Ch#272
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper Side Story 3 Episode 1
3. Wrapping Up
Rade Vishwaldz was dead.
It had been less than three years since he became Count. People mourned the unexpected news and commemorated the hero's death.
Upon returning to the capital after the war, he had suffered from an unknown illness.
In the end, he endured the excruciating pain by smoking opium, but ultimately failed and met an early demise.
Rumor had it that the attending physician foresaw his end and informed the Countess. And the Countess accepted her husband's fate with calm composure.
People were immensely curious about the Count's final moments. After all, was he not the hero who saved the Emperor? Yet to die so young—it was a perfect death straight out of a novel, impossible not to cheer for.
Plays commemorating his exploits were still being performed on the streets, making such reactions natural. Perhaps even his final moments were heroic!
All eyes turned to House Bischwaltz. To them, the household's servants appearing in public were celebrities to be caught at all costs.
People gently coaxed the maids and manservants who had stopped by shops for funeral preparations.
The butcher lured them with an extra chunk of meat, and a drunken lout offered his half-finished bottle without hesitation.
The baker shoved freshly baked bread into the maid's basket unasked, while the fruit vendor stuffed fruit into their mouths, boldly claiming it as payment for their tales.
The maids and manservants wore perplexed expressions at the unexpected situation. In truth, they too had only heard fragments through the head maid.
Only the Countess and the head maid knew exactly how the Count had died.
Nevertheless, they spoke up because the gifts they received in return were quite substantial. And the crowd's cheers and exclamations with every word were amusing too.
Thus, some even scored extra cheap drinks, strutting as if they had witnessed it firsthand.
Surprisingly, the accounts from House Bischwaltz's servants were all eerily identical, as if scripted.
According to them, the Count had spent his final moments with his wife by his side.
The Countess held her husband's hand, constantly encouraging him, and whenever he groaned in agony, she softly recited prayers.
The pitiful sight of the couple imploring divine mercy moved everyone to tears, they said.
When the dreadful night finally passed and the moment of parting arrived, the Countess quietly kissed her husband's forehead and bid him farewell. And the Count closed his eyes peacefully under his wife's gaze.
This overturned the expectations of many who thought the couple's relationship was deeply strained.
Was the tale of the 'cold-hearted Countess watching her dying husband with icy eyes' truly only fit for the stage?
People sighed in great disappointment. This wasn't the entertaining story they had hoped for.
Nevertheless, the tale frequently passed among gossipers. Some enjoyed the tender romance.
Perhaps that's why? At some point, the Count's death morphed into the story of the 'pitiful lover who could only watch her beloved die.'
Sympathy poured toward the Countess naturally.
Of course, not everyone loved the story. One claimed the Countess, weary of her frail husband, had poisoned him.
Pointing out her lover Sir Ailes, he insisted it was a crime of passion born of adultery.
The Count, absent from all but a few official events, and the hero brave enough to save the Crown Prince suddenly falling ill was suspicious, he emphasized.
That no dedicated maid had attended the bedridden Count since his illness was another reason to doubt the Countess.
Somehow, he had investigated it all, and most evidence seemed credible at first glance.
People pricked up their ears, intrigued. A villainess poisoning her husband—nothing more entertaining.
However, his claims were rejected. Priests from the Temple and physicians officially announced the cause as an unknown illness.
Above all, when it emerged the accuser had been bought off by a distant relative of House Bischwaltz, his evidence was dismissed as malicious lies.
Absurd rumors continued floating as truth afterward, but when Sir Ailes challenged a man slandering the Countess's honor to a duel—and he was carried out as a corpse—the chatter died instantly.
People didn't want to believe the preposterous claim that Count Bischwaltz had been a mere phantom without substance. It insulted not only the deceased Count but the Emperor who had granted him the title.
Thus? Despite evidence close to truth leaking repeatedly, most were ignored or buried.
In that way, the truth was swiftly and easily entombed.
The Count's funeral was held at the Temple. Considering the deceased's status, it was exceedingly grand.
Many attended to mourn his passing. Due to the unknown illness, his coffin was unusually pre-sealed with nails.
Instead, it was draped with red cloth embroidered with House Bischwaltz's crest, honoring the family head.
Cisse de Bischwaltz stood beside the coffin, receiving people's condolences. She wore a small hat with black lace veiling from the brim down to her chin.
People regretted that the young widow hid her expression. They were dying to see how stoically she endured.
But the Countess responded throughout in a small voice, barely moving as she held her position.
Unexpectedly, it was Roena who freely showed emotion. Whenever noblewomen offered condolences, she wore a faintly frowning, peculiar expression, lips twitching several times. Finally, in a barely audible voice, she uttered "Thank you." Yet her face remained flawlessly smooth.
It was odd that Roena, known for her kind disposition, shed not a single tear at a family death. Instead, her awkward demeanor and averted gaze suggested some backstory.
This sparked poor imaginings in many. Some even whispered that Roena had changed greatly.
Roena's strange attitude persisted even as the Count's coffin was lowered into the ground. Though family to the Countess, she kept a deliberate distance. One might mistake her for a stranger.
She even scattered dirt over the coffin half-heartedly, as if reluctant.
To gossip lovers, it was endlessly intriguing. People whispered, eyeing the Bischwaltz sisters.
"Looks like that rumor was true."
"What rumor?"
"That Lady Roena despises the Countess."
"Really? I thought they got along."
"Must've been wrong. Anyway, they say she hates her to the point of loathing."
"Why?"
"Because the house went bankrupt after that mother-daughter pair arrived. Isn't it? Previous Count died, rebellion ruined the family, she's recuperating in a rural villa instead of society—anyone would resent the Countess."
"Now that you mention it. Is that why they seem so estranged? Even so, that's no excuse for such behavior."
"Exactly. Turns out even Bischwaltz's angel is human. Goodness, look at that expression. So rude."
The men also chatted while smoking aside. Excluding low ranks, most gathered here knew Rade Vishwaldz's true nature. Thus, they greatly admired Cisse's audacity in holding such a grand funeral for a mere phantom, as if to show off.
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper
Novel by Yeolmae
Author: Yeolmae
Publisher: Kwon Tae-wan, Woo Cheon-je
eBook Publication Date: 2024-05-07
Production: CL Production
Address: 1108-ho, 41 Digital-ro 31-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul
This book is published as an eBook by KWBOOKS under contract with the copyright holder.
Unauthorized reproduction of this book's content without the publisher's permission is prohibited by copyright law.