The Marquis of Rodian and The Iron Wall Lady

Edith returned to the marchioness’s room*, completely exhausted.

[*TN: I’m not sure why it says this because I checked and it says marchioness in the last chapter and this part.]

Of course, all the clothes that were repaired fit Edith perfectly. The same was true of the new clothes, which were modified with the measurements Burry had taken herself. She thought it was enough after trying on the first one or two pieces of clothing.

But neither Madame Burry nor the marquis’s maids agreed with her idea. Burry, who was in charge of sewing, said it would be a big problem if there was a mistake, so the maids also nodded enthusiastically and responded that she should try it all on.

There was no way to beat their hard-set eyes. After all, she put on and took off all her clothes once, and when she put on these clothes, she listened to her advice on how to accessorize them. Her expert advice was something she couldn’t buy for money, and while she heard it, she had little memory of it.

“Oh, my…”

Everything felt tangled. Edith thrashed about on the soft duvet. If she had to pick the most appealing thing in the marchioness’s room, something that she would regret later, it would undoubtedly be this bed and bedding.

Anne, who kept coming and going to take care of her, said that the dressing table with a mirror, the closet, and the small tea table by the window were very beautiful, but Edith was not interested.

From the point of view of actual servants, the best way was to be comfortable. She hugged her pillow and rolled to and fro to relieve her weary body. Ttokttok.* In the meantime, a knock was heard. This time of year was the time for Anne to come. Edith didn’t even think to get up, only jerked her head toward the door and shouted.

[*TN: A word imitating the sound of tapping a hard object lightly and repeatedly.]

“Come on in!”

She wouldn’t have done it if she knew it wasn’t Anne. 

“Are you sleeping already?”

“Oh, Your Excellency.”

It was the Marquis of Rodian who burst in. Edith jumped up and sat down, then jumped off in a hurry, unable to bear the situation itself of greeting him sitting on the bed. 

“Looking at your clothes, you’re not sleeping.”

“Yes, it hasn’t been long. What’s the matter?”

“Let’s talk about things for tomorrow.”

“In that case…”

Can’t you call me to come to the office? Edith tilted her head, and the marquis raised his eyebrows as if he were wondering what was wrong with her. But she swallowed her words.

The answer was that it was natural to come because she wasn’t a treasurer, but his fiancée, so why bother asking?

They were now in a very vague state. Edith, as Marquis of Rodian’s treasurer, asked to resign and the marquis ignored it.

It had been inconclusive. Naturally, others other than the person concerned thought she was still a treasurer. On the other hand, Edith’s pretending to be his fiancée was a lie conspired with the marquis, and the vassals knew it, but the servants of the marquessate treated her like a prospective marchioness. Outwardly, everything seemed as usual, as if nothing had happened, and they were going about their usual routines before the arrival of the Duke of Galloway’s daughter. However, it wasn’t as simple as going back to the way things were before.

Things didn’t return to their original state as it appeared. There were aspects that remained unseen and unchanged, making it impossible to neatly tidy everything up. That’s why she postponed discussing her relationship with him; there was no need to start unnecessary arguments at this moment. She had to deal with the immediate matters in front of her first.

“No, please tell me.”

“May I sit down?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Sit over here and talk.”

Edith, who went to the table, sat face to face with the marquis. Perhaps because he had brought a clear business, the marquis opened his mouth without hesitation.

“You’ll have a hard time serving Her Majesty, the Queen.”

“Oh, yes. That’s all right. It’s something I’m prepared for.”

“I’m sure it’ll be more than that no matter how determined you are.”

“Well…”

Are you telling me not to run away? It was difficult to guess the marquis’s intentions. And her pride was slightly hurt. No matter how difficult a woman is, would she give up on the task she was entrusted with? Edith asked slightly curtly.

“Is she worse than you?”

“What?”

“I thought it was because you said she would be more than what I was prepared for.”

It meant that no matter how difficult and demanding the dowager queen was, she would be the only one who would do it.

If the Marquis of Rodian’s advisors had been with them, they would all have agreed with Edith. And not just them, even the butlers and other servants in the marquessate, as well as the minor nobles under Lady Argyle, who were in the vicinity of Silverglen, would have concurred! In short, everyone who knew  Alpheus Rodian in the area would have supported her statement!

“Edith.”

However, even if everyone else thought the same thing, would it still feel unpleasant if it’s about oneself? The marquis raised one eyebrow and then called Edith with a slightly lower tone than before. She felt a little nervous. Anyway, since she was called, she had to respond.

“…Yes?”

“Am I that far below standard?”

That’s impossible. Edith made a hot look, then hurriedly loosened her facial muscles and replied.

“No, well. It’s not to the point of expressing it that way.”

“But? There’s a problem?”

“Not even that. Why should I evaluate Your Excellency in that way in the first place?”

A pair of dark green eyes gazed at Edith. Incredibly, the marquis looked a little depressed. God, Alpheus Rodian and depression. She thought she was mistaken even though she was watching.

She shrank slightly and looked at his countenance. The marquis, who was silent, loosened her arms and took one hand to his mouth. Why? Was he doing that because he’s afraid of harsh words? Edith frowned lightly between her brows. She didn’t mean to offend him.

“Hmm.”

However, the Marquis coughed in vain instead of spitting out harsh vitriol. Edith was even more puzzled by his uncharacteristic behavior. She didn’t even know how to take his question in the first place, so she couldn’t think of how to answer it.

“The thing is, Your Excellency.”

“No, don’t say it.”

What? Anyway, she had no choice but to shut her mouth when she was told not to say it.

Then, the marquis himself was silent without saying anything, and Edith became frustrated. Did he come all the way here with something to say, only to be told to prepare herself for something?

Or he had more to say, but he forgot, no. That couldn’t have happened to the marquis. Oh, her head hurt. Edith gave up trying to guess his thoughts, which were completely unknown.

And she looked at him with eyes telling him to hurry, whether he had something to say or forgot. Perhaps because she was staring so blatantly, the marquis soon got up.

Edith thought the marquis was being quite bland in his responses. However, the situation of being alone in the room with him was quite uncomfortable, so she refrained from grabbing his attention or asking if he had finished speaking.

The marquis, who paused at the doorway, repeated similar words as before. Edith felt the same way when he did this.

“I understand that you are determined.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“It will be a hard march from tomorrow, so go to bed early.”

She nodded resolutely and firmly at him, who kept repeating unnecessary words. Then he pulled the hook of the door he was holding and opened it wider.

“I see, Your Excellency, please rest early too.”

The marquis understood Edith’s gesture to get out quickly. He seemed unwilling, but she was so determined that he had no choice but to step out the door completely.

She pushed the door shut as soon as he went out. Almost simultaneously with the sound of the door clicking shut, it seemed like there was a “however” in the words he said.

However, when the knocking sound came again, indicating that the door was being opened to hear what he had to say, there was no sign of willingness to speak. Instead, the distinct sound of hurried footsteps, which didn’t seem like the marquis’s usual composed and elegant gait, faded away.

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