But Selena’s attention felt like a burden. Looking at how I was dressed, she must clearly see how I had been living. Why did she have to ask? Was she trying to make me talk about my miserable life and embarrass me? I pushed away these overflowing thoughts and opened my mouth.
“I’ve been doing okay. I spent my time making scented pouches.”
Strictly speaking, it was less about spending time and more about earning money.
“Scented pouches? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. Is that even a thing?”
Commoners used them more than nobles. I was about to answer when Cedric spoke first.
“They’re useful when you sleep. Especially if you can’t fall asleep.”
When Cedric answered softly, Selena smiled brightly and nodded.
“Then, Revril, could you make one for me too?”
I nodded out of politeness.
“Then I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Selena then took a cookie from the silver tray. As soon as she ate it, she opened her eyes wide and looked at Cedric.
“It’s really delicious. You should try some.”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Cedric refused, so Selena naturally looked at me.
“Revril, you should try it too. I’ve known for a while that the chef of the Jedburgh family really knows good taste.”
Her words oddly showed some old closeness. Even though I tried not to notice, every word from Selena caught my attention. Feeling frustrated, I picked up a cookie. Just as I was about to eat it, Cedric called the servant.
“Does this have peanuts in it?”
“Yes, there’s a little.”
I put the cookie down. Cedric looked at me but said nothing more. At least he remembered. Selena watched for a moment, then asked carefully.
“Revril, do you have any allergies?”
“I’m allergic to peanuts.”
“That must be very inconvenient for you.”
I just smiled. I had nothing more to say and didn’t want to keep talking. Selena smiled gently and said to Cedric,
“You’re really thoughtful. You remembered everything so carefully even when you were young.”
Cedric only smiled, saying nothing. Hearing that, I felt uneasy inside.
Then the servant came closer and spoke softly so only Cedric could hear. Cedric nodded and looked at Selena.
“I have some business, so I will take my leave first.”
Selena nodded and smiled.
“Please do. It’s an honor just to see the annex like this.”
Cedric bowed and left the annex with the servant. When Cedric and the servant disappeared, I felt a little relieved. I didn’t have to worry about Selena anymore.
A breeze blew, scattering my hair. The only sound was the clinking of teacups, when Selena spoke.
“Revril, you really are beyond what I imagined.”
Her voice was lower than before. I looked at her with surprise, and she gave a faint smile.
“I heard rumors about how you escaped from here. I don’t think I could have come this far.”
I was speechless for a moment. She said it so directly that I wondered if I heard wrong. When I stared at her seriously, she calmly raised her teacup.
“Actually, I never believed it when Cedric said he married you. Cedric isn’t that kind of person.”
“What kind of person is he then?”
“He wouldn’t even look at a family like yours from the start.”
Her words were harsher than before. The past goodwill seemed truly gone. Honestly, I was also unhappy that Cedric left after saying that to his mother.
“But I don’t have any hard feelings against you, Revril.”
At her unexpected words, I met her eyes. Selena smiled sweetly. If I had seen that before, I would have admired her elegance. But now I knew well how people who looked down on me really felt, so I didn’t admire her anymore.
“You’ve heard the rumors floating around the mansion recently, right?”
Her tone was endlessly dismissive. The way she looked at me was very light, as if I was nothing.
‘I think she at least kept some manners when dealing with me before.’
Meeting people around Cedric gave me the same feeling: they all thought they were better and saw me as beneath them. Just because I wasn’t born into a decent family.
I stayed quiet, and Selena explained calmly.
“My father is working hard on it. Cedric isn’t completely rejecting it either.”
Cedric not rejecting firmly bothered me. Was it better now to have someone from an honorable family instead of someone like me?
At that moment, a lively voice rang out.
“I heard you’ve been living very poorly all this time. Is that true?”
Selena smiled as she looked at my clothes. She had asked as if she didn’t know earlier, but it seemed she actually knew. I kept staring silently, and Selena rolled her eyes and muttered.
“So it seems true. Revril’s father’s business failed, and Revril disappeared from social circles. Anyway, Revril comes from a family that would have a hard time returning here.”
Selena lifted her teacup with grace. After taking a sip, she tilted her head.
“I still don’t understand why you ran away from Cedric like that. Cedric seemed to do his best for you.”
Why did Selena always say things that pierced my heart? It was hard to answer. I was trapped by death, unable to understand or listen properly to Cedric’s words.
“Nancy had a hard time then too. All the maids around her had to quit. So Herder suffered a lot.”
“……”
“I think you didn’t even come to Nancy’s funeral, right?”
“I had no reason to go to her funeral.”
Selena put down her teacup and looked at me with surprise. It was as if she thought I wouldn’t say something like that. Now that it was like this, I didn’t need to hesitate.
“I was even slapped by your mother then.”
Selena’s eyebrows faintly twitched.
“Cedric’s mother said I was acting out of line. Until then, I had been trying to speak well of you, Selena.”
Selena smiled and looked at me.
“So now you’re blaming me for something that happened months ago? Just because you got slapped?”
“I still can’t forget the humiliation when I was slapped. After pushing all those misunderstandings on me, you left first.”
“I don’t know what misunderstandings you had, but I spoke as kindly as I could about Nancy. It’s probably because Nancy thought badly of you that it turned out that way.”
Selena sipped her tea leisurely as if talking about someone else. When I didn’t look away, she lightly put down the cup. She smiled and looked at me.
“Talking about the past won’t change anything. You’re already separated from Cedric, after all.”
I had no words to argue with that. I sat quietly like I had been hit by a stone, and Selena said lightly,
“To be honest, I don’t mind if Cedric keeps you as his mistress. After all, he can marry me.”
I was stunned by her sudden talk about being a mistress. My mind was so full that I couldn’t speak. Meanwhile, Selena smiled calmly.
“In a way, it feels like the place is finally being set right. It was my place from the start.”
Now I understood what Selena wanted. From the moment she first came here, she had too much interest in Cedric.
Selena smiled at me and stood up.
“I’ll leave first.”
She stood as if she had said all she wanted lightly. I foolishly just listened to her, and when I tried to say more, she got into the waiting carriage and left.
Her sudden change left me speechless. I stood up and stared for a long time.
Then a maid asked me,
“Can I clear this?”
I nodded and stepped aside. At least the first carriage I had arrived in was still there. When I got in, the carriage started moving. It seemed to have been waiting for me.
Looking at the scarlet tulips outside the window, Selena’s words buzzed loudly in my mind.
“I don’t mind if Cedric keeps you as his mistress. After all, he can marry me.”
There really was nothing she wouldn’t say.
‘How can someone say that?’
Even if I have no family to support me. If they ever got married… I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It made me angry just to think of Selena marrying Cedric.
