The rain did not let up. It poured down from the sky like a wall, enveloping everything in a grey curtain. It was a bumpy and rough ride. The carriage rolled recklessly along the muddy road.
In the black carriage rumbling along the muddy road, a noble lady and her maid sat in silence. Catherine Eloene Dehsin's face was gloomy. Her personal maid, Martha, sat silently beside her, occasionally glancing anxiously at her mistress.
Her chin was raised high and her lips were tightly pressed together. It was obvious that her mistress was clearly not in the best of moods. Based on this, the maid did not dare to disturb her for a long time.
But finally, she could not resist and asked.
— Madam, — Martha cautiously broke the silence, — was it really necessary to go to the Carter estate in such bad weather?
For the past week, the capital and all the surrounding areas had been hit by heavy rain that showed no sign of letting up. This was most likely due to the approaching autumn, and the deterioration of the weather was a clear sign of this. Nevertheless, travelling in such weather was quite dangerous. After all, various accidents related to road accidents were not uncommon.
Nevertheless, Katrina suddenly announced her desire to leave for the family estate immediately and refused to listen to anyone. She was not deterred even by the unfavourable weather, when the butler and the rest of the staff asked Madame to postpone the trip for at least a couple of days to wait for the weather to improve. After all, the Carter estate was quite far from the Dexhin family's ancestral estate, and the journey would take at least several hours.
But in the end, they set off in that weather anyway. Martha, concerned about her mistress's unexpected decision and her haste in making the trip, wanted to know if something bad had happened at her ancestral estate.
However, when she caught her mistress's gaze, she immediately regretted her words.
— What are you so worried about? — Katrina asked coldly. — Just do your job properly and don't ask unnecessary questions.
As usual, the current head of the Dexine family was not very polite to her servants, and Martha simply bowed her head obediently. The downpour continued, so the maid pulled the curtain back a little and looked at the fogged-up window. She listened to the loud sound of raindrops hitting the ground.
The carriage slid through the mud, splashing water everywhere. Finally, the gates of the Carter estate came into view - even from a distance, it looked incredibly grand and imposing. It was a huge grey stone building with ivy-covered columns, massive windows and decorative lanterns all around the perimeter. Even in the pouring rain, the house looked majestic, befitting the status of the Carters as one of the most powerful families in the Empire.
When the carriage stopped, Katrina was the first to get out and walk along the stone path leading to the house.
Inside, the courtyard sparkled with wet marble, and servants with umbrellas were already waiting for them at the porch.
Michel Carter came out to meet his sister.
Tall, slender, with sharply defined cheekbones, he looked slightly haggard. His light hair was neatly combed back, and shadows of fatigue lay under his eyes. He was a man who carried the burden of a family dynasty on his shoulders, and it was evident even in his appearance. It seemed that her brother had not had a proper rest for several days.
— Katrina, I didn't expect you to arrive so suddenly.
After greeting his sister, Michel approached her while a servant held an umbrella over them.
— It's cold outside. Let's go inside first.
Unlike the street, the mansion was warm, as there was a fireplace in almost every room. Katrina took off her cloak and handed it to Martha. She and her brother went into the living room, where the woman immediately decided to apologise:
— I'm sorry I didn't warn you about my arrival. But I had to discuss something urgent with my father.
The heir to the duchy looked at her gloomily.
— It so happens that my father has gone away on business, — he said slowly.
These words stunned the woman, as she had not expected this.
— Really? — Katrina asked, annoyed. — When will he be back?
— I don't know... Maybe tomorrow or the day after. If it's urgent, you can just stay here and wait for him to arrive, — he said calmly.
— It looks like that's what I'll have to do... — Katrina sighed. Since she had already come all this way, she saw no point in going back in such disgusting weather just to return in a couple of days. Besides... No one was waiting for her at the Dehsin estate anyway.
At the thought of this, Katrina involuntarily pursed her lips. For a second, a painful twinge pierced her heart, but in the next moment she tried to smile stiffly, as if nothing had happened.
— Brother, you'll stay with me until Father returns, won't you? We haven't seen each other in so long! — she asked hopefully.
— I'm sorry, — Michel sighed, — but I have too much to do.
— Really...?
— Yes, so I don't think I'll be able to spend any time with you.
As soon as Michel said this in an indifferent tone, Katrina involuntarily clenched her fists.
"I thought that at least my brother would welcome me..."
Remembering the times when she and Michel were inseparable, the woman now missed them. After all, things were different now. Her older brother, who was soon to inherit the title of duke, was incredibly busy. Even now, he had probably made time to see her.
Despite this, Katrina still felt uncomfortable when faced with her brother's indifferent reaction.
"Doesn't anyone care about me...?" she thought, unable to hide her disappointment and hurt.
— I have a lot of work to do today, so I have to go, — Michel said, — if you need anything, you know who to turn to.
— Yes, brother...
In the end, Katrina couldn't even say goodbye properly, because her brother didn't even listen to her before leaving. When he saw her, he was very formal and disappeared up the stairs, intending to work in his office for the rest of the day. He didn't even offer her a cup of tea after her trip.
Katrina watched him go, and her heart ached unpleasantly when she couldn't even manage a formal polite smile. At that moment, the maid disturbed her again, causing her irritation:
— Madam, I'm sorry, but what would you like me to do?
The maid stood next to her in confusion, not knowing what to do next.
— Do whatever you want, — the woman snorted, — just don't let me see you. Otherwise, I swear I won't be able to restrain myself and I'll fire you at last.
— ...
In the next moment, Martha closed her mouth and said nothing more.
Katrina decided to return to her room, where she had lived until she left the Carter estate after her marriage. There she spent several hours in complete inactivity, not knowing how to occupy herself in solitude. She thought that returning home for the first time in a long time would make her feel less lonely than she did at the Dexine estate. But why then... did she feel the same way here? It was the same huge mansion and the same people who didn't care about her.
Suddenly, the Carter family estate seemed gloomy to her, although she hadn't thought so before. Or maybe she had only noticed it now?
The woman smiled bitterly as she lay on her bed, which was made as perfectly as before. But now everything seemed completely different.
Her older brother, who had no time for her. Her father, who had lost interest in her life since she got married and was no longer part of the Carter family. Her wife, who openly despised her and thought she was worthless.
So how great was her loneliness really? The gaping emptiness in the soul of a woman who was considered the pearl of high society. But now, thinking about it, it all seemed ridiculous.
In the end, Katrina sighed heavily, her head already aching from all these thoughts. In the end, since she had nothing else to do, she decided to take a little walk around the mansion. Martha, who was genuinely frightened by her mistress's threat to fire her, was still nowhere to be found. So Katrina went for a walk alone.
Since it was still pouring rain outside, she could only walk around inside the mansion. So the woman leisurely strolled through the ground floor, thinking to herself that this place hadn't changed a bit since she left.
However, since walking alone was rather boring, Katrina soon decided to return to her room and wait there until dinner time, and perhaps there she would finally meet her older brother. Katrina was about to go upstairs to her room when she suddenly noticed a figure - it was her younger brother, Livius.
It was because of him that the woman had made the unexpected decision to return to the family estate. Lately, she had been concerned about his strange behaviour, and just in case, Katrina had decided to talk to her father about it so that he could take some action. However... Unintentionally, but this time all her previous suspicions only intensified.
All because Katrina accidentally saw her younger brother quietly leaving her father's study. At that moment, Katrina stopped and stared in shock. In this house, entering the Duke's study without an invitation was always considered sacrosanct. Even Michel was not allowed to enter the duke's study in his absence. So why on earth was Livius doing it?!
Leaving Duke Carter's study, Livius quickly headed for the stairs, not noticing his sister. But Katrina, already out of her stupor, called out to him.
— Livius!
The boy started and turned around. There was something strange in his face — a mixture of tension and fear. Usually reserved and calm, he now looked like he had been caught red-handed.
— Katrina... What are you doing here? — he asked warily.
— You'd better ask what you were doing in my father's office.
— That's none of your business.
Katrina snorted and took a few steps towards him.
— Don't think you'll get away so easily this time, — she said. — You went into my father's office without permission, and I saw you myself! Admit it, what are you hiding?
— How do you know I went in there without permission? — Livius asked calmly.
— In that case, maybe I should wait for your father to come back and ask him about it myself?
— ...
Livius said nothing and pressed his lips together.
— I'm asking you for the last time: what are you really up to? — Katrina did not back down and continued to insist.
— Leave me alone, — her younger brother interrupted her. — I don't have to answer to you, do I?
— You can say what you want, but as long as it concerns the Carter family, I will not back down. If you have something to confess, do it right now!
Katrina's interest grew even more when she accidentally saw that her brother had been hiding something behind his back the whole time. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, she snatched the letter from him and looked at the envelope. When Katrina saw the symbol on the envelope, she was even more stunned.
— What... what the hell is this...? Don't tell me you're really sending letters to that scum! — Katrina was outraged, because the symbol was none other than the coat of arms of the northern fortress.
"......"
Livius grew increasingly nervous, but still tried to maintain a calm appearance.
— I told you, you have no right to interfere in my affairs! — he exclaimed angrily.
— Of course I do! I need to know what exactly you're writing to that damn bitch! — Katrina's voice became even sharper and more insistent.
Just as Katrina was about to open the letter to read its contents, Livius managed to snatch it back. At that moment, a quarrel broke out between them.
— You don't understand... — he whispered, clutching the letter tighter. — This is really none of your business.
— I asked you to show it to me immediately! — the woman raised her voice.
— No.
Katrina desperately tried to grab the letter, and Livius resisted with all his might.
— You always think you have to know everything, — the duke's second son asked indignantly. — But I have my reasons!
— What reasons? You're acting strangely and even secretly corresponding with the woman our family disowned long ago! You're clearly hiding something from our family!
— From our family? — Livius snorted: — How many times do I have to tell you that you have nothing to do with her anymore?
— You...! — Katrina's eyes flashed with anger and her voice trembled.
— Give it to me now! — she continued, trying to snatch the letter.
The boy stepped back, clutching the letter tighter.
— No. I won't give it to you. You'll only make things worse.
Livyus continued to back away. Katrina, in turn, lunged forward, reaching out with both hands to grab the letter.
In an instant, they were at the top of the main staircase. Katrina managed to grab the edge of the letter, while Livius pulled the other half towards him.
— I said give me that letter immediately, or I'll...! — The woman's angry warning was soon replaced by a piercing scream.
Perhaps it was because Livius pulled too hard on the edge of the letter, causing Katrina to lose her balance. Or maybe it was because her foot slipped on the rain-wet stairs. In any case, it happened. The woman's hand instinctively tried to grab the banister, but to no avail.
One awkward movement and she stumbled.
A second later, her heel slipped down.
— Katrina! — Livyus shouted, but it was too late.
Her body fell. She didn't even scream, just waved her hand as if trying to grab the air. There was a dry, hollow sound. Silence. Only the rain outside continued to beat mercilessly on the roof and windows.
Livius froze, clutching the letter in his trembling hands. He looked down at his sister lying below. Her dress was spread out on the marble floor, and a crimson stain was rapidly spreading across the carpet at the foot of the stairs.
At that moment, the young man heard someone approaching him. It was his personal servant, who had been nearby the whole time.
Livius's voice trembled treacherously:
— I... I really didn't want to do it...
His heart was pounding wildly. His amethyst pupils were wide open.
— I know you didn't mean to do it, sir.
— It was an accident. It's not my fault. I really didn't mean to... I didn't want to...
The servant placed his hand on his shoulder, as if to calm him, and said insinuatingly:
— Of course, sir. It was a complete accident.