No One Loved Me

“Lady, my son is young and inexperienced. Even though you are a young woman like him, you have greater authority since you are a countess.”

The nanny shook her head and kicked her tongue.

“You know my taste best.”

I thought about it and decided to give it to the nanny.

I decided it would be better if the nanny took charge because I didn’t know what Cecilia’s preferences were and I didn’t have any myself.

“Your nanny will take care of it.”

“Is that so, then?”

While Sarah scowled, the nanny’s expression brightened.

“But we need to get a new dress.”

In an apparent attempt to avoid losing, Sarah immediately moved on to the next topic.

“Not only for formal dress, but also for everyday dress. Although that devil has a reputation for being thrifty, you still need to protect your honor.”

In response to Sarah’s words, I looked down at the dress I was wearing.

The waistband of the dress, which was pale pink and sleek, appeared to be fairly pricey.

It would most likely be too pricey given the price of the belt alone.

But I had to concur with Sarah’s statements in order to preserve my reputation as the countess.

“Right. You are in charge of  the dresses.”

“Yes!”

Sarah’s expression brightened, and the nanny’s lips jutted out in displeasure.

“The dress shouldn’t be overly ostentatious. The Lady has always loved warm colors, therefore staying away from wearing lace and colder colours constantly. The Lady’s reputation will be shattered if it is discovered that the newlywed countess is lavish.”

How the nanny nags made me laugh.

Can Cecilia become honorable?

Edgar claimed that Cecilia could hardly hold her head up during the suicide riots she staged because she was envious of her husband’s lover.

He didn’t pay attention to me despite the fact that there was a positive reason for that.

I heard two persons bickering quietly.

These two seem to care a great deal about Cecilia, yet their hearts may not be as pure as they seem.

As soon as I told the nanny that I had lost my memory, she persuaded me to use her son, a commoner, as my escort.

Even if she insisted that she had reared Cecilia since she was a young child, I would still contend that her son is more important than my reputation.

Sara was the maid who arrived at Linton’s mansion after Cecilia, so there was no starting point in this mansion.

As soon as they were assigned to a countess who was not even welcomed by her husband, it became clear how things would turn out.

Therefore Cecilia coming to her senses and taking over as hostess would be good for Sarah.

“How long will it take? Plan something out and let me know when you’re done.”

They both instantly responded by pushing one another out of the room.

Meanwhile, I decided to go on a garden tour. Thoughts of the past came to mind as I sat leisurely in the garden.

There used to be a garden at my house. It resembled a yard more than a garden, and my mother had created a flower bed in a corner and allowed flowers to bloom throughout the year.

The flowers bloomed beautifully, but my dad groused that the scent made his nose itch and caused him a headache.

My mother dug up the flower bed and replaced it with grass for my father, but he became enraged when the lawn began to infest the house with insects.

After that, the garden was abandoned, and my father looked at it and scolded me for leaving the house in such a forlorn state.

Looking at the well-maintained garden, it reminded me of a flower-filled garden I used to have as a kid.

The Count’s garden was huge.

The stone-paved walkway has been lined with tall trees.

The heel of my shoe hit the stone floor, making walking uncomfortable, but the trees kept me calm.

“I don’t know how everyone walks in these.”

I took off my shoes and held them in my hands.

My feet became more comfortable, so I was thinking about strolling all the way to the end to see how far the garden could stretch.

The tree was thick with branches, and the weeds reached knee-high.

I remembered the words of the nanny, who said that a house is the face of the hostess. Edgar left the garden to me alone when I questioned whether he shared my opinion.

No matter how messy the house is, the hostess should be ashamed of it.

So, what does that man’s expression outside look like? I was suddenly curious.

Edgar meets the actress in the theater.

It indicates that having a second mistress and getting married are not conscious decisions that harm another person’s honour.

“The expression on that man’s face outside must depend on whether the hostess is dead or dumb.”

I flinched, but there was someone who was talking. 

“Evaluation of not being able to rule the house is what men fear the most.”

I was startled when I heard a retort from the grass.

“Who is it?”

I cautiously asked.

The tall grass shook and a tall man appeared.

He was dressed in all black, as if he were going to a funeral.

I had no idea who he was, but he was clearly not a Linton mansion employee.

It wasn’t just because of his clothes. Because no other employee would create such an oppressive atmosphere.

While he remained still, only the angled corner of his lip was visible beneath his hat.

“I was looking for Count Linton, but I got lost.”

The man raised his hat. The exposed bright yellow eyes resembled those of beasts.

I couldn’t move and stiffened as if I were facing a beast.

“What are you doing? Nobody is here.”

It wasn’t until then that I realized he thought I was a maid.

It was reasonable.

Without a hat, with my hair messed up by the wind, and without shoes on, who would recognize me as Countess Linton?

“Oh, did I make a mistake? I apologize. Since I wasn’t ready for the customs of aristocratic society.”

But my assumptions were wrong. He took off his hat and made a graceful bow.

“Countess Linton, would you please show me around the mansion?”

Although I was the one who received the greeting, I felt as though I was being made fun of.

He introduced himself as Ricardo Bastian.

The servants heard his name and went crazy when I brought him in.

The Bastian family is a duke family with a right to the throne.

The succession rank was low, but it was nevertheless a far better place than other families that lacked qualifications.

I changed dress and went down to the drawing room where the man was waiting.

As we sat down, an unknown maid served the car with a respectful attitude I had never seen before.

“Does Count Linton happen to be outside?”

“Yes.”

That man, Ricardo, clicked his tongue and leaned back against the backrest.

His long legs were slinking from under the table and toward my seat.

I gathered my legs and brought them in.

“The Countess’s signature would be enough,”

A piece of paper was extracted from Ricardo’s arms by reaching inside them. The paper was glossy and luxurious, and it was obvious even from a distance that it was of a high quality.

“They say man and wife are one in body and soul, right?”

Could I say Edgar and I have the same heart?

Except for Cecilia, I don’t know Edgar, and Edgar doesn’t know me.

We were complete strangers to one another.

“Read it, then sign it.”

I read the paper he handed out to me.

“You’re…”

“It is the Duke of Bastian’s declaration that he intends to pass the duchy to me. The throne can be inherited by an illegitimate child.”

On the paper he handed out, it was written that the illegitimate son would be given the right to the next duchy.

“There was no suitable successor, so I had the opportunity.”

Ricardo scoffed.

“Should I say that the Duchess’s foolishness helped me? If the duchess had not said she would follow if the majority agreed, the opportunity would not have existed.”

Ricardo seemed to be used to discussing his circumstances openly.

Is it because he thinks that by exposing himself before his adversary tackles his weakness, it won’t be used against him as such?

I used to do it that way too. But regrettably, that didn’t work out well for me.

In contrast to this place, which has a clearly hierarchical society, the world I have lived in is a democratic society in which everyone is equal, because there was no justification for restricting freedom of speech.

“Is it urgent?”

“Doesn’t it look like that?”

“Then I’ll have someone call the Count.”

It was better to leave Ricardo waiting rather than risk getting in trouble for signing it instead of Edgar.

Ricardo may have a higher status, but Edgar was the real owner of this house for me.

Sarah, who was standing next to me, silently left. And Edgar will arrive here soo.

“Does Countess Linton have a different opinion from Count Linton?”

Ricardo asked haughtily while crossing his arms.

I shook my head.

“I don’t want to get involved in anything the Count would be drawn into.”

“Something needs to be held accountable for it…….If you’re an official wife, I think you’ll be able to handle your husband’s temperament.”

After a little pause in response to my question, Ricardo scowled at me.

“That’s not how it is.”

“I am in the same situation.”

“Then you must be very offended to see me, Countess Linton.”

Ricardo mumbled in a dejected tone.

He gave off the impression of being weak and alone, as if his unwavering confidence had been deceptive.

I could clearly see Ricardo’s tricks.

He must possess a strong enough disposition to elicit sympathy from those who will respond favorably to sympathy as well as pity from those who will not.

His demeanor revealed how he had behaved up to this point.

“Not at all.”

That could be the reason. The reason why he answered so softly is because….

“I am a selfish person who believes that a thorn in my finger hurts more than a deadly illness in someone else.”

Ricardo’s bright yellow pupil was fixed on mine.

“You need to save your time for what you said to the Count later than your difficult situation, and you are wasting time like this.”

He then started laughing aloud.