The Limits of Sympathy (1)
The capital had been shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere since morning, thanks to the fierce downpour that had been raging for several days. The damp, oppressive weather left the imperial palace servants exhausted, and they were secretly slacking off whenever their superiors weren’t looking.
In the palace, where it seemed everyone might drift off to sleep at any moment, there was one person radiating vitality. Ebony Bladin strode down the corridor, biting into a lemon so tart it made the tongue tingle just to watch.
“It took me a while to find you after the quarters changed. This is Viscount Linton’s residence, correct?”
Ebony approached a maid standing before the ornate door and asked. The maid, who received a splash of lemon juice in her eye, frowned as she answered.
“Yes, that’s right. These are Lady Karina’s quarters.”
“Wow, Karina’s really climbed the ladder. This southern wing is reserved for the imperial family and their in-laws, isn’t it? His Majesty has granted you quite a fine place.”
Ebony popped the rest of the lemon into her mouth and clapped her hands with a loud smack. The door soon opened, and she stepped inside.
“Oh my, what’s this? A cat?”
A pitch-black cat was padding gracefully around the room. Ebony’s face brightened as she moved toward it, but the creature deftly avoided the stranger’s hand and leaped onto the bed where its owner lay.
“Ah, Countess Bladin. You’ve come?”
“Hello, darling! I heard you weren’t feeling well. How are you? Any better?”
“Yes, a little better than before.”
Karina, who looked as though she had just woken up, hastily pulled a thin robe around herself. Though the weather was not cold, the way she shivered suggested her body had not fully recovered its strength.
“You look so pale. Not a trace of color in your lips. Or is it my imagination that you somehow look even more beautiful when you’re ill?”
“Countess, please. It’s rather cruel to tease someone who’s sick.”
“I’m not teasing; I mean it. Anyway, congratulations. I hear His Majesty granted you both a territory and the viscount title? The rumor has spread all through high society—that you’ve earned his special favor.”
“Yes. It somehow turned out that way. It’s all thanks to His Majesty’s consideration.”
“Then why don’t you look the least bit happy?”
“Is it that obvious…”
“Very. I came because I heard you were unwell, but it seems the real problem isn’t your body at all?”
Ebony took the small knife she had used to peel the lemon and pressed it against her own left breast, tracing a tiny circle. The fresh citrus scent from the slice in her hand flooded the room.
“On the day the trial ended, you got drunk and left the palace. Truthfully, I thought you might never return.”
Ebony chewed the lemon with a casual air as she spoke.
“I thought you might go somewhere no one could find you and die. You looked truly dangerous that day. Like you could do something drastic at any moment. And of all days, it was pouring rain—just like today.”
“…I did think about dying. If someone hadn’t stopped me, I might have truly done it.”
“Really? Who was it?”
Ebony dragged her chair closer and asked with a crooked smile. The scar over her left eye, now considerably faded, curved softly along with her smiling gaze. Karina stroked Sasha, who had climbed into her lap, avoiding Ebony’s eyes.
“…I’m sorry. I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Fine. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I’ve no interest in pestering someone who wants to stay silent.”
Ebony leaned back in her chair and gazed up at the high ceiling. The intricate patterns carved there swirled chaotically in her deep purple eyes.
“But since you’ve returned here, you must have come prepared with the proper resolve, yes? I helped you, so now it’s your turn to help me.”
“…I understand that perfectly.”
“Good. That’s how it should be. Well, I didn’t come merely to check your mindset. There’s something far more important…”
“Something important?”
“Yes. You see, I heard a rather interesting story about you.”
Ebony wiggled her finger, beckoning Karina closer. Her half-lidded, gentle eyes and the dangerously lifted corners of her mouth stirred an inexplicable unease. Karina set Sasha on the floor and leaned toward her.
“Karina, darling. They say you’re from a family that was purged by House Regentra?”
At the whisper that tickled her ear, Karina froze solid. Her already trembling body began to shake even harder.
How does Ebony know about this?
In that brief moment as she returned to her seat, Karina frantically searched her memory.
The only person who knew she was a descendant of Fabiel Regentra was Ishtel. And though she couldn’t be certain, Count Silanda might also know that both she and Esmeralda were Fabiel’s descendants.
But unless he had lost his mind, Count Silanda would never have leaked the information. If it became known that Esmeralda was Fabiel’s descendant, the person who would suffer most would be his own daughter, Rubia.
Then… did Ishtel Regentra…?
That made even less sense. Keeping a descendant of Fabiel alive was a shameful secret Ishtel herself had to conceal. There was no way she would have revealed it to the Bladin family—her political rivals, of all people.
“Where exactly did you hear such nonsense?”
Karina looked at Ebony with clear displeasure.
“As you know, I was an orphan—a lowly commoner without even a proper surname. How could someone like me possibly be of noble birth? It would be impossible unless someone purchased the genealogy of a fallen house.”
“I doubt that. I heard it from a rather reliable source.”
“Then summon that person and punish them. They’ve disturbed the Countess’s peace with false rumors.”
“Haha! Sorry, but that won’t be possible. They aren’t someone I can touch.”
Damn it, who the hell…
Karina had never found Ebony so uncomfortable as she did today. She wished desperately for her to leave. But contrary to Karina’s hopes, Ebony showed no sign of going anywhere.
“Darling. Like it or not, we’re already in the same boat. Whether this ship sails smoothly with the wind or smashes against the rocks and sinks, we can’t get off anymore.”
Ebony rested her chin on the table, her voice still soft and lilting.
“Do you know how I inherited the family? Of course, my foolish older brothers and sisters played a large part, but there’s a more important reason. I was raised as a ‘fighting dog’ to be thrown into this battle.”
As if the metaphor amused even herself, Ebony lowered her head and chuckled. Karina watched her while holding her breath. When Ebony looked up again, her purple eyes glowed with an even more dangerous light.
“After our house was humiliated by its demotion from ducal to comital rank, my father drowned himself in drink like a madman. My older siblings who grew up watching him learned nothing and turned to gambling and pleasure. When my father finally came to his senses, the only child still fully sane was me—the youngest. He constantly recited the humiliations he and our family had suffered and screamed at me to take revenge. He never let me sleep, teaching me academics, martial arts—everything. But the truth is, since I hadn’t experienced those things myself, it never really moved me.”
While recounting her far-from-pleasant childhood, Ebony showed not the slightest trace of self-pity. Her expression remained completely neutral, as if she were speaking of someone else entirely.
“So I simply decided to view the whole situation as an interesting competition. Rather than living like trash the way my siblings did, I thought aiming for the family’s revenge wouldn’t be so bad. And if I’m going to do it, I hope this fight I’ve been thrown into lasts as long and as ugly as possible. That way, my reason for living in this wretched world can last at least one more day.”
Ebony gently smoothed the ends of Karina’s long hair where it fluttered over the oak table.
“Ishtel Regentra really is a decent person, isn’t she?”
At the name that left Ebony’s lips, Karina bit hard into the inside of her cheek to hide her emotional turmoil. Cold sweat broke out on the hands she kept hidden beneath the table.
“Dignified, noble, beautiful, and wise. From what everyone around her says, she seems to have a truly kind heart as well. She’s someone anyone would admire.”
“…”
“Did you decide to keep living because of her?”
Beneath the gentle voice lay a cruelty sharp as a forged blade. Karina could not meet Ebony’s gaze.
“I thought so. Then I suppose I need to correct the misunderstanding you’re clinging to.”
Ebony planted a hand on the table and leaned closer. The hand that had been stroking the silver hair now drifted toward Karina’s slender nape. Ebony lifted a fingernail and lightly pricked the skin.
“Do you think that woman said those words for your sake? No. She said them for herself. Why? Because if you died, it would leave a bad taste in her mouth. She simply didn’t want to burden her meager conscience.”
“Conscience…?”
“Exactly. You saw her face in the courtroom. Did that look like the face of Count Silanda’s loyal aide? Every time evidence and witnesses appeared, she stared at him with eyes full of disgust. When the trial ended, she left the chamber without the slightest regret. From her expression alone, she seemed more like one of our own than his.”
Ebony tugged Karina’s hair downward, forcing her to look up. Trembling golden eyes met cold purple ones.
“Ishtel Regentra could have obstructed our investigation any time she wished. But she didn’t. You seem to be reading meaning into that, but don’t be fooled. The attitude of a mere bystander. That is all that woman can offer you.”
“…”
“You’re not planning to live the rest of your life being grateful for the silence of a mere bystander, are you?”
Each word Ebony spoke drove deeper, like a dagger into Karina’s heart.
“That woman doesn’t want you to live. She simply doesn’t want you to die. She doesn’t wish for your happiness—only that you not be unhappy. She won’t stand by and watch you rise above her, will she? You must always remain beneath her. That is the limit of sympathy!”
“…”
“You thought she was kind without noticing her true intentions? How foolish.”