Charlotte, who had been counting the days meticulously, was frustrated to realize that tonight was the third night.

There was only one reason she wanted to attend the royal event. There, she could officially be paired with Edwin, and as a result, receive the envy of all the noble young ladies.

Standing at the center of attention with her loved one was something that no title or wealth could rival.

But Susanna’s companionship had completely shattered those hopes. Though her love for Edwin was great, her fear of Susanna was far more immense.

If only Susanna hadn’t sent a letter asking Edwin to come together, she would never have set foot in this dreadful castle. At least thanks to Vivian, who would be uncomfortable here, and Susanna, who wasn’t particularly fond of Vivian, she could avoid being the target.

She recalled the first time she went to that house, holding the hand of Baron Baitness.

Her birth mother had given birth to an illegitimate daughter without a husband and eventually fell ill after succumbing to alcoholism.

Though she knew her mother’s death was imminent, the three-year-old child couldn’t comprehend the depth of sorrow that death brings.

A few days before her mother died, it was Baron Baitness who visited their rundown rented room with no locks. The baron’s shadow, silhouetted against the pouring sunlight, remained unforgettable even now in her adulthood.

Her mother, though seemingly on the verge of her last breath, shed tears of joy.

Her mother’s face, telling her to go out and play with a hoarse voice, was the last image she had. When she returned home as the sun set, her mother had already breathed her last in the baron’s arms.

‘Child, this man will now be your guardian. So let’s go together. Let’s go, wash up clean, eat delicious food to your heart’s content, and wear pretty clothes.’

Many things changed with her mother’s death. She gained an unfamiliar guardian, no longer had a bed where mice scurried about, and lived in a house where the ceiling didn’t leak when it rained. However.

‘Remove that devilish thing from my sight immediately!’

‘Watch closely what kind of monster you’ve become, trampling on souls to stand.’

‘You ruined everything! You and that child, you killed my child!’

Long disheveled hair, unfocused eyes. The Baroness Baitness, baring her teeth and barking violently, looked as wretched as her mother in life. The only difference was that while her mother was always limp and listless, the baroness howled and raged like a half-crazed beast.

She was scared and terrified of such a Baroness Baitness.

Though she never directly harmed her, every day she spewed curses and maledictions, glared with bloodshot eyes, and every time she growled, Charlotte was gripped by the fear of being devoured by the baroness.

The baroness’s mind began to recover bit by bit when they took in the milk delivery boy.

She vaguely remembered that boy. Those blue eyes that shone brightly even in his dirty face.

Thus, the baron and his wife began to argue almost daily about adopting the boy.

Whenever the two fought, she would press her ear against the closed door and eavesdrop on their conversations. When the Baron Baitness finally raised the white flag, Charlotte rejoiced along with him.

She believed that if that boy came to live with them, the deathly air that hung over this house would be cleared by his blue light, and Charlotte’s prediction proved correct.

With the new name Edwin Baitness, Susanna’s pathological symptoms improved as if washed away. Susanna bathed every day, changed her clothes, and kept her hair tidy. Instead of shutting herself in her room and crying, she woke up early to prepare breakfast.

She became an ordinary mother like that.

Although there was no more overt criticism and outbursts after that, Susanna remained ingrained in Charlotte’s mind as an object of terror. To the point where being ignored felt easier, and being overlooked was almost welcome.

And so, a precarious peace continued until the baron’s death in Rotermond.

‘That’s a devil! Don’t you be bewitched by that devil too.’

‘Are you going to do as that man’s will says? Even make that kind of choice?’

‘There are useless beings in this world. Don’t shackle your life because of such a being.’

The contemptuous rage she heard after a long time reminded her of the fear from her childhood. After the baron’s death, Susanna and Edwin often quarreled over the baron’s will. It was Susanna’s one-sided anger, but Edwin took her side and left Rotermond on business matters as soon as he became her guardian.

If she hated her so much, if she despised her so much, why did she call her to Rotermond?

Whatever Susanna’s intentions were, meeting Susanna, the cause of her anxiously beating heart, was far from welcome.

Just endure for two more days. No. Just one more day.

Charlotte comforted herself, repeating this countless times. As she was about to extinguish the candle to try to sleep, there was a knock. After checking the time, Charlotte carefully got out of bed and opened the door.

There stood Vivian, smiling brightly. Charlotte’s eyes widened. Vivian, who had come here late at night, quietly slipped inside. In her hands was a tray with sandwiches and two glasses of drinks.

“…Miss Eveline. What brings you here?”

Vivian, who had taken a seat at the table, smiled innocently and beckoned to Charlotte. Charlotte, who sat down in bewilderment, looked at the sandwich Vivian handed her with puzzled eyes.

“Let’s have a snack together.”

“What? At this hour?”

“I suddenly got so hungry. It’s boring to eat alone. And Miss Windler hasn’t been eating properly lately either. I saw it all. You barely ate anything. You hardly touched your dinner today too, right?”

As Vivian placed the sandwich in Charlotte’s hand, leaving a faint warmth, tears welled up suddenly.

She thought Edwin, who had volunteered to be her guardian despite Susanna’s fierce opposition after the baron passed away, was her only ally. That’s why she trusted him most, depended on him, and loved him.

Yet he had thrown her out of the mansion defenseless, and Vivian, who thought Charlotte had taken him away from her, came running as soon as she heard the news. Vivian was also the only one who worried about her as she waited for time to pass, tormented by Susanna’s persecution.

She had no memory of being loved in this world.

Her mother was always drunk, and in the baron’s house, she had to live on eggshells. Edwin said he cherished her, but his sincerity was not felt at all. He merely fulfilled his duty, but she had never faced affection that came from the heart.

Yet she loved him. Charlotte Windler, who had never been loved, loved.

“Eat quickly.”

“…Thank you.”

The person who had thought of her most negatively and spoken most harshly was the one who gave her warm affection instead.

The world was truly a bundle of contradictions.

Charlotte thought she could swallow her bursting tears along with the sandwich. But the sweet sandwich wrapping around her mouth turned and shook Charlotte’s heart.

Vivian handed her the drink herself. Trying not to reveal her tear-filled eyes, she gulped down the cool drink, and Vivian smiled with satisfaction.

After seeing that bright smile resembling a warm ray of winter sunlight, her intensified emotions calmed down. Rather, the gratitude towards Vivian and the feeling of having a friend to share her heart with led Charlotte to a cozy and comfortable space.

“Please… call me Charlotte.”

Though she knew it was impulsive, she didn’t think she would regret it. There was only a moment of embarrassment. But after seeing Vivian’s delighted face, even the shame quickly faded.

“Shall I, Charlotte? Then Charlotte should call me Vivian too.”

A bright smile spread across Charlotte’s lips, matching Vivian’s joyful face. It seemed like there had never been and would never be a sandwich as delicious as this one.

***

The fireplace in the second-floor living room emitted hot heat as the embers burned brightly. Though it was still too early in the season to light a fire, Edwin was sitting a little away from the fireplace reading a book, while Susanna gazed at the burning embers in front of the fire, tightly wrapped in a shawl.

Susanna, who was particularly weak to cold, needed a wood fire even at temperatures that were cool to others. And even that wasn’t enough, as she tried to ward off the cold by wrapping her entire body tightly.

Seemingly dissatisfied with something, Susanna turned to Edwin and grumbled.

“You’ve come to the estate after a long time, and you’re just looking at books all day?”

“I’ve already checked everything about the castle and estate. You’re so thorough in your work, Mother, that there’s nothing left for me to see.”

Tsk tsk. Susanna clicked her tongue. Her second son Edwin, lacking in affection, was a pro at making her feel disappointed and let down, but she consoled herself that it was part of his charm in its own way.

“I thought you’d at least talk to me first. Well. There’s no point in feeling hurt now. But Eddie. What will people say when they see you dragging around another bump?”

“It was you who told me to bring Eveline, Mother.”

“Before that, it was you who put Eveline’s name on the royal event list. …Just the other day, I invited the Danvers, and they talked about you.”

Giving up on criticizing Eveline, Susanna changed the subject.

“They probably said the usual things.”

“Yes. They said those usual things. You really need to get married now. Windler says she’s getting married, so that’s settled, but what about Eveline? Even after you’re married, will you continue to keep Eveline in the mansion out of pity for her circumstances? Eddie, so start with Rodinia as your newlywed home and leave Eveline in Rotermond. That would be better for Miss Eveline too.”

After a long persuasion, Edwin closed his book. Edwin’s eyes, looking far away at the firewood, gleamed with the flames.

“Mrs. Danvers said she would act as a matchmaker. It’s the second daughter of her cousin, Earl Chadwick. Recently, no, it’s been quite a while ago. Miss Chadwick came to Rotermond with her aunt, and she was quite a fine lady. So why don’t you meet her seriously this time? She’ll be attending this royal event too, so take the opportunity to get to know her face and spend some time together.”

Susanna was trying to persuade Edwin, who had his attention stolen by the flames, but there was no sign of him wavering. Then, as if having made a decision, Edwin smiled at the corners of his mouth and gazed at Susanna.

“So that’s why you said you’d attend this royal event.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I’m going because Her Majesty the Queen personally sent a letter.”

“And the Queen’s influence is involved in this matchmaking too.”

“……”

Susanna’s lips closed, knowing there was no way to deceive her quick-witted son. When gentle persuasion didn’t work, she expressed the frustration that had built up to her throat.

“Anyway, it’s time for you to get married now. Eddie, at your age, you could have had three, no, four children by now. At this rate, I’ll follow your father without even seeing a grandchild. Are you going to leave your mother so lonely?”

“You’re too young for that, so why don’t you get a lover instead?”

“Eddie!”

The third day. Three days since Vivian Eveline had disappeared from sight without fulfilling her duty.

The reason he had tried to endure such a Vivian was to respect her own reasons.

On the first day of arriving in Rotermond. Vivian had followed him as he went up to his room after finishing dinner. Vivian, who had a knack for surprising people with her occasional eccentric behavior, met his eyes and came quite close before pouring out her words.

‘…Please, can’t you not do that in front of other people? I won’t say anything if you do it in front of me… but please don’t express me like that in front of Miss Windler or the Baroness.’

‘I said there’s no choice, so talk to the Duke about it. If you must say such things, please only say them when we’re alone.’

And Vivian drove the point home.

‘I’m begging you for this. I’m pleading with the Duke. If you do that again, I’ll be so embarrassed I could die, so I’m begging and pleading for my life.’

With her face flushed red, she left immediately, and after that, occasions to see her face decreased significantly.

The reason why all that patience crumbled was entirely because of his mother. Because she had finally brought out the face he had tried so hard not to think about and buried, making it surface.

Edwin checked the time. A little past 9 o’clock.

Would Vivian be asleep?

The question arose, but he wanted to check for himself. Whether she was awake or asleep, he wanted to see with his own eyes.

“I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow, Mother.”

As Edwin immediately stood up, she looked at the departing Edwin with a very disappointed face. Susanna’s sigh was contained in the burning embers.