Chapter 39: Chapter 39 - Better Than Making Them Worry

Chapter 39 – Better Than Making Them Worry

I was left in the room with Countess Bellafleur, and I intuitively sensed that she wanted to speak to me.

“Do you have anything to say to me, Mother?” I asked.

Concern remained etched on Countess Bellafleur’s face when she heard my question, but she remained outside the door.

“Please come in, Mother,” I urged her, wondering what was going on.

She briefly hesitated, then came inside the room. I stepped back to the side of the bed and loosened the tension on my face.

“Do you have anything to say to me?” I repeated.

She gave a hum in reply, then approached me and sat down. After a long stretch of silence, she finally spoke.

“Did nothing really happen with Countess Cornohen earlier?” she asked.

“…Nothing,” I answered, but I sensed something strange with Countess Bellafleur. “Is there something going on?”

“The Cornohen family sent me a letter late in the evening.”

“I see.” I could roughly guess the letter’s contents, but I played innocent.

“As you already know, our family owes a lot of money to the Cornohen family. It’s a debt from your grandfather’s generation. We’re paying the corresponding interest every month.”

“…”

“But suddenly, I received a letter from them saying that they’ll be exempting next month’s interest. They have never done this before. Your father and I don’t know why they suddenly changed their attitude.”

“Maybe they changed their minds,” I said, feigning ignorance all the way until the end. I glanced up at Countess Bellafleur, then guiltily turned away my head.

The truth was I knew—and she probably knew I was lying. There was something wrong with my reaction right now. But as long as I kept my mouth shut, there was no way for any secrets to be revealed. Countess Cornohen would probably keep her word with me, and the Bellafleurs would never hear a peep about what happened.

“Nothing really happened, Mother,” I stated once again.

“…Very well,” Countess Bellafleur sighed in resignation. She backed off earlier than I expected, as if she decided that further questioning was futile. She stared at the smooth, calm expression on my face. “If anything happens, make sure you tell us, Marie. We’re always on your side,” she said with a worried look.

“Of course, Mother.” I added in a smile. “I will.”

“Alright.” Countess Bellafleur seemed relieved with my answer. She gave me a hug and whispered goodnight, then finally left my bedroom.

Thud.

It was only after the door closed did I collapse backwards onto my bed. I stared at the ceiling and heaved out a long sigh.

“Haah…”

I felt guilty for lying, but this was better than making them worry about the truth.

I slowly closed my eyes as I reassured myself that I had done the right thing. My body felt exhausted—perhaps it was because of everything I had been through today.

***

The next morning, I sent a letter to Thurman Palace. My words were rambling, but I tried to keep it concise.

I wrote that I wished to visit the Crown Prince to express my gratitude to him. I asked if I could visit him at a time that was convenient for him.

‘He’s not going to refuse, right?’

The thought suddenly popped into my mind, but then I shook my head. Xavier once invited me to the Imperial Palace over a mere handkerchief. He wasn’t likely to refuse me.

‘More importantly, what should I do from today?’

My routine for the past three months involved being stuck in bed, so I struggled to remember how I spent my time before that. Surely I went to tea parties, met other young ladies…

I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t explain what it was.

I ate a muffin from the table as I pondered deeply. A knock on the door then interrupted my reverie.

“My Lady, it’s Florinda,” the maid announced.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Florinda stepped inside. Her face was bright from excitement.

“Is something good going on? You look happy,” I said, raising my eyebrow at her.

“You have a guest,” she chirped.

“A guest?”

Was I expecting a visitor today? As I racked my brain for an answer, Florinda spoke first.

“Yes. It is His Grace, Duke Escliffe.”

“Ah,” I said in reply.

Goodness. I couldn’t believe that I had already forgotten about him just because he didn’t come yesterday. I nodded at Florinda, shocked by my poor memory.

Yes, Claude came to my house every day. I felt guilty that I had already erased his existence from my head.

“Please bring him to the parlor room,” I instructed Florinda. “I will be going down now.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

I did not run, but my footsteps were quick as I headed towards the parlor room. When I arrived, I saw him through the glass door, sitting on a chair and sipping tea. He looked like a masterful illustration.

Claude was a very playful and sly person most of the time, but in rare moments like these, he looked like a prince who lived beyond reality, his existence etched with dream-like luxury.

I tapped quietly on the door, and heard a response from inside right away.

“Come in.”

The voice that replied was neither too high nor too low, and its tone made the listener feel good. I opened the glass door to the parlor room. Claude’s face lit up as soon as he saw me, and I smiled back in return.

“It’s been a while, Lady Maristella,” he said in greeting.

“It has only been two days,” I replied with a light smile at his words. I felt guilty for forgetting his existence in just two short days. I took a seat opposite of him. “Did you solve the problem with your trading group?”

“Yes.” His face was lighter than before, as if to signal that his answer was not a lie. That was fortunate.

“What tea are you drinking?” I asked him.

“Ah.” He answered my question with a grin. “It’s green tea.”

“Good.”

As soon as I finished speaking, a maid approached me and handed me a teacup of my own. I took a careful sip of green tea, then set the cup down. The tea was freshly brewed and still quite hot. I would drink it once it cooled a bit.

Claude addressed me again. “Now that you’re in this parlor room now, I see you’ve completely recovered.”

“I’ve been bedridden like a corpse for the past three months. I should get better.” I bit my lip in hesitation for my next question. “Will you come again tomorrow?”

Claude looked flustered for a moment, but then his shoulders drooped in disappointment. “You don’t want me to come?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” I said hastily. “I know that you’re quite busy. I’m all better now, and since you have more work than I do, I was worried that you visiting me would interrupt your daily schedule.”

“It would be a lie if I said that was false…” he began. “But in truth, the most enjoyable part of my day is when I visit you.”

“Me?” I said in a stunned voice. I wasn’t a humorous person, and I was far from a stimulating and interesting conversationalist. That was all Claude.

“I’m not that funny,” I told him in a bewildered voice. “You, on the other hand, are quite witty.”

“I’m glad that you see me like that. But that is a side I rarely show other people.”

“Pardon?” I tilted my head at his vague remark, but Claude gave a dismissive shake of his head.

“No. I am simply saying that my time with you is enjoyable.” The smile remained on his face. “But I understand your worries. It’s excessive to visit every day.”

“I am honored that you enjoy these visits,” I said. “But like you said before, we’re friends now. You can meet me anytime you want, so you don’t have to visit this place every day.”

“Then, will you meet me whenever I want?”

I was taken aback by his sudden question, but I replied with a reassuring nod. “Of course.”

“I’m glad you said so.” He looked straight at me with that charming smile on his lips. Was there anything else as embarrassing as having the direct attention of a handsome man?

I smiled awkwardly and slightly avoided his gaze. Nothing was more burdensome than an attractive man staring at me—whether it was Xavier or Claude.

Claude changed the topic. “More importantly, did something happen when I was not here yesterday?”

“Nothing much,” I said, fighting back a cynical smile.

Nothing much, my foot.

The fact that Odeletta and Dorothea visited this house itself was ‘everything’. I immediately corrected the words I said.

“Actually, Lady Odeletta and Lady Dorothea came here.” I paused, then decided to elaborate just in case he knew nothing about the two women. “The daughter of Trakos and the daughter of Cornohen, I mean.”

“I know them both, Lady Maristella. I hear you’re very close to them,” Claude replied.

“Hmm…” An awkward smile twitched on my lips before I could even hide my feelings. Odeletta could be considered ‘close’, but Dorothea was nowhere near that category.