Chapter 6 – Part 16

“The rumor has been around for a while.”
 
The maid, Petiz, was relaying to Arlen the information she had gleaned by asking around for maids working in other noble houses.
 
“I can’t remember the exact time, but everyone was surprised when the newspaper articles came out and the rumors turned out to be true.”
 
“It started even before the newspaper came out?”
 
That meant the rumor had been leaked beforehand.
 
It also meant that it didn’t matter if she went to Shuban in the first place. Even if she hadn’t gone, the word would have gotten out.
 
“I’ll write a letter; can you deliver it? You’re the only person I trust.”
 
“Of course.”
 
In response to Arlen’s gentle words, Petiz quickly replied.
 
Having served her up close, Petiz felt sorry for her. Even though her help to the Dowager Grit had started with good intentions, it had turned into something else. Adultery was wrong, but she suspected whether her tender-hearted mistress had fallen for the Emperor’s seduction.
 
Moreover, she had just come back from a heated argument with friends she had met to investigate the rumors at Arlen’s request, as they kept cursing Arlen so much.
 
“Please take care of it.”
 
“Yes.”
 
With the determination to be the only one to protect Arlen by her side, Petiz replied firmly.
 
* * *
 
Not long after Petiz left with the letter, Duke Miles, who had gone to see the Emperor, returned.
 
“Where’s Arlen?”
 
Duke Miles asked as he made his way to the office.
 
“She is in his room. How did things go?”
 
With a faint sigh, he nodded.
 
“I need you to summon Arlen to my office.”
 
“Yes.”
 
The Duke of Miles, looking both thoughtful and exhausted, headed for the office first.
 
* * *
 
“Father, you wanted to see me?”
 
A few moments later, Arlen came to the office room.
 
“Sit down.”
 
Duke Miles, who was contemplating by the window, pointed to the sofa, and soon he himself sat down on the sofa as well.
 
“You know that your scandal has caused quite a stir in social circles, don’t you?”
 
“Yes.”
 
Her expression was hard to read as she answered obediently.
 
In the past, he might have thought that she understood his words, but now it seems like she might be thinking something else silently.
 
“You won’t be able to go on as you did before. Wherever you go, everyone will scrutinize you, and if you’re seen with His Majesty, even more tongues will wag. It can’t be helped, you’re a noblewoman, the daughter of the Duke of Miles.”
 
It would probably become a lifelong label for her. Both the Marquis and Arlen knew that.
 
“I met His Majesty today.”
 
Arlen, who had been lowering her gaze all along, finally met his eyes.
 
“He wanted to propose to our family. What do you think about it?”
 
“If it’s a proposal from His Majesty……”
 
“It means becoming his concubine.”
 
The term “concubine” didn’t sit well with Arlen, and a tiny crack appeared on her face.
 
Duke Miles noticed it too.
 
“You don’t like the idea of being under the Empress’s command?”
 
Arlen didn’t answer, but the tightening of her jaw indicated that she was affirming the question.
 
“Then you shouldn’t have refused His Majesty’s hand in marriage.”
 
Arlen’s eyes flickered with embarrassment at the Duke of Miles’s unexpected words.
 
“His Majesty has informed me. He asked you to marry him, but you rejected him.”
 
Noticing the look in her eyes, Duke Miles explained.
 
“I don’t understand. If you continued to meet His Majesty even after his marriage, why did you reject the proposal? Let’s hear the reason.”
 
But Arlen didn’t seem inclined to answer, only biting her lower lip slightly to show her distress.
 
As she watched, Duke Miles laid the proposal on the table.
 
“These are the proposals that have come to you. You may choose between them.”
 
Arlen unfolded the bundle of proposals with her fingertips, then quickly withdrew her hand as if she didn’t want to touch them anymore.
 
“If this is not to your liking, I can support you in living alone.”
 
His voice was cautious as he spoke to Arlen, and she could feel him watching her carefully. He was much more relaxed than she had been when she had just arrived in the capital.
 
It was not a situation in which he would have welcomed his daughter’s single life, but he would support her in any choice she made, as long as it was good for her. Duke Miles had no intention of forcing her into a marriage she didn’t want.
 
“There might have been other reasons for rejecting His Majesty’s proposal. But with your choice comes the responsibility you must bear.”
 
“…….”
 
Arlen’s eyes were still on the proposal.
 
“Take them and think carefully.”
 
Duke Miles said, and Arlen took the proposals and left the office.
 
Later, as the butler came to remove the tea that neither of them had touched, the Duke of Miles ordered.
 
“If Arlen leaves, don’t stop her. Just follow her and see where she goes.”
 
“Yes, sir.”
 
After the butler had gone, he stared at the window for a long time, lost in thought.
 
* * *
 
Back in his room, Arlen’s face flushed red with shame.
 
As soon as she entered the room, she threw the marriage proposals in her hand onto the table. Most of them were families that the Duke of Miles would never have dreamed of marrying in the old days.
 
“This is unacceptable!”
 
Arlen couldn’t help but understand the meaning behind them. Right now, they probably believed they could ally with the Duke of Miles through her, who had fallen from grace due to scandal. But the bigger problem was that there were dozens of them.
 
Glaring at them, she grabbed a few and tore them up. They shredded in her hands and scattered around her feet.
 
Arlen continued to tear and tear the marriage proposals until her anger subsided. Her body rose and fell with each breath, a sign of the still-raging emotions within her.
 
After catching her breath, Arlen called for a maid.
 
“Burn all the letters in the room.”
 
The maid, who was substituting for Petiz, quickly moved, saying, “Yes.”

* * *
 
Eli entered the Marchioness’s room that Ruby used to occupy. The room was untouched except for the bedding, which was being cleaned. 
 
It seemed even more so when he compared it to when he came to visit after Ruby’s death.
 
He briefly swept his hand over the bed that Ruby used, then began to look around for any remaining items of hers.
 
Eventually, he came to a small doorway. It was sparse, but there was a handkerchief she’d embroidered herself.
 
“You really love lying.”
 
Although she had probably mentioned her inadequate skills in embroidery, he couldn’t help but feel that they were not inadequate but rather beautifully made.
 
Some of the handkerchiefs had his name embroidered on them, while others bore the Marquis Grit’s crest.
 
Considering the time it took to embroider them, they must have been the result of long hours of labor. In other words, the fact that Ruby had thought of him during the time it took to embroider these handkerchiefs made them all the more precious.
 
And how stupid he was for not realizing it.
 
As Eli looked at each handkerchief, he ran his hand over the patterns.
 
“Brother?”
 
It was Emily who opened the door.
 
“Your sister’s door was open, so I thought it might be you.”
 
“Emily, are you still up?”
 
“I couldn’t sleep… Is that from Sister’s room?”

Emily asked, noticing the handkerchief in Eli’s hand.
 
He nodded.
 
“I came to see if there was anything important hidden away.”
 
Eli’s eyes were warm as he looked down at the handkerchief. 
 
It had been weeks since he and Emily had tended the estate. That meant he hadn’t seen Ruby in almost as long.
 
He hadn’t been able to leave Emily alone with so much to learn, so he had stayed with her, taking care of paperwork, showing her around the estate, and teaching her.
 
“You couldn’t sleep?”
 
Eli asked, clutching his handkerchief.
 
Emily couldn’t tear her eyes away from the handkerchief or the look in her brother’s eyes.
 
“……just…….”
 
Unable to say yes or no, Emily stammered.
 
“I guess I’m just worried. I haven’t been living like you.”
 
Recently, she has been learning a lot from Eli. While there were some difficult terms, overall it was fine. It was challenging, but it was something she could learn.
 
The hardest part was thinking.
 
Up until now, most of Emily’s thoughts in life have been intuitive. They were more like the feelings you get when you encounter an event or a landscape: pretty, beautiful, fitting, hard, etc.
 
But being in a position of authority meant thinking not only about what’s in front of you but also about what lies behind you. Although it wasn’t always the case, most of the time it was.
 
When executing a task, one has to consider what the outcome might be, who might benefit or suffer, and what might change as a result. Many things stemmed from one problem. And it was her job to judge them all.
 
So even small things were not easy to think about.
 
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how hard it must be for my brother.”
 
‘And mother, too.’
 
Emily swallowed the last part inwardly, remembering the handkerchief her brother was holding.
 
What she thought and felt didn’t excuse what her mother had done.
 
Why did she do it? Did she really not know that this would happen, and if so, why?
 
The questions only intensified.
 
“You’ve grown up.”
 
“…Is that so? I’ve been blaming myself for living too comfortably.”
 
“You’re doing well.”
 
His words sounded like he was trying to cheer her up, and Emily smiled bitterly.
 
“I’m different from you, but also the same. So I guess I’ve taken the difficult path without knowing the easy one.”
 
Naturally, he prioritized things he had to have and thought that Ruby staying by his side was the right thing. It seemed happier for him to be part of the world she had lived in.
 
But that was just his worldview—the one he was supposed to be thinking about. What was good for everyone didn’t have to be good for him.
 
“Everyone has their own definition of happiness.”
 
He muttered to himself.
 
Like Emily, he hadn’t realized until much later that he should have gone to Ruby’s side.
 
“I’ll take you to your room. You need to sleep early if you want to learn quickly.”
 
Wanting to go see Ruby as soon as possible, Eli urged Emily to go to her room.

* * *