Chapter 4

“So what can you give me?”

Edward asked me.

“Is there anything I can give you, Your Grace?”

Hearing his question, I asked him in return.

“Will you give me an heir carrying the blood of House Scarlett? Or will you at least pretend to be a loving wife and tolerate my debauched life?”

At Edward’s mocking words, I could only bite my lips hard.

I tasted the sharp tang of blood, but I didn’t let go.

At the very least, I knew how to be polite.

I thought that, no matter how much Edward despised House Scarlett, since he was a gentleman, our wedding night would be all right—but that was just my own delusion.

“Please stop, Your Grace…”

“I’m glad, at least, that the precious Lady of House Scarlett knows her place.”

Edward nodded as he watched me call him ‘Your Grace.’

We were strangers.

Edward did not acknowledge me as his wife, and I did not think of him as my husband.

We were complete strangers, and it was clear that our relationship would end one way or another.

“As you say, I suppose it’s best to stop. Honestly, I’d like to hold you and pretend to be affectionate, but I’m just not that much of a gentleman.”

Will I get used to hearing things like this?

“Do as you please…”

It still hurt to hear, but my reaction was calmer than before.

“Then have a pleasant night. Ah, though I suppose it might not be so pleasant, since this isn’t Scarlett Castle.” Edward left the bedroom, sneering to the very end.

“If it was going to be like this, he shouldn’t have come in at all…”

Sitting alone on the vast bed, feeling rejected on my wedding night, was a sensation I’d never felt before.

As time passed, an indescribable shame washed over me.

Maybe it was because that shame was so overwhelming, but not even tears would come.

“Ha, haha…!”

Strangely enough, I found myself laughing instead.

I felt pitiful and pathetic, and on top of it all, I was angry that Edward’s kiss still lingered as an afterimage.

“What am I even doing, acting so stupidly…”

In my mind, the cruelly predetermined future flashed before me.

When I lay down on the bed, the reality of using bedding meant for a married couple all by myself hit me hard.

“The rumors will spread, won’t they?”

I was already dreading the looks the Winderton servants would give me tomorrow.

I could easily imagine how cruel they’d be to an unwelcomed stranger like me.

“I miss my mother…”

Tonight, I felt unbearably lonely and hurt.

It was a night when I missed my mother, whom I normally never longed for.

***

To sum up my first morning at Winderton Castle—it was extremely unpleasant.

Even though I hadn’t rung the bell, the maids entered my bedroom as soon as morning came, and that was just the start of my discomfort.

“Are you awake, my lady?”

“…Yes.”

Still half-asleep, I looked at the maid with bleary eyes.

My vision was blurred, but I could at least see her expression.

‘Is she trying to control her expression, or not?’

I didn’t want to reprimand a servant for rudeness on my very first day, so I let it go for now.

“I’ll prepare your bath.”

“…More than that, please call for Betty.”

It was uncomfortable having another maid wait on me.

Betty, who had attended me ever since Scarlett Castle, was the one I felt most at ease with.

“Betty will attend me. Please bring her here.”

At my words, the maid pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing. She didn’t move, either.

‘Unbelievable!’

I was so shocked, I couldn’t even speak.

Is this how the servants of Winderton treat their mistress?

No matter how little they liked me, I was still the lady of the house.

I hated to admit it, but the Duke of Winderton and the Duke of Scarlett were from families of similar standing, so I had no reason to back down.

“I told you to bring Betty.”

“…My lady.”

“Bring her here at once.”

Even after repeating myself, she still didn’t move, so I spoke even more sternly. If she refused again, I was prepared to punish her.

“Yes, my lady…”

Maybe my firmness worked.

The maid bowed her head and left the bedroom.

Before long, a familiar face entered the room.

“Young lady—no, my lady, did you sleep well?”

It was Betty.

“You didn’t have trouble sleeping because of insomnia, did you?”

The moment Betty began to fret over me, all my unpleasant feelings melted away.

“I’m fine, there’s no need to worry.”

With her practiced, swift hands, Betty helped me get ready.

As I sat in front of the vanity, I saw Betty’s face reflected in the mirror.

‘She already knows…’

Of course, the rumors must have spread by now.

It would make no sense if Betty hadn’t heard them.

She was probably just hiding it because I, her mistress, was also pretending nothing was wrong.

“Betty.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Even so, whenever I called her, Betty answered brightly, hiding her worries.

I felt both proud and sorry.

“I’m all right.”

“…Pardon?”

“I really am. So you don’t need to worry so much.”

If I didn’t say anything, Betty would keep worrying inside, and I didn’t want to burden her with that too.

“My lady, are you really all right…?”

“Yes, I really am. It’s not as if I didn’t expect something like this.”

Only then did Betty finally share her own hurt.

“His Grace was too harsh. Even if it was a marriage by imperial decree, he shouldn’t treat you that way…”

The Betty who once spoke so confidently that I would be happy before the wedding at Scarlett Castle was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t be too upset, Betty.”

“It’s just because I’m upset… My lady shouldn’t be treated like this.”

At Betty’s words, I could only offer a bitter smile.

Isn’t this treatment on the mild side…?

At Scarlett Castle, it was often much worse, never better.

This was mild by comparison.

Betty was the youngest at Scarlett Castle, so it made sense that she might not have realized I was treated like a doll by my father and brother.

They cared so much about honor that, in front of anyone but their closest aides, they’d act like I was a beloved daughter and sister.

There was no need to tell her such harsh truths, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

***

That evening, Edward came to the bedroom.

After last night, I didn’t think he would set foot in here again.

“Are you dissatisfied with the servants at Winderton Castle?”

Of course, he wouldn’t have come just to say something kind.

“What did you say?”

“I’m asking if my castle’s maids aren’t up to the tastes of the noble Lady Scarlett.”

How could he have heard things in such a way that those words would come out of Edward’s mouth?

“I don’t know what you’ve been told, Your Grace, but one thing is clear.”

I’d hoped to keep quiet, at least in the early days of our marriage, but everyone around me refused to leave me in peace.

“You’re the kind of person who blames others after listening to just one side.”

“…What do you mean!”

At my words, Edward flared up.

Well, he was always the one to sneer, so it made sense he’d be angry when I did the same.

“Please leave, Your Grace.”

I didn’t want to argue any further.

After the battle of nerves with the maid this morning, I didn’t have any strength left for more words.

More than anything, this was Winderton Castle.

If I kept fighting with Edward, the master of this place, my already poor reputation would only get worse.

“This is not Scarlett Castle.”

“I know that well, Your Grace.”

Edward turned to leave the bedroom, then paused and spoke in a low voice.

“You may have been a precious young lady to the servants of Scarlett Castle, and a beloved youngest daughter to your family, but you are not here.”

“……”

You don’t know anything.

“If you’re going to stay at Winderton Castle, you’d better behave yourself.”

It was a warning that anything could happen if I didn’t.

“Unlike Scarlett Castle, where people cared for you, there is no one at Winderton Castle who does.”

“I know that, too.”

From the very first night, I’d already felt it deeply, and now Edward’s needless kindness almost brought me to tears.

“I’m glad you know. At least it doesn’t seem like I’ve married a fool.”

With an icy tone, Edward finally left the bedroom.

When he was gone and the door was completely shut, I walked over to the bed, grabbed a pillow, and hurled it at the closed door.

I’d thrown it as hard as I could, but when it hit the door and fell to the floor, I felt my energy drain away, too.

It seemed I wasn’t the foolish one after all.

“Stupid Edward Winderton.”

There’s nothing dumber than coming to someone you dislike just to sneer at them.

So, for acting that way toward me, Edward was a fool.

Probably even more than me.