ESL Chapter 34

Helen was blankly watching through the mirror as the designer gave her dress a final inspection. The dress she would wear today was pure white. From her slightly exposed chest to her neck was elegantly wrapped in lace, and while the bodice was simple, the widely flaring dress skirt was sprinkled with glittering powder that sparkled with every movement. Her hair was skillfully pinned up and decorated with a beautiful silver tiara, and in her ears and around her neck, green jewels the same color as her eyes shone elegantly.

How long had it been since she’d dressed up like this… For a moment, Helen’s face unconsciously contorted. When her father was alive, she had taken it for granted, but after losing everything, she realized that everything she had enjoyed was nothing more than what her father had created for her. Not a single thing was truly hers. Wouldn’t all of this now be impossible without Lea’s help?

‘If she hadn’t saved me in the forest, I would have been violated and killed by those men….’

Helen lightly bit her prettily painted lower lip. Her fists hanging at her sides unconsciously tightened. She was feeling self-loathing. It was then.

“You look really beautiful. As befits the guest of honor.”

At the clear and gentle voice that had become all too familiar, Helen unclenched her fists. When she turned her head, she saw Lea in a servant’s outfit with brown hair and glasses. If she went in her original appearance, she would immediately be recognized as the daughter of Duke Kaien’s family, so she was in disguise. The servant’s clothes had been smuggled out from Count Roman’s estate in advance and altered to fit her body. As Lea entered, the designer quickly slipped out.

‘She does everything so well on her own…. what have I been doing all this time….’

As Helen’s eyes wavered with self-loathing, Lea, thinking it was anxiety about the party, took one of her hands.

“Don’t worry. Ken and I will both be by your side. And if need be, we have powerful reinforcements too.”

“…..Lea.. can I really do this well?”

Can I really reclaim the Count’s estate? Even if I, who has never done anything, reclaim the Count’s estate, can I manage it well like my father did? Helen stared at Lea with reddened eyes, unable to fully express the words suppressed inside her. Lea, who had been quietly observing her, raised her other hand and clasped her remaining hand. Then she spoke. Her voice was still gentle, but had a firmness that made the listener focus.

“No one does well from the start. Helen de Roman. Remember your name and take pride in it. You already received the qualification to bear the name Roman from birth and have the duty to protect it. And you still have something left to protect, don’t you?”

Sean… Helen unconsciously repeated Sean’s name. Her one and only cousin who lost his father because of her… That’s right. She had someone she needed to protect.

“…Lea’s right. I have to protect Sean. So I will definitely win this fight.”

She still felt uncertain and worried, but there was a big difference between having something to protect and having nothing. As Helen’s eyes became calm and filled with firm resolve, Lea gripped her hands even tighter and said.

“And Helen. I debated whether to tell you this or not, but I’ll tell you to eliminate any possible variables. The 2nd Prince might come today.”

Helen’s body froze solid and her face turned deathly pale. Suddenly her vision went dark as memories of that hellish time invaded her. Large hands grabbed the back of her head and pressed her face into the bed as if smashing it down. Then he roughly pushed his member into her from behind, and with the hand that had been pressing down, he wrapped her long hair around like reins and pulled. As her scalp felt like it would tear off from the pain and she threw her head back screaming as if dying, only then did a satisfied groan flow from his mouth. He endlessly pulled at her hair gripped in his hand as he roughly violated her. Even when she fainted from the pain, he didn’t stop. When she woke, he was still moving on top of her. His eyes at that time were filled with madness like a demon, and she couldn’t even resist.

‘….No…. I’m scared…!’

Cold sweat dripped down from fear and her body began to tremble. Just as she was about to sink into a deep abyss without realizing it, Lea’s next words snapped her to attention.

“Ah, that perverted bastard. Of all people, he had to join hands with those guys.”

“….. What did you say?”

What did I just hear… Helen crawled out of the quagmire she had been floundering in just moments ago and stared blankly at Lea. At first, she doubted her own ears. But with Lea’s next words, she realized she hadn’t heard wrong.

“I said perverted bastard. Even son of a bitch would be too good for him. Looking at what he did.”

“But..but he’s a prince….”

“It’s fine. If I don’t call a pervert a pervert, what should I call him? Actually, I want to say worse things, but I don’t know many curse words.”

Lark absolutely wouldn’t let her use them, but she didn’t particularly like swear words either. She believed that one’s words represented one’s character. Still, when there was occasionally a need to use them, she would utilize them to the maximum extent within her limited vocabulary.

‘Like right now..’

As Lea shrugged her shoulders, she glanced at Helen, who burst into loud laughter just as she had intended. Helen was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. At the sight of her, a smile appeared on Lea’s lips too. After laughing to her heart’s content, Helen wiped the tears from her eyes and said.

“I was really scared just a moment ago, but I feel a bit better now… But I’m still afraid that when I actually see him, I’ll freeze up in fear…..”

As the smile disappeared from Helen’s lips and her eyes darkened, Lea released the two hands she had been holding and extended one hand politely as if to escort her, saying.

“Well, it’s time to go…beautiful miss. Please, your hand.”

“….Aren’t you a little too good at this? You’re going to make several women cry.”

Helen laughed lowly and placed her hand on top of hers. Lea took Helen’s hand and escorted her to the door, saying.

“You don’t need to worry, Helen. He can’t do anything to you anymore. What he did to you is a clear crime. If by any chance he brings up what happened then when no one else is around… he really is a son of a bitch… then don’t be afraid and stare at him confidently. Perverts like that feel pleasure when you’re afraid or scared.”

“….I understand. I’ll try my best.”

Biting her lower lip slightly and nodding, Helen spotted Ken waiting for them outside the door. He too was wearing servant’s clothes and had a brown wig similar to Lea’s.

“I get why Lea has to because of her appearance, but why is Ken wearing a wig?”

At Helen’s question, Ken smiled brightly and answered.

“In case some woman falls for me and starts following me around, that would be troublesome.”

“…….”

As Helen’s expression turned sour as if looking at an annoying bastard, Ken shrugged his shoulders. Actually, there was a different reason for wearing the wig, but he didn’t feel the need to explain. Lea knew anyway.

Since they couldn’t use Duke Kaien’s carriage, the three of them headed to Count Roman’s estate in a pre-rented carriage. Count Roman’s mansion was brightly lit for the guests attending the party. It seemed quite a few people had already arrived, as music and voices flowed out.

“…… “

At the sight of the mansion she was seeing after so long, Helen tightly clenched both fists resting on her knees. Her head was spinning with anxiety about whether she could do well and rage toward her stepmother and stepbrother.

“If you’re that tense, will you be okay once we go in?”

At Ken’s worried words, Helen bit down hard on her lower lip. She mustn’t forget… this was her fight. Didn’t Lea say at the beginning? That she could help, but in the end, the one who had to fight was Helen herself. Helen turned her gaze to Lea. And at Lea’s smile that seemed to believe in her, Helen slowly closed her eyes.

The music that had been playing sweetly gradually died down, as if the main event of the party was finally about to begin. Probably when this music stopped, the new Count Roman would come out and greet everyone. With that filthy face that killed her father. Helen’s eyes opened again, and her green eyes, filled with resolve, shone brightly.