Chapter 3.2

Duke Lyon slipped away unnoticed, followed in turn by Duke Tesseia and his three sons, who vanished from the ballroom one by one. Once the primary figures had cleared the hall, those remaining were whipped into a frenzy of excitement, their voices rising in a cacophony of gossip.

To think the young lady they believed to be a bastard was actually the Duke’s legitimate daughter! And that the late Duchess had been framed all those years! It was a scandal far more gripping than any other event at this year’s Spring Ball. A tragedy for the family, perhaps, but a thrilling spectacle for the onlookers.

“…I always suspected her behavior was exceptionally refined, even as a child.”

“The child the Duchess gave her life to bear has finally avenged her mother’s honor.”

No longer would anyone whisper that she was an unworthy match for Young Lord Lyon. Now that she was revealed as the true daughter of Duke Tesseia, her standing was beyond reproach.

“But what of the Duke and his three sons? They loathed her so openly…”

“They are blood, after all. She will have to forgive them eventually.”

“Who could forgive such things? Don’t you remember when she nearly died after being pushed down the palace stairs?”

The incident of her being pushed by the second son had been a major scandal. Godfrey had escaped imprisonment but was sent away for two years of knight-errantry as a result. People whispered that the Empress’s “prescription” had worked, as he had returned much more subdued. And before that, the third son had famously ordered the servants to set hunting dogs on her. With such a history, most were certain the relationship would never truly be mended.

“Duke Tesseia won’t be able to hold his head up in front of Duke Lyon now.”

Every noble present nodded in silent agreement.

***

Contrary to the public’s speculation, Duke Aaron Tesseia was currently gripping Duke Carlyle Lyon by the collar. He was bordering on insanity. Teresa, the woman he loved and believed had betrayed him, had been innocent all along. She had been murdered and slandered, and he—the man who should have been the first to protect her—had failed.

“You knew, didn’t you?! Why didn’t you tell me!”

Eight years had passed since Carlyle took Leticia away. His daughter had been growing up in a place he knew nothing about. Aaron had ignored Carlyle’s strange behavior in the past, but looking back, he was certain the man had known the truth.

Carlyle, having been dragged out of the ballroom, looked at Aaron with a weary, bitter smile. Aaron looked like a man who had lost his mind under the weight of the cascading truths. And how could he be sane? Believing his wife had committed adultery, he had sent his child away at the age of twelve to marry a “monster.” But his wife had been framed, and her death during childbirth was the result of that very malice.

Twenty years of resentment toward the dead Teresa had collapsed in an instant. He was now consumed by a rage that masked a deeper, more agonizing realization: he had lost his daughter and his wife by his own hand.

“What was I supposed to do?” Carlyle asked quietly.

“You should have told me! At least you should have told me!”

Carlyle looked at Aaron with profound pity. He still remembered the conversation in that room eight years ago that had decided Leticia’s fate.

“…Leticia is terrified of dogs, Aaron. She turns deathly pale at the mere sound of a bark. She might be scared for life, or perhaps one day she’ll overcome it. Do you know how she came to fear them?”

Aaron couldn’t claim ignorance. He had seen that scene. His sons—except for Godfrey—had seen it too. It was horrific… so much so that even Aaron, who hated Leticia, had banned dogs from the house thereafter.

“That was…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say he regretted it. The word was too small, too hollow. He could still hear her screams from that day whenever he allowed himself to remember.

“Leticia and I both knew what would happen if she stayed at the Tesseia mansion. You might have felt guilt, Aaron, but that guilt wouldn’t have lasted. I believed it wouldn’t even outlast her phobia of dogs.”

It was the eternal unfairness of the world: the damage to the victim always outlived the penance of the perpetrator. Leticia’s pain was guaranteed to be greater than their regret.

Aaron’s grip on Carlyle’s collar loosened. His face looked as if he were on the verge of tears as he muttered, “She is… my daughter. My lost daughter. I didn’t even know… don’t you think I deserve a chance to be close to her?”

Carlyle felt for Aaron’s plight, but he knew he had to speak for Leticia. He decided to be cruel for the sake of the truth.

“You never bothered to recognize her as your own. You never even doubted. Even though she… she resembles you so much. Leticia has already endured a lifetime of pain. Does she have to endure more just for your sake, Aaron?”

Carlyle watched Aaron’s face crumble in real-time. It was painful to see, but he had to drive the point home.

“You know what you and your sons did. You might not have expected the boys to go that far, but children can be exceptionally cruel. The bullying spiraled out of control… and even knowing that, didn’t you think, deep down, that she deserved it?”

“N-no! I…!”

Aaron denied it, but he knew Carlyle was right. When the incident with Sebastian happened, he had been genuinely shocked. He knew his sons had a cold, cruel streak, but he hadn’t imagined it would go that far. He had assumed that while they might dislike her as much as he did, they would at least maintain a certain level of restraint. After all, they shared the same mother.

“I…”

As the realization of what a nightmare it must have been for Leticia to live in that house with them dawned on him, Aaron turned deathly pale.

“Leticia has grown up well. Her old wounds have healed, and she is very bright. Her tutors praise her constantly. Your daughter is a kind and intelligent girl. She is young and emotional now, so it will take a long time for her scars to fade… but perhaps, one day, she might look back at you.”

She was twenty now. Aaron, who had raised three sons, knew it was far too late to close the distance. To that girl, he was likely nothing more than a source of terror.

“Will there ever come a day… when she forgives us?”

“She might understand that you felt you had no choice. But as for what you actually did… I cannot answer for her.”

He had abandoned his duty as a guardian and ignored her suffering. Unable to love her, he had blocked her from being sent to a proper home out of a desire for revenge. Had he sent her for adoption, he never would have seen her childhood, but his reality wasn’t much different. Even living under the same roof, he had never truly seen her. He hadn’t even allowed a portrait of her to be painted; all he remembered was a blurred, vague image.

“Give me back my daughter… Please…”

“I’m sorry. That isn’t my decision to make.”

Carlyle replied and walked past him, leaving the area. Aaron collapsed onto the ground, utterly broken.