20.
Just imagine—a highborn lady draped head to toe in luxury brands, showing up to do charity work.
…I was such a fool.
The noblewomen hadn’t been honoring her at all.
They had been mocking her, slyly ridiculing the fact that she had come dressed so inappropriately for the occasion.
And she, oblivious, had sat comfortably in the shade, watching while others labored.
The Emperor and Empress—
Their Majesties’ disappointment in her had not been only because she struck the Duchess of Nod.
It was the culmination of all these things combined.
Her reputation had already been damaged beyond repair, so another stain hardly changed anything…
But even so, I still have to go.
In the capital, she would inevitably be laid bare beneath countless eyes.
Even if she wanted to avoid it, she couldn’t—there would be one unavoidable moment after another.
Illness, an accident—she could come up with excuses.
But how many chances in a lifetime would she have to earn recognition from the imperial family?
With a gloomy expression, Nina let out a sigh.
This event would decide the next year-whether her already-ruined reputation would sink clear down into the bedrock, or at least hold where it was.
It was a crossroads between two futures.
I have to at least maintain the status quo.
If things get any worse, I’m finished.
She shook her head as if the mere thought was unbearable.
Still, if I’m going to do it, I want to turn it to my advantage somehow… but how?
At charity events, noblewomen usually taught common women recipes or how to properly enjoy tea time.
But Nina had no desire to do that.
For the well-off middle class, noble culture might be amusing.
But for those truly in need, it was of little use.
That aside… could I really handle it?
At the Duke of Grenville’s estate, she had been so focused on the chandelier that she hadn’t even noticed people’s eyes on her.
But what about in the capital?
Could she endure it?
I suppose I could.
After all, if there were people sending inquiries just to stay connected with her, then surely—even if they were few—there were those who viewed her favorably.
It wasn’t that.
The problem was simply how unbearable it felt to be exposed to so many watching eyes.
“Marsha, I’m going to take a walk by myself.”
To steady her tangled emotions, Nina draped a shawl over her shoulders and made her way toward the rear garden.
As she strolled through the grounds, the crisp scent of grass and the cool breeze seemed to calm her a little.
Yes… they say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
Better to enjoy it and be called eccentric than to suffocate in denial.
In that moment, she chose to accept the inescapable reality.
“Madam, where are you headed so early in the morning?”
At the sly voice that came from behind her, she stopped in her tracks.
That voice…
Nina turned, her expression briefly stiffening.
There he was—the fox-faced man with the ever-smiling lips, Baron Hoshi Somerden, her husband’s closest aide.
Hoshi B.
Somerden.
During her time in this household, he had never treated her with outright rudeness, but neither had he shown her kindness.
That alone made him unsettling.
He always smiled, yet there was never a hint of sincerity in it.
Instead, there was a faint, dangerous scent about him.
Especially those half-closed eyes.
Whenever his pupils slipped into view, gleaming blue like a serpent’s, she felt the same chill as if facing someone hiding a dagger behind their back.
And…
On the day she had finally been cast out of this mansion,
she could still see him—standing at the window, waving with that same insincere smile.
This bastard… he’s vile to the core.
Her instincts recoiled, and her brows knit in distaste—but remembering that he was her husband’s right-hand man, she quickly schooled her face into a polite smile.
“Just out for a walk.
And you—what brings you here at this hour?”
“I was walking as well, of course.
One must care for one’s health, if one is to shoulder difficult work.”
Difficult work…
Don’t tell me he means preparing to bring my grandfather down?
She hoped not—but the meaningful curve of Hoshi’s smile made it feel all too likely.
Damn it.
Would she never be free of worrying about the ending?
Still… it’s true, having this bastard’s help might actually work in my favor.
While thinking about what she could do for the charity event, an idea had come to her—one she’d abandoned, fearing it would arouse suspicion.
But if Hoshi were by her side, her husband would feel reassured.
It would be like having a walking CCTV installed.
Nina let her smile fade and tilted her head slightly, watching Hoshi’s curious look.
“By the way, could you spare me a little time after lunch?”
“Time, hm… I wonder…”
As always, that languidly drifting voice of his, that evasive way of speaking, was just as unpleasant as the rest of him.
Nina tightened her brow, forcing down the frown that threatened to form.
If asking help from the very man who had once waved at her misfortune with a smiling face meant she could spend what little remained of her social life—barely a year—in peace, then so be it.
“The truth is, I have a favor to ask of you.
It’s about the upcoming imperial charity event.”
“The charity event?
Well, why not simply play to your strengths, madam?
A tea party, shopping advice, jewelry appraisal… things of that sort.”
This bastard…
Not for a moment did he think she would approach it seriously.
But she couldn’t give up here.
Nothing mattered more to the nobility than an event tied to the imperial household.
So, as he sat there wearing a bored expression, she began to reveal her plan.
“I thought of something recently…”
The more she spoke, the more his half-lidded eyes, which had all but challenged her to prattle on, flickered with an unexpected glimmer.
“…Hmm.
The idea is good enough, but is there any particular reason you need my help with it?”
“You’re a man of keen insight and extensive legal knowledge.
I’m asking this as a favor.
I’ll promise you ample compensation—so please, will you help me?”
For a moment he simply held her gaze, as if weighing something in silence—then broke into a sly smile.
“Very well.
If my lady requires my assistance, how could a vassal possibly turn away?”
At the unexpectedly easy agreement, a bright smile blossomed across Nina’s face.
“Thank you—thank you so much!”
Cunning as he was, there had to be some reason he accepted her proposal so readily.
But that didn’t matter.
With Hoshi by her side, at least she wouldn’t draw needless suspicion.
***
Lately, whenever the servants spoke of Nina, most of what circulated was favorable.
How their eyes no longer ached from straining by dim candlelight late into the night, since more staff had been hired.
How their bedding, once foul-smelling and filthy, had been completely replaced, making sleep far more comfortable.
How they no longer had to feel guilty about using soap.
How the extra uniforms meant they no longer had to struggle with washing every single day.
And with word spreading that her injured leg had been the result of saving Ash, opinion within the household had grown decidedly more sympathetic toward her.
But that didn’t mean perceptions of her had been completely transformed.
After breakfast,
Ash was on his way to the study when he unconsciously slowed his steps.
Up ahead, a pair of maids were speaking in tense, wary voices.
“…She’s been quiet for a while, but why do you think she’s called us?”
“No idea.
Probably wants to make us do something strange again.”
The conversation was far from ordinary.
“Oh, come on—didn’t you see her eat alone this morning?
If things were really better between them, would they still be taking meals separately?”
“True enough.
How long has it even been since that scandal?
There’s no way they’ve suddenly reconciled.”
“Anyway, let’s hurry.
If we’re late, we’ll only get scolded.”
Ash’s straight, noble nose wrinkled as his lips twisted into a harsh line.
“…….”
Just as he thought.
Feigning hurt, pretending to have changed—
no matter what she did, a leopard couldn’t change its spots.
Ash knew all too well what demands his wife made whenever she summoned the servants in private.
This was his chance to smother the guilt he had felt, and the confusion that had come from her saving his life.
Turning away from his original destination, he followed the maids in silence, his gaze cold and unyielding.