Lilian was too quick, as she lunged at Evelyn the way she lunged at the washhouse maids who used to bully her.All the marquise saw was a blur shooting past her, and by the time she realized what had happened, Lilian had already knocked Evelyn down, pinning her down."Argh!!!" Evelyn screamed, but Lilian clasped a hand over her mouth the next instant.Madam Lestrade was still resting inside, and Lilian would not let Evelyn bother Madam Lestrade any further.But her rage still needed to burn!Hence, as she subdued Evelyn and stopped her from struggling, she swung her other hand mercilessly.She had wanted to hit Evelyn for a while now but bore with it for a long while.She thought that while Evelyn was despicable, it was simply her personality.And because she shared the blood of the marquis' household, they all doted on her, which was why she was protective of them in turn. As such, even if everything they did had hurt Lilian grievously, she had always perished the thought of
As Mrs. Sully looked on coolly, she suddenly noticed the marquise running off.Getting the cavalry?Even as the thought crossed her mind, the marquise was already back, but holding a large rock this time!Mrs. Sully was stunned, while the marquis barked even before she could react, "Stop!"However, he was too late as the marquise struck Lilian forcefully on the head.Lilian felt her mind going blank and could not hear anything, save for a shrill ringing in her ears. It was only when drops of blood trickled down her eyes that she realized what had happened, and she slowly looked up at the marquise.The marquise panicked even as she met Lilian's blood-filled eyes and dropped the rock as if finally coming to her senses, stammering, "N-No… I didn't mean it… I just wanted you to stop… I didn't want to hurt—"Thud.Lilian blacked out and dropped heavily on the ground.It was once again the marquis who came to his senses first. "What are you spacing out for?! Carry her inside, and
Rupert's remark really struck a nerve, as the marquise was suddenly gaping and tearing up, pointing at Rupert as she hollered, "I-I didn't try to kill Lily! I raised her myself!"And with that, she started bawling, leaving Rupert in a panic and quickly apologizing, "Sorry, Mother! Just calm down… I misspoke, and it's all my fault!"However, the marquise turned away as if refusing to accept his apology, leaving him frowning.He then turned toward Evelyn and growled coolly, "In the end, it's Lily's own fault. How could she be so ruthless, hurting Eve like that!"Doing that to Evelyn's face!Still, he flinched as a voice spoke from the next room. "Madam Lestrade wouldn't have been taken ill if Ms. Lestrade hadn't run her mouth. Ms. Kerr is merely disciplining Ms. Lestrade on Madam Lestrade's behalf, and I'm sure she'll praise Ms. Kerr when she wakes up."It was Mrs. Sully who spoke as she appeared before the marquis' household, only bowing her head at the marquis.She could be cons
The marquise promptly reasoned as well, "Eve meant well, even if she made a mistake. And don't you see what Lily did to her? Are you still going to punish her on top of that?'The marquis stared at Evelyn's swollen face and remembered how skinny she had been when she came back to them.She was the daughter they had lost for fifteen years, and she had suffered for fifteen years!How could he bear to punish her?Taking a deep breath, the marquis eventually turned his sights on Rupert."It's all your fault!" he bellowed, lunging at his son with a kick.However, Rupert dodged to the side, clearly prepared.Missing his mark, the marquis chased after Rupert, only for Rupert to hide behind the marquise. "Please! My chest still hurts after the kick last night! I'm going to die!"With the marquise effectively a shield, the marquis had no choice but to stop.Then, seeing that the marquise was about to speak, he knew right away that she would defend their son.He was at once hysterical.
It was the 28th of December in the nation of Quindon—the middle of a harsh winter.Lilian Kerr had just finished doing the morning laundry, but the madame of the washhouse was shouting at her before she could dry her freezing hands, "Move it, Lilian! The marquis has sent for you!"She froze—the marquis?It was such a familiar title, but she had since become estranged from it.After all, she had been the marquis' daughter for fifteen years, and three years ago, she was told that she was not really his daughter.It turned out that the midwife had switched her own daughter with the real marquis' daughter, but she had somehow found her conscience before her death and told the truth.Lilian still clearly remembered how thrilled the marquis and his wife had been when they were reunited with Evelyn Lestrade, the real daughter of the marquis. They were holding each other as they broke into tears, crying and laughing.Through it all, Lilian stood in a corner, watching in confusion as to
Lilian paused.She thought that she would not feel a thing, but when she actually heard that familiar voice, her heart skipped two beats anyway.She slowly looked up at the man in the carriage. He was her former fiance Henry Stark, a young but highly decorated general. "Greetings, General Stark."Lilian was on her knees again, almost by instinct.Henry frowned ever so subtly.Then, glancing at her ankle, he asked coolly, "Are you heading to the marquis' residence, Ms. Lestrade?"Lilian kept her eyes on her knees even as she nodded. "Yes, general."A long silence ensued, as Henry seemed to be expecting her to continue.After all, she used to never stop talking when he was around. Still, he despised the noise—while he would not get too upset with her, considering their families' close relationship, he still would not hide his annoyance.In fact, there were times when he would just shove food into her mouth just to stop her, but she would instead giggle happily like a child,
Lilian's old pavilion was named Cherryton, and its gardens were lush with cherry blossoms.As the snow fell, the blossoms would bloom vivaciously as if it was a competition, never wilting even as spring arrived.The marquis himself had sent his people looking for those trees and moved them back to his residence, just because Lilian had once mentioned as a child that cherry blossoms were her favorite.The household had spent over a hundred silvers in nurturing those trees. Three years ago, the pavilion became Evelyn's just because she praised the cherry blossoms.Lilian was seething back then but felt nothing even as she remembered it now.In the end, Evelyn was the real daughter of the marquis, and everything here was hers—even the people.As for Lilian, she was just a cuckoo chick who had stolen into their nest."Greetings, milady. You can call me Winter."Still, the maid escort was quite enthusiastic. "Your former maid is now married, so I'll be attending to you now. Feel fre
Seeing that Evelyn's goodwill was spurned, Rupert promptly shelved his guilt and snapped, "You don't have to be sarcastic. Why didn't you mention that you're hurt? Or don't you have a mouth?"If she had said so earlier, he would have gone to the doctor to get her medication!"I would have mentioned it, but Mr. Lestrade hasn't given me the chance," Lilian replied quietly, finally drawing her hands out of the marquise's grasp.That only left Rupert narrowing his eyes—she was already back, but she still refused to treat him like her brother.His rage did not subside at all, and he demanded, "That begs the question—you were raised as the marquis heiress and trained to fight as a child. Is there some sort of elite warrior in that washhouse capable of doing that to you?"While Lilian's heart skipped a beat, she kept her eyes lowered as she pulled on her sleeve."I did fight back, and as you would expect, none of the other servants could win against me."Lilian spoke softly, but her vo
The marquise promptly reasoned as well, "Eve meant well, even if she made a mistake. And don't you see what Lily did to her? Are you still going to punish her on top of that?'The marquis stared at Evelyn's swollen face and remembered how skinny she had been when she came back to them.She was the daughter they had lost for fifteen years, and she had suffered for fifteen years!How could he bear to punish her?Taking a deep breath, the marquis eventually turned his sights on Rupert."It's all your fault!" he bellowed, lunging at his son with a kick.However, Rupert dodged to the side, clearly prepared.Missing his mark, the marquis chased after Rupert, only for Rupert to hide behind the marquise. "Please! My chest still hurts after the kick last night! I'm going to die!"With the marquise effectively a shield, the marquis had no choice but to stop.Then, seeing that the marquise was about to speak, he knew right away that she would defend their son.He was at once hysterical.
Rupert's remark really struck a nerve, as the marquise was suddenly gaping and tearing up, pointing at Rupert as she hollered, "I-I didn't try to kill Lily! I raised her myself!"And with that, she started bawling, leaving Rupert in a panic and quickly apologizing, "Sorry, Mother! Just calm down… I misspoke, and it's all my fault!"However, the marquise turned away as if refusing to accept his apology, leaving him frowning.He then turned toward Evelyn and growled coolly, "In the end, it's Lily's own fault. How could she be so ruthless, hurting Eve like that!"Doing that to Evelyn's face!Still, he flinched as a voice spoke from the next room. "Madam Lestrade wouldn't have been taken ill if Ms. Lestrade hadn't run her mouth. Ms. Kerr is merely disciplining Ms. Lestrade on Madam Lestrade's behalf, and I'm sure she'll praise Ms. Kerr when she wakes up."It was Mrs. Sully who spoke as she appeared before the marquis' household, only bowing her head at the marquis.She could be cons
As Mrs. Sully looked on coolly, she suddenly noticed the marquise running off.Getting the cavalry?Even as the thought crossed her mind, the marquise was already back, but holding a large rock this time!Mrs. Sully was stunned, while the marquis barked even before she could react, "Stop!"However, he was too late as the marquise struck Lilian forcefully on the head.Lilian felt her mind going blank and could not hear anything, save for a shrill ringing in her ears. It was only when drops of blood trickled down her eyes that she realized what had happened, and she slowly looked up at the marquise.The marquise panicked even as she met Lilian's blood-filled eyes and dropped the rock as if finally coming to her senses, stammering, "N-No… I didn't mean it… I just wanted you to stop… I didn't want to hurt—"Thud.Lilian blacked out and dropped heavily on the ground.It was once again the marquis who came to his senses first. "What are you spacing out for?! Carry her inside, and
Lilian was too quick, as she lunged at Evelyn the way she lunged at the washhouse maids who used to bully her.All the marquise saw was a blur shooting past her, and by the time she realized what had happened, Lilian had already knocked Evelyn down, pinning her down."Argh!!!" Evelyn screamed, but Lilian clasped a hand over her mouth the next instant.Madam Lestrade was still resting inside, and Lilian would not let Evelyn bother Madam Lestrade any further.But her rage still needed to burn!Hence, as she subdued Evelyn and stopped her from struggling, she swung her other hand mercilessly.She had wanted to hit Evelyn for a while now but bore with it for a long while.She thought that while Evelyn was despicable, it was simply her personality.And because she shared the blood of the marquis' household, they all doted on her, which was why she was protective of them in turn. As such, even if everything they did had hurt Lilian grievously, she had always perished the thought of
"Right! Make way!"As the maids bickered noisily, Lilian somehow found warmth.After all, the marquis' residence had felt as cold as an ice house for a while now—only Madam Lestrade afforded her some reprieve of warmth.But she was ill, so Lilian could not tell Madam Lestrade about her troubles.She thought she would have to deal with her grievances tonight in silence, so she was surprised that her heart was relieved as soon as she returned to Floret Garden.It was only her hand that was hurt, but Winter insisted on offering a helping arm.As soon as she sat, another maid arrived with a cup of warm tea. "You must have suffered a fright—here's some tea to calm your nerves. You'd definitely sleep well with this, and everything would be fine come tomorrow!" "I'll get some water for you to wash up, milady.""The bed has been warmed, milady—you should get some rest once you've cleaned up."Those were all Winter's tasks, but since Winter was hurt too, the maids volunteered to take
As she finished, Lilian could clearly see the panic on Rupert's face.How laughable!He had been so righteous when he defended himself for trying to destroy her, but he was now panicking when his own life was on the line?And it was not just Rupert—the marquis' household was panicking.That was when the sobbing Evelyn strode up, shouting at Lilian, "You should get some rest after that ordeal! It's late now—anything can wait until tomorrow!"Hearing that, the marquise promptly echoed, "Yes, yes, exactly. It's extremely late, Lily—even General Stark has yet to return. Why don't we discuss this again tomorrow?"It was only then that Lilian remembered Henry was still there and turned toward him.He was staring at her, the candlelight flickering over his visage that appeared colder than usual.It was an impassive expression to Lilian, but her chest somehow stung.She took a deep breath—she actually was exhausted after that ordeal, and she might collapse first if she kept arguing wi
Lilian continued, "You targeted me because it's easy—because I can be bullied, and it only takes a thousand silvers to destroy my reputation and my future. Honestly, aren't you laughing when you say it out loud yourself?"So shut that disgusting mouth of yours, Rupert Lestrade. You never cared about me—you just refuse to let me rise above you! You don't have my best interests at heart, not when you can't abide with things going well for me!"Though she easily exposed Rupert's hideous nature, he stubbornly refused to give in. "How so? Is marrying Prince Michael that much better?! So what if your reputation was ruined?! Do you think that no one would marry you, with the support of the marquis' household?!"Silence ensued, everyone's breath seemingly pausing aside from Evelyn, who continued to sob.Lilian looked around at the marquis and the marquise and finally chuckled as she turned to Rupert. "I finally understand why the marquis and the marquise are in such a hurry to marry me o
As Rupert stayed silent, the marquise was trembling as she walked up to him, reaching out to tug on his sleeve. "It's alright, Rupert—just tell your sister it's a misunderstanding."Even so, Rupert merely scowled in silence, which only left the marquise's heart clenching.She started shoving instead of tugging, as she cried tearfully, "Say something!"Seeing how agitated the marquise was, Evelyn ran up, hugging her as she exclaimed, "It's alright, Mother! Just sit down and talk it out with Rupert. I'm sure he has his reasons!"Lilian wheeled on Evelyn in disbelief right then—Rupert hired thugs to have her reputation destroyed, but Evelyn would still say he had his reasons?!Were these people for real?! Especially Evelyn—did she really say something like that as a woman, with a clear conscience?Worst of all, Rupert seemed to jerk to his senses at Evelyn's senses, even glancing at her gratefully."Yes, it was me!" he bellowed as he turned to Lilian, his words bold and righteous.
In the end, a lady's reputation was a priority, even if everyone in the room knew that it was a lie.Henry bowed his head in return and turned to Lilian. "Prince Michael mentioned that the meeting place was Swindon Teahouse. When did you go to Swiftlet Teahouse instead?"Lilian was seated, her hand bandaged, but it would hurt even if she moved it slightly.The family doctor said that it was not serious, but she must rest it and not exert strength for another two months.Still, she was on her feet at Henry's question and replied, "The letter I received said it was Swiftlet Teahouse. It's on my dressing table—check it if you don't believe me."As she finished, she turned toward Rupert, who stood in a nearby corner quietly, as if worried that he would be noticed.Even so, Lilian did notice when he entered and slowly walked toward him. "You seem especially quiet today, Mr. Lestrade. What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"The marquise was confused as to why Lilian would suddenly care ab