Chapter 07…
The Land of the Dead Beckons.
Yvette arrived at the Dupla household, bringing with her her nine-year-old daughter, Céline.
With hazelnut-colored, catlike eyes and wavy, chocolate-brown hair, she was a strikingly beautiful girl. In contrast to Felicia’s delicate, graceful beauty, Céline gave off a flamboyant and strong-willed impression.
When Yvette first married into the family, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to supporting her husband, Christophe, and treated both Felicia and Bernard with gentle kindness. Seeing their father’s complexion improve and his health steadily recover, the siblings felt a deep sense of relief.
There was, however, one concern: Yvette’s affection for her daughter Céline was exceptionally intense. She spared no expense on new dresses and jewelry, and did everything possible to fulfill her daughter’s every wish.
“Mother, I want a ribbon like the one my sister-in-law has.”
“Of course, dear. Let’s go buy one right away.”
“Yay! I love you, Mother!”
“And I love you, Céline.”
Céline, who was just a year younger than Felicia, burned with a fierce sense of rivalry toward her. She always wanted whatever Felicia had. Each time, Yvette would buy Céline something even finer, satisfying her daughter’s pride that her belongings were more beautiful and expensive than Felicia’s.
Yvette’s motherly love—already bordering on excessive—clearly crossed the line into obsession after the birth of Christophe’s second son, Maxime.
Driven by his deep lingering feelings for his late wife, Marguerite, Christophe had never lain with Yvette after their marriage. But one night, he drank too much and lost his memory. It happened to be the anniversary of Marguerite’s death. Overwhelmed by grief, Christophe had been persuaded by Yvette’s gentle suggestion: “Why not forget your sorrow for one night, with a little wine?”
The next morning, when he awoke to find Yvette asleep beside him, the shock and regret he felt were beyond words. Yet, regardless of how it happened, from that single night, Yvette conceived Maxime.
After that, Christophe almost completely abstained from alcohol and never again shared a bed with Yvette. Still, he cherished the new life that had been born and loved Maxime as dearly as he did Felicia and Bernard.
From the moment Maxime was born, Yvette began to act as though nothing else in the world mattered except her two children. She gave them anything they desired, no matter the cost, and would stop at nothing to secure whatever she thought would benefit them. Any servant who so much as displeased them was immediately dismissed.
Her change in attitude was especially apparent toward Felicia and Bernard. In Christophe’s absence, she began to openly challenge Bernard’s authority and, if Céline wanted something belonging to Felicia, Yvette would simply hand it over.
“Oh? Céline, that hair ornament…”
“Oh, this? Yes, it was my sister-in-law’s. I thought it was lovely when she wore it the other day. When I told Mother, she said it suited me better and that I could have it.”
“But… that was a birthday gift from Father…”
“Felicia, didn’t you receive something similar from Prince Alexis? As her elder sister, you can afford to let her have it.”
“…Yes, Mother.”
Though Felicia and Bernard still loved Maxime and Céline as their younger siblings, to Yvette, the two were no longer family—they were obstacles standing in the way of her own children’s happiness.
Unbeknownst to Christophe, who was often away for official duties, the Dupla household had begun its slow descent into quiet madness.
