Bianca's anger boiled over. No matter what, she could not accept all that Valerie had received, it felt like some miraculous blessing from God, and Bianca's envy and frustration made her cheeks flush with fury.
"You're arrogant and far too confident! If Lady Kosler finds out what you've been doing behind her back, do you think you can still act this high and mighty?" Bianca's voice cracked like splintering glass.
Valerie didn't flinch. She stood there, calm, too calm, something that only fueled Bianca's anger even more.
"I don't need to worry about that," Valerie replied quietly but firmly. "Because if Lady Kosler ever discovers the truth… it won't just be me who gets dragged down. The entire family will."
Silence fell instantly.
Jester stepped forward, trying to ease the tension before it exploded again. "Bianca, please… stop being so stubborn. This concerns the whole family, our safety, our name."
Bianca snapped her head toward him, her eyes blazing, cheeks flushed with fury and all the bitterness she had kept buried.
"You're no different, Brother! You should know this isn't that simple! All of this happened because of her," she jabbed a trembling finger at Valerie, "Because your precious sister became a whore who seduced the Duke!"
Valerie's expression didn't change, but the tightening of her jaw betrayed the sting of those words.
Sonia, their mother, grabbed Bianca's arm with a panicked whisper.
"Bianca, please… we have no power to fight any of this. Don't make things worse for us."
Bianca pulled her arm away, not out of hatred, but because her heart was breaking. She couldn't understand why everything had turned out like this. Why Valerie, Valerie who was naive, sheltered, and never once lifted a finger to earn her place, was suddenly the woman desired by the Duke.
Not her. Not Bianca, the one who had worked hard, the one who held herself together for the family's sake.
Valerie finally looked at Bianca, her gaze soft yet piercing, carrying a truth that could not be denied.
"Bianca… if you were in my position right now, I'm certain you'd do everything you could to make sure Lady Kosler never finds out."
The words hit Bianca like a blade straight to the heart. Because it was true. Because deep inside, she wanted to be in that position, wanted to be the woman the Duke desired. There was no pain more humiliating than watching someone you underestimated receive everything you ever wanted.
Valerie took one slow step closer. Her voice was low, not mocking, just honest in the most painful way.
"Just listen. You know very well Father won't hesitate to throw you away if he feels you're a liability."
The statement struck harder than a slap.
Then Valerie turned and walked away without looking back.
The room fell into a suffocating silence. Bianca's legs weakened until she sank onto a nearby chair, her fists trembling in her lap. Her chest tightened with anger, jealousy, frustration, and a crushing sense of injustice.
Jester exhaled heavily. "Bianca… You could live peacefully if you keep quiet. Like Valerie said, Father won't tolerate it if you cause trouble. He… he won't hesitate to cast you aside."
Bianca shut her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks, tears of humiliation, rage, and helplessness. She hated Valerie. She hated the situation. But most painfully of all… she hated herself, because deep down she knew every word Valerie spoke was the truth she could not escape.
Days passed quietly, heavy, tense, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something inevitable to happen.And finally, this morning, a messenger from the Duke's household arrived. The sound of hoofbeats, the creaking wheels, and the sharp knock of the envoy's staff felt like a final announcement that Valerie's time to leave had come.
In the front yard, the entire Austin family gathered.Count Austin, Sonia, Jester, even Bianca, who had been restless all morning, pacing back and forth as if waiting for a verdict she already feared.
They stood there, lined up, yet none of them showed any genuine warmth.Only stiff expressions, mixed with unease and something close to fear.
Valerie stood a few steps away from them, silent, composed, her eyes void of fear or regret.There was only a strange calmness surrounding her, as if she had already said goodbye to this place long before today arrived.
A black-and-silver carriage stopped in front of her, bearing the unmistakable crest of House Morvex.The door was opened by a knight who bowed deeply to her, something her own family never once did.
"Lady Valerie, everything is ready."
Just one sentence, but enough to make every heart in that yard tighten.
The Count swallowed hard.Sonia's fingers trembled as she clutched her dress.Jester released a long, heavy sigh as guilt swirled inside him.And Bianca, she stood frozen, her face twisted with emotions she couldn't hide: jealousy, anger, fear… and a bitter kind of regret.
Without saying anything, Valerie stepped into the carriage.
The moment the door closed behind her, the air seemed to stop moving.
Through the small window, Valerie could see the home she grew up in, slowly shrinking from sight.A house where she spent years working without gratitude, a place where she was blamed for everything, where she was treated not as family, but as a burden.
As the wheels of the carriage began to roll, the sound of gravel beneath it felt like the first notes of her liberation.
For the first time in her life, Valerie felt she could breathe.
Today, what the Austin family considered the day they sent their daughter to the Duke, was actually the day Valerie was freed. The day she finally walked out of the prison she never realized had already stolen her youth.
Inside the carriage, she closed her eyes, letting the gentle sway of the journey slowly erase the shadows of her past.
I will not return, she whispered inwardly.
Not as their servant.Not as their scapegoat.Not as a girl whose life was dictated by someone else.
Today, Valerie left as someone who was finally… free.
The journey felt strangely quiet, too quiet, until Valerie finally leaned closer to the small window separating her from the coachman and Noel who sat in the front. The wooden frame was cold against her fingers, the outside wind seeping through the narrow gaps.
"Noel… where are we going?" Valerie asked softly, her voice carrying a hint of unease.
Noel glanced back over his shoulder, only his eyes visible beneath the edge of his cloak.
"We're going to the Duke's location, my lady," he answered plainly.
Valerie blinked, confused."What do you mean? Isn't His Grace on the battlefield?"