TDWO Chapter 11
by xxsienna
Anri came out before long. However, she didn’t notice him.
Anri turned lightly and went down the stairs.
“…….”
From the fluttering ends of her hair, the scent of acacia spread even stronger.
Usually, in noble mansions, there were separate staircases for men and women, but Wentworth Mansion had only one staircase.
‘It seems like a house where people would uncomfortably bump into each other.’
For a moment, Edwin looked at the spot where Anri had disappeared before entering the coachman’s room.
Upon seeing Edwin, Jeffrey was startled and immediately knelt down with a flustered expression.
“!”
Hendel, in turn, tensed up suddenly.
Although he didn’t know who the man was, the servants seemed to be very afraid of him.
The man didn’t stop Jeffrey; he only looked down at him with an icy expression.
It was intimidating.
“Master. Please forgive me and rest assured that such incidents will not happen again.”
Even with Jeffrey’s tearful plea, the man remained indifferent.
Suddenly, his cold gaze turned towards Hendel.
As if struck by lightning, Hendel fell to his knees beside Jeffrey.
Somehow, it felt like the right thing to do.
“…….”
After a moment, Edwin finally spoke toward Hendel.
“We’ll have to hire a temporary coachman for Wentworth as well. Do they have any urgent matters they need to attend to? Are they going on a long journey?”
If they have an important outing, they have to quickly find a new coachman before then.
“Yes? Oh…”
Hendel pondered for a moment. Then he suddenly spoke up.
“Yes! There is. The madam and the young ladies are going to the ball of the Duke of Briston at East Carlton.”
Jeffrey glanced quickly at Hendel and Edwin, and even Edwin flinched.
‘What?’
If it’s the Duke of Briston, he must be referring to him, and the ball meant to look for his bride?
And this very ball is to be attended by the ladies of this house?
‘…….’
Edwin thought there really was no end to coincidences.
It felt like everything was orchestrated, right down to the coachmen and carriages.
To think it would lead to a ball to find his bride!
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Don’t follow me. Got it?”
Anri had just come down from the third floor and was about to return to her room on the second when she heard Candice’s sharp voice coming from inside Eunice’s room.
‘Is it starting again?’
Anri shook her head in annoyance and tried to pass by without thinking much of it.
But just then, the door opened abruptly, and Candice came out.
“You’d only embarrass yourself by going. Just tell Mother you’re feeling unwell.”
Candice, not yet noticing Anri, muttered under her breath as she peered through the slightly open door.
She seemed to be cautious about the presence of guests in the house.
“……?”
As for what it was about, it seemed to be about the Duke of Briston’s ball.
Candice, who usually felt embarrassed by Eunice, often bullied her or tried to separate her whenever they went out.
And each time, Eunice would just silently shrink away.
‘Is it because she’s kind, frustrating, or just stupid?’
But Catherine couldn’t stand seeing Eunice cooped up in her room all the time, so she always made sure to take her along whenever she went out.
Yet Eunice seemed to believe her room was the safest place in the world.
Candice was about to slam the door shut when she hesitated at the last moment, conscious of the man somewhere nearby.
Only then did Candice spot Anri.
They exchanged glances for a moment, but Candice quickly turned away.
Anri continued on her way without much reaction.
But soon enough, she was within earshot of Candice.
“Oh, I’m embarrassed to be seen with my sisters, too.”
Candice turned in astonishment at Anri’s sudden murmured remark.
“What did you say?”
“What?”
Anri’s eyes widened innocently, as if she didn’t know anything.
Candice’s anger flared even more at her sly expression.
“What did you just say? I heard you clearly!”
“Oh, did you?”
Squeak…….
Eunice, thinking she heard Anri’s voice from somewhere, peeked out the crack in the door.
Candice stood facing Anri with a furious expression.
Anri seemed unfazed. Eunice couldn’t recall ever having her arms crossed like that.
“What? You said you’re embarrassed to be seen with us?”
“Should I be proud of it then?”
“You just look embarrassing, sister.”
“What?”
Candice’s mouth fell open so wide that it seemed it couldn’t stretch any further. For a moment, she felt as if she had been hit in the back of her head, so shocked that she was speechless.
Anri, who was shorter than Candice, looked up at her intently without even blinking.
Her face showed no sign of change, as if they were having an ordinary conversation.
If Anri wanted to retaliate for the comments Candice often made to Eunice, she hadn’t even begun yet, so why was Candice so shocked?
Insulting others wasn’t Anri’s style, but to return the same treatment Candice had given Eunice, she had no choice.
Anri casually looked away and calmly continued.
“Hmph. You should be more embarrassed and ashamed than Eunice.”
“…….”
Candice staggered back in disbelief, almost as if she were about to collapse, while Eunice slowly realized something she hadn’t known before.
‘Ah, Anri is more embarrassed by Candice than by me… Thank goodness…’
“Hmph.”
Anri put her finger to her nose, and she snorted softly and briefly.
She had an indifferent expression, as if nothing had happened.
“You…… you…….”
Candice’s lips moved soundlessly as she looked like she was about to grab the back of her neck.
Her heavy head kept tilting further back.
It was then.
In Candice’s view, she saw the tip of a shoe in the distance.
The sight of the shoe tip, slightly protruding around the corner that led to the stairs, belonged to a tall, dignified, and incredibly handsome person.
How long has he been there?
“Sniff!”
Candice suddenly turned her head and pretended to cry.
Anri was puzzled once again. Candice lifted her face, which had been buried in her hands.
“Are you trying to bully me because you think I’m just a burden? What have I done wrong?”
Huh. She’s crying without a single tear.
Anri didn’t even flinch at the sight of Candice’s unfamiliar acting.
She just treated her with indifference, as if she were looking at a speck of dust.
“Hey, Candice.”
“What? Hey?”
Candice’s crying intensified.
“Do you think Eunice has no personality?”
“What?”
Candice was struck by another wave of shock, unable to continue her tearful act.
Then, overwhelmed with emotion, she forgot that there were guests and began to argue fiercely.
“Since when did you care about Eunice? I was the one who was in the same boat with her!”
“Oh goodness, how did Eunice manage to live in the same boat with you for nine months? That must have been awful.”
Anri burst out laughing. Her fair and smooth face lit up cheerfully.
Candice glared at her, fists clenched tightly.
“You’ll regret this when Father returns!”
She screamed, then turned and walked away.
Without a word, Anri whistled silently and casually walked down the hallway.
The path seemed longer than usual today.
‘Should I go to my room and clean my ears?’
“…….”
Anri and Candice disappeared in an instant.
Until then, Eunice was engulfed in a feeling that was difficult to describe, blinking her round eyes at the empty hallway.
She felt ecstatic, like a rainbow had appeared out of nowhere.
But she couldn’t bring herself to run around happily. Instead, she marveled at the rainbow and the beautiful light, feeling as if she were being enveloped by them.
As she was about to quietly close the door and disappear again, Eunice unconsciously glanced across the hallway.
“…….”
“…….”
Someone’s gaze met Eunice’s.
They stared at each other for a while.
A handsome and intimidating guest.
A moment of silence passed.
Edwin had intended to return to his room on the second floor after briefly conversing with the coachmen.
But then, an unexpected argument broke out.
He didn’t know when it had started, but he had heard enough of it.
The skillful way the woman nonchalantly flustered her stepsister seemed to be more than just a one-time occurrence.
It was an unexpected charm in an otherwise ordinary mansion.
Just listening made the corners of his mouth twitch, and the muscles in his abdomen contracted involuntarily.
Eavesdropping wasn’t a behavior he particularly liked, but he couldn’t help but hold back his laughter.
Even now.
Edwin’s eyelashes trembled, and Eunice swallowed hard.
The guest pressed his lips together as if holding something back, but his eyes remained cold and stern.
However, unable to hold it in any longer, his nostrils flared briefly before relaxing.
In an instant, Eunice rolled her large eyes and disappeared again through the slowly closing door.
She seemed to feel the need to hurry as her white, soft, bare feet shuffled backward.
Now there was only Edwin left in the hallway.
‘Oh my goodness.’
Edwin, unable to overcome himself in the end, bent his back and buried his face in his hands.
He bit the inside of his mouth as hard as he could.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
‘Let’s see.’
Anri leaned against the shaky bench and glanced through the newspaper that had been pushed aside.
She wasn’t reading it thoroughly; she was just “checking” to see what was there.
In this world, reading the newspaper was closely related to Anri’s survival.
After all, the author’s worldview was all contained within the newspaper.
<“The Queen’s Lover” was a novel set in 19th-century England, but it didn’t perfectly match the real historical era.>
There were elements added by the original author’s imagination, and there were background settings altered for the sake of the story.
Understanding these differences necessitated reading the newspaper.
But due to the events involving Marilyn and Kristan, Anri hadn’t read the newspaper for days.
Since Kristan arrived, the atmosphere in the Marilyn house has become quite harmonious. The two horses were temporarily out of commission.
‘…But when are we going to have a foul?’
A baby horse.
Just imagining its cuteness made her want to destroy the stable.
Hendel and Jeffrey were still bedridden and under intense care.
So, the man had arranged for the Wentworths to have a temporary coachman, carriage, and horses.
But the carriage was—
“Roses and Hounds! Yay!”
Candice screamed with excitement, hopping around.
Catherine silently went inside the house and began writing a letter to her father, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Candice continued to throw thoughtless remarks at Hendel, saying he could continue to suffer.
“…Ahem.”
Anri glanced at the carriage. Its body was painted white with rose-gold accents.
On the inside, she was exclaiming, “It’s so beautiful! Really beautiful!” But externally, she tried not to show too much enthusiasm.
