Previously
Emma discovers that Kurt is exceptionally beautiful, a trait that led to past trauma and his habit of hiding. She encourages him to use his appearance as a weapon and hires him as her messenger to help him gain independence.
Even though she knew exactly why he had no appetite, she feigned pity while making excuses for herself.
Ash felt a surge of disgust every time his mother acted like that. It made him wonder how he could have craved this person’s affection so desperately when he was a child.
Dolores frowned slightly at her son’s attitude, which lacked even a hint of the charm he’d had as a boy, and pulled a cigarette from her bag.
“…”
Ash didn't offer a single word in response, but she didn't care at all as she slid several invitation cards toward him.
Ash couldn't understand the ‘class’ Dolores was talking about. What did it matter if nobles of Count rank or higher came to watch a play?
Even though his expression clearly showed his disbelief, Dolores continued regardless.
At his cold voice, which he couldn't help but let out, she actually grew annoyed.
Dolores packaged her act of having an affair with Count MacCallan and bearing an illegitimate child with the word ‘grace.’ Meanwhile, the child had learned loneliness first, raised by nannies who changed every year.
In a house that was always silent, he had learned his mother’s face by looking at theater posters. When he opened his eyes in the morning, instead of his mother, there were books he had to read every day, and his mother’s attitude changed depending on the tutor’s evaluation.
The lessons to become a noble were neither fun nor anything but painful, but the child studied doggedly in the hope of receiving his mother’s praise just one more time, and eventually, he heard every tutor call him ‘perfect.’
He hadn't known that being recognized as a ‘well-educated child’ would become the reason for her to abandon him.
‘Mom! I’ll be an even better boy! I’ll study even harder! So please, let me live with you! Please!’
In the winter of his eighth year, how coldly had this beautiful woman pushed away the child who clung to her, sobbing?
Ash’s eyes were stained with deep resentment.
Conversations on this topic always ended in mutual misunderstanding.
He had tried to convey his feelings many times before, but Dolores was like someone behind a wall, unable to hear his cries.
After that continued for years, Ash finally gave up. On loving his mother, on understanding his mother, and on regarding his mother as a mother.
Dolores gathered her belongings, stood up lightly, and walked out of the restaurant. The two men guarding her stood and followed, but no one paid the bill.
Ash let out a breath that was somewhere between a scoff and a sigh as he picked up the invitations and the bill on the table.
Then, just as he was about to leave, he changed direction and walked toward where Rosaline was sitting.
When the woman who looked like a maid nudged Rosaline, she turned her head while chewing a mouthful of something. It was amusing to see her eyes grow wide in stages.
Rosaline covered her mouth with her hand, worked her jaw busily to chew the food, and then swallowed hard.
It was a ‘mouthful’ that could never be seen from the elegant young ladies of high society.
Just watching her seemed to make the unpleasantness he’d felt from meeting Dolores fade away. To be more precise, all those troubles started to seem ridiculous.
Even with the tips of her ears red from embarrassment, she asked back as if she refused to be intimidated.
It was rare to see such a combative woman. And it was even rarer to find one whose combative attitude wasn't dislikeable.
Ash held out an invitation to her.
Perhaps she hadn't expected to receive a gift, as Rosaline only then stood up and took the invitation from him.
With that farewell, Ash turned and walked out without looking back.
Only Rosaline was left behind, wearing a complicated expression.
After finishing our shopping and meal and returning to the estate, Maya whispered while helping me change clothes.
At that, Maya gave a little giggle.
Was she always a girl who laughed this much?
I hadn't known her for long, but after observing her for a few days, she was a maid who was not only skilled with her hands but also smart and quick-witted.
I knew because I had been a maid myself. Such excellent workers were not common.
Maya looked up as if something had suddenly occurred to her.
A sudden intuition flashed through my mind.
There was no way Heather had heard that conversation, so the content wasn't what mattered. That meant the man himself was the problem.
The only information to identify him was that he was young and had ‘curly blonde hair,’ but I felt like I knew who that man was.
‘It’s the man who came to the party when Rosaline spilled wine on her dress. I’m sure of it.’
I remembered because I had been constantly checking on Heather at the time, anxious that Rosaline might cause trouble.
So he was probably… a man Heather had feelings for?
‘Even so, to slap a maid and fire her just because she exchanged a few words of banter?’
No, before that, she had tried to charge her an enormous amount of compensation and ruin her life. Wasn't that far too excessive?
Heather couldn't have been unaware of that.
If so, there was only one answer.
‘It means she has an unrequited love for that man. She wants to monopolize him but can't, so she’s harboring hostility toward the women around him.’
And among them, how easy a target was a maid to take her anger out on?
What a horrible girl. She must have known perfectly well that Maya had done nothing wrong, yet she tried to ruin a person’s life just because she couldn't control her petty jealousy.
‘Well, I suppose this is what they call luck and fate. Thanks to that, I ended up with a good maid.’
I didn't know what kind of fuss that girl would make if she saw me walking around with Maya, but I decided to worry about that when the time came.