Chapter 6
Translated by: ME
-Horizontal.jpg)
*****
She had spent the last few days repeatedly insisting on the carriage arrangements.
Was it because she had pointed out the sloppiness of the cleaning that they were feeling spiteful? By rights, both the son and the wife of the Pendleton house should ride in a carriage bearing the family crest. Yet, as always, the butlers merely sneered with malice.
「Our apologies, Madam. This is quite sudden, but we have been instructed by Lord Siegfried to keep the carriage reserved for his use today. We assumed you were already aware. We can prepare a simple transport for you, if that would suffice?」
To her disbelief, what they offered was not a carriage fit for nobility, but a hooded wagon typically used by lower-level servants. Normally, the Pendleton carriage should have been available for the wife and son to use without hesitation. But the butlers laughed mockingly, just as they always did.
Rose turned pale; it was exactly as Logan had predicted.
(Do they not realize how much we will stand out? To expect us to roll up to a gathering of the nobility in a hooded wagon... I truly question their common sense. I suppose, being commoners, they don't understand the value of the Pendleton name. Everything is happening exactly as Logan said it would...)
Even now, she felt like mocking her past self for harboring even a sliver of hope for her husband’s household.
「I see. Very well then. Since we still have time, I shall hire a private carriage.」
Ignoring the crude transport, Rose headed toward the main thoroughfare. No lady’s maid followed her.
The butler, Doril, and his cohorts had expected the Mistress to beg—to plead, 「Please, I beg of you, take us to the academy in the family carriage!」 Lately, she had been showing a bit too much backbone for their liking, so they had conspired together to "teach her a lesson." They were somewhat deflated by her reaction, but they figured she didn't have much money anyway. They sneered inwardly, certain she would only be able to afford the shabbiest of rentals.
Despite Alfred’s stern warnings to Doril, the servants continued to look down on the words of a child.
(Well, I suppose that means the plan is proceeding smoothly.)
Using the money Logan had provided, Rose climbed into a pre-reserved carriage and headed for the academy with a composed expression. Logan had anticipated this very scenario when he formulated the plan.
『If you stay out of sight starting today, everything should be settled within a week at the earliest.』
Logan had said as much, but Rose had remained half-skeptical.
For her birthday this month, the Kirkland family had sent her a refined navy-blue dress. Wearing it, her posture was straighter than usual, and her expression regained the spirited look she had held before her marriage.
Even so, the servants' attitude was disheartening. Having spent nearly ten years with them, the fact that they would treat her this way proved there was no longer any hope to be found. Ever since that tea party had opened her eyes to the abnormality of her situation, Rose had stopped hunching her shoulders. She had accepted that such behavior was a poor example for Alfred.
Once you accept the fact that you are being neglected and cast aside your misplaced pride, things that were once invisible become clear. She realized anew that her friends from her academy days had been worried about her and had been trying to reach out.
She had also been a constant burden to the Kirkland family... Her sister-in-law had told her that while her brothers had no love for the Pendletons, they had maintained a friendly facade in society only because Rose herself hadn't spoken up. They had even tolerated emergency expenses and delayed payments for her sake.
Carrying these swirling emotions, she turned her eyes toward her beloved son. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Alfred, beaming as he wore his squad leader’s armband. Wearing that armband even once during one's time at the academy was considered a great honor.
Back at the academy after so long, parents from other houses, the headmaster, and teachers one after another came to greet Rose. Everyone treated a parent and child who took their studies seriously with sincere respect. Every teacher praised Alfred, and one even teased her with a smile, saying, 「It seems Alfred has inherited your competitive streak, Rose.」 To the current Rose, every one of these voices felt warm and seeped into her heart.
***
Alfred’s performance at the competition was nothing short of magnificent, forcing Rose to refold her handkerchief several times—a display of emotion quite unlike her. There was Alfred, standing tall among his friends, leading them with an intelligent and composed expression.Watching alone from the spectator stands, Rose shed tears. The more he excelled, the more her heart ached.
(I am so sorry for being a failure of a parent.)
The guilt was so agonizing it made her chest tighten, and her vision blurred with tears. When the results were announced, Alfred’s team took second place. Ranking right behind the class intended for those entering the knighthood was a feat in itself. Moved by her son’s gallant figure, Rose gripped her handkerchief tight.
「For his sake, I must do this.」
As she whispered those words, strength naturally gathered in her core.
Once the competition concluded, Rose and Alfred left the academy not in a Pendleton carriage (naturally, no such carriage had been sent), but in the private rental they had secured that morning. Following the plan, they made a show of returning home, but when they climbed into the carriage, a different driver was at the reins.
「Rest easy. The plan is proceeding smoothly.」
The driver was a composed man in his forties. They traveled for about two hours until they were taken to a villa specified by Logan. At the well-maintained house with a red roof, a warm meal prepared by an elderly couple awaited them.
They had been told to spend about a week here. Alfred immediately took to the kind elderly couple and, for the first time in a long while, ate a warm meal with a genuine smile. It wasn't vegetable scraps or tough meat; his stomach and heart were filled by the variety of dishes. The growing boy was deeply satisfied and fell into a peaceful sleep that night.
Letters from Logan began arriving the next day.
The operation is proceeding smoothly.
That was how the letter began. It seemed the Pendleton household didn't even realize Rose and Alfred were late until evening, only then sluggishly beginning to move. Not knowing what else to do, they had searched for Siegfried at his mistress's house and visited several of his business associates, which apparently caused a great deal of suspicion. Siegfried had evidently kept his visits to his mistress secret even from the butlers, leaving Doril and the others in a panicked state as they tried to seek their master’s instructions.
When Siegfried finally returned home that night and heard from the butlers that his wife and son were missing, he actually turned pale. When he demanded to know where the carriage was and why no lady's maid was present, they could only look at the floor and admit that no one had accompanied Rose. Stunned, Siegfried waited a few hours before finally contacting the Kirkland family.
「Is Rose visiting you, by any chance?」
The Kirklands were dumbfounded. To have a brother-in-law call at an hour when the dinner dishes were already cleared to ask where his wife was... Her brothers were furious, demanding to know why he hadn't contacted them sooner.
「Well... we were searching ourselves... and more to the point, I was tied up with work and couldn't be reached,」 he rattled off a string of plausible excuses. Hearing this, the brothers grew even more livid, and the wives reportedly glared at the Count with daggers in their eyes.
The letter noted succinctly that her two brilliant brothers would surely expose everything about Siegfried.
As a postscript, Logan had added: 「Begin studying for the female civil official exam immediately,」 and included a collection of practice problems.
Having regained her strength through sleep and proper meals, Rose nodded firmly. She picked up a pen at the desk right next to Alfred, who was already hard at work on his own studies.
***
Brief report letters and messages from Logan continued to arrive once or twice a day. Rose didn't know how he was investigating, but he seemed to know even the smallest details. It seemed the Pendleton household had finally recognized the disappearance as a potential criminal incident, and they were beginning to face condemnation from all sides. The butlers were reportedly being reprimanded by the Kirkland brothers for failing to provide a carriage, and it looked like two lower-level workers were going to be made to take the fall.It was clear that the butler and the head maid were shifting the blame they deserved onto their subordinates. After all, if the carriage had been prepared and a lady's maid assigned, Rose and Alfred could never have vanished so completely.
Having looked down on them like house cats—thinking, 「They’ll be back when it’s time to eat」—the servants had fallen into a frantic panic, but it was too late. Siegfried was reportedly desperate to deflect the brothers' wrath, claiming he knew nothing of the carriage situation and that it was entirely the servants' fault. Furthermore, despite his wife and son being missing, he had supposedly still visited his mistress’s house.
When Rose read that part, her hands shook with rage. She could handle being mistreated herself, but did he not even care about his own son?! That realization set a fire in Rose’s heart.
***
The hired carriage Rose was thought to be in was found overturned near a fallen tree. The door was smashed and the horses were gone, leading the local vigilantes to conclude it was either a robbery or a terrible accident. Based on the fact that a wheel had flown off, the Kirkland brothers were in an uproar, fearing injuries.Siegfried did his best to placate them. 「If they were attacked by thugs, it will leave a stain on Rose’s reputation and Alfred’s future. Please, just give me a little more time!」 he pleaded.
Siegfried couldn't shake the suspicion that his mistress, Catherine, might have had something to do with this. Catherine was a "cute" woman. As a mistress, she had avoided overstepping her bounds—at least, until a year ago.
Since last year, she had begun demanding to be his escort in society and insisted on expensive jewelry, occasionally becoming quite forceful. When she told him, 「I’m giving you my youth,」 he felt a surge of sympathy and paid up. He figured it was better than her demanding to be his wife; he knew full well that the clever Rose was much better suited to managing the household.
Recently, she had been asking him repeatedly, 「You love me more than your wife, don't you?」 It seemed like casual conversation, but the frequency was unsettling. He panicked at the thought of the consequences if Catherine had somehow harmed Rose. He made a sudden visit to Catherine’s house, but she seemed to know nothing, which left him feeling profoundly relieved.
The Kirkland brothers’ expressions grew more ominous by the day, and his own parents began barging into the estate.
「Sieg!! Why haven't they been found?! Why haven't you filed a search request with the knighthood?!」
「Father, what if they were attacked by thugs? What if she’s been disgraced? Even if we rescue them, Alfred won't be able to live properly as a noble after that. We mustn't make a scene. It would bring shame upon the Pendleton name. Besides, there’s been no ransom demand.」
「You’re certainly taking your time, brother-in-law. So, you’re saying it’s the fault of these servants who didn't even provide a carriage or a maid?」
「It seems Count Pendleton isn't worried, even though Rose and Alfred might be dead by now. Fine. The Kirkland family will find Rose ourselves.」
「No!! It’s not that I’m not worried—」
Before he could finish, Douglas grabbed him by the collar.
「I’ve been lenient because you’re my sister’s husband. It’s because the master has this sort of attitude that things like this happen! What is with these rotten servants?! Mark my words—prepare yourselves!!」
His voice shook the entire mansion. Exasperated, the two brothers stormed out, shoving aside the butlers.
Siegfried’s parents, the former Count and Countess, stood there in a daze.
「...What... What did you people do to Rose?」 the Dowager Countess asked, her face pale as she stared at Doril.
The servants could only stand there, their faces white with terror.
*****
Thank you for reading. If you want to help my hobby please download and install LDP9 with my link down below. Just Click the small yellow LDPlayer Banner.
OR
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
-Horizontal.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment