Chapter 28
The atmosphere sank in an instant, and silence followed. The only sound that filled the room was the Earl’s ragged, wheezing breath.
“Repeat what you just said.”
“I… I only meant to say that I would never make such a mistake.”
Diana, as always, had ruined everything by failing to contain her anger.
For the past year, she had endured countless scolding’s from the Earl for this very reason. But the incident she had caused today was of an entirely different scale.
Even as she tried to explain herself calmly, the Earl had already been enraged.
“A two-faced liar. I’ve warned you time and again—he only pretends to need our help, but he wouldn’t hesitate to stab us in the back. And yet, you not only let yourself be swayed, but you actually serve him?”
“…….”
“You must not know what kind of man he is. Only ignorance could make you utter such foolish words. That recklessness of yours… it will bring ruin to this family!”
It was you who drove this family to ruin, Father.
Diana swallowed back the words rising to her throat. If not for the murderous fury on his flushed face, she might have dared to speak them aloud.
His bloodshot eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
And when she met his gaze, full of hostility, she regretted her misstep.
“I have been lenient because I love you, but I can no longer turn a blind eye.”
The Earl grabbed Diana’s wrist with a forceful grip. His touch was rough and devoid of any care, as if he meant to sear her skin with pain.
“There will be no banquet tonight.”
“A-Ah, Father!”
“Until you realize your mistake, you will not set foot outside.”
Muttering something unintelligible, the Earl dragged Diana away. His merciless grip was akin to that of a butcher leading livestock to slaughter.
A dreadful premonition seized her.
She knew—her punishment would be far from simple.
And as it had been mentioned before, Diana had an uncanny sense for these things.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Her small feet scraped desperately against the wooden floor.
She clung to anything she could reach, grabbing at passing furniture, but her struggles did little to hinder him.
Her palms and soles became slick with blood. Fear overtook her so completely that she hardly registered the pain.
“Please… no…”
Her pride crumbled, and at last, her tears spilled over.
The transparent droplets cascaded down her pale face, soaking everything in their path.
“I-I’m sorry… I was reckless… I let my arrogance blind me. I swear, I won’t act so presumptuously again. So please… please….”
“This is for your own good, my dear. Do not resent me.”
Had the Earl ever known the meaning of mercy in his life?
Upon reaching the wardrobe, he yanked it open with his free hand. The inside was empty, devoid of even a single garment.
Diana clutched at him desperately, unwilling to let go.
But she was no more than an object to be discarded.
Without hesitation, he flung her inside.
“There is nothing to fear. Simply clear your mind and reflect. When you return as the perfect Lilian, that will be enough.”
“N-No… please… I was wrong.”
The door creaked as it slowly swung shut.
The sliver of light in her vision shrank with each passing second.
Before Diana could fight back, darkness swallowed her whole.
“F-Father….”
The last thing she saw was his face, adorned with a gentle smile—the same tender expression he reserved for others, that of a loving father.
Footsteps echoed through the now silent room.
Holding her breath, Diana listened intently, and soon, she heard the sound of the outer door closing.
At last, the world was plunged into pitch-black darkness.
Unfamiliar with the gloom, she repeatedly blinked, as if that alone could change her bleak reality.
Her fists pounded against the wooden walls, but the pain in her knuckles did nothing to loosen the door. Powerless, she felt her strength slowly drain away.
Help me. Is anyone there? I’m trapped.
Father… Stephanie… Marie…
She called out the names of the household staff with all her might. No answer came.
Daisy… Madam… Hyde?
Your Highness… Ersivan… Evan…
Whether due to her growing delirium, she even found herself calling the names of those who lived in the ducal estate.
So this is how it ends.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips, though all that emerged was a rasping whisper.
She had never sought praise.
But still…
Still, she had thought they would at least acknowledge the past month she had endured.
That someone would ask if she was struggling, if she was alright—that someone would offer her a single word of warmth.
Even if it was a lie.
Even if it was the devil’s sweet whisper, meant only to shackle her further.
Had she pretended not to know the truth, she could have let it pass.
When she had gained her freedom by selling the Earl’s secrets, she might have felt a flicker of guilt toward him.
What had I been expecting?
She had believed there was no room left for disappointment. Convinced she had already seen the depths of the Earl’s depravity.
And yet, the sting of betrayal told her otherwise.
Perhaps it was because somewhere deep inside her, a piece of her younger self—the child she had once been—still remained, refusing to let go.
She had no idea where that foolish child was hiding.
What is it about blood?
What was so sacred about that noble lineage?
Why, after being abandoned for seventeen years and only later taken in, was she still so foolishly attached to the family that had discarded her?
The naïve girl of the past, so painfully pure, continued to make life unbearable for her present self.
For what purpose…
Tears spilled from her eyes once more. The already-drenched lashes struggled to produce more, leaving only a raw, stinging sensation behind.
When her strength failed her completely, Diana began to slam her head against the wall.
The sound of her skull hitting the wooden wardrobe echoed repeatedly.
Perhaps she would draw blood at this rate.
But she would rather endure physical pain than be swallowed whole by this torment of the soul.
“I will miss you.”
“The journey is long. Please, be safe.”
Her mind, once filled with cold, rigid thoughts, was now overrun by old memories.
Ersivan’s voice echoed through her mind.
Even if his words had been false, even if they were a fleeting lie, for a moment, they had felt real.
Why am I thinking of you at a time like this?
A scoff left her lips, laced with bitter disbelief. Her head, which had been ramming into the wall, suddenly stilled.
Why now, of all times?
Why, out of so many people, was it his face that came to mind?
A line from a book she had once read resurfaced in her thoughts:
“The person you think of in your hardest moments is the one you trust the most.”
Did that mean she truly trusted him?
Ridiculous.
How utterly absurd.
How devoid of people must she be, to think of a man who loathed her as the one she leaned on?
That quote had to be wrong.
And then—
A voice, high-pitched and frantic, pierced through the haze of her mind.
A child’s voice, pleading desperately for survival.
“P-please, I’m sorry! Spare me!”
“Tell me where the girl is—NOW!”
“I don’t know! I swear I don’t know…!”
“Wretched brat! If you’ve chosen to live in this world, at least learn not to be a nuisance!”
A vision flickered before her.
A tiny child—barely five years old—cowered in fear.
Before her stood a man with a familiar face, berating the child with cold fury.
“Did you ever reveal your identity?”
“N-no! Never, not once!”
“Damn it. Then how did they find the mountain?”
The girl, with her jet-black hair resembling polished obsidian, curled in on herself, trying to endure the pain.
She simply wished for the suffering to end.
As her mind drifted into delirium, the child felt her small body being lifted and carried away.
Moments later, the light that had been illuminating her face was snuffed out, and darkness consumed her.
Tiny hands pounded on a door.
The child’s voice rang out in desperation, growing weaker with every passing second.
When her strength waned, she threw her frail body against the walls, pounding with all she had left.
“I was wrong… I was wrong. My Lord… please let me out. It’s too dark in here… I’m scared…!”
A familiar title. A familiar face.
“My Lord?”
So the scene before Diana… was of a nameless child, pleading before Earl Mernard.
A choked breath escaped her lips.
She felt as if she were suffocating.
Her heart pounded so violently she thought it might burst right then and there.
“I… I was wrong!”
She was terrified.
More than anything, she was terrified that she might die like this.
Gripping at her chest, she gasped for air, unable to tell if the liquid trickling down her skirts was tears or saliva.
“P-please… let me out…!”
She pressed her lips against the rough wooden walls of the wardrobe, whispering her pleas.
The jagged texture scratched her skin, but she didn’t care.
She didn’t care what kind of punishment awaited her on the other side.
No matter how excruciating—no matter whether it was physical or mental—she could withstand anything.
If only she could escape this wretched, suffocating wardrobe.
“It’s… too… dark… in here…!”
Just like the nameless child from before, Diana clawed at the walls, thrashing in desperation.
Until, at last, the panic consumed her entirely.
She collapsed against the wardrobe, gasping raggedly for breath.
And then—
Everything faded to black.
