Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Punishment Corps (4)
-Tak.
When Vivian set down her utensils, the sound echoed through the vast dining hall.
“...”
Sitting alone at the head of the long table, she bit her lip.
Her eyes quietly swept across the empty dining space.
Once, this table had been full of life.
Her father, mother, and older brother.
The maids serving them had bustled around busily as well, filling the room with the warmth of people living together.
But now, Vivian was alone.
There was no one to eat with her, no one to talk to.
No one to laugh with, no one to share daily life with, no one to bicker with lightly.
The contrast hit her unbearably hard.
And there would never be anyone again.
There was no longer anyone in this castle worthy of sharing a table with the head of House Rondor.
If there was anyone at all, perhaps Lady Linne or the other instructors.
But they all had families of their own, so there was no reason for them to dine with Vivian.
“...”
There was something one realized when eating alone.
Food became tasteless.
One or two days could be brushed aside, but eating every meal alone, three times a day, every single day, slowly killed one’s appetite.
Every bite felt as though she were swallowing emptiness itself, making it impossible to force the food down.
So today as well, Vivian failed to finish even half her meal before setting down her utensils and wiping her mouth.
“...I-I’m done eating.”
Her pathetic stutter had not improved at all.
Only one thing had changed because of Lady Linne’s lessons.
Vivian now felt even more like trash whenever she stuttered.
.
.
.
-Smack!!
“Mmph...”
Biting her lip, Vivian endured Lady Linne’s strike.
No matter how many times it happened, being beaten repeatedly with a metal rod over already bruised flesh never became something she could grow accustomed to.
But if she made any noise because it hurt, she would only be hit more, so she forced herself to suppress every cry.
“...Again.”
“...Gob...lins are cr-creatures that can cause gr-great damage to the ter-territory if their subjugation is de-delayed—”
-Smack!!
“Mmph...”
“...Again.”
“...”
Vivian glanced sideways toward Lady Linne.
Lady Linne sat with one hand against her forehead, eyes closed as she evaluated Vivian’s reading.
Lately, because Vivian’s speech showed no improvement, even the punishments had begun carrying emotion behind them.
Vivian could clearly feel it.
Whether it was punishment for the sake of discipline or punishment to vent frustration... it was easier to distinguish than one might think.
“Haa.”
As expected, it did not take long before Lady Linne ended the lesson.
“We will stop here for today, Lady Vivian. It is time... for your economics lesson.”
It ended earlier than usual, but Vivian did not complain.
She would have done anything just to escape this hellish time.
“...”
But how much longer would this continue?
Her speech showed no signs of improving, and she could not even complain that it hurt.
Lady Linne had said these lessons would continue until she became an adult...
But was it really possible to endure this until then?
Only one month had passed, and already it felt unbearable...
“...I hope you perform better next time than you did today.”
“...”
She could see no hope.
That was what made everything hardest.
.
.
.
“It’s another demand letter.”
Treasurer Brinden muttered as he examined a document.
“It is a letter from Count Corrod demanding repayment of the grain and gold House Rondor borrowed.”
“...B-But there’s nothing we can repay with right now.”
“I know. There is nothing we can do except ask for more time again.”
“...”
“...It feels like more and more demand letters have been arriving ever since Lady Vivian became head of the family. Truly...”
Brinden muttered under his breath.
He had also been one of the people who opposed Vivian’s declaration that she would not appoint a regent.
Perhaps because of that, even his tone now seemed filled with implication.
As though saying this was happening because the head of the family appeared weak.
But Vivian could not even argue against it.
To some extent, it was true.
Vivian let out a sigh.
The pressure crushing her chest made even her head ache.
.
.
.
“A-A death sentence trial?”
“Yes. Lady Vivian must stamp the approval herself.”
“...M-Me?”
“Only the lord possesses that authority.”
“...”
First Knight Commander Baellor handed her the document for confirmation.
It was an execution order for a condemned prisoner.
The moment she stamped it, a person would die.
“...”
No matter what terrible crimes the person had committed, the weight of a human life still felt unbearably heavy to Vivian.
The thought that someone would truly die the instant she stamped the paper made her hands tremble first.
Only a few months ago, she had lived far removed from responsibility.
She used to care for her mother, look at flowers sometimes, and enjoy the breeze.
But now she had to manage money and human lives.
“Please take out the seal.”
Baellor urged her.
The maids all watched Vivian’s decision as well.
Under the pressure, Vivian pulled out the seal from her desk.
The seal that only the head of House Rondor could possess.
When she held it, it felt even heavier than she expected, unfamiliar in her hands.
“...”
-Shake shake...
Vivian’s hand trembled as she tried to stamp the document.
Once she stamped it, she would become a killer for the first time.
“-Urk!”
-Tok.
A wave of nausea suddenly rose within her, and Vivian dropped the seal.
At the same time, tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes.
“Urgh!”
But the nausea would not stop.
Watching her, Baellor quietly sighed.
“...Haa.”
That brief sigh made Vivian’s heart plummet.
Adults had begun showing a certain atmosphere whenever they stood before her.
And little by little, those moments were piling up.
Lately, it felt as though everyone looked down on her.
No one understood how sudden and difficult all of this was for her.
Lady Linne’s words had been correct—that showing weakness only caused others to underestimate you...
But Vivian had never wanted to confirm that truth this way.
-Swish.
“I will return another time.”
After watching Vivian retch helplessly, Baellor gathered the documents and turned away.
.
.
.
Vivian sat alone before the grave of the Duchess of Rondor.
She had many things she wanted to say, but once she arrived here, she could only sit in silence for a long time.
Part of her simply liked the silence...
...But part of it was also because she hated hearing herself stutter, and because speaking weakly had become difficult.
One month was a short amount of time, yet it was more than enough to force countless habits into her.
This was supposedly preparation for becoming the head of House Rondor, yet Vivian felt herself slowly disappearing.
“...I-Is this what you wanted?”
Standing before her mother again after so long, Vivian failed to speak gently.
Her mother had been the one who appointed Lady Linne as her teacher.
Her mother’s will had even permitted harsh punishments.
“Y-You’re too cruel. W-Why... did you do this?”
Vivian gently rubbed her bruised arms.
Because it was her mother’s final wish, she found it difficult to resist Lady Linne.
That was also why she could only endure the punishments like an idiot.
Vivian hugged her knees and buried her face against them.
“...I-I’m okay with suffering, Mother.”
She whispered.
“...E-Even pain... I can endure.”
For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to speak weakly.
“B-Being lonely too... I-I’ll probably get used to it someday.”
Vivian’s voice gradually grew wetter with tears.
“B-But... suffering... hic... hurting... and being lonely... hurts too much.”
Tears spilled down once more.
“...A-Adults... hic... are too frightening.”
Earlier today, while wandering the castle, she had overheard whispers crawling along the walls.
It might have been a maid.
Or one of the retainers.
Or perhaps even one of her instructors.
She didn’t know who it was, but she heard them whispering.
That the one who should have died was not Royce Rondor, but Vivian Rondor.
That if it had been her instead, Roktana and House Rondor would not be shaking apart like this.
The person who said those things deserved to be seized, punished, and exiled from the territory...
Yet with her shattered self-esteem, Vivian had simply run away the moment she heard it.
Perhaps because part of her believed those words were true.
If her brother had survived instead of her, he would surely have managed this place well.
After all, he had been called the future of House Rondor.
Vivian wiped her tears with the back of her hand and quietly stared at the grave.
This was the territory of House Rondor, yet not a single person in House Rondor truly welcomed her.
No one understood her circumstances.
To them, she was merely a tool.
And from their perspective, Vivian was a broken tool.
A tool useless for anything.
After sitting in silence for a long while, Vivian softly asked the question she had carried for ages.
“...Mother.”
The question that surfaced every time she struggled to endure.
“Can’t... I come over there too?”
The grave gave no answer.
“...Can’t I come over there too?”
I happened to overhear Vivian’s lament.
But I couldn’t react at all.
“...”
I didn’t know how to react.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
Confused, I pretended not to hear anything and turned to walk away in the opposite direction.
The Vivian sitting before the grave looked like a candle flame.
Her red hair fluttered in the wind, yet she looked as though she might go out at any moment.
This was probably what people meant when they said someone looked like a corpse.
Ever since I discovered the bruises covering her arms, the changes in her had become much clearer to me.
Lately, she truly looked unwell.
And the worse her complexion became, the more I found myself seeking her out.
I once thought to myself that I couldn’t decide which expression suited her better—her angry face when yelling at me, or the sorrowful face she wore alone.
But now I knew.
I preferred the angry face.
At least when she was angry, I didn’t walk away with this unpleasant feeling lingering inside me.
At least then, she didn’t look as though she might collapse and disappear at any second.
“...”
A dull ache spread through one corner of my chest.
Recently, I had watched her daily life constantly.
I saw her trying her best.
I saw her struggling.
Every desperate little effort she made shook me deeply.
Lately, I even felt an undeniable sense of guilt.
House Allen could not completely escape responsibility for the life she was living now.
I could understand the hatred she directed toward me.
It had been war, so there was no reason for me to apologize or fix anything.
...But I still felt human sympathy for her, and that wasn’t something I could control.
Was this what Father meant when he spoke about protecting the weak?
For the first time, I vaguely began to understand his words here.
.
.
.
“...Can’t I come over there too?”
Even after returning to the dormitory and lying down on my bed, her words refused to leave my mind.
Even the trembling in her voice remained vivid.
I knew for certain.
If she truly chose death as she said, I would never forget this moment for the rest of my life.
Her death would follow me like a curse.
She wasn’t my family, my friend, or even an acquaintance.
She was my enemy.
...Yet her death would undoubtedly leave something deeply uncomfortable inside me.
Maybe that was why my eyes kept searching for her.
But what was I supposed to do?
We weren’t close enough for me to tell her to stay strong, nor was I in any position to say such things.
And words like that probably wouldn’t help her anyway.
Besides, I myself was struggling just to deal with the adults around me, so there was no way I could ask Lady Linne or the retainers of House Rondor to treat Vivian better.
But...
“Kylo, if I leave this world... could you protect my daughter for me? Like a true knight.”
The Duchess’s voice echoed in my head.
“I showed you mercy. If you truly possess a conscience, Kylo Allen... then show mercy to our family as well. If I die, and your family wins the war and tramples House Rondor... at least make sure my younger sister and mother are not subjected to humiliation.”
And the voice of Royce Rondor, who had been nineteen back then.
“...Haa.”
In the end, I made a decision.
I intended to go to Vivian’s room.
I didn’t know what I would say... but I was tired of agonizing over this endlessly—
“Oh my. Young master, where do you think you’re going?”
At that moment, three boys blocked my path.
Slowly rising from their beds, they used their bodies to block the entrance to the dormitory.
All three were larger than me.
And all were two or three years older as well.
I vaguely knew their names.
The fat one was Balon, the skinny one was Willas, and the one covered in acne was Martin.
Cracking their necks side to side, they approached me.
...So today was the day.
Huge grins spread across their faces.
Balon spoke.
“We’re a little late introducing ourselves, huh?”