Chapter 55: The Woman Called Livia

I asked Lady Albright about the so-called “Saint,” Lady Livia.
What kind of person was she, really, beyond what I knew.

“Lady Livia is a ‘bad person.’”

Lady Albright said it flatly, without hesitation.
To be honest, it was an unexpected assessment.
Not so much because of Lady Livia herself, but because the woman in front of me spoke of someone so decisively.

“A… bad person?”

“Perhaps it would be more accurate to say a wicked woman.”

“Um.
Did she do something to you at the Carlson estate?”

“No.
Nothing at all.
Or rather, even if she had, it simply wouldn’t have worked on me.”

It wouldn’t have worked on her?

“A bad person isn’t bad simply because they harbor malice.
Even without malice, one can still be a bad person.
Lady Livia is that type of human being.
A bad person without malice.
The most troublesome kind there is.”

“That’s… a very harsh evaluation.
I’m honestly surprised.”

“You seem kind-natured, Lady Electra.
That’s exactly why you shouldn’t deal with people like her.”

“…Whether I’m kind or not aside.
A bad person without malice—what does that mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.
What she does is vile, through and through.
It seems to have become part of the past for you since you’ve already begun a new romance, but the act of ‘laying hands on a married man’ is disgusting, you know.
I have a husband myself, so I understand that well.”

“Yes… I do understand.”

In my case, the strange element of prophetic dreams intervened, and I failed to face the issue head-on.
But by ordinary standards, their actions were despicable enough to leave lasting scars.

“While living at the Carlson estate, I heard Lady Livia’s words and behavior many times.
What she did was what people call mounting behavior.
Toward the ‘divorced wife,’ she constantly flaunted from every angle how much more loved she was by him.
Well, as you know, I had no feelings whatsoever for Viscount Carlson, so even when she talked about being loved by him, all I could think was, ‘I see, good for you.’”

Wow.
So she really said things like that.
It was vague, but it matched the version of her I remembered from the dream.
It seemed reality wasn’t all that different after all.

“I’m… sorry about that.
That you had to hear such things in my place.”

“I don’t think you need to apologize, Lady Electra.”

Well, that’s true, but still.

“Now, the question is whether Lady Livia said those things with malice.
Apparently, she did not.”

“She didn’t?”

“Yes.
She spoke words that sounded nothing but malicious, completely seriously and sincerely.
This is advice from me—perhaps a post hoc evaluation.
I believe you were absolutely right to leave without speaking to them.
Especially when the two of them were together, it would have been wiser not to engage at all.”

I was even more surprised.
To be told that not talking to them at all was the correct choice.

“Lady Livia has no malice.
Which means there is room to ‘defend’ her actions.
I find that infuriating, but it’s true.
And unfortunately, there will always be people who defend that type.
Viscount Carlson is one of them.
To put it plainly, he’s easily swayed.
If she so much as put on a sad expression, he would rush to defend her and condemn everyone else.
…However.”

“Yes.”

“As I said, her behavior is beyond redemption.
Especially from your position, Lady Electra.
It’s enough to make one feel nauseated.
To have such behavior hurled at you repeatedly, excused with ‘she doesn’t mean it’ or ‘she has her circumstances.’
For the person involved, it’s extremely unbearable.
And unless you have the means to forcibly suppress her into silence, the wisest option is simply not to get involved.”

“I… see.”

All the more, I felt sorry for her, having borne that in my place.
Though her ties to the Duke of Pharmason made it hard to call her an ally.
Her presence had, in effect, acted as a shield for me.
Of course, she benefited from it as well, so I didn’t need to feel deeply indebted.

“There is no cure for women like her.
In fact, having malice would be better.
At least then, she could judge when pressing forward would get her hurt and pull back.
But she’s ‘naturally’ that way.
If you show her kindness, she will interpret it as affection toward herself and cling endlessly.
That’s nothing but a nuisance.
She’s someone who can’t survive without feeding on the kindness of others.
…That said.”

“Y-yes.”

“She’s likely seeking love.

Love?”

I tilted my head.
Wouldn’t Harried give her love?

“By love, I mean unconditional love.
Parental love.
She must have lacked it.
That’s why she seeks out kind people.
She’s looking for someone to depend on.
If someone is willing, raising her properly might be an option, but…
That responsibility does not lie with you, Lady Electra.
Nor with me.”

I fell silent and listened carefully.

“For a complete stranger to demand ‘parental love’ from you.
And to do so after stealing your husband, no less.
As a human being, I can understand the ‘logic’ behind such feelings.
But whether we must accept them is a different matter entirely.
Living wisely means not stepping in unnecessarily.
You don’t need to be her savior.
Frankly, I don’t believe Viscount Carlson is capable of that role either.
Lady Electra, being able to firmly shake off the hands of the weak in order to protect yourself is also an important judgment.”

“…Yes.”

I thought Lady Albright was a strong woman.
There may be room to sympathize with Lady Livia.
She could be pitied.
Living together for half a year would be enough to see that much.

…but.

There was no obligation, for her or for me, to accept that burden.
If I had remained trapped in that house, like in a dream or as they intended, what would have happened?
Perhaps I would have been unable to abandon her.

Out of lingering affection.
Thinking of her as a ‘daughter.’

That was why Lady Albright said leaving that house had been the right choice.

If I had lived with Lady Livia, perhaps my own happiness would have been devoured by her.
That was what I felt after hearing her story.
She was someone who couldn’t live any other way.

“Thank you, Lady Albright.
I’m glad I could hear your account, your evaluation.
I’ll keep it in mind going forward.”

“I’m glad to hear that.
I also feel relieved having spoken of it.
It was something I wanted you to know.”

“That…”

All I could do was smile wryly.
I had been helped immensely by the half year of effort she endured.

“I’ll speak well of you to my brother, Beltmas, regarding the Albright Trading Company.”

“Yes, please do.
Lady Electra, thank you for listening.”

“No, thank you.”

And with that, I saw Lady Albright off.
It truly had been a very meaningful conversation.