Section 53: Hidden in Plain Sight (Part II)

Once Cecily had completely vanished from sight, Lady Serra returned to her senses. Just as she was about to lash out in anger, Hegel preempted her with a stern reprimand: "Look at what you have done! You have made our most beautiful and lovely daughter so miserable."

"Me? You devil, this is all your doing! You have defiled her; you have ruined her!" Lady Serra shrieked in fury, rushing forward once more to strike at him.

The man easily pinned her down, then said with a sneer, "Cecily is not watching now, so I suggest you keep your hands to yourself. I am the head of this household. If you show me any more disrespect, I will not be so lenient."

Lady Serra, however, was not so easily subdued. She struggled to her feet and lunged at him again like a lioness.

As they grappled, Hegel finally managed to restrain the frenzied woman. Panting, he warned her again, "Listen, my patience has its limits. I promised Cecily I would not harm you; after all, you are her mother. If you are willing, the three of us can live together from now on. If you are not, you must at least keep up appearances so that no one suspects a thing."

"Never! You monster, you have destroyed this family, and now you dare to defile her? Can you not just leave her alone?" Lady Serra roared. When Hegel shoved her to the ground once more, she did not rise. Instead, she pounded the earth in agony and begged, "I beg you, Hegel—my husband, the father of my daughter—let her go. Stop hounding her. Let her marry, let her marry Armango, and live a normal life. You are destroying her, and you are destroying this family!"

"I love her, do you understand?" Hegel shouted. "It was for her sake that I fled Valencia and came here. I knew that one day this would be exposed, that others would find out. But in Valencia, no one would accept such a love. My love for Cecily is sincere. I loved her so much that I gave up everything in Landia to come to this desolate place, for here, I am important. You have seen it yourself—they value me more here, they cannot do without me. I improve their weapons; I am their Special Military Consultant, their Chief Weapons Designer. In Valencia, I might have made it into the Academy at best, but I would never have had this status. My relationship with Cecily might not be accepted in Valencia, but here, it is not necessarily forbidden. Perhaps some will despise me, but they must court my favor. Fine, if even this place stands between me and Cecily, I will leave. I will take her to sea, to the New World or some deserted island, and we will live happily ever after."

Lady Serra looked at Hegel with pleading eyes, but the man met her gaze with cold indifference. He hauled her up and, gripping her chin tightly, hissed, "Remember what I said. Do not interfere with me and Cecily, or you will suffer."

"No, I will not let you succeed." Lady Serra stepped back, breaking free of his grasp, her eyes filled with an unprecedented resolve. "You are insane, but I am not. Cecily is my daughter, too, and I will protect her. If you refuse to let her go, I will have someone take her away."

"Someone? Who? Do you think anyone in the Comnison Revolutionary Army would help you? Do not forget how important I am to Grant," Hegel sneered. "And do you really dare tell anyone? You are the one who is crazy. I do not fear that. I love Cecily truly, and I have prepared for everything. But have you thought about the consequences? Have you thought about what others would think of Cecily? Fine, I will tell you this: you cannot threaten me. Even if you tell everyone, as I said, I have nothing to lose but the status and the life I have built. I will take Cecily and leave immediately. But as for you..."

Hegel’s cold eyes lingered on Lady Serra, a flicker of murderous intent crossing his gaze. Until this moment, he had tried to honor his promise to Cecily and had considered the intimate history he shared with this woman. But if she was truly determined to ruin everything to stop him from touching Cecily, he would have no choice but to eliminate the threat. The only trouble would be explaining Lady Serra's disappearance to Cecily.

The chill in Hegel’s eyes deepened. He began to stalk toward the retreating Lady Serra. "Do not force me. Truly, do not force me."

Lady Serra realized his lethal intent and panicked, turning to run, but Hegel caught her by the arm.

The woman screamed as they struggled, and Hegel struck her hard on the head. She slumped to the ground without a sound.

Hegel caught his breath, looking down at the woman’s limp body with an inscrutable expression. Though Lady Serra was nearing forty, she remained as alluring as a ripe, succulent fruit.

Of course, Hegel had no desire at that moment. Her body was no mystery to him; for hundreds of nights, he had ridden that curvaceous form, releasing his base urges time and again. Especially in those days when he had been infatuated with Cecily but had not yet succeeded, he had sometimes, at the height of his passion, fantasized that the mother was the daughter, driving into her with all his might. That intensity had once surprised Lady Serra, who wondered why her husband, after years of decadence, had become so vigorous. She had eventually attributed his renewed vitality to his career success, and as a woman satisfied in both body and life, she never thought to look deeper.

Hegel slowly raised his hand. Lady Serra had become the greatest obstacle between him and Cecily. If he removed her, even if he could ignore their years together, the difficulty lay in how to answer to Cecily. Yet if he let her live, and she truly went mad, the consequences would be dire. Even if he were willing to abandon everything, as long as Lady Serra remained, Cecily might not be willing to run away with him.

For a moment, Hegel felt a splitting headache, unsure how to deal with the unconscious beauty at his feet.

Just as he struggled to decide, Lady Serra stirred and regained consciousness. "There is one more person who can stop you. Perhaps even Grant cannot do without you, but to him, you are worthless. As soon as I tell him everything, he will surely save this child, Cecily. Hegel, it is not too late to stop. Let Cecily go, let me take her away from your filthy, shameless self. There is someone in Valencia who still loves her dearly. Do not continue down this path of error."

"Who?" Hegel’s heart skipped a beat. "Who are you planning to tell to stop me?"

"Me!" A voice suddenly rang out from the side. Hegel jumped as if he were a thief who had suddenly realized the homeowner had returned. He turned his head and saw a figure emerging from the shadows of the woods.