Garden of May - Chapter 156
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“I’ve already got enough on my plate as it is. A few coins or your pitiful father aren’t worth my time.”
A few coins. For someone who had sold even her pride for those very coins, the words were crushing. Mary bit down hard on her trembling lip and lowered her gaze.
“What’s Vanessa doing?”
“She should be resting in her room.”
“You didn’t let her wander out for no reason, did you?”
“She went out briefly last time to buy some stationery. I accompanied her.”
“Did she meet anyone?”
“…Not particularly.”
Wyatt let out a low hum.
“Well, don’t keep her too tightly locked up anymore. Let her be, within reason. Especially when she meets the duke. Don’t interfere, no matter what.”
“She hasn’t even met the duke yet.”
“That’s what’s so strange.”
“….”
“Well, for now, it’s better not to meddle. Thanks to that scandal with the duke, her value has gone up, so there’s no need to rush. What matters more are these pressing annoyances right in front of me…”
Mary’s eyes followed Wyatt’s eyes to the stack of mortgage documents scattered across the desk.
Even to an untrained eye, it was clear that a significant portion of the estate had been put up as collateral. Lately, the count’s spending had gone far beyond reason.
Whether it was because he had found something to rely on—or a backlash from holding himself back for so long—he had clearly lost what little caution he once had.
Wyatt shoved the papers aside irritably, as if offering an excuse.
“I’ve lost a fair amount of the investment shares this time, but there’s still more than enough left as seed money. Just one proper hit, and I’ll be sitting on a mountain of gold.”
“…Was that rumor about Miss Vanessa really true? The one all those gossip sheets have been spreading?”
“If people believe it’s true, then even a lie becomes truth. That’s the beauty of gossip.”
For a brief moment, shock flickered across Mary’s face, who had been trying to keep her face in check.
“…Don’t tell me—you orchestrated that scandal yourself, my lord?”
“You naïve girl. Of course I did. Sure, there are probably some opportunistic rats clinging on after hearing scraps of information. But what gossip rag would dare write about nobility without permission? Especially something like this?”
“But…”
Mary wet her dry lips.
“Is it really safe? Not just for the Miss… but the other party is the Battenberg—”
“I wouldn’t have done it without something to rely on. After finalizing the contract, they suddenly added a trivial condition—said Vanessa’s marriage shouldn’t proceed for the time being. That alone proves there’s something going on between them.”
“….”
“Though honestly, what does it matter? Use whatever can be used, squeeze out as much money as possible, that’s all.”
Humming cheerfully, Wyatt opened the safe and shoved the documents inside, as if he had already forgotten Mary’s desperate plea.
Mary stood there in silence for a moment before turning to leave.
She walked steadily through the corridor and down the stairs. Past the neat eastern wing and into the neglected western wing, where a desolate atmosphere greeted her at once.
At the end of the familiar hallway, she pushed open the wooden doors without hesitation.
“Miss.”
Crossing the dim drawing room, Mary raised her voice. Normally, Vanessa would have at least stirred at the sound. But today, the silence was unnaturally heavy.
A sudden sense of unease crept over her.
“Miss Vanessa?”
Just as her anxiety began to deepen, Mary spotted her, slumped into a high-backed chair, fast asleep. A blanket lay draped over her knees; it seemed she had been reading and drifted off.
Mary let out a quiet breath of relief. Slowly, she sank down at Vanessa’s feet. Her sleeping face looked fragile and yet impossibly beautiful, almost untouchable. Like one of the sculptures of Vedice she had once seen in a magazine.
That magnificent city she had once dreamed of visiting, at least once in her life…
‘What a fortunate girl.’
That had been her first impression. Even in a shabby estate, she was still a lady.
While Mary struggled day and night, she had assumed Vanessa lived comfortably, cherished by a good family.
‘A fool who craves people’s affection.’
Her second impression hadn’t been much kinder.
A slow-witted woman who kept bringing snacks every time she returned, even as the servants avoided her or openly dismissed her, afraid of Wyatt. And now…
Mary tightened her grip slightly as she pulled the blanket up more securely over Vanessa’s knees.
For a moment, she almost let her tired body and heavy head rest against her lady’s lap. But at that exact moment, Vanessa’s eyes fluttered open.
“…Mary?”
