Chapter 5
Translated by: ME
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*****
Rose’s fever finally broke as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. With slightly unsteady steps, she offered her thanks and prepared to return to the Pendleton estate.
Count Goldsmith had readied a carriage bearing his family crest to see Rose and Alfred off.
「I wanted to escort you all the way home, but I have work to attend to now. I’ve assigned two guards to accompany you; if anything happens, do not hesitate to call upon them.」
「Thank you. You’ve done so much already, and yet I... I don't even have the means to repay you for the doctor's fees...」
Rose looked down, overwhelmed by the stinging shame of her own financial helplessness.
「You mustn't trouble yourself over that. Josh caused the injury, and even if he hadn't, this is an expense Count Pendleton ought to bear. Rose, let us speak more during the next parent-teacher meeting at the academy. If you truly care for Alfred, you must change this situation.」
Logan’s compassionate words weighed heavily on her heart. Pride clashed with the humiliation of having a stranger comment on her family affairs, making her hesitate to offer a simple "yes" in response.
「...Please, let me think about it.」
She managed to squeeze out those few words, and Logan offered a slightly troubled smile.
「I won't claim to fully understand your feelings, but you should start by attending a tea party. You are a brilliant woman; I am certain that by listening to the talk of the other ladies, you will be able to accurately grasp your own standing.」
The words of her old friend left Rose wavering. 「I just need a little time to organize my thoughts.」
「Of course. Take your time and think it over until that day.」
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, a subtle connection unnoticed by the children, who were preoccupied discussing their school assignments. Rose bowed deeply and departed from Logan’s presence.
***
As expected, Siegfried was still absent when they arrived at the Pendleton estate. Doril, performing only the bare minimum of etiquette required for a servant, inquired about Alfred’s condition.
「Young Master, how is your health?」
As usual, he didn't bother to bow, treating the question as a mere status check. Under normal circumstances, Alfred would have answered politely as the heir of the house, but today was different.
「So even you are capable of a modicum of concern... More importantly, the members of another household mocked us because my mother was sent out without an escort. That was your failing.」
Alfred maintained an expressionless, sullen face, his gaze icy. Doril looked momentarily flustered, but quickly decided to ignore the "child" and ended the interaction there. For some reason, the servants directed accusing glares at Rose as if she were the one to blame, but she was so haunted by her conversation with Logan that she remained unresponsive to Doril’s pressure and retreated to her room.
Though Doril and the maids felt a slight sense of unease, they didn't pay the pair much mind. To them, Rose and Alfred were insignificant; their only concerns were Siegfried and the former Count and Countess. That day, a message arrived from an oblivious Siegfried stating he would be stopping by his mistress's house. The servants, realizing their master would be late and feeling that the neglected wife and child deserved no better, happily began plotting how to skimp on the evening menu.
***
From that day forward, everything changed.
Alfred no longer looked at the future of the Pendleton house with his previous optimism, his mind now occupied by Logan’s words and Josh’s stories. The next day at school, the boy named Hawke continued to make life a living hell for him, but in just twenty-four hours, Alfred's heart had hardened. He no longer had the mental energy to care about childish bullying. He realized that if his father cast them out, he would have to worry about where his next meal was coming from. No matter how many insults Hawke threw his way, the current reality—where he didn't even know if he could continue attending the academy—made the taunts seem like nothing more than the tantrums of a toddler.
Sensing Alfred's cold, detached attitude, his classmates gradually settled down, watching from a distance as he moved with an aura so sharp it felt like he might cut anyone who touched him. Alfred spent his time calmly analyzing his situation.
Logan had been honest with him, holding nothing back about the "adult circumstances." Alfred had always assumed he would inherit the headship, but he now saw how precarious that was. He felt no shred of respect for his father; he saw him only as a pathetic excuse for a human being. Everyone in class that day had clearly looked down on his father, and Alfred found himself utterly uninterested in a title held by a man who invited such contempt. Confirming what he had long suspected—that Siegfried lacked the essential qualities of a father—Alfred’s resolve to become independent grew even firmer.
***
Rose wasted no time in asking her sister-in-law to arrange for her to attend a tea party. It was there that an incident occurred which forced her to realize just how abnormal her situation had become.
Her sister-in-law chose an event hosted by the wife of Viscount Shelcoat, a woman with a wide circle of noble acquaintances. Since Rose lacked the foundation for modern socialite small talk, her sister-in-law had spent a short time drilling basic information into her. Rose wore a second-hand dress gifted by her brother, which she had altered slightly to fit current trends, and her sister-in-law provided the gift for the hostess. While Viscountess Shelcoat welcomed her warmly, the afternoon was far from peaceful.
The party began pleasantly enough, but Rose was so ignorant of trendy sweets and jewelers that one by one, the other guests began to drift away from her. Out of respect for the Viscountess, no one was overtly rude, but they offered her pitying smiles as they left.
Seeing Rose left alone, the young bride of a Baron seized her chance and approached.
「Do you happen to know that your husband is frequently seen at the gambling halls?」
It was a blatant attempt to rattle her, made by a woman with a nasty streak who clearly intended to use the reaction as fodder for the next social gathering. Rose looked at the Baroness with absolute calm.
The young woman smiled innocently, decked out in a trendy dress and lavish jewelry. Though Rose felt the sting of being mocked by a woman she had never met—one married to a man thirteen years her senior—her inner strength allowed her to respond coolly, as if it were of no consequence.
「Yes, my husband has a wide circle of acquaintances, so he makes appearances in many places. There is never a shortage of kind souls willing to inform me of his whereabouts.」 She offered a deliberate, sweet smile.
The Baroness’s lips curled into a smirk. 「Oh? So you did know? My husband mentioned he caught sight of Lord Pendleton and his... company. Come to think of it, I saw them at Kiki's Boutique as well. But it seems you aren't wearing a dress from Kiki's today, are you, Lady Pendleton?」
Rose let out a quiet sigh at the woman's petty mockery.
(I know, and my husband knows, that Siegfried is playing around where you can't see him. It seems he wasn't buying your dress at Kiki's Boutique; I wonder whose it was then?) The veiled insult was loud and clear.
Finding herself mocked by a woman she had only just met, Rose finally understood why Logan had urged her to attend. By staying away from society due to financial troubles, she had allowed the entire Pendleton house to be disparaged. The perception that the Countess was someone who could be slighted had trickled down even to the lowest ranks of the nobility. Logan’s goal had been to show her exactly where she stood in the social hierarchy. It was unheard of for an Earl's wife to be ridiculed by a member of a Baron's house.
Rose steeled her resolve as if tightening the laces of her corset.
「A dress... that boutique is notorious for its gossiping seamstresses, isn't it? I make it a point to stay away from such places now. Men really are oblivious, aren't they? If you want a recommendation, you should try Gabanna’s. They’ve recently hired seamstresses who can work with the new silk fabrics from the western countries; even the Duchesses are flocking there to place orders. And... their seamstresses are far more discreet.」
(That's all information I parroted from my sister-in-law... it's pathetic that this is the only knowledge I have.)
However, Rose didn't let a hint of her insecurity show. As she spoke with a quiet smile, an unexpected air of authority surged from her youthful face.
「Lady Rose, you truly are well-informed about foreign industries,」 Viscountess Shelcoat remarked, returning to the table with Rose’s sister-in-law, looking genuinely impressed.
With her allies back, Rose spent the rest of the time offering her theories on international production and economics, topics that the intellectually shallow Baroness couldn't hope to follow. Realizing she was outmatched and that Rose was far more formidable than she appeared, the Baroness awkwardly excused herself.
Rose thanked the Viscountess. 「Thank you for allowing me to join you on such short notice today.」
「Not at all. I’ve always wanted to send you invitations just as I used to. Please, feel free to reach out to me anytime.」
On the way home, Rose quietly told her sister-in-law that she finally understood the gravity of her situation.
「You are his legal wife, you know? Why not try talking to Lord Siegfried one more time instead of just enduring it?」 Her sister-in-law spoke with the warmth of an old school friend.
The more they spoke, the more Rose felt that her current state was detrimental to the family. She decided she would attempt a conversation with Siegfried before giving up entirely. However, that resolve proved to be utterly in vain.
Siegfried refused to make any time for her. Hesitant to argue in front of Doril and the others, she tried to catch him in his study for a private talk, but he rebuffed her at every turn. She tried when he returned home, in the early morning, and at dinner. She timed her attempts perfectly, but each time she was met with a glare.
「I need to speak with you about us, and about Alfred.」
Even then, he would only say: 「You’re the wife in charge of this house, aren't you? Manage the boy's education yourself. I have to leave now.」
「Where to?」
「Business. What else would it be?」
As Siegfried cast a look of utter annoyance at her, Rose’s spirit began to wither.
(How much easier would it be if I could just tell him I know it’s not business... but if I said that without hard proof, he would just accuse me of being hysterical. If we can't even have a conversation, perhaps we aren't even a married couple anymore...)
After being rejected so many times, a strange, calm stillness settled over Rose’s heart.
One evening, exhausted from her struggles, she went to the dining hall to get some wine.
『The Mistress is trying so hard to get the Master's attention lately; she must be terrified of that mistress. She even dug out an old dress and sewed it back together just to force her way into that tea party the other day.』
『It must be exhausting to try that hard. I wonder if she only went to save face for the Earldom?』 『She probably just went to fish for information on that mistress. It’s far too late for that, though.』
Rose sighed as the sounds of the maids giggling in the kitchen echoed through the late-night air.
(I'm leaving.)
(I'll make a plan to take Alfred and leave this house.)
The following night, Rose sat in Alfred’s bedroom and told him exactly how she felt. Her heart felt as though it might break at the cruelty of burdening a nine-year-old with such things, but Alfred accepted it with a gentle, mature gaze.
「Mother. This house can no longer be called a family. I have no regrets about leaving my classmates behind. Even if life is hard after we leave, I’m sure it will be better than staying here with a father like him.」
「If you endure, you might eventually inherit the title. Even so, will you come with me?」
「The Pendleton house is just a family of poor nobles supported by Kirkland funds. It doesn't matter. If possible, I’ll aim to become a civil official or a knight. We might have to rely on your family for a while, but I believe that if we live modestly and honestly, it will eventually pay off.」
A lump formed in Rose’s throat. She was moved by his growth as an individual—trying to support her despite being a child—and by how dependable he had become.
「I will do my best, Alfred.」
「My mind is made up, too.」
The mother and son shared a firm embrace. Feeling the strength of their bond, the anxiety about life after divorce began to fade.
(I'll consult with Count Goldsmith.)
With that decision made, Rose was able to smile with more positivity than she had felt in months.
***「I want a divorce, and I want proper alimony.」
「Then allow me to tell you how we shall proceed,」 Logan replied, his voice low and steady, intended to reassure her.
*****
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