Chapter 156
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 156
Simon remained silent, but he made no move to step aside for Charlotte.
"Count Bernheim! She is your superior's mother! Why is a man who should know better acting this way?"
Even as Dietrich’s voice rose in anger, Simon stood motionless, a veritable stone statue. Charlotte could no longer contain herself.
"Move."
Fuming, Charlotte shoved Simon. Though he could have easily stood his ground, Simon took a step back. He slid his hands into his pockets and quietly stared at Seo-ah.
With Simon out of the way, Charlotte’s view of Seo-ah was unobstructed, and the sight only fueled her disbelief.
"Ha."
The Wolves were gathered around the small woman as if to protect her, while several umbrellas were held over her head at once, creating a canopy that ensured not a single drop of rain could touch her.
"Unbelievable..."
Was this girl being treated with more reverence than Charlotte herself?
"Utterly ridiculous."
A surge of fury rose from the pit of her stomach. Shaking her head, Charlotte took another step toward Seo-ah. Simon gestured for Abel, who was standing guard in front of Seo-ah, to back away. Though Abel frowned, he complied, retreating slightly. Provoking Charlotte would do Seo-ah no favors.
Watching Charlotte close the distance, Seo-ah instinctively braced herself, her jaw, core, and legs tensing. She expected a slap, but as the woman drew nearer, even that apprehension faded.
Patter, patter.
It felt as though the heavy drumming of rain on the umbrellas was the only sound in the world, the downpour isolating her and Charlotte from everything else. A heavy, suffocating perfume rolled off the Marchioness. With every breath she took, a vivid floral scent seemed to bleed into the air. And beneath it...
"I trust the task I assigned you is proceeding smoothly."
There was that other smell.
"Surely, you haven't forgotten?"
The metallic stench of slaughter.
That foul, sinister odor clung to her.
"As I told you that day, Marchioness—"
Before she could finish, her head snapped to the side. Charlotte had slapped her without a moment’s hesitation.
Slap!
Abel lunged forward to grab Charlotte’s wrist, but Simon’s Wolves blocked his path. Scowling, Abel glared at Simon, but the Count merely stared at Seo-ah with chillingly cold eyes, as if waiting to see how she would react.
Her head still turned, Seo-ah took a sharp breath and straightened her posture. She braced for another blow, and just as she expected, a heavy impact struck the exact same cheek.
Slap!
Her head whipped back again. Her ears rang and her cheek burned, but strangely, she felt no pain.
"Seo-ah...!"
Nearby, Abel was being dragged away by the Wolves. Without looking back at him, Seo-ah clenched her jaw and slowly straightened her head once more.
Charlotte’s elegant face twisted as if she were looking at a filthy insect.
"Stubborn girl."
Slap! Slap!
The cracks of the slaps were so loud against the pouring rain that even the other Wolves, aside from the restrained Abel, began to stir.
"Should we just let this happen?"
"...The seniors aren't moving, so yes."
They stood down because of Simon and Karl. The two men watched the woman being slapped by Charlotte without so much as blinking.
"How dare you!"
Slap!
"How dare you look me in the eye?!"
Slap!
With every merciless blow, her fair cheek grew redder, and blood began to bead on her lips.
"Stop, Marchioness!" Abel roared as Simon’s personal Wolves dragged him away.
Charlotte, who had raised her hand to strike Seo-ah again, froze.
Pant, pant.
Breathing heavily, she turned to glare at Abel, her mouth opening to unleash a torrent of abuse, but the words died on her lips.
"..."
The dark Wolf's Forest.
The ominous gazes of the Wolves were fixed on her. Even through the heavy downpour and the white mist it kicked up, their fierce, cold eyes shone with a terrifying clarity that sent a chill straight to her bones.
Charlotte’s lips trembled.
I am your master's mother. Therefore, I am your master. Not this mere girl!
The words hovered in her throat like smoke, refusing to form. Into the silence, Seo-ah wiped the blood from her lips and spoke.
"As I told you then, Marchioness."
Paralyzed by the Wolves' glares, Charlotte flinched at the calm voice speaking so close to her.
The Wolves shifted their gazes from Charlotte to Seo-ah. Bowing her head slightly, Seo-ah slowly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The pale curve of her ear was strangely captivating as she straightened her posture.
Her spine was straight, her shoulders square. With her chin tucked, she looked her opponent dead in the eye.
The naive, helpless Outsider was gone.
"If it is necessary, it would be best for you to deliver it yourself, Marchioness. I have neither the capability nor the desire to do so."
Her voice, though gentle, was firm, cutting through the drumming of the rain with perfect clarity.
Charlotte’s hand twitched. She wanted to tear out not just this girl’s cheek, but her very heart. She wanted to slam that pretty face into the dirt so she could never lift it again, but her hand refused to move, as if restrained by an invisible force.
She couldn't tell if it was because of the woman herself, or the sharp gazes of the Wolves looming behind her.
"You... you..."
As Charlotte stood frozen, her lips trembling soundlessly, Dietrich wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.
"You... how dare you...!"
"Charlotte, breathe. It's alright, I'm here."
"Haah, haah..."
Soothing Charlotte, who was now wheezing as if having an asthma attack, Dietrich glared at Seo-ah with furious eyes.
Meeting his gaze, a thought occurred to Seo-ah.
Perhaps there was iron inside her that only grew stronger the more it was struck. Despite the relentless slaps, she felt no pain, and she had no desire to bow her head under a gaze that wished her dead.
After glaring at Seo-ah for a long moment, Dietrich turned, supporting his wife.
"Let's go home, Charlotte."
Charlotte's legs trembled from sudden exhaustion. Leaving like this felt like a retreat, which infuriated her, but she was too dizzy to remain standing any longer.
As Charlotte leaned on Dietrich and headed back to the carriage, Sabine walked past her parents toward Seo-ah.
She had long wondered why Oscar had attended her exhibition. He certainly hadn't come for her, and she couldn't think of a single important person he would have needed to meet there. No matter how she racked her brain, the question had remained unanswered.
She never dreamed she would find the answer like this.
Because of this woman.
She couldn't believe that the Oscar had made a move for a woman of this caliber.
"Hello. It's been a while, Seo-ah."
"..."
"It’s surprising to meet you here. After I went out of my way to show you around my exhibition, you tried to run off without even a goodbye. I wondered where you were going in such a hurry, and to think it was here."
I really never would have guessed.
"Eric misses you terribly. Oh, perhaps you don't know him as Eric? You know..."
"..."
"The young master who used to play with your hair."
Even in the face of this sweet-voiced mockery, Seo-ah remained silent.
A cruel gleam flashed in Sabine’s eyes.
"I don't know what makes you so confident. Cowering, unable to even lift your head—that suited you much better."
It was much more pleasant to look at, too.
Just thinking of the humiliation she had suffered at the estate today made her blood run cold. But now, a different kind of chill washed over her, freezing her to the core.
Sabine forced an even brighter smile. Gently stroking Seo-ah’s bruised, battered cheek, she whispered softly.
"The man you're relying on is my brother. My mother's son. You really should choose who you trust more carefully. Do you think catching my brother's eye will make all of this yours?"
With my mother and me still standing right here?
"Know your place and get out of where you don't belong. Eric misses you terribly, so I'll gladly introduce you to him. Though even that is far too good for you."
"..."
"See you around."
Sabine gave a sweet, playful wink and turned away. The moment her back was to them, her expression hardened into something chillingly cold.
Sabine followed her parents into the carriage, and the luxurious vehicle began to move. Beside Charlotte, Dietrich used a towel to wipe the raindrops from her face, but she paid him no mind.
Sitting in a daze, she stiffly turned her head to look out the window.
Charlotte's heart hammered as if it were about to drop.
Outside, Seo-ah was turning back toward the mansion, the Wolves trailing behind her. The massive iron gates of Reinhardt, which rarely opened for anyone, were welcoming the Outsider as she led the Wolves back into the forest.
The slowly closing iron gates, the wolf-head crest adorning them, and the slender silhouette glimpsed through the bars… felt far more threatening than even Barbara Wald.
Charlotte instinctively shrank back. A bone-deep chill washed over her, making her shudder.
Inside the carriage heading to the Main Building, Seo-ah watched the intensifying downpour with concern. If the rain kept up like this, finding the missing Barbara would be nearly impossible.
"What was it that the Marchioness asked of you?"