Chapter 8
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2. White night
The atmosphere at the dinner table was very strange.
It was a funeral day, but there was little wailing and mourning. Distant relatives and guests lingered at a distance, unable to approach, perhaps eager to gauge the new Count’s sympathies, while close relatives hesitated, undecided of his attitude.
The dead Count's will was to blame, but the fortune at stake was too great to be spoken of hastily. Theodore, the party, had indicated that he had no intention of marrying Olivia, but he could hardly be blamed if he changed his mind.
If she were to become a Countess, and even if she were not, no one would treat her lightly. Inwardly, many thought to themselves.
“Even if she inherits a fortune, she's only twenty-two years old, and someone will have to take care of her.”
"Olivia has no other relatives, so she'll end up in Lutgard.”
If Theodor didn't step up, there was no reason he couldn't become her guardian. With property, of course.
Not so for Denis and Daria, their closest relatives, or Count Knox.
Denis was forced to eat in his chambers by Theodore's orders after a rant about how it made no sense to bequeath such a large fortune to a girl with not a drop of family blood in her veins.
Andrei Knox looked worried, but he had nothing to say since Theodore had expressed his intention not to marry her. Unlike the adults, his cousin did not harbor any emotional resentment over his aunt's death.
"If Theodore changes his mind, so be it. I can't give up the rest of the estate, even though father will be furious....”
Only Daria looked at Theodore with concern.
"Are you all right?"
"At least one thing is proven, isn't it? Why shouldn't it be okay?"
"Proven what?"
"That she wasn't father's illegitimate child. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked his son to marry his daughter."
"Theo...."
Theodore's cold tone made Daria feel uneasy.
It would have been better if he had shown anger or disgust. In a way, Pavel had willed Theodore's rightful place to Olivia, whom Theo considered an enemy.
But Theodore wore a calm face. You could call it aristocratic, but to Daria, it looked like he was suppressing something, and she felt terribly sorry for him.
She let out a long sigh and said.
"It's not that I don't understand your feelings, but Olivia is a fine lady."
"......."
Theodore looked at Daria with his dark, unreadable eyes. Daria tensed slightly, choosing her words carefully.
"Of course I don’t like her very much. And I don't think it was fair of my brother to leave you such a will, but I've seen and heard things in my time here, and I think she'd make a fine hostess."
"Does my aunt want me to marry Olivia?"
Daria was silent for a long moment, unable to answer. If Pavel had left a will for Theodore to make Olivia a good wife and care for her until then, she would have said yes.
In the end, she spoke her mind.
"I don't want you to give up any of your legitimate rights."
"Well, what father didn't leave me is not my birthright."
With that, Theodore rose from his seat. The meal was already over.
It wasn't a feast, so he could stand up first. He put down his napkin and turned to his guests.
"I'll be going in first, but please eat and rest as you please."
Those seated near him greeted each other. Theodore bowed slightly to them and left.
When he left the dining room and returned to his bedroom, Henry, the old butler, was waiting for him.
"Has something happened?"
He was surprised that he had just changed and was about to rest. Henry had been Pavel's personal butler for decades, since he was a young man, and had taken care of the entire castle. With all the mourners at the castle, he was sure to be busy, and he wasn't here for a small favor.
Henry bowed respectfully to Theodore and said.
"This old man has something he wishes to say to you, sir, and I have been waiting here, though I know it is rude."
"Go ahead."
Theodore nodded willingly. It was the first time he'd seen the butler face to face since he was fifteen, but as a child, he'd followed him around, mimicking and playing. There couldn’t be no love lost.
Above all, the old butler was one of the people who would be most saddened by Pavel's death, and he wanted to hear his request.
Henry's wrinkled face revealed a gentle expression, and he spoke politely.
"I haven't seen you for a long time, but this old man knows that you're actually a sweet man, and I know it's not my place to interfere."
"......."
"I hope you don't hate Lady Olivia too much."
Theodore frowned slightly.
"Is that what you've been waiting to tell me?"
"I'm afraid it's none of my business as a mere servant, but no one else would dare bring it up to you but me. Everyone in this castle wants you to be happy, and you're a good enough person to make anyone you're with happy."
"Are you also advising me to marry Olivia?"
Theo asked, and Henry answered without much hesitation.
"If you ask my opinion, it is that my master did not make such a will solely with Lady Olivia in mind; he was always concerned for you."
Theodore made no reply to the remark, and Henry once more bowed politely and withdrew.
Only after the door had closed did Theodore, with nervous fingers, loosen his tie, throw it away, and bury himself in the couch. His head ached.
'He didn't leave his will for Olivia alone? Of course not.’
If he wanted to make her unhappy, it might be easier to marry her. There were plenty of ways to do that, and he would have known.
Even if he didn't intend to take revenge, it would be easy enough to marry her for her fortune and leave her in a cottage somewhere. It would have been with that option in mind that Daria had urged him to follow the will.
'I have no intention of taking revenge, though it seems to me that you do.’
He bit his lip inward slightly at the thought, tasting bitter, then released it.
His mother had died when he was three, and he didn't remember much of it. He had run away from home at the age of fifteen and headed for the Count of Knox, so many would assume he held a grudge against his father, but that was not the case.
His feelings were more complex and terrible: he didn't love his father at all, and he resented him bitterly, but it wasn't because of his mother.
The feeling was unbearable, and he scrambled to his feet.
It was his childhood quarters, but the bottle of poisonous spirits was still there, thanks to Andrei's drinking in this room in the evening. He poured the amber liquid into a glass and took a sip.
He took another sip, then simply drained the glass. He didn't think he could fall asleep tonight without a drink.
Olivia. Olivia.
Everyone was talking about her. That was the one thing Theodore couldn't stand.
'They must have gotten along really well, if even Henry came and asked for a favor.’
He could easily imagine her. The smiling, gentle, crying little girl who grew up to be a lady of dignity and culture, making the whole castle happy.
All the while he was going through a desperate time that he could hardly bear.
Theodore rose to his feet in an intolerable mood, and suddenly his eyes fell upon a letter which he had laid haphazardly on the table.
It was Pavel's letter, enclosed in the will box.
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