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Chapter 64 Part 1 – Why do people turn hostile over small conflicts? Countess Rosenthal recounts the night my mother became ill at heart. There was a hidden, sad reason for it.

The night wind blows.
Countess Rosenthal stood on the balcony and looked outside.
She was looking down at the unmanned main gate.

At a young age, she had become the favorite consort of the late king.
14 years have passed since the king was replaced, but she still retains her beauty.
Her brunette hair and hazel eyes are not inferior to the blond hair and blue eyes of the young ladies.
Especially for tonight, she had a reason why she had to be glamorously beautiful.

It was already time for the ball to begin.
She could hear the slow, relaxed musical performance that was setting the mood.
It was a tactful orchestra.
And yet she, the hostess of the ball, left her guests to wait for someone else in a separate room.
It is an unforgivable act, no matter how much power and influence she has.
For the nobles, an event is seen as a judgment of one’s ability.
If the event fails, the host’s honor will fall to the ground.
She knows this better than anyone else, having started out as a love harlot and risen to the position of countess.
Still, there was a reason she had to wait.

「…… Cornelia is …… finally coming. I have been waiting for this for the past 14 years.」

With a flood of emotions, she muttered to herself alone in the night.
For Countess Rosenthal, the real guest of honor tonight is Scarlet’s mother.
The other guests are superfluous.
Even her feather folding fan could not hide her flushed cheeks.
A faint smile formed from the both ends of her bitten lips.

「Oh my, you sound as if you’re waiting for your lover. I thought for sure you hate Cornelia …… the wife of the Crimson Duke.」

In the balcony where only the countess was present until just a moment ago, now there stood the tall Solomon behind her.

「I was about to leave, but then I smelled a fragrant scent and came back. The scent of a maiden who has loved one man with all her heart. She was even willing to become a villain for the sake of his happiness …… As someone who has chosen love as his subject of research, I have a good nose for it.」

He waved his jet-black academic gown, pushed up his shiny pince-nez glasses, and smiled.
He was like a huge bat demon.
Solomon didn’t look affected by the deadly battle he had with the demon dogs not too long ago.

「…… Love? Please don’t say something so silly. This feeling is not something that positive. I just …… want to settle the matter from 14 years ago with that girl.」

The countess did not turn around as she continued to talk.
She called Cornelia ‘that girl’.
Her mind was not in the present, but had flown back to the night of the horrific bullying that had led Cornelia to become a shut-in 14 years ago.

With pig’s blood poured over her head, the stunned Cornelia trembled with the pale complexion of a dead person.
At the center of the circle of the cruel 「red nobles」 as they danced in madness, she was treated cruelly as if she were a sacrifice.
The countess has never forgotten that red scene that was etched into her brain.
She felt disappointment and anger.

The countess had high hopes for Cornelia.
She had expected Cornelia to boldly stand up to the bullying and punish the 「red nobles」.

「…… Will you listen to an old story for a moment? I’ve never told anyone about this. The idle complaints of a woman that has succeeded in climbing up to a higher position.」

At the request of the countess, whose back was still turned on him, Solomon chuckled and sat down on the guardrail.
He sat down on it calmly as if it’s a luxury sofa, even though the tip is sharp enough to skewer a cat.
It was an unusual sight that seemed to defy gravity.

「…… Ohh, that sounds interesting. Women and the universe are mysterious existences. If you are willing to whisper that secret to me, as a scholar, there is no way I will miss that opportunity.」

He crossed his long legs and showed an attitude that he’s ready to listen carefully to the story.
His jet-black academic gown fluttered in the pale moonlight.
Countess Rosenthal nodded, closed her folding fan, and began to speak calmly.

She first saw Cornelia 14 years ago.
At the coronation ceremony of the current king of Hydrangea.

「…… So that person is Cornelia of the Melville family ……! The woman that Wendell-sama chose ……」

Under the shining blue sky, Cornelia’s dignified appearance as she displayed her archery took the countess’s breath away and she gave up on the Crimson Duke.

(※Note: Cornelia is Scarlet’s mother. Wendell is Scarlet’s father.)

In the midst of the excitement, in which even the guests from the four great kingdoms stood up and applauded, the sight of Cornelia in her pure white costume and waving her hand in response to the audience truly looked like the reincarnation of the goddess of war.
Light and cheers swirled around her.
Countess Rosenthal felt no jealousy and only let out a sigh from the feeling of helplessness.

Cornelia is completely different from her.
Countess Rosenthal is someone that is surrounded by sycophantic laughter and the lights of a night full of falsehoods.
Then she saw the heroic Crimson Duke rushing up with a proud smile and taking Cornelia’s hand.
The two cuddling together couldn’t have looked more perfect for each other.

She thought that Cornelia would surely be able to support the Crimson Duke.

‘…… Wendell-sama, I wish you happiness.’

Suppressing the loneliness, she prayed from the bottom of her heart.

The countess walked in the mud of disgrace in order to finally win the title of a countess.
She could not give up the idea of wanting to die if the Crimson Duke Wendell ever finds out about it.

The countess was saved by Wendell on a snowy day when she was a young girl about to commit suicide.
She will never forget the red eyes, red hair, and smile she saw on that snowy day.

The countess was forced into prostitution by her own parent.
She was mercilessly beaten by vile men and her body and heart were in tatters.
When she was about to throw herself off a bridge into the frozen river, Wendell hugged her and stopped her from jumping down.

「This dirty, defiled body has no qualifications to continue living ……!! I want to die!! Please, let me die.」

He gently stroked the stiff hair of the crying, shabby girl clad in tattered rags.

「It’s not dirty. After all, your eyes are so beautiful.」

He looked straight at her eyes and told her so.
Although he was a noble, he had been neglected by his parents, and because of that, he understood the pain of others.
He understood the sorrow of this young girl who was just a stranger to him.

「If you have no place to go, you can come to work at my place. I will provide a place for you to live together with your younger brothers.」

Those words were like heaven-sent good news to the oppressed girl.

「Don’t worry about being dirty, young one.」

「For those kinds of worries, you can think about it later on after you become happy.」

「If it’s us, we’ll just drink alcohol and forget all about our troubles in a single night. These old men that murders people are living a carefree life. Why shouldn’t a girl like you be happy?」

The three old men accompanying Wendell were also kind, despite their stern appearance.

「That shithead called misfortune always comes out of the blue. So, it’s no surprise that once in a while, good luck suddenly comes along.」

An old warrior with a white beard said with one eye closed.
Under the winter sky, she burst into tears.
Before she knew it, she had cried aloud, bawling her eyes out.
The pain she had been enduring for so long broke through the dam and overflowed.

「…… It must have been hard for you. But everyone has the right to be happy. I hope that from now on you will cry tears of joy instead of sadness.」

Wendell didn’t mind the curious stares of passersby.
He gently patted the weeping girl on the back to encourage her.
The tears that wet her cheeks were warm, unlike the cold ones she had shed earlier.
She thought she could finally be happy.

But, in the end, her younger brothers and her were separated by death soon after that.
She could not go to Wendell’s side because of the cruel fate that befell her.
Still, she has made it this far with the support of those warm memories.
In order to meet Wendell again someday and thank him.
To tell him how happy she was at that time.

But she is too dirty.
Unlike when she was a young girl, now it was not only her body but also her heart that has become filthy.

She spent half of her life chasing after Wendell.
By the time she reached a position where she could freely talk to him, it was already too late.
How many men had she enticed and discarded before becoming the favorite consort of the late king?
How many rivals had she buried?

When she realized this, the countess stood frozen.
She could no longer introduce herself as the girl from that time.
Doing that would tarnish the only precious memory she has left.
The one who deserves to be with a hero like him was a woman like the innocent Cornelia, who displayed her divine archery so coolly. He should not get involved with a woman as dirty as she is.