Betrayal of Dignity - Chapter 15

Episode 15

TL: Jasmine

Knock, knock

“Master, Lady.”

The faces of Viscount and Chloe turned at the same time at the sound of a hasty knock on the door of the drawing room.

“Gray. What’s going on?”

“Miss Alice isn’t there in the castle.”

“What? What does that mean?”

Viscount Verdier frowned and raised himself. Gray approached and held out a letter folded in half to him,

“I’m sorry, master. In Miss Alice’s room, this….”

“Come here.”

Seeing Viscount Verdier’s eyes trembling in despair, Chloe hoped that her anxious premonition would be wrong. No way, Alice. No. She stood up and read the letter in her father’s hand.

Dear father and sister.

Father. I grew up seeing my father who loved his mother very much all my life. Looking at you two, I learned true love that transcends illness and death. Thanks to my parents who taught me and practiced those values, I try not to turn away from my heart any longer.

I want to prove to myself that there is no one in the world who should not love. And I want to be proud of the baby in my womb.

I will now abandon Verdier’s name and just live as Alice.

Dad, I’m sorry. Never forgive me for being selfish.

I’m sorry. I hope I can pay this debt someday.

I’m an ugly daughter who doesn’t have the courage to say it directly, but I want to tell you that I love you and I mean it.

I’m sorry and I’m sorry again, your Alice.

Viscount Verdier’s eyes trembled and he collapsed helplessly.

“Master!”

“Father!”

Chloe’s voice resonated in the old castle.

Mr. Wharton, who came to visit in a hurry, left the castle only after telling Chloe several times that the Viscount had a high level of fatigue, so he had to calm down.

“Chloe. Dear.”

“Yes, I’m here, father.”

Chloe quickly approached and grabbed his hand. Her father, who was lying weakly in bed, looked so small that she wondered when he had become this frail. Chloe tried to nod as if nothing had happened to Viscount Verdier, who struggled to open his eyes

“Don’t worry about Alice, dad. She’s a smart kid. She’s not going to do anything dangerous.”

“She is just reckless.”

Viscount Verdier sighed deeply and saw Chloe.

“Did you know that?”

Chloe hesitated for a moment and opened her mouth

“…it was vague that there was someone who Alice gave her heart to.”

“If you didn’t tell me, it means you disagreed too.”

The father continued to read his daughter’s mind as it was.

“If you deeply disagree, and Alice leaves the house, that means he’s a lousy b*stard.”

“No, father.”

Chloe added in a small but clear voice.

“If Alice leaves the house despite my opposition, it means that man is a great person.”

Viscount only sighed deeply with a frown and was silent for a moment.

“I trust her.”

Viscount Verdier closed his watery eyes tightly, then opened them, and tightened his grip on her hand.

Even now, it was the first time that his daughter’s hand, which was so thin that it would break if held tightly, was so dependent.

No. Maybe he didn’t know that he had relied on her from a certain point without realising it. He feels like this happened because he left the marriage issue of Alice to Chloe and took a step back and waited.

“I have no face to see your mother in heaven.”

“Don’t say that again, father. Didn’t mother also tell father to come as late as possible?”

Chloe smiled faintly after kissing the back of his hand. Viscount was proud and at the same time felt sorry for his eldest daughter who did not show tears in front of others.

The only task left for him after his wife died was to see his daughters happy. It was the first time that he was so resentful of his inability to do anything properly.

“Everything will be fine. So, just focus on recovering, father.”

To make matters worse, today, a valuable letter arrived from the royal family to the Viscount. The box that arrived with a telegram congratulating the precious relationship with Duke Tisse even contained a key made of heavy gold.

If the marriage went as planned, it would have been an indescribable honor, but not in the present circumstances.

“What should I do with the gift from the royal family?”

Viscount Verdier looked a few years older in half a day. Chloe swallowed dry saliva as her father’s sorrow deepened.

“I’ll talk to Duke Tisse. If Alice politely refuses to accept marriage because she is sick, he will admit it. He needs heirs to continue the generations, it’s not like he won’t have common sense to say he’ll marry a sickly Viscount young lady.”

“I must pray that he is a common sense man.”

After seeing Viscount Verdier fall asleep after drinking medicine, Chloe quietly escaped from his bedroom. Instead of going to her room, she walked past the dark hallway and turned to the back garden. Her heart was stuffy, so she wanted to get some air.

Chloe walked slowly to the place where the grass grew long because no one managed it. She could see

the swings that she rode side by side with Alice in the past. She and Alice, who swung their feet vigorously and laughed excitedly before Chloe had a fever.

“Sister! If I jump higher, will be able to fly like a bird?”

“No, alice. You can’t get hurt….! Mom!”

“Ouch, Hing. People can’t fly.”

Sitting on the swing for the first time in a long time and listening to the grassworm crying silently, she realised that Alice was not in this castle. Since childhood, Alice had a personality that she had to do what she wanted to do unconditionally. Even if the end is covered with bruises, Alice eventually eloped for her love. There was also a bitter smile at the thought that it was a truly Alice-like ending.

Ha, she sighed for a long time and looked at the stars in the night sky, and she noticed someone from behind.

“Gray?”

“You can catch a cold even on a summer night.”

He approached carefully, covered her with a tihin blanket, and sat on the swing next to her. Chloe opened her mouth without taking her eyes off the star that embroidered the dark night.

“You’re the one who closed your eyes, when Alice ran away?”

Next to Gray, who was surprised and unable to say anything, she continued with a smile.

“I’ve known it since you brought Alice’s letter. There’s no way you could have entered her room without her permission, and Alice was so sensitive that she wouldn’t let anyone into the room these days.”

“…I really can’t hide anything from you.”

Chloe smiled faintly while looking at his red nose. How uncomfortable must Gray’s heart have been, who couldn’t even make eye contact with her all day today because of guilt.

“Thank you for helping Alice, Gray.”

“…I thought you’d be angry.”

Gray looked at her with his eyes, as if studded with stars in the night sky.

“I don’t think you would have done it comfortably. I’m sure Alice appealed with tears. And you’re especially weak towards crying people.”

“If you punish me, I’ll take it sweetly.”

“No. I won’t tell my father.”

Gray quietly blinked. On a summer night, the crying of grasshoppers was peaceful. As if nothing had happened.

“When Alice told me the truth yesterday, I comforted her that I would solve everything, but in fact… couldn’t think of a definite way. I wasn’t sure what was right either.”

Perhaps her confusion was conveyed to Alice as well. In the end, it was clear that Alice chose to run away at night while keeping everything a secret from Chloe.

“So I’d rather thank you for helping her run away.”

“… Lady.”

“Since the water has already spilled, I have to deal with it now, right?”

There is no reason to worry anymore. It’s true that there’s a lot of work to be done in the future thanks to that. Gray carefully opened his mouth next to Chloe, who let out a long sigh.

“You’re not thinking about anything weird, are you?”

“What?”

“Please don’t try to take all the responsibility by yourself. Then I the person who helped Alice… Because I would look like a fool. If you’d rather run away… I’ll help. I’ll give my life to help.”

Gray was definitely not dull. He didn’t know for sure, about Chloe’s plan, but he was surely aware that she was ready to sacrifice herself. Chloe smiled brightly at him.

“No. I’m different from Alice. I can’t live like that. So don’t worry, Gray. I’ll find a way for all of us to live. I’m the only one who can take responsibility for Verdier right now.”

Chloe’s face shone brightly in the moonlight.

“You’re the same as my family. You’ll see. I’ll definitely see you marry a pretty and nice girl.” “I’m not getting married.”

Gray shook his head, sniffling. Seeing him blush, he seemed to be ashamed. Chloe grinned and continued to talk, as she looked at his eyes.

“Why? Babies that resemble your cilantro hair must be so angel-like and cute.”

“I’m not going to do it.”

Chloe shook her head and laughed at him who is denying it. Gray wanted to be a servant of this house forever. So that he can live helping the master and the lady forever. That was the secret happiness he dreamed of.

“Nevertheless, don’t make dangerous choices, miss.”

Gray whispered belatedly, but Chloe didn’t say anything. Turning back to the night sky, she was just seriously lost in thought. A meteor fell in the purple sky with a long tail.

Comments from Korean readers:

Am I the only one who hates her younger sister? And why is it such a shame to leave in search of happiness? And why is the female lead taking everything on for her younger sister? At this point, I think the duke knows everything.

Oh it’s really annoying, it’s not even her fault, why is she sacrificing for her family? Why is she taking care of the troubles caused by her sister?

This younger sister lolololol as more episodes are coming out, there is one conclusion! Very selfish

It seems like Alice will break up with that man and come back alone with that baby” Maybe she wouldn’t get along with that man