CHAPTER 10
As soon as the Count finished eating, he quickly got up. It seemed like he didn’t want to get involved in anything troublesome. Without even glancing at Liza, he left the dining room. I also didn’t feel like talking anymore, so I went to my room at the same time.
“Ma’am, should I get you ready to go out?”
“Yes.”
Bella helped me get dressed with ease. She was good at preparing everything by herself. She tied my hair up and placed a hat on my head.
Then, she told Liza to tie my bootlaces. But Liza couldn’t tie them properly. While Bella finished the rest, Liza kept tying and untying the laces five times. It was frustrating.
I briefly wondered if the Count had assigned her to drive me crazy, but then shook my head. He wasn’t that smart. If he were, he would have just used poison to get rid of Carla.
“You can’t even tie a simple knot?”
I sighed as I looked down at her round head. Liza’s shoulders trembled a little. She looked pitiful and sweet. But I hardened my heart and scolded her more harshly.
“You’re slow and not very bright. Is there anything you can actually do?”
In the end, Liza started crying. When I heard her sniffle softly, I decided to stop yelling at her.
Instead, I nudged her hand away with the toe of my shoe and bent down to tie the laces myself. Bella panicked.
“Ma’am, your hair will get messed up.”
She gently pushed Liza aside and took over. As I stood up straight again, she quickly tied the laces.
“She can’t even do this simple task. It’s so frustrating.”
Liza sniffled again. I wondered if I had been too harsh, so I added,
“I’m sure there’s something you’re good at.”
Liza looked up at me with wide eyes. Even with tears on her face, she looked pretty.
Her red cheeks were rosy, and her soft breathing made her look like a baby deer. The tears in her eyes sparkled like dewdrops on flower petals. She looked even more delicate and lovely.
I shrugged.
“What are you doing? Get ready quickly.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
She suddenly smiled like she hadn’t just been crying and cheerfully began preparing to go out. She even hummed a song.
She was so cheerful that it made me feel silly for scolding her. I felt tired. That girl’s head must be full of bread dough instead of a brain. Bella leaned close and whispered,
“Are you really taking Liza with you?”
She looked worried as she glanced at Liza.
“I need her for something today.”
I lowered my voice so Liza wouldn’t hear.
“Bring the earrings I bought recently.”
Bella quickly brought the long dangling earrings from a drawer. I put them on and pulled out some hair to hide them. The thin earrings blended easily with my dark hair. My heart was beating fast.
Even after getting into the carriage, my heart wouldn’t calm down. I kept glancing at Liza’s earlobes, so Bella, realizing what I was doing, poked Liza’s side.
“Liza, take off the earrings.”
“Why?”
“They’re too noticeable.”
Without much thought, Liza put the earrings into her skirt pocket. I looked out the window, pretending not to notice.
“Ma’am, we’ve arrived.”
The coachman opened the door, and Liza quickly jumped out of the carriage. I followed, taking the coachman’s hand.
Liza began chatting like a lark. Bella clicked her tongue softly.
“She really talks a lot, ma’am.”
Liza’s skirt spun in the air and then floated down gracefully. The blue grass and bright sky behind her made it look like a painting. Her bright smile was dazzling.
I was stunned by her beauty for a moment before turning my eyes away. The ladies who had arrived earlier saw me and greeted me.
“Carla! Sorry for sending the invitation so late.”
“It’s alright. I enjoyed the wait.”
After some small talk, we chose horses. I picked a white one. As soon as someone said it was gentle, Liza suddenly spoke up beside me.
“Ma’am, I want to ride a horse too!”
She looked so cute as she begged with her hands together.
If this weren’t a formal gathering, I might have let her.
“Carla, who is this girl…?”
The hostess looked Liza up and down, clearly displeased. She didn’t like how Liza suddenly asked to ride a horse.
“Liza.”
I said her name sternly. Bella nudged her, and Liza seemed to realize her mistake. She lowered her head and stepped back.
“I’ve been attending a lot of events lately, so I hired another maid. Thank you for caring. She has a lot to learn.”
“Ah, I see. That makes sense.”
Liza pouted but didn’t say anything more. She took off the earrings while on the horse and handed them to me loudly so others could hear.
“These are precious to me, so take good care of them.”
She didn’t question me and put them in her pocket.
After making sure she had them, I began riding. The other women had already scattered.
The horse was gentle and easy to control. I looked far away to avoid seeing the woods. Unlike simple Bella, Liza stood out from head to toe.
She leaned against the fence, watching the horses. I should’ve reminded her to wear a hat—she kept shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.
Bella scolded her for climbing the fence, but Liza kept doing it. She even picked a red flower and tucked it behind her ear. She looked so innocent and sweet.
“So pitiful…”
I whispered so she wouldn’t hear. She was beautiful, but I felt sorry for her. She didn’t need to be with a married man.
Even if she wasn’t very smart, she was lovely. She could’ve found someone better than Carla’s husband.
Love isn’t magic. It doesn’t solve everything.
I turned my head and saw a man in a neat uniform on a horse. It looked like the same kind as before. He kept looking around like he was searching for someone.
‘Is it him?’
His hair reflected the sun, so I couldn’t tell if it was brown or blonde. I wanted to get closer to check, but I didn’t want to meet him again.
Handsome faces have a way of shaking your heart.
Then, our eyes met. Time seemed to stop. Even the wind seemed to avoid us. It felt unreal, like a movie.
‘I think it’s him.’
Even from far away, I could tell he was smiling. His bright smile made my cheeks warm. But something inside me said this wasn’t the right time.
‘I should leave now.’
I quickly pulled the reins and turned the horse away. He didn’t follow or call out. He just stood still and watched me.
After riding for a while, I couldn’t see him anymore, and my heart began to calm down.
After some time, the other women returned and began chatting like nothing happened.
I joined the conversation, talking about the weather and grapes from another region.
“Oh my, Carla, where are your earrings?”
One lady pointed at my bare ears. She didn’t know I had given them to Liza.
“I gave them to my maid. I didn’t want to lose them while riding.”
I signaled toward Liza and added quickly,
“Thanks for noticing. You’re always so thoughtful.”
“No need to thank me. We’re friends, aren’t we? Oh, but your ear looks a little swollen.”
I touched my earlobe—it was a bit puffy and sore.
Ah… so Carla had an allergy. The warmth in my fingertips made me feel bitter.
I wondered if the Count had known about this. That would explain why Carla only had two old pearl earrings.
I smiled at the concerned lady. The conversation ended there, and we carefully turned our horses around. Bella and Liza came toward us.
“You’re back, ma’am.”
Liza started fixing my clothes and chatting again, like she didn’t know I was her lover’s wife.
“Ma’am, I was so bored, I counted how many horses were here. There are more than thirty!”
“Liza!”
Bella scolded her. At the mansion, she could get away with things, but not in public—it could ruin the lady’s image.
“Really?”
Even though Bella tried to stop me, I answered naturally. Liza’s words were light and rhythmic, like a song. Her voice was pleasant.
Since I responded, she got excited and kept talking.
“There are ten white horses, three striped ones, and…”
People started looking at her. Before she could go on, I reached out my hand.
“Give me back the earrings.”
Liza searched her pocket and gave them to me. I looked at them for a moment… then handed them back to her.
“These aren’t mine.”
I finally said the first line I had rehearsed in my head so many times. My heart felt like it would burst.
