Chapter 37
The next afternoon.
It was around the time the mansion, which had been turned upside down by the belated discovery of the attempt, had sunk into a calm gloom.
Amid deep relief and anxiety surging like crossing a sea that had grown still after a fierce storm had swept through it, the people tried to return to their daily lives once more. But then, turbulent waves swept in again.
A carriage stamped with the crest of the Grand Ducal House of Barietsch had arrived at the Vellasi household.
Everyone in the mansion was startled by the unexpected visit and held their breaths all at once. As though they had made a promise, they exchanged glances with one another. Gazes that sensed something had gone terribly wrong passed through the air.
In an instant, the mansion grew noisy.
Even as they hurriedly prepared to receive the guest, the servants gathered in small groups here and there amid an atmosphere like thin ice and talked among themselves.
“Why on earth did he suddenly come to the mansion?”
The subject was omitted, but it was clear who the sentence referred to.
“I don’t know. How would I know?”
“I heard he had sent several letters saying he wished to see Miss. I thought Master and Madam had rejected them all, but was that not it?”
“Look at Master and Madam’s faces. They’re ashen. He must have come without notice.”
“…Weren’t their complexions always bad whenever he came? I don’t think they look particularly worse today.”
“Honestly, his expression is always bad whenever he comes, so I don’t know either. But if he had been scheduled to come, they would have told us in advance and ordered us to prepare.”
“Ah…”
At someone’s logical point, a group of servants who had gained realization let out a low exclamation.
No sooner had one question been resolved than another question sprang up.
“Then why did he come so suddenly? What’s the reason? Because he wanted to see the Miss?”
“Is this the first or second time he’s wanted to see our Miss?”
“That’s true.”
“Could it be… Did he hear that the Miss has attempted… that?”
Someone presented a plausible assumption. Then, in an instant, the people’s faces turned ashen like Count and Countess Vellasi’s faces. Goosebumps also rose along their backs.
The bodies of the servants, who had been moving busily, froze for a moment. Then they slowly loosened with distorted smiles.
Only then did the servants belatedly shake off the negative assumption.
“Come on, surely not. We only found out this morning, so how would he know and come all the way here? Besides, just a while ago, they firmly ordered us to keep our mouths shut.”
“That’s true, but… If he didn’t hear about that, why on earth did he come?”
“……”
No one could give an answer to that question. Their firmly closed lips showed no sign of opening.
“…Let’s just do our work.”
“Right.”
As if trying to change the frozen atmosphere, one servant suggested that. At those words, the people returned to their own tasks as though they had been waiting.
‘Goodness, he really came…!’
Meanwhile, after seeing the familiar-looking carriage beyond the window, Venya clutched her chest, which had begun to pound loudly.
Even though she had been the one to inform him that Giselle had attempted to take her own life, when Raven actually appeared, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment. Even more so because the first thing he said upon entering the mansion was, ‘I wish to speak with Lady Vellasi alone.’
There had been a slight argument, but Giselle allowed the private meeting with him.
Since she had already known Raven would come find her, even the argument she staged must have been an act.
‘What happens now?’
It had been a long while since Raven entered Giselle’s room. Having sent away all the servants around them, he made sure no one could come near.
That meant no one could know what was happening in the room, or what kind of conversation was being exchanged.
It felt as though she were carrying a time bomb in her body that might explode at any moment. And the atmosphere in the mansion was so savage that it felt as though she were walking on thin ice that would break even if she merely breathed.
The reason Venya was so worried at this moment was because she couldn’t guess what result the lie she had been forced to utter after being threatened by Giselle would bring.
Being caught lying to Raven would be the least of it.
Before the mansion was turned upside down at dawn yesterday by the news that Giselle had attempted suicide, Venya had hurriedly reported it to Raven.
She simply could not forget the expression he showed at that time.
‘He looked as though the world had collapsed…’
She had only done as Giselle had told her. But this was the result.
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