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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Don't Trust That Guy
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Roje saw the butler off. His retreating figure, leaving the mansion, no longer felt pathetic. The butler offered a faint smile and bowed to Roje.
“Please take care, Madam.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch.”
Gwen nodded at Roje’s words and climbed into the carriage. The carriage wheels turned with a cheerful sound. Roje looked up at the sky, where the rain had finally stopped. The sky was still overcast, but it would soon clear. Roje shook the water off her umbrella and folded it with a snap. She stood there until Gwen’s carriage was out of sight.
“Ah-ah-achoo!”
She looked down at her drenched dress. Perhaps because she had been caught in too much rain, a shiver ran through her.
“I feel a bit cold, too.”
To feel cold in midsummer was laughable, but after being caught in a storm, it wasn’t strange. Roje hugged her arms around herself and headed back into the mansion. On the second floor, someone was watching Roje. It was Eric, the very person who had driven the butler out. He wore a highly displeased expression.
“To make such a fuss just to bid farewell to a mere butler.”
He couldn’t help but frown at Roje’s drenched appearance. What an undignified act.
“She’s always playing the good Samaritan all by herself.”
Doana chuckled as she approached Eric.
“Looks like a drowned rat.”
She sneered and smiled at Roje’s unsightly, wet figure. She had wondered if Roje dared to defy Eric’s order and let the butler in, but in the end, all she did was a mere ‘handshake.’ Relief washed over her, and at the same time, Roje’s inability to do anything felt laughable.
‘Right, what could *you* possibly do?’
With the butler expelled, Doana had nothing to fear now. She glanced at Eric’s face. Judging by his deeply furrowed brow, Roje’s actions seemed quite vexing to him.
‘Should I try to coax him now?’
Eric had only spoken of divorce but hadn’t taken any decisive action, which frustrated Doana.
‘If a man makes a decision, he should act on it immediately. Why is he so slow?’
She was already pregnant with Eric’s child. A part of her should have felt at ease, yet an inexplicable anxiety lingered. Was it because of the unpredictable Roje, or the inscrutable Eric?
‘I need to make him truly mine.’
She subtly leaned against Eric, who was standing idly. Then, she seductively ran her hand down his body. At her tantalizing touch, Eric, who had been gazing out the window, turned to Doana. When Doana’s eyes met Eric’s, she subtly narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“Hold me.”
***
“Madam.”
“You must be cold. Come here.”
Entering the mansion, she was greeted by maids with bloodshot eyes. In their hands, they held soft, fluffy towels. They couldn’t hide their sad expressions. They seemed to feel guilty about not being able to see Gwen off. The maids draped a large towel over Roje’s trembling shoulders. Jane came to Roje’s side and quietly dabbed the water from her hair.
“You’re all wet.”
Not only Jane but all the maids had dark shadows cast over their faces. If she were to tell them that she had decided to take in the butler in this situation, the atmosphere would quickly change, but Roje didn’t do that.
‘I’m sorry to the maids, but it’s not the time to tell them yet.’
If Eric found out, wouldn’t she face a troublesome situation?
‘He’s a petty person, so he might try to sabotage my business.’
It would be better to proceed quietly until the department store’s opening day.
“I saw him off properly. When I shook the butler’s hand, the sky cleared up as if by magic.”
Roje spoke in a bright voice, hoping to lift the somber mood.
“Isn’t it amazing? It felt as if the sky was blessing the butler’s future.”
As her clear voice gently resonated, several maids bowed their heads and wiped away tears.
“The butler’s face as he got into the carriage looked so peaceful. All we need to do is wish him well for his future, and that’s enough.”
*You* did nothing wrong. That’s how Roje’s words sounded to them. Roje gave a bright smile to the maids, who were on the verge of tears, and then headed to her room. Jane scurried after Roje.
“Thank you, Madam.”
Jane hadn’t expected Roje to brave the storm to go to Gwen. She was extremely grateful for Roje’s actions. Because Gwen, who almost left the mansion forlornly without any farewell, had received a send-off from the mistress he served. Roje, who had reached her door, paused and stopped in her tracks. Holding the doorknob, she turned around without opening the door and looked at Jane. Roje, looking at Jane with a playful expression, beckoned her closer. Jane tilted her head at Roje’s gesture and took a step closer. Roje leaned her mouth close to Jane’s ear and whispered softly.
“I’m taking the butler. So don’t worry too much.”
At her whispered words, Jane’s eyes immediately widened.
“W-what?”
At Jane’s voice, Roje put a finger to her lips, shushing her.
“I’m only telling you, Jane. So cheer up now.”
Jane just blinked blankly at Roje’s words. The tears that had been on the verge of falling had already completely vanished.
“Uh, what kind of work are you taking the butler for?”
“Hmm. That’s still a secret. I’ll tell you when it’s more concrete.”
If the old Roje had said something like this, Jane might have immediately given her a suspicious look. Because she would have thought, *how could Roje, who couldn’t even take care of herself, take responsibility for the butler?* But that wasn’t the case anymore. The Roje standing before her was no longer helpless.
‘Yes. Madam must have a plan.’
Let’s trust the Madam.
“Madam!”
Jane embraced Roje with a moved expression.
“Ah, Jane. Get off me! You’ll get wet too.”
Roje tried to push Jane away, but Jane only hugged her tighter.
“Truly, there’s no one like you, Madam.”
Roje smiled, seeing Jane burying her face into her.
“You’re impossible, really.”
She gave up trying to push Jane away and patted her back. Just as Jane had, Roje also comforted her.
“Ah-ah-achoo!”
Roje, who had been patting Jane, sniffled and sneezed. Jane finally seemed to snap out of it and suddenly looked up.
“This is no time for this! Madam, you’re cold, aren’t you?”
Roje sniffled and said,
“I feel a bit shivery.”
“Oh dear! It would be terrible if you caught a cold!”
Having regained her spirits so quickly, Jane’s voice was remarkably loud.
“Let’s go inside first, Madam. You need to take off your wet clothes.”
Jane practically pushed Roje into the room. Then, with very hurried hands, she gripped Roje’s dress.
“Oh, right, let’s only tell Sir Sereun about what just happened.”
Roje, whose mood had improved along with Jane’s renewed spirits, spoke kindly.
‘Jane and Sir Sereun. They haven’t told me, but there’s definitely a strong romantic current flowing between them.’
The way they looked at each other was incredibly fervent. They had never officially said, ‘We’re dating,’ but it was far too obvious. The subtle ways they cared for each other, and the occasional natural skinship. They say that office romances are always obvious, no matter how much people try to hide them.
‘…Now that I think about it, it was the same reaction when Lee Dohyeon and I revealed we were dating.’
‘Everyone knows you two are dating, don’t they?’
‘Right. Honey was practically dripping from your eyes.’
When she bravely revealed it at a college drinking party, people’s reactions were quite nonchalant. They said their relationship was already too obvious, or something. Everyone else knew, but it was a secret only to the two of them. Recalling memories with him wasn’t pleasant, but it helped Roje understand her classmates’ feelings. Jane, who usually giggled whenever Sereun was mentioned, now hardened her face in a frightening way, unlike her usual self.
“...No. Don’t tell Sir Sereun.”
“Uh, huh?”
*Why is she like this today?* Roje stared at Jane with wide eyes, surprised by her unusual demeanor. *Oh, you must tell Sir Sereun,* she should have said, giggling.
‘…That’s strange. Did they fight?’
Roje glanced at Jane. Jane’s eyes were blazing like flames. Roje couldn’t hide her bewilderment at Jane’s burning gaze.
‘S-scary…’
She felt an unspoken fury, as if Jane wouldn’t let Sereun off the hook.
“Madam, from now on, don’t keep that bastard—no, that man—close to you.”
*Hmm? Bastard?* So Jane could make such a fierce expression, too… She had always shown Roje an angelic smile, so Roje hadn’t known she had such a human side.
‘It seems Sir Sereun must have done something seriously wrong.’
Roje quickly scanned Jane with a bewildered look.
‘…No couple ring?’
Roje, who had been carefully observing Jane’s hand, noticed that the ring she had cherished and worn was gone.
‘Oh dear… it seems they had a more serious fight than I thought.’
For her to even take off the ring, it must be something significant.
‘So that’s why Sir Sereun has been scarce these past few days.’
Sereun, who usually showed his face every day, hadn’t been seen since the day before yesterday. She had just thought he was too busy to come, but it seemed there was a problem in his relationship with Jane. Jane’s lips parted as she looked at the clueless Roje.
‘I have to tell Madam. That Sereun bastard has been spying on us from the beginning.’
A sharp pain shot through Jane’s chest at the thought of Sereun.
‘…Bad bastard!’
Because she had been in despair, she couldn’t tell Roje immediately. It was hard enough to compose her own feelings. But now, she would have to reveal his true nature. Jane, with her subdued eyes, struggled to open her mouth.
“Um, Madam. There’s something I need to tell you…”
The moment Jane spoke, a maid knocked on Roje’s door. Knock, knock.
“Madam, your bathwater is ready.”
“Ah, thank you. I’ll be right there.”
Roje sniffled and replied immediately.
“I should quickly warm myself in the hot water. I still feel shivery.”
Roje, who had been muttering to herself with a bright expression, turned back to Jane and asked,
“Oh, Jane. What were you going to say?”
“Ah… I’ll tell you later.”
She couldn’t keep the shivering Madam standing like this. Jane shook her head and said softly.
“Alright, I understand.”
Roje nodded at Jane’s words and exited the room.
“I will escort you to the bathroom.”
The maid who greeted Roje at the door seemed somewhat restless. She fidgeted with her fingers, then pointed to the right and said,
“Um… today, you’ll be using the bathroom over there…”
The maid trailed off, gauging Roje’s reaction.
‘So there are multiple bathrooms?’
Seeing the maid pointing in a different direction than usual, Roje didn’t think much of it. She hadn’t expected such a vast mansion to have only one bathroom.
“Yes, alright. Lead the way.”
At Roje’s words, the maid quietly nodded. She led Roje with quick, short steps.
“Please go in.”
Reaching the bathroom, the door opened with a *thud*. Roje’s mouth fell open at the sight of a bathroom much larger and more opulent than the one she usually used. Aside from its spaciousness, the entire bathroom was filled with the scent of lavender. There were flower petals floating in the bathtub, and scented candles everywhere. If one were to receive a proposal in a bathroom, it might feel something like this. Roje felt bewildered by the somehow excessive atmosphere of the bathroom.
“Then, please enjoy your time.”
With those last words, the maid left the bathroom. Normally, she would assist Roje with her bath, but she had rushed out. Roje, left alone, couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.
“...‘Enjoy your time,’ she said. Does she mean to enjoy my time alone?”
The words sounded strangely odd. Roje tilted her head and removed her gown. Only a thin slip was precariously revealed. The moment she picked up the slip to remove her remaining clothes, the bathroom door burst open. Roje quickly lowered the clothing she had lifted and turned her head. Roje’s face, as she looked towards the door, quickly turned cold.
“...Eric?”
There stood Eric, clad only in a single gown.
