Chapter 139
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139
“Madam, what are you saying? How could I possibly be your daughter?”
“Why? Do you hold that many grievances against me?”
“It’s not that. It’s just… it makes no sense. There is Miss Harriet, who is related to you by blood. How could I possibly—!”
Trisha let out a small laugh and turned to Harriet. “Is that what you think as well, Harriet?”
Harriet offered a faint smile and shook her head. “No. I intend to remain Harriet Listerwell.”
“Miss Harriet! You are the one truly worthy of becoming Lady Fellon’s daughter. If you bear the Fellon name, Viscount John Listerwell won’t dare treat you so carelessly ever again!”
Roxana admonished her, her tone suggesting she thought Harriet had lost her mind, but Harriet remained unmoved.
“I am going to reclaim House Listerwell. That is why I cannot become a Fellon.”
Even as she spoke of a goal others would find preposterous, Harriet’s eyes burned with conviction. She truly intended to seize the Listerwell Viscountcy.
When Roxana was left speechless, Trisha shrugged.
“She’s only ever had that one goal, Roxy. So don’t even think about pushing this onto Harriet.”
“Madam…”
“I know this is a heavy burden, and for that, I am sorry. But I have considered you my daughter for a long time now. That is why I entrusted you with every detail of this family’s affairs.”
“But lineage is not something that can be disregarded so easily. The aristocracy itself is built upon bloodlines. How could I, a commoner, ever be accepted? Especially when there is a legitimate heir right here.”
Roxana’s words were undeniably correct. Bloodline was the most powerful pillar of their class-based society.
Trisha let out a soft sigh. “That is precisely why I cannot hand this family over to Lauren’s line.”
She raised a finger and pointed toward the Family Head’s safe.
“Roxy. Open it and bring me the yellow envelope inside.”
Moving with practiced familiarity, Roxana approached the safe. She carefully turned the dial, and with a heavy click, she pulled a yellow envelope from the iron box. It was clearly old; the corners were crumpled, and the paper had faded with time.
Without hesitation, Trisha opened the envelope Roxana brought her, pulled out a yellowed document, and handed it to the lawyer.
“You’ve seen many documents like this while defending inheritance disputes, haven’t you?”
The lawyer examined the paper carefully before giving a reluctant nod. “It is a diagnosis of infertility.”
“That’s right. It is a diagnosis stating that Count Rugero Fellon—my father-in-law and Oster’s father—became infertile in his thirties.”
Trisha revealed the secret that could have been a family disgrace with a bitter smile.
“Therefore, Lauren could not have been his biological child.”
“What? Then why was she registered in the Fellon family registry?” Harriet asked in shock.
Trisha pulled another document from the envelope. “He loved Lauren’s mother dearly. But as you know, those in power don’t usually throw everything away for love so easily.”
This time, Roxana took the document and read it aloud. “A settlement agreement…?”
“Yes. It states that in exchange for registering Lauren—another man’s child—in the Fellon registry and providing her a life of luxury, she would absolutely never inherit the position of heir. It bears the signatures of Lord Rugero, that woman, and even Lady Adeline, Oster’s mother, along with a notary public’s seal.”
Trisha picked up a glass of water from the bedside table and took a sip. No one broke the heavy silence that followed.
“Lord Rugero might have believed he fulfilled his responsibilities as Family Head with that, but Oster had to watch his mother suffer because of that woman. He grew up in the shadow of his father’s absence. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to hate his innocent younger half-sister, either. And so, it remained a secret all this time.”
If Oster and Trisha had produced even one child, this secret might have been buried forever. Or, perhaps, if Lauren hadn’t been so greedy and wicked.
By the time all hope of having a biological child had vanished, Oster and Trisha had stopped clinging to the idea of a bloodline successor.
“I, too, considered making Jaden the heir. As much as I detest Lauren, I wondered what sin the boy had committed. Perhaps because I’d watched him since he was a babe, I found it hard to be harsh with a child.”
But now, she could no longer look upon Jaden with favor. How absurd it was that a mere child, hiding behind his mother’s skirts, dared to look at her with such mocking eyes.
The time had come to reveal the truth.
“Roxana. The truth is, you are the one who carries the strongest blood of the Fellon family. You are Oster’s second cousin, once removed.”
“Most people would call that a stranger, Madam.”
“What matters is that there are no other surviving blood relatives. I truly wonder what curse has been laid upon this family,” Trisha said, shaking her head with a bitter smile. “I truly apologize to you. You might have thought Oster and I were merely compassionate benefactors, but the truth is, we took you in and educated you because we knew you might one day have to inherit this house.”
Roxana’s father had been the last name listed in the noble registry. When she—a girl they hadn’t even known existed—came to them on her own, Oster, who had been agonizing over the lack of an heir, felt as if he had received a divine revelation.
“Trisha, God has sent us a daughter.”
Over the years, Roxana had built such a deep bond of affection with the couple that they came to believe it. They had no hesitation in this decision.
“Even so, please forgive me for weighing you against someone like Jaden all this time.”
“Forgiveness? That’s preposterous. I am not someone who could ever presume to forgive you, Madam. How could I, who has only ever received your kindness, do such a thing?”
Roxana loved Oster and Trisha. She had known for a long time that her feelings transcended mere respect and gratitude for her benefactors.
That was why she was afraid.
“But I am already thirty-five years old. I won’t be able to have children. I cannot be the one to end this lineage!”
She could choose adoption, just as Trisha had, but that child would not be of the true Fellon bloodline. That fact weighed heavily on her.
At her firm refusal, Trisha’s shoulders slumped.
“If you are so utterly against it, then there’s nothing for it. I suppose I’ll just have to listen to Jaden deliver a joyful eulogy at my funeral.”
“A joyful eulogy? What do you mean?”
“Why? I wouldn’t be surprised if he danced for joy once I’m finally dead. Do you really think you or Harriet would be allowed to speak?”
Roxana faltered, mumbling a response.
“Don’t expect it,” Trisha continued. “The moment Jaden becomes the acting Family Head, you two will be thrown out of this house immediately.”
“Well, that’s…”
“And what will happen to me if Jaden becomes the acting head while I’m still breathing? Do you think I won’t be subjected to their retaliation?”
At those words, Roxana’s resolve wavered.
Being thrown out didn’t bother her. But Trisha? Would Lauren or Jaden truly care for her in a place where no one was watching?
No. It would be a miracle if they didn’t torment her to death. More likely, they would leave her to rot in neglect. Roxana could not allow Trisha’s life to end in such misery.
“My thoughts were short-sighted. Then… may I have the honor of becoming your daughter, Madam?”
“I was the one who proposed it first, wasn’t I? Why are you asking again?”
“…Thank you.”
Roxana, who always maintained her composure, felt her eyes well up. Her voice trembled as she offered her gratitude. Trisha gestured for her to come closer, then embraced her warmly, patting her back.
“I know it’s a burden. That is why it wasn’t easy for me to bring it up.”
“Madam…”
“Still, I thought you would have caught on by now. Do you think I’d be crazy enough to give the safe’s combination to a stranger?”
“You’re right. I should have realized it then.” Roxana laughed through her tears.
It was a moving scene, one that brought even Harriet to tears.
But as soon as Roxana wiped her eyes, Trisha reverted to the lioness of the Fellon family. she turned to the lawyer and the notary with sharp instructions.
“Notary, prepare the documents immediately. Lawyer, submit the adoption application to the Imperial Aristocracy Bureau at once. The proxy designation form is already complete.”
Thanks to Trisha’s relentless momentum, the adoption application was submitted that very day.
Lauren had waited until the final moment to act; Trisha had agonized until the end, but moved with lightning speed once her mind was made.
Thus, the two adoption approvals—separated by a single day—came to pass.