Two days later. As she guessed, it was Lady Spencer’s turn to take the lead. The difference from Lady Russell of the previous day was that she had been trying to catch Edith’s eyes somehow as she left.
“Lady Argyle!”
“Ah, Lady Spencer. And Your Excellency.”
Even though the sun had risen high in the sky, Lady Spencer’s cheeks were still rosy as she huddled in her fur coat by the carriage. It was amusing and cute to see her enduring the cold like that instead of riding in the carriage.
“Good morning, Lady Argyle.”
“That’s right, Lady Spencer. It’ll be a little chilly for someone from the South.”
“No, not really.”
“But be careful.”
The marquis, who was next to her, raised his eyebrows crookedly. There was something wrong with his expression. But Edith was more comfortable that way. Like the marquis she knew, she wasn’t like the woman who he confessed to two days ago with an unfamiliar expression. She smiled brightly. Then the marquis sighed and said.
“Darling, did something good happen?”
“Hmm? Not really. Where are you and Lady Spencer headed together?”
Lady Spencer seemed startled when the marquis openly expressed his displeasure at that question. Yeah, even a sculpture-like man would be pretty brutal if he growled like an ungodly beast. But Edith was disciplined enough to not shrink at all.
“By order of Her Majesty the Dowager Queen.”
He said without hiding his annoyance.
“With Lady Spencer, to Burry Dressing Room.”
If the dowager queen had designated it, the marquis would be happy to go to any place, but the place that came out of his mouth this time was quite unexpected. Edith tilted her head. But as if he didn’t want to explain further, he walked away with a disgusted look on his face.
“Excuse me, marquis…”
Lady Spencer tried to reflexively grab the collar of his clothes, but the marquis quickly moved away. His attitude was full of disdain, even the slightest touch of her clothes seemed unpleasant to him.
He climbed right on the horse without a glance back. This left Lady Spencer in a position to ride alone in a carriage without an escort.
The girl, who had probably never been neglected like that in her life, shook her hands with an expression that seemed to make her eyes water at any moment.
But the marquis never came down from the horse, whether Lady Spencer was crying behind him or sobbing on the ground.
Edith wondered for a moment whether she should lend her hand to Lady Spencer. Lady Spencer, however, bit her lips and climbed into the carriage herself, as if it hurt her pride that others had seen her—Edith, to be exact—look like she was being ignored by the marquis. Edith, who had done nothing wrong but was in a bad mood, gradually withdrew.
“Edith.”
“Oh, yes?”
The marquis turned his head and approached Edith right in front of him, looking down at her. She tilted her head as much as she could, making it uncomfortable to look up, and wrinkled the tip of her nose. Seeing this, he seemed to smile a little.
She couldn’t be sure because he was back to his original hard expression after blinking her eyes.
“Lady Spencer said she didn’t bring many clothes.”
“Yes. Whatever it is, you don’t have to tell me…”
“Her Majesty the Queen mentioned the marchioness’s dressing room, but she refused.”
Why? Edith took out quite a few clothes, but there were still many valuable clothes that could be repaired urgently. The gems that Edith had never touched would have looked good on Lady Spencer. She blinked her eyes blankly. The marquis nervously added to what she did not like so much.
“I told her it was all yours.”
“No…”
It’s not! But before Edith could finish her words, the marquis kicked the horse by the side and ran out of the castle, and the carriage carrying Lady Spencer also hurried off with him.
Edith held her forehead. The marquis, who confessed like a man pushed by a cliff, was as discouraged as if waiting for disposition. She couldn’t think of anything to say when she saw it.
So she kicked him out. And for two days she zealously avoided him. Fearing that he would break into her room again and wait, she even got the key to the marchioness’s room from the butler and locked it.
“What on earth should I do?”
If he retracted his words, or acted as if he had forgotten, she was ready to play along. She believed it would be the best solution for both of them.
However, the marquis, whom she saw after two days, did not seem to have any intention of doing so. Her head was throbbing. She was avoiding even thinking seriously, let alone accepting what he said. Then someone called Edith from behind.
“Lady Argyle.”
It was a voice she had heard, though not from Rodian. She turned to see Catherine Derrick smiling softly.
Edith reluctantly went to answer the dowager queen’s call. Although she wasn’t particularly thrilled, there was no reason to put on a stiff or fearful expression. With a composed demeanor, Edith greeted Catherine Derrick with a bow.
“Lady Derrick.”
“You seem to know why I’ve come without me saying a word.”
“Yes, because Her Majesty the Dowager Queen invited me to tea again today.”
“Indeed, but she’s not fully prepared yet. I hurried here a bit.”
“Is it all right for you not to be by Her Majesty the Dowager Queen’s side?”
“Lady Russell is capable of handling it.”
After giving a discreet reply, Catherine Derrick approached Edith and whispered in a low voice.
“Among us, she’s the only genuine lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty the Dowager Queen.”
“…Oh.”
She was expecting it, but she didn’t expect her to say it so openly. Edith looked at her opponent with both bewilderment and interest. Her violet eyes, smiling back and not avoiding her gaze, did not contain anything at least that could be called hostility.
“Would you like to talk to me before tea time?”
She thought it would be all right. Edith nodded, and led Catherine Derrick to the marchioness’s room. It was because Catherine, a southerner, would be too cold to walk in the garden, and that she did not want to disturb the servants by opening a drawing room that she did not use.
The marchioness’s room was filled with warmth, and the hands of the maids in the morning and evening were clean. Even if she had only been there for a few days, the room had an owner now, so the atmosphere in the room was definitely different.
As the space and people get used to each other, they achieve stability. Edith offered Catherine a seat, and thought she should vacate this room quickly before she could get more used to it.
“If you need anything, call us right away, Lady Argyle.”
The maids bowed politely and retreated. Catherine, who was watching the scene closely, admired it.
“The people of the castle follow Lady Argyle very much.”
“Well, I’ve been here for a while, so that’s probably why.”
“No, no. Not just in terms of the room, but you seem to be treated almost like the lady of the house.”
It was difficult to answer why they were like that. There was a position to consider. As an outsider who needed to be sent away as soon as possible, it was best to leave misunderstandings as they were. Avoiding Catherine’s gaze, Edith vaguely replied.
“They are loyal people, so there might be some exaggeration in their actions.”
“Really? Everyone seemed sincere to me.”
Catherine didn’t seem to be just saying it. Edith opened her eyes wide when she heard what followed.
“In fact, the dowager queen thinks so, too.”
“What?”
“That’s why she seems to be troubled. Oh, pardon my words, please keep it a secret from Her Majesty.”
“Lady Derrick.”
It wasn’t a story to laugh at. Edith sat down and gazed at Catherine Derrick, smiling. The most senior of the three ladies brought by the dowager queen, a lady with pale wheat hair and purple eyes. Originally, she said herself that she was not the lady-in-waiting of the dowager queen, but unlike Lady Spencer, the count’s daughter, there was no place to guess which family she was the daughter of. Of course, she might not be familiar with the royal capital’s aristocratic society, but she was no ordinary woman anyway. As expected, Edith, who was not an ordinary woman, could tell.
“Why are you telling me that?”
“I think we can help each other, Lady Argyle.”
“Help me.”
Certainly, Catherine Derrick did not come to Rodian to become a marchioness.
“Her Majesty the Dowager Queen, wants to marry her nephew, Marquis Rodian, to a daughter of a prominent nobleman. As you may know.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know? There are quite a few ladies in the royal road who are of marriageable age. Not just Spencer and Russell, but others as well, like Ilsra or Kentra. However, Her Majesty chose me.”
That was something Edith had been questioning all along. The Derrick family wasn’t renowned, and compared to Spencer and Russell, they were considered less prestigious.
But why did Queen Griselda choose Catherine Derrick as the third candidate for her nephew’s fiancée? Edith was not interested in hidden plots or the politics of aristocratic society.
The temperament of a person who was born and raised in a land that was as biased as that of Rodian did not suit that, and what Edith liked was numbers and calculations with poor answers. But Catherine Derrick’s story strangely caught Edith’s attention.
“You know, Lady Argyle. We first saw each other a few days ago.”
“We did.”
“But Lady Argyle, this isn’t the first time you’ve seen it.”
It was her eyes that Catherine Derrick pointed with her fingers as she said so. Rare purple eyes. Where did she see it? Edith, who was tilting her head indifferently, was surprised by the realization that passed by like a flash.
“No way?”
She doubted with her mouth, but was sure with her head. She has seen the same color as those eyes twice in her life, both within the last month. One was, of course, Catherine Derrick in front of her, and the other was…
“Do you get it?”
“Lady… Derrick.”
“Yes.”
“What do you have to do with the Galloway family?”
Catherine Derrick smiled brightly and affirmed.
“The current Duke of Galloway is my real father.”
“Oh.”
Usually, it would be nice to know other people’s secrets, but unless you have the personality to use them without hesitation, it just adds to your burden. Regrettably, Edith was not one to rejoice that she had obtained information about the illegitimate son of a great aristocratic family. She twisted her face.
Catherine Derrick dropped her eyebrows and said.
“I’m sorry to surprise you.”
“I’d rather you didn’t suddenly bring up such stories to me.”
“If I don’t start with being this open, how can I get help?”
“I can’t believe there’s anything I can do to help you.”
“Ah, yes, Lady Argyle, what I want to gain from you is the help of the Marquis of Rodian.”
Edith was convinced. And she shuddered under the pressure of crushing her shoulders. There were many things that she had experienced since she was named the marquis’s fiancée, and nothing seemed ordinary anymore. And now, there were even secret stories entwined with the lineage of one of the most prominent noble families in the country!
“Lady Spencer is out with the marquis today, my turn to see him will be tomorrow or the day after. Before that, I would like Lady Argyle to deliver my words to the marquis.”
“Wait, wait.”
Catherine Derrick’s words became impatient, perhaps because the dowager queen’s tea time was approaching. No, no. It could have been intentional negotiating skills, not impatience, to jump to the point even before the shock was completely gone.
She knew that she would regret it if she fell for this pace. Edith raised her hand to stop Catherine Derrick, and asked in a slow, calm tone as she cleared her tangled head.
“What can I gain if I convey Lady Derrick’s words to His Excellency?”
“Well.”
As expected, look at this. Catherine Derrick wanted to convey some sort of message to the marquis. Of course, with the queen’s influence, the “ladies” will take turns meeting him, so she would eventually have a chance to meet him. However, before that, she needed to inform him of something important enough to put him at ease. And that was something only possible through Edith.
Edith was the only one who had access to Catherine Derrick and the marquis’s trust. But even if Edith had any need she hadn’t noticed, the probability that it could only be achieved through Catherine Derrick was slim.
In conclusion, the more regrettable side was apparently Catherine Derrick. Therefore, she tried to make people distracted and sweep them away.
Catherine Derrick smiled as if it were a waste when the force she had pushed stopped due to unexpected resistance. Edith squinted her eyes and stared at her before bursting into a small laugh.
Now, they both realized that they were not to be taken lightly by each other. Edith looked through Catherine Derick, and Catherine Derick looked back at her with penetrating eyes. The silent standoff that had been exploring each other was broken by Edith’s casually thrown words.
“If you have nothing more to say, I should go to the dowager queen now…”
“All right, all right.”
It was clear that Catherine Derrick, whose wants were bigger and surer, was at a disadvantage.
She caught Edith, who pretended to get up waving her palms out in defeat. Edith smiled and settled down again. Catherine Derrick squinted one eye at her, then said in a slightly resentful voice.
“Can’t you show some compassion for someone in dire need?”
“Of course, I can, but you need to clearly address the issues and move forward.”
“Lady Argyle, you sound like a seasoned merchant.”
“…”
“Oh, it’s a compliment.”
“I’m not offended, keep talking.”
The reason Edith hesitated at being compared to a merchant was because she found it oddly pleasing, maybe even too much so. For her, who was not just a lucky fiancée from a noble family but the true person responsible for managing the marquis’s finances as the treasurer, Catherine Derrick’s words were quite a high compliment for her.
However, she couldn’t show it on her face, so she pretended to be surprised and nodded in response. Catherine Derrick, understanding Edith’s reaction somehow, spoke with a slightly more secretive tone.
“I’m going to offer the marquis a deal.”
“A deal.”
“That’s right. If the deal is successful, I get what I want, and Lady Argyle can be the marchioness the next day at any moment.”
“What?”
“There is such a way. In any case, it means that I can’t be disturbed by the dowager queen.”
“Is that so?”
“Ah, I admit it. My side is much more desperate. But it’s not a bad suggestion, is it?”
Edith, who could not correct Catherine Derrick’s misunderstanding, listened to her opponent with a bitter face. And then she freaked out because of what she heard.
“To your Marquis, who loves you, and to you who loves him.”
Silence was the only option, neither right nor wrong.
Catherine Derrick, however, seemed to interpret Edith’s silence differently. She began to praise the marquis and Edith’s love for something affectionate and dramatic.
The relationship between Alpheus Rodian and Edith Argyle transformed into something that could be called the love of the century.
Despite the disapproval of the household’s elders, including Dowager Queen Griselda, who disliked the class disparity, and the meddling of wicked women trying to tear them apart, nothing could separate the two lovers who endured the trials together. They had their reasons to hold on.
The marquis did his duty to Queen Griselda, but did not give the three ladies a glance. Lady Russell, who was reluctant to be a marchioness of the border, felt a great sense of unease.
“I heard he was even colder than I had imagined. She said they had to walk so far apart that he didn’t even look like an escort, let alone a companion.”
“That’s because he doesn’t want to touch others…”
“But it’s not common to stay away like some infectious person, right?”
Edith reflexively defended the marquis, but Catherine was right. Catherine laughed and went on.
“Lady Spencer, who took the marquis today, will face something similar. I am very worried that she will come back and cry because she will be treated with the same or worse disregard.”
“I see.”
“Oh, of course not me. I thought it could be an engagement or something that could be broken, but I knew it as soon as I saw him. It seemed like the marquis only had eyes for you.”
‘Who are you talking about?’
“I was impressed with that affection, which is rare in aristocratic society. So please let me help you like that.”
It was simply eloquent until the last conclusion. Catherine Derrick’s words were a very elegant, smooth, and sincere appeal.
Edith, however, was not impressed by her opponent’s words. She listened to Catherine Derrick, talking stiffly. This is because she realized that her own relationship with the marquis, who had been talked about by others, was ‘bound to collide with opposition.’
