Chapter 2: The Reason for Marriage (2)

She could not listen any longer.

The reason Julia spewed such baseless words was obvious:

to provoke Edith, to make her lose control in public and display the “madness” she was rumored to have.

In the past, she would have endured it.

She would have borne any insult so her words and actions would not bring disgrace upon her mother or her real father.

But Edith remembered what her mother had once told her.

‘If you ever find yourself alone, Edith, do not yield. Bow to no one. Your father and I are no longer in this world, and our honor is nothing you need to cling to. What matters is you. Think only of your own feelings.’

So she decided to think only of her own feelings.

She chose not to yield.

As a result, she was branded as having gone mad.

But her reputation no longer mattered.

Edith rose, lifted her teacup, and walked over to Julia.

She tipped the still-hot tea over Julia’s head.

As Julia shrieked, Edith smiled serenely and said,

“It smelled foul. I thought a bit of tea might wash it off.”

Then, turning to the ladies who were too shocked to move, she added,

“Vulgar creatures. Even rats do not insult the dead.”

From there, everything unfolded just as she expected.

The first tea party Julia had so eagerly prepared as the new marchioness ended in disaster, and Julia scurried straight to the marquis to tattle.

Still infatuated with Julia, Marquis Reynolds locked Edith in the storage room without even asking for an explanation.

“Be grateful to the Lord, Edith.”

Dragging her by the hair and throwing her inside, the marquis sneered.

‘If not for that pretty face of yours, you’d have been cast out of this house already.’

Grateful?

No, she cursed the heavens.

If she had not been born with such a face, she would have been thrown out long ago.

If neither she nor her mother had possessed such looks, they would never have been tied to the Reynolds name in the first place.

“My lady.”

Lenny’s voice drew her out of her thoughts.

The maid’s sorrowful gaze offered a small measure of comfort.

“You must be strong, my lady. If you endure, and keep enduring, surely a better day will come.”

She did not believe it.

Marquis Reynolds was planning to sell Edith off to a man who offered a good price.

And what sort of man who would buy a wife like that could possibly be any better than Marquis Reynolds himself?

But Edith smiled brightly at Lenny, who was trying her best to comfort her.

“Yes, that would be nice. Thank you, as always, Lenny.”

“Don’t thank me. This is all I can do for you, my lady. I’ll go now before anyone comes. I’ll find another chance to return.”

“Yes, but don’t overdo it.”

Once Lenny left, Edith was swallowed once again by the dark silence, though it did not last long.

Not even an hour passed before the head maid, Emma, came to fetch her.

The maid who had served the Reynolds household for many years looked down at Edith with clear disapproval.

“Come out. The master says you are to join him for dinner tonight.”

It was something that had never happened before, and Edith felt uneasy.

She stayed seated, staring at the maid.

“With the marquis? Just the two of us?”

“Get up. You need to be dressed appropriately for the occasion.”

The head maid gave no answer, simply pressing her to rise.

There would be no explanation from a woman who gave her loyalty entirely to the marquis, so Edith stood without protest.

Since her mother’s death, she had never once joined the family for dinner.

The sudden invitation filled her with dread.

But as Edith Reynolds, she had no choice but to obey the marquis’s command.

The moment she returned to her room, the maids seized her and began to wash and dress her without giving her even a moment to rest.

She was clothed in an elegant red gown fit for a banquet, her hair swept up as she watched her reflection in the mirror transform into that of a proper young lady of the Reynolds house.

“Come now. Everyone is waiting.”

The head maid, who had been casting her sharp eyes on Edith the whole time, urged her along.

On the way to the dining hall, the maid walked so close that it felt like she was being watched.

A bitter laugh escaped her.

‘Where would I even run, if I tried?’

After her mother’s death, she had once tried to run away.

She had not gotten far before she was caught, and since then the marquis had never taken his eyes off her.

At last, Edith stepped into the wide dining room, and she felt both relief and suffocation at once when she realized the marquis was not the only one there.

The entire Reynolds family was present—even Lilian, who had married and left the estate to become Countess Tido.

Every pair of green Reynolds eyes turned toward Edith at the same time.

There was not a shred of warmth in their gaze, and it felt as though her throat were tightening.

But Edith lifted her chin proudly and, following the servant’s guidance, sat in her seat.

“Do you think dressing up will change anything?”

She ignored the sneering words tossed from her side.

It was nothing new for Frederic, the marquis’s second son, to pick fights whenever their eyes met.

“You are very beautiful, Edith!”

But she was not used to hearing such cheerful praise from the marquis himself.

Why? Why was he suddenly complimenting her?

Her chest grew heavier with unease.

“Truly beautiful. Yes, your mother was beautiful as well. You’ve inherited only her most lovely features.”

At the praise of his former wife, Julia, the current marchioness, darkened with displeasure.

But the marquis, filled with unusual excitement, failed to notice his wife’s expression.

“Something very good has happened. Ah, but you must be hungry after so much time in reflection. Let us eat first.”

At his words, the waiting servants hurried forward with the food.

A luxurious soup, the same as the rest of the Reynolds family was served, was placed in front of Edith.

It was the first proper meal she had been given since her mother’s death.

Her anxiety only deepened, but she showed no sign of it as she lifted her spoon.

As she ate the rich soup, she glanced around at the expressions of the Reynolds family.

None of them seemed to know the reason for the marquis’s elation.

“Father, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

At the eldest son Mateo’s words, the marquis laughed heartily.

“Yes, I was troubled with business matters for some time, but now there is something that will resolve it all.”

“Oh? Is that so? What is it?”

“Well, since everyone is curious, there’s no point in delaying. Edith.”

At the sound of her name, every gaze fell upon her.

Spoon still poised halfway to her lips, Edith froze and looked up at the marquis with only her eyes.

“Rejoice. Your marriage has been arranged.”

Her heart plummeted.

Edith’s eyes widened as she stared at the marquis’s exhilarated face.

‘Who could it be? Who would pay such a price that the Marquis is this delighted?’

Before selling Edith off, the Marquis had intended to take her for himself a few times, but he hadn’t even managed to lay a proper hand on her yet.

The fact that some man had paid enough to make him give up even that greed so gladly was both shocking and frightening.

As Edith slowly set down her spoon, the Marquis’s biological daughter, Lillian, widened her eyes and asked,

“Edith’s marriage has been arranged? Which lunatic man would take her in?”

Excitement was clear in Lillian’s voice as well.

She clearly thought it must be some decrepit old man close to death, or some ugly, violent man whom no one else would marry.

From the very moment Edith entered this mansion, Lillian had never been able to bear the thought of Edith having anything good happen to her.

She despised the idea of Edith being treated as the Marquis of Reynolds’s daughter.

She had tried to keep anything from being taken from her and ensured Edith was denied every small joy.

But at this moment, Edith was thinking the same thing as Lillian.

It had to be a man no one wanted to marry, but one with plenty of money.

Or perhaps someone with something useful to the Marquis’s business.

That was why, the moment the Marquis spoke the name of the man, everyone in the dining hall held their breath.

“The Duke of Myers.”

“……”

“It’s Grayson Riley Myers, the Duke of Myers. Edith, you are to become the Duchess of Myers!”

Edith froze as she recalled the owner of that name.

The third prince of the realm, master of House Myers.

The most handsome of the three princes, the man whose beauty had captured the hearts of countless women.

And—

“That’s impossible!”

Lillian screamed like a shriek.

A smile appeared at the corner of Edith’s lips.

Lillian’s long-time love.

Lillian shot to her feet.

“Father, what do you mean? G-Grayson is Edith’s match? Grayson of House Riley? How… how could that be? That’s impossible!”

“That’s right. There’s no reason for the Duke of Myers to take her. Did he truly accept this arrangement?”

Mateo asked with pure curiosity.

Frederic, however, sat in silence with a hardened expression, staring fixedly at the Marquis’s lips.