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Chapter 41
Chapter 7: The Encroaching Shadow
I don’t even know what state of mind I was in when I crossed the courtyard and entered the main building of the villa.
I didn’t even have time to worry about twisting my foot as I rushed into the parlor, where the Duchess still stood without having removed her hat or coat.
Though I had never seen her before, I recognized her face immediately.
“She resembles the portrait at the main family residence.”
Of course, the portrait might have been idealized, making her look younger and more beautiful, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was her.
“Luckily, she must have just arrived.”
It was obvious since she hadn’t even taken off her outer garments.
I bent my waist, spread my skirt, and bowed in greeting.
“Cassia, daughter of Florence, dares to pay her respects to the noble Duchess Cohen.”
My legal name was currently Cassia Cohen, but I couldn’t say that in front of the Duchess.
Doing so would reveal that I was the Marchioness of Cohen and only serve to irritate her.
“Yes. It pleases me to meet my nephew’s wife for the first time.”
The Duchess seemed quite pleased with my low bow.
Before she could say anything, I stepped forward and extended my hand.
“Please allow me the honor of assisting you.”
A smile deepened on the Duchess’s lips.
Attending to her clothes was usually the work of the servants. I was not her maid, and officially I was the Marchioness of Cohen. I wasn’t of a status that required me to do such things.
Yet, offering to serve her as if I were a maid seemed to lighten her mood.
“What a good girl.”
Though she could have refused politely, the Duchess willingly entrusted me with her coat, hat, and bag.
“I knew this would work.”
As I sorted her belongings and handed them to the maids, I quickly calculated my next steps.
“Edmund and Willes must be on the move by now, right?”
The moment I heard about the Duchess’s arrival, I ran here without saying a word. But neither Edmund nor Willes would be unsure of what to do. I didn’t have to tell Edmund that he needed to return to the bedroom; he would know. He was officially trapped in the room by my orders.
“The Duchess wouldn’t come all this way without checking on Edmund’s condition.”
Then there was only one thing I could do.
“I need to buy time! Time for Edmund to reach the bedroom!”
Trying to distract the Duchess by offering tea or some other tactic was too risky.
“It would be far too obvious.”
So what could I naturally do to capture her attention and stall time?
The thought was brief, the decision instantaneous, and the action immediate.
Before the Duchess even spoke, I dropped to my knees in front of her.
“I apologize! With my humble self, I have nothing to say that could ease your concern, Duchess!”
The Duchess raised an eyebrow.
She hadn’t anticipated this attitude from Cassia at all.
“What could you possibly have done wrong? I haven’t asked anything.”
I hesitated slightly, then answered softly.
“Um… it’s not something suitable for others to hear…”
“…Everyone out.”
Realizing what Cassia was about to say, the Duchess’s expression hardened as she dismissed all the staff, including her chief lady-in-waiting, Lady Lilipen, and Cassia’s nanny.
With only the two of us in the room, the Duchess finally spoke in a cold voice.
“Do you even know what you’ve done wrong?”
“…Yes, I do.”
“You claim to know, yet you acted like that?!”
The Duchess expressed her anger by tossing her gloves onto the floor in front of Cassia.
“How dare you refuse my son, wound his heart, and crush his pride?!”
“…?”
Cassia’s eyes widened.
“Huh? What is she talking about? She told me to stay away from him and yet scolds me?”
She had deliberately refused Patrick’s gifts and letters so he would know exactly what she was thinking.
As the Duchess continued, Cassia realized the difference in conventional thinking between herself and the people of this world.
“My warning to you was simply to know your place! I meant you should not interfere with Patrick, whose marriage prospects are being discussed with the royal family!”
“….”
“I never told you to publicly humiliate him! That fragile child!”
Watching the Duchess stamp her feet in frustration, Cassia was reminded of the many unreasonable parents she had tutored.
The Duchess was an exemplary “helicopter mom,” and at the same time, a product of the rigid social hierarchy of this world.
“So what she meant was not to stay away from Patrick entirely, but just to know my place and not overstep?”
This was a way of thinking that didn’t naturally come to Cassia, a 21st-century Korean. She also considered Patrick, who tried to act mature, still a mere sixteen-year-old.
“Come to think of it, she probably allowed me some leeway as a ‘girlfriend’…”
Really? Did they not care at all about their own opinions? The Duchess and Patrick alike?
“I hate this parent-child repetition of mistakes.”
Cassia felt a bit dizzy.
The Duchess then issued a strict command.
“When Patrick returns, you must calm his heart. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
However, one detail in the Duchess’s words caught Cassia’s attention. She didn’t miss it.
“By the way, you said ‘when he returns,’ so does that mean he’s traveling somewhere?”
The Duchess straightened with a proud smile.
“Yes. I went with my father to the Zenobia royal palace to discuss marriage arrangements.”
It was widely known that Duke Cohen was actively pursuing a marriage alliance between his son and the Zenobia royal family. Apparently, they went to the palace in person to discuss the matter.
The royal capital of Zenobia was quite far.
Cassia had to work hard to keep her expression neutral.
“Stay composed! Stay composed!”
She bowed her head to hide her emotions.
“That means the Duke isn’t in the country right now!”
This was an opportunity—one that might never come again.
“A chance for Edmund to escape!”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the floor.
The Duchess, completely unaware, misread the situation entirely.
“It seems I can feel the difference between you and Patrick.”
It wasn’t true at all, but Cassia acted as if she were flustered.
“Patrick-sama is far too gracious for someone like me…”
In truth, she felt entirely differently.
“I don’t need that goody-two-shoes brat, and a wife separate from a lover? What kind of ridiculous drama is this!”
The Duchess sighed softly.
“Well, I cannot help it. This is the first time I’ve seen him so attached. It’s understandable for you to be scared, but I will not forgive you if you dare hurt Patrick.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s for your own good as well.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Cassia obediently nodded, while inwardly muttering harsh words.
“I must buy time. As much as possible!”
Moreover, she now had useful information. If she could just stall a little longer…
Then the Duchess seemed to suddenly remember something and straightened in surprise.
“Oh, I nearly forgot something.”
“Yes?”
“Edmund, he’s in the bedroom, correct? And I heard you have the key.”
It seemed the Duchess already knew that Edmund was trapped in the room under Cassia’s orders and that she held the key.
The Duchess rose and urged her on.
“Lead the way. Quickly.”
Trying to divert her attention elsewhere would be far too obvious. Cassia controlled her nervousness and began guiding the Duchess.
It was impossible to lead her on a deliberately long route. The Duchess already knew the layout of the villa, and the staff were trailing behind.
If they asked why, it would be over. The best she could do was walk slightly slower.
“Hmm? Did you hurt yourself?”
“Ah, I twisted my foot slightly while running here as fast as possible after hearing of your arrival, ma’am.”
“Oh my. You should have been more careful.”
But the Duchess didn’t tell her to rest or slow down.
“Walk faster. At this rate, the sun will set before we arrive.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Supporting herself on her nanny, Cassia finally arrived at the bedroom she didn’t want to reach—the bedroom where Edmund waited.
“….”
Swallowing nervously, she heard the Duchess speak calmly.
“Give me the key.”
Lady Lilipen snatched it from her almost violently, her glare a clear remnant of the grudge from the last time Cassia teased her.
But Cassia had no energy to care about Lilipen now.
“Did Edmund make it in time?”
If the bedroom was found empty even for a moment, it would be the end for both her and Edmund. She could only hope Edmund and Willes had acted as quickly as possible.
Click!
The lock holding the door firmly clicked open, and the door finally swung ajar.
