THE REBORN LADY IS LOVED BY HER FOSTER BROTHER: THE SCARIEST VILLAIN - CHAPTER 152

 

——— 

~ Please support this site by disabling your ad-blocker ❤️ ~

_____

Chapter 152: Duchess Vérité.

‘Eh? Mother?’

Who on earth could that possibly be?

The quiet sound of knocking on the door answered Ortansia’s silent query.

“Excuse me. Your Ladyship has arrived.”

At the servant's words, peering through the door, Marguerite's expression lit up instantly.

“Mother has come! I shall introduce you at once!”

In stark contrast to Marguerite's delight, Ortansia broke out in a cold sweat.

In her original world, the position of Duchess of Vérité had remained vacant ever since Gérard's mother passed away.

So then, who exactly was this ‘Mother’ Marguerite spoke of?

As Ortansia held her breath, the door slowly opened.

Emerging from it was a woman.

‘H-!’

In that instant, Ortansia was so startled her heart nearly leapt from her mouth.

Ortansia knew her.

Not personally, mind you.

...In a corner of the manor house within the Duchy of Vérité.

There hung a portrait.

It depicted a beautiful woman, the Duchess, who had passed away before Ortansia was taken in by the ducal family.

‘But how...?’

The woman now standing before Ortansia was the very woman in that portrait.

“Mother!”

Marguerite rose happily at the sight of the woman who had arrived.

“Listen, Mother! This girl heard about my call for maids and came all the way here! She was raised in an orphanage, has no family, and is terribly pitiful! We should hire her…”

“Marguerite, I always tell you that such one-sided chattering is hardly ladylike.”

Though the words were reproachful, the tone carried a gentle resonance.

The woman sat down right beside Marguerite.

Her gaze turned towards them, making Ortansia's heart pound like a drum.

“Now then... You are indeed the young lady Marguerite mentioned who wishes to be a maid, I presume?”

“Y-yes…”

Overwhelmed, Ortansia nodded.

Her cool eyes remained fixed on Ortansia as she spoke quietly.

“I am Catherine, wife of the Duke of Vérité. I do not know what Marguerite may have said, but the hiring of servants falls under my purview. It has not yet been decided that you will be employed, so let there be no misunderstanding.’

The first words were so shocking that the rest barely registered.

‘The Duchess of Vérité... My brother's mother... is still alive...?’

It was too different from her original world; She couldn't quite digest the reality before her.

Was this also an effect of her fate being changed drastically?

The Duchess calmly voiced questions about Ortansia's background.

While answering each one, the same thought kept circling relentlessly in Ortansia's mind.

‘In this world, the Duchess is not dead... In this world where Father and Mother never became lovers…’

It was as if she'd fallen into a bottomless swamp; no matter how she tried to shake it off, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

It was Marguerite's delighted voice that pulled Ortansia's consciousness back to reality.

“Mother! I like Ortansia! Will you hire her? Please!”

Duchess Catherine frowned slightly, looking a little troubled at Marguerite please.

Next, her gaze turned to Gérard, who had been watching the proceedings silently all along.

“Well... what does Gérard think?”

At that reaction, Ortansia's heart skipped a beat.

In her original world, though she was already deceased, Gérard and his mother's relationship had been utterly dreadful.

The Duchess had treated the young Gérard harshly based on her own misguided assumptions, and because of that, even as an adult, his heart remained frozen.

Her heart pounding, Ortansia watched for his reaction.

Without a flicker of agitation, he glanced briefly at her before shifting his gaze to the Duchess.

“...I see no particular issue. She doesn't appear prone to causing trouble, and above all, if Marguerite takes a liking to her, perhaps it would be acceptable to keep her close.”

Gérard stated this matter-of-factly.

It was an utterly ordinary conversation, revealing no lingering resentment or conflict whatsoever.

Ortansia was stunned by Gérard's attitude.

‘Could it be that in this world, my brother and the Duchess get along well…?’

The Duchess was alive, and Gérard didn't seem to be at odds with her.

…It was almost like an ideal world.

‘Indeed, I too thought so. ...Ortansia.’

The Duchess's gaze turned towards her, and Ortansia unconsciously straightened her back.

“I hereby formally employ you as a servant. Be conscious of your role as one who serves the House of Verité, and strive never to bring dishonour upon its name.”

“Y-yes...! Thank you...!”

Ortansia bowed her head hastily.

It had been decided that she would formally work as a servant for the House of Verite.

In this very place where, just moments before, Ortansia had lived as the ‘Duke’s daughter’.

‘Is this really for the best...?’

While she was grateful that at least her basic needs would be met, Ortansia couldn't help but feel this way.

A world that seemed familiar to her, yet where everything was different.

Ortansia had no confidence she could truly thrive in this place.

The head maid was summoned immediately, and Ortansia followed her out of the room.

“Hehe, we'll have a good long chat later!”

As they parted, Marguerite said cheerfully.

She was the very embodiment of innocence and spontaneity.

One glance told you she'd been raised in love.

‘In the original world, Father and the Duchess hadn't got along. The Duchess treated Big brother harshly, and he grew cold-hearted. But... this world seems different.’

The exchange between the Duchess and Gérard earlier, and Marguerite's way of clinging to them both, made it abundantly clear that this family got along well.

‘I thought I'd altered fate only slightly. Yet for it to change so drastically…’

The goddess had warned her.

Even though Ortansia harboured no regret for saving her father.

But... she couldn't help feeling a sense of loss and desolation, as if she alone had been cast out from the world.

Hope you enjoyed the read!! If you did, please vote on for this novel on novel updates, leave reviews, and support; pretty please.

 —————————

Please support this translation by dropping a Vote for this novel on novelupdates.com and donating! 

← Previous Next →

Table of Contents

Rate this translation!