Chapter 09
“I’m not fine, you idiot!”
The furious shout bursting from Casia brought everything to a standstill.
Starting with Vita and Fleurette, who had been tangled together in utter chaos, then Paul, who had been watching the bewildering scene from behind, and finally Jester, who had just received the wrathful outburst of a refined noblewoman head-on—everyone simply stood there, blinking blankly.
Casia stared straight into Jester’s startled face before letting out a long sigh.
Calm down.
If she followed her heart, she would throw away every trace of dignity expected of a noble lady and unleash every curse word she knew to vent the resentment she had carried toward Jester. But that would only hurt herself.
Who in the world would realize that this anger had been festering for ten whole years?
Anyone who didn’t know would simply think she was a deranged noblewoman.
She had no intention of ruining her own reputation for nothing.
Putting on an icy expression to scatter everyone’s attention away from herself, Casia turned to Vita, who stood behind her.
“Release Miss Roselyn.”
Her voice was frighteningly cold.
Just as Casia intended, everyone’s attention immediately shifted to the new confrontation.
Vita frowned.
“My lady! This harlot—”
“You insolent woman!”
Casia snapped sharply, her eyes blazing.
Startled, Vita instinctively loosened her grip.
Finally freed from those iron-like hands, Fleurette hurriedly stood up and straightened her disheveled clothes.
“Have you perhaps mistaken yourself for the mistress of this castle?”
“M-My lady? That’s not what I—”
Unlike the fury in her voice, Casia’s face was expressionless.
That only made her more terrifying.
She was completely different from the angelic woman everyone had known for the past week.
A chill ran down Vita’s spine.
“I kept you here because the Baron considers you practically family. Even though your position was rather ambiguous, I thought it would be acceptable for you to remain in this castle. But if you cannot even distinguish when you should and shouldn’t interfere, and instead behave so recklessly, how can I, as the lady of this house, simply overlook it?”
“W-What are you talking about?”
Ignoring Vita’s trembling voice, Casia continued mercilessly.
“You assaulted a guest who came to this castle, and on top of that, you dared challenge my authority as its mistress. If I let this pass, everyone in the castle will begin to look down on me.”
Looking down at Vita sprawled on the floor, Casia slowly turned her head toward Jester.
For some reason, that quiet glance felt more terrifying than any spear or arrow flying across a battlefield.
Jester swallowed hard.
“It seems you’ve become so arrogant because you have someone backing you. Since you’re too frightening to simply throw out… I’ll have to reconsider whether you should continue living comfortably in this castle. Until I’ve made that decision, remain confined to your room.”
“What?!”
“How dare you glare at me like that? Have I indulged you so much that you’ve started thinking I’m your friend?”
Staring into Casia’s icy eyes, Vita found herself speechless.
Her lips trembled.
“Baron! Have I done something wrong? Please say something to Lady Casia!”
As Vita cried out, Casia turned toward Jester.
If he dared undermine her authority even after she had ordered confinement, she had no intention of holding back any longer.
Yet despite Vita’s desperate plea, Jester merely blinked blankly.
“I really think this is unfair. I was only trying to help you and Lady Casia…”
“Miss Vita! It would be best if you obeyed Her Ladyship’s orders. Please return to your room.”
Having watched Casia’s mood the entire time, Paul quickly stepped in.
For some reason, he felt it would be a terrible idea to provoke the lady any further.
But foolish Vita was too busy insisting on her own innocence.
Paul clicked his tongue inwardly.
“To become this upset over a woman leaving a man’s room… Let me tell you something. Even if she truly were a prostitute, I wouldn’t care in the slightest. What would be so wrong with that? It’s hardly unusual for nobles to summon women.”
“N-No, wait. There’s a misunderstanding…”
Jester finally tried to interrupt.
But his hesitant voice was completely drowned out by Casia’s frost-covered tone.
“If you understand, then disappear from my sight immediately. What you did today was in no way for my sake or the Baron’s. Go reflect properly on your actions.”
It seemed the lady whom everyone had thought was an easygoing angel was anything but ordinary.
Her raised eyes made it clear she had absolutely no intention of changing her mind.
Vita turned desperately toward Jester.
He was her only hope now.
Yet Jester didn’t seem concerned about her humiliation at all.
Instead, he stared pitifully at Casia’s profile, like a dog whining helplessly, his lips moving uncertainly.
“My lady… you’re misunderstanding…”
“Didn’t you hear me? I told her to return to her room.”
Casia didn’t even notice Jester floundering beside her.
When she shouted at the hesitating Vita, Jester finally looked at Vita instead.
Their eyes met.
Filled with desperation, Vita silently pleaded.
Help me.
But the words that finally came from the man she had trusted left her utterly stunned.
“…What are you waiting for? She told you to leave.”
Leave.
That’s what she said.
Had the timid demeanor Casia had shown when they first met simply been the shyness of meeting someone for the first time?
Jester compared the Casia from a week ago with the woman she was now.
One thing became crystal clear.
It wasn’t that she had changed because she disliked their married life.
She had always been the sort of woman who clearly expressed what she disliked and what displeased her.
And right now, she genuinely hated and resented this situation.
Paul had awkwardly suggested that Casia must have misunderstood why Lady Fleurette had been summoned.
Jester agreed.
Paul had offered to apologize and clear up the misunderstanding himself, but Jester had stopped him.
If anyone was at fault, it was probably him.
After sending Vita away, Casia had immediately disappeared, leaving nothing but an icy atmosphere behind.
Jester stood hesitating outside her room for several minutes before finally gathering the courage to knock.
“It’s me. May I speak with you for a moment?”
“Come in.”
Her voice was still as cold as winter.
Jester swallowed nervously before stepping into her room.
She was standing outside on the terrace.
Despite the cool air, she wore only a thin indoor dress.
For some reason, that bothered him.
He absentmindedly touched the coat he was wearing, hesitating.
Ordinarily, all he had to do was drape it over her shoulders and tell her she’d catch a cold.
Yet somehow, even something that simple was incredibly difficult for him.
“Was there something you wanted to say?”
Unable to bear his silence any longer, Casia spoke first.
“I was wrong.”
He had repeated those words countless times on his way here.
Though unlike the speech he’d rehearsed, all the rest had vanished.
Standing face to face with Casia had completely emptied his mind.
Hearing him admit fault so readily, Casia felt strangely uncomfortable.
She still couldn’t get used to this unfamiliar version of Jester.
He hadn’t defended Vita when Casia reprimanded her.
Instead, he had practically taken Casia’s side.
There were far too many suspicious things.
Could he have somehow discovered her plan to expose his affair with Vita and humiliate them both?
Casia sighed inwardly.
After everything that had happened today, she no longer cared.
Vita’s outrageous behavior had dragged an old nightmare back into the light, making her body tremble on its own.
An affair disguised as a childhood friendship.
There was nothing particularly unique about it.
She no longer had the energy to keep Vita close merely to expose such an ordinary scandal.
She had promised herself she would live comfortably.
Instead, she found herself drowning in unnecessary stress.
Something had clearly gone wrong.
If people insisted on living as they pleased, what could she do?
She had absolutely no intention of competing for her husband’s affection.
Perhaps it would be better simply to wish them both a healthy relationship.
As long as they kept clear boundaries and didn’t drag her into their troubles.
That was the only promise she wanted.
The moment she settled on that, her heart felt much lighter.
“What exactly did you do wrong?”
“Lady Fleurette… I… I absolutely didn’t invite her here with improper intentions. There were circumstances…”
As soon as Casia asked, Jester answered as though he had been waiting.
He expected her next question.
“What circumstances?”
Then he would have to tell her the truth.
The thought alone made him too embarrassed to speak.
Even so, he knew he had to.
He moistened his dry lips with his tongue and waited.
But instead of asking about those circumstances, entirely unexpected words came from Casia’s mouth.
“Weren’t you supposed to be confessing what you did wrong? Why are you suddenly talking about Miss Roselyn?”
“Ah… because bringing her to the castle caused you to misunderstand…”
“How strange.”
Casia tilted her head with a puzzled frown.
“Why would you apologize to me for something like that? That’s not what you should be apologizing for. Nobles keeping mistresses or inviting courtesans is extremely common. There’s nothing unusual about it. You don’t need to feel embarrassed or try to hide it.”
“No, please. I didn’t summon Lady Fleurette for that reason.”
“Whatever your reason was, it doesn’t concern me. The reason I’m upset is because Miss Vita looked down on me, the lady of this house. Your household’s chain of command is in complete disorder.”
“Ah… Vita. Right. I should have introduced everyone properly…”
“Someone already explained to me what kind of relationship Miss Vita has with you and why she’s staying in this castle. You don’t need to explain that any further. However, she cannot continue causing trouble like this.”
Jester had nothing to say.
This was entirely his fault.
Rubbing his forehead tiredly, he recalled Vita’s shameless behavior.
Vita Buckley.
A childhood friend whom he had more or less taken responsibility for, allowing her to live in the castle because of their long history together.
It was true that she treated him casually.
Sometimes she even accidentally called him by name.
Paul had repeatedly warned him that this blurred the castle’s hierarchy and urged him to discipline her.
It wasn’t as though he had never tried.
The problem was that neither Vita nor he could maintain those boundaries.
After calling each other “Vita” and “Jester” for over twenty years, suddenly drawing a rigid line based on rank felt awkward.
Whenever Paul lectured him, Jester often found himself regretting ever letting Vita stay at the castle.
Jester was an exceptionally indifferent man.
He simply wasn’t perceptive enough to notice or care about the confusion the servants experienced because of the blurred hierarchy.
Since no major problems had arisen before, he had always dismissed it with the attitude that if nothing was seriously wrong, there was no need to make a fuss.
Now he realized that careless attitude had caused all of this.
Even if the servants had tolerated it, allowing Vita to challenge his wife was an entirely different matter.
If only he had established proper boundaries with Vita from the beginning, his wife would never have been shocked by her outrageous behavior.
She would never have lost respect for him or for his household.
Why did he always seem to make mistakes only when it came to his wife?
Just as he was about to apologize again, Casia spoke first.
“I am the person who should receive the highest treatment in this household after you. It is deeply unpleasant for me to suffer humiliation because you failed to manage the people under your authority. If there is anything you owe me an apology for, it is that—not anything else.”
What does she mean?
Jester frowned in confusion.
Seeing his bewilderment, Casia kindly explained.
“You were trying to apologize because Lady Roselyn visited the castle earlier. That’s why I’m saying this. I have absolutely no intention of interfering with whether you invite women to the castle or meet them elsewhere. So there’s no need for you to worry about how I feel over such matters. And furthermore…”
Her voice remained as gentle and warm as spring sunlight.
Her words, however, were not.
Jester had suffered countless wounds on the battlefield.
Ordinary injuries barely registered anymore.
Yet today, hearing his wife calmly utter those words, he felt as though countless tiny needles were piercing his heart.
“…Whether Miss Vita is your mistress or not makes no difference to me. Just make sure that common-born girl never again behaves so insolently toward me. As long as you can guarantee that, I will gladly allow you complete freedom in your romantic life.”
