Chapter 106
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106
Han Seo-ah had wandered endlessly through unfamiliar lands, searching for the biological father who had cursed her with a life she never wanted. Now, in Charlotte, she saw the image of that same faceless, demon-like man.
"How can you ask me to do what even you, his mother, will not?"
A voice, unfamiliar even to herself, slipped from Seo-ah’s lips. The words had barely left her mouth when a violent slap cracked across her face.
Slap!
Barbara and Abel might not have batted an eye at such a blow, but Seo-ah, who had never been struck in her life, was different. The moment the hand connected with her cheek, a sharp ringing filled her ear.
Seo-ah had just forced her head back up after it was whipped to the side when Charlotte struck the very same cheek again.
Slap!
It was a testament to Barbara and Abel’s sheer resilience that they could remain standing after such hits. For Seo-ah, simply staying upright took everything she had. As she staggered, a voice dripping with contempt fell over her like a heavy frost.
"How dare you run that mouth of yours so recklessly."
"……."
"You act as if I would feed my own son poison. Know your place."
Charlotte spat the words, rubbing her aching wrist.
"Feed it to him however you see fit and take your one billion Kerte. It is a fortune a creature like you could never hope to touch in a lifetime, so be grateful."
A command, barely more than a whisper, drifted into Seo-ah's ears as she stared at the floor.
"By whatever means necessary, make sure he drinks it."
Her ear rang from the blows, and she had no idea when another slap might fly, yet strangely, she felt no fear.
Oscar.
A man whose every word was as sharp as a blade. Meeting his piercing blue eyes always chilled her to the bone, and his low laughter felt like needles pricking her skin.
‘I want to be by Your Excellency's side.’
She was already deceiving him. She could never be forgiven, nor would she ever dare ask for it. Seo-ah forced strength into her trembling tongue.
"I cannot do it, Marchioness."
"What?"
"I cannot give the medicine to His Excellency or Lady Barbara. I have no need for the money."
In the crimson darkness, Seo-ah raised her head.
She had completely forgotten how she used to shrink from the gazes of others, unable to even meet their eyes. Charlotte, still massaging her wrist, froze under the Outsider's direct stare. There was something strangely familiar about the sharp, piercing look in the girl's eyes.
"……."
"……."
Silence stretched between them.
Charlotte’s breathing slowed. She was sensing something entirely unexpected from this Outsider, whom she had assumed to be nothing more than a fallen noble from some foreign land.
She saw a glimpse of Barbara Wald—that wretched woman.
She smelled the wild, feral scent of the Wolves that always hovered around the Marquis of Reinhardt.
Could she... also be a wolf?
Just as Charlotte’s thoughts began to drift in this unprecedented direction—
The girl’s fearless eyes suddenly lost focus. As Seo-ah tilted her head as if listening to something, Charlotte strained her ears as well. Seo-ah turned toward the entrance of the hall. A moment later, the commotion outside reached Charlotte's ears, and a sudden realization flashed through her mind like lightning.
‘No, it can't be.’
Charlotte reflexively snatched the medicine bottles.
Crash!
The grand double doors of the central hall burst open with a deafening roar, as if they were being splintered to pieces.
The historic doors, priceless treasures in their own right, swung open as easily as cheap plywood. The heavy iron bar that had secured them clattered loudly as it rolled across the marble floor.
A sudden flood of light pierced the crimson gloom, freezing the maids mid-assault. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads as their eyes were drawn to the shattered entrance.
Framed by the brilliant backlighting of the open doorway stood a man, his hands casually shoved into his pockets.
In all the world, there was only one man who would dare kick open the doors to the central hall of the Reinhardt Manor.
Even against the blinding light, the Marquis of Reinhardt's icy blue eyes gleamed with terrifying intensity.
"Ah... ugh..."
The faint groan of a collapsed maid sounded exceptionally loud in the dead silence.
"Agh! M-Marchioness!"
One of the maids, who had been so arrogant under Charlotte's protection, was dragged forward by the scruff of her neck in the grip of a wolf.
Oscar stepped into the crimson darkness. His wolves poured in behind him as if awaiting a signal, and the maid was tossed aside like the discarded iron bar.
"Agh!"
The Wolves ripped back the heavy red curtains. As brilliant light flooded the hall and erased the shadows, the legs of the Jerome family maids—so bold in the dark—began to shake violently.
Having drawn the curtains, the Wolves lined up along the perimeter of the hall with military precision. Oscar's leisurely stride felt all the more imposing against the swift, orderly movements of his men. He walked in slowly, his gaze sweeping from the bleeding maid on the floor, to another scrambling away on her hands and knees, and finally landing on Charlotte and Seo-ah.
It was as if he were taking a mental inventory of every detail of the scene.
"Marchioness..." the terrified maid whimpered, falling to her knees at Charlotte's feet. Watching this, a sharp, cold smile touched Oscar's handsome face.
Yet Charlotte offered him a smile brighter than any she had given before.
"Oscar!"
At her call, as sweet and gentle as a spring breeze, the smile on Oscar's face only deepened. Charlotte welcomed him warmly, playing the part of a doting mother glad to see her son return home.
"How wonderful. It has been so long since my last visit, and I was quite disappointed to find you weren't here."
"……."
"Oh, and by the way, I see you have a guest. You really should have told your mother. I would have made sure she was properly received. After all, your guest is my guest, so I was just having a lovely chat with her."
Oscar let out a dry, hollow laugh. It was as cold and barren as a draft rising from a deep mine shaft, making Charlotte's maids swallow hard. The arrogance they had displayed under their mistress's wing had vanished without a trace.
The bright facade on Charlotte's face began to slip.
Clutching the hidden medicine bottles in her palm with white-knuckled force, Charlotte glanced at Seo-ah. When she looked back at her son, his dark, heavy gaze was fixed squarely on the strange Outsider.
Right before Oscar's eyes, Charlotte turned back to Seo-ah. A sharp scratch from her ring stood out starkly against the girl's pale cheek. Though Charlotte clicked her tongue inwardly, she put on a show of taking Seo-ah's hands with utmost affection. In that brief contact, she pressed the two medicine bottles into Seo-ah's palms.
"It was lovely meeting you. Well then, I leave it in your hands."
Caught off guard, Seo-ah tried to stop her, but the older woman swept past with a light step, walking straight toward Oscar.
His laughter gone as quickly as it had come, Oscar stared intently at Seo-ah, his expression completely unreadable. As his mother approached, his gaze shifted slowly toward her.
She was the very picture of a benevolent mother. Had he played the part of a dutiful, affectionate son, Charlotte would have maintained this facade through rain or shine—but only until the exact moment he ceased to be of use or dared to stand in her way.
"Everyone, out."
At Oscar's flat command, the Wolves moved instantly.
The Wolves, who had stood like temple pillars around the perimeter, began by herding the Jerome family maids out. The once-haughty maids were dragged away before they could even call out to their mistress. Meanwhile, Abel started toward Seo-ah, who was standing alone, but Barbara was a step ahead of him.
Approaching Seo-ah, Barbara gave her a sharp nod to follow. Without a word, Seo-ah fell into step behind her. Barbara brushed past Charlotte and Oscar, and Seo-ah followed closely in her wake.
One step, then another.
As she passed him, she held her breath without realizing it. Though her eyes were fixed straight ahead, every fiber of her being was acutely aware of his presence in her periphery. With his sleeves rolled up, he looked as though he had come straight from his work. Only after she had fully passed Oscar did Seo-ah finally let out her breath.
Barbara strode ahead, leading the way out into the corridor. She reached the study door in what seemed like a single breath, opening it before finally turning back to look at Seo-ah.
"Stay in the room. Do not come out until the Marchioness has left."
Leaving her with those words, Barbara turned to head back to Oscar, but a quiet voice made her pause.
"Are you alright?"
One cheek of the proud, upright woman was faintly flushed.
"I'm sorry. I... I made a poor judgment back there..."
"It was my judgment that was flawed."
Cutting Seo-ah off, Barbara's eyes lingered on the girl's reddened cheek and the scratch left by the ring. Her lips parted as if to speak, but in the end, she said nothing. She ushered Seo-ah inside and closed the door. As Barbara Wald strode back down the corridor, her face was a mask of complex, unspeakable emotions.
Meanwhile, left alone in the vast hall, the Reinhardt mother and son glared at each other with a hostility so fierce it was impossible to believe they shared any bond of blood.
"What are you doing here?"
The coldness of the Wolves' attitude toward Charlotte paled in comparison to his. Oscar did not even address her as his mother.
"What am I doing here? Is that truly all you have to say to your mother upon her return home?"
Charlotte glared at Oscar, her eyes sweeping over him from head to toe. Her son wore only a simple shirt, lacking even a jacket, let alone his insignia. He stood with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, leaning casually on one leg in a thoroughly disrespectful posture.
"To think you go about like this not only within the company and the manor, but even when you venture outside."