Chapter 47
47. Night of Torment2022.02.10.
Sir Arthur was undoubtedly a master negotiator. It had barely been a few hours since she’d convinced herself that such a gamble was too reckless and abandoned the idea, yet her resolve was already starting to waver.
“…….”
Reina sat blankly submerged in the bathtub, mentally rehearsing what she might say to Arthur. Sir Arthur. Even if I can’t work by your side for long… could you perhaps guarantee me that money you mentioned…? How much would that be? Of course, I know 30 gold a week is already outrageously generous… But this job isn’t something I can do forever, right? That’s why… it’s weighing on me a bit. After all, it’s my livelihood… If I can’t work long-term, I’ll be in trouble… I need some guaranteed pay. And honestly, I need a doctor for a while… And a lifetime job too…
“Hoo….”
Reina let out a deep sigh. …Am I really asking for so much? She slid down slowly, submerging herself in the bathwater.
‘Sir Arthur…’
‘I can’t stay by your side forever anyway.’
‘Would you be willing to introduce me to a job somewhere else…?’
‘I won’t ask for much…’
‘Just 30 gold a week until Grandma is alive…’
‘After that, 10 silver for life would be fine.’
‘…Would that still be too long compared to the employment period you had in mind?’
“…….”
‘You couldn’t hire me for life… could you…?’
‘Lady Christina would probably find it uncomfortable having me around…’
“…….”
She hadn’t made up her mind yet, and even if she did decide on something, it would probably be after meeting Taylor next week first. To organize her thoughts, Reina was polishing her words this way and that. Would it seem possible, or impossible? Would it sound a little shameless, or very shameless? She refined her words over and over in her head. Tweaking them like this and like that… But no matter how she adjusted them, they still sounded absurd and shameless. Reina surfaced and exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
“Hoo….”
Droplets of water fell before her eyes.
“…….”
…If she accepted Sir Arthur’s offer, she could never work at the Julius mansion again. Even if he introduced her to another job, nowhere would pay as well as Julius. In the end, she’d have to rely on the money from Sir Arthur.
“…….”
She knew Sir Arthur had a fortune, and that he could afford such wages… But still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she hadn’t done anything valuable enough for him to give her 30 gold a week. Even if betraying Julius and siding with him helped him right now, would that value hold up years later without making the money seem wasted? Somehow, she doubted it. Eventually, he’d probably think one day, Why am I still paying this maid who tricked me, years later? She didn’t want that.
“…….”
Hoo… Reina wiped the water from her face with her hand, losing count of how many sighs she’d let out already. She didn’t want to become someone anxiously waiting for his money, despite being the fake bride who’d deceived him. Sitting in the bathtub, Reina gazed into the mirror.
“…….”
…Sir Arthur looked decadently alluring yet refreshingly clear even when wet, but I just look like a drowned rat. So pathetic. Reina stared blankly at her reflection, then heavily lifted her body from the now-cold bath. She startled and quickly covered herself, plopping back down into the tub.
“B-B-B-Brody?”
Brody, who had just entered carrying folded towels and a bath basket, gave a soft smile and said,
“Miss. Are you coming out already? I heard you were bathing and brought bath salts to add…”
Beside her was Marina, whom she hadn’t seen in days. Marina leaned down, dipping her hand lightly into the tub, and said,
“…Oh my. The water’s gone cold. I should add some hot water too.”
“……??”
Reina stared at them in bewilderment. Brody added the bath salts while Marina poured in warm water. They even floated fragrant rose petals and gold dust on top.
“??”
Reina watched the two maids in a daze. · · · Ever since getting entangled in the matters of ‘Christina’ and ‘Reina,’ Marina and Brody had been assigned as direct maids to a double room there, likely for easier mouth-sealing. They had just come from a long talk in that room. They too were troubled by their own awkward and tricky situation. Brody eagerly laid out her theory first, even whispering despite being alone.
“…Reina is actually the marquis’s hidden daughter.”
“…….”
Marina stared blankly at Brody. Brody added meaningfully,
“And come to think of it, that girl Reina looks quite a bit like Lady Christina.”
Marina shook her head, denying her wild imagination.
“…That’s because I did her makeup to look like the lady. Without makeup, her face isn’t that similar.”
This time, Marina lowered her voice.
“My theory is… this is all one big accident.”
She unfolded her reasoning.
“Five years ago, when the lady and Sir Arthur’s marriage was decided and there was all that fuss about not doing it, couldn’t do it—since the lady refused so strongly, they swapped in Reina pretending to be her as a substitute.”
Marina continued,
“But now Sir Arthur’s back and found out, so he’s in a standoff with the marquis’s side. Like, How dare you deceive me?!”
This time, Brody made a face like That doesn’t seem right and refuted,
“Nah. Then why would the marquis’s side send Reina to the triumphal procession so willingly? They’d have hidden her away from the start before it got that far.”
Brody asserted again,
“She’s an illegitimate child, I tell you! During the marriage contract, like, The imperial family has an illegitimate, so I’ll send mine too, and the marquis went like this!”
Marina countered,
“Then the marquis’s side would’ve handled it before rumors spread everywhere about a political marriage with ‘Lady Christina.’ Like, it’s not Christina, actually marriage to another daughter.”
Brody shot back immediately,
“They missed the timing to say it! So the marquis ended up thinking, After agonizing, I have to swap the illegitimate with the eldest legitimate daughter!
Brody’s voice dropped to an even whisper.
“Sir Arthur became such a big shot that it’s hard to admit now they married him to an illegitimate instead of the eldest. Everyone thinks it’s Lady Christina, and the marquis became an elector. Having an illegitimate isn’t exactly brag-worthy.”
Marina grew confused. Marquis’s daughter? Reina?
“Nah, no way… If she were the marquis’s daughter, doesn’t it make no sense that she’s been living like a regular maid all this time?”
Brody widened her eyes as if it were obvious and said,
“That only makes sense if the marquis cherishes or dotes on his daughter. Honestly, he doesn’t even pamper his legitimate eldest, Lady Christina, that much? Even five years ago, forcing that marriage on his unwilling daughter! To the marquis, it’s all about the family. Unlike Madam. Children are just means to an end!”
Eh… It was starting to sound convincing somehow. As Brody’s words mixed in truths, Marina’s expression wavered. Brody continued,
“But now that things have turned out this way, the marquis figures it’s better to abandon Madam and Lady Christina and choose Reina. Like the imperial family did with Sir Arthur, deciding to invest in the illegitimate he’d discarded.”
Marina bit her nails, mulling it over.
“…So there was a swap, but…”
“Not just any maid, but swapping in an illegitimate! That’s it. So we might not be able to go back to how things were!”
Marina’s expression, hand at her mouth, grew increasingly serious. At first, she’d thought it absurd. But the more she heard, the more plausible it sounded, leaving her flustered. And in Marina’s mind, another possibility she hadn’t considered before reared its head. If it was true, and Reina really became Sir Arthur’s bride… What about Taylor? Brody went on,
“Reina might end up taking Lady Christina’s place forever and live as her! The marquis could push the obedient Reina instead of Madam and Lady Christina, whom he doesn’t get along with—after all, she’s his daughter too!”
Then Brody added in a small voice,
“Plus, honestly, doesn’t Sir Arthur seem to like Reina a bit?”
“…….”
Marina began to be convinced. Brody’s words sounded possible. Brody said again,
“We need to pick the right side. Honestly, as a lady to serve, Reina’s a hundred times better than Lady Christina? You admit that too, right?”
That girl had stood up for her in front of Sir Arthur and the other knights, she heard. Thinking of Reina warmed Brody’s heart, and she shrugged with a slight smile.
“…….”
On the other hand, imagining attending Lady Christina amid flying ashtrays made Marina grimace in horror. Brody rested her chin, smiling.
“Even if it doesn’t turn out that way, there’s no reason to earn Reina’s resentment now. We can just play both sides smartly.”
Marina rolled her eyes. She was right. When they heard Sir Arthur had finished bathing and Reina was next, they both naturally sprang up at the same time. · · · Reina stared in bewilderment at the two maids suddenly offering to help. Brody had always been kind. Marina, a bit awkwardly, started treating Reina carefully and kindly. Refusals didn’t work, so Reina ended up getting forced bath assistance and even a lady’s full-course massage. For Reina, who had never entrusted her naked body to strangers, it was bewildering, but the massage for noble ladies of wealthy houses—with fragrant oils rubbed all over—was a whole new world. It eased her troubled mind’s tension while draining her energy. With her whole body languidly relaxed, Reina drifted dreamily back to the bedroom, wafting a sweet scent. Brody smiled proudly as she tidied the bathroom and gathered the oils and bath salts before leaving with Marina. The jasmine oil Brody had eagerly applied was a famous luxury known for making the body especially languid. * * * Arthur’s eyes snapped open with a start.
“…….”
The sleeping Reina had rolled into his arms.
“…….”
What was this…? This woman… She’d never crossed the line like this before. Of course he didn’t hate it, but the suddenness of something that had never happened left him flustered. …What’s going on? She always slept at the edge of the bed like she was afraid I’d even brush against her. Had she grown so accustomed to the bed that her guard relaxed, leading to this slip?
“…….”
…Troublesome. Arthur squirmed uncomfortably. Careful not to wake her, he tried to slowly extract his arm. But as her pillow of a shoulder slipped away, Reina whined, rubbing her head against him and burrowing in even deeper.
“…….”
Arthur held his breath. Her good scent was dangerously intoxicating. He desperately tried to stay calm, analyzing anything, thinking random thoughts. Why is my wife like this? If it’s sleep-talking, why suddenly now? Given the bed’s size, what’s the probability she’d climb on top of me in her sleep?
“…….”
It didn’t help. Her soft breathing against his neck, shoulder as her pillow. Arthur turned his head away, holding his breath. Fortunately, not being the first time, he managed not to shove her off and stayed somewhat composed.
“…….”
Arthur forced himself to breathe. Cold sweat beaded. So… what do I do? He glared desperately at the bed’s corner. Just wait for her to relax a bit, then shift to the side… He held his breath again.
“……!”
Reina placed her hand on his chest. Then she clutched his clothes, pressed her forehead to his shoulder, let out a pitiful whimper like a sick puppy, and mumbled,
“Thirty gold…”
“…….”
Arthur blinked blankly. His mind truly went blank. He lay rigid like that for a long while. Until the pale dawn sky brightened.
“…….”
Arthur stayed awake all night, held fast by Reina. Money…? Money…? Was it about money…?
