Translator : Ariana
Chapter 5. Johannes' Proposal
***
Riena's expression suddenly clouded as she was about to call for the maid waiting outside.
"By the way, there's a guest who's staying at the mansion ahead of time. We'll make sure your paths don't cross, but you might run into him while walking around the mansion. Would that be okay?"
"By 'guest,' do you mean the Viscount Rotman I saw earlier?"
"…Yes."
Riena forced a smile. She tried to maintain her composure, but it was impossible to smile brightly without showing any signs of negativity.
Johannes, too, became serious as he followed her lead.
"I know it's presumptuous of me to ask, but is there something troubling you, my lady?"
"…."
"I heard earlier that Viscount Rotman is your fiancé."
"That's not true!"
Riena, who had raised her voice without realizing it, sighed softly and lowered her voice.
"It's true that talks about a marriage with Viscount Rotman went on without my knowledge. But a fiancé? That's absurd. I have no intention of marrying the Viscount."
"So that's why you looked so troubled."
Johannes stood up and carefully sat down next to Riena. His large hand covered both of hers.
Startled by the soft sensation on the back of her hand, Riena shuddered and looked up. When their eyes met, Johannes smiled.
"Actually, I intended to keep this buried, but given the situation, I can't help but speak up."
"…?"
"I came here to see you, my lady."
"…Pardon?"
Johannes let out a small, embarrassed laugh.
"Ever since I last saw you, I haven't been able to get your image out of my mind. I wanted to reach out, but I didn't know how. I thought it might surprise you if someone like me, with no real connection, suddenly contacted you."
"…."
"I never thought I'd be struck by lovesickness, but here I am, at my age, suffering from it."
Riena blinked silently, unable to comprehend the situation.
"I mustered the courage to propose a marriage to the Dyke family, but I received no response. Disheartened by the rejection, I left the capital and traveled. As a result, I only learned of the Count's passing later."
"…A marriage proposal? When did that…?"
"I made it early this year, so it's been about half a year."
"Half a year…."
As Johannes watched Riena, who seemed lost in thought, he continued.
"You had a special bond with the Count, didn't you? I was worried about how you were coping after losing someone so dear, so I wanted to visit you."
"Well…."
"And if the opportunity arose, I wanted to express the feelings I couldn't convey before."
Johannes carefully pulled Riena's hand closer and kissed the back of it. The kiss was slightly more lingering and affectionate than the one when they first met.
"Lady Dyke. This may seem abrupt, but after seeing the situation earlier, I don't think I can just leave you here."
He whispered with his lips still on the back of her hand.
"Will you return to the capital with me?"
"By that, do you mean…."
He met her gaze and smiled.
"I'm proposing to you right now."
***
"What? Does that mean Lady Riena received proposals from two people at once?"
"I didn't think she had that kind of charm. She never seemed interested in romance or marriage. Now, Miss Bianca, on the other hand…."
"But she's pretty, isn't she? It's no wonder men are crazy about her. Or maybe there's something we don't know? After all, how many young ladies are different on the outside than they are inside?"
"Oh my, you're too much."
The laughter of the maids carrying laundry echoed down the hallway. As they walked away, Riena, who had been watching them, deliberately stomped her heels as she walked.
The sound of her shoes, which normally wouldn't have been heard, now echoed loudly in the hallway.
The maids, who instinctively turned around, quickly went pale.
"Oh, my lady! When did you come out?"
"Just a moment ago."
"Well, um…."
The maids couldn't bring themselves to say anything, only glancing at each other nervously. Riena gently tapped the shoulder of the maid standing on the right and whispered in her ear.
"I know you've been gossiping about me."
"Heuk, I'm sorry…."
"That's fine. I understand you need some amusement while doing such hard work."
"It's not that…."
"But still, there are two guests in the mansion. You shouldn't be making such a racket. What you said just now wasn't just disrespectful to me, but to the guests as well. Your voices were loud enough to be heard on the second floor."
Riena and the Dyke family members stayed on the third floor of the mansion, while the guests stayed on the second floor.
"We're sorry. Please forgive us. We'll be more careful from now on. No, we'll work as if we're dead!"
"Me too! So please, have mercy…."
"I won't fire you. Just make sure I don't hear anything like this again."
"Th-thank you. We'll be careful!"
Riena walked past the two maids who were bowing repeatedly. She heard a loud sigh behind her.
"I thought I'd get fired this time. Why did the lady have to catch us?"
"Watch your mouth. We just got scolded, and you're already running it again?"
"Oops."
Riena pretended not to hear their whispers.
Normally, it would have been appropriate to fire servants who spoke lightly about their master. Those two should have been dismissed under normal circumstances as well.
But she didn't do that. Firing the two wouldn't solve the underlying problem.
Since the death of Count Dyke and the rise of the Countess, the power dynamics within the mansion had completely changed.
The Countess, who had kept her claws hidden, now ruled like a queen, and Bianca, who had always behaved like an outsider because she didn't bear the Dyke name, became more assertive.
As the Countess pushed for Riena's marriage to Viscount Rotman, the servants became acutely aware of the new power structure and adjusted their behavior accordingly.
They began to cozy up to the Countess while subtly disrespecting Riena.
So even if she fired those two, it would only worsen the servants' opinion of her.
Mother wouldn't fire them anyway.
If anything, the Countess might even praise the maids who had insulted Riena.
Riena clenched her jaw and massaged her temples.
Lord Belliard wouldn't have wanted this situation either.
Two days ago, the news of Johannes' proposal to Riena had spread throughout the mansion.
Because an unmarried man and woman couldn't be alone together, they had left the door open and stationed a maid nearby. That maid then relayed the news to the fellow servants.
Words spread fast, and within hours, everyone in the mansion knew.
The story soon began to deviate from the truth.
People said that Riena and Johannes had feelings for each other all along, but Count Dyke opposed their relationship, so they couldn't be together.
Then, just a few hours later, a plausible tale emerged that Johannes, who had maintained a good relationship with Riena, finally proposed to her after the Count's death.
It was utterly ridiculous.
Riena let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
"What on earth did you do?"
Suddenly, a sharp voice came from the side. When she turned her head, she saw Bianca leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
Bianca tilted her head and slowly looked Riena up and down.
"I had no idea Lord Belliard had such tastes. Anyway, how exactly did you seduce him?"
"What?"
Riena's displeasure was evident, but Bianca continued unabated.
"What kind of tricks did you pull to make Lord Belliard propose to you?"
"I don't know."
Riena wanted to ask Johannes the same question.
"You don't know? If you don't, then who does?"
"If I don't know, what else should I say?"
"What?"
"And since it was me who received the proposal, why are you so concerned?"
"Because!"
Bianca's face, which had been slightly flushed with embarrassment, turned bright red.
"Because he's too good for you! I'm just worried that Lord Belliard is being deceived! How could he choose you out of all the other women…!"
Bianca screamed and then abruptly stopped.
"Anyway, you should be careful. Your fiancé, Viscount Rotman, is still in the mansion."
"I told you, he's not my fiancé…."
"Well, Viscount Rotman doesn't seem to think so."
Bianca glanced down the stairs. Following her gaze, Riena saw Viscount Rotman climbing the stairs with a scowl on his face.
"Lady Dyke! I need to speak with you…!"
"Haah…."
Riena rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand, turned around, and walked away. She ignored the sound of Viscount Rotman yelling at her and the maids trying to stop him, and went into her room.
***
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