Berengella terdiam sejenak lalu berbicara dengan suara rendah.
“…Countess. Jangan memfitnah Count dengan tuduhan palsumu.”
“Silakan periksa sendiri apakah itu salah atau tidak.”
Rachel mengulurkan buku besar yang diambilnya, dimaksudkan untuk memberi isyarat kepada Berengella agar bergegas mengambilnya.
Seolah harga dirinya terluka atau dia tidak dapat mempercayainya, wajah Berengella mengeras dan dia tidak bergerak untuk waktu yang lama. Rachel memberi isyarat padanya untuk mengambilnya.
Ketika dia akhirnya mengulurkan tangan untuk mengambil buku besar dari Rachel…
Gedebuk.
Buku besar itu jatuh ke lantai.
“Maaf. Tangan saya gemetar tanpa saya sadari karena ini adalah buku besar yang mengungkap kesalahan suami saya.”
“Jika ada satu saja kepalsuan… Aku tidak akan membiarkan ini berlalu.”
“Mau mu.”
“Datang.”
Seorang pembantu yang berdiri di belakang, gelisah, berlari menghampiri panggilan itu. Pembantu itu mengambil buku besar yang jatuh ke lantai dan menyerahkannya kepada Berengella. Rachel berbalik tanpa ragu dan meninggalkan ruangan.
Berengella duduk di ruang tamu sebentar dan melihat buku besar yang diberikan Rachel padanya.
Theodore kembali ke rumah besar itu dengan gusar, dengan kedua tangan penuh makanan. Sayangnya baginya, ia tiba setelah Berengella selesai membaca buku besar.
“Oh, Ibu! Aku membeli semua makanan yang sedang populer di ibu kota akhir-akhir ini! Semoga aku tidak terlambat…”
“…Hitung. Apakah aku membesarkanmu untuk menjadi seperti ini?”
“Apa?”
Mendera!
Di Elrosa Mansion, suara Berengella menghukum putranya berlanjut hingga larut malam.
* * *
Larut malam, bunyi logam beradu dengan logam terdengar di kantor kediaman Archduke Dicarsignac.
Cian, yang duduk dengan posisi miring di kursi kantornya, menyambar sebuah benda kecil dari udara dan mengangkatnya ke arah cahaya bulan. Benda itu adalah kancing manset yang indah dengan berlian merah muda muda.
Rachel meminta dia untuk menyiapkan hadiah yang akan menjadi tanda cintanya. Kancing manset berlian merah muda, yang menjadi topik hangat di kalangan sosial akhir-akhir ini, sangat cocok untuk permintaannya.
Namun, bahkan setelah menyelesaikan permintaannya, Cian menghabiskan beberapa hari tanpa melaporkan hasilnya.
Sulit untuk mendapatkan berlian merah muda sebesar ini. Berlian itu langka dan harganya tidak murah menurut standar normal, tetapi itu bukan tugas yang sulit bagi Cian, satu-satunya Archduke di kekaisaran dan informan serikat. Harga berlian itu, yang setara dengan rumah besar Elrosa, tidak ada apa-apanya baginya.
Masalahnya adalah permata berharga ini akan menjadi milik Theodore.
Itu adalah pikiran yang tidak menyenangkan.
Ia ingat melihat tangan Theodore menyentuh Jane, gundiknya, dengan sembarangan di gang belakang yang sepi. Membayangkan kancing manset merah muda di ujung kemejanya membuat Cian merasa mual. Ia tidak ingin memberikannya kepada Theodore.
Even so, there was one more reason he delayed reporting, even after preparing the item. It was because of Rachel.
He investigated her again, but found nothing.
‘No one has ever been this difficult for me to figure out.’
This was truly an unfamiliar feeling for Cian, who even knew everything about Emperor Sigar and Great Saint Tityenis.
In social circles, Rachel was known as someone who was affectionate towards her husband, indifferent to gossip, and rarely showed herself. She also had few friends. There were traces of her mistakes here and there.
‘It is unusual for someone to have links to Bishop Lylus Van of the Yenis Church… I think he had a close relationship with Rachel’s father.’
There was no evidence that Rachel Elrosa was a smart, wise, cautious woman. She had not revealed her true nature in over 20 years. Not one bit.
She’s smart enough to see through Cian’s identity and read into the elders’ doubts, but acts like a fool on the outside? He couldn’t even guess how meticulous she would need to be to make it possible.
‘I thought I knew of all the talented people in the empire. I was arrogant.’
He tossed up the cufflinks again, snatching them out of the air and holding them tight.
A feeling of pleasure ran down his spine as thought of acquiring Rachel’s talents for himself.
‘I want her.’
He appointed Hyzius as the guild leader to obtain information, left Stefan in charge of the guild to make money, and appointed Nick as his assistant to help with the work closest to him.
He lost track of time as he thought about what kind of work he should entrust to Rachel.
‘There was a time when I thought it was fortunate that I had this ability to identify skilled talents, thinking it was a necessary trait to become an emperor.’
Now it was pointless. Sigar, Cian’s older brother, inherited the throne.
He was lost in thought for a while, when he heard a familiar voice from the doorway.
“…Dad?”
The only person who could open the office door and enter without permission, his daughter, Dolorosa.
“…Dolly. Have you not gone to sleep yet?”
“I had to go to the bathroom. Why isn’t Dad sleeping?”
Dolorosa, seven years old this year, was brighter and more mature than her peers. Cian was grateful for that, but sometimes it hurt.
The child never once asked who her mother was or what kind of person she was. She seemed to know that even if she asked, she wouldn’t get an answer. Perhaps she also suspected that Cian was not her biological father.
The small rabbit-shaped slippers got closer, making a muffled thud.
“Sleeping late is not good for your health. Dolly doesn’t want daddy to be sick.”
“Dad, worried you. I’m Sorry, I’ll go to sleep now.”
“Okay. Sleep well, Dad. I’m going to go back to sleep too. I’m really tired.”
“Sleep well. I love you, Dolly.”
“I love you, too.”
Alone in his office, Cian reached for the cufflinks on his shirt sleeve. The pink diamond, a symbol of love, sparkled brightly.
As he held the diamond, he thought about what he had to do.
It was time to go see Rachel.
* * *
The next day, Theodore couldn’t go to work at the imperial palace, his face and calves were swollen after being punished by Berengella.
At breakfast time, Berengella had a scary look on her face, as if she would get angry again at any moment, without notice, and Theodore looked as pitiful as a blade of grass shaking in the wind.
Among them, only Rachel and Graham were cheerful.
“Come on, Graham. It’s your favorite beef. Mom will cut it up for you.”
“Mom, you have to eat too. I will eat one piece and mom can have the rest.”
“Mom’s all grown up so she doesn’t need to eat much, Graham is still growing so he needs to eat a lot.”
“Hmm… Then, I’ll eat two and grow up to protect you, mom.”
So cute!
Rachel rubbed her cheek against Graham, who was sitting next to her.
Berengella, watching the two people, ended up throwing down the knife she was holding before even finishing half of her meal.
Clink!
“This residence’s chef’s cooking skills are terrible. The rotten smell of the food is awful and is making me sick. Fire him immediately.”
“Yes, mother. I’ll fire him right away and hire a skilled chef…”
Theodore, cheeks swollen, bowed, not knowing what to do, and tried not to anger his mother again.
Berengella glanced at her son like she thought he was pathetic, then turned and left the dining room.
As soon as the sound of the door closing was heard, Theodore jumped up from his seat. The table shook and the silverware and plates clashed noisily.
“Rachel. Are you really crazy?! Why are you being like this these days?”
It was funny how he couldn’t even say a word when Berengella was around, but had no problems bellowing at his wife and son when they were alone.
Rachel frowned and hid Graham behind her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but we’re still eating. We’ll talk later when we’re alone.”
“I’m already done eating, what are we still waiting for?”
He couldn’t eat much. Theodore’s cheeks were so swollen that it seemed impossible for him to chew anything.
“You’ll have to wait, though. Me and Graham haven’t finished yet.”
“Last time I brought Jane here, you were rude to her, this time you’re bringing a ridiculous ledger to my mother? What exactly are you planning?”
“I have no plans. As I said before, Jane was rude first, and the reason I gave the ledger to mother was because she is an elder member of the Count’s family. Shouldn’t the elders of the family know how best to handle the Count family’s problems?”
“What are you saying? You’re the reason I told my mother last night how……!”
“You were the one who created the problem in the first place, right? Inviting a woman who doesn’t know etiquette to the house, putting a hole in the family’s finances, and evading taxes.”
You don’t even look at your wife, who only loves you, and you cheat on her in public.
Theodore’s face, which had been red and swollen from being hit, turned red with anger.
“Shut up!”
Theodore’s eyes rolled back and he threw away the silver cup filled with water.
Kejadiannya begitu tiba-tiba, tubuh Rachel menegang saat ia melihat cawan perak itu melayang ke arahnya, tidak dapat menghindarinya.
Saat dia menduga kaca perak itu akan mengenai wajahnya, dia menutup matanya.
Cheaeng!
Terdengar suara keras dan cangkir perak itu berguling di lantai.
Mata Rachel terbelalak tak percaya. Graham, yang bersembunyi di balik punggungnya dan menggigil, berada di atas meja. Di tangannya, ia memegang pisau perak yang mereka gunakan untuk mengiris daging sapi.
“Hah, Graham?”
“Ayah jahat!”
Graham mengulurkan pisau pendeknya ke arah Theodore. Mata biru anak itu tampak dingin.
Sekalipun dia tahu pisau perak itu tidak terlalu mengancam, Theodore tetap ragu-ragu.
“Graham. Letakkan itu sekarang juga.”
“Tidak, aku tidak mau.”
“Tuan Graham.”
“Melempar barang ke orang lain itu tidak baik! Bukankah kamu belajar itu dari ibu dan ayahmu?”
Apakah Graham mengatakan ini karena dia tahu Berengella adalah ibu Theodore?
“Jika kamu melakukan sesuatu yang buruk, kamu harus dimarahi! Jika kamu melakukan sesuatu yang buruk, aku juga akan menyalahkanmu!”
Ancaman itu terdengar manis dengan suara gemetar, tetapi suasananya penuh dengan pembunuhan. Bahkan Rachel pun membeku kaku karena kekuatan mematikan yang terpancar dari tubuhnya yang kecil dan rapuh.
Dalam cerita aslinya, alasan Graham menjadi pembunuh bukan hanya karena Rachel meninggal.
Graham dianugerahi bakat luar biasa seperti visi yang tak tertandingi, kemampuan atletik, kekuatan, dan niat membunuh yang dapat membekukan siapa saja yang menemuinya di tempat.
Bakat Graham yang tidak terlihat di masa damai, akan segera muncul untuk melindungi ibunya, Rachel, dari bahaya.
