"The marquis' wife?"
"Yes."
What's going on?
No, maybe she's becoming a regular character.
Even though it's already been a week since Marissa has arrived in Lapel, I've been a little curious because there was no sign of anything amiss.
Evangeline poured out her animosity toward me upon arrival, but Marissa...She's been too quiet.
In addition, she has unreadable expressions, not that I have time to read it.
"Alright."
After giving her my answer, I watch as the maid leaves Lian Garden and take a bite out of my cookie.
What kind of character is she?
She's definitely not a chatty or minor character like Evangeline.
Be calm. Just make sure to act properly so you can escape.
You must be the one who is most similar to the former duchess. The trust between you two must be strong.
Ergel affirmed this when I asked if Marisa came to Lapel by the will of the former duchess.
You wouldn't come to the Lapel for any other reason than that.
Because you don't get along well with me.
"Hmm."
I put the remaining cookie into my mouth, rubbing my thumb and index finger to shake off the powder on them.
What did Evangeline mention to the capital that made Marissa come here?
I don't think it's only because Catherine was demoted.
No matter how much the former duchess cared for Catherine, it's unlikely that she would do something contrary to Charles, her only son's will, because of a maid.
Of course, you're already against Charles' marriage to me.
It's about all the marriage of families.
It isn't that I couldn't understand her objection.
From what I've heard, the former duchess has a lot of affection for her son. Of course, because of his marriage to Abella, that love slightly cracked.
For now, her children seem to be the top priority.
But, the question I thought of the last time comes back to me. I missed an important detail before because I was busy thinking about getting a new outfit.
Didn't the novel say that all the widows are buried with their husband? How did the former duchess survive after the death of the former duke?
As soon as Charles died, Abella was put in a coffin and died along with him.
Why are you alive?
I could make various assumptions.
Is it because Abella had no successor, and the former duchess had a successor?
Then, who did all that property go to after Abella died?
It was true that he died without a successor and was deprived of his status and power.
However, not all the property and territories of the Diago Family were taken away.
Yes, that wealth that he can't stop boasting about.
Where did all of that go?
It was something that the story never answered since it centered around the protagonists.
After Charles's death, the novel ended happily.
'Since then, the two have two children, a son and a daughter. They both lived happily and well.'
Nowhere else did it describe what happened to the Diago family.
How did it go for them?
"Your Grace."
Let's put a pause and hold onto this endless string of thoughts being unravelling.
"The marquis' wife is coming."
Pope leans in and whispers.
My eyes follow her gaze to where I could see the Marquis of Ferret.
Marisa...She walks with a black aura around her.
"You are preparing for something interesting."
"Ah."
It's because of that rumor.
I thought that we would sit in front of each other and have a proper, roundabout conversation, but she ends up exceeding my expectation.
"Yes, it's nice to spend money in a meaningless way."
I respond calmly even though it's rather a bad answer.
I can't believe that I said spending money is boring.
He said that it is a hobby and freedom of ladies to spend money without any meaning.
Marissa's mood becomes uncomfortable.
"I see."
She raises her head and accepts my words at face value.
"It can be like that."
She doesn't sound sarcastic or scolding.
It does feel like I'm sitting in front of an interviewer with an attitude that just confirming facts with me.
Well, it's our first time dealing with each other.
This level of courtesy is to be expected.
From Marissa's point of view, she came here to find out what kind of person I am since she's unsure about me.
Therefore, there's no need to sharpen my blade. Rather, this might work in my favor for the future.
"I heard that it's been awhile since you've been in Lapel."
"Yes, it's been a long time."
"Are you uncomfortable with your stay? Since the mansion has been empty for a long time, there will be a lot of shortcomings. If you need anything, please feel free to tell me—"
"It's alright. There is no discomfort since I've been in Catherine's good care."
"Ah."
I keep my expression neutral as I hear Marissa praising Catherine, who raises her chin proudly with an elated expression.
Yes, how nice for you.
No matter how much the former duchess cherishes Catherine, she wouldn't have sent Marissa.
Are you not aware of that or are you trying to ignore it?
Still...
Catherine focus her attention on me even though I could tell she doesn't care about whether or not that attention is returned.
"What about Catherine? She's very competent, right? "
Since I have no response, I keep my reaction neutral and offers a smile.
I'd rather Marissa and Evangeline take her to the capital.
"If it's the owner's order, then she's very loyal to the point where she can't hide anything."
I add.
It's up to them to decide how to take my statement.
I meant it as a compliment.
When I smile toward Catherine, I see her face twitch. The more she feels that I'm neglecting her, the higher the chance that she'll open her mouth and confront me about the things between her and Abella.
There must have been some kind of transaction between the two.
The deal must have something to do with a position or the strengthening her power as the head maid.
However—
"If I was a competent person, I wouldn't have done anything against my master's will."
Wow.
Catherine bites her lower lip, coughing at Marissa's venomous words, which were more than what I was trying to do.
"And if I was an upright person, I wouldn't have conveyed useless things to the capital."
"... "
"You must have suffered a lot."
What is this skill of doing two contradicting things at the same time?
She manages to give Catherine's face, while at the same time, says, 'You're incompetent because you couldn't even take care of her properly,' in a graceful manner.
(Her in this case is Abella)
I thought that she was going to show up and defend her the way Evangeline had.
It's a little different.
Of course, it may be because these words are very clear about the public and private matters.
She's quite different from Evangeline, who just ran around to speak on Catherine's behalf and threw biting remarks about marriages to shut my mouth.
Are you the middle boss of this family?
Unlike Evangeline, she resembles Charles, and they share similar mannerism.
Besides, both of their appearance is very beautiful, which probably is a family's trait.
However, if Charles's beauty is considered decadent, then what would Marissa's be?
An elegant, wicked woman?
Yes, she has a typical villain image, but she's also very elegant in her speech.
Can many say, 'kill him,' with a smile and a soft voice?
Isn't it said that the mother-in-law and the marquess are very similar?
I firmly believe that I should never go near my mother-in-law.
"It's because I'm not good enough."
Catherine then takes half a step back.
As I've said before, I don't even have to fight Marissa.
Whether she grasps my thoughts or not, she turns her head and folds her arms as she stares at the far sea, overlooking the second floor of Lian Garden.
"Before my marriage, that sea, this castle, and Lapel remained the same everyday."
Is it storytelling time?
"After my marriage, Lapel is different every time I visit."
I tilt my head, wondering what the hell is going on.
Marissa turns away from the sea and stares at me with a bitter expression.
"The first day I came back to Lapel after my marriage, my father was not here,"
"... "
"The next time I visited, Charles, who was a marquis, had become the duke and owner of this castle."
"... "
"The time after, my mother said she would abandon the Diago name. Not only that, but the duke has a wife. Just like that."
When I see her trying to replace her bitter smile with a friendlier one, the thoughts that I have while our eyes remain on each other, convince me of my assumptions.
"But this visit, strangely enough, nothing has changed."
I narrow my brows slightly at her questionable words, and pretend that I can't understand what she wants to say.
"The next time I return to Lapel, will it be when Charles die?"
Marissa's belated words make me gasp and inhale deeply.
She sees my surprise and laughs it off.
"Or maybe you'll be divorced. It'll probably be one of the two."
Her words flow smoothly like water. Her bitter smile has long since disappeared into the words that soon follow.
.
.
.
.
T/N: I still can't tell whether Marissa hates Charles and therefore, dislike Abella, or she's just seeing how things play out first. For now, I guess she's still a neutral character, absorbing everything before making a move, which is smart af. Lol.