Chapter 28

“Excuse me, Miss Hynes? What are you drawing?”

Diana, who had been watching from the side, asked nervously. Evelyn showed her the completed sketch.

“Just call me Evelyn. This is a cat.”

“Pfft, are you serious? What kind of childish and clumsy drawing is that?”

The red-haired Camilla openly mocked her. She held out her own embroidery and looked down at Evelyn with a sneer.

“If you’re going to embroider animals, it should at least look like this.”

On Camilla’s handkerchief, a bluebird was embroidered in perfect realism.

The bird, seemingly deranged, had its chest pierced by a rose thorn, and the blood flowing from the wound stained the white rose red. The bird’s glossy black eyes made it even more terrifying.

‘Does she really intend to give that to someone?’

Misinterpreting Evelyn’s blank stare, Camilla arrogantly lifted her chin.

“Why don’t you just give up now? Don’t embarrass everyone else with your pathetic embroidery.”

“Oh, thank you for your concern. But I’ll take care of it myself.”

Evelyn replied absentmindedly as she set the fabric in the embroidery hoop. Camilla scoffed but didn’t say anything further. Instead, Diana cautiously offered.

“Um, um, should I help fix your drawing a little?”

Seeing Diana’s genuinely concerned face, Evelyn checked her sketch again. It was a very simple drawing of a cat.

‘Wait, could it be that there are no cartoon-style drawings here? Is everything supposed to be realistic?’

No wonder the Head Maid always made such a strange face whenever Evelyn drew something.

After a moment of thought, Evelyn picked up the needle. She decided to show them just how cute her work could be.

“Thank you, Miss Hamilton. But I prefer simple drawings like this.”

“Please, just call me Diana too.”

“Alright, Diana.”

When Evelyn complied, Diana blushed and smiled happily. But after looking at Evelyn’s sketch again, she wore a worried expression. Diana’s squirrel-like demeanor made her actions all the more endearing.

Evelyn focused on her needlework, determined to finish quickly.

Since the cat was only about two fingers long, it didn’t take much time. Using light gray thread for the fur, white thread for the paws, black thread for the round eyes and a pouty mouth, and finally pink thread for a small X-shaped detail representing the cat’s rear, she completed her design.

The result was a cat that looked utterly lazy and insignificant.

“It’s so, so cute!” 

Diana exclaimed.

Startled, Evelyn looked up to see Diana staring at her embroidery with sparkling eyes.

“It’s really, really cute. At first, I thought it was a bit odd, but the more I look at it, the cuter it gets. I want one too!”

“Oh, thank you.”

Evelyn felt awkward at the excessive praise. Diana, seemingly enchanted by the cat, grabbed Evelyn’s sleeve.

“If no one else takes it, can I have it? Please?”

“…I’d be so sad if no one wanted it.”

Please don’t say ominous things like that.

“What’s so cute about it? It’s childish.”

Camilla, sitting across from them, snorted loudly.

Right. My cat doesn’t have blood and death, so it’s not to your taste.

Evelyn looked at Camilla with pity. Feeling Evelyn’s gaze, Camilla flared up.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just thought life must be hard for you…”

“What? What?!”

Evelyn sighed and shook her head, as if lamenting the concept of personal taste. Camilla’s face turned as red as her hair.

“How dare you insult me?”

“Huh? When did I do that? By the way, shouldn’t you hurry up? I’m already done.”

Evelyn gestured toward her handkerchief, and Camilla ground her teeth.

“Just wait. No one will choose your shabby handkerchief anyway.”

“Oh, okay.”

Fuming, Camilla clamped her mouth shut and returned to her embroidery.

Now that she had some leisure, Evelyn glanced around at the others.

Maria, sitting next to Camilla, was embroidering with the saddest expression, as if advertising her grievances to the world. She seemed determined to keep this up until the Head Maid arrived.

‘What a tiring way to live.’

Evelyn clicked her tongue inwardly and turned her gaze elsewhere.

Anne looked like an overworked employee, and Bella was nervously darting her eyes around. Neither seemed inclined to open up easily. So Evelyn decided to talk to Diana instead.

“Diana, do people usually stay this quiet while embroidering?”

“Um? Oh, no. Normally, we share funny stories and chat…”

Diana trailed off, glancing at the others nervously. Evelyn tilted her head innocently.

“Looks like there aren’t any fun stories today?”

“Well…”

At that moment, Camilla interjected.

“Hey, if you want to hear something, why don’t you start? Stop trying to snoop around.”

Her sharp glare resembled a wary wildcat.

Well, if you’re going to act like that, it makes things easier for me. 

Evelyn grinned and said.

“Snoop around? I was just wondering if you had heard the same story I know, Miss Eden.”

“What?”

“Hmm—though, I suppose you might be too young to have heard it,Miss Eden.”

Evelyn gave Camilla a once-over with a patronizing expression, and Camilla bristled.

“I’m the same age as you!”

“Really? Then you must have heard about Madame J.”

Feigning knowledge of a great secret, Evelyn smirked. Camilla hesitated, her eyes darting as if trying to recall who Madame J might be.

Don’t bother. I just made it up.

“Um, um, who’s Madame J?”

Unlike the prideful Camilla, Diana asked straightforwardly. Evelyn widened her eyes in mock surprise.

“Diana, you don’t know either?”

“…No.”

“Does such a person even exist?”

Maria, forgetting her act of sorrow, interjected coldly. Evelyn shrugged.

“Well, I understand if you don’t know. It’s a rather scandalous story for our age group.”

Smiling as if to say, “You’re too young to know, but I do,” Evelyn watched the girls bristle with indignation.

Maria, almost accusingly, asked.

“So who is she, then?”

“Madame J is…”

Evelyn gestured for them to come closer and whispered.

“A woman who married off her lost biological daughter to her stepson. In other words, she made her daughter her daughter-in-law.”

Let me introduce you to the true flavor of a K-drama.

“Gasp!”

“Oh my goodness!”

“How did that happen?”

The girls’ faces were filled with a mix of shock and irresistible curiosity. 

Hooked, huh?

“Well, I only heard it secondhand, so I don’t know all the details, but here’s what happened…”

Evelyn began unraveling her fabricated tale to the captivated audience.

“In the end, the biological father found out. That Madame J’s daughter-in-law was actually his daughter.”

Evelyn raised her voice to build suspense, but suddenly, a dry cough interrupted her. Camilla immediately poured tea into an empty cup and slid it over. Evelyn nodded in thanks and gulped it down.

Though her movements were far from graceful, no one criticized her. Instead, they eagerly waited for her to continue.

Ah, the addictive power of K-drama.

“So? What happened next?”

The deep voice startled Evelyn. She turned to see two Imperial Knights standing behind her, their eyes sparkling with interest.

Wait, when did you get here? Aren’t you supposed to be on duty?

Evelyn stared at the knights in disbelief but quickly regained her composure under their expectant gazes.

“Ahem, the biological father was shocked to the point of fainting. Of course, he would be. His daughter, whom he didn’t even know existed, was living as his ex-wife’s daughter-in-law. He threatened Madame J, saying he’d reveal everything to the daughter.”

“What happened next?”

Diana clung to Anne’s arm, her nails digging in. Evelyn raised her voice again.

“Madame J begged him not to, saying she’d die if he did, but it was no use. In the end, she confessed everything—the forced separation due to family opposition during their youth and the memory loss caused by the trauma.”

Bella let out a small sniffle. Apparently, she had a soft spot for tragic romances.

“The biological father, shocked by his own mother’s cruelty and moved by his desire to protect his daughter, made a decision. He decided to remarry Madame J.”

“Wait, wouldn’t that make things worse? The biological father would become the father-in-law!”

Camilla couldn’t hold back any longer and interrupted. The other girls nodded vigorously. Evelyn slammed the table as if to say, “Exactly!”

“Right! But the biological father wanted to take Madame J and the daughter away before the secret got out. However, Madame J’s mother-in-law caught wind of the plan…”

“Evelyn, what on earth are you talking about?”

A sharp voice cut through Evelyn’s story. Startled, she turned to see Fiona standing there with a stern expression. Evelyn shot to her feet instinctively.

“H-Head Maid!”

The others scrambled to stand as well.