TDWO Chapter 5
by xxsienna
Barbara’s smile faded as she caught sight of Anri’s beautiful smile.
Miss Anri always radiated an angelic and innocent smile, but her smile now was distinctly different from usual. Her eyes were daggers, like a girl hiding a needle.
Barbara quickly straightened her posture and bowed her head.
“I apologize, Miss. The madam instructed me to address her as such.”
“I see.”
Anri’s mouth still formed a soft line.
Her eyes remained sparkling like starlight.
“Barbara, your current madam is merely a stepmother. She has no right to dictate how my mother should be addressed. If you ever refer to my mother, you must call her ‘the late Lady Wentworth’ or ‘former mistress,’ understood?”
“Yes, Miss!”
Barbara smiled visibly.
“Also, will you give that to me? Whom should I deliver it to?”
“Pardon? Um, Miss Candice said…”
“Candice? Why would my sister want it?”
“She asked for any remaining jewelry in the mansion…”
“……?”
“I told her there weren’t any. But…”
“But?”
“She said there were still some items from the late Madam Wentworth…”
Anri snatched the basket away from Barbara before she could finish her sentence.
“Miss! Miss!”
Barbara nervously chased after Anri, who had taken the lead.
Anri couldn’t tolerate anyone touching her belongings, let alone coveting her late mother’s keepsakes.
“Sister.”
Anri smiled sweetly as she entered Candice’s room.
Candice, catching sight of Anri through the mirror, abruptly turned around.
“What, why?”
There was something ominous about the fake sweetness in Anri’s eyes.
However, Candice didn’t back down and raised her chin defiantly.
“Miss Candice…….”
Just then, Barbara, who had been sent on an errand, suddenly popped out behind Anri.
Upon closer inspection, Anri held a basket filled with ribbons, gloves, feathers, and other accessories.
They were the items Candice had requested.
“Why did you ask for these?”
Anri approached Candice carefully. Her fair and delicate face looked uncomfortably close to Candice’s.
‘Ugh, she thinks she’s a pretty little thing!’
But Candice shouted back as she backed up against the dressing table.
“I asked for them to use! Why?”
“Oh, I see. Well then, feel free to use them as you please.”
“Huh?”
Anri pushed the basket forward. Candice was taken aback by Anri’s strangely favorable reaction.
So when Anri acquiesced so easily, Candice knew she had to seize the moment.
“Okay, thanks. It’s not like they’ll wear out just because I use them, right?”
Candice chuckled and took the basket.
“But what about you, Anri?”
Anri immediately poured cold water on the situation.
“They don’t suit you.”
“What?”
“These were used by my mother. How could they possibly suit you? My birth mother had such an elegant and refined taste. I’m worried you’ll just embarrass yourself by using them.”
“What?”
“But still, there might be one or two things that would suit you. Let’s look together.”
With a soft smile, Anri rummaged through the basket.
Inside were gloves made of lamb or calf leather, adorned with lace and feathers.
As she examined each small accessory, memories of her mother wearing them flooded back like a film reel.
Her mother, with her long, winding silver hair, was a transparent beauty. She was delicate and fragile, like she could collapse at any moment.
While Anri couldn’t claim to be her real mother, she had given birth to her and raised her.
Even though she had passed away ten years ago, the bond between them as mother and daughter was still strong.
She had received grace and love from her mother that she had never felt in her original life.
‘But how dare you touch my mother’s precious keepsakes?’
“The gloves might not fit properly. My mother’s hands are so delicate, so no matter how much they stretch, there’s a limit, right?”
“Have you said all you wanted to say?”
Anri smirked at Candice, but Candice felt her temper rise.
“No, not yet. Let’s see.”
As if reluctantly, Anri pretended to rummage through the basket a little more before quickly withdrawing her hand.
“It won’t work, sis. I was going to give you something that would suit you, but it seems like nothing here fits you.”
“Why’s that? I can make it work too!”
“These things also hold memories of my mother. I can’t let them be defiled, can I?”
“Hey!”
Anri grabbed the basket and walked out the way she came in.
Candice screamed behind her, but Anri only found it amusing.
“I’m sorry, miss.”
Barbara apologized quietly as she quickly followed Anri out the door. She even choked up.
“I had no choice. Miss Candice said she would fire me if I didn’t bring the items of the former madam…”
“It’s not your fault. It’s the fault of those who covet others’ belongings. Don’t worry about what Candice says. If she says anything else, you’d better come to me.”
“I’ll do that from now on. Thank you very much, miss.”
“Sure.”
Anri was dumbfounded every time a rolled stone scratched her nerves.
What justification did she have to demand the right to claim items in this house as if they belonged to her?
If she had bothered to ask, she could have lent it to her.
“Anri! Anri!”
A sharp, high-pitched voice from out of nowhere jolted Anri’s nerves again. It was Catherine.
It was a miracle that none of the servants had quit yet, given how they were addressed like that, including Anri.
“Why did you call me?”
Anri, who went to find Catherine, stood with her arms outstretched in front of the open drawing-room door.
Even if she came, it didn’t mean she would give her what she wanted. They should stop calling her name so often.
But Catherine’s complexion was so bright with excitement that it seemed like she was trembling with eagerness.
As Anri stepped inside, she found a tall man she hadn’t seen before.
Dressed smartly in uniform and introducing himself as Albert, the young butler handed over a letter.
[I would like to buy Marilyn. From Kristan’s owner.]
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“As you can see, my master wishes to purchase Marilyn.”
She could hear the man’s cold, rude tone, even though she couldn’t see him.
In his handwriting, there was not even the slightest hint of consideration for Marilyn or the Viscount of Wentworth.
But Catherine was only too thrilled to hear that it was coming from a ravishingly handsome man.
“I’ve been wanting to sell her because she never listens.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You won’t be disappointed in that case.”
“I already am.”
Catherine looked back at Anri as if she’d been doused with cold water.
Anri, with a solemn expression, set down the man’s letter and clasped her hands together.
“We can’t sell our beloved Marilyn to someone we don’t even know.”
“Ah, well…”
Albert coughed awkwardly at Anri’s cold response.
“I deeply apologize for that. My master, for some reason, cannot reveal his identity.”
Catherine quickly sat down, as if to silence Anri. Catherine began to hurriedly babble.
“I suppose you have your reasons for wanting Marilyn out of all other mares. We’ll just have to buy a different horse then.”
“Well, I’m relieved to hear you say that, ma’am. I was afraid I might be causing inconvenience.”
Laughter and warm smiles were exchanged.
Albert seemed determined to engage with Catherine, who seemed cooperative and easy to communicate with.
But Anri wasn’t someone to be swayed by a man whose name she didn’t even know.
“Why Marilyn? She’s just ‘some mare’.”
“Hmmm…….”
Albert, feeling increasingly awkward, adjusted his glasses.
Anri just stared at him.
He seemed to be in his early thirties, quite young for a butler.
Albert finally revealed the truth, feeling the weight of Anri’s gaze.
“Actually, my master asked me to keep this a secret, but…”
“……?”
Anri’s head tilted slightly.
“Since meeting Marilyn, Kristan has been acting a bit strange. It seems Marilyn experiences similar situations every night…”
“Have you been investigating our house?”
Anri’s wariness increased.
Now, Albert took out his handkerchief, wiping away the cold sweat as he chuckled nervously.
“Of course not; I simply heard it from a neighbor on the way.”
“I see.”
Anri returned to her cold demeanor and straightened her posture.
Apparently, during the carriage accident, Marilyn had encouraged Kristan.
Marilyn had been so aggressive and bold; Kristan must have found her fresh and appealing.
He’d never seen a female woo him like that before.
So maybe he couldn’t bear the longing after parting with Marilyn.
In that case,
“I can’t sell Marilyn. She’s a horse that holds many memories. Instead…”
“Instead…?”
Albert’s eyes narrowed.
Anri was determined to uphold Marilyn’s dignity as a female, as well as her own pride.
“I’ll let Kristan meet her if he comes.”
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“Hmm.”
Albert coughed nervously as he glanced at Edwin, who was sitting at an angle.
His handsome but sharp appearance was even more striking when expressionless.
It was difficult to tell what he was thinking.
“…….”
Edwin glanced at Albert, who had returned fruitlessly.
He almost wished Albert hadn’t come back at all.
The pink-haired Lady Wentworth was asking for Kristan to come.
It was ridiculous, like she was asking for Edwin himself.
What could have been easily resolved by simply purchasing Marilyn had gotten out of hand.
‘Is this an insult to my pride?’
He hadn’t even considered the possibility of rejection, so it was a bit embarrassing.
But it was also somewhat intriguing.
With a brief chuckle, Edwin thought of the woman named Anri, who had been glaring at him from beyond the carriage window.
