IKMHITM 18

࣪ ִֶָ☾. Chapter 18 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Genevieve wiped away the hot tea with a trembling hand. Her tear-filled eyes glared hatefully at Eve.

“You… what kind of trick did you pull?!”

“What are you talking about? Miss Genevieve shook it herself and spilled it.”

Feigning innocence with a composed expression, Eve opened the reception room door. Philia, who had already heard Genevieve’s screams, came running in a flurry.

“Your young lady was a bit clumsy at pouring tea. Hurry and take her so you can apply a cold compress or something.”

“Oh my, Milady! Could it be you were scalded by the tea?!”

What should I do! Startled out of her wits, Philia began wiping Genevieve’s face and neck.

“Thank goodness. It doesn’t look like it will leave a scar.”

Of course it wouldn’t. Andy wasn’t that malicious of a ghost.

However, it was obvious Genevieve would suffer for a few days. The skin around her neck and chin, which had been as white as cream, was turning red and breaking out in blisters.

“How pitiful. You had such bad odds!”

Eve shook her head as if truly regretful.

“Looking like that, you won’t be able to meet Seryan today.”

“You…!”

“If you want, you can go meet him looking like that. I don’t mind.”

Genevieve genuinely wanted to strike Eve just once. But she could do nothing except press her lips tightly together and glare.

Meet Lord Seryan looking like this?

That was an absolute impossibility!

Eve’s appearance was quite remarkable, far exceeding what she had vaguely imagined. Though classic, her youthful facial features were not yet fully in bloom. However, her hair, nearly a vivid crimson, granted her a dazzling allure.

Her skin, translucent enough to seem as though her inner veins might show, and her curvaceous figure that men would go crazy over were genuinely threatening. If a woman like that pushed forward with tears and her physique, even Seryan wouldn’t be able to hold out.

Genevieve desperately wanted to appear as a woman superior to Eve in every way. She wanted Seryan to think of her with longing throughout their entire marriage and feel dissatisfied with Eve.

“…It would be polite to greet Lord Seryan right away, but my travel fatigue hasn’t worn off yet. I think I need to rest for about three days.”

“I’ll relay that to my husband.”

“Lord Seryan will surely understand. After all, there is no one else as gentlemanly as him!”

Genevieve subtly boasted that she knew Seryan better. Yet upon hearing what Genevieve blurted out, Eve doubled over laughing, finding something immensely amusing.

“Oh, that’s right. Seryan is very much a gentleman. Oh yes, absolutely!”

She didn’t know what it was, but she felt like she was being mocked. Philia supported the fuming Genevieve and led her out.

“Let’s head to the bedroom, Milady. I’ll soothe it with ice water for you.”

Instead of answering, Genevieve abruptly jerked her arm away from Philia’s grip. She gave every impression of being thoroughly displeased.

Fortunately, Philia knew what “carrot” would soothe Genevieve at a time like this.

“Milady, the carriage carrying the maids has arrived.”

Philia gently took Genevieve’s hand once more.

“The people sent by Count Doreville have arrived together with them.”

Genevieve’s hand, which had been about to push her away again, froze. She allowed herself to be docilely led by Philia into the guest room and lay down.

Once a soft towel with a cold compress was laid over her, Genevieve’s pert lips parted.

“Philia, can we trust Count Doreville?”

“He is worried about Lord Seryan just like you are, Milady. He’s his own flesh and blood nephew, isn’t he?”

“I suppose so. That’s why he told me to go find Lord Seryan, isn’t it?”

Count Doreville had personally sent people and transportation arrangements to Genevieve. In exchange for his help, there was only one thing Count Doreville wanted.

Information.

“First, check if Lord Seryan is safe. Second, investigate that woman, Eviniet.”

Count Doreville hadn’t told her much. He claimed it was because they had signed some sort of secret contract.

No matter how much help she had received, Genevieve grew suspicious because Count Doreville was being far too tight-lipped.

“But Philia, shouldn’t we have some excuse ready to back out just in case we get caught?”

“I’ve already laid the groundwork in advance. I mentioned that ‘some’ of the maids are newbies, so they might make mistakes.”

“Good job. If Doreville’s spies get caught, we’ll just cut off our tails and claim they have nothing to do with us.”

“Of course.”

We didn’t even know they were spies and accidentally hired them as maids, you see—that was the excuse Genevieve and Philia intended to use.

The other party wouldn’t believe it either, but wasn’t this a card game where they were all working off the same rigged deck anyway?

The house of Arno had kicked away the marriage discussions that had been going back and forth for a long time. Therefore, no matter what rudeness the Moretta family committed, they had to turn a blind eye at least once.

That was the calculation method of the nobility.

“Tell Doreville’s people to begin the grand undertaking starting tonight.”

“Tonight, right away? Wouldn’t that be too fast?”

“That’s how you catch the enemy off guard! They won’t expect us to move starting the very first day we arrive, will they? As luck would have it, the employees don’t seem to wander around the mansion much anyway, so now is our chance. Ho-ho-ho-ho!”

Genevieve laughed boastfully.

With all due respect, Philia decided to put more faith in the capabilities of Doreville’s spies than in her own young lady’s intelligence.

“Understood… I will tell them to search the Belper Estate secretly and thoroughly.”

May we please return safely without any incidents. Philia lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with worry.

Because of that, she failed to see the lips of the woman inside the portrait smiling faintly.

With the recent registration of the “Nanny” into the Book of Ghost Stories, the doors to the third-floor guest rooms had opened. Otherwise, she would have had to make Genevieve sleep outside on the grounds due to a lack of rooms in this massive mansion.

Would that have actually been better?

Genevieve seemed to be in the worst possible mood due to her burns. Up in her upstairs bedroom, Eve could hear Genevieve’s endless stream of complaints and grumbling.

At first, it sounded somewhat welcoming because it felt like the noise of ordinary living people, but as time passed, it became grating.

It reminds me of when I was at home.

Annoying complaints, nervous stomping, and the low, soothing voice of a maid.

These were the noises Eve had frequently heard at her maternal home, the Baronet Romane household.

Because her father passed away early, Hyde had taken over the Baronet Romane estate. He struggled to revive the family in his own way, but because he possessed both a poor brain and a foul temper, he botched things repeatedly.

Survival instincts existed in everyone.

The moment Hyde acknowledged his own shortcomings, he intuitively knew he would completely collapse right then and there. To protect his own ego, he needed to shift the blame onto someone else.

His mother kindly pointed out the “bad guy” for the sake of her precious eldest son.

<Poor If died early, father hadn’t hardship. have only our son! suffer this through to wouldn’t you your>

Her mother, cupping Hyde’s cheeks in both hands with an expression of heartfelt anguish. Her eyes slowly rolled over toward Eve.

<A Sob! daughter… even find go his just man mountains never out the to used went who youngest>

<That’s Eve. I Now all at fault, it’s it, look right! that your>

Hyde wasn’t so foolish that he couldn’t take a free handout when offered.

<A away brazen even fear?! from home hussy knowing running without>

He didn’t even remember his own behavior, which had been vicious enough to drive Eve to flee the house in terror.

<It’s A You’re all ate because dead father. her of own today. up useless wench who you!>

That day was the worst beating Eve had ever suffered in her life. However, what had truly broken her heart wasn’t Hyde’s kicks.

<Oh always comes home. it’s moment my, noisy she the>

Doris walking away with a disinterested expression, turning her back to lock herself in her room.

The sight of her mother, lying down as usual complaining of back pain, plugging her ears and completely ignoring Eve’s screams, was truly…

Stop! Let’s stop thinking about it, Eve.

Eve cut off the vicious cycle of thoughts with a mutter to herself.

This place was an ominous location overflowing with ghost stories, but at least Hyde and her family weren’t here. Eve found a strange comfort in that fact.

She buried her head into the fluffy pillow and squeezed her eyes shut.

Surprisingly, sleep came quickly.

· ‥ … …….

Around dawn, Eve woke up halfway from her sleep.

“Mmm… I’m cold.”

She fumbled with her hand to find the blanket that had slipped down below her shoulders. Someone lying beside her pulled the blanket up in her stead.

“Sleep more.”

The hand patting her back was affectionate. Eve let out a small laugh without realizing it.

However, the very next instant, every hair on her body stood straight up on end.

Who is it?

She cautiously opened her heavy eyes within the darkness. She saw the face of a man lying facing her.

A delicate yet sharp bridge of the nose, long, downcast eyelashes, lips like a red camellia flower… even his hair was a pale gold.

Seryan?!

Recognizing her ex-husband, Eve jerked her upper body straight up. Without even a moment to think, she grabbed the candlestick on the bedside table and raised it high.

However, before Seryan’s pretty head could be smashed, the candlestick vanished pop right out of Eve’s hand.

Panicking for a brief second, Eve immediately picked up the desk clock. That too evaporated like water bubbles shortly after.

“Stop.”

Seryan, having opened his eyes, spoke. Without even bothering to listen, Eve bolted toward the fireplace poker standing beside the hearth.

“Please stop.”

Seryan, who had followed right behind her, grabbed Eve’s arm. Eve instinctively tried to yank her wrist free and kick him right in the shin.

However, Seryan simply scooped her up right into his arms in one fluid motion.

“Let go! Will you not let go of this?!”

“It is me, Master.”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･