Chapter 99 The Storm Rages On
That day, a storm brewed at the Grandchester estate.
Elizabeth, the young Marquis' wife, had ordered the maids to wake up the children early and dress them in plain, commoner-like clothes. She herself wore a simple dress.
Normally, the maids would spend about an hour styling Chloe's hair, but Elizabeth instructed them to simply tie it back in a ponytail. The maid, feeling a bit sorry for her, did it in a higher position, but Chloe's curly hair, which had been a bit painful lately, was now loose and frizzy.
Gathering the children in the entrance hall, Elizabeth declared.
"I will expel you all from the Grandchester family. And I, who have failed as a parent, will enter a convent."
"What are you saying, Mother?! I'm the eldest son! Father and Grandfather would never allow such a thing!"
"Be quiet, Adam. Not only did you steal a maid's 'personal belongings', but you also pushed your cousin Sara into the pond."
"That was an accident! We were just arguing, and she fell in by mistake."
"Even if that's true, why didn't you call for help from the adults?"
"I...I..."
Adam trailed off.
"Of course, Chloe and Christopher are also guilty."
"What?! No way!"
"Me too?!"
Elizabeth never raised her voice. In fact, she spoke so calmly and matter-of-factly that the children realized she was dead serious.
The commotion caught the attention of the Marquis and the young Marquis, who came down to the entrance hall.
"Elizabeth, what's going on?"
The Marquis asked, still nursing a headache from drinking too much the night before. He quickly sensed that she was furious, as the atmosphere was the same as when his late wife was angry.
"Your Excellency the Marquis Grandchester, I didn't know until yesterday that my children pushed their cousin into the pond and left her there. It's not fitting for a Grandchester to commit a serious crime and act like nothing's wrong. Please disown them."
"!?"
The Marquis looked at Elizabeth in surprise. Upon closer inspection, she was wearing a very plain dress and wasn't even wearing makeup.
"Of course, I'll take responsibility for raising such children and get a divorce, then enter a convent. I'll take Chloe with me, but as for Adam and Christopher, please send them to a knight's order outside of Grandchester as commoners to train as apprentices."
"Huh? Divorce? Disown them? Why are you deciding such things on your own!"
Edward rushed to Elizabeth in a panic.
"Father, please stop Mother!"
Adam asked Edward for help, and Chloe followed suit, speaking in a spoiled tone to her father.
"I don't want to be separated from Father. I absolutely don't want to leave Grandchester because of some commoner."
However, when Edward and Elizabeth heard this, they exchanged a glance and froze.
"It's clearly my fault for raising such an arrogant daughter. I didn't understand Sara's un-noble behavior and often made thoughtless comments. I was too harsh on an 8-year-old child."
"I might have done the same thing. Since I was raised as a commoner, I didn't know any better..."
Just then, Marquis Grandchester interrupted.
"It seems we need to calm down and talk this through. Let's change locations and discuss this. Children, come with us."
He started walking towards the family living room and ordered a nearby maid to bring some light snacks and tea.
Once everyone had gathered in the living room, the Marquis spoke up.
"Adam, do you admit to pushing Sara into the pond?"
"It was just an accident!"
"I'm not asking if it was intentional or not. I'm asking if you admit to it."
"...Yes, I do."
"And you ran away without calling for help?"
"Yes."
"Chloe and Christopher were there, too, weren't they?"
""Yes.""
Chloe and Christopher nervously stepped forward.
"But, but I didn't push her!"
"I didn't even touch Sara!"
"But didn't you two also fail to call for help, just like Adam?"
""...""
The two of them fell silent.
"But, grandfather, Sara is safe now, so maybe we don't need to make such a big deal out of it?"
The moment Adam said this, Elizabeth stood up from her seat and slapped her eldest son's cheek hard.
"You fool! Don't you think it's shameful as a noble, no, as a human being? You almost killed your cousin! How can I apologize to my late mother-in-law for raising such children?"
Elizabeth burst into tears, sobbing loudly. Edward could only gently pat her back.
"I also bear responsibility for raising them. Father, please disown me as well. I'll leave the house with Liz and live as a commoner."
The Marquis was taken aback by this dramatic scene. To be honest, he hadn't expected Elizabeth to be so distraught, and had thought that the incident would blow over as "just a matter of a commoner girl".
'Hmm...I guess I underestimated the situation. If I think about it, it's unlikely that Nora would choose a mere noblewoman as the next Marquis's wife.'
The Marquis was still a Nora supremacist.
"Elizabeth, calm down."
"Ugh, y-yes..."
Elizabeth struggled to hold back her sobs and followed her father-in-law's instructions.
"Adam, the fact that Sara is safe is just a coincidence. As Elizabeth said, you almost killed Sara."
"Yes...I'm deeply sorry."
"Do you mind if I ask why? Why didn't you tell anyone about it?"
"I was scared... that people would find out I bullied Sara and pushed her into the pond... I knew it was a bad thing to do. But I couldn't say anything. I'm really sorry."
"You shouldn't be saying that to me."
"Yes."
Edward interrupted them.
"By the way, why did you bully Sara? Who was the one who started it?"
"It was... probably me. I just didn't like her."
Adam replied.
"Did Sara do something to annoy you?"
"No, nothing. Actually, even when we tried to talk to her, she just kept reading her books and wouldn't look at us... so I just..."
"Huh? Were you trying to get her attention or something? She's only 8 years old, you know?"
"But she's so cute, like a walking doll!"
The adults all face-palmed. Christopher was nodding in agreement.
"Elizabeth, it seems like we might have had some problems with our parenting. Our child's behavior is a bit too immature for their age."
"I'm sorry. We should have put more effort into their emotional education."
"But Chloe, you had a different reason, didn't you? Why did you bully Sara?"
"Because she's a commoner and thinks she's above her station. Mother always said that commoners are crude, didn't she?"
"That's... well, Mother was wrong. I said some heartless things in front of Chloe, but that doesn't mean it's okay to bully her."
"She is wearing my hand-me-downs and doesn't even thank me! When I said 'that was my dress', she just said 'oh' and nothing else! Isn't that rude?"
Marquis knew from Mike's words last night that Sara had trouble expressing her emotions back then. But he also knew it was hard for a child to understand that.
"So Chloe, you wanted Sara to be grateful to you?"
"As the older one and her 'older sister', Sara should respect me! If she can't do that because she's a commoner, then she should be taught to bow her head and acknowledge the difference in our social status. Otherwise, I won't be able to maintain my dignity as a noble!"
"Hmm, Elizabeth, it seems that your education on noble etiquette is lacking, isn't it?"
"I'm deeply sorry."
"But, Father, Mother... I didn't tell anyone that Sara fell into the pond, and I know that's really bad. That day, I was so scared that someone would find out, and my brother Chris was too. When I heard that Sara was found, I was relieved, but when I heard that she wasn't waking up, I got scared again. What if she died? But I was also scared that if Sara woke up, she would tell everyone what we did. I'm sorry...really sorry."
As Chloe started crying and apologizing, Christopher, who was sitting next to her, also started crying.
"And Christopher, you need to stop following your siblings' lead right now. Think for yourself and make your own decisions. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. You don't have to become the governor of Grandchester just because of your family. You can be a knight or a bureaucrat, whatever you want."
"Huh, Mother?"
"Elizabeth, make Christopher develop the habit of thinking for himself. It's better if he receives a separate education from his siblings."
"Yes."
At Edward word, Elizabeth suddenly spoke up with a question.
"But why didn't Sara tell father-in-law or us that she was pushed?"
"That's because we didn't earn Sara's trust. She's incredibly perceptive."
Elizabeth let out a deep sigh.
"Trust... of course. What a terrible thing we did to a child."
"Sara's not an ordinary child. Lady Rebecca, the governess, says she's incredibly smart. It's 50-50 whether she'll forgive you, but if you apologize sincerely, she might understand why you did what you did."
Edward put his arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Liz, first let's apologize to Sara. After we clear up our responsibilities, we can discuss together whether our divorce and the disinheriting of the children are necessary. Well, if I'm going to separate from Liz, I'll also leave Grandchester and have Robert take over as the young Marquis."
And so, the storm at the Grandchester estate "for now" subsided.
After that, the Marquis, having made his preparations, set off towards the Grandchester territory. Edward was also planning to head to the Grandchester territory in a few days to prepare for the hunting tournament, but it seems that this time, the whole family will be moving together.
By the way, Mike had been secretly peeking at the scene of the family meeting, but no one noticed.
Adam's Lolicon suspicions surface
And what will become of Sara's fate, which is about to be swept up in the storm?!
Sara: Super annoying
Author: Yeah, I know
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