It was morning when I opened my eyes.
I stared at the square ceiling and felt the texture of the crisp blanket against my skin as I got up.
My head… hurts.
“Damn it.”
I cursed under my breath, clutching the blanket tightly.
The familiar sight of the mansion unfolded before me, no different from usual. A lavish mansion that didn’t suit me, Emeline Wedgwood.
“I had… a strange… dream.”
I had indeed dreamt something peculiar last night.
To be honest, it felt too real to be just a dream, leaving a lingering unease that refused to fade.
I did something I would never have done under normal circumstances, I headed straight to the dressing table as soon as I woke up the morning after a night of drinking.
Sitting at the dressing table, I caught sight of my reflection, the remnants of the unsettling dream still haunting my mind.
“…!”
At the same time, I bit my lip. So hard that it caused a sharp pain, and blood began to trickle from my lips accompanied by a stifled groan.
Baang!
Gasping for breath as the pain shot through my heart, I gripped the dressing table tightly.
“Ugh… ugh….”
It was indeed a strange dream. A dream where a bullet is lodged in me and my family’s heart. And the culprit was someone I knew very well.
It was then.
I felt someone open my bedroom door and come in from behind, followed by a familiar voice.
“Emeline Wedgwood. Care to explain if I didn’t do anything stupid after drinking last night?”
It was my Mom, Helena Wedgwood.
I quickly turned my head.
With her long auburn hair spread out, my Mom was already sprawled on my bed. Her hand pressed against her forehead as if she had a headache.
My Mom was a remarkable beauty, so much so that strangers would mistake her for my older sister. But in the dream, even her beauty seemed to lose its luster due to fear.
What on earth was that dream?
I muttered while looking at my Mom’s eyes, which were tense despite her hangover.
“Is it a nonsensical dream…?”
Mom responded to my muttering. “What did you say? Can you say it out loud? My head is pounding.”
“I said there was no accident. Honestly, I don’t remember much from the later part of the party either since I drank so much apple wine.”
At my words, Mom quickly stood up and glared at me.
“What? You drank alcohol?! You’ll turn into a dog if you drink alcohol!”
“And who does that resemble?”
Hmph. She’s lecturing me again.
“I drank alcohol because I’m Duke Orleans’ fiancée, but you are different. You should have been quietly sitting there like a flower, laughing and smiling, and then hooked up with a decent man if you found one!”
I shook my head at Mom’s words.
Like a flower.
Mom always told me that women should stay still like flowers, but she herself didn’t act that way. My Mom hunts men like a hunter.
“The only way for a woman to survive in this miserable continent is to have a rich man under your feet.”
So my Mom decided to put the wealthy Duke Orleans under her feet.
I cautiously asked. “… Do you even like Duke Orleans a little bit?”
Duke Orleans. He was the head of the richest and most prestigious ducal family on this continent.
The Duke, who lost his wife early, fell in love with Mom at first sight and proposed to her a month ago. Of course, my Mom made him propose.
“I like him. I love him.” Mom replied with a chuckle to my question.
I was somewhat relieved at my Mom’s words.
Oh, for once…
“He’s rich.”
… what’s that supposed to mean?
I said with a serious expression, “Listen, Mom. I had a strange dream last night, and I think Duke Orleans left a bad impression on me. That unconscious judgment invaded my dreams, creating strange dreams about that man…”
At that moment. The maid outside the door signaled something.
The life of nobles is truly uncomfortable. There are always maids wandering around the house, watching my every move without fail.
But I suppose I’ll have to get used to such discomfort. Because inconvenience is much better than poverty.
“Young master Eric Orleans has arrived, Madam Helena.” Said the maid.
Eric Orleans?
I looked at my Mom.
She gestured to me as if she knew.
“Oh, it was mentioned earlier that he would stop by briefly for the gift issue. I didn’t expect that the arrogant young master would come in person. That’s surprising. You should go out instead. I might end up vomiting in the teacup if I go out.”
I glared at my Mom and then answered to the maid.
“Tell him that I will go out instead and ask him to wait for ten minutes. I’m not fully dressed yet.”
“Yes, Lady Emeline.”
The sound of the maid walking down the corridor could be heard.
Eric Orleans.
The son of Baldrick Orleans, my Mom’s fiancé.
I sighed as I recalled the unfortunate face of Eric Orleans I saw at the party last night.
✵ ✵ ✵
Last night’s party was to celebrate the 60th birthday of Madam Margaret Beaufort, who is known as the leader of the capital’s society.
In reality, it was closer to a promotional event for the shoe brand to be launched by Margaret Beaufort, a prominent figure in both the capital’s social circles and the fashion industry.
And Duke Orleans invested a large sum of money in that leather shoe brand. So it was only natural for Duke Orleans to attend last night’s party accompanied by his fiancée, Helena Wedgwood.
Mom took me and my older brother, her ex-husband’s children, to the party with her.
It is a big mistake to think that my Mom lacks maternal love just because of her financial situation. Mom cherished me and my brother very much.
It is up to each person to decide whether to believe it or not.
Anyway, that’s why my Mom took us with her to find a suitable bride and groom who would take good care of us.
But I wasn’t interested in finding a husband, and I was just feeling depressed at the thought of being snubbed by the nobles at the party for being a country bumpkin from the South.
‘You were born a commoner? Aren’t you embarrassed that your Mom, your brother, and even you cling to your stepfather and imitate nobles?’
I’ve experienced that many times.
However, unlike other nobles who looked down on us as low-class nobles from the countryside who had no money, Margaret Beaufort was surprisingly kind to me, my brother, and my Mom.
Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to think that Madam Margaret’s kindness was natural. Seeing Madam Margaret’s friendly tone and her proactive attitude in introducing us to others, I thought that Duke Orleans had invested more money in the shoe brand than I had expected.
I didn’t believe in others’ unconditional kindness.
“These shoes are so beautiful, Madam. The leather texture is as elegant as Madam’s dignified hair.”
My way of thinking had become rigid because of the great influence of my older brother Philip, who constantly flattered others every time he opened his mouth.
Philip kissed the back of Madam Margaret’s hand several times, drooling over the high-quality handmade leather shoes.
“Close your mouth. You’re drooling.”
When I whispered in his ear, Philip smiled at me with his signature eye smile.
“Since you’re still single, why don’t you go find a rich duke? My kind little sister.”
Philip believed that by becoming Duke Orleans’ stepson through Mom’s marriage, he could use the connections of the capital’s society to start his own business.
In short, he was a hopeless dreamer.
Philip was a man with very poor business skills. I wanted to remind him of the hardship we had gone through because of the money he had squandered over time, but I just kept my mouth shut.
Because the sadness in Mom’s eyes came to mind.
‘Now we’ll be happy too, Emeline. Aren’t you sick of being poor?’
That’s what Mom said to me the night she announced her engagement to Duke Orleans.
Actually, it wasn’t poverty that bothered me.
I turned my gaze to Mom’s face and saw her forcing a smile despite receiving cold stares from the noblewomen.
I sighed briefly and pinched Philip’s forearm.
I couldn’t ruin Mom’s engagement by fighting with my foolish older brother right here.
“Do as you please, Philip. Since I’m going to try to find a wealthy nobleman as you suggested. But if you mess up with Madam Margaret and ruin this opportunity, I won’t let it go.”
I gritted my teeth and glared at Philip. Then Philip wrapped his arm around my waist and laughed as if nothing had happened.
“Of course, Emeline.”
I clicked my tongue.
Then I greeted Madam Margaret politely and left to find a lounge where I could rest.
As typical of noble mansions, Madam Margaret’s mansion was annoyingly large.
Moreover, when I approached the sofa to sit and have some tea, the noble ladies next to me gave me a displeased look and told me that the seat was already taken.
There wasn’t even one place for me to rest in this spacious mansion.
“This damn mansion.”
I muttered and was about to draw the curtains, thinking it was the last straw.
“…?”
A man was sitting in a small hidden room behind the curtain.
Black hair and red eyes.
I recognized him immediately. I had seen him a few times before, but the reason I recognized him instantly was because he looked exactly like his father.
Eric Orleans.
I wondered why he was here.
Most nobles who sneaked into hidden rooms and did not actively expand their network at these social gatherings had other intentions. They were trying to broaden their ‘connections’ in a different way.
Does Eric Orleans also have such intentions?
Does this guy, who sat with a sullen expression on his face throughout the party, who rejected all the women approaching him with a clumsy face throughout the party, have a lover? Could this enigmatic man, whose inner thoughts are completely unknown, tap his feet as he waits for the woman he loves to come to the balcony?
However, curiosity was just curiosity, and I quickly greeted Eric politely.
“I beg your pardon, Your Grace.”
At my words, Eric leaned against the railing and looked at me crookedly.
Looking at his arrogant demeanor, I thought I might understand the feeling of the noble ladies who had been wandering around throughout the party looking for Eric
All the nobles in the capital look like white city mice. They spent most of their days sitting in their studies and reading books.
However, Eric Orleans was accustomed to physical exertion and working hard enough to the extent of being appointed as the commander of the royal knights.
His natural physique was noticeably larger compared to ordinary adult men, and his muscles were built on top of his frame.
Despite his large size, he appeared agile rather than bulky or sluggish, much like a jaguar waiting for its prey.
Even his keen and fastidious appearance, down to his red-colored eyes, resembled a jaguar among city mice, likely to catch the attention of the noble ladies.
While I entertained such thoughts, Eric Orleans spoke in a tone as sharp as his posture.
“Do you think it’s appropriate to wander around the entire balcony despite knowing it’s reserved? Emeline Wedgwood, have you never received proper etiquette training in the South?”
My face stiffened at those words.