บท 36: A Day in the Life of the Desmond Family
Two years ago.
My family was in peril.
The family I had devoted my life to,
which received praise as being greater than the first generation head, was facing its downfall.
Because of my daughter's love.
-Lord, we have a serious problem! The young lady has!
-Did Olivia get into another fight? I hope she won.
-That's not it. The young lady used black magic!
-What!?
The fall was swift.
The bribes given to the royal family over time,
the philanthropy and donations we made public were all for naught as the world began to trample on us.
The articles that spread across the empire,
the citizens who boycotted us,
and the royal family trying to suppress us with the law.
My expectations of surpassing the Histania family, once called our rival, were brought to an end due to a mistake we never committed.
-Kwaaaang!!!
I lost count of how many desks I shattered in a boiling rage.
Whenever things seemed to quiet down, Olivia's misdeeds from the Academy would surface again, crushing any chances of recovery, and the malicious articles demolished our family's ventures before they could even start.
Even the 'Gold Merchant', with whom we had contracts since the previous generation, drew the line, indicating how much my family had been shaken.
I resented my daughter.
Although I had raised her with love, the more I saw everything I had built up vanish like bubbles, the more negative feelings I harbored against her grew.
In a vain hope that stripping away everything left might improve my mood, I even took away her jewels and money, but it did nothing to alleviate the suffocating feeling.
On the contrary, it only made me angrier and more frustrated.
That's why I decided not to see my daughter.
No matter how endearing and precious she was, I could not imagine the extent of the damage caused by just one mistake of hers.
I forgave everything and understood, but this time, I vowed not to forgive.
Even her brother, who adored his little sister terribly, cursed her with malicious words at that time.
We were preparing to part with Olivia.
-The lady will not be able to walk again.
-…Do not mention Olivia from now on. She's no longer a member of our family.
I did not visit even when I heard she could never walk again.
I did not help when I heard she was struggling without money.
I thought of Ricardo, who remained by her side to the end, and left Olivia with only the name of a noble, but I did not pity her, doomed to a life worse than that of a commoner.
That was the discipline I could give her.
The sly revenge of an incompetent father.
My son left for another country to work on starting a business, and the servants who had been with us for a long time could not withstand the public's criticism and resigned, leaving the mansion empty. I spent my time in the empty mansion, consumed with anger towards Olivia.
I regretted not stripping her of the Desmond name several times. It would have changed how we were seen by the world.
'I'm not too late,' I thought.
One night, when I was drinking alone after another business collapsed due to a malicious article,
I decided I had to make a decision.
It was better to draw a clear line than to leave things ambiguous.
It was for the family.
Despite the heartache, I thought I had to put an end to the decisions I had made when suddenly,
-[The quest has been completed.]
[You can now view the 53rd side story, 'Your Daughter That Can Never Return'.]
I changed my mind after seeing just one past event. The harrowing conclusion of the daughter a father couldn't see.
I gritted my teeth and decided to endure, and I remembered the words I had cried out for the first time in a long time.
"It's a relief. Thank you for being alive… It's fortunate."
***
Beneath the lavish dining table,
we were cautiously eyeing the grandly prepared food.
"…Hic…"
Unconcerned about subtlety, the young lady,
"Ahem…"
both Darbav, who was to be the head of the Desmond family,
"Ha ha…"
and I, the lady's butler, crossed our arms at the dining table, swallowing nervously under the watchful gaze of the sharp-eyed woman.
In the silence-laden atmosphere, the woman with crossed arms sighed and opened her mouth.
"Darling."
"…Olivia, your mother is calling."
"I didn't call for her. I called for you."
"Then it must be Ricardo she's calling."
"I have no desire to commit adultery, Lord."
Despite Darbav's plea for a lifeline, both the lady and I responded with cold indifference.
We had to survive.
The mistress of the Desmond household,
Darbav's wife, Desmond Rosanna, was eyeing us, who had turned up without notice.
Particularly, her husband.
"You look too fondly upon her."
"Yes, I think I might go insane with how adorable she is. Especially since you brought her here after saying you would never see her again…"
Rosanna spoke through clenched teeth.
"Out of adoration."
"Hic!"
Startled by Rosanna's angry voice, the lady hiccuped. Clutching her chest in search of water, the lady looked at me with trembling eyes.
"Ricardo…"
"Yes?"
"Are we screwed?"
Rosanna, who perked up her ears at our whispers, bellowed at Olivia.
"Olivia. I told you not to use such vulgar language."
"…But Mom uses it too."
"When have I ever?"
"That time at the social gathering hosted by the Mage Tower, you slapped a noblewoman for giving you dirty looks…"
"That's because she provoked me!"
…
The lady firmly closed her mouth.
The master of the family was Darbav.
The master of the household was Rosanna.
The order within the Desmond family was clear.
Even as a great Archmage, within his own home, Darbav absolutely listened to Rosanna, his wife. He had been captivated by her disposition when he proposed, thus Darbav had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
Desperate to soothe his burning throat, Darbav drank some water and spoke in an awkward voice.
"Le…let's all stop this and eat. You must be hungry after the long journey."
"Hungry? After what she has done?"
"Hic-hiccup."
The disheartened lady refused conversation by putting bread in her mouth.
"Olivia. I told you to eat bread with a fork. Eating with hands is not polite, as I've told you countless times!"
"Ricardo didn't say anything."
"Ricardo!"
"My apologies."
I, too, could say nothing to Mrs. Rosanna. No one could stop her when she was angry.
Rosanna had always been like a cuckoo, guarding the peace of the household. She would quell anger with anger when her son was upset, and if Darbav was distressed over business matters, she would support him through her inner strength.
I had also received a lot of help from Rosanna when I lived in the mansion in the capital.
She was so protective that she would even personally chastise knights if I was discriminated against for being a commoner.
Perhaps because she was an adventurer, she had somewhat extreme tendencies, but she was a kind-hearted person with humane qualities.
Signifying this, Rosanna's eyes were now fixed on Olivia's thin legs.
…
Without a word, Rosanna bit her lip as she watched Olivia's legs, her eyes becoming moist.
"Huff… So, what are you planning to do?"
Rosanna sniffled, turning her head to wipe away tears.
The mansion Darbav urged us to visit.
-If no one's going to eat, let's eat together.
-Father. Do you not hate me?
-Enough. Let's talk over dinner. Ricardo, if you haven't eaten, come join us. It's been a while since we had a meal together, don't you think?
-Of course, Lord.
Despite Darbav's triumphant entrance into the mansion, he was unable to raise his head at the final barricade and could not be our strength.
"It's just a meal. It should be fine, right, Rosanna?"
"Oh dear…"
Rosanna's deep sigh resonated across the quiet dining table.
"What will you do when Kyle comes? If he throws a fit like last time, will you take responsibility?"
"…"
"Last time, Olivia said she'd go talk to him. If he sees her in the mansion, what will he do? Ask her if she's been well?"
"I have… plans too."
"What plans? You brought her without even thinking."
As Rosanna's nagging continued, Darbav's shoulders slumped.
Rosanna, possessing beauty that defied her age, might seem lovely to Darbav's eyes, but nagging is a different story.
Watching the two, I ate my soup quietly.
"Oh… This is delicious."
"Is it? I made it myself, what do you think?"
Rosanna spoke with a glow.
"Tasty, right? I tried using the recipe you sent in your letter. The guests all said it was good, so I made it."
"From the letter?"
Darbav perked up his ears upon hearing the conversation.
"Ah…"
Rosanna smiled awkwardly, glancing back and forth between me and Darbav.
"We've been exchanging letters."
"Since when?"
"About two years now? Since you wouldn't tell me anything, I had to plant a spy."
The lady, who was dipping her bread with a fork, looked at me as if I was a traitor.
"Yikes! Ricardo!"
"I apologize. I had no choice."
"…Traitor!"
Rosanna smiled kindly. She praised Olivia, saying she had grown up and become human based on the letters she had received over the years.
I realized the reason she had been so affectionate with us was precisely because of those letters we had exchanged for two years.
I had even hinted in a letter that we would visit during Lord's birthday.
Darbav, who I thought would rage like a fiery tempest, looked at me with the same eyes as Olivia as a form of retaliation.
"Traitor."
"Father is right."
"Exactly like our daughter."
"Yeah."
The two were a well-matched father and daughter.
While the chatty Rosanna brought out a perfectly cooked steak from the kitchen, she began to share the most memorable event from the letters at the dining table.
"Darling. Did you know? Olivia tried to make money."
"Olivia did?"
"Yes. She tried gluing eyes on teddy bears…"
Olivia, her face turning red, shouted.
"Yikes!!! Don't talk about it! It's embarrassing!"
"Why~ I'm proud of my daughter. A wife's support should start from…"
"Yikes!!! Ricardo, scold her!"
"My apologies."
"He's my butler!"
"If you have complaints, why don't you become the mistress of the Desmond household yourself?"
"Yikes!!"
Rosanna chuckled sweetly, looking at us affectionately, and then put a warm piece of meat on my plate.
"Thank you."
I couldn't lift my head.
***
As the sun set in the afternoon,
Rosanna and Darbav were tilting their glasses in the office for the first time in a while.
The two, enjoying a gentle breeze as they drank, had an indescribable sense of nostalgia about them.
After Rosanna quietly set down a tray of appetizers on the table, Darbav asked her in a tender voice.
"How are the kids doing?"
"Olivia is sleeping. Ricardo said he'll sleep later."
"Hmm…"
Darbav nodded, sipping his bittersweet wine.
"I told Ricardo he could go back, but I insisted he stay until your birthday and sleep over. Was that right?"
Rosanna smiled sweetly, and Darbav also smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Well done."
A serene atmosphere.
A family gathered after a long time.
Darbav smiled, feeling a sense of fulfillment he hadn't experienced in a while.
Rosanna cautiously asked Darbav.
"Why did you bring her? You said you would never see her again."
"Just…"
Darbav spoke while looking at the brightly shining moon.
"I missed her."
Rosanna smiled at Darbav in response.
"Well done."
***
The next morning,
the mansion was bustling with the loud voices of two people.
"Kyaaaah! Air raid warning!!!!"
"Cough cough… Imperial emergency…!!"
"So noisy!"
It was the sound of a peaceful Desmond Family morning.
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