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Chapter 10
Sezna soon left, saying she had work to attend to.
Left alone, Merwen showed me and Phaiden around the castle. She spoke in a gentle, flowing voice.
“Sioden has stepped out for a moment. There’s an orphanage he supports, and something came up there, so he went to inspect it.”
As if to prevent any misunderstanding, she added while glancing back at Phaiden,
“He was originally planning to personally come greet you, but your party arrived earlier than scheduled, so you ended up missing each other.”
I had heard that around this time of year, it usually snows heavily, but the weather had been unusually good for the past few days, shortening the journey.
Phaiden, who had been looking exhausted the entire way here, nodded without hesitation at Merwen’s explanation. It was clear he was paying more attention to her appearance than her words.
Merwen turned the corner of the hallway and stopped in front of a corridor lined with framed portraits.
“This is where we keep the portraits of the previous heads of the house.”
Then she pointed at one of the frames.
“This is the former head of the family. Sioden’s father.”
Inside the painting was a man with black hair and blue eyes, much like Sioden.
On the frame, an elegant name was engraved in ornate lettering.
Lerox Laslet.
As I looked at the name, Merwen asked lightly, with a hint of playfulness in her voice,
“What do you think? Does he look like Sioden?”
“Yes.”
Aside from Sioden having a slightly more delicate impression, the two were strikingly similar.
Merwen let out a clear laugh, like someone who had just heard an amusing joke. It was a refreshing laugh that suited her bright features.
As I looked at her clear face, a question came to mind.
I asked Merwen, who still had a smile on her lips,
“If it’s not rude, may I ask what your relationship is with Lord Laslet?”
Merwen had addressed Sioden casually, as if they were very familiar.
We, who had met each other under false names from the beginning, had never once used our real names.
“Please, don’t call me ‘Lady.’ Just call me Merwen.”
She answered cheerfully, then narrowed her eyes slightly as if recalling something.
“I’ve been friends with Sioden since a long time ago. Since we were very young…”
Before I could even interpret what that meant, she turned to me.
“May I call you Iella?”
I was momentarily flustered; such a request from a stranger was uncommon. But seeing her bright smile, I couldn’t refuse.
Moreover, unlike the stiff, whispering servants I had seen earlier, she was the only person in Laslet Castle who had treated me kindly so far.
“Yes.”
After I nodded hesitantly, Merwen smiled brightly again. Her round eyes curved deeply, and dimples appeared on her cheeks.
At that moment, a maid approached Merwen and whispered something into her ear.
Merwen’s expression stiffened slightly. She stepped back from the maid and turned toward us.
“Iella, what should I do? Something urgent has come up, so I’ll have to step away for a moment. Should I call Sezna again?”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait here.”
There wasn’t anything urgent on my schedule anyway, and Sezna was probably the woman who had looked at me so displeased earlier. I didn’t particularly want to stay with someone who already held hostility toward me on my first day.
“I’m sorry.”
Merwen apologized with drooping brows, then gave an order to a nearby maid.
“Please guide Lady Rowen to the reception room so she can rest.”
Following the maid’s guidance, I was led into a reception room that was already warm, as if a fire had been kept burning.
A fur-covered sofa faced away from the door. Sitting down on the soft fur, my stiff body slowly relaxed, melting under the warmth and the tension of a new place.
While I quietly held the warmth of a teacup given to me by Laslet’s servants—replacing Apple, who was probably supervising my luggage—I heard Phaiden complain.
“Leaving a guest in the middle of a tour of the castle… how inconsiderate.”
“She said something urgent came up.”
“Is that more important than welcoming Rowen? Especially since this is an engagement arranged by imperial decree…”
“It’s because we arrived early. They had already adjusted their schedule, but we arrived sooner than expected and missed him.”
That was what Merwen had clearly explained from the beginning.
Laslet had adjusted their schedule to match our shortened travel time, but we had arrived even earlier than expected, causing Sioden to miss us while away.
Phaiden had clearly been staring at Merwen’s face instead of listening to her words.
As if he had no further argument, he fell silent. Just then, a knock sounded from outside.
Merwen had probably returned. I gestured to a servant to open the door.
But instead of Merwen—
When the door opened, a cold blue gaze fell upon me.
It was Sioden.
He stood there in black northern formal wear, his expression as cold as snow.
As he approached, I instinctively stiffened.
He spoke in a low, icy voice.
“According to Merwen, you stopped midway through the tour of the castle.”
“….”
“Do you need further guidance?”
Cold air seemed to follow him inside, as if he had just returned from the snow and wind. But what felt truly cold wasn’t the weather clinging to him—it was something else.
His gaze.
It was sharp, like a shard of frozen ice, making me freeze without thinking.
I forced my stiff lips to move.
“No, it’s fine.”
He stared at me for a moment as I spoke in a barely audible voice, then scoffed faintly.
“You seem to have adapted quite well to Laslet already. I can tell you’re already dissatisfied.”
He must have misunderstood after hearing Phaiden earlier. I tried to explain.
But Sioden turned away faster than I could speak.
“Rest. You must be tired from the journey.”
As he walked toward the door, he gave a careless order to a servant waiting nearby.
“Take the Rowen lady to her room.”
Later
Wedding preparations followed.
Phaiden was busy laying out the dowry brought from the South and issuing various instructions.
Everything brought from the South was extremely luxurious.
Of course, it wasn’t because my father truly cared for me, but rather an investment to support his own plans.
Phaiden’s activities were so noisy that even complaints from Laslet’s residents reached my ears.
Their eyes toward us servants were never kind from the beginning, but now even that initial attitude seemed gentle in comparison.
Even Apple, who was usually indifferent, noticed the worsening situation.
“Should I silence Mr. Hale?”
One morning, while combing my hair, Apple whispered to me.
Hale was Phaiden’s surname—meaning she was talking about silencing Phaiden.
Apple was blunt and quiet in personality, but surprisingly skilled at persuasion.
I wasn’t sure exactly how she handled things.
But Apple should not get involved with Phaiden. If she caught his attention, word would eventually reach my father, and that man already used Apple as a hostage for threats whenever he pleased.
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to him.”
Apple looked troubled but silently continued brushing my hair.
That afternoon, I went to find Phaiden, who was once again loudly rearranging the castle decorations.
He was occupying a study among the rooms assigned to us in Laslet Castle.
It had originally been my assigned space, but during the wedding preparations, Phaiden was using it.
“It seems a bit too noisy. Shouldn’t we be more considerate of the residents of the castle and tone it down a little?”
“This is how we make a lasting impression.”
Phaiden replied without even looking at me, examining the luxurious items filling the room.
A surge of irritation rose in me.
“If we leave a bad impression, it won’t be useful at all…”
“The Lord has ordered that it be made flashy and noticeable.”
Phaiden cut me off without even listening.
It was always the same—whenever I opposed him even slightly, he would invoke my father’s name as a threat.
Heat rushed to my face. Usually I would let it pass to avoid my father hearing about it, but not today.
I stood up to confront him directly—but then there was a knock at the door.
“Miss, His Excellency has arrived.”
