It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 88

On the day Giscal departed for war against the Kingdom of Jaren, everyone in the estate except Arne came out to see him off.

Lucy, unable to take her eyes off Giscal, trembled when their eyes briefly met. Giscal entrusted full authority over the estate to the butler Ortland and left for the battlefield. Lucy watched his retreating figure until the end, only turning back when urged by Louis.

“When will he return? I hope he stays safe…”

“Don’t worry. And right now, we should be worrying about ourselves. I’m already scared of what Lady Arne might do.”

As if Louis’s words were prophetic, they quickly became reality. Arne, who had slept in as usual regardless of Giscal’s departure, went straight to Ortland and demanded the family seal. When Ortland said he didn’t know its whereabouts, Arne summoned all the servants.

“If anyone here knows where the family seal is, bring it to me immediately!”

No one stepped forward. Arne glared down at the servants with icy contempt and curled her lip.

“Let’s see how long you can keep pretending.”

With a flick of her finger, the mercenaries she had personally hired began beating Ortland. It was a brutal assault without a shred of mercy.

Maids screamed, and a few brave servants tried to intervene, only to be beaten alongside the butler.

“Seems the butler wasn’t very popular. Still no one stepping up? Then the next one is the head maid.”

At Arne’s words, the head maid screamed and tried to flee. But the mercenaries grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground. She curled up and covered her head, but they laughed and kicked her in the stomach.

“Aaaagh!”

Her scream pierced the air as she clutched her abdomen in agony.

“If anyone knows anything, speak now. Otherwise, you’ll all end up like her.”

Arne pointed at the head maid with irritation. Just as a mercenary raised his foot to kick her again, she shouted with all her strength.

“Wait! Please wait! Maybe… maybe Lucy knows something!”

At the mention of Lucy’s name, all eyes turned to her. Louis instinctively pointed at Lucy with wide eyes.

“What would a maid like Lucy know?”

“Yes, yes, the Marquis summoned her to his study a few days before his departure. I didn’t go in with her, but what business would he have with a mere maid? Perhaps they discussed something secret…”

“Head maid!”

Louis cried out in frustration, but the head maid had already spilled everything. The mercenaries dragged the trembling Lucy to Arne. Arne lifted Lucy’s chin with a finger and asked:

“Do you have the family seal?”

Lucy tightly shut her eyes and shook her head.

“Then what did you talk about with Giscal in the study?”

This time, Lucy kept her lips sealed.

“You dare ignore me?”

Arne slapped Lucy across the face. Staggering from the blow, Lucy clutched her cheek.

“Speak now. If you don’t, I’ll throw you to the mercenaries.”

Lucy shook her head again.

“H-he didn’t say anything special. I really don’t know where the seal is.”

“Then tell me exactly what he said. Did something inappropriate happen?”

“No! The Marquis would never…”

Lucy shouted in denial. Arne scoffed.

“Your reaction makes me even more suspicious. Fine, let’s do this. You choose—give me the seal, or I’ll drag Giscal’s name through the mud. I’ll ruin his reputation in society with you by his side.”

Arne’s whisper was cruel. Lucy trembled but clenched her fingers and stared back.

“No matter what you do, I don’t know where the seal is. And you can’t tarnish the Marquis’s honor with someone like me. His honor isn’t a façade—it’s built from his life.”

“What did you say?”

Arne glared at Lucy threateningly. Even Louis, standing far away, sensed the danger, but Lucy didn’t back down.

“No one will believe you. Not even the people in this estate.”

“You—you dare defy me? You, a mere maid!”

Arne swung her hand at Lucy, who stumbled backward and fell down the stairs.

“Kyah!”

“Lucy!”

“No!”

Amid the chaos of screams, Louis rushed to Lucy. Blood stained the landing where she lay.

“Miss!”

Someone called out to Arne. Louis looked up at her with fury, but Arne was already turning away, listening to a stranger’s whisper.

Without even glancing back at Lucy, Arne left with her mercenaries.

As people called for a doctor and scrambled for towels, Louis stared at the empty space where Arne had stood.

Lucy remained unconscious for two months. During that time, much changed. Arne made a show of supporting an orphanage, only to shut it down later. For some reason, she stopped searching for the family seal.

So her resolve was that fickle…

Louis gently touched Lucy’s sleeping face and clenched her fist. While Lucy lay dying in her sleep, Arne was likely indulging in luxury somewhere. Though Lucy’s physical injuries were healed, her mind hadn’t returned. The doctor said all they could do was wait, and Louis despaired.

With the head maid gone from the Edelheit estate, Louis’s anger and sorrow had nowhere to go but toward Arne. She spent all her savings to secretly acquire poison.

Just seeing Arne live comfortably was unbearable. She had to pay the price.

It didn’t take long to decide to kill her and poison her teacup. Anyone could kill if they were willing to give up everything.

But unfortunately, Arne didn’t die. Ortland, sensing Louis’s strange behavior, had switched the teacups beforehand.

“Why did you do that? You were hurt too! Lucy is dying. That woman must pay!”

Louis shouted. Ortland burned the poison and replied:

“Louis, you need to leave the estate for a while.”

“You’re afraid I’ll try again? Yes, I will! Until she’s dead! I don’t understand why you protect her.”

“Lady Arne didn’t mean to go that far.”

“She pushed someone down the stairs and walked away!”

Ortland sighed.

“Anyway, I’ll take care of Lucy. Go see the Marquis. The war hasn’t started yet, so it’s safe.”

“How can I leave Lucy? I won’t go.”

“Your presence might harm her.”

Louis glared. Ortland calmly explained:

“What if Lucy wakes up and you’re in prison for murder? What would she do alone? You’re giving up on her by trying to kill Arne. If you give up, how can Lucy’s soul return?”

Even the doctor said that unconscious patients often wake up when their loved ones don’t give up. But those left alone rarely recover.

Louis inhaled sharply. Perhaps, by buying poison, she had already accepted Lucy’s death.

“Leave for a while and calm yourself. I don’t want to lose either of you. I’ve watched you both grow up. You’re like daughters to me.”

After a sleepless night, Louis accepted Ortlang’s proposal. He arranged escorts to safely take her to the battlefield.

Louis carried a letter from Ortland and headed to Giscal’s unit stationed in the Zaresden Mountains. Since the war hadn’t begun, she was able to meet Giscal quickly.

“I will take responsibility for Lucy, no matter what.”

Giscal read Ortland’s letter with a devastated expression. The edges of the letter crumpled in his grip.

He felt responsible. But that wasn’t enough. He was the one who had entrusted Lucy with the family seal, the root of the problem. Louis clenched her fists and shouted:

“Lucy is dying in her sleep. She was so happy that you trusted her and held the heavy seal close to her heart. And this is the price? If she never wakes up, I… I…”

Giscal didn’t ignore the cries of a mere maid. He listened silently.

“I’ll do everything I can to find a way to restore Lucy’s consciousness. And Arne—she will pay.”

Giscal wasn’t one to make empty promises. His solemn vow made Louis turn away and cry.

She stayed with Giscal’s unit for a few days. He had hoped the war would take time to begin, but the commander suddenly changed the plan.

The commander insisted that a surprise attack was the only way to defeat Jaren and overturned the strategy overnight.

Though the command staff was shocked, they obeyed the commander’s fierce orders. Giscal opposed it to the end, fearing confusion among the troops and doubting the plan’s success.

But the commander excluded Giscal and launched the attack.

The result was a devastating defeat. Except for Giscal’s remaining unit, the vanguard was nearly annihilated. Most soldiers died, and the command staff fled.

The commander returned alive but hanged himself at dawn. Giscal was left to take responsibility for the battlefield shrouded in the smoke of defeat.

With the sudden shift in the war, Louis missed her chance to leave. Escaping now would be even more dangerous. She remained in the war zone as Giscal’s guest and personal maid—a precarious position.

She had to return to Lucy quickly…

Louis bit her lip. Giscal tried to protect her as best he could, but no one’s safety could be guaranteed now.

Giscal watched the battlefield with a heavy heart.

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