Chapter 20
After finally catching my breath, I changed out of my gown. Cleaning up after a banquet was not the responsibility of the hostess.
I had been worn out all day and had no energy left to speak with anyone else.
I asked Sarah to tell Penelope she didn’t need to come by for a thank-you.
“You did wonderfully, my lady.”
When I returned to my room, the nanny was already tearing up.
Unlike Countess Rosette, who dabbed at her perfectly dry eyes with a lace handkerchief as if on cue, the nanny’s face was wet with real tears. She wiped her cheeks with her apron and blew her nose loudly.
“If Madam were alive to see you now, she’d be so proud of you.”
“You’re enough for me, Nanny.”
What kind of person had Cecilia’s birth mother been?
She’d passed away not long after giving birth, so even Cecilia probably wouldn’t have remembered much.
Actually, the very concept of “mother” felt uncomfortable to me.
The mother I knew—
No. Don’t think about it.
“Where’s Edgar?”
He’d left the banquet early and never returned.
“If he’s not back by now, he’s probably with that woman,” the nanny muttered, lips pursed with disapproval.
“Elodie’s still here?”
“I didn’t see her leave, so I’d assume so.”
Had I changed clothes for nothing?
No, the banquet was over. I had fulfilled my duties as hostess.
The Elodie still lingering now wasn’t a guest singer anymore—she was Edgar’s mistress. I had no reason to go out of my way for her.
“Edgar will do what he wants. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”
“My lady!”
The nanny sighed dramatically and yanked me back up as I crawled into bed.
“You should go show that wench who you are!”
“I don’t care, Nanny.”
“If you think the Count will be thankful for your silence, you’re sorely mistaken. Listen to this old woman: acting indifferent only works with the right kind of people.”
It wasn’t an act.
The nanny—like Sarah—kept seeing me through the lens of a pitiful, abandoned wife.
“Nanny, I truly don’t care. I’m safe now.”
“Safe?”
She looked at me like I was a naive girl who knew nothing of the world.
“A woman’s only safety comes from holding her husband close. What if that cheap thing gives the Count a son? What then?”
I had told Ricardo proudly that there would be no heir between Edgar and me, but I couldn’t say the same to the nanny.
Old women here—or there—believed the most important thing in life was carrying on the family line.
“This old woman only worries for you, my lady. You should at least thank the Count for tonight and say you appreciate his support.”
“Why?”
Edgar hadn’t done anything.
This banquet was the result of Penelope’s brilliance and the household staff’s hard work.
“It doesn’t matter if he did anything or not. Just say, ‘Thank you, my dear husband, for your hard work. I couldn’t have done this without you. I’m nothing without you.’ Men love hearing that. That’s how you make him come back to you.”
The nanny clearly had no intention of backing down.
If I didn’t go see Edgar, she would likely harass me all night.
“Fine. I’ll go.”
If pretending to do what she wanted meant I could return to bed, I’d play along.
“But I’m going alone. You’ve done enough for tonight—get some rest.”
“But—”
“If you don’t rest, I won’t go.”
Grumbling, she finally left.
I threw a robe over my thin nightgown.
It felt a little too underdressed, but I was too tired to care anymore.
I made my way down to the room we had prepared as Elodie’s dressing suite.
Soft murmurs floated through the door.
“This wasn’t your fault, Edgar.”
“No. It was. I should never have put you in that position.”
“I’m really okay. Even the Countess was kind to me.”
“Kind?”
Just as his scoff began, I knocked.
“Excuse me.”
Elodie was seated in Edgar’s lap, wrapped in his arms.
Startled by the interruption, he immediately lifted her off his lap as if by reflex.
“Edgar…?” Elodie whispered, wounded, her eyes already glassy with tears.
I looked on calmly.
I had no intention of escalating the situation. I’d simply say what I came to say and leave.
“Will Lady Elodie be staying the night?”
Both of them stared at me in disbelief.
“Pardon?”
“What?”
Their shocked reactions came in perfect unison.
“It’s late, and I noticed your carriage wasn’t out front. There are plenty of rooms. You’re welcome to stay if you like.”
I didn’t look at Edgar.
Elodie, on the other hand, gave me a look I couldn’t quite read.
“I…”
“Cecilia.” Edgar’s voice was cold. “How far are you going to humiliate her?”
Edgar stepped forward, shielding Elodie as if to protect her.
“Humiliation? I’m simply fulfilling my duty as hostess and offering hospitality to a guest.”
“A guest? Are you really going to treat El like just a guest?”
“The banquet is over, Edgar.”
I tightened my robe.
“Just like an actor returns to being an ordinary person when the curtain falls, Lady Elodie is now simply your lover.”
Edgar’s jaw dropped open.
Was he about to yell? I braced myself, expecting him to raise his voice.
But instead—
“I’m sorry, madam!”
Elodie suddenly came forward and dropped to her knees beside him.
“I truly am… so sorry!”
Edgar’s face twisted into a grimace at her unexpected gesture.
I had no idea what was going on anymore—and honestly, I was just exhausted.
I just wanted to lie down on my bed.
“Lady Elodie, get up.”
I had smiled all day with a fake grin, kept up with meaningless conversations, and now I was so tired I could barely bend over properly.
“I know I’m a sinner in your eyes, madam. I deserve punishment. But… please, don’t take it out on Edgar.”
Such dramatic words.
“I swear I don’t want anything more than what I already have. If I can just stay by his side, that alone is enough for me…!”
Tears fell like pearls onto the carpet below.
I looked down at the growing stains, doing my best to stifle a yawn.
“If you truly mean that, Lady Elodie, then we could make excellent partners.”
My yawn garbled the words a bit.
“…Pardon?”
Elodie lifted her head—and she was lovely. The kind of woman who even cried beautifully. Is this the sort of woman men fall for?
My mother had always been honest with her emotions.
She couldn’t help but show her love to my father.
So when she finally learned of his betrayal, her crying face was not a pretty sight.
Elodie wasn’t like her.
She was more like her—the woman my father truly loved. My mother’s older sister.
“You’re not after my position, right?”
“…Cecilia!”
Edgar shouted.
“Don’t push El like that!”
“It was just a simple question.”
“Simple?”
He scoffed.
“And here I thought you’d changed. Of course not. That selfishness of yours was never going anywhere.”
Said the husband who protected his mistress in front of his wife.
I stared at him.
Fortunately, Edgar lacked conscience, not intelligence.
He averted his gaze to the floor.
“Lady Elodie.”
I turned to Elodie, whose face was clouded with confusion.
“As long as you don’t covet the title of Countess of Linton, you’re welcome to dream of your happily-ever-after ending with Edgar.”
Sure, he might change his mind someday, but that wasn’t my concern.
“I don’t want Edgar.”
“That’s not possible!”
Elodie suddenly stood up, her voice rising.
“How can you say you don’t love Edgar?”
“Because I don’t.”
“Edgar is a perfect man! Not just in appearance, but in character!”
To her, maybe.
People tend to idealize those they’re fond of.
“Edgar respects you! Even when you made things difficult at home, he said we should wait and be patient. He even took your unreasonable stubbornness seriously and consulted me about it!”
I see. He really did want to look good in her eyes.
That was all I felt about her passionate speech.
“El…”
Even Edgar seemed a bit embarrassed now, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“That’s enough. I didn’t do any of that to get approval from Cecilia.”
“I know… but she’s being so cruel!”
Elodie buried her face in Edgar’s chest.
Her shoulders trembled, and I imagined his vest growing warm with her tears.
“Are you afraid you might discover the flaws in the man you love?”
I asked softly.
Elodie’s shoulders stiffened.
“He may be perfect in your eyes, Lady Elodie, but to me, Edgar is full of flaws.”
I was losing the battle against sleep.
I just wanted this whole ordeal to end so I could collapse into bed.
That’s probably why my words came out more bluntly than usual.
“He betrayed his wife.”
“That’s—!”
“It’s betrayal. We made a sacred vow before God and witnesses. Edgar violated that vow without a second thought.”
Edgar’s brows twitched with anger.
“As I’ve said before, I’m not blaming you. Not anymore. Edgar and I have made a new agreement now—one that we both consented to, for real this time.”
