<Chapter 7> Memories of Blue (Part 1)

At the place called by the Duke, there was no Duke, only the head butler, Gilbert, sitting there.

“Head Butler?”

“Oh. You’ve come, Elizabeth.”

The head butler, with a warm smile, led Elizabeth to a seat. Remembering that Stella was close to the head butler, Elizabeth felt bitter, thinking he must have known about the Duke and Stella’s relationship.

What did Gilbert think of our mother and me? He must have thought I was foolish for knowing nothing.

Perhaps he already knew about my mother’s affair and thought of me as a shameless woman.

Either way, now that she knew the truth, it was the worst for Elizabeth. No, the worst was her situation, where she could no longer see the people around her as they were.

All relationships were confusing beyond measure. It felt like yesterday’s world and today’s world had completely turned upside down. Perhaps tomorrow’s world would be so messy that today would seem better.

As she sat down in a daze, she noticed the photos on the table. Realizing they were all men of marriageable age, Elizabeth furrowed her brows.

Gilbert, not noticing, pushed the photos toward her and said,

“What do you think? Is there anyone you like?”

“What is this, Head Butler?”

“What do you mean? These are your marriage prospects. I’ve carefully selected the best, so you can choose any of them.”

“Head Butler, I’m not thinking of getting married.”

Elizabeth firmly pushed the photos back to Gilbert. She didn’t want to be connected to the Duke through marriage.

She wanted to sever all ties with Agaphel.

Besides, she was planning to leave this place. She had no intention of marking someone else’s life with a broken engagement when she was going to a distant kingdom.

As she turned away from the photos, Gilbert let out a hearty laugh.

“Oh dear, oh dear. Still acting like a child.”

“It’s not childishness. Please tell the Duke that I’ll handle my marriage myself.”

“That’s nonsense. Where else will you find such good prospects without the Duke? The Duke will be disappointed.”

“Anyway, I’m not getting married.”

“Come on! How long does a grown woman plan to stay in her mother’s arms? You should be preparing to start your own family. Such an important matter should be discussed with adults.”

“But…….”

“Don’t be stubborn. They’re all from wealthy families. Even if the family status is slightly lower, you won’t lack anything for the rest of your life. Stella also approved.”

“My mother?”

“Yes. Stella selected these herself.”

Elizabeth lost her words and pressed her lips tightly. Asking for just a month and then planning to marry her off.

Elizabeth wanted to confront her immediately. So, in a softened tone, she spoke to Gilbert, who seemed determined not to let her leave without choosing.

“Then I’ll take a closer look and let you know. Marriage is important, so I don’t want to choose on the spot.”

“Good. You’ve thought it through. Let me know after you decide, and I’ll arrange it quickly.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Elizabeth gathered the photos and documents, bowed, and headed straight to Stella’s room.

She happened to run into Stella, who was ready to go out. Judging by her outfit, she seemed to be going to the opera again.

“Where are you going?”

“Hmm? I felt down, so I thought I’d go see an opera.”

“Explain this before you go.”

When Elizabeth handed over the stack of photos, Stella’s eyes flickered slightly. She led Elizabeth into the room and lowered her voice.

“Just do as the Duke says for now. I have my plans.”

“I’m not getting married. I’ll be gone in a month anyway, so why bother?”

“Oh dear! Such an inflexible girl. Even if you’re leaving, don’t show it. Don’t you know how quick the Duke is to notice?”

Stella whispered even more quietly.

“Just pretend to meet them and then run away. As long as you don’t sign the engagement papers, it’s fine.”

“That’s just toying with the other person.”

“What do you mean, toying? Just because young men and women go on a few dates, do they have to get engaged? Just go along with it a few times. I gave birth to you, but why are you so rigid?”

Stella clicked her tongue, glanced at the clock, and continued.

“Don’t rush me. I’m having a really hard time right now. If you keep doing this, things that could work out won’t.”

Then she left. Elizabeth quietly watched Stella walk away. It was Elizabeth, not Stella, who was anxious.

She wanted to leave this castle as soon as possible.

Before Kiern got engaged, before the Duke realized and tightened the noose.

More precisely, before she herself doesn’t want to leave.

* * *

Contrary to saying she was going to the opera, Stella headed to a café in the lobby of the Line Hotel. After ordering a coffee and waiting, the guest she was supposed to meet arrived. Stella stood up and greeted her.

“Welcome, Lady Prairie.”

Stella greeted with a fresh smile, and Abigail lifted her veil and spoke calmly.

“I didn’t expect you to ask to meet me.”

Then she naturally ordered a cup of tea, and Stella spoke with a playful tone.

“The coffee here is much better than the tea.”

“Is that so?”

“Why don’t you switch to coffee?”

“No, thank you. I only drink tea.”

Nobles generally preferred tea over coffee. It was their culture to stick to it even after coffee was discovered.

Stella snorted inwardly and savored her coffee. The acidity was just right for her taste. Stella especially liked the coffee at this place.

That was why. It was all because of this coffee that she intentionally approached Duke Agaphel, the owner of Line Hotel. It was a simple yet telling example of Stella’s vanity.

After the server took their orders and left, Abigail asked directly.

“So, what did you want to say to me?”

“Is there a rush before the tea even arrives?”

“Were we ever the type to sit and have tea together? Normally, I would have refused.”

Abigail maintained a smile but spoke coldly. It was because, if not for staying at Agaphel Castle or being a friend of the late Duchess, they wouldn’t even be sitting face to face having a conversation.

Stella just kept smiling as if she found something amusing. It seemed she had no pride.

Abigail frowned at her enigmatic attitude. In fact, her mood had been very bad since the last flower arrangement meeting. She was startled when Kiern caught her bullying Elizabeth.

She had heard from Austin that their meeting place was somewhere else, but it seemed to have changed in the middle. And since she had a guess about who had done such a thing, Abigail was even more upset.

The only fortunate thing was that Kiern didn’t retaliate. Even though it was obvious to anyone that Elizabeth was being bullied, Kiern said nothing.

Knowing that Kiern took care of Elizabeth quite a bit, Abigail was suspicious of his lukewarm attitude.

But realizing he wasn’t much different from her, she wondered if Elizabeth was just a plaything for him.

Kiern Agaphel was to be Abigail’s fiancé, but honestly, he wasn’t a comfortable presence.

As with most arranged marriages, Abigail loved the position beside him more than him. The position of Duchess wasn’t granted to just anyone.

With his outstanding looks, gentlemanly demeanor, and the future ducal title, there was nothing to criticize.

He was a splendid ornament to keep by her side. A kind of trophy. A trophy more valuable because not just anyone could have it.

Abigail was confident she could be his strong ally as long as Kiern maintained their dignity.

Therefore, the Lua mother and daughter were issues that needed to be resolved. They were chaff that could tarnish her reputation with scandals at any time.

Especially the increasingly ripening presence of Elizabeth was quite threatening to Abigail.

She had seen countless times at the Ingrid Club meetings how Kiern was particularly gentle with Elizabeth. Yet, since he didn’t cross the line, she just watched.

However, the scandal from the party, as told by James, couldn’t be overlooked by Abigail.

And Abigail ended up being caught by Kiern, feeling like she had played into James’s hands.

He wasn’t a man to just overlook damage inflicted on him by others. So when Abigail got caught, she thought Kiern would react if there was really something between him and Elizabeth.

If he acted like a fool blinded by love, she planned to discard him first.

Men blinded by love usually did nothing but foolish things.

But even after that day, Kiern didn’t put any pressure on her. It was too quiet.

Did this mean Elizabeth wasn’t his possession? Was it a pointless act on something not worth guarding against?

If that were the case, perhaps she had made a mistake that day. She might have thrown a stone into a calm lake, disturbing the other party’s mood.

Abigail frowned, wondering if her intuition was wrong. She should have filtered it when the source of the rumor was James.

Thinking that she might have caught an innocent person due to James’s provocation, she felt a pang of regret, but that was all.

It was something that needed to be done eventually. Abigail had long known Elizabeth had feelings for Kiern.

She intended to warn her not to overstep, so it wasn’t entirely unnecessary. Though the discomfort remained.

Abigail briefly recalled the conversation she had with James. The very moment when he subtly tried to test her after hearing about her engagement.

‘Miss Abigail, why don’t you reconsider the engagement? I think there’s something between Lady Lua and the Young Master.’

‘Well. I don’t know. They’ve always been close.’

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman unless one is hiding their feelings.’

‘……Anyway, I’m the fiancée. Even if that’s how they feel, his body will be mine.’

‘You’re surprisingly forward-thinking. Then why not take this opportunity to get a lover too? I’d be happy if you’d consider me.’

‘How vulgar. I must decline.’