Chapter 57
“Don’t mock me,” Rachel said sharply, her gaze fixed on Stefan. He had held back his questions, but now he decided to speak.
“Do you even have the slightest interest in me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard from someone that jealousy is the bare minimum of interest towards someone.”
Only then did Rachel begin to understand why Stefan had been acting so oddly. It must have been because of her request for Hazel’s help, knowing that her husband might have spent the night with Hazel.
“I heard about that night from Hazel. There’s no need to worry about misunderstanding anymore.”
“But the problem is that even when the misunderstanding wasn’t cleared, you entrusted Hazel to me.”
She recalled the events of that night. When Stefan, in his drunken state, kissed her and groped her body, her efforts to push him away stemmed from a sense of betrayal. Her disappointment in a husband she once trusted, even in a drunken state, embracing another woman, must have been another form of jealousy.
Rachel hesitated briefly. Admitting to feeling jealousy would mean Stefan would gladly embrace her. However, her pride was hurt.
“Why should I feel jealous when I haven’t even misunderstood?”
“That’s a lie. You clearly had a misunderstanding that night.”
“But I… never misunderstood you two.”
“Then why did you push me away?”
Her eyes flinched at the unexpected question. Under the moonlight, her violet eyes sparkled brilliantly, and he found them mesmerizing.
“When I grabbed your chest, you flattened yourself against me, desperately crying out that you didn’t want this…”
His precise recollection of the events made Rachel cautiously speak up.
“You weren’t drunk?”
“I was drunk, yes, from your scent…”
“That’s impossible. The study was full of the scent of wine.”
“Your scent was more intense than any wine,” Stefan replied without hesitation.
Before Rachel could respond, he pressed his nose into her neck, causing her to release a soft, almost breathless moan.
“Haa…”
In the end, Rachel admitted to being jealous, despite her initial denial. Overjoyed, Stefan lifted her into his arms. The misunderstanding was cleared, and with his drunken state dispelled, he intended to continue what they had started earlier.
As Stefan gently placed Rachel on the bed, he inhaled her scent deeply. Her alluring fragrance was far more intoxicating than any perfume, pulling him into her embrace.
Rachel, for her part, responded more fervently than usual, but she still couldn’t completely break through his desire.
After a long time, when Stefan finally fell asleep beside her, Rachel let out a heavy sigh.
‘Is it really true that I can only conceive during a late summer stormy night?’
***
Three days later, Rachel received news from Leopold that he had safely arrived at the capital. This allowed her a brief reunion with her brother and gave her the chance to send a letter to Remington, who was alone in marquisate.
Hazel also managed to escape the Duke’s residence, and Joanna’s charming new hairstyle caused quite a stir in the Bayton Guild. Though she was relieved to solve one major problem, another challenge was looming.
“A visit for the Duchess.”
“Did you make an appointment?”
“Between friends, appointments are unnecessary…”
“You claim to be the Duchess’s friend?”
The butler gave a curious look to the woman standing before him. It was clear she was a friend of Susan, who had married into the family, yet her claim to be the Duchess’s friend felt odd.
“Is the Duchess out?”
“No, but—”
“Then guide me to her right away.”
“But—”
Before the butler could fully process the situation, Mary appeared to handle it.
“Sir, I’ll take her.”
“Go ahead.”
“Follow me, Miss Blanche.”
“Oh, you were the Duchess’s personal maid?”
“My name is Mary. I’ll take you to the reception room.”
“Reception room?”
Upon hearing the word “reception room,” Aileen’s expression twisted. For so long, Susan had always met Aileen in her bedroom.
‘She shouldn’t treat me like this.’
She furrowed her brows and stood her ground. Seeing this, the butler, who had been turning to leave, stopped again.
“Is the Duchess in her bedroom?”
“She’ll be in the reception room soon.”
“I can’t inconvenience the Duchess. I’ll go to her bedroom. There are urgent matters I need to discuss.”
Pushing past Mary, she began walking forward, but I slowly stepped down from the top of the stairs.
“It’s been a while, Miss Blanche.”
“I’ll go up. Please don’t come down, Duchess.”
“Receiving guests in the reception room is customary, don’t you think?”
“A guest? Aren’t we friends?”
I gave her a knowing smile, refusing to argue.
“I wouldn’t want a thief in my bedroom.”
“…!”
My words stopped her in her tracks. The housemaid smiled faintly before resuming her steps and continuing on her way.
“Mary, go and bring some refreshments. I’ll guide the guest to the reception room.”
“Yes, my lady.”
After dismissing Mary, I approached Aileen, hooking my arm around hers as I inquired about her reason for visiting.
“Why did you come to the Duke’s residence suddenly? Miss Susan has nothing to do with this.”
“She does. I came here to talk about Susan.”
“Why would our Miss care about Susan?”
She glanced around nervously before lowering her voice.
“I’ll move somewhere quieter to speak.”
“That works.”
Leading her to the reception room, Aileen seemed to forget the previous encounter entirely, moving lightly and with a transparent eagerness—her intentions obvious.
‘Soon, the truth will be revealed. Susan is the thief. This is my chance to portray Susan as worthless and strengthen my position as Rachel’s friend.’
Unaware that her purpose had been exposed, she sat down and carefully retrieved something from her bag.
“Would you like to see this?”
“What is it?”
“It’s the garnet ring the Duchess lost.”
“A garnet ring?”
Feigning surprise, I examined the garnet ring she handed me. Luckily, there were no signs of damage, meaning Aileen hadn’t worn it until now.
“How did you know I lost the garnet ring?”
“Actually, Susan gave me the ring, claiming it was a gift from the Duchess. But only recently did I realize that she stole it, so I’ve come to return it.”
The implication was clear—Aileen wasn’t the thief; Susan was. Her pouty lips and flushed face showed her eagerness for an apology.
“Why would our Miss steal my ring?”
“I complimented how beautiful your garnet ring was. She must have wanted to repay me by giving it to me.”
“…”
“But then, Susan contacted me and demanded I return the garnet ring. She said she stole it from you.”
What kind of situation was this? While I had expected Susan to pass the ring to Aileen, I never imagined she would demand it back. Moreover, considering Susan received nine jewelry sets as dowry, it was absurd to think she would covet a garnet ring from Aileen.
I narrowed my eyes and looked intensely at her.
“Are you trying to sow discord between Miss Susan and me?”
“Oh, no.”
“But this… this makes no sense.”
“I agree it’s absurd. However, Susan sent a letter, which I have. Please take a look.”
She quickly retrieved a letter, her face flushed and agitated. The letter was indeed written in Susan’s handwriting. However, unlike Aileen’s claims, the letter requested not the return of the garnet ring, but rather the money obtained from selling it.
Although the exact amount wasn’t specified, it was clear that she had likely amassed a substantial emergency fund from the sale—likely facilitated by her mother, Rita, who wanted her daughter to maintain her dignity even as a married woman.
“Is there a problem with the House of Eden?”
Since Aileen had introduced Susan to the Marquis of Eden, I asked the question, but her pale face raised suspicion.
