Chapter 245

“I’ve heard those rumors too. Both Sir Nigel and that woman are pathetic,” sighed Duchess Pierce, slipping a hand under her hat to press her temples. “If Marchioness Rosencrantz hears about this, she’ll mock us. Please, try to maintain some dignity.”

It was always her responsibility to clean up the messes caused by Viscountess Lope’s duplicitous and shallow actions.

And now even Christian was starting to resemble his grandmother.

‘Why is God so cruel to me alone?’

Duchess Pierce lamented.

Why had she been born to such a frivolous mother? And why had her son inherited that very nature?

One couldn’t choose their birth. That was why the Duchess had worked tirelessly to distance herself from the Lope name.

But severing ties of kinship was no easy task. One foot remained firmly tied to the Lope family.

‘God, why do You treat me this way?’

Everyone thought of her as a fortunate woman, but she had always felt unhappy. Sometimes she was truly unhappy, and other times she made herself unhappy to fit that narrative.

When something good happened, she feared that sorrow would follow. When something bad happened, she sank deeply into despair and blamed God for her misfortunes.

Her face was beautiful, but it always bore a shadow of melancholy.

And today, she was met with not one, but two instances of misfortune—small and large. Her already gloomy face grew even more clouded.

“Mother.”

“All right, all right. I only sent the invitation just in case. I thought it through!”

“That’s not the issue…”

“Well, since she’s caused such a scandal, it’s obvious she won’t be able to show her face at any parties for a while, right? Even if we sent an invitation, she wouldn’t come, so no one will know.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“And who knows? She might actually end up becoming the new madam of House Rosencrantz. If that happens, the current Marchioness will be completely powerless. It’s better to earn points with her in advance.”

Tired of her eldest daughter’s nagging, Viscountess Lope deliberately raised her voice to cut her off.

Duchess Pierce endured her mother’s excuses for a long time. Quietly, patiently, maintaining her composure…

Until suddenly, she reached her limit.

“Mother!”

Her sharp voice pierced the air, startling even the birds in the hedges, which flapped away in alarm.

Viscountess Lope inhaled sharply, startled by her daughter’s outburst. She clutched her chest and nervously glanced at her daughter.

“My, my… If you wanted me to stop, you could’ve just said so. Was there really a need to shout like that?”

Realizing the gravity of the situation too late, the Viscountess tried to placate her daughter.

“Fine, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll consult you before I do anything from now on.”

“……”

“Really, I’m sorry. Surely you’re not planning to cut the budget over something like this?”

Duchess Pierce silently mouthed words, muttering incomprehensibly under her breath as if she were cursing someone.

“You…”

A chill ran down Viscountess Lope’s spine.

She had seen this side of her daughter often when she was younger.

As the eldest daughter of the Lope family, the Duchess had frequently been bullied by her cunning younger sister. At one point, she had even dabbled in voodoo and gypsy witchcraft, desperate for retribution.

The Viscountess shuddered at the memory of the lengths she went to in order to keep her daughter’s strange hobbies hidden. Scratching her nails against her palm, she recalled those dreadful times.

“Don’t tell me… Are you doing that again—”

“Mother.”

“Yes, yes. Go ahead, speak first.”

“I feel like I’m a woman abandoned by God.”

“…You? Well, I see how you could feel that way. Yes, yes, I understand.”

Viscountess Lope knew exactly how to handle her eldest daughter when she fell into one of her depressive moods.

It didn’t matter what she said—the Duchess would only talk about her own feelings. All the Viscountess needed to do was listen and occasionally nod in agreement.

“That’s a lie.”

“Oh… Why would you say that? I always mean what I say.”

Duchess Pierce smirked faintly.

“I know. I’m not the most pitiable person in the world, after all.”

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