Chapter 23: 23
By the day after Frederica came to visit, Dorothy was able to return to her own room, but because of the rumors, she ultimately stayed holed up there for about ten days.
The people working in the Imperial Palace who knew Dorothy well had never believed the rumors about her in the first place, and now they were saying it served Cyrus right and criticizing him.
Cyrus’s friends, who had caused such a commotion that even the Emperor came out, received a formal letter of protest from the Feremeren Marquisate, which enraged their families, and they were reportedly forced to quit their palace posts and placed under confinement in their own territories.
It was said they would never return to the imperial capital for the rest of their lives.
Through this incident, Cyrus lost both his wife and all of his friends.
His sister, who was barred from entering the palace, also found herself in an awkward position as a noblewoman.
Although Cyrus himself was the subject of many rumors, he was apparently living a regular life, quietly carrying out his work and returning home each day.
Frederica and Letty had told her all of this.
And so, when Dorothy finally returned to work after a long absence, she once again ran into Noah in the corridor near the library, just as always.
“Noah-sama, thank you very much for helping me.”
“I’m glad you’re safe, Dorothy-dono.”
“The swelling on your cheek seems to have gone down too.”
“Yes.”
“It didn’t leave any marks, and I’m sorry for worrying you.”
As usual, in this corridor where people rarely passed, it was just Noah and Dorothy alone.
“Have you heard about Count Miller?”
“Yes.”
“To be honest, because of the strange rumors, I didn’t even want to leave my room.”
“I seriously considered submitting my resignation.”
Since even Eugene had stepped in, Dorothy was now clearly seen as the victim, but despite that, all sorts of rumors were still flying around.
“That would trouble both His Majesty and Her Majesty.”
“They both trust you.”
“I’m grateful for that, but I’m not good with standing out, so having my name come up in rumors is a bit…”
Until now, people had gossiped about her as “Count Miller’s wife,” so her name itself hadn’t spread.
Now, however, the name “Dorothy” had become widely known.
If she happened to overhear her own name in the chatter of talkative people while passing by, she would surely be startled.
“…What about your family?”
“…Yes, I heard about that too.”
Unfortunately, the family members sold by her father had already been offered as sacrifices.
Those people believed that the higher a person’s noble rank, the more suitable they were as offerings.
Members of a count’s household obtained so unexpectedly had probably been sacrificed immediately.
She had not a single good memory of her family, yet honestly, Dorothy’s feelings were complicated.
“…I don’t even know myself how I should feel.”
“Should I be sad, or should I feel relieved…”
“They were a family who oppressed me constantly.”
“There were times I resented them.”
“But… I…”
Unable to put it into words, Dorothy wore a troubled expression.
“You don’t have to force it into words.”
“I don’t think you even need to give those feelings a name.”
“Sometimes you resent them, sometimes you forgive them.”
“It’s only natural for your feelings to waver.”
“There will be times when remembering painful things makes you feel hatred.”
“And there will also be times when you don’t want to keep clinging to people who are already gone.”
“Like this time, there are even unrelated people who will spread rumors for their own amusement.”
“…You’re right.”
“I want to forget and not dwell on it forever, but I remember them at the smallest moments.”
“No matter how much I want to think they have nothing to do with the person I am now, my memories won’t let me forget.”
“It’s troubling.”
No matter how firmly she decided never to be involved again, the memories always resurfaced.
No matter how happy Dorothy became in the future, those memories would surely never disappear, nor could she forget them.
They were painful memories, and at the same time, memories that had shaped the person she was now.
“Memories like these will probably never disappear.”
“…That may be true.”
“I hope that from now on, happy memories that outweigh them, even a little, will be added to yours.”
“…And if possible, I would like to leave those happy memories together with you.”
“Noah-sama.”
To be honest, she was still afraid.
If she trusted someone and entrusted everything to them, she might be betrayed again.
She was afraid of becoming a family.
In Dorothy’s life until now, family had been the most frightening and detestable existence.
And yet, at the same time, Dorothy had longed for family.
A proper bond she had never known, only heard about in her friends’ stories.
A household where one could laugh together with parents, siblings, and a spouse.
That was something Dorothy had always wanted.
“You can take your time with your answer.”
“For now, shall we head to His Majesty?”
“Ah, yes.”
This matter had been personally handled by Eugene.
Because it involved Dorothy’s family, the count’s household, she had been summoned directly by him.
The fact that the appointed time wasn’t early in the morning, but rather a time that allowed her to talk a little with Noah first, was likely Eugene’s kindness.
So that Dorothy’s heart could calm down even a little.
Unlike the empty corridor near the library, the hallways leading to the Emperor’s office were full of people coming and going.
As she walked beside Noah, she could feel curious gazes directed at them.
However, unlike before, they didn’t feel unpleasant.
If anything, they felt more like looks of sympathy.
“Apparently, the people who blindly believed the rumors before are feeling a bit guilty now.”
Sensing Dorothy’s discomfort, Noah told her that.
“The stares are a bit…”
“I know saying not to worry won’t really help.”
“They won’t follow us into His Majesty’s office, so let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
Keeping a reasonable distance between them, the two hurried toward the Emperor’s office.