The next day, Edith woke up very late. The marquis seemed to have already left, and his absence made her take some time to recall what had happened the day before. Blinking her eyes absentmindedly, Edith suddenly jolted awake, surprised as she quickly remembered where she was and why she was there.
“Ugh.”
And as if waiting, she groaned in pain, bending her waist while clutching her body here and there. She pulled the duvet filled with feathers tightly around her and buried her face in it, only to feel a strange texture.
She was wearing pajamas she had never seen before. It felt so light and soft as if she wasn’t wearing anything, but it was indeed something. Edith was slightly surprised at this belated realization.
After becoming aware of the clothes on her body, Edith could feel that her body was refreshingly clean. Since she had fallen asleep in the marquis’s embrace, it was only natural to assume that he had taken care of her.
Oh, my God. Her face turned red. Then the door opened slightly with a squeak. Edith turned her eyes reflexively and looked toward the side where the sound came from. And her eyes met with the one who was peering through the gap that was about a span wide open.
“Ah, Lady Argyle. Have you slept well?”
It was Anne. Edith, who was very nervous about whether it was the marquis, relaxed her shoulders.
After confirming that Edith was up, Anne remained at her spot. She lifted something heavy and pushed the door open with her body.
All Anne had was various tools needed to wash and tidy her body. Four relatively young maids followed, pushing in the bathtub, and in a swift movement began to carry hot water.
It was not surprising in itself because she was taken care of by maids even when she lived as treasurer. But when Anne set it down to the side of the bed, Edith opened her mouth wide.
“What is this?”
Among the new ones, the bathtub was overwhelming in size and weight.
However, there were several items that caught her eye. Even at a glance, it was evident that they were new, and expensive handcrafted items neatly arranged on the silver tray.
Ivory combs with delicate pieces, embroidered hair ties with silver thread on dark green silk, and emerald pins for fixing twisted hair. Edith had quite high standards when it came to items like these.
Having lived as a person responsible for managing the marquis’s estate and conducting transactions with prominent upper-class individuals for several years, it was only natural. Even to her, these luxury items that flew in so casually were far from ordinary.
“The marquis has brought them out for you, Lady Argyle.”
“He brought them out?”
“Well, I don’t know where it was. The marquis ordered me to take the things Lady Argyle would use and put them in the closet in the room next door.”
Having lived half her life as a maid in the marquessate, Anne looked at the items she brought and admired them. And with great care, she laid down the tray with a delicate touch, as light as a feather. She wanted to ask her more, but the temptation of the hot steamy bathtub was too great. Edith sighed deeply and came down from bed.
The area between her legs was sore and swollen, but she was in front of Anne, so she walked along, trying not to show any signs. Edith closed her eyes after taking a bath, leaving her hair with Anne.
The feeling of being handled by someone else was unfamiliar to her, so she flinched. Originally, she was assisted only by the maids to carry her washing water, and she did the rest alone. She tried to do it again this time, but she found it hard to ignore Anne’s eyes because they were so intense.
“Wow, Lady Argyle. This comb is really pretty.”
With a smile on her face, Edith closed her eyes. So, the purpose was to have extravagant dressing tools. Despite the marquis’s financial difficulties, upon closer inspection, the foundation seemed surprisingly stable. Thanks to the long-established lineage of the Rodian family, they had a solid base. Although they had been out of favor in the political circles for the past few years and hadn’t gained anything new, their existing wealth was quite substantial.
Edith, who applied to the treasurer in anticipation of being broke, was even impressed by identifying assets that were much better than expected.
However, the splendid and luxurious consumption, often associated with the expression “life of a high-ranking aristocrat,” was almost extinct in the marquessate.
Of course, the things the marquis himself used were not ordinary, even the pen holder. However, no one searches others’ bills to check the wealth of others, and they believe that if there is nothing visible, it does not exist.
The lords near Silverglen, as well as the small lords under the marquis, saw the fall of the House of Rodian near. The reason for this was, of course, the absence of noble women.
There must be a marchioness or lady to use things, but the current marquis’s mother died a long time ago, and the last lady to be born to the Rodian family was Griselda, who was the dowager queen of the country. For the maids who did not have the life of a princess, but dreamed of seeing it up close, the situation of the marquis was harsh indeed.
“This ribbon too! What kind of silk is this? I’ve never felt anything like it before. Moreover, the embroidery work is incredible, Lady Argyle. At first glance, I thought it was just a floral pattern, but it’s not repeating the same design. There are deer figures here too…”
Edith chuckled at how hungry she must have been all this time. Since getting to know Anne, she had never seen her so talkative before. Maybe she even wanted to explore Lady Viola Galloway’s room out of curiosity.
“Well then, I’ll tie it up for you now.”
“Take your time.”
Originally, Edith didn’t put much effort into touching her hair. Whether it was hair or clothes, anything related to adornment was the same for her. However, today was different so she didn’t rush Anne. She wanted to prolong Anne’s enjoyment of touching the pretty items, and also because she knew she would have a lot to do once all the process was over.
Although her body was tired, her mind was not. Unlike last time, she didn’t take any medicine, and thanks to her clear-headedness during the incident, her mind was now a hundred times more complex than it was then.
“All done, Lady Argyle. What do you think?”
Edith in the mirror also had an uncomfortable expression. But as Anne was looking from behind, she hurriedly fixed her expression and tried to thank her with a faint smile. If it weren’t for the sudden voice.
“It’s good.”
“Ah, my lord.”
“If you’ve finished your tasks, leave.”
“Yes, sir. Understood!”
Edith did not look back. It was because the marquis and her eyes had already met through the mirror. He entered the room before Anne could take out the things.
And as the flustered maid rushed out, the sound of the door closing coincided with a kiss on Edith’s hand. She looked at the marquis with bewildered eyes.
He was wearing gloves as always, and the kiss was polite and light, but in the first place, a human being named Alpheus Rodian was not the kind of person who kissed a woman on the back of her hand.
“Your Excellency.”
“Oh, you should correct the title, too.”
“What?”
“I mean, call me by name. You know it.”
Of course she knew.
She even thought about it right before. But what’s the point of doing that?
“There’s a reason. Because you are my fiancée.”
He spoke as if he had read her thoughts. Edith countered by pulling out the hand that had been held until then.
“I’d like to retire from that, too.”
“Are you still saying that?”
“Yes, and I was going to keep talking until you listened.”
“The bilateral agreement is stipulated in the contract.”
Edith smiled.
Rather than feeling good, it was a provocative signal toward the opponent before entering the battle. Certainly the marquis was not wrong.
But Edith, while bathing and dressing up, thought of a response. She would lose face if she was silenced by the same words twice.
It was her who had made countless, almost mostly profitable deals for the marquis, that didn’t meet the terms. The marquis, who knew it well, twitched his eyebrows and looked suspicious.
“That! It wasn’t then, but it’s an unfair clause now.”
“What are you talking about? I wonder if the meaning of the word ‘bilateral agreement’ has changed.”
“No, the expression itself does not matter.”
Edith said flatly. She was able to speak without hesitation because she had been hiding her heart since long ago.
“Your Excellency’s and my relationship foundation has changed.”
The marquis was silent. That was not the end of Edith’s story anyway.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. When you proposed the role of a fake fiancée, you were employing me. However, I have informed you that I will no longer take on the position of the financial officer for the marquessate. Therefore, the relationship between you and me, guaranteeing the fake engagement contract, becomes obsolete.”
It felt bitter to try to speak. With the vivid memory of having been intimate just the day before, how could she pretend to be unaffected and act as if nothing happened? Can she really be that easygoing?
But she had to end it somehow right away. The situation of getting entangled with the Marquis of Rodian was too problematic.
Not only were there problems within the household, but the fact that she still had even a tiny bit of feelings for him was the most significant issue. Yes, she had feelings.
Rather it would have been much simpler if she had no feelings for him. As a member of a devoted aristocratic family and a direct treasurer of the marquis, the role of a fiancée was a little ridiculous, but it could only be considered as an extension of work anyway.
But Edith found that her heart, which had been directed at the marquis in the past, was not completely dried up. The condition was dangerous. She had to stop before her mind was completely revived and had false expectations and wishes. Before she got hurt. She spoke with all her heart.
“Let me go. Please.”
At face value, there seemed to be no change to the Marquis of Rodian. He showed off his sculptural beauty as always, and was dressed thoroughly and neatly, just as people with obsessive-compulsive disorder tend to do.
“…Our relationship comes to an end.”
The voice that came out as the hardened lips were loosened and it was difficult to find any difference from usual just by hearing it. But he was obviously agitated. The first evidence was to ask unnecessarily.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, of course.”
“But…”
Surprisingly, it was the second time that the end of the sentence was blurred, and the third time that he took a very cautious attitude, referring to Edith’s weakness.
“We have already spent the night together. That fact will be an obstacle to you, and I must make the right compensation.”
“That’s all right.”
Edith cut it as sharp as a knife to the point where she felt cold even to herself. She had to be.
Since the opponent was the marquis, if she did something wrong and became weak, he would only get involved like yesterday. While overseeing financial transactions with the policy of the estate, she also had more embarrassing battles than now. If it was not possible to make concessions anyway, it was right to thoroughly prevent it.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I have no intention of telling you to take responsibility for what happened yesterday.”
The marquis frowned. Edith continued, shaking her head as if to be relieved.
“I am a woman who has no intention of getting married. Moreover, finding fault with premarital relationships in the world these days is something only royal nobles do. On the contrary, if His Excellency said that he would make amends, it would be an insult to me, although of course he didn’t mean to.”
Like paying the mistress, or the woman who enjoyed the night, for a relationship. Edith did not elaborate, but the marquis certainly understood. His voice hardened a little as if he were displeased at dragging and pasting such a mess.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Yes, I know. Anyway, so I don’t need the compensation you mentioned.”
“…If I reinstate you as a treasurer, will you continue this contract?”
“Well…”
“If that’s not the case, do you want to remain only as a treasurer?”
The last words were honestly a little harsh. If he said so, she thought about accepting it as if she couldn’t win, and she was even more shaken to hear it. But that was only feasible until last night. Until Edith was able to boast that she had no self-interest in front of anyone. Not anymore. Edith was heartily sorry, but flatly refused.
“No, I want to be done with both. No matter what Your Excellency says.”
The marquis’s face was distorted. He didn’t seem to be angry or annoyed. To be honest, his expression looked very painful. You must have seen it wrong.
Edith was a little surprised, but she stayed headfast and avoided looking. She thought that the marquis would soon open his mouth casually and insist or break her will again. But there was a very long silence. The silence was so long, so long, that if he didn’t snap out of it, she would forget what they were talking about. She felt trapped in a room full of water.
“…”
Edith endured and endured, then jerked her head up as she was on the verge of dying. There were no footsteps, but I thought he might have run away, but the marquis was still standing at the same distance.
She sighed deeply and opened her mouth, which was not like her.
“Your Excellency.”
She had nothing else to say to him, except to call for an answer. So the same silence was about to follow in the end. If it hadn’t been for an urgent cry from outside.
“Your Excellency, Marquis!”
Edith opened her eyes wide. So did the marquis’s. That voice was neither a servant following the marquis, nor the marquis’s butler. The Knight Commander Dart was calling the marquis.
