Chapter 10
“Wishing someone a happy birthday like that… That’s a new one.”
Vivian’s voice quivered slightly as she fired back, refusing to back down.
She kept her head lowered, pretending to rummage through the jewelry box, but her trembling hands gave her away. As soon as Betty noticed, she quickly stepped in.
“My lady, are you looking for something?”
“…That sapphire earring from before. I’m trying to find it. I don’t know where I put it.”
The sapphire earrings she mentioned weren’t even supposed to be in this jewelry box.
Both the lady and Betty knew that.
“They’re definitely in here somewhere. I’ll look carefully.”
Her hand gripped the lid of the jewelry box so tightly it had gone pale.
“Alright. Thank you.”
Vivian was not the kind of person to say thank you over something so trivial.
That made it feel even more sincere. It was her way of expressing gratitude for helping her regain her composure in a moment of distress.
Betty understood and stood stunned, blinking.
Regardless, the faint smile that had briefly appeared on the lady’s face vanished.
She once again donned her mask of indifference and threw a cold question at Felix.
“…You’re always so busy, yet you found time to visit me. What’s going on, brother?”
“I didn’t come here to waste time either. I’m here to tell you something important. If you mess this up, it’ll be a big problem.”
Still, she was his sister.
How could he say such harsh things so casually?
Hidden beneath her lap, Vivian’s hand continued to tremble, though it was unclear whether it was from anger or humiliation.
“The Grand Duke is coming. After an audience with His Majesty, he’ll be coming straight here. So make sure you’re dressed as splendidly as possible.”
“The Grand Duke? What, which Grand Duke…?”
“Vivian Scharte. I don’t like repeating myself. There aren’t two Grand Dukes in the Empire. You should be able to figure it out.”
Even a simple statement was returned like a blade.
Betty flinched, thinking the words were directed at her. But when she replayed Felix’s words in her head, she was shocked.
Grand Duke Ian Devan had arrived in the capital.
Felix left immediately after delivering his message, leaving behind a heavy silence. Then Vivian suddenly raised her voice.
“Roderick. Stop hiding and come out. Planning to stay until the Grand Duke arrives?”
In the shock of the news, she had half forgotten about the knight.
He stepped out of the dressing room, walked over, and placed his hands gently on Vivian’s shoulders, leaning in to whisper.
“Are you truly going to marry the Grand Duke?”
“We already knew this was coming. Don’t get all emotional now. You want to get caught and thrown out of the house?”
“Still… I thought we had more time.”
It seemed that the end of their relationship had been quietly scheduled with the Grand Duke’s return.
“I told you. If you were going to act like a fool and grow attached, you shouldn’t have taken my hand in the first place.”
Betty had thought they were lovers, but it seemed that was her mistake.
“…I’ll go.”
Despite the cold dismissal, the knight looked at her with eyes full of longing before quietly closing the door.
Up to the very last moment, Vivian never once looked back. Then she turned to Betty, who was awkwardly pretending to be busy.
“Thanks for what you did just now. Seems like you already figured things out about me and Roderick too, but you didn’t say anything. Thanks for that.”
Vivian paused, then continued in a quieter voice.
“Honestly, I was moved. No one’s ever cared about my well-being like that before.”
“Surely the Duke and Young Lord—”
“They might pretend on the outside, but you think they care deep down? What a joke. I know when it’s real. Felix Scharte has always truly, sincerely hated me.”
Vivian set down the earrings she had been holding and stared at herself in the mirror with a bitter smile.
“No matter what I do, he hates me. It’d almost be better if he just got angry outright, but he doesn’t even do that.”
Sitting alone at the vanity, the noble lady looked arrogant—and lonely.
It now seemed clear that all her dramatic antics, all her loud scandals, were just cries for attention.
“If the Grand Duke is coming, I should at least show him the courtesy of wearing the earrings he gave me. I can’t disgrace the proud name of House Scharte.”
Her obsession with flaunting her noble status… Perhaps it was because that was the only part of her that her family ever paid attention to.
“Do you still have the ring I gave you before? It would stand out more than these earrings.”
With a careless hand, she picked out a small pair of earrings. Then her blue eyes met Betty’s in the mirror. Betty froze.
“That ruby ring…”
“Already sold it?”
She raised an eyebrow as she asked, but there wasn’t much accusation in her tone—just curiosity.
“From what I know of you, you don’t seem the type to just rush off and sell something like that. Or maybe I was wrong.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Don’t stammer. I’m not going to bite.”
Vivian let out an irritated sigh as she fiddled with her hair.
Then she turned and looked up at Betty.
Perhaps feeling sorry for her tone, her voice softened.
“I meant what I said earlier—thank you. And I’m not going to ask for the ring back. Whatever your reason for helping me, I’m not that unreasonable.”
“I only did what I should, since I serve you, my lady.”
“…You’re too kind to be working in this mansion.”
It sounded more like a scolding than praise. Betty lowered her head, speechless.
“So, what happened to the ring? Did you have to sell it?”
“My aunt is very ill. I didn’t have the money to pay the healer or buy medicine. So I gave it to the healer.”
“How much?”
Vivian suddenly opened a drawer and pulled out a heavy pouch of coins that clinked loudly as she set it on the table.
She pushed it toward Betty, and only then did Betty realize she was asking how much money she needed.
“This is money I get separately. Even the butler doesn’t ask what it’s for.”
“I can’t accept this.”
“If it’s not enough, just say so. If there’s extra, keep it. I can’t even go out freely, so I don’t have much use for money anyway. At the shops, they just bill House Scharte.”
Vivian lived a life anyone would envy.
But who would’ve guessed that she couldn’t even go out freely without worrying about her father or brother?
“Go on, take it. Consider it payment for keeping my secret.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Because you kept my secret, like I said.”
Her casual tone didn’t match the enormity of the gold she’d just handed over.
“What if I take this and still tell the Young Lord the truth?”
“Then I’d just think you were another ungrateful maid who used her position to sneak into Felix’s bedchamber.”
She said it as if it happened all the time.
“Lord Felix did ask me. If you’d been acting strangely lately.”
At Betty’s hesitant words, Vivian scoffed.
“He always does that. He tries to bribe all my maids to keep tabs on me. No matter how exemplary I behave, he never stops. I’ve given up. If he can’t trust me, what can I do?”
“Then… should I look into it for you?”
It was a relief to know that Felix hadn’t approached her for any suspicious reason.
She was reassured enough to take the initiative herself.
“Look into what?”
“Why Lord Felix… treats you the way he does.”
“There might not even be a reason. Maybe he just hates me.”
“No. There must be a reason.”
Betty shook her head. If someone acts consistently, even if it seems irrational, there’s always a reason.
There’s no such thing as hatred without cause—unless the person is simply refusing to admit it.
“I think I can find out.”
Betty didn’t relish the idea of dealing with Felix again.
But if she kept talking with him while concealing Vivian’s actions, she might uncover some clues.
“You really are too kind.”
Vivian stared at Betty for a long moment, then suddenly waved her hand.
“Forget it. I already make you send my letters all the time. I’m not completely shameless, you know?”
Then Betty suddenly remembered—The Grand Duke. The letters.
“What if it becomes a problem that I sent the letters in your name?”
Vivian misunderstood her nervous expression and replied reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. The Grand Duke probably didn’t even read them carefully. None of the noble heirs I’ve dealt with ever really read those letters. Just tell me roughly what you wrote. I’ll handle it.”
The problem was—it wasn’t true.
But Betty had no choice but to smile and nod.
Even if the noble lady had started treating her more warmly…
There was no way she could reveal that she hadn’t just sent letters on behalf of the lady—she had written them as the lady herself.
