CHAPTER 33
Vivianne couldn’t escape the humiliation as she was dragged out. She fiercely kicked with her outstretched legs, but it was no use. Surrounded by neatly dressed people, she was covered in animal manure.
She only gained her freedom when she reached the barn door. Though the distance between her and Edwin had narrowed, she stumbled backward under the barn’s shadow, putting space between them.
She wanted to run as far away as possible, but she knew the next humiliation wouldn’t stop at being dragged out. Deep down, she felt she’d eventually have to kneel before those cold, heartless blue eyes.
“Why are you doing this, Your Grace? What have I… what have I done…?”
Her gaze traveled down Edwin’s clean, composed face to his polished black shoes. Standing there, flawless and unshaken, Edwin seemed unreal—like a mirage or an illusion.
If she reached out, she feared he would vanish like fog.
“Why?” He asked.
His shoes stood firmly on the ground, their polish gleaming in stark contrast to her tattered leather ones. His gaze shifted to her body, smeared with manure. Drops slid down her clothing, falling from the hem of her skirt and splattering onto the ground. Her hands, clutching the edge of her skirt, were stained with dried excrement.
“Look at yourself. Do you still ask why?”
Vivianne felt the nape of her neck grow hot. Even amidst countless torments, she had never cried in front of them. She refused to let herself appear weak and further isolate herself.
A turbulent wave of emotion surged up her throat. She tried to suppress it, but her vision blurred as soon as she noticed the dirt under her fingernails.
Gazing down with arrogant eyes, Edwin was surely mocking her as she writhed in the dirt. What truly broke her was the thought of him finding joy in her suffering.
The downfall of the girl who had saved his life 14 years ago—pretending to act with good intentions masked under the guise of authority.
“Go fetch Sophie.”
Vivianne’s head lifted slightly from the depths of despair. Her gray eyes trembled uneasily as if she already knew why Sophie was being summoned. She was breathing heavily, a mixture of heat and suppressed sobs.
“Y-your Grace…”
A pitiful voice escaped her heavy lips.
“Prepare Miss Aveline’s accommodations and move her belongings back to her original room.”
The ruthless Edwin showed no regard for Vivianne’s plight. When she took a step toward him, she became aware of her disheveled state and retreated to where she had been standing.
“Your Grace, what are you saying all of a sudden?”
“The farce ends here.”
The emotionless tone of his voice nullified all of her past struggles.
His emotionless voice, devoid of highs and lows, nullified all her past struggles. He came unannounced, humiliated her, shamed her, and now he was stealing her only hope.
“Now, go back to your usual embroidery. Sell it for money, decorate cushions—do whatever you want. Miss Aveline will return to her rightful place now.”
“I—I don’t know what mistake I made, but I’ll try harder. Your Grace, I’ll work twice—no, three times harder than before.”
Aveline, once the protagonist of a masterpiece reflected in the lake, had now fallen to the level of a poorly written tale. She seemed restless, desperate not to sink further into the mire.
Edwin’s calm blue eyes surveyed the barn, filled with sweltering heat and foul smells. Standing quietly amidst it all was a woman who had tried hard to fit in with this place. Yet her noble essence, woven into her very being, could not be concealed, even beneath the layers of filth.
“I don’t see anything exceptional in your abilities. On the contrary, you’re incompetent. And if you’ve disrupted the order of the manor and caused confusion, that alone is reason enough for dismissal.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. What abilities do I lack? What order have I disrupted? What confusion have I caused? I have no idea.”
Thick tears fell to the floor, soaked by the bitter criticism, and a hint of anger shone through them. She couldn’t accept the unreasonable situation she had been placed in.
“I want to keep working, Your Grace. You allowed me to, remember? You respected my choice. You even praised me. But suddenly…”
A surge of overwhelming emotion choked Vivianne’s voice. Yet, when she reflected on the past, she realized it only proved her limitations, and her sad tears burst out despite her will, gasping like a child.
“Why are you suddenly firing me for something I don’t understand? I worked myself to the bone. Every night, I endured pain. Walking was hard. I was injured and cut, yet I’ve never once slacked off or been tired, not even once.”
For the first time in her life, she realized the world didn’t care about her pain or struggle. She had to fight alone, surrounded by people who had once treated her with reverence.
Until the Duke stripped it all away with his mockery and scorn, she had managed to endure her loneliness with strength, finding meaning and hope in her perseverance.
“Did you think the work of servants was just physical labor? If you’re going to do something like this without having a clue, then it means you’ve learned nothing, Miss Aveline.”
“Your Gra—”
“Even now, you still don’t get it?”
Fed up, Edwin cut off Vivianne’s earnest plea. The situation, neither agreeable nor pleasant, only deepened his impatience.
At that moment, Sophie appeared with another servant. Seeing Vivianne in the barn, Sophie’s face turned pale, and she rushed toward her. It was time to hand this tiresome woman over to Sophie and put an end to the ordeal.
“I’m not incompetent!”
As Edwin turned to leave, a near-shouted, defiant cry echoed behind him. His weary eyes, tinged with frustration, turned to Vivianne, who stood stiff and resolute despite the tears glistening in her gaze.
“I will earn recognition and move forward! I’m not going to stay locked in a room, mindlessly embroidering while waiting for my parents like a fool!”
Vivianne clenched her fists tightly, her determination palpable. Yet it failed to spark any interest in him. A long, bored sigh escaped his lips. His desire to elegantly dismantle her stubbornness waned, replaced by an impatient urge to drag her out himself.
“I think you are very mistaken, Miss Aveline,” Edwin said, his tone laced with scorn and mockery as he suppressed his fifth impulse.
“Even if you enjoy playing the leading role in this little drama, it ends here.”
Vivianne, teetering on the edge of her resolve, realized her defiance had failed. Tears of despair streamed down her face, her anguish palpable as the tension between them thickened.
“Do not disturb my world any longer, Miss Aveline. This is a warning, not advice.”
With that, Edwin ended the conversation. He gestured to Sophie, who immediately moved to support the tearful Vivianne. After confirming that Sophie was helping Vivianne, Edwin turned and left the barn.
The faint sound of Vivianne’s sobbing carried on in the wind. The scorching summer breeze felt uncomfortably hot.
Abernathy, concern etched on his face, watched his master’s broad back as he walked ahead.
Though his master’s expression remained calm, Abernathy could sense the impatience in his hurried steps. When he realized the path Edwin was taking led to Charlotte, a bitter regret welled up within him.
When he first heard that Marian, Charlotte’s maid, had been tormenting Aveline, he assumed it was nothing more than the usual petty teasing.
It wasn’t until he saw Aveline in the barn that he understood how much he had underestimated the situation.
For Edwin, who rarely got directly involved, to personally seek out Charlotte was a clear indication of how far his anger had escalated. There was no doubt a great storm was about to sweep through the manor in the aftermath of what was to come.
Standing in front of Charlotte’s room, Edwin opened the door without any formality. Charlotte, enjoying her afternoon tea, screamed in shock, spilling her hot coffee.
Marian, equally startled, fussed about fetching ice, but Edwin’s blue eyes remained as calm as a sea beneath dark clouds.
“… Your Grace? What brings you here?”
Charlotte, calming her racing heart, waved Marian away as she crouched down to fix her wet dress.
“Marian.”
Ignoring Charlotte’s question, Edwin’s deep, low voice addressed the maid instead.
“Yes… Your Grace?”
“Pack Charlotte’s belongings immediately.”
The sudden command from Edwin left both women wide-eyed in disbelief, even more shocked than by his unannounced visit. Charlotte, completely dumbfounded, looked surprised.
“What are you talking about? Why should I suddenly pack my belongings?”
“You’re no longer needed.”
The cold, indifferent tone was hard to believe coming from someone who had grown up with her since childhood. No matter how many times Charlotte replayed Edwin’s words in her mind, they only deepened the wound.
“Your Grace… how could you say such a thing…”
“Take care of what your maid has done yourself. Leaving this place will be the end of it.”
Charlotte’s face crumbled miserably. Her pale complexion resembled that of a corpse, and her soul, wounded by his cruel words, seemed to evaporate. To tell her—without warning—to leave, to say she was no longer needed, and to deliver it with the calmest, most indifferent expression, hurled her deeply.
“W-Wait a moment, Your Grace!”
As Edwin turned to leave, Charlotte hurriedly ran after him, demanding answers.
“Why are you doing this? Is it because I said I wouldn’t marry? Even so, this is too much! Telling me to leave the manor without even giving me time to prepare—where do you expect me to go? Where?”
Edwin’s lips remained sealed. He merely gestured coldly toward Abernathy, who had no choice but to carry out his master’s orders.
Reluctantly, Abernathy shot Marian a sharp look, silently urging her to recognize the consequences of her actions and to quickly fall to her knees in apology.
Unexpectedly, Charlotte’s eyes were filled with big tears that began to fall.
This was already the second time today.
Despite having made two women cry, Edwin felt no guilt. He merely glanced at them with tired, indifferent eyes.
“Your Grace!”
Marian, who had come running, blocked Edwin’s path as he turned to leave and knelt at his feet.
Quick-witted, Marian realized that this mess was her doing—and that it was related to Aveline.
Abernathy quietly let out a sigh of relief, though he hadn’t yet completely relaxed. This should be enough to avert Charlotte’s unjust crisis.
“I-I-It was all me! Miss Windler knew nothing about it!”
Edwin’s cold gaze shifted to Marian, whose tear-filled eyes brimmed with despair. The sudden confession from Marian and Edwin’s unyielding demeanor only deepened Charlotte’s confusion.
“It was entirely my fault. The lady truly didn’t know anything. I just… I just couldn’t bear to see how upset she was because of Aveline… so I…”
“Aveline?”
Marian, who had been looking up at Edwin, realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
A quiet shadow fell over Edwin’s blue eyes at that moment. At that moment, they weren’t stormy—but chillingly calm. No one could predict what would happen in those deep, calm eyes that seemed to know no bounds.
“Since when did Miss Aveline start befriending Windler’s servants?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Just because a mere tailor is her friend, now everyone’s trying to do the same.”
Pale as a ghost, Marian tried desperately to fix her mistake, but her overwhelmed soul could only struggle. Edwin’s emotionless eyes moved toward Charlotte, who had slumped in despair.
In his gaze, there was no trace of anger or disappointment. That absence of feeling made it all the more painful for Charlotte.
Seeing his eyes so close yet so distant was painful, because despite everything, she still loved him. And because she loved him, her heart refused to let go.
