Chapter 289: Right person at the right time....
"Soulvorax"
"What?"
"Soulvorax, that's the incantation"
"....Hmm..." Scarlett pondered, tilting her head. The weight of the unfamiliar word hung in the air. After a few minutes, she glanced at another person in the room, someone who shared her facial figure "....I never heard or even read anything like that"
"...Is that so?... There were no records... ah" Mariel, Scarlett's mother pondered, she wanted to know whether Scarlett might know something about it but seeing her 'No Idea' expression. 'It seems I am the only one who knows about his secret.....' Mariel thought as a sense of happiness rose from her heart.
"Can I leave now?" Scarlett's tone grew sharper, irritation and annoyance escalating with each passing moment.
"...A-Are you still angry, dear?"
Hearing that hesitating voice, Scarlett's expression turned dark with hatred. She shouted, "I am angry?....
Of course Not....
Of course....OF COURSE, I AM FUCKING ANGRY!!!"
"...S-Sca--"
"Tell me, Mother, you are the one who wanted to get rid of my brother from our life, and now.... You seduced that same man you hated.
Are you Fucking kidding with me now?" Scarlett's voice, filled with venom, reverberated in the office room, each word carving into the strained silence.
"..." Mariel, silently accepted her daughter's anger. She clenched her fists, understanding that this confrontation was inevitable. The weight of her guilt bore down on her shoulders, visible in the slump of her posture.
Scarlett stared at the mother who was once proud and stubborn, now lowered her head in shame. It fueled Scarlett's annoyance, mixing with a bitter disappointment.
"Tsk" Scarlett clicked her tongue and exited the door with a loud slam. The abrupt noise echoed,
"BAM"
Mariel stared at the place where Scarlett had left. She wanted to follow her daughter, but her legs felt rooted to the ground.
If Eli were with her, she might have faced her daughter more easily, but Mariel recognized the wrongness of depending on Eli. After all, she was the one who caused all this.
Mariel knew the kind of approach she needed.....
....
...
'Sigh' Scarlett sighed as she entered her room, collapsing onto the bed.
In truth, she wasn't angry with her mother; the real source of her frustration was herself for letting this happen.
She had lost her brother to many women in her life, and while she knew her brother still loved her, the sight of other bitches, even if it was her own mother.... fawning over him triggered her anger.
To distract herself, she turned her attention to the contracts. A small sense of satisfaction welled up as she realized she had succeeded in everything her brother had hoped for.
Initially shocked by the documents Eli had shown her, Scarlett discovered the extent of illegal activities within their kingdom. Lower nobles were involved in selling soulless women and men in their local territories. The more she read, the deeper her anger grew.
Illegal women trafficking, embezzlement, extortion, exploitative taxation, forced contracts (Like they should not tell anyone about this), Illegal Contracts transportation and there was a dark underbelly thriving in the shadows.
'Sigh, what's the point of abolishing the slave trade and prostitution?' she mumbled in a sad tone.
Before, the slave trade had operated under established rules and regulations, ensuring slaves certain rights and a degree of equality. Now, illegal slave trades operate without any restraint, and everything was messed up...
As for prostitution...
'Sigh' Scarlett sighed again. It was a total disaster... worse than slave trading.
Under the royal decree, prostitution was banned, and to provide a certain amount to each Sex workers, and those who wished to work other jobs, could work as maids or jobs in noble houses were provided with minimum guaranteed wages.
It was clear that money remained a critical issue for the sex workers. Even if the amount provided was smaller compared to what they earned before, it offered a glimmer of hope... a chance for them to live somewhat happily and pass away with a semblance of dignity
Yet, the reality proved far more cruel.
Only Scarlett knew the truth after her intense investigation though by accident...
Around the capital, things seemed relatively fine since it was near the castle, Sex workers mostly turned into maids working in the noble while others decided to open some shops. However, the further the distance from the capital, the worse the situation became.
Despite job opportunities being provided, sex workers were still assaulted by their nobles, coerced into contracts to maintain silence, and once again treated as prostitutes. The supposed protection of the royal decree was a mockery in these regions.
But the cruelty didn't end there. In remote areas, local barons and low-level nobles would kill sex workers and take their subsidiary amount, replacing them with others and stealing their identities to continue profiting from their illicit activities.
Worse yet, the killing of sex workers took on the guise of an 'Order from God' prompting the involvement of followers from the Temple who began massacring every sex worker, labelling them as 'sinners'.
The people in remote areas unquestioningly believed in this divine directive, willingly cooperating with nobles and Temple Followers to keep these atrocities hidden.
If Scarlett hadn't been searching for her younger brother, she might never have uncovered the disgusting nature of humanity.....
If she hadn't seen Ava's face before, she might have mistaken the imposter for Ava....
If not for her younger brother killing an entire village, she might not have understood the gravity of the situation....
When Scarlett shared this information with her mother, she received a dismissive response, 'Proof'.
Scarlett lacked concrete evidence; her knowledge rested on rumours and speculations. Attempts to inquire further were met with silence.... after all, it was deemed an 'Order from God'.
From that day, Scarlett resolved not to become the heir of the Duke's house. She refused to align herself with such disgusting people.
'Why can't we eradicate all this filth?' Scarlett crumbled in anger, her eyes flickering with yellow slits, revealing the depth of her frustration and fury.
'Thud'
Suddenly, her room door swung open, and sensing this, she immediately hid those documents. She glared at the incomer,
"Knock before opening my door"
"This is my home, I can do whatever I want" Mariel shrugged her shoulders as she entered the room.
'Snort' Scarlett snorted, thinking she had enough money to live in a separate house, but she refrained. Once she left the house, she knew she could lose more than she could gain.... Being a Phoenix had its privileges.
Mariel silently sat beside Scarlett. Taking a deep breath, she slowly and gently began to tell everything that she had been hiding, recounting her life from the beginning until now.
Just like Eli said, once she opened her heart, the other party would surely open theirs.
"..."
"..."
Scarlett embraced her mother as tears poured from her eyes. She couldn't believe her mother had been enduring so much pain, never sharing it with anyone.... it must be painful.
Scarlett knew how painful this feeling was, having suffered in silence herself. Just like she thought she had lost her brother, her mother had lost her only friend and was unable to seek revenge.... It was truly painful and hard.
All this time, Scarlett believed Mariel was a selfish woman who only saw her gains, even the engagement... she thought it was all about Mariel making connections. But now...
She wasn't sure how to say this, but she felt that she and her mother were born to suffer like this.
Just like mother and daughter.
Mariel glanced at her child who was silently crying for her, Mariel's eyes turned teary as drops of tears dripped from her cheeks.
Mariel finally opened up to her daughter, and her action provided fruitful results. Rubbing Scarlett's back, Mariel silently thanked Eli for pushing her to share more.
Whether she was imagining it or something else, she saw Eli's figure winking at her with a smirk.
'Heh...' She chuckled inwardly.
This wasn't the first time someone told her to open up. Her Head Maid had also suggested it numerous times, yet she never heeded the advice.
However, now, she opened up due to a single person with whom she had just made contact a few days ago..... It was truly peculiar because this kind of connection happens in everyone's life.
'Right person at the right time...' Mariel mumbled silently.
After a few minutes, Scarlett calmed down and gently looked at her mother. She couldn't bring herself to hate this wretch woman who had seduced her brother.
Okay, let's be real Even if her story was sad, Scarlett wasn't going to let that cloud her judgment. Yes, she cried, but that was all. She felt sadness for her mother, and that was it.
"Have you already told Ashy about this?" Scarlett asked.
"Hmm" Mariel nodded, her cheeks showing a hint of red... She was finally going to speak about her love.
"..." Scarlett's lips, eyes, and mouth twitched seeing her mother like that.
"What about Little Mia?"
"...Well...."
Seeing her hesitation, Scarlett commented, "She might not care, right?"
"....Sigh, yes" Mariel sighed and nodded in disappointment. She had tried to make amends with her younger daughter, but Mia was not even looking at her like a human..... Mia's gaze held an expression that said 'Seeing a piece of shit'.
Scarlett was a little closer to Mariel compared to Mia, so Mariel could only take baby steps to mend their relationship.
"Well, it's your problem" Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to force her little sister just because she had 'lightly' accepted Mariel.
"I know, I will do my best" Mariel said, taking the matter seriously.
"Let me tell you, I haven't forgiven you for touching my brother" Scarlett said firmly. She didn't want Mariel to think Scarlett had forgiven her just because of her sad past story.
'Tsk' Mariel clicked her tongue inwardly, however, outside she looked somewhat sad.
Although she wanted to open up, she also desired to open up her relationship with Eli. Controlling her bloodline proved challenging whenever thoughts of Eli crossed her mind.... it's kind of making her horny every time.
Before being a Mother, Mariel was a Duchess, and she knew how to utilize every resource.
'Snort' Scarlett snorted, seeing through her mother's attempts to act innocent.
"I am sorry, but I cannot control myself, you know..." Mariel said innocently, seeing that her act wasn't fooling Scarlett.
"Control yourself?" Veins popped on Scarlett's forehead.
If she had the power, she really wanted to punch her mother's face.
Scarlett had been controlling her hormones for 10 years.... for the fuck sake it was 10 years and yet this bitch...
If not for Mariel's intervention during Scarlett's first encounter with Eii, Scarlett was sure there would be lots of Little Ashys swimming around inside her body, searching for something to take rest.
"Yes, the moment I fell in love with him..." Mariel hesitated a little, and her face turned a little red as she said, "... I wanted to have his child" unconsciously rubbing her belly.
"H-Huh?" Scarlett's eyes lost their lustre, and her dark eyes fell on Mariel's belly.
"D-Did you do it with him?" Scarlett asked with an emotionless voice, hoping it was not true.
"H-Huh, W-Well..." Mariel snapped out of her future imagination and looked at Scarlett with a shy expression.
How could she say it to her own daughter? Even though they were on the verge of crossing the line.... She couldn't corrupt her daughter. Those things were nasty, and only an adult could perform something like that.
Mariel and Eli did everything except penetration, So Mariel wasn't sure how to say or what to say to her own daughter... It's kind of embarrassing.
Like the final nail in the coffin, Mariel's shy and embarrassing expression unveiled the untold stories to Scarlett,
Scarlett, abruptly standing up, couldn't contain the rush of emotions that surged within her.
'SLAP'
The resounding slap echoed through the room.
Mariel, taken aback by her daughter's unexpected action, met Scarlett's gaze, her eyes reflecting surprise and a hint of remorse.
'Drip, Drip'
Tears flowed from Scarlett's cheeks, each droplet carrying the weight of unspoken pain and betrayal. She made a swift exit, leaving Mariel in a state of shock.
Mariel, left alone, had yet to snap out of her daze.