🌷 Chapter Forty –
"I have no intention of relinquishing my title after marriage, so I will fulfill all my responsibilities and duties as Marchioness Scheringen.
My husband, Grand Duke Theodor Kleist, is here to stand by me and support me in this decision."
When Annette introduced Theodore to the audience as her husband, he smiled brightly and flawlessly.
But no one was fooled by his smile.
Even if he was smiling now, he was still the same Theodore from the past.
“Oh, it seems like not everyone is welcoming me here.
I came to this event to support my wife, but I guess it wasn't a very good idea.”
Theodore laughed lightly, but no one laughed with him.
“It's disappointing.
Now that I'm spiritually connected to my wife, haven't I become part of this family as well?”
Behind his brilliant smile was a hidden threat, as everyone could see Theodore's companions holding real, sharp swords.
Since Theodore belonged to the imperial family even though he was of mixed blood and his mother was just a concubine, there were also imperial knights among his attendants.
Of course, they played a role closer to surveillance than escort, but they were certainly responsible for protecting Theodore and Annette, who were also considered members of the imperial family.
It was not easy for anyone to speak in front of someone who had such a huge number of imperial escorts.
If an ordinary aristocrat dared to carelessly touch a member of the imperial family, it would not just end up as a family problem and would become a crime of high treason.
Theodore also knew this, so he appeared while escorting a line of knights whom he had previously prevented from accompanying him due to his confidence that he could protect himself by himself.
He did this in order to show everyone that these escorts would protect Annette as a member of the imperial family and would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for her.
That's also why Theodor came and brought all these knights in front of the entire Scheringen family in order to show them that they would regret it very much if they dared to touch Annette recklessly.
Annette was no longer the cute little girl who used to play in the garden, she was now the head of the family and a member of the imperial family.
The meaning of allowing Annette to accompany Theodore with her on this day was also clear.
It was a threat from her that if someone tried to take away the title of Marchioness from her, she would fight him even if it meant exploiting the name of the imperial family and not the name of Scheringen to maintain her position.
The results were effective.
“I don't have much time, so I'll finish the formal greeting here.
Anyway, there won't be a need for big introductions between each other since we know each other well.”
As Theodore said, everyone knew all about his hot temper, so no one rebelled against his words.
The synergistic effect that the legitimacy of the Ring and Theodore's violence had was very clear.
Additionally, since Annette had become increasingly powerful and had enormous wealth as the new Marchioness, there was no benefit to be gained from standing up to her in any way.
“Then, since we have finished the formal greetings, I will wait for you outside.
Come and meet me after you finish your business, wife.”
Theodore kissed the back of Annette's hand again and left the banquet hall with graceful steps.
Theodore did not play a special role in the family meeting and only made his presence known to everyone.
This is because if Theodore did something more, Annette would not shine today as the main figure in this meeting.
He showed up enough to make it easier for Annette to take the initiative herself.
Since then, the pace of the meeting has accelerated even more than before.
It became like a one-sided meeting, as all the information was coming from Annette and the rest of the attendees were agreeing with what she said without objection.
After finishing talking about the family's wealth and future plans, Annette announced the end of the meeting.
Finally, Annette took control of the family title and became Marchioness Scheringen.
* * *
The noisy conference room quieted down.
When everyone left, Casselia was left alone in the hall.
When she looked up, she saw a colorful ceiling mural.
It was a picture painted by the highest-paid artist in Lieder history.
If a piece of the roof is removed and sold, it will be more expensive than the price of the entire house.
Not just the roof.
Even the chair she was sitting on was something that common people never had the opportunity to sit on.
There was nothing but luxurious in this house, from ceiling to floor to corner of the Scheringen Palace.
Scheringen, which Casselia had loved all her life, was a very wonderful place.
It was a place that made her feel special just by belonging.
It was the place where power and glory met.
Casselia also built and decorated most of this palace herself.
"I was the one who made this palace!
Without me, there would be no Sheringen!"
Her screams echoed in the hall.
Casilia chose the artist to paint the ceiling mural while taking into consideration the direction in which the trees in the park would grow.
This is because it was her land.
"Everything your hand touches!!
Casselia Scheringen created it.
No one knows Schringen better than I do.
But why am I not the boss!"
All her life she had endured her inability to become the head of the family simply because she was a woman.
She was also a daughter of the Scheringen, but since she wasn't even born the first, she decided to put up with it and give up her dream for her older brother.
But even if she couldn't become the head of the family, Casselia wanted to stay in Scheringen.
She hated to leave the palace she had cherished and loved all her life.
It was terrifying for her to give up the title of Sheringen just for the sake of marriage.
This is because she loved him from the bottom of her heart.
Cassilia loved Scheringen, not her husband.
From the painting on the ceiling to the scratches on the palace walls, Casselia cherished everything in Scheringen.
Therefore, when her eldest brother was appointed successor to the family, she fervently begged her father not to marry her off and to let her stay at home, and offered to help her brother manage the affairs of the palace and even become his servant.
She abandoned her pride, knelt down on the ground and begged him while tears filled her eyes, but in the end her father did not accept her requests and forcibly sent her to the place he had chosen for her.
He sent her as a sacrifice to the family who would increase the power of the next head of the family, her older brother.
No matter how much she struggled, begged, cried, and desperately rebelled, Cassilia lost the title of Scheringen and became Mrs.
Sandberger.
It was clear that her marriage was unhappy.
If she had accepted her fate, she would have lived as good a life as others say...
But her husband died suddenly.
Her husband was an incompetent man who could barely survive.
Casselia went by many names, from Mrs.
Sandberger to the Widow Sandberger, but the name she so longed for and loved never came back.
So she decided to come back here on her own.
The road back to Scheringen was long and difficult.
In order to gain custody of her son, Casselia renounced all property rights that she had taken as dowry in her marriage.
However, she could not regain the Scheringen title.
Even after her husband died and his corpse rotted, she was still Mrs.
Sandberger and Mr.
Sandberger's widow in the eyes of society.
But Anette would not leave the title of Scheringen even after marrying a man who belonged to the imperial family.
“Ha-ha-ha.”
Casselia started laughing as if she had lost her mind.
No, I've already lost it.
While her father kicked her out of the house, will her niece give her a monthly pension?
Annette's reprehensible actions hurt Casselia's pride.
The moment Annette proudly raised her shoulders in front of several men and showed off the family head's ring, Casselia felt jealous of her and couldn't bear the sight.
I hated her with all my being.
Casselia hated her niece who could easily do everything differently than Casselia did.
As if that wasn't enough, the little girl gave her a pension as if she was mocking her and donated a few coins to her like a beggar on the street, and her attitude of not being able to refuse the pension was even more hateful and pathetic.
What's the difference between that little girl and Casselia?
The two were born as daughters of the same Scheringen family, and both had the same blood in their veins, but why didn't Casselia get the position of head of the family while Annette did so easily?
Casselia has loved Scheringen all her life, but all she has left is a son who does not bear the name Scheringen and the title of a widow who can belong nowhere.
She had been curious about the reason for her miserable fate all her life, but today she felt extremely sad.
Then, the door to the banquet hall opened and I heard someone enter.
When Casselia lowered the hands that were covering her face, she saw Annette standing tall in front of her.
“Since you're staying here, I have something to tell you.”
The two stared at each other without avoiding their gazes.
“What do you have to say to me?”
There was a bit of weariness evident in Casselia's voice.
“You look tired, so I won’t keep you talking and will get straight to the point.
I need someone to help me take strict measures on behalf of the Sheringen family, so I thought the most suitable person would be you, Auntie.
Will you stand by my side?”
Casselia looked at her little niece and then said in a dry voice.
“Do you want me to get on all fours like a dog at your feet for just a few coins?”
“So you're rejecting my offer.
I expected that, but this is unfortunate.”
Hearing Casselia's dry voice, Annette slowly closed her eyes, then opened them and sighed.
She accepted it as if she knew it would happen, and it was clear that she never regretted it.
“The pension that was to be given to you was separate from this offer, but you seem to have no idea about that.
Please don’t get me wrong, I gave you that pension because I believe you really deserve it.
I also covet your talent and abilities for my own benefit, but I will not make the same request of you twice.
So I will go now.”
Annette turned her back on her aunt without regret.
Then Casselia shouted after Annette, who was walking away.
"How long do you think your husband's power will last?
Do you think the Grand Duke is being honest with you?
You will be exploited sexually, physically and mentally, and then you will end up as a prostitute on the street."
“Why do you think that?
On the contrary, I might be the one using my husband as a backup to ensure my strength.”
"Do you think this will make a difference?
You may feel like you own the whole world now, but as you grow older and have children, you will feel what I'm saying now even more.
In the end, you don't own anything.
The day this beautiful face fades away, the Grand Duke will never look at you again, and will throw you into the corner without you being able to hold anything in your hands."
“Auntie, you are misunderstanding something here.
Do you think that the confidence I showed in front of everyone really came from the authority of the Grand Duke?
Of course, it is true that I had help from him to facilitate the matter, but in the end, I was the one who shouted at them and made them listen to my words.
The Grand Duke did not even interfere in the meeting.
Even without him, I would have been able to do what I did today without any more or less.”
When Annette's expression became indifferent, Casselia's breath tightened.
“But what have you done, aunt, compared to me, to make fun of my efforts like this?”
Annette said the last words while Casselia was speechless.
“Auntie, if you had been selfish and had not held on to your son and abandoned him to his father’s family and left him behind and decided to move forward and enter into the inheritance war without favoring anyone around you, I would not have been able to overcome you as easily as I did today.
This is because I do not believe that there is anyone in this family who deserves to be the head of this family more than you.”
"What?"
Casselia's eyes trembled upon hearing the word 'family head'.
“But your son is still very weak.
For the sake of the title, there is no reason why anyone should not attack anyone even if it is a child, but Daniel is so young and cute that I could not let him get into this war and jeopardize his innocence.”
Casselia's facial expression collapsed when she heard the unexpected reason for her defeat.
Ironically, with her confident looks, Annette was an example of the head of household that Casselia dreamed of becoming.
The new Head of Household left and completely closed the banquet hall door behind her.
After Annette left, Casselia burst into laughter again.
The hysterical laughter did not stop easily this time.
She had to laugh a lot to turn all her jealousy of her niece into laughter.