Chapter 6


    <strong>Chapter 6</strong>


    Mmmh.


    Ise opened her eyes. She had a headache. Where was she? The meetingst night went on for too long, then after, she was guided to a guest room where she would stay while she was in the Hare mansion.


    Even the guest room here is cheap.


    Her back hurts. Unlike the soft bed that Ise had before, this bed was filled with straw that just made her body ache all over. The sky was still dim as it was dawn, and when she opened the window, the cold air cooled down her head. The gardens flowers, which had just begun to bloom, had dew on them.


    All of these things will one day belong to their family. When she thought this, Ise felt a growing affection for the Hare territory. She would be a good Madam. And she would be a bride whod suit Raymond.


    Huh?


    Her neck felt empty.


    Huuuh?


    The ne from Raymond.


    No. My gift. Sir Raymond might get disappointed. My ne. It hasnt been that long since he bought it for me.


    Ise hurriedly looked through her pillows. Nothing. Her vision turned white.


    No. What if that Hare girl took my ne? But that cant be. Or maybe it was a maid or an attendant who took it? Im going to catch you and kill you. But what if they feign innocence? What if the culprit ran away already? Its a precious item thatmoners cant touch even if they try and earn a lot in their whole lifetime. Oh, oh my ne.


    Isey face down, crouching on the ground. Did I drop it? What should I do? No, whos going to


    <i>Knock, knock.</i>


    Who is it!


    I brought water for you to wash your face, Miss.


    The door opened. A ck maid brought in hot water. Ise wasnt in the mood to wash up, but she grabbed the maid and immediately asked.


    Who brought me back yesterday?


    It was me. You couldnt move because you were too drunk and too drowsy, so


    Who took my ne?


    Pardon?


    My ne is gone!


    I put back your clothes in the closet, Miss.


    Ise hurriedly searched inside the closet, but there was no ne. Anger boiled within her, and she hit the maid on the cheek.


    <i>p!</i>


    Ises fingernails scraped the ck skin.


    Find it this instant! No matter what!


    Ise screamed in an angry voice. The maid raised her head, holding her own cheek as she looked at Ise. At this, Ise was at a loss for words. The maidshe scoffed. While Ise was all blue with her eyes wide open, the maidughed at the girl with her lips drawn. She<i>ughed.</i> A maid wasughing at Ise.


    If it cant be found, theres nothing that can be done.


    Ise grabbed the maids hair, but at that moment, the door opened. Carynne, still in her nightgown, looked at Ise and the maid with a surprised face.


    Whats going on? Carynne asked Ise.


    My ne has gone missing!


    What? Miss Ise, please exin it again slowly. What do you mean ne?


    Its just thatmy ne is gone. I left it in my closet but it disappeared. Your maid is suspicious.


    Ise said this as she hid the nails that had scratched the maid.


    Alright. Then Ill have to mobilize all the maids and attendants to find the culprit. Its still dawn, so make sure to get dressed first, Ise.


    Thats not what Im saying right now


    Ise shut herself up. Carynne wasnt the only one who came after hearing themotion. The servants and attendants of the Hare mansion were looking at her with contempt, while the people working under her father were looking at her with pity.


    As she tried to hold back the emotions that were threatening to burst out, Ise shed tears.


    And I would like to let you know that Nancy has been by my side for a long time.


    At the words that obviously aimed to grate at her nerves, but even as Ise was incensed, she only dropped her head.


    * * *


    Though the mansion was searched all day, the ne did not turn up. Ise bit her nails. From the garden and all the way to the servants quarters and Carynnes room, even under the carpets, under the trees and in every nook and cranny, the ne was nowhere to be seen.


    Ise insisted that the Lords room should be searched as well, but Verdic hastily restrained her from doing so. At this, she cried.


    Father, what do I do


    Whye to me when you cant even keep one ne at this rate?


    Verdic loved her daughter, but he couldnt help but frown at the disturbance she had caused so early in the morning. Because he was in the middle of having to work through a tricky business deal, he wasnt happy about this.


    How could she make a fuss about a ne that didnt mean much when every word spoken here had to be carefully chosen? Wasnt that just one of many gifts and not even a ring? Verdic could easily imagine Raymond asking for the most expensive item in the store with a stony expression.


    But its from Sir Raymond


    Verdic pitied Ise, but at the same timemented her immaturity. She was a daughter who he painstakingly sired at ate age, so she wanted to raise her properly and marry her off to a good man. As he looked at his crestfallen daughter, biting back his rebukes towards her.


    It was easy to scold, but difficult to straighten out. Neither reproach nor abandonment were given to this child. Verdic repeated what he had said to the Lord, that parents want to give only good things to their children.


    A good spouse was what a parent wanted to give the most to their child, and on this note, the best asset that Verdic could give Ise was Raymondto the extent that this asset might just be too good for her.


    The engagement between them, which could have been a good bnce between an exchange of wealth and honor, began to tilt towards Raymonds side due to his repeated sesses.


    In addition, when Raymond was named the baronys sessor after the current barons eldest son had fallen sick, Raymond became one of the most coveted bachelors in high society despite being the second son of a fallen baron household.


    The splendid sesses that the fianc gained actually adversely affected his and Ises rtionship. An engagement was simply thatan engagement. It was different from marriage. If the engagement was too tilted towards one side, it would be at stake.


    The Evans patriarch became wary of Raymond. In the end, he was trying to buy thisnd excessively to match the other sides ranking, but this immature daughter of his was making a lot of noise about one ne.


    Sir Raymonds gift is very elegant, I know, but if youre that upset about it, I can get you the same one. You shouldnt bother Lord Hare or make a mistake here for no reason.


    Even if itll look the same, its not from him.


    But ultimately, its your mistake.


    Ise grew sullen and returned to her room.


    <i>Scritch, scritch.</i>


    As she walked away, a scuffling sound could be heard from the old stone mansion, as if mice were scampering by. Ise was so sick and tired of this ce.


    In the end, she couldnt find it.


    It had been such a long time since her clothes and hands had gotten dirty like this. She had been looking for her ne all day, and in the middle of it, she had since changed to low-quality working shoes worn by servants, but even those had be such a mess. What a sight.


    Sir Raymond Hell be so disappointed.


    She wanted to meet Raymond while wearing that ne. Here. In this mansion that would be hers, waiting for Raymond to rest here when he was tired. At that time, she would prove that she was qualified to be a noblewoman who would manage a territory.


    Then, she opened the door.


    Ise found the ne.


    Its over there. My ne. As expected, that woman took it.


    The ne was hanging on the maids neck. The maid, like a cheap mannequin stand, didnt suit the luxurious ne.


    However, Ise could no longer direct her anger towards the maid.


    Because there was no body under the maids neck.


    Ise covered her mouth. A scream threatened to burst out.


    <i>t/n: the narrative really does go back and forth between first person point of view and third person pov. i initially wanted to distinguish this change by italicizing the first person pov parts, but there was no such distinction in the original text, so i went back to just leaving them like that. i hope there isnt too much whish while reading.</i>


    <i>also, please note that the characters portrayed here are a product of the setting''s era, so its inevitable that there are themes of racism and misogyny, among others, strewn throughout the novel.</i>