Chapter 14

Lady Fennet’s gaze was unmistakably fixed on Helen’s direction. Several pairs of eyes followed, all directed at Helen, who sat in the corner as if glued to her seat.  

Time crawled by, feeling like an eternity in hell.  

Curiosity, contempt, pity.  

Passing glances carried different emotions, each moment bringing a new wave of judgment upon her.  

Shame surged within her. Helen lowered her eyes and clutched the hem of her skirt. It felt as though someone walking by had suddenly poured ice water over her head and slapped her cheek. Her eyes burned with heat, and her hands trembled.  

The next moment, Diana abruptly stood up, breaking the silence.  

“Aunt!”  

“It’s just an expression, dear. I once encountered a rather scandalous tutor in the past.”  

“Even so, your words just now were a bit harsh.”  

“Only this much? Oh, my sweet innocent one. The gentry class doesn’t feel shame the way we do. Isn’t that right, everyone?”  

“Haha, yes indeed. They’re well-trained in obedience, after all.”  

“Ah, speaking of which, this time…”  

As if they had never been observing her like some peculiar animal, the guests’ attention shifted away. Helen bent her waist slightly, exhaling a breath she had been holding back. Even so, her breathing was uneven. Fortunately, the butler, quick to sense the situation, approached her.  

“You may rise. Go upstairs and rest. You’ve done well.”  

“But…”  

“Go on now.”  

“…Yes.”  

She staggered as she rose from her chair, using the wall for support as she made her way toward the door.  

“Kyaaah!”  

A sharp scream tore through the air. Lady Fennet, her face pale, was flapping her skirts. The hem of her dress was tinged red. A spark from the fireplace had apparently caught onto her dress, now smoldering and smoking. Her plump body jumped about like an agitated duck.  

“Water! Bring water!”  

“My goodness! Lady Fennet!”  

The drawing room descended into chaos in an instant. Everyone avoided Lady Fennet as if she carried a plague. Amid the sudden emergency, the servants rushed about in a frenzy. In the midst of the commotion, a familiar face came into view.  

Their eyes met amidst the confusion.  

Shh. 

Raymond placed a finger to his lips, signaling silence. Then, he subtly gestured downward with his eyes. Following his gaze, Helen noticed a poker emitting heat.  

With his foot, Raymond discreetly nudged it aside.  

* * *  

Henry cupped his hands around his mouth and mimicked a duck.  

“Quack! It’s hot! Put out the fire! Quack! Quack!”  

“Henry!”  

“That’s exactly how it was! It was so funny! Teacher, you saw it yesterday too, didn’t you?”  

“That’s a mean thing to do. Teasing a lady like that.”  

“But you just laughed a bit, didn’t you, Teacher?”  

“Well…”  

Clearing her throat, Helen composed herself and spoke sternly.  

“Anyway, don’t do it. Understood?”  

“Yes, Ma’am.”  

“Good.”  

“…But, wasn’t it really funny?”  

Pfft, haha! 

The next moment, despite herself, Helen burst into laughter at Henry’s exaggerated pout and slumped shoulders. It wasn’t so much Henry’s imitation that amused her but rather the face that came to mind above it.  

Raymond Campbell Somerset. A spitting image of his younger brother.  

“Teacher, you’re so pretty when you laugh!”  

Henry, blinking innocently, grinned and threw himself into her arms. Slightly pushed back, Helen sighed and patted the boy’s back, unable to resist.  

“You know, Teacher, I really like you.”  

“I like you too.”  

“My last teacher was a man, and he was really scary. He even hit my palms…”  

It was a story she was hearing for the first time. While she hadn’t assumed she was Henry’s first tutor, she had never heard about her predecessor before. Stroking his soft golden hair, Helen cautiously asked,  

“Did he?”  

“Yes. It hurt so much. I cried and hid, but my brother found me.”  

His older brother, who cared deeply for him. Helen tilted her head.  

“And then?”  

“Like magic, it was all solved! The teacher left the next day, saying something urgent had come up.”  

“…I see.”  

“And for about a month, my brother tutored me instead. He said it was because school was on break.”  

Whatever the story was, the timing had worked out well. If she had seen the job posting even a little later, she might not have ended up here.  

Henry, having released the hug, noticed something tucked inside Helen’s coat.  

“Teacher, are you going to send a letter to a friend today?”  

“Yes, I have time today.”  

“Can I come with you?”  

“Don’t you have riding lessons today?”  

“My brother said he’s busy today. Please, I’m bored. Please?”  

“I’m not going for fun. I can’t…”  

“Teacheeer.”  

Henry threw himself into her arms again, interrupting her refusal. He rubbed his face against her and looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes, much like a baby squirrel.  

“I’ll behave. Please? Can’t I? Really, really can’t I?”  

Helen’s steadfast resolve wavered. Rejecting him would make her feel like a villain.  

As Henry clung to her and looked up, a familiar face flashed in her mind again.  

On Henry’s birthday, when Lady Fennet’s skirt had caught fire, Raymond had calmly disposed of the evidence amidst the chaos. Surely, he hadn’t done it because of her… No, that couldn’t be. She couldn’t ask, and even if she did, what good would it do?  

Shaking her head internally, Helen cautiously opened her mouth.  

“Henry, that trick earlier.”  

“Yes?”  

“Did your brother teach you that too…?”  

“What trick?”  

“…Never mind.”  

The moment she lost her words, she knew she had lost the battle. Helen surrendered.  

“Well, let’s ask the butler first. If he says it’s okay…”  

Gerald agreed to lend them a carriage on the condition that they return promptly. Helen, who had planned to walk, considered it a stroke of luck.  

When they arrived in the bustling town, far removed from the secluded Groene Hall in the mountains, Henry was practically flying with excitement.  

“Teacher! Look at this! It’s a jewelry store!”  

“Henry, wait here quietly for a moment. I’ll take care of the carriage and horse.”  

“Okay.”  

“Don’t go anywhere.”  

“Yes!”  

Helen let out a quiet sigh. While Henry answered obediently, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He was too engrossed in the sparkling jewels displayed in the shop window to listen to her properly.  

“Don’t follow anyone, okay? Promise?”  

“I promise. Hurry back!”  

Trusting the clever boy, Helen grabbed the reins and walked away.  

Henry, glancing briefly at the retreating figure of his teacher, quickly turned his attention back to the jewelry display. Just as he focused on the jewels, a familiar name reached his ears.  

“Raymond!”  

Startled, Henry whipped his head around to see someone waving at a distance. His eyes widened.  

“Theo hyung?”  

It was a familiar face. A distant relative he saw once or twice a year. Just a name and a face he recognized. Puzzled, Henry turned toward where Theo was heading.  

“Huh?”  

Across the street, a man in a thick gray coat stood. His brother. Henry’s jaw dropped. Raymond, wearing an unfamiliar expression, pulled a cigar from a case and bit into it. Overcome with excitement, Henry instinctively moved toward him.  

“Hyung!”  

“Neeeigh!”  

As he waved, a carriage narrowly missed him, brushing past. Henry fell backward, landing on his bottom.  

The incident quickly disappeared into the noise of the bustling street. At the end of his gaze, the two men exchanged a few words before heading somewhere. It was a dark and narrow alley.  

Panting, Henry stood up, clutching his sore bottom, and shouted,  

“Hyung! It’s me, Henry! I’m here!”  

His small cry was drowned out by the sound of carriage wheels, horses’ hooves, and the chatter of passersby. Just as he crossed the street, heading toward where they had disappeared, Helen returned, her face pale. She ran up to Henry and grabbed his shoulders, turning him around.  

“I told you to stay put. Did you forget already?”  

“No, it’s just that I saw my brother over there…”  

“Your brother? Nonsense. Let’s get out of here.”  

“But I can’t, no!”  

“What?”  

Henry resisted her grip, shaking his head. His brother had just returned for the holidays. Even spending every day together wouldn’t be enough, but Raymond always disappeared like the wind. Whenever Henry asked where he was going, the only answer he got was, “It’s a secret.”  

If he tried to press for details, Raymond would tease him, calling him “my little monster” and tickling him until Henry forgot everything. By the time he stopped laughing, his brother would be gone again. It was unfair!  

“Henry…”  

Helen blinked, caught off guard. While Henry could be stubborn, this was the first time he had shown such fierce resistance. Uncertain how to handle it, she looked at him in confusion as he pleaded,  

“He was just dragged away by some scary men! We have to follow them right now!”  

Feeling a pang of guilt for lying, Henry thought this was his golden opportunity to uncover his brother’s secret.  

I can’t miss this. I won’t miss this. 

Henry’s eyes shone with determination.  

“Dragged away?”  

Helen’s mind went blank at those words. While she doubted it, Henry wasn’t the type of child to lie. A philanderer like Raymond could certainly have enemies. Helen’s lips went dry, and her voice cracked.  

“Then, let’s call someone. We need help…”  

“There’s no time for that! They’ve already gone so far!”  

There was no time to think further. Henry, stamping his feet, grabbed her arm and pulled.  

“Hurry, let’s go! Something bad is going to happen!”  

“…Alright.”  

Her hesitation was brief. The situation was too sudden for her to think clearly. Nodding, Helen took a deep breath.  

“Henry, stay close behind me. If I tell you to run, you run immediately. Got it?”  

“Yes!”  

Henry led her into the alley. It was similar to one she had entered before, but the atmosphere was entirely different. A dreary residential area. Few people were around, but the deeper they went, the more the air filled with the stench of sewage and an ominous chill.