After Adelina's meeting with Consort Min, the only one who entered her residence was Mona. So what man were they talking about? And what kind of moans could they have possibly heard?
Her hands trembled, and she could hardly breathe, but she clenched her fists and suppressed her anger.
Live as if you aren't here. She needed to suppress her presence even more.
"I also heard that she became the Crown Princess without going through the selection process. Don't you think it's because she bewitched the Crown Prince as well?"
"You never know. Judging from how her parents turned out, don't you think they could have secured that spot for her so that she could bewitch the Crown Prince? Ohohoho."
"I've never had my spot secured nor have I bewitched His Highness. And I've never accepted a man into my room."
When they heard the steady voice, the female servants' gossiping came to a halt. Unlike the terrified looks on their faces, Adelina's face was as calm as always.
She could handle baseless rumors and insults thrown at her.
Even if she stepped up now, it wouldn't change the fact that her mother had been a notorious bully and her father had become blinded by power.
However, to Adelina, they were parents who had shown her nothing but love. She had never done anything to direct such insults towards her parents.
"M-Mistress, this isn't…"
"If I did bring a man into my residence, don't gossip around like this. Go and tell the Master directly. If I have truly committed adultery, then I must be punished accordingly. However! By slandering me without any proof, aren't you also insulting the Master as he was the one who brought me here in the first place?"
"We wouldn't dare!"
"After I came here, I have never stepped foot outside. So how could I have brought back a man? Even if I ordered Mona to bring someone, how could it go unnoticed? Tell me how I brought a man into my residence. What did he look like? Don't leave out any details."
"M-Mistress, that is… Actually, it's something I've only heard, so…"
"So are you saying that you opened your mouth without checking to see if it was true? Are you telling me that the people who work here go around talking as if something is certain when in actuality it is not?"
"M-Mistress! Please calm down."
They felt a determined, unopposable force in Adelina. They wanted to deny what had happened, but seeing as how they were caught red-handed, they couldn't even do that.
Assessing the current situation, the two servants went on their knees before Adelina.
"Mistress, we're sorry!"
"Please do not inform the Master. It was our mistake."
"If the Master finds out, we will get into big trouble, Mistress. Please save us."
They didn't even think about the wrongs they had committed to their mistress. They were only worried about being punished by Ethan.
Although Adelina knew this was the reality she had to accept, the bitter taste in her mouth didn't go away. She had become the Mistress, but there was nothing she could do.
"...You may leave."
She didn't want to waste any time on them. When Adelina shook her hand, the servants stood up as if they'd been waiting for it. They glared at Adelina for a moment before running away with their tails between their legs.
"Does she think we'll be scared of her because she acts out like that?"
"Shh. Be careful what you say!"
"Isn't she just a brat who's locked up anyway? Ugh! She's so arrogant."
The mutters traveling in the wind burned through her ears. It was as if they were telling her to realize the situation she was currently in. The words gathered in her heart and left a scar.
"Huu."
Adelina let out a breath as if to expel all the emotions pent up within her heart.
She wanted to let out all these frustrating thoughts to someone, anyone. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone here who would be willing to listen to her.
"I miss Nisha."
Whenever Adelina would lie in bed with an exhausted look on her face, Nisha would scurry over and tell her all the things she did that day.
Although there wasn't a specific reason or meaning behind what she said, whenever she spoke with Nisha, Adelina felt all the stress melt away.
Back then, it was difficult to survive, but she felt a sense of security knowing that she had people around her whom she could lean on.
"I'll just go to the library."
Even if she collapsed from all the difficulties, there wasn't anyone here to show her any concern.
Knowing that this was what the rest of her life would look like, she couldn't get herself to say that she was already sick and tired of it after two months. Adelina did her best to stop thinking about it and began to make her way towards the library.
"Ah!"
The peaceful smile that formed on Adelina's lips as she reached the entrance to the library only lasted a moment. When she saw the man who had gotten there first, her breath caught.
The man who had worn the red hood as he drank the nuptial wine, vowing to live the rest of their lives together…
However, after that day, she had never seen his face. Her husband's face.
Ethan was currently looking at her as if he was wondering why she was there.
* * *
The cold winter had passed, and the chilly weather was slowly filling with warmth.
For now, he hadn't received a command to enter battle, so Ethan was enjoying his time off at his residence.
Although he had made great accomplishments and obtained his post as a general, Ethan hated the war between the nobility. His top priority was to protect the bamboo grove that he had inherited from his father. That's all he cared about.
"I never planned on bumping into you."
Adelina's face betrayed her shock for only a moment. Then it quickly returned to its calm expression. She lowered her head to Ethan.
Because he had forgotten about her after their wedding, Ethan hadn't expected to run into her like this. As if to keep her promise to him, she lived in her residence as if she were dead.
"I will come back later."
"There's no point in taking those books back to your residence, is there?"
No matter how much he hated seeing her, he wasn't so ridiculous as to send someone with a handful of books back only to return with them later.
This woman was basically a wife he didn't truly have. Since he had married her as she'd asked, there was no need for him to concern himself with her anymore.
"Or was coming here a mistake?"
"Ah, no. Thank you."