MPBGS 53

Chapter : 53

It must have been a bit hot in here, given how much sunlight was coming in. Well, unlike me, who was dressed lightly, he had several layers on, so it made sense he’d feel warm. You’ve been working hard, sir. I’ll generously overlook your earlier slip of the tongue. Someone from a different social class should understand and be accommodating.

“I will make sure to convey your sincerity to the mistress.”

As someone who used to be a laborer, I couldn’t just stand by while the butler was working so diligently attending to guests. I should quickly give Lady Toten my praise. In an employer’s position, you’re supposed to receive at least a compliment—or even a bonus—for good work.

“Are you mocking me right now?”

The elderly butler, who had been sweating, was now trembling and glaring at me. Wait, mocking you? I only complimented you—why would that be mocking? Could it be that he thought I was being sarcastic for speaking too bluntly?

As I thought that, I nearly fainted when I noticed my hand resting on the butler’s shoulder. Why is my hand there…?

It seemed I had unconsciously patted his shoulder. A habit I must have picked up from our household butler…! But what could I do? The clothes looked similar, so it must have slipped out unconsciously!

Now I understood why the butler was upset. No matter the social hierarchy, an overly young lady patting someone’s shoulder would be offensive, wouldn’t it?

Ah. Our eyes met.

As expected, the butler was trembling with a sense of humiliation.

Yet, perhaps unable to openly reprimand a noble young lady, he suppressed his anger and continued guiding the way. All that effort in praise, and a single touch wiped away all goodwill. My hand is the enemy.

“It seems we’ve arrived.”

After quietly following behind the butler, we finally reached the marchioness. At last, freedom! The walk to the reception room felt like it had taken a year. I almost died from the tension.

Knock, knock.

“My lady, I have brought Lady Rohanson.”

“Come in.”

A weary voice came from inside.

The impression upon seeing her in person was not much different. Though Lady Toten had a fuller figure, she appeared so gaunt that for a moment she seemed almost emaciated.

But that impression quickly faded as she smiled, and the exhausted look vanished instantly.

“Welcome. Was the journey difficult?”

Her tone was also extremely refined. So this is the experience of a noblewoman who has spent a long time in society. Admiring her, I sat across from her as the marquisate’s maids swiftly set out desserts and tea.

It seemed she had been doing embroidery before I arrived. No matter how hard I try, I only end up pricking my fingers and creating nonsense stitches, but Lady Toten’s work was impressive even at a glance.

“Were you in the middle of embroidery? I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“No, not at all. Embroidery is just a hobby of mine… Oh my. Looking at it this way, it resembles you, young lady.”

She was referring to the embroidery she had been working on, saying it looked similar to me. Was she stitching an angel? Well, Evangeline’s face is certainly beautiful. Even I sometimes get startled when I look in the mirror.

Even on the way here, there had been many sun deity statues and paintings—it seemed Lady Toten was deeply devout. That must be why she agreed to act as my chaperone at Gabriel’s request.

“You resemble her more than I do, my lady.”

“Hoho, you speak so sweetly. As Sir Gabriel must have told you, I will be your chaperone. I am Kinder Toten.”

“I am Evangeline Rohanson. Thank you for graciously accepting such a difficult request.”

“It’s nothing. Your circumstances are rather unfortunate… If there is anything I can do to help, it is only right that I do so. And I owe Sir Gabriel a personal favor, so please don’t feel burdened.”

“What kind of favor is it?”

Lady Toten simply smiled without answering and took a sip of tea. Ah. This is something I learned from Dolinay. Remaining silent while eating or drinking is a nonverbal way of saying one does not wish to answer. Teacher, I’ve picked up on it! I’m making good use of what Dolinay taught me today. I should report back later.

I also picked up my fork.

Lady Toten watched me eat in silence for quite some time.

Was she observing my table manners to evaluate them? Although Gabriel had made the request, she likely wanted to judge for herself. I made a conscious effort to eat properly.

I was so nervous I couldn’t tell whether the fork was going into my mouth or my nose. Was I going to choke at this rate? Unable to eat any further, I set down my fork. I thought I had eaten quite a bit, but looking at the plate, it seemed I had barely made a dent.

Just then, Lady Toten set down her teacup and asked,

“Lady Rohanson, why do you wish to enter society? With Sir Gabriel present, you are not entering the marriage market. And given your late debut, various rumors may only become more exaggerated.”

That’s not my reason—it was Gabriel’s request.

And to be honest, there was no deep meaning; in romance fantasy, a debut into society is simply a natural step. Even if I didn’t intend to pursue romance, now that I had been transmigrated into a romance fantasy world, it felt right to attend at least one ball.

But I couldn’t say that.

Just as people rarely answer interview questions truthfully, I needed to frame my answer more appropriately. After some thought, a good excuse came to mind.

“Are you familiar with my maternal family?”

“…The House of Horzaquin, the ducal family.”

“Yes. Then you must have heard that my maternal grandfather and mother were estranged.”

The youngest beloved daughter of a ducal family had defied her family’s objections and married the count, almost like eloping for love. It must have caused quite a stir in society at the time.

“When my mother passed away, and even when I fell ill and was bedridden, the ducal family never contacted us.”

When I asked our household butler, he said Evangeline’s mother had sent several letters, but none were ever answered. Of course, they didn’t even attend the funeral.

“My mother longed to reconcile with her father. It wasn’t quite a deathbed wish, but I hoped to fulfill that desire on her behalf.”

In Evangeline’s mother’s diary, she frequently expressed regret, admitting her mistakes and wishing to return. Of course, far more of the entries were devoted to cursing her husband, the count.

Ah, and that diary had been gradually reduced, as I tore out pages and sent them whenever I needed to ask the count for something. To the count, they were likely just unpleasant notes—but that was my small form of revenge. Who told him to be unfaithful in his marriage? It was a self-inflicted disaster. I wish I had a second diary.

“Given how she treated my mother, I expect they would be even colder toward me, bearing the Rohanson name. It would be obvious I’d be turned away at the door if I visited directly. So I hope to at least meet her from a distance at the banquet.”

That was a surprisingly convincing answer for something I had just come up with. It would have been perfect to shed a tear here, but I’m not an actress, so I couldn’t quite pull it off.

“Was that sufficient?”

“…Is that so?”

Hmm? That wasn’t the reaction I expected. I thought she would sympathize, take my hand, and say, “I see, that’s how it was.”

Wait. Since Gabriel was the one who requested the chaperone, hadn’t she already heard the full background?

It seemed I had chosen the wrong answer. I should have just been honest!

“Did Sir Gabriel already explain everything to you?”

While I hesitated on how to recover, Lady Toten covered her mouth and smiled.

“I didn’t hear the full details, but I understand that Sir Gabriel asked you first.”

Then why did you ask about my purpose in society in the first place?! I nearly overworked my brain coming up with that excuse.

“So there is no other reason—you’re simply helping Sir Gabriel?”

“Was what I said earlier not a sufficient answer?”

“But, young lady, when you spoke of fulfilling your mother’s wish, you said it in such a detached manner. It didn’t sound as though you truly longed for it, nor that you have any real reason to meet with the House of Horzaquin, did it?”

“…No. That’s correct.”

She had hit the mark. Even from a romance fantasy perspective, it was too late to pursue a reconciliation route with the ducal family, and from my perspective, the one I truly missed was my own mother—not Evangeline’s.

I thought I had spoken convincingly enough, but perhaps the issue was my acting. Could it be that my poor acting was also why Daisy had seen through my possession? I always thought it was because I was too kind and it showed—but it was my acting after all!

“Then… why did you answer that way when I asked earlier?”

“Because that sounded more plausible. Is that a problem?”

Please say it’s not a problem. It would be awkward to explain to Gabriel that the marchioness he arranged wouldn’t serve as my chaperone. If he asked why, I’d have to admit I was caught lying—and that would likely destroy his trust in me.

“No, not at all. It was merely out of curiosity. I was wondering if you had any other motives. Regardless of your answer, I had no intention of declining Sir Gabriel’s request.”

So, if not for Gabriel’s request, she would never have agreed to be my chaperone.

But was that really all? The butler and Gabriel had said they accepted me out of sympathy, seeing Evangeline as similar to their sick son. And they had warned that she might ask about a cure.

“I thought you accepted the chaperone because you had something you wished to ask me.”

“Something to ask you?”

“Yes. For example, a story like ‘how Evangeline Rohanson recovered from her illness.’”

“…That…”

As I said this with a faint smile, a crack appeared in Lady Toten’s expression.

Wasn’t that what she wanted to know?

Just as the butler had mentioned earlier, I was about to firmly state that I had no answers to offer—but then a knock came at the door.

Before anyone could even say “come in,” the door slowly opened. Lady Toten frowned at the impolite intrusion, but the moment she saw who had entered, she was startled and rushed to her feet.

Cough, cough. “Mother….”

“Ryder! Why are you up instead of staying in bed?”