Chapter 22
Calypse watched Catherine’s retreating figure as she ran away.
His once playful gaze had vanished, replaced by a cold, detached look, even in the darkness.
“Ah. She ran away.”
Calypse lifted his hand, puzzled.
“…Why didn’t I kill her right away?”
Just moments ago, he had intended to kill Catherine. But for some reason, he hadn’t followed through.
The reason he was here was because of the emperor’s orders.
“A mere investment event hosted by a baron’s family wouldn’t have succeeded this much… There must be something hidden. Infiltrate the baron’s household and retrieve any related documents.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
But by the time he arrived, the secret information he was looking for had already been taken.
“So I was just going to leave…”
Then, a pair of mysterious blue eyes, glowing under the moonlight, entered his sight.
A beautiful yet suspicious woman standing alone in the dark garden.
A blue dress stained with something red, possibly blood.
She looked suspicious, so he approached her, pretending to be a knight.
But upon getting closer, he realized the red stain smelled like cranberries—likely a spilled drink. More importantly, she seemed like a mere “ordinary” woman.
A noble lady raised in a sheltered world, unaware of the harsh realities of life.
Just in case she was pretending to be innocent, he tested her reaction. But her response was slightly delayed, proving she wasn’t the person he suspected.
Even so, for the first time, he hesitated to attack. For a brief moment, his grip loosened.
“Did my body instinctively stop because she was just a normal noble lady?”
But he didn’t dwell on the thought for long.
To Calypse, their meeting was just a coincidence.
Like always, secretive encounters under the moonlight would fade away without a trace, as if they had never happened.
Catherine’s ordeal didn’t end with Calypse threatening her life.
When she returned from the party, she was met with Rachel’s fury.
Rachel didn’t hold back her anger.
SLAP!
A sharp sound echoed as Rachel’s palm struck Catherine’s cheek.
“Ah!”
Catherine collapsed weakly to the floor.
“Eleanor! Eleanor! Eleanor! Why is everyone praising her so much?!”
Rachel shouted in frustration.
“This party was a disaster. Everyone was talking about Eleanor’s investment success!”
Rachel was disgusted that all the guests had only talked about Eleanor’s achievements.
As Catherine sat on the floor, holding her stinging cheek, Rachel grabbed her chin and lifted it.
Then, in a chillingly sweet voice, she asked,
“You didn’t know? You were close to the Frongs family’s child. Didn’t they ever mention Eleanor?”
“I-I didn’t know. I swear!”
Catherine struggled to answer, but Rachel clicked her tongue and let go roughly.
Catherine’s platinum blonde hair spilled onto the floor, but at that moment, even her beauty looked worthless.
Rachel despised everything about her daughter.
“Sigh. Bring me the whip.”
At Rachel’s command, a maid handed her a prepared whip.
It wasn’t just any whip—it was a riding crop, thin and sharp, used for controlling animals.
SWISH!
Rachel swung it in the air, and an eerie sound filled the room.
“I didn’t send you into society so you could play around, Catherine.”
“I’m sorry…”
“I’ve told you many times—use everything at your disposal. Is that empty head of yours just decoration?”
Catherine wasn’t even listening.
She was too terrified of the whip in Rachel’s hand.
Her cheek was still burning from the slap. If she was hit with that whip, she wouldn’t come out unscathed.
Desperately, she searched for a way to avoid it.
But before she could think, Rachel raised the whip again.
Catherine instinctively curled up, shielding her face with her arms.
CRACK!
The sharp sound rang out, but the whip struck the floor right next to her instead.
Catherine quickly lifted her head.
“Oh dear. Did you think I would hit my delicate daughter with this? Of course not.”
“…”
“I don’t want to hurt you, dear. But what if my hand slips? That would be quite unfortunate, wouldn’t it?”
Catherine understood.
This was a warning.
If she didn’t behave, something worse would happen.
“I’ve been too lenient, haven’t I?”
“N-no!”
“My poor child… Do you want to go back there?”
“There.“
Rachel was referring to their old home before they lived on the Duke’s estate.
She was asking if Catherine wanted to return to that miserable past.
“No… Hic… No, I don’t!”
Tears spilled from Catherine’s eyes as fear overwhelmed her.
Resistance was useless.
If she resisted, the punishment would be worse.
This was what Catherine had learned from being Rachel’s daughter.
She had to endure.
She had to wait until Rachel’s anger faded.
That was all she could do.
“Ahh!”
Rachel suddenly grabbed Catherine’s hair and yanked it.
It felt like her scalp was being torn apart.
“Sigh. Catherine, my dear child… Every time you disappoint me, I remember your father. It’s pathetic and disgusting.”
“Hic… I-I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
The whip fell to the ground.
Catherine felt like she would faint at any moment, but she forced herself to stay conscious.
Rachel finally released her grip and gently stroked Catherine’s hair.
Slowly, as if to fix the mess she had made.
Her touch was soft. Kind.
Catherine flinched, but Rachel ignored it and spoke in a sweet voice.
“Catherine, my foolish child. Do you remember our promise?”
Catherine’s blue eyes trembled violently.
She looked at Rachel with anxious eyes.
Rachel smiled at her with a seemingly merciful expression.
“Five years ago, you made a promise to me. You said you would be a good girl.”
And then, Catherine remembered.
That freezing winter, years ago.
Back in that terrible place, before they lived here.
She had made a desperate promise to Rachel.
“What should I do with you? You’re so useless.”
Rachel had looked at her with cold, emotionless eyes.
“P-please don’t abandon me! Hic… I-I’ll do anything! I’ll listen to everything you say! I’ll be a good girl!”
Catherine had known she was about to be discarded.
She had cried and begged her mother not to leave her behind.
“Please… Please don’t leave me alone.”
She had been just a 10-year-old child.
A little girl who was terrified of being alone.
A little girl who just wanted a family.
A little girl who didn’t want to be abandoned.
“Then remember this. If you don’t want to be abandoned, prove your worth.”
That winter, Catherine just wanted to be loved.
“Hm? Don’t you remember?”
“I-I remember.”
“You promised to be a good girl. Do you want to be abandoned?”
Rachel’s voice was gentle.
As if she was asking if Catherine wanted to be thrown back into that cold, empty forest.
“…”
But Catherine couldn’t answer.
Because she was no longer that desperate little girl.
She now knew this world was a story—a novel filled with love and drama.
She wasn’t that scared, abandoned child anymore.
At 15, Catherine feared something worse than abandonment.
She feared death.
She feared being hated, discarded, and ignored by the protagonist.
Rachel noticed the shift in her expression and narrowed her eyes.
“Oh my… So now you have thoughts of your own?”
“…”
“If you disappear, who do you think will replace you?”
Catherine’s face turned pale.
Her hands clenched into trembling fists.
“You’re not the only one who can do this. A new good child can always be made.”
Catherine gasped and pleaded desperately.
“N-no! Please! Not Alex!”
“Shhh… Don’t look so sad. Alex will be an even better child.”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry…!”
“Think carefully, Catherine. What’s the better choice?”
Rachel kissed her forehead.
The touch was warm. And utterly terrifying.
“Don’t make me train another child, dear. That would be such a hassle.”
“…”
“I trust you’ll be my good girl again, Catherine.”
“…Yes, Mother.”
Love always becomes a chain that binds someone.
It felt like someone was laughing at her for ever believing otherwise.
