Chapter 3
Freya Hayworth.
Commonly known as the Grand Lady of Hayworth.
Who was she?
The only wife of the late Marquis Hayworth, and the mother-in-law of the formidable Duke Seymour Somerset. In name and in reality, she was the true power of the current Hayworth family.
And she was the one who raised Seymour Somerset.
The late Marquis Hayworth had been frail since birth.
Because of that, he had only one child after much difficulty—his daughter, Rose. Fortunately, instead of health, he had a good friend.
That friend was the Marquis Graham, son of the Duke of Somerset.
“Graham, you have two sons, don’t you? Send one to the Hayworth family. If he marries my Rose and inherits our family, it would benefit both our houses.”
“That’s a fine proposal, Hayworth. My eldest, Quentin, must inherit, so I’ll send the second. Please take good care of him.”
And so, through an agreement between the fathers, a boy was suddenly sent to the Hayworth household.
That boy was Seymour Graham.
The one who would later become a son-in-law of the Hayworth family and, after an unfortunate accident, inherit the title of Duke of Somerset—becoming Seymour Hayworth Somerset.
Though he carried the blood of the Graham family, he was Hayworth to the core.
He had been raised by the Marquis and Marchioness of Hayworth, and he loved their daughter, Rose Hayworth, more than anyone.
That’s why, even after he became a complete wreck following his wife’s death, he still showed respect to the Grand Lady of Hayworth.
To Seymour, the Grand Lady was his mother-in-law, his mother, and the only person who shared the same loss.
And now, that very Grand Lady of Hayworth was a sponsor of Townsend Orphanage.
And today, Rowena was going to meet her!
If things go well, meeting Seymour won’t be that hard!
This is amazing!
When she first realized this, Rowena couldn’t help but jump on the spot.
She had been reincarnated into a novel—and the orphanage she lived in just happened to be supported by the villain’s mother-in-law!
I really am lucky!
Right. It’s not like the world is determined to make someone die.
Thinking about it, Rowena had always been lucky.
While other children searched all day through grass fields, she could find four-leaf clovers almost immediately.
Even when they all sneaked into the kitchen to steal cookies, she was the only one who never got caught.
And having memories of my past life is lucky too.
Of course, if you really thought about it, being reborn as an orphan extra in a novel and then getting a terminal illness might not exactly count as “luck”…
Ah, whatever. That’s not important right now!
Even a pawnshop wouldn’t bother arguing over something so trivial.
What mattered was that she now had a way to meet Seymour.
Until now, it had seemed impossible, but with the Grand Lady of Hayworth, it no longer felt completely out of reach.
Of course… just because I can meet her doesn’t guarantee I’ll meet Seymour.
Still, having a way in was already huge.
It was like the difference between searching for an apple tree sapling just to eat an apple and simply going to a fruit shop.
A massive difference.
Obviously, buying an apple from a fruit shop is much easier than growing your own tree.
But there was one problem.
It was great that a “fruit shop” existed now, but…
“I hope the Grand Lady is in a good mood today.”
“Didn’t someone get scolded badly last time? What was it for again?”
“Miller got caught wiping his nose on his sleeve.”
“Doesn’t she seem scarier every time we visit?”
“Please let today pass without trouble…”
Yes. This was the problem.
The Grand Lady of Hayworth doesn’t have an easy personality.
She was a perfectionist.
—
“I cannot tolerate anyone behaving incompetently in front of me.”
—
That was something she often said.
At best, it was perfectionism. At worst, it was harshness.
Because of that, her name had become more and more terrifying among the children of Townsend.
Any child who got on her bad side would inevitably be punished upon returning to the orphanage.
I heard she wasn’t always this sharp…
Losing her family must have affected her greatly.
Her husband died of illness.
Not long after, her beloved daughter died in an accident.
And the son-in-law she had raised like her own child lost his mind from the grief.
To be honest, it was almost more impressive that the aging Grand Lady had managed to remain sane at all.
But that also meant there was no opening for Rowena to approach her.
Unlike other noble ladies who would sit with the children and chat or share snacks, the Grand Lady only exchanged formal greetings before sending them away.
What should I do…
She had been so excited about the chance to meet Seymour through the Grand Lady.
But at this rate, she wouldn’t even get the chance to speak with her.
“…Sigh.”
As Rowena let out a worried sigh, the girl beside her, Jenny, poked her cheek.
“What’s wrong, Rowena? Are you nervous? We’ll just greet her and sing a bit like always. Relax!”
No. That’s exactly the problem, Jenny.
If I don’t get a chance to talk to her, what’s the point of meeting her at all?
Despite Jenny’s attempt to comfort her, Rowena’s expression only grew darker.
There’s barely any information about the Grand Lady in the original story.
If she knew something, she could at least try to start a conversation.
Or if she had more time, she might have thought of another plan.
But unfortunately, the carriage had already stopped in front of a grand mansion.
“Alright, we’ve arrived. Line up and get down in order! The headmistress said anyone who makes a mistake in front of the Grand Lady will be locked in solitary confinement, so be careful!”
At the teacher’s warning, the children visibly flinched.
Rowena included.
Solitary confinement…
For the children of Townsend, that was the worst punishment imaginable.
A tiny, cramped room where you could hear rats scurrying above and below through the wooden boards.
Once you were locked in there for hours, even hearing the word “solitary” would make your knees shake.
What if I mess this up and end up locked in there without accomplishing anything?
Just thinking about it made her grimace, but she had no choice.
Taking a deep breath, Rowena stepped out of the carriage.
Each step she took toward meeting the Grand Lady felt solemn and determined.
Right.
This isn’t the time to be picky.
If I have to, I’ll even do a forward roll in front of her!
If that doesn’t work, then a backward roll!
If that still doesn’t work, then a cartwheel!!
Whatever it takes, she would grab a chance to speak with the Grand Lady—
“Oh my, are these the children you sponsor, Grand Lady?”
“You mentioned guests would come for tea—so you meant the children!”
“As expected of you, Grand Lady.”
…Huh?
Rowena’s eyes widened in surprise.
This wasn’t the usual drawing room where they met Lady Hayworth.
It was a beautifully arranged garden.
And seated around a tea table were several elegant noblewomen.
In other words—
They’re having a tea party.
Then why were the children brought here?
Wait… don’t tell me…?
Just as Rowena was wondering, the Grand Lady of Hayworth, seated at the head of the table, quietly set down her teacup and spoke.
“It felt rather dull to sit only among old ladies, so I arranged for the children to come at this time. If you don’t mind, how about we have refreshments together with them?”
“Oh my, of course we’d love that.”
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen my grandchildren.”
“Hehe, thanks to you, we’ll hear children’s voices again.”
“Come, children, sit here. Henry, bring chairs for them.”
“Yes, madam.”
At her command, the servants moved efficiently, preparing seats for the children.
In short—
We’ve been invited to the Grand Lady’s tea party?
Rowena’s previously stiff face lit up instantly.
She had assumed they would just greet her and leave as usual.
But now I actually have a chance to talk to her naturally!
What incredible luck!
