Come to think of it, that painting also captured a unique form of love. To my eyes, it seemed more like dependency than love.
I thought this as I forced the picture, which still remained vivid in my mind, back down under the surface. All these questions would be resolved once I visited Cedrics and the Count Dright. Therefore, I didn’t want to waste precious time dwelling on such matters.
I was lost in various thoughts, gazing vacantly at the buds swollen as if they were about to burst, when Isabella, having knocked on the door, carefully entered my bedroom and handed me a letter.
“Lady, the commander of the knights… no, the second son of the Dright family has sent you a letter! I thought you might be waiting for his letter, so I brought it to you as soon as I received it. I hope I wasn’t overstepping?”
“Ah, Isabella. No, thank you for bringing it. I was indeed wondering when I would get a letter from Sir Cedrics. Your timing couldn’t have been better.”
“Not at all. Then, I’ll go back down to the kitchen! If you need me, you know to pull the bell, right?”
“Yes, I know. Don’t worry about staying; go on back down.”
“Okay!”
After our brief conversation, Isabella, reminiscent of a puppy with her eyes gleaming, soon scurried out of the bedroom.
Her walk, somehow hurried yet leisurely, seemed like that of a child heading out to play with a close friend. With a smile on my lips, I watched Isabella disappear through the door and then examined the letter she had handed me.
To discover whether the claim that it was a letter from Cedric was true, I found the letter’s design simple and reflective of his personality.
I thought it would take longer, but has he already returned? Tilting my head, I carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter, cautious not to damage the paper as I began to read Cedric’s words.
[To Lady Obelton,
I apologize for not being able to write a lengthy letter due to the multitude of tasks I must undertake, particularly as my brother has been detained, bringing his responsibilities to me. It has indeed been a hectic period.
Nevertheless, I returned to the capital two days ago after completing the restoration procedure. For your reference, this process involves a servant of the deity renouncing their sacred duties to rejoin secular life. It’s not particularly complex or demanding, so I hope it doesn’t cause you any concern.
Although it’s been only two days since my return, I’m starting to get the hang of the paperwork and would like to visit you at the palace soon. Could you let me know when would be a convenient time for you?
“I will be waiting for Young Lady’s response. Cedric Dright.”]
“Hmm,” I finished reading Cedric’s letter, murmured faintly in a nasal tone, and set the letter aside.
I had anticipated that the arrest of the young Duke Dright would lead to a succession battle for the now-vacant position of Dright’s heir. Yet, unexpectedly, Cedric has stepped into the role of the vacant heir. It seemed that Duke Dright was moving in a direction that could be helpful to us.
No, perhaps Duke Dright himself, unable to bear the demeanor of the young Duke Dright any longer, saw this as an opportunity to rearrange the power structure to his liking.
Otherwise, it might be that Ruth made some kind of contract with Duke Dright using the sword I had delivered.
While considering all the possible scenarios, I tapped my lips with my index finger, a habit I unconsciously fell into whenever I was deep in thought.
“For now……”
Thoughts of Helen’s invitation, Cedric’s precious news, the young Duke Dright’s imprisonment, and the anonymous maid targeting my life roamed my mind. Perhaps they were all loosely related but deeply intertwined, making it challenging to decide which to address first and which could wait.
Having finished my deliberations, I removed my finger from near my lips and muttered lowly, “The trial of the young Duke Dright is soon, so it should be addressed first. It’s already too late to postpone it any longer.”
Before long, the trial of the minor Duke Dright was less than a week away. Therefore, this was the chance to seek out Duke Dright, ask the questions that had been brewing in curiosity, and observe his fate.
There was no desire to understand the criminal, but it felt like a regret would linger if his story wasn’t heard.
The reason was unclear.
Having prioritized in my mind, I moved my stiff neck around and stretched out my hand towards the bell-pull. Soon after, a light jingling sound filled the pale bedroom as the bell-pull was tugged.
***
I sent a reply to Cedric, asking him to come visit after two days as I needed to see the detained Duke Dright before his trial in 5 days. Then, the next day, a reply came back saying he would visit me tomorrow.
I had speculated that he might take some time to consider my request to meet Duke Dright, but judging by the speed of his reply, it was clear he hadn’t hesitated for a second.
Thanks to that, I quickly scheduled an appointment with Cedric and ended up lying down and idly staring at the ceiling, taking a day’s rest. Wasting a day doing nothing did not suit my temperament. I preferred being busy.
The library would have been an option, but after what happened last time… What to do?
While leisurely strolling through the corridors, planning what to do for the day, the idea of visiting Tommy suddenly came to mind, and I hesitated for a moment. Our last encounter had not been pleasant.
“You should only think of yourself, young lady. Not the elder lady who cares only about her own future, indifferent to what you may sacrifice for yourself, nor the emperor who doesn’t realize what you’re giving up for your sake. Just you!”
“Run away, young lady. To a place where no one knows. Just the two of us.”
“As for me.”
“I just hope you won’t feel lonely, young lady.”
“…….”
Out of nowhere, the memory of that day came flooding back, making my earlobes feel as if they had turned bright red. Looking back, I wondered if I really had to treat Tommy that way. Especially to someone who knew I was suffering and came to see me.
Would Tommy accept my apology if I offered it now? Or would he think I’m apologizing too late and find it displeasing because it seems insincere? I’m not sure.
Thinking this far made me feel gloomy. My shoulders, which were straight, naturally hunched over as if I were a defendant judging my own guilt in front of a judge.
While I was tormenting my innocent palms with my fluctuating emotions, suddenly, I heard the murmur of a conversation from somewhere.
Judging by the several voices, it seemed like at least three people were talking.
“Did you hear? They say that the lady, back when she was a commoner, screamed in the streets that she could not mingle with such filthy commoners because she was of noble blood.”
“Ugh, don’t even start. The rumor has everyone up in arms lately. Just the thought of such a prejudiced person becoming the empress gives me the chills all over.”
“I heard it too, and it seems to be a well-known rumor. No maid doesn’t know about it. I thought I was pretty well-connected, but seems like I was late to the party. Poor Isabella, serving the wrong master, must be clueless about all this.”
“Isn’t it somewhat funny? That someone who did such a thing pretends to be His Majesty’s first love, deceiving everyone. Almost no one in the capital is unaware that the relationship between His Majesty and the lady is worse than that of strangers, right? Even the beggars outside the castle must know.”
To anyone listening, the subject of their conversation, the fish on the chopping board, was me. It seemed they bore no good feelings towards me, as they even brought up rumors from a couple of months ago that I had carelessly forgotten about and moved on from.
Is that why? I vividly understood what it felt like to have one’s blood run cold. My current state felt not just like my blood had cooled but had frozen solid.
This was the royal palace. A place with a Ruth, and me, and many ears listening.
Yet, the maids spoke loudly, without any effort to lower their voices as if it didn’t matter if others heard. Their confidence likely stemmed from the fact that almost no one in the palace was unaware of the ‘rumor’ they mentioned.
And since Ruth and I kept our distance in front of others, he didn’t show interest in my affairs, and I mostly stayed confined to my room, reducing the tension.
With my head creaking and groaning, I barely managed to grasp the situation and clenched my hands into fists. I gripped them so tightly that the tender flesh of my palms was indented by my fingernails.
…What should I do?
It felt as if there was a ringing in my ears, so I repeatedly lifted and lowered my eyelids.
Before, I just pretended as if nothing had happened. It was me who would be at a disadvantage if I caused any fuss unnecessarily. Moreover, not having anyone in the palace on my side made me prematurely anxious about what was to come.
However, by neglecting it for those reasons, the rumors grew and expanded until they reached this point. It might even be too late to do anything about it now.
Should I pretend not to know again?
I was hesitating over an option that did not appeal to me at all when a fragment of memory from the past suddenly came to mind.
“Anyway, the rumors have successfully spread. By now, the maids must be viewing that person in a negative light.”
