“Lady Galloway isn’t here?”
“Yes, Lady Argyle. I went to fetch water for washing in the morning, but no one was there.”
The maid of the marquis responded without hiding her astonishment.
Edith was equally bewildered upon hearing those words. Just the day before, Viola Galloway had attempted to administer a drug to the marquis.
Although it was not a life-threatening type, it was a vicious aphrodisiac in that it raised sexual desire to the limit and made you lose reason.
But it was Edith Argyle, not the Marquis of Rodian, who appeared before her in full preparation. It would have been nice if she had stopped planning at that time, but somehow, young Duchess of Galloway gave Edith a tea containing aphrodisiacs. Why? Edith, who was counting the past events one by one with her brow furrowed, suddenly had a thought.
“What about last night?”
“Yes?”
“They should have been there last evening, but was there anything unusual?”
“I’m not sure. I couldn’t enter the room because they declined my presence.”
“Still, did you happen to hear anything?”
“Well, I could hear her talking to the lady-in-waiting from the capital…”
It was time for the maid to leave after being refused dinner service by the duke’s daughter, putting down the items she had brought with her. She couldn’t see the face of Viola Galloway, who sat with her back turned in a chair in front of the fireplace, but she could hear a sharp, angry voice.
「The marquis took her away, and she hasn’t returned yet?」
「That’s correct,」 the maid confirmed.
Edith, who was listening to the maid’s explanation, widened her eyes in surprise. Seeing her astonishment, the young maid, who was barely twenty, smiled wryly and spoke defensively.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But when the story of the master came out, I didn’t realize until it was over.”
“No, it’s all right. Well done. We must prioritize His Excellency, the marquis. And what else?”
The voice of the young duchess and the maid was very low, her maid had already closed the door by then, so she could not hear the full sentence. Still, thanks to her pricked ears and focus, she was able to spot a few words.
「The butler… disappeared… He sensed it was abnormal… so he must have caught on.」
「What? How… Then Argyle… is she really…?」
「…Now… shall she… become… the marchioness… even if it’s her…」
“You mean my name came out, too.”
“Yes, Lady Argyle. That’s what the young duchess said.”
Ever since the young Duchess of Galloway entered Silverglen, it was Edith who knew her behavior more about her actions than anyone else.
Although the story relayed by the maid was not overflowing with details, it was sufficient enough to grasp the context of the situation. Edith had a general understanding of the circumstances.
Edith let out a bitter laugh. It was incomprehensible why she had engaged in such a sloppy act, which was not befitting of a lady who upheld proper decorum. But now, she realized that there were two objectives.
First, to entice Lord Rodian into both of them consuming the drug and causing an irreversible incident. Of course, thanks to Edith’s involuntary sacrifice, they couldn’t even attempt this plan and it fell through.
And second. Confirming that Edith Argyle, the marquis’s fiancée, was the real fiancée.
“What a scary woman.”
Edith shuddered at the cool sensation that penetrated her spine. Having experienced first-hand the ability to devise and execute schemes, she well-earned the name Galloway.
“Yes?”
“No, I didn’t mean to say it to Anne. You did a good job. Go and rest.”
“Oh, yes! Well, Lady Argyle.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Excuse me…”
“If you need to say something, say it.”
“Oh, no. Then I’ll go.”
The maid’s demeanor was peculiar. Her flushed face and intense gaze were somewhat overwhelming, and her expression seemed to scream that she wanted to say something, yet she stumbled over her words and occasionally took hesitant steps as if avoiding the topic.
Edith, who was tilting her head, realized the reason a little late and opened her mouth. She wanted to ask what happened in the marquis’s bedroom.
In the marquis’s bedroom, what the marquis and Edith did, even on the same bed. Edith took off her stockings, the marquis took off his gloves, her private area and his bare hands, his lips and his tongue… Edith hid her face.
Even the daughter of the duke, who had only one lady-in-waiting in the marquessate castle, noticed. Without needing to add an exaggeration, the employees who watched and shared everything that happened in the marquessate castle couldn’t be more ignorant.
‘I’m going crazy.’
Last night, no, not even night, late afternoon right after it happened, she thought it would be okay. While Edith, who had regained her senses after the effect was dispelled, was about to die of shame, the marquis quickly retreated. At the end of his kindness in carrying a water bottle and a crystal glass to the little table beside his bed, he left without giving her a glance.
「If you need clothes, you can wear my jacket.」
The door slammed shut before she could understand what he was saying. Edith let out an internal scream, or rather a shriek, as she abruptly stood up and sat on the edge of the bed.
Then, she quickly got off the bed as if rolling. Her clothes were in disarray, enough for the marquis to make such a comment. However, she didn’t want to borrow clothes from the marquis.
She pounded her crumpled skirt to smooth out the thick folds and buttoned her coat. Her trembling legs shook several times due to the lingering effects of the act, but she managed to not collapse.
It would be fair to say that she endured the embarrassment. The marquis’s bedroom was located on the top floor of the castle, accessible only through a restricted corridor. Edith cautiously opened the door just enough to confirm that no one was around before dashing inside. Her own room was on the lower floor, and luckily, she managed to return without encountering anyone.
She closed the door, locked it to the latch, and exhaled the breath she had held back. Immediately afterward, as she removed the lingering discomfort between her legs, she felt like tearing her hair out. However, she had believed in that moment that she hadn’t attracted anyone’s attention… But why, how, and why now? How could she possibly face people after this?
It was a different level from being a fiancée only in words. That was nothing more than a deliberate play by everyone to get rid of the marquis’s uninvited guests.
However, once they were really in bed, it was no longer a story that could be laughed at and joked about. There were grievances she couldn’t ignore, but she couldn’t reveal them to others either.
‘It’s not like I did it, but it’s not like I didn’t!’ However, she couldn’t explain such things to others as if it were an excuse.
Even if her mouth were torn apart, she couldn’t utter such words. Tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn’t even thought about how to face the marquis’s face yet.
On top of that, the vassals. The excessive pressure paralyzed Edith’s rationality. In agony, she huddled and roughly opened the wardrobe, grabbing neatly arranged clothes and stuffing them into a trunk.
After a while, the Marquis of Rodian’s carriage dashed through the dim dawn.
