Chapter Twenty-Eight
.Chapter twenty-eight.
“Rena Yang. This gorgeous lady with attractive red hair is Diana Rust. We can’t ignore her if you want to hear the rumors of the Lord. In addition, she is the daughter of an ancient noble family. But even if we look away from the family, she is a charming person and full of intelligence.”
Diana smiled a dazzling smile with her red lips.
“You praise me greatly.”
I looked to my side. Villadonna, Lourdes Namek, smiled tenderly.
Her family was from the south and had noble origins, but thanks to Lord Namek's family wealth, she was finding success in central politics.
“Here is Villadonna Lourdes Yang. Her long black hair looks elegant like silk. And her deep and mysterious black eyes, what about her?”
Villadonna opened her fan and covered half her face with it, laughing softly.
“I'm ashamed to hear such praise, Yang.”
I responded with a friendly smile, then said with a smile:.
“In addition, she is in charge of the upper class of Lourdes. When you ask for something from her, even if it is a precious oriental jewel, you will receive it.”
Not only that, her brother was also loved by the Emperor.
“But beware of her brother, he is her great pride. Of course, as for you, you already have a fiancée.”
I heard a slight laugh.
Diana laughed happily and said:.
“Because Villadonna Yang really looks so handsome~.”
I smiled and nodded, then spoke to introduce the next person.
“This is Hyde Sola Yang. If you want to invite the palace, you must be in her favor. She is the Emperor’s most beloved wife, and the most precious jewel of the Sola family.”
She was the de facto ruler of the Sulla family. Since the Emperor had no children, the Empress considered her as her own daughter.
Perhaps you are one of us who has met the Emperor many times.
Hyde responded with a smug smile and shot a kind eye salute in my direction. She had a good enough location for that.
Sulla's family was not just an upper class; thanks to the Emperor's love for it, it had a distinguished status.
"Finally, this is Hestin-Eiae. This palace that bears her name, was given by Eiae, our Emperor himself, as a reward to her father after she had shown bravery in war."
Even the seemingly mild-mannered Heestine had a prominent role as a war hero in this war, and sister to her well-known brother.
Of course, if Demetrius married into the Emperor's family, she would be able to infiltrate this squad.
But this wasn't free.
If anyone tried to enter this exclusive sect without having resources, they would undoubtedly face a harsh welcome, even if they were not smart enough to understand it.
As soon as I finished the introduction, Hestein asked a surprising question.
“Anyway, is it really you who broke up with Carmella Yang?”
Rena became startled and froze.
"Yes?"
But Villadonna Namek responded gently with a vague tension.
“At the very least, this is an inappropriate question, Hyde Yang.”
Then Hyde gave a polite smile and answered in a mysterious voice:.
"But I'm curious, and I think everyone would have asked about that. So, Reyna Arminga...no, that might make us think there are two Ermingas."
She had the ability to tear others apart with her words, even with her ordinary kindness.
“I'll call you by your familiar nickname, Rena. Is that right?”
Rena's lips turned white.
“I, I don't know about that...”
She was trying to speak calmly, but her voice was shaking.
Since this was too much, I decided to step in and step forward.
“That's a separate topic, Hyde. Reyna wasn't part of the Arminga family at that time. Of course, I don't know what happened. She's now under my care. If something bad had happened, of course we wouldn't have trained her to be part of Arminga.”
Then Diane, who was sitting quietly, began to look at Rena with mysterious eyes and an expression of inquiry.
“The most I heard was that you were sick and were not participating in social activities. Are you okay now?”
After Diane's words, Hyde clearly scoffed.
“Of course, she attends the wedding of the girl who stole her fiancé and arranges their marriage...”
I wasn't sure whether I should support with laughter or step in to stop things. This was a difficult situation.
Then, while Rena was chewing her lips, she suddenly started speaking in a steady and stern voice.
“I've never stolen anyone's fiancé. Although my rank isn't perfect, I've never stolen someone else's man before.”
This was my first time. I didn't notice myself looking wide-eyed at Rena.
Rena's eyes were neither wet with tears nor trembling. Her gaze was clear and frank towards Hyde when she spoke.
“Bernhard is not just something to be stolen. He chose to be with me and gave up a lot for that decision. Do not discredit his choice.”
The atmosphere of the small session changed to a charged one. Everyone was looking at Rena and then quickly looked at Hide with worried expressions. Hyde was known for her nervous and violent nature.
There was tension about whether there was a chance of blowing things up and causing trouble. They were looking at her with these things.
Then, unexpectedly, Hyde began to curl her lips into a mysterious smile. It's a terrifying smile that causes goosebumps. Then she rose from her seat with an elegant movement.
Diane was still surprised by this situation and quickly got up. I was hesitant about whether or not to intervene, and my facial features expressed the complexity of my feelings about this situation.
“…He paid a price to be with you… Mmm So you might have said something like that now… Why, maybe he told you he loved you and made promises?”
The tone was so sweet and gentle, it could have been mistaken for dealing with children. Then, with very slow steps, she approached her gently and began to speak slowly and relaxed.
“Do you think that because you loved him first that he should be yours? Have you ever imagined that he might be your real man? Okay?”
I felt things were getting dangerous, so I tried to intervene, but Hyde extended her hands and started pressing her index fingers on Rena's chest and smiled teasingly.
“Humans are not like animals, are they? So why does a human being try to unleash his instincts like an animal? Is it perhaps because he has little reason? And that is why I said that you stole another man? Can you understand?”
Hyde looked deeply into Reyna's eyes and she began to whisper slowly and clearly.
“…Because you are not a woman who can marry a man.”
Rena's face changed to blue. Hyde used this to mock her.
“You had big words in the past, didn't you? Why can't you speak? Are you a speechless monster?”
There was a strange feeling that the audience could feel, and there were eyes turning towards this direction.
I didn't want to get involved, but it could cause a bigger problem, so I offered advice to smooth things over.
It seemed strange that she would overreact this much, I never expected her to respond this way. I thought she would ignore it and move on.
I have no idea if there was something specific about Rena that caught Hyde's attention in this way, it was just a complete mystery.
"Please Hyde. Enough."
When the stern tone came out of my mouth, Hyde made an angry expression on her face, and then flapped her arms. After turning between Rena and me, she spoke with a strange expression.
“Do you think this little girl should be part of your family, Carmilla?”
Hyde's eyes began to glow strangely green. Her red lips were curled as if she was looking at an emotionless person.
“If you think so, you will be disappointing me.”
Although the daughter of the Sulla family was famous for her beauty, sense of humor, and pleasant nature, her notoriety was more known for her cruel and stubborn nature.
ChatGP.
Thus, even those who were very daring did not dare to confront her, because of love.
The severity she received from Emperor Huanbi, which supported this harsh nature in her.
In this way, it has become very difficult for people to deal with this new character that has changed dramatically.
Even yesterday, it was not uncommon for the maid she kept and loved dearly to be punished harshly day after day for a small mistake.
But because I believed in her, I just watched her with warm eyes.
“…I don’t mean it in that sense, ha.”
Hyde's eyes still stared defiantly at mine as if she was still pessimistic, and then slowly, very slowly, the venom in her eyes faded.
Then at last, after she had completely calmed down, she turned her head and spoke in a voice full of tenderness.
“If you think so, I might accept it, but I don’t like that girl. So don’t expect even me to be nice to her.”
She smiled that cute smile.
I knew it. That was the maximum concession Hyde could make.
Diane also let out a sigh. This was a ceremony that Rastga had carefully prepared, and it was clear that she wished to avoid any untoward event tonight.
I smiled and looked at Hyde. Hyde, whom I first saw when Empress Huanbei entered the palace when she was younger. Since then, she has been a regular visitor to the palace.
Because we were about a year apart in age, I always kept a close eye on her.
At that time, Hyde was a little smaller and weaker than me. Even though we are of the same age, she has always been younger and weaker than me, and acts like a younger sister towards me.
Thanks to our strong relationship, she looked at me with a tender and vulnerable face and called me a big sister.
“Thank you, Hyde.”
Of course, now that we're both adults, I don't call her that easily anymore.
However, when I rarely mention this name, it seems as if the friendly atmosphere we had as brothers in the earlier days comes back to me.
I didn't have a negative feeling about taking advantage of the situation although I did realize that from time to time, but at least I didn't try to take advantage of it badly.
However, I have to be careful.
She walked up to Rena and held her hand. Her hand was so small and so cold, it made me feel surprised for a moment.
“Come with me... let's get away from this place for a while. You also need to rest a little.”
She had no expression on her face and was completely silent and completely immobile as she was.
It was easy to drag her onto the terrace because she was so light, just like a straw doll.
It made the terrace cold, so I pulled down the heavy villa curtains to prevent the cold wind from entering the place.
Then I sat it down on the table and looked at it for some time without having any words or understanding why I should.
“Rest and recover.”
Then, Rena began to speak almost as if she were talking to herself.
“Now, Lady Carmilla could be a really cool person, because she's not a monster and was born human.”
I stopped in my tracks and hesitated before turning to meet Reyna's gaze. I didn't want to see her face.
I heard the quiet sound of crying slowly suffocating behind me.
In a very short moment, several options passed before me, such as turning around and facing her or just moving forward.
But I quickly got over this brief moment and many confusing thoughts, and headed back out.
“It would be nice if I could be like Lady Carmella...”
Those words stopped me, but before I could turn back to see if she was trying to cry out loud, I heard the muffled sounds of sobbing coming silently from her, as if she were whispering them away.
I didn't want to listen to it, but I also didn't want it to break. My response was cold.
“…So?”
But Rena didn't care about my reaction and continued talking.
“My mother always put me first. However, I only had my mother in this world. In this big, scary house, there were scary people that I had to escape from, and my mother was my only world...”
I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have the world created for one person.
At best, I can only vaguely imagine how he must have felt when she loved Bernhard in the same way she had before.
“But...Mom...”
It was difficult to speak this language. I didn't want to hear what she had to say next.
But it was also hard to leave. Perhaps I had to hear these heavy words because of my involvement in her life. Was this my old pain?.
“My mother was killed by the Grand Palace... He swallowed her. In return, I took the poison instead of Bern and fell... But they left my mother to die. My mother, who was my only world...”
I couldn't ignore it. I couldn't ask her to love me more. If I asked, my mother would probably let me down. So I waited, always waited.
Rena's voice slowly began to break, as if she were whispering further.
"My mother made me hate her. She made me hate her because she thought of leaving me and went. How could she leave me alone? She left because I had hatred and felt angry towards the people who killed my mother. How could they leave me? My mother loved Bern more than me. But that was good for me. It was enough for her to come back to me every now and then."
It was difficult to remain silent after that statement, but there was nothing I could do. She had already spoken.
“Then came Bern.”
I couldn't stand it, so I turned back.
Eyes swollen with tears. A face full of confusion. Messy hair. Shoulders shaking from crying.
Her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to comfort her.
“Bern told me he would be like a mother to me, that he would be my world. He told me he would be my world.”
She started laughing while crying.