“The Marquess of Tanavern was a long-time friend of my father’s. When Father and my brother passed, he looked out for me in many ways.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I merely checked in on you from time to time,”
Tanavern said, waving his hands at Raynan’s words. Raynan shook his head, as if he’d expected that answer.
“You sent someone to check on me nearly every day. So to me, you feel like a family elder.”
That last part was clearly meant for me.
At Raynan’s comment, Tanavern chuckled warmly and replied,
“A family elder, you say. You flatter me. But in any case, congratulations on your engagement. I was quite surprised when I heard the news.”
“It all happened rather suddenly.”
“I’m glad. Now that someone will be by your side, I imagine your father and brother can finally rest easy.”
Tanavern’s eyes reddened as he spoke. Raynan gently tried to reassure him.
“There’s really no need to worry so much.”
“It’s just… age makes one sentimental.”
In the end, Tanavern wiped away the tears that had started to well up.
It was a warm sight that didn’t quite match the atmosphere of the event, and I watched the two of them with a gentle smile.
At the same time, it was still hard to believe—even after seeing it with my own eyes—that someone could receive this kind of kindness from Raynan.
It was curious, but in a way, I was relieved.
Sometimes I’d wonder—wouldn’t it be good if Raynan had someone he could lean on? That thought always left a hint of sadness.
Roman and Amelia were close to him, yes, but it never felt like he truly relied on them or showed his whole heart.
That made me feel sorry for him at times, like he seemed lonely. But maybe I’d been worrying over nothing.
As we exchanged light conversation, Tanavern’s eyes settled on me. Then, carefully, he asked Raynan,
“There’s something I’d like to say… would you spare a moment?”
Raynan looked a bit troubled. Just like with the Emperor earlier, he offered to meet at another time, but Tanavern, though visibly hesitant, didn’t back down.
“I understand your concern for your fiancée. Then how about just over there?”
Tanavern pointed to a spot not far from where we stood.
If they kept their voices low, I wouldn’t hear the conversation—but they wouldn’t be out of sight either.
Raynan considered the suggestion for a brief moment, then gave the same answer again.
“I’ll meet you separately tomorrow.”
“It’s about your brother.”
That one sentence changed Raynan’s expression. The gentle atmosphere froze over instantly.
This might be something very important to him. He glanced at me with hesitation, as if unsure.
“You can see me clearly from there.”
And it was true. It wasn’t close enough to touch, but close enough to react if anything happened.
“All right. You stay right here. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t even answer them. That’s fine. Understood?”
I chuckled softly at his firm tone. It reminded me of a mother telling her child not to move while she steps away.
“I’m not joking.”
Raynan said again, this time with a serious face, before following Tanavern. Even as he walked away, he didn’t take his eyes off me.
Though it wasn’t far, I quickly lost sight of Raynan’s face.
People kept moving between us, blocking my view.
I was so focused on watching him appear and disappear in the crowd that I didn’t realize someone had approached me.
“I suppose I haven’t congratulated you yet on your engagement.”
I didn’t have to look to know who it was.
Turning my head with a tense expression, I met Schneider’s chilling gaze, paired with an icy smile.
Raynan had only stepped away for a moment.
That’s right. I never even considered someone might approach me like this.
And even though the distance was close, I hadn’t expected it could put me out of Raynan’s line of sight.
Of all people, it had to be Schneider.
Should I call for Raynan now? Would he hear me? Should I really bring this to his attention?
But then I wondered—what if that only made things more complicated for him?
Unable to decide, I stayed quiet.
But my body, as always, followed its instincts. Before I knew it, I started to edge toward where Raynan had gone.
Schneider watched me with a condescending smile and said,
“Congratulations on your engagement.”
“…Thank you. By the way, where is Lady Krause?”
“She’s speaking with some other guests at the moment.”
“Ah, I see. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Not a bad way to end a conversation, right?
I turned to go, but Schneider had no intention of letting me.
In fact, he stepped to block my path, standing between me and Raynan’s direction. His eyes scanned me up and down with an unsettling intensity.
His gaze slithered over me like a damp, persistent snake. I wanted to escape it, but it wasn’t easy.
When I shifted to the side, Schneider mirrored my movement, following me step for step.
“I heard you used to work as a maid in the Loerian household?”
Why say something so obvious out loud?
Was he trying to provoke me? Or just find some way—any way—to keep me there?
It was hard to tell what he was thinking. I didn’t have the experience for that.
But one thing was clear—I didn’t want to be around him any longer. And if Raynan saw this, he’d probably be furious.
I started scanning around, looking for the most efficient way to get away.
“That maid… I hear she was known for having ambitions far above her station.”
Schneider’s next words were baffling. Was he talking about me?
I looked up at him, unsure.
Schneider must’ve seen something in my reaction, because a triumphant look crossed his face.
“Yes, you. Seducing Raynan—don’t you think that’s aiming a little too high?”
He took a step closer and murmured in a chilling voice.
I met his eyes calmly and responded,
“That’s a very rude thing to say.”
“Rude, huh? Then how do you explain this—before you became a nanny, you were spending far more than your salary. Where was that money coming from?”
I could feel my expression start to harden at his words.
That was something I’d wondered about too. Before I became Renee, the old Renee’s closet had been full of things she couldn’t possibly afford on a maid’s salary.
Even aside from the dresses, it seemed the previous Renee had spent money freely.
She wasn’t born into a wealthy family… so where had all that money come from?
Since I’d become Renee, I hadn’t received any money beyond my salary.
I’d pushed those questions aside, figuring there was no way to get answers.
So how did Schneider know to say something like that?
I was confused—thoroughly.
“You almost believe it’s real, don’t you.”
“What do you mean…?”
“It’ll be a problem, acting all innocent now—pretending to be the dignified wife of a duke when you know nothing.”
My thoughts were a tangled mess, and my eyes were shaking just as hard. Schneider seemed to enjoy seeing me like that—his voice lowered even more.
“Don’t forget. There are a lot of eyes watching you. Erin and Marvin aren’t the only ones.”
“Erin and Marvin? You mean they…?”
The names were familiar, but not the kind I’d expect to hear from Schneider’s mouth.
“Are you saying Erin and Marvin are working for you, Duke Schneider?”
At my question, Schneider let out a laugh, as if the thought was absurd.
“So this is how you want to play it? Pretending you didn’t know who they belonged to?”
From his reaction, it was obvious—Erin and Marvin had been planted in the Loerian estate by him.
But then, why was he so sure I already knew that?
“Are you also going to claim you don’t know how you landed the position as Edwin’s nanny?”
“You’re saying it wasn’t just coincidence that I became Edwin’s nanny?”
“That’s a good story, I’ll give you that.”
The things he was saying were terrifying—too much for me to handle alone.
His words and tone made it sound like I was also one of the people he had planted.
But if that were true, then why had no one ever approached me? No orders, no promises of reward, no secret signs of familiarity.
Not once.
“If you’re thinking of using me to shake the duke…”
I looked Schneider straight in the eye and said clearly.
I couldn’t ignore that possibility. After all, Schneider had no way of knowing about the contract between Raynan and me.
Maybe he thought that if he used me, he could land a heavy blow on Raynan.
Whether it was true or not, maybe he believed just saying I was one of his agents would be enough to shake Raynan.
I didn’t finish my sentence—because of the expression that flickered across Schneider’s face.
He looked unmistakably flustered. But he quickly hid it and looked down at me with an air of disdain.
“You really want to insist you haven’t heard anything?”
“Who exactly should I have heard something from?”
Schneider continued to speak in riddles. I wanted to grab him by the arm and shake the truth out of him.
What part was real, and what was he fishing for?
At this point, I started to wonder if he was trying to brainwash me.
It seemed he sensed how rattled and desperate I was. When I questioned him again, for just a brief moment, a look of frustration crossed his face.
“So who exactly are you talking about?”
At this point, I had no choice but to ask directly. When I repeated the question, Schneider’s expression went cold, and he stared down at me with a look that chilled me to the bone.
His gaze was sharp as a blade, and for a second I truly thought he might lash out.
That’s when someone stepped in, saving me from his stare.
“It’s quite inappropriate to approach someone else’s fiancée like this.”
“Inappropriate? I simply forgot to offer my congratulations, that’s all.”
Schneider responded to Raynan without missing a beat, then turned and left without so much as a goodbye.
Just before he turned his back completely, I caught a glimpse of his face—he looked as if he were lost in thought.
“Are you all right? What did he say?”
“Good question. What did he even mean?”
My mind was a total mess. I didn’t know what to believe, or what to doubt.
“There’s only one thing I’m sure of from everything I heard—Erin and Marvin are working for Schneider.”
