37. Orphe’s Way of Speaking
“……”
Ansi lowered her gaze and looked down at the beige day dress she wore. She swallowed dryly.
“And that’s why I ordered bread to be handed out to those poor souls.”
“Oh my, Lady Marianne, your heart is truly generous!”
“To them, the place you created must have felt like heaven!”
“Ansi, you’ve come!”
At Marianne’s words, the nobles who had been responding with admiration turned around. And when they saw Ansi, a faint stir spread among them.
“It looks like someone got the address wrong.”
“Is this a theater stage, perhaps? They say the main character always stands out.”
The seated guests burst into laughter. Subtle comments mocking her outfit continued.
It was no surprise. All the other women were dressed in black or dark tones—except Ansi.
Today’s tea party had followed the funeral of Viscount Gelsa, who had been part of yesterday’s gathering. Even for those who hadn’t attended the funeral, wearing black was expected out of courtesy.
Yet Ansi wore a fresh, beige outfit, as if she had purposefully tried to stand out among the sea of black.
“Oh dear, didn’t I mention this was after a funeral? Did you not have any black clothes?”
Marianne asked, her brows furrowed. Her voice was laced with pity, and Ansi’s cheeks flushed with heat.
Marianne looked down at her daughter-in-law, who trembled with embarrassment. She had no intention of defending Ansi.
That decision had already been made the moment Damion declared he would marry a woman from the Lubelsa family.
No matter how much she tried to protect Ansi under the name of Orphe, the blood of Lubelsa wouldn’t just vanish.
Besides, who knew what that girl had been doing for the past year? Damion claimed she’d been staying at his private estate, but could anyone really believe a snake-tongued man like him?
She had no desire to share in Ansi’s ridicule. The best way to avoid becoming a target was to take the lead in mocking.
“Surely she owns black clothes, madam.”
“Exactly. She must’ve been wearing one when her belongings were confiscated.”
“Maybe that dress was originally black and she bleached it.”
A few nobles snickered. They were mocking the time when Ansi’s family estate was seized—which happened to be during the funeral of her father and brother.
Ansi gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.
Humiliation crawled up from the tips of her toes and wrapped around her entire body. She wanted nothing more than to hurl all their scorn right back at them.
But she knew she couldn’t do that now. Even if she explained that the invitation said nothing about the funeral, no one would believe her.
No—no one would even care to believe her.
And Ansi had no intention of making an enemy out of Marianne just yet. What Ansi wanted was not to win this moment—but to drag Orphe down in a single fall. And for that, Marianne had a duty: to take Ansi to the edge of the cliff herself.
“I apologize. Please forgive my carelessness, Mother. I didn’t check the invitation properly.”
Ansi pressed her hands together and bowed. Her voice trembled slightly despite herself.
“It can’t be helped, Ansi. I suppose today just isn’t your day.”
Marianne opened her mouth at last.
The girl didn’t bother with excuses and apologized immediately. Not a fool, then. Which meant she’d grasped her position even faster.
Before this clever yet pitiful child burst into tears and ruined the mood, it would be best to send her away.
“Perhaps on another—”
“I also apologize to the other guests who were offended by my inappropriate attire.”
Ansi bowed again—this time to the noblewomen around her.
“Oh… I see.”
The nobles glanced at Marianne. They hadn’t anticipated such a direct apology and didn’t know how to react.
Ansi’s response was, indeed, unexpected.
“Mother, would you be so kind as to lend me a dress to change into? Since this is the first tea party you’ve invited me to, I can’t possibly leave so disrespectfully.”
Marianne lifted the corners of her lips into a long smile.
She had expected the girl to fumble awkwardly and retreat home. But instead, she was boldly asking to borrow a dress? And despite her boldness, she remained excessively polite to the point of annoyance.
“Of course.”
Marianne smiled gently.
Maybe—just maybe—this girl could be used as a card to control Damion.
Ansi, now dressed in the black dress Marianne’s maid had brought, gently lifted the curtain and peeked outside. In the garden, people were laughing and chatting cheerfully.
Her eyes turned cold as they landed on the scene.
It seemed Marianne had intended this all along when she invited her.
It wasn’t entirely understandable. Even if she resented Ansi for taking her beloved second son, mocking Ansi like this would risk dragging Damion into the ridicule as well.
‘Is her hatred that deep?’
It didn’t matter.
Ansi felt the same way. She hated Orphe so much that she wanted to burn this house to the ground. She loathed it enough to devour it alive. She even detested herself for bearing the name “Orphe.”
She calmed her expression. The disgust that had frozen her face melted away.
Only after confirming a natural smile in the mirror did she leave the room.
“That suits you well.”
Ansi turned her head.
Leaning casually by the hallway window was Kardian, who stood up as if he had been waiting.
“Don’t take Mother’s actions too personally. That’s just how the people of Orphe are. They say one thing but mean another.”
“She even lent me a dress. She’s a kind and gracious person.”
Ansi replied with a foolishly sweet smile. Kardian scoffed.
“No matter how much you want to fit in, don’t lay it on too thick, Ansi. It sounds unnatural.”
“Lay it on? I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
“Oh? Is Mion the type who falls for sweet talk like that? That’s useful to know.”
“I don’t understand why you’re saying this to me, Lord Kardian.”
“Because I want to help. Staying here instead of going home deserves credit. But just submitting and bowing your head isn’t very fun, is it?”
Fun? Whose fun was he talking about? Marianne’s—who orchestrated the humiliation? Or Kardian’s—who watched it unfold?
Kardian took a step toward her. He bent slightly to meet her eyes and whispered, as if sharing a secret.
“Just admit it. Mother didn’t actually write anything about the Viscount’s death in the invitation, did she?”
Ansi didn’t answer.
Instead, she lightly tapped both sides of her head—her temples and ears—with her fingers.
“…What are you doing?”
Kardian frowned. Ansi stared at him with a blank expression.
“Oh, I thought I heard a buzzing insect nearby.”
“You’re saying there’s a fly in the mansion?”
Ansi tapped her ear again, still staring straight at him. Kardian’s eyebrow twitched as he understood the message.
Then Ansi lowered her hands and smiled with her eyes.
“I was just trying out the Orphe style of speaking. Did you find that amusing?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m part of Orphe now, after all. I noticed everyone here enjoys speaking in riddles—saying what they don’t mean. So I thought I’d try it too.”
“Hm.”
A smile flickered in Kardian’s eyes.
“I’d need to know exactly what you meant to judge that.”
“I was expressing how your sudden comfort and advice, after standing back and watching, only sounds like annoying buzzing to me.”
Kardian slowly nodded, the corner of his lips curling.
“Well done.”
He took a step back. Then, chuckling softly, he soon burst into hearty laughter.
“You’re entertaining, Ansi. But don’t use that on Mother. She doesn’t like being the butt of a joke.”
“Thank you.”
“Here, a gift.”
He held something out to her—a hairpin that matched her black dress.
“People of Orphe are expected to shine, even while dressed in mourning.”
He gently placed it in her hair himself. Then, turning her by the shoulders, he pointed to a mirror on the wall.
“That suits you too.”
“……Thank you, Lord Kardian.”
“Once again, welcome to Orphe, Ansi.”
Kardian stepped away and walked off down the hall. Ansi, who had been biting the inside of her cheek, leaned against the wall only after he disappeared.
Her legs trembled.
But she turned back to the mirror once more. Like before, she composed her expression—and walked toward the garden.
It wasn’t something she was used to.
But she had to get used to it.
To the very end of her life, she would have to keep hiding her true heart.
