205 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 205
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It was five days after the incident that Margo was kicked out of the mansion. She hadn't received proper treatment or food during that time, and she had aged drastically in just a few days. In fact, she looked as if she could collapse and die at any moment.
Margo nodded obediently at the order to leave the mansion. As she did, she looked around as if searching for Roena, and when she didn't see her young mistress, her face contorted and she bit her lip tightly. Her collapsed face was full of sorrow.
The old woman had been stripped of everything she had ever received, on the charge of attempting to curse the child in Roena's womb but failing. Her previous belongings had already been distributed among the other maids by my order. She had nothing but the clothes on her back. In other words, she was penniless, without even a speck of dust.
I heard that her family lived in a rural area that would take two weeks to reach even by carriage, so it would be very difficult for her to walk there with nothing. It would be even harder in her abnormal condition.
Throughout her punishment, Margo was ignored by everyone. The maids, in particular, avoided even mentioning her, as if she were a plague victim.
I had thought that at least one of the maids who had maintained a friendship with Margo would secretly take care of her.
The maids who had previously associated with her acted as if they had nothing to do with Margo, trying to distance themselves for fear of being harmed. Even the butler only clicked his tongue quietly, taking no action.
As Margo struggled through the still-dark paths, leaving the mansion illuminated by the dawn behind her, her receding figure perfectly embodied the word 'downfall.'
It was a pathetic departure, not befitting the old tyrant who had once carried Roena on her back and controlled the maids of the mansion after the Countess's death.
I later heard that she was beaten to death by a vagrant she met on the road while walking towards her hometown, and considering that she completely disappeared without sending even a single letter to Roena, it seems that the rumor was not entirely unfounded.
However, it was something I heard after a very long time, and I was very satisfied just by the fact that she had been separated from the Bishvarts Family's mansion. Mother was angry, saying that the punishment was too lenient.
Because of Margo's situation, Roena was frequently mentioned by everyone. Some people admired her for trying to show mercy to a maid who had almost harmed Mother, but most were displeased that Roena had failed to show a noble demeanor.
No matter how deep her feelings for Margo were, she should have taken care of Mother first, even if only to maintain appearances.
Only nobles could despise nobles. This was like an absolute promise that should not be violated.
But Roena had broken it, so she couldn't avoid gossip. It was a case of ruining everything by worrying too much about her external reputation.
I heard that Pulcher was angry at her for disobeying his orders, and it seems to be true, considering that even though Roena hadn't been out for days due to her confinement, she didn't receive a single invitation.
Roena was very depressed while confined in her room, and she struggled with insomnia, eventually becoming so ill that she had to call the doctor.
Margo wasn't there to listen to her complaints, and the maids didn't do anything for her except for the necessary services, so she was heartbroken to the point of being devastated.
"She will need to take medication and rest for a few days."
The doctor sighed and said to me. It was already the second time Roena had collapsed due to a mental illness. It was something that could be treated with medication now, but the doctor's face was full of worry for her, saying that he didn't know what would happen if it got worse.
"Let's send her to the villa in the countryside to rest. She'll feel much better then."
Roena nodded obediently at the suggestion of going to the countryside villa to rest. Her face, which was full of listlessness, looked very haggard in just a few days.
A loneliness like that of a withered flower was emanating from her. Her dry, parched skin was so bad that it was hard to imagine that it was the same Roena who had always shone brightly.
But no one mentioned her miserable condition. They only watched my reaction and provided the minimum service. Despite not showing any reaction.
This atmosphere was also evident when packing her luggage. In the past, everything would have been prepared in the highest quality to suit Roena, but instead of buying new items, they were simply packing the existing items in a simple manner and putting them in the carriage.
The butler coughed softly, embarrassed by the sight, but he soon shut his mouth and pretended not to notice when I said that she would only be gone for a very short time. The knight escorting Roena was not Sir Halberd, but someone else.
The Knight of Clear Hearing refused Roena's request to go with her, saying in a firm voice that the duty of protecting the family was more important. Lord Schilfise angrily rebuked Halberd, but it was difficult to gain the same sympathy as before, as many people were disappointed in her because of Margo's incident.
"The Order of Knights of the family may need a new wind."
The guardian and the butler both wore tense expressions at my words, which I casually dropped while approving the documents for Roena's trip to the villa.
Lord Schilfise is the representative of the knights who admire Roena and is likely to be an obstacle to future events. What more can be said about the man who defended Roena, arguing that Margo's incident should have been investigated further instead of letting her go like this?
In particular, Lord Schilfise had been saying since before that it should have been Roena, not me, who had obtained a guardian. So he was also displeased that I was taking care of the mansion instead of Roena.
Fortunately, he was very old and not far from retirement. He was the head of the family's knights and even their teacher, but he couldn't overcome the passage of time, and his skills had deteriorated a lot compared to the past.
So, unlike his busy prime, he spent more time sitting in his office. He left all matters related to training to Sir Halberd.
"We should hold a very grand retirement ceremony to console Lord Schilfise for his hard work, shouldn't we?"
"But isn't he still in good health?"
I slowly blinked my eyes at the butler's words, as if asking what he was talking about.
"Well, would someone in good health say such unreasonable things? Surely you don't think I'm mistaken, do you?"
Since acquiring the document given by the Emperor, my actions within the mansion have become more daring than before. In the past, I was hiding behind the guardian, but now I am standing shoulder to shoulder with him and getting involved in various events.
Of course, I was cautious when it came to matters related to Roena, and I had no choice but to be, but I was ruthless in other matters. Even I thought I was a tyrant.
In fact, it wasn's that there were no complaints about this, and there were actually people who voiced their complaints, but fortunately, these things were limited to Roena's people, so there was no unfortunate escalation into a major conflict.
How long would complaints that don't gain sympathy last before they would protect themselves? If I ignored them as if I didn't hear them and they subtly diverted their complaints elsewhere, they would soon quiet down, so now only those who watched my reaction remained. Now, only Lord Schilfise could defend Roena and speak frankly.
Of course, the greedy relatives wouldn't have stayed still. When my existence came to the surface, they criticized me, saying, "Where did this woman with no roots dare to come from?"
They swarmed in as if they had caught something, trying to tear me apart, reminding me of dirty stray dogs. Some even petitioned the Emperor, feeling triumphant.
But the Emperor, and secondarily the Crown Prince, ignored their words and instead put pressure on them, so even those complaints soon subsided.
Even if Lavalliere tried to step in - she thought Roena's trip to the villa was an expulsion - she used Lian as a shield and pretended not to hear, so there was nothing she could do.
I was a little concerned that Roena's maternal family was still watching silently, but since they didn't contact her separately, I was also quietly keeping an eye on them.
The butler sometimes said things that bothered me like this, but he kept to the appropriate level and backed down, so there was no way to deal with him. Unless he interfered excessively, there was no reason to get rid of him. The guardian had been nothing more than a scarecrow for me since before, so I would just leave him in this state.
Therefore, my words about Lord Schilfise were nothing more than a notification that I would do so. That's why they were so shocked.
"I know what the butler is worried about right now. You probably think it's very excessive to urge him to retire without any reason. But you know that Lord Schilfise is only focusing on the documents right now. So I'm thinking of giving him a chance."
"A chance?"
"Roena is going to the villa to rest. Let's entrust him with the task of escorting her."
The butler's face stiffened at my words. Entrusting the task of escorting to a knight like him could be considered a breach of etiquette.
This is because the tone of voice showed no respect for the knight who had worked hard for the family for a long time. From the very word 'chance,' it contained a very inappropriate meaning, so the butler's face flushed as if he had been insulted.
"The best knight in existence cannot move in order to protect the family. As the situation is what it is, we can't let go of the tension. That's why I'm going to send Lord Schilfise, who is also a symbol of the Bishvarts Family and is respected by everyone, as a companion on our beloved Roena's journey. Is there any problem with that?"
The justification is sufficient. As long as Lord Schilfise has feelings of admiration for Roena, it was a proposal that could not be faulted anywhere. But the intention behind it was impure and full of disparagement for him, so it was impossible not to feel uncomfortable.
The butler moved his lips several times as if wanting to refute, but he soon closed his mouth when he saw me looking at him as if waiting for something.
Perhaps he instinctively thought that if he said one more word here, he might be urged to retire in disgrace.
The reason why the butler had been able to stay in the mansion for a long time and firmly maintain his position without any rumors was because of his excellent ability to sense danger.
"Then let's make a very polite proposal to Lord Schilfise, knowing that. I would like you to take on that task, Butler."
I stamped the family seal on the prepared documents and handed them to the butler. The butler looked at me with an indescribable expression, then weakly nodded and accepted them.
The answer of 'yes' that flowed from his lips was another name for resignation. He realized that if he couldn't persuade Lord Schilfise, he wouldn't be comfortable either.
"I trust you, Butler."
Wouldn't being stuck in a swamp and unable to move be what this situation is called? I picked up the next document with a refreshing smile. I was working hard, reducing the time I spent drinking tea, because there were so many documents to process today.
So I pretended not to notice the actions of the two men who were watching my reaction and turning their eyes away. The path of the dictator was sailing smoothly, as if it had met a tailwind. That's why even this time buried in documents was enjoyable. The Bishvarts Family, which was being newly created by my hands, felt so lovely.
A few days later, I don't know how the butler managed to persuade him, but Lord Schilfise ended up accompanying Roena on her trip to the countryside.
People who didn't know the inside story praised his loyalty and my concern for Roena, but Roena's face, who was being escorted by him, was full of gloom.
She kept looking wistfully towards Sir Halberd even as she got into the carriage, but that was only for a moment, and she was very shocked by his unwavering attitude of seeing her off and hurriedly went inside. Only a few of the maids who had served her followed, all of whom were people that Marie had carefully selected.
"Come back healthy."
I put my hand on the carriage window and said in a kind voice. And without waiting for her answer, I immediately knocked on the side door of the carriage and signaled for it to depart.
Even if words come quickly, I had already arranged for her not to be able to return unless I gave my permission, and by the time Roena returned to the mansion, everything would be different.
But if I had known that a letter would come a few days later saying that Roena had disappeared, I would never have let her go like that.
Unfortunately, Roena did not arrive at the villa at the scheduled time, and she and Lord Schilfise disappeared without a trace. As if someone had cast a spell, just like that.
