KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 85

His words echoed in Odette's mind.

[Damian] "I kept the blue gem safely in Paula's jewelry box until the day I left. I clearly saw her tuck it away when she departed."

If Sasha held that gem now, along with a pawnshop appraisal, the situation was obvious. Paula had given the ring to Sasha.

She likely wanted to cut ties

A blue diamond commanded a price high enough to change a commoner's life, but it couldn't compare to the value of the House of Köndel.

The honor of a historic family, the wealth of a rich estate, and a status commoners envied. Paula, who loathed her own bloodline, would gladly trade a ring to abandon her mother forever.

[Gatekeeper] "M-Madam!"

The gatekeeper's panicked voice drifted through the air.

The Albrecht mansion suffered from a long-standing shortage of servants due to financial ruin. With the staff already stretched thin, several had fled after the Calamity a week ago. Security had naturally collapsed.

[Gatekeeper] "Paula is not in the mansion. I told you, she went missing!"

[Sasha] "Liar! Are you working with her? Do you think I’m a fool?"

A pathetic scene played out as the mansion's guard failed to stop a single woman. Sasha gripped her fluttering skirts and sprinted toward the garden.

Odette knew exactly what would happen next. She had no intention of getting caught in this petty storm, but she refused to miss the show.

Status Window. Move me, the Transcendents, and Malea to the top floor of the mansion.

She used her power without hesitation. The Transcendents had witnessed her strange abilities in the deep sea, but they asked no questions.

They recovered their memories of their past life. They must realize this power relates to Karl.

Since they didn't pry, she used the ability freely. Deep down, she realized she trusted them, though she tried to ignore that fact.

Leaving only the Count and Paula in the garden, Odette moved the group to the top floor and fixed her gaze on the grounds below. She wanted to see the upcoming drama, but she also wanted to avoid looking at the men standing beside her.

[Becker] "What... where did they go?"

Mrs. Becker stared at the spot where the group had vanished. She looked around in shock, but as Sasha's aggressive voice drew closer, she turned and fled deep into the mansion.

---

Sasha shook off the gatekeeper and reached the garden. Her eyes immediately landed on Paula, who lay on the ground.

Ha! Look at this. Missing?

Rumors of the Calamity at the mansion had reached her, including reports of Odette being sucked into the abyss.

News of the Purifier and the Transcendents vanishing had filled the newspapers, terrifying the Empire. The reports were detailed, yet none mentioned Paula's disappearance.

Besides, Sasha remembered Paula's face during their last meeting.

Those eyes. She looked at me as if I were a cockroach.

Paula had thrown the ring on the floor and walked away. Sasha had instinctively scrambled to pick up the diamond, but she could never forget the cold, mocking smile on her face. It was the look one gave to a stinking beggar.

I’d rather die than end up like you.

That look of pure contempt haunted her. In that moment, she realized Paula wanted to sever their bond.

Sasha assumed Paula had simply ordered the gatekeeper to lie to keep her away. Seeing Paula here proved her suspicions.

Sasha didn't lack love for Paula. The girl was a mistake from a young romance, an infant she left with Shylock to hide her past and marry. Back then, the child was a source of pity and regret.

However, Sasha had treated Paula as a maid longer than she had treated her as a daughter. Living apart for so many years meant that very little motherly bond existed.

To Sasha, Paula was a daughter, but also a subordinate. Paula was someone to receive favor, not love. She was a being who should never possess anything more valuable than what Sasha owned, someone who must look up to her forever.

Paula was the "right hand" who must never betray Sasha.

Because of this, her view of Paula was always a contradiction. When Paula was her maid, Sasha only saw her as a "daughter"—a poor soul deserving of pity and guilt.

But once she lost her title and Paula was no longer her servant, she only saw her as a "maid." Paula became the only "inferior" person left, someone who owed her absolute loyalty.

To Sasha, Paula was a servant first.

Who do you think took you in?

Logic told her that since she was no longer the Countess, the gatekeeper would naturally prioritize Paula. Yet, Sasha couldn't accept that Paula received "better" treatment in this mansion. She realized her pride and identity still lived within these walls, despite her claims of moving on.

Her boiling rage exploded the moment she saw Paula.

[Sasha] "Paulaaaa! How could you trick me?! There is a limit to being sly! You dared to give me a fake ring?"

The Count lay against a tree nearby, but Sasha ignored him. Honestly, she didn't even recognize him. With his deep wrinkles, age spots, and shrunken, hunched back, she mistook the man for an old groom who had fallen asleep.

Paula opened her eyes at the shriek.

[Paula] "Uh...... Mother?"

She looked dazed, as if waking from a nightmare as deep as the sea. But that scream woke more than just Paula.

[Ulrich] "Wh-what? Moth-er?"

The toothless Count projected his rage through hazy, unfocused eyes.

---

[Sasha] "It's a fake! A fake!"

Paula felt like she was losing her mind. She had been listening to Sasha's nonsense for twenty minutes.

[Sasha] "I suffer this insult because I am old and weak! Are you even human? How could you cheat me like this?"

Sasha explained that a pawnshop owner revealed the ring was a fake—a sapphire polished to look like a diamond. Sapphires were gems, but their value couldn't compare to a rare blue diamond.

[Sasha] "You mocked me with a fake? You let me crawl to pick it up like this...... You heartless beast!"

All Paula had done was keep the ring she received safe and sound until she gave it to Sasha. Therefore, it was Paula who should have felt the deepest sense of betrayal and the injustice at that moment.

Either the diamond she gave her was fake from the start, or Sasha had taken the real one and was now lying with a fake appraisal. Sasha had to be the one playing games.

It has to be the latter. The way she crawled for that ring wasn't an act. She must have hidden the real one and bribed the pawnshop owner.

The reason was clear. Paula was about to gain a higher status than her, and Sasha didn't want to let her go. Now, the woman was playing the victim.

[Paula] "Mother. Is that money not enough? Seeing you act like this, you clearly intended to live off me forever, didn't you?"

Her voice rose to match Sasha's anger. However, the man most likely to lose his mind in this garden was the Count.

Is that girl Sasha's daughter?

The truth hit him like a physical blow.

Sasha wasn't pure when they married. She had brought her secret child into his house as a maid, right under his nose. He had been deceived for over fifteen years.

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