Hidden Faces And Desserts (8)

“What do you think you are doing! You tools that are worse than insects! I can’t forgive the Duke, the Emperor, or any of you worthless wretches!”

Count Dedran still didn’t repent for his wrongdoings and shouted. But it was already too late; no one would save him. Instead, he was only pelted with more stones by the furious crowd, causing blood to flow from his body.

Naturally, none of his escorts cared to tend to him.

His Highness the Duke of Taemuran, one of the three dukes of the Empire, had recently been frail due to shock, but he still held one of the most powerful positions.

“This can’t be happening! This can’t be!”

As blood flowed from the Count’s head, flames erupted from the Lord’s castle, and everyone inside fled.

“Ahhhh!”

Screams echoed from all directions.

The burning top of the Lord’s castle. Maids and butlers escaping, along with people from Count Dedran’s household.

The strange thing was that only the top of Count Dedran’s castle was burning.

It was controlled by Ellison’s magic. To avoid innocent casualties, Ellison used a 9th-class spell to blow the castle up after everyone had evacuated.

Boom!

Due to an inexplicable phenomenon, the castle started to crack and collapse from all sides, as if being demolished by a controlled explosion.

The Lord’s castle collapsed and disappeared in an instant.

The symbol of tyranny that stood in Dedran City had now crumbled.

As they watched the scene, the people began to kneel, believing it was the will of heaven.

Much of the progress made up to this point was thanks to the sudden visit by Derient. There were many considerations about Count Dedran’s final fate.

Being punished according to the Empire’s law was the most fitting end. However, political power was needed for that.

But thanks to Derient’s information, Ellison was confident that things would be resolved without his intervention.

Of course, Derient’s visit brought other troubles, but they were unrelated to the current situation.

Anyway, Ellison, who had destroyed the Lord’s castle from Greek Mountain on the border of Dedran City and Greek City, spoke to Berna beside him.

“Did you see? Your prison is gone now, Countess Berna.”

Berna took in the scene and looked at Ellison with a face of disbelief.

“How… could this happen…?”

“It’s the will of heaven. It means to truly set you free, Countess Berna. So forget the past. What happened wasn’t done by a person but by a beast. Forget your father’s end. Now you can live freely.”

“But I… I don’t deserve that. I’m… a woman who couldn’t do anything.”

“Then are you saying you won’t take care of the Count?”

“That’s… not it! The Count was the light of my life. The only thing he ever asked of me was to be the lighthouse of Dylan. I don’t know about such a grand thing as a lighthouse, but I will dedicate my life to the Greek family!”

“You see? You are more deserving than anyone.”

Ellison smiled and turned around.

Berna stared blankly at Ellison.

To think that she was deserving.

Ellison’s words somehow sounded like a spell of liberation. Perhaps that’s why Berna began to shed tears unknowingly.

But those tears were not of sadness.

The Greek boy knew that Count Dedran had been taken to the capital to face justice. He wasn’t aware of the political machinations involved.

He simply believed Ellison’s word that, thanks to his connections, Count Dedran would surely face the executioner’s block.

The next day, Berna was invited to a banquet at the restaurant. The Greek boy was invited too.

Of course, they didn’t reveal their identities. They were just invited as regulars of the restaurant on the hill.

The Greek boy hadn’t been working as the Acting Lord for long, so his face wasn’t known. Berna had never been in the public eye, so her face wasn’t known either. The only known face in Greek City was Count Greek, but he was still bedridden.

“Mother, we have to use honorifics with everyone here. We haven’t revealed we’re nobility. Master said it’s valuable to observe and mingle with the people, to feel how they live.”

At first, she didn’t realize that the Greek boy had stopped using the term ‘step’ when addressing her. But now, every time she heard it, her heart ached.

“Is that so? Since it’s your master’s invitation, of course, I had to come… but I, your mother…”

Berna stammered, embarrassed by the unfamiliar term ‘mother’. But since the explosion of Dedran’s castle, the explosion of her prison of fear, she had vowed to gain confidence from that scene, so she continued.

“I… I’m not good at mingling with people…”

“It’s okay. All you need to do is eat the food. There’s no need to say anything.”

“Is that so? Then it’s fine, but…”

Berna looked around again.

“Hey, El! What’s on the menu today?”

“A dessert banquet.”

“What, dessert?”

Mr. Knoll’s face twisted.

“You called us all here to eat something like that?”

“Oh my, dear? What’s wrong with dessert? Where else would we get such a treat?”

“What? No way! A banquet should have meat! Meat! Hold on, I’ll go get some good cuts from the store. How can we just eat dessert?”

“Hahaha, looks like my dear wants to get hit a bit, what do you think, everyone?”

Berna watched the bickering couple. They seemed to be fighting, yet it was so natural. ‘Is this what a real couple is like?’ Berna thought.

For someone who rarely observed couples up close, Mr. Knoll and Mrs. Rayne were just fascinating and enviable to Berna.

“Hmm, Mrs. Rayne is right. I can’t agree with anything negative about dessert. It’s a revolution! El’s revolution. For an elf like me who can’t eat meat, it’s definitely a revolution!”

Another person nearby. A person?

Berna flinched again in surprise. Seeing the pointed ears, she understood it was an elf, something she had only read about in books, but experiencing so many new things at once made her brain feel like it couldn’t keep up.

“Dylan, is that person an elf?”

“Yes, mother. I’ve seen them a few times too…”

“Really?”

Berna thought they were truly beautiful. An elf, a naturally harmonious couple, and herself sitting close to her son.

It was a reality that felt like a dream.

So much so that she wondered if she could dream such a dream again.

“Here you go.”

Ellison presented strawberry tarts made from strawberries he fetched from afar to everyone. The true pinnacle of sweet and sour. And then he brought out strawberry shaved ice.

Seeing that, Berna’s eyes almost popped out.

Such beautifully colored desserts. Moreover, the strawberry shaved ice seemed to sparkle.

Mr. Knoll scooped a large portion of the shaved ice and put it in his mouth indifferently.

“Ahhhh!”

Then he felt a sharp pain in his brain and grabbed his head.

“What is this! Ah, it’s so cold…!”

“Oh, you shouldn’t eat it all at once. It’s cold. You need to eat it little by little with the strawberries like Ms. Elena over there.”

“Hey! You should’ve said that first!”

“Right?”

When Ellison laughed, Rayne and Elena followed. The Greek boy thought he shouldn’t end up like that and carefully scooped the strawberry shaved ice. It’s sweet. It’s sweet and sour. And it’s cold. So refreshing.

It felt like his heart was clearing out.

It was the same for Berna.

This is.

This kind of dessert.

And once again, tears started flowing unknowingly.

The woman who had decided to commit suicide.

No, the one who had actually chosen death.

Of course, her happiness had ended. Count Greek was still bedridden. But the time spent with another sun, Dylan, and this moment of feeling alive again.

Berna worried again if she deserved such a life, fearing that seeds of misfortune might come again from somewhere. She felt a hesitant anxiety.

“You do deserve it, and you deserve to be even happier. Don’t make such a face; I’ll pack some dessert for you to share with the Count.”

Berna flinched in surprise. This mysterious man always seemed to talk as if he could read her thoughts, as if he looked into her heart.

But each time he did that, her heart felt at ease. She thought it would be nice if it were really so and nodded.

Berna returned from the banquet and went straight to the bedroom where the Count lay. She held his hand and put a strawberry tart in his mouth.

Although in a daze, the survival instinct of an animal remained even though his brain was injured, so he chewed when food entered his mouth.

Watching that, Berna began to sob.

“You… do you know? Today was so enjoyable. Only me… no, Dylan was there too, so I wasn’t alone. Still, it would’ve been wonderful if you had been there too. But it’s fine. Dylan has an amazing person as his mentor. So your son… won’t go astray. Rest assured. I too… no matter what happens, I will take care of you and Dylan. From the day you first smiled at me, from the day I first smiled at you, I’ve always been a member of the Greek family.”

Berna said that as she wiped her tears. Then she began to comb the Count’s disheveled hair. Strand by strand, with great care.

Berna looked directly at Count Greek. With a face of great determination.

Because she had stood up and spoken directly to that terrifying father.

“May I… dare to speak to you? I wanted to say this when you could understand. But I’m glad I can say it now. If I had died that day, hanging from a noose, I wouldn’t have been able to take care of you like this. So…! And since someone told me I deserve it, I’ll muster up more courage. You must listen.”

Berna knelt and looked up at the Count, holding his hand. Her hand trembled slightly. But as warmth from the Count’s hand reached her, she opened her previously closed mouth and confessed.

“Your wife, Berna Greek, truly loves her husband, Riden Greek. I truly love you.”

Tears flowed down Berna’s cheeks again. Even so, she continued to say the words she hadn’t been able to for ten years. She repeatedly uttered the words “I love you”.