The Weight of a Legacy
Even then, Olivia stood still, her face pale. Marquis Asensio approached her.
She had maintained a calm and composed demeanor even while everyone else in the study treated her with hostility. It was a display of dignity and fortitude that was truly admirable.
"Olivia, you don't seem surprised. Did you know the contents of the will?"
"I did not."
Olivia parted her bloodless lips slightly before shaking her head.
"If I had known the Count would leave such an unreasonable will, I would have refused it."
"I don't think so. Of course, there have been many unfortunate events, but Pavel truly regarded you as his own daughter. And you, by the side of the lonely Pavel, treated him better than a biological daughter ever could. You are more than qualified to receive this inheritance."
"I am sincerely grateful to the Count, more than words can express. However, this is too large an inheritance for me to accept. And it leaves an excessively heavy burden on Theodore."
Olivia said this calmly and then changed the subject.
"By the way, isn't there a letter for me?"
"Ah, yes. Here it is."
Pavel had left several letters along with his will. One for Olivia, one for Theodore, one for each of his younger siblings, and one for Marquis Asensio himself.
Since this was not a legally binding will, Marquis Asensio took out the letter without hesitation and handed it to Olivia.
She held the letter preciously with both hands and bowed politely to Marquis Asensio.
"Thank you for your concern."
Olivia turned away. Her back was as colorless as a monochrome painting.
Olivia returned to a small room in the west tower of Lutgarth Castle, used by the servants, to avoid running into the guests.
The room she originally occupied was a beautiful bedroom and living room on the same floor as the Count's study. However, just before the Count passed away, she had cleared out that room, packed her belongings, and moved into this small room in the west tower.
It was clear that the guests would not like her presence. And considering her original position, this room was a fitting treatment.
"My lady, you've returned?"
The maid, Mary, greeted her with a worried face.
"How was the will? The Master must have left you some property, right?"
It was a bit awkward to talk about inheritance right after the Master had passed away, but Mary asked out of genuine concern for Olivia. After all, Theodore, who had left home because of his mother, would never take care of Olivia.
Olivia did not rebuke Mary, but she did not seem to appreciate the question either, answering with a quiet face.
"He left me more than I deserve."
"What do you mean 'more than you deserve'! You are as good as the Master's own daughter! It wouldn't be strange no matter how much he left you!"
Mary said, getting excited.
She was not the only one who thought so. The servants of Lutgarth Castle and the retainers who had remained by Pavel's side until the end were all worried about Olivia.
Of course, there was a time when they had kept their distance. But when the Countess died, Olivia was still a baby who couldn't even speak. What responsibility could she have had?
The people of the castle had watched her grow up. From the time she was a baby practicing her first steps, through her childhood where she followed Theodore around, trying to make him smile because she didn't know why she was hated, until she finally became a kind and gentle lady.
And above all, she was Pavel's greatest comfort.
Even those who criticized Pavel's loneliness as being self-inflicted could not deny that she had made him happy. Pavel had lost his son, but he had gained the most lovely daughter in the world.
Even after he was bedridden, Olivia had devoted herself to him. She had personally washed Pavel's body, fed him his medicine, checked his movements to prevent bedsores, and stayed by his side all night holding his hand whenever he groaned in pain.
She always spoke to him in a gentle voice, pushed his wheelchair for walks every day, and tried to brighten his heart with a face as radiant as when Pavel was not in pain. It would not have been easy even for a biological daughter to do that.
Mary said firmly.
"No matter what anyone says, don't refuse or concede! Honestly, what do you lack compared to those people? You were the only one who cared for the Master when he was ill."
They were relatives in name only, yet they only came to visit once or twice, complaining that this should be done or that was lacking. The same went for Theodore, who hadn't even been there for his final moments.
In Mary's opinion, it would be natural even if Pavel had left everything to Olivia.
Olivia only gave a faint smile as she watched her get angry on her behalf.
"Thank you for saying that."
"My lady..."
"Don't worry. I have no intention of losing out. Now, Mary. Could you go to the kitchen and check if dinner is being prepared properly? We have to serve it properly since it was delayed because of the funeral."
"You must be the saddest of all, yet you have to worry about such things."
Mary said pitifully, but she did not disobey Olivia's order. It had been several years since Olivia had effectively taken on the role of the mistress of the castle, so in the end, if things weren't done well below, she would be the one suffering.
Once Mary left and Olivia was finally alone, she stared for a moment at Pavel's signature on the envelope she was holding before walking over to her desk. She took out a large envelope, tucked the sealed letter inside, and sealed it once more.
She already knew the contents without needing to open it. It would be better to leave it as it was and open it when it became necessary.
After doing that, her energy drained away, and she slumped onto the bed. She was utterly exhausted.
This was the fourth time she had held Pavel's funeral. Since she always returned the day after his death, she didn't have to experience the death of a father-like figure four times. Perhaps she should call that fortunate.
If she had returned just one day earlier, she could have met Pavel one last time. She could have held his hand and sworn that she would do better this time, that she would surely protect what he had left behind.
The jewelry box did not give her such an opportunity. Olivia thought that perhaps it was because she was unworthy, even though she felt sorrowful and sad.
The servants of the castle, including Mary, took her side, but the words of the cold-hearted relatives were not wrong. Lutgarth had ultimately gone wrong because of her. She did not deserve to receive Pavel's inheritance.
Nevertheless, she did not intend to refuse the inheritance because it was necessary to navigate the days ahead. If she wanted to protect Theodore and Lutgarth, she needed power.
'If only I didn't have these feelings...'
She squeezed her chest as she thought this. If she didn't have these feelings, or at least if she could hide them, she could end everything by living trapped in Ezekiel's grasp.
But that would not happen.
She thought of Theodore's gaze, which was cast at her with a heartless indifference. Even though the pain of her third death had not yet fully faded, his gaze, even while she was consumed by sorrow and grief, was agonizing.
It was natural for him to dislike her, and in a way, one could think of it as fortunate.
And yet, she wanted to ask.
Why did you die for me?
Why did you kiss me?
Why did you commit treason?
Even though it was not the time to be weak-hearted, she thought such things, her heart ached, and she found herself shedding tears.