2. Lady Christopher's Daily Life (2)
Since I heard she had suddenly vanished, I hadn't known how she had been doing. I didn't think she was dead, but I worried she might be under someone's threat. Recalling the circumstances of our last meeting only made me worry more.
Isabella handed me a fresh towel and continued.
"After the young lady left, the mansion was in turmoil for a while. As you know, the Master was deeply worried because the young lady he was secretly trying to help escape had suddenly vanished, and the butler was on edge for entirely different reasons. I made up a good excuse for what happened that day, but I knew the butler would eventually threaten my life. So, I prepared to leave."
"So you left right after that?"
"No. While I was observing the situation, the Master called for me. He said he already knew what the butler had done and offered to help me."
"Then did you leave with Lord Vincent's help?"
"No. I didn't find him very trustworthy, so I slipped away secretly."
Huh? Then how did you end up coming here on his recommendation? My doubts were resolved as I listened to her subsequent explanation.
"A few months ago, I happened to see the Master in Novellre, and his eyesight had returned. He recognized me immediately and acknowledged me. He told me to come back anytime since the butler was gone. When I refused, not believing him, he offered to introduce me to a job. And that place was here."
"Uh... so you really came here because you heard he would introduce you to a job?"
"It just so happened that some circumstances arose, and I was planning to quit my previous workplace anyway."
Unlike our terribly anxious parting, the reason for our reunion was nothing special. It almost made my worry for her seem pointless. I wiped my sweat with the towel, debating whether I should be happy about this or not.
"Now then, please stand up. We must resume practice."
"Ah, yes. No, I mean, yeah."
As I stumbled to my feet, the instructor approached. We clasped one hand together, placed my other hand on his shoulder, and took our stance before stepping in the direction he led.
***
Every day was an exact repeat of the last. Wake up, wash, dress, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, have tea time, train, train, and train some more. From the moment I got out of bed to the moment I laid back down to sleep, it was an endless cycle of training. Even the books a noble absolutely had to read were predetermined. It was a silver lining that I at least knew how to read and write.
A noble's day is quite busy. I was busy with various lessons, but beyond that, there were many things to handle like social activities and personal administrative work; it was said that the higher the rank of the noble, the busier they were. Ethan was a prime example.
Since coming to the Christopher family, I hadn't seen him often. Except during meals, it was hard to even catch a glimpse of him.
Even then, if he went out or holed up in his office, he would often skip meals. Occasionally, there were days when I didn't see his face at all.
He lived such a frantically busy life that it made me wonder if this was what becoming the head of a household entailed. I wasn't even sure if he was sleeping properly. I had recently come to the painful realization that being confined to the mansion in the Belunita family's forest was a genuine vacation compared to this.
And I, too, spent my days in a frenzy.
So this is what it feels like to have the world spinning before your eyes.
When I lay in bed, everything I had learned that day seemed to float across the ceiling. Especially on days I learned physical skills like dancing or horseback riding, I often passed out on the bed without even washing up. There was even a time I dozed off while embroidering and accidentally drove the needle into my finger.
Perhaps because my condition seemed to be deteriorating by the day, Ethan, who had been glancing at me during meals, finally spoke up.
"Paula, if it's too difficult, you can take a break."
"I'm fine. It's okay."
While others were already running, I had only just begun to take my first steps. I couldn't afford to rest comfortably. Every moment was too precious to waste.
In truth, I could feel mental fatigue gradually accumulating. Doing things I wasn't used to made me tire all the more easily. No matter how physically demanding it was, using my body was still better than using my head. Thinking was quite a headache. Normally, children were educated at home and sent to the Academy once they reached a certain age. But since I couldn't do that, I had to at least master whatever I could learn now.
While reading, I ended up slamming my head onto the desk. The moment I opened my eyes, I realized I had dozed off. The maids watching over me panicked and rushed over, but I waved them off, insisting I was fine, and picked up the book again. However, even the book I loved so much couldn't hold my focus. Eventually, I closed the book and stood up.
"My Lady, where are you going?"
"I'm going to see my older brother, Ethan."
I still got goosebumps whenever I said 'older brother,' but I forced a casual smile and turned around. I stopped the maids from following me. I wanted to walk alone to clear my head a bit. Dismissing them, I strolled at a leisurely pace toward the office where I assumed Ethan would be. Since he had been working non-stop these past few days, he must be exhausted; it seemed like a good idea to take a short breather together.
However, a stranger was standing in the middle of his office. From the way he was glancing around, he seemed to be there to meet Ethan. Unfortunately, Ethan was absent.
Soon, the man noticed me standing at the door and his eyes widened.
"Ah, are you the Lady Florence Christopher I've only heard rumors about?"
The man immediately recognized who I was.
Officially, I was a member of the Christopher family, having been taken in as an adopted daughter by Ethan's household three months ago after becoming an orphan. Since childhood, I had been frail and rarely left my room, let alone showed my face in high society. As a result, my existence was shrouded in secrecy. There were probably all sorts of rumors circulating about me.
Occasionally, Ethan would tell me about the amusing rumors he heard. The most recent one claimed that Count Christopher's adopted sister was such a staggering beauty that everyone who saw her face was blinded. I was absolutely dumbfounded when I heard that.
Sure enough, the man scanned me up and down several times with an expression of disbelief. It wasn't hard to notice that his gaze lingered particularly long on my face. Then, perhaps realizing he was committing a breach of etiquette, the man belatedly offered a polite bow.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, My Lady. I am Rayson Delak."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Florence Christopher."
I too gathered my skirt with both hands and dipped into a slight curtsey. I made sure to offer my greeting keeping in mind Isabella's constant drumming into my ears to be 'polite yet elegant.' However, I heard a scoff.
It was a fleeting, quiet sound. But it echoed vividly in my ears. When I raised my head, the man had already smoothed out his expression and was wearing a polite smile. However, seeing the corners of his lips trembling faintly, I realized that the scoff I had just heard wasn't an auditory hallucination.
"You are even more beautiful than the rumors say."
And that those words were entirely empty.
I was offended, but I smiled without letting it show. I had been taught that I must never show my displeasure. Though I was also told I must never show if I liked something either.
The man before me was the first outsider I had met as Florence Christopher. Because of him, new stories about me might start circulating. Given how he kept looking me up and down in disbelief, it didn't seem like they would be good stories, but I couldn't respond to his rudeness with more rudeness.
Under the pretext of not being able to leave a guest unattended—though in truth, I had missed my chance to slip away—I just stood there awkwardly until the man invited me to take a seat.
"I heard you were unwell. Are you feeling any better?"
"Ah... yes. As long as I don't overexert myself, I am fine."
I covered my mouth with one hand and let out a soft cough. It was a deliberately put-on act. Ethan had advised me to avoid strenuous movements; if someone who had never shown her face due to constant illness since childhood suddenly looked perfectly healthy, it might arouse suspicion.
However, I was originally quite a healthy person. I rarely ever got sick. Because of that, I had worried about whether I could pull off acting sick, but my bony, unflattering physique had been somewhat helpful. Now that my health had significantly recovered and we had officially explained my public appearance as such, I had to play along with the narrative as best as I could.
"That is a relief."
The man smiled out of politeness.
After that, there was no real conversation. I just answered the few remarks he tossed my way. Soon, even that ceased. The man pretended to drink his tea while appraising me up and down multiple times. After groaning in contemplation for a moment, he couldn't hold back any longer and finally asked a rude question.
"Are you really a member of the Christopher family?"
"Pardon?"
"Ah, it's just... you don't seem to resemble Sir Christopher much."
He had phrased it indirectly, but it was no different from asking how someone with my appearance could possibly belong to the Christopher family. For a moment, I felt my forced smile stiffen. I pulled the corners of my lips back up, but I felt like I must have looked utterly ridiculous.
Unaware of how I felt, the man's gaze grew even more overt. Bearing his stare, which was brimming with curiosity, I tightly clenched the hands resting on my knees.
Words I should say—asking how he could say such a thing, telling him not to be rude—swirled in my mind, but I couldn't utter a single one. I had no sense of whether it was acceptable for a noble lady to speak like that. Knowing I was being insulted yet feeling compelled to hold my tongue left me entirely paralyzed.
In the end, I just sat there silently enduring his offensive gaze, and soon, Ethan returned. Looking as exhausted as expected, Ethan stopped in his tracks when he saw me with the man. The man stood up and offered a bow to Ethan, who was glancing between us, trying to grasp the situation. Only then did Ethan step forward and approach us.
"It seems you've already been introduced to my younger sister."
"Yes. I had only heard stories, so this is the first time meeting her in person. You must be delighted to have such a lovely younger sister."
The man offered a good-natured smile and flattered him. Ethan gave a noncommittal reply to the man's words and glanced at me. I slowly rose from my seat. Afraid that getting up too quickly would reveal how offended I was, I mustered every ounce of patience to suppress the impulse to bolt.
"If you'll excuse me, I shall take my leave."
I offered the man a polite bow and turned away. I quickly masked my expression and flashed a smile at Ethan, but for some reason, he frowned slightly when he saw my face. Still, I tried my best not to drop my smile as I calmly slipped out of the office. Only after the door clicked shut did I finally let my expression drop.
I fidgeted with my hands, which were still gripping the doorknob, before finally taking a step forward. I could no longer maintain an elegant and composed gait.