Meanwhile, at home, the family meeting went on endlessly. Although the Medecia and Sandel families hadn’t made any clear statements, because Solid had miscarried not long after returning from the Hilden estate, more and more people in the local newspapers and high society were blaming the Hilden family for it.
Count Hilden, who valued honor above all, naturally responded with anger.
“There are so many people who are out of their minds. Medecia and Sandel are this quiet, so why is it suddenly our fault? If it really were our fault, wouldn’t Medecia and Sandel be the first to speak out?”
“Maybe that’s why they’re being quiet. They can’t accuse us because it isn’t truly our fault, but they still want to ruin our reputation. Otherwise, why would they stay so silent after things have gone this far, without even one word of denial?”
The Countess fanned herself angrily. Felix sighed and spoke up.
“Anyway, I think we should call Mr. Hummel. We can’t let those newspapers that mentioned our name directly get away with it.”
“Father’s already taking care of that, Felix. More importantly, what do you think, Your Grace?”
At the Countess’s words, the Duke—who had remained silent until now—lifted his head.
He wore a polite smile, but it was obvious that he had been lost in other thoughts until just now. It was also clear that he wasn’t particularly interested in the current topic. However, despite this, the Duke still conducted himself perfectly.
“I agree with the Countess. I’ll do my best to ensure there is no injustice against you and the Count. You don’t need to worry.”
Since they had called the Duke hoping for that kind of reassurance from the start, the Count and Countess quickly forgave his earlier lack of focus with just that one statement. They thanked him briefly and smoothly returned to their original discussion.
But Sophia couldn’t let it go so easily. She was burning with shame.
If no one else knew, the Duke did.
He knew that Sophia had tried to strangle Solid.
That fact kept replaying in her mind. It was unbearable to just sit still, and her heart pounded with anxiety. She wanted to stand up and confess her crime immediately. But it was the Duke—sitting there with a distant expression—who had told her not to say anything yet.
“Your family won’t be able to accept that truth. Wait until everything becomes certain,” he had said.
Sophia had felt uneasy hearing those words but had gone along with them in the end. She didn’t want to be branded as someone who stirred up trouble within the family. But now, looking back, she realized it had been a selfish and cowardly decision.
“I’m going to the capital,” Sophia said at last, unable to bear it anymore. The thought of her parents suing the newspapers to protect their innocence—and Solid hearing about it—was unbearable.
Her family looked back at her in surprise. Sophia deliberately avoided looking in the Duke’s direction.
“What are you talking about?” asked the Countess, dumbfounded. Felix frowned.
“There you go again. I already told you, Sophia. I know you’re worried about your friend, but thoughtless actions like that will only cause trouble for everyone.”
“I’m not going to her house.”
“Then?”
“I plan to go to the estate in the capital.”
“By yourself?” Felix asked incredulously. Sophia also realized how flawed her plan was. As a noblewoman, she couldn’t travel or stay in the capital alone. She needed Felix or her parents to go with her. A noble lady was no different than a piece of luggage carried around by her family.
When she couldn’t answer, the Countess raised her voice.
“That’s practically suicide. Why are you trying to walk straight into danger?”
“Isn’t that what friends do? I’ll keep asking for forgiveness until Solid accepts me again.”
The room fell cold.
“Forgiveness?” the Count asked in a low voice.
“Are you saying we did something wrong to Solid? While she was here, we took the best care of her. Even when she left, we spared no effort, sending staff to make her journey comfortable. So what did we do wrong? That girl came when she wanted and left when she pleased.”
“I’m not saying the family did anything wrong. I did it all by myself,” Sophia said, glancing at the Duke.
The Duke stared at her with an unreadable expression, as if he were waiting to see how far she would go.
Sophia decided to break her promise to wait until everything was certain. Thinking it through, even if it was her fault that Solid miscarried, would the Duke actually tell her the truth?
The fact that he had said he would look into the reason for the miscarriage but hadn’t spoken a word in over a week made her think—it must be because it was her fault.
“What do you mean? What did you do to Solid?” the Count asked, his voice shaking, sensing something serious.
Sophia found it hard to speak. Slowly, she began to confess.
“There were a couple of times when I got up and moved around while asleep. The first time, I almost fell off the balcony. The second time, I had blocked the door with a chair. And the third time…”
“…”
“I strangled Solid.”
“What?” Her father’s face twisted with disgust. It was painful to see. But Sophia didn’t back down and repeated herself clearly.
“I strangled Solid’s neck…”
Smack.
“Dear!”
The Count slapped Sophia’s cheek. She felt the sting and, with her head turned to the side, sat blankly for a moment, trying to understand what had just happened.
Her emotions reacted faster than her thoughts. A wave of sorrow hit her, and tears streamed down. It was the first time in her life that she had been hit. When she turned her head, she saw her father’s face twisted in rage and disappointment.
Without saying a word, the Count glared at her and turned to leave. The Countess sighed and followed after him. Only Felix lingered, unsure what to do, and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving too.
Sophia buried her face in her hands and sank into the couch.
She didn’t understand why she had been slapped or why her father was so disappointed in her.
Was it because she had this strange illness, sleepwalking? Or was it because she had confessed everything to the Duke and taken the poison in the first place?
Ever since she woke up, Sophia felt like she had been constantly disappointing her family. None of it was within her control, but her family seemed tired of the bizarre things she kept saying. Their patience was wearing thin.
Because of her, the family’s honor would be tarnished. Her parents would have to endure humiliation they didn’t deserve.
But still… did that justify hitting her? Being disappointed in her?
Weren’t parents and family supposed to be the ones who stayed by her side no matter what? If they grew tired of her and didn’t want her around, then who would be there for her?
Sophia wept in sorrow.
“Hic…”
Only her stifled sobs filled the room. Then she suddenly realized—the Duke was still there. When she looked up, she saw him gazing at her with a blank expression.
She thought his expression meant, “See? I told you not to say anything.” Sophia wiped her tears and apologized.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Your Grace. But I just couldn’t take it anymore. The idea that our family is claiming innocence and that Solid might hear it… it made me feel horrible about myself.”
“Oh dear, Sophia, it’s not your fault.”
His voice sounded strangely artificial. Sophia looked up at him, her eyes wet, and asked,
“Really? Can you honestly say I had absolutely no effect on what happened?”
The Duke said nothing.
“I know… that women need to be especially careful physically and emotionally during pregnancy. I strangled her. Even if it didn’t harm her body, it must have hurt her deeply. I read that hundreds of women miscarry every year because of emotional shock—like losing a husband or suffering a family tragedy. Just thinking about how shocked Solid must have been by my strange behavior…”
“Is that what you were researching?” the Duke said, gently touching her reddened cheek with his thumb—as if that would erase the mark.
“You were looking up how many women miscarry each year and wondering if what you did could be one of those cases?”
Sophia didn’t answer. The Duke’s hand felt cold against her heated skin.
“Isn’t that a bit too self-destructive?”
