Chapter 26
Estelle was annoyed.
‘What’s so wrong with my attitude.’
In truth, the sharp Estelle already knew.
Reina might not say it out loud, but she was bothered by how much Estelle’s attitude had changed.
That was why she suddenly started etiquette lessons, why Claude kept correcting her, and why she bought etiquette books at the bookstore, and even joined Claude’s lessons with her.
But at the same time, Estelle didn’t understand.
She was still the same person as before.
The only difference was that she acted a little more freely now, following her heart.
Her intentions hadn’t changed, nor had her thoughts. So she hated that people reacted as though something terrible had happened.
‘Of course, I do like spending time with Reina.’
In fact, Estelle thought of attending Claude’s lessons as an opportunity.
An opportunity to be with Reina.
Reina lived a life so busy that one day was hardly enough for her.
She woke up early to take care of the housework that had piled up, and during the day, she taught and looked after the children of the village.
In the evenings, she went shopping or ran errands, and late into the night she stayed awake preparing lessons for the next day.
Perhaps because of that, Estelle felt lonely when Reina didn’t spend time with her.
Even though she knew Reina cared more for her than anyone else.
That was why being able to do something together, just the two of them, felt so precious.
‘And this is the first time we’re on equal footing.’
Until now, Reina had always been a great, towering presence to Estelle.
No matter how much she wished, Estelle thought she could only ever be the one protected, never someone who could protect Reina or stand as her equal.
But this time, for once, she could be with Reina on equal terms.
The thought that her long-cherished dream was coming true even made her heart flutter.
She didn’t like Claude being involved, but she could ignore that much.
‘But why does Claude keep nitpicking me?’
This might be the first and last time she could stand on the same ground as Reina.
So Estelle wanted to spend this chance being as close to Reina as possible.
But Claude was the problem.
Whenever she tried to get closer to Reina or start a conversation, he would appear like a ghost, criticizing her behavior and interrupting.
“I don’t even need etiquette lessons, and he knows that.”
Everything Claude explained today was knowledge Estelle had already learned before moving in with Reina—directly from the etiquette instructor at Pantora Academy, who had once taught Claude himself.
“It’s all already in my head. Why should I bother listening so hard?”
Claude knew that, too.
Yet he kept scolding and blocking her.
He was clearly interfering on purpose, just to ruin her time with Reina.
“I hate it.”
The more she thought about it, the more stifled she felt. Heat rose up from deep inside her chest, boiling over.
Estelle stomped her feet along the hallway, as though venting her frustration.
Then, from around the corner, she heard the voices of the mansion servants.
“Did you see the guest who came earlier? Do you know who it was?”
“Not sure. One of them was Lady Estelle though.”
The moment Estelle heard a stranger mention her name, she realized they were talking about her and Reina.
She froze, holding her breath, and strained her ears.
“It’s that person, isn’t it? The one the Young Master entrusted Lady Estelle to. Her name was… Reina, right?”
“Yeah. I heard she’s famous in this town.”
“If she’s famous here, doesn’t that mean she’s a commoner? How did a commoner get into the mansion?”
“The Young Master invited her, apparently.”
“Really? Hm.”
From their tone, Estelle could tell they disliked the fact that a commoner had entered the mansion, though they pretended otherwise.
One of them, the one with the loudest voice, sounded especially displeased.
“She’s really changed, hasn’t she?” that servant suddenly asked the others.
It wasn’t a question so much as a call for agreement.
“You noticed too? Same here.”
“When I saw her today, she didn’t seem all that refined. At first, I thought she was someone very noble. She seemed mysterious, acted graceful, you know?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“Back then, all of us servants thought Lady Estelle was some hidden noble. That’s why we even called her ‘Lady.’”
At that, the others began agreeing, piling on one by one.
And then suddenly, they all went quiet.
After exchanging glances, they lowered their voices and whispered.
“But now, doesn’t it feel like ‘Lady’ doesn’t suit her anymore?”
“Yeah. Seeing her today, I thought so too.”
Estelle, standing nearby, heard every word.
Then came a stifled chuckle, followed by more, until they were laughing out loud in the hallway without a care.
And then—
“Come to think of it, no wonder. She left the mansion and lived with that commoner. Worthless.”
Through the laughter, Estelle clearly heard the loudest servant’s words.
The conversation went on.
“You know how commoners have no manners. They don’t even know etiquette. Maybe Lady Estelle picked up bad habits from her?”
“Maybe? Or maybe she wasn’t really a noble at all. Is it even true she’s a noble lady?”
“Who knows. We just called her that because she looked the part.”
“What’s certain is that it’s that commoner woman’s fault. Otherwise, how could she have changed so much in such a short time?”
Word by word, the gossip grew dirtier.
Vague speculation about Estelle’s identity twisted into suspicion, and that suspicion turned into open insults toward Reina.
And every word reached Estelle’s ears around the corner.
Grit—
Estelle clenched her teeth in fury.
She didn’t care if they speculated about her identity. Even she herself didn’t know the truth.
But she could never forgive them for slandering Reina with malice.
‘They’re insulting her just because she’s a commoner.’
And pretending they were worried about Estelle, as an excuse.
‘How dare they say such things so boldly? The mansion’s rules haven’t changed, have they?’
Even before Claude took her in, the Genopesia mansion had one strict rule.
“Do not speak or act to slander others.”
No one knew why, but everyone in the mansion observed this rule strictly, warning Estelle again and again to do the same.
Of course, Estelle had never cared enough to chat with others anyway.
But the rule had still existed, right up until she left the mansion.
There was no way it had vanished in such a short time.
“You know, commoners use only one set of tableware.”
“What? But you can’t reuse a dish once it’s been used!”
“Exactly! How can they eat different foods with the same plate? No wonder. I noticed the commoner servants here carrying just one dish.”
“Then that woman too…? Ugh, poor Lady Estelle.”
The more Estelle listened, the angrier she grew.
‘They don’t even know what kind of person Reina really is!’
And yet, they dared to break the rules just to mock her, a guest.
When in front of her, they wouldn’t dare say a word.
Her head felt hot, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
Her once steady breaths turned ragged, her clenched fists trembling.
‘I can’t take this anymore.’
Estelle decided then and there—she would shut those mouths.
She took a deep breath, turned sharply toward them, and raised her right foot to charge forward.
But she never reached them.
Thud—
Someone had grabbed her from behind just as she was about to spring forward.
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