"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know that. There are so many suspicious things about her."
"..."
"I have perfect etiquette, no matter where I learned it, but I have lost all my memories. Does it make sense for me to be so perfectly cultured?"
"Miss, I'll pretend I didn't hear you."
It was just as she was about to pass by Aileen with my mouth tightly closed.
Aileen, who was rolling her eyes anxiously, pulled her tightly.
"It's no big deal! I'm asking you to find just one item of mine in her belongings. Yes?"
"What..."
"You know, right? A pin with a sapphire that Madam gave me as a gift."
She knows. As soon as Aileen received a gift, didn't she harass the employees by telling them to buy new clothes and hats to match the gift?
"Well, that might be in her. I lost it, but someone said they saw it in her dresser."
"..."
"You can check Isabella's dresser. If it doesn't happen. It's nothing."
When Charlotte paused and seemed to listen to me, Eileen continued desperately.
"You, too, have benefited from Madam's blessings as a self-author and servant. If that girl is really a thief who came in here with a lie about her identity and loss of memory, then you've been treating the thief as your Lady, right?"
Aileen's hand holding Charlotte's arm tightened.
"I'm not asking you to do something big. You only have to check her belongings once, just once. That won't be very difficult for you, huh?"
Charlotte, who should have shaken her off without hesitation, hesitated for the first time.
A smile spread across Aileen's face as she looked at the maid anxiously.
***
Although the Viscountess's garden was not filled with rare and beautiful flowers like the gardens of great noble families, it had its own charm. The gardener was a person who was more focused on carefully growing the most beautiful flowers depending on the season rather than cultivating rare and valuable flowers.
He was a person who always quietly carried out his duties on the spot, regardless of whether anyone recognized him or not.
Like the Viscountess.
"What can I say, this garden is also very elegant."
"I know, right. Would you say that the flowers and trees go well together? I feel very comfortable."
A gentle scent and a gentle breeze blowing.
The ladies who sat in the warm green garden, which although not colorful, relieved tension, looked genuinely impressed.
"Since you said so, Jacob, the gardener, will find it rewarding to take care of this place."
I glanced at the table where the Viscountess was staying, secretly mentioning Jacob.
She was looking at the garden full of guests with a gentle face.
The long period of seclusion brought her a peaceful and quiet daily life, but sometimes she missed the lively mansion filled with people's voices.
'Because it was a space where I lived every day for a year to mourn those who were no longer by my side.'
Lady Bruni spoke to me as I sipped tea with a faint scent.
She has a cool and cheerful personality, and after the last time we went to the horseback riding club, she suddenly showed interest in me.
"Isabella, thank you for inviting me today."
"It's no big deal. I was worried that it would be rude to invite you so quickly, but I am grateful that you came willingly."
Bruni glanced at the empty seat and shook her head as if embarrassed.
"Don't worry about Lady Rosalyn."
I knew long ago that she was gossiping about me here and there.
In particular, it is said to be sarcastic about the issue of 'bloodline', which is the most sensitive issue for nobles.
"It's okay. It's my first time going to a gathering, so I might have made a mistake with the young lady."
"It's not Isabella's fault..."
Bruni, who was about to say something, kept her mouth shut. There may be a lot she wants to say, but no matter how fearless she is, it is difficult to criticize Rosalyn in front of many people. At least in the southern region, the influence of the Wilder family cannot be ignored.
I smiled at Bruni, who looked apologetic.
"It's okay, Bruni. I don't really feel sorry for her. Thanks to her, I got a nice horse."
Bruni's face brightened at my words.
"Well, it was an unusually well-stretched horse. Even when I saw it, I wanted it."
"I'm still looking for a nice coat to put on my horse. Actually, I bought the fabric a long time ago, but all the seamstresses shook their heads and said it was difficult."
Bruni tilted her head as if she was curious about what I said.
"What kind of cloth do you think it is?"
"I heard it was a newly developed fabric. It feels similar to silk, but its texture is stickier and better, so I thought it could be used as a hemp cloth."
Her eyes sparkled.
Although Bruni comes from a humble family, she was more interested in horses than anyone else, thanks to her grandfather who ran a horse racing business since she was young.
"Can I take a look?"
"Sure. It's in my room right now."
When I answered softly, Bruni's curiosity grew and her hips shook.
It didn't take long before she opened my door with an excited face and screamed in surprise upon discovering an unfamiliar 'intruder'.
***
There was no excuse for Charlotte's hands rummaging through my small cabinet.
Bruni, who was completely white, was speechless at the scene where a maid was searching through the closet of the Young Lady she was serving.
Charlotte, who couldn't hear our footsteps at all thanks to Windy blocking out the surrounding sounds, stood there frozen, unable to even breathe properly.
"Hey, Isabella."
She looked at me with an embarrassed face.
I was in the care of the Viscountess, and Charlotte was a maid working at the mansion.
If the matter escalates, the Viscountess's reputation will be ruined.
At that time, one of the maids passing by in the hallway looked into the room as if she had heard Bruni's brief scream and took a step back in embarrassment.
Without losing sight of her, I turned around and spoke quietly.
"Go out, don't say anything, and call the head maid. You must not say anything to others. Do you understand?"
The innocent ladies who are gathered in groups of twos and threes talking in the garden have very light-hearted expressions.
But that light story that comes out of their mouths would kill someone in an instant.
"Bruni, please. Don't let things get too big."
"Yeah, but Isabella."
I looked at her dumbfounded face and smiled.
"I'm not saying I'm just going to move on. If I escalate things right away, it will be a bother to the Viscountess. I'll handle it after the guests leave."
Charlotte sat down with a devastated face.
The face of the head maid who belatedly came running after receiving a warning from the maid was dark.
I gave her instructions quietly.
"Lady Bruni here promised to keep quiet about this. First, let's lock Charlotte up so she can't escape, and then after all the guests have gone, we'll hear the details."
"Well, I will do that, Miss."
As she hurriedly lifted Charlotte up and took her away, she gave me a grateful look. You know that I tried to handle the situation as best as I could out of consideration for Madame.
I fixed a storage box whose hinges were crooked.
"Are there any valuables missing?"
"It's okay. "I didn't put really valuable items here in the first place."
I wonder if Aileen has any idea about the commotion by now. Suddenly, I became curious about the faces I would encounter when I went down.
Lady Bruni seemed to be very impressed with my handling of the matter, and left, holding my hand and saying that she hoped things would turn out well.
The sparkling eyes looking at me were full of goodwill.
The head maid was looking at the two of us from afar with very mixed eyes.
She would not like having to tell Madam Mancini about the incident, who was trying to get through the day in a good mood even though it was the Viscount's death anniversary.
'You would have rather just silenced Charlotte and me and made the incident go away.'
However, the presence of Lady Bruni, who also witnessed the situation, made it impossible for the maid to do so.
With a dark expression, I turned ny head from the head maid who was heading towards the Viscountess sending off the last guest, and walked towards Aileen, who had been showing signs of anxiety for a while.
“Aileen?”
She flinched at my call and swallowed, unable to make eye contact, like a misbehaved child.
"Your condition doesn't look that good. Are you okay?"
"It started in the morning. I had a bit of a cold."
"Oh my. I guess it's because the weather has gotten cooler. You should have worn thicker clothes or a shawl."
"It’s okay.”
Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to smile.
At that very moment, a soft call separated the two of us.
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