Chapter 6
Lionel Yorkshire was also rumored to have such a good character that interviews like that were accepted without a shred of doubt. However, Annette R. Bonnel’s honest feeling was, ‘Where does such a person exist? He must have an ulterior motive.’ Moreover, he was a man about whom scandals and rumors frequently arose due to his kind demeanor.
If people hadn’t believed, as if hypnotized, ‘There’s no way Lionel Yorkshire would do that,’ it would not be strange if he had earned the stigma of being an outstanding philanderer rather than the best eligible bachelor.
Seeing his face, she understood why so many women were around him.
“Speaking of which, wasn’t there a scandal with the Bechard family last spring?”
“It wasn’t a scandal. The second daughter of Sir Bechard simply liked him too much and publicly followed him around. It must be tough to be that popular.”
“Ah, I see.”
Annette R. Bonnel decided to lose interest.
Her history was defined by a lack of interest in things that money couldn’t buy. Any more attention to that man, whose face itself looked like something money couldn’t buy, was a waste of resources. The urgent matter was Baron Cobain… just as she thought this, Annette R. Bonnel turned her head and her gaze was fixated on one spot, as if by fate.
‘No way…?’
She thought she saw a tall, thin, stick-like person pass by the side of the staircase where Lionel Yorkshire stood, but she wasn’t sure. Tiptoeing and following a few steps, a fire-like gleam sparked in Annette R. Bonnel’s green eyes.
‘Oh?’
She heard Gervais, who had somehow become free, calling for her. Telling Laetitia, ‘Please explain to Gervais,’ as if dumping the responsibility, Annette R. Bonnel quickly cut through the crowd. She was then able to identify the face of the skinny, stick-like man loitering around a group of men.
It was definitely Baron Cobain. Feeling her fierce gaze, Baron Cobain turned his head and met her eyes. He trembled in surprise like a poor baby bird in winter. Annette R. Bonnel greeted him with a brightly smiling mouth.
“Baron, you’re not well, are you?”
The pale Baron Cobain, his face like melted candle wax, began to flee. Annette R. Bonnel, unhesitatingly lifting her skirt, walked after him. It was practically a run.
The untimely chase continued even outside the ballroom. Until the figure of Baron Cobain vanished from sight.
Annette R. Bonnel, standing stranded in the middle of a random corridor, threw back her head and suppressed her annoyance. It was a good sign that her opponent had a conscience, but it also made her furious. Her feet were killing her because of the high heels. She would have caught him if it weren’t for the shoes. Moreover, this magnificent mansion, grandly named Cheboteteu, was larger and more complex in structure than the ‘Joyful House of Bonnel’ she had recently moved into.
‘Where did he go?’
The skinny, stick-like Baron Cobain hid well, like a sneaky child.
‘Where exactly is this…’
She couldn’t even remember how many flights of stairs she had run up. She knew for certain that it was far removed from the party hall.
Annette R. Bonnel pulled the pins from her loosely tied hair, sat on the stairs, and took off her shoes.
Her feet hurt. Her feet, slightly smaller than average to match her slightly below-average height, emphatically refused to be comfortable. Smoothing out her wrinkled skirt, Annette R. Bonnel gave up on putting her shoes back on and walked along the corridor, holding them in one hand. She figured that since this grand mansion had a wide Y-shaped structure, as she had seen upon entering, walking would eventually lead her to either the end or the center.
Annette R. Bonnel’s steps suddenly stopped because of a unique scent. There was a door slightly ajar, about two hand spans wide. The scent wafting out was that of wood and the breeze.
Looking around the corridor, she quietly stepped inside and saw a thin chiffon curtain at the front mysteriously rippling. The terrace window was wide open.
Thump. Annette R. Bonnel, who was watching as if captivated, bumped her thigh against a wooden table.
On the table, a wooden model of a battleship, which looked half-finished, stood proudly. On the right wall, various wooden carvings, small hand saws, wood pieces, scraps, and blueprints were neatly arranged.
It was quite charming.
Whoever it was, one of the Yorkshires seemed to have a nice hobby.
Annette R. Bonnel put her shoes down on the table, deciding to take a moment to breathe and not ignore the subtle comfort she felt amidst the scent of wood…
“You know very well what kind of… situation this is, don’t you? You’re the one who broke the promise!”
…But then, someone’s extremely angry voice was heard. It was outside, or rather, downstairs.
‘Hmm?’
Annette R. Bonnel quietly drew aside the curtain and stepped out onto the terrace. She tiptoed to the railing and looked down. Below her, she could see three more terraces. It was the fourth floor. ‘No wonder my thighs felt like they were bursting.’
“…Please think about it! This isn’t a matter of a few sous or livres!”
“Viscount Emmet J. Milton… emotionally… just. Please calm down first and…”
Annette R. Bonnel leaned against the railing and cupped her chin like a flower calyx. It didn’t take many words to imagine the situation. How predictable! Bribery, acceptance, and things didn’t go well.
“This can’t stand. I’m going to expose that ‘secret’ I mentioned last time!”
“You are agitated. Please don’t be offended by what I say… but to prevent the situation from worsening, why don’t you calm down a bit? We need to first find the source of the leak to formulate a countermeasure.”
“How can I calm down, how! Sir Lionel Yorkshire, I understand you have to state the obvious, but there is a limit! Just standing by when they are carrying out sabotage like this is…!”
‘Who? Lionel Yorkshire?’
Annette R. Bonnel unconsciously widened her eyes and actively leaned her neck out toward the lower floor. Naturally, she couldn’t see the speakers, only empty terraces, but the voices were clearer.
“I know you are very anxious, but a calm response is crucial in times like this. You don’t want your name on the Court of Cassation list, even if it’s an audit, do you? If a direct problem arises with Valtier in the future, I will step forward to help. For today, I think it would be best if you left. Your complexion is very worrying.”
As one man spoke in a consistently gentle tone, the other man, who had been anxiously raging, quickly lost his intensity.
“Ah, well, I had a bit to drink… I’m upset… So, there’s no way to avoid the audit?”
“I will think about it. Please trust me.”
The soothing tone was skillful and natural. The raging man seemed to have calmed down a little. He mumbled a few more words, and then the sounds of footsteps and a door opening and closing were heard in succession. ‘That was interesting, but it looks like they’ve both left.’ Just as she thought that and was about to withdraw her attention, a voice brought Annette R. Bonnel’s interest back.
“Viscount Emmet J. Milton seems drunk… make sure he gets to his carriage without any trouble with the guests, and… ah, I’ll be down soon. Before that, could you please bring up the Simonne Poilley 11-year from the wine cellar?”
“Yes, young master.”
“Thank you.”
He definitely said, ‘young master.’ Annette R. Bonnel was surprised again and craned her neck to look down.
‘Was that really Lionel Yorkshire?’
“The mistress was looking for you a moment ago, what should I tell her, young master?”
“Just tell Mother I stepped out for some fresh air.”
“Is your leg alright?”
“Thanks to your concern.”
If that was really Lionel Yorkshire… it was amazing.
She thought he was skilled at placating a drunk man, but how could his attitude towards a servant be so polite? As she listened silently, picking up the voices from the lower floor, Annette R. Bonnel began to believe it a little, too.
‘Such a person actually exists.’
She wondered if that gentle and kind man was the reason why all of Beloff called that family the ‘Elegant Yorkshires.’ But still, he was just an ecosystem-destroying species to her: a face money couldn’t buy, coupled with a character that shouldn’t exist in this world. That was all he was to her.
