The Common Way to Ruin a Life - Chapter 6

He had been on his way to the garden, careful not to disturb Chloe’s afternoon tea. Then the fragrance of roses drifted toward him on the breeze, accompanied by the sound of voices pleasant enough to make him stop.

“I look forward to watching men with immense wealth and power destroy themselves through their own bad choices.”

The voice wasn’t Chloe’s. It belonged to someone unfamiliar. It was gentle, almost whisper-soft, each word falling with quiet grace.

All the more startling, then, that it spoke with such undisguised malice.

He recalled the governess he had met only once, on the day of her interview. Neatly dressed, with a gentle, unassuming air. Yet what had stayed with him was not her appearance, but the quiet firmness with which she had carried herself.

‘My apologies, Your Grace, but this is far too generous for someone whose only duty is to spend three or four hours a day as Miss Chloe’s companion.’

A woman who earned her living by speaking had spoken with remarkable clarity that day. Once she had satisfied herself that the arrangement was legitimate, she had signed the contract without hesitation.

To be honest, he hadn’t expected much. His sister was far too unusual for that. But he certainly hadn’t imagined that, in less than a month, the new governess would succeed in coaxing Chloe out of her room.

That was why he had come. Curious to see just how she’d managed to coax Chloe all the way into the garden, wanting to witness with his own eyes the change in his one and only troublesome younger sister, Dominic had left the butler behind and made his way outside.

Only to hear—

“Men who think the world revolves around them need to learn that there are some things they simply can’t control.”

…The governess filling his sister’s head with utter nonsense.

Careful not to let his timid, sensitive sister notice he’d been there, Dominic quietly withdrew before she could catch sight of him. As he walked away, he found himself wondering whether it was really wise to leave such an antisocial woman at Chloe’s side.

The past three years had been consumed by the chaos of unexpectedly inheriting the dukedom. Unlike before, when he had neglected his only sister under the excuse of being too busy, he wanted to understand her now.

A kind, pitiable girl who had borne her grief alone behind walls she had built around her heart deserved to be surrounded by nothing but good influences.

It never once occurred to Dominic that his guilt toward his sister might be distorting his judgment.

The moment he returned to his study, he summoned the head maid.

“Mrs. Lidden.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Has Chloe grown… particularly close to her governess… Miss Benzberg?”

“Miss Vanderberg, Your Grace.”

“Right, her.”

“Yes. To be perfectly honest, I’m confident that no one has spent more time with the young lady over the past three years than Miss Vanderberg.”

Dominic Whitmore clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth to keep the curse threatening to escape.

“Do you know how she managed it?”

“I couldn’t say whether there was any special method. They often stay together reading until quite late. I imagine Miss Vanderberg won the young lady’s trust by sharing her interests.”

Dominic frowned and clicked his tongue.

His gentle and innocent sister had only just begun opening her heart again, and that governess was feeding her nonsense about looking forward to watching people ruin themselves through their own bad decisions.

“We’ll replace Miss Benzberg with a governess of better character.”

“…Miss Vanderberg, Your Grace.”

“Right. Vanderberg. Vanderberg, damn it… The woman’s name isn’t the issue. Find someone else.”

The head maid hesitated before asking,

“The young lady will be terribly disappointed. Are you certain about this?”

“She can always make another reading companion.”

Dominic answered without the slightest hesitation. It was better to get rid of that woman before his dear younger sister started picking up bad habits.

As always, after another lively discussion with Chloe about the latest popular romance novels, Irene returned to the detached residence later than usual. The head maid was waiting for her.

“Miss Vanderberg.”

The moment Irene saw the head maid’s professional smile, a knot of unease tightened in her stomach.