Chapter 24
“What did you say?”
August couldn’t understand Catherine telling him to forget about it.
As she staggered toward her bedroom, he quickly ran to support her.
She fit perfectly in his arms—it struck him just how small she was.
‘How did she endure such cruelty with this fragile body?’
When they entered her room, a sharp tension filled the air, making August momentarily think an assassin had broken in.
Had he been too careless? He cautiously scanned the room.
‘Oh no. What if our poor little lady is in here crying out of fear?’
Half-joking, half-worried, he imagined finding her held hostage.
But as soon as he saw her face, an inexplicable anger surged within him, and one name came to mind—the only person who could have done this.
‘Rachel.’
It had to be her.
Rachel was the only person in this house who could dare lay hands on the infamous troublemaker of the duchy.
‘What if this isn’t the first time?’
Catherine seemed too familiar with violence. She was drenched in cold sweat, her face pale, yet she brushed it off like it was nothing.
This wasn’t the reaction of someone experiencing abuse for the first time.
No—this was the response of someone who had lived with it for a long time.
“What do you mean, forget it?”
“Just forget it. It has nothing to do with you.”
His little master—Catherine—told him to forget.
She calmly tidied her hair, as if she had always dealt with these situations alone.
Seeing her swollen cheek, August stepped outside and asked Helen, the maid, to bring a bowl of water.
When she returned, he took out his handkerchief, soaked it, and gently pressed it to Catherine’s cheek.
“……”
“……”
Technically, as her knight, touching her without permission was a crime. But neither of them seemed to care right now.
“I know you report everything about my mother to the Duke,” Catherine finally broke the silence.
As she accepted his quiet care, she continued, “If my mother finds out about this, she won’t let it go.
So don’t tell the Duke. It’ll only make things troublesome for both of us.”
August was speechless at her casual tone. She thought she was offering a deal—keeping his secret in exchange for his silence.
But whether he was truly a knight or not, that didn’t matter.
When he was assigned to protect her, he had taken the duty seriously.
Even if it was just a formality, Catherine was still a lady of House Valentine. And as long as she bore that name, he was responsible for her safety.
So seeing her so easily dismiss her suffering as “none of his concern” irritated him more than he expected.
No matter what, he was her knight. It was his job to protect her.
And today, he failed.
“Hah! Do you want me to keep quiet? My lady, this is abuse! The Duke must know—”
The Duke—Hereis Valentine—needed to be informed immediately.
August had been foolish to assume that Rachel and Catherine had a normal mother-daughter relationship.
A child being abused by their parents should not be left in the same house as them.
“It’s not abuse. It’s love.”
Catherine’s voice was calm as if she truly believed her words.
“……That’s ridiculous.”
“My mother… she… did it for my good. That’s all.”
August clenched his jaw.
If that logic were true, then the world was overflowing with love. And soon enough, that love would destroy it.
“You’re wrong. No one would call this love. This is violence, plain and simple.”
Catherine fell silent at his words.
He was right.
She had called it “tough love,” but she knew how absurd that sounded.
Unlike before, she now knew that she was inside a novel.
With her memories of 21st-century modern life, she understood that Rachel’s actions weren’t love—they were child abuse.
And yet… she hadn’t run away.
The truth was, 90% of her was still Catherine.
Even though she had memories of another life, they were fragmented.
She barely remembered anything beyond the fact that she had been reincarnated.
She had even forgotten about it for years—until recently.
But the novel The Duke’s Daughter Refuses to Regret—that, she remembered clearly.
She assumed it was because this world was based on that story.
Unlike other reincarnated heroines who easily broke free from their roles, she couldn’t.
Her memories, her emotions, the people around her—they were all too real.
‘……Mother.’
“My dear Cathy, my little Cat. I have so many hopes for you. Your eyes remind me so much of my beloved mother.”
“Do you love me?”
“Of course. I can’t help but love you. You’re my precious Catherine.”
Not all of her memories with Rachel were filled with pain.
On rare, good days, Rachel would hold her and whisper those sweet words.
So there was love.
There had to be.
Catherine needed to believe that.
“……Maybe you’re right. But not now. Please, don’t tell the Duke.”
She shut her eyes tightly before reopening them.
Unlike before, her voice was soft, almost pleading.
No matter what, she couldn’t let Hereis Valentine know.
Catherine understood why abused children stayed silent.
Few people ever believed them.
She couldn’t stand to be denied.
Besides, to the Duke, she was just a disposable chess piece in a game for Eleanor.
If she lost her value, she would be discarded.
“I’ll tell him myself. Just give me time to think.”
“……Haah. Fine. I won’t tell him.”
Fortunately, August signed and agreed—at least for now.
“Then what about the maid? Can she be trusted?”
“Oh, Helen’s fine. She won’t talk.”
“……”
August gave her a long, unreadable look.
“……What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he muttered, shaking his head.
“You’re acting weird,” she grumbled.
Ignoring his troubled expression, she called out, “Helen! You can come in now.”
The maid returned, carrying a set of medicine bottles.
When Catherine asked, Helen explained that she hadn’t told the doctor.
“You told me not to, my lady. So I bought these from my room. No one will know you were hurt.”
Helen carefully took over, dabbing medicine on Catherine’s cheek.
The sting of the ointment made her realize how bad the injury was.
‘So that’s why they were all so shocked.’
Catherine was impressed by Helen’s precise, gentle touch.
‘She’s trustworthy. She never gossips about her master’s affairs.’
“You did well,” Catherine said.
“……Thank you.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
Catherine pretended not to notice.
Why did it feel like the adults around her were more fragile than she was?
