Chapter 35
“Where is Letitia?”
At Bellia’s question, Ellin lifted her head.
“She just returned home and is sleeping.”
“Already?”
“Yes, it seems she was tired and was carried in asleep by Hail.”
“For weeks now, she’s been out having fun, completely out of her mind. Tsk.”
Bellia clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“Alright. You may go.”
“What about the coachman’s report?”
“Was there anything significant?”
“No. He said they did nothing more than stop by Hail’s house briefly.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Bellia waved her hand dismissively as if tired and turned her head away.
“You may go.”
“……”
Frankly, Ellin was bothered by the fact that Letitia’s carriage had stopped at Hail’s house.
Even if it was brief, she could have done something if she intended to.
But unlike herself, Bellia clearly looked annoyed. If she brought it up without any concrete proof or certainty, she knew exactly what kind of remarks she’d hear—
“Yes, Madam.”
Without another word, she turned around.
She thought she should check with the coachman once more in the evening before saying anything.
***
“What?”
Ellin’s face hardened stiffly as she questioned the coachman about the circumstances.
“Well, you see……”
The coachman, with his bushy bearded chin, scratched it awkwardly under Ellin’s gaze and smacked his lips.
“He said he had something to do and asked Kuhn to switch shifts just for today, and Kuhn readily agreed.”
As the coachman spoke, reeking strongly of alcohol, Ellin’s face contorted increasingly into an unreadable expression.
But she couldn’t get angry at him, as he had been diligently working as a spy in his own way. She let out a long sigh and lifted her head.
“Then how did you find out they stopped by Hail’s house? Did Kuhn tell you?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh.”
She placed a hand on her forehead and turned away.
If things were like this, there was no way to confirm how many minutes they had actually stayed at Hail’s house.
Even if, by any chance, they had stayed longer.
“But you don’t need to worry, there’s no way that person would do anything else……”
“So, are you saying she *is* the type to do something else?”
“Well.”
At Ellin’s sharp retort, the coachman closed his mouth and smacked his lips. His eyes, loosened by alcohol, were swollen like those of a rotten fish.
‘What do I do about this?’
If she glossed over it and Bellia found out, it could cause a huge uproar.
Moreover—
‘They said she was carried in asleep, right?’
That came from the maids, so it was probably true.
But why did that fact keep bothering her?
‘What if, by any chance, she was swapped out and brought in?’
Like Bellia, who had reacted with “Already?” to the news she was asleep, she too had thought it was too early in the evening for someone to fall so deeply asleep.
‘Did they drug her?’
The thought that it might be a side effect crossed her mind, and simultaneously, she felt the impulse to go and check on Letitia herself.
‘I’m anxious.’
If, as Bellia-nim said, that illegitimate child and Letitia were to meet and plot something, not only the direct descendants of the main family but she herself would be like a kite with its string cut.
‘I can’t just let that happen.’
After all, look how I secured this position.
It was the result of enduring over a decade by Bellia’s side.
Just as I was beginning to feel comfortable, I couldn’t let anything disrupt that.
Whatever the case, now that things were like this, Bellia’s family and I were essentially in the same boat.
‘Of course, they probably don’t think so.’
But since their rise and fall was directly tied to my own, I was the one who had to act.
“Alright.”
With that, she quickly headed towards the main house, to Letitia’s quarters. And who she encountered in front of it was Hail.
‘Hail is here.’
Ellin walked towards Hail, who was standing as if guarding the door, and looked up at him with a smile.
“What brings you here?”
“Bellia-nim sent me to see the Young Lady.”
“She’s sleeping.”
“I’ll just take a quick look at her face. Bellia-nim heard reports that the Young Lady felt a bit dizzy this morning and is very worried.”
Ellin spoke brazenly and looked at the door.
“I need to see if she’s alright and report back, even if just to say I saw her face, so she can be reassured.”
“……”
“And I heard she was carried in when she returned.”
“That was because she was tired.”
“Exactly. That means her body isn’t well. Let me just check……”
But Hail, blocking Ellin as she reached for the doorknob, shook his head.
“She’s sleeping. Come back tomorrow.”
‘There’s someone inside.’
Or something’s going on.
‘Or perhaps there’s no one inside.’
Whatever the case, Hail’s strange response made Ellin grip the doorknob even tighter, as if to prove a point.
“Do you want to be driven out?”
“……”
“How dare you block me?!”
At Ellin’s angry expression, her voice suppressed, Hail’s face stiffened.
Somehow, his mouth seemed twisted, and the atmosphere felt a bit different from the usual Hail, making Ellin frown.
Shouldn’t he back down by now?
There was no sign of that; instead, Hail tightened his grip on the doorknob. As Ellin met his sharp gaze and lifted her head—
“Who’s outside?”
Letitia’s voice came from inside the room.
She was momentarily flustered by the voice, but—
“Ah, Young Lady. It’s Ellin. Bellia-nim sent me to see you.”
“It’s Ellin. Come in.”
Only after hearing Letitia’s permission from inside did Hail release his firm grip on the doorknob. Ellin, feeling triumphant, turned the knob down and entered.
***
“What’s the matter?”
The voice that dragged her attention away from scanning the dark, unlit surroundings in the middle of the night made Ellin turn her head.
“Ah, Bellia-nim was startled to hear that you almost fainted this morning.”
“Ah, I’m fine though.”
“Shall I light a candle?”
“Are you trying to wake me up completely?”
At Letitia’s words, Ellin straightened her body, which she had slightly turned to look for a candle.
The atmosphere felt somewhat unlike usual.
But if Letitia was acting like this, there was nothing she could do either.
‘It must be Letitia, right?’
Her voice sounded a bit lower than usual too.
Hail’s reaction was also strange.
Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this.
‘Is it not Letitia?’
If that were the case…
It would be a big problem.
The issue would arise of how a mere 6-year-old child could so cunningly evade people and what on earth she was doing wandering around.
If that happened, her entry into the main house could be canceled, and she might even be driven out.
‘On top of that, there are widespread rumors that she has special abilities but can’t properly manifest them.’
Along with rumors that she couldn’t do a single thing that a typical ability user should be able to do, whispers like “Did she lie to get into the Family Head’s good graces?” were circulating secretly among the servants.
If the Family Head found out that in such a situation, Letitia was sneaking around doing other things, even lying to shake off people—
‘This is serious.’
She bit her tongue to suppress a smile that threatened to creep up.
Just imagining what she could ask Bellia-nim for was delightful. Ellin let her shoulders slump dramatically and let out a long sigh. “Aigoo—.”
“So, is there anywhere that hurts significantly?”
“Mm.”
“Let me see somewhere……”
“I’m fine.”
But ignoring Letitia’s words, Ellin reached out and walked towards the bed. Contrary to her expectations, Letitia’s blue eyes were looking up at her from where she was buried deep in the pillow.
Her face was very much sleep-drenched.
“What is this.”
As if she had been certain, faced with this unexpected situation, Ellin pursed her lips slightly.
‘What’s going on?’
Letitia, blinking her eyes and frowning, sat up.
Ellin looked over Letitia’s appearance—wearing crumpled pajamas, her disheveled hair not properly undone, clearly having just woken up. As Ellin lifted her head, Letitia pulled the servant’s bell rope.
“Ah, Young Lady.”
As if belatedly coming to her senses at the sound of the bell, Ellin lifted her head, but the situation was already beyond her control.
***
“In case the Young Lady was unwell, I acted hastily out of concern. I apologize, Young Lady.”
Ellin bowed her head deeply.
Seeing this, I looked at the Head Maid, Covett, standing beside Ellin.
She too looked apologetic, but her expression suggested there was nothing particularly wrong. If anything, she seemed slightly annoyed at having been dragged here at this hour.
“Everyone, please forgive Ellin generously, as she acted out of concern for the Young Lady’s well-being,” Covett said.
At Covett’s words, Hail bristled and stepped forward, but then he stopped, his foot firmly planted as he felt me tug on his clothes.
Seeing Hail’s hardened expression as he let out a frustrated breath through his nose, I turned my head, putting on a very tired face.
“Alright. Since the Head Maid says so. I will.”
“Thank you.”
“And tell my Second Aunt that she doesn’t need to worry about me from now on.”
“……Yes, Young Lady.”
Ellin, with a disgruntled expression, reluctantly nodded and smiled.
I, too, smiled back at that face.
“I’m sleepy.”
With that, I gave the order for the guests to leave.
“Everyone, please go out.”
