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Chapter 81 Part 2 – The rose blooming in the shadows. Countess Rosenthal is prepared to die a horrible death as a villain. Her heart-wrenching determination struck our hearts like moonlight.

At that time, if I had stopped myself from being disappointed in Cornelia just a little more, and had the kindness to check her feelings, this wouldn’t have happened. I must have been jealous of Cornelia as she had everything I wanted. Such a trivial matter ruined Wendell’s supposedly happy newlywed life and even ruined their life. Then I got misunderstood by Wendell as the leader of Cornelia’s bullying and continues to be hated by him to this day.

‘This must be divine punishment for trampling on many people so callously for the sake of my own goal …… I was foolish. But it’s too late now. Just regretting my actions is not enough to be forgiven and there is no time left for me. Besides, I am far too defiled and corrupted. I can’t be friends with her ……’

Cornelia is different from me who can’t crawl out of the darkness. She is a woman who can live in the path where light shines on. In fact, when the demon dog Gallam attacked, the fallen genius rose again in order to protect her beloved daughter, Scarlet.

I was happy when Cornelia declared that she wasn’t thinking about taking revenge on the red nobles. It is not easy for the powerful to resist the temptation of revenge. Even Countess Rosenthal felt a dark pleasure when she managed to surpass her rivals, who had utterly humiliated her, and made them kneel down to put their forehead at her feet. People do not forget the humiliation and resentment they have suffered. It will become a beast that lives in their heart that constantly looks for an opportunity for revenge with bloodshot eyes.

The beast roared with resentment.

How dare you!! How dare you deny me!! How dare you mock me!! How dare you look down on me!! You’re not any different!! How dare you act like you know everything!! You wretch!! Unforgivable!! Why should I be the only one to suffer so much? Why must I be treated so unfairly!!

I want revenge!! I want to return to you what I have suffered!! I want to look down on you from above!!

The beast howled in anger.

Ahhhh, I want to make you suffer in the same way and feel refreshed!! I want to point my finger and sneer at you saying that you deserve it!! I want to deprive you of everything you have!! I want to make you realize that I was right!! So, writhe in agony!! Cry and apologize!! Fall to ruin!! Let me feel an even greater sense of superiority!! I want you to be blamed by all the people around you!! I wish you would be ridiculed by the entire world!!

It’s an ugly impulse that everyone has to a greater or lesser extent. It is the sadness of human beings that they are driven by that beast.

「…… Ugh ……!!」

Countess Rosenthal let out a groan of pain.

「Umm …… are you feeling unwell?」

Seeing Cornelia looking at her with a worried expression, the Countess smiled bitterly and said, 「It’s nothing」.

Like this constant burning pain due to the price of the evil eye, resentment corrodes and drives people insane. It is a familiar feeling for the Countess who has risen up in high society.

But even if she scoffed at Cornelia’s words as mere pretty words, the Countess knows well that there are people who would not think so. Rona’s beloved mother and two younger brothers never resented their unfortunate circumstances and lived not for themselves but for their beloved family members.

And Cornelia made the same choice as them.

Through Cornelia, Countess Rosenthal saw the nostalgic smiles of those warm-hearted people. She had never been able to repay them with anything. She had always regretted it. But now, a light of hope was lit in her heart. Countess Rosenthal spoke to her deceased family inside her heart.

‘Mother, Ronny, Teddy …… I wanted to live like how you guys did. But I couldn’t do it …… I am not even qualified to tell anyone about your way of life. Because if it comes out from the mouth of a wicked woman like me, it would stain the wonderful way of life of the three of you. But you know what, I found someone who chose to live in the same way you guys did. So I’ll die helping that person at the end of my life.’

So to speak, Countess Rosenthal entrusted Cornelia with their souls.

‘I will put my life on the line and prove through Cornelia that the way of life of the three of you was the right one, that it is possible to shine so brightly in the face of unreasonable darkness. That’s the only thing I can do for the three of you as my own selfish repayment to return the favor. I am willing to play the role of the worst villain for that reason. I won’t lose to anyone when it comes to playing a defiled role ……’

Her willpower was so determined that it was heart-rending.

As a hateful foil, Countess Rosenthal chose the path of becoming a stepping stone to make Cornelia shine even brighter. She decided that she didn’t mind ending her life being thought of as a diabolical villain by the person she had always wanted to reconcile with. She responded to Cornelia’s noble choice with a willingness to be covered in any kind of dirty mud.

She knows that there is only so much she can grasp without tasting hell. After all, she is not a genius like Cornelia or Scarlet. She is aware that she can’t get something if she doesn’t put her own life on the line.

‘I …… couldn’t be the princess I longed to become as a little girl nor can I be the heroine of a story. I became a dirty, corrupt, and worst type of woman. But, at the very least …… let me proudly stand on stage as a villain. This is the finale of my life.’

It’s a dark place with no spotlight. The applause and cheers of the audience would be unrelated to her. When the wicked woman meets her end, she would just be laughed at and no one would shed a tear. However, Countess Rosenthal decided that this would be the place where she would die alone.

If she held back, the red nobles would see right through her. Those people are sensitive to malice. So she has no choice but to be hostile and seriously abuse Cornelia.

‘You don’t have to forgive me. But if you lose to a small villain like me, I won’t acknowledge you. Cornelia.’

After talking with Cornelia and the others for a while, Countess Rosenthal said so and encouraged them inside her heart and got off the luxurious golden carriage.

「…… What a wonderful carriage. As a thank you, I, Countess Rosenthal, shall personally entertain you. In the style of the red nobles …… The night is long. Look forward to it.」

After she stepped off the carriage, Countess Rosenthal straightened her back and announced fearlessly to Cornelia and the others while laughing loudly, which caused the red nobles who were watching the situation to make a stir.

The red nobles were overwhelmed and frightened when Scarlet and her group showed them a series of astonishing things, starting from the imperial guards, the eight-horse carriage with the crest of the royal family, and the legendary Atlas silk. Cornelia, whom the red nobles had underestimated as a country bumpkin with no connections to power nor wealth, had shown in a clear and convincing manner that she was powerful enough to have the royal family as her backing. Moreover, their last ray of hope, Countess Rosenthal, actually got into the carriage with Cornelia and her group. The red nobles trembled with fear that the Countess would side with Cornelia and bare her fangs at them. However, the red nobles had their anxiety sweeped away and regained their energy after realizing the fact that Countess Rosenthal was clearly hostile and not intimidated at all.

Countess Rosenthal opened her folding fan.

「…… Why are the glorious red nobles staying so quiet as if this is a funeral? The carriage is indeed magnificent. However, what if there is an undercooked, rustic meat dish served on top of a fine tableware? Could you call that a great dish? Fufufu, even if the tableware is a luxurious carriage or the legendary Atlas silk, that kind of thing still can’t be called a dish. On the contrary, the disproportionate gap between the dish and the tableware is so dreary. Don’t you think so as well, ladies and gentlemen?」

Countess Rosenthal’s sudden outburst was greeted with a rush of excitement from the red nobles. They realized that she was severely satirizing Cornelia who had grown up in the mountains.

「I see, it’s just like a filthy stray dog ​​with a golden collar.」

「If you’re going to make a comparison, it should be like a pig having a pearl.」

「No no, I heard that person is good at hunting. I’m sure she can kill a lot of rats. So a stray dog is more suitable.」

「Oh, she could be the champion dog in a dubious bar where people bet on how many rats the dog could kill.」

They became conceited and unanimously started to mock Cornelia. It was just like that night 14 years ago.