Translator: Nox

Chapter 15

With just those few strokes, the air in the sketch felt almost tangible—warm and soft. A rounded forehead, a dainty bridge of the nose, and full lips. Somehow, they looked familiar. She felt as though if she covered the eyes, which were drawn with vague lines, she might recognize the face for certain… It was at that moment, just as she was about to reach out cautiously.

River Ross covered her hand, which was holding the sketchbook, with his own palm.

“It’s late, Vanessa.”

“Wait, what?”

“I heard the servants gossiping that there’s a banquet this evening.”

At his words, Vanessa finally checked the time. Just as River said, there were only thirty minutes left until the ‘guest’ was scheduled to arrive. How could she have forgotten?

“Oh, heavens.”

Vanessa jumped up, her feet pattering anxiously. Her hands moved busily, smoothing her disheveled hair and clothes. As she prepared to dash off in a mess, he called out to stop her.

“Wait a moment.”

He skillfully brushed the wrinkles from her dress and tidied her tangled hair. Until now, he had left it alone because its natural state was pleasant to look at, but if she returned to the castle like this, rumors would undoubtedly spread. To anyone’s eyes, she looked like she was returning from a secret tryst.

He deftly gathered her loose hair and began to braid it. Handling long hair was somewhat similar to weaving a ship’s ropes. Though he had to use far less strength and be many times more delicate, he managed to create a look that was decent enough to pass.

Finally, Theodore retied the ribbon that had been dangling precariously from the end of her hair all day.

“How did you do that?”

The woman’s hands were busy feeling her now-tidy hair. He simply shrugged and opened the door to the shed. The still-cool breeze of early summer brushed against his water-dampened neck.

At the threshold, he took Vanessa’s small hand with an elegant flourish. She felt her cheeks flush in spite of herself. He was a man who could act like a perfect gentleman, yet remained strangely lawless. Perhaps it was because of the way he looked at her.

Those blue eyes, sunken like the deep sea as if they might swallow her whole at any moment. The corners of his lips, which rose as he bit down on her fingertip, were a captivating shade of red.

“I’ll tell you next time we meet.”

---

“Oh, my goodness, My Lady!”

Mary let out a shrill scream upon discovering Vanessa sneaking in through the back door. Relief quickly washed over the young maid’s pale face. But it was only for a fleeting moment; Mary soon set her mouth in a stern line and hurried down the stairs.

“Where on earth have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was!”

The hands that suddenly gripped Vanessa’s shoulders were fierce.

“The guest’s arrival time is drawing closer and closer, yet no one had seen you since lunch! Mr. Ross even said he thought you had returned to the castle long ago!”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not something to smile about. Are you trying to be the death of me?”

At the sharp, rebuking voice, a couple of servants passing by peered in curiously. Only then did Mary realize she was overly agitated and took a deep breath. It was understandable—Wyatt was a master who bordered on indifferent to the point of laziness, but on days when a ‘guest’ visited, he would fly into a rage over the slightest mistake.

And yet Vanessa, the most important person of all, had vanished right before the banquet. For Mary, who was supposed to keep the closest watch on the young lady, nothing could be more terrifying. Vanessa apologized with an embarrassed look.

“I really am sorry, I mean it. I fell asleep while reading a book.”

“You fell asleep? Where?”

“Over there, um… near the garden.”

Her heart hammered at the spur-of-the-moment excuse. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either. Mary’s eyes narrowed to slits as she scanned her from head to toe. It was as if she were searching for evidence of a rebellion in her wrinkled sleeves, her hair, or her flushed cheeks.

Vanessa tried to act nonchalant, but Mary’s hawk-like gaze made her uneasy. Even though River Ross had fixed her up a bit, she was anxious because she hadn’t been able to see herself in a mirror. Eventually, Mary snatched Vanessa’s wrist and pulled her along.

“Don’t just stand there like a fool, move. It’s a good thing we decided on your outfit in advance… otherwise, you would have surely been late for the banquet.”

“What about my uncle? Is he still in the drawing room with Lord Roden?”

“Yes. A good aperitif happened to arrive just in time, so he doesn’t know you look like this. Fortunately.”

Vanessa was dragged along by Mary and pushed into her bedroom’s bathroom. The bathwater had gone cold, and the dress, fan, jewelry, and shoes were all laid out exactly as planned.

As Vanessa sat obediently in front of the mirror as she was told, Mary untied her ribbon. Her braided golden hair cascaded down like a wavy waterfall.

“There’s no time for a bath. You don’t look that dirty anyway.”

With those firm words, Mary used a cold, wet towel to briskly scrub her face, neck, and arms. Vanessa shivered at the chilly sensation against her skin, which was already feeling a bit feverish.

“It would have been warm if you’d come back on time.”

Mary spoke coldly, her hands moving even faster and more roughly, as if she had no intention of going easy. Once the skin turned pink like a newborn baby’s, she applied a thin layer of cream and powder. With a touch of makeup on her lips and cheeks, a rosy vitality instantly returned to her face.

Vanessa looked at herself in the mirror with calm eyes. It was a bit fascinating how different the result was from when she applied makeup haphazardly herself. Surely not even River Ross could tease her looking like this.

“I’ll throw this away. It’s stained with grass and completely ruined.”

Mary held ‘it’ with just her thumb and index finger, dangling it in the air. It was the white ribbon that River Ross had retied for her. At some point, it had been stained with spots of light green and brown.

Normally, it was something she would have discarded without a second thought. While her finances weren’t exactly overflowing, she wasn’t so destitute that she couldn’t afford a new ribbon. And yet.

“No, Mary.”

Vanessa stared at the ribbon, shaking her head. She didn’t even realize she was smiling as the corners of her mouth lifted.

“Leave it right there.”

---

The promise to meet again, exchanged like a casual parting greeting the night she left River Ross, went unfulfilled for quite some time. If blame were to be assigned, it was entirely Vanessa’s fault. Her body had caused trouble once again.

Since the evening of the banquet, she had felt a chill, and by dawn, a fever had begun to rise. She resented her frail body, which forced her to stay tied to her bed for a full week whenever she fell ill. If she had to find a silver lining, it was that she didn’t have to see Lord Roden for a while.

This was thanks to her uncle, who blocked all visitors to ensure her frailty wasn’t made public.

“I’ve just finished writing a letter to decline the boating party on the Dunster River.”

Rosalyn said as she threw herself onto the sofa next to the bed without even knocking. Seeing her hands full of newspapers and invitations, it seemed the weekly mail carrier had just stopped by.

Naturally, the Winchester twins were welcomed anywhere in Southern society. They were high-ranking nobles from the capital who could satisfy any host’s vanity, possessed lovely features, and had a cool but not cruel demeanor coupled with an uninhibited personality.

Their situation was worlds apart from hers—the pretty nuisance of Somerset who didn’t even have a dowry. Vanessa closed the book she was reading and leaned back against the cushions.

“Go without me. You were looking forward to the boating party.”

“How can I go anywhere while you’re sick? Forget it.”

Rosalyn snorted, opening a few invitations with an air of indifference. Even though she wasn’t exactly the type to provide proper nursing care while staying by Vanessa’s side, she had been faithfully adhering to her strange principle of not going out to have fun while someone was sick for several days now.