Chapter 10
Clink… clink…
The only sound in the dining room was the faint clatter of utensils. A large roasted turkey, steak, various salads, and grilled vegetables filled the long table. Three people sat in front of the feast.
Sasha kept her eyes fixed on the center of the table, quietly observing the other two. She repeated the motion of cutting her steak and bringing it to her mouth.
She had expected something like, “Oh Sasha, how have you been? Are you doing alright here?”
Simple, caring words. Questions that showed concern.
But in truth, she had rarely heard such words in her life, so she couldn’t even imagine many different ways they could be spoken.
Since the moment they arrived, all they had said was “Yes” and “Hmm.” Just those two words.
Sasha tried to handle it gracefully, just as she had seen Rose do. But inside, she felt herself sinking deeper and deeper, like a stone dropping to the bottom of a lake.
“Was the trip difficult for you?”
She pushed herself to speak, hoping that if she kept the conversation going, she might learn something. But when Sasha’s voice reached them, the Marchioness of Ivern paused in surprise, pressed her lips together, and answered without lifting her head.
“It was fine.”
There was no way it had been fine. The journey might have taken some time, but the duchy had sent their finest carriage to escort them. Yet somehow, her answer sounded less like “It was fine” and more like “I didn’t want to come.”
“I wish Father had come too. It’s a shame he couldn’t make it.”
“Did you really?”
The Marquis of Ivern had not come. The Marchioness had said he had urgent matters, but even that excuse was so transparent that it felt meaningless. As soon as Sasha finished her sentence, Elina, sitting beside her, jumped in with a sharp tone.
“Elina.”
The Marchioness stopped her daughter gently, saying only her name. But Elina’s intense glare didn’t fade.
Elina Ivern, the one the maids had gossiped about endlessly, was just as stunning and dazzling as the rumors claimed. She had the same blonde hair as Sasha, but hers shimmered more, her skin was smooth, and her features were more defined.
She was a girl who belonged in lavish dresses, someone who turned heads wherever she went. Sasha’s younger sister was clearly a famous beauty throughout the empire. But the look she gave her older sister was filled with nothing but hostility.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Would you like some dessert now?”
The two guests had barely touched the feast in front of them. Sasha offered dessert with a gentle smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere. The Marchioness replied with a cold, “Very well,” and Sasha turned to call for Rose.
The dessert soon arrived, but the mood stayed the same. Since others were watching, Sasha tried to maintain a polite atmosphere as best she could.
She was eating a spoonful of ice cream now, chewing it slowly. There was a heavy weight pressing on her chest, and she felt like she might choke if she wasn’t careful.
The Marchioness barely touched her food, and Elina, clearly annoyed, ate every bit of her ice cream while scowling. Sasha held back a deep sigh and raised her hand to call for Rose again.
“Yes, Lady Sasha. I’ll escort you to the garden.”
“Thank you, Rose. Let’s move to the garden and have some tea.”
Rose, already aware of Sasha’s thoughts, stepped forward to lead them. Sasha stood up from her seat.
She looked at each of them and spoke. The two rose from their chairs without any argument. Still, the discomfort was almost unbearable.
As they made their way from the dining room to the garden, Sasha noticed the doors to the drawing room wide open. Unlike Kyler’s room, which was simple and unadorned, the drawing room seemed to have been left just as it had been for generations, filled with elegant furniture and ornate decorations.
As they walked slowly, the Marchioness’s eyes moved quickly from one thing to another. When she had first entered the house, she had spent so long admiring the grand lobby that she hadn’t even heard Sasha’s greeting. Now, her gaze swept over every item in the drawing room and along the hallway with sharp, judging eyes.
Nothing changed once they reached the garden.
The Marchioness picked up each teacup and saucer, examining them closely. She only pretended to take sips. Meanwhile, young Elina made no attempt to hide the hostility on her beautiful face.
“Is the tea alright? Oh, Elina, your cup is empty already. Let me pour you some more.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Have a little more. The cake is delicious too, so please help yourself.”
“I said I don’t want any!”
Clatter.
“Ah!”
Sasha, seeing Elina’s nearly empty cup, had reached for the teapot to refill it. But she hadn’t expected Elina to suddenly push her hand away. The teapot slipped from Sasha’s grip.
Elina screamed, but the teapot, which had been aimed toward her cup, bounced off the table and spilled in Sasha’s direction instead.
Some of the tea splashed from the spout, landing on Elina’s sleeve, and she instantly made a fuss.
“It’s hot! You got it on my dress! What if these stains?”
One of the maids from the Ivern household rushed over and started dabbing Elina’s arm with a napkin. Sasha, seeing the faint tea stain and the barely damp dress, quietly stood up.
“Connie, could you clean this up? I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
Her layered dress had kept the worst of it off, but she could feel a mild burning sensation on the back of her hand.
With a frightened look on her face, Connie ran to clean up the fallen teapot. Sasha turned away and walked out of the garden. The corner of her jaw trembled slightly as she bit hard on the inside of her lip.
With Rose’s help, she changed out of her wet dress and headed back downstairs. Her brows remained tense, and she showed no sign of expression or emotion.
“Lady Sasha, are you alright?”
Rose finally asked, gently checking from behind.
Sasha looked like a lifeless doll. She moved properly and gracefully, but it felt like she was carrying something about to explode.
“I’m fine.”
That short reply was all she could manage. Still, she kept her poise as she walked down the hallway leading back to the garden.
“Wow. You really are shameless, aren’t you?”
A sharp voice stopped Sasha in her tracks. Elina stepped out from one side of the hallway, as if she had been waiting there. She scowled and looked up at Sasha.
“How could you invite us here? Are you trying to get revenge or something?”
Her voice was filled with venom, and her eyes glared at Sasha with hostility. As Sasha silently processed Elina’s words, Elina spoke again, unable to control her emotions.
“You think I don’t know you stole my place?”
Sasha’s right eyebrow twitched slightly. Elina believed this position was supposed to be hers.
Sasha said nothing. She only looked at her sister with lowered eyes. Elina gritted her teeth even harder at the lack of response.
“Ask anyone. A hundred people would say the daughter of the Marquis of Ivern is me.”
“What?”
It made sense that people would associate Elina with the title of the marquis’s daughter. But why say she is the only one who matters?
Sasha, who could look at herself objectively, knew the truth. She might not have a flashy appearance, but she still carried the blood of House Ivern. She was pretty in her own right. If people knew Elina for her beauty, then it was impossible they had never heard of Sasha.
Sasha’s quiet reaction seemed to make Elina even more aggressive. She raised her voice again, full of anger.
“Of course. You grew up in an attic like some gloomy shadow. What could be appealing about that? And I’m supposed to believe the duke proposed to you? Tell me the truth. How did you trick him into marrying you?”
When Sasha had heard the maids gossiping before, she had worried that maybe the real Sasha had done something terrible to take Elina’s place.
Even if it was something the former Sasha had done, the weight of that role would still fall on her. She had planned to face it, to clear things up or make amends if necessary.
On the surface, Elina’s words made that fear seem real. But Sasha had survived much worse. In that moment, all of her doubts vanished. The tight knot in her chest, the one that had made it hard to breathe, finally loosened.
Sasha did not know what the former her had felt. She could not say whether she had truly pursued Kyler or not. But maybe this moment was a chance to sever these ties completely.
She had been wrong about everything.
What she had longed for in a family, this was not it.
Something that had been stretched too tightly inside her finally snapped. For a moment, her mind felt weightless and empty.
“That’s interesting. What exactly did I take from you?”
Sasha’s lips finally moved. Her voice came out cold and calm. Elina’s eyes flickered in surprise.
“Do you really think Duke Ignote is the kind of man who could be stolen so easily? You must not know anything about him.”
Elina, who had been shouting confidently, now stood frozen in front of Sasha’s steady tone.
Sasha looked down at her without changing her expression, watching as Elina’s lips trembled and no words came out.
“They say you’re the most beautiful young lady in the empire. Then make sure you protect that image. Keep being the top beauty. Just don’t end up as the villain who ruined her sister’s marriage.”
Sasha’s voice stayed cold as she stared down at her sister, whose body trembled under her gaze. Then she stepped around her and walked away without hesitation.
By the time Sasha returned to the garden and reached the table, Elina followed behind her, breathing heavily on purpose to make her presence known. Seeing Elina’s expression and Sasha’s calm face, the Marchioness of Ivern seemed to understand exactly what had happened.
Her once proud eyes now carried sharp suspicion as she stared at Sasha. It was clear now that she had never been on Sasha’s side either. Of course, it had not been Elina who locked Sasha in an attic. It had been their parents.
Sasha did not sit. She stood before them, looking down at them both.
“Thank you for making the effort to come today. Since the duke allowed this one final meeting out of courtesy, I do not expect you will be invited again. Please return safely. Rose.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Sasha gave them no time to respond. Her words were no different from telling them to leave. When she called Rose, the woman quickly stepped forward and gracefully offered to guide the guests out.
“Mother, let’s go.”
Elina turned sharply and stomped away, her steps heavy with frustration. The Marchioness stood and walked up to Sasha with her chin held high in defiance.
“You dare speak to your own mother like this?”
“You’ve never treated me like a daughter, Marchioness.”
Even her reply was cold. The way she used the title instead of “Mother” turned the insult back around. The Marchioness flinched as if the meaning had finally hit her.
“Goodbye.”
Sasha did not waver, not even at the corners of her lips or brows. She stood still, completely composed, and watched the two women leave.
