“Oh my!”

As if she had not noticed Fiona approaching her side, Viscountess Roman startled and opened her mouth exaggeratedly.

“Are you going somewhere? And with the doctor too…”

“I’ve been staying inside the mansion all this time, so I felt stifled. But they absolutely refused to let me go out alone.”

At that moment, the doctor answered with a strong sense of duty.

“Lord Chester… that is, Lady Fiona’s father, specifically instructed me to attend the young lady properly.”

“Father, honestly… He’s always worrying about me.”

Fiona held her cheeks and smiled shyly.

Viscountess Roman awkwardly lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Ohoho. Well, resting all the time cannot be good for prenatal care either. At least for today, go out and enjoy yourself comfortably without worrying about anything.”

What’s gotten into her?

Fiona did not show it, but she was surprised.

This was a woman who even disapproved of Fiona taking walks in the garden, so why was she acting so kindly?

At this rate, it almost seemed as though she had some ulterior motive.

“Mother. Do you perhaps have something you wish to say to me?”

“Hm? What are you suddenly talking about? What would I have to say?”

Ohoho, Viscountess Roman laughed, covering her mouth as her eyes curved.

That awkward expression…

It definitely seemed as though something was going on, but it was not as if Fiona could press her about it.

Forget it. I’ll look into it later.

Fiona swallowed her unease and smiled prettily.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes, be careful. Ah! Charles also went out to Third Street, so have dinner with him before you come back.”

On “Third Street,” there was an old three-story building under Viscount Roman’s name. Yet Viscountess Roman always referred to that building by the street’s name, as though the entire street belonged to the Viscount Roman family.

“That sounds good. Thank you, Mother. Then I’ll be off.”

“Ohoho. Yes. Take care.”

The two of them smiled brilliantly at each other, but the moment Fiona left the entrance and their faces were no longer visible to each other, both of their expressions twisted fiercely.

Viscountess Roman clicked her tongue as she watched the carriage depart.

Of all times, why is she making a fuss about going out now?

Viscountess Roman checked the clock hanging in the entrance.

Considering the train schedule, it seemed the person she had been waiting for would not come today either.

Surely they didn’t just take the money and run, did they?

No, that could not be it.

After all, she had hired someone rather famous in that field.

Yes. They said if the weather was bad, it could be delayed by another month, so I should be patient and wait a little longer…

Viscountess Roman took a deep breath.

But no matter what she did, she could not calm herself.

Fiona’s hateful face kept coming to mind.

* * *

The carriage carrying Fiona reached the area near the Prairie viscounty estate.

At that moment, the doctor asked with an uneasy expression, “By the way, do you really think the young lady will agree to meet you?”

“Who knows. It would be even better if she refuses to see me.”

The cold weather.

Charlotte, ignoring a friend who had come to her with guilt in her heart…

And because of that, Fiona collapsed and miscarried.

Such a neat scenario would not be bad either.

“But knowing her, she’ll definitely tell me to come in. She’s that stupid. More than the fact that I stole her fiancé, she’ll prioritize the fact that I’m pregnant.”

Charlotte, that unlucky wench, had not changed at all from when they were young.

Just look at her now. Instead of grabbing Fiona by the hair and tearing it out, she had chosen to shut herself away.

No matter how firmly Viscountess Roman controlled the social world, if someone were truly angry, they could not live only by hiding like that.

At least, Fiona could not.

“I don’t think someone like that would push you, my lady.”

Their original plan was for Charlotte, emotionally agitated, to lay a hand on Fiona and directly harm her.

Since that was the plan, Fiona had at least prepared herself to be slapped once, but…

“It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t actually hit me. All I need is someone who will testify that she did.”

Fiona pointed at the doctor and curled her lips into a wicked smile.

The tense doctor gulped.

“If there’s a problem, it’s that fat maid of hers. She already follows her mistress around like a shadow, so if I visit, she’ll probably try not to leave her mistress’s side even for a moment.”

But the maid would bring out tea.

And if Fiona spilled the tea, she would go to fetch something to wipe it up with. If Fiona asked for more tea, she would have to go brew it.

As a properly trained maid of a noble family, she would certainly do at least that much.

Even if Marge did not want to, Charlotte would tell her to do so.

“Don’t be so frightened. With two people, ruining one person’s life is nothing. And frankly, compared to the lies we’ve told until now, this lie isn’t that big of a deal, is it?”

Fiona said casually, grooming her nails.

The doctor could not agree.

Pretending she was pregnant was already a grave sin, but pretending she had miscarried naturally and claiming she had miscarried because of someone else were on entirely different levels.

They would be framing a person as a murderer…!

If not for the money I received…

He would at least have said that this was wrong…

“By the way, you finished preparing everything thoroughly, didn’t you?”

Fiona blew lightly over her nails and asked.

“Yes. I prepared something to replace that in advance. As long as we get rid of the maids when you act out the labor pains, we won’t be caught.”

“Good. You’ve worked hard. It’ll all be over soon, so let’s do this properly, all right?”

“Yes…”

Just then, the carriage stopped.

Had they arrived?

Fiona was about to check outside the window when she heard a familiar voice.

“I’m not asking for anything else! Just tell her to draw back the curtain for a moment. I’ll leave after seeing her face!”

“Lord Charles! Please. Please, stop this already. How many times has it been now? Do you know how much trouble you cause every time you do this?”

“That’s why! If I could just see Charlotte’s face, I wouldn’t have to bother you like this!”

Fiona bit her lip and glared.

Why is he here?

Her face twisted viciously, as if she might tear Charles’s hair out at any moment.

But before stepping down from the carriage, she composed her expression into something pitiful and pure, like a tragic heroine.

“Charles…!”

Charles spoke with a startled face, as though he had seen a ghost.

“Fiona…? What are you doing here?”

“What about you…? You’re supposed to be on Third Street. Why are you here? Hm? Have you been coming here every time you said you were going to Third Street?”

Fiona thought Charles would come up to her in distress and apologize.

But then…

“Haa…”

Charles frowned, let out a deep sigh, and said, “Fiona. Go back for now.”

It was the sort of tone one would use with a pet dog.

Shocked, Fiona shook her head and answered, “No. I won’t go back.”

“Please, just go back!”

Charles shouted.

The corner of Fiona’s mouth trembled.

“D-did you just yell at me?”

When Fiona’s eyes filled with tears, guilt rose over Charles’s face.

But soon, Charles suppressed that guilt with the irritation boiling up inside him.

“It’s because you keep being stubborn. Why did you even come here in the first place? What are you trying to do now?”

“What do you mean, what am I trying to do? I was only worried about Charlotte…!”

“Worried about Charlotte? You?”

Fiona could not believe this situation.

A husband sneering at his pregnant wife in front of his former fiancée’s house.

Was this not the moment when he should be apologizing instead?

Was this not the moment he ought to feel ashamed for paying attention to another woman while leaving his wife aside?

And am I the only one who did wrong? You fell for me. You said you liked me. You panted in my arms!

Just then, Charles’s face hardened coldly as he said, “Go back right now. If you won’t leave on your own two feet, I’ll drag you back.”

“What…?”

When Charles approached Fiona, her face turned deathly pale. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and said, “D-don’t you dare! Our baby! What are you going to do if our baby gets hurt?!”

“If that concerns you so much, then you can go on your own, can’t you?”

“H-how can you say that? How…”

Charles took another step toward Fiona.

At that moment, the doctor stepped between the two of them.

“P-please, Lord Charles. You know Lady Fiona’s body is weak. If she overexerts herself and something goes wrong…”

“Then why would someone like that come all the way here?!”

The chaos continued without end.

It seemed this commotion would not stop until Fiona disappeared.

Marge, who had been watching the situation anxiously, finally shouted in frustration.

“The young lady is not here!”

The noise died down in an instant.

Under the sharp gazes directed at her, Marge regretted whether she had spoken needlessly. But it would be even more troublesome if she simply stood by and watched until something terrible happened.

If something like that occurred, Charlotte would be dragged into gossip as well.

And that, at least, was something Marge could not bear.

“What do you mean? Are you saying she went out?”

“No. She has accepted an invitation and is staying in another region right now.”

“Who invited her?”

Charles could not believe Marge’s words.

He was certain she was spouting nonsense to drive him away. Who on earth was Charlotte close enough with to receive an invitation from?

Meanwhile, Marge was worried he might go looking for Charlotte.

The Spencer family was far away, but if Charles truly made up his mind to go there, House Spencer did not have the power to stop him.

What should I do…?

At that moment, as she anxiously racked her brain, one person came to mind.

If it was that person, even this man would not be able to do anything.

But he was not someone she dared mention carelessly.

If some problem arises because of this…

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”

When Charles asked with a twisted smile, Marge, feeling that she no longer cared what happened, said, “No. It’s true. Duke Earlister really did invite her.”