ISTL CHAPTER 42

“Damn it!”
Josselin crumpled the letter he had received from the butler and tore it into pieces.
“Argh!”
Unable to contain his anger, he let out a frustrated scream. He was about to kick the pile of expensive items stacked in one corner of his mansion but managed to redirect his foot at the last moment, hitting the butler’s shin instead.
“That worthless woman dares to play hard to get.”
As he continued to vent his anger with vulgar curses, the doorbell of the Count’s mansion rang. Soon after, a maid announced the arrival of a visitor, and the butler’s expression darkened further.
“Master, it’s Madame Valérie.”
Josselin, who had been expressing his rage, suddenly turned around. His eyes were blazing with fury. The butler and the maid quietly retreated from his room as if by prior agreement. Not long after, there was a knock on the door.
As the door opened, Josselin hurled the glass he was drinking from at the person who had clearly come to provoke him.
“Ah!”
The glass shattered into pieces as it hit Magala’s foot. Still not satisfied, Josselin picked up the torn pieces of the letter and threw them at Magala’s face. The scraps of paper fluttered weakly to the ground.
“See this? That insolent woman sent it all back. Magala, this is what you said would work!”
Magala glanced at the corner of the room Josselin was pointing to, then took out a handkerchief and wiped her shoe. Her wrinkled, bony hands squeezed the hem of her dress, stained with alcohol, as she spoke.
“Please calm down, Count.”
“Calm down? Do I look like I can calm down right now? Everything I’ve worked for is falling apart!”
Josselin gritted his teeth.
“Magala, if there’s something you haven’t told me, say it now. Otherwise, I might just strangle you right here.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Why does that lunatic Max Barbier keep hanging around Anaïs?!”
“……”
“At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but no. There’s definitely something going on between them.”
Josselin recalled the scene at the theater where Max had caused a scene and clenched his fists, trembling with anger. It was the same at the last tea party. He couldn’t understand why Max, who had no connection to his life, kept getting involved. It was infuriating.
To make matters worse, his trusted subordinates, Franklin and Jeffrey, had disappeared without a trace. Those good-for-nothings. If they took the money, they should have done their job!
Josselin grabbed Magala by the collar. Her frail body was pulled helplessly toward him.
“You said there was no man. You said she had never even been close to a man. How am I supposed to take this situation?”
“L-Let go and we can talk. It’s the truth. Anaïs Brienne is pure! She’s never even held hands with a man. You know that. After her parents left, I was the one who watched over her. Anaïs barely even entered social circles because she was busy paying off her debts.”
“……”
“I swear, Count.”
“Damn it!”
Josselin roughly pushed Magala away. She stumbled and hit the wall, then straightened her crooked bonnet.
“The matter with Prince Max is also surprising to me. But Count, there’s evidence that it’s just a terrible coincidence. Here.”
Magala handed him a crumpled page from a newspaper. The front page featured an article about a man and woman who had shared a moment at the theater. The name that infuriated him was there.
“Look. Prince Max is currently interested in Lady Bastian. What could he possibly have to do with Anaïs?”
Magala’s persuasion seemed to have some effect, as Josselin’s hostile demeanor softened slightly. But he still spoke with unease.
“He definitely called Anaïs his ‘companion.’ I heard it clearly. There’s no doubt they went to the Grand Theater together.”
“Anaïs Brienne is an aide to Queen Mother Élisée, isn’t she?”
“What does that matter, Magala? Get to the point.”
“As an aide to Queen Mother Élisée, Anaïs could technically be considered part of the Prince’s entourage.”
“……”
Magala spoke in a soothing tone.
“Getting Anaïs is just a matter of time for you, Count. I’ll make sure of it. Don’t get too worked up over someone who will soon be in your hands.”
“You can still say that after seeing this mess?”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and Josselin’s voice rose again.
“If only she hadn’t paid off that debt, I wouldn’t have had to see this!”
His plan to saddle her with a massive debt and then offer to pay it off in exchange for making Anaïs his wife had been meticulously crafted over a long time, but now it had all gone to waste in an instant. Even now, thinking about it made his temper flare.
If he had known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have been so patient! Regardless of public opinion, he should have made her his first and dealt with the consequences later. Josselin bitterly regretted his earlier restraint.
“Find a way to hand over Anaïs as promised. If you don’t, I won’t let you off either.”
“……”
“Don’t forget what you took in exchange for delivering Anaïs Brienne to me.”
Josselin’s threatening demeanor was menacing, as if he were about to strangle her at any moment. Magala, who had remained unyielding until now, had no choice but to lower her eyes in defeat.

* * *

The next day, Magala boarded a carriage with a large suitcase.

She needed to uncover the truth behind how things had gone so wrong. Nearly two years had passed since she left that house, yet the Brienne estate remained unchanged. She lifted the heavy suitcase, as large as her own frail body, and pressed the doorbell at the entrance.

After a moment, the door opened.

The nanny, who had aged slightly over the past two years, gaped at her. Tsk. When you see someone of higher status, you should greet them respectfully. Haven’t you learned any manners yet?

The nanny, clearly flustered, quickly composed herself under Magala’s sharp gaze and spoke firmly.

“Why have you come here?”

The nanny’s eyes flickered nervously toward Magala’s suitcase.

“Why? Do I need a reason to come to my own home?”

* * *

“Oh, my. Is this really the Anderson-Brienne Salon? It’s become so refined, I hardly recognize it.”

“Madame Valérie…?”

Anaïs looked at Magala in confusion as she entered the salon’s office.

“Madame, it’s been so long.”

“You’ve been well, I see. You look good.”

As soon as Magala sat down on the sofa, Georges struggled to bring in the large suitcase. He placed it beside her and shot her a displeased look. Then, locking eyes with Anaïs, he shook his head firmly.

“Georges, please leave us for a moment.”

At Magala’s command, the butler’s expression hardened. If Anaïs hadn’t given him a subtle look, he would have stubbornly remained in the room, his face filled with discontent.

Once they were alone, Magala suddenly began to shed crocodile tears.

“I came from the Brienne estate.”

She sobbed and lamented the treatment she had received. She complained that the nanny, Faye, had rudely turned her away at the door, unable to contain her anger.

“Anaïs, not a single day has passed since I left your side that I’ve slept well. Do you think I wanted this? I left because I felt ashamed, but you don’t even consider how hard it’s been for me. How can the servants treat me like this? Huh?”

“……”

“It’s all because there’s no adult in the house. I should have stayed by your side back then. I can only imagine how those servants treat you on a daily basis. It’s giving me a headache.”

Anaïs used her sleeve to wipe away Magala’s tears.

She could guess why the nanny had turned Magala away at the door.

Magala. She was the widow of a distant cousin of the late Count Brienne. After the Count and Countess passed away, leaving Anaïs with no one to rely on, Magala had come to the Brienne estate.

Though she had lost her husband early and had only a tenuous connection to the Brienne family, Magala had stayed at the estate for a while, helping Anaïs, who had no guardian, to become independent and managing the household.

The problem arose around the time Anaïs began to show determination in running the estate.