Chapter 155
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155
Just then, Karl’s gaze followed a combat wolf dragging a folding chair from somewhere. Drenched to the bone in the downpour, the wolf unfolded the chair, pulled a relatively dry cloth from his pocket, and wiped it down. Then, to Karl’s astonishment, he offered the chair to the woman who had once been their target.
It wasn't just Karl; the expressions of all the surrounding Wolves shifted strangely.
“See? I told you they’ve been pulling stunts like this.”
“Please, have a seat.”
“Oh, I’m fine… Did you go all the way to get this for me?”
The woman—who no longer seemed like a target—flinched slightly at the wolf’s rugged, grinning face. Still, she looked apologetic as she stared at the metal chair he held out.
“You should sit so you don’t get too tired. Hey, hold the umbrella straight. Rain’s getting in.”
The wolf, who had been smiling as warmly as possible while speaking to Seo-ah, wiped his face clean of all expression the moment he turned to Abel. The change was instantaneous.
Abel Sting looked utterly dumbfounded, but he still tilted the umbrella further in the direction the wolf indicated. An umbrella, a chair… What’s more, the Backup Team was openly forming a protective perimeter around the woman, standing guard.
“…Looking at her like that, she really does resemble the mistress of House Reinhardt.”
Despite the quiet murmur from one of his men, Karl couldn't bring himself to scold them for talking nonsense.
A woman sitting alone on a chair, surrounded by the Wolves of Reinhardt.
Judging solely by the scene, even Karl had to admit she looked like the lady of the house. What was even more suspicious, however, was that Simon and his Wolves said nothing about this bizarre behavior.
Meanwhile, the seemingly endless procession of carriages was finally drawing to a close. Though the rain was growing heavier, Seo-ah forced herself to stay focused.
No one had explained the situation, but from the snippets of conversation she overheard among the Wolves, Seo-ah could vaguely piece together what was happening.
“The last of the procession is coming.”
A wolf who had been watching the iron gates approached and spoke. Seo-ah took a deep breath and widened her eyes. The torrential rain forced her to concentrate much harder than usual.
There was a brief lull, as if the next carriage was keeping its distance from the one that had just passed. Soon, however, the sound of hooves splashing against the wet ground drew near.
A moment later, four dazzlingly white horses emerged from behind the black wall, which looked even darker drenched in rain. The carriage they pulled was starkly different from any that had come before.
Its rounded, pumpkin-shaped roof was adorned with what looked like gold carvings, and its magnificent scale made her eyes widen involuntarily. It was a carriage so luxurious that one would believe a king was riding inside. Unlike the others, it featured large glass windows that offered a clear view of the interior.
Three people were riding in the carriage as it slowly rolled past.
Seo-ah made eye contact with one of them.
A woman with blonde hair more brilliant than the carriage’s gold gilding and features so exquisite that the word ‘beautiful’ fell short—Charlotte’s sharp gaze pierced right through her. Startled by Seo-ah’s presence, Charlotte’s eyes widened, and she even turned her head back to keep staring as the carriage moved away.
“Is there nothing in that carriage?” one of Barbara’s direct subordinates, who had been standing grimly by Seo-ah’s side, asked in a voice laced with anger.
“…I don’t sense anything,” Seo-ah answered softly.
Two modest carriages carrying servants passed by in quick succession. She felt nothing from them either, and with that, the procession finally ended.
Abel adjusted his grip on the umbrella. “Let’s go inside.”
The Backup Team nodded.
“Yes, let’s head in. It’s a long way to the main building, so we’ve prepared a carriage. Please take it.”
Rising from her seat, Seo-ah glanced tentatively at the Wolves. “Is there any news of Lady Barbara?”
The Backup Team only sighed, offering no answer. Seo-ah tightly clasped her cold hands and began to walk.
The metallic stench of blood that had wafted from the brown carriage kept reminding her of the blood that had pooled around her master. The heavy rain had seeped into her shoes, leaving her feet damp and freezing. But worse than the cold, an uneasy anxiety churned in her heart.
Beyond the wide-open iron gates, she could see the carriage the Backup Team had prepared. As she made her way toward the manor, the Wolves waiting outside began to slip back to their posts, and the gatekeepers prepared to close the gates.
It was just as Seo-ah was about to cross the threshold.
“Stop.”
The sharp voice cut through the falling rain, freezing the Wolves in their tracks. Karl, Simon, and Seo-ah all stopped as well.
Pausing at the entrance to the estate, Seo-ah slowly turned around.
Charlotte had stepped out of her carriage and was glaring through the downpour as if she wanted to kill her.
Their gazes locked from a distance.
“Ha.”
Charlotte let out a mocking laugh as she saw the insignificant Outsider staring right back at her.
“Char, there are too many eyes on us. Let’s go,” Dietrich tried to stop her, but Charlotte didn’t hear a word.
This Outsider, who had appeared from nowhere, felt like the physical manifestation of Charlotte’s deepest anxieties. The mere sight of her was grating. It was an intuitive feeling—a certainty that this woman would one day bring her immense ruin.
And yet, the Wolves were crowding around that pale woman. Those repulsive creatures, each radiating a fierce, intimidating aura, flanked her on all sides. It was as if they were protecting that worthless thing.
Charlotte was speechless at the sight.
The black manor shrouded in thick mist, the men clad in pitch-black, and the Outsider standing among them. The scene dealt a deep blow to the conviction engraved in her heart. Her powerful belief that Reinhardt would forever be hers—that even discarding it would be her choice alone—was being shattered by that insignificant woman.
“You’d better not think about getting anything from me ever again.”
Oscar’s venomous voice rang in her ears like a hallucination, and Charlotte could no longer contain herself.
Rainwater soaked her expensive, meticulously crafted satin shoes, but she didn't care. Dietrich followed with an umbrella, and Sabine, stepping out of the next carriage, trailed her parents under an umbrella held by the Chief Lady-in-Waiting.
As they drew closer, the woman standing starkly among the Wolves looked increasingly familiar. Sabine’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. The moment she recognized Abel standing beside the woman, she let out a sharp gasp.
Striding through the rain, Charlotte stopped a few paces from Seo-ah. Their gazes locked even more intensely.
“……”
“……”
It was truly bizarre. For some reason, Seo-ah felt no fear as she met Charlotte’s piercing violet eyes, even though she could sense the uncontrollable rage burning within them.
“You dare ignore my warning.”
“……”
“I explained it clearly enough for you to understand. I suppose simpletons only understand when things are spelled out.”
Charlotte’s low laughter echoed in the Wolves’ ears. After a moment, she took a breath and spoke again.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Oscar will soon take a wonderful woman as his wife. A refined young lady who can’t even be compared to a nameless nobody like you.”
“……”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Yet, not a single ripple of emotion showed on the Outsider’s face. She was completely indifferent, expressionless. Just like that repulsive Barbara Wald, who never even pretended to listen to Charlotte’s tirades.
“I asked if you understood!”
Losing her reason, Charlotte lunged forward as if to shove Seo-ah. Abel Sting, standing guard, took a step forward, but before he could, a slender, tall man blocked Charlotte’s path.
Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Simon, who now stood in her way.
“…Count Bernheim.”
No matter what humiliation Barbara Wald had suffered at Charlotte’s hands, Simon von Bernheim had never stepped forward. While Simon treated Barbara with the respect due a senior, that was strictly within the confines of Reinhardt. He was an aristocrat to his very bones—highly political, possessing the inescapable, innate arrogance of his birth.
Yet here he was, protecting an Outsider. And from her, the Marchioness, no less. As Oscar’s secretary, shouldn’t he be protecting her rather than some Outsider who had nothing to do with Reinhardt?
“Whose path do you think you are blocking? Out of my way this instant!”
“Compose yourself, Marchioness.”
“What is the meaning of this, Count Bernheim? You are being incredibly rude to my mother!” Sabine interjected huffily, but only a flicker of something resembling ridicule crossed Simon’s cold face. Without sparing Sabine a glance, he spoke directly to Charlotte.
“It is raining heavily. I suggest you head inside.”
“I must give that thing a warning for Oscar’s sake. Step aside.”
“……”