SDVMN Chapter 46

 

What are you talking about?

Idel looked at Patrick with cold, unfazed eyes after hearing his words. The emotions conveyed without a single word made Patrick burst into laughter again.

It was only when the frown on Idel’s forehead deepened that he stopped laughing and added an explanation.

“There are always unexpected treasures in places like that. Aren’t you interested in treasure hunting, Miss?”

“Ha! I’m not a child… I’m not interested in that. And why are you suddenly speaking so casually? I never gave you permission.”

“Oh dear!”

Patrick exaggeratedly slapped his forehead and then smiled as if he had just remembered something.

“I apologize. I meant no offense to such a grown Miss.”

“So what is it?”

“Hmm?”

“Why on earth did you sneak up on me?”

Suspicion arose in Idel’s eyes. It was already uncomfortable that someone with the symbol had been glancing at her recently, but why did he come to find her when she was alone? Especially when she had left her usual companion behind.

‘That strange talk about a rabbit hole too.’

Did he sense something odd about me? Did he catch me trying to sneakily take something from Melisa?

‘…No, if that were the case, he wouldn’t have mentioned treasure hunting or wells.’

Then what is it?

Idel raised an eyebrow, hiding her complicated suspicions behind a sharp gaze.

Despite her urging, he blinked leisurely and slowly opened his mouth.

“Well… I didn’t sneak up from the beginning; I just saw you crouching low in the bushes and wondered if something was wrong.”

“What did you say?”

“I once heard a rumor about a certain grown Miss who fell asleep in the bushes, so I thought maybe…”

“What are you talking about…? Are you picking a fight with me right now?”

Patrick quickly raised his hands in surrender at the sight of Idel’s narrowed eyes.

“Just kidding. I came to make sure you got back to your room safely because the Duchess was worried.”

“That’s an unnecessary concern.”

“You think so?”

He shrugged his shoulders while gazing at Idel with a mysterious look.

“Well, anyway, I’m a knight who values promises… so I’ll escort you. If you say no, I’ll just carry you like last time.”

“I got it, so move aside.”

“Alright. Oh, but are you really not interested in rabbit holes or treasure hunting? I’m someone who enjoys exploring abandoned places, and I often find treasures there, you know?”

Idel walked past him without acknowledging his words. Her attitude clearly indicated that she didn’t think it was worth responding.

‘Or is she just putting up her defenses?’

That was quite possible.

Her behavior earlier, when she had lost her temper and said she had no one by her side, and the fact that she had hidden the boarding school brochure, suggested that her anxiety level had increased significantly.

‘Melisa’s plan seems to be working quite well.’

Of course, Patrick didn’t mind. He had already bet on the “mystery” card.

Pretending not to know anything, he matched his pace with Idel and continued to chatter about various topics. It was exactly how he usually acted around Dante Knightley.

The only difference was that, in a fleeting moment when Idel didn’t notice, his gaze landed on the red hair that closely resembled Melisa’s.

It was a very short moment, though.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

A few days after Patrick had made his strange remarks, Idel was having such an interesting time that she almost completely erased his words from her mind.

It was only natural. The servants who had only insulted her with words finally began to take action.

“Miss Idel, we received a sample doll from the Valiana Atelier.”

“But why did you bring it? Where’s Diane?”

“Oh, Diane stepped away for a moment! Should I call Veronica or Rose? But both of them have been assigned other tasks since you said you wanted Diane to handle everything, so…”

She was fiddling with the edge of the box with a troubled expression, but Idel knew very well that the maid’s true intention was not that. The corners of her mouth were subtly lifted.

‘I kept the maids away because of the plan, and now they’re taking advantage of the situation—a rebellion of sorts.’

While observing their reluctance to back down easily, Idel couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

‘This works out well.’

Such petty bullying or ostracism tends to become more pronounced after a major incident. Idel opened her mouth, wearing a thoroughly displeased expression.

“Enough! Just open it.”

“Then I’ll open it.”

The maid quickly opened the box, fearing that Idel might change her mind, and spoke in a feigned polite tone.

“Please compare and let me know which dress you prefer.”

Compare…

Idel glanced into the box and stifled a small laugh.

“What is this?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean!”

The maid, feigning surprise at Idel’s irritated voice, covered her mouth with one hand.

She had to do that. The doll inside the box was dirty enough to believe it had been through a lot. The condition of the dress sent as a sample was also far from perfect.

“No, how could this happen…? It seems there was a mistake when sending the samples from the Valiana Atelier… I’m so sorry, Miss Idel! Should we clean it up quickly?”

“From the atelier? Why? You didn’t do this to me, did you?”

“Yes? Oh, Miss, why would you say such a thing?”

“Did you take your anger out on my doll instead of me?”

“Uh, I don’t know how this happened, but we truly didn’t mean to, Miss! Please believe us!”

The maid, who had crouched down in fear at Idel’s reprimand, hurriedly covered her mouth.

Her fidgeting feet made her look like someone terrified and unsure of what to do.

However, Idel could bet her breakfast that she was smiling beneath that covered hand.

‘Although even that breakfast was missing a few items.’

Yesterday, a side dish that was supposed to accompany the main meal was missing, and today, instead of the milk she liked, she received orange juice, which she disliked.

She could overlook the missing side dish, but the “second daughter in the rumors” wouldn’t have stayed quiet about the orange juice.

This morning, Idel vented her frustration at the servants. Adding to her usual sensitivity right after waking up like any child would.

Even after her outburst, the milk didn’t appear on Idel’s table. The excuse was that there was a problem.

‘That was just a few hours ago, and they’re pulling this again. They’ve become bolder with their pranks than before, haven’t they?’

Idel smirked inwardly at the doll’s soot-blackened face and the torn ribbon.

There was no way the atelier would have done such a thing. The Valiana Atelier, known for its excellent reputation among the royal family and high nobility, was famous for crafting dolls that resembled their clients and sending them dressed in meticulously prepared samples.

In other words, from the atelier’s perspective, this doll was Idel’s “doppelgänger.”

‘What kind of tailor would dare to do this to a client’s doppelgänger and dress?’

It was bound to provoke great anger from the nobility as an insult, and it would be easy to lose trust in their clothing.

Of course, Idel had no intention of saying any of this. Instead, like an ordinary angry child, she threw the doll and expressed her irritation to the maid.

“Ha! You don’t know how this happened? Then what about me? You’re not telling me to just let this go, are you? The doll that looks just like me is torn!”

“I-I’m sorry, Miss Idel. But…”

“But what?”

“To file a complaint with the Valiana Atelier, you need to go through the Duchess… But Miss Idel, just recently, the Duchess…”

The servant who had spoken up looked down, pretending to gauge Idel’s reaction.

The reason was simple.

It was because Idel had rejected every offer extended by the Duchess—visits, letters, and gifts.

If you were to ask why, the answer would also be quite simple.

It was so that the servants would see her as more vulnerable and start playing their cruel tricks directly, just as they were now.

In fact, the servants had started to take matters into their own hands from the moment they realized the duchess was no longer contacting Idel.

‘The servants must think she has given up on me.’

Of course, that wasn’t the case. Judging by her temperament well before becoming evil, it was likely that she had decided to wait until Idel opened her heart even a little.

The Duchess must have made that decision out of caution in dealing with her…

‘But it’s a bad move.’

If Idel had been an ordinary child, she surely wouldn’t have been able to read the Duchess’s true intentions. Just like the servants had misinterpreted the Duchess’s intent as “giving up.”

In any case, Idel had been acting extremely sensitively to everything since the day she stopped receiving letters from the duchess.

She grew anxious over the lack of letters and began to get angry at the absence of gifts.

‘Like a child who, after causing trouble first, is truly flustered at being abandoned.’

“Um, Miss Idel…?”

“What?”

“How should I tell the Duchess about the dolls from the atelier?”

Hearing the servant’s words, Idel closed her mouth, pretending to be upset, as if she could never ask the Duchess for help first.

“…Forget it! Diane, get rid of this!”

“Yes? Yes! Miss!”

The servant’s mouth twisted into a sly smile as she looked at Idel, who was scowling and crossing her arms.

‘Yeah, they must be pleased.’

They had mocked her in a roundabout way, and there was no longer a chance of getting caught by their superiors.

But the one who was enjoying this situation the most was none other than Idel.

Exchanging glances with Diane in secret, she threw the blanket over herself in a fit of anger.

It wouldn’t be long now.

If this atmosphere continued for just a little while longer, and the servants’ true nature began to show…

‘I’ll have to pay Sylvia a visit soon.’

And she would time it to coincide with when her fiancé was with her.