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“Are you saying the one who turned the Elrosa family into a joke has crawled back here?”
Jane fearlessly confronted Berengella’s shouting.
“No, it wasn’t my fault! I was the one who was tricked!”
Boom!
Glass fell at Berengella’s feet.
Drunkenly, she staggered toward Jane.
The fragile shards were ground into fine powder under her slippers. The glass resembled Jane’s life, shattered into tiny pieces that could never be put back together again.
As Berengella approached Jane, Theodore hurriedly retreated, getting out of the way.
“…Theo?”
“I think my mother wants to talk to you.”
Theodore looked at Jane with disapproval, like he was looking at a troublesome spec of dust.
It was a look she knew very well. There was no way she didn’t recognize it, that’s the same way Theodore had looked at Rachel when he was with Jane.
‘Oh my god. Now…’
She didn’t have time to think about it before Berengella grabbed Jane by the hair.
“Ugh!”
“Now that your claws have been filed down, I can grab you by the hair like this!”
“Let go, let go! Let go of me!”
Jane struggled wildly and grabbed Berengella’s dress and headdress. With a snap, the expensive gown was torn from her, and the ornament that’d been wrapped around her grey hair came loose.
Sparks ignited in Berengella’s eyes.
“How dare you, you lowly thing! Do you know how precious this is?”
“You started it, ack! You’re the one who grabbed me first!”
“How dare you try to blame me!”
“What’s wrong with that! You don’t even have a title anymore! I heard it all on my way here! I heard that the Elrosa family’s title was taken away and you were all commoners now! I saw how much everyone laughed while talking about it! Argh!”
“Ugh! Quiet! Are you going to announce to everyone that we live here?”
“Yeah, I’m going to make it known to the whole neighborhood! Everyone! Here lives Theodore and Berengella! Argh! My head!”
Face red with anger, Berengella dragged Jane into the house and pushed her to the floor.
Jane fell onto the broken pieces of the cup. Small shards of glass were embedded into the palm of her hand that landed on the floor, blood seeping out.
“Ahh! It hurts!”
“Ugh.”
Feeling dizzy from the sudden vigorous movements, Berengella leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
Theodore, who was standing nearby, quickly closed the door.
It was disgusting. In the past, he’d always whispered his love to her! Instead of even attempting to stop his mother and worrying about her injury, he just closed the door!
Tears welled up in the corners of Jane’s eyes.
“Theo! How could you do this to me!”
“That… I’m sorry, Jane, but after everything that happened, I realized that I’d made a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“I was blinded by love. I was a Count and you were a commoner. The difference in our status’ made no sense. I always gave you money and gifts, but you never did anything for me.”
“Wow, you’re saying that now…!”
“In comparison, Rachel forgave me for my affair, knowing everything and even tried to protect me! She never bickered with me like you always do!”
Theodore took a deep breath and shook his head in regret.
“Jane, I’ve come to realize, this is what real love is all about, sacrifice and devotion. I will go back to Rachel and start anew with her.”
“Theodore! You bastard! I gave my entire youth to you!”
“You’re shameless. When did I ever ask you to do that? You were a good subject, and the money I gave you has kept your stomach full and your house warm. When would any other noble even think of treating a commoner like that?”
“Ahh!”
Jane, overcome by her anger, lunged at Theodore. Theodore stretched out his arm and held her shoulder, the short-limbed Jane couldn’t get a single punch in.
Jane, who was struggling, eventually changed her direction and rushed at Berengella.
Still reeling from the dizziness, Berengella lost her balance and fell backwards, losing consciousness.
“…!”
“Mother! You cowardly woman!”
The maid, who’d been cowering in the corner, quickly supported Berengella, bringing her upstairs.
Theodore shouted.
“Get the hell out of my sight! We’re done here! Stop moping and get out!”
Leave? How could he say that when he’d taken everything from her, even framing her father for his crimes?
She wanted to yell, but kept her mouth shut, thinking of her father. This wasn’t what she’d come here for. She regretted splashing Theodore with water that day.
Jane knelt on the floor and begged.
“Alright. I was wrong. I’ll get out of here, I’ll do whatever you ask of me, so please just let my dad go!”
“Release your father?”
“The guild seized my house, along with everything else of any value, leaving me penniless. Tell them honestly that everything my dad did was because you told him to do it. Please…”
Theodore shook his head.
There was nothing to consider.
He was finally cleared of all crimes thanks to Rachel’s help, there was no reason for him to confess his own involvement. He also didn’t want to tarnish Rachel’s act of love.
Carl had already been taken away anyway. If he was going to share his future with Rachel, it was better to have at least one less sin.
Jane eventually burst into tears.
“Ahh, Theodore, you’re terrible. You’re such a bad person…!”
“If you’re finished with your business, then leave, before I call the authorities.”
But Jane didn’t get up, she just laid there on the floor, trembling.
“Jane?”
“But, I can’t go. I can’t. I have nothing to eat and nowhere to go.”
“…Ha.”
What a pathetic woman. Was the reason she came here because she had no money?
Theodore was not a kind enough person to show mercy to a woman he was no longer in love with.
“Whether you have a place to go or not, whether you starve or not, is none of my business.”
Then he picked up a few slices of cheese from the table where Berengella had been sitting and handed them to Jane.
“Here, take this, and go. It’s my last bit of mercy before I call the authorities.”
“…”
Jane stared at the slices of cheese Theodore held out. They had bite marks from where Berengella had eaten. Some of the cheese even had a few drops of spilled wine on them.
Her pride was hurt. Not long ago, a slice of cheese like this would’ve been thrown into the trash. Now she was so hungry she wanted to toss aside her shame and devour the food.
As she took the cheese with her bloodied hands, Theodore opened the door.
Jane left the house at a slow pace, and Theodore closed the door behind her without saying goodbye.
When she heard the sound of the door locking, her heart sank and tears poured down her face again.
“Ugh, huh. Huh!”
Jane’s tears dripped down onto the messy cheese.
Cian, who’d been watching Jane from a distant rooftop, quietly disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
Daily life in the new mansion was leisurely and peaceful. The employees were friendly, every nook and cranny was clean, and it was comfortable.
Graham was delighted to be able to practice his swordsmanship without having to clean his room on his own.
Rachel was having a leisurely afternoon tea and reviewing the information she’d been given about the manor as its owner when Katie approached.
“Excuse me, Lady Rachel. I have something to report.”
Katie was strict and businesslike, but she meticulously performed all her tasks. Rachel really liked how she was prepared for everything even when she wasn’t asked to be. It was what she’d expected from an employee chosen by Cian.
Rachel put the papers down.
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s someone keeping an eye on Lady Rachel.”
“Surveillance? Me?”
Rachel’s eyes widened in surprise, but then one corner of her mouth tilted up and she smirked.
“It must be Theodore.”
“It appears the guild has been asked to report about Lady Rachel. Archduke Cian has asked me to relay this information to Lady Rachel and follow your instructions.”
Since he was a senior informant, he seemed to have been made aware of this issue in advance. At times like these, Cian’s presence was very reassuring.
“Thank you for the heads-up. I expected this, but it’s not pleasant to experience it firsthand.”
“Archduke Cian has told us not to do anything until we receive instructions from Lady Rachel, so for now, we are leaving the man wandering around the mansion alone. How should we handle it?”
“Hmm…”
A part of her wanted to immediately catch the person wandering around the mansion and kick them out, maybe even charging him with the crime of spying on a mansion bestowed by the emperor. After all, they’d moved here in order to stay safe.
Rachel remembered the last time she’d seen Theodore. He couldn’t accept the divorce and annulment.
‘If I just leave this be, it’ll become a long-term problem. We have to deal with it so he won’t dare come near again.’
She thought for a moment about what to do, and then spoke.
“Don’t do anything. Don’t worry about what they’re doing, just leave them be.”
“Leave it be… Leave them alone?”
“Yes. Don’t even hint that you know anything about it.”
“… All right.”
Katie answered politely, but was dissatisfied.
‘He was stripped of his title and their marriage was annulled, right? I can’t believe we’re going to just let his errand boy wander around the mansion. I don’t want bugs to be attracted to the mansion I’m managing.’
When Katie didn’t turn to leave, Rachel cocked her head.
“Katie, do you have something to say?”
“… Can I be honest with you? What I say might sound rude, so you can refuse.”
Rachel liked this about Katie. She was someone who beat around the bush, instead she was straightforward and honest.
“Yes. What is it?”
“I know there are bugs in the house, and I don’t want to leave them alone.”
“Bugs? Ahaha!”
It was a funny comparison.
Now that she thought about it, she realized this might not be easy for Katie, who was a perfectionist. As the woman in charge of the security of this mansion, it would be a blow to her pride to know that there was an intruder and not catch them.
“I’m sorry, Katie. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Katie’s face brightened at Rachel’s words.
“Can I catch the guy watching the mansion?”
“No, that’s not possible.”
“…”
Since she immediately looked disappointed, Rachel decided to be honest about her strategy.
“I’m going to set a trap. If a bug thought there was sweet honey here, wouldn’t it fly in?”
“A trap?”
“Yes.”
The best honey for Theodore right now was Rachel. As he lived in hiding with no one to rely on. Rachel, who now suddenly lived in a luxurious mansion, would be seen as his savior.
Looking at his attitude from last time, it seemed he hadn’t gotten over everything yet.
He thought she was his sweet nectar and, if he came to her, she planned to pay him back what he deserved.
“So, Katie, don’t kick out the guild’s informant. Instead, show them that we are doing very well here. Understand?”
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