The rain fell steadily.
The sharp raindrops hit the glass window with a sting against the skin.
Indeed, it was a weather that suited the gloomy Marquis’s residence well.
A maid, gazing out the window, quietly approached her companion beside her.
“Do you think the Marquis won’t be coming back today either?”
“Who knows? It’s already been several days.”
“It’s been a week.”
Despite the head of the household not returning for a week without any contact, the maids remained remarkably calm.
If it were another family, they would have reported it or searched for him, but this was the Dryton Marquis’s residence.
Specifically, the family of the foolish prince.
The Dryton Marquis family had a history of over a hundred years but had been rapidly declining for several decades.
Given that such a noble family had successively accepted unremarkable Marquise consorts, it was undeniable how much they had fallen.
The maid mumbled quietly as she looked at the carriage that had stopped in the heavy rain.
“I hope this banquet goes quietly for once.”
“Has it ever been that way, even once?”
The reason invitations to such a family never ceased was that the Dryton Marquis family kept their social circle lively, like a fish flopping on the cutting board of high society.
And at the center of that gossip was the Marquis, Evelon, who was of one of those unremarkable origins.
“Really, it’s absurd!”
As soon as the two maids descended into the hall, a voice filled with anger could be heard.
Evelon, already in a bad mood due to the damp and gloomy weather, had lost face at today’s banquet.
“What am I supposed to be if you reveal that I’ve been running up tabs at the salon like that?”
The Marquis’s wealth had long been depleted, and they were busy racking up debts here and there. Everyone knew this, but they refrained from mentioning it openly for the sake of appearances. However, whether someone had said something at today’s banquet, Evelon’s face was flushed to the point of appearing blackened with rage.
“And what does it matter if Kalyon returns to the mansion or not? That woman has made me out to be a wicked stepmother!”
The maid, with her head bowed, thought that Evelon was not wrong.
‘She’s not his biological mother.’
The Dryton Marquis, Kalyon, was an illegitimate child brought into the mansion at the age of five by the previous Marquis. Evelon, who had come to the Marquis family as a commoner thanks to a wealthy upstart, had not given birth to an heir and only had one daughter.
In the meantime, the previous Marquis had suddenly decided to adopt a newborn from the collateral branch as the heir instead of the originally intended child. Naturally, Evelon did not take kindly to that child.
However, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Kalyon grew increasingly ignorant as he matured. While it did not hinder his daily life, he lacked even basic common sense at the age of twenty-six, effectively making Evelon the real power in the family.
However, there was no way a quasi-noble from a commoner background could properly handle the affairs of the head of the household. After the previous Marquis died, while Kalyon frequented gambling dens and cockfighting venues, Evelon diligently spent the already depleted funds of the Marquis family.
As if that were not enough, she even used the name of the Marquis family to bully lesser nobles. Evelon played a significant role in the downfall of the once prestigious Dryton Marquis family, which had fallen to the status of a laughingstock in high society.
“You! Izuli!”
Evelon turned sharply and pointed at the woman who had been following her. As the woman, who had fixed her gaze on the floor, raised her head, her face was revealed. Her unadorned skin appeared pale, and she wore clothes more tattered than those of a maid. Nevertheless, her slightly drooping, delicate eyes and flawless, harmonious features could not be concealed.
“Why didn’t you say anything while standing there?”
“Mother…”
“Isn’t it your responsibility as Kalyon’s wife? Then why do I have to take the blame?”
The Dryton Marchioness, Izuli, slightly bit her lip and lowered her eyes.
Izuli Dryton. Once known as Izuli Mentoria, she was a direct descendant of the noble Mentoria family, a founding family of the nation, but she had to live off the Duke’s estate after losing her parents at a young age, making her the protagonist of a tragic story.
“Honestly, you can’t even say a word in front of me. You can’t get pregnant. What are you good at? Deceiving others and marrying under false pretenses?”
Evelon wanted a daughter-in-law from a high-ranking family to restore their lineage. Due to her ignorance of the rumors circulating in high society, she did not know much about Izuli and simply chose her based on her family background.
Evelon used every means to welcome Izuli as her daughter-in-law. However, after realizing that Izuli brought no benefits, contrary to her expectations after the marriage, she began to mistreat her.
“I’m sorry, Mother… I…”
“Really, is that all you think about, Marchioness? Just making excuses?”
At the sudden voice, Evelon’s face brightened.
“Melaria!”
The person coming down the stairs was a woman in her early thirties. She was one of the few individuals trusted by Evelon.
She was none other than Evelon’s late daughter, Countess Eden’s close maid, and also the nurse of her son, Leo.
“Did Leo come with you too?”
Just moments ago, Evelon’s face had been contorted, but now she was smiling broadly as she took Melaria’s hand. It wasn’t just because Melaria was the nurse of her only grandson; Melaria was Evelon’s niece, her sister’s daughter.
“No, I came alone today. Aunt, you’re not going to kick me out, are you?”
“Of course not!”
Evelon tried to ascend the stairs with Melaria. However, Melaria seemed to remember something and turned to speak to the shrinking Izuli.
“Marchioness, have you finished the dress alterations I mentioned before? If you’re done, please bring them quickly.”
“Yes, Nurse.”
Izuli politely greeted the common-born nurse and then headed to her room.
“Are you okay, my lady?”
Seeing all of this, Selly asked with concern and followed Izuli closely.
“Really, she’s too much! How can she entrust the Marchioness with her dress alterations?”
Melaria’s tyranny, backed by Evelon’s favor, had been well-known for a long time. However, Evelon’s daughter, Viola, had married into the Eden family and taken Melaria with her, so she only visited occasionally.
Then, five years ago, when Izuli was about to get married, Viola passed away, and Melaria began to come and go in the Marquis’s residence as if it were her own home. From then on, she started to torment Izuli alongside Evelon, and it became common for her to entrust her dress alterations to her.
“It’s okay; I’m used to it.”
“You didn’t eat anything at the banquet again, did you? I’ll bring you something to eat, so please wait a moment.”
Even though Izuli was bullied by Evelon, the servants did not sympathize with her. They were all busy trying to make a living, and Izuli was isolated.
If Selly hadn’t covered for Izuli when she first entered the mansion, she would still be alone. After that incident, Selly became the only servant who looked after Izuli.
“Thank you, Selly.”
After Selly left, Izuli walked quietly down the hallway and entered her room.
Thud.
The moment the door closed.
“Ugh, going out on a rainy day. It was the worst.”
The gloomy expression disappeared in an instant.
Izuli clicked her tongue briefly and plopped down on the sofa.
As Evelon’s words floated around in her mind, she let out a small snort.
‘Kalyon and I aren’t even a proper couple, so how can his problems be my responsibility?’
If someone were to ask Izuli what kind of husband Kalyon was, she could answer without a moment’s hesitation.
An incompetent and ignorant worthless husband.
She could describe Kalyon very simply and clearly like that.
His handsome face, as if crafted by God himself, was a waste considering the hopelessness of his character.
His ignorance was beyond imagination, so it was natural that she didn’t expect him to take on the responsibilities of a head of the household.
‘Hey, come here. Why can’t you stop Kalyon from going to the gambling den? You’re still Kalyon’s wife?’
‘Mother, I told Kalyon… Kalyon, didn’t you tell Mother?’
‘Huh? I don’t know anything. You’ve never told me.’
But whenever conflicts arose between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, Kalyon always pretended not to know and ignored Izuli.
‘Izuli, do you have any money? You know the money a woman brings when she gets married? Give it to me. It’s my money since I’m the husband.’
He whined for money at every opportunity.
At first, Izuli thought this marriage wasn’t so bad.
She could escape the suffocating Duke’s residence.
However, whenever her husband felt disadvantaged, he would frame her for it, and as this happened repeatedly, she gradually grew tired of him.
In the end, she had lost all sense of loyalty towards him.
Given this situation, it was only natural that after five years of marriage, they had never shared a bed, and they had barely even lain down together in the same bed.
So, it wasn’t strange that she felt nothing at all about his absence for a week.
