Tragedy 71

“Huh, but…”

“But, what? Can’t you see the pattern of the carriage I came in?”

The guard froze. With a puzzled look on his face, he told Seria to wait a moment, then darted back inside.

This was a matter of physical appearance before self-respect. She rode in the Berg carriage, and once she was publicly the Grand Duchess of Berg, she had every reason to be treated accordingly.

‘If I’m the only one who wants to make a joke of myself, I might just say yes, but I’m not.’

After a few moments, what jumped out was a face that remained fragmented in Seria’s memory.

“Lady Seria!”

It was Kellyden’s butler. He looked at Seria with a puzzled expression.

“It’s been a long time, butler.”

“Yes, My Lady. How have you been in the meantime?”

“Let’s go in first. Open the central gate.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Currently, the gate on the right is open, and it is not time for the central gate to open yet.”

Even she was a Stern with the Great Temple behind her back, and a Grand Duchess, but she was blatantly ignored by the servants. If Seria was an ordinary, timid young lady, the current attitude of the butler would have been a hundred times worse.

‘I can see why Seria’s personality, which was a mess, was getting worse.’

“Go and tell any of your superiors to open the central gate. You don’t want to see me scream my deceased aunt’s name in this solemn place, do you?”

“….”

‘It wasn’t just a threat. Because I could have done so wholeheartedly.’

The butler’s face paled as he knew exactly what Seria meant. He hesitated but then he said, “I’ll contact them again,” and went back inside. How much time had passed? In fact, they made her wait outside like this was already an act of disrespect.

Seria quietly called Abigail, who was standing silently behind her.

“Bibi.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“You can see very clearly that I am being abused, can’t you?”

It was something she could say because it was Abigail. In fact, Seria was honestly embarrassed to look back at the Berg Knights behind her.

‘How many people in the house would want to let everyone know that I was this much of an afterthought?’

“…”

Abigail was silent for a moment and then whispered in Seria’s ear.

“Do you want me to smash the gate?”

Seria chuckled, “Then you’d have to pay for it. I don’t want to spend money on Kellyden.”

“Well, Miss…”

Abigail asked when she thought she seemed distressed.

Abigail seemed troubled and asked.

“I can cut down the people you have to reimburse for the gate?”

“Kuh-huhm.”

Alliot, who was relatively close to her, gave a cough. It seemed obvious that he had just heard Abigail’s words. He still wasn’t used to Abigail’s flowery way of speaking.

“It’s okay, Bibi.”

“Just let me know if you need me.”

“I understand.”

Seria laughed, knowing that Abigail meant every word she said.

After a while.

With a creak, the central drawbridge began to descend.

the opening of the Central Road began. Yes, it would be practically difficult to ignore the eyes of the Berg knights at her back, no matter how much she hated it.

The carriage slowly drove inside.

And that was where it was stopped.

“Lady Seria.”

It was the chief butler of the Kellyden household.

“It’s been a long time.”

“It’s been a long time.”

The chief butler greeted me in a skillful and polite manner. However, Seria could not easily fall for this greeting.

‘Ha, what should I do?’

The carriage she rode in still had the noble Berg flag fluttering in the air. Since the direct lineage of the Berg was riding in there, the unspoken rule was to demand a suitable level of hospitality.

Of course, the appropriate treatment was not a butler, but a direct lineage of the Kellyden should come out and greet her.

If she let it slide, they would treat her even more worse next time.

Since they opened the Central gate, and if Seria was Kalis’s Haneton’s wife, she would let it slide

However….

‘Ever since the possession, I’ve been trying to look like a pure seria. Because I wanted to live. But I didn’t want to be suspected by anyone. In fact, Seria’s original personality, which only acts recklessly, was not very compatible with me. How many people can walk for a long time wearing shoes that don’t fit.

‘But that was not as easy as it sounds. Moreover, after Kalis  betrayed me so badly, I became very skeptical about just being good and realized that no matter how hard I tried, the original story was not so sweet.’

Seria didn’t want to act like a crazy person, but she felt bitter when she was being ignored. she knew it didn’t increase her chances of living.

So.

“Butler?”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“I’m here as the Grand Duchess of Berg. Shouldn’t  one of the members of the Marquis family come and greet me?”

“…Yes?”

“I understand if Marquis Kellyden doesn’t come out as I’m still his child, but, either his first son or the second son must come out and greet me. Or I will not be silent.”

“What the…. Miss?

The old butler’s expression immediately twisted in bewilderment. Whether it was or not was none of Seria’s business.

“Bibi, Sir Alliot.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Alliot and Abigail stood side by side next to Seria, bowed. The old butler’s eyes got bigger. Yes, the butler might not know Abigail, but for sure he knew Alliot. The Kellyden was one of the most prestigious families in the Glick Empire. And the old butler who served such a family, it meant that there was no way he wouldn’t know the name of the Knight Commander of Berg, who was naturally coveted by many high-ranking nobles.

Seria moved her chin and pointed to her side.

“Stop the carriage here.”

“Yes.”

“All of you, come closer.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

There were a total of four Berg knights, including Alliot.They were uniformly dressed in conquest. A military cloak was always a must for a knight’s conquest. The long cloak was fluttering with a clearly embroidered Berg pattern.

With all of them standing behind her in a line, Seria ordered without batting an eye.

“Bring me a chair.”

The carriage was loaded with one chair for Seria in case she needed to stay in the field. Abigail brought the chair to her with wind-like speed. She sat down in the chair and crossed her legs. Seria stared at the old butler’s face, which finally turned pale.

“Go ahead, butler.”

“Lady….”

“Don’t you think we should let anyone know about this now?”

“…”

As the confrontation took a long time, she heard a buzzing sound from the back. It was the nobles who were trying to get through the entrance of the castle. Some of them, the boldest of them, come in front of Seria and look at her with such vigor in their faces.

‘What is it?’

She glared at them with all the strength in her eyes, and they dodge her eyes with a huff.

“Young lady, please stop.”

The old butler couldn’t even give the order to ‘pull her out by all means’. If there were any signs of giving such an order, the knights standing behind Seria like stone walls wouldn’t keep still. She was right to stand there hoping it would look that way. Because of this, the butler could do nothing but try to talk Seria out of it.

He was now in a very embarrassing situation. That was as it should be, and so were others. There seemed to be quite a few nobles from the western territories. They wouldn’t dare to enter the castle first, ignoring the carriage with the flag of the Berg flying in the air.

As a result, the procession of nobles who could not enter from behind Berg’s carriage gradually continued.

The rustling sound was getting louder and louder, but Seria didn’t even care at the slightest.

Seria just sat in the most arrogant and unkind posture possible, thinking of the original Seria’s accumulated infamy.

The traffic was getting more and more congested at the main gate. That’s when the old butler’s face gradually turned the color of mud.

Then came the sound of someone walking broadly on the stone slab floor of the castle.

And….

“Seria Kellyden.”

A heavy voice that fell.

At that moment,  Seria’s hands began to tremble lightly and  she clenched her fists. Her heart pounded reflexively. It reacted with that nervousness that came with seeing someone she didn’t want to see. Seria looked up and locked eyes with the man walking towards her.

“…”

He had dark blue hair and bright blue eyes just like Seria’s eyes.

“…Cassius Kellyden.”

He was the eldest son of Marquis Kellyden, and Seria’s half brother. And just like others, he hated Seria terribly.

Cassius came out with an incredulous look on his face and stared at Berg’s carriage, and the dozens of carriages stuck in traffic, unable to advance behind Seria. It was a dumbfounded look.

“Seria Kellyden. What the hell are you doing?”

“What are you asking? I’ll tell you what I see.”

“Who the hell  do you think you are?”

Cassius, who was raising his voice, gritted his teeth when he saw the Knights of Berg standing behind her.

“How long are you going to be so immature?”

Seria had abandoned the surname Kellyden a long time ago. The rank and dignity of the designation Stern was enough to supplant the surname Kellyden, and so she was named Seria Stern without regrets. That was what Stern meant, so no one ever called her the surname of Kellyden.

Except for Seria’s family.

“Hurry up and move your carriage. You still don’t know how to tell heaven and earth…”

“Cassius.”

Seria stood up from her chair and glared at him.

“You should get my title straight. I’m the Grand Duchess of Berg.”