Chapter 10-11: That was a Bad Move

After she was tied on the mattress and then being rolled on the floor, she wiggled like a worm and tried to crawl towards me. That scene almost made me scream from fear and discomfort, and I am glad I was able to endure it and went to the main subject with Mr. and Mrs. Kvist.

“Well, what on earth is the Kvist couple raising?”

“E-even if you asked so, w-we are not keeping any pets….”

And the Kvist couple did not realize the true meaning of my question. Their faces were pale white and the cold sweat was running down as they wiped it with the handkerchief.

Well, if they realized what those words meant, they would have not raised their daughters like this.

“Fumu, so you do not realize… huh? You are truly foolish. Take a look at the two daughters you two had raised. My fiance, who is the eldest daughter of yours, has a broken heart and she doesn’t have any emotion. The servants even think that she is a wax doll. On the other hand, the second daughter who is lying over there is not able to hold back her desire and from her back, the servants think that she was just like a wild monkey. What do you think about it, Mr. and Mrs. Kvist? Don’t tell me the two of you really are raising a wax doll and a monkey?”

“T-t-t-t-t-there’s, there is no such thing!”

“I see. Then, why did you not do anything for Risha? Do you not love your own daughter, Risha?”

“We are raising Risha so that she could be happy! We are giving her the education on courtesy and manners so that she would be suitable for Your Highness’s fiance! Science, Art, Economy, we hired well-known teachers for her!! It is not true that we are not giving her anything!!”

Then, Mrs. Shirley, who had been silent since I asked them questions, finally let out some words to deny my statement. However, it seems that she did not realize that it was a bad move.

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“I understand. So, you mean that your love for her up until now was applied by giving her so much education?”
“That’s right!!”

The more the Duchess raised her voice, the facial expression of one person there changed as the things that she had believed in, everything that she had taken for granted up until now was all fake.

“I see, I see. Then, I could not see that your daughter named Liliana who is lying over there is taking the same education. Does that mean that you do not love her?”

“Th-that is not…”

Finally, after I asked whether they love Liliana or not, the couple understood my previous words as they widened their eyes. They were just about to deny my statement again, but they noticed that they had already strongly accepted my statement which was saying that their love until now was applied by giving so much education, and the authority they showed before disappeared. Mrs. Shirley made an expression as she had been found out for doing something that should not be done, and then moved her gaze towards Liliana who was lying on the floor to check on her reaction. As her eyes locked on her daughter, she could not say anything as something stuck inside her throat.

If she was able to argue again just like what she did when I was talking about Risha, she might be able to dodge my words, but it seems that it was too late.

“Listen to me, Kvist couple. Even children have their own will. They have emotions. They are just like us, and they are not toys to impose your ideal. You raised one of your daughters differently from the other daughter, but both of their choices for their lives are in their parent’s hands, am I right? As you were raised in an aristocratic family, I expected that the two of you understand the pain of having no choice over your own life. I recommend you take your time and go talk with your daughters. Well then, I will leave my seat since I have some business with my beloved fiance, Risha.

After that, I ignored those parents and the daughter who was now in an absent-minded state, and headed towards where Risha was.

I hoped that the distorted relationship in this family would be improved as much as possible.

—Ch11: Ghost Story

As I could not restrain my motivation, I was guided to Risha’s room by the maid of the Kvist House.

The day when the engagement between Risha and I, the first prince, her little sister, Liliana tore the teddy bear that she had been treasured, and it was her last straw before her heart was beyond repair. Ever since then, I knew that Risha was hardly able to express her feelings and emotions.

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Even though Risha was not able to make any expression, I would never abandon her. My fiance was in pain as her heart was going to be broken, I wanted to help her and I had been planning it for some years.

That time, when she was my smile (as expected from the main capture target, it was very destructive), her cheek was reddened. I wanted to do my best to be able to see it again.

Then, when I entered Risha’s room guided by the maid, Risha was curling up as she was crying and hugging the teddy bear full of scars.

It seems that from the shock, she did not notice her surroundings, including me who was entering her room.

Seeing her in this state and thinking that this was the last expression she showed on her face, even if God forgave them, I will never do that.

With such determination, I looked at Risha and strongly recognized it again, and then I came to her front and when she whispered, I crouched down.

“Help me…”

At that time, I was sure I heard Risha’s heart was screaming.

Before my head could think, my body moved first. I spontaneously hugged Risha, but I did not care about the consequences for the time being.

Risha was my fiance.

I would no one complain.

“Of course I will. I am your fiance after all.”

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And when I spoke gently to Risha, she slowly raised her head and looked at me.

Her eyes showed that she was giving up everything, and it felt like I met a ghost.

However, inside those eyes, there was a reflection of her crying for help.

“I am sorry for being late. I am here to help you. Finally, the time to help you arrive.”

I raised my palms and put them on her cheeks gently so that her gaze was directed to me, but strongly expressed my feelings with my words.

“I… Is it true?”

“Yes, it is.”

Tears were flowing down as she asked me with fright hinted from her voice.

She carefully, carefully, asked so that the last hope that finally, she could grab would not run away.

“Are you really Prince Claude?”

“Yes. See, you can touch me and I didn’t disappear, right? I am neither a ghost, nor an illusion, nor a phantom. I am undoubtedly your fiance, Claude.”