Chapter 9
“…My nanny?”
“Yes, Young Madam. A message arrived from House Bitence. They say she’ll be here within the next few days.”
“…”
“I imagine it must be difficult to adjust to such an unfamiliar place all by yourself. It seems your family wanted to make things easier for you.”
Rayleigh’s heart pounded so violently it felt almost painful, as though it were beating out of rhythm.
“Roll up your sleeves! Honestly, your comprehension is hopeless… Just imagine how disappointed your master will be!”
Margaret.
To Rayleigh, her nanny had always been a figure of terrorâa woman who inflicted violence under the guise of discipline.
Until now, Rayleigh had never questioned any of it.
She had simply believed that she was inadequate…
And that everything she suffered was punishment she deserved.
But that wasn’t true.
She had never done anything serious enough to warrant such treatment.
And even if she had made mistakes…
The beatings and constant verbal abuse had gone far beyond discipline.
They had been abuse.
Only after recovering the memories of her previous life did she finally understand that.
“Young Madam? Are you alright?”
Seeing Rayleigh suddenly turn pale, one of the maids hurriedly supported her.
“I… I’m fine.”
“If you’re not feeling well, shall I let them know you’ll be skipping breakfast? There’s no need to push yourself.”
The maid spoke with genuine concern.
That kindness alone was enough to make Rayleigh’s chest ache.
Margaret had never treated her that way.
“No. Serge and I promised we’d have breakfast together this morning. I can’t stand him up. Let’s go.”
If she also skipped the meal because she “wasn’t feeling well,” just like Serge had skipped dinner the previous evening, it might look as though she were sulking because her husband hadn’t shown up.
Besides…
She genuinely wanted to get along with Serge.
The last thing she wanted was to create unnecessary friction between them.
As she walked toward the breakfast room, her thoughts raced.
There was no way her birth family had sent Margaret out of kindness.
Whether it was to monitor her every move…
Or because they had some other hidden agenda…
If it were up to me, I’d send Margaret straight back.
But it won’t be that easy.
Even if Rayleigh herself ordered Margaret to leave, the woman would simply ignore her.
The next option would be to rely on her temporary status as the duke’s daughter-in-law and ask the ducal family to expel her.
But…
Margaret wasn’t one of the ducal servants.
She was an attendant sent by Rayleigh’s birth family.
From House Elestain’s perspective, she was practically an official representative from an allied noble house.
How could they simply throw someone like that out?
House Bitence could easily accuse them of insulting their family and demand outrageous compensation.
They might even try to use the incident as an excuse to dissolve the marriage while extorting a massive settlement.
There was no reason for the duke to take such a risk based solely on the word of a child who had only recently married into the family.
And if the marriage truly were annulled…
It would be the worst possible outcome for Rayleigh.
On the other hand…
The thought of enduring Margaret’s presence every day was unbearable.
That would simply be the beginning of another hell.
I need a legitimate reason to send Margaret away.
In that case…
This wasn’t the time to despair.
She would make use of everything she knewâ
The greedy ambitions of House Bitence…
The knowledge she possessed…
She would use every advantage available to find a way.
“…And so, the nanny from House Bitence is expected to arrive within the next few days.”
“I see.”
After listening to the report from his aide, Walter gave a small nod.
“Will you permit her to enter the estate? Her arrival coincides with the Day of Rest.”
Yuan’s concern was perfectly reasonable.
The House of Elestain had remained secluded for one reason above all others:
To prevent anyone from discovering that they were beastfolk.
No matter that she came from the family of the duke’s daughter-in-law…
Allowing an outsider into the estate during such a sensitive time was hardly wise.
But Walter answered without much concern.
“On the contrary.”
“It may be a good opportunity.”
“A good opportunity…?”
“An opportunity to test them.”
His gaze drifted toward the terrace outside the windowâ
The very place where he had spoken with Serge the previous day.
Serge was difficult by nature.
But despite his prickly personality, Walter could clearly tellâas only a father couldâthat his son had taken quite a liking to his wife.
He didn’t want his young son to be hurt by someone whose character had yet to be proven.
In that sense…
The arrival of someone from Rayleigh’s birth family was an opportunity.
With the head of the household preparing to leave, it would be easier for anyone harboring ulterior motives to reveal themselves.
The little girl herself was probably innocent.
But if her family had ambitions…
That was another matter.
He couldn’t allow history to repeat itself.
If even the slightest problem surfaced…
He would have no choice but to eliminate the threat posed by her family…
And send the child away as well.
Though he thought so coldly…
Part of him still hoped nothing would happen.
Whether that was because of his son…
Or because he’d grown fond of the tiny girl herself…
Even Walter couldn’t tell.
When Rayleigh arrived at the breakfast room, a servant opened the doors for her.
Seated at the head of the brightly lit dining room…
Was her husband, Serge.
His round glasses and tightly hunched posture were exactly the same as before.
Looks like he didn’t suddenly turn into a fox this morning.
Yesterday was one thing…
But if he’d canceled breakfast too, things would have become unbearably awkward between them.
Fortunately, that disaster had been avoided.
“Good morning, Lord Serge. Are you feeling better?”
“Ah…”
As Rayleigh greeted him warmly, Serge lowered his head awkwardly.
It seemed he’d only just remembered that, according to the excuse he’d made up, he had canceled dinner because he’d been sick.
“Thanks to your concern…”
“I’m glad! Though if you’re still not feeling well, please don’t hesitate to say so.”
“…Yes.”
“…”
“…”
The conversation came to another abrupt halt.
Since she’d already learned what kind of person her husband was yesterday, Rayleigh wasn’t particularly disappointed.
Just…
A little awkward.
“Hm? Where’s Father?”
“He… had something important to attend to today.”
“He told us to have breakfast by ourselves.”
“I see! Alright.”
She took her seat.
The breakfast spread was flawlessâ
Fresh salad, warm bread straight from the oven, fluffy omelets, handmade sausages, and soup.
Back at House Bitence, Rayleigh’s meals had been restricted because they insisted girls shouldn’t become “unsightly” by gaining weight.
Now…
She could eat delicious food without worrying about any of that.
Even though Margaret’s impending arrival had soured her mood…
Refusing such a wonderful meal would only be punishing herself.
Rayleigh generously spread butter and grape jam over a croissant before taking a bite.
Its rich flavor filled her mouth…
Bringing with it a small sense of happiness.
Just then…
A hesitant question came from across the table.
“…Is it good?”
“…!”
Her husband…
Had actually started a conversation first!
As Rayleigh sat there touched by the effort, Serge slowly continued.
“When you came in…”
“…you looked unhappy.”
“But after you started eating…”
“…you looked happy.”
“…”
Apparently…
Serge was surprisingly observant.
Unfortunately, the conclusion he’d reached was,
“She walked in looking depressed, but the moment she started eating delicious food, her whole face lit up.”
Which was…
Rather embarrassing.
Did I seriously look like I was about to lick the plate clean?
“Was I eating too quickly?”
“N-No…”
“I just…”
“…think it’s nice to see someone enjoying their food.”
“…”
Put kindly…
He meant she looked adorable eating.
Still…
That didn’t change the fact that she’d apparently been wolfing it down.
When Rayleigh fell silent in embarrassment, Serge hurriedly tried to explain himself.
“I just…”
“…wondered if something bad had happened.”
“Ah…”
“I couldn’t tell…”
“…whether eating good food made you forget about it…”
“…or if I’d simply imagined that you looked upset.”
Then he bowed his head.
“…There’s nothing wrong with eating well.”
“I’m sorry…”
His communication skills truly were a disaster.
Even so…
Rayleigh wasn’t offended.
He was trying, in his own clumsy way, to pay attention to her.
Perhaps…
He had simply been worried because his wife looked unhappy.
Maybe spending time together yesterday while he was in fox form made him feel a little more comfortable around me…
Smiling shyly, she answered him.
“No, I was just worried I’d been using bad table manners.”
“Not at all…”
“And…”
“…you don’t have to worry about formal etiquette around me.”
Though awkwardly phrased…
His words were warm.
That warmth made it easier for Rayleigh to be honest.
“The truth is…”
“I was feeling a little down this morning.”
“W-Well…”
“…you didn’t have to force yourself to have breakfast with me.”
“Huh? No! That’s not it at all! I wasn’t upset because I didn’t want to eat with you!”
Rayleigh hurriedly corrected the misunderstanding.
She couldn’t exactly explain that she’d been abused by her nanny or that her parents were terrible people.
But at the very least…
She didn’t want Serge believing she’d dreaded having breakfast with him.
After listening quietly, Serge rested his chin on one hand.
“So…”
“…you’re upset because your nanny from your family is coming…”
“…and your relationship with her isn’t very good.”
“…Yes.”
Now that she’d said it aloud…
It sounded embarrassingly childish.
She shrank back a little.
But Serge didn’t seem to think so.
“Then…”
“…can’t you just tell her to go home?”
“My parents are…”
“…very strict.”
“Even if I told her to leave…”
“…she wouldn’t listen.”
“…”
Behind the lenses that concealed his eyes…
Serge’s golden gaze darkened ominously.
But he hid his expression and spoke calmly.
“Then…”
“…we can simply ask Father not to let her set foot inside the estate.”
“N-No, we can’t!”
“…?”
“If we did that, it would cause enormous trouble for the ducal family…”
“And if my birth family decided to make an issue out of it…”
“…they might even demand that the marriage be annulled.”
“…”
Studying Rayleigh’s anxious face…
Serge quietly asked,
“…Would you hate it…”
“…if our marriage were annulled?”
“Huh?”
“Yes. Of course.”
If the marriage were dissolved and she were sent back to House Bitence…
The hell awaiting her there would be beyond comparison to anything she’d endured before.
Hearing her immediate answer…
The tips of Serge’s ears slowly turned red.
