It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Broken - Chapter 14

Huge thanks to VIRGINIE for the kofi! (2/2)

***

Her body reacted faster than her mind. As Elise recognised the owner of the voice, her throat tightened in an instant.

 

She had been told that he was attending the academy. Despite spending nearly a year here, she had never seen him before. Why was he here in the mansion?

 

“Come in.”

 

The door swung open, and the sound of someone walking towards them from behind could be heard. Elise stood frozen, unable to move or blink.

 

“Oh, there was a guest? Who… Wait, isn’t that Silver Hair?”

 

Whoosh, the man approached quickly, bending down and scrutinising Elise’s face.

 

Before long, the man with wide-open eyes grinned, showing his teeth.

 

“Who might this be?”

 

“…”

 

“My little pup is here?”

 

Fritz Schuvan.

 

It was her once savage and cruel brother who terrorised her every night of her life.

 

She couldn’t forget the dreadful memory of that day when Fritz had beaten a puppy to death when she was just a child.

 

The fear engraved in her from years ago vividly resurfaced, enveloping Elise once again.

 

“Hey, long time no see, right?”

 

Fritz’s two purple eyes, so much like the Count’s, glinted with a fierce and bloodthirsty desire, as if wanting to stomp her to death at any moment.

 

Her entire body stiffened with instinctive fear as his hideous face loomed before her.

 

“But why are you so stiff? How can it be that you can’t wag your tail to the owner she hasn’t seen in a while?”

 

When Fritz was sarcastically looking at her all-white without saying anything, she heard Gerhard’s voice.

 

“Fritz.”

 

At Gerhard’s call, Fritz stopped talking. He seemed to have forgotten for a moment that his father existed.

 

“It’s nice to treat your only sister as a puppy, but isn’t it too much of a prank?”

 

In an instant, Fritz’s face hardened.

 

“What did you say?”

 

Fritz stood up and looked at his father.

 

“Who is she?”

 

“Isn’t your sister by your side?”

 

For an instant, Elise caught her breath. Fritz’s head turned slowly, and looked down at her. His ferociously contorted face was as hideous as that of a demon.

 

Elise’s breathing became difficult, as if her throat was being strangled. Looking back at Gerhard, her body creaked like a broken doll.

 

‘Why the hell… why the hell… is he here?’

The Count knew better than anyone else about Fritz’s hatred, contempt, and disgust towards Elise.

 

The person who saved her from the brink of death several times at the hands of Fritz was also the Count.

 

So, Gerhard could have easily guessed that Fritz would be furious upon hearing that he should recognise his father’s illegitimate child as his sister. He knew that Fritz wouldn’t let it go without a fight.

 

‘But why…?’

 

Elise’s eyes trembled violently when she met Gerhard’s gaze.

 

It was because he was looking at her with a cold smile.

 

His half-raised lips were speaking to her.

 

As if to say, why did you dare to voice such a forbidden wish? This is the price you pay for ignoring my warning, you fool.

 

‘I just wanted to see my mother…’

 

It was a punishment for bringing out a wish she dared not wish for.

 

“I hope the two of you get along well in the future. Isn’t it a father’s joy to see a brother and sister getting along well?”

 

Gerhard pushed Elise to the edge of the cliff once again.

 

“Now, answer me, Elise.”

 

“Yes, yes. I will… Father.”

 

It took a lot of courage to utter the final words.

 

Sure enough, Fritz had a face that looked like he could tear her apart at any moment.

 

“Good. if you want to leave, you may.”

 

Elise bowed and hurriedly left the room as if running away. Then, regardless of who saw her, she started running.

 

However, with her trembling legs, she couldn’t pick up speed. When descending the stairs, her legs got entangled, and she almost stumbled several times.

 

Cold sweat formed on her pale forehead.

 

Finally, she saw her room. Now she needed to go inside quickly, lock the door, and hide as if she were dead…

 

“Hey, what are you doing?”

 

“Ah…!”

 

Upon hearing the voice from behind, Elise covered her mouth with both hands. Her body was trembling uncontrollably.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Fritz stepped in front of her and tilted her head to one side.

 

“If you see your master, instead of running away, shouldn’t you bow down and greet him first? Have you forgotten that after not seeing each other for a few years?”

 

“…”

 

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

 

Fritz’s eerie purple eyes narrowed. It signalled that he was about to raise his arm and hit her. Elise, stunned by fright, uttered reflexively, crouching over her body.

 

“Ah, h-hello…”

 

“Could there be just a hello? This idiot is saying something very funny.”

 

Fritz poked Elise’s forehead as she lowered her head. Every time he did, she was pushed backwards until her back finally hit the wall.

 

“I couldn’t see you anywhere, and I thought you had vanished or died somewhere. But you were just rolling around somewhere, and now you’ve crawled back again. Did you come to find a place to die?”

 

“Ah, no, I didn’t!”

 

“Then what?”

 

Fritz’s menacing expression suddenly turned cold.

 

“Schuvan’s last name must have been a luxury. Are you really going to pretend to be my little sister?”

 

Elise urgently shook her head.

 

“I just came because the Count asked me to stay here, that’s all. I never wanted anything more…”

 

“But why do you keep answering back since earlier?”

 

Fritz’s eyes started flickering strangely. It was a very bad sign.

 

Elise didn’t know what he might do if he got angry.

 

Overwhelmed by fear, Elise attempted to step back. However, the wall was behind her, and Fritz’s body blocked her way forward.

 

“A b!tch like you should just bark. Not everyone is human just because they can speak human language.”

 

“Ugh…!”

 

“I should make sure you understand your place once in a while.”

 

Fritz violently grabbed her hair. It was when Elise let out a whimper in pain as if her whole scalp had been ripped off.

 

“Little Count.”

 

Vanessa, with a stern expression, suddenly appeared in front of them. She warned Fritz firmly.

 

“I know that the Count ordered Little Count to be put on probation. Could you explain why you are here?”

 

“D*mn it…”

 

Fritz swallowed his curse with a frustrated expression. Then, he nervously let go of Elise’s hair.

 

Elise was greatly staggered by the recoil, but she managed to lean against the wall and not fall.

 

“See you next time.”

 

Fritz, who had left Elise with threatening words, glared at Vanessa before leaving with a stomp.

 

Vanessa’s expression remained unchanged, and she calmly asked.

 

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

“No, I’m okay.”

 

As Elise calmed her panting breath and answered.

 

Outside, a loud rumble echoed as the sky roared with thunder, and rain began to pour.

 

“With the weather turning gloomy, it seems the rain has finally come. And there’s thunder too.”

 

Vanessa remarked dryly, observing Elise’s pale face.

 

“You should go inside and rest for now.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Leaving Vanessa behind, Elise entered her room. With a thud, the door locked shut from the outside.

 

Elise turned towards the window.

 

The barred windows were closed, but the curtains were only half drawn. She could see the pouring rain and the flickering sky through the uncovered windows.

 

Her blue eyes widened with fear, and her pupils dilated.

 

Rumble, crash!

 

A loud sound resonated again.

 

‘Help me!’

 

Beeeeeeep!

 

A sharp tinnitus pierced her ears. Her head spun, and she lost her balance and fell to the floor.

 

“Huhh…”

 

Her mind wandered wildly.

 

Elise put her head on the floor and let out a painful moan at the stabbing pain she felt.

 

Again a fierce light flashed in the clouds. For an instant, all around her was brightened, and then, after a while, a deafening thunder rumbled in her ears.

 

“Ah, aah…”

 

Fear consumed her mind. Her breathing quickened, and her vision turned a sickly yellow. She couldn’t even catch her breath properly.

 

In the midst of the mess in her head, only one thought came to her mind.

 

‘I must run away.’

 

Elise crawled on the floor, desperately seeking a place to hide, somewhere safe to catch her breath…

 

Soon she found a small space, and Elise moved toward it.

 

Despite stumbling and tripping on her skirt several times, she was desperate to hide.

 

Thud!

 

Elise pulled on the leg of her chair while lying on her stomach. There was a sharp scratching sound, but she didn’t care.

 

She pulled the chair leg and managed to get completely inside the narrow space beneath the desk. She covered the entrance with the chair, sealing herself off from all sides.

 

With her trembling body curled up, she covered her ears with both hands and closed her eyes. Finally, she could breathe a little easier.

 

“Haah, haah…”

 

Even though she covered her ears, it wasn’t enough to completely block out the sound. The pounding raindrops seemed to drive her mind insane.

 

Whenever it rained heavily, one particular memory always surfaced.

 

***

 

The child knew nothing.

 

She wondered why she had no father herself, why her beautiful mother was often ill, and why she could not go outside except in and around the broken house.

 

All she knew was the warmth of her caring mother’s embrace and the comfort of the small bedroom they shared. She loved the white flowers peeking through the cracks of the front door and the beautiful magnolia tree near the estate.

 

One cloudy day, while her weak mother was taking a short rest after taking her medicine, Elise, who was playing alone, happened to pick up a fallen ball near the fence.

***