ITMWG 127

Chapter 127…

I’ll give in to my wife in everything.

As Nadia steeled herself and stepped outside, she saw Melissa struggling, stuck in the gate.

The knights guarding the gate remained still, unmoved by Melissa’s screams of defiance.

At the sight, Nadia sighed deeply and gestured to the knights.

Only then, the knights, who had been unbudged by Melissa’s protests, opened the door wide.

At that, Melissa crashed to the ground.

“Ah!”

Melissa rolled on the ground, dust billowing out.

At the same time, a stale, foul odour assaulted Nadia’s nostrils, causing her to furrow her brows.

It was probably Melissa’s body odour.

Marie, who was standing guard, quickly handed her a handkerchief, and she covered her nose with it to block out the dust and the smell.

As the dust settled, Melissa’s appearance, a dusty mess, came into view.

Perhaps sensing Nadia’s gaze, her eyes were filled with hostility.

“Hand it over!”

What was she demanding out of the blue?

When Nadia blinked, confused, Melissa stood up, her jaw clenching.

Every time she moved, the smell seeped through the handkerchief covering her nose, making it unbearable.

They say one is not treated like a human being in Balstead, and it sure does not seem like baseless talk.

If this was what happened after only a few days in prison, Nadia could easily imagine what her uncle would look like after a long incarceration.

As Nadia pictured her uncle’s ruined state in my mind, Melissa stomped toward her.

“My clothes! My jewelry! My-…just give me everything!”

As Melissa raged, the wafting smell made Nadia feel sick, so she turned her head. Marie, who had been quietly observing the situation, stepped forward.

“What do you mean, Melissa? ‘Your belongings’?”

“You-…!”

The girl opened her mouth, seemingly overcome with emotion at being called “Melissa” without even adding “Miss,” but then took a deep breath, perhaps thinking getting what she wanted was more important right now.

“Didn’t you hear? My clothes and jewelry are still in there. You should give them back.”

“I think you’re mistaken, Melissa. There’s nothing in there that belongs to you.”

Melissa snorted in shock at Marie’s calm response.

“What are you talking about? I never took my clothes or jewelry! You didn’t throw away all my belongings, did you?”

“Of course not. We haven’t disposed of anything in the Vine mansion. They’re the Marchioness’ precious possessions.”

Melissa, who had breathed a sigh of relief at hearing that nothing had been thrown away, immediately frowned, as if incredulous.

“The Marchioness’ precious possessions?”

“Yes. They are the Marchioness’ possessions.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? They’re my possessions! I painstakingly purchased them all myself!”

“I suppose so. But the purchase price was paid by the former Marquis.”

“Of course. It’s right for a father to pay!”

Melissa continued to raise her voice, seemingly unsure of what the problem was, but Marie patiently smiled and replied.

“You may have used it, but the Marquis paid for all the items, which means it belongs to the Marquis. If there’s anything you purchased with your personal assets, please let us know. We haven’t found any, so far.”

“You-…!”

Melissa gritted her teeth, seemingly speechless.

Melissa was a very ordinary noblewoman.

Elegant noblewomen considered it beneath them to earn their own money, so Melissa had never earned any money on her own.

Nadia’s greedy uncle didn’t even give his daughter any of his personal assets.

So, Melissa had absolutely nothing that could be considered personal assets.

“But give me back! I’m still a ‘Vine’! If you’re a Marchioness, shouldn’t you take care of me? My father took you in when you had nowhere else to go, didn’t he?”

That was the only argument she could muster, after rummaging through that small brain of hers.

As Nadia swallowed a sigh, Marie couldn’t hold it in any longer, raising her voice in anger.

“You tried to ostracise her from society by falsely accusing her of infertility, and now you’re asking her to take care of you? You should be grateful that she is still listening instead of kicking you out immediately!”

Marie turned her body as if there was nothing more to hear and bowed her head to Nadia.

“Please, Madame. I thought she came to at least offer an apology, but since she’s still like that, I doubt that’s even possible. It’s a waste of your precious time with something like this.”

“No, Marie. Melissa’s not wrong, is she?”

“…Huh?”

Marie thought she’d agree with her right away, but when Nadia shook her head, Marie’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Melissa, you’re right. Uncle took such good care of me. So I think it’s only right for me to treat you the way he treated me. It’s human nature to give back what you’ve received.”

“T-That’s right! A person should never forget to repay.”

Melissa replied, her face looking relieved.

At the same time, she seemed bewildered, as if she didn’t think Nadia would accept it so easily.

“But I think it would be difficult for us to live face-to-face under the same roof. My feelings are deeply hurt. So I’m thinking of arranging a marriage for you.”

“Huh, marriage?”

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, while you were in Balstead. And then marriage came to mind. Uncle helped me find a good match, which is why my life is so fulfilling today. I want to repay him for that.”

“Madame!”

Marie jumped in surprise at my words.

She had no idea about the deal between Nadia and Orca, so she seemed to think Nadia would actually find a good match for Melissa.

Of course I’m not that foolish.

To cut to the chase, she accepted Prince Orca’s offer.

Even if she hadn’t accepted, Altair would have.

It was better for her to be the one indebted to Prince Orca, not Altair.

Of course, she had faith that Altair wouldn’t turn out as crazy as in the novel, but it was always better to be cautious, so Nadia wanted to minimise his contact with Prince Orca as much as possible.

I made it clear to Prince Orca. It was I, not Altair, who made the deal with him. So I’ll repay him.

Prince Orca laughed as if he’d just heard something amusing, but he didn’t deny what she said.

And so the deal was sealed, and in her hands lay a potential husband for her cousin, who looked fine on the outside but was a complete mess on the inside.

“Let’s discuss the details later, Melissa. I’ve already received his portrait. He looks fine to me, and I’m sure you’ll be pleased, too.”

Nadia glanced at Marie, and she frowned in displeasure, but then cleared the way for Melissa.

Normally, she would have tried to persuade her to the end, but seeing her so calmly approaching, she seemed to have guessed she had other plans.

Melissa, who had been assessing the situation, watching Marie and Nadia, seemed to have gathered her thoughts. She cleared her throat a couple of times and lifted her chin slightly.

“Well. If that’s what you mean, I’ll at least hear who the other person is. Of course, if their qualifications aren’t good, I’ll definitely decline. If that happens, you’ve wasted my precious time, so you should pay for that time.”

In gist, she planned to accept the offer if it was a decent husband, and if not, she’d decline and take the money.

Nadia thought it was typical of Melissa’s selfishness, but it didn’t really matter.

She knew Melissa well.

The husband Prince Orca brought would probably be just right for her.

“Yes, that settles it then. So, let’s go in first. You need to take a long bath and change into clean clothes.”

“Ahem.”

Perhaps aware of her own tattered appearance, Melissa cleared her throat awkwardly, and Marie made a vague gesture to call her over.

“…I’ll show you the way, Melissa. This way.”

❈❈❈

“Why did you do that woman such a favour?”

While Melissa was happily enjoying her bath, Anna, having heard the situation from Marie, grumbled in frustration.

“Even if you made her live like a beggar for the rest of her life, I doubt it would relieve my anger.”

“Yeah. But if she walks around the house like that, the furniture will smell weird. And my nose will be tortured.”

In the end, it wasn’t for Melissa’s sake, but for her own.

Anna giggled, perhaps relieved by Nadia’s words,

“That’s true. But are you really going to find her a good match?”

“It’s the head of the family’s role to arrange marriages for their family member.”

“That’s true, but she’s not even a member of the family. She’s the daughter of a marquis who was expelled for a crime.”

“Not wrong…”

She couldn’t tell the truth to Anna, who was just fussing around, which was different from Marie. She only gave her a calm smile, and the maid grew even more puzzled.

I still have a long way to go before I become a close maid who can read the Madame’s mind.

But time would tell.

While Anna and Melissa were discussing their disposition, the door creaked open.

The only person who could enter her room like this was Altair.

As Nadia turned her head, there he was.

“Nadia.”

Altair’s hair was slightly damp with sweat as he called her, perhaps just returning from training.

At a glance, she could tell he came here in a hurry, as he always came only after a shower.

And she thought she knew why.

“Prince Orca visited, didn’t he? You invited Melissa Vine into the mansion a little while ago.”

“Yes. That’s right. Prince Orca left a gift.”

“…That was originally meant to be mine.”

“Unfortunately, I took it first.”

As Altair’s face crumpled in displeasure, Anna placed her hands on her hips and nagged him.

“My lord, are you upset because your gift was stolen? Why are you like that? You should give in to your wife!”

“Even she agrees, Altair.”

Faced with the unexpected arrival of a strong ally, Anna shrugged, but Altair glared at her coldly.

“Do you know what that gift is… You’re out of your mind. And you, get out.”

“You’re embarrassed because your greed was exposed, so you’re making excuses.”

Anna grumbled and gave a cursory greeting before heading outside. Altair sighed deeply and approached Nadia.

She stood up, wiped the sweat from Altair’s neck with a handkerchief, and locked eyes with him.

“You didn’t have to step in and do it yourself. I’ll take care of these dirty things-…”

“You are telling me to leave those things to Altair and keep my hands clean?”

She cut him off, and she could see Altair’s jaw clenching.

“That’s too selfish. I’d rather get my hands dirty than be a selfish person.”