Cynthia stared at Dale with her mouth wide open. Dale shrugged once and continued speaking.
“The problem was that you got extremely drunk last time.”
“What? The alcohol?”
“You like drinking, but you get drunk easily. What if we let you go out freely and you get drunk and reveal secrets about the Bailey family?”
What is he talking about!
It felt unfair, but she couldn’t argue back. Cynthia pouted and glared at Dale.
“There isn’t much time left. If you endure just a little longer, ownership of the Litemper Guild will be transferred. Please hold on until then.”
“When exactly is that?”
“…Soon.”
“When is ‘soon’?”
Dale subtly avoided her gaze.
Touching the frame of his glasses, he spoke again.
“Anyway, since you say it’s suffocating and stressful, I’ll at least give you some freedom.”
“Ha…”
“Except for a few strictly forbidden areas, you may move freely around the Bailey estate. If you wish, you may also eat in the dining hall. However, you must use the servants’ dining hall.”
Yes, yes. I wasn’t expecting much anyway.
Cynthia leaned back on the sofa, glaring at him.
“And if you’re bored because you have no one to talk to…”
“You mean I should come to you? Since you’re the only one I can talk to?”
“What? No.”
Dale looked at her seriously.
A clear refusal.
That hurts, Dale…
“I’m busy. Until now, I paid more attention to you so you could adjust to the estate, but now I have many other matters to handle besides you.”
“…”
“Instead, I’ll assign you a maid to keep you company. Is there anyone you prefer?”
“I haven’t even talked to anyone, how would I have a preference—”
Cynthia, who had been grumbling, suddenly stopped.
After a moment of thought, she lifted her head and spoke.
“Violet! I’d like Violet.”
****
Cynthia lifted her red eyes and looked at Violet, who was sitting across from her.
Her expression and posture were stiff.
Anyone could tell she was extremely uncomfortable being here.
Now it just looks like I’m bullying her…
“Um… V-Violet…?”
“Yes, Miss Cynthia.”
“You heard from Dale that you’ll be working with me from today, right?”
“Yes.”
Such short answers.
Feeling awkward, Cynthia picked up the teacup in front of her. After blowing on it and taking a sip, she spoke again.
“Ah, you heard about my role and… the Bailey family situation from Dale, right?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t feel too pressured… I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes.”
Does she only know how to say ‘yes’?
Cynthia glanced at Violet, who still sat stiffly.
She had a small build for her age, freckles across her cheeks, and red hair.
From their brief conversation before, Cynthia felt that Violet viewed Elizabeth differently from most people in the Bailey estate.
“Your main role is to talk with me, right?”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, it’s just so boring being stuck in this huge estate.”
“Ah.”
“I’m not some high-ranking noble lady, and there’s probably not much for you to help me with. So just come by my room casually when you’re tired or bored and chat with me!”
Violet slowly nodded, looking a bit puzzled.
“Ah… okay…”
“We don’t seem that far apart in age, so you can speak casually too!”
“No, I cannot.”
Violet refused firmly.
All the servants in the Bailey family are so strict…
Cynthia nodded bitterly.
“Th-then just do whatever makes you comfortable.”
As silence fell again, Cynthia wondered if she had made the wrong choice.
Maybe she should’ve picked someone more cheerful and talkative…
With Violet being so guarded, having a comfortable conversation seemed nearly impossible.
At that moment, Violet glanced at the closed door and carefully spoke.
“Miss Cynthia.”
“Yes?”
Cynthia, who had been fidgeting with her teacup, looked up in surprise.
“To be honest… I feel a bit strange right now. Your voice is exactly like our lady’s.”
“Ah… really?”
“Yes. If I close my eyes… it feels like Lady Elizabeth is right in front of me.”
Violet spoke calmly.
Cynthia looked at her, noticing a hint of sadness, and spoke slowly.
“It seems like you were close to Lady Elizabeth.”
“I told you before, I’m not important enough to say that.”
“But…”
“I was just one of many maids who dressed her up…”
Looking down at the rug, lost in thought, Violet suddenly lifted her head and asked.
“You said I could come and chat comfortably, right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes…!”
“Actually, talking about Lady Elizabeth is almost forbidden in this estate…”
Violet let out a small sigh.
Cynthia nodded and quietly waited for her to continue.
“Lady Elizabeth… to others, she probably seemed like nothing more than a cruel and rude lady. I don’t even know how many maids quit because of her…”
Ah… as expected, Elizabeth really was the classic villainess of the novel.
Well, of course! That’s why she casually played around with different men every other day!
“At first, I was really scared too. I never knew when she would suddenly lash out.”
Violet narrowed her eyes as if recalling the past.
“She would scold us for all sorts of things—brushing too slowly, mismatched hairpins and dresses, tea getting cold, not opening the curtains on time… Looking back, she really found many ways to yell at us.”
“Oh…”
“But after shouting and throwing things around until all the maids were driven out, when she was left alone…”
Violet pulled the corners of her lips into a faint smile.
“…she was sad. Sometimes she would call a few of us back and apologize.”
“Really?”
“She said it was all side effects of her medication. When she wasn’t affected by it, she was usually quiet.”
“…Medication?”
“She regularly took medication for depression.”
Depression medication…?
That was unexpected.
In the original novel, <When I Devour You Like a Single Rose, I’m So Happy!>—shortened as <One Line Walk>—Elizabeth was mostly shown indulging in pleasure.
Of course, she was a complex character, so there had to be more sides to her, but this was completely unexpected.
“Maybe others didn’t know, but I did. Our lady… was lonelier than anyone. Someone with deep, painful wounds.”
“Violet…”
Cynthia stood up and moved beside Violet, whose eyes had turned red.
She handed her a handkerchief and gently wrapped an arm around her small shoulders.
“In the Bailey family, no one mourns Lady Elizabeth’s death. In fact, many people feel relieved that someone they disliked is gone…”
Violet continued, her voice trembling.
“But I… sometimes, I miss her…”
“That’s why you secretly clean her room sometimes, right?”
“Sniff…”
Cynthia gently patted Violet’s back as she began to cry.
She glanced at the cold teacup on the table.
“….”
Did Elizabeth know?
That there was someone who would grieve her death like this?
Cynthia quietly wondered.
What was Elizabeth Bailey’s real life like?
Not just the immoral villainess who chased pleasure, built a reverse harem, and had relationships with twenty men—but the real person.
Amid Violet’s quiet sobs filling the room, emotions Cynthia couldn’t quite define began to swirl within her.
Comments (0)