If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 124

Georgiana couldn’t bring herself to shoot her father, Robert.

Even if their blood ties were false, some shred of affection for her father still remained. She also wanted to question him properly, believing he might know the truth behind her birth.

She could have drawn the gun from her holster and fired while being dragged by her hair—but she didn’t. Her reasons were too tangled and complicated.

A part of her still hoped he wouldn’t go so far as to kill her.

But the moment she saw only hatred in Robert’s eyes as she tried to escape, Georgiana realized he was no different from Willow.

Her lingering emotions scattered like ash.

By the time the thought crossed her mind that she might truly die, a single gunshot rang out—and as if in response, a storm of bullets rained down on Robert.

Georgiana stood frozen, blankly watching the final moments of her father, a man ruined by drink and gambling, from only a short distance away.

As the gunfire ceased, an old man who had apparently fired the shot leapt from his carriage and approached.

She recognized him vaguely at first, feeling a sense of déjà vu, then realized—it was Supreme Commander Angus Rossmann, the man who had often appeared on the front page of newspapers.

What is he doing here…?

Still puzzled, Georgiana’s eyes widened when she heard the furious words he directed at her father:

“You dared try to kill my granddaughter?”

Granddaughter…?

Stunned, Georgiana stood rooted to the spot until Angus reached her. She had never seen him in person and didn’t know why he had come, yet her heart pounded wildly—as if embracing a bomb.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Angus, appearing just as tense, stepped right up to her and gently smoothed her disheveled hair with his own hand.

His touch was more delicate than anyone’s. His gaze, as he looked at her, brimmed with concern.

Georgiana, noticing how his expression had completely softened compared to when he looked at Robert, barely managed to part her lips and asked in a trembling voice:

“Do you… know me?”

Angus nodded without hesitation. “Of course I do. Evelyn Leona Seymour. How could I not know my only granddaughter? I suppose I’ve come far too late.”

Tears rolled down Angus’s wrinkled cheeks.

Seeing the dazzling golden hair and emerald eyes so rare even in the Empire—and so like her own—Georgiana immediately thought of her mother.

She believed without doubt that the elderly man before her was the family Locke had spoken of.

The world before her eyes, rigid with shock, began to blur.

Because hope had always led to disappointment, she had remained skeptical even after Locke’s words.

Even if she found her real family, she’d feared they might be even more horrible than the one she had now.

But when she saw his eyes, full of worry and sorrow just for her, all that fear and grief burst forth in tears.

“Hic… hhic…”

Georgiana sobbed in front of Angus for a long time.

Her knees eventually buckled, her legs collapsing beneath her, and a splitting pain tore through her head.

“Leona!”

Angus cried out her name as his face turned pale, and Georgiana collapsed into his arms.

Through her fading vision, she saw her mother smiling down at her.

“Mom, why do I have two names? Evelyn Leona Seymour. There’s Evelyn and Leona.”

“Evelyn was the name your grandfather gave you before he passed, and Leona was the name your maternal grandfather, who loves you more than anyone, gave you from across the sea.”

“Then does that mean I’m getting twice the love because I have two names? I like both of them.”

“That’s right, sweetheart. You’re a child more loved than anyone. So happiness will always follow you.”

Like her mother’s fading image, Georgiana’s consciousness slipped away.

***

Her real name became the spark that helped Georgiana reclaim pieces of her lost memory.

Though she had been very young, fragments of her past came back—her mother’s and father’s names, her nanny, the place she had lived.

As those once-foggy memories started to settle in her mind, Georgiana finally regained full consciousness.

“You’re awake?”

In her clearing vision, she saw three people: her grandfather, Raymond, and even Henry.

The wallpaper and curtains behind them had patterns that felt incredibly familiar.

It seemed they had returned to Raymond’s estate while she was unconscious.

“Leona, are you all right?”

Raymond’s golden eyes studied her with concern.

“How did I get here…?”

“The Count’s mansion was half-destroyed, and both of you collapsed from your injuries. We brought you here for now.”

Henry quickly answered Georgiana’s question.

“Lo-Locke… is he okay?”

Georgiana pushed herself up halfway, asking about him.

He had taken a horse’s hoof for her—there was no way he wasn’t badly hurt. Seeing her pale face, Henry quickly tried to reassure her.

“Fortunately, the hoof missed his collarbone, and only his shoulder blade was slightly fractured. According to the doctor, it was an incredible stroke of luck for someone kicked by a horse. He needs treatment, but he kept trying to come see you, so we had to sedate him.”

Even without seeing it herself, Georgiana could easily picture it just from Henry’s words.

She could clearly imagine how Locke must have insisted on watching over her, injured or not.

That was the kind of man he was—so it was easy to ignore what Willow had said.

Even if it was true that he did it all to get her onto the ship, it didn’t matter anymore. When he said he had something important to tell her before they parted on the ship, it must’ve been that.

He must have been burdened with guilt for deceiving her.

The more her faith in him grew, the more the unnecessary misunderstandings and resentment faded.

She decided to trust in his actions—ones that put her before his own life.

When that horse charged at her, Locke hadn’t hesitated for a second to protect her.

There was no more room to doubt his love.

“Henry, would you let me know the moment Locke wakes up? I want to see him.”

“Would you? Then he might just recover the moment he opens his eyes and sees you.”

Georgiana chuckled at Henry’s quip, but both Angus and Raymond’s faces grew serious.

Then she remembered—she hadn’t had a proper conversation with her grandfather yet.

After asking the others for some privacy, she was finally alone with Angus.

He urged her to stay lying down, but she knew it wasn’t her body that had given out—it was the emotional shock. She was fine to talk.

“Commander Rossmann.”

“Dear, just call me Grandfather.”

Contrary to the stern, cold figure she’d seen in newspapers, Angus smiled warmly, eyes crinkling with affection. He looked every bit the gentle, loving grandfather.

That made Georgiana’s chest tighten.

‘What if I’m wrong? What if the memories from my dreams were nothing more than things I wanted to believe…’

She parted her dry lips with difficulty and asked, “Am I really your granddaughter? Evelyn Leona Seymour. Can this name really prove who I am? What if my memories are wrong…?”

“Outside the family, you were known only as Evelyn Seymour. But those closest to you called you Leona. Even if you don’t remember, you are without a doubt my granddaughter. You look just like your mother.”

Angus took out a pocket watch he’d kept safely tucked away.

With a soft click, it opened to reveal the portrait of a smiling woman inside the lid.

Georgiana’s eyes widened in shock.

The woman looked so much like her, it was hard to believe the painting wasn’t of her. Her cheeks were rosier, yes—but anyone would say the resemblance was uncanny.

And the moment Georgiana realized this was not a hazy dream memory, but her real mother’s face, tears welled up once more.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t find my family because I lost my memories.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. You must have suffered so much.”

Angus gently patted her trembling shoulders.

“Where I live now, I have more paintings of your mother and father. When you’re well enough, let’s go there together. I want to give you everything I couldn’t until now.”

While Georgiana was unconscious, Angus had heard about her life from Henry.

After learning the whole story, Angus ground his teeth, determined not to let Willow and Robert go so easily. If they were still in front of him, he would’ve torn them apart.

He immediately ordered a subordinate to send someone to the Empire.

He wouldn’t let that woman named Marianne die easily either.