KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 87

[Ulrich] “Th-this... what in the world......”

The Count had craved power for a lifetime, and as age crept in, he craved youth. To him, aging equaled weakness. After Ferdinand nearly strangled him, his obsession with youth intensified. The humiliation of being tossed against a wall like a rag doll by his own son left deep scars.

The day the hierarchy between father and son flipped, his world shattered. He used to see himself as a majestic ruler and Ferdinand as merely a child under his protection. Since then, every glance in the mirror revealed only a shrinking, middle-aged man.

He saw a pathetic creature devoid of his youthful strength and spirit—a man who was already weak and destined to fade further.

When Ferdinand died, the Count actually felt relieved. The joy of escaping that sense of inferiority surpassed the grief of losing his son.

Because he understood that an aging man could be shamed even by his own flesh and blood, he couldn't accept the face of the helpless old man now staring back at him.

Why? Why did I suddenly... become so old?

He stared at his reflection in disbelief, clutching the back of his stiff neck and gasping for air.

How could I become so thin......

Sasha's mockery made sense. His eyes lacked spark. His breath came in shallow pants. Even while standing still, his legs shook. He looked like a ridiculous caricature of a man who could barely care for himself. He looked like a toothless tiger, the exact image of his own father six months before death.

[Sasha] “I suppose the gods aren't indifferent after all! You received a divine punishment!”

Her voice rang out with pure satisfaction.

[Sasha] “Yes. Paula is my daughter. I was pregnant before we married!”

She spoke as if she no longer feared her greatest secret being exposed to a man like him.

The Count still held his title. He could sue her again or destroy her reputation by branding her a legendary harlot.

And yet. And yet...!

[Sasha] “Well? What are you going to do? Try to sue me again?”

[Ulrich] “You—you—”

[Sasha] “Look at yourself. Will you even stay alive long enough to see a verdict?”

As his former wife, she knew exactly where to strike.

[Sasha] “Actually, could a man with your pride even show his face in public like that? You have many enemies, Ulrich. Do you really want them to see you in such a state?”

Every word pierced his heart. Sasha was right. He couldn't face the world looking this powerless.

The Count had spent his life committing sins, choosing to crush his victims completely to avoid their revenge. He used power, money, and reputation to silence their screams, dismissing them as "nonsense."

But even the most crushed victim leaves a trace. Even if ground into dust, the remains stick to the bottom of a shoe.

The ruined Brentano family. The competitors of Albrecht Pharmaceuticals had been destroyed. The families of the low-level servants who died suddenly at the mansion. The countless commoners the Count had killed......

Those remains had been waiting for "someday." A moment when even those with nothing left could strike back. The Count felt it in his gut—that "someday" had arrived.

If those fragments of the people he despised saw him now, they would swarm him like crows onto a corpse.

[Sasha] “Most importantly, Ulrich... can the current you even defeat me?”

Her sudden change in attitude proved his fears.

Huff. Huff.

The truth about Paula. The shock of aging thirty years in an instant. Sasha's mockery. The terror of his own weakness.

His aged body couldn't handle the stress. His face turned a deep red as he clutched his neck and collapsed.

Thud.

Sasha, who had been laughing, let out a soft gasp of genuine surprise.

[Sasha] “My goodness… He looks exactly like his father.”

As his consciousness faded, the Count remembered his father's death.

The previous Count had suffered from a stiff neck, a flushed face, and frequent nosebleeds after growing old.

He recalled his father's end, paralyzed by a brain hemorrhage and dying in agony.

---

[Sasha] “Ulrich, you bastard! How dare you insult me? I will see your miserable end with my own eyes. Die! Just disappear from this world!”

After her divorce, Sasha had spent every day in her small, cramped room cursing the Count. Honestly, she never expected her wish to come true. She assumed she would die first, barely surviving in a dreary neighborhood.

But look at this! It looks like that curse is finally coming true.

She once thought God was cruel and indifferent to her.

Sasha tried to muster a victor's smile as she looked at the fallen Count, but she couldn't.

[Paula] “Now you claim I’m your daughter? That's funny, Sasha.”

Paula's sarcastic voice interrupted her joy.

[Sasha] “Sa-Sasha...?”

Paula had called her by her name. It was a clear boundary, a sign that she wouldn't treat her as a mother or even a noblewoman.

[Paula] “Why reveal I’m your daughter to the Count now? Now that you have nothing left, do you suddenly want me to act like a daughter? Ugh. Even for someone without a shred of maternal love, this is just too ugly.”

Paula and Sasha focused entirely on clawing at each other, ignoring the man unconscious on the ground.

So, you're finally showing your hand. Your final goal was to abandon me.

Sasha was certain. Faking a disappearance and returning a fake ring were all part of a plan to cut ties completely.

If you wanted to end it, you should have just done it. Why come here and make me look like a complete fool—!

[Paula] “I don't consider you my mother anymore. In fact, you cut me off the moment you threw me away.”

Paula had happily called her "Mother" when Sasha was the Countess. Now that Sasha was a sinner, her attempt to frame Paula as the sole villain was incredibly shameless.

[Sasha] “Fine, do whatever you want. I don't want a terrifying child like you as my daughter either. But give me the ring. Stop this pathetic acting.”

Sasha had lost all affection for Paula. She didn't care about the bond as long as she got the ring.

[Paula] “Ah, so you’ll try to frame me until the very end? Then I’ll play along. Ma'am! I never gave you a ring. What maid would be crazy enough to give a blue diamond to a woman like you?”

Paula sneered.

[Sasha] “What?”

[Paula] “How can I give you something I never received?”

Since Sasha realized the returned ring was fake, Paula changed her strategy. She acted as if she had never received the ring from Gustav Köndel Köndel in the first place. Despite the lack of proof, her ability to lie so shamelessly was staggering.

Sasha lost her temper and lunged at Paula, but the girl spoke faster.

[Paula] “Gatekeeper! Servants! What are you doing? Kick out this intruder and take care of the fallen Count!”

The gatekeeper, who had been watching the scene, finally moved and grabbed the former Countess by the arms.

---

The servants had been holding their breath during the drama, but they had been looking for a moment to intervene since the Count collapsed. They couldn't just leave an old man lying on the ground.

One group of servants dragged Sasha toward the front gate, while another group hoisted the Count onto their backs and rushed into the mansion.

Odette looked down at the scene and thought to herself.

I need to have Gisella prepare the materials.

Sasha was a woman of action when it came to such things. She would go straight to the Metropolitan Guard to report Paula. She would scream at the guards, give them Paula's details, and frame her as a thief who stole an expensive diamond.

While the investigation was underway, Odette would send her own tip to the authorities. It was a detailed report on the Albrecht Research Lab fire from two years ago. The tip would include perfect photos: Paula in a hood starting the fire, Paula leaving the lab, and Paula throwing away the hood in an alley.

The informant would be a pharmacist working at the Summer Palace. Gisella's photos would look like they were taken by a pharmacist who happened to be in the area. No one would find it strange for a pharmacist to visit an area crowded with medical labs and wholesalers.

The arson occurred only two years ago. The authorities must still be frustrated by the cold case, so they wouldn't ignore a reliable tip.

Since Paula was closely tied to the Albrecht house, the investigation would be thorough.

I should tell Damian to clean up his identity, too.

Odette sighed, sensing the end. Then, she felt a sudden sense of wrongness.

The Transcendents are far too quiet.

Just as she turned around, a notification appeared.

[The World Tree grants a prophecy to Odette!]

[‘Laurel Crown of Light’ is active.]

Her vision shifted. She was no longer on the top floor of the mansion, but in the middle of a thick evergreen forest.

No. This isn't just a forest. It feels like a high mountain.

She looked around at the landscape bathed in moonlight. The soil beneath her feet was the kind found only on mountain peaks.

She walked a few steps and found herself on a ridge. Looking down at the pine forest, she realized this scene would happen three months in the future. It was a future she could change if she chose.

Why show me these mountains?

Odette looked up at the silver moon. She didn't see anything vital here. Then, she heard a sound—the heavy panting of a beast. Sensing that the prophecy was tied to that sound, she walked toward it.

She found Johan leaning against a pine tree, curled into himself.

---

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