It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Broken - Chapter 16

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

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Her buttocks throbbed from the impact of the strong fall to the ground, but Elise forgot the pain and raised her head.

 

“…”

 

A man with an umbrella was looking down at her. Elise shouted without even having time to confirm who he was.

 

“Please help! My mother…”

 

Elise could hear the guards running up to her, screaming in astonishment.

 

“Milord, Count!”

 

The man asked Elise in a dry voice, not even looking at the guards.

 

“Where is Marisa now?”

 

Only then did Elise see his face through the lightly raised umbrella.

 

The man she had never seen before had the same silver hair as her.

 

* * *

 

It seemed that she had fallen asleep.

 

Elise opened her eyes to the permeating light. When she straightened her body a little, her whole body felt numb, as if a chill had seized her.

 

“Ugh…”

 

There was not a single place where she could put strength properly.

 

Pushing the chair away with her weak arms, she barely managed to crawl out from under the desk.

 

Her entire body, which had been stiff, trembled as if it were screaming. It was not an unfamiliar sensation, but it was one that she couldn’t get used to.

 

She couldn’t move at all, so Elise lay on her stomach, barely lifting her head.

 

The rain that poured down her the night before had stopped like a lie. The dawn sky seen through the window was blue.

 

“Thank god…”

 

After checking the weather, Elise dropped her head to the floor again. Her bare cheek touched the bare floor, but it didn’t matter.

 

Rather, she would be grateful if this chill could quickly bring her back to her senses.

 

In a little while, Vanessa would wake her up, and her education, suspended while preparing the victory banquet, would resume.

 

It was still an exhausting and difficult process for Elise. It was also agonising, not knowing how long it would continue.

 

But she had no choice but to persevere. She couldn’t help it, even if she had to endure it her whole life.

 

As long as thunder, lightning, and heavy rain continued in this world.

 

* * *

 

Vanessa, who was checking Elise’s manners, frowned.

 

“Why are you stiffening your body like this? Your posture is all collapsed.”

 

With a thin stick, Vanessa pointed out the mistakes by tapping Elise on her shoulder, waist, arm, etc..

 

“Too much tension in your whole body. The lady’s posture should be natural and elegant. Even a child of ten wouldn’t do such stiff movements.”

 

Elise tried to pose again. But she was curled up all night, and the stiff body hardly listened to her.

 

“If you continue like this, the legitimacy of the lady’s origin will be doubted sooner or later. It will never make teaching worthwhile.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Elise tightly closed her eyes and said, barely holding back the feeling of dizziness.

 

It was because she starved all day trying to tighten her corset.

 

“The Count and I, as well as all of the Count’s employees, are working above all else to ensure that the young lady debuts and succeeds in society. But what are you doing, lady?”

 

Elise could say nothing. She felt pitiful even to herself.

 

After over a year of correcting her posture, she had been out of shape again.

 

“Stand up straight, widen your shoulders. Pull your chin and slightly raise your head. Let your fingertips be natural… No, it might be better to hold a shawl.”

 

Vanessa pointed out, her tongue clicking, and Elise’s apologies repeated several times.

 

After she managed to finish her etiquette lessons, the maids took off Elise’s dress.

 

As she was slipped into thin chemise and corset, Vanessa’s sharp eyes scanned her entire body.

 

As she scrutinised, her gaze landed on the corset Elise was wearing to support her breasts and slim her waistline.

 

Narrowing her eyes and estimating the measurement, Vanessa instructed the maid.

 

“Tighten her waist a little more.”

 

The maid tugged at the string behind without a word. Elise held her breath, resisting the pressure that her body tightened.

 

Vanessa frowned slightly as she looked at her tight waist.

 

Modern dresses reveal the body’s silhouette entirely. The slimmer and more delicate the figure, the more it maximised beauty.

 

With her chubby waist and forearms that weren’t skinny, she wouldn’t be able to satisfy even a common aristocratic brat, let alone a man like the Duke of Vassenberg.

 

“It would be better to control the amount of food a little more before attending the exhibition.”

 

Elise obediently nodded her head. It was the attitude of a caged animal that dared not even think of defiance.

 

Vanessa tugged at her lips as she looked at the result of her painstaking work.

 

“Never forget that all of this is for you, and you should always be grateful. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes, I will.”

 

An obedient and beautiful doll that will be sold for the sake of the family.

 

Although it was the usual fate for noblewomen, Gerhard Schuvan wanted something more.

 

To exploit your perfect weaknesses, make you unable to refuse.

 

Eliminate dangers in advance to avoid becoming overly smart or self-conscious.

 

So make yourself never even think of taking off the leash.

 

Thus, Elise was meticulously crafted to be what she had to be.

 

“If you do well, you will be able to see Lady Marisa someday.”

 

As soon as the prepared words were spoken, Elise flinched. There was no need to predict or calculate because her response was always obvious and the same.

 

“I’ll… do my best.”

 

“That’s what you should do.”

 

As Vanessa beckoned again, the maids gathered around and dressed Elise again.

 

Vanessa’s satisfaction was evident in the silhouette that looked better than before.

 

* * *

 

The Duke’s mansion was as quiet as usual. However, a slightly different atmosphere was distinct from tranquillity and serenity.

 

Since the Duke disliked noise, the employees of the mansion were taught to be quiet.

 

The face of the man, who worked in the carefully arranged space, was expressionless and, in some aspects, even boring.

 

Naturally, he had forgotten about the woman who had made him lose his peace a few days ago.

 

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

 

“Your Excellency, this is Michael.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Michael, who entered with a restrained motion, said politely.

 

“A letter has arrived from His Majesty the Emperor.”

 

Michael held out a letter with the Emperor’s seal on it.

 

Cardale neatly broke the seal and read the letter.

 

The content was clear and simple.

 

[There are concerns and worries that Helmut’s spies may cause terror at this exhibition. I request that you, a member of the Empire’s guard, ensure the safe completion of the official schedule.]

 

Cardale sarcastically tossed the letter into the fireplace along with the envelope.

 

“Now he can openly use it as an excuse to serve as the Princess’s bodyguard.”

 

Every Imperial family has an escort dedicated to them. The same was true of Princess Theresia.

 

Even so, the Emperor dared to pick him up and entrust him with the Princess. He happened to have a good cause, so it would have been nice to have an excuse.

 

Cardale sat on the sofa after confirming that all the letters were burnt.

 

While silent for a while, Michael sat back and waited for his master’s words. He hadn’t been told to leave yet, so he had to wait.

 

As always, in front of the Duke, he could not relax for a moment.

 

After a while, Cardale opened his mouth.

 

“Michael Walter.”

 

“Yes, please tell me.”

 

“If a troublesome animal were in your path, what would you do? If it ignores your orders and growls at you?”

 

Michael couldn’t open his mouth. It wasn’t because he couldn’t answer. It was because he couldn’t understand why the Duke asked such a question.

 

After thinking about it, Michael shook his head.

 

“…I do not know.”

 

“I’ll tell you what I’d do.”

 

Cardale said, leaning lazily on the sofa.

 

“If it were just one, it would twist its neck on the spot. Because it’s simple and convenient. If there are a few more, you can slash them with a sword or shoot them with a gun. However, if the number increases from tens to hundreds…”

 

His elongated eyes narrowed, revealing a chilly glint in his half-hidden pupils.

 

However, a cold life flashed in the half-hidden eyes.

 

“We have to drive them into a place where they can never escape and wipe them out at once so that not a single one survives. That way, there won’t be any aftermath to worry about.”

 

In an instant, Michael’s back felt tight. He said nothing, only swallowed dry.

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a determined look in your eyes since the battlefield.”

 

Haha. Cardale laughed at his visibly shaken subordinate, but there was not a single smile on Michael’s face. He felt a chill run down his spine.

 

It had been long since he had seen the Duke in this state, ever since the battlefield.

 

“There is nothing to be nervous about. I was just thinking about what to do with Helmut’s spies. If my subordinate gets scared at just this much, it would be embarrassing for me.”

 

Michael barely answered.

 

“I apologise, Your Excellency.”

 

“Apologising for something like this.”

 

“… I’m sorry.”

 

“You really can’t say much, can you?”

 

The Duke, who spoke like a joke, averted his gaze. The stuffed animals on the wall were looking at him from an oblique angle. All of them were hunted by the Duke himself.

 

“I must make sure to seize the opportunity and deal with all of them.”

 

The Duke, barely audible, added.

 

They were dangerous individuals threatening Nodrat, and he couldn’t afford to let them live.

 

However, Michael couldn’t be sure whom his master was targeting.

***