His eyes and ears were glued to me more closely.
"Billy."
"Yes? Yes."
"Please take care of me for the time being."
Billy, who was speaking, rolled his eyes in confusion and then nodded.
After that, whenever I took horseback riding lessons, 'Billy' happened to bring my horse, and I sent Billy a friendly greeting and a small gift through Charlotte.
It was a reward that could have been given by a 'kind noble lady', with small things like snacks.
Every time, Billy would bow his head with a red face.
"Miss, I will bring water for you to wash."
A few days passed, and for the first time since Charlotte began serving me, the temperature of the water prepared for washing changed slightly.
Is it because she was standing in front of the door for several minutes? Or maybe she was distracted while heating the water?
Even so, it was only a very small difference that it was difficult to place blame on, but it always starts from small things.
As a young lady who is kind to everyone, I spoke to her more kindly instead of pointing out her 'subtle' differences.
"My life has become much more comfortable thanks to your presence. Charlotte seems to be really good at what she does."
"I'm just glad it helped."
There was no corner of the room that was out of her reach. She slowly but quickly entered my daily life.
There was nothing that didn't pass through her hands, not even a dress to wear on an outing clothes to take to the laundry room, or even a common headdress to wear to a meal.
'The fact that everyone's every move can't avoid Charlotte's eyes...'
It is also useful in that it allows you to show someone your 'Intended appearance'.
While Charlotte demonstrated detail-oriented and impeccable work to gain my trust, I tried to make her feel dependent.
To Charlotte, and to those behind her, to be seen as having completely 'taken control of my daily life.'
'There's no need to make the first move.'
Because eventually, they will reach out to me.
And my expectations were correct.
Early in the morning, someone impatient knocked on my bedroom door.
"Can I come in?"
Aileen, with a shy face, stuck her head out through the open door.
If someone who didn't know her inner thoughts saw her blinking her eyes with her characteristic innocent face, she would have seemed like a sister who really cared for me.
"What's the matter?"
"I heard you're quite absorbed in horseback riding lessons these days. I was curious to see if everything was going well."
"Hmm. So so? I'm not at a proficient level yet, but I feel like I've become familiar with horses."
When I answered by tilting my head, Aileen clapped her hands loudly as if she was satisfied with the answer, and then got to the point.
"Nothing else, if you have become familiar with the horse, why not practice riding on a longer course? There is a horse riding club nearby that my close friends are members of."
"Yes?"
"It's a membership system, but if you pay a certain amount, you can be accepted as an invited guest."
It's a horse riding club.
Aileen's eyes sparkled as she spoke generously as if she was speaking for me, with a harmless face.
I deliberately played with my hair, pretending to hesitate, and blurted out my words.
"Well, I'm not confident enough yet."
"If you practice alone, it may be difficult to tell how much your skills have improved. There is a beginner's course there, and young ladies who are not used to horseback riding often come here."
I glanced at her in a very proactive manner, and as I looked at her, I pursed my lips as if hesitating.
"My aunt said the same thing. You too need to learn how to get along with your peers! It's okay to think of it as a casual gathering to make friends!"
Every word that came out of her cute mouth was full of concern for me.
At that moment, I thought of Annie, who had scars all over her body, without a single intact spot.
The wound was tattered from being struck countless times with the whip.
'Actually, she probably wanted to make me like that.'
I lifted my head while listening to Aileen's sweet words for me one by one.
"Is it really okay for me to go?"
"Then!"
Aileen's wide smile was dazzlingly lovely.
Clearly, this clever lady knew better than anyone what her weapon was.
For me, It's just amazing to know what's hidden behind that lovely face.
'How can you smile and cling to me and pour out kind words like this when you hate me so much that you destroy people so much?'
"Yes?"
I looked at her anxiously and quietly opened my mouth.
"OK, fine. Instead, it's my first time there and I'm quite unfamiliar with it, so you need to take care of me a lot."
"Of course!"
Aileen held my hand tightly and spoke excitedly.
"You can look forward to it. It wilI be really fun."
"I think so too."
Although I don't know if it will go as you expected.
***
Aileen, who barely got my permission, left the room excitedly, and I immediately called Charlotte.
"Please prepare clothes for going out."
"Are you planning on going far away?"
"Noo. It won't go that far. I'm thinking of buying horseback riding gear. Everything I use now is for practice."
Charlotte, who knew that I had barely touched the 'maintenance of dignity' that Madam Mancini had provided me while staying at the mansion, nodded without saying anything.
"Ask Billy to prepare the carriage."
"Yes."
It was a very brief moment, but I pretended not to notice the late answer and adjusted my hair. I was curious to see Charlotte's face as she turned around, but like a well-educated maid, she quickly left the room without a sound.
Despite his momentary hesitation, Billy seemed to have conveyed my words straight away. He immediately prepared a carriage and was waiting for me in front of the front gate.
"Please go to Princeton Street."
Billy, who hesitated as if puzzled by my words, cautiously opened his mouth.
"There is no horse riding store there, miss."
"I know."
Billy. who was puzzled by my smiling expression, obediently changed the direction of the carriage. It seemed like he thought it was a whim of a noble lady. After a while, the carriage stopped in front of a shabby jewelry store.
As I was looking at the familiar old sign, I asked Billy softly.
"Can you wait here for a moment?"
"Yes."
The driver looked dazed, narrowed his eyes, and lowered his head.
As I opened the door and entered the shabby store, the owner who was appraising the jewelry looked up.
The old man's eyes widened when he saw my face.
I greeted him in a soft voice.
"Hello, I came to look at some jewelry."
"Welcome. You came to see the jewels?"
The old man asked back in confusion at my words.
That's because, at a glance, he thought there was no reason for a noble daughter who grew up to be beautiful to visit this shabby store with flashy jewelry stores on both sides.
Unless they are fallen nobles who come to quickly dispose of stolen goods or have their treasures taken as collateral.
I smiled and nodded, pretending not to notice his expression.
"Yes. I was thinking about buying some jewelry."
"...What kind of gem are you looking for?"
"I hope it's something that would suit a middle-aged, decent lady rather than a young lady. I plan to entrust the work to make it into a brooch."
"Yes. Please wait a moment."
Although he was taken aback by my sudden appearance, he was the owner of this jewelry store. Soon, he went inside the store and started rustling around to find jewelry that suited my needs.
While he was away, I closely observed every corner of the store.
'Clearly, Daniel knew I was coming to the gambling house. That means he knew what I was doing that day.'
Anyone who knows that the jewels were quickly disposed of, cashed in, and taken down the street to the gambling den...
'Only the jewelry store owner.'
If there had been a location tracking spell on the jewel from the beginning, they would have come to know that the jewel was in Isabella's hands much earlier.
But Daniel found me only after I had exchanged my jewels for cash. It's not a long time since I'm in the process of exchanging jewels.
It could mean that this place and Daniel are closely connected.
'It's difficult to ask Eric to investigate Daniel's background.'
This was partly because he was strangely aware of Daniel's existence, but above all, it was because I could not reveal that I had met Daniel when I was 'Rebecca'.
'There's no need to tell Eric everything.'
I should have at least one secret weapon that he doesn't know about.
I glanced at a pamphlet pinned to one wall of the store.
'Lockhart top?'
It seems like a name I've heard before somewhere.
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