~Chapter 17~
It was the next morning.
An interesting article had been printed in the morning gossip paper.
What especially caught my attention was a ridiculous incident that had occurred two nights ago at the Graham estate.
“Ella! Did you read this? The Graham estate was attacked the night before last! Someone dumped feces water all over the food storage and kitchen!”
It wasn’t exactly breakfast-friendly news, but it still put me in a good mood.
Had someone else suffered under Egbert like I did?
“They say no one at the Graham estate saw the culprit’s face. A perfect crime, apparently.”
On top of that, there was a caricature of Egbert’s scowling face drawn in exaggerated proportions on the gossip page.
I was sure Ella would find it amusing too, but she didn’t react at all. That was strange. I looked up from the gossip paper and turned to her.
Ella was looking at me, her shoulders tense with determination.
“Ella?”
“Do you feel relieved now, my lady?”
“Huh? Oh. Whoever it was must’ve held a serious grudge against the Grahams. But how did they not get caught?”
“Because it was a group effort. Sally, Roana, and Lucy from the kitchen. Tez from the laundry. Thomas from the stables. Even the head maid pretended not to notice.”
“Uh…?”
How did Ella know all of that in such detail?
Every name she had just mentioned sounded familiar.
Come to think of it, they were all people who had worked for me when I lived at the Graham estate. Even though Egbert had treated me poorly, they had always shown me respect and support.
Normally, a household staff follows the attitude of its master.
In houses where the master disrespects the mistress, the servants often follow suit and treat her the same.
But that had never been a problem for me.
So why…?
And Ella—why you?
“It was your revenge, my lady.”
Ella gave a soft, deflating smile.
“I’m sorry this is all we could do for you. This was the only way we knew how.”
Hearing that, I choked up and raised the gossip paper to cover my face.
I had sworn to myself, again and again, that I wouldn’t cry. But Ella had moved me to tears with her courage.
This was their act of bravery—Ella and the others. Their best effort.
Their bravery and devotion brought me to tears.
“…Please stay strong, my lady.”
And it was more than enough comfort.
“Damn it! What kind of humiliation is this?!”
Egbert fumed and threw the gossip paper to the floor.
“Who the hell wrote this garbage? Who spread this nonsense?!”
The head maid bowed her head.
“As soon as morning came, the Marquis called the police. There was no time to get things under control.”
“Argh! How can no one have seen anything?!”
“It was late at night, and the guards were in the middle of a shift change… All the servants were supposed to be asleep.”
Egbert’s face turned red as he kicked the desk. The heavy oak furniture rattled under the force. Grabbing his foot in pain, he shouted out curses.
“Damn it, that hurts! Ugh!”
The head maid bowed even lower. When Egbert was this angry, the best thing was to avoid standing out.
“Did you clean everything up? Burn it all!”
“We did clean it, but… the smell still lingers…”
“I’ll be staying elsewhere for the time being, so make sure the estate is completely cleaned up! If something like this happens again, I’ll fire everyone—so tell them that!”
The head maid bit her lip tightly, on the verge of laughing. Steadying her voice, she asked,
“What about Master Chris and Lady Sophia…?”
“I’ll take them with me. I can’t let them stay in a place like this.”
Egbert sighed as he spoke.
“Who’s managing the estate right now?”
“Lady Sophia is overseeing it.”
“Is she doing it properly? Wouldn’t Sophia be needed to help reorganize the estate?”
Egbert spoke suggestively.
He was scheming to call Anais to the hotel under the pretense of needing her assistance. He suddenly recalled how much Anais used to enjoy the hotel restaurant back when they were dating.
But knowing Sophia wouldn’t stand for that, he was trying to get her out of the way.
The head maid replied in a low voice,
“To be honest, Lady Sophia isn’t fit for that kind of role. In fact, her absence would be more helpful.”
“Still, someone needs to be in charge.”
“This time, Lady Sophia replaced all the curtains and bedding and spent three times the usual amount.”
“What? Why?”
“She believes the most expensive is the best. So thanks to her, we bought winter bedding… in spring.”
Frustrated by the head maid’s words, Egbert thumped his chest and ran a hand through his hair.
Nothing like this had ever happened when Anais was around.
Anais used to keep the estate neat and well-managed.
“That’s what comes of being born noble. Sophia really isn’t suited to be the lady of the house.”
Egbert clicked his tongue in regret.
“Also, Lady Sophia is the one complaining the most. She’s making a huge fuss about the smell.”
Though she came from the streets, she acted excessively picky. It was likely due to her inferiority complex over her background—she would make a scene over the smallest things.
But… filth?
Knowing her personality, there was no way she’d stay quiet about it.
“She’s already saying the entire estate needs to be rebuilt…”
“What a load of nonsense. Tch. I guess one really can’t escape their origins. She’s showing how empty-headed she truly is! Tsk. Can’t be helped!”
Egbert slumped into his chair in frustration. What choice did he have? He’d have to take everyone with him.
Still, since he was staying elsewhere, he considered swinging by Graham Bank—perhaps he could grab a meal with Anais.
Being away from home seemed to be changing his perspective. Once he’d lost what he took for granted, he started wanting it again.
“She was originally my woman. The wife my grandfather secured just for me.”
Egbert’s world always revolved around himself. Now, caught in a tangle of delusion and misunderstanding, his heart was barreling straight toward Anais.
It was a pursuit with no one waiting at the finish line—but Egbert didn’t realize that.
After all, he was a Graham. A marquis.
Egbert composed his expression to hide his true intentions.
“Ahem!”
* * *
I called Janus and Heres. Thanks to the strength Ella had given me, I was ready for an emergency strategy meeting.
“Mr. Janus. Isn’t it too soon to give up like this? What if we made the marquis an offer? If he stops interfering with us and helps sway the committee’s opinion back in our favor, we could provide him with a return on investment.”
Janus and Heres listened intently, their expressions serious.
“So I’m thinking… maybe we should arrange a meeting with the Marquis of Graham—as bankers and businesspeople.”
Janus’s face clouded. He looked like he wanted to dissuade me, thinking it wasn’t a good idea.
“I still believe marriage can be a good deal. Just like you said, Mr. Janus. But it’s also a dangerous bet—one that could cost a lifetime. That’s why I want to try everything else before making that choice. I don’t want to live with regrets.”
I’d already regretted so much in my life.
The biggest regret? Naively loving Egbert with all my heart.
That’s why this time, I’d tap the stone bridge before crossing it.
Janus pushed up his glasses with a fingertip, light glinting off the lenses as they perched on his nose.
“No, madam. I believe we should follow your lead. I’ll do everything I can to support you. As you said, marriage is not a decision to be taken lightly.”
His words lifted my spirits. I felt like I could do anything.
“I’ll arrange the meeting.”
And with a faint smile, I added,
“Also, Heres, please prepare something we could offer to that troublesome client.”
“Yes, President!”
Heres answered with enthusiasm.
“…But madam, I think it’s best not to expect too much.”
“I agree. This isn’t about expecting anything. I just don’t want to regret the choices I make later. I’d be miserable if I ever caught myself thinking, ‘Maybe I should have at least pleaded with the Marquis.’”
Janus nodded, agreeing with that much.
“Are you planning to go alone?”
I shook my head. Of course not.
What had happened at the banquet hall had taught me a valuable lesson.
People don’t change.
If Egbert thought things weren’t going his way again, he would no doubt resort to violence.
“I’m not going alone. Heres, you’ll accompany me.”
“Yes, President!”
I nodded, glancing at Heres’s solid, muscular arms.
Egbert was a coward who always cowered before the strong—he’d definitely shrink the moment he saw Heres.
