Chapter 58
“What do you mean take care of it? I should handle it myself.”
When Rude shook his head, Velia gestured for him to take a seat.
“No, my lady. I cannot sit in front of you.”
“You sat just fine last time.”
“That was because I was too nervous…. Looking back, I realized how rude I had been. I apologize for that disrespect.”
“I’m not asking. I’m ordering you. Sit.”
At her small nod, Rude nervously sat down on the sofa.
From behind, Soo studied Rude carefully, then blinked in surprise as if she’d noticed something.
“A stack of documents? You sent me this?”
“Yes.”
Velia pouted slightly as she took the envelope.
“Another one of these… ah.”
Inside were countless portraits drawn in vivid colors.
“So consistent, really.”
It seemed the proposal mentioned last time hadn’t been a lie. Seeing the envelope full of noblemen’s portraits, Velia let out a weary smile.
“You’re way too obvious…. Tsk, tsk. Rude, take these back and tell them never to send me things like this again.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seeing Velia’s displeasure, Rude hastily gathered up the documents.
“That lunatic.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. More importantly, Rude, why are you here today? You’re a knight. Why are you running errands for my brother?”
Of course, Velia often made her own knight, Tove, do errands, but he was a special case.
As for Varun, he had more attendants, personal servants, and maids than even their father. There was no reason to send Rude for trivial tasks.
“Even if my brother has many knights, this isn’t work you should be doing.”
“I don’t mind.”
“You always say you don’t mind.”
“Excuse me? I didn’t hear you.”
“Forget it. Just answer this—are you eating your meals on time? Don’t skip because of training. Eating regularly is part of maintaining your strength. What if a war suddenly breaks out and you’re too hungry to fight?”
“Ah, yes!”
Rude’s eyes widened in surprise, then softened into a rounded smile.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
“Really, nothing’s wrong with you, right?”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern, my lady.”
“…No point keeping you here any longer. Go on now.”
“Yes! Then I’ll see you again next time.”
Velia’s eyes followed Rude’s retreating back.
She dearly wished she could keep him around a little longer, but with Varun’s suspicious behavior toward him, it was unwise.
As the door closed, Velia let out a sigh.
She was still investigating the matter of the secret funds but hadn’t caught the trail yet.
There was no benefit in leaving Rude near Varun for long—she needed to bring him back quickly.
“For now, let’s start with this.”
Shaking off her troubled thoughts, Velia refocused on the documents in front of her.
At that moment, Soo carefully approached.
“Um, my lady….”
“Hm?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
Velia kept her eyes on the papers, but when no answer came, she looked up.
Soo, hesitating, flinched when their eyes met.
“What’s wrong?”
Gathering her resolve, Soo’s eyes turned serious.
“I didn’t want to bother you, but….”
“But what?”
Soo recalled the bruise she had seen on Rude’s ankle earlier.
That deep blue mark must have been the result of the rumors spreading lately.
“It’s just….”
“Why is my Soo hesitating so much to say it?”
“My lady, you know I’m on your side, right?”
Seeing her earnest face, Velia nodded slowly.
“Of course. Why are you saying that before speaking?”
Soo shut her eyes tightly.
“My lady! Forgive me if this sounds disrespectful, but… did that knight… do something terrible to you?”
“…What?”
“Is that why you made that ‘sandwich’ match during the duel between knights? And why your expression always sours whenever that knight leaves?”
“Wait, wait. What are you talking about, Soo?”
“It’s not true, right, my lady?”
“Of course not! What nonsense is this? You know everything I do. What do you mean, something terrible?”
Velia dropped the pen she was holding, eyes wide.
“There are rumors going around the estate.”
“Rumors?”
“At first they weren’t too malicious… but they’ve been getting worse.”
As Soo’s voice shook, Velia stood and led her to the sofa.
“Tell me everything.”
Sitting beside her, Soo spoke slowly.
“At first, people just whispered that the knight admired you. I thought, well, of course that could happen. It was presumptuous of him, but you’re beautiful enough that anyone might fall in love with you.”
She recalled the gossip the servants had shared that morning.
“But over time, the rumors changed.”
“Changed?”
“They went from admiration… to saying he had done something improper to you.”
“That I was violated? By Rude?”
“I know it’s absurd. I don’t believe it either. But there are two versions of the rumor: one says you and the knight are having an illicit affair. The other says he forced himself on you.”
Velia gaped in disbelief.
What baseless nonsense was this?
“Since when have such ridiculous rumors been spreading?”
“It’s been a while. Around the time of the Bea banquet.”
“I’ve never heard anything like that.”
“Because you’re busy. If I had told you earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have spread so far…. I was afraid to trouble you with something so petty….”
Watching Soo near tears, Velia fell into thought.
“What’s the source of these rumors?”
“The source?”
“Strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know life here can be boring, but nobody has two lives to waste. For rumors about me to spread this widely—it’s suspicious.”
Soo nodded.
“I thought so too. Everyone started chattering, until even the head maid couldn’t control it. Servants gossip all the time, but never has something about you spread like this.”
“The only ones who knew about the sandwich incident were you and Julie, right?”
“Yes!”
“Can you bring Julie here?”
“If you’re suspecting her, I already checked. When the rumors spread, she came to me first. She swore no one else knew about the sandwich incident but her, and if she ever betrayed you after you saved her family, she’d take her own life.”
“Really?”
“You trusted me to bring in someone discreet, right? And Julie desperately needs your help. Without your support, her siblings would starve. She has nothing to gain from betraying you.”
Soo’s face was grave.
“Then what’s the basis of these rumors? If I really had an affair with that knight, there should be proof—like someone catching us together.”
“There is something!”
“What?”
“On the night of the Bea banquet, someone claims they saw Rude coming out of your room.”
“Who?”
“The source traces back to the knight order. But I don’t know which knight said it.”
“The knight order?”
A familiar feeling.
“When did you return to your room?”
“I’ll arrange your engagement.”
“…Don’t tell me, did Carlton see that night….”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Soo, just act as if you don’t know about these rumors. I have a pretty good idea where they’re coming from. I’ll speak to the head maid myself. For now, just bring Julie here.”
“Ah, yes!”
Soo hurried out the door.
Left alone, Velia leaned back on the sofa and burst out laughing.
Everything was falling into place.
Now she understood why Varun had taken Rude.
Why he suddenly brought up engagement.
“So desperate to drag him down.”
And now she also understood why Rude had looked so pitiful earlier.
“Such a pathetic little scheme.”
Velia chuckled at how limited her brother’s imagination was.
She recalled the letter she had received from old Dorito just days ago.
She had burned it right away, but the contents had been very amusing.
“Why does my brother think I’d just sit still while he shows such hostility?”
Her eyes gleamed as she began drafting a letter.
She would teach Varun exactly what a self-inflicted blunder looked like.
“And public humiliation will be a bonus.”
Velia couldn’t suppress the laughter spilling out.
