
“…Okay.”
“Oh, Catherine. When did you grow up so much?”
Diana smiled radiantly, her expression pure and motherly.
Even if you learn music, with that ruined voice, you’ll only sound worse than a pig being slaughtered.
And the more you practice, the worse it will become.
Which meant Icel would only outshine her further.
Not that Diana ever intended to let Catherine marry Sawyer without Icel’s consent anyway.
Let her beg for her life someday, trapped in her own petty schemes.
Watching Catherine glow with happiness as if she were already Duchess of Iverke, Diana gazed at her with an innocent smile devoid of any true warmth.
