“I apologize, my lady. I failed to recognize you earlier, and it was entirely due to my lack of social experience. Thank you so much for your kindness that day.”
As Edel spoke, the awkward tension that had solidified the room dissipated, replaced by a warm, friendly atmosphere. Regardless of their true thoughts, the guests would surely remember Barbara’s act of kindness rather than the sound of her limping leg.
It went without saying that the plan of Countess Ladric—who had intended to mock and isolate Barbara—had been completely thwarted.
Barbara, who had subtly agreed with Edel’s lie with a faint smile, had already realized why Edel had done such a thing.
“You are a meddlesome young lady, aren’t you?”
“I apologize if I have offended you.”
“That is not what I meant.”
Although Barbara did not act overly sweet, nor did she offer direct words of thanks, young Edel felt a sense of pride and relief simply for having helped an elderly woman in a difficult position.
However, as the tea party progressed, she realized that she truly was a busybody.
“My heavens, have you heard? The Viscountess Oberon has finally declared a divorce from her husband!”
“Oh? Is that true?”
The tea party, which had begun with polite conversation, soon turned to the scandals currently scorching high society.
The Viscount Oberon family, having lost their fortune to fraud, was on the brink of bankruptcy. Yet, due to his pride as an aristocrat, the Viscount absolutely refused to work to earn money. Not that he possessed the capability to do so, anyway.
However, they had three children, and the expenses for the children and the servants were astronomical.
In the end, as they were forced to dismiss their servants one by one until only a single maid remained, the Viscountess Oberon began working as a Maigar language translator, defying her husband’s objections. It was a skill she had learned since childhood from her grandmother, who was a native Maigar.
“I hear that lady just wanders around outside because her work is going so well? The Viscount endured it for so long, and yet she has the gall to file for divorce first.”
“That is exactly right. It seems she has cast aside every virtue of a noblewoman.”
“Do you think she’s having an affair while she’s out working?”
Just as the conversation began to sour into ridicule, Barbara, who had been quietly sipping her tea, interjected.
“From what I have heard, the Viscount Oberon objected to his wife receiving a contract as an exclusive translator. Simply because he found it embarrassing in front of others.”
At that, Countess Ladric seemed to think this was her chance, laughing aloud as she retorted,
“It is only natural that the Viscount would find it embarrassing. His own wife is abandoning her household to go work for money.”
“If that is the case, he should go out and earn the money himself. Why is he so desperate to tear down a wife who is successfully bringing home income?”
“That is just how it is. A wife working outside is something that bruises a husband’s authority. If the Viscountess takes on an exclusive contract, it would mean she intends to neglect her household duties even more in the future.”
Barbara scoffed at that, her eyes flashing fiercely as she criticized her.
“Why should a person be criticized for utilizing their own skills and being recognized for them? It is something that would be praised if a man did it.”
“That is because they are men. Men are responsible for work outside the home, and women are responsible for the household.”
“And did the Viscount Oberon take responsibility for the work outside? What is wrong with working hard to save a household that is like a sinking ship, or with wanting to be recognized for one’s ability and aspiring for more?”
At her harsh tone, the others wore expressions of discomfort and quietly changed the subject.
Barbara threw one last remark at those who tried to look the other way.
“It seems your thoughts have grown even more rigid than in my day. We are in a position where we should be fighting for our rights as women, and yet here you are, tearing down a progressive woman. My, my.”
Countess Ladric was visibly offended, and while the others avoided her gaze and pretended not to hear Barbara’s clucking tongue, Edel was struck by every word Barbara said.
It felt as though she were hearing the very things she had always wanted to hear, spoken by Barbara herself.
However, others did not seem to feel the same.
“My goodness, it’s no wonder she’s the woman who ‘ate’ her husband. From the perspective of the Dowager Marchioness Celestine, the story of the Viscountess Oberon must have sounded just like her own.”
“Indeed. They say she’s been meddling in her husband’s business since she was young, hasn’t she? That is why she never received his love.”
As Edel listened to the gossip from Countess Ladric’s inner circle behind her back, her heart ached.
She found out later that the late Marquis Celestine and Barbara were not in a bad relationship; they were simply a couple who, like many other noble couples in political marriages, maintained a stoic distance.
Moreover, because Barbara took on the burdens of the family instead of the late Marquis Celestine, who was in poor health, the household had actually prospered.
Having known the possibilities of a ‘woman’ through her own experience, that was why Barbara had supported the Viscountess Oberon.
*‘She is such a strong person.’*
Edel admired Barbara, who stood tall and unshaken by the gossip aimed at her. She even harbored a wish that she could grow old like her.
That was why she gathered the courage to ask for a meeting with Barbara.
***
*‘That was when it started. When Barbara and I began to call each other by our names and share a friendship.’*
Despite a thirty-six-year age gap, Barbara had asked Edel to call her by her first name. It was her argument that true friendship could only sprout when things like family names or backgrounds were stripped away.
That was something Edel respected and found charming.
*‘And she was also the person who truly cherished me.’*
When Count Canyon brought up the proposal for marriage to Duke Lancaster, Barbara had actively tried to dissuade Edel.
“Edel. Women are far too used to sacrificing themselves. But that is all brainwashing by men to keep women under their control. You must break free!”
“But if I do not follow my father’s orders, the only path left for me is death.”
“Why would you die! Run away, Edel. If you just say you will do it, I will provide everything you need. Do not worry even a little about your livelihood or a place to live.”
However, Edel politely declined her heartfelt advice and followed her father’s will, marrying Duke Lancaster.
She had made the truly naive mistake of thinking that if she just endured for a few years until the Duke died, she would gain her freedom without causing trouble for anyone.
*‘Barbara was right back then, too. If I had just listened to her and run away, perhaps by now…’*
Edel imagined herself sipping tea leisurely in some small local town and reading a book, then let out a dry laugh.
*‘They say the path not taken always looks more beautiful than reality, don’t they? Yes, it’s a useless thought.’*
Each day was a struggle just to walk the path laid out before her properly. If she kept dwelling on ‘what ifs’ and comparing them to reality, she would only find herself in more pain.
*‘Pull yourself together and focus on your work. I am not a Duchess; I am just a new maid.’*
Edel only hoped that Barbara would be a little relieved upon receiving her letter.
Perhaps this would be the last contact she would have with her, but she considered herself fortunate to be able to convey her well-being even like this.
*‘To provide such consideration… Count Krissus is unexpectedly a decent person.’*
With that final thought, Edel drifted off to sleep.
***
“My lady. A letter has arrived.”
Barbara, who had been rubbing her left leg—which always began to ache when the cold wind blew—by the fireplace, took the letter the butler brought with indifference, but then immediately straightened her posture.
「Laslo Krissus」
It was because of the sender’s name.
Ever since she heard that Edel had been handed over to him like a slave, she had been unable to sit still and had sent a letter immediately.
Honestly, she had been very worried that he might find her letter offensive and vent his anger on Edel, so she felt nervous even as she tore open the letter sent by Laslo.
However, when she unfolded the stationery inside the envelope, what she faced was the neat handwriting of her lovely friend.
「To the dear Dowager Marchioness Celestine.
I do not know how to express my gratitude for your deep compassion in remembering and worrying about this sinner.」
As soon as she read the first line, Barbara felt as though her heart were breaking.
“Oh, Edel…”
The sorrow surged within her as she imagined the heart of a friend who no longer called her ‘my beloved and respected Barbara.’
Barbara pressed the letter to her chest as if in an embrace and closed her eyes tightly. If only she could meet Edel, she would have wanted to hold her like this and offer her comfort.
She was someone who made me realize once again that “what determines the importance of a relationship is not the length of time spent together, but the depth of the hearts shared.”
Even at a young age, she was earnest, cautious, and sincere. She never hesitated to stand on the side of the weak, and her resolve was firm enough that she was never swayed by others’ malicious gossip.
Though she appeared fragile and submissive on the outside, in reality, she was a person of strength and firm conviction.
‘Why was such a person born into the Canyon family? God is truly heartless, truly.’
Edel seemed so perfect that it made me wonder how such a person could even exist; her only blemish was her own family. I had been shocked more times than I could count by the terrible environment she was forced to endure.