Chapter 8
“……”
I stayed quiet. The man telling me to come see him tomorrow made me imagine… strange things.
But thinking clearly, I did need to meet him again anyway—at least to return the trench coat and give him back the thunderroot. So, there was no reason to get my hopes up.
I swallowed my thoughts and nodded calmly.
“Alright. Thank you for the ointment. I’ll use it well.”
“Use it however you want.”
What?
I was left speechless by his tone. Just before closing the carriage door, the man paused, then tossed me something else.
“…I picked this up on the way. Use it however you like.”
It was a pair of fluffy white indoor slippers—soft and cute.
I must’ve made a face showing how much I liked them without realizing. When he saw my reaction, he smirked playfully, then closed the carriage door.
“Huh…”
It felt like he teased me a little—but I didn’t mind at all.
“Young Lady?”
Bessie looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Let’s go.”
I calmed myself and gave the order.
“We’ll talk on the way.”
Even if he was just my late fiancé’s older brother.
And honestly, I wasn’t planning on visiting the duke’s house again.
“Again? Why me?”
“This time, it’s not about my brother. It’s you I want to see.”
—
“Eek! Miss! What’s going on? When did you and the Duke’s eldest son become so close?!”
As soon as we returned home and I went to my room, Bessie made a big fuss. Well, I couldn’t blame her. That man really was far more handsome than Arnold.
But all I said was,
“I don’t know either.”
While stroking Popo’s back.
Because I really didn’t.
Still… to be honest, I was kind of looking forward to tomorrow.
…Wait a minute.
“Why did he say we should meet tomorrow?!”
“Huh?”
Bessie looked at me, confused but no longer surprised by my outbursts.
But seriously, hold on.
Thinking calmly now… there was no reason for that man to meet me again.
Sure, the night on the hill wasn’t our first meeting. Technically, our first was during my engagement ceremony with Arnold, a few years back.
But I had greeted hundreds of people that day and hadn’t really tried to get close with Arnold’s family. So it was a very formal and brief meeting.
Our real first proper encounter was on that hill. That was the first time we actually spoke to each other.
Even then, we never introduced ourselves. We just knew each other’s faces and ended up chatting like we were old acquaintances as we walked down to the townhouse.
Yes, we did have things to return—his trench coat, the thunderroot—but those were minor. I could’ve just asked a servant to deliver them.
Which means… there’s really only one logical reason he asked to see me the day after his brother’s funeral.
“He must have figured out that I’m responsible for Arnold’s death!”
If that’s true, the Glentino family might be planning to ask for compensation!
“Gasp!”
It actually made sense. The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Arnold definitely knew about the fierce fights between me and Leonie. He may have told his family about it at some point.
If that’s the case, then the Glentino family could easily become suspicious of the cause of Arnold’s sudden death.
And they’re the Empire’s only ducal house—if anyone could uncover the truth, they could.
“Ugh, Leonie, you crazy witch! How could you kill the only son of the Empire’s duke!”
Not that I, who once aimed to be crown princess, have any right to say that.
I remembered something Eloise once said to me:
“Sis, you’re smart, but sometimes your thoughts go to strange places.”
I forgot all about her wise advice and spent the night tossing and turning in bed—worrying whether Owen would demand a huge compensation, wondering if I’d be forced to work as a maid for the duke’s family, and remembering that their maid uniforms actually didn’t look too bad. If I ran into a maid tomorrow, maybe I’d ask how much they get paid.
—
“Happy birthday, my lady!”
That’s what Bessie said when she came to wake me up.
Oh right—it was my twenty-first birthday today.
Still half-asleep, I sat up in bed.
“Thanks, Bessie.”
“You’ve already received lots of birthday gifts! When would you like to open them?”
Hmm… maybe later.
Since I had to go to the duke’s house, it’d be better to deal with that first, then open the gifts.
“Just leave them for now,” I said while sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Alright, my lady!”
The maids brought in rose-petal water for washing. They were part of the —my loyal group.
I looked at my reflection in the water. My skin was glowing, my hair looked healthy, and my eyes sparkled brightly.
Yes, I was twenty-one again.
I took a deep breath. Compared to this miracle, all else felt small.
Even though I had to eat breakfast alone with my father today.
Still, it was my birthday. Maybe he’d behave. Even if he didn’t, I could always come back to my room and beat up a pillow to release the stress.
And if Owen demanded too much money for Arnold’s death, I could just flat-out deny it. Do you have proof? I’d say shamelessly.
I touched the necklace sparkling around my neck—the aquamarine one Leonie had gifted me.
Today, only positive thoughts!
Let’s go!
—
I hate this damned world.
It’s full of evil, and until the god Jove sweeps it all away with a flood, foolish humans will keep repeating the same mistakes.
Breakfast was awful. The moment I got back to my room, I threw up everything I’d eaten.
“My lady…”
Bessie hovered around me, clearly worried.
“Would you like some water?”
“Yes, please.”
Where did it all go wrong?
I quietly replayed the morning in my mind.
At breakfast, Father—no, the Marquis—had started with this:
“Your fiancé died yesterday, and yet here you are eating.”
I just kept eating in silence. He was picking a fight. If that logic held, then everyone in the Glentino family should’ve been fasting too.
He simply disliked everything I did—no matter what it was.
When I didn’t respond, the butler beside him tried to intervene:
“Sir, today is Lady Sophia’s birthday.”
Only then did the Marquis shut up.
But then… he started again. This time, about my necklace.
“Your fiancé just died, and you’re already wearing a gift from another man? You have no more loyalty than a whore.”
That killed my appetite. I put down my fork and knife.
How could a father say such things to his daughter? “Master,” “whore”—it was revolting.
I couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
“It’s not from another man. It’s from Leonie.”
“What?”
His face turned red with rage.
“You begged your sister, the future crown princess, to get you gifts? How did you threaten her?”
I was stunned. Everyone knew Leonie and I didn’t get along. What kind of twisted idea made him think I could threaten her?
If only he had stopped there, I might have let it go. Might’ve even said it wasn’t the worst breakfast ever.
But no—it got worse.
The final straw was the dessert: peaches.
I’m allergic to peaches. And Leonie loves them.
If I had pointed out that fact, I would’ve just felt even more pathetic. So I pretended to eat and rushed back to my room.
I didn’t even taste the peaches, but my stomach felt so sick it was as if my allergy had kicked in anyway.
“Here, water.”
Bessie brought me a warm cup.
“Thanks, Bessie.”
I took the cup and made a silent vow.
I won’t cry. Not because of that man. He’s not worth my tears.
Watching me, Bessie suddenly burst into tears.
“My lady… when did you become so strong? It breaks my heart.”
“What?”
“You used to throw tantrums when things upset you…”
Oh, I see now.
Before returning to the past, when I was this age, I used to take my anger out on the servants—especially when my inferiority complex toward Leonie worsened.
But this time, it’s different. I’m moving forward.
I wiped my lips, stood up, and told Bessie,
“Get me ready to go out.”
“Huh? Right now?”
“Yes. Better to get the punishment over with.”
I was going straight to the Glentino duke’s house.
With how filthy I felt after this morning, I figured I could be shameless today. Let them try demanding compensation. What good would that do? It’s not like the Marquis of Bartoli would spend a single coin on me. I could say that confidently now.
—
“You look unwell.”
That was the first thing the man said as soon as he saw me.
We were in the sitting room of the Glentino townhouse.
He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, looking slightly tired. Still handsome, though.
But it didn’t stop me from being angry.
Unwell? I’m not a fish left out in the sun!
“Didn’t anyone teach you not to say such things to a lady’s face?”
“But you do look unwell.”
No need to emphasize it so much!
Before I could snap again, the man qui
ckly asked,
“Have you eaten?”
“Of course. Look at the time…”
“I haven’t. I was too nervous.”
What?
Did he just say… nervous?
But his face looked so calm!
Thinking I must have misheard, I stared at him. Then Owen added plainly,
“So please, keep me company for a bit.”
