Chapter 40

Chapter 40

It’s not something insignificant. They’re really out here trying to put me in a mental institution without my consent.

No matter how many weeks passed by while I looked like I was out of my mind…! Still, how ridiculous could they get!

I wanted to run to Camilla right this second, grab her by the collar, and shake her violently.

But.

Ah, calm down, let’s relax. And let’s think about this one by one.

There would be nothing in it for me if I fought Camilla while I was living in this mansion. There would only be a high possibility of her shipping me off to a mental hospital while saying, ‘Have you gone so crazy that you can talk back to me now?’

Camilla had reason enough to send me to a hospital and lock me up so securely that not even a rat or a bird would find me.

It was a fact that other nobles didn’t know my existence at all. High society knew that Amoide was now married, but my identity was being kept under wraps. No one knew who I was, so I could make a plan based on this.

If I disappeared, no one would try to look for me. It would be easy to erase my existence when we divorce and he finds a new wife.

Then, it would be another woman who would have to give birth to a successor…

“This is great. Really great.”

It was a simple plan, and I’d be able to adjust accordingly if needed.

“But wait a minute.”

Why did Camilla suddenly come up with that?

No, was that really what Camilla thought of me?

That question quickly took over my whole train of thought.

If Camilla really thought I’d gone insane, then she would surely try to ship me off to a mental institute.

But why all of a sudden?

[ Madam Camilla is always concerned about Your Grace’s health. Not only physically, but mentally as well. She’s worried that the whispers you hear around here might be bothering you. ]

“The whispers around me…”

If that’s what she’s worried about…

Then Greta was the only one.

‘Just why are you so wary of me?’

I recounted all of Greta’s previous actions.

Greta was naturally arrogant due to Camilla’s unwavering confidence in her, which made it so that nobody in the mansion could defy her.

It was the same with me.

I was a Duchess with no power around here. If one were to regard the proper hierarchy in the household, then Greta would feel threatened by my presence because I was higher up on the ladder than her.

‘You must’ve felt unsettled by my recent actions.’

Moving the kitchen to another place, spending some money, buying high quality ingredients…

Before that, everything was under Greta’s control. If a kid had lost their candy, they would raise their voice and cry out. This could be the case with Greta and her position in the Duchy.

Perhaps it’s true that she really wanted to get rid of me. But the problem was… this was all just conjecture.

I couldn’t even ask Camilla herself if it was Greta who told her to put me in a mental institution.

Knock, knock.

The sudden staccato brought me to my feet, even as I almost collapsed earlier.

“Come in.”

I looked at the door, unconsciously shielding myself with a pillow that I now embraced. No one should ever catch me looking as if I was having a breakdown.

“The Madam’s maid is here to see you.”

The young maid, who followed behind Rona, bowed when she met my gaze. She wasn’t someone I was familiar with. Perhaps she’s a new hire.

“What’s going on?”

The maid hesitated to answer my question.

“The Madam is calling for you.”

“Alright.”

“She requests your presence at the Skylark Room.”

“The Skylark Room?”

The room, which was named after the mural of larks painted on the ceiling, was a room where Camilla greeted guests.

“The Madam said it’s sunny today, so you should have tea with her on the veranda…”

“…Really?”

Camilla’s invitation to ‘have a cup of tea’ was almost always just an excuse to nag me.

This time, I really had no idea of what she’s going to do.

* * * 

Standing in front of the Skylark Room, I took a deep breath.

Inside was the person who was trying to lock me up in a mental institution. The one who held the contract. The one who held my life.

“…”

I was dumbfounded by the scenery I saw in front of me.

‘What the hell’s going on here?’

As the door opened, Camilla stared at me with her eyes wide open. The problem was that there were more people inside.

There were three other ladies sitting around the tea table, looking at me with curiosity.

‘There’s no way Camilla called me here.’

If there was a tea party being held today, Camilla would never have called for me. In the first place, I could never seek out Camilla without being called by her first, so I wouldn’t have been able to show up at any of her tea parties.

I mean, what was happening right now should be impossible.

“…”

I was so stunned that my mind stopped working. On the other hand, Camilla was glaring at me, as if to ask me what I was doing here.

“Oh my, are you the Duke’s wife?”

A cheerful voice echoed through the room. The owner of the voice was the youngest of the three ladies.

“We could finally see your face!”

“My oh my, we finally meet the Efret household’s new madam.”

“Goodness, how fortunate. It would be great to have tea together.”

The other ladies kept adding remarks. The more attention was directed at me, the more forced Camilla’s smile became. Then, a scene I never thought I’d see in my life unfolded before my eyes.

“Selena, come in,” Camilla gestured toward me as she smiled.

“…”

Of course, my feet were rooted to the ground. I’m sure it’s the same case for Camilla.

‘You didn’t call for me earlier.’

It was a trick. Someone was pulling strings behind our backs. I was screaming internally, but I couldn’t make it obvious in front of these ladies.

“Yes, Mother.”

Following Camilla’s example, I also had to act as naturally as possible. I approached the table where the wives were sitting, walking as gracefully as I could.

“She’s very shy, that’s why she’s reluctant to show herself in front of people. I called her here specifically today so she could say hello to you.”

Camilla even hugged me warmly and patted me on the back.

Ah, I don’t know what to do.

As soon as she touched me, my body trembled unconsciously.

“…”

I put on a wide smile just as Camilla did so that my unease wouldn’t be seen by the ladies.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

I made eye contact with all three ladies, who were looking at me with hawk eyes.

“Shall we introduce ourselves first?” Camilla laughed with a big smile on.

I could see one corner of her eye twitching from the forced laughter.

“First, this is Marchioness Morde.”

The brown-haired lady with some streaks of grey was looking at me with curious eyes. She greeted me with a slight smile.

“This is Countess Lafangue.”

The woman with bright blonde hair smiled brightly at me. She was the youngest of the three ladies.

“Lastly… Marchioness Aven.”

The short lady with friendly eyes smiled at me.

All three ladies were unable to hide their curiosity towards me.

“My, my. The Duke of Efret does deserve to hide you away and never let you out of his sight. How could you be so beautiful?”

As the compliments increased, more goosebumps up my spine seemed to rise.

“By the way, I heard that the Duchess is holding back on attending social gatherings because of her husband’s health…”

As if prodding for answers, Marchioness Morde looked pointedly at me. Camilla only pursed her dry lips as she waited for my response.

‘Does she think I’ll say something weird?’

It was a clear mistake for me to join the tea party today, but it wasn’t enough that mud was slinged onto Camilla’s face.

“Yes, my husband isn’t feeling very well, so I have to watch over him.”

As if satisfied, I could see the corners of Camilla’s lips creeping upwards.

“All I want is for my husband to recover quickly.” I opened my eyes wide and pitifully gave a heartbroken smile.

“Oh my, he must be happy to have such a devoted wife.”

“I’m sure he’ll get better soon.”

The wives added some words of encouragement.

“Thank you all. I won’t ever forget your kind words.”

Camilla sighed as she looked at me, relieved.

“Come now, let’s continue. The tea is going to get cold. I hope the refreshments I prepared for you today suit your tastes.”

“These are refreshments from the Duchy of Efret. There’s no way it wouldn’t suit my taste.”

At that, the wives simultaneously lifted their teacups to savor the taste of their drinks.

I unconsciously also lifted a teacup and smiled amiably with them. I wanted to just grab the skirt of my dress and bolt out of here, but Camilla might kill me if I did that.

On this leisurely afternoon, everyone needed to look elegant and sophisticated in a tea party, of which its purpose wasn’t just for people to gather and sip tea.

It was where all kinds of desserts and tea used by the host would be scrutinized to measure the household’s standing. The conversations would also range from gossip, all the way to politics.

And today…

“Have you heard? There has been some talk about Count Saulton.”

Countess Lafangue initiated the conversation. In fact, this must be what she wanted to talk about the most, but she could only bring it up now because the atmosphere finally allowed it.

“I think it’s been five years since I’ve heard news about the Count,” Marchioness Morde responded, as though she had rehearsed this line.

“Larson, the family’s only son in five generations, must be very precious.”

“That’s why it’s rumored that the Count had tried to sire a son with several women.”

“Then he’s an illegitimate child.”

“I’m not sure. The mother and the godfather said that the child would be raised as a legitimate heir, so that he would inherit the title in the future.”

“As expected, even the love of the millennium cools in the face of heirs and successions.”

If I were to prioritize acting like a proper noble lady, how could I possibly respond to a subject like this elegantly?

I just nodded here and there with a gentle smile on my lips. But it seemed like Camilla wasn’t happy with my performance.