KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 12
- 14 hours ago
- 6 min read
⌈To my dear Lady,
The Young Master's trial has concluded. His execution was ultimately commuted. In the end, everything unfolded exactly according to your design.
Congratulations, My Lady!
The Master's vault appears entirely depleted. Between entertaining the jurors, covering exorbitant legal fees, and settling the alimony for the former Countess, he has bled his fortune dry.
He is even on the verge of dismissing the majority of the estate's lower-ranking staff. Isn't it absolutely satisfying?
Despite the budget teetering on absolute ruin, the Count still deludes himself into believing he can win over the Purifier—Charlotte.
He dispatches Rolf to the Grand Cathedral daily in a desperate bid to secure a meeting with her.
He forces the purchase of extravagant gifts that the estate's finances can't possibly sustain. He is an unparalleled fool, isn't he?
He seems convinced that adopting the newly emerged Purifier is the Albrecht family's sole salvation, but what use are mere gifts?
Who in their right mind would want to associate with the Albrecht family now?⌋
The letter continued with expressions of concern for Odette's well-being, inquiring if she was eating properly, and conveying how deeply she was missed.
A brief complaint followed, detailing how irksome it was that Malea had spent the entire two years constantly walking on eggshells around Lize.
As her eyes reached Lize's closing remarks, she folded the parchment in half. Her teal eyes sparkled with vibrant energy.
Finally... everything has sufficiently ripened.
[Odette] "The time to return has arrived."
With a soft smile, she tossed the parchment into the hearth. Beneath the tin kettle, the flames roared to life, eagerly consuming the letter.
Two years had passed since she faked her death and fled the capital.
Because she was officially classified as deceased, influencing the Albrecht estate required navigating a series of tedious, convoluted procedures.
Since direct action was impossible, her only option was to indirectly manipulate public opinion through the Brentano Press to continually harass the Count's family.
Focusing public attention on Ferdinand's immunity from execution and stoking the citizens' outrage—all of it was orchestrated by Odette in collusion with Karin.
The Count undoubtedly burned through an astronomical sum to save Ferdinand. Bribing noble jurors and securing top-tier lawyers demanded an immense fortune.
Regardless of the cost, he ultimately saved Ferdinand, so the Count likely considered himself fortunate for the time being.
He remained utterly oblivious to the fact that everything played out precisely to her design. He failed to realize that Ferdinand's survival heralded the absolute beginning of his own ruin.
[Odette] "Now, I suppose this tedious method of handling things is also at an end."
She would soon return to the capital.
She intended to personally orchestrate the absolute downfall of the Albrecht family with her own two hands, without relying on public opinion or Karin's influence.
It is a bit of a waste that the Albrecht family's wealth bled out to others, but I must endure this level of loss.
If Ferdinand had actually been executed, wouldn't he have become a target of misplaced sympathy upon her return?
Therefore, forcing the terrified Count to drain his assets entirely on expensive lawyers benefited her far more. Intimidating him into doing that had been her objective from the start.
Furthermore, she gained significantly more than she lost.
Ultimately, hadn't her goal in targeting Ferdinand been flawlessly achieved?
The Count, consumed by the desperate battle to save him, utterly failed to focus on his divorce proceedings with Sasha.
Consequently, he suffered an absolute defeat in court. He was thoroughly stripped of his wealth through alimony and asset division.
Thanks to that, Shylock (Shasa's father) extracted a colossal sum in alimony from the Count.
Overjoyed by the result, Shylock had reportedly rewarded Gustav Köndel—that is, Damian—with a rather substantial sum as a token of gratitude.
Odette divided that reward entirely between Damian and Goetz. After all, those two had endured significant hardship.
I squeezed them too thoroughly to justify not compensating them.
The rapid shifts in the situation placed a particularly heavy burden on Goetz.
The original arrangement to borrow the real "Gustav Köndel's" identity for four months had to be extended to two years. Extending it all at once would have invited fierce resistance, so they had to stretch it out incrementally.
Goetz also handled the task of processing the evidence of the Count's infidelity that Odette provided, making it appear as an anonymous tip. They couldn't risk her handwriting reaching the courtroom.
Goetz was also responsible for sending letters to the Count's former lovers, persuading them to testify on the witness stand.
Damian, too, had been forced to maintain an incredibly intense level of acting while dealing with Paula and the judiciary.
If you want to bind highly competent people to your side, showering them with money is absolutely the best method.
It was a considerable sum, but Odette felt zero regret. Just as a faint chuckle escaped her lips.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone rapping on the cabin's front door drifted up from the ground floor. It was obvious who was knocking.
It must be the person who lent me this place.
Wearing a soft smile, she descended the cabin stairs. Upon reaching the ground floor, she pulled open the heavy wooden door.
As expected, Karin stood in the doorway.
[Karin] "Welcome. Kar—"
[Karin] "Odette. Have you read the morning paper? Honestly, I absolutely can't stand this anymore! Charlotte, that appalling liar!"
However, the sight of Karin in such a state of intense agitation was entirely unexpected.
In stark contrast to the wildly agitated Karin, Odette remained perfectly composed.
[Odette] "No. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I only just woke up. I haven't had the time to look at the paper yet."
Karin hastily thrust the morning paper forward.
[Karin] "Here, here it is! Just read from this section."
The moment she accepted the newspaper, Karin immediately jabbed her index finger at the offending article.
Though her frantic behavior clashed entirely with her reputation as a pillar of high society, Odette showed zero surprise.
Karin had already displayed this side of herself to Odette on numerous occasions.
During the year she spent hiding in the cabin, the two had forged an incredibly close bond. They had long surpassed the need for formal etiquette.
⌈Charlotte states, "I will work diligently to honor the will of Odette, who sent me."⌋
She lowered her gaze, following Karin's pointing finger to read the article.
The report announced that Charlotte had been selected to officiate the upcoming memorial service for "Victory Day."
Victory Day stood as the grandest event hosted by the Temple. Aside from its brief one-day duration and comparatively solemn atmosphere, its scale rivaled even the Founding Festival.
Despite its long history, this is the first time a Purifier other than Rosaline has been entrusted with officiating the memorial service.
Considering the profound significance Victory Day held within the Empire, Charlotte had been granted an excessively glorious honor.
However, Karin's fury stemmed from more than just that fact.
How dare she bring up Odette again?
Charlotte. The pink-haired girl who appeared at the Grand Cathedral on the day of Odette's funeral mass.
The girl who claimed to have awakened as a Purifier on the exact day Odette threw herself off the cliff.
I already despised the fact that her awakening coincided perfectly with the day I plummeted from the cliff.
Wasn't that a remarkably unpleasant coincidence?
Because the dates aligned so perfectly, the intense public focus directed at the Grand Cathedral following Odette's death pivoted to Charlotte in a single instant.
Too easily. Too naturally.
Furthermore, Charlotte constantly peddles the story of Odette's death. She uses it solely to elevate herself.
[Charlotte] "It is utterly tragic that Lady Odette passed away. I, too, admired and loved the Lady deeply for a very long time."
[Charlotte] "However, I believe there is a profound meaning in my awakening as a Purifier at the exact moment of the Lady's death. Without a doubt, the late Lady Odette sent me."
That pink-haired girl publicly introduced herself within social circles as "the Purifier sent by the deceased Odette."
A girl from a remote mountain village who had never even properly met Odette.
Acting as if she understood Odette's heart better than anyone else.
Acting as if she could flawlessly fill the void Odette left behind.
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