Chapter 4.16

“Is something wrong?”  

“……”  

“Hello? Can you hear me?”  

Only then did Luette lower the newspaper he had been reading and glare at the man pestering him with his whining.  

“What do you want to say?”  

“No, I’m asking if something’s wrong.”  

“Nothing’s wrong.”  

“Nothing’s wrong, and yet you show up at the club at this hour?”  

Pavro pulled out his pocket watch and nagged him.  

“I just woke up early, that’s all.”  

“Did you have a fight with your lovely wife?”  

At those words, the emotions he had been suppressing surged back to the surface.  

The moment he woke up, everything came back vividly. No, even last night, he had known. He had known that he was venting his frustrations on Solnia for no reason.  

But he hadn’t intended to hold it in, and he had used the excuse of strong alcohol to pour it all out.  

The price for that childish and petty behavior was something he had to pay today.  

The moment he entered the bathroom after staying awake all night and leaving the bedroom, he realized it.  

He realized how foolish he had been.  

The humiliation and shame that rushed in all at once made it impossible for him to stay in the house. That was how he ended up fleeing to the club, only to face this barrage of questions…  

“Whatever happened, you should just apologize. Even if it wasn’t your fault, you have to say you’re sorry.”  

Pavro began to play the role of a self-proclaimed expert in marriage.  

“That way, you’ll have fewer headaches later on. Even if you take a humble stance now, a year or two later, she’ll still say, ‘Remember when you did that to me?!’”  

“You’ve only been married for a year.”  

“I’ve heard plenty of stories.”  

“The Viscountess Hudson must be lucky to have such a fine husband.”  

Luette gave a half-hearted reply and turned his attention back to the newspaper, but the words on the page refused to make sense.  

As he forced himself to focus, that cold voice echoed in his ears.  

‘Because everything passes while I’m asleep.’  

‘That’s how I endure. There’s no other reason.’  

Those words meant that being with him was so unbearable that she needed sleeping pills to get through it.  

“Ah, everyone’s here, I see.”  

It was then that Alec’s voice reached him. When he looked up, a perfectly groomed gentleman was walking toward him with measured steps. This man had been frequenting the club unusually often this year.  

The irritation was brief. Luette’s gaze remained fixed on Alec as he approached.  

The young Earl of Heston. The grandson adored by the Heston Dowager Madame, a gentleman admired by all. And…  

“Luette, is something wrong? You don’t look well.”  

Solnia’s brother.  

‘I’m not crazy, let me make that clear. These are just sleeping pills.’  

The face she made when she said that was unfamiliar. It was an expression he had never seen before. Beyond anger, it seemed tinged with sadness. A face of resignation.  

“Looks like you had a fight with your wife.”  

“You fought with Solnia? Why?”  

Alec widened his eyes in surprise and then moved to sit beside Luette, whispering so that only he could hear.  

“Did my sister give you a hard time?”  

“……”  

What Alec meant was, “Did Solnia’s condition worsen?” It wasn’t just Alec. The Dowager Madame often said similar things when she saw him. She would apologize, saying her granddaughter was unwell and expressing concern that Solnia might cause him trouble.  

She had always said so. It was to be expected.  

Solnia Heston was a lady who wasn’t entirely well.  

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did something really happen—”  

“Let me ask you something.”  

A question he had never considered before rose to the surface.  

“Have you ever seen Solnia act insane?”  

“……”  

For a moment, something flickered across the face of the otherwise composed gentleman. Only Luette, who had been watching him closely, caught it.  

“What do you mean by that?”  

“Exactly what I said. Have you ever seen my wife act insane?”  

His voice grew a little louder. Sensing the unusual tone of the conversation, Pavro quickly got up and joined a nearby group of gentlemen who had been watching from a distance.  

“Why don’t we head downstairs for a drink? Hm? The atmosphere here is a mess anyway. I knew something was up when that troublemaker was being quiet.”  

As Pavro led the gentlemen downstairs, Alec removed his silk hat.  

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but calm down.”  

Alec, looking troubled, tried to soothe Luette, as one would expect from a kind and gentlemanly young earl.  

“Did something happen? Did my sister say something strange?”  

“Cut the nonsense and answer my question. Have you seen her act insane?”  

Alec let out a deep sigh. His thin shoulders, uncharacteristic of a man, rose and fell slightly.  

“No, I haven’t.”  

“……”  

“My grandmother didn’t even let me see her much, worried that her illness might spread to me.”  

Luette felt a mix of disbelief at the claim that Alec had never seen it and discomfort at the idea that the illness might be contagious.  

The esteemed elders had worried about mental illness spreading, and those esteemed elders included his own parents.  

“But I’ve heard about it.”  

Alec continued.  

“The screams she let out every night.”  

“……”  

“You can’t imagine how terrifying those screams were. There were several maids who quit because of it.”  

Alec shook his head as if the memory alone was horrifying.  

Luette had heard reports during the early days of their marriage about Solnia’s nightly screams and how she wandered the dark hallways, terrifying the maids in the annex.  

Of course, after about a month, things had settled down, and she hadn’t displayed any strange behavior since then…  

“Do you think I’m lying?”  

Alec asked. His blue eyes, reminiscent of the Dowager Madame’s, held a hint of sorrow.  

“I don’t know what Solnia has told you about me, but this much is true. She probably resents me. She thinks I didn’t help her.”  

“Didn’t help her?”  

“Yes. Solnia believes my grandmother imprisoned her.”  

The word “imprisoned” made Luette’s brows furrow.  

“She doesn’t think she’s ill. Isn’t that how it is with people who are unwell?”  

Alec, as if revealing a family secret, paused frequently, letting out deep sighs.  

“She resents me because I didn’t help her or even visit her. I’ve regretted it ever since.”  

“……”  

“Perhaps we only had each other, but I abandoned her.”  

‘Perhaps we only had each other.’ Those words carried more weight than expected. Luette recalled that the man before him had also lost his parents in a fire at a young age.

The younger brother had been just an eleven-year-old boy when his sister’s nightly screams filled the mansion with terror. 

“I didn’t consider your feelings.”  

When Luette spoke in a low voice, Alec gave him a faint smile.  

“No, I was the one at fault. That doesn’t change.”  

“……”  

“I ask you to take good care of my sister.”  

His eyes, which exuded an honest demeanor, were now brimming with tears. Luette looked into those eyes and offered a faint smile.  

*

Knock, knock.  

A soft, composed voice followed the sound of knocking, calling for Solnia.  

“Young Madam, everything is ready.”  

“Yes, I’ll be out.”  

Solnia took a deep breath and began to move.  

When she opened the bedroom door, a woman with a calm and dignified demeanor, Madame Gibson, stood there.  

Although they had already exchanged greetings earlier, Madame Gibson bent her knees and offered a polite bow upon seeing Solnia again. She was a person whose manners were deeply ingrained, befitting someone sent by the Duchess of Trovill.  

‘Good day, Young Madam.’  

‘What brings you here?’  

About an hour earlier, Madame Gibson had arrived at the townhouse and handed Solnia a letter from the Duchess of Trovill instead of a verbal explanation.  

The letter was brief. It expressed concern that the sudden visit might have startled Solnia and inquired about her well-being. It explained that Madame Gibson had been sent to assist with organizing the townhouse maids.  

In essence, the letter instructed Solnia to handle the maids who had caused trouble for the master and lady of the house and had brought such rumors to her ears.  

Since the maids were originally under the duchy’s employ, the Duchess could have dealt with them as she pleased. However, sending Madame Gibson was a clear message:  

It was to assess whether Solnia was fulfilling her role as the Countess properly.  

“There’s no need to feel nervous. I’ll assist you.”  

Madame Gibson spoke with a calm smile, but she left no room for doubt. It was evident that she had worked for the duchy for a long time.  

When Solnia and Madame Gibson descended to the first-floor hall, all the maids of the townhouse were lined up, standing in silence.  

Upon seeing Lady Gwen at the front of the group, Solnia felt her heart grow heavy and unconsciously bit her lip.  

As if noticing the fleeting moment, Madame Gibson whispered softly in a gentle tone.  

“Punishing the maids for their wrongdoings is one of the duties of the lady of the house. Especially when it concerns an incident that nearly tarnished the family’s honor.”  

Her words seemed to warn Solnia not to let her heart waver.