Episode 2
“You can come this way, Mary.”
After encountering Ronan, I followed the employee into the mansion.
First, I had to greet Duke Ariadne, the owner of the mansion and the head of the family.
In reality, I wasn’t too nervous. He was the one who’d chosen to bring me here. Moreover, I had never encountered a nobleman apart from the lord of the town. Unlike the lord, who acquired his aristocratic status through payment, the duke was noble from birth and belonged to a completely different world than mine.
Besides, to think that the Duke of Ariadne, head of one of the major families in the kingdom of Aiet, was a distant relative of my grandmother… it was still a fact that had yet to feel real.
The Nereid family had already fallen, and no blood-members of their line remained. The few individuals who remained were scattered like fragments, living inconspicuously, and any distinction between the Nereids and commoners had been completely severed through marriages. It was no exaggeration to say that they’d been completely eradicated, and if they summoned me, a granddaughter who wasn’t even a part of the family’s main branch, there had to be a good reason behind it.
‘Don’t tell me… was there some secret being kept within the Nereid family?’
I had no relation to that family whatsoever, so even if they were to ask me something, I would have no response.
Now, if they were to demand the repayment of some long-overdue debt or ask me to fulfill an old promise or something, how should I handle it?
The fleeting sense of anticipation I’d felt, like I was floating above fluffy clouds, vanished, replaced by a strange uneasiness that enveloped me.
Each time we turned around a corner in the long and wide hallways, the servants around us politely bowed. No matter that I was here as a guest, I was still just a commoner like them. The more greetings I received, the more uneasy I felt.
The office we hastily arrived at was incredibly spacious. The door was so massive that it occupied half of the corridor on one floor. As I knocked on the door, a middle-aged man’s voice from inside instructed me to come in.
The servant opened the office door and let me in. As I entered with creaking footsteps, sounding like a rusty metal doll’s, I could see a tall bookshelf filled with books of various colors. There were scattered books and even a sofa in the vicinity, indicating that this place served as both a study and an office. However, the servant, whom I thought would enter with me, let me in and closed the door. Startled, I turned to face the closed door, and at that moment, I heard the voice of the duke who was sitting in the office.
“Are you Mary, the granddaughter of Lady Nereid?”
I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by his imposing tone. But I couldn’t just stand like a fool again like I’d done with Ronanl. The person before me was the Duke of the Kingdom. If I showed any signs of foolishness, I didn’t know how I’d be reprimanded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The voice barely came out of my mouth, and trembled at the end.
“Come this way.”
At Duke Ariadne’s call, I finally moved my feet and headed towards the desk where the Duke was sitting. It felt like my feet would twist if I took a single misstep. As I slightly lifted my head, I noticed platinum hair slightly brighter than my own. It was a noble color distinctly different from my golden hair, which resembled straw.
The Duke was younger than I had imagined. I thought someone leading a kingdom would have a beard and visible wrinkles, but he had a younger and kinder appearance than I had anticipated. I hesitantly took a few steps forward and first bent my waist to greet him.
The Duke, slowly tilting his head, attentively looked at me before speaking.
“How old are you this year?”
“Um, I’m sixteen.”
“I see. Our daughter is the same age as you.”
If the Duke was talking about his daughter, then he must be referring to Camellia, the one who’d been praised by the employee who’d brought me here to see the Duke.
As I waited for the Duke’s next words, he asked me brief questions about my birthday and family information. He must have had at least some knowledge about me since he’d sent someone to get me from the countryside, but it felt like it was a process to confirm if I was truly Mary.
“Can you read and write?”
“I can read, but I’m not very good at writing. I can write enough for a letter though…”
“Don’t worry, you can just learn. Do you have particular skills or any hobbies you enjoy?”
I was worried that I might get involved in something troublesome or end up with an unreasonable contract, but as the questions continued, I found them easier to answer than I’d expected and I started to relax.
“Is there anything you’re curious about? I’ll answer as long as it’s within my power.”
In response to the duke’s question, I hesitated for a moment.
I hesitated for a moment at the Duke’s question. Should I ask why he brought me here so honestly? Even if I really had some acquaintance with Duke Ariadne, I had no idea why he cared about me, a fallen noble. I wondered if the Duke had any ulterior motives, but I didn’t have the courage to ask directly.
“…I don’t have any particular skills, so I’m not sure I know why you went to the trouble of bringing me all the way here from the countryside.”
After considering it for a moment, the Duke understood the meaning behind my words and gently replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“Because you are our relative and family. You don’t have to feel pressured or responsible to do something. Now think of this place as your own and make yourself at home.”
When I saw the duke’s smiling face, I decided to be more direct to help lessen my anxiety.
“Whether it’s being a servant or a playmate… is there truly no role for me to play here?”
Upon hearing that, the duke cut me off and spoke firmly.
“I have no intention of assigning such tasks to my family. Ah, but I do hope you get along well with Camellia. Our daughter has been confined to the house due to her delicate health. Even though she doesn’t say it, she must be very lonely. I hope you can be a good friend to her, Mary.”
As the duke spoke with a smile, his face was a mix of relief and bitterness. Looking at his face, I could tell Camellia was loved by both her father and the people of this mansion.
“…Yes.”
I nodded my head and replied briefly. Then the duke said it was okay for me to leave after thanking me for my help.
To be honest, I envied the young lady. What kind of person was Camellia that she received so much love from those around her? Was she as beautiful as her name suggested, like a flower? Did she possess an angelic personality and some kind of genius talent? Perhaps her frailty gave her a peculiar charm, like the pitiful heroines in novels.
As I let my imagination run wild and left the study, the person waiting for me was not the servant who had brought me here earlier, but a strange young girl of my age.
Although I called her a stranger, I could immediately recognize who she was because of my conversation with the Duke.
Her platinum blonde hair, similar to Duke Ariadne’s, cascaded around her waist, and her reddish eyes blinked slowly.
Our heights were similar, but her slender figure stood out more. Not because of being painfully thin, but because her thin skin and protruding bones were visible even through her clothes. She was wearing a pure white, flowing dress, and perhaps due to her piercing eyes, she seemed to resemble a vampire that had walked out of a book.
Rather than being creepy, her slender appearance caught my attention in a different way, one that made me want to protect her. As our eyes met, she smiled brightly and reached out her hand to me.
I couldn’t understand why she wore white gloves even indoors, but her bare skin seemed as pale as the gloves.
“Nice to meet you. You must be Mary, right?”
Her voice was as pure and beautiful as her delicate face. I hesitated for a moment and nodded my head, and she giggled and firmly shook my hand.
“Hello, Mary. I’m Camellia.”
Oh, it was indeed Camellia. I finally managed to say my greetings, watching as she still held my hand.
“Ah… Hello, Princess Camellia.”
An awkward tone and awkward gaze. Even I could feel the stiffness of my actions. As I hesitantly shook Camellia’s hand back and lowered my head in a weird bow, she smiled.
“You don’t have to be so formal, calling me princess. We are the same age and relatives. Just call me Camellia.”
“But still, just calling you by your name…”
Wouldn’t my neck fly off if I made a mistake?
Even though we were relatives, Camellia was a noble, esteemed lady of the kingdom, while I was the granddaughter of a fallen noble, who was also practically a commoner.
Needless to say, it was unacceptable for someone of humble status like me to interact casually with Camellia, a princess of the kingdom.
But Camellia, as if urging me to call her by her name, pulled my hand and twinkled her eyes. Unable to ignore her doe-like gaze, I hesitatingly said her name, which felt unfamiliar on my tongue.
“…Please take care of me, Camellia.”
“Don’t use honorifics, just call me comfortably.”
“Oh, I see.”
Surprised by the unexpected rebuke, I unintentionally spoke informally, and Camellia seemed satisfied, nodding her head with a brighter smile.
“Yes, that’s right. We will be spending time together in this mansion, so it’s better to be comfortable with each other.”
It seemed that Camellia already knew that I would be staying in this mansion in the future. Feeling a bit embarrassed for worrying that I’d be needlessly bullied here, I smiled with a sense of relief.
At that moment, a desperate shout from someone looking for Camellia echoed from around the corner of the hallway.
“L-lady, Lady Camellia! Oh no, where did she disappear off to?”
“Oh no, I sneaked out on my own accord, and now the nanny is looking for me. It’s time to take my medicine. See you later, then, Mary.”
Camellia winked her eye at me, and turned her back to the corner of the corridor where the nanny was. I stood still until Camellia’s back disappeared.
As I looked down at my hands that had been holding hers, I felt a strange sensation creeping over me.
The excitement of our first meeting? The fluttering in my chest? What should I call this feeling that washes away the tension and anxiety of the past?
As I tightly clenched and released my hand, the faint scent of camellias, which I had sensed when standing face to face with Camellia, filled the air. A delicate yet gentle fragrance.
It didn’t have the strong intensity of roses, but it had a charm that attracted people.
Voices of conversation came from beyond the corridor where Camellia had disappeared. The worried voice of the nurse, concerned about Camellia’s sudden disappearance, and Camellia’s laughter as she apologized. Even without directly facing them, just by hearing their voices, I could tell how much the people in this mansion cherished Camellia.
Camellia was the beloved and central figure of this place, the Ariadne Estate. Suddenly, I felt envious again, and unconsciously bit my lip.
“Miss Mary?”
“Yes, yes?”
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I raised my head to find an elderly butler looking at me. As our eyes met, the butler politely bowed and then gestured towards the corridor where Camellia had disappeared to earlier.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Mary. I am Dylan, the butler in charge of managing the staff of this mansion. Allow me to show you to your room. Shall we go?”
