ITIF Chapter 75

Hidden Circumstances

Because of this, she felt more uncomfortable than ever before.

Countess Tarel had poured out her hidden circumstances while wiping away tears, her feelings hurt by the criticism from Viscount Flerino’s eldest son.

Countess Tarel had grown up as the illegitimate child of a nobleman.

The mother who bore and raised her had been a maid working in her biological father’s estate.

After her mother died of illness, her biological father came looking for her.

And that biological father was a nobleman.

She had lived thinking she was a commoner, but one day a noble father appeared.

Soft dresses and satin shoes that fit her feet perfectly, eating new food at every meal—dreamlike days unfolded.

Her biological father even registered her in the family registry and then took her to the Imperial Palace.

At first, she had been happy just to have actually come to the Imperial Palace herself, but at dawn’s twilight, a nightmare unfolded.

The Emperor had quite taken a liking to Countess Tarel, and her biological father willingly pushed her into the Emperor’s bedroom.

Before she could even escape from the sense of loss at losing her virginity, the Empress came to see her and said:

[Live quietly as if you don’t exist in this world.]

And not long after, she had become the worst temptress who had seduced and corrupted the virtuous Emperor.

Of course, Giselle Grante decided not to believe only Countess Tarel’s words. At least not until she could clearly confirm the facts.

A bitter smile appeared on Giselle Grante’s lips as she thought that far. She felt somewhat disillusioned with herself for being afflicted with distrust of people.

However, she had no intention of withdrawing her suspicion.

If she hadn’t been suspicious, the possibility was extremely high that she would have died at the Empress’s hands before even reaching adulthood.

‘Perhaps I may have to drastically revise the plan I had established before.’

The original plan had been to present Countess Tarel and her son Philipo to instill a sense of crisis in the Empress.

And that was the extent of their role.

She had no intention whatsoever of defending a mistress who had seduced a man who openly had a wife and child.

And she had hoped they too would receive appropriate consequences.

However, if Countess Tarel’s confession was the truth without lies, then she too was a victim of the Emperor and Empress.

Giselle Grante’s gaze, which had been fixed straight ahead, turned toward the distance.

She wondered if there was any meaning in punishing perpetrators by using victims.

And in another sense, she felt grateful to Countess Tarel.

Because she had reminded her once again that her father the Emperor was such a terrible person, and had revealed a new evil act by the Empress who, for the sake of her own reputation, had transformed Countess Tarel—who until the day before had been nothing more than an innocent country girl—into a temptress.

It was as if she had granted justification once again to everything she was doing.

‘Of course, before that, the Emperor might not actually be my real father anyway……’

Giselle Grante’s gaze turned toward her feet as she recalled the portrait she had seen at Duke Cardia’s estate.

“Welcome.”

At that moment, a low bass voice turned her gaze back to the front.

Kavelaseth was standing not far from where she stood.

When their eyes met, Kavelaseth soon walked toward her.

But his expression seemed somehow unpleasant.

‘Did something happen?’

Whenever she thought of Kavelaseth, an impassive expression always came to mind first.

But now he seemed somehow angry.

At his expression, chillingly cold enough to be slightly frightening, she swallowed dryly.

‘The cause couldn’t possibly be… me?’

For some reason, she felt like backing away and running, but she endured, holding her ground and putting strength in both legs.

And his words that followed were far beyond her expectations.

“Why do you have an expression like you’re about to cry?”

For a moment, she felt deflated.

“Did it look that way?”

Giselle Grante deliberately smiled brightly.

Then a crack appeared in Kavelaseth’s brow.

“Hiding emotions isn’t always the answer.”

“……Are you talking about yourself, Your Grace?”

At that, as if it wasn’t wrong, he chuckled and extended his hand toward the inside of the dining room.

“It seems you were on your way back from somewhere.”

Kavelaseth, seated across from her, asked while briefly scanning her outfit.

Giselle Grante nodded slightly.

“I went to Count Tarel’s estate.”

“It seems someone there bothered the young lady.”

Feeling inwardly startled, Giselle Grante narrowed her eyes.

“Did you… have me under surveillance?”

“I just threw it out there, but it seems it was true.”

“Actually, before coming here……”

She could confidently say she wasn’t usually a talkative person.

Because she thought anything other than learning something new or work-related talk was a waste of time.

Even when unpleasant things happened, she quickly forgot them.

Because otherwise she couldn’t focus on other matters.

But why was it?

She found herself strange, explaining what had happened today at Count Tarel’s estate in front of Kavelaseth.

As the explanation continued, strength entered Kavelaseth’s grip on the sofa’s armrest, but she didn’t notice this and continued speaking.

****

‘They say there’s no tree that won’t fall after ten chops… so it was really true.’

Thinking this, Lady Greykin smiled slightly.

Her gaze was fixed on Lady Amaterasu’s face.

The occasional smile seemed to make her beautiful looks shine even more.

“Aren’t you going in?”

The butler asked Lady Greykin, who was standing at the doorway peeking into the dining room, with a puzzled expression.

“Shh……”

She hurriedly brought her index finger to her lips. Then, glancing at the inside of the dining room, she led the butler to the corridor.

“……?”

Naturally, the butler’s face filled with puzzlement.

“The atmosphere between those two seemed so good that I didn’t want to disturb them.”

“Ah……!”

Only then did the butler let out an exclamation and nod his head.

“If you don’t mind, could you wait just a little longer? I’ll inform the young lady once they finish their meal.”

The butler said with an apologetic expression.

“By all means. If it means my two saviors can have a pleasant time.”

Lady Greykin, who smiled warmly, turned around gracefully.

The butler bowed toward Lady Greykin, who was already quite far away.

What she had just said was sincere.

‘If Lady Amaterasu hadn’t urgently come to the Count’s estate after the trial and asked to go together……’

She would be a cold corpse by now.

Since Lady Zimmer had been staying at a secluded villa, it would have been easy to disguise it as an accident, but she, who had been at Count Greykin’s estate, would most likely have been made to look like a suicide.

“…….”

Lady Greykin, who had been looking down at the floor for a while, was soon able to put away her gloomy emotions.

Because she recalled the image of Lady Amaterasu who had come looking for her disguised as someone from the Radcliffe Trading Company.

Soon a small smile appeared on Lady Greykin’s lips.

That day’s events remained as quite an impressive memory for her.

Although a handsome man with flowing blonde hair didn’t come to rescue her, it was satisfactory enough.

‘As long as you’ve chosen to be with me, I’ll make sure you take responsibility until the end, unless the young lady betrays me.’

Because at that moment, she was reminded of the late Princess Trinity extending her hand to her. Quite strangely.

Lady Greykin, who had left the estate, walked along the nearby path admiring the meticulously carved garden trees like sculptures.

‘But why did she say and do such absurd things back then……’

Remembering the atrocities Lady Amaterasu had committed in the past, Lady Greykin found it quite difficult to understand her current change.

From contacting her through the Radcliffe Trading Company to secretly escaping Count Greykin’s estate and arriving at Duke Cardia’s estate without anyone knowing.

Lady Amaterasu’s plan that day had been perfect in every way.

With a bit of luck added to meticulous and thorough preliminary investigation and action, it would have been impossible.

Rather, it seemed like something only Amaterasu could do, whose family had long been famous for having exceptional minds.

Unable to find the reason, Lady Greykin defined Lady Amaterasu as a truly strange and fascinating person.

‘By the way, my family must be worrying about me a lot……’

Thinking of her family, a sigh naturally escaped.

The people of the House of Greykin would be thinking by now that she had gone missing.

Since she had disappeared without a trace.

Of course, they had agreed to inform them that she had voluntarily left the estate after things had calmed down somewhat.

Before leaving the estate with Lady Amaterasu, she had only hinted to a trustworthy maid.

To pretend to know nothing and do her work as usual, then inform the people of the House of Greykin much later that she had disappeared.

This was all done under Lady Amaterasu’s instructions, and fortunately the maid seemed to have handled her task well.

Since the people of the House of Greykin were searching everywhere for her whereabouts.

Though she hadn’t known she would be trapped motionless in a wooden crate for hours.

While trapped inside, Lady Greykin had inwardly suspected Lady Amaterasu.

Whether she was one of the Empress’s people, whether she had come to sound her out, whether she was trying to eliminate her like this…….

But she soon felt certain that wasn’t the case.

Although the time she spent sitting and talking with her wasn’t very long, she could tell.

That she was someone who could sincerely empathize with others’ pain.

And now she was living very well under Duke Cardia’s protection, enough to feel sorry for having doubted her in the past.

Lady Amaterasu hadn’t offered any words of comfort in particular, but she had waited until she could collect her emotions.

Quite strangely, just that alone made her feel comforted.

And she had a slightly strange illusion.

She had overlapped the unrelated Lady Amaterasu with Princess Trinity.