3. Good Terms
I was walking through the courtyard with an awkward, creaking gait. Wearing ill-fitting shoes, small and soft tufts of grass kept getting between my toes.
On top of that, my heart kept pounding for some reason.
It wasn’t because of the oversized clothes and shoes that didn’t fit my body.
The shirt enveloping my body and the long, light blue jacket that seemed about to drag on the ground. The metal decoration attached to the chest rattled in rhythm with my heartbeat.
To borrow clothes upon first meeting.
‘There’s a shower room I use up ahead. There should be spare clothes to change into in the dressing room. I feel nothing but sorry for putting you in such an awkward situation, so please don’t hesitate and use them freely.’
While washing, I was so preoccupied with the thought that I had been a complete nuisance that I couldn’t think of anything else.
I didn’t notice what kind of fragrance was inside, or what shape the bathtub was.
Even while changing clothes, my only thought was to escape this embarrassing situation quickly.
From clothes all designed similarly, I chose the most modest and simple outfit.
It was the least apologetic choice for someone borrowing clothes from the dressing room.
The clothes belonged to someone who looked so frail he might break at any moment, yet somehow the shoulders and sleeves were comically large on me.
When I buttoned up, the shirt began sticking to my body, which was still moist.
Seeing me after I had changed, he smiled gently.
‘It suits you well, better than when I wore it.’
He guided me along a hidden path without traps.
Even as I frantically escaped his castle, I remained dazed.
But at some point after coming outside, my senses suddenly returned.
It was then that I became conscious of wearing the young master’s clothes.
Throughout my walk along the courtyard, I kept becoming aware of the unfamiliar scent emanating from the clothes.
Even without breathing, the lingering scent in my nose awakened sensations that tried hard not to be conscious of it.
When I realized that this sweet yet faint fragrance covering my body belonged to Young Master Riverton, my heart kept pounding.
The young master’s clothes.
These collars and sleeves must have all touched him before, right?
Thinking about that made me feel like my heart would burst.
Was I perhaps a pervert?
With each step forward, I became conscious of the shirt sleeves wrapping around my arms and the stiff folding of the jacket inward.
The moment I saw the carriage waiting at the entrance to the courtyard, I dashed toward it.
As soon as I boarded, I heard the sound of spurs being applied from the front along with the horse’s neigh, and the carriage departed.
Through the bumping carriage, I watched the Riverton outer castle receding.
My first meeting with Young Master Riverton was filled with touching moments.
My nose tingled for no reason.
I firmly vowed.
‘On my next visit, I will definitely give him tremendous emotional impact from my side.’
After the carriage moved for quite some time, it arrived at the small white castle where I was staying.
I must have dozed off briefly, because when I raised my drooping head, I saw Mrs. Wellers on the carriage path, looking surprised.
I gave Mrs. Wellers a very satisfied smile.
Mrs. Wellers was visibly flustered, glancing at my attire, and cleared her throat softly.
“A-hem!”
Only then did I remember that I was wearing Young Master Riverton’s clothes.
This would be a tremendous issue for someone who emphasized dignity like her.
I finally realized why Mrs. Wellers had such an expression.
“Um…….”
Just as I opened my mouth to explain the situation, Mrs. Wellers gestured for me to be quiet immediately.
The carriage door opened, and I descended with the help of an attendant.
The lady beckoned for me to follow her.
I silently followed behind her.
In contrast to her constant nagging when heading toward the young master’s castle, she was now silent throughout our walk.
I would surely get a severe scolding.
Mrs. Wellers was quite a strict person.
During the short time I learned etiquette from her, I had to endure some scolding.
Her nagging was all about subtle and trivial matters, to the point where I wondered if she disliked me.
‘Start over from the beginning.’
‘That’s not it. You have bad habits ingrained in you, so it’s difficult to correct them.’
‘If you’ve entered Riverton, you should learn Riverton’s manners.’
But to borrow the young master’s clothes at our first meeting.
In fact, I had also borrowed his shower room. Fortunately, my wet hair had completely dried during the carriage ride here, so she wouldn’t know that fact.
I completely understood why the lady was angry.
The moment we arrived at a small room with a tiny window located on the first floor, the lady closed all doors and windows.
Judging by her face, which was more serious than usual, I was likely in for a major scolding today.
Nervous, I swallowed hard.
The lady with the grave face strode toward me.
She placed both hands firmly on my shoulders.
Her stern eyes, seemingly full of anger, flashed with a frightening light.
“What exactly did you do?”
She asked in a threatening posture, exhaling roughly.
“Pardon……?”
I noticed her gaze briefly falling on the clothes I was wearing. I finally realized she was demanding an explanation from me.
“Ah…… well, this. My clothes got ruined, so I had no choice.”
“Your clothes…… got ruined?”
The lady repeated the end of my sentence with a serious expression.
“Yes, I accidentally fell into water and my clothes got a bit wet. The young master kindly lent me clothes to change into.”
The lady’s eyes began to shake finely from side to side, as if greatly surprised. The hands resting loosely on my shoulders seemed to tighten slightly.
She would surely scold me severely.
“Thank you, miss.”
She removed her hands from my shoulders and bowed respectfully, even lowering her head.
“Pardon……?”
Did I hear wrong?
What did this person just say to me?
A very fleeting, wistful expression passed through Mrs. Wellers’ eyes. At the end, she gave a very sad smile.
“Please continue to get along well with our young master.”
Unable to understand what was happening, I could only stare blankly at her sparkling eyes.
“…….”
Were we on good terms? Was that it?
I just fell into water and had a very brief conversation with the young master.
I recalled the young master’s appearance from earlier.
Transparent eyes looking up at me with difficulty and red lips breathing roughly.
Remembering that image, my face began to burn hot again.
It felt like sharp needles were flying from all directions, pricking my conscience.
Was it right to place a pervert like me with such a fragile and kind young master?
The clothes he lent with good intentions—my strange thoughts about them began to feel like an unforgivable, terrible sin.
Feeling somehow like I had committed a great sin, I hung my head low in solemnity.
I wanted to bang my head repeatedly against that solid-looking cabinet in the corner of the room to atone for this sin.
But I couldn’t behave so uncouthly in front of the refined lady.
“I’ve prepared refreshments. Please come outside.”
The lady addressed me in a much softer voice.
Why was she being kinder to a sinner like me?
This engagement seemed like something I shouldn’t do to the young master.
Perhaps I should cancel this marriage and find another way to resolve my family’s debts?
“By the way, the menu is peach tart.”
I decided to think more after eating that.
I walked through the door the lady opened for me. My steps toward the dessert gained a strangely excited rhythm.
❀❀❀
Young Master Riverton looked down with cold, bluish eyes immersed in darkness at the bloody clothing fragments and bundles of documents miserably discarded in the incinerator.
The spring breeze, still warm even late at night, blew in. Young Master Riverton’s light brown hair swayed gently in the wind.
Simultaneously, the torch in his hand flickered.
At that moment, Young Master Riverton, having discovered something in the incinerator, stopped the gesture of throwing the torch he was holding.
With his other hand not holding the torch, he slowly lifted a light pink dress that shone particularly vividly even in the darkness.
It seemed too out of place among the blood-stained unidentified briefcases and bundles of money.
Even in the darkness, it reflected the moonlight, emitting a bluish and subtle luster.
Seeing this, the corner of Young Master Riverton’s mouth slightly dropped.
It seemed the fiancée who had visited here in the early afternoon had left this behind.
The silken dress wrapped around his hand made a rustling sound as it brushed against his fingertips, about to fall down.
The young master applied force to his hand before it could flow down again.
The moment he applied force, the flower-petal-like delicate fabric seemed about to crumble in his hand. Surprised, the young master stopped applying force.
“Rosaline of Brienne…….”
The young master tried that unfamiliar name on his lips.
It seemed like a name that didn’t fit at all in his world stained with blood.
He pulled the dress up further.
Then, he could see that the hem of the dress was soaked in blood that had seeped from the bottom of the incinerator and hardened into black.
Looking at the blood-stained hem, he felt somewhat displeased. At the same time, he was surprised by his own thoughts.
But soon changing his mind, he forcefully threw the dress he was holding onto the other waste materials.
And immediately placed the torch he was holding on top of it.
Perhaps due to the material, the fire didn’t catch well on the dress. Instead, the document envelopes and bags around it belched smoke, building up the embers.
The greedy flames grew larger and began to soar high into the air.
Except for where the dress was, the sight of the fire blazing vigorously looked like a small execution by burning.
His unpleasant feeling seemed to subside somewhat at the sight of the blood-stained dress in the incinerator finally being purified.
The young master imagined his fiancée lying there, burning in the fire.
Imagining this, Young Master Riverton took a deep breath.
Smoke full of ashes deeply permeated the depths of his lungs.
“Quickly, I hope you come to see me again.”
He muttered to himself in a voice that had become cheerful.
