Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It took me four days to recover. The first person to greet me was a tearful Emily.

“My lady... are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. I’m all right,” I reassured her.

“That’s such a relief! I was so worried about you. The duke and his sons were quite concerned as well.”

“Is that so?” I said absently. It was clear to me that she was just being polite in saying so.

Emily nodded enthusiastically, and chattered on. “Of course! Lord Derrick was pale as a sheet! He ran all the way back to the manor with you in his arms!”

“He... did?”

“Yes! The duke was extremely upset. He demanded that all the distinguished doctors from the capital be summoned right away. Oh, and the butler barely managed to stop Lord Reynold from storming off to the palace.”

Everything Emily was saying came as a surprise to me. Though I was certain she must be exaggerating a little, I hadn’t expected that the occupants of this house would go overly out of their way for a girl they seemed to hate so much.

“I was so afraid something was terribly wrong with you…” she said.

“You must have had a hard time, Emily.”

“Of course not! Please don’t say that. I’m your personal maid.”

It seemed quite a few things had changed while I was unconscious. I was puzzled by the way Emily teared up, insisting she was my personal maid. She was like a completely different person from the girl who had jabbed with me a needle every day.

“Oh, right! I mustn’t dawdle. I’ll go inform the duke that you are awake!” Emily hastily rose from where she’d been seated by my side.

I nodded easily and said, “Bring some melon sorbet with you when you come back, will you?”

* * *

The first thing I did after getting out of bed was look in the mirror. I was in a terrible state, but that was to be expected considering how long I’d been lying in bed. In addition, the place where the crown prince had cut my neck with his sword had a bulky bandage on it.

“Why are the bandages so thick?”

It was as if I’d suffered a broken neck, not a skin-deep cut. I wondered if I should remove the stifling bandages but decided to leave them for a little longer. It occurred to me that playing the ailing patient might work to my advantage.

I ate the clam stew and melon sorbet Emily brought me, then went back to relaxing in bed.

Knock, knock.

Someone was at the door.

“My lady, it’s me, Pennel.”

It was the butler, and he seemed to have learned his lesson about opening the door without my permission. I frowned, however.

I remember telling him to send someone in his place when he needed something from me.

I hadn’t completely forgiven him yet, so I sent Emily to answer.

“Go and hear what he has to say.”

Emily left the room without a fuss. Moments later, she returned with unexpected news.

“My lady, the duke wishes to see you,” she said.

“My father?”

I supposed a command from the absolute authority in the house couldn’t be given to anyone else to pass along. Understanding why the butler had come himself, I got out of bed.

“Please bring me an overdress, Emily.”

“You’re not going to change, my lady?” she asked, puzzled.

I was wearing a white nightgown, hardly suitable for a meeting with another adult.

“The indisposed don’t have to dress up,” I said imperiously, pulling on the overdress.

I may be a contemptible orphan, but I’ve barely been awake an hour and he’s already summoning me!

Even though it hadn’t been on purpose, I’d caused another scene at the palace ball. My punishment last time had been confinement to my room, so there was no knowing what was in store for me now. I had to make sure they could see I was still ill if I was going to soften the blow. Thankfully, the four days in bed had left my face gaunt, and I looked sickly without any effort.

Story of my life...

With a deep sigh, I opened the door. The butler—who’d been waiting at the door for a while by then—immediately straightened up.

“This way, my lady,” he said, politely gesturing with his free hand at his waist.

Huh?

I knew which way the duke’s room was, but thus far, the butler had always walked ahead of me. I gave him a puzzled look, and he suddenly bowed.

“I am but a servant. I cannot walk in front of someone I serve.”

I studied his face, wondering if he was mocking me for my previous angry outburst, but I detected no sarcasm. In fact, his grim expression made it seem like he had been waiting for this day to come.

“Please lead the way, my lady,” he said in a perfectly polite tone. Something felt different about him.

“We’ve been waiting for you. Your usual, I presume?” He almost acted like a restaurant owner greeting a regular who hadn’t been around for a while.

There was something odd afoot at the manor today.

What’s the matter with everyone?

The servants, who’d always glared at me contemptuously whenever I stepped foot outside my room, now dropped their eyes and bowed politely when I looked at them. I had no idea that it was because of the butler, who glared at them fiercely as he walked behind me.

“One moment, my lady.”

When we arrived at the duke’s office, the butler—who’d been following silently like a cat—suddenly shot forward.

Knock, knock.

“Your Grace, Lady Penelope has come to see you,” he announced.

“Send her in.”

The butler opened the door, the perfect picture of a respectful servant.

“Please go in, my lady.”

An odd feeling rushed over me as I entered, but I concealed my confusion with indifference. It was almost as if someone had given the butler a good thrashing while I’d been indisposed.

“There you are,” the duke said. Unlike before, he was sitting on a sofa next to the desk reserved for receiving guests.

“Hello, Father,” I said with a bow. He nodded and gestured for me to sit.

“Sit down.”

I sat opposite him, going over the excuses I’d prepared in my head. There was a brief silence before the duke spoke in a serious tone.

“I summoned you today because—”

“Father. Please allow me to speak first,” I quickly interrupted. Jumping to my feet, I kneeled next to the sofa.

“What happened was my fault.” This was my strategy. I would apologize before he could say anything.

“I failed to learn my lesson during my punishment. I caused another scene, staining our family’s reputation once more.” The words came to me easily.

He wouldn’t kick me out, would he? Not when his sickly daughter was begging him like this on her knees. I figured I’d beat him to it and head off whatever he was about to say.

“Wait a moment,” the duke said, visibly confused.

My plan seemed to be working.

“I do not dare ask for your forgiveness. I know better than anyone that I have done wrong.”

“I don’t—” the duke tried again.

“I will gladly receive my punishment. So please—”

“Enough!” he raised his hand and shouted, just as I’d been about to ask for leniency.

“Penelope Eckhart,” he said, this time in a calmer voice.

Oh no. Maybe the same strategy won’t work twice.

I grew suddenly worried. Taking a deep breath, I replied, “Yes, Father.”

“Get up,” he demanded.

“I’m... sorry?” I asked, confused. The duke’s forehead was pinched.

“A member of the House of Eckhart does not kneel under any circumstances. Do not be so quick to fall to your knees, Penelope.”

“...”

“You are an Eckhart, and no one can make you kneel, not even a member of the imperial family!” The duke’s voice seemed to grow louder at the mention of the imperial family. He turned to me and commanded, “Do you understand? Get to your feet this instant.”

“Y-yes!”

I immediately stood and retreated to the sofa. The duke had never been this assertive in the game. My heart was racing.

Is it something I said? I wondered.

The duke continued in a grave tone, “Penelope. I did not call you here today to reprimand you.”

“Huh? Then why—”

“I wish to know what happened at the palace, in detail,” he said.

“...”

“Tell me. What happened between you and the crown prince?”

I thought back to the moments leading up to when I passed out. I’d followed the crown prince with the intention of letting him kill me and had nearly been decapitated by his sword. I’d only managed to escape with my life by making the absurd claim that I was in love with him. Just the memory sent a chill down my spine.

“I...”

Unaware that the duke was watching me closely, I paled but pieced together a story with some difficulty.

“I went out to the maze garden for some air, but I took a wrong turn and encountered the crown prince. He wasn’t in a good mood, and...”

None of what I was saying was remotely close to what had actually happened. I felt like I had slowly become a professional liar ever since I entered the game. But what did it matter? I couldn’t tell the truth. And besides, my story wasn’t completely made up.

“And?”

“...”

“So, he mutilated you because he was in a bad mood?”

Seeing me trail off, the duke’s eyes glinted furiously.

“Huh? No, I wouldn’t call it mutilation so much as—”

“What else would you call it? That vermin! How dare he take a sword to a noble lady just because he’s in a bad mood!”