Chapter 5
It was the second day of Zehardi’s stay in Beredrose.
“Shall we go together?”
“No need. I have a promise to keep with my dear lady. I’ll return as planned at the end of the month.”
“That would mean returning four days earlier.”
“Exactly. Returning a whole four days early. Our sweet young lady will be disappointed.”
Though Count Keldro had already briefed Olivia on the political situation in the capital, she insisted on staying as planned.
Zehardi, knowing roughly why Olivia was so adamant, decided to concede.
“I’ll see you at the palace, then.”
Just Zehardi’s presence in Beredrose was likely enough to silence the malicious rumours about her.
Olivia knew this too, and seemed eager to carry out her original plans undisturbed.
Zehardi gently kissed the back of the Queen’s hand and knelt. Her hands, emaciated and frail, worried him but he didn’t let it show. As he stood, she gave him a warm smile.
The gaze she fixed on him was filled with deep affection. The hat Olivia wore was, of course, a gift from Zehardi, one made by Perlos.
“Zehardi.”
“Yes, Grandmother?”
“May I hold you just once?”
Though they weren’t parting forever, Olivia found it difficult to let him go. The child who once lived under her wing had grown into someone thoughtful and dignified, a model for the court. Time, she thought, was cruel.
Zehardi was flustered. Olivia, who was always regal and composed in front of others, now opened her thin arms wide, looking at him with tender eyes.
This unfamiliar version of his grandmother made him hesitate. But something within him sensed that Olivia didn’t have much time left, and he moved toward her.
“Take care. Let’s meet again at the palace, as you said.”
Zehardi briefly embraced her, then stepped away. Though Olivia seemed reluctant to part, she appeared quietly satisfied.
As this wasn’t an official engagement, the black automobile that bore no royal insignia departed from Beredrose along a winding path.
✮⋆˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡
Romia had no desire to return after what had happened that day, but breaking a promise was out of the question. She walked slowly, as if her feet were weighed down with iron, but steadily.
Just then, a car from Beredrose passed by her side.
Having arrived five minutes early, Romia nervously looked around when a maid told her to wait a moment. A part of her was afraid she might run into that gentleman again.
While waiting for Mari, who was running a little late, Romia lingered near the rose garden, pacing back and forth.
That was when she heard a soft piano melody drifting down from an open second-floor window.
The slow, gentle tune made Romia lift her head in awe. She could almost picture Prosi behind that open window, playing the keys.
Romia slowly raised her arms and stood on tiptoe. Imagining herself someday dancing with a charming partner at a ball in the capital, she began to move, matching her steps to the music.
The slow melody made her feel as though she had become a butterfly fluttering through the rose garden.
“You look beautiful.”
“Ah!”
Startled, Romia spun around and stumbled, completely caught off guard while lost in the rhythm.
Standing there was an elderly lady, the very subject of the recent gossip, smiling gently at her.
Romia recognised her at once and bowed her head in panic.
‘To think I’d meet the famous guest of Beredrose in person!’
And worse, she had just been caught dancing secretly in the rose garden. Her face burning, Romia cautiously asked:
“D-Did you see that?”
“It was a lovely dance.”
‘So she saw everything.’
Romia bit her tongue and quickly offered an excuse.
“I—I took a wrong turn.”
“Miss Perlos seems to take wrong turns quite often. I often find you in the garden.”
Romia cursed herself for such a poor excuse, even she could tell how unconvincing it sounded.
But the old woman’s response caught her completely off guard. As Romia’s face flushed with embarrassment, Olivia winked and smiled playfully.
“I saw you dancing here last time, too.”
‘So it wasn’t just today!’
Romia felt as though she were standing naked before the graceful old noblewoman.
“I was curious, you see. Why would Miss Perlos take a wrong turn and dance in the garden of Beredrose?”
Though she wanted to die of shame, the sharp glint in the old woman’s gentle gaze betrayed genuine interest.
Romia was stunned to hear the woman speak her family name. She lifted her head in surprise.
“You know my name?”
“I asked Prosi. Tell me, where do you think this wonderful hat came from?”
Only then did Romia notice the hat Olivia was wearing, one she herself had designed and Madam Reccetto had stitched together, detail by detail.
A faint joy flickered in Romia’s eyes as she recognised the piece.
“You have quite the skill.”
The compliment from a lady so clearly from the capital made Romia grin, though she tried to contain it, she couldn’t stop her lips from curling.
Olivia leaned on a thick wooden cane, standing with difficulty. Seeing this, Romia pulled out her handkerchief and laid it down so Olivia could sit.
At first, Olivia seemed reluctant to sit on the ground. But when she saw the handkerchief Romia had carefully placed, she sat down without hesitation.
There was a lot Olivia wanted to know about Romia. During her stay in Beredrose, she’d heard many servants at the Count’s estate gossiping viciously about the Perlos girl’s scandals, whether she wanted to or not. Olivia herself had caught glimpses of Romia on occasion.
‘But rumours are never to be trusted.’
The faces of those who had spoken ill of Romia flitted through Olivia’s mind, and her brow furrowed.
Now that she saw her in person, this young lady from the Perlos family seemed nothing more than a sweet granddaughter.
She had noticed Olivia’s discomfort and offered to sit, even laying out a handkerchief to make it easier.
She was observant, and considerate.
Before long, Olivia found herself quite enjoying Romia’s company.
“I was practising a dance for a ball.”
“A ball?”
“I’ve never been invited to one. But when I come of age, I’ll need to go, to find a suitable husband. I’ll have to be a debutante. I hired a dance tutor, but I still practise so I won’t make mistakes.”
Romia’s face darkened slightly, perhaps at the thought of embarrassing herself.
Olivia responded gently.
“Mistakes are perfectly fine.”
“No. People will laugh. If I get mocked, I might never marry, and I’d never be able to show my face at another party again.”
Romia, feeling comfortable with her new confidante, began to open up about her dreams, dreams she hadn’t yet achieved, but one day hoped to.
“My dream is to meet a good husband and live a happy, peaceful life.”
“So that’s why you were hiding in the garden, copying Prosi?”
“…Please forget about that, Madam.”
Romia fanned her flushed face and pouted playfully.
She looked to be around Prosi’s age. Olivia chuckled, finding it quite amusing to tease the carrot-red-faced Perlos girl.
The more Olivia laughed, the more sulky Romia became, puffing out her cheeks.
“This is Beredrose, not the capital. It’s not grand or vast. My reputation here is already poor. Who would want to marry a girl who’s nothing but a title bought with money? That’s why I have to try harder.”
“Marriage…”
Olivia murmured, falling quiet as she listened to Romia’s lament.
Young ladies at this age often harboured romantic dreams of marriage. But the reality was rarely so kind. Olivia wondered whether to correct Romia’s fantasy or simply cheer her on.
“Cough, cough!”
Suddenly, Olivia’s face went pale, and her body shuddered with the effort.
“Are you all right? You’ve been coughing non-stop… Do you have a cold?”
Alarmed, Romia turned pale and hurriedly checked Olivia’s condition.
“I’m fine, really—ugh!”
“Madam? Are you sure? You look so unwell—oh no, Madam!”
Just as she tried to reassure Romia, Olivia’s body crumpled helplessly.
Romia, who had been circling the garden in confusion, gasped and ran to her. She shook the unconscious woman, but there was no response.
‘Should I call for help? What do I do? What do I do…?’
Tears welled in Romia’s eyes as she looked around, desperate for someone, anyone to help. But there was no one in sight. Olivia had dismissed her attendants for a solitary walk.
Romia, unaware of this, stamped her feet in panic. She placed her hand beneath Olivia’s nose, her breath was fading.
The terrifying thought that something truly awful might happen made tears spill freely from Romia’s eyes.
She was frozen in fear, but only for a moment.
‘If I waste time like this… she could really die.’
Romia wiped her tear-streaked face and drew a deep breath.
Without hesitation, her hands reached for the front of Olivia’s dress and unfastened it.
She had once watched nuns at a monastery tend to elderly patients in Beredrose. Remembering what she’d seen, she placed her hands firmly over Olivia’s chest.
“Please wake up, Madam. You can’t die.”
Tears rolled over her clasped hands, but she didn’t stop. She followed what the nuns had done again and again, refusing to give up.
Even when a maid later found the missing Romia and Olivia’s guards pointed their guns at her head, Romia did not stop.
Only when Olivia began to breathe again did Romia finally let go.
