🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 4~
Below that, the letter continued with things like, “I heard you visited the estate today,” “Why didn’t you tell me before coming?” and so on, but none of it really entered her head.
The first line alone was more than enough.
Rachel folded the letter and handed it back to Becky. Becky, who accepted it absentmindedly, tilted her head in confusion.
“Miss?”
“Burn it.”
“…!”
“And bring me some water to wash my hands.”
Becky stood there holding the letter in silence for a moment, then bowed her head.
“…Yes, Miss.”
Soon, the letter was thrown into the fireplace, where only ashes remained. As Rachel washed her hands in the rose water Becky brought, she spoke as if in passing.
“If Mother calls for me, just tell her nothing’s wrong.”
“…!”
After coming of age, her mother no longer disciplined her directly, but Rachel knew she would sometimes call in her personal maid to keep watch.
Especially now, right before a wedding that must not be ruined.
From her parents’ perspective, they couldn’t risk a single flaw.
So far, they hadn’t done much, but today, secrecy was necessary. Becky had always obeyed the madam, but her loyalty to Rachel was stronger. She nodded firmly.
“Understood, Miss.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
After replying only to the Duke’s letter, Rachel headed straight for her soft bed.
It was only her second night’s sleep since returning, but—
For the first time in months, the soft bed felt almost unbelievable. She fell asleep in an instant.
Meanwhile, on her way back to her room after delivering the letter, Becky ran into Marie, the Marchioness’s personal maid, in the hallway.
“My lady wants to see you.”
“….”
That night, Becky was summoned to the Marchioness’s room.
Knock, knock—
Marie tapped lightly on the closed door.
“My lady. Becky has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
Becky entered and immediately bowed deeply.
“I greet the madam.”
“Sit down.”
The Marchioness was wearing a long silk gown over her nightdress, holding a teacup. As Becky sat opposite, the questioning began at once.
“How is Rachel?”
“She’s asleep.”
“Is that so?”
Clink—
The Marchioness set down her teacup and stared intently at Becky. Becky unconsciously swallowed.
She rarely met the madam in person.
And every time she had, it was always to report about the young miss, which never felt pleasant.
“I heard she fainted yesterday.”
The soft voice broke the silence. Becky chose her words carefully.
“Yes. I believe it was from overexertion, preparing for the wedding.”
“You must take good care of her. We can’t have any disturbances with the wedding so close. What if something happens and the wedding gets postponed?”
“…I’m sorry.”
It sounded like concern for her daughter, but—
Becky knew very well that what the madam cared about most was any trouble with the wedding. The madam’s face turned cold.
“You know how hard we’ve worked for this marriage. I hope I won’t have to call you over something like this again.”
This summons was a warning—not to let anything else go wrong, or she wouldn’t tolerate it.
Becky immediately bowed her head.
“Of course, madam. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. Nothing else unusual with Rachel lately?”
All the strange things the young miss had done today flashed through Becky’s mind. But—
–If Mother calls for me, just tell her nothing’s wrong.
She was used to filtering what she reported anyway. And this time, she’d been directly instructed, so she had to choose her words more carefully.
Becky arranged her expression and bowed her head again.
“Yes. She just said she’d be eating her meals in her room for a while, because she’s tired.”
“That’s understandable. I’ll have to comfort Ilya myself.”
The Marchioness, pretending not to care, smiled, thinking of her son searching for his absent sister.
“All right, you may go.”
“Yes, madam.”
Becky left the room with a polite bow and finally let out a sigh.
She’d gotten through it somehow.
“…But I don’t think I can hide it for much longer, Miss.”
If this suspicious behavior continued, the madam would call in the other maids as well, and someone else might report the young miss’s changes.
Besides, today, the young miss hadn’t even replied to the young master’s letter—she’d burned it. She’d always replied right away before.
“….”
For now, she would keep everyone quiet.
But if the madam herself started to move, the outcome was clear.
Becky wondered how she could keep Rachel’s changes hidden for longer. But there was no need to worry for too long.
Because before the madam could do anything, a huge scandal—an engagement breakup—would occur due to the other side’s fault.
The next day.
Rachel woke up late, ate breakfast in her room, and got ready to go out.
She used to skip meals sometimes.
But now that she’d returned, her favorite things were sleep and meals. And dressing up.
She sliced a freshly grilled, juicy sausage with her knife. The food, just made, was warm and delicious.
Meanwhile, the maids moved busily, helping her dress.
They combed her soft, wavy platinum hair and applied makeup to her smooth skin. Today, she would be meeting her soon-to-be father-in-law, the Duke of Valencia, so her outfit wasn’t too flashy.
A deep navy-blue dress with slightly low-heeled shoes.
Jewelry of elegantly cut diamonds and sapphires.
The mirror reflected her neat and radiant appearance again today. Finishing her meal, Rachel picked up the bundle of evidence in one hand and stood.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Becky looked at Rachel for a moment, but this time, didn’t try to take her luggage. The guards standing by the door followed after them.
The Ingrave house was quiet in the morning.
Her thirteen-year-old brother was away at knight school by now.
Her father was at court.
Her mother was likely still asleep. Rachel liked the feeling of having the house to herself.
Unlike yesterday, she got straight into the waiting carriage and headed peacefully for the Valencia estate.
Left alone with Rachel, Becky quietly brought up what happened last night.
“My lady called me to her room last night.”
“Did she?”
It was a faster reaction than Rachel had expected.
But, considering the alliance with the Valencia family was at stake, it was only natural. Becky continued.
“She seemed worried you might get too sick for the wedding, since you fainted the other day. I told her nothing’s wrong and that you’ll be eating meals in your room for now.”
“You handled it well.”
Rachel took out two small pouches and handed them over.
“One’s for you. Distribute the rest among the other maids.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
It was a reward for Becky and the other sharp-witted maids working under her.
Watching Becky’s happy face, Rachel was reminded of her time at the Valencia house.
They were always her people, more loyal to her than to her mother.
But when she got married, she couldn’t take even one of them with her. The Duchess of Valencia had refused.
–There are plenty of servants at the duke’s house. Why would you need to bring the Ingrave servants?
It was an absurd demand, to leave behind every handmaid of the young lady getting married. But since her mother agreed, Rachel had to enter the Valencia house alone.
It was a difficult time. The servants always sided with the duchess, not the new young lady.
…It took five years to make anyone her own.
Now she wondered if the duchess had set that condition on purpose, to make sure Rachel couldn’t get a handle on things too quickly.
So the daughter-in-law wouldn’t uncover her secrets for a long time.
“….”
That was all in the past now.
While Rachel rested her chin on the carriage window, gazing at the fresh outdoors, they arrived at the Valencia estate.
The same golden ring and coiled dragon flag.
The splendid garden.
At the end of it, a figure she didn’t expect was waiting.
Rachel furrowed her brow unconsciously and tried to compose herself.
But it wasn’t easy. Because—
“…Paris learned at fourteen that he was not the real son of the Duke of Valencia. He found out by secretly overhearing the duchess talking with her lover…”
The “Record” she’d seen since returning kept surfacing in her mind.
