Resetting Lady

Just as Isella was about to say more to Verdic, he spoke first, intentionally cutting off the conversation.

“This won’t do.”

Isella stared at her father, stunned by his reprimand, but Verdic pressed on more sternly.

“We’ll have to postpone your marriage to Zion Electra. As you said, you’re not ready for marriage.”

“Father, that’s not the issue right now.”

Ignoring Isella’s words, Verdic continued.

“Isella, you’re grounded indefinitely. Whether it’s for one year or two, you won’t leave until you come to your senses.”

“What? Years?”

“Yes. Return to the main house immediately and reflect on your mistakes.”

Isella felt her heart drop. Not for days, but for years? This was practically imprisonment. She was so shocked that she questioned him. The joy of their reunion had vanished in the blink of an eye.

“What did I do wrong?”

“Leaving the house was your mistake! If you hadn’t gone out on your own, none of this would have happened.”

“What?”

Verdic was treating the entire incident as a mere runaway episode. He turned to his wife.

“Selena, it would be best if you stayed with Isella for a while. I’ll need to visit His Highness Gueuze and apologize with a gift for the inconvenience.”

“That man is a lunatic!”

“Be quiet! You must have misunderstood. Where did you get such nonsense?”

Verdic almost smashed a vase nearby, but he restrained himself. His arm muscles tensed as he desperately gathered his remaining self-control.

“Isella, you… you misunderstood. His Highness would never do such a thing. Do you know how much money I’ve given him? He would never kidnap and kill my daughter, not even by accident. A room full of corpses? You must be mistaken… Selena, please.”

“Alright. Isella, let’s leave tomorrow.”

“Father!”

“I’m leaving now.”

Bang!

Verdic slammed the door as he left.

“…My God. Mother, what is Father thinking?”

Isella looked blankly at the closed door, utterly incredulous. She knew her father wasn’t a good person. She suspected that many people had died because of Verdic.

But she had always thought those matters were distant from her. She hadn’t considered them worth worrying about.

However, experiencing it firsthand was on an entirely different level from her vague suspicions.

Isella felt extremely uncomfortable with her father’s selfishness directed at her. Verdic wasn’t even trying to listen to her. The main reason she had run away wasn’t just because of Raymond. It was also her father’s oppressive attitude that suffocated her.

The brief semblance of family unity had quickly dissipated into reality.

“We’ve got no choice, Isella. It’s dangerous to be involved with the royal family. Never speak of this again.”

“…But, Carynne Hare… because of me.”

“There’s nothing that can be done. Forget about it. I’ll ensure her father receives ample compensation. Lord Hare will see his domain flourish like never before.”

They would repay her family with money. But her family would never know why they received such compensation. Isella doubted Verdic would actually make good on his promise. Her father was not one to make amends without taking credit. It would be a miracle if the Hare domain didn’t fall into ruin.

“Do you really think Father would do that?”

“If your father doesn’t, I will ensure it myself. This is a promise between women. But… we must distance ourselves from this matter now.”

“…Compensation? Mother, would you have accepted compensation from His Highness if I had died?”

“Drop the sarcasm, please. There’s a limit to what we can do. This is as far as we can go.”

But someone had been kidnapped. The Crown Prince of this country is a serial killer. How could you just cover this up?

Isella still felt her throat tightening up. And the bodies, the bodies, the endless bodies hanging on the wall. She was supposed to be one of them. Carynne might be hanging there now.

“Isella, you heard your father say he was going to see His Highness the Crown Prince Gueuze, didn’t you?”

Selena held her daughter and defended her husband.

“Your father is naturally upset that you almost died. But he can’t express his anger to His Highness. He’s royalty. We need to offer him gifts and ask for mercy. Should we report it? To whom? Save whom? We can’t do it, Isella. We just can’t.”

“I almost died…”

“We’re doing this exactly because you almost died.”

Isella felt the grip of her mother tighten on her.

“We can’t lose you. We have to acknowledge that, to royalty, we’re just a source of money. Isella, we are not in a position to help anyone else right now… We should be grateful just to have preserved your life. Accept your father’s limitations.”

Would Carynne die because of her? Isella regretted telling Carynne she would come back to save her. Who was she to save anyone? She couldn’t even take care of herself.

“Please, let’s just lay low…”

“Mother…”

“Please.”

Tears welled up in Selena’s eyes.

Isella found it difficult to speak further with her mother.

But the idea of forgetting Carynne also terrified her.

‘Carynne is pregnant.’

The thought weighed heavily on Isella.

It was only at night that Isella could be alone. By the next day, she would have to go down to the main house with Selena. Once she went down this time, she would be trapped at home for years. The thought sent shivers down her spine.

She had even avoided telling Carynne about her pregnancy, burdened by the truth. This incident involving royalty felt too overwhelming for her.

‘If I close my eyes, will it all just end?’

Her father would do everything to protect her from Crown Prince Gueuze. Isella didn’t doubt that going down to the main house with her mother would be the safest and happiest path for her. Her parents had always given her the best.

Even the terrifying dungeon now felt like a distant dream while lying in her plush room. If she went to the main house, she could forget everything and return to her usual life.

“I can’t survive anyway.”

Carynne had also said she wouldn’t survive. She was certain she wouldn’t get out alive. If Isella could just ignore a bit of guilt, she could ensure her own safety for life.

Crown Prince Gueuze was going to be the king of this country.

Realizing this again sent chills through Isella’s body. It wasn’t just her—her entire family was at risk. Her father, all the businesses and wealth built up by their ancestors could be ruined.

It made sense that Verdic was going to bow and beg to Crown Prince Gueuze. If you got kicked while walking, and it was royalty who did it, you were at fault for being in their way. You had inconvenienced them by making them lift their foot.

Crown Prince Gueuze could pass a single unfavorable law and their accumulated wealth would vanish instantly. Isella remembered Verdic clutching his head in agony, cursing after such events. After that, he became desperate to form connections with the nobility and royalty.

‘This is my limit.’

***

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