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Chapter 86 Part 5 – Things that never change. And a promise. In order to protect the lives of the mother and the baby, Countess Rosenthal will put everything on the line to fight against Alisa.

「…… That damn bastard ……!!」

Arnold’s strong sense of justice made his hair stand on end in anger.

Rona’s body was too immature to be struck with the lust of men. Fear. Bloodshed. Sleepless nights of crazy self-loathing and the pain that grows more intense by each passing day …… The men treated her roughly like she was a broken toy and she curled herself up and vomited over and over again. Yet all the money she earned was taken away to pay for her father’s alcohol expenses.

「…… N-No …… those dirty memories …… don’t look at them ……」

Countess Rosenthal muttered weakly as she shed tears.
Then father firmly hugged the trembling Countess Rosenthal.

「Rona, don’t make me say this again and again. You have always been beautiful. The nobility of your soul cannot be tarnished by any circumstances. I’m not saying this out of sympathy. I’m truly proud of you from the bottom of my heart. No matter what happens, that feeling will never change. No matter what happens ……!!」

She screamed as if she was going to vomit blood. Father’s fingertips were trembling as he fixed her frayed hair.

The feelings father had when he said he wanted to protect Rona. We finally understood it. Father knew about Rona’s past.

In order to protect her younger brother Teddy, who was unable to walk because of his father’s violence, Rona could not run away. Without Rona, the breadwinner, Teddy and her other younger brother Ronny would starve to death. Rona, who was still very young at that time, was desperate to take over her mother’s place.

…… Because she wanted to protect her younger brothers, Rona continued to stay in hell in despair.

When her untreated wounds began to fester and her fever persisted, Rona realized that she did not have long to live. In order to leave her younger brothers with a sum of money, she sold herself to a lunatic who longed to become an Inquisition official and was fatally wounded due to his unrestrained and excessive actions.

「……!!」

The terrible past of a child that previously had a good family condition and dreamed of encountering a prince on a white horse …… Witnessing those scenes, as women, mother and I couldn’t help but be paralyzed with horror. For a woman, that is the worst path of humiliation and anguish that would make even death preferable. It wouldn’t be strange if she became desperate or suicidal. And yet, Rona clenched her teeth and continued to struggle alone for the sake of her younger brothers.

Seeing Rona’s courageous behavior, the passionate Arnold clenched his fists, cried in sympathy, and said with a loud voice.

「…… You are not dirty in the slightest. The dirt that got onto you in order to protect someone else cannot be referred to as dirt!! What the hell is this!! That bastard!! Isn’t this too terrible?! You were just a little girl and you had to carry all that burden by yourself ……!! Damn it ……!! If only I was there ……!! I would’ve beaten up those good-for-nothing bastards …… and helped you ……!!」

Arnold’s shout represented the thoughts of all of us.

In exchange for suffering a fatal wound, Rona received money that she can leave to her younger brothers. She deliberately swore at her younger brother Teddy to make him forget about this dying older sister. Rona turned her back on Teddy so that he would not see her crying face and coldly said, 「I’m sick of taking care of you guys. I’m going to live freely from now on」. Then, when she was far enough away that Teddy could not hear her voice, she dragged her dying body while sobbing and apologizing to them, and tried to jump off the bridge where she made a lot of memories with her mother.

「…… I’m such a terrible woman, right? I hurt my younger brothers without any hesitation. How can I just wilfully choose to die on my own ……」

Mother couldn’t bear to hear Countess Rosenthal’s self-deprecating words and interrupted her.

「…… There is no way that I would think that you’re terrible ……!! You did all that out of kindness to protect your younger brothers!! No one has the right to criticize you!! …… Even I would have done the same thing as you if there was no other choice ……!!」

The Melville family is deeply devoted to their family. Witnessing the love of Countess Rosenthal, who had given up everything she had and even acted out a detestable personality for the sake of her younger brothers, mother came close to Countess Rosenthal and cried.

…… But when she hit rock bottom and was about to commit suicide, Rona met the young father on a frozen bridge surrounded with snow fluttering in the air.

For Rona, it was the beginning of a miracle.

Without caring for his own safety, the boy pulled her up. When she cried and said, 「I hate myself. I want to die.」, the boy from a noble family hugged her and said, 「Your eyes are beautiful」. She fell in love and that emotion will not change in her lifetime. Rona was taken in by father and learned the joy of living. The old rose corsage that Countess Rosenthal cherished more than any other treasure was a gift from father at that period of time.

We gasped.

Rona’s memory shone brightly as if enchanted by magic.

Father wasn’t the only one who made Rona feel a sense of ease. There was Brian, Bill, and Bobby, the three old warriors who had been father’s guardians. And also Marielle, a previous member of the〈Lawless Crew〉that treated the dying Rona and taught her various things. Rona was surprised that there were so many kind and dependable adults. In those days, she kept laughing together with father whom she liked very much. Although it was a very short period of time, these memories are irreplaceable for Rona. With the gentle instrumental music played by Marielle, Rona’s cheeks blushed as she danced a minuet with father under the warm gaze of the three old warriors. Rona was smiling so happily that it made my heart clench. That room in the townhouse was more beautiful than any gorgeous ballroom in Rona’s memory.

「…… I see …… That’s why you knew my husband’s …… Wendell’s dance.」

Countess Rosenthal nodded shyly at mother’s words.

Perhaps she had ruminated on that unfading memory tens of thousands of times. So much so that she noticed even the slightest habit of father’s dance. It was such a pitiful and sweet love. As we saw her memories, we couldn’t help but wish for the happiness of the young Rona.

…… But the dreadful night of destruction came.

Father planned for Rona’s younger brothers to join him and arrangements were made for the three siblings to live together in harmony for years to come. Marielle said that she could heal her younger brother’s leg and the three old warriors smiled and said that they would train them to be full-fledged warriors.

「…… It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but among the〈Lawless Crew〉, the family leader’s skill is exceptional. However, occasionally, there are times when strong feelings trigger a person to perform a miracle that is even greater than what the family leader can do. This is the case with Marielle-san. I, a member of the leader’s family, can guarantee it. She probably could have healed your younger brother’s leg. I guess she must have been very attached to Rona-san ……」

Bradd muttered with deep emotions after seeing the sequence of memories from the past.
Hearing that, Countess Rosenthal nodded proudly to Bradd.

「…… Marielle-san …… she was really affectionate to me, even though I was a total stranger to her. The three old men were also like that. …… They were strong, warm, and real grown-ups …… I will never forget their kindness for the rest of my life ……」

Yes. Rona’s hard work was about to be rewarded. A hopeful tomorrow was just within her reach. However, the witch hunt shattered Rona’s hopes into small fragments.

…… From that point on, it was a series of extremely bitter memories that made us want to look away.

Rona and her younger brothers were being eyed as scapegoats by an Inquisition official named Matthew. It all started with Rona’s customer, a madman who regarded Rona as if she was a witch and nearly killed her while he pretended to be an Inquisition official. The interrogation group found the accusation of a man insane due to drugs to be credible. I felt sick at the sight of people’s schemes, desires, and madness swirling around.