Chapter 4.11

The Moulton Estate was a mansion characterized by soft, white curves. Its lady of the house, however, was anything but soft.  

“Welcome, Countess of Melfir.”  

“Thank you for inviting me, Countess of Moulton. You’re as stunning as ever.”  

“Am I?”  

With a faint smile, Countess Moulton briefly scanned Solnia. Seemingly satisfied with her modest attire, she nodded once.  

Solnia, in turn, quickly assessed Countess Moulton. Her golden hair, styled in curls, her fair and flawless skin, her striking blue eyes, her tall and slender frame reminiscent of a matchstick—  

Countess Moulton was the epitome of the Kingdom’s beauty standards.  

Her upright posture and graceful smile were ingrained in her, befitting the Dowager Madame’s closest confidante.  

“Tea time will be in the garden. Let me guide you.”  

Her voice, as smooth as velvet, was elegant.  

With a bright smile, Countess Moulton led Solnia to the garden.  

The garden, as calm and neat as its mistress, was filled with vibrant flowers. A white round table placed among them caught the eye.  

As Solnia and Countess Moulton approached, the salon members seated around the table all nodded politely in unison.  

“The guest we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. You all know who she is, don’t you?”  

Countess Moulton, breaking the silence, introduced Solnia to them.  

“Ladies, this is the Countess of Melfir.”  

The noblewomen clapped politely, as if on cue.  

Countess Moulton then introduced each salon member one by one in her gentle tone.  

Solnia made an effort to memorize their names and faces. It wasn’t difficult; they were all from the most prominent families in the Kingdom.  

One particularly youthful-looking noblewoman stood out.  

“And finally, this is Viscountess Dallohart.”  

“Hello, Viscountess Dallohart.”

Upon hearing Solnia’s greeting, the Viscountess of Dallohart flinched as if startled and then awkwardly smiled, looking shy, much like a young lady who had just debuted in society.  

Eventually, Solnia took the seat immediately to the right of Countess Moulton. Judging by the seating arrangement at this round table, there seemed to be a hierarchy, as one noblewoman briefly shot a disapproving glance.  

“Before we begin, there’s something I’d like to address.”  

Countess Moulton looked around at the gathered ladies.  

“As you know, today’s meeting is about organizing the upcoming charity bazaar. Unfortunately, the Heston Dowager Madame couldn’t attend.”  

“Oh my!”  

“Is she unwell?”  

At the noblewomen’s exclamations, Countess Moulton smiled faintly and shook her head.  

“She seems to have caught a slight cold after attending the rehearsal of the Greenroad children’s orchestra a few days ago. As you all know, their concert is scheduled for July.”  

Sighs of sympathy echoed around. It wasn’t just any event; the Dowager Madame had overexerted herself attending the rehearsal for the children she supported.  

“Fortunately, when I visited her yesterday, she was much better. She said she’d recover quickly with a few days of rest.”  

At that moment, Countess Moulton’s gaze shifted to Solnia.  

“Isn’t that right, Countess of Melfir?”  

Was it? Who knows? 

Solnia thought. She hadn’t known the Dowager Madame was unwell, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have been concerned.  

Instead, Solnia let out a soft sigh and nodded. Whether the Dowager Madame was gravely ill or perfectly fine, it was none of her business.  

“Of course. My grandmother is stronger than anyone, so she’ll recover in no time.”  

This little lie was easy to tell.  

The small talk didn’t last long, likely because the meeting was about a significant event like the charity bazaar.  

Whenever the noblewomen began to stray into unrelated topics, Countess Moulton would lift her teacup at just the right moment. Whatever the gesture meant, the noblewomen would promptly quiet down.  

“The Dowager Madame has added another beneficiary this year, making the proceeds from this bazaar more important than ever.”  

Whenever Countess Moulton mentioned the Dowager Madame, she looked toward Solnia, who nodded in response each time.  

“And that makes your roles all the more crucial.”  

Those roles, roughly speaking, involved encouraging participation from the noble families residing in the capital and subtly ensuring they didn’t bring trivial items to the event.  

“Speaking of which, I’m reminded of last year’s incident.”  

When one noblewoman shook her head as if recalling something dreadful, quiet chuckles broke out here and there.  

“You mean the headless cherub?”  

“Yes, I believe it was a piece someone claimed to have imported from abroad as a masterpiece.”  

“There was also someone who brought a bracelet adorned with fake jewels. Unfortunately, she was seated next to me, and I was mortified.”  

While they didn’t boast about any specific incidents, Solnia could read between the lines.  

Though it was a charity bazaar, for the noblewomen, it was also an occasion to gauge each other’s status.  

The items they brought revealed not only their cultural sophistication but also their financial resources.  

“Oh, now I remember! The blanket from your mother!”  

At the voice filled with excitement, the noblewomen subtly turned their gazes toward one person.  

As everyone burst into laughter, one person barely managed to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile—Viscountess Dallohart.  

“You have no idea how shocked I was! She claimed to have brought a wonderful item, only to pull out a colorful blanket!”  

“No matter how effective it is for putting children to sleep, that was too much, Viscountess Dallohart.”  

The louder the laughter grew, the more awkward Viscountess Dallohart’s smile became.  

“I just… I didn’t mean anything by it—”  

“We know, we know. Everyone understands that your mother’s items are the best. But, Viscountess, the people attending our bazaar can buy hundreds of such blankets and still have money to spare. You understand that now, don’t you?”  

“Let’s stop here. The Viscountess looks uncomfortable.”  

Even as they said this, their laughter showed no signs of stopping. Viscountess Dallohart was desperately trying to maintain her smile amidst the teasing.  

“That must be a great blanket.”  

At Solnia’s casual remark, the noblewomen turned to look at her with expressions frozen mid-laughter.  

“I had a blanket I clung to as a child, too. Of course, mine wasn’t made by my mother, but it always smelled like her.”  

“……”  

“Unfortunately, I don’t know where it is now.”  

Solnia smiled as she spoke, though she knew the truth. That blanket had turned to ashes along with her mother’s belongings.  

“Someday, introduce me to that blanket. I’m curious about it.”  

At Solnia’s words, Viscountess Dallohart tightly pressed her lips together and nodded.  

*

“Don’t you think the Young Madam has been acting strange lately?”  

The question arose about an hour after Solnia had left.  

With both the master and lady of the house out and Lady Gwen, the housekeeper, taking a nap due to a mild cold, the servants had naturally gathered in the kitchen.  

During their breaks, they usually huddled together, sharing snacks and laughing over trivial gossip.  

For instance, the peculiar hobbies of a noble family’s daughter across the river or the scandalous love life of a Young Master in the neighboring district. It was a time to lightly discuss various rumors and information.  

And today, it seemed the Young Master and mistress would be the subject of their chatter.  

“Strange? How so?”  

“The Young Madam has been avoiding the Young Master lately.”  

The maids, initially puzzled, soon nodded in agreement. It was true that the Young Madam had been avoiding her husband more than usual lately.  

One day, she had spotted the tip of his hair down the corridor and immediately ducked into the guest room. Another day, when summoned by him, she pretended to be asleep when the servant arrived.  

“Even this morning, she avoided making eye contact with him.”  

“Could something have happened at the hunting grounds?”  

But the couple had returned from the hunting grounds perfectly fine. They had stayed inside the villa until the rain stopped, and neither had any visible injuries.  

As the maids tilted their heads, each with a question mark hovering above them, a maid with a prim expression quietly spoke. She was Lena, the maid who attended to Solnia’s bedroom.  

“I thought it was strange from the start.”  

“Strange from the start? What do you mean?”  

At the maids’ questions, Lena covered her mouth with her hand and whispered.  

“The two of them have been sleeping in separate bedrooms all this time. Don’t you think something happened back in Melfir?”  

It seemed like a reasonable guess, and the maids’ eyes immediately turned to Angie, who was sitting in the corner nibbling on cookies.  

“Hmm. No.”  

Angie shook her head, brushing off the crumbs from her mouth.  

“They’ve always been like that. They said it’s because of their sleeping habits. Besides, plenty of noble couples use separate bedrooms.”  

Just as the others were about to agree, Lena shook her head.  

“I think you’re mistaken. The Young Madam sleeps very still.”  

“What?”  

“She sleeps so quietly. Whenever I bring her water or tidy her bed, she’s always sleeping peacefully, like she’s not even breathing.”

Angie couldn’t close her mouth for a while, shocked by what she had just heard. It was the first time she had encountered such a story. There had been maids attending to the lady’s chambers even in the Melfir estate, but none of them had ever mentioned anything like this.  

‘Why? Because they didn’t look closely. They were too busy running away, afraid of being scolded.’  

Recalling her days in Melfir, Angie let out a sigh.  

In Melfir, she had often hurried around, worried she might even encounter the lady’s shadow. Every day felt like walking on thin ice. None of them wanted to end up like the maids who had been dismissed in tears within a month.  

However, the lady she experienced after coming to the capital was a gentle person. So much so that her time in Melfir felt like a distant past.  

The lady not only called the servants by their names but also occasionally leaned against the windows in the hallway, gazing outside for a long time. Sometimes, she would quietly watch the maids chatting noisily.  

Her gaze wasn’t one of reprimand. It was as if she were observing puppies running around, with a warm expression.  

“Now that I think about it, the Young Master didn’t always seek out the Young Madam either.”  

“He did visit when she was unwell, didn’t he?”  

“But that was only then. Even for a pet dog, he would’ve done as much.”  

This time, Angie agreed as well. Even when she had mustered up her courage to inform the Young Master about the medicine the Young Madam had taken, all he said was, “I see. You may leave.”  

Normally, a husband wouldn’t stay idle when his wife took such medicine and endured such humiliation. Especially noblemen, who would usually react fiercely out of pride.  

“Something feels off, no matter how you look at it.”  

It was when someone muttered while shaking their head slowly.  

“What feels off?”  

A cold voice pierced sharply through the noisy chatter in the kitchen. The maids held their breaths and immediately stood at attention.  

And when they cautiously turned their heads…  

“I believe I just heard something absurd.”  

Standing there with a cold expression was the Duchess of Trovill.