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Chapter : 12
Rachel froze in shock.
Just as she was about to ask what was going on, Cian raised the index finger of his other hand to his lips.
Shh.
She held her breath silently, and from outside she heard voices.
“…I can’t do it!”
“Oh, ahh! Ahhh! Mother…!”
It was Berengela and Theodor. Their voices grew louder as if they were passing through the hallway.
“Stop acting up and follow me! We’re going to settle this today!”
“I was wrong, I was really wrong!”
“How could you debase yourself over a mere common girl? Over something like that—what is this disgraceful mess!”
“Mother, she’s not just a common girl. I truly love Jane—ah!”
“Love, you say. Since when does a political marriage overflow with love? Do you think all such people behave as disgustingly as the Earl, committing adultery? And at His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, no less?”
It was strangely satisfying to hear.
Berengela had often been strict and critical of Rachel, but at this moment she felt like a dependable ally.
“What will you do now? The rumors have already spread. You can’t even return to the estate today!”
“What is there to be ashamed of? If I stand proud, that’s enough—ah, ah!”
“…If you don’t want me to cut off your important parts, shut your mouth.”
“Mo-Mother, please, anything but that…”
“Lead the way. I heard you arranged lodging near the palace. We’ll stay there for the time being.”
“Yes! I’ll take you immediately! It’s a townhouse not far from here, I’m sure you’ll like it—agh!”
Their voices gradually faded.
Just as Rachel relaxed and moved Cian’s hand away from her lips, he still didn’t budge.
“…Not yet.”
She strained her ears, but there was nothing else to hear.
Was his hearing sharper because he was a guild informant?
Rachel blinked in the silence.
Cian, as if concentrating, looked into the distance, then briefly at Rachel, then at the ground. His fingers slowly moved away from her lips.
“…It’s fine now. We should take a side route to avoid them.”
“You’ve really gone out of your way to help me. I don’t know how I can ever repay this kindness.”
“I only acted out of regret for causing you trouble, so please don’t worry about it.”
Their eyes met, and Cian gave a faint smile. He bent slightly and held out the cufflink to Rachel.
“It was too good for a man like that.”
From the very beginning.
Rachel looked at it quietly, then shook her head.
“You said you wanted it. I’ll give it to His Highness the Grand Duke. I don’t need it anymore.”
“Are you sure? According to guild rules, we cannot return payment once received.”
“It’s fine.”
Cian stared at the cufflink resting in his palm for a moment, then slowly closed his fist around it.
As Berengela had predicted, after that day’s banquet, the front of the Elrosa estate became noisy. Not with people gathering physically, but with rumors and gazes pouring in from alleyways, windows, and passing carriages.
“The Earl had an affair?”
“At the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, no less!”
“No wonder he hasn’t been coming home often…”
“I heard the wife loves her husband dearly. How pitiful.”
Meanwhile, Rachel paid it no mind and enjoyed a morning without Theodore or Berengela. Even Karl, who usually hounded her about schedules, was nowhere to be seen.
“Ta-da! How is it, Graham? Mommy prepared a gift for you!”
Rachel held out a neatly wrapped present, and Graham’s eyes went wide.
“Huh? What is this? Is it my birthday today?”
“It’s not your birthday, but I wanted to give it to you!”
It was a gift prepared following Cian’s advice. Even if there was intention behind it, it was absurd to give gifts only to those she disliked and none to those she loved.
Graham took the long, thin package larger than his own body.
“What is it? Can I open it now, Mom?”
“Of course!”
Carefully peeling off the wrapping paper so it wouldn’t tear, Graham saw what was inside and shouted with joy.
“Wow! It’s a wooden sword! I’ve always wanted one!”
The child neatly folded the wrapping paper and set it aside before awkwardly swinging the wooden sword. Though his movements were clumsy, each swing made a whooshing sound through the air.
“This is amazing! I’ll protect you with this, Mom!”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! I love it! A lot!”
“Ah—wait, Graham, be careful!”
“Ah!”
In his excitement, Graham lost his grip on the wooden sword. It flew through the air and, unfortunately, struck a passing maid on the head.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
The maid groaned, and Graham’s face turned pale. He quickly hid behind Rachel’s skirt, muttering,
“S-sorry…”
“…It’s fine. I’m okay.”
Her expression said otherwise. The short, heavy-set maid glared at Graham as if she could devour him. If not for Rachel, she would have likely scolded him harshly.
“Keria. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m really fine.”
Only after Rachel spoke did the maid quickly retreat.
Rachel let out a long sigh.
It was because of Masha. Thanks to the nanny who neglected and ignored the young master, all the servants in the house looked down on Graham.
Karl had said he would issue a warning, but it seemed useless.
Graham, still hiding behind her skirt, teared up.
“M-mom… I’m sorry. It’s my fault…”
“No, it’s okay. You didn’t do it on purpose. I’ll apologize to Keria. Next time, just check if there’s anyone nearby and swing it only when necessary, okay?”
“Okay! I’ll be careful! I’ll hold it tightly with both hands!”
“That’s my good boy, Graham.”
“Hehe. Mom, I’ll go put the wrapping paper back in my room!”
“Huh? The wrapping paper?”
“It’s from you, Mom!”
Graham picked up the discarded wrapping paper and trotted away.
While Graham was gone, Rachel followed the maid Keria out to the garden.
Keria and the other maids had gathered near the estate entrance, gossiping about Graham and Rachel.
“Ugh, it hurts like crazy! That annoying little master!”
“This is definitely going to leave a bruise.”
“I hope it does. Then I can charge medical fees.”
“I know a doctor. We can inflate the treatment cost there!”
How ridiculous.
She had planned to fire them all eventually, but it seemed she would have to move the timeline up.
Rachel crossed her arms and leaned against a stone railing nearby.
The maids continued talking, unaware she was listening.
“Like master, like family. They’re all the same.”
“Exactly. No proper people in the Elrosa family. The cheating husband, the wife who drove him to cheat, and the immature son.”
The wife who drove her husband to cheat? These people were unbelievable.
The affair was Theodore’s doing—what did Rachel have to do with it? She had simply followed an arranged marriage and lived diligently!
And Graham was only four years old! Six in Korean age! And they called him immature?
Her thoughts of apologizing and paying medical fees vanished.
The maids giggled among themselves.
“Lady Rachel is pretty but stupid. No wonder he got bored of her. A woman like that would make anyone not want to sleep with her.”
“Her obsession must’ve been unbearable. I’d have cheated too.”
“The stablehand Jake said he’d be horrified to marry Lady Rachel. Watching his household wealth drain away while she acts like the lady of the house—haha!”
Just as Rachel was about to snap at them—
A rider on a black horse crossed the garden and stopped at the entrance. The carriage bore the emblem of the postal office.
The maids quickly noticed Rachel standing there and bowed nervously, stealing glances at her.
They clearly wondered if she had heard them.
The rider dismounted and approached Rachel.
“Good day. Are you Lady Elrosa?”
“Yes.”
She showed her noble insignia, and he nodded.
“I’ve brought a letter and a package.”
“Who sent it?”
“A person named Masha.”
So the repayment date had come. Convenient timing.
The rider handed her the package tied to his horse along with a letter.
[This is the compensation you requested. Without your kindness, my family and I in the countryside would have starved while preparing this payment. I will live quietly and never appear before you again.
—Masha]
Rachel checked the contents and nodded.
“Thank you. I’ll send someone when I reply.”
“Thank you for always using our service.”
The rider tipped his hat and left.
Rachel placed the box on a nearby table, untied it, and took out the documents inside. After confirming the contents, she smiled faintly.
As the rider disappeared, the maids finally relaxed.
What are they relieved about?
“Keria.”
The maid who had glared at Graham froze.
“Yes, y-yes!”
“You were hurt when Graham hit you earlier, right? Take this. It’s medical compensation.”
Rachel tossed Masha’s money pouch to her.
Keria’s face brightened dramatically. A doctor’s visit cost 3 copper coins, but the pouch contained 30,000 copper coins—3 gold.
“T-thank you, my lady!”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’re probably going to spend all of that soon.”
“What do you mean…”
Rachel smiled sweetly.
“Because your compensation debt to the Elrosa family is 450 gold.”
The faces of Keria and the other maids turned ghostly white.
Rachel, unusually generous, paid all servants a salary second only to the imperial palace—1 gold per month.
So the amount she demanded in compensation was equivalent to over 37 years of untouched wages.
No wonder they were horrified.
