The Prince’s Taste - Chapter 7.20

Judy Esther decided it was time to take Ella and leave. Staying any longer would probably give her a sudden spike in blood pressure. Ella hid behind Judy Esther. Seeing this, the stepmother bit her lip and forced a smile.

“Ella, come here.”

“No.”

“What kind of disgrace is this, in front of Count T?”

Even now, she was fawning over T to get on his good side.

How had Ella endured living in the same house with people? The novel had already become a mess thanks to Judy Esther’s meddling. In a story where Ella’s prince had vanished, she might as well become Ella’s white knight—or rather, the princess herself.

“A stubborn little filly just needs a good beating.”

Count T cut in, eyes glinting with something sinister, sending chills down Judy Esther’s spine.

“Ella, do you want to marry him?”

Judy Esther asked Ella quietly. Helping someone who had no will to help herself was nothing but pointless meddling. No matter the situation, if the person had no desire to overcome it, it was useless. Judy Esther had been trying to subvert the original story. So what about Ella? She hoped Ella wasn’t the helpless type who couldn’t do anything without a white knight. After all, she was the heroine—at the very least, she should be someone capable of carving out her own life.

“I’d rather die than marry a traitor and a murderer.”

Ella glared at Count Ti with eyes full of cold contempt. Count T spat out an expletive, his gaze dripping with murderous intent.

“F**k, say that again. What did you just say?!”

Judy Esther knew he was a perverted psycho, but she hadn’t heard him called a traitor before. Ella must know something because her face paled.

“…I said I don’t want a murderer who has a fetish for young girls and killed his wives.”

Was Ella really like this? In the original story Judy Esther had read, she wasn’t. She was a powerless woman, bullied by her stepmother and stepsisters, her self-esteem crushed to the ground.

A pitiful existence living a miserable life until Richard saved her. And yet here she was, shouting boldly at Count T.

“How dare you insult me!”

Count T’s eyes bulged as he bellowed at the top of his lungs. His face flushed bright red with rage. His eyes trembled, veins bulging on his neck. His whole body shook uncontrollably. Count T couldn’t accept being insulted and was losing control of his anger. It was like he’d become a different person. He was about to cause a serious incident.

‘His eyes have changed.’

Judy Esther was baffled. Ella’s words had been harsh, but was it enough to make him lose his mind?

“My fiancée must be punished. How dare she raise her voice at her husband.”

“You’re not my husband.”

“Not yet. Starting today, I’ll personally teach you the duties of a wife.”

He reached out toward Ella. Just as he was about to pull her from behind Judy Esther, she forcefully swatted his arm away, blocking him. Count T glared at Judy Esther with blazing eyes.

“How can a noble lady be so rude and ignorant of etiquette?”

He trembled as he looked alternately at Judy Esther and Ella.

“Only for a count who treats a lady with such disrespect.”

“Looks like you never learned how to speak respectfully.”

“I was never taught to speak respectfully to beasts.”

Richard had told her to do whatever she wanted. He promised he’d handle the aftermath. Knowing Richard had her back made her fearless.

Besides, this was the royal palace—her home turf.

“Judy Esther, I’m fine,”

“Ella, you stay out of this.”

If Judy Esther stepped back now, there was no doubt what would happen to Ella. Count T, having fully revealed his true colors, wouldn’t treat her kindly. The moment she was dragged into the count’s household, Ella’s life would spiral into ruin.

The stepmother and her gang didn’t even try to stop him.

“Ella, why don’t you apologize to Count T already? How can you act so badly?”

The stepmother blamed Ella instead. She was desperate, hoping Count T’s feelings would change. Why are stepmothers in classic fairy tales always so vicious? Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Kongjwi and Patjwi, Janghwa and Hongryeon… Well, it wasn’t just in fairy tales. The chill that ran through her veins was bone-deep.

If Ella were her own daughter, no way would she consider offering her to Count T.

“Hah, somehow that sounds like you’re saying I never learned manners either?”

“Why does Lady Emers keep meddling in our family’s affairs?”

“Because I can’t just ignore the rabid nonsense I’m hearing.”

“Is this how the Emers family raised their daughter?”

“I don’t think it’s something the Jizola baroness, who mistreats her stepdaughter and tries to marry her off to a pervert, should be saying.”