25
'I don’t understand why father showed up here.'
Railey knew that because of what had happened involving the Duke’s household, the Viscounty of Vitence was going to receive a severe punishment and be forced to pay reparations.
Even though the scheme had been orchestrated by someone else, due to some behind-the-scenes deal, the Vitence family had ended up as the scapegoat, bearing all the blame.
Still, threatening his own daughter to resolve the issue wasn’t a reasonable solution.
Was he holding a grudge and taking it out on her because she alone had ended up living comfortably in the Duke’s estate?
Or maybe he was planning to drag her away and use her as leverage to negotiate something with the Duke’s house...
Whatever his goal was, one thing was certain: if she let herself be taken by her father, something horrible would happen.
“Step back. If you come any closer, I’ll call the guards.”
“Unbelievable. I’m your father! Who’s going to stop me from taking my own daughter?”
“I’m no longer a Vitence. I’m Elestine now... I belong to the Duke’s household.”
When Railey said that, the Viscount of Vitence opened his toad-like mouth and let out a grotesque laugh.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Are you even officially registered under the Duke’s family?”
“...!”
“You’re not, are you? That means I can do whatever I want with you—boil you, roast you, whatever. You're still mine.”
Railey froze.
Though she had been entrusted to the Duke’s family as a temporary daughter-in-law under contract, she wasn’t sure how much legal protection that status actually gave her.
Especially when the Viscount himself was making a scene like this—he might very well declare the contract null and void.
Just then—
A chilling sensation, like cold air sweeping through the space, touched her skin.
“No. You have no rights over Railey Elestine whatsoever.”
A cold, resolute voice sliced through the air.
It was Serge, who had suddenly appeared behind Railey.
He walked slowly toward the Viscount of Vitence.
“W-What nonsense is this brat saying now?”
“Not a brat. I’m Serge Elestine. You've already been disqualified as a parent, and that means you’re no longer her legal guardian. Didn’t you get the notice?”
“Don’t spout nonsense! Out of the way! That girl is mine—!”
When the Viscount began to lunge forward again, Serge’s golden eyes darkened intensely. The cold energy emitted from his pheromones made the surroundings grow even more frigid. It wasn’t just a chill—it was lethal intent.
'This is bad!'
Parnel instinctively realized that if she couldn’t stop this, something catastrophic could happen—something unspeakable, like the young master of the duchy losing control of his pheromones in front of ordinary people.
Her body moved faster than she thought.
Concerns like how she wasn’t an official member of the duchy or how she might face consequences for acting rashly had already flown out of her mind.
“She’s my bodyguard.”
That lie—nothing more than bravado—became an anchor of strength for Parnel.
“Haaah!”
With a sharp yell, she struck the Viscount of Vitence directly in the solar plexus.
“Guhk!”
Unable to withstand the blow, the Viscount collapsed backward.
Without missing a beat, Parnel twisted his arm behind his back and restrained him.
Then, moving fast enough that most wouldn’t even notice, she struck the back of his neck.
The Viscount of Vitence passed out without even a chance to resist.
It had all happened in a matter of seconds.
“...My lord, he won’t be able to move for a while. Everything’s fine.”
“Ugh...”
Only then did Serge realize that he had nearly lost control and unleashed his beastfolk powers. He bit his lip and gave a small nod.
“We should summon the knights waiting outside and have them take this man away. For now, please rest with the young madam in the carriage.”
“Alright... thank you.”
Once Parnel confirmed that the unstable energy around Serge had completely subsided, she rose to clean up the situation.
Even though she wasn't formally part of the Duke’s household, she had struck a noble—and she might suffer consequences for it.
But at that moment, none of that mattered. What she felt was relief and satisfaction.
It had been a long time since she’d felt this kind of purpose.
***
Serge brought Railey straight to the carriage.
Perhaps because the courage and strength she’d mustered while confronting her father had now left her, she looked utterly exhausted.
“Lady Railey… Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No… I’m fine, thanks to Parnel.”
“...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left your side.”
“No! If anything, I’m the one who should apologize. This all happened because of me… I’ve caused you trouble.”
“Please don’t say that. None of this was your fault, Lady Railey.”
“...”
“Like I told you before—the one who’s wrong isn’t you. It’s your parents.”
At those words, Railey’s face crumpled, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
But she held it back desperately, letting out only the faintest sound of breath.
Serge reached out and gently took Railey’s hand.
Her hand, drained of all warmth, was icy cold.
Still holding it, he quietly watched over her—
Neither urging her to speak nor pressuring her to act.
“...Hk.”
And just like that, his warmth began to seep into her—
Like ice beginning to melt.
Railey could no longer hold back and began to cry.
Feeling a strange sense of fulfillment from that, Serge gently brushed the tears from his wife’s cheeks.
‘...Yes. She’s my wife.’
His and his alone.
Serge tightened his grip on her hand once more.
After some time had passed, Railey wiped away her tears roughly and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I just… a lot of old memories came back and overwhelmed me…”
“Don’t worry about it…”
He replied in his usual slow, gentle tone.
Railey gave a faint smile.
“And… thank you so much for earlier.”
“Was there something to thank me for…?”
“You spoke so firmly—saying the Viscount Vitence had lost his right to be my parent.”
“Ah…”
“It’s not easy to stand up to an adult, especially one bigger than you. Most people would be too scared.”
At her words, Serge quickly bowed his head. Though Railey couldn’t see it, his face was slightly twisted with regret.
He murmured awkwardly.
“I was scared… But still, since it was about you, Lady Railey… I tried to be brave.”
“Thank you. Really.”
For someone who wasn’t naturally sociable, even saying something unpleasant to another person was exhausting.
And yet, he had stood up to the Viscount of Vitence—for her.
She couldn’t help but be deeply grateful.
“Anyway… it’s not really something you need to thank me for…”
“Still, I want to! Oh, by the way—what you said about the parental rights being revoked… was that true?”
“Yes… It was processed just before we left for the capital.”
“I see!”
“We were going to let you enjoy your time in the capital first and then tell you after we returned… but things turned out like this.”
“Who would’ve expected to run into the Viscount Vitence like that?”
Serge mumbled to himself.
“There’s no way he should’ve been free to roam around like that… Maybe someone’s playing tricks…”
“Hmm?”
“Ah, nothing. More importantly…”
He hesitated, then handed something to Railey.
It was a box, about the size of a fist.
“...Here. This is for you.”
“What is it…?”
“It’s nothing special. Anyway, I’m going to go check on the knights to make sure everything else is under control. Please rest…”
Then, as if running away, he quickly got out of the carriage.
Railey looked back and forth between her husband’s retreating figure and the small box she’d been left with.
“Hmm…”
Curious, she opened the box—and was instantly surprised.
Inside was a snow globe, where little animal friends were playing musical instruments.
‘So when he briefly disappeared earlier…’
He must’ve bought it just for her.
When she picked it up, white flakes swirled inside the globe and gently settled.
And just like those flakes, something warm and soft settled quietly in Railey’s heart.
It was a feeling she’d never experienced before in her life.
Railey gazed into the snow globe for a long, long while.
***
Meanwhile, in a secret basement somewhere…
Walter leaned on his chin, staring down indifferently.
A large, overweight man—bound tightly—was struggling and squirming on the floor.
It was Viscount Vitence, formerly referred to as Railey’s father.
Bound and struggling, he growled at Walter with barely restrained fury.
“Y-you dare… do this and think you’ll get away with it…!”
“I don’t recall giving permission for trash to speak.”
“Gah!”
As Walter’s pupils slit vertically, the man’s breath caught, and he began to choke, thrashing helplessly.
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1 Comments
WOAHHHHH
ReplyDeleteTHAT ENDING PARTTTTT
I NEED MOREEEEEE