Cherry, the house steward, was shocked to find out that Lady Kissell had had an accident at the water fountain in the front yard. She hurried outside and saw Lady Kissell's dress soaked, her hair disheveled. Master Kissell was already there, frowning.
"What happened?" Cherry asked the two maids helping Lady Kissell into a towel.
"The lady's heels slipped on the ground just as she passed by the fountain," a maid said. "The floor is a bit slippery since the water somehow spilled."
"I was trying not to fall, so I grabbed the fountain's basin and ended up getting splashed," Vanery said in a soft, almost weak voice.
"Why did you come out here anyway? You should have stayed in the hall," Dilon said. His niece kept making mistakes lately. How could she impress the duke like this?
"I was only looking for fresh air. I love the evening air best. I stepped closer to the fountain because the view was so beautiful… and then it happened," Vanery said, lowering her eyes, her hands gripping the towel draped around her back.
Cherry studied Lady Vanery Kissell. She had always known there was a woman the duke cherished. Someone who had made him abandon his easy life as a traveler just to have her. That woman was said to be the heiress of an influential clan, and she was brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary.
Looking at Lady Kissell who was the only woman allowed close to His Grace, Cherry felt a quiet disappointment. Sure, she was undeniably beautiful, the kind of beauty that men would fall for. But she lacked the sharp mind a duchess would need to stand beside the duke. And the Kissells had just been ruined because of the patriarch's scandal.
Maybe the duke's like other men after all. Just wanted a beauty with a fragile, pure heart, Cherry thought.
"Bring the lady some dry clothes," Cherry said finally, watching Lady Kissell's hands shake from the cold air. Then she turned to Master Kissell. "Come inside, sir. The duke will arrive any moment now."
"But Vanery—" Dilon said.
"Oh—" Vanery said. "Please, don't mind me, uncle. I'll go to the outdoor bathroom. This will be quick."
In most noble homes, there were usually exterior bathrooms at the back of the property. At Viridian Manor, it was made of sleek black wood—a tub, a mirror with a table, and a curtain for the shower, tucked right behind the tall hedge of the gardens.
The maids were sent to guide Lady Kissell to the back bathrooms. At the door, Vanery stopped. "Don't stay," she said softly. "I'll be quick."
The maids stared.
"My lady… we can't just go."
Even ruined, Lady Kissell was still the duke's woman. She might still be their duchess one day. And if they didn't care of her now, duke would surely eliminate them. He always got rid of the incompetent without hesitation.
"There's no need to hover. Go," Vanery said, her voice firm. "Wait at the front lawn. The duke will be here soon. You should be there to greet him."
Inside the shower, she allowed herself a small smirk. Dorian never used the front entrance when he visited Viridian House. Rin, her headmaid, had learned that months ago from the neighbors, people loved to talk. They said they always came through the back, avoiding attention.
A useful habit, she thought. And now, my advantage.
...
FENRIR OSHEN heard that Dorian Varyn was returning to Viridian House. Then the memories of his public shame at the banquet came to him again. After that, Oshen clan was forced to surrender sixty percent of their lands in the peninsula. Although the lands were useless to the Oshens, it was still humiliating. If Aunt were still alive, things would have been different.
His jaw stiffened.
He hadn't realized at the time that the duke was a capable swordsman. He only discovered afterward that Dorian had once been one of the Royal Academy's best. But after graduating, he stopped fencing entirely and spent his time as a nobleman aimlessly wandering abroad.
"Young Master," a guard said.
They were inside Fenrir's bedroom. Two weeks after the banquet, he was still recuperating from his wounds and could barely walk. But he wasn't being idle. He waited for any news about the duke.
"He was seen with a woman at the Varyn's inn, but she is veiled. Even the veil covers her hair," the guard continued.
Fenrir creased his brows.
"He has a woman?"
"It's hard to say, Young Master," the guard replied. "He has never been notorious for having secret lovers. No woman he beds at the border. Not even those pretty entertainers at the Sinopia Inn have been brought into any of his houses."
Fenrir scoffed, disdainful.
"Then it must be Vanery Kissell." He let out an amused smirk. "But the emperor has already made it clear that he must avoid her. Everyone knows the emperor wants him to marry into the imperial family—and now he's rebelling?"
Geron Oshen, Fenrir's younger brother, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke. "If we catch them together tonight and somehow make sure Vanery's veil is removed, then imagine the treason the duke is committing, Brother."
He rose.
"Brother, let me catch them."
Fenrir clenched his fists.
"Don't be a fool! You're going to the Viridian House? Stay away from this!" Fenrir said.
"Fine," Geron said with a casual tone.
You're just afraid that I'll receive the praise once the duke is caught and grandfather will make me his heir instead. But I see you. You're clearly planning your men to trap the Dorian Varyn, Geron thought.
Geron left the room.
*