The Preemptive Strike

Lilienne Islar—she was the beleaguered mother of the novel’s protagonist, and all the characters said the same things about her.

“She had no right to be a parent.”

“She was selfish to the extreme. She let herself be sick all the time, always playing the victim.”

In the story, Lilienne had been led to believe, by her nanny, that she’d been sacrificed—forced into a loveless marriage in order to fulfill her brother’s monstrous ambitions. After her marriage, she’d decided to then unleash all her rage upon her new husband instead of the brother who was now far out of reach.

For Lilienne, the only way to assuage her feelings of being a victim had been to demand extraordinary penance in the form of gifts. She managed to be gifted things like bolts of precious silks—ones that were so valuable that a huge pile of them was still lighter than the amount of gold they cost. She demanded glittering diamonds, huge gemstones, and more.

Growing up as the daughter of a high-ranking noble meant that she’d lacked for nothing, and consequently had very little need or desire for material things. However...

“A respected lady must have lots and lots of jewels,” her nanny would whisper, skillfully manipulating the young girl. “Don’t hesitate to take as much as you can. All of it is your due!”

And all those extravagant, luxurious things then passed through Lilienne’s hands, briefly, and disappeared into the nanny’s. As for her husband, he didn’t seem to care at all that Lilienne didn’t do her duties as his wife or as the lady of the estate. He never interfered with her temper tantrums or her incessant demands, and let her just do whatever she wanted.

It was as if he’d had zero expectations from the start. Sometimes it seemed as if he were trying to show her kindness and generosity by doing this, but Lilienne wanted his attention. She was hurt when it was clear that she had none of it, even after bearing him a child. Feeling constantly slighted, Lilienne often ordered the nanny to take her newborn son out of her sight.

“Your only job is to bear a strong, healthy heir,” the nanny had often repeated to Lilienne, and after great physical effort on her end, Lilienne had finally been able to achieve this.

When she was pregnant, other people started paying her more attention, but her husband still remained the same. He was always closed off and uninterested. Regardless, congratulatory gifts poured in from all over the land as people vied to curry favor with Lilienne’s powerful brother and husband.

With all the well-wishes, Lilienne at one point actually forgot all her resentment and started to enjoy herself. That is, until she went into labor.

It was, in short, a disaster.

It took two days of back-breaking labor to deliver the child, and Lilienne almost lost her life in the process. That was the end of her hopes for more happiness. Having never been in the best of health, Lilienne was told by the doctor that she could not give birth again.

Before the labor, she had been planning on getting pregnant again as soon as she could, so that she could savor more of the sweet attention that had come her way in the beginning. However, after hearing the doctor’s words, she fell into a deep despair. She grew to hate the small child that had broken her.

Does he think the maid is his mother? she thought bitterly, watching the child play happily with his attendant. She felt waves of fury whip up inside her, knowing that he’d made her like this, and yet here he was, showing absolutely no remorse.

You should know better, even if you’re just a child! Her child should love her the most, respect her above everyone else, and give her all the attention she needed. Her child shouldn’t dare to give a second glance to anyone else.

I’m the one who gave birth to you! After repeated thoughts like these, her mind took a turn and she deliberately began to mistreat him.

If her son acted in the slightest way different than what she wanted, she rained down all her fury on him. But she didn’t stop there. At one point she realized that when her child was sick, well-wishers often surrounded her with sympathy. So next she began hurting him on purpose, even going so far as mixing mild toxins into his food, all for the sake of receiving more attention.

When her treatment of him eventually came to light, everyone abhorred her. They believed she was insane. Her husband, however, still didn’t even bat an eye. The only thing he did was sigh and turn his head away, looking not in the least bit surprised.

So that night, Lilienne, in full view of her child, hung herself.

It was for one reason, and one reason only. She wanted to punish her husband, who—in her eyes—had dared to show no interest in her whatsoever.

After her death, the son, the novel’s hero, lived in tragic conditions, haunted by the shadow of his abusive mother. But then he met the heroine. The kind, innocent girl was the perfect person to help heal him of his past trauma.

As for the hero’s father, he’d lost his mind after his wife’s death and had turned into a raging, mindless monster of a human. His son ended up killing him with his own hands, which brought a close to the arc of tragedy in his life. In the novel, love and justice won, ultimately, but the long road they took to get there was one where a father turned into a madman who burned down half the kingdom, and a son had to kill his own father. And the sole reason for all of these things... was Lilienne.

“My apologies for interrupting you. Are you busy?”

If she, in this life, didn’t want to go down that awful storyline, she knew there was someone she had to bring over to her side.

“No... not particularly.”

The man in front of her had hair as black as a crow’s wing, and skin as smooth and opalescent as a pearl. He had elegant facial features and wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses that perched on the end of his high, sharp nose.

Sedrick Islar. The man who had become Prince-Elector and the new Marquis of Turine when their father had suddenly passed away.

“What is it you wish to see me about?” he asked brusquely.

“I’d like to speak to you about my engagement, brother,” she said.

Sedrick, whose eyes had been closed for a moment, opened them to reveal a light, icy blue. He frowned at her, anticipating what she was about to say, but before he could open his mouth, Lilienne hurriedly said, “I know you would also like to speak on this, my lord, but may I be permitted to share my thoughts first?”

He simply stared at her.

“Please. What I want to say is very important to me. Would you allow me this?”

Sedrick stared at his half-sister, mostly just astonished that the little girl who’d never been able to meet his gaze was now here, sitting directly across from him.

She looks like such a feeble little girl... Unlike her mother… That witch. Hadn’t she even fainted on the spot when she’d heard about her engagement? And they told me that nanny of hers only fanned the flames, too, wailing and encouraging hysteria instead of calming Lilienne down.

After that, the girl had collapsed in her bed, dreadfully ill, and Sedrick had been warned by doctors that it could be the end of her. It had all been so hectic and messy—a state which he greatly disliked. He would do anything to avoid her hysterics again, especially if it was regarding her engagement. But now...

As he gazed at her, sitting there, she seemed calm and in complete control of herself.

“You may speak,” he said, deciding to grant her the request.

“Firstly, I’d like to apologize for the great disturbance I caused upon hearing of my marriage. I am terribly ashamed of my actions.”

He blinked.

What?

Sedrick was astonished. She was the very picture of childlike remorse, her head bowed slightly in shame and hands clasped together dutifully. Honestly, she looked almost too apologetic. Sedrick narrowed his eyes. What is this girl really planning? Was she trying to lull him in with false sweetness, then throw another huge tantrum? I didn’t think she was that calculating...

“Also, I came to tell you that I changed my mind.”

Wait a second.

“You changed your mind?”

“Yes.”

It was exactly the opposite of what he’d expected to hear.

“I accept the betrothal that you have arranged for me.”

Sedrick’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He was too shocked to speak.

Seeing her brother’s surprise, Lilienne finally began to relax. The conversation was going just as she’d hoped. “You seem surprised.”

“Are you genuine about this?” he asked, unable to hide the suspicion from his voice.

“Of course.”

Sedrick couldn’t help doubting her words, and it showed on his face. Lilienne, however, had expected that. “Why did you change your mind?”

“I had some time to reflect on it.”

Sedrick was again at a loss for words, and this time, Lilienne couldn’t help but laugh a little at his dumbfounded expression. He snapped irritably, “Do you think this is funny?”

As soon as the words came out of his mouth he regretted it. His half-sister was so timid and terrified of everything. He really didn’t want to deal with her breaking down into tears because of his sharp tone.

But to his surprise, she responded, “Ah, please excuse me. That’s now how I wanted to express myself.” She said it casually, without a trace of fear on her face.

Sedrick relaxed a bit, feeling at once relieved about not having to console a crying child but also utterly confused about how well she was handling this whole interaction. Well, she’d essentially given an apology, so he figured it was best to get back to his point.

“Since you’ve, ah, had this time to reflect, then can you explain more clearly what made you change your mind?”

Hmm. After a pause, Lilienne opened her mouth with a reply.

“I’m the daughter of Turine,” she began.

The Lady of Turine—Lilienne Islar.

“It is my great fortune to have been born into this family, and I’ve received all the possible wealth and privilege in the world because of it. Father also risked his life to protect our land, meaning that I’ve been able to live in peace my whole life.”

Her days had been full of quiet beauty, and only now could she realize how precious that was.

“And now... Now I understand that value,” she said softly. “None of the things I’ve enjoyed are things I’ve earned. I’ve taken everything for granted, and I apologize for having forgotten this.”