Chapter 10: Brian-sama’s Visit 2

When we returned to the manor, a footman informed us that the family had gathered in Father’s study, the same room as last night.

I entered the room escorted by Brian-sama.
Seeing the two of us together, everyone looked extremely surprised.

Brian-sama greeted them and explained why he had spoken with me first.

“I would like to apologize once again for visiting Lady Maria so suddenly last night and questioning her.
She has graciously forgiven me.”

Then, at Lloyd’s suggestion, he seated me in the chair beside his own.
Once everyone had settled, Brian-sama began speaking about what had happened at the Deal Marquis House that morning.

“Early this morning, I sent my family’s butler ahead to request a visit.
I explained that this was not an official matter, but a private visit, and that in order to prevent further confusion after yesterday’s incident, I wished to hear the circumstances directly.
The Deal Marquis House received me courteously.”

“And how were things on their side?”

“Well, at first, both the Marquis and his wife, as well as Jason, appeared bewildered.”

“Yes, I imagine so.”

Father clasped his hands on his knees and hunched his back.
Mother lightly tapped his arm with her fan, encouraging him with a quiet, “Pull yourself together.”

“As for the maid in question, Mary, she was not there.
According to the servants, she had been at the estate until yesterday morning, but was gone by today.
Additionally, Jason’s wet nurse, Lady Carrie Mode, Viscountess Mode, reportedly visited the estate suddenly in the afternoon.”

At that, tension immediately filled the room.
Father, Mother, my brother, and my sister all swallowed and waited for Brian-sama’s next words.

“I asked Jason who the maid was, where she came from, and through what connection she had been hired.
He said she was introduced by an acquaintance, but claimed he could not name that person.”

Everyone exchanged looks.
At this point, there was little choice but to assume the mistress issue was essentially confirmed.

“When I remained silent and waited, the Marquis eventually confided in me.
He said she was a woman Jason had previously been involved with.
He told Jason there was no point in hiding it any longer.”

Father began to fidget.

“So he intended to assign his former mistress as his wife’s maid?
That’s… remarkably poor taste.”

Honestly, he was saying the same thing as Bell, I thought, exasperated.
My brother added, “That’s beyond bad taste.
Once exposed, there’d be no escape.”
That sounded like a fusion of Bell and Lloyd.
Is this how men tend to think, I wondered.

As I tilted my head, Mother and my sister bristled.

“Is this really something that can be dismissed as bad taste?
He’s making a fool of her.
It’s outrageously disrespectful.
This broken engagement is clearly the Marquis House’s fault.”

“Exactly.
No matter how you look at it, it’s too cruel.
Jason-sama really must be out of his mind.”

Brian-sama caught Noel’s words and asked her to clarify.

“What made you think he was out of his mind?”

“It’s something my sister told me this morning.
Apparently his compliments sound like he’s talking about a completely different person.
So we were saying his eyes—or his head—must be wrong.”

My sister spoke clearly, without hesitation.
I envy that about her.
We’re sisters, yet so completely different.

“The Royal Guard does not accept people with poor eyesight.
If one’s vision deteriorates after enlistment, they are required to wear glasses.
The same applies to mental fitness.”

Brian-sama said this while looking directly at my brother Eric.
My brother flinched and straightened his back.

“I hear you were the one who introduced your sister to Jason.
Tell me how that came about.”

My brother hesitantly turned toward Brian-sama, but upon meeting his stern gaze, he suddenly began speaking briskly.

“I mentioned to Jason, in passing, that even though my sister had turned sixteen, she was still poor at talking to men and would likely have trouble finding a match.
After that, he said he wanted to meet her, so I brought him to our house.
As usual, my sister could barely greet him and just fidgeted, but for some reason Jason said he liked her.
Then he made a formal proposal, and the engagement was arranged a year ago.”

After finishing, my brother let his shoulders slump.

Both he and those listening could now see that sequence of events differently than before.
A quiet young girl who couldn’t clearly express herself.
That was the kind of girl he had been looking for.
A girl looked down upon by her family, treated as a burden.
Yes—me.

A chill ran through my body, and I shuddered.

At that moment, a large hand gently touched my arm.

“It’s all right now.”

I nodded to Brian-sama with gratitude.

“Jason claimed he fell in love with Lady Maria and proposed marriage.
The mistress had borne his child, and he could not abandon her, so he kept her close.
The Marquis and his wife believed that relationship had been settled before this marriage.
They looked utterly drained.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.
If even the Marquis couple had been deceived, I would have been hurt much more deeply.
Knowing that alone is a comfort.”

I meant that from the bottom of my heart.
If even the warm welcome at the beginning of the engagement had been a lie, I might have lost faith in people entirely.

When my brother’s eyes met mine, he quickly looked away.

After a moment of silence, Lloyd quietly spoke to Father.

“Shall I bring tea and brandy?”

“Yes, please.
I feel like wetting my throat.”

Lloyd left the room without making a sound.
Everyone sank into their own thoughts, and the room grew quiet.

Lloyd and a maid returned with tea, brandy, and a plate of chocolate bonbons, serving each of us.
I had a small amount of brandy poured as well.
I don’t usually drink, but it felt necessary for this discussion.

After taking a sip of tea, Brian-sama continued.

“In the end, Jason admitted to having a mistress and an illegitimate child, as well as disguising the mistress and attempting to install her as his wife’s maid.
He claimed that as for the Viscountess Mode, he merely asked her to care for the child.
However, he categorically denied any plan to harm Lady Maria.”

“How shameless!”

Mother summed it up in a single word.
The same woman who had once said this marriage was like a blessing from God.
Her opinions were always extreme and quick to flip—one of her habits.

“Exactly.
How can he feign ignorance in this situation?
It really isn’t his eyes—it’s his head that’s wrong.”

Noel clearly took after Mother.

Father and my brother swallowed their brandy in one gulp.

“As Lady Maria said at the church, even if a crime had been planned, it was never carried out, and there is no evidence.
The only facts we can present are those I have already described.”

He paused once, then continued.

“However, even if we were to generously allow for bringing in a mistress as a maid, assigning her as the wife’s personal attendant responsible for all aspects of her daily life, while excluding the personal maid who accompanied her from her family home, is not normal.”

Mother, my brother, and my sister, hearing this for the first time, looked deeply shaken.

“It seems the Marquis and his wife were told that this was a decision the couple made together.
As I reported last night, there was no room prepared for Lady Maria’s personal maid, Bell.
Upon hearing this, the Marchioness fainted, and I took my leave shortly thereafter.”

This time, neither Mother nor my sister spoke.