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Chapter : 05
“What should I do…”
Lucy whimpered.
“When I was completely lost, Father said he’d definitely find the estate manager. He told me not to worry and just live like always. But how could I?”
It was obvious he was working with the estate manager, yet he acted innocent. Anna found it so disgusting, she could grind her teeth.
Thinking about that time made her angry all over again.
“Still, I held it in. I wondered if, maybe, Father was telling the truth and really had some way to fix things.”
Anna felt miserable. She realized she loved her father John much more than she thought. That’s why she wanted to believe every excuse and story, even though she knew you could never trust a gambler’s words…
“But then…”
Anna’s shoulders slumped.
“Suddenly, he said Marquis Nomen was interested in investing—and started talking about marrying me to him.”
“…What?”
Lucy’s eyes, nose, and mouth all opened wide in shock.
“Y-you mean Marquis Nomen? The old nobleman famous for… for eating his wives…?”
Anna nodded calmly.
“That’s right. You know well.”
“…Yes.”
Lucy’s eyes shook. The Marquis was always the villain in those popular novels based on real stories—always the one who made the heroine suffer.
Now, that villain was a marriage candidate for the girl Lucy cared about most.
“That’s impossible!”
After a pause, Lucy balled her fists and shouted.
“How could the Count do this to you, miss?”
If it weren’t for Anna, John never would have become a count. He was only holding the title until Anna or her husband could take over…
Anna felt sad again. If even this young maid knew what was right, why couldn’t her father see it?
“Of course, I refused. And when the Marquis backed off, I thought it was over. But…”
“So yesterday…?”
Lucy remembered how Anna had gone out with the Count looking fine, but came back unconscious in someone’s arms in the middle of the night. Henry the butler was shocked, too.
Anna looked down and nodded.
“Yes. I went to Lily Street—to meet Marquis Nomen.”
“Did you say Lily Street?”
Lucy’s eyes looked like they would pop out. She was so shocked, she could hardly breathe. What parent takes their precious daughter to the empire’s most notorious red-light district?
“Of course… you didn’t ask to go, right?”
Lucy trembled with anger. Anna patted her back, trying to calm her.
“Of course not. They said if I didn’t meet the Marquis, we’d go bankrupt. I just wanted to see if there was another way.”
“The Count must be crazy,” Lucy said coldly, then looked at Anna with pity.
“That’s why you mentioned your mother’s inheritance, isn’t it?”
Anna nodded sadly.
“Yes. I’m afraid if I don’t pay at least some of the debt, the Marquis will buy all our bills and drag me away eventually.”
Lucy clenched her teeth.
“We have to find that estate manager as soon as possible.”
“Yes.”
Anna was relying on the property deeds. The Evercline family owned a lot of big estates, and buying even one would take a lot of money, so selling them would take time.
“Anyway, there’s no time to waste…”
Anna muttered anxiously, turning her head. Sunlight came through the window and scattered rainbows across the table through a glass ornament. She watched the colors, lost in thought. It was beautiful—and as always, it reminded her of someone.
The most beautiful person she knew.
“…Raiden.”
Anna whispered his name without thinking. Lucy’s ears perked up.
‘Raiden? Where have I heard that name…?’
Lucy frowned, trying to remember. Anna sighed softly, not noticing.
‘I waited, believing he would come back. But now that he’s here, I can’t be simply happy.’
Her feelings were a mess. She felt resentful that he left without a word, but also grateful that he came back. She was curious about how he had been, but annoyed he spoke so easily about marriage. Her emotions went up and down, all over the place.
But one thing never changed—she still loved him.
‘How miserable.’
Raiden, comforting her in the carriage, was now a calm and confident grown man. So different from the boy she shared her first love with.
‘But all I did was cry and then faint…’
Her face burned with embarrassment. How stupid must she have seemed?
‘Maybe he’s lost interest in me.’
He hadn’t left a message after they parted, and now there was no news. Maybe he really was done with her…
“Now isn’t the time to be thinking like this!”
Anna slapped her cheeks, snapping herself back. Before Lucy could stop her, Anna stood up.
“I’m going to Somerset House. Tell Henry.”
“Miss, at least eat before you go.”
Anna had no appetite, but Henry and Lucy would never let her leave on an empty stomach. Only after she forced herself to eat could she finally leave the house.
As the carriage rolled down the street, Anna opened the window and looked out. She saw couples walking together in the park, and their happy faces made her chest ache.
Eventually, she closed the window.
“You’re Lady Evercline, correct? The person in charge is busy with someone else, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”
“That’s fine.”
Somerset House was busy. Anna sat in the VIP waiting room, feeling down.
‘Normally, the most important person would rush to greet me…’
The Evercline family used to have that much status. But seeing how things had changed, Anna worried people had already heard rumors of her family’s fall.
‘Edward said there have been rumors for a while.’
Her heart ached, but there was nothing she could do. Anna tried to calm herself by drinking tea and looking around. There were other people waiting, and she overheard some noblewomen talking.
“The Marquis Marcus bought the box seats at the Queen Eleanor Opera House as soon as he arrived in the capital.”
“That’s not all—he bought all of Baron Marvin’s racehorses too.”
“Everyone’s saying Baron Marvin’s family is about to go bankrupt.”
“How does a lord from the western desert have so much money…?”
Who is Marquis Marcus? Even Anna, who knew all the important people in the capital, didn’t recognize the name. She was wondering when suddenly there was a stir in the main hall. People turned to look, and even those chatting stood up to watch.
‘What’s going on?’
Anna turned too, and at that moment, she locked eyes with someone walking through the hall with the bank manager. The man stopped in his tracks. It was Raiden.
“…”
The bank manager kept talking, but Raiden just stood there, staring at Anna. Anna slowly stood up, feeling like she couldn’t breathe. Only then did Raiden blink, as if waking from a spell, and said to the bank manager without even looking at him,
“Excuse me, I’ll leave first.”
“Oh, yes, of course. See you next time.”
The bank manager didn’t seem bothered by Raiden’s coldness. Raiden strode straight toward Anna. Anna clutched her hands together, desperately trying to keep her expression calm. Her heart pounded so hard she thought she might faint.
He stopped right in front of her and narrowed his eyes.
“…What brings you here?”
The silence was so heavy, Anna spoke first. Unlike before, she used formal speech. With a blank, unreadable face, Raiden replied,
“I have business here.”
“Oh, business. Of course.”
Anna looked down and touched her hot neck.
‘Idiot, of course he’s here for business.’
She screamed at herself inside, but on the outside, she gave her brightest smile. Her pretty smile made people nearby gasp softly.
“Isn’t that Lady Evercline?”
Someone finally recognized her.
“Oh, yes… she looks just like the late Count.”
Then more people started talking about her.
“That’s the lady who, at her debut, captured the heart of the famous Tyler Young.”
“The biggest playboy in society, right? I heard he left the country because of her!”
“That’s right. She rejected him so coldly, he was heartbroken and left to study abroad. Everyone was talking about it at the time…”
