âYou have to swallow it, nanny. And drink lots of water.â Eva held out a glass of warm water after helping Cecil sit and giving her the medicine.
Cecil had been sick for several days. It was clear that her body was getting weak. At first, she thought it was merely a slight cold, but it didnât show any signs of recovery. She asked the baronetess to take Cecil to a large hospital, but she refused to do so, saying that she didnât have enough money.
âThanks to my ladyâcoughâIâll get better tomorrow. You donât have to worry about meâcough coughâso you can stop visiting me, my lady.â
Although Cecil was coughing nonstop, she was more concerned about Eva. She helped her nanny back onto the bed and covered her with a blanket. Cecil closed her eyes, grasping Evaâs hand tightly. Her frail figure was buried in Evaâs heart and it pierced it.
Itâs been five years since they came to the baronetâs house. As Eva grew up, Cecil grew older. Back when they were still living in Bale Castle, Cecil never had a single drop of water on her fingertips[1]. It must have been hard for such a person to do exhausting housework at the same time as educating Eva and Pamela. Her heart was aching, terrified that it seemed like it was her fault Cecil fell ill. She kept convincing herself that it was just a cold and that she would get better soon, but at this rate, Cecil might really be gone.
âEva! Where are you, Eva?â
She heard the voice of the baronetess looking for her from afar. Eva immediately stood up and left the room, afraid that Cecil might hear it.
As she went downstairs, she saw the baronetess screaming at the top of her lungs at her maid. She was probably asking about Evaâs whereabouts. âWhy does she have such a temper in the morning again? I finished cleaning the parlor this morning, I also ironed out the dresses and undergarments she threw at me.â Eva stood in front of the baronetess after she braced herself.
âWere you looking for me, madam?â
âSo you arenât working at all and wandered off to God knows where. This is your doing, right?â
A dress tossed by the baronetess fell roughly at Evaâs feet. Not understanding why, Eva looked closely at the dress and saw a huge burnt hole. It seemed like a mark from ironing. However, Eva still couldnât fathom why it involved her.
âI didnât do that, madam.â
âStop lying. Everyone said they saw you ironing this morning.â
âI did, but it wasnât my doing.â
âThis is driving me crazy and itâs so absurd.â This dress belongs to Pamela, which she hung in Pamelaâs room after ironing it, more or less intact. If anything, the culprit would be the person who ironed it afterward, not her.
âI give you food and clothes for free and now youâre lying?â
âIâm not lying.â
âYou reallyâŠâ
Smack!
A loud sound emanated at the same time that Evaâs face turned sideways. The baronetess couldnât contain her anger any longer and sheâd slapped Eva.
âI see, sheâs been drinking.â
There was a faint smell of alcohol reeking out from the baronetess. Only then did Eva realize that she was just a target for venting anger. Baronet Biti, who played around with women despite their financial crisis, Todd, a son who was addicted to gambling and denuded their wealth, Pamela, a beautiful, unmarried, and profligate daughter. All of the stress from them drove the baronetess to the edge and made her indulge in alcohol.
It was unfair, but Eva felt relieved. Because her nanny didnât have to see this.
This was the third time. The first time Eva got hit, Cecil stepped in and had an argument with the furious baronetess. The baronetess, who couldnât win their argument, demanded that Cecil leave the house right away. Ultimately, Cecil apologized as she didnât want that happening. Only after that did the baronetess turn back to her room, curses still on her tongue.
That day when she saw her nanny crying, more upset than herself, Eva steeled her heart. She wouldnât talk about anything that would hurt her nanny again and be caught like this.
âMom, what are you doing?â
Pamela, who had just come in from outside, found the scene and barged in.
âStay out of this, Pam.â
âDid you hit Eva again? Mom, whatâs wrong?â
âJust be quiet if you donât know. She burned your dress.â
âStill, you shouldnât hit her, thatâs horrible. Come with me, Eva.â
Pamela dragged Eva outside, leaving the angry baronetess behind. There were shouts and curses from her, but neither of them looked back.
âI really donât know why sheâs like that. Iâll talk to her later. Iâm so sorry, Eva.â
âItâs all right, Pam.â
Eva smiled bitterly, placing her hand on her reddened cheek. The area where she got slapped was swollen and still burning on her face. However, what wounded her pride and humiliated her was more painful than the pain itself.
Pamelaâs solace was also not very helpful. She always did as she liked, and the only time she was willing to help was when it benefited her or there was an interior motive.
âAnyway, Eva, can you look over there?â
Pamela took Eva by the shoulder and turned her around as if she had forgotten what had happened.
âLook whatââ Her suspicious eyes from before were wide open with shock after turning around.
âThatâŠâ Pamela pointed her fingers to the top of the Bale Castle that had always been visible even from afar. Unlike any other day, today was different. A flag fluttered on Bale Castle, which had been empty for years. Even if the emblem wasnât palpable, she immediately recognized its shape. The crest of the roaring red lion. It belonged to Evaâs family, Count Massies.
âThe new owner of the castle has come. Heâs called Lord Holland, not to mention heâs from a fine lineage and is very rich.â
ââŠâ
The new owner of Bale Castle. Her heart began to beat erratically the moment she heard that. All this time, she had been curious about the new owner. Why did he appear after a few years and set up another family crest?
âWhatâs even more amazing is that Lord Holland is close with the Crown Prince. So you see⊠I need a companion, would you like to accompany me?â
Pamelaâs whispers were like a dangerous temptation. It felt like she became a child who was in big trouble for being too hungry and touching someone elseâs food, even though she knew she shouldnât do it.