Chapter 9

“What did you just say?”

Hazel blinked.

Though she had clearly heard what Elena said, there was an underlying desire to deny it.

Elena spoke with force in her voice.

“A position as a governess… Could you introduce me to a governess position where I can live with my younger sister, with lodging provided?”

Elena said it once more, her face flushed red.

It was only their second meeting, and she was ashamed to be making such a shameless request.

Why were there so many embarrassing things happening lately?

Perhaps sensing Elena’s feelings, Leana rolled her eyes beside her and hugged her sister.

Hazel looked back and forth between Elena and Leana.

“…A governess position.”

Of course, Elena was from a fallen noble family, but she would have the refinement enough to teach young children.

The way Elena ate, her manner of speech, and having heard she did translation work, she must be proficient in foreign languages as well.

Moreover, judging by her straight, long fingers, she might play the piano well too.

It made her think that Count Joseph had raised one daughter well.

But this was not what Hazel had expected.

When Maxim had made his “request” with that smooth face, she had been certain it would be something far sweeter and happier.

She had been lost in the thought of going up to the central capital and bragging to her dear family like a hero’s tale about the achievements she had made in Rebunto.

‘This—this unfilial wretch…!’

Hazel’s lips quivered.

“Did Maxim promise you that? I must not have heard correctly.”

“…Maxim…”

Elena blinked.

Just thinking of that day made her heart pound.

It was the day Elena Joseph opened the door to a new world for herself and for Leana.

She had thought Maxim might not grant her request.

The only high noble Elena knew was Maxim, and he was the only one she had, but Maxim was not hers.

[…I want to run away from my mother, Maxim. Could you help me? I will repay everything—including all the help you have given me so far—all at once. I will repay it even if it takes my whole life. So…]

[You want to run away?]

[Anywhere but Rebunto is fine. Anywhere my mother does not know is fine. I can speak the common tongue, Carmene, Mantung, and Homir, so even a foreign country would not matter.]

To Elena, who had cast aside her pride and pleaded, Maxim replied evenly.

[This is a matter better suited to Countess Presto than to me. I will speak to her, so come back when you are ready.]

She thought he had smiled kindly at the end.

Elena swallowed.

Surely he had not said nothing to the countess?

Elena’s fingers curled.

Of course, there was no reason Maxim had to keep this promise.

The price Elena had promised was not something she could pay immediately, and Maxim wanted nothing from her.

The scales were tilted entirely to one side.

“If—if it is difficult for you…”

“No, it is not. That boy Maxim.”

Hazel barely managed to curve her lips upward.

“He simply did not explain properly to me. Perhaps he was busy—he only said to take care of you and then left.”

“…Ah.”

Thank goodness.

So Maxim had kept his promise after all.

Relief that she would not be thrown out of this place washed over Elena, and her shoulders sagged.

Watching that pitiful sight, Hazel let out a sigh.

‘It cannot be helped.’

Her husband in Rebunto and her already-grown son were capable of finding their own way.

Her absence from their side for a while would not cause any great problem.

Of course, the two of them squabbled over marriage matters, but that was the same in any household.

What could possibly happen if she left only fully grown adults behind?

Right now, Maxim’s affairs seemed more urgent than theirs.

“I suppose Andres would be better for finding that kind of work. I was thinking of going to Andres for a while anyway—would you like to come along?”

Elena opened her eyes wide.

Then she looked down at Leana.

Surely, going to Andres would make treating Leana easier as well.

The capital would have more of everything than the provinces.

Elena swallowed.

“What do you think, Elena?”

“…I want to go…!”

Elena answered in a trembling voice.

* * *

It was around the time the sun was sinking low that Cecile, who had gone out early in the morning, returned.

Cecile ran up to the second floor with a flushed face.

In Cecile’s hand was a marriage proposal letter.

At last, her efforts had borne fruit.

It was the position of second wife to Baron Benjamin.

His former wife had been driven back to her family for failing to bear a son, and the divorced baron was looking for a new wife.

The Benjamin baron family was a house earning great profits from diamonds discovered in an abandoned mine.

Cecile had been promised a dowry of one million gold from Baron Benjamin.

The flaws were that his age was in his mid-forties, he was about a hand’s breadth shorter than Cecile, and he did not have much hair—but did such things matter?

The most important value in life lay in money.

“Elena!!”

Cecile called for Elena at the top of her lungs.

This child should know how hard her mother was working for her sake.

“Elena. Elena? No, why is this child not answering…”

Cecile opened Elena’s door and furrowed her brow.

As befitting Elena’s meticulous nature, the room was well organized.

It always looked the same, so there should be nothing different, and yet something was strangely off.

The desk was empty, and the room gave off no warmth.

Besides that, here and there, things seemed oddly missing.

Cecile stepped into the room.

With trembling hands, Cecile opened the wardrobe, and the marriage proposal letter fell with a thud from her hand.

“E-Elena!!”

Did this mad girl actually run away?

Cecile let out a hollow laugh and sank onto the bed.

Even if she had lost her mind, how could she go this far!

Cecile ground her teeth.

Nowhere in the room were any of Elena’s belongings left.

Even the postcards she had collected—true to her fussy taste for old-fashioned things—had all vanished completely.

She had no intention of coming back.

Having come to her senses, Cecile shot up from her seat.

The next place she headed was Leana’s bedroom.

Cecile threw the door wide open.

It was the spot where Leana should always be lying.

“…That girl has made up her mind firmly.”

Cecile ground her teeth and clenched her fist.

It did not matter that Leana had disappeared.

But now that matters had progressed this far, Elena’s disappearance was a problem.

Cecile racked her brain.

In any case, Elena was Cecile’s child.

By the law of this country, the right to decide Elena’s whereabouts belonged to her mother, Cecile herself.

After her husband died, the young relative who took over the family had dumped all the household affairs on Cecile.

At minimum, ten days to drag Elena back and seat her beside Baron Benjamin.

Within ten days, she had to find that girl.

In the meantime, she could cover it up with a story about being bedridden with a fever.

Cecile staggered to her feet.

Her heart was pounding, pounding.

A euphoria born of anger wrapped around Cecile.

Where on earth had she gone?

Had she been hiding money all this time?

She could not have had money to buy a train ticket.

Even now, the train remained the exclusive property of those with money.

Even buying a hired carriage would have cost quite a bit to leave Rebunto.

Still, a hired carriage was more plausible than the train.

If not that, then…

‘Did someone help her? Maxim?’

The face of a handsome young man flashed through her mind.

After the banquet, Cecile had made every effort to approach Maxim.

If it was the same price, why not choose the red skirt—meaning, if she had to choose, why not the better one.

Maxim, who seemed to have plenty of money and was young and handsome—why would Cecile not like him?

But no one would open their mouth about Maxim.

Not only that—the moment she asked about Maxim, the noblewomen avoided her.

Even so, Cecile did not have the courage to go find Countess Presto, the hostess of the party.

She was, after all, a member of the imperial family.

If she were unlucky, she could end up charged with lèse-majesté.

‘Still, I heard he was staying there…’

Cecile narrowed her eyes.

A small suspicion arose that perhaps Elena had chased after Maxim.

That foolish girl aimed higher than her station.

Perhaps she had gone and made a proper mess of things.

Cecile caught her breath.

If all went well, she could just squeeze money out of that man and be done with it, but if not…

She would bring Elena back within ten days.

Cecile steeled her resolve.