The Fastest Way to Become a Successful Fan (11)
“Agatha, are you out of your mind?”
“Who knows, Your Grace?
I’m quite uncertain as to which of us is truly out of their mind,” the countess retorted without batting an eye.
It was as if she knew beforehand that Hades would intervene.
“It is you who are attempting to taint our noble blood by inviting these uncouth, lesser nobles with no notable ancestry into the Louvremont duchy.”
“Ah… so it’s come down to this after all.
I was a fool to believe you when you said that you would behave yourself.
Come, Lady Heathcliff.
We best have the meal in my room.” Hades leaped out of his chair, apparently taken off guard.
It seemed he had prepared this occasion on the condition that they would not be rude to me.
But really, Hades was the one at fault here for underestimating his sister’s temper.
Agatha Gasfelle.
As I sat in my chair replaying the countess’s spiteful words in my head, I finally began to remember what she was like in the novel.
She treated Abel with disdain and was known for her thorny words.
The book mentioned that she behaved this way out of love and devotion for the Louvremont name.
But even so, she was way too extreme.
Countess Gasfelle was the only character in the entire novel that Hades couldn’t openly defy since she had been his mother figure for most of his life.
Even Abel had never once rebelled against her, as he was burdened with the guilt of having become the reason for his father’s early demise.
In short, no one at the table was capable of stopping Countess Gasfelle from running her mouth right now.
Without paying any heed to how enraged Hades was, she continued speaking, “It would appear that the only thing you have to offer is your body, and I’m sure you’ve willingly behaved indecently.
But I’m most curious as to how your promiscuous ways enthralled His Grace.”
Slam-!
Finally, Hades clenched his fist and slammed it down on the table.
Both Abel and I were startled at the sound.
Only Countess Gasfelle appeared unperturbed by the duke’s response.
Hades’ chin trembled with anger as he glared at the countess for a long time.
Suddenly, he turned to me.
“Lady Heathcliff.
You should return to your quarters.
Abel, you should leave as well.
I see no need for you to put up with this.”
Abel’s gaze moved back and forth between Hades and me.
‘Okay, I need to calm down,’ I thought to myself
What was the wisest thing I could do as a prospective duchess?
I could leave as Hades told me to, but that wouldn’t fix the fundamental problem.
As long as he was of the mind that there was no one else more devoted to the Louvremont house than his sister, Hades would always end up listening and conceding to her desires.
Countess Gasfelle was aware of this, too.
That was why she could act like this.
In short, this duchy was forever fated to be under the influence of the countess until the very end of the novel.
And, once Hades died, there would be no one left to protect Abel and me from her.
Now that’s what I call a nightmare.
Being haunted by your in-laws endlessly….
I knew I’d have to go up against her sooner or later.
I didn’t want to live the rest of my life fearing my sister-in-law.
“Your Grace, please remain calm.” First, I stopped Hades, then proceeded to think about what to do next.
Countess Gasfelle was a somewhat ironic character.
Although her tongue was as sharp as a knife, she was never regarded as a villain.
She behaved more harshly towards Abel from grief after Hades’ death but ultimately became a dear mother figure to him.
Though, she probably opened up to him because of his honesty of not having shown any displeasure despite receiving all those criticisms from her….
Why couldn’t I?
So I decided to pretend I was playing a game in which I must raise the affection level of a character to the max in order to reach a happy ending.
“I believe the countess has simply misunderstood something.
In which case, it’s best to talk things through.”
“What are you saying?
There’s no reason for you or Abel to tolerate this nonsense.
Return to your quarters.”
I shook my head lightly at Hades and smiled at the countess.
Actually, while I was trying to keep my smile firm, I could feel a river of sweat rolling down my back.
I felt like a timid daughter-in-law rebelling against her ruthless mother-in-law.
“I respect and admire you wholeheartedly, which is why I don’t wish to strain our relationship because of a misunderstanding.
Might I inquire, what it is about me that you disapprove of?”
“To think you’d actually need to ask, it seems you’re not the brightest tool in the shed, Lady Heathcliff.
One must learn one’s place in this world and live by the limits of their destiny.
If you eat something you’re not accustomed to, then it’s natural that you’ll fall ill.”
The words coming out of the countess’s mouth were nothing short of raw criticism.
Yet her expression and language remained refined like as ever, as expected of an educated noblewoman.
I was amazed at how gracefully she could humiliate others.
The countess asked, glaring at me with her sharp eyes, “Humor me, Lady Heathcliff.
Do you honestly believe you’re suited for the Louvremont house?”
“No, I know myself very well.
Believe me, I’ve never once craved the Louvremont name.
I believe this is what you’re misunderstanding.”
The countess crossed her arms and scoffed.
“I can see how you may have arrived at such conclusions preemptively.
I understand and assure you.
You’ve misunderstood my intentions.”
I chose my words as carefully as possible, trying to avoid looking like a gold digger.
“Actually, I heard you were initially prepared to inherit the duchy at one point.
I have no doubt that it’s through your efforts that the duchy’s good reputation has solidified over the years.
Hence, I can perfectly understand that you would desire only the most qualified and suitable noblewoman to be wed into the Louvremont name.”
The countess tilted her head and sneered again.
‘Go on,’ she seemed to say, ‘I’ll let you finish what you started.’
“I believe, without a shred of a doubt, that I am ill-suited to be the duchess.
I come from a humble family who has little to offer to the Louvremont name.
In fact, if His Grace were to suggest we pretend the marriage discussions never happened, I would happily accept his decision.”
…is what I said, but I knew Hades wouldn’t suggest such a thing if he had something to gain from our marriage.
I just knew that it was important not to look greedy right now.
There was nothing for me to gain by getting on her bad side after all.
And frankly, I meant what I said.
What I wanted was to stan Abel from up close, not playing house with Hades.
“What motivated me to travel to the North wasn’t out of mere greed or other impure intentions.
If I displeased you with such misunderstandings, I hope you can let it go.”
“You’ve never had any impure intentions, you say.
If what you say is true, then I’m most puzzled as to what a young noblewoman of marriageable age was planning to do by coming all the way up north to the duke’s residence?
The very same duke who is currently a bachelor.”
The wrinkles around the countess’s smiling mouth showed her complete disapproval.
“If I were to be honest….”
I placed a hand over my chest and looked straight at the count and the countess.
Hades was right next to them.
His face was red with anger, and he looked ready to jump in at any moment.
At the same time, however, curiosity sparkled in his eyes as he waited for my answer.
“I came here because I wanted to see him.”
To see Abel.
“Ha…?” The countess let out a dumbfounded question.
I noticed Hades was staring at me with an unreadable expression.
When our eyes met, I quickly averted my gaze away from him.
“I know all too well how much you love His Grace and the Louvremont house.
I’ve deeply admired you for a long time.
I’ve neither the reason nor the desire to be in a bad relationship with someone I respect and admire.
So please, accept my apologies for causing this misunderstanding.”
Despite my efforts, the countess remained utterly expressionless.
I felt like I was talking to a non-interactable character in a game.
‘Just how did Abel change someone like her?’ I couldn’t help but wonder.
“If I did anything wrong….”
…It was stanning Abel too hard.
“My only fault was that I couldn’t restrain my selfish desires to see him and made the decision to come to the north.
I’m sorry for the misunderstanding….
I ask for your forgiveness.”
Of course, the person I wanted to see wasn’t the duke….
I unwittingly glanced next to me and saw Abel.
I could tell he was feeling sorry for me because he seemed like he was about to cry.
His small hand grabbed mine under the table.
Oh my lord.
Maybe being mistreated like this wasn’t too bad after all.
Actually, as a lowly stan, I could endure anything and everything for Abel’s sake.
I was happy enough knowing that the countess wouldn’t abuse Abel while she focused on me.
I glanced at the countess.
She had an expression that said, ‘this bitch is putting on a show.’
I felt rather awkward.
Thinking from her perspective, I was pretty sure she didn’t find me welcome.
I was that despicable girlfriend trying to take her precious son away from her, determined and unwavering, despite all her efforts to cast me out.
The countess quickly softened her expression and said, “To think you were someone who knew your place, it seems I was far too harsh on you.
But in that case, even if you don’t become the duchess, I’m sure there are plenty of other ways for you to remain at his side.
Certainly, it will be less of a hassle to bring a lesser noble who at least has some manners to be a mistress rather than a woman of unknown lineage.”
Wow, she really crossed the line there.
Because I genuinely wasn’t interested in the position of the duchess, her remarks so far hadn’t hurt me at all.
But this time, I was a little stunned.
Hades seems to be sharing my sentiments as well.
His expression appeared blank.
I hadn’t seen him for long, but I could tell that what was on his face is overwhelming fury.
He walked around the table and came toward me quickly, now determined to escort me out of the dining room by force if necessary.
The countess noticed and quickly added, “What?
Am I to assume that’s not quite what you desired?”
“Agatha.”
Hades called his sister’s name with my arm in his grasp, biting each syllable as he delivered it.
Rage was apparent in his voice, but the countess did not look bothered by it at all.
“You came all this way to the North, Lady Heathcliff.
Surely you….”
“Agatha!” Hades burst out, and I quickly covered Abel’s ears.
I could handle her hurtful words, but I didn’t want Abel to hear them.
I knew I had to retreat for now.
I had to admit, though, it was foolish of me to assume I could win over a boss character on my first try.
“P-Please stop…!”
However, just as I was about to rush out of the dining room, I had to come to a sudden halt.
Clinging to my skirt, Abel swallowed his tears and continued.
“I-I’m begging you….
Please don’t say such mean things to Lady Heathcliff.
I-If you must… say them to me instead, Countess.
Because Lady Heathcliff…sh-she is not a bad person….”