Chapter 15
The intricately woven carpet was stained crimson. The expensive crystal wine glass lay shattered on the floor. Even the pristine, wrinkle-free white bed linens were now marred with splotchy wine stains.
‘What in the world happened here to cause such a scene?’
Startled by the chaotic state of the couple’s bedroom, the maid stuttered as she spoke.
“Young Madam, wh-where are you?”
Having waited for her question, I opened the bathroom door.
“…Mary, you’re here. Thank you.”
“Are you alright, Young Madam?”
As I staggered out, Mary rushed over to support me. I heard her hurriedly hold her breath, as if the sharp scent of wine stung her nose.
“Sh-should I help you with a bath?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
As I sank into the warm water, my entire body relaxed, and the tension melted away.
Though it was a wedding night I couldn’t fully experience, I had intended to test the waters with Stefan, hoping to see if there was a chance. So, I deliberately dropped the wine glass to make it seem as though I was getting lost in the kiss. It worked, catching him off guard.
When Stefan lifted me into his arms, I pressed myself closer to him, purposely exhaling heavily against his neck. Every time, I could feel goosebumps rising on his skin. With each step forward, I could sense Stefan stiffening more and more. That was proof he wasn’t entirely numb to desire.
‘Should I push a little harder tomorrow?’
I must have smiled unconsciously, as Mary, who was gently tending to me, cautiously asked,
“Young Madam, are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine… I just drank too much wine to ease my fear of the wedding night, and it turned out like this.”
Mumbling in a half-asleep state, I asked Mary,
“Did you clean up the broken wine glass?”
“Yes, Jane is taking care of it.”
“The duke wasn’t hurt, was he?”
“Did His Grace break the wine glass?”
“No, I dropped it.”
“How did that happen?”
“As we kissed, my whole body went weak, and I just…”
Mary’s face quickly flushed at my explanation. I might have seemed like a frivolous duchess, but I deliberately gave her all the details. This way, the failure of the wedding night would become known, and Rita would push Stefan back into the marital bedroom as early as tomorrow night.
Oddly enough, Rita was quite serious about her son’s conjugal matters. It made me wonder if she had scolded me in the past for not getting pregnant quickly enough. Of course, that didn’t justify her harsh treatment.
“Where did His Grace go?”
“I heard he went to the study.”
“He must be tired as well…”
“His aide is with him, so I’m sure they’ll finish up soon.”
“Aide?”
“Yes, the duke has many public duties, so he always keeps Bell, his aide, close.”
Mary tried to console the bride, who hadn’t consummated her marriage, by sharing trivial information, hoping to distract her. But as a servant of the duchy, she didn’t have much useful information—only what I already knew from my previous life.
‘Wasn’t the aide’s name Finn? I never met him in my past life. I should ask Leo to investigate him.’
To ensure this life differs from the previous one, I needed to gather as much information as possible. This meant I needed someone to act as my hands and feet, especially since I’d be stuck at the duke’s residence for a while.
I briefly considered bringing someone from the marquis’s estate, but I knew Rita would never allow it. In my past life, she hadn’t even provided me with a personal maid. She believed it was excessive to assign a maid to a daughter-in-law who hadn’t yet fully learned the family customs.
So this time, I’d choose someone myself.
“Mary, I have a request…”
“A request? Please, just command me, Young Madam.”
“Would you be my personal attendant?”
“M-me? How could I possibly…?”
Becoming the duchess’s personal maid meant gaining significant influence within the household. It could also pave the way for becoming the head maid in the future, making it an excellent opportunity.
I needed to find someone among the duke’s servants who would be friendly towards me.
Of course, that didn’t mean Mary was friendly in my past life. Most maids reported my every move to Rita. But this Mary was different. I had made a different first impression this time, and in turn, she was showing me a different side of herself.
“In this unfamiliar duke’s residence, you’re the only one I can rely on.”
“But I’ve only known you for a day, Young Madam. How could you trust me…?”
“You listened to me earlier this morning, didn’t you?”
“Not just me, everyone was listening to what you had to say, Young Madam.”
“You were the first to offer me a hand when I was in a difficult situation, unable to consummate my marriage.”
“But that was just by chance, because His Grace ordered it…”
I grasped Mary’s hand firmly, trying to persuade her.
“It wasn’t by chance. We’re destined to be deeply connected…”
“D-destined?”
Mary was particularly sensitive to words like destiny or prophecy. She had shown great interest in my dream earlier that morning.
Besides, the servant who stood outside the newlyweds’ bedroom on the wedding night was likely someone who had already formed a deep trust with Rita or the head maid. If Mary was one of those people, Rita would likely agree to assign her to me, thinking she would serve as her eyes and ears.
“You stood with Jane outside the bedroom door, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But Mary, you were the one who ran inside first.”
“……”
“Surely His Grace didn’t specifically pick you to enter?”
“N-no, Young Madam.”
“Then it’s fate.”
“C-could it be?”
My argument must have sounded convincing because Mary’s gray eyes cautiously sparkled.
“I’ll request your assignment first thing tomorrow.”
“S-so soon?”
“If my mother-in-law sends someone else, I wouldn’t be able to refuse her command.”
“……”
Mary swallowed hard. She must have started to desire the position of the duchess’s personal maid.
“I look forward to working with you, Young Madam.”
***
At that very moment, unaware of the emergency that had unfolded on the newlyweds’ wedding night, Rita was also having a restless evening.
Not a single thing had gone according to her plan, from the wedding to the reception.
But as the Duchess of Edmond, she considered her dignity and showed no sign of her distress. She maintained an elegant and courteous demeanor as she bid farewell to the guests and quickly organized the cleanup of the wedding and reception venues with the help of the servants.
But had that exertion taken its toll on her?
As soon as Rita entered her bedroom, she collapsed. It was a wonder she had managed to stay standing until then, given her utterly exhausted state.
“How could so many things go wrong at once?”
Her plan to bring Sophia’s daughter to the wedding and publicly humiliate her had completely fallen apart. Her plan had been flawless, or so she thought.
The wedding dress that had been ordered a year in advance, the rose trees and expensive decorations purchased to adorn the venue, the luxurious ingredients that elicited admiration—nothing was lacking. The cost of this wedding alone was likely equivalent to the value of the five shops she had wrested from Stefan. The time and effort she had invested were beyond what could be measured in monetary terms.
“How could they cheer for such a gaudy bob haircut…”
She couldn’t forget the sight of everyone being astonished by the bride’s daring hairstyle, which should have looked utterly tasteless. The audaciously fat Dorothy Cota even stood up and led the ladies in applause, making the bride stand out even more.
“That wretched woman is spouting nonsense. Who dares claim that my pink diamond was donated to the high priest?”
Rita, who had initially scoffed, gradually darkened as she thought about it. With so many unbelievable things happening, she feared this too might be true.
“I’ll send someone to the temple first thing tomorrow. No, I’ll summon Rachel and get to the bottom of this.”
The pink diamond, which she had spent two years painstakingly collecting, was something Rita had never considered giving to Rachel. She had only thought of it as something temporarily entrusted to her.
“If you’re dead, either ascend to heaven or sink into the earth. Don’t dare loiter around me. What could a mere ghost possibly do?”
Though she tried to dismiss it, what frightened Rita most was Sophia Burke. She had never imagined that the bitter connection she thought would end with Sophia’s death would continue even after she was gone.
She couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling, even as she dismissed it as nonsense, that Sophia, who had drowned helplessly in the open sea, had somehow found a way to advise her daughter.
Rita abruptly stood up, as if trying to rid herself of these troubling thoughts, and headed for the bathroom. But she soon realized that she didn’t have the strength left to bathe on her own.
“It’s not because I’m scared. I’m just incredibly tired…”
Rita noisily rang the bell used to summon her personal maid. Then, trying to appear calm, she leaned back in her chair. As she crossed her legs and tapped her foot, the hem of her dress fluttered, causing the white lace to sway. The sight reminded her of the lace handkerchief that Sophia had held.
At that moment, a shiver ran through Rita’s entire body.
