The Weight of Sins
The world of Chloe had completely collapsed in the span of just a few days. The Empress had vehemently insisted that this kidnapping plot had nothing to do with her.
“My seal was stolen! I had nothing to do with this!”
She had even tried to pin the blame on Chloe, claiming that she was the one who had stolen the seal.
‘This is unfair!’
Yet she could not bring the matter before a formal trial. Doing so would expose Chloe’s sins to the entire world.
Because of this incident, Alexandro Addis proposed divorce.
Kallen also agreed to the divorce.
It wasn’t just Kallen. Orsini felt the same.
And that wasn’t all. Even her own daughter, Isabel.
Chloe burst into tears.
They were right. Her daughter, Isabel, had nearly been destroyed by her own selfish desires.
‘This is all my fault.’
But there was one person she felt no remorse toward—Canna. On the contrary, she felt only hatred.
It had always been that way, ever since long ago.
Canna Addis. The daughter of Seon-hui.
“And I feel no remorse toward you either.”
Chloe went to see Alexandro Addis.
“None of this would have happened if you hadn’t brought that girl into the family in the first place.”
Her voice trembled with accusation.
“How could you let Canna into the Addis family?”
Now that she had nothing left to lose, Chloe no longer bothered with polite speech toward Alexandro.
“Canna is Seon-hui’s daughter. The daughter of the woman who killed Largos.”
Tears welled up in Chloe’s eyes.
“She is the daughter of the woman who murdered my fiancé.”
“……”
“You made me raise the child of that woman with my own hands.”
Largos Addis.
His fiancée had been Chloe.
Largos and Chloe had been arranged to marry. It was a typical political union.
If that foreign woman Seon-hui had never appeared, Chloe would have married Largos. He would still be alive.
But he died, and Seon-hui disappeared.
And Alexandro inherited everything that had belonged to Largos.
Largos’s fiancée, the position of family head that Largos was meant to take, and even the daughter of the woman Largos had loved.
Chloe knew almost nothing about Seon-hui. Largos, who had loved her so desperately, had protected her almost as if he were keeping her under lock and key.
She had only seen Seon-hui’s face twice. One of those times was the moment Seon-hui had poisoned Largos.
And she herself had raised that woman’s daughter. It had been Alexandro’s will.
Chloe had loved him deeply, but at the same time, she hated him so much she could barely stand it.
“Alexandro Addis, you knew I was abusing Canna, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
That calm face. She couldn’t stand how detestable it was.
It was all because of Canna. Because of Alexandro.
Because of them, she had fallen into hell, yet he remained dignified until the very end.
“No, you don’t know. You probably thought it was just a matter of her being neglected and fighting with the other children.”
Chloe wanted to shatter his composure into a thousand pieces.
“Foolish Alexandro. Listen to me very carefully.”
Chloe wept. And she prayed desperately that her tongue would become a blade and wound him.
“I tormented Canna far more than you could ever imagine. I tore her apart piece by piece.”
Please, let this truth hurt him even a little.
“Her life must have felt like hell. She probably wanted to die. You had no idea, did you?”
Even if it’s only a little, I want you to experience pain too.
“Of course you didn’t. Not a single word of how I tormented her ever reached your ears.”
Chloe let out a burst of laughter. It was so ridiculous she couldn’t bear it.
“I only abused her when you weren’t around. And I made sure the servants kept their mouths shut.”
The great Duke Alexandro Addis had been thoroughly ostracized within his own home. She had made sure of it.
“You may not know this, but servants always fear the mistress who lives in the house far more than a master who rarely comes home.”
That was the only revenge she could take.
“But Alexandro, I don’t think I was the only one who abused her. You were indifferent to Canna.”
“……”
“If you had paid attention and protected her, I wouldn’t have been able to torment her. If you had asked the servants about her well-being even once, they would never have dared to lie.”
“……”
“You threw her into a lion’s den and abandoned her. It’s no different from leaving her to be torn apart and killed by me.”
She put strength into every single word.
“So you are just as much an abuser as I am.”
Chloe breathed heavily, gasping for air.
Bombarded by her words like a barrage of explosives, Alexandro remained silent for a long time.
Then, at last, he nodded.
“You are right, Chloe.”
“Yes, I’m right. So why am I the only one suffering? You’re the one who ruined everything. You’re the one who should be destroyed!”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“……What?”
The corner of Alexandro’s mouth lifted crookedly.
“It won’t be long before your wish comes true.”
The Empress was anxious.
‘As expected, she’s not sending the medicine.’
Her ominous premonition had come true.
After that incident, Canna had completely cut off the supply of medicine.
It was completely different from before, when she used to send it in advance about two weeks before the supply ran out.
‘I only have five pills left.’
She could only endure for five more days.
The moment she realized this, the Empress tasted extreme terror. The pain she had tried to forget came rushing back vividly.
‘I’m scared.’
It was a pain so horrific that death itself seemed preferable.
The thought of having to endure it again once these pills ran out already filled her with dread. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
‘I was foolish. How could I have tried to harm Canna? I wasn’t thinking straight!’
While she was crying like that, Crescent came to see her.
“Mother, are you all right?”
“Crescent!”
“I heard from Marquis Mercy.”
Crescent let out a deep sigh.
“You said that Lady Canna Addis orchestrated this incident.”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, I’m certain. Moreover, Canna has no intention of hiding the fact that I was behind it. That’s why she stopped sending the medicine!”
“This is troublesome.”
Crescent furrowed his brows as if troubled.
“The silver lining is that Lady Addis has not yet revealed this fact to others.”
“She didn’t refrain from revealing it—she couldn’t. Since she switched the target to Isabel instead of herself, Canna is practically an accomplice.”
So there was no need to worry about the incident spreading.
The Empress’s only concern was Canna’s medicine!
“But she still holds our weaknesses—yours and Marquis Mercy’s. Is it safe to keep her alive?”
“What?”
“It would be better to eliminate her before the secret spreads……”
“You must not touch Canna!”
The Empress jumped at Crescent’s suggestion.
“That medicine can only be made by Canna! So don’t even think about it, Crescent!”
“Of course, your medicine comes first, Mother. I only said it out of concern.”
Crescent smiled politely.
“In any case, do not worry too much. Don’t we have Sister Amelia?”
The Empress’s eyes lit up.
That’s right. There was Amelia. How could she have forgotten about that child!
“I understand the two of them are very close. I will ask my sister for help.”
“Yes, as expected of my son! How wise!”
“If you truly think so, please consult with me before doing something like this next time.”
Crescent smiled gently.
“Really, Mother, you always put me in such difficult positions. It’s quite bothersome.”
“……”
For a moment, the Empress was at a loss for words.
What had Crescent just said?
“Is something wrong, Mother?”
Crescent asked innocently. For some reason, goosebumps rose on the Empress’s arms.
Had Crescent’s face always looked this……
This similar to her own?
“It seems I’ve upset you. Please forgive me. I must have spoken carelessly out of deep concern for your health.”
Yes. Of course. Crescent was a good son.
The Empress denied the sudden surge of anxiety.
‘Yes, Crescent is an excellent son. There’s no way.’
<Jackson, I’ve learned a lot more about you. It was truly surprising.>
<You built such wonderful houses? Amazing. Actually, we don’t have a carpenter as skilled as you in our neighborhood. Come visit soon and build us some nice houses. If you could teach your skills to the other carpenters, I couldn’t ask for more.>
<My older brother heard this story and seems to have taken an interest in you. He’s very passionate about building houses. It looks like he’s waiting for you even more than I am now.>
<Of course, there’s no need to feel burdened. We brothers will respect your choice.>
Canna stared intently at the letter.
This was a letter from Yoanna, decorated with a kind of code.
‘So Jackson is me, older brother refers to Yoanna’s brother—the Crown Prince of Yalden?’
And the carpenter probably meant a physician.
It seemed she had investigated everything Canna had done so far.
Things like treating the sailors involved in Eastern Continent trade, or resolving the madness on Pailon Island.
‘She seems to want me to contribute to Yalden’s medical advancement……’
Still, the last sentence—“We will respect your choice”—suggested she had no intention of forcing her. Of course, Canna couldn’t trust her completely.
Regardless, the fact that she was making such an offer meant she had been deeply impressed.
Well, it was understandable. She had witnessed Canna saving her maid right before her eyes. To Yoanna, it must have looked like magic.
‘I was lucky that time. It was my first time dealing with a myocardial infarction patient.’
She had learned that in cases of acute myocardial infarction, acupuncture at the pericardium and emergency points could increase the chance of survival.
It had only been theoretical emergency treatment, but luck had been on her side.
The needle made from a healing mana stone had probably played a big part.
‘There isn’t much time left.’
Canna tossed the letter into the bonfire.
Soon she would escape this disgusting Addis family and begin a new life.
In a little while, she would head to the island Kallen had given her as a gift. She planned to pretend to be on vacation there before fleeing to Yalden.
Since she had planned everything perfectly, there was no chance of failure.
“Now, what to do about this……”
Canna picked up the invitation she had received that morning. It was from Amelia.
‘She’ll probably ask for the Empress’s medicine.’
Of course, no matter how much Amelia begged, Canna had no intention of giving it to her.
‘But meeting her one last time should be fine, right?’
She would soon leave the Aslan Empire and never return. This would be a permanent farewell to Amelia as well.
After a moment of hesitation, Canna stood up.
‘Let’s meet one last time.’
The word last carried considerable weight.