The Bad Ending of an Otome

“Isn’t not giving her work and locking her in a small space rather lenient? My mother once gave me advice on how to handle recalcitrant servants. Lady Elodie has been too ignorant to comprehend that the Marchioness is inherently kind. Because we’re all women, avoid hitting her in the face and instead smack her in the thighs or soles, or even lock her in the stable.”

“…”

“Surely, Elodie, you’re not weighing us against that lowly maid?”

“No, it’s not that…”

She felt a surge of fear within her. 

What if everyone turned against her, making her ‘dream’ all too real? 

She recognized that this was not a typical circumstance. 

If they were indeed on Elodie’s side, they would not have put her in the uncomfortable position of punishing a servant while she was still a ‘guest’ at the House Windrose. 

The topic itself seemed dubious. 

Countess Betty, who had close ties to the Marchioness, and a person who frequently visited the mansion, had reacted angrily…

“I’ll have her struck on the calves with a cane and locked in the storeroom for two days…”

“Make a promise, Lady Elodie. Because you are too sensitive, you must assert your power this way. But don’t be concerned. We will continue to be your strength, just as we are today.”

Exactly like today? 

What about in the future? 

Elodie gripped her skirt hem hard. 

Dorothy was carried away without a word of complaint by another servant. 

Elodie’s heart was breaking. 

Is it all my fault? 

Is it entirely my fault? 

Did I make a mistake? 

Because I did not defend her…

They’re never on my side.

It was an odd realization. 

Guilt and bitter failure. 

But if she didn’t do what they wanted, they’d abandon her. 

She was an outsider at House Windrose, not related by blood.

The entire high society may be adoring her right now, but this is only a passing fad. 

No law prevented the House Windrose from deposing her in an instant. 

As a result, she should control her reputation so they can’t readily discard her and buy the favor of others around her…

Buy?

How should she proceed?

As the thrill wore off, the tea party came to an end. 

Given the circumstances, the ladies agreed to meet at Countess Betty’s salon next and gradually left. 

Countess Betty and Lady Lana clutched her hand tightly, saying, “You need to harden your heart to survive here.”

Elodie bowed her head, her face empty, as if her soul had left her body. 

Elodie searched for Dorothy until after all the guests had departed House Windrose. 

Elodie dashed there after hearing Dorothy was confined in an old cellar, even jogging hastily. 

She slipped and damaged her knee in her haste.

A maid observed the hobbling Elodie and tried to help her, but Elodie pushed her away and went to the storeroom. 

It was a tiny, musty space she would never typically enter. 

Dorothy sat in a solitary chair that had been placed there.

“Dorothy…”

“…”

“Are you okay?”

“…”

“I was to blame. I should’ve…”

“Lady Elodie, you are truly kind.”

“Huh…?”

Elodie was taken aback by Dorothy’s calm demeanor.

“I thought our ladies were kind, but serving Lady Elodie made me realize I was blinded by my delusions.”

“Dorothy…”

‘Our ladies.’ 

Perhaps she was referring to Ophelia and Emilia. 

Elodie’s heart appeared to pound in response to that phrase.

I’ll never be a part of that ‘our’. Never.

“When Lady Ophelia caused havoc, Lady Emilia would bring it back to order. I felt everything worked out in the end. But now I recognize that the issue was my view due to growing up with those troublemakers. Lady Elodie is very nice, if I may say so. Lady Emilia may even be considered a horrible person compared to you…”

Dorothy’s eyes welled up with tears.

“I was relieved when Lady Elodie arrived at House Windrose. The Marchioness has been healthier… We can’t keep thinking about the dead forever. I think it was wonderful that the Marchioness regained her spirit… I purposefully suppressed everything. I persevered… I persevered…”

Dorothy was clutching something. 

It was a lightly used green ribbon that appeared brand new due to her cautious handling. 

Elodie recognized it as the ribbon Dorothy wore in her hair all the time.

“I understand why Lady Emilia didn’t stay at House Windrose…”

“Dorothy…”

“She must have grown tired of other people’s remarks… I should have realized she was our lady, and I was the maid of both ladies, but I was young at the time… I just assumed Lady Emilia was well since she appeared to be.”

Dorothy poured forth her words as if admitting her flaws. 

Elodie was buried in contemplation as she listened.

“I should have realized something was wrong the night before she left. If I had held her back and told her I understood her problems, perhaps she would not have left…”

“…”

“There were always people like them… Lady Emilia’s appearance did not imply that she was in good health. That brute even smacked her… She had no family to worry about; we were her only family… I was simply thinking about Lady Ophelia. We felt that was plenty because Lady Ophelia took special care of Lady Emilia…”

Her voice was trembling with sorrow. 

Dorothy lowered her head.

“…”

“I apologize, My lady. I know Lady Elodie is nicer and softer than anyone else. It’s because of you that the Marchioness is finally getting up and moving… I don’t despise you.”

Elodie felt the words ‘I don’t despise you’ ripped at her heart like a claw.

“But I can’t picture you as our lady. My heart broke when I heard what had transpired earlier, wondering why Lady Emilia had to hear such remarks at House Windrose of all places… I couldn’t help but blame you, after all…”

“Oh, Dorothy. It’s entirely my fault…”

“I’m sorry…”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry…”

Dorothy was soon embraced by Elodie. 

In an instant, her shoulders got sweaty.

She finally realized what was going on. 

Why was everyone so quiet about Emilia? 

Why, despite their worry, couldn’t they tell Elodie her story? 

Lady Emilia’s presence was a stain on the Marquis’s family.

Emilia seems to have left abruptly after Ophelia’s burial, her location unclear. 

Others may have assumed she went because she was simply Ophelia’s companion, dismissed or bought off, but the truth was much different.

She departed, ignoring the rumor and the humiliation of working as a lady’s maid for nearly a decade to win a spot in the House Windrose. 

She left nothing behind for those who adored Ophelia. 

How could she have done that? 

Elodie herself couldn’t bear the thought of giving up what she had.

She would have been thrown out if it hadn’t been for the House Windrose’s favor. 

The people at the House Windrose were nice; Elodie was tempted by them. 

Nonetheless, Emilia abandoned them. 

Wasn’t she scared? 

Elodie assumed she was confident from the start. 

Her calm demeanor was captivating and admirable. 

Her erect and unwavering black eyes were visible even in commoner’s attire, blending into the crowd. 

Elodie had an instinctive need to get close to her, but it went unfulfilled due to Sir Raretis’s aloof demeanor…

“I apologize, Dorothy. From now on, I’ll ensure such things do not occur.”

That was the end of it. 

She envied her at the time. 

She envied the freedom she appeared to have as if she could travel wherever pleased.

Unlike herself, Emilia appeared to be moving entirely for herself, not to please others who appreciated her beauty, to find a better position, or to avoid a more dismal fate.

She felt this way more and more as she dreamed. 

She despised herself for failing to see a way out of her predicament despite witnessing it repeatedly. 

Despite knowing everything, she stayed at the House Windrose thinking it was the best option.

But I was shaken when I first felt a mother’s affection from the kind Marchioness, or when I saw Raretis treat me with the utmost respect. 

I anguished about it many times, afraid I might have a futile dream…

“…I will ensure that your lady is not insulted.”

It wasn’t until now that I realized what was going on. 

When everyone talked about Ophelia’s void, the actual and significant void had arisen in the Marquisdom. 

When compared to that, the stories of Elodie and Ophelia might be told with a grin. 

Some scars couldn’t be spoken or revealed because everyone blamed them. 

The deepest wound was simply calmed by treating other minor wounds, a ritualistic act.

* * *

“Has there been a noticeable increase in missing persons cases?”

Raretis inquired as he set his pen down.

“There are some suspicious aspects, indeed.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Didn’t you say the number of ladies who went missing after the festival the other day was quite significant?”

Alston leafed through the papers in his hands.

“A romantic elopement has become a trend in the capital these days.”

“What?”

“It’s a trend among young people. When they fall in love, they abandon their careers and everything to start over in a faraway area…”

Alston trailed off, appearing uncomfortable as he stated.

“It’s not just popular with commoners; some noble ladies have also gone missing, causing quite a scandal. Because of the shame, it appears to be kept quiet, therefore formal missing person reports haven’t grown considerably, but the conditions are comparable…”

“That’s strange. Is the city guard intervening?”

“It seems they don’t have the capacity to pay attention to every case of young people eloping out of love.”

Raretis smirked.

“What do the victims have in common?”

“At most, it’s said that the ladies who disappear are quite pretty.”

“…Has anyone returned?”

“If they did, it’s not something to brag about, so it’s probably not a story they would share widely.”

“That’s strange.”

Raretis thoughtfully massaged his chin.

“What do you mean?”

“Is it a trend to fall in love with someone you’ve never met and elope, abandoning everything? It’s hardly unheard of, but it doesn’t seem like the story that would catch on enough to become a pattern.”

“Well, that’s true…”