Chapter 39 - Better Than Making Them Worry (1/2)
Chapter 39 – Better Than Making Them Worry
I was left in the room with Countess Bellafleur, and I intuitively sensed that she wanted to speak to me.
“Do you have anything to say to me, Mother?” I asked.
Concern remained etched on Countess Bellafleur’s face when she heard my question, but she remained outside the door.
“Please come in, Mother,” I urged her, wondering what was going on.
She briefly hesitated, then came inside the room. I stepped back to the side of the bed and loosened the tension on my face.
“Do you have anything to say to me?” I repeated.
She gave a hum in reply, then approached me and sat down. After a long stretch of silence, she finally spoke.
“Did nothing really happen with Countess Cornohen earlier?” she asked.
“…Nothing,” I answered, but I sensed something strange with Countess Bellafleur. “Is there something going on?”
“The Cornohen family sent me a letter late in the evening.”
“I see.” I could roughly guess the letter’s contents, but I played innocent.
“As you already know, our family owes a lot of money to the Cornohen family. It’s a debt from your grandfather’s generation. We’re paying the corresponding interest every month.”
“…”
“But suddenly, I received a letter from them saying that they’ll be exempting next month’s interest. They have never done this before. Your father and I don’t know why they suddenly changed their attitude.”
“Maybe they changed their minds,” I said, feigning ignorance all the way until the end. I glanced up at Countess Bellafleur, then guiltily turned away my head.
The truth was I knew—and she probably knew I was lying. There was something wrong with my reaction right now. But as long as I kept my mouth shut, there was no way for any secrets to be revealed. Countess Cornohen would probably keep her word with me, and the Bellafleurs would never hear a peep about what happened.
“Nothing really happened, Mother,” I stated once again.
“…Very well,” Countess Bellafleur sighed in resignation. She backed off earlier than I expected, as if she decided that further questioning was futile. She stared at the smooth, calm expression on my face. “If anything happens, make sure you tell us, Marie. We’re always on your side,” she said with a worried look.
“Of course, Mother.” I added in a smile. “I will.”
“Alright.” Countess Bellafleur seemed relieved with my answer. She gave me a hug and whispered goodnight, then finally left my bedroom.
Thud.
It was only after the door closed did I collapse backwards onto my bed. I stared at the ceiling and heaved out a long sigh.
“Haah…”
I felt guilty for lying, but this was better than making them worry about the truth.
I slowly closed my eyes as I reassured myself that I had done the right thing. My body felt exhausted—perhaps it was because of everything I had been through today.
***
The next morning, I sent a letter to Thurman Palace. My words were rambling, but I tried to keep it concise.
I wrote that I wished to visit the Crown Prince to express my gratitude to him. I asked if I could visit him at a time that was convenient for him.
‘He’s not going to refuse, right?’
The thought suddenly popped into my mind, but then I shook my head. Xavier once invited me to the Imperial Palace over a mere handkerchief. He wasn’t likely to refuse me.
‘More importantly, what should I do from today?’
My routine for the past three months involved being stuck in bed, so I struggled to remember how I spent my time before that. Surely I went to tea parties, met other young ladies…
I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t explain what it was.
I ate a muffin from the table as I pondered deeply. A knock on the door then interrupted my reverie.
“My Lady, it’s Florinda,” the maid announced.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Florinda stepped inside. Her face was bright from excitement.
“Is something good going on? You look happy,” I said, raising my eyebrow at her.
“You have a guest,” she chirped.
“A guest?”