Hidden Faces And Desserts (3)

“How on earth did this happen, Berna? How did that son, who couldn’t do anything, become so arrogant?”

“But… Father. Greek City rightfully belongs to the Count of Greek. Now, please…”

“What did you say?”

Caught off guard by the defiance, Count of Dedran’s face turned red as he harshly slapped Berna, who barely managed to speak with her eyes downcast.

Smack-!

With a loud sound, Berna’s body collapsed to the ground.

“I’m sorry! But… But…”

Count Dedran glared at his daughter. Then he grabbed her by the hair.

“Isn’t all this because you couldn’t bear a son for Greek? So who are you blaming? What, stop now? Are you trampling on your Father’s wishes? You useless thing.”

Berna couldn’t even think of looking up at her Father’s face and just started trembling. The emotion dominating her body now was fear.

Although she was the second daughter of a count and a noble, Berna had never been treated as a human being since she was young.

No, Count Dedran treated all his daughters as mere tools.

To Berna, her Father was just a terrifying existence and someone she could never defy.

Marrying Berna off to the Count of Greek was just another way of using her as a tool.

Although he had lost his wife, marrying her off to the Count of Greek, who was 20 years older, was all part of his plan to make the Greek family his own.

The young wife of the Count.

Berna was not a concubine. She was remarried after the original wife had died.

Berna became a sacrificial lamb through a political marriage. Of course, her current name is Greek Berna.

“Father…”

The Count clicked his tongue and threw Berna’s hair to the floor. Then he stormed around the room.

“I don’t forgive useless humans, even if they’re my daughter. You don’t want to spend your life locked in that solitary cell, do you?”

When she was a child, Berna once wanted to learn music and was locked in a one-square-meter cell without windows for a month.

The loneliness, the darkness, and the fear. As the terror resurfaced, Berna’s face contorted mercilessly.

“Haa, the fact that you couldn’t bear a son for Greek already ruined my plans, but there’s only one reason I’m letting you be. I told you to turn that son into a puppet, yet you neglected it and left all the work to our people. And now you say it’s best to step back? Don’t make me laugh, Berna. This is the only thing left for you now.”

Count Dedran, still angry, pulled out a vial from his pocket. As his daughter, as a tool, proving her usefulness was all that mattered.

If she couldn’t even do this, he would discard her without mercy. She knew too much useless information.

So, Count Dedran decided to give Berna one last chance.

“Listen carefully, Berna. Make the boy drink this and make him lose his mind. If you can’t even do this, you’re worse than monster feed. Do you understand? It’s time to repay the favor of giving you life.”

Count Dedran truly believed that. She had to repay the favor of bringing her into the world.

In a world where many people starve to death, he thought he had the right to use her as a tool just because he kept her fed and alive.

Just as an emperor with many children can’t love them all, rather pushing them into deadly fights against each other.

No, the Count thought even less of his children than that.

He had been that way since birth. A man who pursued only his interests and desires without emotions.

“That cannot be. How can I do that to a normal child…! He’s finally starting to find his own way…!”

“But after already embezzling so much of Greek City’s taxes, what else can be done if not this?”

“Wasn’t that the work of the nobles of Greek who joined hands with you, Father… And that much…”

Berna couldn’t continue speaking.

Because Count Dedran stomped on his daughter’s head.

“Berna, Berna. That’s already something you did. Do you want to be stoned to death by the citizens of Greek? If that boy finds out about the taxes, your life is already over. Do you think he’ll spare you, who isn’t even his real mother? You’ll take the blame and die. So, make him take the drug. He won’t die. I can’t let him die. If he dies, I can’t control Greek City as I please.”

“……”

Berna just bit her lips. She bit so hard that blood oozed out.

“I’ll give you exactly one week. If you can’t take care of it in that time, you’re not my daughter, Berna.”

After making his threat, the Count shook himself off and left the room.

Berna wasn’t originally this timid. But growing up under Count Dedran, who considered everything but himself as tools, it was impossible for her to retain her original personality.

She spent her childhood always having to be wary under a Count who wasn’t like a father at all, and naturally, her personality became timid.

She had no memory of laughing while at her Father’s house. She lived without knowing how to laugh.

Her marriage to Greek City was part of Count Dedran’s plan from the start.

One day, a big dispute arose over the boundary between Greek City and Dedran City.

Caught up in this incident that spread to the capital, Count Greek had no choice but to accept Count Dedran’s demand, resulting in an unwanted remarriage.

Having loved his first wife, who had passed away and was the biological mother of Greek’s son, the Count of Greek had never thought of remarrying, but he took Berna into the Greek family at Count Dedran’s request.

Count Dedran had planned everything from the start.

Berna was just the sacrificial lamb.

She married at the age of 20. At that time, the Count of Greek was 40 years old, and Greek’s son was 4 years old.

A 20-year age difference.

Berna thought that although the place she stayed had changed, her fate of being trapped in a prison wouldn’t change.

She calmly accepted the fact that she had to live with a husband she had never seen before instead of her terrifying Father.

She sincerely hoped that her husband wouldn’t be as terrifying as her father.

But the Count of Greek didn’t demand a marital relationship from her. He would just spend his time idly in his room, and during meals, he would eat with her and Greek’s son.

This went on for a week.

Then, the Count of Greek said to Berna.

“Do you not know how to smile?”

At the unexpected question, Berna didn’t know how to respond.

“Pardon…?”

This short response was the most Berna could muster in retort.

“Do you love me?”

“……”

At the bewildering question from the Count of Greek, Berna couldn’t say anything. If she told the truth and returned to her Father’s house, he wouldn’t let her be. That was obvious to anyone.

But she couldn’t lie either.

“Why are you so tense? Of course, you wouldn’t love me. It’s been less than a week since we met, so where would love come from?”

“That’s… correct.”

“We are married. But I don’t intend to force you to do anything you don’t want. So, how about relaxing your face and living freely? We can’t undo what’s been done, but there’s no need to have a sense of duty to someone you don’t love. So, how about finding happiness, at least within the castle? Ah, that doesn’t mean I’ll abandon you now that we’re married. I’ll fulfill my duties as well. So, could you take good care of my son? As long as you do that, I don’t care what else you do. I wouldn’t dare hope for your love.”

The Count of Greek declared this to Berna with a smile.

Berna had to think for a long time about what he meant. But no matter how much she thought, it didn’t seem like he was telling her to return to her Father’s house.

Rather, the Count of Greek was trying hard to make Berna comfortable.

The Count of Greek thought that Berna’s lack of smiles was solely because she became a sacrificial lamb of a political marriage due to her Father’s greed.

So he felt sorry for her and treated her like a daughter.

Of course, Berna never knew how to smile in the first place. She grew up that way. Although there was a slight misunderstanding, peaceful days continued for Berna.

“Stepmother!”

Greek’s son didn’t know the existence of his biological mother. His biological mother died giving birth to him.

But up until his childhood, Greek’s son followed Berna very well.

Young and tender Berna. A woman with a pretty face but never smiled.

Nevertheless, Greek’s son accepted Berna, who became his new mother, with a pure heart.

The lack of memories of his biological mother made it easier to open his heart.

The Count of Greek and Greek’s son shared a similar gentleness.

“I picked this for you, Mother!”

One day, when Greek’s son made a flower crown for Berna from the garden, she felt emotions welling up for the first time in her life.

But it wasn’t a bad emotion. It was the feeling of being alive. She felt the reality of life.

The Count of Greek didn’t change over time. He was always kind.

So, Berna felt like the time she spent here was like a dream. Especially, having tea time in the study with the Count of Greek after breakfast became her greatest happiness.

The Count always smiled at Berna’s words, making the tea and desserts feel like honey.

Count Greek’s house. This place was entirely different from her strict, oppressive, and violent Father’s house.

“Um, I want to learn an instrument… Is that okay?”

Two years after the marriage.

It was only after two years that Berna made her first request to the Count.

It was the only hope she had since birth.

The fear she had when her Father dismissed and imprisoned her. She felt that learning an instrument was the way to escape that fear.

Berna’s proposal, after much consideration, was met with a simple nod from the Count of Greek. In fact, he encouraged it, saying that having a hobby was good.

By the time Greek’s son turned 8, Berna became proficient enough to hold a recital. The 8-year-old Greek boy clapped enthusiastically, and so did the Count of Greek.

Seeing such an insignificant scene, Berna smiled for the first time. She finally had a smile on her lips. And she cried right after.

Anyway, that incident became the turning point for Berna to learn how to be honest with her emotions.

And as she did, she began to admire her husband, the Count of Greek, more and more. But there was still no marital relationship. Although she could express her emotions, exclaim, cry, and laugh, she had no idea how to confess her love to her husband.

Having grown up not knowing love, she was only 24 years old at this time. Expressing emotions, exclaiming, and laughing were very different from confessing her feelings to someone she admired.

So, at some point, Berna became content with the current situation.

The time spent together.

Because the Count of Greek was busy with estate affairs, their time together was mainly during tea time, and that time was precious to Berna.

She truly loved the Count of Greek and Greek’s son as her husband and son.