Otherwise, the Viscountess wouldn't have called me here.
'You've already shown it by treating me like I'm invisible.'
Aileen has no intention of repenting or changing anything.
"You probably already know this. Aileen's greed is too big for her capacity. She is a child who does not have the ability to afford the things she covets."
"..."
"I thought that when she saw you, she would realize that fact. The few words I say won't really reach her ears."
I didn't argue out loud, but I agreed with what she said.
Even if someone said something right, Aileen wouldn't have accepted It. She must have heard only what she wanted to hear and ignored it.
"I thought you would be grumpy, but I also knew you would handle it wisely."
Holding a teacup in her hand, she added with a bitter smile.
"I didn't know that the employees working in my mansion would be swayed by that child's words."
I glanced at her and cautiously opened my mouth.
"Charlotte is a talented person. Above all else, her loyalty to her vassal is extraordinary. She's heard all sorts of stories about me, so she's quite shaken..."
"A smart child should not have been swayed by such stories. All that nonsense about you being nothing more than a criminal being chased by mercenaries."
The Visc cut me off firmly.
"Charlotte and I have been looking at you for a long time.
"The etiquette you have acquired and the unique elegance you possess are not something you learned, but something you naturally have."
It was a voice full of confidence.
"No matter what anyone says, you were probably born into the upper class. I guarantee it."
I felt strange at the recognition from the noble lady that even the royal family showed respect.
In her eyes, I really look like Isabella.
I thought I could be Isabella.
I nodded, unable to speak for a moment, overcome with emotion.
"Thank you for saying that, Ma'am."
Then I rolled my eyes as if shit was slightly tired.
A faint smile appeared on the woman's face as she examined me.
"You must have been tired from various events today. Do you mind if I ask you one more question?"
"Sure."
After a brief pause, she took out the 'blue coral brooch' she found in Marco's room.
The brooch, beautifully revealed beneath the layers of fabric, shone brightly.
"Do you remember seeing this object or does it feel familiar?"
Marco enjoyed gambling and was addicted to alcohol. Not only did he not get along with other people in the mansion, but he rarely hung out with quality people outside. It was not easy for him, who always kept a tight line after Alfred's proper supervision and management to come into contact with such a precious item.
There's no way a person as sharp-eyed as the Viscountess would have missed the fact that she was glancing at me even while Marco was being interrogated. I blinked and shook my head like I didn't know anything.
"Well, I don't know."
She was lost in thought, carefully examining my face as I answered, and then opened her mouth again.
"The day you first came to our mansion, Marco was the one driving the carriage, right?"
"Yes, I remember that."
"What do you remember from the accident? Doesn't it come out at all?"
"Well. I just remember feeling very out of breath and lying on the wet floor. After that, I opened my eyes and found myself in a bed in a mansion."
I frowned and pretended to describe the memories that came to mind.
Every scene remained vivid in my mind.
The sound of Marco swallowing when he saw the brooch he was holding dearly in his arms, and the voice of the maid making a fuss from afar, asking what was going on.
Even the quick movements of his hands that took the box from my arms.
"Other than that, I don't remember much."
"I see."
A complex-looking woman, full of all sorts of thoughts, looked at me, saw the sleep in my eyes, and smiled sweetly.
"Look at my mind. I thought you might be tired, but I kept holding on."
“No, Ma’am-”
When she felt my voice grow weak, she stroked my head as if she couldn't stop me.
"Just go up there. You should rest now too."
I got up and tried to go back to the room, but stopped. This was because I could see a faint regret on the face of the Viscountess who was looking at me with a gentle face.
'Is there anything else you wanted to hear from me?'
I calmly reviewed the series of events.
Aileen tried to retrieve the 'hairpin', a tool used to blackmail her, by using the servant.
It was her fault for treating the servant as if she were the Viscountess's real 'daughter', even though she was not the owner's person.
Since Charlotte followed the 'instructions' of Aileen, who was an external guest at the mansion and not the owner, she failed to maintain her virtue as a servant.
'Then what about me? What does the Viscountess want from me?'
I turned back to the Lady who saw me off with an elegant smile. Then I calmly called her.
"Ma'am."
When I put my hand into the small pocket inside the hem of my dress, I caught a small object.
"I didn't steal anything from Aileen, as she claims, but it's true that I have her hairpin."
"Yes?"
There was no sign of surprise on the woman's face as she asked the question.
I slowly took out a hairpin from my pocket.
A hairpin studded with high-quality sapphires was placed on the table with a clicking sound.
The Viscountess looked down at the hairpin she had once given Aileen, then raised her head and looked at me.
"There must be a reason why this hairpin ended up in your hands, right?"
I could tell Aileen what she did and how I got this hairpin, accusing her of her foolishness and cruelty. But that wasn't the 'right answer' the Viscountess was hoping for, at least at this moment.
"It's all in the past."
The Viscountess had already decided to send Aileen out of her life, so revealing Aileen's secrets now could be blaming the Viscountess's poor Insight.
"I just wanted to give back. This is the Madam's heart that she gave to Aileen."
After bowing my head in greeting, a quiet answer came from behind me.
"Yes, thank you."
With the answer that I finally passed, I was able to slowly close the door and head to my room
***
When I returned to the bedroom, a maid with an unfamiliar face was waiting for me.
"My name is Olga. I will be attending to you for the time being."
At first glance, the neat-looking, well-trained maid reminded me of Charlotte.
It seemed that Alfred had quickly put in a maid to wait on me.
"Yes. Please take care of me."
"I thought you might be tired, so I prepared some water for you to wash."
"I plan to take a shower and go to bed right away, so you can just leave. There is no need to serve."
"Yes."
When the maid left the door with a light answer, I immediately looked for Windy.
'So. Where does our commander-in-chief go and do after such a long time away from the mansion?'
[He visited the temple.]
A temple? I tilted my head to an unexpected place.
[He didn't meet any special people. He simply prayed for someone's peace in the prayer room.]
He really went there and prayed just because it was the Viscount's death anniversary?
[He also stopped by someone's grave.]
'In the Viscount's grave?'
[No. He stayed for a while in front of the graveyard with the name Ronanthe written on it.]
Ronanthe. Ronanthe.
I rolled a vaguely familiar name into my mouth and ordered Windy again.
'Where is Alfred now? Show me where he is.'
***
The man, trapped in a dark, unlit underground room, was tearing out his hair and breathing heavily.
He doesn't even know how on earth things ended up like this.
"I need to get that thing back..."
Marco, who was muttering without being able to erase the greed shining in his eyes even in this situation, raised his head when he heard footsteps coming from somewhere.
The footsteps gradually got closer and stopped in front of the door.
Sigh-
A familiar face appeared beyond the open door along with the sharp sound of metal scraping due to lack of oil.
Marco called out to the other person with a bright, relieved face.
"Alfred! I knew you would come!"
Alfred's expression did not change much despite the friendly call to him.
Alfred glanced down at Marco, who was happy to see him and asked in a stern tone.
"What have you done again? I would have said that if you make any more noise, I won't let you go."
Marco frowned and grumbled at his questioning.
"It wasn't me, it was that little girl who did it. I already told you that I will never be able to use that girl. Every time I drive the carriage, she says arrogant things like, 'Slow down,' or 'Don't shake', as if I were the daughter of some kind of owner-"
"I know what Aileen Vernon did."
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