Translator: Nox

Chapter 4

“I’ll do everything in my power to help. Whether it’s a run for it or a disappearance.”

“If something like that actually happened, you two would be the first ones suspected,” Vanessa countered with a light, joking smile. Even if she were lucky enough to vanish without a trace, Wyatt was the kind of man who would spend the rest of his life hunting her down. Her uncle had been incompetent at most things, but his dangerous connections were the real deal.

All those vagrants, gamblers, messengers of unknown origin, and gangs…. She didn’t know what kind of people he had associated with during his time exiled from the family, but her uncle’s ‘business’ seemed to stretch into very dark places.

‘Though his profits seem miserable in comparison.’

According to her uncle, the family had been drowning in debt from the start. Things were in such a shambles that even selling Gloucester Castle or the townhouse in the capital wouldn’t cover it. The lands capable of turning a profit had long since fallen into the hands of the banks one by one, and the family heirlooms had all been liquidated and squandered.

Now, the only ‘merchandise’ left in Somerset worth selling was her. From the moment the local gossips began to whisper about the beauty of the Lady of Somerset, her uncle’s interest likely narrowed to a single goal: selling off the only asset he had left, and selling it ‘well’ for a high price.

“There are more people these days who want a noble name, even if it’s just the title. As long as my value in the marriage market doesn’t plummet, my uncle won’t give up on the trade.”

“Still, you should leave yourself some breathing room. Don’t go doing something reckless just because you feel cornered.”

“Like that time you ran away when you were fourteen,” Blair added with a smirk, jumping into the conversation. Vanessa flushed at the embarrassing memory.

“How long ago was that…. And it wasn’t even running away in the first place. It was the anniversary of my parents’ passing, and I just went to the family cemetery to leave some flowers.”

“Whatever it was, the fact remains that you were missing for three days and got brought back by the police.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“She does get strangely brave every now and then,” Rosalyn remarked, shifting around on her hard chair to find a comfortable spot. Truly, if it weren’t for her worry for Vanessa, she wouldn’t have stayed in this dreadful place for a single day.

Even as the nobility was collectively declining, Somerset was in a league of its own. Among the furniture decorating the castle, few pieces were intact, and not a single landscape painting hanging in the corridors was an original.

All that remained here was the wretchedness of clinging to a fading family reputation to survive day by day. Moreover, there was this subtle neglect. No noble family treated their own kin or guests in such a manner.

“It’s hot. Open the window a bit more.”

At Rosalyn’s languid request, Vanessa threw the half-open window wide. A sudden gust of wind rushed in, causing the white curtains to billow out. The air was still cool, but the sun was as hot as midsummer. Vanessa pulled a chair over and leaned her cheek against the windowsill like a lethargic cat.

The twins’ attention had already drifted to their graduation theses, high society rumors, and idle jokes. She let the conversation flow past her as she looked down at the backyard garden.

The window in the drawing room was one of her favorite spots in Gloucester Castle because it overlooked her mother’s rose garden. It had been neglected for so long that its former glory was hard to find, yet its tranquil beauty remained.

The overgrown poplars and heath bushes, the shed for gardening tools, the wild roses that would soon be in full bloom, and….

That was when she heard a presence beneath the window. Vanessa straightened from her relaxed slouch against the sill.

The rose garden was usually deserted. Had Mr. Ross, the gardener, returned already? He had said he was going to Bath Station to pick up his nephew, who was supposed to help out during the break.

Perhaps an ignorant laborer had wandered into her late mother’s garden. Just as she was debating what to do, a strange man emerged from the bushes. He had his sleeves rolled up to his forearms as if he’d stepped out for a break, and his black hair, as glossy as a raven’s wing, was carelessly tousled. A lush tree cast a shadow over half of his face.

‘Who is he?’

Vanessa watched the man, holding her breath. In the shade of the tree, he looked like a predator in hiding. She got the impression that he was avoiding notice.

As she watched, the man pulled a cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips—right there, in the middle of the parched garden that hadn’t yet been watered. It was incredibly bold. In her fluster, she gripped the windowsill tight. Screech. The hinges let out a sharp creak at her movement.

At that moment, the man suddenly looked up. The second her eyes met his—eyes as dark blue as the deep sea—her breath caught as if she’d been caught in a great misdeed.

“…….”

His gaze slowly raked over her. Vanessa bit her lip until it turned white. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. It was unbelievable that a mere laborer would look at her with such insolent eyes… yet at the same time, she wondered how she looked to him.

“Vanessa.”

At the sound of Blair’s voice behind her, Vanessa spun around with a start. Her heart was pounding as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.

“Huh?”

“Why are you so startled?”

“Oh, it’s nothing….”

Her reaction must have been suspicious enough that Blair stepped forward to stand beside her. While he carefully scanned the area below the window, Vanessa unconsciously bit her lip and clasped her hands together.

Why on earth was she so tense? It was just a laborer who had slipped into the garden, and even if he were caught, he would be the one getting in trouble.

A moment passed that felt like an eternity. Finally, Blair let out a short, unimpressed laugh.

“There’s really nothing there.”

“What?”

“Was there a cat or something?”

…Nothing there? That couldn’t be. Vanessa hurriedly looked out the window, but the spot beneath the tree where the man had been standing just moments ago was completely empty. It was as if he had been a mirage conjured by the early summer haze.

Who could he have been? She was silently repeating the question she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud when—

“Speaking of which, Enoch sent an invitation to tea.”

Rosalyn, who had been ringing the silver bell repeatedly to hurry the tardy maid, spoke with an oddly excited voice. Blair’s expression stiffened slightly as he picked up his teacup.

“Enoch Berkshire? Is he in the South right now? What about that superior he was always following around?”

“Word is he’s vanished completely for some reason. It’s just a guess, but they say he might be in the South. According to my sources, anyway.”

“Who vanished?”

Vanessa, still caught in the feeling that she’d been dreaming, asked blankly. Her sudden intrusion into a conversation on an unfamiliar topic was somewhat impulsive. She had just seen a strange man in her familiar garden, and so.

“Duke Battenberg.”

Rosalyn offered nothing but the name, as if hearing it alone should explain all her exaggerated excitement.

When Vanessa only blinked her large eyes in confusion, Rosalyn realized her mistake and added quickly, “Oh, I forgot that you don’t attend social events much…. If you’ve never seen the man, I suppose it makes sense why you’re indifferent.”

“Vanessa spent most of her breaks buried in books at boarding school. It’s no wonder she doesn’t know. Even publicly, the only photo of the Duke’s face is one taken at his parents’ funeral when he was a child.”

“Right, that famous photo. Even then, he had a face that promised a great future.”

“You’re being generous, Rosalyn.”

“I saw him once from a distance. He’s the kind of man who makes your eyes happy the moment you see him. He’s twenty-three this year, returned from the Duchy of Hesse about six years ago, graduated from the Royal Naval Academy, and is serving as a Captain.”

After her haughty assessment, Rosalyn suddenly flushed and added, “There’s a rumor that he’s looking for a wife during this leave. Apparently, he was granted a long leave after his great achievements in the last Battle of Potsdam.”

That sparked a faint memory. She recalled seeing the words ‘Hero of the Battle of Potsdam’ printed in large letters in a newspaper the girls at boarding school had been passing around. It wasn’t a subject that interested her, so she hadn’t paid much attention, but she remembered he was incredibly popular.

“The ladies in the capital who are waiting for him with bated breath must be terribly disappointed. What is there to see in this boring South?”

Rosalyn nudged Blair in the side while glancing at Vanessa. Of course, Vanessa didn’t mind at all. She readily agreed that the South was boring.

It was a place where nothing was new and change was slow to be accepted. She would bet her favorite fountain pen that the South—and Gloucester in particular—had been the last place in all of Ingram to install electric lines.

In any case, Vanessa immediately lost interest in the topic. There was no way the man with a common laborer’s cigarette in his mouth could be that gentleman from the rumors.

“Why would a man like that come all the way to the South?”

“Who knows.”

Blair gave a cynical snort.

“Maybe he’s lost his mind and had a sudden fit of eccentricity.”