TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 87
Two years ago.
My Household was in danger.
What I had dedicated my entire life to.
The Household I had raised, praised as capable of surpassing the limits of a Head of the Family.
Collapsed because of Daughter’s love.
-Head of the Household, there’s trouble! The Young Lady!
-Did Olivia get into another fight? I hope she won.
-That’s not it. The Young Lady used Dark Magic!
-What!?
The downfall happened all at once.
The bribes we had given to the Imperial Family.
The Service and Donation we had shown on the surface became meaningless as society began to trample on us.
The Knights that spread across the entire Empire.
The citizens who initiated boycotts.
Even the Imperial Family trying to suppress us by law.
My expectation that we could surpass the Histania Family, which had been called our Rival, was shattered by a mistake we did not commit.
-Boom!!!
The number of desks I broke in my boiling rage was countless.
Whenever things seemed to settle down, Olivia’s Evil Deeds at the Academy would resurface, crushing any chance of recovery, and the Malicious News Articles would destroy our Household’s projects before they could even begin.
Even the Gold Coin Merchant Guild, with whom we had maintained contracts since the previous generation, drew a line, saying further relations would be difficult, shaking my Household to its core.
I resented my Daughter.
Though she was a Daughter raised with love, the more I watched everything I had built turn into bubbles, the more negative my feelings toward her grew as time passed.
I thought that if I took away everything she had left—her jewels and money—it might make me feel better. But even after taking them, the suffocating feeling didn’t go away.
Instead, I became even angrier and more frustrated.
So, I decided not to see my Daughter anymore.
No matter how lovable and precious a child may be, the damage caused by a single mistake of hers was beyond imagination.
I had forgiven and understood everything before, but this time, I vowed not to forgive.
Even my son, who cherished his younger sister dearly, cursed with malicious words at that time.
We decided to say Goodbye to Olivia.
-The Young Lady will never be able to walk again.
-…Don’t bring up Olivia anymore. She is no longer a member of our Household.
Even when I heard she could never walk again, I didn’t visit her.
Even when I heard she was struggling due to a lack of money, I didn’t help her.
Though I left her the title of Noble out of consideration for Ricardo, who stayed by her side until the end, I didn’t pity Olivia for living a life worse than a Commoner.
That was the only discipline I could give.
And the cunning revenge of an incompetent Father.
My son left for another country, striving to start a business, and the Servants who had been with us for a long time resigned, unable to endure public Criticism, leaving quietly. In the empty estate, I spent my days consumed by anger toward Olivia.
Many times, I regretted not stripping her of the Desmond name. If I had, the public’s perception of us might have been different.
‘Even now, it’s not too late,’ I thought to myself.
One night, as I drank alone after another business was broken down by Malicious News Articles.
I thought I needed to make a decision.
I resolved to draw a clear line rather than leaving things ambiguous.
Because that was what was best for my family.
Though it pained me, I thought it was time to put an end to the decision I had made.
-The Quest has been completed.
[53rd Side Story. ‘The Daughter Who Can Never Return’ is now available for Viewing.]
Seeing a single moment from the past changed my mind. I witnessed a Daughter’s wretched Ending that no Father could bear to see.
I clenched my teeth and decided to endure, and I remember the words I said that day as I cried for the first time in a long while.
“Thank goodness. Thank goodness you’re alive.”
***
Under the dazzling dining table.
In front of the grandly prepared meal, we were watching each other.
“…Hiccup…”
Even the Young Lady, who was oblivious to social cues.
“Ahem…”
And Darbav, who would become the Head of the Household of Desmond.
“Haha…”
Even I, the Young Lady’s Butler, swallowed dryly as I watched the woman with Sharp Eyes sitting at the dining table with her arms crossed.
In the atmosphere filled with silence, the woman with her arms crossed sighed and opened her mouth.
“Dear.”
“…Olivia’s Mother is calling.”
“I didn’t call you. I called Father.”
“Then she must have called Ricardo.”
“I have no interest in committing Adultery, Head of the Household.”
Despite Darbav’s plea for survival, the Young Lady and I responded with cold indifference.
Because we needed to survive too.
Mistress of Desmond.
Darbav’s wife, Desmond Rosanna, was glaring at us, having arrived unannounced.
Especially at her husband.
“You’re looking at him so lovingly.”
“Yes, he’s so lovely I might go mad. Even though you said you’d never see him again, you brought him here. Truly…”
Rosanna gritted her teeth and spoke.
“Lovely.”
“Hiccup!”
The Young Lady hiccupped at Rosanna’s voice filled with anger. She clutched her chest, searching for water, and looked at me with trembling eyes.
“Ricardo…”
“Yes?”
“Are we screwed?”
Rosanna, who had perked up her ears at their whispered conversation, shouted fiercely at Olivia, exuding an ominous aura.
“Olivia. Didn’t Mother tell you not to use vulgar words?”
“…But Mother uses them too.”
“When did I ever?”
“At the social gathering hosted by the Magic Tower, when that woman made you angry… you slapped her.”
“That’s because she provoked me!”
“…”
The Young Lady clamped her mouth shut.
The master of the Household was Darbav.
The master of the family was Rosanna.
The order in the Desmond Family was clear.
No matter how exceptional an Archmage he was, within the family, Darbav absolutely obeyed Rosanna. It was this very trait that had captivated him to propose to her, leaving Darbav with no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
To quench his parched throat, Darbav drank water and spoke in an awkward tone.
“N-Now, everyone, let’s stop and eat. You must be hungry after traveling such a long way.”
“Hungry? Do you know how much she’s eaten?”
“Eek… Hiccup.”
The Young Lady, now sullen, refused to engage in conversation, stuffing bread into her mouth.
“Olivia. How many times have I told you to eat bread with a fork? Eating with your hands is not proper etiquette!”
“Ricardo didn’t say anything.”
“Ricardo!”
“I’m sorry.”
I, too, couldn’t say anything to Lady Rosanna. When Rosanna got angry, no one could stop her.
From the past, Rosanna was like a Cuckoo safeguarding the peace of the Household. When her son got angry, she would get equally angry to calm him down, and when Darbav faced frustrations due to business, she supported him through her Domestic Support as a Household Talent.
I, too, received a lot of help from Rosanna when I lived in the Estate in the Capital.
When I faced discrimination just for being a Commoner, she would personally step in and even beat up the Knights’ Order.
Perhaps because she was an Adventurer, she had a somewhat aggressive side, but she was a warm-hearted person who displayed a very human side.
As if to signify that, Rosanna’s eyes were now fixed on the Young Lady’s Legs.
“…”
Without saying a word, Rosanna looked at the Young Lady’s Legs and bit her lips, her eyes gradually welling up with tears.
“Sob… So. What are you planning to do?”
Rosanna sniffled, turned her head, and wiped away her tears.
The estate they visited upon Darbav’s suggestion.
-If no one eats, won’t you join me for A Meal?
-Father. Do you not hate me?
-Enough. Let’s talk while eating. Ricardo, if you haven’t eaten, join us. Surely, you can spare some Time for A Meal after so long.
-Of course, Head of the Household.
Though Darbav entered the estate confidently, at the Final Gate, he couldn’t even lift his head, rendering him incapable of being our strength.
“It’s just A Meal. Isn’t that fine, Rosanna?”
“Sigh…”
Rosanna’s Deep Sigh echoed through the silent Dining Table.
“What if Kyle comes? If he causes a scene like last time, will you take responsibility?”
“…”
“Last time, he said he’d just go say a word to Olivia. But if he sees her inside the estate, what do you think he’ll do? Say, ‘How have you been?’ Is that what you think?”
“I also… have thought about it.”
“What’s there to think about! You just brought her here without any plan.”
The more Rosanna’s Nagging continued, the more Darbav’s shoulders drooped.
Rosanna, whose Beauty defied her age, might have looked lovely in Darbav’s eyes when commanding him, but Nagging was a different matter altogether.
Watching the two of them, I cautiously ate my soup.
“Oh… It’s delicious.”
“Is it? I made it, how is it?”
Rosanna spoke to me with a Glow of Hope.
“It’s tasty, isn’t it? I made it using the Recipe you sent me in a letter last time. The Guests said it was delicious, so I tried making it.”
“Last time?”
Hearing this, Darbav perked up his ears and looked at Rosanna.
“Ah…”
Rosanna, with an awkward smile, glanced between Darbav and me as she spoke.
“We’ve been exchanging letters.”
“Since when?”
“About two years ago? Since you wouldn’t tell me anything, I planted a Spy.”
The Young Lady, who had been eating bread with a Fork, looked at me with the eyes of a Believer.
“Eeeek…! Ricardo!”
“I’m sorry. I had no other choice.”
“…Betrayer!”
Rosanna, with a Gentle Smile, spoke. While exchanging letters, she praised how much the Young Lady had grown and how she had become a better person.
I could tell that the reason she treated us warmly was because of the letters exchanged over the past two years.
In a letter, I had even hinted at visiting during the Head of the Household’s Birthday.
Even Darbav, who thought getting angry was the Correct Answer for someone like Rosanna, instead looked at me with the same eyes as Olivia.
“Betrayer.”
“Father is right.”
“As expected of My Daughter.”
“Yes.”
The two of them were perfectly in sync.
Rosanna, who had been chatting away, brought a well-cooked Steak from the Kitchen and began sharing the most memorable events from the letters at the Dining Table.
“Dear. Did you know? Olivia once tried to earn money?”
“Olivia did?”
“Yes. By sewing eyes onto a Teddy Bear….”
The Young Lady, her face flushed, shouted.
“Eeeek!!! Don’t say it! It’s embarrassing!”
“Why~ Mother is proud of her Daughter. Supporting the Household starts now…”
“Eeeek!!! Ricardo, punish her!”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re my Butler!”
“If you have complaints, Young Lady, why don’t you become the Mistress of the House of Desmond?”
“Eeeek!!”
Rosanna smiled warmly as she looked at us. Then, placing a piece of warm Meat on my Plate, she said.
“Thank you.”
I couldn’t lift my head.
***
An afternoon as the sun was setting.
Rosanna and Darbav sat in the Office for the first time in a long while, sharing a drink.
There was a faint nostalgia in the sight of the two of them sipping from their Liquor Glasses as a gentle breeze blew in.
As Rosanna quietly placed a Tray of snacks on the Table, Darbav asked her in a tender Voice.
“What about the kids?”
“Olivia is asleep. Ricardo said he’ll sleep later.”
“Hmm…”
Darbav nodded as he sipped his bitter wine.
“Ricardo said he could leave, but I told him to stay until your Birthday. Did I do well?”
At Rosanna’s bright smile, Darbav also smiled and nodded.
“You did well.”
A calm atmosphere.
A family reunited after a long time.
Darbav smiled, feeling a sense of fulfillment he hadn’t experienced in a while.
Rosanna cautiously asked Darbav a question.
“Why did you bring her? You said you’d never see her again.”
“Just…”
Darbav, looking at the brightly shining moon, said.
“Because I missed her.”
Rosanna, smiling at Darbav, replied.
“You did well.”
*
The next morning.
The estate was bustling with the loud voices of two people.
“Hiiiik! Air Raid Alarm!!!!”
“Pant…! Imperial Emergency…!!”
“Quiet down!”
The peaceful morning was accompanied by the sound of a Cuckoo.