My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 50

On her way back to her room, Yurisiel finally collapsed, unable to bear it any longer.

With her face buried in her knees, she struggled to catch her breath. When she finally lifted her head, her face was pale.

It felt like someone had reached into her and taken her soul away.

“I said I liked him…”

The image of herself saying those words kept spinning in her mind.

What had the Young Master’s reaction been?

His face, usually cold and expressionless, had shown a tiny crack. It was faint, but it was there.

He looked as if he had just heard something he shouldn’t have.

Then he suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard his body shook, as if the very idea that someone like her could confess was ridiculous.

She had kept her head down and didn’t see clearly, but she was sure of it. He had been laughing at her.

At the end of it, he told her she could leave, as if granting her some sort of mercy.

Even though she knew she should have begged him to listen, she stepped back and walked away, almost like she was running.

It was her pride. That fragile, useless pride that made her walk away when she should have stayed.

Why did she let shame stop her? She should have clung to him and said what she needed to say.

“I should have at least gotten a clear answer about Mother’s medicine before I left…”

Should she go back? Maybe then he would accept her.

But the last image of his laughter had drained her of every bit of courage.

After the storm passed, there was no peace. Only a deep, painful emptiness remained.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices coming from the far end of the hallway.

Judging by their appearance, they looked like workers from the stables.

Not wanting anyone to see her tear-stained face, Yurisiel quickly hid behind a column.

Their quiet conversation floated through the empty space.

“Is it true Hael isn’t coming back to the estate?”

“I heard he went to the capital.”

“Well, since the Young Master is heading there too, maybe he took Hael with him?”

“No, I heard he quit.”

“What? But he was a Blanchet scholar. With that kind of talent, staying at Blanchet would have been better.”

“Apparently it’s because of what Lady Catherine did.”

Their voices faded into the distance. Yurisiel couldn’t hear the rest, but one thing was clear.

Hael had left. Not just her, but even Blanchet.

Her heart started racing.

Of course, she had known this might happen eventually.

When Lady Catherine’s lies were exposed in the newspapers, Hael’s family must have gone through a terrible storm.

Now, she would probably never see him again.

Even if he did return to Alphonse someday, she wouldn’t be able to greet him with a smile like before.

Still, she never expected they would part without a single word.

But even if Hael hadn’t left quietly, she no longer had the right to face him.

Back in that prison-like place, when she had been handed a different lifeline, she had erased Hael from her mind.

If she hadn’t, she could never have kissed the Young Master or said she liked him and meant it.

So even if he hadn’t disappeared like this, she still wouldn’t have been able to face him the way she used to.

She would have had to send him away, no matter how painful it was.

And that would have hurt just as much.

In that sense, maybe it was a small mercy that Hael left without saying anything.

Even now, he was paying a heavy price.

Because of what Lady Catherine did, Hael had lost his new status and his future partner.

Yurisiel had lost her first love and her closest friend.

Lady Catherine had lost her reputation and became known only for her lies.

If she had known things would turn out this way, Yurisiel wouldn’t have started anything at all.

Regret filled her heart, and tears clouded her vision.

It took a long time before the tears stopped.

And then, just as her vision cleared, something else came into view.

A shadow in the distance.

It was the Young Master. The man who had once saved her from a living prison.

For the first time, she really saw his shadow clearly.

Now, just as he was about to leave.

Only now did it truly hit her. Everyone was leaving her.

She might be the only one left in Alphonse.

If even her mother disappeared…

The thought alone made Yurisiel shudder.

She remembered what Lady Catherine had once whispered behind her back.

That she was cursed. That even her father had left because of it.

That people like her would never escape their twisted fate.

As the sun set and a new day began to rise, the knights gathered under the lord’s command looked utterly exhausted, their faces hollow from lack of sleep.

Their tired yawns filled the space as they waited.

Then, with powerful footsteps, the knights of Blanchet entered first.

Their formation was flawless. Their tall, broad figures walked in perfect rhythm. Every step they took showed strength, discipline, and pride. They wore the famous Blanchet armor, said to be made from the scales of a dragon.

As expected from the knights of the prestigious Blanchet family, their arrival was striking from the very beginning.

Even the knights of Alphonse, who usually carried themselves with pride, stood frozen and silent, their mouths open as they watched the Blanchet knights’ approach.

“I thought only the Duchess of Blanchet was coming?”

“Exactly. That’s why it’s this intense.”

There were only a few dozen Blanchet knights entering through the main gate. It wasn’t a large number.

But their overwhelming presence made each of them feel like a hundred.

Compared to the glamorous Blanchet processions often featured in the newspapers, this one seemed rather modest.

Although it was said they were trying to hide the heir’s illness, the true reason was the Duchess’s desire to avoid any rumors about leaving her son in a place that didn’t suit the Blanchet name.

To the salaried knights of Alphonse, who usually grouped together to handle minor issues, the appearance of the elite Blanchet knights was enough to leave them completely shaken.

When the lord finally arrived after receiving Lennard’s report, he saw his stunned knights and clicked his tongue in frustration.

“What are you all sitting around for? Are you waiting until the Duchess leaves before doing your jobs?”

Only then did the knight captain come to his senses and signal the squire.

The squire opened the carriage door and prepared to escort the guest, but there was no movement from inside.

As they stood in confusion, a Blanchet knight walked up to the lord and said something quietly. The lord’s expression tightened.

It was just like a haughty noble to show up at someone else’s estate and immediately start making demands.

Now he could see where that young master had gotten his attitude from.

Still, the lord forced himself to swallow his irritation and relayed the Duchess’s instruction.

“She requires a footrest.”

The squire, hesitating, looked at the captain. Receiving a stern nod, he reluctantly lowered himself to the ground and lay flat.

A sharp heel stepped onto his back without hesitation.

He gritted his teeth to suppress a groan, and sweat gathered on his forehead.

The lord’s expression twisted as he watched the scene unfold. His displeasure wasn’t out of sympathy for the squire, but from the sheer insult of it.

To be treated this way in his own home felt like a clear sign of contempt.

Still, the emotion that grew stronger than anger inside him was fear.

That woman seemed just as unhinged as her son.

If the name of that girl, Yurisiel, were to come up during this visit, things would become very dangerous.

Fortunately, he had already ordered Yurisiel not to leave her room under any circumstances, so there was little chance she would cross paths with the Duchess today.

There would be no mention of her. He was certain.

The lord tried to calm his pounding heart and forced a smile onto his face.

Then, from the silent carriage, the Duchess of Blanchet, Elise de Blanchet, finally emerged.

A faint groan slipped out as her heel pressed onto the back of the squire beneath her.

But her face was completely expressionless.

It was as if the man under her feet wasn’t even a person, just a thing.

Once she stepped past the carriage shade and into the open, the shadows fell away, revealing her appearance.

Her hair was neatly braided and adorned with jewels. Though she appeared to be older, her face was well-maintained. Beneath that, her elegant dress followed the graceful line of her body.

Her upright posture and dignified steps made her look just like the Young Lord. She felt like a symbol of Blanchet itself.

Without sparing even a glance at the deeply bowing knights of Alphonse, the Duchess walked straight toward the lord with poise.

“You’ve arrived earlier than expected,” the lord said, trying to remain polite.

The Duchess didn’t answer. She simply scanned him with her eyes.

The silent pressure in that brief look made the lord flinch.

At that moment, his wife, Lady Ressler, approached with a warm smile and stepped in.

“I hope your journey wasn’t too uncomfortable. The roads here aren’t as smooth as those in the capital…”

“There’s no need to worry. The carriages of Blanchet are not so fragile,” the Duchess replied calmly.

Her voice was low and firm, but her words were absolute.

The lord and Lady Ressler were both left speechless.

Normally, someone would at least say something polite in return, like “Thank you for your concern” or “It was fine.”

But she offered nothing.

Even for a high-ranking noble, this level of disregard was shocking.

Lady Ressler, who had never once been treated like this in her life, couldn’t hide the scowl forming on her face.

To make matters worse, the sparkling jewels on the Duchess’s hairpins and tiara looked expensive even at a glance and only made Lady Ressler feel more humiliated.

The lord gave her a nudge to fix her expression, and only then did she manage to regain her composure.

“I see… That’s a relief.”

“Let us go inside. The Young Lord is waiting for you,” the lord said, guiding her forward.

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