Chapter 4.1 – You Don’t Know Me

The unexpected news arrived around 5 p.m.  

Solnia, who had been looking up articles on Viscount Timberland and his wife, doubted her ears.  

“What did you just say?”  

“The master has invited you to dinner.”  

“……”  

The ‘master’ Angie was referring to—could it really be Luette Trovill?  

Solnia instinctively furrowed her brows as she looked at Angie, who quickly added more words.  

“Of course, only if you are feeling well, Madam! If you’re unwell, you can rest as much as you need…”  

“No, tell him I’ll join.”  

“Yes, Madam!”  

Angie exhaled a sigh of relief, as if she had just completed an important mission, and retreated.  

For a moment, Solnia refocused on the newspaper, but soon her face turned perplexed as she stared into the air.  

“What’s this all of a sudden…”  

A sudden dinner invitation—it was strange. Even when they were obligated to dine together in Melfir, they had never shared dinner.  

Compared to the relatively simple breakfast, dinner was a feast, requiring them to spend more time face-to-face. For a couple in a contractual marriage, whose conversations were limited to remarks like, “You haven’t forgotten the divorce date, have you?” dinner was nothing short of torture.  

As the image of Luette Trovill’s face blurred against the spotless white wallpaper, Solnia, glaring at the olive eyes that always seemed bored and the unruly black hair, shook her head and buried herself back in the newspaper.  

“Just thought I’d check if you were feeling better and have a meal together.” 

Luette said, breaking the silence as soon as the servants left.  

Solnia alternated her gaze between the absurdly thick steak and his shameless face, her expression incredulous.  

“This ridiculously massive steak wasn’t my choice.”  

Luette, too, frowned as if displeased by the boulder-like steak. It was undoubtedly Larry’s doing.  

But that wasn’t the main issue. It was what was his deal.  

Solnia’s suspicious gaze didn’t waver. Luette nonchalantly raised his coffee cup and remarked, 

“There’s no poison in the food.”  

“That’s not what I’m asking. Were you really concerned about my well-being?”  

“Yes.”  

His answer was simple, which made it all the more baffling. Luette, unfazed, picked up his cutlery. The veins on the back of his hand holding the polished knife stood out.  

“You’ve been unwell ever since we arrived in the capital. You even collapsed a few days ago.” 

His calm voice continued. 

“So I thought we could talk while sharing a meal.”  

“……”  

“I know you’re the type to keep silent until you’re on the verge of breaking down.”  

Her eyes, which had been glaring at him as if he were insane, softened into confusion.  

‘The type to keep silent until you’re on the verge of breaking down.’  

It wasn’t just that he had seen through her; the fact that Luette Trovill had been observing her was unsettling.  

And then there was that touch from the early morning.  

“What now?”  

“……”  

“Are you going to tell me I have eye crust again?”  

As he noticed her staring at him, Luette Trovill chuckled and asked. Solnia shook her head.  

“No. Not today.”  

“I didn’t last time either.”  

“Did you not?”  

Solnia replied indifferently, organizing her thoughts. She had assumed he was the kind of person who wouldn’t care if his nominal wife died a tragic death somewhere. But Luette Trovill didn’t seem to be that much of a scoundrel.  

“So, are you feeling better?”  

“……”  

His sudden kindness was probably because—  

“I’m perfectly fine. Thanks for asking.”  

—because of that.  

*

Early in the morning, Luette Trovill furrowed his brows as he observed the sudden commotion unfolding before him.  

Indeed, the servants were acting strangely.  

“Take care, Madam. Stay healthy and don’t catch a cold.”  

“Please don’t touch a gun! It’d be a disaster if you got hurt!”  

Luette couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he watched his servants, who seemed to have lost their minds with concern for the Young Madam.  

They were his servants, but why? And when did they grow so close?  

“Don’t worry. My husband will do the hunting while I just watch.”  

To make matters worse, Solnia responded to their enthusiastic reactions with a bright smile for each of them. Her light lavender dress, paired with a slightly darker purple hood, caught everyone’s attention. The hood’s ribbon, tied in a bow, was particularly charming.  

There was no way she had tied it herself; clearly, the maids had dressed her up, as if preparing a cherished child for their first outing.  

And yet, she accepted it wholeheartedly. That fact, too, was astonishing.  

“The Young Madam has memorized all the servants’ names, you see.”  

Noticing Luette’s puzzled gaze, the butler whispered discreetly.  

“Who memorized what?”  

“The Young Madam. A few days ago, she greeted all the servants and seemed to have memorized their names. She addresses each of them by name whenever they cross paths.”  

No wonder the servants seemed unusually confident today. The butler appeared proud of Solnia.  

Servants who pledge loyalty over something as simple as being called by their names—it was incomprehensible. But what was even more baffling was that his wife had memorized all their names.  

Following the butler’s gaze, Luette looked at Solnia.  

There was no magical power in her purple attire to make someone appear gentle, yet today Solnia seemed endlessly amiable. Perhaps it was because her small face glowed with vitality, suggesting she had been eating and sleeping well lately. Or maybe it was because of her cheerful, smiling expression.  

But why was she still smiling, even after boarding the carriage?  

As Luette explained the details about Viscount Timberland and his wife, he finally couldn’t bear her subtle smile and asked, 

“May I ask why you’re smiling?”  

“Does my smile bother you?”  

“That’s not what I meant—”  

“It’s the Mart Hunting Grounds.”  

Interrupting him as if she were joking, Solnia replied.  

The Mart Hunting Grounds—the location where Viscount Timberland and his wife had invited them today. But why?  

“You probably don’t remember, but it used to belong to my father.”  

“……”  

Only then did Luette understand why his wife seemed so especially lively today.  

The former Earl of Heston, who particularly enjoyed hunting, had owned two hunting grounds in the capital in addition to those in his territory. Luette had heard the story of how his wife, skilled in shooting, had captivated her father before their marriage.  

Luette himself had been to that hunting ground before. Though, of course, he had only recalled it after hearing Solnia’s words.  

“It’s likely changed a lot.”  

At his words, Solnia nodded.  

“I know. I don’t expect it to be the same.”  

Despite her words, a faint smile lingered on her face. But she truly held no such expectations.  

What made Solnia smile was simply the excitement of revisiting the place where she had been happiest. Even if it had changed a lot, traces of her time there would remain. The trees, stones, or even a handful of soil there would still be from that era.  

A time when, if she fell and cried, someone would come running to her, and if her face was injured, someone would carefully examine it.  

Just the thought of it made her feel good. Even facing her sullen-faced husband seemed tolerable.  

*

After traveling for a long time down a deserted path, the Mart Hunting Grounds finally appeared, surprisingly unchanged from those days.

The lush forest, packed tightly in the distance, and the small cabin guarding the entrance to the hunting grounds were exactly as they had been. Of course, the groundskeeper welcoming the carriage was a different person now.  

The two stepped out of the carriage and followed the groundskeeper’s guidance into the area. Despite the weather being quite muggy even in the morning, the forest was cool and refreshing, almost chilly. Thick tree trunks stretched upward, their leaves forming a canopy overhead.  

‘Right around here.’  

After walking a short distance, they arrived at a wide clearing, just as Solnia remembered. The large, neatly trimmed circular area had once been a spot for tea time.  

Her mother used to spread out a soft, wide cloth there and sit down. Solnia would then lie on her mother’s lap and take a nap.  

Of course, unlike those days, the area was now adorned with an oversized parasol and a tea table laden with colorful dishes.  

“Luette!”  

It seemed they weren’t the only ones invited, as several people had already arrived. But Solnia immediately recognized who Viscount Timberland was.  

A rotund middle-aged man approached with open arms, loudly calling Luette’s name. That man had to be Viscount Timberland.  

“You’ve grown so handsome. I always suspected this, but none of the Trovill brothers could ever match you in looks.”  

“It’s been a while, Uncle.”  

Responding to the overly enthusiastic greeting with a faint smile, Luette gently pulled Solnia closer by her waist and introduced her.  

“This is my wife.”  

He didn’t forget to flash Solnia a warm smile.  

“This is my uncle, Viscount Timberland.”  

As Solnia looked up at him with a smile, Viscount Timberland suddenly clapped his hands. The sound echoed loudly through the quiet forest.  

“She’s truly a treasure of the Dowager Madame. No wonder she kept her hidden away.”  

“You flatter me.”  

Viscount Timberland then turned to introduce the lovely couple to the others present, his booming voice rivaling the sound of his applause.  

Watching birds flutter away with every word he spoke, Solnia thought to herself that today would not be an easy day.