—Earlier that day, Edelweiss Gazebo—
'I'm so nervous, I'll be in front of other nobles.'
"Take a seat anywhere, Lady Velora. I'll bring out the refreshments." Lady Marigold left with a smile.
I step inside the Gazebo and take a seat.
I realize that anywhere I go, there would always be flowers of different kind.
The gazebo stands at the side of an opened wide garden, a white, open pavilion draped with delicate carvings of flowers along its arches. Soft curtains hang from each side, swaying gently with the breeze.
At the center rests a round table set for six, each chair neatly arranged with equal spacing.
Fine porcelain teacups sit atop embroidered cloth, their rims lined with gold.
Sunlight filters through the open structure, casting a warm glow over the table, making everything look almost too pristine to touch.
"Pretty, like a doll party."
—Few minutes later—
I sip my tea elegantly as I can, holding the saucer in my left hand and the cup in my right.
Around me, the other nobles chat among themselves, their voices blending into soft, constant gossip.
'…I can't keep up at all.' as I look down and only to my tea cup.
'I'm dying inside, I can't even reach for the biscuits.'
'I don't remember their names.'
At the far end of the table, beneath the overlapping voices, two nobles whisper.
"Hey… didn't the Duke's wife of Rosethorne die?"
"The late Duchess?"
"…I heard she was a mistress to some other noble."
"They say she died and commit suicide."
My heart begins to pound,
—thump—
Louder.
—thump—
Heavier.
—thump—
'What…?'
'Their Velora's mother took her own life?'
—thump—
"Oh my… I didn't know."
"I guess that's what you get when people start to find out the truth."
The nobles softly giggles.
Lady Marigold grips her hand, about to speak.
Lady Velora suddenly stands.
'…I can't listen to this.'
I rise from my seat, teacup still in hand.
I meant to excuse myself but my body turns towards them.
—spill—
Tea slips and pours over the noble's head.
'Wha—?'
"Eh…?"
'EHHH?!'
'Why did I do that?!'
—Their POV—
Lady Velora stands before us,
her expression cold, unreadable.
Her ruby eyes catch the light, gleaming sharply, making her far more frightening than her beauty suggests.
For a moment, no one dares to speak.
—end—
Silence fills the room.
The noble lady falls to her knees.
"L-Lady Velora… p-please forgive me. I have committed a grave offense."
"I was only repeating the whispers I heard from the other nobles…"
I stand there, too stunned by my own actions, as I'm about to speak.
"...!"
My head begins to spin.
—throb—
'…Huh?'
Fragments of scenes begin to overlap.
Lady Velora spills tea over a noble… then slaps her across the face, leaving a sharp mark.
—flash—
A different noble spills tea on the noble instead.
'What… is this?'
—throb—
'My head...'
"I'll be leaving."
I force myself to speak calmly, with practiced grace before turning away.
Marigold quickly follows behind me as I head toward the exit.
"I'm sorry, Lady Velora. I didn't know they would speak so vulgarly."
She bows deeply, her voice filled with regret.
'…I thought she would be afraid of me.'
"It's alright. Thank you, Lady Marigold."
I glance at her, offering a soft smile as I return a small bow.
"...Pretty."
The word slips from Marigold in a quiet whisper.
I wasn't able to hear her words as I stepped into the carriage.
—Inside the carriage—
My head hurts stops.
I look at my hands and clench them tightly.
"What just happened…?"
"I'm still the one in control… so how did that happen?"
'Was that a memory…?'
'Or a glimpse of scenes that already happened or is yet to happen?'
I stare at a distance in disbelief, unable to process.
'As if the world is telling me to follow what's in the book.'
'I know that Lady Velora has a rude personality but does that mean I have to follow it accordingly?'
'Or else the story will be forced at me...?'
—thump—
This feeling.
'Wait.. their mother..., what actually happened.'
'If I bring it up, it might raise suspicion.'
So I have to figure this out myself and probably find a way to live a normal life as possible.
I need to find out what happened to her mother and understand who Lady Velora truly is.
—In Rosethorne Estate—
I ask the maids where the library is, and they seem delighted to assist me.
They offer to accompany me, but I decline, assuring them I can find it myself.
I wander for a few minutes, turning down unfamiliar halls and glancing at identical doors.
It took sometime but I eventually found the library.
'I'm glad I already check the east rooms.' *relate to chapter 5*
'Didn't take too long since I only need the west, north and southern parts of it.'
I wander through the library, scanning the shelves for anything related to the Rosethorne household.
Just as I turn a corner, I suddenly bump into someone.
A tall, slender man, easily over 170 cm.
Compared to Lady Velora's small frame, barely over 150 cm, I have to tilt my head up just to meet his gaze.
His dark brown hair falls lightly over his features just unkempt enough to seem natural, yet still refined.
His rose-gold eyes that gleam faintly under the light.
Dressed in black and red fine silk and a perfectly fitted vest, every detail about him speaks of refinement.
He stare at me while reading a book about ships.
'There's no mistaking it. He's a noble.'
He stares at me silently, his expression blank as if observing my every move.
'I don't know who this is but I should bow my head and look somewhere else.'
I bow down gracefully and left the library.
I start looking if there's some sort of museum, perhaps a gallery… a place where the portraits of past dukes and duchesses are displayed.
'Maybe even a record of the Rosethorne lineage might be there.'
—In the halls—
As I walk along the southern wing of the estate, the corridor stretches endlessly, lined with tall windows and polished floors that echo each step I take.
At the very end of the hall, a door with a golden a golden handle catching the light as I walk closely.
Drawn to it, I slowly reach out and push it open.
—creak—
A grand ancestral gallery.
Frames line the walls, as portrait after portrait of past dukes and duchesses.
Between them stand displays of polished armor, ceremonial swords, and relics passed down through generations, each piece preserved with care, carrying the weight of the Rosethorne name.
The room is filled with a faint fragrance.
a soft, lingering scent of flowers.
I step further inside, as my gaze drifting across the portraits.
Searching for the duchess.
At the very end of the room stand two covered paintings.
Upfront at the end of the room, a completely concealed beneath a heavy white drape.
Beside it on the right, a smaller one rests, its frame marked with a delicate plaque hidden beneath the curtain.
"Velmira Rosethorne…" I whisper.
I reach out slowly, carefully pulling it aside.
The curtain slips.
And I peek at the portrait of the late Duchess.
A young woman sits in the portrait, her red hair and crimson eyes striking against the deep red of her gown. Wearing golden necklace and ruby earrings.
"She looks young."
I touch my chest to check my beating heart.
'But I don't feel anything like I felt when she was mentioned at the tea gathering...'
"Lady Velora's mother… Velmira Rosethorne, the late Duchess."
"I don't know why I became your daughter, but I swear I'll keep her safe,not just for my sake, but for hers as well."
"Rest assured even if I'm a guy, I'll protect this secret and carry it with me to the grave."
I lower myself into a deep bow, more like a gentleman than a lady.
"A spitting image of Lady Velora."
Mesmerized by her beauty, I forgot I'm now Lady Velora.
I carefully return everything to how it was, about to leave but something catches my eye.
Beneath the large covered painting, a hint of red fabric peeks through the curtains.
Drawn to it, I step closer and pull the drape aside.
—rustle—
It reveals a family portrait.
Reynard seems much younger, standing stiffly.
Velora must be the baby, wrapped in a white silk blanket, cradled gently in Velmira's arms.
On the other side stands Duke Ferdinand.
Dark brown hair, rose-gold eyes, a neatly kept mustache, dressed in fine noble attire, his presence firm, composed and quite old.
"…He looks older than her."
"That kind of age gap… really is normal in this world, huh." as I wear a digusted face.
"And then another child, must be the eldest."
"Lucien Rosethorne."
"I've heard he became the current duke, so he must be in the office quite a lot."
"Reynard mentioned him before since he keeps talking endlessly about the state of the duchy."
"And Kel often brought me gossip, while Erisa answered any questions I ask."
My gaze lingers on him.
"Dark brown hair."
"Rose-gold eyes."
"…Wait."
"Isn't that—"
"The man I met in the library!?"