84.
“It’s been a while, Lady Pamina.”
“Indeed. I can’t remember how long it’s been.”
Pamina greeted the family members with her usual gentle expression. The relatives also spoke to Pamina and greeted her as if it were natural.
It hadn’t always been like this. When she was younger, before Grein was born, some people ignored Pamina’s greetings. It was because the head of the family’s favor wasn’t directed towards Pamina. Still, Pamina gritted her teeth and endured to reach this position. A place she desperately fought for, clearing away all obstacles. But what remained?
Left alone in front of the door after all the relatives had entered, Pamina laughed softly.
‘It’s okay.’
She had saved Grein, after all. Though he wasn’t a child born out of love, she loved him. She belatedly regretted the words of hatred she had whispered in Grein’s ear. But what could she do? This was who she was. Pamina hoped, albeit belatedly, that Grein would escape hell and find new happiness.
The family meeting took place in the room Ruhan usually used for audiences. Once all the relatives had taken their seats, Pamina and Azeth sat below the platform where Ruhan sat. And beside them were Ruhan’s children, lined up.
All except one.
Azeth looked around and asked Pamina, “I don’t see Grein?”
“He suddenly developed a fever and lost consciousness. So I couldn’t bring him.”
Azeth slowly blinked at Pamina’s words. Although on the surface, the two women seemed to get along, in the end, they both wanted to make their own child the head of the family. In reality, they were enemies. That’s why they were watching each other.
‘Why is she lying?’
The last time Azeth had seen Grein, he was on the road to recovery. But now he suddenly had a fever again? She had stopped all her machinations the moment she learned that Grein would have a permanent disability. So it was strange that Grein was sick again.
‘Could he have done it himself?’
Grein had lived to become the head of the family until now, so if he learned about his disability, he might have despaired.
‘But it’s still strange.’
She hadn’t heard anything from the person she had assigned to Pamina two days ago. Azeth looked straight ahead, organizing her thoughts. And at that moment, Ruhan entered. He gestured for the relatives who were about to stand up to sit down again and took the highest seat.
“I’ve called you here today because I have important news to share.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the relatives began to stir.
“Is it about the successor?”
“There’s no other reason to gather people like this. Wasn’t the last family meeting when they announced Grein would be the successor?”
“I heard Grein was seriously injured this time.”
The person who quelled the growing commotion was the butler standing next to Ruhan.
“Please be quiet.”
As the noisy chatter disappeared and the room fell silent, Ruhan continued.
“Before discussing the important matter, we’ll first punish the criminal.”
Criminal? Azeth’s gaze turned to Ahmed sitting next to her. Ahmed quickly shook his head, his face pale. It meant he hadn’t caused any more trouble while under probation. Well, it was unlikely with Azeth monitoring him so thoroughly.
‘He’s a clever child, after all.’
Then who? As she was wondering, Ruhan called out a name.
“Pamina.”
Pamina stood up and calmly responded, “Yes.”
“I will punish you on suspicion of attempted assassination of the family head and treason. If you have any excuses, make them now.”
This time, even the butler couldn’t stop the relatives’ agitation.
“Lady Pamina?”
“She tried to assassinate the family head?”
Some relatives cried out urgently.
“Lady Pamina couldn’t have done that!”
These were the ones from the faction supporting Pamina and Grein.
“Isn’t that right, Lady Pamina? This is all a false accusation, isn’t it?”
Pamina laughed out loud at the desperation in their voices. It was a strange laugh that seemed joyful yet tinged with sadness.
“It’s not a false accusation. The family head is correct. I tried to poison him.”
As Pamina finished speaking, Azeth’s eyes widened.
‘Is she crazy?’
Unless she was insane, there was no way she would say such things herself. Knowing what kind of person Ruhan was.
He wasn’t the type to let someone who tried to harm the family live. Having lived as Ruhan’s wife for a long time, she was even more certain of this. While someone shouted that Pamina must be crazy, she spoke again.
“Please punish me.”
Ruhan didn’t refuse Pamina’s request.
“As punishment for your crime, Pamina will be confined to the tower on the outskirts. The confinement period is 20 years. Reflect on your sins there.”
“Thank you for your leniency.”
Pamina gracefully bowed her head and left with the knight who approached her. Considering that the assassination attempt on the family head had failed, and her long service to the Lucid family, she wasn’t sentenced to death.
No, originally, people from noble families didn’t receive severe punishments for ordinary crimes. Even if they committed murder, in the worst case, they would only be banished to a monastery or countryside, or confined to a tower.
Because they were nobles.
The same applied to Lucid. Of course, whether Ruhan was really satisfied with such a punishment was a secondary issue. Usually, nobles who were sent to monasteries or the countryside often met with accidents and died on the way. They would be attacked by bandits or assaulted by vagrants. It was an unbelievable story no matter how you looked at it. What mad bandit would attack a group that included knights?
They were simply being murdered on a poorly set stage.
‘But that has nothing to do with me.’
Azeth had never become attached to Pamina in the first place. If she wasn’t killed by someone else, Azeth was willing to take action herself. But for now, there was something more important. She straightened her posture, clasping her hands tightly on her lap. If a mother committed a crime, the punishment would naturally extend to her children.
“Grein is stripped of his position as successor.”
With this, the position of Lucid’s successor officially became vacant.
“For this reason, I will announce a new successor.”
Amidst people with despairing expressions, Azeth’s faction couldn’t hide their joy. Although it would be short-lived happiness.
“The new successor is Yu Jin. From now on, he will be Lucid’s successor. This concludes today’s convened meeting.”
It was hardly a meeting, just the family head saying whatever he wanted. But there was a sense that Ruhan wouldn’t accept any objections. That’s why no one expressed their dissatisfaction in front of Ruhan right away. But long after he left, the place where the relatives gathered became noisy.
“This is absurd! How can this make sense?”
“Lady Pamina attempted poisoning? She’s not that kind of person!”
Azeth’s faction was a bit calmer, but the situation wasn’t much different.
“The next successor is Yu Jin? That idiot?”
“Hey, watch your words. You should be careful what you say, no matter what.”
“Do I look like I care about being careful right now? He’s a good-for-nothing!”
Meanwhile, the neutral ones calmly left the place. Among them was Leion, who had risen to the position of elder as a relative of Lucid.
“What do you think, Lord Leion?”
Leion calmly answered someone’s question.
“It’s the family head’s will. We must follow it.”
“That may be so. But the subject is that good-for-nothing, isn’t it?”
“I heard he’s changed a lot recently. Didn’t he establish that famous department store?”
“That’s Tulin’s achievement. We shouldn’t overestimate something accomplished by gaining someone’s favor just once.”
“Do you think it’s that easy to gain Tulin’s favor?”
Even among those following Leion, opinions were divided.
“Everyone, be quiet. Let’s continue this conversation elsewhere.”
Leion soothed them as he moved his feet.
“For now, I should meet Yu Jin. I’ll see and judge for myself.”
When was the last time he had seen him? He seemed to have been about waist-high to Leion. After that, he hadn’t seen his face because he was busy.
‘No, that might be an excuse.’
At that time, it was when Pamina and Azeth were running wild. The family head was immersed in sorrow and neglecting them, and Leion didn’t want to get involved. So he neglected it. There wasn’t much connection with that side anyway. But now that the situation had come to this, it seemed he needed to think differently.
He should send a letter to Yu Jin’s mansion soon.
Yu Jin’s expression showed surprise as he heard the news Keith had relayed.
“So it was true?”
It was a story that hadn’t spread outside, but Keith had managed to find out.
“What an incredible person. Trying to poison the family head.”
Haruna clicked her tongue and said.
“But I don’t feel any sympathy. She made others unhappy to get what she wanted.”
“That’s true.”
As Yu Jin sighed, Jinhyeon embraced him.
