PHATFO 18

[Chapter 18]

I had already thought of a good setup, so I wrote my reply as usual and handed it to the butler.

“Here’s my reply.”

The butler frowned when he saw the sealed envelope.

“I’ve told you before—the sealing is my job.”

“But—oh no! Please don’t open it!”

I panicked and stamped my feet as the butler began opening the letter.

Petals fluttered out and scattered all over the butler’s office. He stared at them in disbelief.

“What… is all this?”

“Well… Madam Hilton asked me what kind of flowers bloom in our garden, so I included some petals as a reply. There’s no rule that says I can’t put flower petals in an envelope, right?”

“…”

“But the petals kept flying away, so I sealed the envelope… and now look! It’s all ruined because of you!”

The butler glared at me, clearly annoyed. As if he were thinking, “Isn’t dealing with the Countess’s tantrums enough? Do I really have to put up with you too?”

I just stood there innocently, as if to say: “Well, are you going to pick them up, or should I?”

In the end, he sighed and bent over to gather the petals.

The room was cleaned up, and the petals were placed into a new envelope.

“You’d better send this one quickly, understood? The petals need to stay fresh.”

“Y-yes, yes. Now, can you leave? I have a mountain of work besides this letter.”

The butler answered absentmindedly and pushed me out. I nodded like I understood and left.

It didn’t seem like he suspected the petals held any secret meaning.

“Good. He’s dumb.”

I walked back to my room, feeling like a child excitedly waiting for a reply.

The next day at noon,

I pulled out the flashiest dress I owned. Bright red, decorated with tiny jewels that sparkled even from far away.

After dressing, I sat at my vanity to do my hair. I wasn’t good at it, so I just braided it to one side and added some accessories.

With light makeup, I looked like a noble lady going to a party.

I walked quickly down the stairs toward the first-floor hall. Midway down, I saw a maid and called out.

“Hey, could you stop for a moment?”

“Huh?”

The maid paused—then her eyes widened in shock when she realized who I was. I smiled, pretending not to notice.

“Could you call for a carriage? I’ve been invited to an event I just can’t refuse.”

I waved the letter in my hand.

She looked at me, then the letter, back and forth, over and over. Finally, she scoffed in disbelief.

“Ugh, seriously. This is ridiculous.”

She clearly hated taking orders from someone like me.

“Hurry up, would you? I’m already late.”

I ignored her attitude and kept waving the letter. With a shake of her head, she finally turned and walked away.

But instead of heading to the stables, she went upstairs. I knew what she was doing—but I went outside to wait.

“A party? What kind of party do you think you’re going to?”

The Countess came outside after me.

The maid who had scoffed earlier followed behind her. Her eyes sparkled, like she was eager to witness what was about to happen.

Honestly, so was I.

The Countess was still in her nightgown. Apparently, she hadn’t even gotten ready for the day—her hair was messy and flat.

But her sharp gaze was just as fierce as ever.

I backed away like a frightened child, then bowed my head politely.

“Hello, Madam.”

“Hmm.”

She looked me over several times, clicking her tongue.

“So it’s true. You really are planning to go somewhere. Where exactly?”

I slowly looked up, as if I were only just given permission to speak.

“Ah, well… Madam Hilton invited me—”

“How dare you!”

SLAP!

The same cheek Charlotte had slapped now burned again.

The atmosphere froze like a harsh winter wind. I looked at her with a confused face, as if I didn’t understand why.

“Karina… I remember her well. She’s the girl who embarrassed our family by throwing a party and inviting half the town! And now you say you’re going to her party? What kind of party is this anyway? Are you celebrating my daughter being sent to the countryside?! Is that it?!”

“N-no, Madam! That’s not it—I just—ahh!”

She yanked my hair, and I screamed. I didn’t even have to fake it—the pain was real.

“You should be lying low and reflecting on yourself, but you dare run around like this?!”

“It hurts! It really hurts, Madam!”

“Don’t you care about my daughter, stuck all alone in the countryside?! She’s in a tiny house, wasting away with no one beside her! And you—how can you be so shameless, so ungrateful?! You didn’t even offer to go in her place! And yet—yet! you stand before me like this?!”

My hair accessories were torn out. My fancy dress was ruined. Still, I let her hit me—and I screamed as loudly as I could.

So anyone coming to help would find me easily.

“I’m sorry, Madam! I won’t go again! Please forgive me!”

Click, clack.

“Oh my, Lady…”

Salvation arrived instantly.

Someone walked through the front gate and stopped in front of me. I looked up at the person who gently wiped my tears and helped me stand.

It was a noblewoman dressed head-to-toe in the latest styles from the Imperial Capital.

“Karina…?”

The Countess whispered the name, trying to confirm it. Madam Hilton clicked her tongue.

“How rude of you, Madam. It’s been years since I cut ties with your daughter. And yet you still call me by name?”

“…”

“I suppose I can understand. If your mind is so foggy that you do something like this in your front yard, where guests can see… then a slip of the tongue is to be expected.”

“How did you…”

I tried to speak with my bloodied lips, wanting to make it clear she was not someone I had called for.

“We made a promise, remember? To meet under the clock tower. But after two hours passed without any word from you, I got worried. I thought something must have happened… and well…”

Behind her fan, a mocking smile peeked out.

“I never expected to witness this.”

Madam Hilton snapped her fan shut and gestured behind her.

“So now, even you can’t claim the rumors are false. Wouldn’t you agree, Lady Rohilton?”

“Indeed.”

That voice wasn’t a man’s—it was calm, like a knight’s.

Standing behind her was Camilla Ahwila, dressed not in a party dress, but in her military uniform—with a long sword at her side.

She walked over with the grace of someone trained in combat and positioned herself behind me like a guard.

“Are you alright, Lady?”

“Y-yes, yes…”

Camilla’s gaze was heavy and protective—like someone who’d shield you with their whole body.

I hid behind her, fiddling with something in my hand, then tucked it into my sleeve.

The Countess couldn’t look at me. The pressure from Camilla and the shame of being caught hitting me by outsiders was too much.

“How dare you show up uninvited to the Rohilton estate?! I am the mistress of this house, and I will not—”

“I didn’t want to bring this up… but the invitation came from the Count himself.”

What?

Madam Hilton placed a document in the Countess’s hand. The Rohilton family seal fluttered in the breeze.

“The Count sent me a proposal for investment. When I asked for more details, he invited me personally. So I came to follow up and—well, what do you know.”

Her voice, usually graceful, now grew sharp.

“You mean to say your husband never told you? Hosting guests is the mistress’s duty. How embarrassing.”

She was clearly mocking the Countess, pointing out how distant she had become from her own husband.

“…!”

The Countess’s lips trembled violently, and her fists clenched tightly.

“What is this commotion?!”

The Count had arrived.