Chapter: 40
Before she knew it, Bell had arrived at the west wing of the Atlante ducal residence and hurried up to Silvia’s room.
Her young lady was stretched out on the sofa, reading a book that looked decidedly difficult.
No matter how many times I see it, I just can’t get used to seeing her read.
Silvia Atlante, reading a book!
It was almost as shocking as when Silvia had declared she would stop eating late-night snacks.
Still, Bell was a seasoned maid. She carefully reined in her emotions and announced her arrival to Silvia, who was deeply absorbed in her book.
“Did everything go well?”
“Yes, my lady. But just now…”
Bell told Silvia about what had happened earlier. Silvia listened with a serious expression, then asked once Bell finished.
“He approached you again?”
“Yes, my lady. And again, he named a huge sum. Honestly, what does he take me for? Please don’t worry—I’d never be swayed by money.”
Silvia quietly watched Bell fume for a moment, then spoke once Bell had calmed down.
“Bell, why did you do that?”
“…Pardon?”
Bell flinched, startled by what sounded like a rebuke.
Ah… is my lady upset? Why? Because I just stood there and listened to such an offer?
As unease crept into Bell’s expression, Silvia continued in a gentle voice.
“Next time something like that happens, tell them you’ll do it.”
“W-What?!”
“If they’re offering you money, you should take it! You said it was a lot, didn’t you?”
“Uh… yes…”
It really had been a large sum. With that money, Bell could have taken time off work for a while.
She could have moved to a bigger, more comfortable home than her current cramped place. If she went back to the countryside, she could live peacefully without doing backbreaking labor.
I turned down that kind of money to stay loyal to my lady… so why is she telling me to take it?
And Silvia didn’t stop there.
“No, actually—do this next time. Say, ‘Do you really think this amount will be enough? You’ll need to bring at least double,’ and glare at them arrogantly. They’ll probably bring even more, right?”
“My lady… aren’t you upset?”
“Upset? Why would I be?”
Silvia asked with a genuinely puzzled expression.
“Because… you heard them proposing a deal involving you!”
Bell squeezed her eyes shut as she answered, bracing herself for an outburst of anger.
But the fury she expected never came. Instead, Silvia spoke in the same bewildered tone.
“Why would that make me angry? Did you actually sell me or something?”
“W-What? Of course not! Never! Absolutely not!”
“Then it’s fine.”
Silvia smiled brightly and lightly patted Bell on the shoulder.
“Anyway, you understand what I’m saying, right? If it happens again, don’t reject them outright. Say you’ll think about it first. Then tell me.”
“Uh…?”
“After that, we can sell them fake information, or give them something completely useless. At least we’ll make some money.”
The conclusion somehow took a very strange turn.
My lady is kind, sweet, lovable, and wonderful in every way… but sometimes… she’s a little unusual. Are other noble ladies like this too? Or is it just my lady?
Staring at her mistress who was advising her to make money by selling false information, Bell answered blankly.
“Yes…”
Apparently satisfied with that response, Silvia patted Bell’s shoulder again and asked,
“By the way, did you bring the letter?”
“Oh! Yes!”
Bell took out the letter she had picked up from the herb shop on Portum Street.
Silvia had deliberately set the herb shop as the mailing address, knowing that letters arriving directly at the ducal residence would only invite trouble. Bell had gone to Portum Street specifically to retrieve it.
“It’s here.”
Silvia grinned as she tore open the letter. The high-quality envelope ripped roughly in her hands. Her eyes moved quickly as she read.
After a moment, she folded the letter and murmured,
“Good. So it’s in a week.”
“In a week?” Bell blurted out.
She knew it was improper for a maid to interrupt, but she couldn’t help worrying that Silvia might be getting involved in something dangerous again.
Sensing Bell’s concern, Silvia answered kindly instead of getting angry.
“Yeah. That’s when it’s being held.”
“What is, my lady?”
“The Central Academy entrance exam.”
“The Central Academy…?”
This time, Bell was completely speechless.
She stared at Silvia and the book in her hands with a stunned expression.
There’s something even less fitting for Lady Silvia than books now… and that’s the academy!
Lady Silvia taking an academy entrance exam.
The sun isn’t going to rise in the west tomorrow, is it?
Bell seriously pondered what would happen to the world if that did occur, but fortunately, the sun rose in the east the next day.
And though it still felt unbelievable, the day Silvia had to take the academy entrance exam drew closer and closer.
✦ ✦ ✦
A drowsy afternoon, no different from any other.
I set down the book I’d been reading and quietly looked around my room.
It still feels strange, no matter how many times I see it.
A few days ago, the butler and servants had come in and completely redone the room’s interior.
The original furniture had already been luxurious enough, but the new pieces they brought in were all jaw-droppingly extravagant.
When I asked why, they said it was the duke’s order.
I had no idea what possessed him to waste money replacing perfectly fine furniture.
Well, it’s not my money anyway. Does it really matter?
I clicked my tongue while looking at the gleaming furniture, when a knock sounded at the door.
In the past, I would’ve thought, Who could it be? No one ever comes.
But now, things were different.
Don’t tell me… again?
“Tsk.”
“Come in.”
“A letter has arrived, my lady.”
A servant entered politely.
Of course.
Just when you least expect it, it gets you—and once again, it was a letter.
“Put it there.”
At my gesture toward the small hill of letters, the servant carefully placed it on top and left.
Every single letter addressed to me these days was the same thing.
Invitations.
They were padded with flowery, decorative language, but reduced to one line, they all said this:
<We invite Silvia Atlante to a party.>
To be more precise, some added something like this at the front:
<We invite Silvia Atlante, who will satisfy our curiosity and provide a juicy story to chew on, to a party.>
The thinly veiled invitations never stopped coming. At first, I read a few. At some point, I started stacking them up and using them as kindling. Bell had been worried when she saw that, but…
I don’t even have to go. Why bother showing up just to feel miserable?
Life is busy enough even when you only chase pleasant things. I had no desire to accept invitations whose malicious intent was so obvious.
And there was another reason I wasn’t replying—or even reading them.
The duke didn’t say anything about it.
I recalled what happened when I was summoned by him some time ago.
The moment I entered his office, the duke skipped pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“What is your relationship with the Crown Prince?”
Anyone else would have been terrified by his cold, almost harsh demeanor.
But after experiencing it several times, I wasn’t particularly shaken.
At least he’s not radiating killing intent.
Thinking that, I answered honestly.
“There is none.”
Despite my truthful reply, the duke didn’t immediately believe me. Instead, he asked in a displeased tone,
“Then why are strange rumors spreading about you and the Crown Prince?”
“I don’t know either. I don’t understand why such false stories are circulating.”
“False stories, you say. Are you claiming there is no truth to those rumors?”
“Don’t you already know, Father? Some of those rumors even claim that everything I did in the past was an act—and that it was all to protect me.”
When I mentioned the rumor that the duke had deliberately ruined my reputation to prevent the eldest daughter of House Atlante from being taken by another family, the duke looked convinced.
“I see.”
After warning me to be careful about my behavior going forward, he fell silent.
I was about to leave when the countless letters piled up in my mind, and I spoke up.
“I’ve been receiving a lot of invitations lately. Do I have to accept them?”
“……”
“Invitations to dinners, teas, and balls. I don’t want to go, so I’ve been declining them for now. But if I must attend…”
I hid my true thought—I really don’t want to go—as I asked. The duke frowned.
Watching the slight distortion in his stiff, cold expression, he replied slowly.
“If you’re going to bring disgrace to the family again in public, then don’t take a single step outside this estate.”
“So that means… if I don’t want to go, I don’t have to, right?”
The duke didn’t explicitly say yes, but…
He more or less nodded, so I’ll take that as a yes.
