ILVH 12

Chapter : 12

Meanwhile, Gilbert and his group entered the capital and quickly made their way to the Diarmuid estate.

The carriage, which had been moving like a shadow without a sound, finally came to a stop inside the tall walls of the estate.

‘Creak—’

Gretel, who sat dazed and disheveled in the carriage, turned her head at the sound of the door opening.

She glared fiercely at the figure visible beyond the carriage door.

The man she no longer wanted to call “father.”

The man she wanted to strangle with her own hands if she could.

It was Marquis Diarmuid.

—

“Mission accomplished. We’ve returned, my lord.”

Gilbert bowed respectfully to the Marquis.

The Marquis, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, swept his gaze over the interior of the carriage before speaking in a cold voice.

“The child?”

Though his voice was quiet, just loud enough for the knights to hear, it caused everyone who heard it to flinch and shrink their shoulders.

Gilbert shut his eyes tightly and bowed his head even lower.

“…About that.”

“Speak.”

“The knight Paul, whom I reported to you previously, betrayed us. He escaped with the young lady. We pursued them, but their trail ended at a cliff…”

“…”

“It appears they are dead.”

Gilbert’s voice lowered as he finished his report.

The Marquis glanced at Gretel’s face.

His dark navy eyes, so similar to hers, narrowed.

‘…It doesn’t seem to be her doing.’

The Marquis clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He found Gretel’s disheveled appearance utterly disgraceful for the only daughter of the Diarmuid family.

With a frosty expression, he addressed his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in over ten years.

“Get out.”

“…”

“Do I need to order the knights to break the carriage apart with axes to get you out?”

At those words, Gretel clenched her teeth.

Knowing her father, he wasn’t one to make empty threats. He meant every word.

Just as she had chosen to step into the carriage on her own rather than be dragged in, Gretel now chose to step out of it herself.

She walked slowly, as though shackles weighed down her ankles, taking one deliberate step at a time toward the Marquis.

The Marquis looked at her with undisguised contempt and spoke.

“Foolish girl.”

“…”

Gretel clenched her fists and tightened her jaw.

She wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face, but she had no allies in this place.

Doing so would only result in an additional guard being assigned to watch her.

Biting the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood, Gretel swallowed her anger.

Meanwhile, the Marquis tilted his head toward a woman standing at the forefront of the lined-up servants in the distance.

“Nichola.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Clean her up. I can’t have her appearing like this. Prepare her properly without any mistakes.”

“Understood.”

The maid called Nichola bowed deeply.

At her signal, several other maids hesitantly approached Gretel.

“Um, my lady…”

“…”

Gretel silently observed the maids who had come near her.

But none of them were faces she recognized.

‘As I thought… he replaced them.’

She scanned them, hoping to find a familiar face who might help her escape, but it was no use.

The Marquis must have replaced all the servants after banishing her to the north to prevent rumors about her from spreading.

And those who had been dismissed were likely no longer alive.

That was how Marquis Diarmuid operated.

When Gretel remained motionless, the maids glanced at her nervously.

Eventually, Nichola stepped forward, moving closer to Gretel with her gaze fixed on the floor.

“My lady.”

“…”

“If you resist, we will be punished.”

At those words, Gretel clenched her fists tightly.

Her nails dug into her palms, causing pain, but she didn’t so much as flinch.

Without breaking her glare at the Marquis, Gretel finally began to move.

The Marquis met her fiery gaze with an impassive one, watching her disappear into the estate with the maids.

Once Gretel and the servants were completely out of sight, the Marquis turned to Gilbert.

Gilbert kept his head bowed, unable to meet the Marquis’s gaze.

Then, a cold voice rang out behind him.

“The body?”

“…Pardon?”

Startled, Gilbert instinctively lifted his head, knowing it was improper.

He met the Marquis’s icy, abyss-like eyes.

“Did you confirm the child’s body?”

“…No. There was no way to descend the cliff at the time, so we retrieved only the eldest lady and returned. Shall I go back to confirm?”

Even as Gilbert answered, he couldn’t suppress the chills running down his spine.

No matter how complicated or unpleasant the situation, Laviela was still the Marquis’s granddaughter.

Yet the first question he asked once they were alone was whether her corpse had been found.

Though Gilbert had anticipated this, hearing it aloud made it all the more horrifying.

The Marquis met Gilbert’s eyes and spoke in a flat tone.

“Take the knights and confirm with your own eyes whether the child is truly dead.”

“…”

“If she is truly dead, Gretel wouldn’t still be alive and breathing. She must have something up her sleeve. Find it.”

For a moment, Gilbert was at a loss for words.

But the Marquis continued without concern.

“If the child is dead, retrieve her body. Gretel might cause trouble if she believes the child is alive. Having the remains in my possession will make her more compliant.”

“…Understood, my lord.”

As a father himself, Gilbert felt a wave of nausea, but he suppressed it. For the sake of his family, he bowed his head without protest.

The Marquis clicked his tongue as he watched Gilbert lead the knights away.

Though Gilbert wasn’t the most ideal subordinate, he was the best the Marquis could find at the moment, so he couldn’t discard him.

The Marquis turned toward the estate and clicked his tongue again, his dark navy eyes flashing with a sharp glint.

‘From the moment you were born, you’ve been nothing but trouble.’

If not for Laviela, the Marquis could have become the true power behind a prestigious ducal family, enjoying both wealth and honor.

But Laviela’s birth had thrown everything into disarray.

‘…It would’ve been easier to control her if she had just died.’

The Marquis silently hoped that Gilbert would return with Laviela’s corpse rather than her alive.

At that moment, a butler approached and bowed.

“My lord.”

“What is it?”

“A letter has arrived from the Esperanza Dukedom. The Duke requests a private meeting with you.”

For the first time, an actual expression appeared on the Marquis’s face.

Raising one eyebrow, he asked, “…Jack Esperanza?”

—

For the past few days, I had been resting in my room as instructed by the Duke, recovering while anxiously worrying about whether he might decide to kill me.

Thankfully, the heavy sensation that had been weighing down my body had disappeared.

Perhaps because this place was much warmer than the north, my persistent cough had also lessened.

‘Though it’s only a matter of time before it returns.’

Since my impending death wasn’t worth discussing aloud, I quietly took the medicine prescribed by the physician and ate my meals.

After about three days, I received some welcome news.

“Sir Paul has just regained consciousness. Would you like to visit him?”

“Yes!”

I jumped up at Odile’s words, my face lighting up.

Odile briefly smiled but quickly composed herself.

I wasn’t one to smile openly either, but Odile was even more reserved.

Being around her made me feel like I was someone who expressed emotions excessively.

Not that I minded—it just made me wonder if this was how my mother felt when she looked at me.

“Let me help you change into fresh clothes.”

I spread my arms out, a gesture I had grown used to over the past few days.

Odile removed my current outfit and dressed me in new clothes.

[You look like you’re wearing someone else’s clothes.]

That was what the Duke had muttered with a scowl the last time he saw me.

At the time, I had smiled as if I hadn’t heard him, but inwardly, I had thought, ‘What a way with words.’

While I was relieved that my mother wouldn’t have to endure such remarks, his tone occasionally made my blood boil.

Anyway, after hearing the Duke’s complaints, Odile had quietly summoned the tailors to make clothes that fit me perfectly.

Though I wondered if it was right to accept such things since I wouldn’t be staying long, I decided it was fine to consider it part of my compensation for what I needed to accomplish.

‘I’ll show these to Mom later.’

My mother had always lamented that she couldn’t dress me in prettier clothes during our time in the north.

Most of the clothes we wore were ready-made garments sent by the Marquis, which my mother had altered by hand.

But the dress I was wearing now was proper everyday wear made by a professional tailor.

As I fiddled with the white ribbon on the chest, Odile reached out and adjusted it neatly.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Odile led the way, and I followed behind her.

The hallway was quiet, likely because the servants had been dismissed in advance.

For the first time, I followed Odile down to the first floor.

In the distance, I saw a sign that read “Infirmary.”

But…