~Chapter 22~
Evelina didn’t want to see the ugly face of the Northern Grand Duke.
In the first place, she hadn’t wanted to come to this rural backwater of the North.
‘Hah, I could’ve just asked the maids about Delphina. Why did I have to come here myself?’
Her unpleasant mood didn’t improve even after arriving in the North.
Even upon reaching the Grand Duke’s castle, it was the same.
Delphina hadn’t even come out to greet her or Karsen.
‘She used to act like a dog wagging its tail to greet its master.’
Now what—was she trying to act like she’d left the Duke of Rikeion’s household?
Delphina’s attitude was unbelievably arrogant.
Evelina glanced at her fiancé.
Even Karsen looked irritated. He kept glancing around, as if searching for someone.
What soured Evelina’s mood further was how surprisingly decent Elkayan looked.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
Even with a mask covering his face, Elkayan gave off the impression that he was quite handsome.
‘No way. He must be some horribly disfigured monster.’
What was worse, Elkayan seemed completely uninterested in Evelina.
With indifferent eyes, he glanced at her once and said:
“Please make yourself at home.”
And that was it.
Evelina and Karsen were promptly dismissed from the Grand Duke’s receiving room.
Evelina thought bitterly:
‘What the hell was that? Did he just ignore me?’
Elkayan was different from the men of the capital.
Those men always bent over backward to win Evelina’s favor.
If she wanted someone, they would become hers.
Even Karsen, who was once Delphina’s fiancé, had become her own.
Even the men who hadn’t been chosen by Evelina would still scramble for her attention.
‘There’s no way someone like him wouldn’t be interested in me.’
Evelina felt irritated at this reality she couldn’t believe.
She wanted to vent to someone, to tell them how unfair this was.
But her fiancé, Karsen, wasn’t even beside her.
‘He went off looking for that knight Kalix or whatever.’
Annoyed, Evelina summoned the maids from the Rikeion family who were stationed in the North.
“What is this? Why do all of you look like such a mess?”
The one in the worst state was Sophia.
She began explaining everything that had happened in detail to Evelina:
How Delphina had been cooking for the Great Madam,
How she personally delivered the meals to the Great Madam’s room,
And how she’d started keeping Northern maids by her side.
Delphina was behaving in a way completely opposite of what the Duke of Rikeion had expected.
‘She’s totally changed, hasn’t she?’
When the Duke had sent Delphina to the North, he had ordered her not to do anything.
She was simply to live comfortably and report back on the region’s affairs.
But now Delphina was blatantly disobeying those instructions.
‘Something’s definitely wrong. I need to report this to Father.’
Sophia, seemingly having held this in for a while, spoke in a burst of nervous excitement.
“I told you before—she’s doing all sorts of weird things just to please the Great Madam.
She’s still doing it.”
“Tch. Still clinging to her lowly roots and cooking like a servant, even here.”
“Exactly! She won’t even follow a single one of the Duke’s orders!”
Sophia looked around with disgust.
“This place is insane. If anyone dares say something bad about Delphina,
they’re whipped, I swear! Did you see the maids’ arms?”
She then pointed at her own calf.
“Lady Evelina, please… take me back with you to the Rikeion estate.
Delphina has completely lost her mind!”
Sophia’s calf was covered in bruises.
Her hands were noticeably rougher than when she had lived in the Duke’s household.
“She acts all proper in front of the Great Madam, at least.
I heard that lady doesn’t like Delphina. Maybe she’s the only one who sees her true nature.”
“Wait, the Great Madam and Delphina don’t get along?”
“Yes. I think she’s the only one who knows what Delphina’s really like.
It’s gotten so bad that she just ignores her now.”
It seemed Sophia had suffered a lot here.
But Evelina didn’t care.
“Alright, you can go.”
“L-Lady Evelina, couldn’t you please take me back to the Rikeion estate with you?”
“You need to stay here and keep an eye on Delphina. Where do you think you’re going?”
Sophia’s face turned pale with fear.
She had just realized that Evelina didn’t care about her at all.
Evelina went to see the Grand Madam.
She had anticipated the possibility of running into Delphina, since Delphina reportedly visited the Grand Madam every day.
The Grand Madam did not refuse Evelina’s request to meet her.
Evelina looked at her directly.
Her face betrayed a hint of unease as she met the Grand Madam’s cold eyes.
‘What’s with that look? Why is she staring at me like that?’
Despite agreeing to meet, the Grand Madam’s gaze was icy.
“Good day, Grand Madam. I’m Evelina Rikeion.”
The Grand Madam didn’t respond.
She simply stared at Evelina with a searching look in her eyes.
‘What the… she’s not even going to answer me?’
It was the first time Evelina had ever been treated so rudely.
Even so, as she watched the Grand Madam, she felt a faint sense of relief.
Unlike Elkayan, who appeared more presentable than expected, the Grand Madam was a cold and stern woman.
The thought of Delphina suffering under such a mother-in-law brought Evelina a wicked sense of satisfaction.
‘Not marrying into the North was the best decision of my life.’
The Duke and Duchess of Huart were always kind to Evelina.
Unlike Delphina—who would live here, shunned and scolded—Evelina would be loved and cherished after her marriage.
‘She’s bound to fall into ruin with the North.’
While Evelina sneered inwardly at the thought of Delphina’s lesser life, a sound interrupted her satisfaction—
Delphina entered the Grand Madam’s room.
“Oh my, Delphina. It’s been a while.”
Evelina greeted her with a sweet smile.
Delphina looked just the same.
Her usual docile expression and wide, innocent eyes ignited Evelina’s desire to mock her.
She stepped forward and asked:
“What’s that on the tray?”
“It’s food for the Grand Madam.”
“Mhm, you’re still into that old hobby, huh? Did the Grand Madam ask for your cooking?”
Evelina grinned and turned to look at the Grand Madam.
“Ah, Grand Madam. Delphina’s hobby has always been cooking, ever since she was little.”
“……”
“She used to make food no one wanted to eat and bring it around all the time.
Now she’s pestering you with it, I see.”
She approached Delphina and whispered closely.
“Delphina, I told you not to cause trouble. We’ve let your antics slide because we’re family,
but to pull something like this even here…”
Evelina lowered her head as if regretful.
“I’m sorry, Grand Madam. Please allow me to apologize on her behalf.”
Delphina stared coldly at Evelina.
‘Just in case, I asked Elkayan.’
She had asked him to spread a rumor that her relationship with the Grand Madam wasn’t good.
She knew that if Evelina heard the Grand Madam was looking down on Delphina, she’d definitely want to come see it for herself.
‘She’s always looked down on the North deep in her heart anyway.’
Evelina must have also heard the news that the Grand Madam was unwell.
That likely made her think she could take things lightly.
‘Back when I was at the Rikeion estate, even if Evelina acted rudely in front of our elders, no one said anything.
Even the other nobles in the capital found her misbehavior “charming.”’
Evelina had never grown up.
She thought she had nothing to fear in the world.
That was why the Duke of Rikeion had sent Karsen to accompany her—
because even he didn’t know what Evelina might do.
‘Whatever the reason, this must’ve happened because Karsen’s not stuck to her side at the moment.’
Just like she did back at the Rikeion estate, Evelina spat sharp, pointed words at Delphina.
But no matter how much nonsense Evelina threw at her now, Delphina was no longer hurt by it.
And at that moment, the tightly closed mouth of the Grand Madam finally opened.
