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Chapter 26
“Strange. Really strange.”
“I told you. That thing is a fake.”
Somewhere in that mansion, there had been someone painting.
The person who painted while being confined was a young man.
How he had met the viscount, or what kind of relationship they had, was never revealed. When the fraud case came to light, the viscount fled, and the young man found in the empty house was arrested as the viscount’s accomplice.
“So what are you going to do?”
“There are a few things I need you to look into.”
Seeing the viscount with my own eyes gave me several ideas.
“First, find out the extent of that viscount’s assets—his financial records—along with the floor plans of this mansion, and how ownership of the estate has changed over time. Also, look into what happened to Melczarski’s family.”
“The rest will be easy, but Melczarski’s family will be hard to track down. It’s been too long.”
On top of that, the Melczarski family had merely been wealthy commoners, not nobles. People knew him as simply Melczarski rather than by the full name Hovens Melczarski. Because of that, while his surname was known, there might not even be a family registry, since he was a commoner.
“But you can still find them, right?”
Robert laughed with a deflated sound.
“Yeah. There’s nothing I can’t find—except for one thing: the lady’s true identity.”
His sharp gaze pierced into my face.
‘At this rate, am I going to get found out as someone who possessed a body?’
I flinched for a moment, but then lifted my chin confidently.
Who would believe such a far-fetched story as possessing someone inside a novel?
“Why are you suspecting me?”
“Because you know too much. How on earth did you know this painting was a fake?”
“I happen to know quite a bit about art.”
Robert looked completely unconvinced.
“I heard you studied art under Madame Vanessa. Do you know she goes around saying that Espin was the least talented student she ever taught?”
“Oh, really? Then she clearly has no eye for talent.”
“Ha.”
Seeing that Robert still hadn’t erased the suspicion from his eyes, I turned my gaze toward the window.
“Ha, this is just ridiculous.”
Countess Leon fanned herself repeatedly as she came out of the salon.
Rose, walking beside her, was also stomping the ground in anger, hard enough to tear the silk of the expensive shoes she had bought.
“How long do we have to keep being ignored?”
They had come to the salon to lift Rose’s spirits after being snubbed by Haren and Espin earlier that day.
This was a place that required an exorbitant annual fee—one not just anyone could enter.
It had taken the countess a long time of pestering Count Leon before he finally paid for it. For that reason, this salon, open only to wealthy nobles, had been the countess’s dream.
Filled with pride at becoming members, Countess Leon and Rose had walked into the salon with their shoulders held high. But contrary to expectations, what greeted them upon entering was not welcoming gazes, but looks of contempt.
“They’re here.”
“Seems like it’s about time this place cleaned up its clientele.”
“They really act like they’re nobles themselves. It’s embarrassing just to watch.”
“Exactly. And there isn’t a single person who actually considers them nobles.”
Snickers rose from all around. But already accustomed to such ridicule, Countess Leon and Rose pretended not to hear and searched for seats.
“Please sit here.”
The seat the attendant pointed to was the most secluded one in the salon—a spot barely visible from the center. As they were led there, a snort of laughter broke out.
Anyone could see they were being looked down on—by the attendant, no less.
“We’ll sit in the middle.”
“That won’t be possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t meet the standards of our salon.”
The attendant looked them up and down.
“Standards?”
“You were accepted because you applied under the name of the House of Leon, but our salon is a place created for the social exchange of nobles. In other words, it’s a space for nobles.”
“And?”
“And if the nobles dislike certain guests, we have no choice but to take measures.”
“What?!”
“Mother, let’s just sit.”
The attendant showed no sign of backing down. Wanting at least to experience the salon, Rose stopped her mother.
“…Fine. Then bring us two teas.”
Only then did the countess sit down and look around.
This salon was a place for nobles to mingle, so it was acceptable to stand up freely and converse.
Convinced that this seat itself was proof of their humiliation, the two left their bags behind and immediately stood up. They cautiously approached the nobles who were standing and chatting.
“Good afternoon. You’re the Countess of the House of Vestin, aren’t you? And this must be the Countess of the House of Cern.”
Watching Countess Leon deliberately lower her speech when addressing families of lower rank, the other ladies frowned.
Nobles were supposed to respect one another. Yet here she was, trying to stand above others without even understanding that—no wonder she was disliked.
They continued their conversation as if Countess Leon were invisible.
“Oh, did you also participate in that art auction, Lady Cern?”
“What auction?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard? There’s a place holding auctions for extremely rare artworks. The broker is a viscount, so it’s very trustworthy.”
“Really? Is that why the salon feels a bit empty today?”
“That’s probably it.”
“I’d love to go as well. Where is it held?”
“It’s a secret. Only those who receive an invitation can attend. But someone I know said they’d introduce me. Would you like to go with me next time? Just seeing it is said to be a wonderful experience.”
“Would that be all right?”
“Yes. Going by introduction is fine.”
“Then I’d be honored.”
Listening in on their conversation, Countess Leon’s eyes sparkled.
“An auction? Could I—could I get an invitation too?”
“No. That would be difficult.”
“Why? We have money. As you know, my husband is Count Leon. Our family’s business—”
“Pfft.”
When Viscount Cern scoffed, Countess Leon’s expression turned icy.
“That’s rather rude. As far as I know, you run your business through contracts with my husband. Are you really in a position to mock me?”
She spoke in a threatening tone, invoking her husband—essentially implying that treating her this way could make Viscount Cern’s business difficult.
“Dragging the count into this—how utterly lacking in class.”
Countess Vestin, who had been watching, chimed in.
“I heard you can’t even say anything to the count anymore. The rumors are everywhere. They say he might cast you out soon. So where exactly is this threat coming from?”
“What are you—”
“You don’t even have a child with the count, do you? Then why would he continue this marriage? Especially when you disgrace the family day after day like this.”
“That’s right. And you go around spreading lies about Espin, too.”
The very first thing Countess Leon had done after becoming a noble and entering noble society was to spread rumors about Espin.
But no one believed them, so the plan failed.
Instead, it only backfired and worsened the rumors about the countess herself.
“I’ll tell the count. I’ll tell him how his wife disgraces the family in noble society—and how she goes around badmouthing Espin.”
“What did you say?”
“Oh my, raising your voice so crudely. How very common.”
“Mother, let’s go.”
Rose stopped her mother. As if she had been waiting for this, the attendant stood by the door with their bags in hand—an unspoken demand for them to leave at once.
Thus, driven out of the salon as if being expelled, the countess clenched her fists tightly.
“This can’t end like this. Espin has to be driven out.”
She only needed to create a reason the count couldn’t abandon her.
The best option would be to become pregnant with the count’s child, but that was realistically difficult. If, instead, Espin—the count’s only child—were gone, then the count, who needed an heir, would have no choice but to keep her and Rose.
“Go on ahead first. Your mother has somewhere to go. Ah, and…”
After whispering something into Rose’s ear, the countess boarded the carriage in haste, her fists clenched with grim determination.
