When did it start to go wrong?

Jocelyn stared at Ariante like a snake hunting its prey.

It’s all because of that lowly thing. Jocelyn thought. If only that thing hadn’t been born, none of these problems would have arisen in the first place.

When she learned that Liria was pregnant, Jocelyn had tried every means to make her lose the child, but ultimately failed. It was because Berbo was so thoroughly guarding Liria.

Jocelyn, who had never loved the son she bore, and had never thought of the Marquis’s eldest son as someone to raise for the Balthminster family, began to hate Berbo even more for that reason.

So, when the child was born a daughter, she was greatly relieved.

In any case, a girl. If Cediloi married and had a child, Ariante would be nothing more than an abandoned pawn. To achieve that, it was essential to clear away all the fences protecting that child.

So, she got rid of Berbo and Liria.

Jocelyn felt no guilt whatsoever about making her own son die by her own hands. However, Cediloi not only refused to marry but also made Ariante a concubine! It was unforgivable. Jocelyn didn’t harbor anger towards Cediloi. Her hatred and resentment were solely focused on Ariante.

Everything is because of that wench.
At that moment, Ariante’s voice rushing towards the two was heard.

“Ash! I brought apples! Look, they’re really big!”

“Impressive? You’ve picked really big ones.”

As Ash stood up, Ariante smiled and handed him one apple. Then, she glanced at Swan and, holding the remaining two, pushed forward the one that was a bit thicker.

“Here, an apple. The biggest one.”

Swan’s eyes, which seemed on the verge of tears, slowly turned to Ariante.

“Are you crying?”

Ariante’s head tilted, and Swan, brushing her eyes with the back of her hand, shook her head.

“I’m not crying. Oh, um… I’m not crying. Thank you… Ariante. Can I call you Ariante?”

Ariante, who had been mumbling her small lips, answered with a slightly more confident attitude.

“Sure. You can call me Ariante.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story that the three went for a walk in the forest, heard from the gardener, left Meianna in a state of confusion for a while.

Gathering for a tea time with Bainti, Bridget, and Ivy, she kept looking out the window, repeatedly standing up when she thought the shadow of a person looked like an adult.

“Meianna, you don’t have to worry so much. That Lauren or Lorelin, whatever that man’s name is, went with her.”

Bainti teased Meianna gently, and Bridget spoke with concern.

“Losing the Lady like that was really shocking, Meianna. Truly pitiful.”

With a deep sigh, Meianna sat down heavily. Then, touching the nearly untouched tea cup, she moistened her head slightly like a person who had lost strength.

“I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to the Lady.”

Watching Meianna, who was fiddling with the tea, Ivy stared at her with widened eyes.

“Sometimes I think, Meianna, you’re not like a maid of the Lady but more like a nanny. Or even a mother.”

Bainti tilted her chin slightly and said teasingly.

“A nanny or a mother, exactly. Aren’t there mothers who never let go of their daughters for a moment? It’s completely overprotective. Imagine if the Lady brings a man who’s turned red in the front teeth from drinking, or with rotten teeth from smoking.”

“If the Lady brings a man like that, why would she? Just think about it!”

“Okay. I don’t want to think about such things.”

Listening to the two talking nonsense, Bridget laughed heartily, touching her chin with both hands.

“Given that there is still plenty of time for the Lady to bring her bridegroom, don’t worry too much, Meianna. Now, Bainti, why don’t you tell your story? Among us, you’re the only one with a lover, aren’t you?”
“Lady, there’s still plenty of time for you to bring your bridegroom. Instead of that, Bainti, why don’t you share your story? Among us, you’re the only one with a lover. Isn’t that right?”

For a moment, Meianna felt a twinge in her chest, but without showing it, she sided with Bridget’s opinion.

“Yeah, how’s the lover who gave you that troublesome button as a gift these days? Come to think of it, lately, the letters you used to read so eagerly don’t seem to catch your eye.”

“Have you two lost to me in some kind of rivalry?”

When Bainti spoke sharply and irritably, Bridget widened her eyes in surprise.

“Oh my, heavens! Bainti, did you break up with that man?”

“I don’t know, so I’m asking!”

“You can date and break up, why get so upset about it? But why did you break up? Did you get tired of him?”

As usual, Bridget, with her cheerful attitude, made Bainti’s face blush quickly. Knowing that there was no malice in her words, it made Bainti even angrier! Moreover, as she realized that she hadn’t dumped the other person but had been dumped, her mind bubbled up again.

“Of course! Where do I look like someone who would be dumped? I got rid of that country bumpkin as soon as possible!”

Meianna, holding a teacup, chuckled and rolled her eyes. Bainti, seeing her like that, got even more annoyed.

“Meianna! What’s that expression you just made?”

At that moment, Meianna, with a nonchalant expression, pointed at herself as if to say she didn’t know.

“My expression? What expression? Are you going to pick a fight over my face now?”

“I never liked your face in the first place.”

“Oh, right. I did say something like that before. But haven’t you gotten used to it by now? Huh?”

Meianna, with a cheeky grin, blinked excessively, making it not only mischievous but downright irritating. Of course, it only looked that way to Bainti…

At that moment, Ivy, with her distinctive monotone tone, interjected unexpectedly.

“By the way, I haven’t been here for long, but… Bridget and Meianna, do you really not have lovers? Not even one until now?”

Bainti slammed the table.

“Yeah, Ivy! You said it well for once. You two must have dated at least once or twice, right? Then either got dumped or did the dumping! Why am I the only one being teased? Bridget, you tell me. Did you gossip with Kenny from the kitchen last year?”

Bridget’s plump cheeks turned rosy. Kenny was a name Meianna also knew. As the arrow turned back to Bridget after Bainti, who was upset, Meianna mischievously said,

“Kenny? Are you talking about that Kenny who handles the pies? Bridget, is that true?”

“Meianna! Why are you like this? Kenny and I, um… we weren’t that close. Just…”

“Just what?”

When Ivy, catching the fading end of the conversation, asked, Bridget opened her eyes slightly.

“I didn’t know you would be interested in such matters, Ivy.”

Ivy replied, “Stories about other people’s love affairs are interesting. Until yesterday, they were clinging to each other affectionately, and the next day, they wouldn’t even look at each other… Then suddenly, they would be clinging to each other again. Usually, they end up getting married.”

Bainti interrupted Ivy’s chatter.

“So what’s the conclusion? If it’s not a deep relationship, so what? What’s the standard for a deep relationship? Huh?”

Bridget’s round face was now as red as an apple. She repeatedly lifted and put down the teacup, but without drinking the tea, she seemed to be shaking off her embarrassment. Finally, in a small voice, Bridget, blushing like an apple, said,

“Well… we only kissed a few times. That’s it.”

“Good Lord! Look at this one! Meianna, did you hear that just now? Bridget, this one, I knew it. Those who say, ‘I’m an innocent girl,’ are the ones who do more! Only kissed a few times! That’s nothing, right?”
“Well, Bainti, how about you? You wouldn’t have just held hands, right? Isn’t that so?”

“I broke up, so there’s no need to say more.”

Bainti shrugged her shoulders spitefully. While Bridget pursed her small lips and gazed at her gracefully, Ivy, who was sitting across from Meianna, asked her a question this time.

“How about you, Meianna?”