Since it was an unfamiliar name, I ignored it and went to pick up the glass of lemonade, but my fingers touched someone else’s.
“Ah. Excuse me… Huh!”
“… … ?”
Hermia looked at the girl who had moved away as if she had been hit, then picked up her glass.
Why is it like that? I was feeling embarrassed and was looking around, but then suddenly I felt familiar with it.
So, this feeling of alienation… is something I experienced for quite some time after adding ‘Bansen’ to my name.
In those days when she was awkward and uncomfortable in her flowing dresses and small shoes, when the old stains of her hard life had not yet completely disappeared, Hermia was always alone.
No one was willing to talk to an illegitimate child from a family that did not have a long history or an abundance of money.
It was only natural. If she had not been registered with the Count’s family, Hermia would have been no different from a maid who took off their shoes.
They came to him only after the will of the late Duke of Rockford was published in the newspapers. Or, more accurately, they were pushed by their parents.
‘Still, when Jack Bansen was alive, there was at least some honor in being a family that had fought in the war for two consecutive generations.’
When Jack Bahnsen died, his father, who inherited the title, refused to enlist on the grounds that he had no sons.
There may have been a way to adopt a collateral descendant to succeed the title or take in a son-in-law, but in that respect my father was a very transparent man.
Well, if there had been a collateral branch, he wouldn’t have brought me. It was a moment that made me feel bitter for no reason.
The family’s honor, which had been a handful, had disappeared like smoke, and the wealth that should have been their only support was just so-so.
As far as Hermia knows, there are three main sources of fixed income for the Count’s household.
Rent from the lands inherited from the first earl, pensions paid by the previous earl who had been a national hero, and interest on the family deposits made by Jack Bahnsen.
‘Does your father earn any money?’
She rolled her eyes vaguely, her lips pressed against the glass.
And back in the present, Hermia finally decided to find a break room, because the bandage on her heel had finally fallen off.
As I was walking out into the hallway, watching the people drift away like the tide, wondering if I smelled something, I heard a welcoming voice.
“Long time no see?”
“Irene!”
It was the appearance of the only friend who spoke to me and smiled at me before the will was made public.
Hermia, who had been smiling brightly in joy, stopped and blinked. The girls of other families were standing on either side of Irene.
‘He only had me as his friend, so when did he start dating other guys?’
As I was wondering if I should say hello, Irene crossed her arms and smiled crookedly.
“I heard you got engaged to the Duke?”
Oh, you’re upset because you didn’t get an invitation.
But how could the Countess have invited the Schwein family when she had written the invitation? Hermia immediately looked apologetic.
“It’s not that I didn’t call you on purpose, it’s just… Actually, my mother… … .”
“Pfft!”
The skinny Youngae standing to Irene’s right burst into laughter. On the other side, Youngae had a very angry look on her face.
Irene shrugged as Hermia, who didn’t know English, looked around with her mouth shut.
“See? Am I right? I said I would make up an excuse, Countess.”
“It’s unbelievable that they’re using the same method they used on Belle on us.”
“What did Helen say when the bell rang? Yes, that’s right.”
The three ladies spoke at the same time as if they had made a promise.
“‘This is all my mother’s doing!’”
He recited his lines with exaggerated gestures like an actor in an extreme theater, then burst into laughter. Hermia, who had no idea what was going on, just stood there blankly in front of them.
“What is that… … .”
Irene suddenly stopped laughing and asked with a cold expression on her face.
“Didn’t you bring Mel Greenwood today? Why? Is she sick again? It’s not because of you, is it?”
“Irene, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Why is Mel suddenly… … . She’s not at our house right now.”
Irene snorted as I paused for a moment, wondering if I should tell her that the Duke had taken her away.
“We know what happened at the engagement party. No, everyone here knows. Sir Walter recognized Mel and immediately put her in the duke’s carriage.”
“That’s right. My cousin saw it with her own two eyes.”
“Layla’s cousin is also a member of ‘Ban.Sa.Yo,’ so it can’t be false information.”
What does reflection mean? Irene took a step forward toward Hermia, who was frozen with a bewildered expression.
“I demand the truth from Bansengaga.”
“Fact? What fact?”
“Our parents still don’t believe us, but we all know. The truth will come out eventually.”
She announced resolutely and turned her head to speak to the group.
“Children, our Miss Helen seems to be embarrassed after her misdeeds were discovered. Can I come over and talk to her for a moment? We are not cowards like her.”
“Yes, Irene! If you need any help, just let me know. I’ll be right there.”
“Anyway, Irene is so kind that it’s annoying.”
Irene, who had even received encouragement from her colleagues, took Hermia straight to the empty living room. Then she sat down carelessly on the sofa and gestured to the person on the other side.
“Sit down. I’m willing to listen to your excuses for the last time. We have that much friendship, don’t we?”
“… … .”
“Should I go first? Okay. To be honest, I didn’t want to be friends with a bastard like you.”
Irene acted like she was doing something great and made a fuss.
“My parents ran a casino in the countryside and came up to the capital, so who would want to hang out with me? The capital’s nobles secretly look down on people like us.”
“Irene, if this is happening because of the thief Young-ae, then it’s all a misunderstanding. Our father would never be a person who would… … .”
I was about to say that it was not even possible, but Irene cut me off again.
“Are you really shameless? Are you saying that what you did to Mel was justified?”
“What did I do?”
I asked because I really didn’t know, but Irene’s face turned red and blue.
“You starved Mel, locked her in the attic, and insulted her every chance you got!”
Hermia looked up in surprise because she had jumped up and shouted. Irene paid no attention and raised her voice in even greater anger.
“When the Duke came to visit, I was afraid that he would find out that I had slapped Mel in the face, so I locked her in the barn and left her there for two days! Is that something a person would do?”
“When did I!”
“The evidence is clear, but it’s so disgusting!”
Irene took a yellow book out of her handbag and threw it at Hermia’s feet.
The crumpled cover of the book read, “Volume 2.” Her blue eyes were fixed on the rolling novel.
Irene glared at her fiercely.
“We, Ban. Sa. Yo, have decided not to tolerate injustice any longer. That means we won’t bow our heads in cowardice even if you are a princess, not a duchess!”
Hermia asked with an expression that still showed that she did not understand.
“I, I haven’t read volume 2 yet… That I did something like that to Mel… …?”
“Don’t act innocent, you wicked villainess! Do you think I don’t know that you’ve been acting all this time? How many times have I seen you curse to yourself? You will definitely be punished by heaven!”
Irene went out, grumbling. But Hermia did not even hear the sound of the door slamming shut as if it were going to break.
“I heard all the swearing… … .”
* * *
Hermia got into the carriage and leaned her head against the window, staring blankly outside.
It was the road back to the Count’s house, leaving behind the scenery of garden trees with unique shapes, as befitting an artist’s residence, passing by one after another.
Hermia, who had been left alone in the waiting room, picked up the two books that had fallen to the floor and began turning the pages one by one. As the number of pages remaining decreased, her face became as white as a sheet of paper.
‘Helen was me. Why didn’t I think I would come out?’
Then, I tied the first volume with a string around my thigh, folded the second volume over it, and tied it tightly before going outside.
The murmur that had been muffled and inaudible until just now became clear to my ears.
“You wicked bitch.”
“You never know when the royal police might come and arrest the count.”
“Where will the vulgar blood go?”
Oh, this is just fucking ridiculous.
After the release of Volume 2, she had become a public enemy among the noble ladies of her age. The murderous gazes were so open and blatant that it seemed as if they would throw stones at her at any moment.
“Anyway, this is why power is important. How cautious are the attitudes of arrogant ladies… … Oh my! Hey! Your feet are bleeding!”
“… … ?”
The Countess, who was making a fuss on the other side, woke Hermia. She felt something wet and hot and looked down to see red bloodstains on her shoes and the floor of the carriage.
“Come to think of it, I forgot to put the band-aid back on… … .”
“I can’t live like this, really! What were you doing until you were bleeding so much!”
The countess took out a silk handkerchief and bent over in a hurry.
“I’ll do it. Thank you… … .”
“I just changed the fabric, what if there are blood stains on the cushions?”
The countess was wiping the floor, not her feet. Only after she had checked that the carriage floor was clean did she throw the handkerchief, now stained with blood and dust, onto the toes of her shoes.
“Wipe it off quickly. Be careful when you get off.”
“…yes.”
“It’s because I’m so messy. But I’ll put up with it since I don’t have much time left. If you marry the Duke, both you and I will have our troubles over.”
Hermia stopped tucking the handkerchief between her heels. The countess let out a long sigh as she sank back into the chair.
“How could you possibly know how difficult it is to raise a child who is not your blood relative to you? I should be given a reward by the country.”
“Duke… I must meet the Duke.”
Hermia muttered. He had not been heard from since the Duke took Mel away at the engagement party.
I tried to wait quietly, but after reading volume 2, I felt like I couldn’t stay still any longer.
Did he see Volume 2 too? Could he be as angry as Irene, who was verbally abusing him today?
If I went back home like this, I was sure I would not be able to sleep and would continue to tremble with anxiety.
‘Yes. Let’s go and negotiate right now. If we’re going to break off the engagement, let’s do it quickly and leave the capital instead.’
Even if you don’t have enough money to buy a house, the remaining emergency fund will be enough for travel expenses, so take the train to a remote, remote rural area and get a job at an inn or restaurant.
If possible, somewhere remote without any of those damn bookstores.
“Even after you get married, you must not forget my hard work. You must cook your husband and make him invest in your father’s business. If that is difficult, there must be a dignity maintenance fee paid to the Duchess. That must be quite a lot of money… … .”
“mister!”
Hermia turned and raised the spear connected to the coachman.
“Uncle Sam! Stop the carriage!”
“yes?”
“Stop the carriage! Hurry up!”