Chapter 12
Enoch Haines came to the mansion when I was 9 years old.
My father brought him and introduced him to everyone in the house. He said Enoch was the son of an old friend and that he would take care of him until he became an adult. Enoch, who was 12 at the time, didn’t seem sad about losing his parents. He spoke calmly and politely.
I didn’t hear exactly what he said, because I was too busy staring at my father’s hand on Enoch’s shoulder.
Enoch Haines had black hair and blue eyes. He was tall, and even back then, he looked like he was older than 15. He was handsome, smart, and acted like an adult. All the maids around his age liked him.
I was surprised that he could smile, and even more surprised that my father, Blake, and Grace felt sorry for him.
He was three years older than me, and my family liked him and treated him kindly.
I didn’t like Enoch Haines.
“You’re so dumb.”
“If you just came to fight, go away.”
“For a lady, your mouth is pretty rough.”
“Like you’re any better, always acting nice in front of others…”
“There’s no reason to act nice in front of you.”
“You sneaky jerk.”
“I’m just smart.”
“Same thing.”
“No, Florence.”
“If you’re really smart, you should know talking to me won’t help you.”
“I guess I’m still young. Sometimes I care more about fun than gain.”
Enoch Haines acted like an angel in front of others, but with me, he changed. He didn’t smile, and he stopped using polite speech. He talked to me like I was below him, even though he was just a commoner. Now that I think about it, he had no reason to like a girl who always argued with him. I guess he hated me too.
“I wish people could see who you really are.”
“Go tell them.”
“…”
“But even if you did, no one would believe you.”
Enoch was right. If I said anything bad about him, people would just think I was jealous. Maybe that’s why he showed me his real self—because he knew no one would believe me.
Enoch looked annoyed.
“You hit Lissy?”
“She deserved it.”
“For what? Talking behind your back?”
“…”
“Ignoring you? Or were you just annoyed?”
It was all of that. Grace treated her nicely, and Lissy acted like she was better than me. I could’ve hit her a few more times if I hadn’t been caught early.
“Maybe it was all of the above.”
“…”
“If you stay quiet, no one knows, Florence.”
“You said no one would believe me anyway. If I’m going to be hated no matter what I do, why hold back?”
“Can you even hold back?”
Enoch Haines was seriously annoying.
“Don’t act like something is possible when it’s not, Florence.”
“I told you to leave if you’re just here to fight. Or should I hit you like I hit Lissy?”
“No thanks. I’m too weak for that.”
When he first came to the mansion at 12, he already looked 15. By now, he was 16 and looked like a full-grown man. My slap probably didn’t even hurt him, but he acted all dramatic.
“Locked up for two days just for slapping a maid.”
“You hit her more than once…”
“I should’ve hit her five times. And pulled more of her hair.”
“That’s not how a proper lady fights. You’re not some street thug.”
“So what? Should I throw my gloves politely first?”
“…That’d be weird too. Anyway, eat this.”
Enoch put a tray on the table. It had cookies and a glass of milk.
“That’s all I could bring. No one else wanted to give you anything, so I brought mine.”
“…I’m not eating.”
“You didn’t eat yesterday either. Don’t let your pride stop you, my lady.”
He only called me “my lady” when he was mocking me.
I really hated Enoch Haines. He wasn’t even family, but he got more love than I did. My father never listened to me, but he always paid attention to Enoch, even if he was talking nonsense.
Blake and Grace liked talking to Enoch. They said he was funny and smart, but I didn’t agree. To me, he was just a fake, arrogant brat.
To be honest, I was jealous.
“Should I feed you myself?”
And he said I had a dirty mouth? Enoch didn’t sound very nice either. I glared at him but took a cookie anyway.
“What’s so great about someone like you?”
“At least I’m not a violent lady. I’m handsome, tall, strong, smart…”
“You’re still just a commoner.”
“You don’t get it, do you? Bloodlines don’t matter. You should know that better than anyone.”
Enoch Haines knew how to hurt me with words.
“Even the people in this house like me more than you. Don’t throw the cookie, Florence.”
“If you say one more word—”
“Just finish eating, and I’ll leave. If you don’t want to see me, eat fast. You’re already just skin and bones…”
He clicked his tongue. It was true—I often skipped meals, and I was smaller and thinner than other kids. I was about to yell at him for pitying me, but then he shoved a cookie into my mouth. I had to chew it.
Then he looked down at me and said,
“It’s strange. You have a bad temper, but you’re actually pretty.”
“…”
“Why do those people treat you so coldly?”
To Enoch, the Seymour family was full of kind people. He saw my father as a generous man, Blake as a brother, and Grace as sweet. But he didn’t know what they were really like to me.
They only said hurtful things when we were alone or with just family. Enoch didn’t know.
But even he couldn’t speak up about it. No matter how much they liked him, he was still a commoner under my father’s care. All he could do was bring me food sometimes and give me unwanted advice.
“Give up, Florence.”
“Give up on what?”
“You know they’re never going to like you.”
Even while hurting me, Enoch looked emotionless.
He didn’t need to say it—I already knew. No one knew better than me how unwanted I was. Less loved than a total stranger like Enoch.
I hated Enoch Haines. I was jealous of him.
But he was also the only one who tried to understand me, even a little.
When he turned sixteen—
“Let’s leave together, Florence.”
“Leave? Where?”
“Anywhere.”
He spoke like he’d take me wherever I wanted to go. If I had accepted, maybe things would’ve turned out differently.
But back then, I thought he was ridiculous. I even got mad at him for saying something that sounded like a love confession.
No—what really upset me was that he was a commoner. He couldn’t give me the “perfect future” I dreamed of.
At the time, I still had a crush on Linus. I believed that one day I’d marry him, and then everything would magically change. I held onto that foolish dream.
“Don’t be stupid. I’m not going anywhere. You can leave.”
“…”
“If you want to go, just go. I don’t want to see your face anymore.”
I knew he’d leave once he became an adult, but hearing him say it still shocked me. Once he was gone, no one in that mansion would talk to me. If he wasn’t going to stay, then I had to act like I didn’t care.
“Florence.”
“Go away!”
What kind of face was Enoch making then?
